Sermon Tone Analysis

For many, God’s love is considered his central attribute in that all other divine attributes are but expressions of his love.

Others consider God’s holiness or sovereignty to be his central attribute.

Still others argue that there can be no single primary attribute.

Regardless of whether one views divine love as the central description of God’s being, there is no doubt that every divine attribute is in harmony with every other.

Each attribute expresses God’s superabundant love.

This means that God demonstrates his love not only in his goodness, mercy, grace, compassion, and faithfulness, but also in his holiness, justice, jealousy, and wrath.

His love is holy, just as his holiness is loving.

Call to worship

— Love is patient

— Love is kind

— Love does not envy.

— Love does not boast

— Love does not arrogant

— Love is not rude

— Love does not insist on its own way

— Love is not irritable.

— Love is not resentful.

— Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing

— Love does rejoice with the truth.

— Love bears all things.

— Love believes all things.

— Love hopes all things.

— Love endures all things.

— Love never ends.

— Outdo one another in showing honor

— Love is fervent in spirit (v11)

— Love serves the Lord(v11), strong and intense.

— Love is joyful, patient, prayerful, generous, and hospitable.

— Love blesses persecutors, refusing revenge.

— Love is compassionate and humble.

— Love is peaceable.

— Love overcomes and destroys evil.

— Love hates or abhors what is evil.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Mother Teresa

OT Love verses

Exodus 34:6–7 (ESV)

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Deuteronomy 7:7–9 (ESV)

7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Deuteronomy 10:15 (ESV)

15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.

Nehemiah 1:5 (ESV)

5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Micah 7:20 (ESV)

20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob

and steadfast love to Abraham,

as you have sworn to our fathers

from the days of old.