A Love Story!! 2008/11 08/18/08
Bzruch haba B’Shem Adonai!
Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!
I entitled this time together, “A Love Story”, because that is what it is, and Love is His story, and we will look at just a smidgeon of the history of His Story, and we will start from John 13. Jesus is in the upper room and has just taken His robe off and girded Himself with a towel and began to wash the feet of the disciples. He finally got to Peter, who rejected this humbling experience, but Jesus told him, “If I do not wash you, you have not part in Me”, and Peter immediately cried out; “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Now we could go on but I want to get to the part that builds this lesson. Turn to Jn. 13:34-35;
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this will all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The beginning of this has to be that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, and that is our beginning. We had existence before we accepted His love by receiving Jesus, but now we have the fullness of the Godhead living inside us, we have Life.
I think what drew my attention to this was that Jesus said that He was giving them, and us a “New” commandment. I also remember that in Matthew, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law and the prophets. I added this because He has just added the ‘Law’ of love (Matt. 22:36-40), and in the next few minutes we will see how wide this is. From John 13 through John 17, He mentions love 17+ times in various ways, but in John 15:12, He says; “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” I know that this looks like I am running around a mountain, but it is going someplace, so turn to John 14:15 & 21;
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
By this love, all will know that you are My disciples. I want to be known as a follower, a disciple of His, so I am heading His way with a desire to keep His commandments.
In John 17:22-23, we read a word that is just amazing and I want to read it to you so that you can be rejoicing at this truth with me; (Jesus praying to the Father)
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are One:
I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”
Since the word ‘perfectly’ is used here, why not this week read the portion of Matthew 5 from 38 through 48. It ends with perfect and the rest is the recipe; “for God so loved the world”.
Think on that just a moment, the Father loves you and I with the same intensity that He loved His Son Jesus. With that in mind, I want to do as He asked as near as I can, and that is a bigger step that we might think, because we still are wrapped in a lot of flesh, that likes its own way, and many times in ways that hinder our loving one another JUST AS He loved us (unconditionally).
Lets talk about this just a little. He loved us unconditionally and without any limits. He loved us and died for us when we were dead in trespasses and sin, and did not judge us nor condemn us (John 3:17). We sometimes get into a judgment mode, even though He told us to not to. Could I take you just one level deeper, and look at Luke 6:35-37;
“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
You have just touched on Matthew 5, how about that?
Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
That is just a short note about ‘Their’ love, but, how were They one? That is where we want to stay for just a moment. They needed One Another, and as such, they were equal, but different. They would never compete, but complete One Another. They operated in continual, trusting obedience. Jesus made statements like; “I only say what I hear My Father say, or I only do what I see Him do, there was no debate about it. Then of the Holy Spirit, He said, He will always point you to Me, He will cause you to recall all things that I have said to you and disclose to you what is Mine (the Holy Spirit never lifts Himself, only Jesus). The Trinity always exalts One Another. So, that is the first part of loving one another, and guess what? We all have this same love; Romans 5:5b;
“…God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.”
True, that love has been poured out in our hearts, but, as we said before, it is still wrapped up in our flesh, that is constantly opposing the Spirit of God in us. Look at several ways that we need to start disciplining our flesh - - - -
Start being aware of judgmental attitudes against anyone, including brothers and sisters, or the lost. Judgments are the fruit of unbridled opinions. I read in Webster’s Dictionary that an opinion is a settled judgment or persuasion; as religious opinion or political opinion. I asked the Holy Spirit how to present this and He said that we are to beware of judgments which are opinions given credence because of an ego that should have been crucified. We must see that our opinions are just that, “ours” and if in any way, divisive, they came not from the Holy Spirit. These things, coming out of our flesh, are authored by the enemy of love in the body of Christ, for he knows that the force of God’s love in operation is powerfully ushering in His coming for His bride. His love is grooming Her into a light bearing vessel, whose image is continually being conformed to His by Love’s touch. (Bridegroom grooms the bride, Eph. 5:25-27) “…that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (the groom here is more than one who waits for her at the end of the aisle, He is preparing her for His arrival.)
