Walking in God's Love

Tonight I want to start with talking about the love of God. And then move into condemnation. We don’t like tot alk about it, an d often we fill like it is agaisnt the nature of God. So hopefull

The Love of God

Who remembers the Greek word for love usually used in scripture? Agape. An unconditional love. Great affection. great loyalty. Extremely dedicated.

Another simple question. Who is God? Creator of the universe. the Holy God

Did God have to show us this ultimate act of love? No. This is what makes God’s love so mind blowing. This act He did not have to. Jesus did not have to suffer the cross. Only thing we deserve from God is his wrath.

What we see happen in the gospel is the only way to be saved. Matthew 26:39 says:

Matthew 26:39 ESV

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The only way God could bring us salvation was through the crucifixion of Christ.

If it was possible for God to redeem us any other way God would have. But Jesus dying on the cross is the only way to save us. No other plan would work. The one true God offers love and grace. The devil trys to sell counterfeits, but he does not know love and cannot truly offer any substitute that shows love, but only fear. Islam teaches people to follow Allah out of fear of not meeting his standards to be saved. Hindu you live in the fear of being reincarnated as a roach for not being good enough.

God does not intend us to fear Him, but to love Him and desire to please Him because we love him, not because we fear the consequences of not loving him. If you “love” someone out of the fear of consequences do you truly love them?

Ephesians 2:4–7 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God chose to give us grace to offer salvation, not to abandon us to our own doing. He sees us and understands our nature.

1 John 4:19 ESV

We love because he first loved us.

With God demonstrating true love we understand true love and are given the capability to love by his power. Christians have a nature to help others and love those in need. over 600 hospitals in the States are Christian in their origin. 0 are Muslim in origin. Who runs most of the children homes/orphanages you here of? Christian groups. What groups do you always hear about going to minister to disaster? Christians

John 14:15 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

We keep commandments not out of fear of hell fire but out of love and gratitude.

So we keep talking all about this great God of love, but how does he condemn people if he is so loving? That brings us to our next point condemnation

Condemned by Your Own Doing

Verse 17 makes it very clear that Jesus did not come to condemn people in this world. But that does not mean everyone ends up in heaven, because scripture also makes that very clear. Verse 18 says whoever does not believe is already condemned. God has put the law out there. God is very upfront about what is right and what is wrong.

Think about road signs. I see a speed limit sign saying 65, but I choose to go 90 and get a huge ticket. Can i blame the officer or judge for my wrong doing? Was i wrong before i got pulled over? I can only blame myself I knew the speed limit, it was posted. I was breaking the law soon as I hit 66. I was guilty before i even came before the judge.

Life is like that. The speed limit, the laws of the road are right here. I willingly break them. God is a judge you cant outrun or hide from or loophole your way out. Choose to go against God and you are choosing to walk a path of condemnation. You know the consequences. So when you stand before God their will be no finger pointing of saying God this is all your fault.

If you live a life rejecting Him the only aspect of God you will experience for eternity is His wrath.

Where does our sin condemn us to? Hell

What does hell look like? Separation from God’s blessings. it is forever facing his wrath.

Nahum 1:2–3 ESV

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

These qualities just mentioned are not ones we are to use to using when talking about God, but they are qualities of Him. Righteous qualities. We all face these qualities by our own choice. Revelation 14:19-20 is another Scripture that really helps us capture the wrath of God.

Revelation 14:19–20 ESV

So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

Remember that the wrath will forever be faced. it will never be turned off. You will never be able to satisfy the wrath of God. Matthew 13:50 2 Thessalonians 1:9

2 Thessalonians 1:9 ESV

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Matthew 13:50 ESV

and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

You do not go here because of God’s lack of love. Because God’s love is overflowing.

You go to hell because you rejected God’s love.

You Will Walk in the Light or Dark

Will light ever outshine the dark? Will dark ever destroy light? Light will win.

Who is the source of (spiritual) light? Jesus (verse 19)

Genesis 1:3–5 ESV

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

The sun and moon came day 4 (Genesis 1:14-19).

We able to see all things clearly because of who God is.

If you want to see the world as it is truly meant to be seen is through the blood of Jesus. he will light the world in a way you can never imagine

Why do people love darkness? their works are evil.

Why do people hate the light? Because they do wicked things. So their is no in between. You either love the light or you love the dark.

I think about vampires, the prince of darkness. They roam in the night. they fear light. They fear the cross (ultimate Light). If you are not a child of God not only are you a zombie, but a vampire.

When you look around in society there is always so much more to the stories told. Concepts of the Bible are seen all around us.

Remember you cannot hide in the shadows forever.

The darkness in your heart will not forever stay hidden.

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