We all have heard and know God loves us; but how great is His love, how can we describe it? I think by looking at a panoramic view of earths history we can get a small window into God’s consistent love for mankind.

Adam and Eve temptation and fall and removal from the garden resolves a number of theological difficulties; God does allow suffering, and punishment. It is all related to His love. Have you ever had a parent punish you for doing wrong as a child and you felt it was completely unfair at the time. You were angry but now being older you look back on it and are thankful. Real love corrects those who are loved, “for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Heb 12:6). Jesus said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Rev. 3:19). If you are going through trials, know that you are loved by God.

We can see the love that was in Jesus’ heart when in Matt 23:37-39 He said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

Even when God as love incarnated in man comes to earth Isa. 53:3-4 tells us “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

Mark 8:31: “that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. Luke 20:17 “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” John writes “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). God’s love extends even to the people who reject him, real love risks rejection, but He cannot show His favor His mercy to them if they don’t repent.

Grace is giving someone something they don’t deserve, mercy is withholding punishment they do deserve.

Jn.3:16 tells us “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” There 4 words for love in Greek, the word for God’s love, in Greek is agapao meaning an “active devotion to the welfare and happiness of the one who is loved.” This love GIVES and continues to give to another without any measuring or limit, it is without conditions on his giving. It asks no reward for doing so its only purpose is to give and asks nothing in return for doing it.

But to come into a relationship with this love and the giver of it there are conditions. One commentator writes, Love can offer neither grace nor mercy until the full truth concerning the evil which is to be forgiven has been laid bare. Thus the psalmist declares with joy, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps 85:10). By this motivation and expression of love God sought us: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10). This is all settled by the gospel. Because of this, “...we love him because he first loved us” (v 19). God desires our love in return; because the nature of love is relational and reciprocal it needs to be accepted and returned to grow. While God asks nothing in return for giving love it does want a response for a relationship. God is the initiator and we need to respond.

For those who believe in evolution there can be no genuine love, because love has a purpose and commitment, it is founded in our reflection of the creators nature. Without this love is reduced to a feeling dictated by the cultures rules that can change in society.

The first time “love for God” is mentioned in the Scripture is when Yahweh addresses Israel’s idolatry. Exodus 20:5-6: “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (also Deuteronomy 5:10).

God gives us the goal for our love toward him by telling Israel, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut 6:4-5). We can only have this ability through the Holy Spirits indwelling.

There are two major covenants in the Bible. The Mosaic Covenant was conditional. God said do this, obey and He will bless. Failure to obey violated His conditions and punishment followed. New Covenant is based on blood of Jesus and is unconditional. Even under the law there was grace and God showed his love in wanting to bless the people. Deut. 7:9: “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” It is in Deut 7:12-17 that we find the mention of God loving man according to the Old covenant. “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. V.13”And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. Then they (v.14)“shall be blessed above all peoples; “ no barreness among you or among your livestock.v.15 no sickness, will afflict Israel God will lay them on all those who hate you. v.16 they will conquer all the peoples whom the LORD your God delivers over to you; v.17 they will have confidence no matter how strong the nations are

Deut 11:13' “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If they do this they would be blessed abundantly with rain and a good harvest.

Today the church is so focused on what we get from God, the emphasis is on healing, prosperity, His blessing, our happiness without ever stopping to think what He wants from us. We love God for what He does in all these things, but what if they were withheld for a time would we still love Him just for Who He is and the Salvation given to us. This is the real difference between a lifestyle of worshipping him surrendered to His service.

Can He accept our worship and praise when we are not walking in love shown by our obedience that this love is to produce? Worship is not just singing songs on Sunday but a lifestyle, without our participating with God’s purposes and showing His love to mankind, our singing becomes reduced to ritualistic phrases. God desires truth in our innermost being.

