Keeping Yourself in the Love of God
Jude gives us good advise as he is warning us about that mockers would be in
the last days (Jude verse 17-17-19) “but beloved, remember you the words
which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. How that
they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after
their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual,
having not the Spirit”. Then in verse 20-21 he tells us “but you, beloved,
building up yourselves 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 to
eternal life”.
You see it is our responsibility to build ourselves up on the word of God
(Psalms 119:9-16) says “wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By
taking heed thereto according to Your word. With my whole heart have I
sought You. O let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word have
I hid in my heart, that I might not si against You. Blessed are You, O Lord
Yahweh, teach me Your statues. With my lips have I declared all the
judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as
much as in all riches. I will meditate in Your precepts, and have respect to
Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statues, I will not forget Your word”.
James tells us to look into the Bible as we look into a mirror to see what we
look like (James 1:25-27), “but whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious,
and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is
vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the
world. This sounds like what Jesus says in John 15:7 which says “if you abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be
done to you”.
Jesus tells us that there are two commandments that will keep us in the love of
God, as He was being tempted (Matthews 22:35-40), “then one of them, which
was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him and saying. Master, which
is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it,
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets”.
The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 13:1-8,4:1) “though I speak with the
tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. Charity
suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not
puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Charity never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether
there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away. Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts”.
Paul also tells us that love is the key ingredient in making your faith work
(Galatians 5:6), verses 13-16), says “for brethren, you have been called to
liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one
another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that
you be not consumed one of another. This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh”.
We must remember that we have an adversary who is roaming about seeking
whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). The devil devours people by getting them
out of their love walk. When people begin to take this by heart, they will began
to see the devil working and be able to avoid his traps. To avoid his traps, do
what Jesus said “pray for those who use and a bruise you”.
The Apostle John breaks it down for us (I John 4:7-11) “beloved let us love
one another, for love is of God, and every one that loves is born of God, and
knows God. He that loves not knows not God, for God is love. In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love
one another”. He goes on in verses 20-21 to say “if any man say, I love God,
and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he
has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this
commandment have we from Him, that he who loves God, love his brother
also”.
The good news is that love is a fruit of the Spirit, that we can tap into, by
yielding ourselves to God (Ephesians 3:16-19); Paul prayed “that He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by
His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that
you being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all
saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God”.
Love is not an option, remember Jesus says that love is a command; and Paul
writes as we are told in Ephesians 5:1-2 “be you therefore followers of God as
dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 28, 2009
Jude gives us good advise as he is warning us about that mockers would be in
the last days (Jude verse 17-17-19) “but beloved, remember you the words
which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. How that
they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after
their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual,
having not the Spirit”. Then in verse 20-21 he tells us “but you, beloved,
building up yourselves 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 to
eternal life”.
You see it is our responsibility to build ourselves up on the word of God
(Psalms 119:9-16) says “wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By
taking heed thereto according to Your word. With my whole heart have I
sought You. O let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word have
I hid in my heart, that I might not si against You. Blessed are You, O Lord
Yahweh, teach me Your statues. With my lips have I declared all the
judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as
much as in all riches. I will meditate in Your precepts, and have respect to
Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statues, I will not forget Your word”.
James tells us to look into the Bible as we look into a mirror to see what we
look like (James 1:25-27), “but whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious,
and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is
vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the
world. This sounds like what Jesus says in John 15:7 which says “if you abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be
done to you”.
Jesus tells us that there are two commandments that will keep us in the love of
God, as He was being tempted (Matthews 22:35-40), “then one of them, which
was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him and saying. Master, which
is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it,
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets”.
The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 13:1-8,4:1) “though I speak with the
tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. Charity
suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not
puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Charity never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether
there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away. Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts”.
Paul also tells us that love is the key ingredient in making your faith work
(Galatians 5:6), verses 13-16), says “for brethren, you have been called to
liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one
another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that
you be not consumed one of another. This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh”.
We must remember that we have an adversary who is roaming about seeking
whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). The devil devours people by getting them
out of their love walk. When people begin to take this by heart, they will began
to see the devil working and be able to avoid his traps. To avoid his traps, do
what Jesus said “pray for those who use and a bruise you”.
The Apostle John breaks it down for us (I John 4:7-11) “beloved let us love
one another, for love is of God, and every one that loves is born of God, and
knows God. He that loves not knows not God, for God is love. In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love
one another”. He goes on in verses 20-21 to say “if any man say, I love God,
and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he
has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this
commandment have we from Him, that he who loves God, love his brother
also”.
The good news is that love is a fruit of the Spirit, that we can tap into, by
yielding ourselves to God (Ephesians 3:16-19); Paul prayed “that He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by
His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that
you being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all
saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God”.
Love is not an option, remember Jesus says that love is a command; and Paul
writes as we are told in Ephesians 5:1-2 “be you therefore followers of God as
dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 28, 2009
