Does God Really Love Me?
- Message Excerpt by
- Topic: The Love of God
Audio Transcript
“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you” (Deuteronomy 7:7). So he’s asking the question, “Israel, why did God choose you? Was it something about you? You were so numerous? You were so beautiful? No, it wasn’t because you’re more in number — you’re fewer. You’re the fewest of all people. So why did he choose you?” It’s because the Lord loves you.
“The only reason you’re alive is because he loved.”
Why did the Lord choose you? Because the Lord loves you. Unconditional election comes from somewhere. It comes from unconditional love. When you think of a New Testament Reformation text, what do you think? You think of Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” Wasn’t that the gateway into paradise?
What about Ephesians 1:4–5? “In love he predestined.” He didn’t choose the lovely, in love he chose. What about Ephesians chapter 2:4–9?
But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he would show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.”
Why are you alive? Why are you raised up? Why do you have the best future imaginable? You live because he loved. That’s why. You were not morally acceptable. You were a corpse. You were stone-cold dead at the bottom of the lake. You were part of the children of wrath. The only reason you’re alive is because he loved. Don’t think about this cerebrally, but experientially.
So many people in their relationship with God have a mirror, and they’re constantly looking at themselves. “Does God love me?” Then you look in the mirror. “Of course he does! I’m better than that person.” Or the opposite: “Does God love me?” Look in the mirror. “Of course not. I’m wretched. I’m ugly.” This says, “Does God love me? Throw down the mirror, raise up your arms and say, “Yes, look at Christ! Look at his love. Look at where that came from. I can’t earn that. I can’t achieve it. I can only receive it.” And suddenly love is amazing.
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