Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: The God Who Shepherds You

Theme: Grasping God’s Everlasting Love

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’”

(Jeremiah 31:3)

Chapter thirty-one of the book of Jeremiah held words of comfort for Israel as she was in captivity, assuring them that God in due time would restore them and their children to their own land.

He would and again make them a great and happy nation, especially by sending the Messiah, whose kingdom and grace would be enjoyed by all who would receive Jesus Christ.

There would be a day that they would repent of their sins, and God would graciously accept them in their repentance.

God would enrich their spiritual blessings and those blessings would be offered to the seed of Israel forever.

(The Expositors Bible Commentary; Matthew Henry Commentary)

The Children of Israel were offered the blessings that were promised to Abraham.

Abraham’s seed goes beyond the Jewish nation and people for they are offered to the Gentiles as well.

(Romans 4:16-17)

I would propose to you that there was a time when sin held you captive and God out of His love for you drew you to repentance.

He appeared to your spiritual heart and the Holy Ghost drew you to Christ.

He graciously accepted your plea for forgiveness and has set you in His everlasting love and care, if and only if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.

Just how is God a Shepherd to His people?

Eight masks that mankind likes to wear in desperation to experience love

The first step to experiencing God’s love is to understand and admit the fact that there are love masks that modern mankind likes to put on.

There are eight masks that mankind likes to wear in desperation to experience love.

The first is “Performance.”

People convince themselves that if they excel at something this will gain them love.

They like people saying, “Look what he did….

Look at what she accomplished.”

Those who are able to perform get strokes of appreciation, a little bit of value, a little bit of what the world calls love.

However, it does not last and the drive to perform overtakes what should be done for Christ and Christ alone.

The second is “People.”

Often people will look to people in their lives for affirmation and value.

Do not get me wrong, people should give affirmation to others who are diligent and faithful, and work hard to do their best for the Lord and others.

It is one thing when God moves upon someone’s heart to give affirmation but it is another when people compromise God’s righteousness in their lives to gain praise from man.

The third is “Pity.”

There are people who will put themselves down so people will go out of their way to come to them and give them special attention.

There are many times when we should have pity on the hurting and down hearted, but at no time should sin be entertained.

The fourth is “Position.”

Some feel like, “If I can only get that manager position, than I can reach for the CEO spot on the corporate ladder, then I will have value.”

It is only a mask when success is not gained out of sacrificial love for who you serve.

The fifth is “Physical Affection.”

Too often people equate human contact with love.”

If there is no sacrificial giving and living before those we want physical affection from, then we are wearing a mask of false love.

The sixth is “Pleasure.”

I can’t wait until the next thrill or high or grand experience.

It is a mask covering up that need for true love that can only come from the Lord.

The seventh is “Possessions.”

If I can only have that lake front property, live in that neighborhood, drive that car, worship in the same type of church that I saw on TBN.

If the Lord gives you all that then it is great, however, if you feel you need that to have a healthy walk with the Lord then your wearing a mask of possessions and missing true love.

Lastly, is “Problems.”

This is usually a juvenile form of love mask, the crying out of a young adult wanting expressions of love on His own terms and not God’s.

This problem also arises in adults and sadly even in the church setting.

In the Old Testament they were referred to as the “rabble.”

(Numbers 11:4; Ezekiel 23:42) Those wanting their own way or carefree people not interested in God ways.

These rabbles are people who are quite aware of the God of heaven and earth but they live by their own agenda.

What the Bible says about God, who is love

Once someone is aware of the love masks and is willing to throw those masks aside they may experience true love, God’s love by searching what the Bible says about God, who is love.

The Bible boldly proclaims that there is only one love in the universe that has lasting value and satisfies that longing to be loved.

That true love that enables Christians to express genuine love to the Body of Christ, to family members, to friends and co-workers.

The answer to finding the God who is love is found in the Bible which was written by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 3:16)

The Bible tells us this about love, “So we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

(1 John 4:16) In the very same epistle we find that Scriptures warn us with, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

(1 John 4:8)

God is love!

Let the Holy Spirit of God place this truth deep within your mind and heart.

Go beyond revelation and pray for illumination.

My prayer for you is the same as the Apostle Paul’s prayer.

We read that prayer in Ephesians chapter three, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Just as a wife of a husband who loves her as Christ loves the church can know and experience the benefits of sacrificial love, the Bride of Christ, those who are born again can experience God’s pure unadulterated love.

However, it must come from illumination of the Holy Spirit and the children of God must be willing to share His love with others.

God is love! 1 John 4:16 is the greatest single teaching about God in the whole Bible.

This single statement unlocks many doors and answers many questions.

William Barclay in his exposition of Biblical love covered four major areas of life as we know it.

These thoughts came to my mind as I considered his teaching to God’s love.

The First refers to “Creation:” it is hard for us to understand why God would take time to even create this world, knowing that mankind walks in disobedience, gives a poor response to His Word and continually causes Him grief.

Man’s very nature, without the leading and control of the Holy Spirit causes nothing but trouble.

A full Biblical understanding in creation is essential to understanding His very nature.

Being a creating God He creates and being a loving God He desires to create man to live in a world where He could express His love to others.

True love must have someone to sacrificially love and there must be someone to receive that love.

This picture is seen in marriage, when the husband truly, sacrificially shows love to his wife.

She naturally responds to his love by being a loving “help mate” (Genesis 2:18) to what God calls her husband to do.

When the Bride of Christ understands the love of Christ for her, she naturally becomes a complementary helper for the Lord because the Holy Spirit of Christ is doing a work in God’s obedient children.

When children in the Christian family setting respond appropriately to the love their parents are giving they are receiving love from God being expressed by the parents and His love will then carry on to generation to generation.

(Exodus 20:4-5)

Two, refers to “Free Will:” unless love is a free response it is not a love that brings true satisfaction here on this side nor does it lead to everlasting life.

If God had only been law with no Holy Spirit to bring true life to the written Word men would move like robots or they would serve because they are programmed.

When people become legalistic toward the Word of God they serve for all the wrong motives.

They become like people who observe the law to get from God or like children who obey because they do not want to get into trouble.

The only response that is pleasing to God is a reaction that comes from an act of love for God and Jesus Christ.

Love is of necessity and there must be a free response of the heart, therefore, God by a deliberate act of self-limitation has to endow men with free will.

Three, refers to “Providence:” God’s love is reflected in His constant care of everything at all times.

There is no single Hebrew or Greek word that expresses the idea of God’s providence.

Providence is normally defined in Christian theology as the unceasing activity of the Creator whereby in overflowing bounty and good will (The New Bible Dictionary; Psalm 145:9; Matthew 5:45-48) He upholds His creation in ordered existence.

(Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3) He guides and governs all events, circumstances and even the free acts of men.

(Psalm 107; Job 1:12;2:6; Genesis 45:5-8) He directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory and the glorification of Jesus before the lives of everyone.

(Ephesians 1:9-12) Providence is presented in the whole of Scripture as a function of divine sovereignty.

God has His hands over all, doing just what He wills.

(Psalm 103:19; 135:6; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11)

Four, refers to “Redemption:” the Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16) This redemption means more than just saving souls from spending eternity in hell, but also for redeeming the heart of man so he can have communion with God, to do the work of God with Christ walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

This redemption, purchased through the blood of Christ frees from the bondage of sin.