Loving Jesus

“Loving Jesus!”

1 Peter 1:3-9

Davie P. Nolte

Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to

His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and

undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the

power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this

you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been

distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold

which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and

glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you

love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice

with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the

salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NASB)

We have not seen Him, but we love Him. What is loving Jesus? How do we love Him?

What does loving Jesus really mean? Is it an emotion? Not essentially, though loving

Him can and ought to generate an emotion. Is it admiring Him for the fine and lofty

example He set? Is it being a Jesus Fan or Freak? Let’s get Jesus’ answer about how to

love Him:

I. LOVING JESUS MEANS KEEPING HIM IN FIRST PLACE:

A. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who

loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:37

(NASB).

1. Jesus does not take away or minimize the need to love parents and children.

2. We know that honoring our parents is right and good; we know that parents are

supposed to love their children and, in fact, it is abnormal not to do so.

3. Jesus chided the Pharisees for manufacturing an excuse not to take care of their

parents. Note: “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem

and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do

not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them,

‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your

tradition? For God said, “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,” and, “HE

WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.”

But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever I have that would

help you has been given to God,’ he is not to honor his father or his mother.'

And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.’”

Matthew 15:1-6 (NASB).

B. The fact is, if we obey this teaching, the more we love parents and children the

more we love Jesus! It’s just a matter of priority and of rank and order.

1. At the head of the Christian’s priority list must be Jesus followed by family,

church, work and so on.

2. The sad truth is that too many put sports, education, amusement, and other

personal pursuits of all kinds ahead of Jesus! They reason, “I must live; I must

make so much money; I must be clothed; I must be fed." Jesus said, "But seek

first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to

you.” Matthew 6:33 (NASB) That means putting Him first!

C. Where is Jesus in your life? In your schedule? In your priorities?

1. For some He is a spare tire – in the trunk, out of sight until needed.

2. For some He is A good-luck charm, fending off ill fortune without being noticed

very much.

3. For Paul He was life itself, as he put it, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is

gain.” Philippians 1:21 (RSV).

D. In 1932, a copy of the poem by Rhea F. Miller was laid on top of an organ

Seated at the organ was 23-year-old George Beverly Shea. He set the poem to

music and it became one of his most famous songs. What he sang was,

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land,

Yes, I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

I'd rather have Jesus than worldly applause,

I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame,

I'd rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain