Love
LOVE
By Apostle Aje Pelser, preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 22nd of July 2012.
“Attributes of love that will reveal God’s nature in our lives.”
God is love.
1 John 4:16
1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love is a Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22
It is impossible to love sometimes, but with God all things are possible!
Through the Promise of the Holy Spirit, we can partake in God’s divine nature of love.
2 Peter 1:4
2Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
2Pe 1:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me;
Act 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'
The Holy Spirit Pours out God’s Love in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit takes us through tribulation, developing our spirits and pouring out his love on our hearts. We know that our hope in Him will not be disappointed because we know He loved us through the tribulations He helped us through. That relationship sustains and anchors the soul in hope. The very hope that enter behind the veil and helps us experience God’s presence daily. Jesus opened this way for us when He shed His blood for us on the cross. Christ within is our hope of glory, but also our hope of loving God and our neighbour as He would.
Rom 5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
Rom 5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Rom 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Love is the more excellent way.
Remember that Jesus is the Way, the truth and the life. He shows us the way of love too. Love is the fast lane on the highway of holiness.
Read and then pray through 1 Corinthians 13
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.
Love is the greatest commandment.
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.'
The Development of love can be summarized as follows:
2Pe 1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
2Pe 1:6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
2Pe 1:7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
The Lord showed me the concentric circles of growth in the cross section of a tree once and I realized that through our spiritual growth, we add layers and the outer layer is love – the bark that protects the tree. Love is actually a very strong force that shields us – God is Love – God said He is our Shield and our great reward – see His promise to Abraham:
Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.'
Chastisement shows the Father’s love too!
Hebrews 12:6
Heb 12:6 FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.'
Heb 12:7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Heb 12:8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
Heb 12:10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
He’d rather correct us than let us go to hell. In addition, the peace that comes from being right with God is part of our inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Perfected Love
If we keep His word, the love of God is perfected in us. That is why we encourage all believers to study the Word of God and memorize it, pray it in and live it out. That way we keep His Word and in the process the Holy Spirit helps to perfect that fruit of love in our lives. It doesn’t mean we get it right every time, but we have submitted to His process and we allow the Vinedresser to prune us from time to time so that the fruit can grow stronger, healthier and people can taste our lives and see that the Lord is good. And, it is His goodness that leads people to repentance!
God’s love never fails, and He has demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for our sins. Receive His love for you today!
Once you receive His love through Jesus Christ, nothing can ever separate you from it, neither death nor life, principalities and powers, angels and demons, things in the past, present or future; height nor depth; any created thing – nothing means nothing!
The love of God which is shown in Christ Jesus our Lord is prefect and it casts out all fear right now in Jesus name. Receive His spirit of power, love and a sound mind right now by faith in the name of Jesus.