My sermon notes from Sunday, May 21st  as we continue our study through The Gospel of John. Remember, these are my study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon.  To see the sermon each week please visit http://www.fbcap.net.

God’s Great  Love – John 3:16

For God SO LOVED

 

Love in Scripture

Eros – romantic love

Philos – friendship and attraction (receiving love based on what we get and how someone makes us feel (John uses it 13 of 25 times of NT)

Agape – Giving love (36 times in Gospel.  Twice more than any other NT book…except 1 John 31 times)

Eph 2:4-5

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

 

What God’s Love Does Not Mean

• God loves us not so we can be successful or happy and have great things….GOD LOVES YOU…YOU CAN DO IT.
• The Prosperity Gospel

 

What God’s Love Does Mean

• God loves us so that we can be forgiven and have a relationship with Him, so that we can worship and adore Him.

 

God’s Love is an Eternal Love (Always kinda love)

 

Eph 1:3-6

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

 In the beginning…God created. Gen 1:1

From the beginning…God loved

ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIS WILL

 

God’s Love is an Almighty Love (thorough, complete, finished)

Rom. 8:38-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

WHAT CAN SEPARATE US!!!!!!!

Death? Sickness? Persecution?

God’s Love is an Absolute Love (free from imperfection, complete, perfect)

 

Loved the World

• the created and fallen totality of mankind.
  • Jews were the elect due to their nationality.  Chosen by God.
  • New Covenant “world consists of Jews and Gentiles.

World….who can be saved?  What does it mean that he loved the world?

• Nobody will be saved – NOPE
• Everybody will be saved – NOPE
• Anybody can be saved. – YES
  • Anyone can be saved, but it must be a biblical understanding of salvation.
  • Embrace Col. 4:2-4. – ² Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving .³ At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— ⁴ that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. ⁵ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
    • How do we engage ANYBODY?  Following Col. 4
    • We pray – seek and trust
    • God opens the door
    • Understand the world is our mission field
    • We share the Gospel
    • We live out the Gospel
    • Remember God’s love!
      • He loved the fallen world of humanity and all its rebellion and sin. He loved it so much that He sent His Son.
      • Titus 3:4 – The Kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind. (ANYONE CAN BE SAVED)

God’s Love is a Saving Love (Conclusion)

 

Romans 5:8

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.