THE UNCHANGING LOVE OF GOD.
1 JOHN 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him.”
The manner of love is that which God particularly exercises in regard to his own children and is distinguished and peculiar. It is an unchanging love. This is so because the love cannot be changed, it is constant and without season. There is no slightest degree of turning according to James 1:17-18 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”
Our father has not tried to hide this truth from us, we must not ignore this wonderful love. He has loved us before the foundation of this world. That is why he said “I the Lord do not change, so you descendants of Jacob are not destroyed” Malachi 3:6.
If out of his grace He has set his love on us, He will always love you and nothing will ever be able to separate you from that unchanging love.
Paul listed in Romans 8:35-39 seventeen things which cannot separate a believer from the love of Christ. Tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angels, principalities, power, things present, things to come, heights, depth nor any other creature. If these cannot separate you from that love, nothing can, for nothing else exists outside of this list. What manner of love.
Brethren, how shall we escape God’s judgement, if we neglect such great love?
2. THE EFFECT OF THE LOVE OF GOD.
1 JOHN 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
Let uslook at the effect of the love of God. We are now, presently, the sons of God by the grace of regeneration and adoption, we have been given the divine nature and have been brought to the family of God.
First, and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. We sons are made pure by the redeeming blood of Christ applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Then we by the grace of God’s grace purifies ourselves by confessing and turning from sin, hating the works of darkness, walking in the light and loving righteousness. We maintain the purity by means of prayer, study of the word, and attendance of fellowship with other sons of God.
Second, another effect of this love- the world does not know us. The world is entirely unaware of the happy state of a genuine Christian, his position, privileges, possession and of his real dignity and destiny. These and all others are foolishness to the world. Why this ignorance? It did not know him who has adopted us. How?
John 1:10-14 “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The world was ignorant of him. He was in the world, and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. They have proof enough, but they desire not the knowledge of him and are without excuse.
The world would not believe in him. He came to his own and his own did not believe in him. He is the light of the world and the world love darkness because their deeds are evil. The world gave many excuses for its unbelief, but the main reason is that it loves sin. There was no ground for this hellish hatred. They finally crucified the Lord of Glory. For that, it is no surprise that the world does not know us or hate us. As one that the Father has bestow the wonderful love to become his sons, let us therefore not crave for this world’s love, approval, promotion, or friendship. For friendship with the world is enmity with God.
The Father knows his children and they know him and we are not in this world to be pampered and promoted by it, but rather to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
May we act like the sons that we really are- Behold what manner of Love?
3. GOD IS WITH US.
1 JOHN 3:1“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
Behold what manner of Love that God will come and dwell among us.
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.”
In what sense is Christ GOD WITH US? In His Incarnation He is united to our nature — God with man — God in man. He is God with us to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in time of temptation and trials and in the hour of death, and God with us, and in us, and we with and in Him to all eternity.
Christ AS GOD WITH MAN; to live with man, to die for him; to rise from the dead for him, to ascend and intercede for him.
GOD IS WITH HIS PEOPLE. He is with them in their lives, in their labors, in their trials and afflictions, in their worship, in death and in glory.
A story was told of a missionary who went to preach to the slaves. He found it impossible for him to carry out his design so long as he bore to them the relation of a mere missionary. They were driven into the field very early in the morning, and returned late at night with scarcely strength to roll themselves into their rooms, and in no condition to listen to instructions. He determined to reach the slaves by becoming himself a slave. He was sold, that he might have the privilege of working by their side, and preaching to them as he worked with them. Do you suppose the master or the pastor could have touched the hearts of those miserable slaves as did that man who placed himself in their condition, and went among them, and lived as they lived, suffered as they suffered, toiled as they toiled, that he might carry the gospel to them? This missionary was but following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who took on Him the nature of men, came among them, and lived as they lived, that He might save them from their sins.
Behold what manner of love. As we remember his birth in this period of CHRIST-MASS according to Christian calendar, let us in love willingly lay down all we have to reflect his lifestyle and be useful in his project of Salvation. Let us respond with the same love to him and let it be shown to our fellow humans that they will glorify our Father in heaven.
How will you escape God’s judgment if we neglect such great love that has come to be with us?
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