Subject Forty-five

LOVE SO EXCELLING

Scripture: Isa. 49:15

1. The source of man
   1. God compares the relationship between a mother and her nursing child to the relationship between God and man.
   2. A child comes out of the mother; the mother is the source of the child. Therefore, the meaning of this verse is that we human beings have come out of God, and God is the source of man.
2. What God is to man
   1. What God is to man can be compared to what a mother is to a child.
   2. The whole relationship of a mother to her nursing child is love. Likewise, the whole relationship of God to man is also love.
   3. Men have a wrong concept concerning the relationship of God to man, and we need to correct that wrong concept according to the two points just mentioned. People think that God is severely strict toward men, just like a judge. But in reality, God is like a loving mother to man.
3. The love of God is so excelling
   1. There is no problem with the nature of a mother’s love, but there is a limitation of power with a mother’s love. There is a limitation of a mother’s ability to carry out what the mother’s love is longing for.
   2. In nature, the love of God is like a mother’s love, but with the love of God the power is unlimited. Many a time a mother’s love would not be able to help, whereas, wherever God’s love is, there is also the power to fulfill all that God’s love longs for.
   3. Furthermore, the love of God not only excels the love of a mother in power and strength, but the nature of the love of God also excels the nature of a mother’s love. As a matter of fact, a mother’s love is limited. Even though a woman can scarcely forget her nursing child, yet there is still the possibility that she could forget. That is why it says here, “Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” This is not a matter of power, but a matter of the heart. A mother’s loving heart may be limited, but the love of God is forever unlimited. That is why the heart of God can never forget us.
4. The manifestation of God’s love
   1. God’s love is manifested through nature. Although there are numerous calamities in the universe, and nature also has its dark side, yet nature is still a blessing to man, positive, and bright. This is the manifestation of God’s love through nature.
   2. The principle is the same in man’s experiences. Although each of us has experienced a lot of suffering and many a misfortune in our lives, nevertheless, speaking in principle, we also have a lot of happiness and goodness and blessing in our lives.
      Points A and B on the one hand will eliminate men’s concept that the universe is dark and evil, and on the other hand they will remove people’s concept that they are unfortunate. Principally, man’s life is good and happy. The blessings and happiness prove to us the love of God toward men.
   3. God’s love is manifested through God’s redemption. The most obvious manifestation of God’s love is the sending of His Son to accomplish redemption for man.
      This is the center of this gospel message. In explaining the accomplishment of the Lord’s redemption, stress and expound how the Lord became flesh, accomplished redemption, and shed His blood for man.
   4. God’s love is manifested through the gospel. Because God loves us, He not only accomplished redemption for us, but also arranged our environment and sent someone to bring the gospel of redemption to us. We never had any intention of hearing God’s gospel or of listening to it. We were like a ship floating on the sea which happened to bump into someone who was preaching the gospel. This is the manifestation of God’s love.
5. How to receive God’s love
   1. Acknowledge that God has something to do with you.
   2. Acknowledge that you need God’s love. We should touch people’s feeling. Explain how warm a thing love is. Men need the warmth of love the most. But none of the worldly loves can be warm enough to meet man’s need. Only the love of God has the real warmth.
   3. Confess that you have been ungrateful toward God. God has loved us so much, but we have come short of Him.
      From the four points under item IV we see how ungrateful we have been toward God. Do not talk about theology too much; rather, speak from the aspect of love.
   4. Accept the love of the cross. The love of the cross is the highest manifestation of God’s love. If you want to receive the love of God, you must accept the love of the cross.