June 11/14 God is LOVE

BERTHOUD Worship Leader: Travis
LOVELAND Worship Leader: Jorie

God is Love (Craig Groschel preaching) will be four weeks out.
We listened to the message and I took notes on it below. It is a video message.

NOTE: Clay will change the message title for three weeks out to God is GOOD to match the series – the content will be the same.

When I understand that God loves you – it is still hard for me to understand how God could love ME. Talking about the unconditional love of God.
Starting with 2 questions: Why would God love someone as bad as me? I know all the things I’ve done wrong etc. I know how undeserving I am. I know how unworthy and sinful I am. There were stories of those in the scripture who felt unworthy (Job 42:5-6; I Cor 15:9)
Q2: Why would God love someone so insignificant? There are 6Billion people on earth. There are wars and disasters etc. There are world leaders and big players. Who am I? Stories in the scripture (Exodus 3:11; I Chron 29:14) How could you love someone like me, God? God doesn’t JUST love –God IS love. Love is not just something that God does – Love is what God IS. God is LOVE. Who is God? God is love! He showed it by sending his son…so that we might live through him. This is love – not that we love God but that he loved us. Love is the essence of who he is. There is nothing I can do to earn more love – or anything I can do to diminish it.

Here is alist of who God loves…A: Artists, Astronaut, Aerospace engineers, Accordian players, ankle biters, etc B: Babies, Boys, bad leaders, bus drivers, bachelors, beekeeps, blondes, brunettes, blue hair, bosses, Baptists, etc C: Catholics, Charismatics, congressmen, cheaters, country music fans, Cubans, Cambodiancs, cooks, cops, clowns, cat owners, etc. God loves everyone. It is who he is. He is love. That changes everything. The next time you feel unworthy – God’s love covers yours sins. Jesus shed his blood to cover your sin (I Pet 4:8). I always felt like I needed to be religious, doing all the right things. Then I learned about His grace. There was something in me that burst to life. I went back into the bar scene to offer living water. They were interested in talking about God. Told a story of an angry street preacher. A crisis of a man Craig was witnessing to leading him to understand the love of God and the gospel.

In the garden God took the skin of an animal and covered the shameof Adam and Eve. The father covered the shame of the prodigal son. God’s love covers out sings. Quoted Titus 3:4-5. It is God’s love who makes you significant. Jer 31:3 God’s loving kindness. Luke 15 – stories showing the love of God. Woman searching for the gold coin, The prodigal Son, The shepard and the 1 wandering sheep. Even though there are 6Billion people in the world – you are the one that God searches for. His lovingkindness is drawing you back. Drawing you to himself. He loves you. He is Love. Maybe you are the very one he is pursing. “For God so loved your name here that he gave his one and only son…”
He talked about having many children. How he loved his first child and wondering how he could love another. But he found he could love all his children with personal and intense love. His love increased as his children increased. He starts to understand how God can love us all with an intense and personal love. God loves us in a very personal sort of way. We love because he first loved us.
A little girl came running into a Dad and said “Daddy, did you know that God will tell you that he loves you if you listen close enough?” God will tell you that he loves you if you will listen closely enough.
Closing prayer Overwhelm us with your love. God help us to know you in a more intimate way. I want to know your love in a more intimate way. May your love become so real to us that we can’t miss it. Make us different because we understand we are living from a position of acceptance not because of our actions and deed. Let us reflect your love to a world that so desperately needs to know you.Appeal: You are here because God is drawing you to himself. Your sin separates you from a holy God – but God loves you so much he sent his son to redeem. You can never work your way to God. But he made a way for you through his son. You are the one God has been reaching out to. Reach out to him. Accept him. He will change you as you call on him. You will never ever be the same. This is the beginning of your real life. Jesus would you save me? Yes, this is my prayer. Empower me to love you and to serve you and help me show it to the world. (There is strong appeal at the end).