Love Changes Everything.

In 1 John 4:8, we read the words, "God is love." How do we know that God is love? How do we know that He loves us? Knowing that God is love is more than reading these words in God's Word. It's being reached by God's love. Our hearts are touched by His love. Our …

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Love for the Lord brings us into fellowship with others.

Love for the Lord brings us into fellowship with others who love the Lord. Our faith in the Lord is personal, but it's never private. It's a faith that we share with others. We are supported by other believers, and we give our support to them. Together, we are on a journey. It's the journey …

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God’s Eternal Love – Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Be still, and know that I am God... Shout to God with loud songs of joy’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace …

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The Lord loves us – and He calls us to love Him and love one another.

Exodus 34:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Exodus 34:6 invites us to focus our attention on the Lord our God - The Lord is the compassionate and gracious God. - The Lord is the God who is slow to anger. - The Lord is the God who is abounding in love and faithfulness. Here, in this verse, …

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Karl Barth the Preacher – Jesus loves me.

What are we to say about Barth the preacher? Surely, J. S. Stewart has described him well in these words of commendation: “this Colossus of a theologian is basically concerned with simple things… no one reading Barth can have any doubt… (about his) single-hearted devotion to Christ” (Prayer and Preaching, 7, from ‘Preface’ by J. …

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God’s Eternal Love – When you see a rainbow, remember there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we pick up on the words of Genesis 7:16 - ‘the Lord closed the door behind them’. What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven of salvation inside the ark. What was it that made the ark a place of salvation? - The Lord. What is it that makes …

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God’s Eternal Love: Be wise – open your heart to love, eternal love, the love of God.

Hoping for ‘good luck’, some people expect good things to happen to them, all the time! God says, ‘Seek wisdom. Be ready for the hard times’. Wisdom comes from God. He speaks to us with words of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 8:6-8). Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers, princes and nobles’. It is …

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God’s Eternal Love – In the prophet’s words, we hear the Word of love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Word of God is spoken - ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found...’ (Isaiah 55:6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’ (Isaiah 55:11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing …

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God’s Eternal Love – In the redemption of Israel, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God had redeemed His people. He was with them, and He was about to reveal His saving power in a mighty way (Exodus 14:13-14). There is judgment as well as salvation (Exodus 14:30). Looking to neither the ‘right’ nor the ‘left’, we must look to the Lord (Exodus 14:21-22). Rejoicing in ‘the great work’ He …

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God’s Eternal Love – When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, eternal love, the love of God.

It was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything, ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37:5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’ (Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirit of the Lord …

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God’s Eternal Love – Through Christ, God looks upon us with love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘I will look on you with favour’ (Ezekiel 36:9). Through Christ our Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will help you to rejoice in the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which is ‘greater than all my sin’, the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which ‘reaches me’. ‘Let me introduce you to …

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God’s Eternal Love – Living as a new creation: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

(a) ‘We know that our old self was crucified’ (Romans 6:6): What a great thing God has done! He has made you ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). (b) ‘Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 6:11): Believe it. This is what the Lord has done: ‘you …

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God’s Eternal Love – In the story of God’s salvation, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

In Zephaniah 3, we have a story of sin, 'Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not accepted correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God’ (Zephaniah 3, verses 1 and 2). We, also, have a story …

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God’s Eternal Love – On the Lord’s pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’ (Psalm 143:9). He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’ (Psalm 143:11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in our lives? He …

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Let’s sing of God’s great love for us.

Let’s sing of God’s great love for us. ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our …

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When we feel like the light’s been switched off

Our light can go out. Jesus' light never goes out. This is something we must never forget. It's not about our light. It's about His light. Our feelings tell us one thing. Jesus tells us something else. Who are we to believe: our feelings or Jesus, our Saviour? We know what our answer should be, …

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God loved you in the past. He loves you in the present. He will love you in the future.

We're no longer in the past. We're not yet in the future. We're in the present. What are we to say about our life in the present? Can we understand our life in the present without thinking about our past and our future? We're shaped by our past. We're preparing for our future. What kind …

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God’s Eternal Love – In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God.

Psalm 136:1-26 ‘His love endures for ever’. This is the great message contained in every single verse of this Psalm. It’s a message worth repeating, over and over again! God’s love is an everlasting love: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love is an unfailing love: ‘My unfailing love for …

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God’s Eternal Love – Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’ (Psalm 16:11). In this earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God’s people, there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the things which …

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God’s Eternal Love – Let us worship God: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Exalt the Lord our God... Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (Psalms 99:5, 9; 98:4, 6; 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to glorify God. We are to enjoy Him. In our worship, we must never forget the holiness of God: ‘He is holy!... The Lord our God is …

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Outstanding Love, Overwhelming Victory and Overflowing Peace

"… so outstanding is His love…”(Psalm 103:11) "… overwhelming victory is ours…” (Romans 8:37). “The peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This is the overflowing peace of God – The peace of God in our hearts is an overflow from the God of …

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Everything seems to be changing. We trust in God’s unchanging love.

Genesis 49:28-50:26 It was a time of "very great and sorrowful lamentation" (10). Jacob had died (33). Soon, Joseph would be gone (26). God was still there. He had been there in the past (20). He would be there in the future (24-25). Times are hard. We rejoice: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never …

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God loves us … In love, He is waiting for our response of love.

Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem (Luke 13:22). This was the place where He was to be crucified. In the cross of Christ, we see both the hatred of men and the love of God (Luke 13:34-35). (1) In Jerusalem, there had been human hatred directed against the prophets, “you who kill the prophets …

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God’s Eternal Love – In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the …

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God’s Eternal Love – In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God reveals Himself in creation and Scripture. He speaks through His created world. He speaks through His written Word. God is always speaking. He is never silent. Through His created world, God is speaking to us, every day and  every night. He is showing us His glory (Psalm 19:1-2). He makes us aware of His …

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The eternal God, His everlasting love and His gift of eternal life

Psalms 89:38-90:17 ‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations… From everlasting to everlasting, You are God’(Psalm 90:1-2). The Bible begins with the words, ‘In the beginning, God…’ (Genesis 1:1). Before the world began, there was God, ‘the eternal God.’ He is ‘the high and exalted One’. He is the God ‘who inhabits …

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Approaching the Lord’s Table: Forgiveness, Victory, Faith, God’s Word, God’s Love

As we approach the Lord's Table, let's think about two verses of Scripture. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). "Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler" (Psalm 91:3). The first of these …

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Often, we have failed the Lord – but He has never failed us.

"I have always been mindful of Your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on Your faithfulness" (Psalm 26:3).   Have we always been mindful of God's unfailing love? Have we always trusted in His faithfulness? We know the answer as soon as we ask the question. Often, we have failed the Lord - but He …

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God’s Eternal Love – May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God.

Psalms 42-43 Three times, the question is asked, ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul’. Three times, the answer is given, ‘Put your hope in God’. Three times, there is the response of faith: ‘I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5). Often, we are filled with questions. We …

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Some Ideas For Preaching God’s Love

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God. ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right – (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the …

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