God's Loyal Love

Welcome, Prayer, Intro

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning? I am excited to continue our series.

Prayer- Yahweh, we come before you with a variety of emotions and experiences. Yet, you invite us into your house to be in your presence with our church family. We come this morning with a desire to know you deeper. To understand your Character in a deeper way. To love you more and see your beauty anew. May we encounter Christ in such a way that others see you in us more when we leave than when we first came. AMEN.

Series Objectives:

Understand the series verse in its narrative context and how its repeated throughout scripture. (learning)

Understand the five attributes of Yahweh and how they contribute to a deeper and wholistic picture of God in the Bible. (learning)

Identify and Understand literary and linguistic patterns within a text rather than adopting a simple and “flat reading” of scripture. (We talked about one literary element last week with the phrase, “to the third and fourth”)

Series Outcomes:

Honestly and accurately articulate “Who” God is rooted in the Biblical Story

Share God’s consistent character displayed through the Biblical narrative.

Engage with and study Biblical texts with an “incarnational” approach as we grow as students of the Word and Followers of the Teacher.

(We are learning to be “incarnational” by understanding context in the text and allowing ourselves to be transformed by the text. We arent just learning or studying to learn, but we are being transformed on a deeper level by entering into the text)

Intro

Me- When I think about God’s love its a kinda tricky situation. Why would God love me? I am a sinner, even as a pastor I daily struggle with sin. I wrestle with a lot. So when I think about God’s great love in relation to my life- theres a disconnect. The two dont feel like they should fit together.

We- I am not the only one. Youth Group- What are your fears about your faith?

Answers:

What if I am not good enough?

How do I know God loves me?

What if I dont make it to heaven/ what if I am going to hell?

We- When we talk about God’s love we tend to focus on us instead of focusing on God.

Illustrate with a prompt: Think of a time when you have questioned God’s love. (Maybe even have them raise their hand)

Put your hand down if that time had to do with how you felt either about yourself or just feelings in general

Put your hand down if that time you questioned had to do with a circumstance you or someone you know was going through in life.

if your hand is still up Id love to hear more after the sermon!

We tend to base our understanding of God’s love on how we feel or our circumstances!

God- What if the Bible approached God’s love differently? What if God’s love was based not on us, but Him!

What changes if we remove ourselves from the equation when we try to understand God’s love?

God’s love is not based on how we feel

based on our own sense of self worth

not based on what we do.

Transition: As we explore this characteristic of God’s character the goal of our time together this morning is to explore the nature of God’s love and see how God’s love is based not on us, but entirely on Him! In turn, we will be able to respond to his love in a whole new way! Lets Explore this idea together! Who’s excited?

Exploring God’s love in the Bible

The Hebrew word that we use here is Khessed (Slide) This is a word we have looked at before. I have defined it in the past as God’s stick-with-it-ness, But the Bible project and the CEB translate it Loyal love!

Why do we use loyal love instead of just love? Why is this phrase loyal love essentail to God’s Character and Who He is?

Tim Mackie defines it this way, “It’s the kind of love that someone demonstrates when they’re keeping a promise, and when the desire to be loyal to their promise motivates them to go above and beyond and be super generous, more than what you would expect—that’s khesed.”

Summary: Khessed refers to a relationship and it refers to actions that demonstrate loyalty to that relationship.

So Khessed is not a feeling or a emotion

Its not one act of sacrificial love

Love and care rooted in loyalty to a relationship.

God’s Khessed toward his people in the Bible (OT)

There are several places where the Bible specifically idenifies actions that God does as Khesed, there are numerous examples, but I want to look at and unpack a few.

We have looked at Jacob several times in the series, Does anyone remember what word was connected to Jacob’s story? (Grace or Hein)

In Genesis 32:9-12, Jacob speaks of God’s khesed toward him despite all he has done. (Slide- highlighted)

I want to note that Jacob acknowledges that God’s Khesed is not based on his worth- he says I am unworthy

Not based on how he feels about his circumstances

Not based on what He has done, if it was he would be the last person to deserve God’s love.

In story that our series verse comes from is where we see the true nature of God’s Khesed.

Brings the people out of Eygpt, Provides for them, takes care of them, establishes a coventant or marriage with them.

When God shows Khesed to them by not destroying the people- he is being loyal to the covenant promise he made with them.

Even later when the people continue to reject God Moses appeals to God’s commitment to his promises.

Numbers 14:11-19 (HIghlighted)

Tim Makie Reminds us here, God’s khesed is never based on the worthiness of any given generation; rather, it’s based upon his faithfulness across generations to Abraham’s family. Because certain generations of the children of Israel were less faithful than others, God willingly put himself in positions where he had to be incredibly generous.

These are just a few examples of God’s Khesed in the Bible, but where do you think we see the clearest example of God’s Loyal Love in the Bible?

