The Vehicle of Revelation

Colossians 2: 2-3

“Love” is the Vehicle of Revelation

Love is the conduit through which spiritual wisdom and knowledge is carried along to the believer.

Brotherly love is absolutely essential for spiritual growth. As a matter of fact a Christian will not and cannot grow in wisdom and knowledge when brotherly love is compromised in the body of Christ. It like turning of the faucet to the flow of water; when the valve is closed the water flow is hindered and it comes to a standstill.

“Unity in Love” is the channel through which the knowledge and wisdom of God travels and it is essential for spiritual growth. When brotherly love is compromised spiritual growth is stifled.

The Christian is to be strengthened in heart and firmly bound together in Christian love. The revelation of God cannot be properly known apart from the cultivation of brotherly love within the community.

The Corinthian church, which had special need to learn this lesson, was reminded that “knowledge inflates, but love builds up” and it is later made clear in Ephesians 3: 17-18 that only as Christians “rooted and well founded in love” can they “comprehend with all saints” the fullness of divine revelation. And this love is personal: Christ himself is the mystery revealed. It is the mystery of God revealed– Christ, with whom they have become one.

When the physical body is sick it loses its appetite for solid foods and so it is with the church; the church becomes weak when Christian “love” is compromised. The church loses appetite for the meat of the Word. It closes the gate to deeper and fuller revelation which leads to spiritual riches.  

Paul addressed the Corinthian church saying, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready for it...and the reason given for their lack of appetite for solid food is credited to compromised relationships.

 

The apostle Paul was prepared to take them further and deeper in the things of God but soon realized that the Corinthian believers were unprepared to it. They were caught up in schism and division. Paul’s energy now turns to the healing of relationships rather than leading them into fullness of Christ. The gateway to spiritual riches was closed by a rift in the church. The vehicle of revelation is now under repair. 

 

1 Corinthians 3: 1-3, “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?” There was a great deal of friction within the body of Christ. It was like metal rubbing against metal and the many parts of the body became overheated with friction and in danger of a meltdown. This church needed to get back its first love.

 

 1 Corinthian 12:12-

Love is a Lubricant:

“Love” is the Lubricant that Reduces Friction.

  A lubricant separates moving parts so they don’t rub against each other.

Moving parts require lubricant, otherwise, friction will create heat and the increase of heat will damage moving parts. The Lord is concerned about friction in the moving parts of His body. The body is a unit with many parts that form one body and every moving part of the body requires the lubricant of love from all the other members in order for it to function effectively. For this reason the word of God says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph. 4:2)

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph. 4:16) “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  (Eph 5:2) “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,” (Phil. 1:9)

The greater the love greater the ministry, greater the blessing, greater the presence of God, the more the Holy Spirit will be poured out on the believers. Keep in mind that those who are new in the Lord need a loving and caring family to mentor, disciple and nurture them in the faith.

The diversity in the body, Paul says, is by God’s design. The problem with the Church it seems is that it’s at issue with God’s design. “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” The emphasis is on the fact that each member is there by placement.

Why is it that Christian get upset with God’s design for His church?  Can you accept God’s design for the Church? The problem is that believers strive for uniformity at the expense of diversity.  We like uniformity but struggle with diversity. Diversity within unity is Paul’s concern. Christians are not pickles in a jar...the same size and color...no my friend. And there’s also a diversity of gifts given to the church by the Holy Spirit.

Paul asserts that God is responsible for the diversity that makes up the one body and those whom God has placed in the church. The scriptures says He gave some to be  apostles, prophets, teachers, pastor, evangelist, and then he speaks of the charismata; gifts of prophecy,  gifts of miracles, gifts of healings,  and gifts of tonques.

