Does God Like Us? (7/20/19 Topical)

ATTN: What we love reveal a lot about ourselves. What do you love? What brings you the greatest pleasure? Is it sports that you love? Is it your family? Is it your hobby? Is it food that you love? All of the above, of course, but what is it that you most love? Where do you find your greatest pleasure? 

The greatest love is not loving ourselves but loving that which is most valuable. “Well, what is more valuable than myself?” With all due respect, you are just one of 7 billion in this world. If you disappeared it won’t make that much difference in this world. There are 7 billion others to replace you…! So, the greatest love is not loving yourself simply because you are not the most valuable. What is most valuable? God. He is most valuable. He is the reason everything exists. He is the one gives value to those things and people we value. Therefore, He himself is the most valuable. So the greatest love is loving that which is most valuable, and therefore, it is loving God. 

Why is it important to know this? Because our greatest joy or happiness depends on it! I believe our greatest happiness comes from loving that which is more valuable. Why? Because happiness comes from enjoying that which we value. Think about what brings joy and happiness to you. Your family. Why? Because you value your family. Your friends, and their approval of instagram pictures. You feel joy because you value your friends and their opinion. Food! Why? Because they taste good and we draw happiness or our enjoyment from food. So, our happiness comes from that which we value. But what is most valuable? God. therefore, the greatest happiness can come from God who is most valuable. 

That is why we recommend God to you week in and week out. Remember, we pastors here work for your joy. And the greatest joy or happiness you can have is through valuing that which is most valuable – God. If we see that you are more preoccupied with your family than God, we will warn you. Family is good. It’s not the ultimate – this coming from a man who loves, loves his family. 

Do you love God? “Of course,” you’d say. But I’m going to change the wording a bit: Do you “like” God? Do you want to be around Him? Do you find pleasure in Him? I think it’s important that not only we love God as we traditionally understand the word love, but that we also like God. Now, please know that in the Bible, the word “love” encompasses “affection”, “fondness,” “pleasure,” but since we Christians tend to think of love as an act – simply doing what’s good for the object of love – to emphasize the emotional element love, I’m asking the question, do you “like” God? Because when someone asks you, “do you love God,” you assumed they are asking, “Are you reading the Bible?” “Are you praying regularly?” “Are you serving God? Are you going to church?” which are all actions. But what I’m asking is, do you find pleasure in God? Do you find Him beautiful? Do you want to be around Him? Do you like thinking about Him? 

ILL: I ask fathers this question: I know you love your kids and you would do anything for them. But do you like your children? Do you like being around them? Do you enjoy them? Do you delight in them? Would you take them on trips when you don’t have to? Our children aren’t asking whether we love them – as in doing things for them because they take it for granted – but they are asking whether we like them! Whether we wanted to be around them, whether we enjoyed their presence, whether we would choose to bring them along when we don’t have to because we enjoy being around them! 

So, ask yourself the question not only “Do I love God?” but also, “Do I like God?” Now, to give some biblical legs under this: When Jesus asked Peter three times, do you love me? Do you love you? Do you love me? The first two times, the word “love” he used is “agapas,” but the last time, the word “love” there is “phileis.” Agapas usually indicating a more godly love, whereas phileis, from which the word Philadelphia comes from, indicating a more friendly love or being fond of. 

So, I can legitimately say, not only is God asking, “Do you love me?” but also, “Do you like me?” as well. 

Now, then let’s turn this whole thing around. We’ve been talking about our love toward God. How we should not only love God, but also like God. But what about God’s love for us? Can we make such distinctions as well? We know God loves us. But does God likes us as well? Does God’s loving us encompass His liking us as well? We know He would do what is good for us, but does He take pleasure in us? Does He want to be around us? I believe the answer is “Yes!” 

Now, if I may say it this way, He loves everyone the same – the maximum amount – He gave us His best in Jesus. He cannot possibly love us more since there is nothing greater than giving us His Son. However, I don’t believe He likes everyone the same. I think He likes certain people more than others – as in He takes more pleasure in certain people more than others. 

Today’s text bears that out. 

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love. 

Ps. 147:11

If God delighted in everyone or liked everyone equally, this verse is not needed. It is specifying whom God takes delight in or whom God likes! We are going to come back to this. Consider another verse: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” So, God loved us and did what was benevolent for us – that is true – but why didn’t Jesus come down as an adult and die for us and then be resurrected? Why spend 33 years on earth before He died for us? My guess is that it’s because He liked to be around us. He loves us, but He likes us as well. He takes pleasure in us because He made us. 

Let’s go back to today’s verse. What about us does God like? What kind man or woman does He take delight in particularly? “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”  

To understand what it means to fear God and hope in his love, think about what He doesn’t take pleasure in – “in the strength of the horse,” or “in the legs of a man.”  What about the strength of the horse doesn’t He like? Didn’t He create horses? Yes. But the horse in this context is used for war. The more horses you had, the stronger your army was. So, the psalmist is saying feeling secure because we have more military weapons than you, is not what pleases God. Nor is he impressed by the legs of man.  I think it’s also referring to the same context – the legs are used to march on and drive out the enemies and God is not impressed by them. In other words, God does not take pleasure in what human beings can achieve on their own. God does not take pleasure in us putting our hope in our investment portfolio, or our marathon running to keep our body healthy, or in our dieting to get a husband, or education to guarantee our future, or welfare systems to take care of us, etc. I’m not saying any of these things is wrong. Putting our trust and hope in these is wrong! All these things, unbelievers put their hope and trust. God does not take pleasure in unbelievers. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Heb 11:6)

What distinguishes believers is that we believe! That means we put our trust and hope in God rather than things or people.

1. God takes pleasure in those who fear him. 

What kind of fear? Being afraid of Him? Being scared of God? I do not want to say “no.” I think there should be healthy fear of God and reverence and honor. We should never be casual with God. Jesus is not our homeboy. But those who fear Him are constantly mindful of God, keenly aware of His presence, and thus every decision we make will factor God in. For example, before spending money, asking, “Would God like how I’m spending money in this way?” You have factored Him into the decision and thus demonstrated that you fear Him.

ILL: On Friday morning, it was gorgeous and I went for a long run. I started running to stay healthy, but as I was running, I was praying, “God, no matter how much I exercised or how healthy I ate, I could drop dead right now. It is only by your grace that I am able to enjoy this run.” Knowing that if God wanted me home, I would drop dead at that moment. That I believe is healthy fear and reverence of God. 

 

2. God takes pleasure in those who hope in his steadfast love. 

How do we do that? It is believing that God has your best interest in mind even in the midst of seeming failure. If God let you fail, it’s because it is good for you. He’s leading you to something better (or really, Someone better, which is Christ). It is having the calmness of the soul because you are resting in God and His love even when things don’t go our way, trusting that what’s happening is for our good. 

As Joseph said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Gen 50:20). 

 – It is quietly trusting God while waiting in the doctor’s office for the result. 

– It is keep hoping in God when our teenage children don’t seem to be following God.

– It is  trusting God’s provision when it seems like you are going to be single forever, while everyone else’s pairing up.

– It is putting confidence in God to use you when you aren’t as smart, good-looking, or well-connected as other teenagers. 

CONC: I hope you make every effort to please God. It is when we are most pleasing to Him, we will be most pleased ourselves.