2014.12.7 礼拝

2014.12.7 礼拝

December 7^th, Message by Adam Sharick – “God loves you as your father”

Romans 5:8-11 – 8.But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  9.Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  10.For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  11.Not only is this so but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 Father loves his children and is always calling out to him/her whether the child hears him or not.  He loves the child so much that, for example, in times of child’s suffering, he wishes that he could take over the suffering himself.  The best the human father could do is to always stay with the hospitalized child, read books or do things to comfort the child as much as possible.

 1.  God loves us as our father.  He made clear his love for us.  Even while we did not know him, he knew us.  He keeps calling on us but we don’t hear because we do not know him and we are sinners.  He loves us always even “while we were sinners” (verse 8).  Children do not care to listen or hear what their father is saying.  However, the father always cares for them and loves them.

 2.  “Christ died for us.” 　God is not only love but also righteous.  He gets angry with sin.  He gave his only Son for our sake.  Jesus died on the cross to bear our sins and save us from God’s anger of our sins.  If we believe in Jesus, that he took God’s anger on himself and relieved us from our sins, then we have been cleared of our sins (justified) and filled with God’s love (reconciled). 

3.  Like our father, God wants to have intimate relations with us.  Christ was raised from death three days later and still lives in us who believe.   We have been reconciled with God so that we would have pleasant relations with God.  As we have experienced joy and peace with our fathers, if we believe in Jesus, we are filled with joy, encouragement and peace from God.