Jesus is the Incarnate example of God’s Loyal love in the Bible

Khesed is God’s loyal love to HIs relationship to His People. Jesus is the definition of this. Think about it.

God became man so that he could literally level with us, and show us exactly how He wanted us to live and love.

He was commited to redeeming and restoring his people - Luke 4:18 (Slide) ]

People are enslaved most to sin in this world, it is a prison that leads ultimately to death and seperation from God.

Jesus was so commited to the relationship with His people and redeeming them, He was willing to Let sin do it’s worsts to him so we might be free from its power

Jesus Was put to death on a cross by the people, He came to save, to take on the powers of sin and evil. The Good News, He overcame sin and Evil

In overcoming sin and death, He offers new life to all! Amen! Thats the Good News Church.

Now that We have a clear picture of God’s khesed, how do humans respond to God’s Khesed? Let’s look in the Bible!

Human Response to khesed, is Khesed! (Slide)

Joseph and Jacob -

Genesis 47:28-30 (Slide- higlighted)

Joseph shows Loyal love to Jacob in this story because he intends to fufill his promise to Jacob after he dies and there is no way for Jacob to pay him back! Joseph’s love is based on his commitment to his relationship with his father!

We see this same loyal love in the story of Ruth and Naomi

Ruth 1:16-17 (Slide)

One scholar explains this story this way:

There’s a contrast set up in these verses Naomi urges Ruth and her other daughter in-law, Orpah, to leave and trust God’s khesed to them. Instead, Ruth makes a bold statement. She will trust God’s khesed and go a step further by demonstrating khesed to Naomi.

Again these are just a few examples, but we see how God’s Khesed inspires people in the Bible to show that same loyal love to others!

Application: What should our response to God’s Khesed be? What Changes about our lives?

if God’s Khesed truly is rooted in his commitment to his relationship with God’s people, it changes how we think about his love for us!

We dont have to ask is God really loves us, because we know He is still committed to his work to redeem all of his people.

Jesus says Jn 5:17, that the Father is always at his work- in other words he is still commited to his coventant and mission!

Phil 1:6 says, that the work that he is started, he will complete in us- when Christ returns.

God is still working Church! Amen? Then God is still showing his Khesed.

God’s love isn’t rooted in who we are, but who He is!

Not Based on our Sense of worthiness

Not based on how we feel or our circumstances

Not based on what we do

God’s love is rooted in his commitment to keep his promises!

Our response to his loyal love should be a desire to be loyal to him. HIs loyalty earns our loyalty.

How healthy relationships work! as people are loyal to us, we want to be loyal in return.

We respond to God’s love by showing God’s love to others!

We saw in the Bible, How God’s loyal love inspires us to show that same love to others

Heres the catch: in the same way God’s loyal love for us isnt rooted in our worthiness, feelings or circumstances , or what we do.

We have to show God’s love to people

Who may be unworthy in our eyes

who we dont feel like loving or being loyal to or maybe arent even loyal to us.

Who havent done anything to deserve our love.

Illustration: Let me share a story with you. There once way a guy, who at the age of 12 stole for first time, He then began to steall more regularly, He would often be the lookout while his friends stole candy from the gas station. He would lie to his parents about where he was sometimes. He would even steal from them too. He liked to manipulate people. He would try to get girls to confess love for him just to feel in control, while not reciprocating that love. This man had such anger issues sometimes hurt others. Frankly, this young man should have gone to jail for some of these things. By 18, he was so far gone into sin and addiction, he became completely apathetic not caring what he did or said. Stealing. Lying. full of anger and hate.

Based on this short story,

do you think this guy is worthy of someone’s loyal love if he was unloyal to almost everyone?

do you think he is worthy of loyal love based on his actions of stealing, lying, displays of violence?

Would you find it difficult to love this guy?

Well, the man in the story, was me. Yet, God showed his Khesed to me and has transformed my life completely. I want you to think of that everytime you come across someone you struggle to show loyal love to.

If God didn't show it to me I guarantee you I wouldnt be here.

Not only did God’s loyal love change me, but Jessica’s loyal love has changed me too. Even though, God changed my life 8 years ago, I wasnt changed over night. Yet, Jessica displayed God’s love to me by her “stick-with-it-ness” in our relationship.

Khesed- is probably the most powerful force of change in the world. We have that same power of loyal love church! Let’s Go out and Show God’s Khesed.

Challenge: Go out of our way to show Khesed (Loyal love) to someone who we think isnt worthy, has done nothing to deserve it, or has done everything to not deserve it.

Imagine: What showing God’s love to that one person could do? Imagine, How God’s love through you could change their life?

imagine if that Person showed God’s love to someone else

if that one act of khesed spread to another and another and another.

Imagine How Newville could change in response to God’s love. Imagine the revival. Imagine it.

That change could start with you showing khesed to one person this week.

Would you pray with me?

Benediction: