**Title:** Loved First  

**Speaker:** Pastor Joel  

**Series:** It’s Complicated (Relationships)

What if the biggest problem in your relationships isn’t that you don’t know how to love—but that you’ve never really believed you are loved?

In this message, Pastor Joel shares that our greatest relational need is not more strategy, but a deeper revelation of God’s love for us. Drawing from 1 John 3, 1 John 4, Deuteronomy 6, Matthew 22, and the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, he shows that:

- You can only love from what you’ve first received  

- You are a deeply loved child of God  

- God’s love is not performance-based, it’s Father-based  

- Healthy relationships flow from being rooted in the Father’s love  

- Forgiveness is possible when you see people the way God sees them  

You’ll be challenged to press into God’s love, to love what He loves—His presence, His Word, His house, and His people—and to release those who have hurt you so you can fully receive the Father’s love.

If you’ve ever struggled to feel loved, to love others well, or to forgive, this message will help re-center your heart on the truth: you are loved first.