# BENEFITS OF THE LOVE OF GOD ## Introduction I welcome you to the first service this morning. If Jesus tarries His second coming, may we experience and enjoy many glorious services like this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Last week in the combined service we were challenged to reflect on why we accepted God's gracious invitation to embark on the 'Journey of Love' in this advent season. This made us examine a key attribute of God - Love. We were reminded that the Bible tells us that God is love. The other day I was reading an article about love. And the article starts by saying that falling in love is a feeling like no other. It talks about that familiar feeling of stars in the eyes, butterflies in your stomach and weakness in the knees. The article goes further to say that being in love actually has tangible health benefits for both your body and mind. If that is the case in the physical realm, then we should expect that in the spiritual realm there must be 'Benefits of the love of God.' which is the title of the sermon this morning. ## The Ultimate Benefit The ultimate benefit of God's love is enjoying God. If you believe that the benefits of God's love and being in love with God are to have a big house, become rich, have a good marriage, have children and so on and so forth, you may be very correct. After all, the Bible tells us that God's plans for you is "to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). But if that is all to what you believe about the benefits from the love of God, then I am afraid you do not know what it is to be loved by God. Children of God, the ultimate benefit of God's love is for you to live a life you ought to live in Christ while you are here on earth and come home to God where you will see Him and enjoy with Him forever and ever. ## Three Major Benefits Now, let us look in-depth at the benefits of God's love: ### 1. Salvation is a gracious benefit arising from God's love The first benefit of God's love towards you is the salvation of your soul. The Bible states unequivocally in the gospel and in the epistle of John: *"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 is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him"* (1 John 4:9). One of the key benefits of God's love is the fact that God wants you to be alive through Jesus. Unless we live in Christ and through Christ in this world, you will only exist - that is, you will only go through the motion of living but never live to your full potential. This is a great benefit because, as the Bible reminds us, it is a very bad bargain indeed when you receive all the world has to offer only to end up spending eternity in the lake of fire: *"What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"* (Matthew 16:26). ### 2. Benefit of Redemption and Forgiveness of Sin The second benefit is related to the first one. Because of the love God has for us His creatures, humanity has been rescued from the clutches of Satan and sin. To be certain, we have found ourselves in the camp of Satan due to our fault - our sins. Right from the fall of Adam and Eve, humanity had progressively been alienated from God because of sin. We needed someone higher to pay a ransom to set us free from our slavery to sin and our death sentence on account of our sins. The ransom price to free us from slavery and bondage is Christ's own blood, offered freely, offered willingly, offered lovingly for our sins. This process is called redemption. Related to the redemption is the forgiveness we received through the blood of Jesus making atonement for our sin on the cross of Calvary. The wonder of this forgiveness is that the sacrifice offered on the cross was once and for all, which took care of past, present and future sins: *"The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God"* (Romans 6:10). *"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all"* (Hebrews 10:10). ### 3. Benefit of the adoption into the family of God A third benefit is that the love of God makes you an adopted member of the family of God: *"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him"* (1 John 3:1 NLT). But you might ask, are we not all God's children since He created us? Yes, you are right in the sense of paternity. But do not forget that at some time, humanity constitutes itself into a set of creatures in rebellion against God. Then we lost the fatherhood of God. Now, through the earthly mission of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we are reconciled and adopted back into the family of God through faith. This adoption is profound and goes beyond the legal transfer of fatherhood as you will find in the case of earthly adoption. In the case of the adoption by God, He also changes you on adoption and regenerates you to be a new creature. ## Specific Benefits of Adoption Let us now turn our attention to specific benefits of this adoption into God's family: ### (a) Relationship with God, the good and loving Father The first specific benefit that comes from being adopted into the family of God is that we can now relate to God as the loving Father. You can come to Him in supplications and prayers and present to Him your concerns, challenges and aspirations. *"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"* (Matthew 7:9-11). ### (b) Led by the Holy Spirit The second benefit from being a child of God arising from our adoption into Gods family is that you will be led by the Holy Spirit. You will no longer lead a carnal life which invariably leads to spiritual death, confusion and chaos. *"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about our adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children"* (Romans 8:14-16). ### (c) Joint Heirs with Christ By being God's child, the third benefit you get is that you have full rights to receive His inheritance. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. Hence, once adopted as a child, you become co-heirs/joint heirs with Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. *"So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir"* (Galatians 4:7). *"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory"* (Romans 8:16-17). ## Conclusion As I bring this message to a close, I want you to remember the great benefits we have from God's love and being in love with God. The benefits are innumerable and so great that you should all the days of your live be in gratitude for this wonderful grace that God has bestowed on you. The Psalmist tells us to "Praise the Lord...forget not all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2). I exhort you brethren to renew your life of praise. Be grateful to God in all situations and for everything, relying on His love. In this advent season you are not only going to have that feeling of stars in your eyes as a result of the love you have for God, you are also going to see a star that will guide you in your journey in life. The 'Star of Bethlehem' guided the Magi to Bethlehem where they met baby Jesus. May that star guide you so that you will always be in the presence of Jesus worshipping Him all the days of your life. And so shall it be in the name of Jesus. Amen.