We say to people Jesus loves you, but He asks us to love him back. The next time you say to someone Jesus loves you, tell them to love him back and see their reaction. We do this by obeying what He asks. He says if you love me you will continue in my word”, this is not just reading it but living it as well. He is not looking for perfect obedience but a heart that is inclined to obey. It is not about God loving us but our response to him. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” “If you love me you will continue in my word” These are Jesus instructions found throughout the New Testament. Jesus said to His disciples, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (Jn. 14:23). I Jn. 2:5: “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

God’s love is a jealous love, He wants faithfulness and eyes only for Him. Deut. 6:14-15 “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you).” Ex 34:14 “for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)” James speaking about friendship with the world states “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously” (4:5) God our creator wants us to love him only as a husband would want his wife to love him alone.

Consider the love of a man to his wife, there is no love there if His wife does not exchange love--if his wife does not love him back (or vice versa). God’s love is something we can be assured of if we are obedient and respond. Once we learn of His love for us we are able to fall in love with Him and trust Him with our lives, as a wife submits to the husband and trusts her life to her husband, knowing he will love and cherish her as Christ did to the church.

Throughout Scripture there are numerous descriptions of God, the term “ God is,” is applied to numerous characteristics and attributes “God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” [In Deut. 4:24 “God is jealous,” “God is a jealous God” Deut. 6:15. In Nahum 1:2-3 it says “ For our God is a consuming fire” (also Heb. 12:29).] “God is a just judge” (Psalm 7:11). Dan. 9:14 says “our God is righteous”; Psalm 99:9 “our God is holy”; Deut. 4:31”God is a merciful God”; Psalm 116:5 reaffirms “Yes, our God is merciful.” 2 Chron. 30: 9 “your God is gracious and merciful.” When we come to the New Testament we find some different statements about His nature 2 Cor. 1:18 “God is faithful” in John 4:24-25 God is Spirit. 1 John 1:6 “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” While all of these describe God in His essential nature and activity there is one statement that we gravitate to and hold to personally knowing what it means as Christians, that “for God is love” (1 John 4:8). God is infinite in all of His attributes of his nature. Love is the highest attribute of God, the one attribute in which all others harmoniously blend. The love of God is more than kindness or benevolence. Some represent the God of the Old Testament as angry and vengeful and Jesus of the New Testament as loving. God is always the same in his nature...I am the Lord, I change not (Mal. 3:6). How can He who is holy, infinite in power, perfect in wisdom and knowledge love us, his creatures he made?

Christ did not die for us because we are worthy or deserve it but simply because of His love for us. We cannot think to deeply on this, the why becomes a mystery that is kept by God. It may only be fully known when we stand before Him. Our part is only that we accept it, and are brought back into a relationship with Him that was severed by Adam. People have no idea whom they are turning away. The love of God is beyond our understanding, immeasurable.

We see many of these same characteristics mentioned and demonstrated in Eph 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” This is love; to annul punishment and give favor to those who certainly don’t deserve it. God’s riches are given to us as believers by His showing mercy, something that flows from His nature of infinite love.

The gospel is a demonstration of God’s love to all people for all time. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). Jesus said, “No man takes my life I lay it down on my own accord,” it is a sacrificial love. God’s Love does not look for a reason to love in the one who is to respond but it is found in him who initiates the love. True love is not just toward the obedient or those who will love in return. The grace of God has appeared to all people. Christ did not die for only those who will obey him but those who may never stop rebelling and never believe. This does not mean all will be saved, but only those who receive what He has done for them will be saved. But His love is offered to all. When God starts to draw us to Himself by His grace He wants us to respond Prov. 8:17 “ I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” God says, “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6). It is our response that is important to His commencing love toward us.This is the  way to enter into a relationship with Him.

Matt. 22:37-39 Jesus said to him,“ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” “This is the first and great commandment.” And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” so if we say we love God we will be trying to obey him. Love to God then to man, but the second part is more crucial, what is our commitment to man, especially our brethren? Because this shows that we have the love of God in us.God's love is toward people and people who have God's love will love people also.

I Jn. 3:23-24 “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” Christ prayed to the Father, “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (Jn. 17:26). Christ himself lives in us who believe the gospel and expresses His life through us so we are able to love beyond our human capacity. Without Christ’s example of sacrificial love we would not know what true love is. But to have this love like Christ one must die to their old nature as Paul declares “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Gal. 5:22 tells us love is the fruit of His Spirit in the Christian, we cannot present the gospel of God's love unless His love lives in us by the Holy Spirit.

