 How
Do We Know
God Loves Us -- Personally?
by Reverend Clancy Nixon
Let me start out this morning by answering a question that I was just
asked. On the schedule there are lots of Reverends listed and then I am
listed as a "Vicor." What's a Vicor? Well, to start off with,
both Vicors and Reverends are priests. A Vicor is a priest in charge of
a church that is in a mission status. You will also see from my biography
that I use to be an attorney in the Washington, DC area. You see... I
use to practice the Law... now I practice Grace!
And now to the main subject of today's teaching "How do we know
God loves us -- personally?"
The Bible: The first is mentioned in the prayers many of us grew
up with. "Jesus loves us this I know, for the Bible tells me so..."
If you look at II Tim 3:16 you will find it says:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness. (NIV)
Some people think that because the Bible was written by human authors
that it cannot be perfect. Well think about this... The Word of God (that
is, Jesus) is both God and man. He is the basis of our Christian beliefs
-- God incarnate. The Bible is the same thing in a written form. So, if
you want to know God's love for you, read His love letter to you -- His
Bible!
Some people say that we all worship the same God... but we don't. In
the Scriptures it tells us that God has a name -- Yahweh, Jesus, Yeshua.
Compare this with "the Force be with you" or "Live long
and prosper." Only a person can love you.
How do we know
God is a person?
Well for one, Jesus was a person. For another, in Gen 18:17 it says "Then
the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?' "
Impersonal things don't speak, but God spoke to Abraham and he
had a relationship with His own creation and with Abraham. Impersonal
"forces" don't talk, and they don't get angry either. God got
angry at Sodom and Gomorrah.
Another way we know that God loves us personally is that he hears
us when we pray. Spiritual realities are often more real than physical
ones. We are spiritual beings having physical experiences and not the
other way around. The word "person" in Latin assumes a web of
relationships with other people. God brings people into our lives. Those
who we need and who bring what we need.
There are four different aspects of God's
love for us.
- Brotherly love: Jonathan, King Saul's son, loved David
who was to become the next king of Israel [I Sam 18:1]
- Erotic love: The kind of love King David had for Bathsheba
[II Sam 11:2-5]
- Parental love: The love Bathsheba had for her son, and
- Agape love: The love God has for us and for King David
(a love that depends upon the character of the lover [e.g., God] and
not the recipient of the love [e.g., us])
Have you ever read the book of Numbers? Many have not simply because
of what it has in it; lots of lists and names of people and families.
But that is precisely the reason for having the book. You see, it tells
us that God knows each one of us by name. He knows our numbers
just like the people listed in the book of Numbers. Just like them, as
Christians we are in God's Book of Life.
Jesus died and rose again from the dead.
The death of His only son is another sign of God's love for us. All
believers are adopted into the family of God... and He loves to bring
us into His family to join with our brothers and sisters.
Another way we know God loves us it through
the witness of His Holy Spirit who works in our lives and is manifested
in them. He changes the way we think and act. Ever notice the sins people
advertise on their bumper stickers? The Holy Spirit has got me praying
for them. I never would have done this before the Holy Spirit got a hold
of me.
How do I know that God loves me personally? Its because
He loved me enough to have a plan for my life and he revealed it to
me. Jer 29:11 says:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
[NIV]
Chapter one, verses 4-10 of the Book of Jeremiah outlines God's plan
for the prophet saying...
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born
I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
[vs. 5 - NIV]
God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He called out to Samuel in
the middle of the night. What did they do? They answered the call of God.
In Samuel's case he said "speak Lord, for your servant is listening."
Be persistent in seeking God's face.
Seek Him with a burning desire to be in a close intimate relationship
with Him and He will reveal Himself to you.
In Jer 1:5, quoted above, God is the primary actor or the playwright.
We are the players in His play. We are to fit into it. If we are smart,
we will do so. But we have free will, we can miss it and not listen. We
can choose not to do what He asks. Remember that God's calling is different
than our work. A calling is redeemed. Paul was a tent maker. That was
his work. His calling was to be an apostle to the gentiles. We must focus
on how to discover our calling. Some day we will stand before God and
have to explain ourselves.
Two Questions for you from
Jeremiah:
- Will you linger long enough in God's presence to learn the role you
are to play?
- Will you fulfill that role?
How can you have a close relationship with a person who doesn't listen
to us, who doesn't speak to us, or who we don't listen to...? In the Bible,
the most common way was for God to speak to us (spirit to spirit). The
Bible is not our God, its our guide. God it a person, not a book, and
He will speak to us (spirit to spirit).
We can be like the person who goes to the doctor and after waiting for
a half hour to see him, tells him all the things that we have wrong with
us and then says "... thanks doc, I feel much better..." and
walks out. The doctor will be saying, "Wait a minute, don't you want
to hear what you need to do to get better, what my prescription is for
you?" If we do that to God... what do you think He would say?The
person who wants the least intimacy in a relationship controls the relationship.
The same is true of how we relate to God.
Struggling with God is part of intimacy. Look at Moses and the call God
placed on his life. He said, God, I can't do that. Who am I? The truth
is, if we thought we could do it ourselves we would and we would not rely
upon God.
Get into God's purpose for your life... from now on, don't miss it.
You can't make up for lost opportunities, but you can start from where
you are now and let God bless you in the process.
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