Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Understanding God's love Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA January 14, 2007 Main Scripture text: Psalm 36:5-11 Love is at the center of God's character and nature. But God's love is a special kind of love we don't have a word for in English. The Greek word is agape. Agape means "to seek after" or "to prefer." It's a kind love that is unselfish. It seeks the highest and best for the beloved -- and this love is not deserved but freely given. The foundation of agape is not a "feeling," but a choice. Agape is a decision, an act of the will. Many aspects of agape love are described in 1 Corinthians 13 -- but there at least are three other aspects I want to address today. 1) Ever wonder why Jesus seemed so harsh with people at times? Because He loved them! God hates sin because he knows it'll hurt us, and ultimately destroy us. God's love is holy and redemptive. This is why Jesus, in Revelation 3:19, says: "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline." 2) God love is also unconditional. God doesn't wait until we're "good enough" before He love us. He loves us just as we are, and beckons us to come to Him just as we are. But when His love gets inside of us, He changes us, molding us to become more like Jesus. 3) God's love is also unrelenting. Remember the meaning of agape? "To seek after." God's pursuit of us led to the cross, where Jesus -- God in human flesh -- died for us. The death of Jesus opened the way to forgiveness and reconciliation so that God can have what He loves and wants: us. God's love is holy and redemptive. It's unconditional. It's unrelenting. He continually pursues us with this love that seeks the best in us -- and the best for us. Supporting texts: Ephesians 3:17-19 | 1 John 4:7-8 | 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 | Revelation 3:19 | Hebrews 12:5-6 | Romans 5:8 | 2 Peter 3:9 | Psalm 139 | Jude 24-25 | Philippians 1:4-6 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (27 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 070114a: Understanding God's Love. © 2007 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us