God’s LOVE
God’s LOVE
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser at the first Sunday Service at Burgundy Estate, Harvester Cape Town
Keys to unlock God’s LOVE:
Keep Jesus’ Commandments with the help of the Holy Spirit
Joh 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
Joh 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
10 Commandments:
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make idols.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet
Jesus simplified the commandments and condensed them:
Mat 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
Mat 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Mat 22:37 Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus writes His laws on our hearts and minds in the New Covenant:
Heb 8:10 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MIND AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in us, and through love we serve one another:
Gal 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Interesting that the virtuous woman described in Proverbs speaks with kindness:
Pro 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
The Bride of Christ will also reflect these qualities, as a virtuous church.
God is love!
1Jn_4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1Jn_4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
1Jn_5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
From Miracle Bible Training Centre “Fruit of the Spirit Manual”
LOVE
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)
And yet I show you a more excellent way! – Love never fails! Love never fails because it is God’s nature, and He cannot fail! Love never fails because it bows down to you and meets you where you are. God’s love meets the drug addict in the gutters, it meets the murderer in jail, it meets the self-righteous Pharisee when he has come to the end of himself.
Love is the divine seed from which all the fruit of the spirit comes. Rom 5:5: .. the love of God poured out into our hearts by God’s Spirit – God has planted the seed of love in our hearts therefore it will grow and multiply.
Three types of love:
Eros: = physical/sexual love
Phileo: = emotional love: cherish/take pleasure in/have personal attachment -phileo more a love by chance, a love of the emotion
Agapé: = – unconditional love: love that gives freely without asking anything in return – agape is a love by choice – agapé is a love of the will rather than emotion
There are two great spiritual forces on the earth: Love and selfishness – self preservation is the first law of natural man – it seeks to save itself whilst love is the nature of God – it seeks to save others. The only love the world knows is selfish possessive love and the longing to be loved.
Love of self alone is inward strife
Love also turned outward is true life
There is a balance between loving your neighbour as yourself.
The crucified Christ must have crucified followers – ” I have been crucified with Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me(Gal 2:20 & Matt 16:24)
Christ’s love is the standard of love to follow: Jh 15:12 – love one another as I have loved you.
The nature of this Agapé love
2 Cor 5:14 – the love of Christ compels us – (compels = sunecho – to hold together, to grip tightly – the love of Christ leaves us no choice except to live our lives for Him )
Rom 8:39 – nothing can separate us from the love of God
Eph 3:19 – love surpasses knowledge
Access keys to the qualities of God’s love:
1Co 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
1Co 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
1Co 13:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
1Co 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never fails.
1 Cor 13: 4-8
- love suffers long – it has patience with imperfect people. We imitate those who through faith and patience (love and trust of God) we inherit the promises. Heb. 6:12
- love is kind – active in doing good – law of kindness on our tongue as the virtuous woman in Proverbs
- love does not envy – since it is non-possessive and noncompetitive, it actually wants others to get ahead
- hence it does not parade itself – love is self-effacing not ostentatious, boastful, arrogant, or attention-seeking.
- love is not puffed up – treating others arrogantly. Knowledge also puffs up but love builds up – edifies. 1 Corinthians 8:1.
- love does not behave rudely – it displays good manners and courtesy
- love does not seek its own – insisting on it’s own rights and demanding precedence – it is unselfish
- love is not provoked – it is not irritable, touchy, rough or hostile but graceful under pressure
- love thinks no evil – it does not keep an account of wrongs done to it – instead it erases resentments
- love does not rejoice in iniquity – finding satisfaction in the shortcomings of others and spreading an evil report about it. Iniquity refers to injustice and moral wrongfulness of character and lifestyle.
- love rejoices in the truth – we know the Truth is a Person – Jesus and his principles and truth of His Word word.
- love bears all things – defending and holding other people up
- love believes all things – the word of God – the best about others – not suspicious, yet not naïve.
- love hopes all things – never gives up on people, but uses God’s hope as an anchor.
- love endures all things – perseveres and remains loyal
- love never fails! Because God is in this love, it can’t fail. With His love we win – David means beloved – If we know God loves us, we also can’t fail no matter what happens.
God’s love takes our defects and deformities and fashions a royal priesthood out of us (compare Jacob (deceiver) /wrestle with God – Israel (prince with God). Every weakness we have which seems a hindrance is transferred to the exact opposite when we surrender it to our Saviour. Beauty for ashes – the ashes make the soil more fertile to prepare it for the resurrection life
How do we love God?
John 14:15 & John 14:23 – keep His commandments/words
How do we love one another? 1 John 5:2 – By this we know that we love
the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1 Jn 3:18 … love in deed and truth
Love versus fear
1 Jn 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear
How is the love of God perfected in us?
1 Jn 2:5 Keeping His word perfects His love in us
Faith & Love
Gal 5:6 – faith works through love – faith comes by hearing the word of God; love = doing the word. Faith has action to it – doing the word you believe is an action – all the fruits of love work together with faith – see (Heb 6:12 & 2 Pet 1: 5-7)
Prov 17:9 – he who seeks love covers a transgression
……. and now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. (1 Thess 3:5)
Jesus’ Disciples operate in Love
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Summary Bullet Application Points:
- Keep Jesus’ Commandments with the help of the Holy Spirit
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
- Through love serve one another.
- She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
- If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
- For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
- Love never fails!
- Love of self is inward strife; Love turned outward is true life
- Christ’s love is the standard of love to follow.
- Love suffers long and is kind.
- Love does not envy.
- Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.
- Love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.
- Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
- Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
- Love in deed and truth.
- Perfect love casts out fear.
- Faith works through love.
- He who seeks love covers a transgression.
- By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.