No Greater Love

Today we will study the greatest love of all. I am speaking of the Fathers love for you. Because of Satan’s downfall, and the fact that a third of God’s children followed him in the first earth age, God in his anger destroyed the first earth age and made it possible for Salvation to come for all who love him. But this could only come at a great expense of himself. Let’s first look at this word Love, it is H157 ʼâhab pronounced aw-hab’ and means; to have affection for. 1. to love. 2. human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom. 3. human love for or to God. 4. act of being a friend. God’s love toward man. To individual men. We see here that it is an affection for another, and not for oneself. Let’s begin with John 15 and verse 12 reads.

John 15:12] This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Jesus is speaking to all of us here. This is my law (commandment). That you love one another as he loves us. Do not overlook he gave us this example, his love for us.

John 15:13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Yes, when a man sacrifices his life for another to live, this shows great love for another. But, let’s look at the example from above. As I have loved you. Jesus gave his life for all to come to repentance and be forgiven of sins so that we may have eternal life.

John 15:14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Keep his laws and be his friend. How do I keep his laws? Read his Word, learn his commandments and be a doer of them. Of course, Jesus is the Word, we must read all of his Word to know the commandments, his law.

John 15:15] Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Henceforth, and because of this. He has made known to us by his Word which is Jesus Christ. Jesus hence calls us friends because he has come in the flesh himself for the reason of Salvation. But we serve the LORD which is in heaven, these are counted for us as good works.

John 15:16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Those of you who study God’s Word, did you hear that? He has ordained you, God’s Elect that were chosen from the first earth age, and made you a minister unto others. To serve the LORD and bring his gospel to others. These fruits we need to think of as works, as our works are the only thing we take with us (remain) to heaven. This “That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” needs to be broken down. Anything you ask of God in his name, his name is Jesus. Jesus, Iēsous pronounced ee-ay-sooce’ means; Yah is Savior. That he will give it to you, means; he will provide the bricks but you must be the builder. He just said he ordains you to go and bring forth fruit, good works. Be a doer of God’s Word, his commandments.

John 15:17] These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Jesus had given them this new commandment in John 13 and verse 34 reads.

John 13:34] A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
[35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

To show the world that we are disciples of Jesus Christ by loving one another. Let’s go to John 14 and verse 21 reads.

John 14:21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Manifest means; made known, he will make his Word known to us that we may teach others the Word of God. Are you not called his disciple?

John 14:22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

The LORD will abode with us. This is the Comforter, Holy Spirit, within us.

John 14:24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
[25] These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
[26] But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Father will send in my name, Jesus Christ, to all Christians, Christ men.

John 14:27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Be not troubled, rest in him, this is the peace of the Comforter. No greater love than this, let’s not forget this means that one dies for another. Jesus, being our example, shows us how courage is to be not afraid. Let’s go to Matthew 20 and verse 17 reads.

Mat.20:17] And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
[18] Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
[19] And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Knowing that he was going to be crucified he went to Jerusalem. Crucify is G4717 stauroō pronounced stow-ro’-o and means; to impale on the cross; figuratively to extinguish. To crucify, to crucify the flesh, destroy its power utterly (the nature of the figure implying that the destruction is attended with intense pain). In other words, to torture. He did this because it is written that this must happen in this way. It began with the first prophecy in the Word of God. God is speaking to Satan (the serpent) Genesis 3 and verse 15 reads.

Gen.3:15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

They bruised his heels when they nailed his feet to the cross. Notice the two seeds, the woman’s seed, God’s children and the serpent’s seed, the Kenites which are the offspring of Cain. But God so loved the world, all of his children, that this must happen. Let’s go to John 3 and verse 14 reads.

John 3:14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Remember we are speaking of God’s love for all his children.

John 3:15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The plan of Salvation for all of God’s children, whosoever believes.

John 3:18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Emmanuel, God with us. Isa.7:14 and Mat.1:23. This is Salvation, his selfless giving of his own flesh body for the sacrifice of others.

