“THE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S LOVE”
John 3:16
Introduction:
I recognize any attempt to fully describe the dimensions of God’s Love is an exercise in futility. Its unlimited depth, measureless breadth and infinite height is beyond description.
It was Hymn writer, Frederick Lehman in his wonderful hymn, who sought to describe the Love of God in picturesque terms.
He wrote:
“Could we with ink the ocean fill And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the Love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.”(The Love of God: pub.dom.)
It was after reading the story of a serial killer being gloriously saved while serving a life sentence in a New York prison, that I was caused to reflect on the Grace of God and His unconditional love for those deeply stained by sin and void of man’s forgiveness.
The man of whom I read was found guilty of murdering six innocent people and wounding a number of others. Authorities seeking to discover his motivation for committing such a heinous crime asked, why? He responded, it was upon the direction of a demon.
Understandably, the victim’s family members and people in the community were distraught, angry and unforgiving because of the pain inflicted on them by his senseless act of violence. Many considered him less than human and nearly all of them considered him a menace to society rightly deserving of scorn and the severest of punishment.
After serving a number of years in prison, the despised killer was given a Bible by a fellow inmate, which he began to read and study. While reading, his attention was arrested by the sixth verse of Psalm thirty four where the Psalmist said, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”(Psalm 34:6)
To the surprise and amazement of his fellow inmates, this hardened criminal, surrendered his life to Christ and by the Grace of God and the cleansing of the Blood of Jesus Christ, he became a “New Creation.”
There, in the solitude of his prison cell, God’s unconditional Love and immeasurable Grace became a reality in the life of this deeply stained outcast.
The months and years following his decision to surrender his life to Jesus Christ proved conclusively his, was not just ‘another jail house conversion.’ It was a genuine transformation brought about by the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary.
According to prison officials, he became a model prisoner and a living testimony that, “Old things are passed away and behold all things are become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
In the years that followed, he devoted his life to leading other prisoners to Christ and helping them grow into spiritual maturity by teaching them the Word of God.
Reading his story of redemption, I was made to think about the “The Dimensions of God’s Love,” and the words of Frederick Lehman’s marvelous hymn:
“The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.”
In life, it is certain we will encounter things we don’t fully understand. Certainly, the unmerited favor and Love of God for those deeply stained with sin must be among those blessed mysteries.
That a Righteous and Holy God would extend His Love to those who have trampled the Blood of Jesus under their feet and have been disobedient and rebellious, leaves us with a sense of profound amazement.
The songwriter expressed the wonder of God’s Love saying, “That God should love a sinner such as I, should yearn to turn my sorrow into bliss, nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh, how wonderful is love like this?”
(Such Love: C. Bishop)
(1) In our quest to gain a better understanding of God’s Love, we must first have a greater knowledge of the Nature and true CHARACTER OF GOD, Who is the source and embodiment of love.
The late Minister, R.C. Sproul, spoke with insight when he said, “What God does is always consistent with who God is.”
(R.C. Sproul). As it relates to the Love of God, God LOVES, because, “God IS Love.” (1 John 4:16)
Man’s search for a better understanding of God in matters such as His Love, can only be realized when we have a fuller grasp of His Nature and Character. The wise man of Proverbs said, “The knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
A greater, more personal knowledge of God, as He is revealed in His Word and in the life and ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ, enlightens our mind, giving us a broader understanding of His relationship with man.
The idea, that we may not only know about God, but actually know Him, challenges the imagination. That the finite may know and understand the infinite or the created may know the Creator, is a thought that causes us to stagger. It seems virtually impossible, that we, who are limited in physical strength and mental acuity, could comprehend the greatness of God, whose Wisdom, Power and Presence is without limit.
The Bible teaches us, “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
God being a Spirit, man, void of faith, finds it difficult to relate to Him. That may explain why, down through the ages, men have created idols or gods made of stone or have worshipped the stars or other natural elements. They needed a god they could see and touch. They couldn’t relate to a God who is, ‘spirit.’
To fill that void in our understanding, God, in His Word has made it possible for us to better identify with Him by what is called anthropomorphisms, or the attributing of human characteristics to Himself.
For example, in (Psalm 34:15), we read, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” In (Deuteronomy 33:27), Moses writes, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” In (Isaiah 41:10), God assures us, “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” All are characteristics of flesh that enable us to better relate to God, Who is Spirit.
The significance of having a greater knowledge and understanding of God is, we are made aware of His Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence. We have a better understanding of His Mercy, Grace, Wisdom, Power, Longsuffering and LOVE.
The knowledge of God is as close as your Bible. The Psalmist said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.”
(Psalm 119:105) It is time spent in the study of God’s Word that will result in a clear revelation of God’s Divine Nature and a more definitive understanding of His LOVE.
To know God, we must not only spend time in His Word, we must spend time in prayer and meditation. His Majesty and Glory will become a greater reality to our heart and mind, if we shut the world and its cares out, and give him our undivided attention in prayer and praise.
