HE LOVED US first! – FEBRUARY 14, 2021

I JOHN 4:19 – “We love – because God loved us first.”

I. HE (The Lord God Almighty)

The GOOD NEWS: Our God is indescribably awesome!

• GOD’S ATTRIBUTES?
  • Who is God?
  • What is God like?
  • What kind of God is He?
• AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD
  • An attribute of God is something true about him. As limited human beings, it is impossible for us to totally comprehend who God is. He does make himself known in a variety of ways, and through what he reveals about himself in his Word and in his creation, we can begin to understand our awesome Creator and God.
  • God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. He is one of a kind, unique and without comparison. Even describing him with mere words truly falls short of capturing who he is – our words simply cannot do justice to describe our Holy God.
• REVELATION 1:12-18
  • This describes a vision of the glorified Christ. He is so awesome. He said, “I am the Living One; I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever!”
  • John the apostle was awestruck. He fell at his feet as though dead.
• NEHEMIAH 9:6 – “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

II. He LOVED

The GOOD NEWS: Jesus is Love!

• We have learned what LOVE is from Jesus. He’s the one who showed his great LOVE to all mankind by giving his life for us.
• ROMANS 5:8 – God clearly shows and proves His own LOVE for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• 1 JOHN 4:16 – ‘God is LOVE’.

LOVE is his character, his nature, his substance, not merely something he demonstrates. To meet God in any way is to encounter that LOVE.

• David prayed, “ Show us the wonder of your GREAT LOVE.”
• JEREMIAH 31:3 – The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, I have LOVED YOU with an EVERLASTING LOVE; I have drawn you with LOVINGKINDNESS.
• EPHESIANS 2:4,5 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great LOVE with which he loved us, that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead—only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved.
• I JOHN 3:1 – How great is the LOVE the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
• Isaiah 54:10 – My faithful LOVE won’t shift from you.
• PSALM 86:15 – A God of compassion and mercy; you are very patient and full of LOVE.
• I CHRONICLES 16:34 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful LOVE endures forever.
• GALATIANS 2:20 – …God’s Son – LOVED me and gave himself for me.
• ROMANS 8:39 – Nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the LOVE of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• 1 JOHN 4:9-10 – “This is how the LOVE of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. This is LOVE: it is not that we loved God but that He LOVED us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins.”

Song: THE LOVE OF GOD

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song

III. He loved US

Every person!

• The GOOD NEWS: There is room for all of us beneath the loving, protective wings of the Lord.
• You are LOVED, you are beautiful, and you are perfect the way God made you.  Don’t let anyone ever make you think differently.
• His LOVE for you never wavers.
• These Bible verses about God’s love show that even in your darkest hour, when it may seem like you’re on your own, or that you’ve lost everyone and everything you’ve ever cared about, He is there, and you are never alone.
• ISAIAH 54:10 – “‘The mountains may shift, and the hills may be shaken, but my faithful LOVE won’t shift from you, and my covenant of peace won’t be shaken,’ says the Lord, the one who pities you.” 
• ZEPHANIAH 3:17 – “The Lord your God is in your midst — a warrior bringing victory. He will create calm with his love; he will rejoice over you with singing.” 
• ROMANS 8:31-32 – “So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?”
• PSALM 36:7 – “Your faithful LOVE is priceless, God! Humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

If God is on your side, you have nothing to fear.

IV. He loved us FIRST

The GOOD NEWS: God loved you first… before you were even born…

• PSALM 139:13-18 – For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was being formed in secret, And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written. The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape]. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

FIRST LOVE

• LOVE is the basic ingredient for which all life on earth is formed. It is an emotion that cannot be measured in a cup or by a yardstick.
• The first LOVE that most of us experience is that of our parents.
• Parents give their whole life for their children. They hold our hand, make us walk, teach us how to communicate, help us get educated and many more things, without a wish of getting anything in return. They sacrifice their whole life for us without thinking about themselves.
• The depth of the LOVE of parents for their children is amazing. It is like no other relationship. It exceeds concern for their own lives.
• The LOVE between a parent and a child affects us more profoundly than any other relationship of our lives; it is the foundation for which we base all of our future relationships and the source of our earliest understanding about LOVE, intimacy, and trust.
• If a parent’s LOVE is consistent and the child feels supported growing up, he or she will more likely have the sense of security that will allow him or her to face the challenges in life with the knowledge that if he or she falters or has difficulty facing those challenges, our parents will be there to help and support them.
• On the other hand when a parent’s love is inconsistent, nonexistent or abusive he or she can grow up to have severe development issues.

