Sermon: God is Love and Sorrow

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Sep 24, 2009
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Sermon: God is Love and Sorrow

(Fully Finalized, Integrated Version – With Bible Illustrations, Emotional Reflections, and Eternal Sorrow)


Introduction: The Mystery That Both Comforts and Convicts

Beloved in Christ, grace and peace be multiplied to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we stand before a truth that is both staggering and profound: God is Love and Sorrow.
We proclaim with joy the words of the Apostle John:


“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)​

This is the foundation of all reality—God’s very essence is love. Eternal. Infinite. Sacrificial. Every action, every command, every judgment flows from this love.


Yet Scripture reveals a truth that often escapes our casual faith: the same love that defines God also compels Him to sorrow. He grieves, He weeps, He carries the weight of sin, unbelief, and rebellion in His creation. This is not weakness. It is the inevitable overflow of perfect love encountering brokenness.


Today, we will explore two intertwined aspects of divine sorrow:


  1. The pleading sorrow over unbelief and hardened hearts—the relational grief that cries, “Why won’t you believe Me?”
  2. The heavy sorrow over sin’s destruction and the tragedy of the eternally lost—the grief of judgment and separation, of consequences that could have been avoided.

Both flow from the same unchanging love. Both reveal a God who feels because He loves. And both call us to respond—not with fear, but with holy sorrow, prayer, and urgent compassion.


Part 1: God is Love—The Unchanging Foundation

We begin where Scripture begins: “God is love.” This is not sentiment. It is ontology. It is who He is.


  • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  • “The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
  • “[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)
  • “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6; cf. Matthew 9:13)

God’s love is patient, pursuing, and sacrificial. He disciplines because He loves (Hebrews 12:6). He waits because He loves. He calls because He loves. And because His love is real and relational, He cannot be indifferent to rejection, hardness, or loss. Real love always feels the pain of what it loves being broken or refusing relationship.

Bible Illustrations of God’s Love

  • Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 3:10): God relented from sending destruction when the people repented. His love is patient and deeply relational.
  • The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32): The father waits, watches, and runs to embrace the son the moment he returns. God’s love anticipates reconciliation.
  • David’s Mercy After Sin (2 Samuel 12): God confronts David yet offers mercy upon repentance. Love always combines truth with restoration.

Imagine a parent holding a child, watching them stumble into harm, warning them, pleading with them—and the child stubbornly refuses to listen. That is a pale shadow of God’s relational grief over unbelief.


Part 2: The Pleading Sorrow—Grief Over Unbelief and Hardness of Heart

One of the most piercing forms of divine sorrow is grief over unbelief and hardened hearts. This is not sorrow over consequences (though those are real); it is the aching grief of love rejected, truth refused, intimacy turned away.


  • Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41–44):

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”​

These tears flow from the pain of spiritual blindness and unbelief. Jerusalem missed the Messiah, hid from the peace only He could bring, and refused to believe. This is relational grief—the Father’s heart breaking because His children refuse to come home.


  • At Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:33–35):

“…Jesus groaned in the spirit, and was troubled… Jesus wept.”​

Though He knew resurrection was moments away, He weeps. Part of that sorrow is over unbelief around Him—Martha’s “if only,” the crowd’s murmuring. The grief says, “Why won’t you fully believe Me in this moment of pain?”


  • Jesus in the synagogue (Mark 3:5):

“…He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…”​

Jesus’ anger and sorrow are intertwined—anger at sin’s rejection, sorrow at hearts refusing mercy, truth, and relationship.

Additional Bible Stories of Pleading Sorrow

  • Moses Interceding for Israel (Exodus 32:11–14): God was ready to destroy Israel for worshiping the golden calf, yet Moses pleaded, and God relented. Intercession can move God’s heart.
  • Abraham for Sodom (Genesis 18:23–33): Abraham negotiates with God over Sodom’s fate. God listens, showing His sorrow over the impending loss of the innocent.
  • Samuel Rebuking Israel (1 Samuel 8:7): God grieves over Israel’s rejection of Him as King, showing sorrow over disobedience.

This pleading sorrow echoes throughout Scripture:


  • “Why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)
  • “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?… mine heart is turned within me…” (Hosea 11:8)

It is the grief of love that offers everything and is met with “No.” It is God’s heart saying, “Why won’t you believe Me?”
 
