Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Keeping the love of God (CE50)

    'Current and Coming Events'
Jude 1:20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
    Brethren, we must keep ourselves (abide) in the love of God and the only way to abide in His love is to keep Jesus commandments.
John 15:9-10 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love

Two Commandments for the Jews

1 Love the Lord
Mark 12:29-30 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."

Jews must love the Lord with
a. all their heart - God is above all our wealth, family, business, etc.
b. all their soul - God is their joy, happiness, pleasure, etc.
c. all their mind - by keeping the Law without human wisdom nor distorted truth.
Deut​ 5:32 "Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left."
*d. all their strength* by overcoming all covetousness, selfishness, sins, worldliness, lusts, deceptions, etc.

2 Love the neighbours
Mark 12:31 "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
   Jews must love their neighbours as they love their families and themselves, thereby making all Jews (Israelites) as one family of God.

New Commandment to Christians
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
    Jesus gave up the glory and was born in humility so that He could shared His love and compassion living among us. Having received His grace and love, Christians are expected to love one another as Jesus had loved us.
1Cor 13:4-7 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.

How Jesus Loved Us
1John 3:16-18  By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
    For our sake, our Lord Jesus suffered greatly:-
1. at Gethsemane, He prayed till He sweated blood,
2. He bled by wearing the crown of thorns,
3. He was chastised for our healing,
4. He was crucified for the propitiation of our sins
5. He tasted death to set us free from the fear of death.
    Our Lord Jesus set this example for us to love our brethren and when the Spirit of truth has set us free by crucifying our flesh, we will be able to love as Jesus had loved us thereby making all Christians as His family in the Body of Christ, His church.
Gal 5:24-25 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Love in Action
Mat 5:44-45a  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;"
   
Brethren, we know that *we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren*. He who does not love his brother abides in death.  (1John 3:14)