THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF LOVE

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

There have been many so-called champions of love. When you ask people who the greatest lovers in history or literature have been you would get a lot of different answers: Casanova, Valentino, Romeo & Juliet, Victoria & Albert, Cleopatra & Marc Anthony, and the list goes on and on. But, without fear of knowledgeable contradiction, the undisputed champion of love is God. God? God. Let me prove it to anyone with a brain and a heart.

 

I. GOD IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF LOVE BECAUSE OF WHO HE LOVES [Rm. 5:8]

 

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

 

1. He Loves “Us” – “the world” [Rm. 5:8, Jn. 3:16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

2. He Loves “We” – “sinners” [Rm. 5:8]

 

3. He Loves “We” – “reconciled sinners” {Rm. 5:9-10, 8:35-39] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written , For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

II. GOD IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF LOVE BECAUSE OF HOW HE LOVES [Jn. 3:16]

 

1. He Loves Actively – “He gave”

 

2. He Loves Generously – “He gave His only begotten Son”            He gave Heaven’s Best, “the Darling of Heaven”

 

3. He Loves Universally – “the World” [Jn. 3:16, 1 Jn. 2:2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

III. GOD IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF LOVE BECAUSE OF WHY HE LOVES

 

1. He Loves Because of Who He Is [Jn. 3:16, 1 Tm. 1:17]

 

“For God…”

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

 

2. He Loves Because of What He Is [1 Jn. 4:7-8, 2 Timothy 2:13]

 

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

 

3. He Loves Because of How He Is [1 Jn. 4:9-21]

 

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment . He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say , I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.