(last Part)
Part 3: The Heavy Sorrow—Grief Over Sin’s Destruction and the Tragedy of the Lost

The second layer is sorrow over sin’s devastation and eternal tragedy. This grief mourns irreversible consequences: broken lives, judgment, eternal separation. It grieves what could have been.


  • Before the Flood (Genesis 6:6):

“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”​

Sin had corrupted creation. God grieved over the perversion of what He made “very good.”


  • Hosea’s cry (Hosea 11:8):

“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?… mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.”​

Here is grief over judgment—yet God cannot abandon justice. His sorrow flows from love encountering sin’s consequences.


  • The Cross (Matthew 26:38; 27:46):

“My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”​

Jesus bore every sin, every rejection, every lost soul’s grief. The sorrow was so immense that even His soul was “near unto death.” The Father’s justice and love pressed fully on the Son. That grief shows the cosmic weight of sin and the depth of God’s love, a sorrow humans cannot comprehend.

Additional Bible Illustrations of Heavy Sorrow

  • The Israelites in the Wilderness (Numbers 14:11): God grieves over rebellion and wasted potential.
  • King Saul’s Rejection (1 Samuel 15): God grieves over disobedience.
  • David’s Grief Over Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33): Human sorrow mirrors divine sorrow—love for the lost, grief for destruction, anguish at rejection.
  • The Joy of Salvation vs. the Tragedy of Rejection (Luke 15:10):

“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”​

Every repentant soul brings celebration; every unrepentant soul adds sorrow to God’s heart. Imagine heaven rejoicing—then imagine the opposite. The contrast is staggering.


  • New Creation Promise (Revelation 21:4):

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes… for the former things are passed away.”​

This promise comforts the redeemed, yet Scripture does not say God’s own tears will be wiped away. His love ensures that for all eternity, He will remember and grieve those who have rejected Him. Every unrepentant soul adds to His eternal sorrow, while every repentant soul brings joy.


  • Psalm 139:1–4: God knows every heart, every choice, every hidden thought. His grief is eternal for those who remain in rebellion, because love never forgets.

In other words: God is not only the God of love, He is the God of eternal sorrow. His tears will never cease for the lost, even as He rejoices over the redeemed.


Part 4: The Wake-Up Call—Pray with God’s Heart

Now comes the hard truth: a wake-up call for our hearts.


If God is Love and Sorrow, then every unrepentant heart adds to His grief—pleading grief over unbelief and heavy grief over eternal consequences.


When we pray, “Lord, judge them! Send them to hell!” we are telling God to harden His own heart, to silence His longing for repentance, and to embrace more grief to satisfy our comfort. We are telling Infinite Love: “Stop loving them so much; stop grieving over them so I can feel safe.”


That is not Christlikeness. That is cruelty masquerading as righteousness.


Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Jesus prayed for His crucifiers:


“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)​

He commanded us:


“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)​

Let us repent of vengeful prayers. Let us align with God’s heart: pray that hearts open, unbelief shatters, and sinners turn and live. Pray, “Lord, have mercy—draw them to repentance before it is too late.”


Every soul saved brings joy to heaven; every soul lost adds sorrow to God’s heart. This is not abstract. This is reality.


Conclusion: Be Awakened to God’s Heart

If we love God, we will grieve what grieves Him. We will pray for repentance, not for condemnation. We will intercede for souls, not wish destruction.


May God forgive us where we have prayed wrongly. May He awaken us to pray right—with His tears, His longing, His love.


In the name of:


  • the Father who grieves,
  • the Son who wept, and
  • the Holy Spirit who intercedes with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

Amen. 🔥🙏
 
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Yes, God is grieved by humanity's sins, and He does not enjoy souls reaping justice in hell,
but when justice is achieved, I believe He will be relieved.
 
I hear what you’re saying, but I think it’s important to separate what Scripture actually says from what we might feel would make sense emotionally.


It sounds like the idea of “relief” assumes that God eventually forgets the lost, or at least no longer carries them in His heart. That’s the only way “relief” would even be possible.


But here’s the problem: there is no verse that says God forgets the lost.


In fact, Scripture consistently points the other direction.

