Does God Still Love Me, 18 October 2026
18 10 26 Filed in: Sermons | He Promises
Does God Still Love Me?
He Promises
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
October 18, 2026
Luke 15:4-7
Series Description: Maybe you’ve heard what Jesus has done for others. You want to believe He can do the same for you, but you're not sure it's even possible. Jesus made several promises in the Bible—but what do they mean today?
Big Idea: God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Love. It’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.
I love ice cream. I love my wife. I love the Findlay Oilers basketball team. I love my sister. I love Jesus.
How can one word convey so many different meanings?
The Bible says God loves me, but what does that mean? And is it true?
My name is Kirk, and today we’re beginning a new series called “He Promises.” I’m sure you’ve heard or sung or read, “God loves you.” It’s about as old-school, basic, vintage as it gets.
My friend, David May, had t-shirts made that say, “Jesus Loves You…and David May does, too!” I love that (no pun intended). Sometimes the idea of God’s love can seem vague and impersonal, but that love expressed through a human can be transformative. Sometimes we believe we are loved, but don’t feel it. That can be true in a marriage, with parents, or a friendship. God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The most famous verse in the Bible says,
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The word “loved” is “agapao” in the original Greek, a word that means to love, to show love, to value, esteem, be faithful towards, to delight in.
God delights in the world. He delights in His creation, and the zenith of creation was not the mountains, ocean, dolphins, or platypus! It was humankind.
God loves the world.
Unfortunately, the world God created and loves does not always love Him. Have you ever thought about how God feels when His love is rejected? Perhaps you’ve experienced love that was not reciprocated. Many of us had puppy love as kids and felt rejected when we expressed it, only to discover the other person had different feelings. I remember in elementary school it was fashionable to ask a friend to ask a person if they would “go” with you. I can’t even remember the person, but at least once I asked a friend to ask a girl if she would “go” with me and was told no. I’m not sure where I wanted to go in third grade!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God loves the world. Nobody loves like God, but love is more than an action with God. It’s His very nature.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)
God is love. He is the definition of love. He proved it, too.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
The Father sent Jesus to die to take away our sins, to forgive us, to restore our relationship with God, which was broken by our sin, rebellion, and disobedience.
Obviously, God does not love our sin, and He doesn’t love what sin has done to our world, but He loves the world. Not only does God love the world, but God loves you. Yes, you. Not just the person next to you who you think has it all together (remember our previous sermon series…all families are messed up!). God knows you. He sees you. He loves you. Even when you wander from Him.
Jesus said in today’s scripture reading:
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:4-7)
This is not a story about the smart sheep, the popular sheep, the talented sheep, the good-looking sheep, or the athletic sheep. It’s about a wandering sheep…literally a sinner who has lost their way and repents…turns 180 degrees and runs to God.
Is that you today? Some of you have never said “yes” to Jesus. You’ve been too busy, proud, angry, or simply unaware that God loves you. Respond today with a simple prayer: “Jesus, I give you my life.”
Perhaps you’ve called yourself a Christian but have wandered off the path. Come home. The Father’s arms are open wide.
Tragically, many people don’t believe God really loves them. They may protest and say, “You don’t know what I’ve done.” God does, and…
God will always love you. You are the one Jesus loves!
His love is unconditional. It never changes. His arms will always be open to welcome you into His family, but He will not force Himself upon you…or anyone. Love does not pressure or manipulate or control. Instead,
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Agape love doesn't depend on what we do. Like an anchor, it’s not moved by waves or weather or circumstances. If you’ve said “yes” to Jesus, you can be certain of his love for you.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Romans 8:35-36)
Nothing shall separate us from God’s love. Nothing.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)
Nothing shall separate us from God’s love. Nothing.
Sometimes life hurts. People hurt us. Our bodies fail us. Our minds betray us. Trouble or persecution or famine or danger may come. But God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it. Your feelings are real, but not always reliable. You don’t have to understand everything. I certainly don’t! I have struggled to feel God’s love amid suffering, disappointment, pain, and prayers that seemed to go unanswered, but that never changed the truth that God loved me…and he loves you, too.
So What?
My earnest prayer for all of us is that we experience God’s love. It’s been said the longest twelve inches in the world is from the head to the heart. I want you to know God’s love in the deepest part of your soul. Jesus summarized the entire Bible by saying,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
We love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength when we experience God’s love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then we can go and love others.
Today I want to close with a video called Father’s Love Letter. It’s a series of promises in the Bible that God makes to you and me. You might want to close your eyes, listen, and let the words of your Father wash over you.
Video: Father’s Love Letter, https://www.fathersloveletter.com
One more thing…God loves you, even when it doesn’t feel like it…and I do, too!