And none of these gifts can function effectively in the absence of love one for another.  Being united in love is the way to go, otherwise, the way they are going is destructive to the church as a community. The way they are being called to is one that seeks the good of others before oneself. It is the way of edifying the church, of seeking the common good. It is not love versus gifts that Paul has in mind, but “love as the only context for gifts; for without the former, the latter have no usefulness at all – but then neither does much of anything else in the Christian life.  “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)

An Open Door

Revelation 4

Have you given much consideration to the content of the Lord’s Prayer? I mean have you ever consider what is being asked for when this prayer is recited? Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

That’s a pretty powerful prayer to pray, especially when you consider that God answers prayer. Whenever this prayer is prayed it’s a request to God asking that the activities of heaven be the activities on earth. I got thinking about this and wondered what is really happening in heaven at this very moment? Is there a similarity between what happens on earth and what happens in heaven? We know the sorts of things that take place on earth but heaven; well, we’re not so sure about. We can only imagine.

The truth is God didn’t just leave it to our imaginations; He gave us revelation to help our imagination; He gave us the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter four and five is really “an open door” to heaven. It’s God way of allowing us to see things without actually being there. It’s an open door that allows us to peer into heaven so we can get an idea of the sort of things that are taking place in the heavenly realms. The things that are happening there are to be expected to happen here on earth. Pray at this moment that the Holy Spirit will help us to see what is revealed in the scriptures concerning heaven.

Let us turn to the book of Revelation chapter four.

An Open Door to Heaven

John wrote in Revelation 4: 1 saying, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.” This statement is very similar to what the prophet, Ezekiel in chapter one and verse one, “The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”

It’s my prayer that God will bring us into the opened heavens. My heart longs for His glory and His presence. I exhort you to seek His face and worship before His throne on a daily basis. Worship prepares the heart for revelation; it prepares us for the ecstatic; the supernatural and the prophetic.

John 4:1 says John heard a voice speaking to him like a trumpet saying, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.” John appears to be in a trance and is seeing things that are beyond the natural boundaries of this world. We content ourselves to know and experience God within the boundaries of the natural world.

Revelation 4:2 John said, “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” The Spirit God will take us beyond the natural realm of this world and bring us into the realm of the heavenly. The Apostle Paul said. “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heavens. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know – God knows. And I know this man...who was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.” (11 Corinthians 12:2)

You may be thinking this sounds a little stranger but have you consider 1 Corinthians 12:2 in light of Ephesians 2:6? It says “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms ...” This verse is written in the present tense. Paul is telling us that we are presently seated with him in the heavenly realm even though our feet are planted on earth. The reason is Paul can say this is because believers are linked or joined to Christ by Holy Spirit. Yes, we are on earth and Jesus is in heaven and yet we are with Him in the heavenly realm at the same time. The Word says we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

How is it that Christ is in heaven and we are on earth and yet it can be said that “we’re seated with Him in heaven.” It’s a supernatural mystery. It’s a dual citizenship that gives us the ability to live in the supernatural (heavenly) realm. Why would God do something like this for us? The scripture says He did it to show the “incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness”. God shows us what’s beyond the natural world because he loves us. He’s shows us these things because He has wonderful things stored up for us. Heaven is our destination.

Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:3 & 4) Church, we are to Rise into our Destiny! Our destiny is the heavenly realms of God’s glory.

Revelation 4:2 John said, “At once I was in the Spirit.” It’s amazing what happens to believers when they are in the Spirit. It’s glorious and it’s supernatural. There are some pretty powerful experiences awaiting those who are in the Spirit. The Spirit of God enabled John to see the future.

The Holy Spirit made Him a seer – a prophet! John heard a voice inviting him to “come to the door of heaven”. This is a door of revelation. Its metaphorical language designed to show that John had a vision of heaven. God opened the door so John could behold its wonders.

The Throne in Heaven

The first thing God sees in heaven is a throne. It symbols the absolute sovereignty of God. The one upon the throne is “the LORD God, the Almighty”, before him the twenty-four elders fall down and worship and all of creation joins in a doxology of praise and honor.

Psalm 47:8 says, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.” F.F. Bruce said, “Since events on earth have their origin in heaven, the heavenly ascent is not unexpected. A true insight into history is gained only when we view all things from the advantage point of the heavenly throne.”Heaven and earth is eternally linked. They are inseparable. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it.” God has double ownership of earth; by creation and by redemption. The earth is bought with a price. It belongs to Christ. It’s His! The Scroll of chapter five is proof it belongs to Him!

