You Are Loved

I. INTRO

A. Statement that will change your life:

a. “You Are Loved!”

1. Some of u might be saying, “But pastor,

i. no 1 loves me

ii. you don’t know what I’ve done

iii. everything I do I fail

iv. I mess everything up

v. I’m ugly

vi. I’m mean...”

2. Time out!

b. You are loved

1. What if I told u that u r loved not because o ur looks, ur accomplishments, ur social status, / even ur potential!

i. You Are Loved, because o who u r & not what u do.

II. BODY

A. You are loved!

a. Some of u might be saying, “Pastor, I don’t believe u…How do u know I’m loved”

1. Let’s read what Apostle John tells us in...

1 jn 4:10

1 John 4:10 ESV

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

b. I can declare u r loved because God loves you!

1. God loves me??

i. Yes you…

2. But Pastor, He can’t love me

i. You don’t know what I’ve done

ii. You don’t know what I said to my best friend today

iii. You don’t know who I’ve slept with

iv. What I drank last night

v. smoked/

3. Time out!

c. God doesn’t love us cause we loved him 1st or even loved him well.

1. God doesn’t love us cause we said the right things, did the right things / avoided the wrong things

i. God loved us regardless!

2. God 1st loved us & so much!! that He sent his son 2 die on a cross as a propitiation 4 our sins

i. A propit-a-what?= the sacrificial payment 4 the penalty o our sin

-that is, God loved us so much that he sent Jesus 2 pay the cost o our sin

that is, God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to pay the cost o our freedom from the slavery to our sin

*What was the price 4 our freedom? - Jesus’ very life & blood

*Now that’s real love

3. The Apostle Paul said it like this in...

Romans 5:8 ESV

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

&

Romans 5:8–10 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:10 ESV

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

i. God loved us so much that even while we were sinners… His enemies, He gave us the free love gift o salvation

ii. This love gift o salvation:

-payed for our debt o sin

-which also paid our cost o freedom from slavery to sin

-& paved the way to a forever relationship w/God through Jesus’ death (that’s what paul means by “reconciled”)

4. If God does nothing else 4 us in this life, we know that we r fully & completely loved by his sacrificial love gift

i. yet, Paul says if God loved us so much while we were enemies o God, how much more will we by saved by Christ’s life - It’s the gift that keeps giving!!

- Jesus’ resurrection is the promise o our future resurrection

*The question is, what do we do w/the free Gift?

B. Our response

a. Illust: Christmas is coming up & we have lots o gifts 4 my 2 boys!

1. Now, they can respond in 2 ways:

i. they can reject the gift

-this includes taring it open & when they c it, toss it away.

ii. or receive the gift…

2. How might we reject the love gift o salvation?

i. Now, let’s say we rec. the gift

b. What do we do w/ our free love gift o salvation?

1. my boys can play w/the gifts we give 'em destructively right?

i. they can hit 1 another w/it

ii. throw it down the stairs, etc.

2. Here’s the thing…we can misuse our free love gift o salvation too though

i. How might we misuse our love gift o salvation?

ii. Apostle John says in...

don’t forgive those who wrong us

use our salvation as an excuse to sin (I’m free, I can do whatever I want)

Apostle John says in...

1 Jn 4:19-20

1 John 4:19–20 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

-Jn says that we misuse God’s love gift by not loving others (even our enemies)

-We r unloving

*when we see some1 in need & have the means 2 meet that need, but do nothing,

~This amounts to hating our neighbors

*don’t forgive those who wrong us

*use our salvation as an excuse 2 sin (I’m free, I can do whatever I want)

3. The only appropriate use of God’s love gift is 2 love others

i. Jn says it is impossible to love God whom we do not see if we do not love our brother whom we do see; period

ii. Jn makes it even more clear in...

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Jn 4:8

4. How u use the love gift o salvation determines how we have recieved / rejected God’s gift.

III. CLOSING

A. Bringing it Home

a. @ the beginning I said the statement "You Are Loved” would change your life, right?

1. In light o what I’ve said, how does "You Are Loved” change our life?

b. We have our life’s purpose: Love others

We have a new mission: Love otherswhen we fully realize the depth that we are loved & embrace it w/no limits it changes the way we live

1. when we fully realize the depth that we are loved & embrace it w/no limits it changes the way we live

i. It changes the way we do homework: we do it to our very best, because we love our parents & we want to do our best for ‘em

-we submit 2 our parents, even when we don’t like what they’re telling us…because we love ‘em

ii. We love our teachers & so we listen & submit 2 them not because their our teachers, but because we love them & we love God

iii. We are kind to our class mates even when they aren’t kind to us, because Loved people love people & God loves us

iv. We forgive because forgiven people forgive people even when they don’t deserve it…cause we didn’t deserve forgiveness either, but God gave Jesus anyway

v. We love others by trying to mend broken relationships cause restored people restore people & we’ve been restored to God by Jesus’ love gift o death & resurrection

2. We stop asking what can we get away with & not sin

i. & instead ask, What does love require o me in this situation?

c. This is what using God’s free love gift o salvation looks like!

B. Let’s pray

a. Thanks for the gift

b. We say yes to the gift

c. repentance 4 misusing the gift

d. Please empower us by ur H.S. 2 rightly use the gift by loving in the same way we r loved by u.

1. To empower us to rightly use the gift by loving in the same way we were loved.

1. & guide us by ur H.S. every day.

2. Amen