Knowing God: God is Loving but Just

What is Love ?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love 1. bears all things,

2. believes all things, 3.hopes all things, 4.endures all things.

Overview

• God’s love• Types of love• Examples from Bible on God’s love

and justice• Rekindle your romance with GOd

What is Love? (Memory Verses)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love 1. bears all things,

2. believes all things, 3.hopes all things, 4.endures all things.

Types of Love

• Agape - It is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. Jesus Christ showed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity.

• Philia – Philia is the type of love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other.

• Storge - Storge is a term for love in the Bible you may not be familiar with. Even though this Greek word for family love is not specifically found in Scripture.

• Eros - The Greek word for sensual love is eros which is self gratifying

Agape

• Agape speaks of the most powerful, noblest type of love: sacrificial love.

• Agape love is more than a feeling—it is an act of the will.

• This is the love that God has for his people and that prompted the sacrifice of his only son, Jesus, for our sins. Jesus was agape love personified.

The Beauty of Agape• Only God is capable of Agape love. Human love is

always several notches below. Only God can lift the level of human love to a higher level

• Knowing that sinful man would kill His Son, but also knowing that without Jesus we were doomed, God loved us by sending his Son. John 3:16

Those who love Jesus will do what Jesus taught. John 14:15,23

If a person has material resources and the love of God within him, his heart will take care of his brother who is in need. 1 John 3:17

Just as Christ through love acted on behalf of the church, so too the husband is to be motivated by love to act on behalf of his wife. Ephesians 5:25-29

God’s Standards of LoveHe is - - Mighty defender, perfect, just in all his

ways, faithful and true. (Deu. 32:4)- Lord is loving & merciful, slow to anger,

full of constant love and has compassion on all he made. (Psalm 145:8,9)

- Righteous judge, holy and forgiving god. But hates oppression & crime [Psalm 86:5, Isaiah 61:8]

- His steadfast Love which is never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. (Lamentations 3:22)

- He love equally and judges everyone by the same standard (Romans 2:11)

- Not slow to do what he has promised, instead he is patient with you (2 Peter 3:9)

Philia

• Philia refers to brotherly love and is most often exhibited in a close friendship.

• “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. . . . And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself” (1 Samuel 18:1-3).

Storge

• Storge is the natural love and affection of a parent for their child.Examples of family love :- 1. The love and mutual protection among Noah and his wife, their sons and daughters-in-law in Genesis;

2. The love of Jacob for his sons; and 3. The strong love the sisters Martha and

Mary in thegospels had for their brother Lazarus.

Eros

As its name indicates, eros is passionate or sexual

love.

While eros is important within a marriage relationship

and is created by God (see Song of Solomon), but not

allowed before and outside marriage.

The Bible is clear that sexual immorality (out-of-

control eros) is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1

Thessalonians 4:3).

Role of Loving someoneIf you love someone then:1. You will be avoiding those things which he/she doesn’t

like and do things which he/she will like.2. Accept the person with his/her lacking (as NO one is

perfect) 3. There will be sacrifices/adjustment in things 4. There is blind eye towards hurt or wrongdoings.5. Your life revolves around him/her i.e. you think of

him/her all time, always wanting to spend time with him/her.

6. That person becomes more special and precious that you cannot effort to lose him/her.

7. You suddenly become dependant on him/her in every thing.

8. You become protective towards him/her.9. You get the sense of happiness & peace at heart &

mind when you are with him/her.

God’s LOVE / Agape

His love is unconditional & holy

He loves more than anyone can love you

He forgives, He grants, He blesses us

His blessings have no limits His love is so powerful that

heart & mind get peace & joy,

He always listens & never ignores

He never lets you down, never returns your prayers back

God's love can never be summed up in words or feelings.

It's the best gift anyone can ever get

Human Love Conditional They don't forgive They ask in return He/she doesn’t grants

us anything. Measure your

feelings in materialistic things

Insults you, ignores you

But the most scary thing is that human love sometimes dies forever

Depending from person to person, human love rarely listens & most of the time ignores.

