The Gift of God's Love - Part 2

Dr. Charles Stanley: None of us want to be loved by someone who only loves us when we meet all the requirements or when we please them in every aspect. Nobody can please everybody else in this world; nobody can do that. But you see, if I see that God's love for me is based on anything but the fact that it's just His nature to love, then I'm going to say, well, I know He loves me today or now, but... Listen, when God says I love you, there are no buts, no ands, no ifs, no wherefores, no therefores. It is the nature of God to love.
Guest (Male): Most of us love stories that end with happily ever after because we all want the security of everlasting love. And as you heard at the beginning of In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, there is only one source of that kind of love—the one who is love, God. And He never changes. Our series, "Liberated to Love," continues.
Dr. Charles Stanley: All of us are probably at different levels in our understanding of God's love or even being able to feel it. If I should ask you this morning how many of you genuinely believe God loves you, more than likely most of you could raise your hand and say I do. But if I should say to you, how many of you, as a way of life in your daily life, you feel God loving you, more than likely most of you probably would say, well, I know He does, but to ask me if I feel like it, not exactly. Now, you and I can love someone, and situations and circumstances or disagreements can crop up, and we may not feel that love. You may still love them, or you may not feel it. Or some people can just quit loving someone. But the one thing about God's love is this: you never have to worry about if God is going to stop loving you. Remember this: if your idea about the love of God is that it is something you deserve because of something you have done or are doing or will do, then you may question the fact, well, how long is this going to last? None of us want to be loved by someone who only loves us when we meet all the requirements or when we please them in every aspect. Nobody can please everybody else in this world; nobody can do that. But you see, if I see that God's love for me is based on anything but the fact that it's just His nature to love, then I'm going to say, well, I know He loves me today or now, but... Listen, when God says I love you, there are no buts, no ands, no ifs, no wherefores, no therefores. It is the nature of God to love. It is absolutely everlasting and eternal, unceasing, unchanging. Somebody says, well, I know that, but God doesn't love me. Let me tell you why that's an act of pride. What that says is, God loves everybody else, but I'm unique. I'm different. My sin is special, or you don't know what I've done. That is pure pride. God loves you no matter what. And I do believe with all my heart—listen to this now—God's heart is equally as grieved over my unwillingness or inability or refusal to accept His love as He is any sin that I would commit. He's got to be grieved over the fact that we won't accept His love. When you love someone and you do everything in your power to express that love and they shut it out and refuse to accept it, it grieves your heart and breaks your heart. What about God? Well, at least that'll give us an idea of what His love is like. How does He express it? And there's a difference. Well, first of all, He expresses it in the creation, for example. Everything that you and I see out there—the stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, the darkness, the brightness of the day, beautiful colored trees in the fall, the green and freshness of spring, whether it is large rocks or sand on the beach, fish in the sea, animals out in the wilderness, it doesn't make any difference what it is. Every single part of God's creation, He said when He finished, "It is very good." Listen, it's one thing for you and me to think something's good, but when God says it's very good, you can mark that down. You know what that means? He wouldn't create you and me any less than the best He could do with what He has in mind for your life and mine. God intends for you and me to see everything He's created with a message in it. And the message is, I love you. Now, how many of you love to go to the beach? How many of you love the mountains? How many of you love the big cities? All right, all of us love things. Now, I love to get out in the wilderness and trees and the mountains. And you know, I could just walk and walk and walk. In fact, Andy and I were out in Jackson Hole, just the two of us, and we walked 12 miles one day and seven miles one day, just walking through the woods and just enjoying ourselves and just looking and seeing everything that God has created. And you can just walk forever in the midst of God's wonderful creation. Listen, everything He created is not only a thing, but it's a sign. And here's the message: I love you. When you look at a full moon, you don't think anything? Or you think of watching a beautiful sunset or a sunrise? Or when the ocean is sort of calm or when there's tumultuous waves breaking and crashing on the rocks? You don't think anything? Or a beautiful colored aspen tree? You don't think anything? You see, every single thing God's created—it may be a thing, but it's a message. And what God's doing, He's saying: I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you