Oh say, friend, it’s good to have you join us today In Search of the Lord’s Way to become a Christian and to live like a Christian should. I’m Mack Lyon. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Phil Sanders has a lesson about God’s love for us today. It will add a new dimension of joy to your life. Stay tuned.
Thank you, Mack. Aren’t you glad the Lord is blessing us so richly with a Mack Lyon? He’s been a blessing to me; and we are so grateful for all he is doing for the Lord. Hello, I’m Phil Sanders and this is In Search of the Lord’s Way, where we search the Scriptures to find God’s truth about salvation and the Christian life. Ah, we tell you thank you so very much for letting us into your busy life. We really appreciate hearing from you, and we are hearing from a number of you, that you are watching or listening; and we want to be a part of your life each week.
God has such great concern for our welfare. In Matthew 10, verses 29 to 31 Jesus asked, "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God cares for His people and gives them the grace or favor that they need. God’s grace brings you pardon. God’s power gives you protection. God’s wisdom gives you guidance. God’s goodness provides you relief and comfort. God’s mercy brings you help when you need it. Yes, God cares and will watch over you.
You can see the love of God in His goodness towards us. He’s fully devoted to our best interests. In 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 to 8 we have a familiar passage about love: “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” And this is how God loves us! And we can be thankful for such marvelous love.
In Search of the Lord’s Way is now in its thirtieth year. Mack Lyon has been preaching the truth in love and he has been offering the information on this program free. If you would like a printed copy or a CD of today’s Bible study, mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or you can e-mail us at searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, if you like, call our toll-free telephone number. We’ll pay for the call; and that number is 1-800-321-8633. We also stream this program on our website at www.searchtv.org.
Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us now, and we’ll sing praises to God. And then we’ll read from Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 to 19.
Our reading today from God’s Holy Word comes from the epistle of Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 to 19. “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” May the Lord bless His reading, the reading of His Word. Let’s pray together. O Lord, we are grateful for the love that we have come to know because of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, Father, we are deeply grateful for the forgiveness and grace that we enjoy. O Father, help us to fully realize how much You love us. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen!
The more we know about God the more we love Him, because He is love personified. We might well say about God that, “God is patient, God is kind, and is not jealous; that God does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; He does not seek His own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. God’s love never fails.”
God is deeply concerned with our welfare. God can only be pleased when those He loves find joy, and so He gives us the things that we need to have great joy. Jesus said in John 10, verse 10 that, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” The Lord wants more for us than mere survival. We are His children, precious to Him.
And because of that He invites us to come to Him when we have needs. Jesus, you remember, said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, verses 7 to 11, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” God wants to hear from us and wants to bless us, just as any loving father wants to provide for his children.
I love Romans 8, verse 32. Paul asked the rhetorical question, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” God’s devotion towards us is a committed devotion. It’s not fickle or childish but sworn and sure. God’s love towards us is covenant love—sworn to us with the utmost seriousness. Twenty-six times in Psalm 136 the psalmist says that his “loving kindness” is everlasting. That is, God has sworn to love us and bless us forever. There’s no end to it.
Each Lord’s Day, that is each first day of the week, Sunday we remember God’s covenant with us in the blood of Christ. The Lord Jesus said when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26 and verse 28). The Lord’s Supper is not a remembrance of that committed devotion found in a covenant with His blood. We remember His sacrifice as Christians each week “until He comes.” The promises of God, the love of God, will last longer than this earth will last. And when the world ends, the love of Jesus will simply change from this world to heaven. Jesus is Lord of both the living and the death, and His love extends to the righteous both here and in the hereafter. You can never drift beyond the love of God.
And this is why Paul asks in Romans 8, verses 35 to 39, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s love is the surest thing in the world. My friend, there has never been a day, an hour, a minute, or even a second of time, when God has not loved you. Even in those times of heartache, disappointment, and discouragement God loved you. Even when you sinned against Him, He loved you (though He despised the sin). Like the father of the prodigal son, God has always been waiting for you to return if you have left Him. He loves you with an everlasting love—a committed love.
And that love is often surprising, frankly to me. God loves us even when we don’t deserve it. He loves us not because we are so good but because He is so good. Paul said in Romans 5:6 to 8, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And though we were helpless, ungodly sinners, Christ still died for us.
He died to give us an opportunity to be redeemed. He shed His blood to lift us up out of our sin and a hopeless condition. His grace is greater than our sin; and His blood has the power of forgiveness. What kind of love is it that acts so boldly? What kind of love is it that acts for people who don’t understand, or deserve it, or appreciate it? Jesus took the initiative to make a difference. And we are so blessed to have such love. Jesus loved us more than He did his own life; and such amazing commitment is hard to grasp, but it’s true.
And this is why I say about the love of God, that it is lavish devotion. David said in Psalm 86, verse 15, “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth.” God can be offended, but He is also understanding and compassionate. God hates sin passionately and He must punish it, but He loves us so much that He is willing to forgive and remove our sins from us as we repent of them.
Psalm 103, verse 11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him.” If we could but understand how great His love truly is. Ah, it would be wonderful. Paul prayed that, you remember, in Ephesians that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3, verses 18 and 19). God’s love is above our knowledge, but we can grasp a little of it looking at what Jesus did for us on the cross. The cross proclaims God’s willingness to sacrifice His Son in His utter devotion to us.
