I John 4:7- 21
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
13By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
20If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
It’s not enough to learn about God’s love; you must experience it. Like an epiphany, (“a moment of sudden and great revelation”) God’s love will open your mind and heart and possess your being. Have you ever had this experience? Henry Drummond, in his famous sermon, “The Greatest thing in the World,” gives an excellent example of this experience.
While a little boy was dying and his family was standing around his bed, thinking that he was in a coma, an elderly man laid his hand on him and said softly, “God loves you son.” Hearing this, the boy sprang up in bed and said, “God loves me! God loves me!” There was life in this realization. And this was the boy’s epiphany.
After preaching the love of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit for years, I questioned whether I had received the Holy Spirit and whether I actually knew that God loved me. I preached a series of sermons on God and determined to know Him better. Just after this series, Lurea and I were invited to attend a conference on the Holy Spirit in Orlando, FL. I went with great anticipation, feeling certain that I would receive a special blessing. Nothing happened suddenly but I was aware that things were happening that were leading me in the right direction. I bought a new Bible and rededicated myself to a new study. The man at the book store put my name on it in gold, and while doing so stamped my name on a Happy Face book marker, causing it to read, “Smile, God loves you Lacy Williams.” In the plane on our way home Lurea pointed this out to me, and like the boy in the above incident, I said, “God loves Lacy Williams! God loves Lacy Williams!” That was my epiphany, although I didn’t realize it fully until later.
On Saturday I was in my church preparing Sunday’s sermon. I would share my experiences with my church. After announcing that we would not have Sunday school because I needed some extra time for my message, I preached for an hour. My people were aware that I had been with Jesus, and they were moved also. One woman said aloud, “I want what Lacy has.” I had never experienced the help I had that day in preaching a sermon. On this day in my life my epiphany was realized. Although emotions rise and fall, I have never questioned the power of the Holy Spirit or the Love of God that I experienced thirty years ago.
Nothing one might experience in life is more precious than being surprised by God’s love, to know without doubt that one has received the Holy Spirit and that God loves him. I am praying for everyone on my contact list that this essay will bless you as I have been blessed.
part 2 to follow
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
God's Children Love One Another
I John
3:1- 24
1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
7Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him;
Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
23And this is His commandment that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
24 one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
From this Scripture learn:
1. We are children of God.
2. When Christ appears we will be like Him.
3. In this hope we are purifying ourselves to meet Him.
4. As we abide in Him we cannot abide in sin.
5. As we practice righteousness we are righteous. “No one who is born of God practices sin.”
6. As brothers and sisters in God’s family we should love one another.
7. In our love for one another we have passed from death to life.
8. As Jesus gave His life for us, we should be willing to give our lives for one another.
9. Our love is shown by our deeds; “love is “active good will.”
10 We know that Christ abides in us by the Holy Spirit He has given us.
11 As we live in a way that pleases God, our hearts do not condemn us and our prayers are answered.
3:1- 24
1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
7Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him;
Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
23And this is His commandment that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
24 one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
From this Scripture learn:
1. We are children of God.
2. When Christ appears we will be like Him.
3. In this hope we are purifying ourselves to meet Him.
4. As we abide in Him we cannot abide in sin.
5. As we practice righteousness we are righteous. “No one who is born of God practices sin.”
6. As brothers and sisters in God’s family we should love one another.
7. In our love for one another we have passed from death to life.
8. As Jesus gave His life for us, we should be willing to give our lives for one another.
9. Our love is shown by our deeds; “love is “active good will.”
10 We know that Christ abides in us by the Holy Spirit He has given us.
11 As we live in a way that pleases God, our hearts do not condemn us and our prayers are answered.
Friday, April 2, 2010
3. Misplaced Love
I John
2:15-24
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, are not from the Father, but are from the world.
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and no lie is of the truth.
22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
24As for you let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
______________
This is not a prohibition against loving God’s creation and the people who inhabit it; it is a warning not to love worldly things rather than heavenly things. “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is....Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col.3:1, 2). We will all have our mindset; we must each decide what it will be. There is a very good reason for this teaching: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
“All that is in the world” falls into three categories – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” These are the areas in which we are tempted and in which we either resist and stand or yield and fall. This was so in the case of Adam and Eve in the Garden, Jesus in the desert, and the rest of us when we are tempted, wherever we are. Whatever gets your attention gets your mind. And whatever gets your mind gets you. “The world is passing away, and also its lust; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
We hear a lot about the antichrist coming in the last days. What does John say about this? He said that he and his generation were living in the “last hour,” and that the antichrist was coming, just as many antichrists had already appeared. These were the ones who separated from the apostles and went out on their own. They were called “antichrists” because they were opposed to Christ, rejecting Him rather than accepting Him as believers do. If you have an anointing from God you know these things, while those who have not the anointed are speculating and concoct theories, which they use to persuade their followers. You must rely on John and come out of the world to go with Christ.
If you truly believe that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit abide in you, you also abide in the Father and in the Son. Don’t ever forget this truth. You don’t have to guess about your relationship with the Holy Trinity, just exercise your faith as a follower and you will have all the evidence you will need. You will know whether you are in the word of in Christ, whether you love is true or misplaced.
2:15-24
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, are not from the Father, but are from the world.
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and no lie is of the truth.
22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
24As for you let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
______________
This is not a prohibition against loving God’s creation and the people who inhabit it; it is a warning not to love worldly things rather than heavenly things. “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is....Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col.3:1, 2). We will all have our mindset; we must each decide what it will be. There is a very good reason for this teaching: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
“All that is in the world” falls into three categories – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” These are the areas in which we are tempted and in which we either resist and stand or yield and fall. This was so in the case of Adam and Eve in the Garden, Jesus in the desert, and the rest of us when we are tempted, wherever we are. Whatever gets your attention gets your mind. And whatever gets your mind gets you. “The world is passing away, and also its lust; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
We hear a lot about the antichrist coming in the last days. What does John say about this? He said that he and his generation were living in the “last hour,” and that the antichrist was coming, just as many antichrists had already appeared. These were the ones who separated from the apostles and went out on their own. They were called “antichrists” because they were opposed to Christ, rejecting Him rather than accepting Him as believers do. If you have an anointing from God you know these things, while those who have not the anointed are speculating and concoct theories, which they use to persuade their followers. You must rely on John and come out of the world to go with Christ.
If you truly believe that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit abide in you, you also abide in the Father and in the Son. Don’t ever forget this truth. You don’t have to guess about your relationship with the Holy Trinity, just exercise your faith as a follower and you will have all the evidence you will need. You will know whether you are in the word of in Christ, whether you love is true or misplaced.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
