In the year of 2006 for 7 days and 7 nights God woke me up out of my own little world and said, go to India and hear the cries of the people. When I landed on Indian soil God said, I have sent you like the Apostle Paul into Athens, in the name of the 'unknown God.'
So today in the name of the Unknown God, to those who have never heard of Jesus, and sadly to those who have received Jesus yet do not truly know Him, not living in the victory, do not know of His unconditional love.
Let us go on a journey together. For those who have your Bibles turn with me to the book of Romans.
Romans 8:38-39 'For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
The Apostle Paul said for I am persuaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Why was Paul so convinced?
Paul had already encountered the risen Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and suffered many horrendous things from the sake of the gospel. Paul had been put in jail many times, beaten with whips five times, beaten with sticks three times, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked three times, his life in constant danger, he’d gone hungry and thirsty and was cold from not having enough clothes. Yet Paul was convinced that nothing could separate him from God's love. Paul knew the circumstances of this world had any power over him. But most important was that Paul knew and experienced personally God's love. Paul knew that regardless of circumstances and his own performance, that nothing could separate him from the love of God. Paul had a revelation that since the beginning God had loved him. Even when he was persecuting the church, even when rejecting Jesus, as the messiah, the saviour of the world.
Paul knew of God's love. Paul knew that everything depended upon God’s love – who God is, what He has done and will do. He knew that nothing or no one could change God's love and that God's love never ends.
God’s unconditional love and faithfulness, is who He is, and what He has done and for His own reputation. He must fulfill His promises.
For God's own reputation, so that the world may know Him. That is God's heart. Both the Old and New Testament testify to this.
In the Old Testament...
Psalm 106:8 ‘Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, That He might make His mighty power known.’ The writer of the Psalm testifies that the Lord God Almighty delivered the Hebrew people from slavery and oppression, to make His mighty power known to all people.
In the New Testament...
The Apostle John writing to the church says in 1 John 2:12 ‘I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you, for His name’s sake.’ Once again for God's own reputation. He is reminding them, reminding us we are forgiven, we are set free. God is love, unconditional, unending love. God delivers and rescues. God continually forgives because God so loves.
Like the Apostle I too am convinced that nothing can separate me from the love of God.
Why am I so convinced?
Because God so loves. I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour from an early age. I was going to heaven praise His mighty name! In my teenage years many things in this world started to come into my life. I discovered my father rejected my mother and for many years was having a relationship with another woman. My sister was diagnosed with cancer and given 2 years to live. After the death of my father, my mother became mentally disturbed and was lost to us for many years. I had my career, my sport, my life and became too busy for God. I lived my life for myself. Many years passed. I had everything this world could give... a wonderful husband, successful career, no financial debt, and physical health, yet felt so far away from the living God. I had become spiritually dry. Trapped in my own selfish desires. I had no love or concern for anybody outside of my family.
Then one day...
I cried out to God and said Father take my life, take it! I don't care what you do with it, whether I live or die, just give me time with you. From that moment I started this incredible journey of living in surrender to the Father's will. God said those 30 years you have wasted I will produce much, much fruit, because you will testify of my love. You will testify my love, favour and blessing never left you in all those years you were doing your own thing. You will be able to testify I am the God of love who wants to set people free.
God's love never changes. Who are we to think we can change God! In the good times and the bad times, God's love never changes. He never left me, even when I was doing the wrong thing.
For God so loves, for His own reputation, for His namesake He wants to set people free.
His Kingdom came on earth in Jesus Christ His Son. God who became flesh, walked the earth as a man, dwelt among people, died, rose and ascended on high, and is now seen in the transforming power of His Spirit, in the hearts and minds of His people. Now I am full of His love. I see people through His eyes of love.
I am persuaded that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not even my own self.
For God so loves, for His name sake.
The Apostle Paul declares in the revelation of God's love, who can bring a charge against us? Romans 8:31-34 'What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.'
Paul asks the question, who is he who condemns?
It doesn’t matter what accusations are hurled at us, because it is Jesus, the Son of God, God who became flesh and blood who died, rose from the dead who intercedes for us. When we think a bad thing and we think we are not worthy. We can surrender that bad thought to God and each day in His presence receiving more of Jesus, receiving a greater revelation of His love and we can testify He is changing our hearts and minds.
We are all on a journey. Each day is an opportunity to know Him more, living in the victory of continual surrender to His will, confident in His faithfulness, His love, His righteousness. Jesus has made us worthy to receive all of Him, receive all of the living God. Jesus has made us clean. Jesus is our salvation. Jesus is our righteousness. This is our inheritance in time now.
God Himself, through the prophet Isaiah testifies. Isaiah 54:17 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment, You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.'
Who condemns the lies of our flesh and the evil one?
We do. God says to His people you shall condemn! We condemn the lies about God, the lies that have been said about ourselves. We condemn the lies with the truth of who God is, what He has done and will do.
This is our testimony.
When we receive Jesus we have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, and by the blood of Jesus Christ, been bought into the kingdom of light.
When we receive Jesus we have been rescued from the kingdom of evil, and by the blood of Jesus Christ, been bought into the kingdom of God.
When we receive Jesus we have been rescued from the kingdom of death, and by the blood of Jesus Christ, been bought into the kingdom of life. When we receive Jesus we have been given the power and authority by the King of the kingdom to tear down strongholds over our minds and the lies of the evil one with God's Truth. When we receive Jesus we have been given the the power and authority by the King of the kingdom to be free from the bondage of selfish desires and surrender all to Him.
Why are we so convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God?
1: For God so loves. 2: For His own reputation, for His namesake and 3: Nothing or no one can change who Jesus is, what He has done and will do, in and through all who receive Him. This is our testimony!
We have a choice.
If you have receive Jesus as your savour, yet are trapped in your own selfish desires, or a wrong perception of who God is and you want to be truly free, simply surrender whatever it is that has a hold on you. Give it God. Chose today to live in continual surrender to Father God's will, each and every day, He will give you new ways to think, new ways to see, new ways to feel. It is a journey, an incredible journey with the living God when fully surrendered to Him, living in the fullness of the victory of Jesus in this world damaged by evil.
If you have never received Jesus, as your saviour now is the time to receive who He is, what He has done for you and will do, because God so loves you!
Jesus is our testimony and there is nothing or no one who can take that away from us.
