Does God Really Love Me?

Introduction:

There is always a questioning about if God really loved me would he allow this to happen. God’s love doesn’t stop things from happening in our lives.

There will be death, there will be sacrifice, there will be trouble and numerous other things that happen in our lives, but God’s love never fails.

People walk out on God as if it was nothing and many never return to God for many reasons.

1. God didn’t meet their expectations,

2. Some problem that you were sure God would fix and didn’t,

3. Or you never gave him the opportunity to fix it because you kept getting in the way.

We can challenge the love of God but the fact is God loves us unconditionally.

When it comes to describing God’s unfathomable love, even the Bible admits defeat. God’s love for you extends far beyond the bounds of human comprehension.

If we could grasp the enormity of God’s love for us, our faith would skyrocket.

I have had numerous people in my lifetime question God’s love for them. It’s always if God loved me why would he let this happen to me?

Bad things happen to good people but God’s love is unwavering and true.

Matt 28:20

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

If Christ’s death at Calvary isn’t enough to prove his love, then I would seriously doubt that I could ever convince you he loves you.

John 3: 16-17 tells of How God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And that God sent not is son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved.

Now, if you don’t believe that you will never be saved. You can’t be saved unless you believe that God loves you.

God has already proved his love to us now it’s up to us to prove our love for him!

John 14:15.. If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Do you keep them? When we draw away from God and sin, the reason you feel unloved is simply because you can’t feel his presence anymore and you feel like he has forsaken you. But he hasn’t.

Isa 59:1-3

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

The reason God turns his head and stops your blessing is because of your sin. If God looks upon us while we are in our sins it will bring forth death.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Jesus was dying on the cross his flesh cried out to God and asked, “Why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had no sin, but God could not look upon Jesus because he was carrying our sins upon him, therefore God looked away for a time.

God is Holy and Holiness cannot tolerate to be in the presence of a sinful environment.

Holiness means separation. God is Holy and if we sin we cause God to withdraw his holiness from our presence.

But God still loves us and his Spirit still tries to draw us and we can become so carnally minded we refuse to listen to the voice of reason.

We reject God’s forgiveness. We drift further into sin and further away from God until we are unreachable by any means.

Romans 1:28-32

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Without God’s love you are subject to doing or becoming anything. That is why God goes beyond human reasoning trying to reach a world that doesn’t even love him for what he has done.

We say we love God but by our works we prove different. You cannot live your will and expect God’s will to be done in your life.

You cannot pick and choose when you will serve God. Listen to this scripture:

John 14:6..Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

John 6:44…No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:and I will raise him up at the last day.

So when people say I will come to God when I get ready, simply isn’t true. Many people have put off coming to God and have been lost. God is merciful but we can only reject truth so long until God withdraws his Spirit.

2 Thess 2:10-12…And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

But listen to what God says; “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).

Listen to God’s plea to Israel: Jeremiah 3:8-15 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce ; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger forever.

13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

So you see if we repent and turn to God he will forgive us and take us back.

1 John 1:8-10….If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

· No matter how you feel, you are the focus of God’s attention as though you are the only friend God has.

· If ever a man wanted to shower his bride with love, or his son with gifts, God longs to lavish you with his extravagance.

· Expect great things from God. Anything less is an insult to your almighty Savior.

John 10:9-11…I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

Is there any other way that he could prove his love that would change your heart?

· What else could Christ do?

· If his death isn’t enough proof he loves you it’s a good chance you may never be saved.

Do I need a flock of angels on my roof or an all-expense paid trip to heaven and back before I will accept that God thinks I am important to him?

1. Christ’s shed blood proves God’s pledge of total commitment to me.

2. Am I to pronounce that sacrifice inadequate and demand additional proof?

3. Must God send a bolt of spiritual electricity through me before I’ll believe he wants to bless me?

Remember Adam and Eve met with God every day and still fell victim to the devil simply because his presence wasn’t enough for them.

He gave them dominion over everything he had created and it wasn’t enough for them.

The devil convinced them it wasn’t enough to be Holy like God. He convinced them they could be their own God knowing good and evil.

Gen 1:27-28…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. “What else could you want?”

Gen 2:8-9…And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Here Satan is questioning God’s word)

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: This proves she knew better, she knew exactly what God said but chose willingly to ignore Gods instructions.

Why is she even carrying on a conversation with Satan to begin with?

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

· This is what happens when you fail to follow Gods word and listen to Satan.

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

There are people here this morning that will listen to Satan telling you that you aren’t ready to change your life and that you have sinned too much for God to forgive you!

IT’S A LIE!

You will leave this morning just as lost as you were when you came in. This message is from the heart of God telling you, “I love you and if you will come to me I will forgive you of all your sins.”

Who will you believe? ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A CHANGE?