The Only Ground of God's Love
The sermon explores the nature of God's love as a gift of grace, grounded solely in Himself, highlighting human unworthiness and the significance of Jesus Christ.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that the Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate gift of God's free grace, highlighting that God's love is not based on any merit or loveliness found in us, but solely on His own nature. He explains that humanity's inherent enmity and unfaithfulness could justly lead God to condemn us, yet His love remains a gift given freely. Brooks underscores that the foundation of God's love lies entirely within Himself, not in our actions or worthiness.
Text
The Lord Jesus Christ is a gift of free grace. Christ is the greatest, the sweetest, the choicest, the chief gift which God ever gave; and yet this gift is given by a hand of love. The only ground of God's love is His love. The ground of God's love is only and wholly in Himself. There is neither portion nor proportion in us to draw His love. There is no love nor loveliness in us that should cause a beam of His love to shine upon us. There is that enmity, that filthiness, that treacherousness, that unfaithfulness, to be found in every man's bosom, which might justly put God upon glorifying himself in their eternal ruin, and to write their names in His black book in characters of blood and wrath.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The nature of God's love
- The gift of Jesus Christ
- The role of grace in salvation
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II
- Understanding the ground of God's love
- God's love is self-originating
- Human unworthiness and God's grace
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III
- The implications of God's love
- Responding to God's love
- Living in the light of God's grace
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IV
- The contrast of human nature
- God's mercy amidst human sin
- The call to repentance
Key Quotes
“The Lord Jesus Christ is a gift of free grace.” — Thomas Brooks
“The only ground of God's love is His love.” — Thomas Brooks
“There is no love nor loveliness in us that should cause a beam of His love to shine upon us.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Recognize that God's love is not based on our merit but on His grace.
- Embrace the gift of Jesus Christ as the ultimate expression of God's love.
- Live a life of gratitude and repentance in response to God's unmerited favor.