You are Loved

“You Are Loved” 

STUDY GUIDE 1 

STEPS TO THE KINGDOM SERIES 

In today‟s world it seems as if we live in a loveless society. Turn on the news and you will see  daily reports of violence and mayhem against our fellow man. Murders, robberies, and rapes  seem to be commonplace. Stories of parents taking the lives of their children are becoming a  staple of the news feed. Where is the love? Does love even exist anymore? Man was created by  God with a need for love and companionship. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8) and He desires  that all mankind receive genuine love.  

In this trouble-filled age it is easy to lose hope. But there is One who truly cares. There is One  who understands our troubles and is there to love us, regardless of the errors we have  committed in the past. The One who knew us before we were conceived in our mother‟s womb  (Jeremiah 1:5) is always ready to help us in our time of need. We simply need to ask and then let  Him help. Who is this Person? Jesus Christ, our “Friend who sticks closer than a brother,”  Proverbs 18:24.  

How do we know that He cares for us? His Word, the Bible, tells us so. The Bible is His love  letter to us so that we can know His true feelings for mankind. We can rely upon it and trust  that the words found within its pages are a genuine reflection of what God feels and that we can  rely upon Him for comfort, forgiveness, healing, and love. Let us take a look at some of the  Scriptural references and learn about our most faithful Friend, Christ Jesus.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

1. What does the Bible say God is?  

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born  of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 

Note: God is love. His entire government, His character, His Law is founded upon the  premise of love. Love is inherent in every being that truly belongs to God. Without love  we cannot know God. 

2. How does God demonstrate His love for all His creation?  

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who  hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may  be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the  good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45 

Note: God pours out His blessing upon both the good and the wicked with the things  they NEED. God does not deprive the wicked of air to breathe or water to quench their  thirst. Every being is a child of God and thus He provides for all as a good father does,  even for those who reject Him.

3. Where does every good and perfect gift for man come from?  

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no  variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:16-17 

Note: Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. This verse points out  that God does not vary or turn from the “shadow.” This suggests that God never strays  from the promises He makes nor does He lie about His thoughts or feelings. When He  says He loves us, He really means it! 

4. What example did Christ use to demonstrate God‟s care for His creatures?  

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet  your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26 

Note: Birds do not have jobs nor do they have income and yet they have homes and are  fed daily. They do not worry about how to provide for themselves. How is this so? God  takes care of them and provides for their every need. Considering that God values  mankind even more than the birds of the air, isn‟t it amazing that many still doubt God‟s  love for us? 

5. How can we know for sure that God will provide for our needs?  

“Therefore do not worry, saying, „What shall we eat?‟ or „What shall we drink?‟ or  „What shall we wear?‟ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly  Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and  His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:31-33 

Note: It is important that we seek God‟s kingdom and His righteousness first. Failure do  so limits God‟s ability to do all the things that wants to do for us. God never forces His  will upon anyone and will not force His gifts upon those who feel no need to seek Him.  He will not force His way into man‟s life but He waits for an invitation to enter our  hearts and minds.  

6. When did God first demonstrate His love for us?  

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,  Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall  be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled  to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be  saved by His life.” Romans 5:8-10

Note: God did not wait for man to become “perfect” or “sin-free” to die for us. God  loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so that we could have a  chance to be perfect in Christ. The price paid for mankind was enormous and yet it was  paid willingly because God did not want to see a single soul lost. That, my friends, is  love. 

7. What kind of love does God love us with?  

“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an  everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 

Note: God‟s love for us is everlasting. There is no end to His love for us.  8. Can anything separate us from God‟s love?  

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor  powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other  created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ  Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 

Note: God‟s love for us is so great that nothing in this world could separate us from His  love. Do not, however, confuse love with salvation. This verse is not suggesting that a  person cannot be lost; it is simply saying that we cannot lose God‟s love. We can reject  God‟s love and accept eternal death if we choose.  

9. What does God‟s love allow Him to call us despite our separation from Him by sin?  

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called  children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know  Him.” 1 John 3:1 

Note: the King of the universe, in His great love for us, has called us His children. It is  truly an honor and privilege to be recognized as His children! 

10. What was the greatest demonstration of love on God‟s part?  

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only  begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that  we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our  sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

Note: In Old Testament times God attempted to teach man about His infinite love and  each time they failed to comprehend the message. In the greatest possible demonstration  of His love, God sent His only Son to dwell among all men. His life and His death were to be a living testament and example of God‟s love.  

11. How much did God love us and what did He do to demonstrate that love?  

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever  believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 

Note: If you were asked to sacrifice your own child or loved one for the sake of  strangers, would you do it? Could you do it knowing that the very people you would be  sacrificing for would spit upon them, ignore them, curse their name, and outright reject  them? It would be nearly impossible for us to do so and yet God, knowing all this, still  sent His only Son to take our place in death so that we can take His place in life. What  love God has for mankind! 

12. How can we know what love is?  

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to  lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16 

Note: It is difficult to imagine sacrificing our own lives for the sake of others yet God  calls for us to do so. This verse does not necessarily mean to do so in a literal way,  though the Scriptures do teach that, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down  one‟s life for his friends,” John 15:13. It does mean that we are called to sacrifice for the  betterment of others. Whether it means donating money, time, food, clothes, or other  needs we should do so cheerfully. God sacrificed the ultimate gift, His Son, so we  should be able to do so for our fellow man as well. 

During His time on earth, Christ illustrated His Father‟s love for fallen man. The parable is  found in Luke 15:11-24: 

“Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to  his father, „Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.‟ So he divided to  them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all  together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with  prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that  land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of  that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly  have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him  anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, „How many of my father‟s  hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will  arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against  heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make  me like one of your hired servants.”‟ And he arose and came to his father. But  when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and  ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, „Father, I have  sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called  your son.‟ “But the father said to his servants, „Bring out the best robe and put it  on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted  calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is  alive again; he was lost and is found.‟ And they began to be merry.” 

Maybe you feel like the lost son today. You have strayed from the Father‟s house and have  spent all your savings. You may feel as if you are not deserving of being called a child of the  King. Simply remember that He is watching and waiting for you to come home. Return to Him  and you will find love, understanding, peace, and forgiveness. If you want to come home,  express it below and find God‟s healing touch waiting for you!