in the night, I love you in the day, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. What is He saying? He's saying I love you. God is expressing His love in the creation in so many ways. But one of the ways He's expressed love is not only in the creation, but there's another way, and sometimes it's difficult for us to believe this one. Now, watch this carefully. One of the ways that God has expressed love for us is in the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. You say, how can you have a loving God who placed this perfect man and woman in this perfect garden where everything was absolutely fantastic, where all of us would like to spend eternity in? How can that be the love of God? If God loved man, He would never have let him fall and get into sin and just mess it all up. Well, let's see if that's true. Here's the connection. The connection between the fall and love is freedom. You see, without freedom, I can't sin. God so loved you and me, He gave us the privilege, the freedom to make choices. And that freedom includes the freedom to do right and to do wrong, to love Him or not to love Him. And so the fall was an expression of God's love. He loves you and me so much He didn't want to put us in the Garden of Eden and smother us with smother-love: you must operate in a certain fashion, you cannot make choices about this. God doesn't want a bunch of robots, so here's what He said. He said, I love you so much I'm going to give you—listen to this—I'm going to give you the freedom to say no even to your God. His freedom to make choices in life is an expression of the love of God. Otherwise, we'd only be robots. So He expresses that love in the whole idea of choices, and that is giving us freedom. And so one of His expressions is His creation. One of His expressions of love is the freedom to choose. One of the expressions of His love is the forgiveness of our sin. God, in sending His only begotten Son, did for us what we could not do for ourselves. You see, you can't go back and say, well, I think it ought to be like it was in the garden. You and I would never understand the love of God were it not for the fall. Listen, the most dramatic, eternally superior, pinnacle, zenith expression of the love of God is at the cross. He says, you want to know how much I love you? I love you this much, and stretched out His Son at the cross and crucified Him. I love you this much, and He turned His back upon Him and separated Himself from Him, and He bore our sin. He says, I love you that much. So God's expressions of love come in different ways: from the creation to the crucifixion. It is all an expression of God loving you and me. It is a love that has nothing to do with what we are like. It is this universal love that is available to everybody. And He says, I love you with a love that knows no ending. Think about this. One of the ways He expresses love for us is found in this third chapter of First John, first verse. Look at this. He says, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God." Now, watch this one. He says, one of my expressions of love for you is this. Now, think about this for a moment. He's put us in a family, and God is our heavenly Father. Now, what is a father's responsibility? To protect the family, provide for the family, give the family instruction—so He gave us His Word—communicate with the family—so He gave us prayer—fellowship with the family, give them security, meeting their needs. You see, all of these are expressions of a father toward the family, loving that family in so many ways. Is that not what God has done? Look what He's done for us. He's put us together. You've got friends in this church, and you've got friends in your church. And my friend, listen to me. When I think about how many people who never go to church, and how many people who are Christians never darken the door—my friend, listen, not to go to church—listen to me carefully—not to go to church is to say, look, God says, look what behold what manner of love I have for you, that I've put you in a family. I want to love you, and I want to give you somebody who will love you. I'm going to mix up all of these spiritual gifts so you get your needs met. I want you to be able to get together and sing about me and praise me and adore me and worship me. I'm going to give you the privilege of being a part of something that is eternal and Satan can never defeat. I'm going to make you a part of my family and my church. You say, well, I joined the church, but I'm not interested in going, or I go every three or four weeks. I want to tell you something, that's a sin against God. It is a sin against God to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. He says, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. This is the will of God. This is part of the plan that we're in the family. And when we don't show up for the family—you say, well, you can be a Christian without being a church member. A sort of one. You can be saved without being a church member, but you won't be much of a believer without being one. He says, look, it's an expression of the love of God. So what you're saying is, well, that part of His love I'm not interested in. Everything God provides for me, He knows I need. And I can tell you, any believer who only lives to themselves and never aligns themselves with other believers, they're going to be like a hot coal in