Introduction

INTRO: Many lonely sailors have been cheered by the flashing signal from Minot's light off Scituate, Mass.  The signal spells "I love you" in nautical code.  Several years ago the Coast Guard decided to replace the old equipment.  They announced that for technical reasons the new machines wouldn't be able to flash the "I love you" message.  The public protested and the Coast Guard weakened.  The old equipment remains and continues to send its message of love to the ships. (# 3194)

The greatest message you can ever hear is this:  " God Loves You.  The message that should be on the lips of every Christian as they move about their world is  "God Loves You."  The Bible says "God is Love"  This fact. 

I.        FUNDAMENTAL TO THE CHARACTER OF GOD vs 8.

        A.                Love is WHO HE IS.
We can't capture God and study him in a laboratory.  Put him under a microscope, probe him, measure him.  The only way we know God is through his word and our personal relationship with him.

1.                God's word describes Him.

a.        He is Holy,  1 John 1:5 declares that "in Him there is no darkness."  He is Holy.  No sin.  No evil. No darkness

                                b.         He is Spirit.  He is boundless, infinite, he is invisible.

                c.         He is a consuming fire. God is Holy and cannot abide with sin.  He will judge.

                d.         He is love.  Not love in the fleshly sense as Hollywood would define love.  Not love in the gooey sweet sense.  These are both false notions of love based on feelings.  GOD IS LOVE. AGAPE.  Love is a demonstration of good will and concern for the other. 

                B.         Love is WHAT HE IS.
                        We can see God's love demonstrated in What he is.

                        a.        Creator.  It is a loving God that created you with the capabilities to appreciate the gifts of creation.  When you look at the starry sky, The creators love is shown.  What young bride has received diamonds with more sparkle.  Even in natures destructive fury as the storm cleanses the earth, humbles man and the rainbow appears God's merciful love is shown

                        b. Sustainer.

                        c. Redeemer.

II.        FOOLPROOF IN THE RECONCILLIATION OF MAN

Rom 8:35   "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Rom 8:37   "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

        A.        GOD'S LOVE IS PERMANANT.  God's love makes salvation foolproof.  I'm glad Rom. 8:35 is in the Bible.  Otherwise I would have to worry about losing my salvation.  Lets face it,  most of us have foolishly neglected God.  Foolishly sinned, even when we have known better.  Foolishly disobeyed the ONLY ONE WHO LOVES US TOTALLY.  

        There is no doubt that God's will is for everyone who accepts Jesus as their Savior to live a clean, separated Godly life.  However all humans are FOOLISH.  So God din not make your salvation dependant upon you perfection.  IT IS THE PERMANANCY OF GOD'S LOVE THAT GUARANTEES YOUR ETERNAL HOME IN HEAVEN.

                1.        This does not mean everyone is going to heaven.  You must accept Jesus as your Savior.  Just like Nicodemus.  Jesus told him "You must be born again."  Friend, Salvation is foolproof for those who have received it.  But for the foolhardy who ignore God's pleadings there is only Hell.

B.        GOD'S LOVE IS PERFECT.  perfect love needs no other ingredients  (complete, nothing to add)

Rom 5:8   "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  1.Complete.  There is nothing that we need do to be loved by God.  God loves you.  Even while you are in the mist of heinous sin, God loves you.  God's love is complete on it's own and needs nothing to be added by the one he loves.

        1.        This is how Agape love works.  The love does not depend on the one loved.  This is so different from our modern concept of love where we fall in and out of love depending on the actions of the one we love.  This is how Christian husband's are to love their wives.  This is how we are to "love one another.  Unconditionally.

God's love is permanent
God's love is perfect.

                Fundamental to the character of God
                Foolproof in the reconciliation of man
             and

III.        FULLY EXPRESSED IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST.

                vs 9-10 

                A.        SELFLESS LIFE

Isa 53:3   "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

        How much does Jesus love.  Even on the cross he loved those who were crucifying him.  He said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  How much does Jesus love you?

Rom 5:8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

B.SUBSTITUTIANARY DEATH
John 3:16
1. The Gospel in miniature.
God.................... the greatest lover
So loved................The greatest degree
the world...............the greatest number
that He gave............the greatest act
His only begotten son...the greatest gift.
that whosoever..........the greatest invitation
Believeth...............the greatest simplicity
in Him..................the greatest Person
should not perish.......the greatest deliverance
but.....................the greatest difference
have....................the greatest certainty
everlasting life........the greatest possession.


John 15:13   "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

No one loves you as much as Jesus loves you.  The fact is that Jesus died on the cross in your place.  He died as your substitute.  Jesus is the perfect sinless Son Of God.  He died to pay the penalty for your sin.  WHY, BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU.

How do I know this is true.

C. SUPERNATURAL RESURECTION.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest fact in history.  There is more hard evidence that Jesus rose from the grave that there is evidence that Mark Anthony ever lived at all. 

John 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sin.