Practice the sense of God's love for us
(From sermon by Pastor Prince - 2nd Dec 2007)
Practice the sense of God's love for us - like the Apostle John.
"John" means 'grace', and like his name, John depended on Christ's love for him and not his love for Christ. John called himself "the disciple whom Jesus loves" in his gospel 5 times - 5 fyi biblically symbolises grace.
Read Jn 13:23,24 - Here, John leaned back on Jesus's bosom and asked "LORD, who is it?". What can we learn from this? Divine intimacy. Jesus revealed to John the answer. Don't boast of your love for God. Divine intimacy lets you hear the heartbeat of God.
Read Jn 19:26,27 - Here John made himself available for the Master's use because he practices God's love for him. Spiritual employment.
Read Jn 20:2-4 - When you boast of the LORD's love for you, you will have spiritual progress over those who boast for their love for the LORD.
Read Jn 21:5-7 - Practicing Jesus's love for us makes you of quick perception and helps you to discern Jesus in events, circumstances and in Scripture. (note John outran Peter)
See John 21:19,20 - The last time he met with his disciples, Jesus made breakfast for them. Here, Peter learns his lesson. When questioned, he said he likes the LORD (instead of using loves) - Peter realised it is about Jesus's love for him, so he admitted he loved Jesus only at the level of affection. But he practiced Jesus's love so Jesus could use him.
Notice John was already following Jesus but Peter had to be told to follow. Once you know God's love, you will follow without having to be told to do so.
Don't fix your eyes on your love for God, which isn't constant. Instead, fix your eyes on God's love for you which is constant and never changes.
Nothing to prove/defence because we are God's beloved. We are more than conquerors through Christ and we are crowned with glory and honour. Good things will happen to you in you, around you and through you because you are cloaked in His righteousness.
Everything will work together for your good - there are bad things that can happen but bad things will work together for your good because you are God's beloved. An example in point is Joseph (Egypt).
'Goliath' means 'stripped' or 'naked' in Hebrew. David saw him naked and was not intimidated by his armour. Similarly the devil has been stripped by Christ on the cross - we have nothing to fear him for!
David means "beloved" - it takes a beloved to knock down the giant. When you know that you are God's beloved, you can take the giants down.
Goliath's skull was buried at Golgotha - picture of Jesus, Son of David & a greater man, crushed the giants.
Grace makes us givers and victors; Have a good opinion of God and know whose you are - knowing that we are His beloved gives us a sense of value.
Jesus had not yet done a miracle yet before His baptism, but when He came out of the waters of baptism, God declared that He is His beloved Son, in Whom He is well pleased."
When Devil came to Jesus notice that he dropped the word "beloved" when he addressed Christ. This is because there is no defence against the word "Beloved" - all his temptations will fall flat.
Similarly, when the devil comes to attack us, his first aim is to cause us not to remember we are His beloved. Thus important to note that it is written that His people are defeated due to a lack of knowledge - lack of knowing Whose we belong to!
Our food are not stones (aka the Law) but the bread of life (Christ, Grace). Stones do not nourish us. Our nourishment is God's Rhema Word to us that WE ARE HIS BELOVED CHILDREN... He is pleased with us not because of who we are but because of Who we are in.
Jn 17:23 God loves us as much as He loves Christ - exact same. You won't understand how much God loves you until you know how much God loves Jesus. This is coz God gave up Jesus for you!
Gen 22 - reflection of God's love for Jesus and for us.
Remember - Good things happen to us when we realise/ come to understand that God loves us PERSONALLY.
"Son of Man has no where to 'lay His head'" - 'lay His head' only used/found in 2 instances -the statement earlier and also at the cross - where he lowered His head and gave up His Spirit for us.
Jesus found His rest in loving and blessing us!
Be greatly blessed, highly favoured and deeply loved by this revelation =D
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
-- Isaiah 9:2
Practice the sense of God's love for us - like the Apostle John.
"John" means 'grace', and like his name, John depended on Christ's love for him and not his love for Christ. John called himself "the disciple whom Jesus loves" in his gospel 5 times - 5 fyi biblically symbolises grace.
Read Jn 13:23,24 - Here, John leaned back on Jesus's bosom and asked "LORD, who is it?". What can we learn from this? Divine intimacy. Jesus revealed to John the answer. Don't boast of your love for God. Divine intimacy lets you hear the heartbeat of God.
Read Jn 19:26,27 - Here John made himself available for the Master's use because he practices God's love for him. Spiritual employment.
Read Jn 20:2-4 - When you boast of the LORD's love for you, you will have spiritual progress over those who boast for their love for the LORD.