The beloved hymn writer, Fanny Crosby said, “O the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spend, when I kneel in prayer and with Thee my God, I commune as friend with friend.”
(Draw Me Nearer: pub. dom)
When we know God, we know His Love. The Bible says, “God IS Love.” A truth affirming, “What God does is consistent with Who God is.”
A hurdle facing those stained with sin, is to believe God’s Love is extended to them. They have determined, they are so deeply stained with sin, a Righteous and Holy God could never love them.
In (1 John 4:11), the Scripture makes it clear; God’s Love for us is not based on our being worthy, but upon His unmerited and undeserved favor. The writer said, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation (to appease the anger of God) for our sin.”
Author, Phillip Yancey, wrote, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more…..there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” (What’s So Amazing About Grace)
Countless times those in sin have said, “I am too evil; too bad and too dirty, God could never love or forgive me.”
Such feelings are the result of condemnation, based on a lie propagated by the devil. It is a very effective tactic he uses to hold men in the bondage of sin.
You see friend, If the enemy of your soul can convince you, God could never love you, you will give up in despair, disqualify yourself, from the reality of His Love and remain in the bondage of sin.
I once had an elderly neighbor to whom I was witnessing, who, when I told him God loved him and Jesus died to save him, he looked at me in unbelief and with an expression of doubt through the smoke of a short cigar in his mouth, he pushed his hat back on his head and said, “Preacher, God could never love me. I have been too evil in my life. God wants nothing to do with me!”
Sharing the Word of God with him, and the testimonies of others who had been gloriously saved out of sin, I was eventually able to lead him to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Some years later, I received a letter from his son telling me his dad had passed away while still holding steadfastly to his faith.
Corrie Ten Boom was right when she wrote in her wonderful book, “The Hiding Place,” “There is no pit so deep that God’s Love is deeper still.”
(2) Secondly, we must understand the CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S LOVE:
Unlike the love of man, God’s love is eternal. It is without prejudice and is unconditional.
The Apostle Paul prayed that, “We may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.”(Ephesians 3:17-19)
In (1 John 4:8) the Bible says, “God is love.” He doesn’t just demonstrate love, He is the embodiment of Love. He IS Love.
The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, speaking of God being the source of love, said, “There is no light in the planet but that which comes from the sun; there is no light in the moon but that which is borrowed, and there is no true love but that which comes from God.”
His Love is most unique in that it is extended to those deeply stained by sin. It is extended to those who have been rejected by society and are considered to be outcasts.
The golden text of Scripture,
(John 3:16), makes it clear, God’s Love is all inclusive. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16)
Unlike the love of man, God’s Love is not temporary or discriminatory. He makes no exceptions. There are no pre-requisites or
pre-conditions for His love to be extended.
It is to be remembered. God’s Love is extended to those on both ends of the social spectrum. He, through Christ, reached in love to an adulterous woman whom religious leaders sought to stone. He reached in love to Saul of Tarsus, ‘the chief of sinners;” a man who victimized believers and sought to destroy the Church.
He reached in love to John Newton, who was a slave trader and a man void of morals. He reached behind prison walls and extended His love to a serial killer who cried out to Him. His love penetrates the darkness of hate, the walls of deep seeded antagonism and the barriers of unbelief.
The bottom line is, there are none so broken, so stained by sin whom God does not love and desires above all else they surrender their life to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10). In (John 6:37), He says, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
From the heart of a great man of God come these words, “No love can any more be compared with God’s than the faint gleam of a candle with the blaze of the sun at noonday.” (Charles Spurgeon)
(3) Finally, let us recognize the CONSEQUENCES OF GOD’S LOVE:
As a result of God’s Love, Jesus came to earth bringing “Good tidings of great joy” and man was lifted out of the darkness of sin and bondage into the marvelous light of salvation.” (2 Peter 2:9)
As a result of God’s Love, Jesus Christ was “Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:5)
As a result of God’s Love, Jesus came bringing salvation to those in sin, deliverance to those in bondage, hope to the hopeless, comfort to the sorrowing and rest to the weary.
Listen, dear friend, Heaven has done all it could do. Jesus Christ gave all He could give. The Holy Spirit speaking to our heart and mind is doing all He can do. The decision is now ours. We will either accept or reject God’s Love.
Remember, there will not be another Bethlehem; there will not be another Calvary’s Cross; there will not be another Resurrection or Pentecost. Heaven has done all it is going to do to save mankind.
It is now up to us. We must take advantage of His Love and the sacrifice of Jesus now, or the opportunity will be lost. The Bible says, “Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 5:2)
For those of us who are believers and following Christ, this is a reminder to lift our hearts and hands heavenward and express our thanksgiving for God’s Love. It is a reminder to sing, “To God be the glory, great things He has done. With His Blood He has saved me; by His power He has raised me; to God be the Glory for the things He has done.” (My Tribute: A. Crouch)
“O How He Loves You and Me”
The Shepherd's Staff 