Core 52 Week 33 - God So Loved...

Intro:

John 3.16 signs at televised events.

Started by Steve Rollen (image) in the 70’s after a religious conversion.

Picked up by others and goes on to this day. (Tim Tebow among others.)

Why so compelling? Why pick that particular verse out of the Bible to display to millions of people on TV?

We intuitively understand that the whole story of God is bound up in this one verse. God loves the world (that’s us).

Implicit in this verse is a response from the ones He loves. How do we love back?

It’s important to realize that love is the “common conversation” of humans. Everyone talks, writes, sings, acts out for, love.

It’s sexualized, romanticized, exaggerated, serialized, analyzed and every other “ized” you can think of.

Clearly, love is important to us.

But what the world expects from love isn’t the same thing that Jesus discussed with Nicodemus in John’s gospel.

We can wander into some confusing territory if we apply our culture’s understanding of love to the way God loves the world.

Cultural concepts of love cover a lot of emotional and physical ground in our world.

As we’ve often discovered, English has one word, “love,” where Greek has four distinct words with more specific application for the ideas inherent in love.

Phileo - love for friends, community. It’s everything from BFF’s to patriotism.

Storge - love for family

Eros - love of desire, intimacy, primarily physical,

Agape - love of unconditional regard, sacrificial. Non-transactional.

What’s fascinating to learn about agape love is that the meaning shifted in the 1st & 2nd centuries. It was the Christians who modified the usage by their behavior. Basically, Christians created agape love.

This is why John 3.16 has become so important to our understanding of the love of God.

What we learn is that when God loves, He acts.

God Loves Sacrificially

When I hear that “God loves us,” one reaction that comes to mind is, “Why?”

It’s not that humans are so intrinsically lovable. (like, maybe, a box of kittens or puppies) We can be, but we’re also prone to do and say things that can make us hard to love.

Jesus came in flesh (incarnation from last week) to immerse himself in our world. He knew and understood everything about us. He was clear about the kind of messes we make of ourselves and others.

But Jesus is explicit: God loves us. The reason why is that it is essential in His nature to love.

1 John 4:8–9 NLT

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

Clearly, it’s not just what He does, it is who He is.

And in His love, He went beyond emotion, He acted in love (agape). He was self-sacrificial in His love.

1 John 4:10–11 NLT

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

He gave up (relinquished, gave over) Jesus to the very world that was in rebellion and totally lost to save us.

So the logical conclusion of Jn. 3.16

We Love Others

John 3:17 NLT

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Mark 10:45 NLT

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We Experience His Love When We Believe

John 3:18 NLT

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

1 John 3:16–17 NLT

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Jesus said:

John 15:12–13 NLT

12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Our response to God’s love for us is to love in return.

There’s a mutuality built in to agape love between God and his children.

It’s more than a feeling. It’s an action. (since we can’t feed, clothe or minister to God directly.)