One of the more neglected areas of God’s love is telling people the truth. Some people practice neutrality and tolerance as Christian love. We are so careful not to OFFEND our neighbors, friends and family by THE TRUTH, so we can say we love them. But are we loving God by doing this? Are we really loving them? Are we so unwilling to endure any rejection that we have become ashamed of God’s word! Is it not better to do what is right in God’s eyes and suffer the consequences from man, then to do what is right in mans eyes and suffer the consequences from God! This is not a time to compromise on what is true to please people so that we don’t look like we are fanatics, it is time to stand up and shine the light because the world is getting darker day by day.

I Jn. 4:8 “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. The Bible says that “God is love”, what it does not mean is that all love is God, or anyone who loves is of God. This is referring to the indwelling presence of God whose fruit is the love of Christ. Scripture says that God’s love was shed abroad in our hearts because of believing on Jesus Christ; we know it personally. We have His heart, a new nature that cares about things differently than before. Vv.9-11 “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” To receive the love of God one must receive his Son (Jn.3:16).

Because God is love, we are taught to love by God (1 Thess. 4:9). Eph 5:1-2 instructs us “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Sometimes we must sacrifice our relationship with people to bring truth into their lives. They may see us differently, they may even reject our friendship but if we care for them as the Bible tells us to we will share the truth of what Jesus spoke.

God’s love,” is exercised by the believers to the believers who identify with God in His character. Many want the power and miracles the first century Church had to prove God is real but Christ also gave us the commands for practical living, which if examined outweigh the miraculous done by the Church at least 2 to 1.

Jesus said they will know you follow me by loving one another, not by how many miracles one can produce. In Acts 2:45 they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all to meet the needs. They continued in one accord they were united and the Church was added to daily, (not in attendance) but those being saved. They had a purpose. The new life had filled their hearts and affected the people that they met in a genuine manner. “But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”(I Jn.3:17-18). “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1Thess. 4:9).

Why if God loves us does He allow bad things to happen to good people? First of there are no good people, we are sinful, second has given us ways and commands so we can avoid evil. But there are times when it comes despite everything we have done right. HE promises that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). God can turn the worst situation around. I’ve seen it happen to others and in my own life, where issues were solved because of God’s commitment of love in our lives, and our commitment to love each other. When His face is turned toward us and our heart is turned toward Him having faith and perseverance we find His grace.

Paul asks in Rom. 8:35-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (He answers it) Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Paul goes on v. 38 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This personal God who created all things loves each individual He has created with a love beyond our comprehension. The love God has for His people are beyond our human capacity to fully understand. If you were able to measure the universe you still can’t measure His love for you; it’s too great. What is the great mystery? is that nothing can separate us from His love. Paul’s prayer in Eph 3:17 explains to us “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, v:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

God has kept His promise in these last days to Israel by bringing her back into the land as he promised to Abraham. God will keep his promise to us as well. He loves you and cares for the things you go through, be encouraged that He is watching over you. For the days to come will be like no other in the past and we will need faith and perseverance in our God to get us through victoriously. But most of all we will need love, real love. Heb 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” These works are those things acceptable to God. Any obedience that is not motivated by love is not acceptable nor is it beneficial. Paul explains that without the motivation of love nothing we do is of value: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,... have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,...and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and...give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Motivation is what counts even though it can be hard to accept what is being said at the time. In 1 Cor. 8:1 Paul writes ...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies (builds up). Our knowledge needs to be used in service to our Lord or it is useless. This why it says in James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Wisdom is knowledge applied. Our relationships are built on love and destroyed by conditions that limit or hinder love that brings koinonia, fellowship in the Spirit.

