Loving God
Our purpose is to love God. Live by a pure heart, good conscience and real faith. Rid your life of things that hinder your love for Him.
Transcript
And hello, radio friends! How in the world are you? You doing alright? Oh, I’m fine; happy in the Lord. Glad to be able to wake up. I woke up about five in the morning and just felt great. You have to be quiet, though. Did you know that there is a verse in the Bible that says you gotta be quiet in the morning? Well, there is. It’s in Proverbs: “He that riseth early in the morning and blesseth his neighbor with a loud voice, behold it shall be counted a curse unto him.” So, pipe down in the morning. You can be happy, but be quiet about it. Oh dear.
Bob Pierce used to tell the story of the man who’d just found Christ as Savior and was so happy about it, he was just singing and shouting all the time. He met a friend of his – this was in the old days when people traveled by train and used the Pullman car for overnight hops – and he met his friend on the way to Pittsburgh or somewhere, and talking to him in the Pullman car, he said, “Oh, Jim,” he said, “It’s so great since I found the Lord. He forgave all my sins.” And he started to sing, “What A Friend We Have,” and his friend shushed him, and said, “Listen, there are people trying to sleep here. You’d better be quiet.” “Oh,” he said, “I forgot.” He lowered his voice to a hoarse stage whisper, and he said, “I forgot, but you know it’s so wonderful that the Lord saved me and picked me up out of all my sins,” and he was shouting again before you knew it. And at that point the porter came along, and he said very kindly, “Sir,” he said, “If you can’t be quiet… Please keep it down and be quiet, but if you can’t… Bless God, I’ve got it too!” Well, alright. Be quiet in the morning, but if you can’t, “Hallelujah!” anyway, right? Somebody’s growling and saying, “Why does he talk like that? Why doesn’t he get busy and teach the Bible?” Alright, I’ll do it right now, this minute.
1 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 5: Now he says, “The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith untainted.” That’s a great verse. He says, “The end of the commandment.” That word “end” is our word objective, the Greek word “telos,” which has to do with purpose. We have, when you have the various philosophical arguments for the existence of God, you have one of them that’s called the teleological argument, which means the argument from purpose. There is evidently a plan and a purpose in the universe. It didn’t just play out in one grand explosion of nothingness, but the idea of planning and purpose is evident everywhere, from the lowest form of submicroscopic life, right straight-on through until you reach out into the interstellar spaces. We set our clocks by God’s clock. He is the God who knew all His works: “Known unto God are all His works.”
“Purpose,” now that’s the word that’s used here – the purpose, the telos, the objective of the commandment is love. What is it that God wants to produce in our hearts? Well, you go over to Galatians 5:22 – “the fruit of the Spirit.” That is the result of the Holy Spirit living and working in your heart. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, rejoicing, peace, calm, and all the rest. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control… Love. And so he says, “The objective that God has in mind is love.” Romans 5:8 says, “The love of God.” 5:5 it is, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who was given unto us.” Paul said in second Corinthians five: “The love of Christ constraineth us.” That means makes us do what we do, driven by love, filled with love, characterized by love. Love as the description of who and what you are, God’s love filling your life, the purpose of God’s commandments. Another commandment Jesus said: “I give to you that ye love one another a new commandment, that ye love one another. By that shall all men know you’re My disciples.”
I’m looking over in the index of my big Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. They’ve got some verses there listed under love. The test, test of true discipleship. I just quoted John 13:35, “By this all men know that you are My disciples, if you have loved one another.” It’s a test of genuine service. “Simon, son of Jonas lovest Thou, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee.” Well, he said, “Feed my sheep.” It’s the test of proper speech, 1 Corinthians, chapter 13: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and do have not love, I become as resounding gong or clanging cymbal.” Love demonstrates the reality of Christ’s new life in us. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth death.” And love to God is proved by brotherly love. “If a man say I love God, and hate his brother, he’s a liar, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?” Just a few verses there having to do with love as the proof.
The objective that God has in mind in dealing with you and me is that there might be produced in and through us, the love of God. Love. Now, what is the, what is the structure that provides this manifestation of God’s love? Paul in Ephesians 4 talks about manifesting the truth in love. The word manifest means wrapping it in a human package, packaging God’s truth in your life. God’s love in your life, packaging God’s love, manifesting the truth in love. Now, how does this work? Well, first of all there has to be a pure heart. Second, a good conscience. Third, faith that’s real. There’s great truth there. I just love to walk through this verse again and again for my own soul’s sake because it always hits me. You see, unless you’re right with God it’s pretty hard for you to show any love toward Him.
Now, those of you who are parents and grandparents, you know that this is true by observing the behavior of your little small fry – little boy, little girl that you are in charge of – and let’s say it’s a little boy because I was one once, and I can remember. Let’s say it’s a little boy and let’s say he’s about maybe 3 or 4, whatever, and he’s done something wrong, and he knows it. Either he’s reached in and stolen some cookies or he has disobeyed you in some way. Now, it’s awfully hard for him to show love to you. Instead there’s shrinking, there’s resentment, there’s fear, there is an attempt to deceive, there is that ridiculous attempt to appear innocent. Nobody looks more ridiculous or foolish than either a child or a grown-up who is trying to appear innocent. Isn’t it true?
And so there it is all showing up, but not much love. The only time when real love can be shown is when the heart and the relationship are made right. I can remember getting some spankings. I got my share of them, and I deserved all of them, I think; all but one. I remember one occasion when I think my father completely misunderstood me and he gave me a spanking that I don’t think even to this day I deserved.
But the point being, that I remember, now I’m 75 – you wouldn’t believe it because I’m so young – but I remember now, l’ll hear it -, and I would find myself saying – “I love you, Pop.” I called him Pop. “I love you, Pop.” Why was that? It was because my heart had gotten right with the man. That’s why. Now, it’s love out of a pure heart.
Now, my beloved friend, how long has it been since you and God had a little session together where you really made things right with Him? And I don’t know what it is that may stand between you and real love for your Lord. Some failure, some disobedience, some glaring fault that you’ve been excusing, some deliberate going out of God’s will and doing something that you wanted to do, no matter what. I don’t know what it is, but listen, God’s objective is for you to reach that place where you can look up as you kneel before the throne of Grace, you can look up and say, “I love you, Father,” and mean it. That means wet eyes and a contrite heart, that means confessed sins, that means a willingness to turn from the things that have grieved your blessed Lord, it means all that and maybe more. Love out of a pure heart. “If we confess our sins,” said John, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all” – not some – “all unrighteousness.”
You want to think about that, beloved? God’s objective is for you to love Him. What He wants is for you to love Him. “It’s alright for you to serve, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 tells us that. So, it’s alright for you to serve, God wants you to serve, but first of all He wants you to love Him. Jesus said in John 4, “The Father seeketh such to worship Him.” God is looking for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth, people to love Him sincerely, without any axe to grind, as we say; without any ulterior motives. “I love you, Papa, give me a dollar.” Oh no, God wants you to love Him, period. Would you ask God to fill you with love for Him and would you get things out of the way that hinder that love and do it today? I hope you will.
Dear Father today, may we know Thy love in our hearts, because we’re right with Thee. Through Jesus, I pray in His name, Amen.
Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!
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