Why God? “Why Do You Love Me?”

Why God?
“Why Do You Love Me?”
6/21/26
Pastor Mark England

John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

It’s one thing to believe that God loves the .
It’s another thing to believe that God loves .
The wondered that too.

How could God love me after I…

God, Why Do You Love Me?

You must first “know what is.” – Forest Gump

Worldly love is based upon the of an object, person, or experience.

The problem with this kind of love
When you don’t think you are or yourself, it’s difficult to the love God has for you.

The God kind of Love
A love that loves and to the object.

: familial/natural affection
: brotherly love/friendship
: erotic/physical attraction
: unconditional love

Romans 5:8 (CSB) But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God loves you with an , immeasurable, never-ending love.

God doesn’t love you because you’re .
God’s love you worthy.

1 John 4:8-10 (CSB) The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The John who wrote about God’s love is the same John who had a .
John was a brash, rough, loud, foul-mouthed fisherman with a .

Mark 3:16-17 (CSB) He appointed the Twelve: To Simon, he gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, he gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”)

Luke 9:52-55 (CSB) He sent messengers ahead of himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him. ⁵³ But they did not welcome him, because he determined to journey to Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
But he turned and rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they went to another village.

John did things that in our eyes should value and the to be loved and accepted.

Later in his Gospel, John refers to himself three times as “.” 

So, what happened between “” and “”?

Mathew 26:33-35 (CSB) Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” ³⁵ “Even if I have to die with you,” Peter told him, “I will never deny you,” and all the disciples said the same thing.

Matthew 26:69-75 (CSB) Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl approached him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!”  ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” ⁷³ After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You really are one of them, since even your accent gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, ⁷⁵ and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Mark 16:6-7 (CSB) “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter…

John 21:2-12 (CSB) Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. ⁴ When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. ⁵ “Friends,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. ⁶ “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. ⁷ The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. ⁸ Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. ⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. ¹⁰ “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

John 21:15-17 (CSB) When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love (Phileo) you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. ¹⁶ A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love (Phileo) you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. ¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (Phileo) me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love (Phileo) me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love (Phileo) you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.

Jesus met these men at the same , doing the same where He first found them. (Matthew 4:18-22)

Jesus didn’t them for falling back into their old life… Rather He them of who they , and He them to tell His story.

Today, Jesus is reminding of some things.

You are created with a .
You are to do what God has called you to do.
You are empowered by the to reach the lost.
You Are .

Romans 8:37-39 (CSB) in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God, why do You love (agape) me?
You cannot God’s love.

Sin is and has real .
Sin separates you from God’s and , but not His .

God is still .
God is still me.
God is still me.
God is still me.