“The Love of God- Part 2: His Everlasting Love” 10/29/06

Difficult Doctrine …..

REVIEW Our Approach: 1) God’s love for all (Benevolence/Beneficence) Through common grace, compassion, warning, and offer of salvation.

2) God’s love for the Elect; 3) God’s love for His Son and our response (Complacency); 4) God’s Love and His Glory

We might think we are loveable and good.

We are not loveable (Romans 3:10-18; Isaiah 64:6; Ezekiel 16:1-63).

WHY DID HE CHOOSE TO LOVE US?

Deut 7 :6-9… Israel chosen only because of God’s love (Deut. 9:5-6).

-VS- TEMPORAL LOVE

POINT 1- God demonstrates a special degree of love for His CHILDREN

A. God’s love for us began before the foundation of the world in ETERNITY PAST

“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3

B. God’s love for us has caused him to give us an eternal KINGDOM

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”

C. God’s love for us has brought about in our lives an eternal SALVATION

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” Ephesians 1:4 (Also, Rev 17:8; 2 Tim 1:9)

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours” John 17:9

POINT 2- This special degree of love is of INFINITE VALUE

(completely, perfectly, fully, endlessly, eternally) * JOHN 15:13 *

A. The love that Jesus has for us that is considered LIMITLESS John 13:1

“When Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end (uttermost)”

(See also John 14:1-3; 17:24)

B. The Father loves as much as He loves His SON John 17:23

"For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me” John 16:27

Romans 8:28-39

LUKE 15 “PRODIGAL SON” Didn’t think he was worthy?

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Jesus” Eph 2:4-7