STORY – FIRST LOVE

• FATHER about his daughter – I was 25 years old when I first became a dad. Nothing would prepare me for the pure joy that fatherhood would bring into my life. When I held my little princess in my arms for the first time, and she looked up at me I knew right then and there that we were automatically best friends.
• Sadly, at the same moment that I realized she was mine forever, I also knew that eventually some young guy was going to come to MY house and ask to take her on a date. Eventually Laila is going to grow up and I need to prepare myself for that day.

There are some very important things I want my daughter to know.

#1. I loved you first: 

“I hope she always knows how much her dad loves her. Guys will come and guys will go, but her dad will always be around thinking of the early days together. I will be there to hold her and wipe her tears and to celebrate her successes.

Ultimately, I know that I will have some influence on the boys that come over to our house. I will work hard to let them know that I am still her DAD!! Seriously though, whatever comes her way, she will always be my princess. I loved her first.”

Here we see an example of a father’s love. And even when that child grows up and is not with Him, he will love them in a way they could never understand.

As parents we LOVE our children before anyone else does… and all through life. We LOVE them enough that we’d do anything for them.

That LOVE we have for our children is like the LOVE God has for us – His children. It’s hard for us to comprehend it.

EPHESIANS 3:18-19 –“I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.”

JOHN 3:16 – God so LOVED the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.”

ROMANS 8:38-39 – “I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s LOVE in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.”

V. We Love – Because He loved us first!

• JOHN 13:34,35 – After Jesus LOVED the disciples and showed his LOVE by washing their feet, He gave them this command: “I give you a new command: LOVE each other. You must LOVE each other as I have LOVED you.  All people will know that you are my followers if you LOVE each other.”
• MATTHEW 22:36-40 – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
• I JOHN 4:10,11 – This is LOVE: not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us and gave His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Since God so LOVED us – we ought to love one another.
• I JOHN 4:12,13 – No one has ever seen God; but if we LOVE one another, God lives in us and His LOVE is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

ENTREATY TO LOVE

Dear Friends,

Let us love one another – for Love comes from God.                  

CONCLUSION

God LOVED us first.

He longs for us to LOVE Him back in return, and to LOVE others.

• “HE LOVED US FIRST!”
• I John 4:19

“Tayo’y umiibig- dahil una tayong minahal ng Diyos.”

• I John 4:19

“.” (Ang Panginoong Diyos na makapangyarihan sa lahat)

Ang MABUTING BALITA:

Ang ating Diyos ay hindi mailarawan ang Kanyang kadakilaan!

• MGA KATANGIAN NG DIYOS
• Sino ang Diyos?
• Ano ang itsura ng Diyos? 
• Anong klaseng Diyos Siya? 
• Isang Katangian ng
   Diyos

Isang katangian ng Diyos ay isang bagay na totoo tungkol sa Kanya.  Bilang limitadong nilalang, napaka-imposible sa atin na ganap nating maunawaan kung sino talaga ang Diyos.  Kanyang pinakilala ang sarili sa maraming kaparaanan, at sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang ipinahayag sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang Salita at sa Kanyang nilikha, simula na nating maunawaan ang ating dakilang Manlilikha at Diyos

Attribute of God (Cont)

Ang Diyos ay hindi kagaya ng anumang bagay o sino man na maisip natin. Siya ay kakaiba, nag-iisa at walang katulad. Kahit na ilarawan Siya sa napakaraming salita ay tunay na hindi pa rin sapat upang maunawaan kung sino Siya – ang ating mga salita ay kulang upang ilarawan ang ating Diyos.

• Revelation 1:12-18
• Inilalarawan nito Inilalarawan nito ang isang pangitain ng maluwalhating Cristo. Napakagaling niya. Kanyang Sinabi “Namatay ako ngunit tingnan mo, ako’y buháy ngayon at mananatiling buháy magpakailanman. J
• Si Juan na apostol ay namangha. Para siya patay na bumagsak sa kanyang paanan.
• Nehemiah 9:6

“At ang lahat ay sama-samang nanala-

ngin ng ganito:
“Yahweh, ikaw lamang ang Panginoon;
    ikaw ang lumikha ng kalangitan
at ginawa mo ang lupa, ang langit ng mga langit,
    ang lahat ng bituin doon, at lahat ng narito;
ang dagat at ang lahat ng naroroon.
    Binibigyang buhay mo sila,
at ika’y sinasamba ng buong kalangitan.