Read Jn 21:5-7 - Practicing Jesus's love for us makes you of quick perception and helps you to discern Jesus in events, circumstances and in Scripture. (note John outran Peter)
See John 21:19,20 - The last time he met with his disciples, Jesus made breakfast for them. Here, Peter learns his lesson. When questioned, he said he likes the LORD (instead of using loves) - Peter realised it is about Jesus's love for him, so he admitted he loved Jesus only at the level of affection. But he practiced Jesus's love so Jesus could use him.
Notice John was already following Jesus but Peter had to be told to follow. Once you know God's love, you will follow without having to be told to do so.
Don't fix your eyes on your love for God, which isn't constant. Instead, fix your eyes on God's love for you which is constant and never changes.
Nothing to prove/defence because we are God's beloved. We are more than conquerors through Christ and we are crowned with glory and honour. Good things will happen to you in you, around you and through you because you are cloaked in His righteousness.
Everything will work together for your good - there are bad things that can happen but bad things will work together for your good because you are God's beloved. An example in point is Joseph (Egypt).
'Goliath' means 'stripped' or 'naked' in Hebrew. David saw him naked and was not intimidated by his armour. Similarly the devil has been stripped by Christ on the cross - we have nothing to fear him for!
David means "beloved" - it takes a beloved to knock down the giant. When you know that you are God's beloved, you can take the giants down.
Goliath's skull was buried at Golgotha - picture of Jesus, Son of David & a greater man, crushed the giants.
Grace makes us givers and victors; Have a good opinion of God and know whose you are - knowing that we are His beloved gives us a sense of value.
Jesus had not yet done a miracle yet before His baptism, but when He came out of the waters of baptism, God declared that He is His beloved Son, in Whom He is well pleased."
When Devil came to Jesus notice that he dropped the word "beloved" when he addressed Christ. This is because there is no defence against the word "Beloved" - all his temptations will fall flat.
Similarly, when the devil comes to attack us, his first aim is to cause us not to remember we are His beloved. Thus important to note that it is written that His people are defeated due to a lack of knowledge - lack of knowing Whose we belong to!
Our food are not stones (aka the Law) but the bread of life (Christ, Grace). Stones do not nourish us. Our nourishment is God's Rhema Word to us that WE ARE HIS BELOVED CHILDREN... He is pleased with us not because of who we are but because of Who we are in.
Jn 17:23 God loves us as much as He loves Christ - exact same. You won't understand how much God loves you until you know how much God loves Jesus. This is coz God gave up Jesus for you!
Gen 22 - reflection of God's love for Jesus and for us.
Remember - Good things happen to us when we realise/ come to understand that God loves us PERSONALLY.
"Son of Man has no where to 'lay His head'" - 'lay His head' only used/found in 2 instances -the statement earlier and also at the cross - where he lowered His head and gave up His Spirit for us.
Jesus found His rest in loving and blessing us!
Be greatly blessed, highly favoured and deeply loved by this revelation =D
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
-- Isaiah 9:2
Religion is about how much we MUST love God.Christianity is about how much God loved us.
ReplyDeleteThe old covenant is about REQUIREMENTS.THe new covenant is about BENEFITS.
The legalist message is focus on man and what we did(our sins) and what we have to do.(rules and methods)
The Gospel message is focus on Jesus and what He did(cross) and what he is doing in and through us(grace)
In Christian religion,man compels us to do.In the Gospel,the love of Christ constraints us.
Religion demands righteousness from man.Grace imparts righteousness to man.
In religion,we inflict pain in order to gain.
In the Gospel,His pain(the cross),our gain.
Religion points out our sins and faults.
The Gospel points out our righteousness and acceptance in the Beloved.
Religion looks at our shortcomings.
We look to His second coming!
Religion is our strength,His joy!
Christianity is HIS strength,our joy!
Religion focus on the outside to change the inside.
Jesus change the inside so we can live from the inside out.
In religion,salvation is never cetain bcoz it is base on our performance.
In the Gospel,salvation is secured becoz it is based on Christ's performance.
The devil gives the sinner a false sense of security!(You are good enough)
The devil gives the legalistic Christian a false sense of inscurity!(You are not good enough)
The devil can't do anything to the GRACE believer!(Jesus and His finished work is good enough!!!)
The sinner lives his life not knowing who he is.
The legalistic Christian lives his life trying to be who he is.
The Gospel of grace believer lives HIS life knowing who he is in Him!
The sinner live by his own laws.
The legalist live with a mixture of law and grace.
The Gospel believer lives by grace and has died to the law!
Religion is 'GOD IS ANGRY!'
He is never satisfied!!!
Christianity is 'GOD IS LOVE!!!'
He is satisfied bcoz the WORK IS FINISHED AT THE CROSS!!!