What John saw when he John looked to the throne can only be described in term of brilliance of precious stones. John saw brilliance, like jasper, a transparent crystal-like stone, and a carnelian, a fiery red stone. The throne with its brilliance was surrounded by a rainbow which is as emerald green.

The Psalmist spoke of God as one who covered himself “with light as with a garment.” (47:8) and Paul described the Lord as “dwelling in unapproachable light, whom man has not seen or can see.” (1 Tim 6:16) We are reminded by the stones of the different manifestations of light often used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God.

Israel was led by a pillar of fire at night; the presence of God and glory of God in the Holy of Holies was as represented by the Shekinah glory. What John beheld was so great and indescribable that he resorted to stones to convey what he saw. John is simply trying to portray the majesty of God, resplendent and clothed in unapproachable light. Around the throne of God was twenty-four other thrones occupied by twenty-four elders dressed in white and wearing crowns of God. They have eyes in front and in behind which speaks of alertness and knowledge. Nothing escapes their notice. Keep in mind that the description of eyes is metaphorical language. They have the strength of a lion, the ability of an ox, the intelligence of man and the swiftness of an eagle. They are featured as falling down in worship. On one occasion they join the four living creatures in presenting the prayers of the saints to God. (5:8)

Adoration and praise are continuously on their lips. They are leaders in worship. The four living creatures of Revelation also suggest the seraphim (angels) of Isaiah 6:2-3 who lifted up their voices in praise singing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of host. They living creatures lead the heavenly hosts in worship and adoration of God. His holiness and power stretch from eternity to eternity; He is the One “who was and who is and who is to come.”

To fall down is the proper and appropriate response to the majesty to God: to worship is appropriate for His eternal being. In casting down their crowns before the throne the elders acknowledged that their authority comes from Him. The honor given them is freely returned to the One alone is worthy of universal honor.

The Blazing Lamps in Heaven

May the fire of God burn on earth as it burning in heaven! When we pray, “Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth” we are literally asking for the fire of God to burn in our midst. The presence of the Holy Spirit is represented by the seven burning lamps of fire which is before the throne which denotes the fullness of God’s Spirit.

Fire has always been associated with Holy Spirit in both Old and New Testaments; on Mount Sinai in the giving of the law and the day of Pentecostal. There was fire on Mount Sinai and there was fire in the Upper Room.

On the day of Pentecostal it says, “They saw what seemed to be tonques of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” The menorah burned 24/7 in the Holy of Holies. It burned 24/7 in the synagogues of Israel and it has to burn 24/7 in the church.

Paul said, “Pray without ceasing for this is the will of God.” He also said, “Be filled with the Spirit” which means that you are to be filled over and over and over and over again. Keep replenishing the oil of your lamps. “Fan it into full flame.” It’s power for ministry. It’s the power for service. It’s the power for worship. It’s the light that illuminates the scriptures. We need the fire of God in the church!

In the book of Exodus chapter 25 we read that God showed Moses on Mount Sinai the exact pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture and he was told to make it according to the pattern. The Ark of the Covenant, the Table for Bread and the Golden Lamp Stand, the Bronze Altar, the Court of the Tabernacle and even the Oil for the Lamp was to be made according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain. It is the patter for acceptable and successful ministry.

John on the Isle of Patmos was taken into the presence of God and a door to the Throne Room was opened and he was shown a pattern for worshipper on earth. “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God...” (Revelation 4:5&6)

The fire of the Spirit burns before the throne of God. The worship before the throne of God is the pattern for the church. The fire of the Spirit is the pattern for earth dwellers. The church has taken the pattern of heaven and replaced it with a hymn sing or with a melody of choruses. But worship can only be worship with the blazing fire of heaven. When our lives are consumed with this blazing fire we will fall before Him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. Crowns were cast before the throne saying “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you are created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

My Lord, let the pattern of heaven be restore to the church. The fire and wind that came into the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost is according to the heavenly pattern and it must remain the pattern for the modern day church.

Life Is No Coincidence

Life isn’t lotto 649, no my friend. So you’re thinking that the events just happens by chance, randomly, that it moves aimlessly through space and time with no set purpose. If you are thinking it is this way then you need to think again. Your life has a specific design; it comes with a set of blueprints and manual.

Seriously, I’m going to share with you insight from the Word of God with the intent purpose of setting you on the right path of thinking. The truth is; God created you, He loves you, He sent His Son to die on the cross to save you and He sent Holy Spirit to speak truth into your heart.

The hand of God can be clearly seen on the many characters in the Bible. I see this to be true in every chapter, every verse and in every line written in the Word of God.

Consider Abram, “The LORD had said him, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) God literally spoke to Abram. It wasn’t his father, mother, wife or some friend that spoke to him; it was God who spoke to Abram. “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him... he was seven-five years old when he set out from Haran.” (v.2)

Why God did call a seven-five year old man to uproot and move to a new location? It sounds crazy at first until you hear the explanation. God said to Abram, “I will make you into a great nation...I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” (v.2, 3)

Greatness and blessing go together. Are you getting the revelation? God singled out one man and assigned him a place of great honor. In the same manner in which God entered into a covenant with Abram (Genesis 15) He enters into a covenant with you and I. It's a covenant relationship; one with a specific mission.

Moses was a shepherd attending to the flock of his father-in-law near Hored, the mountain of God, when He spoke to Him through a burning bush that didn’t burn up. God said, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites of Egypt? And God said, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:11 & 12) Moses thought the idea to be crazy; he was under qualified. He was by no means a match for Pharoah. Why would God assign him such an overwhelling mission? He wasn't  a trained operative. He didn't have a Central Intellegence Agency  working for him. He didn't have a standing army to challenge Pharoah. He had nothing but a promise from God; for he needed nothing else. With reluctance Moses obeyed and went to Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)

Are you getting the revelation? God is calling you and is giving you an assignment. He's calling you and sending you out to help someone in distress, someone in darkness, someone in bondage, someone in despair; He’s sending you out to bring that someone out of darkness, to lift that someone out of the pit, to rescue a soul. He has a ministry for you, He has a mission for you; will you go?

Don’t you worry about the outcome; the LORD who helped Moses will help you and give you great success. He will equip you for the task. He will equip you for the mission; just go in faith and believe His promises. Jesus sent twelve disciples out and “gave them authority over evil spirits...they went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (Mark 6:7-12)

I hear the Holy Spirit saying, "there's someone reading this message who is called to the “Ministry of Bringing”. You are to bring others out of slavery and bring them into freedom. God is anointing you for this work and, this anointing will cause others to follow you. They will follow you as you follow Christ. They will follow you to church. They will follow your conversation. They will follow you just to hear you speak Words of Life.

 When two men heard John the Baptist say, “Look, the Lamb of God!” they immediately followed Jesus. Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

“So they went...and spent the day with Jesus. (John 1:35-43) Andrew, one of the two who heard what John had said, followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon...to bring him to Jesus”. There’s an Andrew present who’s called to bring others to Christ.

The Holy Spirit just reminded me of Samuel who was just a young boy when God spoke to him. There’s some young boy, in his adolences, whom God is calling to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Obey and go!

The Word of God says that “Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD...when God spoke to Him.” (1 Samuel 3)

Samuel did not recognize the voice of God at first. He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, you called me. But Eli said, “I did not call you, go back and lie down.” Three times God called Samuel by name before he realized it was God. God called Samuel to a specific task; to warn Eli’s family of coming judgement for sins committed. God anointed Samuel to warn them of judgment to come.   

Are you getting the revelation? God calls individuals to warn of coming judgement. It’s a specific assignment given to warn others about God’s wrath and plead with them to repent and stop offending God.

The Holy Spirit just spoke again saying, "that many are being called with a special anointing to warn this generation of the wrath to come". God raised up Jeremiah to warn the whole nation of Israel of the coming calamity. Few listened and because they refused to repent, a nation of people went into captivity. Jeremiah was anointed for the task. Whenever he spoke he cried nothing but violence and destruction; the messagethat brought him insult and reproach all day long. It got so bad for Jeremiah, he thought, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name". But he could hold it in, he said, “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9)

There's a whole generation of believers who lack courage. When Christians lose courage they lose hope. When they lose hope they’re weakened in their resolve to defend family, church or the home land. Men will only follow a man with courage. God is calling you to be a man of courage. He’s calling you by the power of the Spirit to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. He’s calling you to be a general in His army.

Phillips Brooks said, Courage...is the indispensable requisite of any true ministry...Courage is good everywhere, but it is necessary here. If you are afraid of men and a slave to their opinion, go and do something else. Go and make shoes to fit them...But do not keep on all your life preaching sermons which shall say not what God sent you to declare, but what they hire you to say. *

 Stay with me, the Holy Spirit has more to say to on this matter. The Word of God says that Samuel anointed David to be the King over Israel. David was given a special anointing for the task ahead. King Saul led the men of Israel astray but God anointed David to bring them back.

Let me give you a picture of how bad things can be with men. Saul and the Israelites gathered their forces for war against the Philistines. When David showed up on the front lines he found Saul and all the Israelites dismayed and terrified. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion...stepped out from his lines and shouted defiance and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they ran from him in great fear.” (1 Samuel 17:24) The men were hiding in caves. They lost hope and were paralyzed with fear. “For forty days the Philistines came forward every morning and evening and took their stand.”

God called David, anointed Him with courage and sent him out to the battle line to break the spirit of fear and intimidation. David gave the army Israel a renewed hope. The revelation here is that a generation of men have lost their moral and spiritual courage and are paralyzed with fear but, things are going to change. God is sending His man to the front lines of battle. His mission to break the curse of dispair and hopelessness. His mission is to lead God's army into battle to destroy the works of the devil.

 C.S. Lewis said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

God is sending a band of brothers anointed with confidence to fight against the Philistines and to decapitate Lucifer. No longer will men retreat, no longer will they recoil.  They will run to the battle line to face their adversary in the power of the Spirit. They will reach into the bag of God's promise as David reached for a stone to slain the enemy. God is sending His “Special Forces” who’s trained, disciplined, equipped and dangerous!

Over and over we hear the words of the LORD in the scriptures saying, “Be strong and of good courage, fear not...be strong and of good courage, fear not...be strong and of good courage, fear not.” In other words “never back down from a fight.”

Polycarp refused to back down and we bend to forces of opposition.

John  Foxe - After the respite, the Christians again came under persecution, this time from Marcus Aurelius, in A.D. 61. One of those who suffered this time was Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna...As he entered the stadium with his guards, a voice from heaven was heard to say, "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man." No one nearby saw anyone speaking but many people heard the voice. Brought before the tribunal and the crowd, Polycarp refused to deny Christ, although the proconsul begged him to "consider yourself and have pity on your great age. Reproach Christ and I will release you." Polycarp replied, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never once wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?" Threatened with wild beasts and fire, Polycarp stood his ground.(From Foxe’s Christian Martyrs, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, OH. Page 11. Used by permission)

Psalm 27:1-3 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.  Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”

·         (Quoted in: Who Will Be Saved? Edited by: House, Paul and Thornbury, Gregory, Crossway, 2000, p. 101.)

 

God Loves You!

In John 3:16 (ESV) Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

It is only one sentence. And that sentence contains only twenty-four words. Yet that one sentence is packed with so much truth that we literally will not have time to fully unpack its contents, but I will try.

From this one verse we can find at least seven truths (probably more) about the love of God. Let’s look at them now.

1. THE LOVE OF GOD IS UNCONDITIONAL.  For God so loved the world

The Greek word for world (kosmos) is defined as “the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ.” This is the world that God loved. It doesn’t say that God loved all the good guys. Or that God loved all the Jews. Or that God love all the saints. It says, “For God so loved the world.”

That God should love the world only heightens the mystery of this love. Were we to imagine a pristine world, fresh from the hand of the Creator and uninfected by evil, we could more easily comprehend God’s desire to save it. But a wayward world which not only failed to recognize its maker (John 1:10) but openly hated His approach to it (15:18) would seem a poor choice for love.

So God’s love clearly isn’t based on our spiritual condition or our moral predisposition. It isn’t based on our behavior or our attitude toward him. Rather we see here that God’s love for mankind is universal and unconditional. He loves everyone. And this is one of the things that sets him apart from every other god held up by every other world religion...

