Gospel Meeting 08/04/2018

1^st Epistle of John ch4 vs7 – 21.

THE LOVE OF GOD.

There is no greater love!

In our society, the word “love” can be taken or used very lightly… every day people fall in and out of love so easily that it has to be questioned if they ever were really “in love” at all!

Is our love sometimes just a fondness? How strong is our love when troubles come along? Or if we feel wronged, how long does it last?

How far are we prepared to do something for another if it makes us feel uncomfortable?

However, God’s love is of a unique character. It is unconditional and unmeasurable.

God’s love is boundless and freely given.

He does not say “I love you, as long as you don’t do…”

There is no greater love and this was displayed at the place called Calvary, where God gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for all our sins. He was crucified, dying in agony on the Cross.

Verses 9 and 10 tell us, that the scale and scope of His great love was “towards us” – that includes you and I too, dear reader!

Jesus Christ, the only One who has never sinned, suffered so terribly much for us all – spitting and mocked by wicked men, utterly beaten, a crown of thorns crushed upon His holy head, nails hammered into His hands and feet.

He then suffered even more than all of the physical brutality, when in the laying down of His life He was made sin for us and His Father punished Him in our stead.

WHY...?

Such was the depth of His love for us all, that He paid the price of our sins - something that we could never do anything about. We are all sinners and need a Saviour.

The holy, spotless Son of God came here and settled our sin debt once and for all.

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed”.

-   1^st Peter ch2 vs24.

Dear friend, you might well ask the question – “why does a holy God love such a sinful person like me?” You are not alone, not a single one of us merits His love!

However, He Has proven His love for us all and desires each of us to be with Him for all Eternity in Heaven.

It may not be pleasant to the heart and mind, but consider for a while just how many wrong deeds and thoughts you have personally had in your life – and the one’s still to come… then multiply them by all the people that have ever lived in the world… Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave that every single one of us can be forgiven, and avoid being punished eternally ourselves in the real place called Hell.

“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”.

John’s Gospel ch3 vs16.

We are able to enter into a personal relationship with God, through accepting the Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ. We could never ever meet His holy standards, but Jesus Christ fully satisfied God in His sinless sacrifice for us.

Knowing Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we can all be forgiven and free from the guilt of our sins, and the power of sin in our daily lives!

So often when we say we have forgiven someone, we can store it up in our memory to use it against them in a future situation, but God is completely different –

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”

 –Psalm ch103 vs12.

“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” .

-   Hebrews ch10 vs17.

God’s forgiveness through His Son is absolute!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. – 1^st Epistle of John ch1 vs9.

Dear friend, why would you not want to accept such wonderful love and forgiveness?!

If you have never yet done so, why not take that step tonight?

Just a simple prayer to The Lord Jesus Christ, in genuine repentance acknowledging your sins and in faith believing that He paid it all at Calvary’s Cross.

“… repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”.

-  The Acts ch20 vs21.

“… and whoever comes to me I will never drive away”.

- John’s Gospel ch6 vs37. 

This world contaminates us so badly in many ways, but we can be cleansed and delivered from the domination of sin in our lives, through Jesus Christ.

Consider an eternal life in Heaven, face to face with the One who loved you with the greatest love of all… what greater joy could you ever have than this!