Four facts you should be aware of by the end of this discourse:
1. The Father could not love The Son more.
2. The Father loves you and me no less that
He loves The
Son.
3. The Father could not love you and me more.
3. The Father could not love you and me more.
4. The Father loves you and me with the same
love He loves
The Son.
The Son.
The Manifest Love of The Father
1. The Manifest Love of the Father for The
Son
Joh 3:35 The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given
all things into his hand. (John the
Baptist’s Exaltation of Christ)
Joh 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that
ye may marvel. (The Authority of the Son)
2. The Manifest
Reason for The Father’s Love for The Son
Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (Jesus as the Good Shepherd)
3. The Manifest
Extent of the Father’s Love for the Son
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world. (Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer)
4. The Manifest
Love of the Father reflected in The Son
Joh 15:9 As the Father
hath loved me, so have I loved you:
continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love.
(Jesus as the True Vine)
Joh 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (That’s you and me)
Joh 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me.
Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one: (Jesus’ High Priestly
Prayer)
5. The Manifest Revelation of the Father’s
Love to the World
Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect
in one; and that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Joh 17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I
have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
6. The Manifest Mystery of the Declaration of
the Father’s Love
Joh 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare
it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them, and I in them.
7. The Manifest Declaration of The Father’s
Love for The Son
Mat 3:17 And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. (Jesus’ baptism)
Mat 17:5 While
he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out
of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Jesus’ transfiguration)
Mar 1:11 And
there came a voice from heaven, saying,
Thou art my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Jesus’ baptism)
2Pe 1:17 For
he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice
to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. (Jesus’ transfiguration)
Now here's the conclusion of the matter:
Mat 17:5 While
he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out
of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
(Jesus’ transfiguration)
Hear ye Him!
That was the message to
all within earshot at the time and it’s the message to us, straight from the
word of God. We did not merit God’s love
but certainly He merits our love and our obedience. We have a way of saying that Hallelujah is
the highest praise. I beg to differ. The highest praise and acknowledgement to God
for His benevolent and unspeakable love is humble, constant and willing
obedience to His Word.
Jesus implores us to
continue in his love. I call to your
attention once again the following scripture reference.
Joh 15:9 As the Father
hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
I hear you ask, “How may we continue in his
love?”
The next verse supplies the very
straightforward answer.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love.
(Jesus as the True Vine)
In my estimation it certainly cannot be any
clearer. Perhaps like the lawyer who
came to Christ and tempted him asking which was the great commandment of the
law, you would also like to know the same.
I will let Jesus answer for himself.
Mat 22:37 Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.
Some focus on loving God but make little of
loving their brother. While there might
not be any such persons here, I still believe that this following scripture
reference is still applicable to all of us as we continue in the love of
Christ. The real test is where the
rubber hits the road and here is where that happens.
Gal 6:2 Bear
ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Herein lies the further extension of the
manifest love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
8. The Manifest Reciprocation
of the Love of Christ by you and me
1Jn 4:7 Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8 He
that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:9 In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Amen!
Stewart Russell © 2015
