Do you like to be in control? Do you like to make the decisions and be in charge?

What do you feel when you encounter those things not in your control?

Is it hard for you to entrust yourself and your circumstances to God?

In this series we will look at Biblical reasons you and I can trust God with the details of our lives. In today’s session we examine God’s love for you and me.

Jesus’ example

Luke 23:⁴⁴ And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ⁴⁵And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. ⁴⁶And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Commend = to entrust, deliver with confidence

Spirit = the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans

What does it matter to you that innocent Jesus accepted the punishment for your sin?

What does it matter to you that Jesus commended His spirit into the hands of our Father?

How did the Father respond to Jesus’ action? Victory over death by resurrection!

7^th century B.C. description of God’s love

Jeremiah 31:³ The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

God’s love for you and me has no conditions!

You and I do not have to earn God’s love.

God’s love for you and me is without end.

There is nothing you or I could do to make God stop loving us!

What does God’s unconditional, everlasting love for you matter to you?

59 A.D. Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica

2 Thessalonians 2:¹⁶ Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, ¹⁷Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Consolation =comfort

Hope =to look forward with confidence

Grace = God giving us what we do not deserve

Comfort =to soothe, reassure and bring cheer

Establish = to settle in a position

57-58 A.D. Paul wrote to the church in Rome

Romans 5:⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. ⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Commend = to deliver with confidence

Justified = just as if I did not sin

How does Jesus dying for your sins show God’s love for you?

What does it mean to you to be saved by His life?

Romans 8:³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conqueror = the victor

Separate = to force apart

Do you feel something trying to make you feel separate from the love of Jesus?

Talk to Jesus about it

60 A.D. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus

Ephesians 2:⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, ⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) ⁶And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: ⁷That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Mercy = God not giving us what we deserve

Salvation and the faith to receive it are gifts fro God.

65 A.D. Paul wrote to Titus

Titus 3:³ For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. ⁴But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, ⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ⁶Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ⁷That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

90-95 A.D. John wrote

1 John 3:¹ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.²Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

What does it mean to you to be considered by God to be His child?

1 John 4:⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. ¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What does God’s love for you mean to you?

How can you use faith in God’s love to entrust Him with yourself and your circumstances?

Our focus – Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Our challenge – Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love; has uniquely designed and created only one you; has a good plan for your life; runs with you; and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti