C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON For  March 3rd, 2019, Eternal Plan of God for Man. LESSON FOUR: TOPIC – GOD’S LOVE FOR HUMANITY

 

C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON For  March 3rd, 2019, Eternal Plan of God for Man. LESSON FOUR: TOPIC – GOD’S LOVE FOR HUMANITY



C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Eternal Plan of God for Man.
March 3rd, 2019.

LESSON FOUR: GOD’S LOVE FOR HUMANITY

God has given all His love to humanity. Only those who accept His offer will make heaven.

MEMORY SCRIPTURE
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3).

BRIEF COMMENT
Here is a message of hope, coming at a time when hope seems lost for the people; a time that looked like total extinction for them. Consequent upon their exile and suffering, occasioned by their disobedience, God reached towards His people with kindness motivated by deep and everlasting love. If they would allow Him, He was determined to do for them and and give them the best. A promise of restoration had been given to them after which they were warned about sin. A reminder of God’s unending love was made which brought about a breath of fresh air. Thus, God’s love for humanity is one that should be seen as He lovingly draws us toward Himself. God us not dreadful. He loves us all eternally.

God’s love is never old, and is therefore unchanging. God is ever ready to show to us and the future generation, the kind of agape love He showed to our forefathers, even in their sinful state. This love of His made His to draw sinners to Himself, instead of leaving us to condemnation. The lesson here is that, if God thus shows to us such a great love, we must without excuse, display Him to others, because God is love. The Church of God is alive today, not because of our stability and efforts, but for His everlasting love for us. May He help us to reciprocate His  undying love, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1.   God’s love for humanity has never been on merit. That is the most amazing things.
2.   God is love. Everlasting about Him is love; all His dealings spring from love, and extend ó all, equally. None of us merits His love, because, while we were still in our sins, it was then He came to redeem us (Rom. 5:6,8), not when we became righteous.
3.   There is nothing good in us to merit His love (Isa. 64:6). If we merit it, it wouldn’t have called grace.

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES John. 3:16-21.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Aim: To help readers become better acquainted with God’s indescribable love for humanity.

Objectives: At the end of this lesson, learners should:
i.   have better understood and be able to explain the magnitude of God’s love for humanity;
ii.  be able to show love as a virtue that every true Christian should possess, regardless of the situation, location, or status;
iii. be showing signs of having been better enlightened and inspired to love God and others wholeheartedly; and
iv. have become better positioned, through appropriation, to show the love of God to the world.

INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: ROMANS 5:1-5; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13; 1 JOHN 4:7-16
Thank God for Lesson 3, Another Gospel, that we concluded last week. He graciously helped us to x-ray the dangerous trend of the presence of fake gospel and gospellers everywhere, including in the Church. He helped us to juxtapose the gospel with what Apostle Paul called ‘Another Gospel.’ The challenge is that, we must do away with such pervasions of the Gospel of Christ, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to silence proponents of such falsehood, inside and outside the Church. May God help us. Amen.

Lesson 4 is our point of call this two weeks ahead of us. God expects us to discuss and be better acquainted with His indescribable love for humanity. The topic is: God’s love for humanity. This love of God will be portrayed to us as mirror to see whether we possess the right kind of love that shows to the world that we are born of God and are Christ’s disciples indeed (Jn. 3:3-5,4:7-8). This is the only way by which we can win sinners to God’s Kingdom. Deficiency in it has caused many to vow not to have any dealings with Christians. Our discussion on this subject will be mostly biblical.

Since the effect of an issue upon human life depends on how he/she understands it, the important word in our topic “LOVE” needs brief definition that will give us proper understanding of the lesson. Love is a strong feeling of deep affection for someone or something, especially a member of your family or a friend. At once, we can begin to see how this dictionary definition fits into the way by which God showed His love for Israel, His people (Isa. 49:15). Biblical description of love is GOD, because God is love (1 Jn. 4:8). Love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:10). Love is characteristically described in 1 Corinthians 13:1ff to be the greatest among its equals.

May the knowledge of the love of God spur us to love Him and others wholeheartedly and unto His glory, now and in eternity. Amen.

INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
As usual, this is a two-week lesson with two major divisions, I and II. Each is further subdivided into parts A and B.

DIVISION I: GOD’S LOVE IS MANIFEST
This division discusses the attribute of God that He shares with man, and that is love. Jesus the Son, is the object of God’s love and the standard pattern of His love for humanity. The two major outlet for the display of God’s love — Grace and mercy, are discussed. Also, love as a virtue that differentiates true Christians from nominal ones are discussed. God’s love is clearly visible and easy to recognise in the believer who  trusts in Him.

DIVISION II: MORE UNDERSTANDING OF DIVINE LOVE
This division only describe what God’s love is, with the consciousness that His love is indescribable, but that even our faintest understanding should spur us into showing genuine love to all and sundry. Different kinds of love exist and are practised among the people of the world, but God’s kind of love is agape, not dependent on the goodness, or otherwise of the loved. The division closes with a charge to love all, enemies inclusive, selflessly and sacrificially, as part of the major implications of Christ’s love for Christians.

