Sermon: The Love of Jesus Christ

Out of the father’s heart should come something that is most precious from him. The expression of love (agapao) should flow sincerely and freely, especially to those that are precious to him.

Our base scripture says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son”. This giving was from the deep root of God’s affectionate love for His creation. God gave the most precious gift that He ever could. There was no greater gift than Jesus that was given for the world to believe and receive Him.

Jesus wasn’t given for a certain group or denomination only.

The Gospel according to John 2. Reflection (3:16–21)

His love is not confined to any national group or spiritual elite.

The love of God was not given to the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or even non-denominational ministerial identification entities only, but rather God’s love was given for the world.

The World Represents Two Types

The World As People

The world represents us, those made in God’s image.

Genesis 1:27 ESV

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

We as the creation of God in God’s image, we have His affectionate love towards us. His love is to us and for us, and this was shown by the giving of Jesus Christ.

The World As Opposers (Sinners) To God

The world represents sinners, those that oppose God.

Genesis 6:7 ESV

7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

The anger of the Lord was against His own creation because of the evilness they desire and committed before Him.

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Gen

Genesis 6:7 ESV

7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Even though God was angry with people, His love was still present toward them. This is why God spared Noah and others from God’s wrath.

The world is not pleased with God’s love and does not honor God’s gift to the world.

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John 3:19–20 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

The world desires its darkness and does not want any part of the Light - Jesus Christ.

You want to know what’s so amazing about God’s love?

Even though the world did not want any part of the God’s love, Holy Son still died for all, including the enemies!

Lexham Survey of Theology God’s Love

God’s love is demonstrated most poignantly in Jesus Christ’s incarnation and death, whereby God the Son exchanged heavenly glory for earthly servitude and laid down his life for the sake of his beloved enemies

God sent His love, but not the same as human love.

God Sent His Love, But Not The Same As Human Love

The Epistle to the Romans 1. From Justification to Salvation (5:1–11)

Paul accentuates the love of God manifested in the cross of Christ by reminding us that the pinnacle of human love is the giving of one’s life for a person one is close to—a spouse, child, or combat buddy—whereas God sent his Son to die for people who hated him

Human love

Scripture commands for the husbands to love their wife like Jesus loves the church ().

It is easy for me to love my wife and children. Without a second thought, I would protect with my life, just as Christ protected the church with His life.

Godly love

The manifested love of God is not limited to a type of relationship. Jesus didn’t only die for those that loved God, but also for those that hated righteousness and loved darkness.

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Romans 5:7–8 NIV

7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The love of God that we are referring comes from the Greek (agapao (a-ga-pah-o) ).

Greek: agapao

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. ἀγαπάω

to have a warm regard for and interest in another

God’s warm regard or interest in His creation is very dear to Him. Another article describes agapao as “Beloved”. We are God’s beloved creatures and His love towards all of us was so strong that He was compelled to save us and redeem His creation back unto Himself.

Is there one of us that can honestly say that we would willfully die for our enemy?

The love of God seems too illogical.

Now we are made in the very image of God, so we have good sense; however, God’s love seems so unreal or illogical at first thought. Who would die for those that hate them? But that’s just what Jesus did.

Ephesians 3:14–19 ESV

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 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, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The love of God is a deep mystery that we may never fully understand.

God’s love is great and profound that we may never fully comprehend His love. With all of our knowledge and understanding that we get from reading and studying, we may only be able to grasp piece of understanding and knowledge regarding God’s love.

Zophar talks to Job about the “deep things of God”

Job 11:7-

Job 11:7–9 ESV

7 “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? 8 It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? 9 Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

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