God does not forget people—even in judgment

God says plainly:


“I will never forget thee.” (Isaiah 49:15)


That passage is about love, but it reveals God’s nature: He does not erase people from His heart to cope.


Even more sobering:


“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” (Acts 15:18)


God doesn’t learn, adjust, or emotionally offload reality later. He eternally knows.


If God’s knowledge is eternal, then the lost are not something He “gets over.”

Justice does not equal emotional relief (biblically)

Scripture never equates justice with relief.


One of the clearest mirrors of God’s heart is David and Absalom:


Justice was carried out.
The rebel died.
The kingdom was preserved.


And yet David cried:


“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee.”
(2 Samuel 18:33)


Justice happened.
Relief did not.


If a sinful human father reacts this way, why would we assume a perfectly loving God feels emotional relief when souls are eternally lost?

Jesus disproves the “relief” idea completely

Jesus knew judgment was coming.
Jesus knew many would reject Him.
Jesus knew the outcome.


And still:


“He beheld the city, and wept over it.” (Luke 19:41)


If future justice was going to bring emotional relief, this was the moment for it.


Instead, Jesus wept.


Foreknown judgment did not cancel sorrow.
So why would completed judgment suddenly do so?


Scripture never says it does.

Heaven’s joy is very specific—and very limited

The Bible is precise here:


“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
(Luke 15:10)


Notice what it does not say:


• joy over condemnation
• joy over justice being completed
• joy over hell


Joy is always attached to repentance, never punishment.


If condemnation brought relief to God, Scripture would say it here.


It doesn’t.

Revelation 21:4 says something—and leaves something out

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes…”


Whose tears?


The redeemed.


It never says God’s tears are wiped away.
It never says God forgets.
It never says sorrow ends for Him.


And remember:


“God is love.” (1 John 4:8)


Love doesn’t forget people to feel better.
Love doesn’t feel relief at eternal separation.
Love endures—even when justice is right.

Where the “relief” idea really comes from

Let’s be honest and fair:


That idea usually comes from human coping, not Scripture.


We want closure.
We want final emotional resolution.
So we project that onto God.


But Scripture presents God as the One who bears sorrow, not escapes it.


Jesus is called:


“A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)


That wasn’t a phase.
That revealed God’s heart.

A biblically accurate way to say this

If we want to stay faithful to Scripture, the strongest statement we can make is this:


God’s justice is righteous and necessary,
but it does not erase His sorrow over the lost.


That keeps God:
• holy
• loving
• truthful
• and biblical


“Relief,” however, is never stated, never clearly implied, and conflicts with how Scripture shows God responding to loss.

Bottom line

There is no verse that says God feels relief when souls are condemned.


Scripture shows grief, patience, longing, tears, and love that does not shut off.


God does what is right.
But He does not stop loving.
And love that never stops loving never stops sorrowing over the lost.


That’s not weakness.


That’s holy love.
 
Why God hates Satan and why His wrath against him is eternal


God hates Satan because Satan is the enemy who deliberately targeted, deceived, and destroyed what God loves most—humanity made in His image:


  • “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10)
  • “He was a murderer from the beginning…” (John 8:44)
  • “…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world…” (Revelation 12:9)

Satan brought sin and death into the world (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12), blinds minds to the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4), and leads countless souls toward hell through deception and unbelief. Jesus came specifically to destroy these works:


“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)


God’s wrath against Satan is eternal because Satan is irredeemable—no atonement was ever offered, no repentance is possible:


  • “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” (Hebrews 2:16) — Christ became human to redeem humans, not angels or Satan.
  • Hell was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
  • “And the devil… was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

Wrath remains forever because Satan never repents, never seeks mercy, and continues opposing God’s creation. There is no mercy to extend—only holy justice.


If God’s wrath against Satan is eternal and never fades, why would we think His sorrow over lost humans suddenly disappears or turns to “relief” when they go to hell?


For humans, God offered redemption (John 3:16). He takes no pleasure in their death (Ezekiel 33:11). He weeps over those headed to judgment (Luke 19:41). He desires none to perish (2 Peter 3:9).


If wrath against the irredeemable enemy never softens, how much more does sorrow over those He loved, pursued, and died for persist—even when justice is carried out?


“God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) Love never forgets. Love never gets “relief” at eternal loss.
 
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