Many years ago, before the sensitive and politically correct society in which we live today, there was a boy who was continually in trouble. He was forever breaking the rules and always getting into trouble at school. His father could not understand why. He provided for him in every way with a good home, he spent time with him fishing and going to his ballgames, and he showered him with his unconditional love, but the father just couldn’t figure out why the boy wouldn’t mind? He had been raised in the church and had even been in Sunday school for five years. His father was consistently reading the Bible to him and his father had never provoked him to anger. His son’s behavior was a mystery to him.

One day when his son was upstairs playing around with his baseball, which he’d been told repeatedly not to do, he ended up breaking one of his bedroom windows. The boy was ten year’s old and certainly knew better because his father had told him time and again to not play ball in the house. The father headed upstairs and took off his belt. The boy knew what was coming so he voluntarily bent over and kneeled next to his bed but the father said, “Son, here, take this belt” which his son did.

Then his father took off his shirt and kneeled down on the bed and said: “Son, I want you to give me seven lashes with this belt across my back.” His son started to cry and said that he couldn’t do it. His father kept insisting until the son finally relented and started hitting his father across the back with the belt but it wasn’t hard enough.

He said, “Harder son, harder!” When the boy finally lashed the belt across his father’s back seven times with greater force the father asked him “Son, do you know why I had you do this?” The son said “No.” The father said, “When Jesus went to the cross for us, He took the worst punishment that has ever been inflicted upon any man. He was pummeled, He was beaten, His beard was plucked out, and He was punished like no one has ever been punished.

Who do you really think did this to Jesus?” The boy, still whimpering, hesitated and finally said he thought it was the Jews or the Romans but the boy’s father said, “No, it was God the Father who punished Jesus for everything that we have ever done wrong and or will ever do wrong in the future (Isaiah 52:14-15; 53:1-12). He took the punishment that He didn’t deserve to save those who didn’t deserve saving. That is how much the Father and Jesus loved us” (John 3:16). It was God’s love most gloriously displayed for us who deserved actually His wrath.

The boy was shaken deeply by this lesson and from that day forward, the boy never seemed to get into the same amount of trouble again…not perfect but changed. Maybe it was because he wasn’t sure how his dad would react again. The boy didn’t ever want to use the belt on his dad again although the father never said anything more about it. Whatever it was, the message of God’s love displayed on the cross by Christ forever changed this young man and it has forever changed us. The boy was not perfect after that, by no means, but neither are we after being saved but that doesn’t take away what was accomplished at the cross.

Conclusion

If we are to preach on God’s love, I believe we must emphasize that love is active, tangible, and action-oriented.  Love is a choice one has to make, not so much a feeling we choose to have.  Is there any greater love than one that was displayed on the cross?

Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13).

The opposite of love is not hatred because in hatred there are at least some emotions but the opposite of love is indifference. If we are to teach about God’s love, we should focus on what God does more than what God feels, not that God doesn’t feel love for us but God’s feeling love for us was not enough to save us.  It was God’s love that cost Jesus His life and that cost must be acknowledged with the express desire that we will “love one another just as [Christ] loved [us]”.  And that type of love, the agape love, comes with a high price but a price that is every bit worth it, wouldn’t you agree?

Today our focus is Gods Agape love for us!

What does the Bible say about the Love of God?

The Love of God is frequently mentioned in the Bible through stories and proverbs as divine, true, and everlasting. In fact, the Bible says that God is love! God loves everyone. God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to die for our sins and be resurrected. This bold fact alone is very important evidence of God’s love for his children.

We hope that these Scripture quotes will help you understand God’s love for you. He is not a ruling dictator in heaven looking to punish us when we do wrong. His love is characterized by grace and forgiveness and is eternal and unconditional!

The Bible is full of verses that remind us of God’s love for us. These scriptures can bring comfort and encouragement in times of need. Here are some of the most popular verses about God’s love:

Top Bible Verses about God’s Love

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 3:1 – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”

1 John 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Psalm 86:15 – “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

jn 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1st jn 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

As we have discussed before The greek word used for most love in the new Testament is Agape a super love or unconditional love! God loves us period! no conditions or judgement!

now we will hear from or friend and greek scholar Rick Renner. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved….

— Colossians 3:12

If you know Jesus Christ today, it is no accident. God personally summoned you to know Him. The fact is, God looked out into eternity and saw you — and He said, “I want you. I’m calling you out of this lost world to belong to Me!” God literally chose you for Himself, which ought to be one of the truths you speak to yourself every day!

How can we know that to be true? God gives us that assurance in Colossians 3:12, where it says, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved….” This verse is very important for us to understand because it tells you and me what God thinks of us. This is vital for us to get into our hearts, because we need to know what God thinks of those whom He has redeemed.

Pay close attention as we dig into this verse. Let these truths sink deep into your heart — because they have the power to transform the way you think about yourself!

Colossians 3:12 begins by saying, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God….” This word “elect” is the first word that reveals what God thinks of us. It is the Greek word eklektos, which is a compound of the words ek and lego. The word ek means out, and lego means I say. When they are compounded, the new word literally means, “Out, I say!” In other words, God loved us so much that He called us out from a lost eternity and began the process of making sure we came to Christ. For that reason, the word eklektos can be translated elected or selected, carrying the idea that we are personally chosen by God.

