Knowing God Loves Me - Psalm 103

This model sermon, based on Psalm 103, uncovers and

reminds us of God's endearing love from one of the Old
Testament's most stirring passages.

Scriptures: Psalm 103

This model sermon, based on Psalm 103, uncovers and reminds us of God's endearing love from
one of the Old Testament's most stirring passages.

Introduction
Several years ago, a student in seminary class stood to his feet and announced to the professor, "I
don't believe in God!" The professor, unraveled, replied, "Describe this God you don't believe
in?" After the student had described an unlovely and vengeful God, the professor confessed, "I
don't believe in that God either. My God is a God of love."

I. The description of God's love (vv. 8, 11, 13, 17)

How do you describe a rose to a blind person? How do you describe Handle's Hallelujah Chorus
to a deaf person? How do you describe the thrill of down hill skiing to one who has never
walked? How do you describe the impeccable, infinite love of God to impure, finite humans?

One of the most vivid characteristics of God is that he is a God of love. The Psalmist was
descriptive in recording the love-nature of God. He stated that he was "full of faithful love"
(Psalm 103:8), "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love
toward those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:11), "As a father has compassion on his children, so the
LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13), and "But from eternity to
eternity the LORD's faithful love is toward those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:17).

II. The definition of God's love (v. 2)

The point is not simply that God "loves," but that he is love itself. Love is not merely one of his
attributes, but his very nature. The Scripture say, "And we have come to know and to believe the
love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God
remains in him" (1 John 4:16). To say that God is love, is not to imply that love is God. There is
a difference like there is a difference in me saying my dog is a girl and my girl is a dog. God is
love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to
give you good gifts and provide you with "all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2, NIV).

III. The benefits of God's love (v. 2)

The Psalmist uncovers all the phases of life that God's love has touched and in turn benefited and
blessed the recipient.

A. Spiritually (v. 3, 12)

Spiritually God's love removes the barrier that separates us from him by canceling the debt of
our sin so that we can enjoy a loving relationship with him. God's love removes our sins as
though they never existed.

B. Emotionally (v. 3)

Much of our physical and emotional illness is due to moral failure. In removing the sin and guilt
from our lives God's love brings healing to our emotional life.

C. Eternally (v. 4)

The pit is the pit of death. God's love rescues us, fallen humanity, from our own bent on
destruction, and grants us eternal life.

D. Authoritatively (v. 4)

God's love places a crown of royal glory and authority on us. God's love ". . . made us a
kingdom, priests to His God and Father" (Rev. 1:6). He have been crowned with his love and
given a new citizenship on this earth and in heaven.

E. Physically (v. 5)

Like a father he desires to give us good gifts of strength and endurance. Jesus, the embodiment
of God's love came enjoying life, and he wants his children to do the same.

F. Judicially (v. 6)

Here we find a major difference between divine love and what so often passes for love among
people. Often, love is expressed as that virtue that accepts everything. But, God's love always
makes judgment calls. Divine love hates what is wrong and embraces what is right.

IV. The knowledge of God's love

What do I know of God's love?
A. God's love is all consuming

God's love touches every part of our life. Nothing - no calling or circumstance, no adversity or
advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station - escapes the brush strokes of God's
love. God's love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives.

The number of times the three-lettered word "all" is used in this text reminds us that God's love
is all consuming. His love touches every area of our lives. There is nowhere we can go to escape
his love. There is no problem that we will encounter that is not touched by his love. There is no
advancement that we will make where God is not already there. Even when our world falls apart,
we can say, "God, I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand it, but I'm sure glad to
know you love me."

We are like the little boy who got separated from his mother in the mall. He was looking around
for his mommy, and getting scared. He began to cry because everyone was a stranger and
everything looked so confusing and every store was packed and he didn't have his mommy. But
all of a sudden, his mother found him and picked him up. He is eyes began to dry, not because
his surroundings were changed, but because of whose arms he was in.

