God, Teach Us How to Love

Introduction:

We serve a God that never stops loving. God’s goodness and love exceed human goodness and love in every consideration. Throughout our existence, mankind has abused God’s kindness and rebelled against His instructions. But God still loves us. See John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; and 2 Peter 3:9. How could He do this? Because He loves us.

I. God’s greatest manifestation of love.

A.     The greatest manifestation of God’s love is Jesus.

1.     John 6:1-14 – feeds people – he knows will turn against Him.

                                              a.     6:26-27, 60, 66

2.     Matthew 8:1-4 – Jesus cleanses people who were the outcasts of society because of their leprosy.

3.     Luke 7:36-50 – forgives immoral woman who washes His feet w/her tears.

4.     Luke 19:1-10 – brings salvation to Zaccheus, who was a chief tax collector, a position of greed & dishonesty.

5.     Luke 23:39-43 – as He dies on the cross, forgives a thief who died for crimes the thief committed.

B.     Matthew 12 – Jesus has a major confrontation with the Pharisees. Pharisees infuriated.

1.     12:15 – Jesus leaves the area. 12:16 – tells them not to tell who He was.

2.     12:17-21 – Jesus makes this request & fulfills a prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-4.

C.     Point? God’s love shown in Jesus will not throw away a broken nobody who is worthy nothing.

II. God saves broken people, and He uses broken people to accomplish His purposes.

A.     Why does God do this?

1.     God works through broken people who believe on Him to make it clear that the power lies in God, not people.

B.     This should make us pause for a moment, and think about a problem we need to address in today’s church.

1.     Too few Christians have experienced brokenness.

2.     Because too few have experienced brokenness, too few have repented.

C.     Matthew 9:12-13

1.     We need a better understanding of this statement.

2.     Christians who do not experience brokenness do not discover gratitude for salvation.

                                              a.     With too many, salvation becomes an intellectual understanding instead of an actual deliverance.

3.     Salvation is the act of a loving, compassionate God, who by His power has cleansed us from sin through the innocent blood of His Son.

4.     With too many, salvation has become a human achievement – and not a resurrection to life by the power of God.

Conclusion:

A.     1 John 4:7-11

B.     Until we experience God’s love, until we allow God to teach us how to love, we will never serve the eternal purposes of God.

C.     God is love. Do you need to come to Him?