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Higher Love. God’s gift of love. The very nature and character of God is love 1 John 4:7,8,16 God’s love is the basis of our salvation 1 John 4:9,10 John 3:16 God’s love is the foundation of the law Matthew 22:36-40. Linguistic problem.
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The very nature and character of God is love 1 John 4:7,8,16 • God’s love is the basis of our salvation 1 John 4:9,10 John 3:16 • God’s love is the foundation of the law Matthew 22:36-40
Linguistic problem • One word for love in English……….. Greek has four • Storge – love of kin or family love. • Phileo – affectionate love or brotherly love. • Eros – love between opposite sexes or sexual love. • Agape – selfless love. Eros does not appear at all in the New Testament. Agape is used some 87 times in the New Testament and always refers to God’s unique love
God’s love vs man’s love • Human love is • Conditional • Changeable • Self-seeking • God’s love is • Unconditional • Changeless • Self emptying or other focused
“God does not employ compulsory measures; love is the agent which he uses to expel sin from the heart” Thoughts from the mount of blessings pp 77 Being a good disciplinarian; a good law keeper; is not equivalent to being a loving Christian. Paul in Corinthians identifies the absolute worthlessness of religious activity, no matter how apparently good, when it’s not motivated by a heart filled with divine love
Paul’s frustration with the Galatians • Good works are the product of a love motivated faith • We are to relate to “one another in love’ • We are to speak ‘the truth in love’ • We are to”edify the church in love” • We are to”walk in love, as Christ has loved us. • We are to exercise”faith which work by love”
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Beholding 2 Corinthians 3:18 “but we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” • Beholding is the deliberate action of the mind to focus, meditate, or dwell upon a matter in order to gain a clear understanding of it.
Formula • Beholding[or focusing upon] the cross, produces comprehension of God’s love. • Comprehension of God’s love awakens gratitude in the heart. • Gratitude creates responsive love. • And love willingly and eagerly obeys God’s will
If we would turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, the things we struggle to let go of would grow strangely dim
Paul’s way • Jesus died for you, even you, before you even sensed your need of a Savior. • Jesus loves you with a love so void of self-interest that he willingly suffered the guilt of your sins so you can be free! • If you allow his love to enter your heart, it will transform your motive for living from selfishness to love!
Look and live • Jesus to Nicodemus • Son of Man must be lifted up so everyone who believes in him will have eternal life • Snake bit Israelites found healing by looking at the pole • Sinners find healing by looking to Christ
Desire of Ages • Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might treated as he deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which he had no share, that we might be justified by his righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the deaths which was ours, that we might receive the life which was his. • It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen.
God gave his only begotten Son to become one of the human family, for ever to retain his human nature. • Christ could have come down from the cross. But it is because he would not save Himself that the sinner has hope of pardon and favor with God.
With amazement the angels beheld the infinite love of Jesus, who, suffering the most intense agony of mind and body, thought only of others, and encouraged the penitent soul to believe. • In his dying hour, Christ remembered his mother. The loving Savior, amid all his physical pain and mental anguish,had a thoughtful care for his mother. • Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Savior in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with the sorrow that can never be fully understood by man.
The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to him is coming forth from the grave conqueror or tell him of the father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared the sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal. • He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,----offers himself up on the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to you. He, the sin bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice, and for your sake became sin itself.
It’s all in Christ • You want to be more loving today? Look to the one who loved even his enemies Matthew 5:44 • You want to be more compassionate? Look to Him who even while hanging on the cross was thinking of his own mother and caring for her future John 19:25 • You want to feel more hopeful? Look to the one who predicted that Peter would betray him, then after Peter did, gave him the love and hope to get up and go on. Luke 22:31- 34 John 21:15-17I
