“God’s Divine Love”
Easter Friday
John 15
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Here Christ’s divinity is revealed to us. This love is inexpressible. We cannot fathom its height, depth, width and extent. Words fail to describe such a love. From eternity already the Father loved the Son.
Then Jesus said that with this very same love, He has loved us. If your heart is of stone or steel, then this will leave you cold, but if this mystery has been revealed to you, your heart will melt even if you have been an enemy of God. This mystery will change your life. That which you have loved, you will hate, and that which you have hated, you will love. It is such a deep and pure love. It is full, perfect and eternal. This is the love the Father has for His only Son and this is the very same love that Jesus love us with.
However, God the Father loved the world so much, that He gave His only begotten Son, which He loved so much, to save you and me. If He loved His Son so much, but sacrificed Him for you and me, how much must His love be towards you and me? Jesus also laid down His life voluntarily for you and me. He loved us with the same love, and laid down His life that we might be saved.
If such a great love of God the Father and His Son do not touch and stir you, and cause you to repent, you should cry for mercy that God would reveal this love to you and turn your heart to brokenness. If this love does not shake you to the core, you must be a child of the devil, and possessed y the devil. No wonder there is a hell. Those that reject, trample underfoot and despise such a great love deserve hell over and over.
There are many religions in this world, but none approach unto our Lord Jesus Christ.
The story is told of a man who saw someone in the distance, obviously carrying a heavy burden. It was as if he carried the burden of the whole world. When he came close, and looked into His eyes, he saw compassion, love and mercy as never before. Instantly he knew it was his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He enquired about the burden and thanked Him for carrying the sins of the whole world. ‘No’, He replied, ‘this that you see is not the sins of the whole world, but just your sin’. This shook him and he understood in a small measure what Jesus did for him.
Jesus even goes further, and calls us His friends. Only He can call us His friends. We can only cry out that we may be faithful to the end and never betray Him.
But this love does not stop here. He commanded us to love one another in the same way (v12). How do you reveal your love to Him and your brethren? Are you touchy and easily offended? If you love Him, keep His commandments. If you love Him, you will love God’s children with a deep, sincere love. Many Christians today say that they are free and need not keep Jesus’ commandments, yet they say that they love Him. Such are liars.
In v9 we read, ‘continue in my love’. We need to remain in His love. We are known that we have passed from death to life, if we love God and the brethren with this love.
This is not any so-called ‘love’, but God’s divine love. He laid down His life for you, because of this love. Are you prepared to give your life for your brethren, or do you criticize and slander them?
In John 15:6, Jesus says, ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ These are words from the Lord’s mouth.
Blessed is the one who hears these words, puts them into practice and keeps them.
