For sometime now I have admired the approach of a some Christians in placing the emphasis of their ministry on the love of God. Most of us mention the love of God but often present a fairly loveless gospel. We tend to get bound up in the sin of mankind and their wickedness. Not that we don’t need to know about sin and fact that it separates us from God. It is very important to be convicted of sin and to be repentant as a believer.
However if our witness is based around anger and condemnation only then it can act as more of a deterrent to the lost than a bright shining light on the hill. As a result they see only judgement and anger and completely miss the depth of God’s love for them.
John chapter three verse sixteen describes Gods love for the lost like this. “For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but will inherit eternal life.” God so loved us that he gave his only Son to die on the cross and shed His blood as a sacrifice for your sins. So hat when you believe on Him. You will not die but will instead receive everlasting lasting life.
Next, I want to bring to your attention the true attitude of the Father for his children. In the word there is no brighter example of God’s love for his children than the example given by Jesus in the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke chapter fifteen. The parable goes as follows.
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-32
And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”
Now look at how the younger brother regarded the attitude of the Father. He looked upon the Father as being dictatorial and judgemental. An implementer of rules. So he approached the Father asking for his share as he might under the rules of inheritance of the time. He received his share and left to spend his wealth in riotous living. When he found himself in desolate times he realised that even a servant of his father would be well feed and so he went to throw himself on his fathers mercy hoping that his father would take him in as one of his hirelings. When he returned home his father spied him afar and came out to me him with boundless joy of a father overjoyed at the return of a son who was lost. Instead of judgement and reduced status he was taken in and reinstated. Instead of rules and legalism he received what he didn’t deserve or expect. Forgiveness and unending love.
Now the older brother also misunderstood the attitude of the Father. He felt that because he was obedient and loyal, keeping the rules he would therefore inherit and be more blessed than his prodigal brother who had taken his inheritance and wasted it. Instead his father showered forgiveness and love to the prodigal and his own hard work and obedience was overlooked. He missed the fact that his father did not value him, more or less, because of his loyalty, obedience or his hard work. The father loved the older son because he too was his son just as he had the prodigal. So, the father also went out to meet him in love and forgiveness to his child just as he had gone out to the prodigal.
The point that Jesus was making in this parable is that the father doesn’t just love us because we obey the rules and do our best to be good servants who are worthy of salvation. The father loves us completely. He always has and always will. He so loved us that he gave his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and to shed his blood for our sins. That is the depth of the love of God for each and everyone of us who believe on Jesus as our Saviour and for every human being that he has called to believe on Jesus as their Saviour. He so loved us he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Now 1 John chapter 3 verses 1 through 3 says this:
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
God loves us so much that he has bestowed his love upon us and we should be called his children and when he returns we shall be like him. Purified in the hope that we shall be like him. Purified in his love which has lifted us out of sin and allowed us to abide in Him.
Further,1 John chapter 4 verses 15-16 say this:
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 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.
If you confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in you. You have known and believed the love that God has for you. God is love and you who abide in love abide in God and He in you. For God is love and therefore our entire existence as Christians is to allow God to shine through us in the person of the Holy Spirit and to let that love shine through us to reach out to our fellow men. Loving each other as the Father has loved us. Loving our neighbour as ourself as Jesus Christ instructed and in the fullness of the Spirit ministering to those in need with the love of God.
What I am really trying to say here is that love as a Christian is the most important facet of our character. For some reason we tend to get frustrated that the World isn’t accepting the gospel and that people are getting caught up in their sins. Then we become angry and judgemental as a result of that frustration.
The sad result of that anger and condemnation is that it is the worst kind of witness to the lost. It isn’t a good witness to other Christians either and drives many of us out of the Church. The best witness is born of the love of God and the fruit of the Spirit. A believer’s life and witness should be based on love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as laid out in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22, 23. Based in the true love of Jesus Christ brought to us through his redemptive work on the cross.
Such love as is described in 1Corinthians chapter 13 verses 4 - 7. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
This type love is founded in humility and understanding. It is the type of love that answers “Yes,” to the question “Am I my brothers keeper?” Most certainly we are responsible for those in need and it is our obligation to make every effort to provide for the poor and infirm. To see that the gospel goes out to the lost and that we obey the Great Commission of Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 – 20.
But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
You are indeed loved! God has made great provision for your salvation and care.
Reference List
All scriptures http://biblegateway.com 15-02.19 - 23.02.19 ASV and NASB
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