Praise the Lord and thank you for joining us for Part 3 of the message Real Love with Dr. Pradeep Stephen on the God of Wonders radio program. We welcome you and trust that the Lord will bless you, enable you to know His divine love and how to walk in that love. Let’s listen.
The truth of God and the love of God turn people away from sin. When God said, “I 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, 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 away all of our antagonism against God, begins to change us. But the truth is right along with the love. No such thing as the 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 free from what? Human love, human love that is devoid of the divine touch. Human love that 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, the Holy Spirit 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.” And it is the truth of God that James says in James 5:19[King James Version], 19. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20. Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Who does the saving? One who loves, God working in one who has surrendered to Him. Because of that love, a person who is walking with God with divine love has the boldness and the absolute concern for the welfare of that soul that has strayed from the truth. That’s exactly what the scripture says. One who wanders from the truth will end up with a multitude of sins, but they’ll be saved from the error of their way. They will be saved from death, saved from death. Is it talking of physical death? No. It’s talking of spiritual death. Spiritual death. Because everyone dies. Everyone has an appointed time unless they are in that generation when the Lord Jesus comes. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15, we who are alive at that time, there will be transformed, translated. But everyone else they will go through death, the normal way. This death here is speaking of spiritual death. So, the love of God compels me to give what? Not only the good works to help someone with my material possessions, my affection, my words of encouragement and comfort; but also the truth of the Lord Jesus.
What is the use of a knife in the surgeon’s hand? What is the use of a knife in a criminal’s hand? Two different purposes: the one seeks to destroy, that is all that person knows, selfish, murderers. The other seeks to heal, but he also seeks to destroy. What does a surgeon seek to destroy? Obviously the malignant tumor, that which is destroying the person. No one would dare go to a surgeon and say, “Don’t use that instrument, it’s so sharp. Can’t you see it can cause pain?” But when one understands the purpose of the surgeon, the design of his surgery, one backs off and is ever grateful. Because of the removal of this tumor, this surgeon can say later, “This cancerous doctrine, this false teaching, this error I have saved this person from a multitude of sins and from death.”
When I love God, I will love his truth. I will have such a benevolent attitude that I will go to any lengths within reason, within divine reason, within the divine will to save that soul by presenting that soul with the truth. It’s not enough to put my arm around a person and tell them, “its ok.” It’s not enough to wipe their tears. I must present the truth of God. And the truth is all over the scriptures. Thy word is truth. God will show us what is necessary to encourage each other, to exhort each other, to warn each other. These are all necessary. It is the absence of this aspect of God’ love, that is the truth that has caused multitudes to go into false doctrine, into self complacency, into darkness, into sin and they don’t feel like they need to be checked, because everyone is in the same boat. But they say, they love each other, they say they love God. What happened to God’s truth? We need the truth of God. This is what James says, In Jude verse 20-23 [King James Version], it says this: 20. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves upin your most holy faithand praying in the Holy Spirit, 21. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you waitfor the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
We have to keep ourselves in the Love of God, there is a responsibility it’s not automatic. There are those who believe that once God has saved us, automatically we will be safe. That is, we have no responsibility. Very clearly here, in this next to the last book of the Bible, the chapter book of Jude; He says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” It is our privilege and responsibility to make sure we are in the love of God. And what to do we say the love of God was? It is a self-sacrificial lifestyle to help others seeking nothing in return, no false motive of self-gain, but clearly and only for the welfare of the others. But also the love of God’s truth that saves others who are in error from a multitude of sins and death. Here Jude says we have to keep ourselves in the love of God. He also says this, in verse 22: 22. Be merciful to those who doubt; 23. save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh”.
Did you know that the love of God includes hate with it? That may seem illogical or paradoxical but it’s not. “Ye that love the Lord hate evil.” That’s what the scripture says in the Old Testament. If you love the Lord, you will not only be self-sacrificial, do good works, help others, encourage others; you will love His word enough to be knowledgeable about His word, to care about His word, to magnify His word, to preach His word. But you will also have God's love to the point of hating evil with a passion. Human love does not hate evil with a passion. It may hate certain things that result from evil but not necessarily the evil. God's love hates the very root of that evil, which is satanic.
So when one ministers to another soul, according to Jude; to some we show mercy, encourage, gently restore; to others we mix our message with the fear of God, hating even the garment or clothing contaminated by sin. That is, we have a hatred against sin and we also convey that to that person. What is unlovable in the world’s eyes and a lot of lukewarm Christians, so called “Christians,” to God is the essence of Love. That when necessary we do not hold back the truth because we love. But because we love, we tell the truth. Holding back the truth of God or having respectability as a factor because one is older, because one is in the ministry, or because one is more popular, more influential, one is more wealthy; holding back God's truth at that point is clearly showing, “I don’t have the love of God. I have a worldly love.” I have to identify these things. The more I identify exactly the nature of the love that I profess, the more I will know whether I am in line with God Almighty. The more in line with God Almighty I am, with His love; not like Peter who tried to stop the Lord from going to the cross but going with a steadfast will. That I will accomplish God's purpose, because He is love; the more God will be able to use me to effect genuine revival in the people around me. It begins with me.
First, I must love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, love my neighbor as myself. The neighbor part, most people understand to an extent that is the good works. Paul says by the Holy Spirit to Titus, “Let our people, that is the church, make sure that they continue, they are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).What are they? We see in the book of Acts, Dorcas who died. Peter came and raised her from the dead. The testimony she had in the mouths of her friends was that she was faithful to take care of other’s needs. And they showed the garments that she stitched. That was good works. She cared about others. That is love. But there is more to it than that. And no doubt, Dorcas would have had that love with the truth.
Biblical definition of love also includes love for God's truth, giving God’s truth, saving people from a multitude of sins by giving the truth, saving them from error and from death. So God's love has truth of God. Do we have God’s love? That’s the question. Do we have human love, worldly love on the one side, the other hand God's love? Can we mix the two? It’s impossible. Either we love God or we have the human love, not love for humans. See God's Love love humans but this is not a human love. A human love is a love that is concerned with the temporal. Love that is concerned with the social etiquette that is how nice I can appear, the social protocol but the motives are not there. It is not a disinterested love, it is a self-interested love. God’s love is giving to others expecting nothing in return, even a thank you. That is God’s love. That love shows Jesus to the world.
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Please join us next time for Part 4 and the conclusion of the message Real Love.
Until then, may the Lord richly bless you, Goodbye!
