How much does God love you

Intro

One of the most striking verses in all of scripture is found in John 17:23.

This verse answers the question: How much does Jesus love us?

What are some classic answers that come to mind?

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But this verse is even more striking to me than all of those

John 17:23 ESV

23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

God loves you as much as He loves His own son!

Dad analogy, Zae Zae, how much does dad love you? SO MUCH

But he cannot begin to fathom the love I have for him. Zae can’t begin to understand the lengths I would go to protect and provide for him.

All he knows is that he is loved.

This is why Paul prays for power to comprehend.

Ephesians 3:16–17 “16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

Do you know you are LOVED by your creator?

Do you know you are loved AS MUCH AS the Father loves Jesus?

Human type love, I cannot say that I’m at the point where I love you as much as I love Isaiah.

Did you know that’s one of the reasons God gives us the spirit? “THAT THEY MAY BE PERFECTED IN UNITY”

John 17:23 ESV

23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

The only way to be unified is through love

This is made evident in the cross

Why does God love us AS MUCH AS he loves His Son?

It’ His nature to LOVE.

GOD IS LOVE, LOVE IS NOT GOD.

1 John 4:7–9 “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

Clarify what LOVE IS NOT:

it is not a emotion

it is not a orientation

it is not fleeting

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

How to we respond as recipients of love?

1 John 4:19 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us.