When you have someone who loves holding you, it doesn't matter anymore what everyone else
does or what the circumstances are or what the future holds. When you are in the arms of a
loving God, when you have been consumed with his love, you share in his benefits. It's all right.

B. God's love is personal

The Bible cuts through all the philosophical abstractions and declares that God is a Person. As a
personal being God is capable of loving and being loved. And as a personal being he loves each
one of us intensely personally. God's love is not simply for mankind as a mass. It is not a
sentimental, vague, diffused feeling - something like Charlie Brown's attitude when he says, "I
love mankind; it's people I can't stand." God really likes individual people.

Notice again in Psalm 103 the number of times the personal pronouns "me" and "my" are used.

When Karl Barth, the famed German theologian, visited the United States, a student at a
seminary supposedly asked, "Dr. Barth, what is the single most important truth you have learned
as a theologian?"

Barth replied, "The most important thing I have learned is this: 'Jesus loves me this I know, for
the Bible tells me so.'"

"Jesus loves me" is the central affirmation of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of the nature
of God.

When God says I love you, he is saying that you matter to him. You are a person of worth. You
are valuable to him. Regardless of what others think, in his eyes you are wonderful.
C. God's love is beyond comprehension (vv. 13-14)

Amazing, isn't it? God knows me and still loves me. God knows that I am a sinner, yet he
forgives; I am diseased, yet he heals; I am in a pit, yet he pulls me out; I am ungrateful for his
good gifts, yet he gives them anyway; and I deserve justice, yet he grants mercy.

Like a father's love for a wayward and rebellious son that waits anxiously for him to return home
so he can grant him a new start, is God's love for us. It is beyond comprehension.

Vietnam veteran and Air Force Colonel John Mansur tells about an eight-year-old orphan girl
who was wounded after a misdirected mortar attack. An American Navy doctor and nurse were
called. They surmised that the little girl would die if a blood transfusion did not take place. A
quick test showed that neither American had the correct type, but several of the uninjured
orphans did.

The doctor spoke some pidgin Vietnamese, and the nurse a smattering of high-school French.
Using that combination, together with much impromptu sign language, they tried to explain to
their young, frightened audience that unless they could replace some of the girl's lost blood, she
would certainly die. Then they asked if anyone would be willing to give blood to help.

Their request was met with wide-eyed silence. After several long moments, a small hand slowly
and waveringly went up, dropped back down, and then went up again.

"Oh, thank you," the nurse said in French. "What is your name?"

"Heng," came the reply.

Heng was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and a needle inserted in his
vein. Through this ordeal Heng lay stiff and silent. After a moment, he let out a shuddering sob,
quickly covering his face with his free hand. His occasional sobs gave way to steady, silent
crying, his eyes screwed tightly shut, his fist in his mouth to stifle his sobs.

The medical team was concerned. Something was obviously very wrong. At this point, a
Vietnamese nurse arrived to help. Seeing the little one's distress, she spoke to him rapidly in
Vietnamese, listened to his reply and answered him in a soothing voice.

After a moment, the patient stopped crying and looked questioningly at the Vietnamese nurse.
When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

Glancing up, the nurse said quietly to the Americans, "He thought he was dying. He
misunderstood you. He thought you had asked him to give all his blood so the little girl could
live."

"But why would he be willing to do that?" asked the Navy nurse.

The Vietnamese nurse repeated the question to the little boy, who answered simply, "She's my
friend."

That's a glimpse of the kind of incredible, incomprehensible love God has for us.

"No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends" (John
15:13). If you want a visible definition of love, look at what God did for us in Christ. "But God
proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!" (Rom. 5:8). If
you really want to understand love, don't listen to love songs, or people who throw the term love
around. If you want to get to the depths of what it means to love and be loved, look to the cross
of Christ, because there God's love came to mankind. The cross is the ultimate expression of
God's incomprehensible love to mankind.

If you ever wonder if God loves you look to the cross. The cross is God's way of saying, "I love
you this much," with his arms outstretched. God's final words to us are etched on a Roman cross.
They are blood red. They scream to be heard. They say, "I love you."