In this is love...

1 John 4.10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
   This is the Passion Week remembered every day in Antigua with numerous processions that emphasize the suffering of Christ.  The torment and torture Christ endured for us was motivated by God’s great love for us.  His love sent his only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.  His love sent Jesus as a man to earth that we might be redeemed from the curse of eternal death.  This is the week that we need to give praise to God for his immense love for us and praise to Jesus for being willing to come to earth and die for our sins.  Christ was God’s only solution to reconcile a fallen world to himself.  His love initiated the plan which was formed before the foundation of the world.  Immediately after Adam and Eve transgressed God’s command, God gave a promise of redemption to them.

 Genesis 3:15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Many question why God would create man if he knew he would sin and rebel against him.  Why go through all the hassle of dealing with fallen mankind and all the problems sin has brought to the earth.
 Love is his nature, it is who he is. You and I are not love, we can love because God first loved us and has given us his love through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Love has to involve a choice and God gave man freedom to choose to love him.  God did not desire to create beings who would mechanically love him because that is what they were programmed to do.  He did not need our love to feel complete.  He lacked nothing, there was no void including a need to be loved.  He created mankind to be the object of his love, to pour out his love on us and I believe the greatest manifestations of his love, the greatest expressions of his love for us was first giving us the freedom to choose to love him and then because of his great love making a way for us to be reconciled to him because he knew that mankind would betray him.  He expressed his love by sending Jesus to pay the death penalty which was the result of man’s disobedience. Man did not deserve to be redeemed, there was nothing so noble in us that would change God’s judgment for our sin.

 Rom 5:6-8  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

    There is nothing we could do to hold back God’s judgment for our sin.  His perfection demanded payment for sin, sin that was our choice not his.  We violated his commands, we committed treason against God, we chose our way over God’s way.  We all stand guilty before a holy and righteous God with nothing to offer him that would atone for our sin.  We were helpless and hopeless.
When we understand our condition before God and the just judgment that we deserve we can only cry out as blind Bartimaes did when Jesus was passing by, “Son of David have mercy on me!”  Mercy is not receiving what you deserve. The only way we could not receive what we deserve was made possible through Jesus’ death for us.  He freely chose to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He took the penalty for us, he paid the debt he did not owe.  The just died for the unjust.  Why would he do this for us who are so undeserving?  It was because of his love for us and desire to restore a broken relationship, one that we broke not he.  I wonder how many people who come to this city this week truly understand the greatness of God’s love for them?  Do they truly understand what motivated God to send Jesus and what motivated Jesus to endure such pain and the most disturbing thing he experienced separation from his Father when he took upon himself the sins of the world.
 When he took on our sins, he cried out in a loud voice, an anguished voice, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!”  We cannot begin to understand how difficult this was for Jesus to be separated from his father because of our sin.  We weep when we are separated from loved ones through distance or through death but this cannot compare to being separated from someone who loved you with a perfect love.  Our love is always mixed with self but God’s love toward Christ was pure love and that is why there was so much hurt and anguish in the voice of Christ when he felt that separation from God.  The deeper you love someone the harder it is to be separated from them.  If someone wrongs us we are hurt yet we realize their love for us was never perfect.  But if the love relationship is perfect and then in a moment of time is completely changed, we would turn away as God had to when the odious sin of man was placed on Jesus.  The ugliness of sin caused God to turn away from Jesus and it was this sin that caused the death of Christ.  Yes he was brutally beaten and the torture of the crucifixion would eventually bring death but his death came suddenly after the sins of mankind were place on him.  It was our sin that brought his death and separation from God.
 What would motivate someone to take on someone else’s sin and punishment?  Only love would do this, a perfect love, a love that could endure suffering because there was something awesome that would result.  You and I are what Christ had in mind as he suffered for us.  You and I were the “joy that was set before him”.  It was for our sake that he paid the price so that we could be reconciled to God, have peace with God, no longer be at enmity with God.  This is amazing love, God’s love in action that we who have received Christ as Lord and Savior enjoy and give praise for today.  When we understand and experience this agape love of God, it changes everything.
  We live in a world that does not know or understand the love of God.  They do not have eyes to see what God has done for us in Christ because of his love for us.  They have been blinded by the devil who has captured their minds and convinced them of his lies.  He does not want people to know the love of God because knowing his love is a game changer.  He knows what happens when people experience the love of God.   People who experience the love of God given to us through Christ are changed people.  They are not perfect people but they are being changed by the love of God.
These people understand their true identity as children of God and John in his epistle has made this very clear to the people he was writing the letter.  We will never discover our true self apart from being in a relationship with God.  He is our Creator and Redeemer.  Only when we are in right relationship with Him do we understand our origin, purpose and destiny.  I can become everything God created me to be by being rightly related to him.
 Not only is their identity established but they understand Christ’s power.   Christ has defeated the enemy and now the greater One lives inside of them.