• He LOVED

The GOOD NEWS:

Jesus is Love!

Ating natututnan kung ano ang pag-ibig mula kay Jesus.  Siya ang nagpakita ng Kanyang dakilang pag-ibig sa sangkatauhan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng Kanyang buhay para sa atin.

• Romans 5:8

Ngunit pinatunayan ng Diyos ang kanyang PAG-IBIG sa atin nang mamatay si Cristo para sa atin noong tayo’y makasalanan pa.

• 1 John 4:16

‘Ang Diyos ay PAG-IBIG’.

PAG-IBIG ay Kanyang ugali, ang Kanyang likas, Kanyang sangkap, hindi lang isang bagay na Kanyang ipinapakita.  Ang makilala ang Diyos sa anumang kaparaanan ay ang pagkatagpo sa PAG-IBIG na ito..

Nanalangin si David,

“ Ipakita mo sa amin ang kamanghaan ng Iyong DAKILANG PAG-IBIG.”

• Jeremiah 31:3

Napakita ako sa kanila mula sa malayo; sa simula pa’y inibig ko na sila kaya patuloy akong magiging tapat sa kanila.

.

• Ephesians 2:4,5
• – Subalit napakasagana ng habag ng Diyos at napakadakila ng pag-ibig niya sa atin. ⁵ Tayo’y binuhay niyang kasama ni Cristo noong tayo’y mga patay pa dahil sa ating pagsuway. Naligtas nga kayo dahil sa kanyang kagandahang-loob.

• I John 3:1

– Tingnan ninyo kung gaano kalaki ang pag-ibig sa atin ng Ama! Tinatawag tayong mga anak ng Diyos!

• Isaiah 54:10

Ang Aking tapat na PAG-IBIG ay hindi maglalaho para sa iyo!

• Psalm 86:15

– Ngunit ikaw, Panginoon, tunay na mabait,
    wagas ang pag-ibig,.

• I Chronicles 16:34

– Purihin si Yahweh, sa kanyang kabutihan;
    pag-ibig niya’y tunay, laging tapat kailanman..

• Galatians 2:20

…Anak ng Diyos – na nagmahal sa akin at naghandog ng kanyang sarili para sa akin.

• Romans 8:39

– ang kataasan o ang kalaliman, o alinmang nilalang ay hindi makapaghihiwalay sa atin sa pag-ibig ng Diyos na ipinagkaloob sa atin sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus na ating Panginoon..

• 1 John 4:9-10

“⁹ Inihayag ng Diyos ang kanyang pag-ibig sa atin nang isugo niya sa mundo ang kanyang kaisa-isang Anak upang magkaroon tayo ng buhay sa pamamagitan niya. 

• ¹⁰ Ito ang pag-ibig: hindi sa inibig natin ang Diyos, kundi tayo ang inibig niya at isinugo niya ang kanyang Anak upang maging handog para mapatawad ang ating mga kasalanan.”
• Ang PAG-IBIG NG DIYOS

Ang PAG-IBIG ng Diyos ay higit na dakila kesa sa mga salita o maisusulat na patungkol sa Kanya. Lagpas pa sa pinakamataas na bituin at aabot sa pinakailaliman.

• Ang pares na may kasalanan, yumuko nang may pag-iingat, binigyan ng Diyos ang Kanyang Anak upang manalo Ang nagkamali niyang anak ay Pinasundo Niya at pinatawad mula sa kanyang kasalanan

The LOVE OF GOD (Cont)

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade

To write the LOVE of God above would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky

The LOVE OF GOD (Cont)

 PAG-IBIG ng Diyos, gaano kayaman at dalisay! Paano walang sukat at napakalakas! Mananatili itong magpakailanman sa awit ng mga banal at anghel.

• Tayo’y INIBIG Niya

Bawat tao!

Ang MAGANDANG BALITA:

Ang lahat ay may puwang sa  ilalim ng mapagmahal, mapagkalingang pakpak ng Panginoon.

• Ikaw ay INIBIG, kaw ay maganda, at ikaw ay perpekto sa paraang pagkalikha sa iyo ng Diyos.  Huwag mong hayaan ang ibang tao na pag-isipin ka ng iba
• Ang Kanyang PAG-IBIG sa iyo ay hindi nagbabago.

