Made With Love Series
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
John 13: 34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Christians, LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Love in a way that the world will recognize the difference in the love you have for each other and acknowledge that you are only able to love like that because you are My followers.
John 17:1
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may
glorify you.
Jesus begins to pray, in the presence of the disciples, the same team of men He has given some instructions and solid teaching.
John 17: 9 – 11
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you
have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you
have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain
in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming
to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the
name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
Jesus states very clearly that He is praying for the team, the team that His Father has given Him. Father, by my death I will redeem them and I will
then give them to you. That brings me great joy, that I will be able to
redeem Your creation. But note that He goes on to say that He is not
planning to stay with them here in the world. I am leaving them in the
world for purpose: they will form the base of the Church that I will be
building. Here is something I really ask of you: since I am not going to be
here with them, I am asking you to protect them by the power of the name
you gave me. Protect them because they are important to you and me. He
makes it clear that the protection that He wants for them is, “by the name
you gave me,” the name Jesus, the name that means authority.
Philippians 2:9-11:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Protect them in the world so that they will not be divided by foolish issues,
but that they will be one body, one church, one people, one bride, even as
You and I are one.
John 17:20-21, Jesus prayed
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j] will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You,
Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, thatthe world may believe that You sent Me.
Note what He prayed:
- He prayed for everyone across the globe for the next 2021 years who
will hear the gospel and believe that I died for them.
- He prayed that they all will be one, just like how You are Father, I am
Son, and there is the Holy Spirit, three but UNITED AS ONE GOD
- He prayed that the divine unity in the Trinity be replicated in the
Church so that when the world sees true unity in the church they will
know that You really sent Me and that God the Father really loves
them.
1 John 2: 9-11:
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness
until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is
no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in
darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
John says that there are two groups in the church.
i) those who claim to be in the light but hates other Christians. He
says that they are still in the darkness
ii) those who love their brother and sister: they live in the light,
and they don’t have a problem walking in the Spirit.
If you are in Group 1, then you hate some Christians. LET IT GO.
Ephesians 5:8 - 13:
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases God. Have nothing
to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It
is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible- and everything that
is illuminated becomes a light.
Paul is telling the Church to wake up, let go of the darkness within the
church so you can be united in tackling the darkness in the society.
Examples of the works of darkness are: hate and discrimination, sexual
immorality, human trafficking, drug abuse, killing of your brothers, crime
and violence, child abuse, spousal abuse, increase in divorce and breakdown
in family life, murder-suicide, abortion of the unborn child, corruption and fraud, exploitation of the poor, the growth of atheism, injustice. And where is the voice of the church? Busy hating each other.
God has left us here on earth to operate in love for each other so that
together we can spread the gospel to the world.
God has left us here on earth to dwell together in unity.
God has left us here on earth to be His witnesses to show the world the love that the Father has for them and so win them for the So today, we hear Him say to us, LET IT GO. Let go of the darkness among you and walk in light.
When God’s people get it right, when God’s people let it go, when we return
to real love one for another and walk in unity, then not only will God bless the church but He will heal this country
HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD.
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