the midst of the flame that gets set aside. And I don't have to tell you, before long it gets absolutely cold and black. No more evidence of flame and fire and warmth. God's put us together as an expression of love, and that's why we should be thankful for His church, thankful for the family of God. He says, look, behold what manner of love. Then He says, one of the expressions of His love is this. Suppose, for example, suppose you had gotten saved and God said, do your best, do your best. Friend, most of us would have said, wait a minute. You mean to tell me that I'm forgiven of all my sin? Yes. And now I've got to do the best I can? Yes. Well, what about calling me home tonight? Because I'm not going to make it. And you know what? God knew not a single one of us would make it. That's why He says, here's what I'm going to do. He says, I'm going to send you one just like me. In the Greek, in that 14th chapter of John, the word *allos*, a-l-l-o-s in the Greek, means one just like whatever He's talking about. So He says, I'm going to send you one just like me because I know you're not going to make it. His name is the Holy Spirit. He's the Comforter. He's going to be in you, with you, and upon you because you're not going to make it without Him. And He's going to give you direction and guidance and all the ministries of the Holy Spirit gifting us. That is an expression of the love of God. Here's how much He loves us. He wasn't just satisfied forgiving us of our sin. He says, I'm going to get on the inside of you. And if you will allow me, I'm going to live my life through you. He says, I'm going to enable you to become the person I want you to be. I'm going to enable you to do the work that I've called you to do. It's going to be all me. It's in your body and your personality and your spirit, but He says, I'm going to be there living through you and working through you and doing the work. That's an expression of the love of God, that He didn't leave us to ourselves. Another expression of His love is found in Romans 8:28. Now I always say you all know that passage, but some people don't, so if you don't know it, I want you to turn to it. Romans 8:28 says, we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those of us who are His children. Now, look at this. Is this not one of the most practical expressions of the love of God possible? What is that? Here's what it says. God is causing all things—every single thing that you do during that day—to work out for your good. Now, that is an expression of His love. Suppose He said, do your best, get along the best you can. But here's God says, you want to know how much I love you? First of all, I've saved you from your sin. Secondly, I've come to live on the inside of you. And not only that, God says, I'm not even satisfied with that. He says, because I know the Holy Spirit living within you is going to give you direction, but you know what God says? He says, I love you so much that I already know you're not going to listen to Him sometimes. I know you're just going to blow it bad and you're going to falter and fall. So here's what I'm going to do. Not only am I going to forgive you, not only am I going to get on the inside of you, but here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to be there every single moment. And whatever you do, I'm going to keep adjusting and working in your life. I'm going to make every single thing that goes on for your good. Now, it may not appear that way at first, and it may not—listen, it may not be for your immediate good, but the way I'm working it, I'm going to work it so it's going to turn out for your good. Now you talking about loving me and loving you. He says, not satisfied with just saving you, not even just satisfied getting on the inside because you're going to blow it. I'm going to be there, and I am going to be working every single thing to your good. Now I'm here to tell you, if that isn't a wonderful, inexpressible, inexhaustible love of God, please tell me what it is. How much more could He love us than that? What does it say? It says He hasn't left me to myself about anything. Nothing. That His love is all-encompassing, walking under the umbrella of His wonderful expressive love. Look at all the ways God is expressing love to you and to me. And to think that He would send the Holy Spirit, and to think that He would say, I know that's not enough, so here's what I'm going to do. I am going to come and I'm going to walk with you through your life moment by moment, day by day, because I know you're going to need me there adjusting and working so that everything will turn out for your good. That's God's sweet, gentle, precious, tender love for you and me. He says not only that, one of the expressions of my love, He says, that I've prepared Heaven for you. Now, how many of you have had anything to do with Heaven? Not a thing. How are you going to get there? Can't get there. That's one trip for which there is no human mode of transportation. Not a one. Listen to what Jesus said. He said now, don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, you believe also in me. He says, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I'm going, listen to this, this is how much I love you. I'm going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again to receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Period. That's it. What kind of a