OceanSide church of Christ
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What God’s Love Does Not Do
1. “Love” in its various
forms- almost 400 times
2. Without doubt, “love” is
an important Bible theme
3. Much will be said about
“love” in pulpits across this land today
4. There is good reason to
talk about love; especially God’s love
5. Love is tied to our
relationship to God
-His love for us (Jn.
3:16)
-Our love for Him (Jn.
14:15)
6. Without God’s love, we
would be helpless, hopeless, and hapless
7. But, love is so often
abused
8. It is viewed by many as
a covering for all sorts of wrongdoing
9. Like grace and faith, it
is pictured as an umbrella that covers all kinds of misdeeds and false
ways
10. As great as God’s love
is for man, there are some things it just simply will not
do
I. It Does Not Justify Those in the Wrong
A. Even if they are honest
and sincere
1. If one is sincerely wrong, he is still
wrong
2. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 23:1)- without obedience, he was still lost
(though he was sincere)
3. His having lived in all good conscience throughout his life did not
mean that he was always right
4. When he was persecuting
the followers of Christ, he fully believed that he was doing the right thing.
5. Many on the day of judgment (Matt.
7:21-23)
B. What about the idea of
sincerity in other areas- Physician? Pharmacist? Why good enough in religion?
C. Ever hear someone
say:
1. “Well, I don’t think God would…”
2. “I don’t think God expects…”
3. “I can’t imagine God wanting me to…”
4. “I don’t think God will send someone to Hell because
of…”
D. Do not sell the love of God short; but, do not expect His
love to make up for your being in a wrong relationship with
Him
II. It Does Not Justify
Unrepentant Sinners
A. Too many say, “We are
all sinners,” then go on their way assuming God’s love will automatically take
care of everything
1. It is true that “all have sinned” (Rom.
3:23)
2. It is true that without the love of God none can be Saved
B. It is just as true that
God demands repentance
1. Lk. 13:3,5 / Acts 2:38 / 2 Cor. 7:10
C. Just what is
“repentance?”
1. Mt. 12:41
2. Mt. 21:28-30
3. One who belongs to God cannot continue to live as one who
doesn’t
a. Cannot participate in worldly affairs
(drinking; gambling; smoking; sex outside
of marriage; pornography; foul language)
b. Cannot neglect to do God’s will in any aspect
of his life
(attendance; giving; teaching; study; prayer)
D. Yes, God loves you; but,
that love does not negate the essentiality of repentance- it requires
it!
III. It Does Not Allow One
to Bypass Obedience
A. A failure to understand obedience has
caused much confusion
1. Some cry, “Legalism” (wrong idea of what it
is)
2. Some cry, “Phariseeism”
3. Some say, “Salvation by works”
B. Obedience is required by God, who is love
(1 Jn. 4:8, 16)
1. Heb. 5:8, 9 (Where does this leave the
disobedient?)
2. Acts 20:20, 27
3.
Paul had not withheld any truth from them
that would be profitable
4. Paul would have been negligent if he had failed to
tell the brethren the whole truth
5.
He had given the people at Ephesus (and
elsewhere) all they needed to know to become
Christians and to be
faithful to Christ.
6. He could therefore say
correctly, that those who had rejected the gospel had only themselves to
blame.
7. 2 Thes. 1:6-9
4. Lk. 6:46
C. God’s love cannot allow
you to bypass obedience- God’s love requires our obedience & submission to
His Will
A. Many want to turn
worship into entertainment for the masses
1. Today, especially, there is much entertainment being done in the name
of religion
2. They do not mind at all altering what God has said to accommodate man
and allow for what he wants
B. Worship is not
entertainment for man! It is
adoration, homage and praise to God
C. Some have the idea that
what man does in worship to God is “no big
deal”
1. Is it a “big deal” to God?
Let’s ask Him
2. Lev. 10:1, 2
3. Jn. 4:24àJn.
17:17
4.
Where are HIS guidelines for worship?
5. IN HIS WORD!
6. We must go to His Word for His directives on
worship
7. When we do so, we will
find:
a. His Word demands your presence for worship (Heb.
10:25)
b. His Word demands we partake of the Lord’s Supper weekly (Acts
20:7)
c. His Word demands that His people sing, without mechanical musical
accompaniment (Eph. 5:19; Col.3:16)
d. But it doesn’t matter?
Nadab & Abihu; (Jn. 4:24)
e. His Word demands that His people give as prospered (1 Cor.
16:1-2)
f. His Word forbids modification to His Will in any
fashion
D. God loves
you
1. Desires to be worshiped
by you (Jn. 4:23)
2. But, His love will not
tolerate worship not in accordance with His Will (Mt.
15:9)
V. It Will Not Do Away With
Hell
A. Some have idea that God
is an old softy
1. “I don’t think God will send anyone to
Hell”
2. “How can a loving God do something like
that”
3. “God won’t send anyone to hell because
of…”
B. Ps.
50:21
C. Those who operate under
the delusion that God’s love will somehow do away with God’s justice need to
read their Bibles again
1. Recall in Mt. 25:31-46 in which JESUS speaks of the great judgment
scene.
2. The same Jesus who speaks of
love and heaven speaks of hell more than anyone else in the
Bible
D. God loves you, but His
love will not do away with punishment, it will not do away with
hell
1. No doubt about it, God
loves each of us
2. His love is a
constant
3. His love is a
comfort
4. His love is
crucial
5. But, His love does not discount or dismiss our responsibility