The Dynamics of God's Love

Read (NIV)

(NIV)

Ephesians 3:17–18 NKJV

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ

INTRODUCTION: The word love has been twisted and corrupted by our culture and society. To the point where love has just become this overused, non chalant, if things get difficult I can just leave type of attitude. Whether it be with a spouse, a friendship or even worse your faith. Look at what God says in the book of Revelation in chapter 2:4-5. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

The word love has been twisted and corrupted by our culture and society. To the point where love has just become this overused, non chalant, if things get difficult I can just leave type of attitude. Whether it be with a spouse, a friendship or even worse your faith. Look at what God says in the book of Revelation in chapter 2:4-5. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

This capacity for love is one of the ways in which we are "created in the image of God." Love isn't something we feel it is something we do.

There are two types of love.

There is philo love which is love that we have for each other & there is agape love which is love that is extended through the Spirit of God. Peter showed this Philo emotional tied love to Jesus. Jesus asked Peter three times. "Peter do you love me? Why do you think Jesus asked him three times? Well the first two occurrences Peter responses with yes but, in the Philo sense of the word. So in reality Peter responded to Jesus not with I love you but, with "I like you" until the third time which he expressed love in the agape sense of the word.

Do we really love God? Not just in words but in action?

(NIV) 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1. For love comes from God

The Bible indicates that love is from God. In fact, the Bible says "God is love." Love is one of the primary characteristics of God. Likewise, God has given us this capacity for love, since we are created in His image.

Love originated from God. He loved us first and He love us foremost. He loved us even before the foundations of earth was formed. The Bible indicates that love is from God. In fact, the Bible says "God is love." Love is the primary characteristic of God. Likewise, God has given us this capacity for love, since we are created in His image.

This capacity for love is one of the ways in which we are "created in the image of God." Love isn't something we feel it is something we do. We love and are loved.

There is a philo love which is a friendship and brotherly type of love, then there is an eros love which is the romantic type & there is agape love which is divine love that is extended through the Spirit of God.

There is philo love which is love that we have for each other & there is agape love which is love that is extended through the Spirit of God. Peter showed this Philo emotional tied love to Jesus. Jesus asked Peter three times. "Peter do you love me? Why do you think Jesus asked him three times? Well the first two occurrences Peter responses with yes but, in the Philo sense of the word. So in reality Peter responded to Jesus not with I love you but, with "I like you" until the third time which he expressed love in the agape sense of the word.

Peter showed a Philo emotional tied love to Jesus. Jesus asked Peter three times. "Peter do you love me? Why do you think Jesus asked him three times? Well the first two occurrences Peter responses with yes but, in the Philo sense of the word. So in reality Peter responded to Jesus not with I love you but, with "I like you" until the third time which he expressed love in the agape sense of the word.

Do we really love God? Not just in words but in action?

It originated from him. He loved us first and He love us foremost. He loved us even before the foundations of earth was formed. His word says that...

2. Counterfeit love

There are many things that we have counterfeits of that aren’t the real thing. The more valuable something is, then the more counterfeits for it we will likely find. There are many counterfeits to silver & God. Many counterfeits to diamonds & rubies. Many today counterfeit cash and even with all the advances in technology, make it almost impossible to detect.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: The Pretenders (1 John 3:1–10)

The United States Treasury Department has a special group of men whose job it is to track down counterfeiters. Naturally, these men need to know a counterfeit bill when they see it.

How do they learn to identify fake bills?

Oddly enough, they are not trained by spending hours examining counterfeit money. Rather, they study the real thing. They become so familiar with authentic bills that they can spot a counterfeit by looking at it or, often, simply by feeling it.

This is the approach in 1 John 3, which warns us that in today’s world there are counterfeit Christians—“children of the devil” (1 John 3:10). But instead of listing the evil characteristics of Satan’s children, the Scripture gives us a clear description of God’s children. The contrast between the two is obvious.

The key verse of this chapter is 1 John 3:10: a true child of God practices righteousness and loves other Christians despite differences

The United States Treasury Department has a special group of men whose job it is to track down counterfeiters. Naturally, these men need to know a counterfeit bill when they see it.

How do they learn to identify fake bills? Oddly enough, they are not trained by spending hours examining counterfeit money. Rather, they study the real thing. They become so familiar with authentic bills that they can spot a counterfeit by looking at it or, often, simply by feeling it.

Oddly enough, they are not trained by spending hours examining counterfeit money. Rather, they study the real thing. They become so familiar with authentic bills that they can spot a counterfeit by looking at it or, often, simply by feeling it.

This is the approach in , which warns us that in today’s world there are counterfeit Christians—“children of the devil” (). But instead of listing the evil characteristics of Satan’s children, the Scripture gives us a clear description of God’s children.

The key verse of this chapter is : a true child of God practices righteousness and loves other Christians despite differences

There is a counterfeit love that we find in the world. But, much of it finds it’s way into our churches.

2. even if we have the faith to move mountains, or are martyred, if we don't have love it is just a clanging symbol and it is worthless without love.

3. True Love

3. His commands: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. And all the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" ().