Credits: some ideas from Life.Church
He Promises
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
October 18, 2026
Luke 15:4-7
Series Description: Maybe you’ve heard what Jesus has done for others. You want to believe He can do the same for you, but you're not sure it's even possible. Jesus made several promises in the Bible—but what do they mean today?
Big Idea: God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Love. It’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.
I love ice cream. I love my wife. I love the Findlay Oilers basketball team. I love my sister. I love Jesus.
How can one word convey so many different meanings?
The Bible says God loves me, but what does that mean? And is it true?
My name is Kirk, and today we’re beginning a new series called “He Promises.” I’m sure you’ve heard or sung or read, “God loves you.” It’s about as old-school, basic, vintage as it gets.
My friend, David May, had t-shirts made that say, “Jesus Loves You…and David May does, too!” I love that (no pun intended). Sometimes the idea of God’s love can seem vague and impersonal, but that love expressed through a human can be transformative. Sometimes we believe we are loved, but don’t feel it. That can be true in a marriage, with parents, or a friendship. God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The most famous verse in the Bible says,
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The word “loved” is “agapao” in the original Greek, a word that means to love, to show love, to value, esteem, be faithful towards, to delight in.
God delights in the world. He delights in His creation, and the zenith of creation was not the mountains, ocean, dolphins, or platypus! It was humankind.
God loves the world.
Unfortunately, the world God created and loves does not always love Him. Have you ever thought about how God feels when His love is rejected? Perhaps you’ve experienced love that was not reciprocated. Many of us had puppy love as kids and felt rejected when we expressed it, only to discover the other person had different feelings. I remember in elementary school it was fashionable to ask a friend to ask a person if they would “go” with you. I can’t even remember the person, but at least once I asked a friend to ask a girl if she would “go” with me and was told no. I’m not sure where I wanted to go in third grade!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God loves the world. Nobody loves like God, but love is more than an action with God. It’s His very nature.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)
God is love. He is the definition of love. He proved it, too.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
The Father sent Jesus to die to take away our sins, to forgive us, to restore our relationship with God, which was broken by our sin, rebellion, and disobedience.
Obviously, God does not love our sin, and He doesn’t love what sin has done to our world, but He loves the world. Not only does God love the world, but God loves you. Yes, you. Not just the person next to you who you think has it all together (remember our previous sermon series…all families are messed up!). God knows you. He sees you. He loves you. Even when you wander from Him.
Jesus said in today’s scripture reading:
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:4-7)
This is not a story about the smart sheep, the popular sheep, the talented sheep, the good-looking sheep, or the athletic sheep. It’s about a wandering sheep…literally a sinner who has lost their way and repents…turns 180 degrees and runs to God.
Is that you today? Some of you have never said “yes” to Jesus. You’ve been too busy, proud, angry, or simply unaware that God loves you. Respond today with a simple prayer: “Jesus, I give you my life.”
Perhaps you’ve called yourself a Christian but have wandered off the path. Come home. The Father’s arms are open wide.
Tragically, many people don’t believe God really loves them. They may protest and say, “You don’t know what I’ve done.” God does, and…
God will always love you. You are the one Jesus loves!
His love is unconditional. It never changes. His arms will always be open to welcome you into His family, but He will not force Himself upon you…or anyone. Love does not pressure or manipulate or control. Instead,
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Agape love doesn't depend on what we do. Like an anchor, it’s not moved by waves or weather or circumstances. If you’ve said “yes” to Jesus, you can be certain of his love for you.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Romans 8:35-36)
Nothing shall separate us from God’s love. Nothing.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)
Nothing shall separate us from God’s love. Nothing.
Sometimes life hurts. People hurt us. Our bodies fail us. Our minds betray us. Trouble or persecution or famine or danger may come. But God loves you even when it doesn’t feel like it. Your feelings are real, but not always reliable. You don’t have to understand everything. I certainly don’t! I have struggled to feel God’s love amid suffering, disappointment, pain, and prayers that seemed to go unanswered, but that never changed the truth that God loved me…and he loves you, too.
So What?
My earnest prayer for all of us is that we experience God’s love. It’s been said the longest twelve inches in the world is from the head to the heart. I want you to know God’s love in the deepest part of your soul. Jesus summarized the entire Bible by saying,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
We love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength when we experience God’s love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then we can go and love others.
Today I want to close with a video called Father’s Love Letter. It’s a series of promises in the Bible that God makes to you and me. You might want to close your eyes, listen, and let the words of your Father wash over you.
Video: Father’s Love Letter, https://www.fathersloveletter.com
One more thing…God loves you, even when it doesn’t feel like it…and I do, too!
Credits: some ideas from Life.Church