The Love Of The Lord

March 7, 2022

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (John 13:1).

The common notion of practically everyone you ask is that the primary attribute of Jesus Christ is that of love. There is no question He loved the Father and the Spirit and longed to be in their presence in heaven (John 17:4-5). It is true that God loved the world (John 3:16) and sent Jesus to demonstrate such love (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9-10). It is true that Jesus loves us and willingly died to save us from God’s judgment for sin (2 Corinthians 5:14). It is true that Jesus loves the sinner (Titus 3:4-5). But in our text today we note the love of Jesus Christ for His own - His disciples then, and all who will follow Him as disciples in the future (John 17:9-26).

Today, we who know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior benefit from His great and eternal love. Though we face hardships, opposition and persecution for our faith, disappointments, frustrations, even death, none of these things cancel out the love Jesus has for us. (Romans 8:33-39), 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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.

I remember as a boy asking my mother, “Does Jesus really love me?” She answered, “Jesus loves you so much He stretched out His arms and died for you.” Frederick Martin Lehman (1868-1953) wrote:

“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure - the saints’ and angels’ song.” Amen.

Pastor

 

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