Why do you love God?
Why did Apostle John say Christians love God?
-  1 John 4:19 (NKJV) ... 19 We love  Him because He first loved us.
- 1 John 4:19 (NIV) ..….. 19 We love because He first loved us.
- a profound biblical truth found inÂ
- It beautifully expresses that our capacity to love God and others is not something we generate on our own. Â
- Rather, it is always a direct response to the unconditional, initiating love that God has shown us.Â
- The point is … we love because  God first loved us.
How do we know that God loves us?
- Romans 8:6-8
- We know God loves us because He has proven His love for us.
- And HOW has He done that? That brings us to the text for today …
How has God proven His love for us?
- Romans 5:6-10  6 For when we were still without strength, [a]in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Â
- As God the Father … by giving His one-of-a-kind Son (John 3:16)
- As God the Son … by giving His life … while were weak (Romans 5:6) b/c we were ungodly (Romans 3:6b) … while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) … and (if we understand it correctly) when we were enemies (Romans 5:10).
- The question was How has God proven His love for us?
- The answer is in Romans 5:8Â “…Â God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
CONCLUSION
The question … is DO YOU LOVE GOD?
And if your answer is Yes, why? Do you love God … because you know He loves you, deeply … OR do you love God because of fear … because you don’t want to go to Hell.
I think God would want you to love Him because you have come to realize, deeply, how much He loves you.
Consider what Paul said to the Ephesians … Ephesians …
Ephesians 3:14-19 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.Â
Do you need proof of God’s love? … Look at Jesus … on the cross … and realize that He did that because of His love for you(us) … That is all the proof you need … b/c He did that while we were still weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies.
SONG
PRAYER