Access to His Love through the Cross of Jesus

Many people believe that if they love God that He will love them back but God’s word tells a different story. The Bible reveals “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Humanity turned its collective back on God when Adam invoked the curse of sin and death on all his descendants:

 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom 5:12)

Let me assure you that YOU are loved by God. Not just tolerated, liked or accepted but loved with a perfect love. Jesus, speaking about the peace of God, said:

 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you…”  (John 14:27)

In the same way, God’s peace is not the peace of this world. His love is not the kind of love this world offers. God’s love is a perfect love that only a perfect God offers.

The kind of love that God directs toward us is a pure love that is not based on our actions or intents. In fact, God’s word reveals that God loves you in spite of your rejection of Him:

 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)

God loved us when we were far away in our sin. The Bible reminds us of how God’s love was demonstrated to His creation:

 “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”(Eph 2:16-17)

God’s love allowed we, who were “afar off”, to have access to His love through the cross of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus is the power not for God to love you but for you to love Him back.

The love God has for you is a pure love. He seeks nothing from you. The Apostle Paul makes the observation about the nature of true love; it does not, “...behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.” (1 Co 13:5)

The power of the gospel is not for you to find God but for God to find you. Jesus said:

 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

Mankind has rejected God. The Apostle Paul, speaking to this truth said, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Rom 3:11) There are many people who seek the benefits that God offers but no one seeks after Him until God reveals Himself to them.

To experience God’s love is to come by it by revelation, not by education. No one is capable of loving God until they are “drawn” to Jesus by God. The good news is everyone is exposed to this love God offers by the preaching of the Gospel. We find this truth made clear in these verses:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Ti 2:3-4)

Let me offer this warning; do not assume that a loving God is tolerant of sin. God’s love does not allow for you to reject His righteousness:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pe 3:9)

If you love God back, you will be accepted by Him and received into the "Family of God". These amazing words were spoken by Paul to the church at Ephesus “...wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,” (Eph 1:6) 

This reveals that the worst of the sinners can be included in Jesus’ Church.

This kind of love should be a catalyst for you to love God back. Our verse for this morning reminds us, “We love him because he first loved us.” Do you love God? Have you responded to His call? To be loved by God is not the end but the beginning. You must respond to His love.