Love.
As we went through the muslim village we invited everyone to come to a special teaching and preaching the next day just for new believers. We preached on unity, love, obedience, and perseverance. I preached on love. Here is an overview of what the Lord had me teach about love.
God’s Love.
What is it that compelled God to act on our behalf?
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…” It was God’s love that compelled him to give Jesus for us. It all started because of love.
1 John 4:9-10 says, “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.”
God sent his Son out of love to atone for our sins by his death on the cross. But why death? Why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Why not just wave his hand and be done with it? Because God is a God of justice, and no sin can go unpunished. As it says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)” “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)”
Now yes, Christ died the death that we all should have died, yet though he was tempted just as any man is, he lived a life without sin. Because he never sinned, he deserved to live, so that even though he died, “God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in this age but in the age to come. (Ephesians 1:20)”
Now that Christ is alive and our sins our paid for, “by his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)”
It is by God’s grace we have been saved. Can we do anything to earn this grace? No! Romans 3:24 says we “are justified freely by is grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:16)”
And why does it have to be by grace? Ephesians says, “we were dead in our transgressions.” What can a dead man do to save himself? Nothing! Though we may be alive in the flesh, we were spiritually dead, just as God said of the fruit in the garden, “When you eat of it, you will surely die. (Genesis 2:17)” Can we do something in our own living flesh that gives life to our own dead spirit? No! John 6:63 says, “This Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” Just as a physically dead person needs someone physical to come and do CPR to revive him, so we need someone else alive in the Spirit to make us alive in the Spirit. That’s why we can’t do anything to save ourselves, and why Romans 6:23 concludes with, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It’s a free gift, and it’s all done by Him, because of His love.
In fact, the love he showed for us on the cross is the greatest possible expression of His love, for John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” And that’s just what Jesus did, laid down his life for us, for anyone who would believe in is atoning sacrifice.
But we have been saying that God sent his Son, and it was his Son Jesus who died for us. So was that really God’s greatest love since it wasn’t his own life but that of his Son that he laid down?
Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” Jesus the Son is the exact representation of God the Father. But how so? John 4:24 says, “God is spirit.” If we follow along in John 1, verses 1 and 14, we read that “the Word was God,” and “the Word became flesh.” God, the spirit, came in the flesh, and Jesus was the flesh representation of God the Spirit. In fact, Jesus says in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” So, in fact, God did lay down his own life for us.
How will you respond to God’s love for you?
We have talked about how God loves us. Next we will study how we can show love for God.
Thank you to those who have been obedient to the call to support this ministry! You’re not just supporting me, you’re also supporting the many ministries we work with and sharing in the work being done in all these countries. As far as support goes, our final deadline to have all of our support in is January 4th! I still need $4,203 to be fully funded so pray about supporting me and do whatever seems best to you, because God’s will will be done no matter what! Nonetheless, the holidays are coming and the best way to bless me would be to support me, if you feel called to do so; I can’t receive packages anyways! I barely made it to the last support deadline of $10,000, so now it really is going to be in God’s hands to bring in support. In all things, though, may name the name of the Lord be praised!