Our opinions, at best, are still being formed by outward actions only (1Samuel 16:7), but God says, I alone see and know the heart and mind of man, not you, for you do not even know your own heart [Jer. 17:9-10]. Hear me, We all have a deep, God given sense in our hearts that Jesus is coming soon and we need to awaken to all that we need to be about being in these the last of days. I really appreciate 1 John 3:1-3 and 11 – hear and heed!
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (pure, hagnos) morally faultless and without blemish)
Did you note that it said, ‘not revealed what we shall be’, not do? We shall be pure, just as Vine’s has interpreted it. Now, in light of this, lets turn to 1 Peter 1:22-23;
“ Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. [one with no criticism, nor judgments]
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever”.
The word ‘sincere’ above is from the greek word (anupokritos) and here means, without hypocrisy, no pretensions, just pure, unconditional love.
I realize that this is a lot of the same thing, but I am going to do what the Holy Spirit directed. The time is truly short and God wants His Son’s bride to be dressed in the glorious, white raiment and what we are reading is, the recipe for glory being revealed to the whole world through His bride. Go to another verse on love, 1 Thess. 3:11-12;
“Now may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,
so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (Eph. 1:4)
And lets put some salt on that one just for good measure. Heb 12:14;
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness without which no one will see the Lord”.
(Lets ice this cake with a thicker coat, from Haggai 2:9)
“The latter glory of this house (with its successor, to which Jesus came), shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”
This moves us out into the world where we are to pursue peace, and to reach out to the lost in love, but never in ways that may compromise holiness. There sometimes is a fine line, especially when trying to reach some. Just remember, the Holy Spirit is always on the job in your behalf to lead and direct your actions, because He too is after the lost. Now, to another verse, and I know this seems like a bible tour, but you can only be blessed by a lot of the word on love – Phil. 1:9-11; (Amp)
“And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],
So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].
May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized”.
I must add in several verses that give a comfort, that all we have been talking about is up to us being only obedient to God, and He, through the Holy Spirit will do the work in and for us, but obedience is the key word, so lets look at one verse in Philippians, 1:6 and then we’ll turn to 1 Thess 5:23-24, and I won’t stop, so you may want to turn and mark both places before I start;
“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began this good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] (love) and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you”.
“And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you.”
I am not sure how you feel about what we just read, but I can shout alleluia!! And Amen !!!
I believe there is an additional avenue in this journey that we must take to complete what we are soaking in. What is this avenue named? It is not a long word, but the most important in this walk, and it is forgiveness. Jesus said it as He revealed the marvelous principle of prayer in Matthew 6:14-15;
Note: Forgiveness is not an option. The law holds to and condemns, but grace forgives, and much, much more.
“For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Amp. Adds “let it drop”)
But if you do not forgive others their trepasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trepasses.”
You may be wondering how that slipped in, since we are now loving and caring for one another, but remember, we are still wrapped in the flesh and it gets its feelings hurt and its toes stepped on, because not only are we flesh, but the ones that we are being related to are also flesh and have their own private little weaknesses too.
It always encourages me, even after I have blown it in daily relationships, and have to go into the repentance mode, that Jesus knew, before He ascended, that we would not make the grade without the Precious Holy Spirit to empower the love that He shed abroad in our hearts. He is so gentle in His correction, and His conviction has not even a hint of condemnation, just gentle love. We must remember that the Father chastises those whom He loves, and that is all His children, those born of His Spirit.
Jesus, on the cross gave us the premiere example of divine forgiveness when He asked the Father to forgive them; the nail driver, the ones who fashioned the crown of thorns, the one who imbedded the horrible stripes on His precious back for our healing, and even those on the ground, gambling for His robe, and I believe that included the one who denied Him three times as well. That is the intensity of love that was in Him and it is that same love that has been shed abroad in our hearts. He was a man, the same as we, with the same weaknesses, and infirmities, and liabilities as we have, but He overcame them by the love of God and He released that love and forgiveness on them. We have to learn to forgive all, and that means we have to die to the offenses and the offenders, a tall order for our flesh, but necessary to go on with God.