LESSON OUTLINE
I.   GOD’S LOVE IS MANIFEST
A.   LOVE: AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD.
B.  LOVE: A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE
II.  MORE UNDERSTANDING OF DIVINE LOVE
A.  CHRIST’S LOVE FURTHER EXPLAINED
B.  CHRIST’S LOVE: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHRISTIANS

LESSON EXPOSITION
Mar. 3rd, 2019.
I.   GOD’S LOVE IS MANIFEST (1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 John 4:7-9)
God came to demonstrate/manifest His love  rather than defining it. His kind of love is visible through acts that are selflessly done to others with the intent to making them better.

A.   LOVE: AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD (1 Jn 4:7-9)
He who does not love does know God, for God is love (v. 8).
i.   The attributes of God are divided into two: communicable (that which He can share with man) and incommunicable attributes (the ones He doesn’t share).
ii.  We must derive our conception of God from the special revelation which He has given of Himself. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8-16) is a clear expression of the loving character of God. Love is the highest attribute of God, the one attribute in which all others harmoniously blend.
iii. The love of God is more than kindness, or benevolence. Likeness may be exercised toward irrational creatures, but love is directed towards human being. God’s eternal love has never been without its object (Jn. 17:23-26).
iv. In John’s Gospel, the Father’s love for the Son is the main evidence that love is an essential characteristic of God (Jn. 3:16,35; 5:20; 10:17; 15:9,27; 17:23).
v.  Yes, the Son is an Object of God’s love, yet, He is fully concerned with man as an object of His love. Jesus was deeply conscious of the Father’s love for His as the foundation and pattern of His love for people (Jn. 14:21-23).
vi. There are two aspects of God which are closely linked to love. The first is the understanding that, God is God of GRACE. The grace of God denotes an essential feature of God’s love, His favour towards those who do not deserve it. Therefore, it came to be used particularly of God’s saving work in Christ. Grace is giving to man what he does not deserve: Forgiveness and Salvation.
vii. The gracious love of God to men, even to sinful men, is strongly declared in both Testaments (e.g Exod. 34:6; Isa. 63:9; Jer. 31:3; Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:10). The love of God underlines all that He had done and is doing.
viii.The second aspect of God love is MERCY. Its root meaning is compassion, thus closely linked with love. Mercy is also inseparably linked with grace, but is more connected with righteousness. It is when the righteous judgment of God is considered that His mercy becomes a vivid reality. He extends mercy to those who would otherwise be condemned because mercy is as much a part of His nature as righteousness. Mercy is withdrawing from man what he deserves/merits: judgment.
ix. Love is that aspect of God that should show every believer as God’s ambassador on earth; pursue, possess, and display love to even the undeserving. As His ambassadors, we are to abstain from fleshly lust, to please He who loved us (1 Pet. 2:11).

B.   LOVE: A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (v. 13).
i.   1 Cor. 13 shows that love is the greatest of all the virtues that may attract people to the church. What kind of love?
ii.  God isn’t just loving, but Himself is love. His nature is love. Thus, He is the source from which every genuine love emanates.
iii. Christly love is the greatest because:
*  It is God’s type of love, the Source of life and Creator of heaven and earth (Psa. 24:11; Jn. 4:8);
*  It is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10; cf. Jn. 14:15:23); and
*  It never fails (1 Cor. 13:8): It is the very nature of God whose compassion fails not (Psa. 78:38; Jer. 3:22).
iv. The whole law is summed up in love, not in the sense of rendering all other requirements irrelevant, but in the sense that love is fundamental and will lead to the observance of all others (Matt. 5:43-48; 22:37-39; Jn. 14:15,21; 15:12-14; Rom. 13:8; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Gal. 5:14).
v.  Love is the chief test of Christian discipleship (Matt. 5:41; Jn. 13:35; 1 Jn. 3:14). It is the highest motive or ground of moral actions. As all sin takes root in selfishness, so all virtues spring out of love.
vii. Christian is distinguished anywhere through a sincere display of genuine love, which is fruit of Christian tree. Talent or gift displayed without genuine love of God is a colossal waste (1 Cor. 13:2).

LESSON DERIVED
1.   The main attribute of God is love; He is essentially love. His love is unfathomable.
2.   Love is what differentiates true Christian from nominal ones. Do you demonstrate Christ’s love?

WORK TO DO
Describe the extent of God’s love in the light of John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8. What should be our response to this love?

SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
i.   God showed love to the unlovable world.
ii.  His love was sacrificial and selfless.
iii. He did not think of man’s rebellion against Him; He poured out His love through His Only begotten Son.
iv. While man was doomed and irredeemable, God still showed love.
v.  In man’s helpless position, God helped him out.
vi. God allowed His sinless Son to die for the sin of sinful and doomed man; paying the debt He did not owe with His life.
vii. The extent of God’s love is eternal and indescribable.

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What should be our response, then?
i.  Man’s response to God’s love is nothing other than believing and fully appropriating the outcome of that love.
ii. Whoever does not believe will be judged and condemned, so the right response is to fully open us and wholeheartedly accept Christ (cf. Jn. 3:36).
iii. We must show God’s kind of love to others (1 Jn. 3:16).

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