The psalmist says in Psalm 103, verse 17, “But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children.” God’s sworn love is not fickle; God is no “fair-weather” friend. God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting. And Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 13, verses 7 and 8 that Divine love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
You and I become weak and fail, we grow weary and quit, we give up and give out; but God never does! God keeps sending his sun and rain. He keeps blessing us, even when we aren’t as faithful and loving as we ought to be. James said in James 1, verse 17 that, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” Whatever we are, whatever we have, we owe to the kindness and goodness of God the Father. God loves us because He is infinitely good, infinitely kind, and infinitely concerned about our welfare.
God’s love leads Him to forgive. True devotion forgives. The psalmist said in Psalm 103, verse 12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” God doesn’t just forget our sins. He forgives us. And forgiveness is really better than forgetting, because He loves us in spite of our sins. Forgiveness means that He no longer counts our transgressions against us (2 Corinthians 5 and verse 19). David said in Psalm 103, verses 9 and 10 that, “He will not always strive with us; nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”
Some people never get over being offended but they stay angry forever. One woman I knew said that when someone sinned against her, well, that person was non-existent, but they were dead. God’s not like that. When we sin against Him, He longs to restore our friendship and love. And He’s able to forgive us and to put away that anger so that we can become friends again. Solomon said in Proverbs 10 and verse 12, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” That’s what God does. He covers over our transgressions and no longer holds them against us. God’s love is not blind—it sees more, not less. Because He loves us and sees us as we are, He’s able to accept us as we repent and turn away from our sins.
And since God has so lavished His love upon us, why do we grumble and complain? Why do we show discontent, resentment, and ingratitude over the little circumstances of life? Paul admonishes us in Philippians 2, verses 14 and 15, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
Since God has so loved us, why do we ever become distrustful, fearful or depressed? Peter said in 1 Peter 3, verses 14 and 15, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Well, since God so lavished His love upon us, why would we ever allow our loyalties to be divided and not give Him our whole heart? James rebuked the people of his day in James 4, verses 4 and 5, “do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: that He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?” God wants our hearts, our trust, and our loyalty, and if we love Him, we’ll show Him these things.
God’s love for us ought to lead us to love Him fully and freely. John said in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love,” and to make an ethical point to us He said: “let us love one another.” God’s devotion to us, His willingness to forgive us ought to move us to become more loving. After that marvelous thirteenth chapter in 1 Corinthians, Paul simply said in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 1 “Pursue love.” Love is something to pursue, because love is the greatest and highest quality of life. It’s the most important and valuable thing we can pursue. No prize is greater or nobler. My friend, can people see the love of God in your life. Paul said in Ephesians 5, verses 1 and 2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” There is no greater need today than for people to realize the love of God and to live it out in their lives. I pray that you are doing just that, my friend. Let’s pray. O Lord, help us to understand how much You have loved us, and to show that kind of love and devotion to You. This is our prayer in Jesus’ name, Amen!
A thirty-six year old mother discovered she was in the advanced stages of terminal cancer. One doctor advised her to spend her remaining days enjoying herself on a beach in Florida. A second physician offered her the hope of living two to four years longer but with the grueling side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. She made her decision and wrote these words to her three young children: “I’ve chosen to try to survive for you. Now, this has some horrible costs, including pain, loss of good humor, and moods I won’t be able to control. And I have got to try this,” she said, “if only on the outside chance I might live one minute longer. And that minute could be the one that you might need me when no one else will do. For this I intend to struggle, tooth and nail, so help me God.”
God is committed to us like that. He is not off vacationing; He is with us ready to help, to forgive, to comfort and to guide us. He’s been struggling to get close to us, to be part of our lives, to hear our prayers, and to give us the guidance we need. We should give thanks and be willing to commit ourselves to Him. If God has been willing to forgive, shouldn’t we be willing to serve and love Him? And this means we live for Him; we show others His love; we study His Word; and we pray, and we worship Him.
Loving God means being part of His family, the church. And to do this we must hear the gospel of Christ (that is the story of His death, burial and resurrection) and obey Christ by placing our faith in Him, repenting of sin, confessing Christ, and being baptized. Now, baptism is an immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Let’s take up our crosses and follow Christ. If we love God, let’s live to please Him.
We hope that you have benefited from today’s study. And if you want a free printed copy, a CD, or a tape of this message, “God Loves Us,” mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or e-mail us at searchtv@searchtv.org.
Or, you can call the Search office toll-free at 1-800-321-8633. Now, all of our programs also appear on our website at www.searchtv.org. You can access them in printed, audio, or video format. And we are also offering some study sheets to go along with our programs. So many of you have said things to me that you are watching the program; and we want you to know how deeply we appreciate that. We appreciate getting to know you and we hope that this time we spend together studying God’s Word will be meaningful.
Please visit one of the churches of Christ in the area that’s served by this station or network. The church of Christ loves people to come by, and you’ll be glad you visited. Well, Mack and I will be back next week, Lord willing. So keep searching God’s Word with us and tell a friend. God bless you and we love you; and from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way-- the Lord be with you! God is so good and may He be with you everyday!
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