Love Divine All Love Excelling

Introduction: I want us to consider the Love of God. In the 80's a popular music group sang a song that I believe is the heartcry of our generation. They said, "I want to know what Love is, and I want you to show me". Our world is searching for Love but they dont really know what it is. Hollywood has romantisized it, our materialistic culture has applied it to things, inanimate objects, Art has vulgarized it, turned it into lust. Yet the world is still empty and hungry. What they are hungry for is God's Love. John says, "God is Love"> It is his nature, his being. How is God's love manifest, and how is it experienced. This is the most crucial question that can ever be asked. Micah tells us in our text. (READ)

What does Micah tell us about the Love of God.

I. GOD'S LOVE IS EXPERIENCED BY A REMNANT

In verse 18 he says, "........the remnant of His heritage" A remnant is a small portion of a larger body. Here the subject is the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. Of all the people that have ever called themselves Jews, only a small portion a remnant will be saved to experience the Love of God. The rest will be cut off because of sin and unbelief.

This principle of the remnant doesnt just apply to Israel, it also applies to the world. Jesus said, "broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that enter in thereat....Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it." Of the masses of humanity that have existed since adam, only a small portion, Few will experience the saving Love of God.

Oh dont get me wrong, God loves the Whole world. Many are called but few are chosen. Only few will respond to and experience this love..

What a blessing to be a part of this remnant that experiences the Love of God in Christ Jesus. But of this remnant I believe that there is a smaller remnant still. Those who are fully penetrated by and possessed by the Love of God. Those like the apostle Paul who can say in honesty, "that they are constrained by the love of Christ". These are the apostles, the martyrs, the saints throughout the church age who have distinguished themselves as saints among saints. Some are well known others are obscure, but all are possessed by the Love of Christ. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when motivated by the love of Jesus.

DL Moody was a great evangelist from Chicago. He went to England once and met a young man there that wanted to preach in his church. Moody agreed thinking that he would never see him again. To his dismay he recieved a letter that said the young man would be in his town shorlty and wanted to take him up on the offer. Moody was going out of town that week and agreed to let the man preach, but he warned the deacons to be ready in case it was a real flop. When Moody returned from his business his wife informed him that revival had broken out in his church and that "he needed to be converted". The young man preached every night on the same text, John 3:16, speaking of the love of God, from his heart. Moody went and he said he was indeed converted. He said I used to preach the judgment side of the cross, now I focus on the grace side of the cross, I used to preach mainly on the wrath of God, now I preach he said on the love of God. His life and ministry were forever changed. We need to experience a renewal of the Love of Christ in our Lives.

Are you a part of the remant that has experienced the Love of Christ. Do you want to be a part of the small remnant that is totally possessed by the Love of God. Pray that God will make it so today.

II. THE LOVE OF GOD IS EXPRESSED IN REMISSION

The greatest demonstration of God's love to man is in remission, or forgiveness, pardon. Why does man need pardon. Because all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Micah uses three terms to describe our sinfulness before God.

a)INIQUITY---This is intentional or unintentional disbodience to God's law. Yes you can sin unintentionally. You can be living a life of sin against God and not even know. The apostle paul shared his testimony with Timothy. He spoke of his days as a persecutor of the church. He said, "who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, but I recieved mercy because I did it ignorantly and in unbelief." Paul thought he was doing God a favor when he was persecuting the Lords church. Some of the hardest, cruelest, slanderous people in the world are religious people who think they are right with God.