Ang mga talatang ito patungkol sa pag-ibig ng Diyos ay nagpapakita na kahit sa iyong pinakamadilim na oras, kung kailan mukhang ikaw ay nasa iyong sarili, o nawala ang lahat at lahat ng bagay na pinahahalagahan mo, naroon Siya, at hindi ka nag-iisa..

• Isaiah 54:10

“Maguguho ang mga bundok at ang mga burol ay mayayanig,
    ngunit ang wagas na pag-ibig ko’y hindi maglalaho,
    at mananatili ang kapayapaang aking ipinangako.”
Iyan ang sinasabi ni Yahweh, na nagmamahal sa iyo.

• Zephaniah 3:17

“Nasa piling mo si Yahweh na iyong Diyos,
    at ang kanyang kapangyarihan ang magbibigay sa iyo ng tagumpay.
Siya ay magagalak sa iyo
    at ang pag-ibig niya ang magbibigay sa iyo ng bagong buhay.
Masaya siyang aawit sa laki ng kagalakan,.” 

• Romans 8:31-32

“Ano pa ang masasabi natin tungkol dito? Kung ang Diyos ay panig sa atin, sino ang makakalaban sa atin? ³² Kung ang sarili niyang Anak ay hindi niya ipinagkait, sa halip ay ibinigay para sa ating lahat, hindi kaya niya ibibigay nang masagana sa atin ang lahat ng bagay?

• Psalm 36:7
• “O Diyos, ang iyong pag-ibig mahalaga at matatag,
      ang kalinga’y nadarama sa lilim ng iyong pakpak.”

Kung ang Diyos ay nasa iyong panig, wala kang dapat ikatakot.

•  
  Una Niya tayong minahal

Ang MABUTING MABALITA:

Una kang minahal ng Diyos…

Bago ka pa man isilang…

• Psalm 139:13-18

Ang anumang aking sangkap, ikaw, O Diyos, ang lumikha,
    sa tiyan ng aking ina’y hinugis mo akong bata.
¹⁴ Pinupuri kita, O Diyos, marapat kang katakutan,
    ang lahat ng gawain mo ay kahanga-hangang tunay;
    sa loob ng aking puso, lahat ito’y nakikintal.;

Psalm 139:13-18 (Cont)

Ang buto ko sa katawan noong iyon ay hugisin,
    sa loob ng bahay-bata doo’y iyong napapansin;
lumalaki ako roong sa iyo’y di nalilihim..

Ako’y iyong nakita na, hindi pa man isinilang,
batid mo kung ilang taon ang haba ng aking buhay;
    pagkat ito’y nakatitik sa aklat mo na talaan,
    matagal nang balangkas mong ikaw lamang ang may alam.

Psalm 139:13-18 (Cont)

Tunay, Yahweh, di ko kayang maabot ang iyong isip,
    ang dami ng iyong balak ay hindi ko nababatid;
¹⁸ kung ito ay bibilangin, ay sindami ng buhangin,
    sasaiyo pa rin ako kung umaga na magising.

• UNANG PAG-IBIG

PAG-IBIG ay ang pangunahing sangkap kung saan lahat ng bagay sa mundo ay nalikha.  Ito ay isang emosyon na hindi kayang sukatin ng tasa o pangyarda.

Ang unang PAG-IBIG

Na halos naranasan ng lahat sa atin ay ang mula sa ating mga magulang.

Parents give their whole life for their children. They hold our hand, make us walk, teach us how to communicate, help us get educated and many more things, without a wish of getting anything in return. They sacrifice their whole life for us without thinking about themselves.

The depth of the LOVE of parents for their children is amazing. It is like no other relationship. It exceeds concern for their own lives.

The LOVE between a parent and a child affects us more profoundly than any other relationship of our lives; it is the foundation for which we base all of our future relationships and the source of our earliest understanding about LOVE, intimacy, and trust.

If a parent’s LOVE is consistent and the child feels supported growing up, he or she will more likely have the sense of security that will allow him or her to face the challenges in life with the knowledge that if he or she falters or has difficulty facing those challenges, our parents will be there to help and support them.

On the other hand when a parent’s love is inconsistent, nonexistent or abusive he or she can grow up to have severe development issues.

