Imagine, those ten that were healed of leprosy. If the Lord would have stopped, having the foreknowledge that only one would come back and nine would not give him thanks, He had the choice to say, “I won’t do this for them.” But did the Lord do that? No! He did not. He loved freely. Freely we have received, freely we give. So whatever we dispense of our time, of our talents, of our treasure, for the good of other people, the Lord Jesus is pleased with that. That love will actually show the world that it is divine in nature; that it does not look for self-gain, there is no political correctness about it, it holds fast to the principle of self-sacrifice. That is the marked difference between the love of the world and human love, God’s love- self-sacrifice, seeking God’s honor first. So the love that comes from above is just like the Lord Himself. In Ephesians 5:1 [New International Version], the apostle speaking by the Holy Spirit says this:
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Love, once more is defined here. The Lord Jesus thought about me and you and the whole world. He had that affection for people that they may prosper, that they may be set free from damnation and condemnation and misery. The Lord cared and He didn’t think about His own position. The Lord left all the glory as you know, came down straight to the womb of Mary. He was born, as a human being, the God-Man. And from Bethlehem and then to Galilee, throughout Jerusalem, all of Judea, everywhere He went and preached, even to Samaria for the woman at the well; all His sacrificial Love, no self-interest.
We have to check ourselves tonight and every day to say, “Lord, do I have Your love?” The love that says, “I can make a gain out of acting this way or saying this, or giving this, but I choose not to consent to that at all. I want to do this because I want to give for the good of that person or those people.” That’s God’s kind of love. So, the Lord describes His love as a sacrifice to God on our behalf. Love that is from God must be sacrificial.
The Love of God is love for God first. Divine Love is love for the honor of the Almighty - above honor for a man - which includes, according to Matthew 10:37, even one’s parents and children. Now, we are not preaching rebellion, we are not preaching disobedience. We are preaching the truth of God’s Word that when the human affection comes in the way of God’s will for my life when God has clearly told me and shown me from His Word, from His Holy Spirit, also sometimes confirmation signs; that whereas I love my family when it comes to God’s will and to please God, I must show the love for God above that love.
Otherwise, the Lord doesn’t just say simply, “You are not going to accomplish what I want you to accomplish.” That’s not all. He says, “You are not worthy of me.” That’s the point at which, the love for God and the love for man, even if it is family, come to a head. The Lord clearly told us beforehand, that we must be prepared for those kinds of challenges, and choose to side with the Lord. And you know what happens when we side with the Lord? Though, we still have affection for the people and the family, though we still pray for them and seek their best - because we seek their best - we obey God and love Him more? The Lord Himself will do supernatural things on the other side. He Himself will intervene because we are walking in obedience to Him. We are walking in fellowship with Him by loving Him first. God will take care of them; God knows what to do. God knows who is going to respond to His love. God knows what every person needs. God knows the things that the family may be deprived of when I do God’s will.
You see, there are many cases where the Lord called someone. You recall the Prophet Elisha, he was plowing with the oxen. If you recall Peter, the disciples- James, John; they left their family. They left the father in the boat. They left their livelihood. All of the human affection is based on human wisdom and so-called practical wisdom - actually is the most impractical thing! It was when they left that, when the Divine Love and human love came to a head, that their lives were forever transformed. It’s when they obeyed God’s call, loving Him first that they proved that they are worthy of Him, exactly as the scriptures say. That’s when the Lord began to teach them. That’s when He gave them the Holy Spirit. That’s when He made them, as it was said by their enemies, to turn the world upside down. Actually, they turned it right side up. But, they only were able to do that when they loved God first. So that’s what it means to put God first.
Let’s check ourselves even tonight because we are in the flesh. Because the natural gravity of our flesh is to pull us down and to begin to side with human love and human wisdom, we have to be on guard. The Lord says through Paul, to warn us, take heed to thyself, thy doctrine (I Timothy 4:16). Take heed lest you think you stand so that you don’t fall. So it’s good for us to examine, “Lord, do I love You as I ought? Lord, do I love my neighbor as I ought? Do I seek the best interest of the neighbor? Lord, let me never mix up or wrongly prioritize real love.” Real love is God first, then comes family, friends, all of man. God first. God’s love is loving Him.
Now, we want to just concentrate for a few moments on how loving God first means loving His Word. Loving His Word means loving all of the doctrines, all of the truth that God gave. It is impossible and absolutely irrational to think that one can love God and not love His truth. Out of that, we know that loving His truth means keeping His commandments. But, also defending the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. If I love God, I will love His Word. There is no separation. It is impossible to love one or the other. For one and both are the same. In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). In Revelation, the Lord Jesus coming down, leading heaven’s armies, the saints clothed in white was called the Word of God. We cannot separate the Word of God from God because God and His Word are one. He said I have magnified My Word above all My Name (Psalm 138:2). So if I love God, I must love His Word.
Loving God’s Word means I hold fast to the doctrines. I don’t let them go. You see, the danger is many people do good works, helping people, even in the name of God and they have affection for God and people which is wonderful. That’s how we should be. But somewhere along the line, they have understood that "I don’t need to be too concerned with the doctrine. I can do the good works, the charity, help the poor people. I can pray. I can read the Bible. I can go to church. I can support the ministry. I can do all those things. But the Word of God is not such a big deal, to hold fast to the doctrines is not necessary." That is a mistake. Because of that sentiment - guaranteed - that love which they began with will begin to dilute and be polluted. They’ll actually end up like a ship that started out in one direction, slowly by degrees, the rudder moves this way and it ends up in a totally different destination. The love of God and the truth of God go hand in hand. It is the truth of God and the love of God that turns people away from sin. You see how the two cannot be divorced. The truth of God and the love of God help to turn people away from sin.
When God said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I gave My blood to wash you from your sins; I have sanctified you; I have set you apart as My own peculiar treasure, that in the ages to come I may pour upon you, according to Ephesians 1, the treasures, exceeding great benefits.” That’s God’s design, such an awesome design, an awesome plan that He will fulfill for everyone that loves Him. When God says that, He also says, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) It is the truth that will make you free. The love comes in, it melts ways all of our antagonism against God, begins to change us. But the truth is right along with the love. No such thing as love of God without the truth of God. Otherwise, we can all get together with different religions, all of the false gods, and have that worldly love without truth and all end up in hell. God’s love shows us that He came down and gave his life for us. But he spoke many things and he has written many things.
The 66 books of the Bible, 39 in the Old as you know, 27 in the New; all together were given for a purpose. It was not for the pastors or the preachers or the apostles or the prophets only. It is for every single believer. Because the Word of God is given to all of us so that the truth may set us free. Set us from what? Human love, human love that is devoid of the divine touch. Human love will keep us confused, never standing on the truth. But when we have Divine Love, grounded in Divine truth, mercy and truth have met, and we are able to walk the straight and narrow path, not giving in to our human emotions. But the will being directed by the Holy Spirit, God is directing a heart that is surrendered to Him to accomplish the will of God in our lives, bring many souls to Him also. That is well-pleasing to God. So the love of God has the truth of God. If I say, “I love God, I must love His truth.”
Father in Heaven I pray that You’ll burn this truth of Your Love into the hearts of the listeners that many may repent of their sins and come to full fellowship with You through the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ and in the fellowship of Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things O Father, in Jesus Name, Amen!