Only Christianity dares to proclaim God’s love is unconditional. An unconditional love that we call grace. Christians boldly proclaim that grace really has precious little to do with us, our inner resolve, or our lack of inner resolve. Rather, grace is all about God and God freely giving to us the gifts of forgiveness, mercy, and love.

So God’s love for us is unconditional. It is as Philip Yancey once wrote: “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”

2. THE LOVE OF GOD IS SACRIFICIAL.  that he gave

According to a footnote in the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible an alternate translation of the first part of John 3:16 is as follows: “For this is how God loved the world…” How did God love us? He loved us by giving, by serving, by sacrificing. So here we learn something important about the nature of true love. Some people think they love others because of what those people do for them or how they make them feel. But God shows us that true love has nothing to do with what you can do for me, but everything to do with what I can do for you.

And what are the results of God’s sacrificial love?

3. THE LOVE OF GOD IS VALUABLE.  His only

Here we see the value of the Father’s love for us. Not only was His will to give, but we see here that He was willing to give the only one He had. When you give to someone out of your abundance that is one thing, but when you give out of your poverty that is quite another. If you had several vehicles it might be seen as a noble thing if you were to give one of them to a family who had none. But if you were to give them the only vehicle you had that would be seen as something more than noble – something above and beyond the call of duty – it would been seen as real sacrifice.

How many times have you heard or even said yourself: “I can’t give you that because it’s the only one I’ve got.” We’ve probably all said that. But we learn here that God didn’t have a back up. God didn’t have a spare. But he loved us so much that he was willing to give us the only one he had. “The power and passion of God’s love comes across, not through a supposed special meaning of the Greek word involved, but through the length to which God was willing...

4. GOD’S LOVE IS PERSONABLE.   Son

God’s love is not merely some abstract concept. It isn’t just a philosophy or a theological construct. God’s love was made manifest in this world through the person of Jesus Christ the only Son of the Father. Jesus Christ came into this world to reveal to us the love of God in human form.

A child was once trying to quote from John 3:16 in the King James Version, which says, “his only begotten Son.” But the child misquoted it and said, “his only forgotten Son.” It was one of those slips of the tongue that carried more truth than we would care to admit. For by most people in the world today Jesus Christ is truly forgotten. His life is forgotten. His love is forgotten. His sacrifice is forgotten. It is our job as Christians – as God’s ambassadors – to help them remember.

God’s love is personable on the one hand because it was made manifest through a person – Jesus Christ – but also as Max Lucado explained it:

There are many reasons God saves you: to bring glory to himself, to appease his justice, to demonstrate his sovereignty. But one of the sweetest reasons God saved you is because he is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best thing to come down the pike in quite a while… If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it...

 

5. GOD’S LOVE IS ACCESSIBLE.    That whoever believes in him

Yes, God’s love is accessible to everyone and that includes you! You don’t have to be born with the right color of skin or on the correct continent; it is not reserved for only the intellectual elite or the power brokers or financial wizards. No, the love of God is accessible to “whoever believes in” Jesus – the only Son of God. The really good news about God’s love is that it is not limited to a select few.

Please understand that that He has made His love accessible to the average, ordinary person like me and like you. He is not a distant God who loves us only from some mystical, faraway place that is completely removed from us. Rather, he has entered into our world and he longs to enter into our lives.

Will you believe in his Son who made the ultimate expression of God’s love by giving his life on the cross for your sins? By choosing to believe in him you access the love of God, the grace of God and the forgiveness of God. By believing in him you access the new life that only he can provide.

6. GOD’S LOVE IS NONJUDGMENTAL.   Should not perish

God’s goal in sending his Son from heaven to earth was not condemn you or to show you how bad you are, how unworthy you are or how hopeless you are. God’s only desire in sending his Son was showing you His love and to draw you into a love relationship with Himself. Jesus didn’t come into the world in order to rebuke you. He came to rescue you. He didn’t come to criticize you; He came to affirm you. He didn’t come to punish you; He came to pardon you. He didn’t come to destroy you; He came to restore you. Believe on Him. Accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Pray the prayer of faith and invite the Lord Jesus into your life. If you need further help please get in touch with me.