• STORY – FIRST LOVE
• FATHER about his daughter – I was 25 years old when I first became a dad. Nothing would prepare me for the pure joy that fatherhood would bring into my life. When I held my little princess in my arms for the first time, and she looked up at me I knew right then and there that we were automatically best friends.
• Sadly, at the same moment that I realized she was mine forever, I also knew that eventually some young guy was going to come to MY house and ask to take her on a date. Eventually Laila is going to grow up and I need to prepare myself for that day.
• There are some very important things I want my daughter to know.
• #1. I loved you first: 
• “I hope she always knows how much her dad loves her. Guys will come and guys will go, but her dad will always be around thinking of the early days together. I will be there to hold her and wipe her tears and to celebrate her successes.
• Ultimately, I know that I will have some influence on the boys that come over to our house. I will work hard to let them know that I am still her DAD!! Seriously though, whatever comes her way, she will always be my princess. I loved her first.”
• Here we see an example of a father’s love. And even when that child grows up and is not with Him, he will love them in a way they could never understand.
• As parents we LOVE our children before anyone else does… and all through life. We LOVE them enough that we’d do anything for them.
• That LOVE we have for our children is like the LOVE God has for us – His children. It’s hard for us to comprehend it.
• Ephesians 3:18-19

“upang inyong lubusang maunawaan, kasama ng mga hinirang ng Diyos, kung gaano kalawak, kahaba, kataas, at kalalim ang kanyang pag-ibig. ¹⁹ At nawa’y maunawaan ninyo ang pag-ibig ni Cristo na hindi kayang abutin ng pag-iisip at sa gayo’y mapuspos kayo ng buong katangian ng Diyos..”

• John 3:16

Sapagkat gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa sangkatauhan, kaya’t ibinigay niya ang kanyang kaisa-isang Anak, upang ang sinumang sumampalataya sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak, kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan..”

• Romans 8:38-39
• “Sapagkat natitiyak kong walang makapaghihiwalay sa atin sa kanyang pag-ibig. Kahit ang kamatayan o ang buhay, ang mga anghel o ang mga pamunuan at ang mga kapangyarihan, ang kasalukuyan o ang hinaharap, 
• ³⁹ ang kataasan o ang kalaliman, o alinmang nilalang ay hindi makapaghihiwalay sa atin sa pag-ibig ng Diyos na ipinagkaloob sa atin sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus na ating Panginoon.

Tayo ay nagmamahal – dahil una Niya tayong minahal!

• John 13:34,35
• “Isang bagong utos ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo ngayon: magmahalan kayo! Kung paano ko kayo minahal, gayundin naman, magmahalan kayo.. ³⁵ Kung kayo’y may pagmamahal sa isa’t isa, makikilala ng lahat na kayo’y mga alagad ko.”
• Matthew 22:36-40
• “Guro, alin po ang pinakamahalagang utos sa Kautusan?” tanong niya.
• ³⁷ Sumagot si Jesus, “Ibigin mo ang Panginoon mong Diyos nang buong puso mo, buong kaluluwa mo, at buong pag-iisip mo. ³⁸ Ito ang pinakamahalagang utos.

.’ 

Matthew 22:36-40 (Cont)

• Ito naman ang pangalawa: Ibigin mo ang iyong kapwa gaya ng pag-ibig mo sa iyong sarili. ⁴⁰ Sa dalawang utos na ito nakasalalay ang buong Kautusan ni Moises at ang katuruan ng mga propeta.”
• I John 4:10,11

¹⁰ Ito ang pag-ibig: hindi sa inibig natin ang Diyos, kundi tayo ang inibig niya at isinugo niya ang kanyang Anak upang maging handog para mapatawad ang ating mga kasalanan.. ¹¹ Mga minamahal, kung ganoon kadakila ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa atin, dapat din tayong magmahalan.

• I John 4:12,13
• Kailanma’y wala pang taong nakakita sa Diyos, ngunit kung tayo’y nagmamahalan, nasa atin ang Diyos at nagiging ganap sa atin ang kanyang pag-ibig..  ¹³ Nalalaman nating nananatili tayo sa Diyos at siya naman sa atin, sapagkat pinagkalooban niya tayo ng kanyang Espiritu.
• PAKIUSAP SA PAG-IBIG

Mga kaibigan,

Tayo’y magmahalan sa bawat isa–

Dahil ang pag-ibig ay mula sa Diyos.                   

• CONCLUSION

God LOVED us first.

He longs for us to LOVE Him back in return, and to

LOVE others.