His commands: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. And all the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" ().

C.S Lewis defined true love as this....It is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained”

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" ().

The greatest act of love was when Jesus offered himself up as a perfect sacrifice. He left the comforts of heaven and made himself lower than the angels and became a servant. A servant unto death. A death on a cross. He was scourged and flogged. Beaten to the point beyond recognition. His blood poured out and he was nailed to a cross. The good news is that after his death 3 days later he raised from dead and defeated death. Love over flows from his personal being. He cannot keep himself from being a loving God. It is who he is. He is just, merciful, gracious and he cannot deny who he is. He took the sin of the world upon himself. He choose to be born to die and to be crushed for our iniquities.

True love has no secret motive or agenda. True love doesn’t expect anything in return. Jesus said there is no greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

To be Holy means more than our outward appearance but, it is a cleansing of our hearts which includes our motives and why we do what we do.

II. THE FORCE OF LOVE

Hebrews 7:25 (NIV) 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Complete Deliverance (Metamorphises?)

God’s love can take the worst sinner and turn them into the best of saints. Paul said in : Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The word Paul uses here is the word we use for the metamorphosis of a catipillar turning into a butterfly. The change in the end is something completely different than was there before. This is how total the transformation should be when it comes to our thinking. We are made a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come.The problem is that we make excuses of why we walk in the flesh instead of walking in the spirit

The problem is that we make excuses of why we walk in the flesh instead of walking in the spirit

2. Constant Intercession

The verse in Hebrews says that He always lives to interseed for them. This is the prayer of intercession, which is to submit requests of behalf of someone. The English word is derived from the latin word intercedo which means “to come between”.

This makes a lot of sense when we think about the High priestly ministry of Jesus. The High priests use to have to enter the most Holy place of the temple and offer a blood sacrifice for the sins of the people.But, Jesus became the sacrafice once and for all. He is the perfect spotless lamb of God that was slain for our sin.Therefore He can now intercede on our behalf because of His blood

But, Jesus became the sacrafice once and for all. He is the perfect spotless lamb of God that was slain for our sin.Therefore He can now intercede on our behalf because of His blood

Therefore He can now intercede on our behalf because of His blood

III. THE COURSE OF LOVE

(NIV) 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.

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.

The greatest act of love was when Jesus offered himself up as a perfect sacrifice. He left the comforts of heaven and made himself lower than the angels and became a servant. A servant unto death. A death on a cross. He was scourged and flogged. Beaten to the point beyond recognition. His blood poured out and he was nailed to a cross. The good news is that after his death 3 days later he raised from dead and defeated death. Love over flows from his personal being. He cannot keep himself from being a loving God. It is who he is. He is just, merciful, gracious and he cannot deny who he is. He took the sin of the world upon himself. He choose to be born to die and to be crushed for our iniquities.

His word says that… even if we have the faith to move mountains, or are martyred, if we don't have love it is just a clanging symbol and it is worthless without love.

The course of love is only through Jesus. There is only one way to the father and that is through the son. It’s not through buddah, its not through allah, its not through oprah, its not through dr. phil, its not through a favorite sports-team or a political party. It’s only through Jesus in which is the only name in which we may be saved!

1.Gods love reaches into all the world

Gods love has no bounds or restrictions. God sent His one and only son to die for us. He casted our sins as far as the east is from the west. We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe God has raised up missionaries in this very church and He is going to send out even more who will answer the call of God on their lives. I believe God is going to use us to reach the broken and the hurting in our very own community. That He will use us to defeat strongholds that satan has in this region. That drug addicts will be set free and delivered. That alcoholics will turn from Jack and turn to Jesus

2. The love of many Christians have grown cold

The love of many Christians though will grow cold. Many will have a form of Godliness but deny it’s power. They have become very religious. Some of them don’t even have enough of the Holy Spirit to blow the dust off of a peanut. But, I believe God is going to stir up a fire in this church. He is going to stir up a fire in our hearts as we burn for Him. I believe we are going to experience renewal and breakthrough and that greater things are yet to come!

His greatest command is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

3. How to touch others by Gods love

CONCLUSION

So we see the Dynamics of God’s love. That He is the source of love. God is love. He is also the force of love. Through the power and the person of the Holy Spirit God brings about change. Also, God showed us the course of love as He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sin

APPLICATION

How big is Gods love? How deep? How wide? How long? How High? It is as wide as the outstretched arms of a savior on the cross. It runs as deep as our inner most most being. It is as long as to break ethnic and racial barriers as it’s for the jew and gentile, for the male and female, for the rich and poor.

You now have a responsibility to love others as God has shown His love to you. To lay down our lives for the sake of others. To do it with no hidden agenda or secret motive but, to simply love because we are loved.

Can you imagine the change that could happen if God’s love filled us all and the type of transformation that could happen? He tells us that only those who endure to the end will be saved. So we all have a choice. We can believe in Christ, repent, turn from our sin and receive His gift of salvation and spend an eternity in heaven or we can live our lives for ourselves and spend an eternity in hell seperated from God who is love.

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The Dynamics of God's Love

I. THE SOURCE OF LOVE