Ever wonder why – week 6

Jokes:   When I went to the bank yesterday I heard an older lady ask the teller if she could check her balance, me being the nice guy that I am and wanting to help. . .I pushed her over.

Come on church it’s Father’s Day what you’d expect?  Oh don’t worry there’s more.

My wife asked me to stop acting like a flamingo, so I put my foot down.

Did you know your pupils are the last part to stop working when you die?  They dilate.

Never date a tennis player.   Love means nothing to them.

I was going to tell you my joke about chemistry but I didn’t think it would get a reaction.

If two vegans get into an argument is it still called a beef?

How did Benjamin Franklin feel when he discovered electricity?  He was shocked.

I could do this all day, nothing like a dad joke.  But I won’t.  Just one more…

What did Yoda say to encourage the grammar student?   Metaphors be with you. . .

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Remember John 3:16, I’m sure most you know it, but I want you to hear it like you’re hearing it for the very first time. It says this. . .

John 3:16 (NIV): 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.

I love that verse, my problem was when I first heard it, I just wasn’t sure that it was for me, that God could love me.  Maybe you can relate as well.

When you think about the things that you know, that you’ve done,  the things that you’ve said, and the thoughts that you thought, maybe like me, you wonder, “How could God love someone like me after all the people I’ve hurt and all the things I’ve done wrong?”

If you ever wonder about God’s love. Today, I’m going to try to answer that question. As we wrap of this series ever wonder here’s the topic, ever wonder does God love me?

Look at the person sitting next to you and say, “You’re the one Jesus loves.”  Tell them, “You’re the one. . .”

Now, look at the other person, the one that you didn’t choose, and tell them, “Jesus loves you too.”

I’m so glad to be here church, Father’s day what better love to talk about on this day, then the love God has for us and if you’re ever not sure of God’s love for you, maybe it’s because your thinking of the wrong kind of love.

There are several different types of love. And I want to talk today about two of them.

The first one, if you’re taking notes is this, there is a type of love that loves because the object is valuable.

And that is probably the most common type of love.  A love that you know well, you love something because it’s valuable, at least to you, because you worked for it, you earned it.

But here’s the problem, what if you never felt valuable. Never felt worthy.  Never felt like you measured up to your own expectations. Much less, the expectations of God.

So, the first type of love is a love that loves because the object is valuable. The second type of love, is a love that loves and gives value to the object.

It’s a love that loves not because the object is valued, but it gives value to that object.

Let me explain it this way.   Remember Linus from the Peanuts cartoon.   What did he have?  A blanket.  He took that thing everywhere he went.  That nasty blanket.  He valued that blanket.

How many of you growing up had your little item that thing that went everywhere with you?  Maybe some of you still have it.

That teddy bear, that blanket, stuffed monkey, or that rag doll whatever it was or maybe still is.   Anybody still have that thing from your younger days?  Chances are it had a name, it most likely wasn’t in perfect shape, but to you it is was valuable, it was important to you.  Like Linus’ blanket.

And that is exactly how God loves us.

I’m flawed, your flawed, your broken and maybe even wounded.

And truth is church, there’s nothing hidden from God. He knows about every single one of your flaws. He knows about the scars on the outside. And he knows about the secrets on the inside.

You’re a rag-doll if you will, but your God’s rag-doll.

So, how can we know how much God loves us?

Romans 5:8, says. . .

Romans 5:8 (NIV): But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I want you to hear it that like you’ve never heard it before, maybe feel it like you’ve never felt it before. Not just here in your mind, but feel it and believe it in your heart, that our God loves you with an unconditional and immeasurable love.

It’s the kind of love that doesn’t look for what’s worthy in an object, but it’s a kind of love that gives worth to that object.

In other words, the God I serve doesn’t love you because you’re worthy, but His love for you makes you worthy. That’s how good He is. That’s how powerful He is. It’s His grace, it’s His goodness.

Love isn’t just an action, it’s not just what God does, it is his essence. It’s who he is.

And scripture tells us that. . .in 1 John 4 it tells us God is love

That’s what he is, it is not just what he does, it’s who He is. . .God is love.   It’s in His character to love.

Watch this I love this. . .

1 John 4:9–10 (NIV): This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

That verse is powerful, but it is way more powerful when you think about who wrote it. . .

Bible quiz time church. This verse is found in 1st John who do you think wrote the book of 1st John?

