God's Deep Love

Church Family: You are the object of God's love. The Creator of the universe has set His love upon you for His delight. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is God's steadfast love toward those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:11). God's lovingkindness that He has toward you extends to the heavens (Psalm 36:5). No doubt God's love for us is vast but have you ever thought about the depth of His love? Understanding the depth of God's love for you begins with coming to grips with the depth of your own depravity. You must see how unworthy you were of God's love to see how indescribable it is that He loved you first (1 John 4:19).

The Bible describes those whom God loved and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for as weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies (Romans 5:6-11). That is a difficult description of who we are but we know it is true. This is who we were when God set His love upon us. God did not send His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem righteous people, good people, smart people, rich people, religious people, or church people. Jesus came and died for the weak, ungodly, sinners who were His enemies. Can you see with that description, before you were redeemed by His love, you were not the most lovable person, yet He chose to love you because He is love (1 John 4:7-21).

What do you do for your enemies? Would you die for them? If your child was kidnapped by terrorists for ransom, you would lay down your life for your child. But would you die for the kidnapping terrorist enemies? That is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus died for His enemies. Jesus died for those who actually murdered Him. You were an enemy of God and yet out of His free sovereign grace He chose to love you and send His Son to make you His friend for eternity. If Christ loved you enough to die for you while you were weak, ungodly, sinful enemies, how much more does He love you now that you are justified holy, made righteous, and adopted into His family? That is a glimpse into the depth of God's love that He has for you.

C.S. Lewis wonderfully states, "We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest 'well pleased'." That kind of love surpasses all of our knowledge while we are on this earth (Ephesians 3:19). But we will have an eternity together with Him to comprehend the fullness of His love for us, the breadth, length, height and depth.

See you Sunday, fully loved, Steve