Understanding God's Love: Joy in His Glory

Devotional

Day 1: God's Love Removes Obstacles to Enjoyment

God's love is not about elevating our self-esteem or making much of us. Instead, it is about removing the barriers that prevent us from fully enjoying Him. This love is centered on God and His glory, challenging the cultural notion that love is about self-importance. By focusing on God's glory, we are invited into a deeper relationship with Him, where our ultimate satisfaction is found. This process may involve stripping away substitute satisfactions, which can be painful, but it ultimately leads to a greater understanding of God's magnificence. [04:01]

Psalm 73:25-26 (ESV): "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Reflection: What is one obstacle in your life that is preventing you from fully enjoying God? How can you begin to remove this obstacle today?

Day 2: Painful Stripping for Ultimate Satisfaction

True love from God involves stripping us of substitute satisfactions, leading us to find our ultimate satisfaction in Him. This process can be likened to a snake shedding its skin, which is necessary for growth and renewal. Although it may be painful, it reveals God's magnificence and draws us closer to Him. By removing these temporary satisfactions, God invites us to experience the fullness of His love and glory, which is far greater than anything the world can offer. [04:49]

Hebrews 12:10-11 (ESV): "For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Reflection: What is one substitute satisfaction in your life that God might be asking you to let go of? How can you trust Him to fill that space with His presence?

Day 3: Love Reveals God's Glory

In John 11, Jesus' delay in visiting Lazarus demonstrates that love is not about sparing us from pain but about revealing God's glory. This challenges the idea that love is about having our immediate needs met. Instead, true love is about God doing whatever is necessary to bring us to a place where we can savor and be satisfied by His glory. By allowing us to experience pain, God reveals His greater purpose and invites us to trust in His perfect plan. [08:50]

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV): "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Reflection: How can you shift your perspective to see a current challenge as an opportunity to witness God's glory? What steps can you take to trust in His plan today?

Day 4: Genuine Joy in God's Nature

Jonathan Edwards highlights the difference between genuine joy in God and hypocritical joy in being made much of by God. True joy comes from delighting in God's glorious nature, not in ourselves. Many people mistakenly find joy in being made much of by God, which Edwards calls the "Gratitude of Hypocrites." True saints, however, find their joy in the glorious nature of God. This distinction is crucial in understanding the difference between genuine and hypocritical joy. [15:00]

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV): "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Reflection: In what ways do you find yourself seeking joy in being made much of by God? How can you refocus your joy on His glorious nature instead?

Day 5: God's Delight in Our Delight in Him

God does make much of us, but His delight in us is rooted in our delight in Him. When we find our joy in God, He finds joy in us, drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him. This understanding helps us see that God's love is about drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him, where He is the source of our joy. By delighting in God, we experience the fullness of His love and are invited into a more intimate relationship with Him. [23:06]

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV): "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Reflection: How can you intentionally delight in God today? What specific actions can you take to deepen your relationship with Him and experience His joy in you?

Sermon Summary

Understanding the nature of God's love is crucial for our spiritual journey. God's love is not about making much of us, but about doing everything necessary, even at great cost to Himself, to remove obstacles that prevent us from enjoying Him. This enjoyment of God magnifies Him, as seen in Philippians 1:20-21. The world often equates love with being made much of, but biblical love keeps God at the center. God's love involves stripping us of every substitute satisfaction so that we can find our ultimate satisfaction in Him. This process can be painful, like a snake shedding its skin, but it leads to a deeper understanding of God's magnificence.

In John 11, we see Jesus' love for Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Despite Lazarus' illness, Jesus delays His visit, allowing Lazarus to die. This delay is not a lack of love but a demonstration of it, as it reveals God's glory. Love, in this context, is not about sparing us from pain but about revealing God's glory to us. This challenges the notion that love is about being spared from suffering or having our immediate needs met. Instead, true love is about God doing whatever is necessary to bring us to a place where we can savor and be satisfied by His glory.

Jonathan Edwards, a significant influence on my understanding, emphasized that true joy comes from delighting in God, not in ourselves. Many people mistakenly find joy in being made much of by God, which Edwards calls the "Gratitude of Hypocrites." True saints, however, find their joy in the glorious nature of God. This distinction is crucial in understanding the difference between genuine and hypocritical joy.

God does make much of us, as seen in texts like Zephaniah 3:17 and Psalm 147:1, where He rejoices over us. However, this is not the primary focus of His love. God's delight in us is rooted in our delight in Him. When we find our joy in God, He finds joy in us. This understanding helps us see that God's love is about drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him, where He is the source of our joy.

Key Takeaways

1. esteem and being made much of. [04:01]
2. True love from God involves stripping us of substitute satisfactions, leading us to find our ultimate satisfaction in Him. This process can be painful but ultimately reveals God's magnificence.

3. In John 11, Jesus' delay in visiting Lazarus demonstrates that love is not about sparing us from pain but about revealing God's glory. This challenges the idea that love is about having our immediate needs met.

4. Jonathan Edwards highlights the difference between genuine joy in God and hypocritical joy in being made much of by God. True joy comes from delighting in God's glorious nature, not in ourselves.

5. God does make much of us, but His delight in us is rooted in our delight in Him. When we find our joy in God, He finds joy in us, drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him.

