Characteristics of Love: Love is Jesus Christ
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8(NLT) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8(GNS) But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!
Romans 5:8(MSG) But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
Introduction: We are kept by the Power of God day by day as we witness another week of Speaking Scriptures.
🙏 I pray that Satan will not be able to hinder our hope, joy or crown of rejoicing as we dwell in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ unto His coming in Jesus name.
📎 The 20th characteristic of God’s kind of Love this week is: Love is Jesus Christ
⚠️ It is possible to be tired of looking at characteristics of God’s kind of Love going for twenty weeks now, you have a choice to ignore or glance through instead of studying with meditation. We are free to choose but NOT free from the consequences of our choices.
❓Do you know that the basis of our Christianity is on God’s kind of Love?
John 3:16-17(MSG) “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
🛑 Our faith will be measured by the yardstick of Jesus Christ the emblem of God’s Love. Our Christianity will be determined by growth in measuring up to the characters of Jesus Christ NOT imbibing characters of any man of God.
❓Do you really want to know the responsibility of ANY man of God as Scriptures speak? It is to use gifts of God to equip Christians to be like Christ or behave like Him.
Ephesians 4:11-14(NLT) Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
I want you to know that characteristics of God’s kind of Love is the narrow path to eternal life with God. This is the essence of being a Christian.
If God is Love, and Jesus Christ is one with God, then without controversy, Jesus Christ is Love.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Remember God created Man in His image.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Man obeyed Satan to disobey God and since God cannot dwell in iniquity, God left man naked thereby gave way to Satan to rule in Man. That is why anyone born of a woman has the image or character of the devil referred to as Adamic or sinful nature, human nature or Flesh.
Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
🛑 God in His wisdom and love for Man, sent Jesus Christ His image to Earth for anyone who receives Him to possess His image in order to terminate eternal Death. This is optional for everyone just as Adam and Eve had option to obey or disobey God pertaining to tree of life and the tree of death.
Now, for every Christian still living on Earth, there is Earthly image (character) being directed by Devil, the prince of this world and Heavenly image (character) being directed by Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Despite bearing earthy image refers to as Human nature, God has made available Heavenly image through Jesus Christ. This is the nature of God Man was originally possessed before Satan’s intervention.
Christians are now left with two choices:
1️⃣. To obey human nature or flesh and continue to manifest it’s character as written in Galatians 5:19-21.(read)
2️⃣. To obey God by following dictates of the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ and manifest character of Jesus Christ primarily based on God’s kind of Love as written also in Galatians 5: 22-23.(read)
🛑 We must work out our salvation and be intentional to possess image of Jesus Christ characterised by God’s kind of Love. Flesh will not stop contending for its lustful desires as long as our souls dwell in this earthy vessel.
Ephesians 2:1-5(NLT) Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
▶️ In order not to frustrate the Grace of God in our lives, we must differentiate worldly love from Godly love. The difference is obvious only to those who love God and not the world.
Romans 8:28-29(NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
🛑 Since charity begins at home, we must know what Jesus expects us to do in dealing with our spouses NOT what tradition wants us to do. Obeying Jesus’s command makes us to love the way He loves us as Jesus Christ is Love personified
John 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
❓Do you know Satan, the Beast of the Earth has started giving his image or character to people like Boko haram, Al qaeda, and various jihadists with reward of paradise as they kill innocent people? This is just a dress rehearsal for what will happen after true believers with God’s kind of Love depart by rapture.
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
🛑 Gospel of Christ will never permit Disciples to kill anyone who rejects Jesus Christ, the One that God gave for Love to humanity in order to be delivered from eternal death. Anyone who kills for whatever reasons does not have the love of God.
✍ Finally brethren, we must work out our own salvation to possess and retain Jesus Christ daily for God’s kind of Love. Otherwise, the characteristics of God’s kind of Love we have been learning for twenty weeks will be a mirage because the world, the flesh and Satan are visible to present worldly or valentine’s love with camouflage of pleasure.
Remember, Devil, flesh and the world came also to Jesus Christ While He was on Earth and He overcame. His Grace is sufficient for us also to walk in love as He walked so as to overcome worldly deception, and embrace the Love of God personified in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:1-3(NLT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
❓What practical steps are we to take as we walk in love this week?
Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to pray, “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. But You have shown Your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection. Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace.”
During marriage counselling over 33 years ago, at Chapel of Resurrection, University of Ibadan, the Vicar asked me if I can die for the woman with me; I answered yes mechanically without spiritual in-depth because I want the class to finish quickly and get married. My woman, now my wife was also asked if she will put her hands in fire if I asked her to do so; she also said yes, she is now in the best position to tell if the yes was also mechanical to finish the class or not.
I still remember the Vicar’s comment to my answer; he said; If I love my wife to the extent of laying down my life for her, I will never allow her to be burnt in fire or go through pain. And in response to my wife’s answer; he said; If my wife could submit to my command, she will be a virtuous woman to enjoy blessings from God.
I now know that the real love was demonstrated by Jesus Christ and that is why Scriptures command us to love our wives the way Christ loved the church and gave His life for her.
1 John 3:16(NLT) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
✋ Maranatha