John. . .awesome you guys got it right, it wasn’t a trick question.

This is John.   Not John the Baptist, he was in heaven by this time, this was John who had a brother named James. They were two of the disciples that Jesus called to follow Him, and they were not what many would call disciple material.

Maybe you can relate to that,  you have parents, co-workers, family members that know what you have done, or said and they think no way can they be disciple material.

But here’s some good news Scripture tells us. . .

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (TPT): But God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise, and God chose the puny and powerless to shame the high and mighty. 28 He chose the lowly, the laughable in the world’s eyes—nobodies—so that he would shame the somebodies. For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent, 29 so that there would be no place for prideful boasting in God’s presence.

John and James didn’t graduate top of their class, they weren’t on the best behavior list, probably had a time or two in detention (Sounds like me in school).  They were rough, loud, and may have even been the kind that cussed up a storm. They were what you might call fishermen with a reputation.

And let me tell you what they weren’t called. They had a nickname, but their nickname was not the two gentle, loving, kind bro’s.

These two guys were known as the sons of Thunder.

Truth is we don’t know for sure what they did to earn that title, but we get a little glimpse into maybe why they were called the sons of thunder in Luke 9.

The context of Luke 9, Jesus was coming into town and the people, well they weren’t that kind to Jesus, they didn’t welcome Jesus with open arms.

And the sons of thunder didn’t take to kindly to their lack of hospitality.

So, let me tell you what the sons of Thunder didn’t say, when the people were not welcoming to Jesus, they didn’t say, “Let’s show them some love and bake them some brownies and make them feel really welcome, invite them over for dinner.”   Nope, they didn’t say or do any of that.

What they did was. . .well let’s look at it in Luke chapter 9 here’s what happened, verse 54

Luke 9:54 (NIV): When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”

That’s the sons of thunder.    Ever feel like that?

This was the guy for his whole life, he didn’t just start the fights, he made sure to finish them too. This was the dad like maybe some of you that got kicked out of all of his kids soccer games. (Talk about some of the games I have been to or officiated).  John was the one that was always causing trouble and found trouble wherever he went.

And then one day, John started spending time with Jesus. And even though there was no way he could ever deserve the love of Jesus, what did Jesus do?  He simply loved John.

And we don’t know when it happened, but little by little, John’s identity, the way he saw himself started to change.

How can I be so sure?  Because three times in his gospel, John referred to himself as, “The one that Jesus loved.” Three times.

No longer, the son of thunder, no longer John the hothead, but he was the one that Jesus loved.

And I believe somebody needs to hear this, no matter what your parents said about you, no matter how somebody else made you feel, no matter where you fell short, no matter what you thought,  no matter what you said, or no matter what you did, you are the one Jesus loves.

Jesus said, If a shepherd has 100 sheep and one of them wanders away, the good shepherd leaves the 99, why?

Because he loves the missing one.

I don’t know who this is for, but I want you to hear it you are the one that Jesus loves. It doesn’t matter what you did. It doesn’t matter the regrets that you carry or the shame that you have felt, you are still the one Jesus loves.

By the way you don’t need to carry shame or regret another day.

Say, “I am the one…” Everybody “I am the one that Jesus loves.”

Whether you believe that or not, feel that way or not, that is a statement of truth.

That’s how good God is. He’s here, actively loving you in this very moment.

And the amazing thing about our God is this, God didn’t shout his love from heaven, but he showed his love on earth.  How?

When he came for the soul purpose of redeeming us from the sin that had separated us from the Father.

Sin, not a popular word in our culture today. Sin simply means missing the mark. It means falling short of God’s standard, and we’ve all done it. I’ve done it, and so have you.

And that is the very reason why we don’t feel worthy. We feel unworthy of God’s love, because we know that we’ve sinned against God, that we’ve missed the mark.

And that’s why I want to tell you about a God who loves you with a different kind of love.  Not a love that loves because the object is valuable, but rather a love that gives value to the one that it loves.

You are the one.   Whatever you did, let it go. The shame, the pain, the regret. Cast it all upon Him.  He still loves you.

And my prayer is that you would be convinced of that very thing. . .look at this

Romans 8:38–39 (NIV): For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord

And that is why we gather, to experience His love.  That is what we are called to do, show the world around us the love God has for them so that they too can experience it for themselves.

That love that Jesus showed when he came to die so we can live that love that saved people from their sins.