The verse continues, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy….” This word “holy” is the Greek word hagios, which in ancient times described awe, respect, and reverence for a holy place or a holy shrine — a place separated and set apart from other places. Consequently, the word eventually came to refer to something that was separated from the rest of the world and was thereby sanctified, consecrated, or holy. The use of this word in the New Testament tells us that once we came to Christ, the blood of Jesus separated us, consecrated us, and made us holy. He removed our past sins and threw them into the sea of forgetfulness, separating our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12).

The word “holy” (hagios) means that God Himself respects you as a holy dwelling place for His Spirit. God sees you as consecrated and sanctified, different from others, so special that you are in a totally separate category from the rest of the world.

So the next time the devil tries to tell you that you’re too fat, too skinny, too homely, not spiritual enough, undeserving, or inferior in any way, read the preceding paragraphs to him as a rebuke! Then the first thing every morning, look in the mirror and declare: “I am holy! Jesus’ blood separated me from my past! He wiped it out and cleared the slate! He threw my sin into the sea of forgetfulness and separated it from me forever. Now I am clean, set apart, and consecrated — and God Himself respects me as the temple of His Spirit!”

All these things are absolutely true about you. That’s why you must do your best to live in obedience to God’s Word and to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit who resides within you (see Ephesians 4:30). Whenever you do anything out of order or anything that would bring grief to the Holy Spirit living within you, just confess your sin to the Father, and you will be immediately and completely cleansed by the blood of Jesus (see 1 John 1:9).  Next, Colossians 3:12 goes on to say, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.…” This word “beloved” is the Greek word agapao, which comes from the word agape, the Greek word for love. The tense used in this verse is very significant, because it means God has loved us in the past; He still loves us in the present; and He will continue to love us in the future.

Do you remember moments in your past when you were so very aware that God loved you? Were there moments when you felt overwhelmed by God’s forgiveness, acceptance, and tender care for you, even at times when you knew that you had done something wrong and didn’t deserve His love? The psalmist David wrote that God’s love is unfailing. In Psalm 36:7 (NIV), David said, “How priceless is your unfailing love….” In fact, David and the other psalmists were so aware of God’s “unfailing love” to sustain them that they wrote about it 70 times in the book of Psalms.

Are you still aware today that God loves you with an everlasting, unfailing love? God’s love for you has never changed. He loves you today as intensely as He loved you yesterday! You may have done things that were not appropriate for a child of God to do. But nonetheless, you are His child, and He loves you with an everlasting love. Even if you’ve largely ignored God and you need to ask His forgiveness, He never forgets that the Holy Spirit lives in you, and He respects you as a dwelling place of His Spirit. And the really great news is this: God’s love for you tomorrow will also be unfailing. It will never change. Even if you fail, God’s love for you will not fail. His love is steadfast and unchanging toward His sons and daughters.

Before I finish this point about you being the “beloved” of God, I want to take some time to explain further what the word agape really means, since it is one of the Greek words Paul used in Colossians 3:12 to reveal what God thinks of you.

This word agape refers to what I call high-level love, for there is no higher, finer, or more excellent love than agape love. In fact, the word agape is filled with so much deep emotion and meaning that it is one of the most difficult words to translate in the New Testament. Trying to explain this word has baffled translators for centuries; nevertheless, I’m going to try to clarify the meaning of this powerful word.

Agape occurs when an individual sees, recognizes, understands, or appreciates the value of an object or a person, causing the viewer to behold this object or person in great esteem, awe, admiration, wonder, and sincere appreciation. Such great respect is awakened in the heart of the observer for the person or object he is beholding that he is compelled to love it. In fact, his love for that person or object is so strong that it is irresistible.

In the New Testament, perhaps the best example of agape is found in John 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.” In the phrase, “For God so loved the world,” the word “love” is the word agape.

This means that when God looked upon the human race, He stood in awe of mankind, even though man was lost in sin. God admired man; He wondered at man; He held mankind in the highest appreciation. Even though Satan held mankind captive at that moment, God looked upon the world and saw His own image in man. The human race was so precious to God and He loved man so deeply that His heart was stirred to reach out and do something to save him. In other words, God’s love drove Him to action.

You see, agape is a love that loves so profoundly that it knows no limits or boundaries in how far, wide, high, and deep it will go to show that love to its recipient. If necessary, agape love will even sacrifice itself for the sake of that object or person it so deeply cherishes. Thus, agape is the highest form of love — a self-sacrificial type of love that moves the lover to action for the sake of the beloved.

When you put together the meaning of these three words in Colossians 3:12, you gain a deeper revelation regarding what God actually thinks about you. He has personally chosen you; He has separated you from your sin; He respects you as the dwelling place of His Spirit; and He loves you so much that His thoughts are continually turned toward you, causing awe, admiration, and wonder to be drawn from His heart. That is what God thinks about you!

Heavenly Father, I am in awe of Your great love toward me. Thank You that even before the foundations of the world, You looked into eternity and saw me personally. When You fastened Your gaze upon me, Your heart of love opened toward me and You deliberately chose me that I might know You. Holy Spirit, You are the treasure within my earthen vessel. Help me see myself as the Father sees me. Then empowered by the confidence of His love and favor, strengthen and guide me to walk as a continual demonstration of that love to others for the glory of Your name!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

so you can see how much God loves you so in the same way we must love ourselves! you are very special to God!