master craftsman is this God who is our God? He's perfect. There are no flaws. You can examine whatever He builds; it is absolutely perfect. You can go with a magnifying glass—no imperfections. And you know what? It's a gift. It is an absolute gift. You can't do anything to earn it. It is a gift. One of the expressions of His love is Heaven. There are lots of them, but let me just end up with this one. One of the most wonderful expressions of the love of God is His uninterrupted presence in your life and mine. Listen to this. He says, "I"—this is God speaking—"I will never leave you nor forsake you." There isn't anybody in the world can make that promise. You know what that means? It means that no matter what you and I go through, it means that no matter where we are, it doesn't make any difference. Some of you may be in the hospital, some of you in a nursing home, you may be in a prison, you may be in a small apartment. You may be looking down this long tunnel in your life and thinking, God, I feel like I'm in the dark. You may be in a situation that you'd give anything to get out of. You may feel like your life is just all full of frustration and anxiety, all of this. You know what God says? Here's what He's saying: I am there with you. You know what else He's saying? I'll always be there. It doesn't make any difference what happens. Here's one thing you can count on: He's always there. And I can remember one Sunday afternoon when I was going through a tough time, and it's like the Lord just whispered to me in the sweetest way: you've got me. You've got me. Am I not enough? Yes, Lord. You're enough. In His infinite, uninhibited, perfect, unconditional, all-encompassing love to say to you and to me: I'm there. And you know what's with Him? All the love that God can manifest. He says: I'll always be there, no matter what you feel. Perfect love is trustworthy.
Guest (Male): The Bible says that God is love. The way to experience His love is by receiving His gift of forgiveness through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Learn more at intouch.org. How are you challenged to live for God by what you have heard today? We'd love to hear about that. Coming up on In Touch, we could all name some things that interfere with a good relationship. We'll hear some spiritual insights as we continue our series "Liberated to Love" on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley.
Dr. Charles Stanley: At times, life can be stormy, and each one of us will face many trials. Questions are asked, and doubt may set in. The answers are found through faith in Jesus. He is within every believer, always ready to offer His comfort, hope, and peace in times of great trial. So you can trust Him with any circumstance. To order Dr. Stanley's book, *How to Let God Solve Your Problems*, call 1-800-INTOUCH or go to intouch.org/store.
Guest (Male): In Touch Plus is streaming on Local Now, featuring all the best of Dr. Charles Stanley. In Touch Plus, your streaming network for quality Christian programming 24/7. In Touch Plus, streaming free on Local Now. You're listening to In Touch. Since God's love is perfect, believers can always trust him with any situation. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley.
Dr. Charles Stanley: Perfect love means that He's going to always treat me exactly right. And I can remember on one occasion—in fact, it was on a Sunday morning and I was getting ready to come to church—and I walked in the bedroom and I was just so overwhelmed by something going on in my heart and feeling really struggling in my own life at that time. And I knelt down by the bed and I just began to weep, and I was just really talking to God about what was going on. And I wanted Him to change my circumstance, and I was just going through a real difficult time and asking God, why don't you just get on with this, just like all of us do at times we get impatient. And I remember kneeling there and just struggling and weeping a little bit. And you know how God speaks to you; I know how He speaks to me. Could not have made this any clearer. It's like He whispered to me: you can trust perfect love. I mean, when He said that to me all of a sudden, my burden left, my frustration, my anxiety disappeared. I got up, and somehow ever since that time, my understanding of God's love for me took a big step forward. Because no matter how much I knew about His love theologically, no matter how many scriptures I could quote or refer to about His love, in my understanding of it in my mind, when He said to me, you can trust perfect love, all of a sudden for me personally, I knew that this God who loved me was saying, my love for you is such it is trustworthy in any and every given situation in your life. What you are going through, you can trust that I am loving you through this, no matter what you feel. Perfect love is trustworthy.
Guest (Male): The Bible says that God is love. The way to experience His love is by receiving His gift of forgiveness through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Learn more at intouch.org. How are you challenged to live for God by what you have heard today? We'd love to hear about that. Coming up on In Touch, we could all name some things that interfere with a good relationship. We'll hear some spiritual insights as we continue our series "Liberated to Love" on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.