The earth was to provide for man with a minimal of effort, nothing was to be man?s enemy, and man would live forever under the watch-care of the Sovereign God. That?s the way that love works!That, my brothers and sisters is the expression of God?s love! The second person of the Trinity came to earth and took upon Himself the form and flesh of man, and tabernacled with us on this sin-sick globe that we call earth for some thirty three years. God dwelt with man, the Creator with the creature, and finally went to the cross to quench the wrath of God against the sins of those who would believe, by shedding His blood and dieing and being buried and the third day arose, never to die again and passing that victory over sin, death and the grave to those who love Him enough to obey Him.
Right now, I?m reminded of the song by Dottie Rambo, titled, ?If that isn?t love?, and it goes like this?..?He left the splendor of heaven?.Knowing His destiny was the lonely hill of Golgotha, There to lay down His love for me.
Even in death He remembered ? The thief hanging by His side; He spoke with love and compassion , Then He took him to Paradise?.and then the chorus, If that isn?t love, the ocean is dry, There?s no stars in the sky, and the sparrow can?t fly! If that isn?t love ?.then heaven?s a myth, There?s no feeling like this?.if that isn?t love.
That?s God?s kind of love for His creatures who are willing to die to self and take up their cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Our Creator God did not create the heavens and the earth and mankind and simply walk away and leave us to our own devices. No indeed, He has always had a plan or purpose for His creation and regardless of man and the devil?s determined attempts to rule over His plan, God will always succeed and the Word and Will of God will always accomplish what God intended before the foundation of the world. God does not require anyone or anything to complete or perfect Himself. He is perfect and He is sovereign over all things including me and you. We can look back to the Genesis of Creation, back to Genesis chapter six, seven and eight, and we find that when the population of the earth became great and their willfulness and sin became overbearing, that God said in Genesis 6:7, ? I will destroy man from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and bird of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.
Then in the next verse we read ?.?But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord?. God was disappointed with His creatures but God is never defeated! No failing or falling or determined sin will ever cause our God to change. It will cause us to suffer loss or even destruction, but God will be unchanged. He is Sovereign and everything that happens in this world happens according to either His decreed will or His permissive will. So if you think that you are smarter than God you have proved yourself to be a fool; but God saves even fools. All of us who are saved and born again were fools before God saved us by His grace; because we lived without thought for God?s purpose in our lives, that made us little ?g? gods who were running toward eternal punishment in hell; but because of God?s love for us, He interdicted our lives, quickened us (brought us back to spiritual life), regenerated us, justified us, forgiving our sins and giving us the indwelling of His power (Holy Spirit) to enable us to live the way He has commanded. He sanctified us and according to Romans 8:30, He has predestined us to glorification. In the words of an old hymn,
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?I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore: Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more: But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry: From the waters lifted me?.Now safe am I!
Love lifted me, love lifted me, When nothing else could help Love lifted me!?
Love is responsible for our world, our universes and all that man has to enjoy on this planet. Love is the glue that has knitted together the diverse human race, and only love can generate an atmosphere where so many people can share the same space and live in harmony. That has to do with the love of God, and His purposes for His world. Love is one of the prime attributes of God (1st John 4:8,16; John 3:16; John 15:13); however, it is not God?s only attribute. I say that over and over because our society and the visible church feels that God should not have any other attribute except love. God is a perfect God and God has all attributes in perfection, He is perfectly love, but he has perfect hate, He is Merciful but Just, He is forgiving but will judge unrepented sin. So we have to know God as He really is, and we have to know that His love will never set aside his justice. I believe it?s a fact that we have begun to believe that God has to love everyone and that ultimately He will take everyone into heaven. Where did we ever get that idea? God with us, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, plainly told us that that would not happen, when he said in Matthew chapter 7 and verses 13 & 14 ? Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there be many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. If we read those verses, God himself is telling us that there will be many that will go to hell because it is easy and smooth and they don?t have to be careful to walk in the right way, but only a few will take the time or make the effort to enter by the narrow gate, which is Jesus Christ, and walk that narrow and difficult way that leads to eternal life.