John 3:19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

His wicked works will be made known.

John 3:21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Wrought are our works, good or bad. They will be made known to all. Salvation wasn’t free, it came at a great cost to the LORD which he gave of himself. We began this study acknowledging there was a first earth age where Satan drew a third of God’s children to follow him. Let’s go to Revelation 12 and verse 4 reads.

Rev.12:4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

That he drew the third of God’s children was the first earth age, then came this second earth age when we must come through the flesh. Rev.12 and verse 9 continues.

Rev.12:9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

This was after Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and his angels, and they did not prevail, but are cast down to earth at the sixth trump.

Rev.12:10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We overcome Satan at the sixth trump by these three things. The blood of the Lamb, Jesus who was crucified. And by our words when we are delivered up to Satan, our testimony. And by not loving our own lives unto death. This can be explained by the word Testimony G3144 which is Martyr and means; those who after his example have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death. Pick up your cross and follow me, Jesus would say in Mark 8 and verse 34 reads.

Mark 8:34] And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[35] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

When we pick up the cross, we show our love for Jesus, our friend, our Savior. Let’s go to Psalms 79 and verse 9 reads.

Psa.79:9] Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

His name is Christ, and for his sake we are called Christians.

Psa.79:10] Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

As for me and my house we shall serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15. To serve the LORD is to know his Word, Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us to love one another and to be ministers of his Word to others. And for God’s Elect to stand against Satan and to give the testimony of Jesus Christ even unto death. We fear not death, because Jesus conquered death. Let’s go to Hebrews 2 and verse 8 reads.

Heb.2:8] Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

Because we wait for the second advent, the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ.

Heb.2:9] But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

A little lower because all flesh is lower than the spiritual body. John 1 and verse 14 reads.

John 1:14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Back to Heb.2 and verse 10 reads.

Heb.2:10] For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Easier to understand whom are all things, and by all things if you remember John 1 and  verse 3 reads.

John 1:3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

And to bring his children to glory, simply means they have overcome the flesh in this world age. But Jesus being our Savior is captain of Salvation, and he was without sin and he did suffer for all of our sins. Back to Hebrews 2 and verse 11 reads.

Heb.2:11] For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Because we have repented and he has forgiven, we are sanctified. Made anew, made as one through the marriage to the Lamb.

Heb.2:12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
[13] And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

He puts his trust in the Father, and so shall we.

Heb.2:14] Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Here we see that Death is another name for the Devil, that is Satan. Jesus has destroyed the power of Death through resurrection.

Heb.2:15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The fear of death leads one into the bondage of Death, that is to say the Devil.

Heb.2:16] For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Through Abraham’s son Isaac his seed shall be called. Satan has been trying to destroy the woman’s seed because Christ would come through her seed as we saw in Rev.12. Given the first prophecy of Gen.3:15 we can see why, because he will bruise his head at the seventh trump.

Heb.2:17] Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

The selfless act of the cross, the blood of the Lamb, Melchizedek stands and cloaks our sins with his own blood.

Heb.2:18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Himself being tempted? Yes, in Mat.4 we see that Satan tempted Christ with scriptures as an example for us in these end times. This is why we study, because when we are delivered up to the antichrist, the Holy Spirit will speak through us, and many of God’s children who never studied or those who listen to false teachers will hear the Truth. God loves all his children, for this reason he came in the flesh and died for us. Let’s go to 2Peter 3 and never forget verse 9 and it reads.

2Pet.3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The LORD is patient (longsuffering) for all of his children. He doesn’t want any to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. Repent and be forgiven, when he forgives our sins, they are blotted out as if they never existed. This is why he makes those who study and who’s eyes he has opened ministers to teach Truth. Always remember to check your teachers out with the Word of God to prove them. There is no greater love than that of the Fathers. Let’s go to his throne.

Father, we love you and ask that you open the eyes of your children to your Word, we ask this in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.

KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible