It’s About Love

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. I want to say, God bless you, to everyone that is reading this. Today’s program is about love. It’s called, It’s About Love. Let’s turn to 1 Cor 13:1-13, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Let’s turn to John 3:14-21, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus and He said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is a very familiar verse to many, many Christians, and to many people, but how many of us have really meditated on it, and really considered what Jesus said?: that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son a living sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for us. Verse 17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Let’s turn to 1 John 4:7-12, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The word “propitiation” is talking about Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. Chapter 3, verse 16, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Jesus said, Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He said, You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. In John 15:7-14, Jesus said,  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

Let’s turn to Mark 12:28-34, Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all? Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is: Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So the scribe said to Him, Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God.

Let’s turn to John 17:20-26, As Jesus was praying to the Father He said, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Did you hear that? Jesus said, I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. We need to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:15-21, 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. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Jesus said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. We must believe the love that the Father has for us, that He would send His beloved Son into the world to suffer so much for us: to bear all our sins; everything that separates us from Him, in His own body and soul, there on the Cross. There Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. What does that mean: He washed us from our sins in His own Blood?

Jesus, the Son of God, is a man: a man who was tempted in every way as we are, yet He never sinned. He was tried and tested, and He never failed. He loved and obeyed His Father and humbled Himself to do His will, and suffer and die for us there on that tree. When He died, His Blood was shed; they pierced His side, and out came Blood and water. His sinless, perfect life was in His Blood, and it was shed to atone for all our sins; the sins of the whole human race; the sins, that without that atonement and cleansing, would bring about eternal damnation and death; separation from God and all His goodness. But because He loved us, and because He wanted to save us from our sins and give us eternal life, the Father sent His Son Jesus to pay our ransom with His own perfect, sinless life; to offer it up on that Cross: the complete atonement for us. And because Jesus loved the Father, and because He loved us, He overcame and laid down His own flesh, and went to the Cross for us. There the Father made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, in Jesus. 

When we believe this love that God has for us: that He would do this for us; when we repent of our sins and believe that His shed Blood cleanses us completely from all our sins; when we believe that Jesus died for us and that He rose again on the third day completely justified from all sin and unrighteousness, then God imputes that faith to us for righteousness, and He clothes us with the robe of His righteousness. When we receive revelation and understanding by the Holy Spirit of all that He has done for us; of how much He loved us!, how then can we help but love Him and follow Him with all our hearts, keeping His Words; loving one another, as His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh, with it’s affections and lusts. When you come to Jesus in repentance and confess Him Lord and believe that the Father raised Him from the dead for your justification, because He loves you, you shall be saved, to love Him! and follow Him, and serve Him, and love the ones He has in your life.

Jesus said, that in these last days, that many people’s love would grow cold because of iniquity abounding. As in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot’s righteous soul was vexed by the things he heard and saw every day, so it is today. Our souls are vexed by the evil we see and hear about every day. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that in the last days difficult times would come because people would be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, and so on. So it is today. We are in these last days. What can we do? Remember the Words of Jesus which I quoted earlier: If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. If we will turn from our own ways, and set our hearts on Him, and on His Word, and spend real quality time each day in His Word, reading and meditating in; doing and living His Word, we will abide in His love, and His love will be manifested through our lives in this present evil world. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.