Who Receives God's promise of Good?

I. Those who love God

A. What is means to love God.

2. Putting God first.

Mark 12:30 NASB95

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

3. Love God’s Word.

Psalm 119:97 NASB95

O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

4. Obeying God

1 John 5:3 NASB95

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

5. Loving others

1 John 4:21 NASB95

And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

B. You can’t love God on your own.

2. Adam’s rebellion created a problem that’s worse than you might believe.

Genesis 6:5 NASB95

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB95

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Titus 3:3 NASB95

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

James 1:14 NASB95

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

Ephesians 2:1 NASB95

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

3. Because of our sin, all people stand condemned.

John 3:18 CSB

Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

4. How can anyone be saved?

Pelagianism

Prevenient grace

II. Those who have been called.

A. The Holy Spirit enables Christians to love God.

There are two conditions in v.28 for receiving good.

The Holy Spirit must draw someone to Christ, or they will never come.

John 6:44 NASB95

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:65 NASB95

And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

3. This is according to His purpose.

2 Timothy 1:9 NASB95

who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

B. Look for ways to love God this week.