** [04:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:19] - God's Love and Our Enjoyment
[01:00] - Cultural vs. Biblical Love
[02:19] - Unregenerate Understanding of Love
[03:38] - God's Love Keeps Him at the Center
[04:01] - Removing Obstacles to Enjoy God
[05:17] - The Story of Lazarus
[06:08] - Love and Glory in John 11
[07:41] - Jesus' Delay and Its Meaning
[08:50] - Love Reveals God's Glory
[10:13] - True Love and Satisfaction in God
[12:09] - Influence of Jonathan Edwards
[14:24] - Gratitude of Hypocrites
[16:07] - Joy of the Hypocrite vs. True Saint
[19:17] - God Rejoices Over Us
[23:06] - God's Delight in Our Delight in Him

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Philippians 1:20-21
- John 11:1-6
- Zephaniah 3:17

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Observation Questions:

In John 11, why does Jesus delay His visit to Lazarus despite knowing about his illness? What does this reveal about His understanding of love? [08:15]
According to Philippians 1:20-21, how does Paul describe the relationship between enjoying God and magnifying Him?
How does Zephaniah 3:17 describe God's feelings towards His people? What does this imply about His love for us?
What does the sermon suggest is the cultural understanding of love compared to the biblical understanding? [02:02]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the delay in Jesus' visit to Lazarus challenge the common perception of love as meeting immediate needs? [08:50]
What does it mean for God's love to be centered on His glory rather than on making much of us? How does this affect our understanding of His actions in our lives? [04:01]
How does Jonathan Edwards' concept of the "Gratitude of Hypocrites" help us differentiate between genuine joy in God and joy in being made much of by God? [15:00]
In what ways does God making much of us, as seen in Zephaniah 3:17, fit into the broader understanding of His love being rooted in our delight in Him? [19:37]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you felt God's love through a challenging situation. How did that experience help you see His glory more clearly? [09:50]
Consider the cultural notion of love as being made much of. How can you shift your perspective to align more with the biblical understanding of love centered on God's glory? [02:02]
Identify any "substitute satisfactions" in your life that might be hindering your ultimate satisfaction in God. What steps can you take to strip these away? [04:49]
How can you cultivate a deeper joy in God's glorious nature rather than in personal achievements or recognition? [16:07]
Think of a situation where you might have expected God to act immediately. How can you trust in His timing and purpose, even when it involves waiting or discomfort? [08:15]
How can you actively find delight in God this week, knowing that He delights in your delight in Him? What specific actions can you take to deepen this relationship? [23:06]
Reflect on the idea that God's love involves doing whatever is necessary to bring us to a place of savoring His glory. How does this change your approach to prayer and seeking God's will? [10:13]

Sermon Clips

God loves us by doing everything he has to do at great cost to himself to remove every obstacle from inside of us and inside of him to bring us to the place where we enjoy him, which makes much of him. [00:06:24]

The world, I think by and large, feels love...unregenerate human beings...to be loved is to be made much of. I feel really loved by you if you make much of me, praise me, thank me, applaud me, compliment me, just build up my ego, give me some help me with my self-esteem. [00:130:80]

Biblical love from God to us keeps God at the center, not us. So here's my definition of the way God loves us: God loves us by doing everything he has to do at great cost to himself to remove every obstacle from inside of us and inside of him to bring us to the place where we enjoy him, which makes much of him. [00:218:28]

God's way of loving you is to strip you, if he must, of every substitute satisfaction so that you can have the best one, himself. Being stripped of every vain satisfaction so that, like a snake, you have your skin ripped off is painful, but when it's done and you see God as the magnificent soul satisfier that he is, you know I have been loved. [00:271:03]

To love is to do whatever you have to do, even at the cost of your brother's life, to reveal to you the glory of God. How's that's just what it says. It's just what what else can you do with it? I'm not going to go heal him. I'm going to let him die so that you will see the glory of God because I love you. [00:549:12]

Being loved is not being spared from dying. Being loved is not mainly being healed, mainly the marriage being fixed. Those can be acts of love. God does those things. Being loved is mainly God doing whatever he has to do, whether it's Lazarus' death or his death, so that I will see, savor, and be satisfied by the glory of Jesus. [00:633:16]

Jonathan Edwards calls it the Gratitude of Hypocrites. Why? Here's the quote: because, quote, they first rejoice and are elevated with the fact that they are made much of by God. Then on that ground, God seems in a sort lovely to them. They are pleased in the highest degree in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. [00:900:83]

This is the difference between the joy of the hypocrite and the joy of the true Saint. The hypocrite rejoices in himself. Self is the first foundation of his joy. The true Saint rejoices in God. True Saints have their minds in the first place inexpressibly pleased and delighted with the sweet ideas of the glorious and amiable nature of the things of God. [00:967:36]

You keep saying, Piper, that to be loved by God is not to be made much of by him at bottom, but his making us able to enjoy making much of him. That's what you keep saying, and that's exactly what I keep saying, and I still believe it after last night. [00:1117:64]

God rejoicing over us. Psalm 147:1: The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. God takes pleasure in us. Kind of take your breath away and wonder how that fits with our being created to take pleasure in him. [00:1161:48]

He Delights in our delighting in him. He takes joy in us because of our taking joy in him. That's the bottom line because if I try to find any other answer to the question why he likes me, it resolves into that. I have to push it to that. [00:1413:40]

He loves me in that he does everything he does to remove obstacles to my enjoyment of him, and he Delights in me, praises me, commends me, says well done to me if and when my heart has broken free from the idolatry of needing to be at the bottom of my own joy. [00:1488:08]

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Understanding God's Love: Joy in His Glory

Devotional

Day 1: God's Love Removes Obstacles to Enjoyment

Day 2: Painful Stripping for Ultimate Satisfaction

Day 3: Love Reveals God's Glory

Day 4: Genuine Joy in God's Nature

Day 5: God's Delight in Our Delight in Him

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Understanding God's Love: Joy in His Glory

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