2024-10-13 - Doctrine LOVE

Doctrine of God’s Love

Intro:

This morning, as we move forward with talking about the Doctrine of God's love, I'm reminded of the timeless words often attributed to Oscar Hammerstein II: "Love wasn’t put in your heart to stay; love isn’t love till you give it away." These simple yet profound words capture the essence of how love is meant to be shared.

Hammerstein, one of the most celebrated lyricists and playwrights of the 20th century, had an incredible gift for expressing deep human emotions through his work.

His partnership with composer Richard Rodgers produced some of the greatest musicals of all time, including The Sound of Music and Oklahoma!, touching hearts and leaving a legacy that endures to this day.

Hammerstein understood that love, like music, grows in value when it is given freely to others, and his work continues to inspire us to live with generosity and compassion.

Link:

Just as Hammerstein understood this concept of music growing in value when freely given away, true love works the same way. Love isn't just something that God gives to us—Love is God, and God is love. Today, we're going to look at the Doctrine of God's Love.

1. God is the Essence of Love

Statement: To say that God is love is to say that God is the essence of love, or that perfect love both resides and resonates within God Himself—one God in three Persons.

God is love: Love is an essential attribute of God, not just something He does, but who He is.

Supporting Verse:

1 John 4:8 - “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

God's love is perfect, eternal, and foundational to all relationships and creation.

Love does not look at itself—it is absorbed in the object of its love.

Love manifests itself by loving persons in the concrete.

The Love of God, 77

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

Street Debators: Cliffe Knechtle & Todd Friel.

Cliffe once noted that we often take what God has given us and distort it, transforming it into something negative. We then justify our actions by tracing them back to their original, good source.

For example, anger is meant to be a force against evil. However, when we distort that anger, it can manifest in unproductive ways, like when someone cuts in front of us. In those moments, we may feel anger and think, "Who do they think they are? Don't they realize I'm more important?"

Love operates similarly; we can choose to love things that God never intended for us to embrace—things that He explicitly warns us against.

Then we trace this misguided love back to God's love and justify it by saying, "Look, it's love, so love is love, and therefore it's acceptable!"

1 John 4:16 - “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

These verses affirm that love is not merely an attribute of God but His very nature.

God is love. Therefore, if we are His, if we are abiding in Him, we will, like Him, love others. - Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1630.

God’s love is unconditional: It is not based on anything we do but flows from His very nature.

Even though we often distort good things like love, God, in His righteousness, continues to love us unconditionally, no matter how we may misinterpret or misuse love, or anything for that matter.

This doesn’t give us a free ticket to keep doing this, but rather this shows us His unconditional, unwavering love for you.

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2. Human Love as a Reflection of Divine Love

Statement: The love we experience from one another is a dim reflection of God's perfect love.

Supporting Verses:

1 John 4:7 - “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Human love originates from God and reflects His divine nature.

Think of the Moon & The Sun. The light originates from the Sun.

Show mirror & Flashlight as Object Lessons to this.

1 John 4:11–12 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

The Moody Bible Commentary 2. The Example of Loving Believers (4:9–12)

When believers love one another, it shows (1) that God abides in us—i.e., it is evidence of our relationship with an invisible God; (2) that His love is perfected in us—i.e., we display divine affection toward others. The Greek word rendered perfected is teleioo. It refers to something that has reached its goal, and by so doing replaces an imperfect state by a better one. The goal of God’s love is for a sinner to accept it, and then display that same affection toward his fellow man; his imperfect condition of failing to love others is now being replaced by that moral condition whereby he grows in love for others. And a display of love for others also shows that (3) though no one has ever seen God, they do perceive Him through mutual Christian affection (v. 12).

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NKJV

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary C. Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)

True Love

These qualities characterize authentic, biblical love according to the apostle Paul as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. He then promises, “Love never fails” (13:8).

1. “Love suffers long.” Bearing with a person’s worst behavior, without retaliation, regardless of the circumstances.

2. “Love is kind.” Diligently seeking ways to be actively useful in another person’s life.

3. “Love does not envy.” Delighting in the esteem and honor given to someone else.

4. “Love does not parade itself.” Not drawing attention to oneself exclusive of others.

5. “Love is not puffed up.” Knowing one is not more important than others.

6. “Love does not behave rudely.” Not engaging any person in ungodly activity.

7. “Love does not seek its own.” Being others-oriented.

8. “Love is not provoked.” Not resorting to anger as a solution to difficulties between myself and others.

9. “Love thinks no evil.” Never keeping an account due on others.

10. “Love does not rejoice in iniquity.” Never delighting in another person’s unrighteous behavior, nor will I join its expression.

11. “Love rejoices in the truth.” Finding great joy when truth prevails in another person’s life.