1Jn 4:4  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Through the cross, Christ has rendered Satan powerless, he has been stripped of his power and all of the forces in the heavenly places have borne witness to this.

Col 2:13-15  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

  We have been liberated from the power and enslavement of the enemy.  He no longer is in control of our lives.  The cross has given us victory over the enemy.  Had Satan understood what the death of Christ would accomplish, he never would have fulfilled his plan to kill him.

1Co 2:8  None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Satan undermined himself by having Christ crucified.  Though he will ultimately be defeated and cast into the lake of fire, he is doing all he can to bring as much destruction and death to mankind as he possibly can.

Rev 12:12  Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!

Those who know the love of God and know the authority he has given to his people take action to crush the works of the enemy.  God has given us powerful weapons to fight the battle and win victories.

  People who have experienced God’s love bear the character of God and this irritates the enemy.  They are more patient because they have witnessed the patience of God toward them in their lives.  Many of us have lived many years in rebellion before we finally submitted to the love of God.  God’s patience has been worked into our lives.  We do not need to be pushy, anxious, fretting over the decisions of others trying to force them to decide because we have patience that allows us to wait for God’s timing.  The Greek word of patience is hupomone and it means “cheerful endurance”.  It also has a meaning of “being the last one to stand in a battle.”

People who have God’s love are able to love the unlovable in the eyes of the world.  The love of Christ compels them to go to the lost, least and last as some have called them.

1Jn 4:19  We love because he first loved us.

When David Wilkerson reached out in love to the gangs in NYC, the leader of one of the gangs threated to kill him, cut him with his knife.  David’s response was that if he was cut in pieces every one of the pieces would cry out that they loved him.  This statement deeply affected Nicky Cruz, he could not get it out of his mind and eventually he came to experience the love of Christ in his life and was transformed into a man of God preaching the gospel to millions of people.  No one is beyond the reach of God’s love and when we are filled with his love we will want to reach out to the hard cases.
There are some street people here that at times are difficult to love because of their attitudes and expectations.  Many are not in control of themselves but are controlled by drugs and wrong thoughts.  They can be demanding, unappreciative, vulgar and offensive in their language yet the response that will change them is God’s love being demonstrated to them.  It may take a long time for some of them to understand the love of God but until that happens we need to continue to love as Christ loved us.
   Can I still love someone even if I do not agree with their lifestyle and choices?  Does loving someone mean I can never disagree with them?  If I disagree and express my disagreement, am I showing hatred toward them?  There is great confusion in our culture today regarding love and hatred.  Disagreement is viewed by some groups as being ignorant, intolerant and hateful.  In taking this position they place themselves in a superior position and become intolerant of the people they claim are not tolerant.  We do not have to accept the philosophies of man or what public opinion states what we should believe.  We must stand for truth and righteousness while continuing to demonstrate love to those who oppose us.
 Jesus would be accused today of hate crimes for the things he said to the Scribes and Pharisee.

Mat_3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Mat_23:27  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
Jesus’ judgment was based on truth because he is the truth. He confronted them with the reality of who they were and what they were doing.

 True love will confront false beliefs because hell is real and so is eternity. Love cares enough to confront with the truth rather than let people continue to think all is well and they do not need anyone to speak against their lifestyles or practices even though they are not in line with the Scriptures.
I am concerned for people who claim to be Christians who have given in to the demands of groups who want acceptance of lifestyles and practices that are unbiblical.  We are called to proclaim the truth and to make a stand against beliefs that lead to eternal death and the eternal destination of the lake of fire.  Silence, appeasement and agreement are not  loving responses when we know what is right.  We will be hated, we will be misunderstood, we will be rejected but in the end God’s truth will prevail.  We will always be a minority.

Mat 7:13-14  "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Let’s not become proponents of “sloppy agape” as some have called it that does not take a stand for God’s truth.  Real love is based on knowledge of the truth and truth is found only in Jesus.  Everything else is based on lies of the enemy designed to entrap and enslave mankind.

  People who have God’s love are not controlled by fear, especially the fear of punishment and rejection. God’s love casts out fear.

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

When we are secure in his love and know what his love has accomplished for us in Christ we do not have to fear punishment or rejection from God.
 In the Old Testament one of the methods of deterring disobedience was swift punishment as directed by the law God had given the people.  It was to serve as a warning that violators will be punished and the net effect would be to keep people from committing the same acts.  There was a fear of punishment that ruled in their hearts.
 Judgment day is coming soon.  God is a just God and he will serve justice on judgment day.  Everyone will stand before him to give account for their lives and those who have received his love in Christ will not fear punishment or rejection.  Christ has already taken the punishment, his blood has cleansed us from our sin and made us righteous before God.  We are now adopted by God as his beloved children.  Rejection because of sin has been eliminated.
Our judgment will not be to determine if we will go to heaven or to hell.  Rather it will be the rewards God will give us for our obedience to him.  We will all stand before God’s judgment according to
  Hebrews 9.27, 28

27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The ungodly will be filled with fear.  They will realize too late that they lived their lives apart from God, they offended him with their words and deeds and rejected his plan of salvation.  Their judgment will be just and they will forever be separated from the goodness of God.  They will go to the place of their choosing.  God’s perfect love for us casts out fear.  We can stand with confidence before him on judgment day.
  People who are secure in God’s love have no need to fear man.

Rom_8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We can be threatened by many things by man but we do not need to let fear of what may happen determine what we will do or how we will respond.  We can speak the truth, live the truth in spite of what may happen.  Shadrach, Meshak, Abednego and Daniel were faced with the choice of fearing man or honoring God.  They chose to honor God even though it was against the King’s edict.  They were not concerned about the outcome but entrusted their  lives and their futures to the Lord.  God rescued them.  Many have been persecuted for their faith and obedience because they have stood firm in their beliefs.  The fear of the enemy has not changed their beliefs, they have suffered and many have been martyred because they did not let fear cause them to bow to the demands of the enemy.

  People who abide in God’s love demonstrate kindness to others.  They pray for their enemies and bless them rather than curse them.

Mat_5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

They respond in the opposite spirit.  They look for ways to make someone else’s life easier or better.  They step forward in the time of need to supply what is lacking.  They give of their time, money or abilities to help others.  They do it not to be repaid or rewarded.  People who are kind enjoy serving others.  They speak a word of encouragement at the time it is needed most.  They are the ones who write a thank you note, bring over a meal, buy something that you need just to be a blessing to you.  When they are faced with a circumstance that could provoke anger and harsh words, they find a way to speak with gentleness and winsomeness.

The love of God changes everything for those who come to know Him personally and intimately.  When we understand what God's love has accomplished for us we can begin to live the life he has destined for us.  Apart from the knowledge of his love our lives are meaningless, frustrating and hopeless because of our fallen, wicked nature.  His love has been given to us in Christ and if we will believe and surrender our lives to him we will be transformed by God's love.