Similarly, Do you not know God also Loves you ?

God Loves us –1. He forgave us even though we are sinners. 2. He accepted us completely, don’t think about perfection. 3. He gave sacrifices to bring us close to him. 4. Here is blind eye towards hurt and cleanses us from all

unrighteousness.5. He revolves around us i.e. He think of us all time, always

wanting to spend time with us through prayer. 6. We are special and precious to him that he cannot afford to

lose us.7. He protects us throughout our life. 8. He provides us sense of joy (eternal) and peace at heart &

mind.9. He provides his help in our daily routine and watches over us.

IN Short

What God does for us

- He does what is right & fair [Rom 2:11, Deu 32:4, ]- He is a righteous judge and always condemns the

wicked (Psalm 7:11)- He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed, but wants

all to turn away from their sins. (2 Eeter 3:9)• He wants evil people should stop living evil lives.

They should stop thinking bad thoughts. They should come to the LORD again, and he will comfort them. They should come to our God because he will freely forgive them. (Isaiah 55:7)

God’s Love is Blessing.

God’s love brings to us many gifts:• Eternal life & joy• Forgiveness• No Judgments• Has overcome our past • Creates a new creature• Gift of Holy Spirit & it’s fruits.• Spiritually alive & more close to him• We become precious and are called child of God.• No failure/No condemnation/No power of hell• Bright future/abundant life• He protect us and help us to overcome temptation• No worries/No sin/No anxiety in Life as He is the planner

of our life

• God’s justice brings condemnation

• His love brings salvation

Let us see some live examples on God’s love and Justice….

God’s Justice

• Michal laughs at David dancing before the Lord – become barren for life.

God Punishes but Protects

• God promises 7-fold vengeance to anyone who attacks Cain after banishing him post Abel’s death.

God Protects but Punishes

• God protects Lot’s family from Sodom and Gomorroh but Lot’s wife turned to pillar of salt for disobeying and turning back

God Punishes but Protects

• Cities of refuge

God Punishes but Promises

• God destroys world except Noah and family but promises never to do it again

God Punishes but Provides

• God sends plague to kill people of Israel but stops it for those who look on the bronze serpant setup by Moses

God’s Justice

• Uzzah and 70 others killed when Uzzah touches ark and others look in irreverantly

Some other Instances…

• Moses not allowed to enter promised land, but called into transfiguration

• Moses’ sister Miriam – leprosy • David’s wife barren after laughing• Rachel barren as she was more loved• Rahab and Ruth in Messianic line• David not allowed to build temple• Israel, Judah, losing wars to enemies due to disobedience

several times.• Warning that communion should not be taken irreverantly……and many more

God’s Love

God’s:• Patience in OT inspite of repeated

disobedience and perseverence with mankind

• Protection after punishment• Provision thru Christ – adoption as children –

the gigantic provision• Permanency in eternity

Hey what are you thinking?

Oh yeah, You do love him

but the question should ask to yourself is –

How much do you love God? & in what ways do you love Him?

Answers are in the scripture – Check them out

• (1 John 4:20) 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.

• (John 14:15) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

• (Romans 13:10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

• Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

• Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

• Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding. Psalm 139:1-6

Answers from the Scripture (Cont’d..)

How do you Love?

We just saw the Scriptures which tell us “How to love God.”

So friends,

God expects us to love him not only in words but also in actions. Therefore put

all the words into practice & love him fully.

What are the results of it?

ORTrue Love

grows into

something deeper.

Other loves will

Fizzle out or even get Destroyed.

No one has power to separate us from love of Christ (Memory Verse)

• Romans 8:35-39Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or

famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all

the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more

than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels

nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.

Rekindle your romance with God

Disciplined prayer and personal study of God’s word often takes you through three phases. Persevere through the first two and you will reach the third – pure enjoyment.1. Castor oil Phase 2. Cereal phase3. Peaches & Cream phase

Discussion

• In what ways do we take God for granted?• What is the consequence?• How do we avoid it on a day to day basis?

“The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Prov 9:10

WELOVEYOU

JESUS