12. “Love bears all things.” Being publicly silent about another person’s faults.

13. “Love believes all things.” Expressing unshakeable confidence and trust in others.

14. “Love hopes all things.” Confidently expecting future victory in another person’s life, regardless of the present imperfections.

15. “Love endures all things.” Outlasting every assault of Satan to break up relationships.

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3. The Greatest Act of Love: God Giving Himself in Christ

Statement: The ultimate expression of God's love is seen in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, reconciling us to God.

Supporting Verses:

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God’s greatest act of love is demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son, reconciling humanity to Himself.

Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

This verse emphasizes that God’s love is sacrificial and unconditional.

1 John 4:10 - “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s initiative in love is not based on human merit but on His grace.

Go measure the heavens with your span;

go weigh the mountains in the scales;

go take the ocean’s water and calculate each drop;

go count the sand upon the sea’s wide shore;

and when you have accomplished all of this,

then you can tell how much He loves you!

He has loved you long!

He has loved you well!

He will love you forever!

Charles Spurgeon

Reconciliation through Christ: Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are brought into a new relationship with God, experiencing the fullness of His love.

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LINK: All That we do should be and must be done in love. Love should drive us to discipline, doing what we know we should do. Love is sacrificial and not selfish, remember the list we looked at from 1 Cor 13.

Love means that we put God 1st before our own desires & we put others 1st before our own desires.

Illustration: The Playoffs and the Promise of Eternal Celebration

Sports team in the playoffs:

The team doesn’t get mad at the coach or owner for not letting them party during the game.

They know they are there to win, and once they win, they will celebrate.

The coach provides what they need to succeed—training, guidance, and teamwork—not temporary distractions like candy bars or soda.

Similar to our spiritual journey:

We are called to endure and work hard now for the ultimate victory—our eternal reward in heaven.

God equips us with what we need: love, guidance, and encouragement to press on and grow in faith.

The ultimate celebration awaits us in heaven—eternal joy with God and fellow believers.

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Heaven and Eternity: The Rewards Await Us

Eternal rewards:

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb:

Revelation 19:9 - “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”

Mansions prepared for us:

John 14:2 - "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

New, glorified bodies:

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption."

Crowns of reward: (5 in total)

Ill. VIDEO by Got ?’s.org (Currently in Oct 2024 FBC Preaching Folder)

2 Timothy 4:8: "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."

James 1:12: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

1 Peter 5:4: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."

Revelation 4:10–11 “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.””

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God’s Love and Discipline

God’s discipline is a form of love: Sometimes, God’s love is expressed through discipline to shape us into the image of Christ.

Hebrews 12:6: "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: Stay in the Running! (Hebrews 12)

Whatever the experience, we can be sure that His chastening hand is controlled by His loving heart.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: Stay in the Running! (Hebrews 12)

The Father does not want us to be pampered babies; He wants us to become mature adult sons and daughters who can be trusted with the responsibilities of life.

Discipline prepares us for eternity: Just as a coach’s discipline helps players grow, God’s discipline helps us mature spiritually, preparing us for the eternal rewards that await.

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Avoiding the Trap of the Prosperity Gospel

The danger of the Prosperity Gospel: This teaching suggests that if we obey God, He will give us earthly rewards like health, wealth, and success. However, the Bible does not promise that.

Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:19–24 (Luke 12:33–34; 11:34–36; 16:13)

One’s attitude toward wealth is another barometer of righteousness. The Pharisees believed the Lord materially blessed all He loved. They were intent on building great treasures on earth. But treasures built here are subject to decay (moth destroys cloth and rust destroys metal; cf. James 5:2–3) or theft, whereas treasures deposited in heaven can never be lost.

The Pharisees had this problem because their spiritual eyes were diseased (Matt. 6:22). With their eyes they were coveting money and wealth. Thus they were in spiritual darkness. They were slaves to the master of greed, and their desire for money was so great they were failing in their service to their true Master, God. Money is the translation of the Aramaic word for “wealth or property,” mamōna (“mammon,” KJV).

God provides what we truly need: Instead of giving us all our wants, God equips us for spiritual growth and perseverance, giving us the tools to succeed in our journey toward eternity.

Celebration in heaven: The real reward is not in earthly goods but in the eternal celebration awaiting us in heaven with Christ.

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Conclusion: Enduring for the Eternal Reward

God is love: God is the essence of perfect love, and our love for others is a reflection of that divine love.

The greatest demonstration of love: The greatest act of love is Christ’s sacrifice, reconciling us to God.

Eternal rewards: We are working toward an eternal reward, where we will celebrate forever with God.

Discipline and provision: God’s love also manifests in discipline, and He provides what we need—not necessarily what we want—so that we can grow and endure, preparing us for eternity.