Those instructions that Christ laid down there are clear to me, how about you? What are you depending on to get you into God?s heaven? Regardless of what you say you are depending on there is only one thing that will serve that purpose, and that is the blood of Jesus Christ and your unwavering faith that what He did on the cross was sufficient to wash you clean and make you fit for heaven. That depends on whether you love Christ enough to obey what He has commanded us. There is no way that anyone can ever love the way God would have His children to love Him and love others, unless that person has understood the love of God and has responded unto salvation. Now, it?s easy for anyone to say, ?I love God?; however God has given us a way to test ourselves to see if we really do love Him. Love is proven by obedience to the Word and Will of God, and we see in Hebrews 5:8-9, that when God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, that He went to the cross and died for only those who obey Him. John chapter fourteen is clear on what proves our love for God and for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Verse 15 of John chapter fourteen, tells us that if we love Christ we will keep His commandments and then in that same chapter, in verse 21, we find this spoken by the Savior Himself, when He said???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?. Then in verses 23 and 24 our Savior goes on to say?..?If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to Him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father?s who sent Me?.
By the same token, it is love that evidences that ?new birth? that comes in every true salvation. We are exhorted over and over throughout the New Testament that we are to love one another, that is we are to show love to everyone that will allow us to love them, but we must show a special kind of love to those who are Christians, those who show evidence of their love for God and the people of God. How important is love? Well, we can look to our Scripture reference for this lesson (1st Corinthians 13:13) where God inspires the Apostle Paul to write to us and say, ?And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love?. We know that faith and hope will be fully realized or fulfilled in heaven, but love ?that God kind of love, is everlasting both here and in eternity. Only God can give us the power to truly love; and He only gives that gift to those whom He saves, gives a new birth, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When we receive that new birth (see Ephesians 2:10), we are recreated ?In Christ?, who is the living Love of God and so we are created in love and will love God and others as we should and as only those who have been truly saved can do.
First Corinthians 13, tells us of that great gift of God (Love), and it says?
?Though I speak with the tongues of man and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge , it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love?.
Now, if you will go back and read First Corinthians chapter thirteen you will find some very pointed and interesting knowledge. For instance, in verses 1 through 3, you will find that a person can have the gift of prophecy and have knowledge, and faith that will move mountains, yet you do not evidence salvation unless you have love. You can even give your goods to feed the poor and even be martyred for your faith, but if you do not have love it profits you nothing. That begs the question, what is love? We have always thought that men who spoke with glib tongues and were soft spoke and kind, have all knowledge and the ability to prophesy , if you used your funds to provide food for the hungry, and even give your body to be burned (or martyred), unless you really have love for your brothers and for needy people, it prophets you nothing. Verses 4 thru 9 lists the beauty of love and you can read that for yourself. Finally, verses 10 thru 13 indicates that every saved person should strive to become mature in their faith and love, then finally, verse 13 assures us that of the graces of faith, hope and love, the greatest of these is love.
We have looked at Agape love and we find that it is the God kind of love, which is love for the sake of love, or love for those who are not lovable, or who do not merit God?s love in any way. That?s how God found every one of us who is really saved. He loved us when we were His enemies. Now, let?s look at the Phileo, or brotherly love, that speaks of the real love of one Christian for another. Probably the best definition of Phileo would be tender affection. God commands us in Hebrews 13:1-2 to ?Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels?. We cannot say, that we love God but hate our brother! First John 4:21 commands us , ?That he who loves God must love his brother also?.
Before we are brought from spiritual death to spiritual life by the Holy Spirit, we have a dysfunctional love, a love that is more about self than about others. The sinner?s love is predicated upon some desired reaction from its object. The saved person?s love is a reflection of the love of God and it loves because it has been loved by God. It requires nothing from the one who is loved.
God has commanded that we love our neighbor, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44). We do not pay enough attention to love for others as we should; but God has said that it was the evidence of our being born again (1st John 4:7-8).
Now, in closing, let?s review what we have found about love. First we found that there is no real effectual love except that which is given by God. Man in his fallen state can love but it is a selfish or demanding love which requires something from the object of its affection. We found that love is both a Noun and a Verb, and the verb calls for action so Love is always evidenced by what it does for others. With that in mind dare we question our own love for God and for others? We may find that we do not really love like God has commanded us to love because it is not shown by any action. Lastly, we found that it is one of the virtues of being a Child of God, in that a truly saved person has a ?can?t help it? love for God and for others. Christ has told us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments; and He has commanded us to love God and love our neighbor. That brings us back under the Law, but not the penalty of the law, but under an obligation to obey the law out of Christian love. If you doubt that check out the scripture in Matthew 22: 36-40. Practice your love for God and for others, it?s like a muscle, and the more you exercise it or practice it the stronger it becomes.
Until next time, this is brobob. 