Love is to be the modus operandi of the Christian Faith; the lack of love reveals that a person either does not understand the basics of his faith or may not have genuine convictions in living it. When our obedience to the Word of God is affected, our care for each other will be as well. Love is a choice and a commitment. We are to love our neighbors (Mt. 19:18; Mk 12:31.) and even our enemies (Lk. 6:27). What I have been hearing lately is that we need to love everyone, even false teachers. Really! What kind of love are we talking about? The Scripture says we are to preach the Word, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim. 4). The purpose is to rescue as many as possible from a false spirituality and judgment. For those who have strayed, we are to bring them back to the truth. Our goal should be to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, our whole being. Jesus said in John 14:24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words.” We should love people enough to warn of false teaching. We are not showing love by being silent and allowing them to continue listening. God’s love is not a love that ignores falsehood or harm but comes to the rescue of it by presenting the truth. Do we ignore what is destructive to be able to say we are loving them? If we truly love God and man, we will be committed in warning the lost and rebuking those who are leading multitudes astray with false doctrine both outside and inside the Church. A Christian will love and adhere to what Jesus and the apostles said before any man. 

It was the Pharisees who were hard and cold and self absorbed. They did not care to speak on what was false or harmful from god's perspective but their own. They did not want to help their brethren, they did not even help their own parents. In Mark 7:11-12 Jesus addresses the Pharisees who would tell their parents who came to them for money its “corban,” I have already dedicated it to God and are unable to give to you. they found an excuse for everything that would have them do right before God.When it came down to it they were like spineless jellyfish.

What parent would not speak up if they see their child being taught incorrectly? What kind of a Christian would stand by idly watching other sheep being ravaged by wolves in sheeps clothing? We are to walk in love. Jesus said at the end of time, that because lawlessness would abound, the love of many will grow cold. What Jesus is describing is Christians will live in a time where obedience to the Word of God will be affected as well as their care for each other. Many will shrink back from telling the truth because their love is cold. They have become self absorbed living like the world.  It has begun just as Jesus spoke.

Jesus always appealed to the people out of love and concern for their well-being but He did not compromise what he was to say. Jesus said to love as I loved you. How did Jesus love? Did He just accept everyone for who they were and disregard what they did? When Peter received a revelation from the Father and he proclaimed who Jesus is, he was commended. But right after this he was prompted by the Devil to prevent Jesus from accomplishing his mission. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt. 16:22-23).

I don't think I need to belabor the point. Jesus rebuked him openly. I imagine it must have been humbling to have this occur right after everyone thought from his revelation “right on Peter” when he stated who Jesus is. We see God’s love is corrective, love is looking out for others interest, It is not self centered but other centered. 1 Cor. 10:24 “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.” Phil. 2:4-5 “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” If you have the same mind you will have concern enought to speak mup when its necessary in the face of falsehood. We see even after Peter sinned by denyig the Lord Jesus went to him and tried to bring him back into fellowship and restore him by asking him how much he loved him three times, Peter was unable to admit that he loved him more than like a brother. Jesus asked Peter to do waht he was called to do and feed the sheep. The purpose of correction is to restore someone to the riught way and not let them continue in their wrong. It is this same love Jesus had for us when he came to earth to rescue us from our sin. but he loved us enough to tell us we are sinners, so we could respond to his cure.

The nature of Jesus shows compassion and is willing to help by telling the truth even if rejection and scorn will be its end. Jesus’ love is a correcting love as parent is to its child. Jesus did not overlook his error because he did something right beforehand. Nor did he say his good outweighed the bad. What was at stake was the truth. Neither did Jesus keep silent and have Peter influence the others falsely. Can you love like this? Would you rebuke, or correct a brother risking friendship for the truth? “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Prov. 27:5-6)

Our love is shown by our commitment to him. If we love Jesus we should not have a lack of love for people. Are you broken over the many religions and the cults people have joined, do you care they are going to hell? Many of you have family and friends in them, are you taking steps to show them the truth that can set them free? The Bible teaches when every part of the body does its share, it causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. This should motivate us reach out to others. If you don’t have this love pray that God would light it as a fire in your soul, that you would see with Jesus’ eyes and have compassion that would motivate you to speak.

Paul prayed in Phil. 1:9-10 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Love has certain elements, not only is it active it has wisdom and discretion. These are things that are ignored today but this is the love we need, anything less than this will not change us, the church or affect society.