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| The Agape Love of the Most High |
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The study of Love also helps us to know who our Lord really is.
Who is the Lord? We often say, “Oh, the Lord is good!”, but what is “good”? Good simply means what is beneficial. Scripture reveals that there is none good, no . . . not one. No man is beneficial for himself or for another, only our Lord is beneficial for us, only our Lord is “good”.
Overview:
For study purposes, the topic of Love is broken down into four (4) subcategories:
- His Names
- Sacrifice
- Obedience
- Marriage
Today’s Focus:
I. His Names - In the book of Genesis of the King James Bible, whenever the term Lord
or Yahweh appears, the two names that were primarily used in the original Hebrew text were:
A. Elohim - which means a God of covenant, or a Yahweh of oath . . . a Yahweh
who will keep His promises . . . and never break them.
B. Yahovah - which means a God of righteousness who must judge evil.
. . . or, which simply means Lord, in its fullest sense: one
who reigns, one who rules.
Note: The study of Love also helps us to know who our Lord really is.
Who is the Lord? We often say, “Oh, the Lord is good!”, but what is “good”? Good simply means what is beneficial. Scripture reveals that there is none good, no . . . not one. No man is beneficial for himself or for another, only our Lord is beneficial for us, only our Lord is “good”.
I (a). Love is . . .
A. Obedience G. Longsuffering
B. Truthful H. Fearless
C. Honest I. Sacrifice
D. Faithful J. Responsible
E. Humble K. Jealous *
F. Patient
Note: Yes, the Love of the Most High is, indeed, jealous! Unlike the petty, covetous
jealousy that man often hides in his heart to find fault in his brethren, the Most High is always seeking the wellbeing of his loved ones . . . us! He knows that He alone, is beneficial for us, and does not want us seeking anyone else but Him!
I (b). Love is (does) not . . .
A. Self seeking D. Murmur / complain
B. Easily provoked E. Stagnant
C. Lazy F. Greedy
I (c). I John 4:18
“There is no fear in (agape)* love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because
fear hath torment. But he who feareth has not been made perfect in love.”
Note: The love referred to in this scripture is the perfect, unconditional love of the
Most High. It is important to differentiate this love from the more common “phileo” love of man. This is more of a selfish love because it is typically shown to those who love us, be it a brotherly love, or love of a best friend who justifies our love by giving us something in return.
Word Study: “ torment” (ref: 1John 4:18) can mean one of two different words in the Greek:
a) basanidso – which means to question by applying torture, to vex, to
harass, to be under distress
b) kolasis – ongoing punishment, referring to the immediate consequence
of the sense of sin, otherwise known as “guilt”.
(this is the definition referred to in I John 4:18)
Definition: “guilt” – the state of having done a wrong or committed an offense,
culpability, legal or ethical. A painful feeling of self reproach
resulting from a belief that one has done something wrong or immoral.
Application: We are born in fear. Fear hath “kolasis”, that sense that we know that
we are incapable of making it by ourselves. This has been with us since the Garden. When Adam transgressed, we fell into fear, and with it, a sense of torment, or “kolasis”.
The only solution is His Perfect Love, The Word, the Spirit of The Most High!
I (d). But what is man before he is called, before he walks in this newness of Spirit?
Job 14:2 - He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and
does not continue.
Job 15: 14-16 What is man, that he can be pure? And he that is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? If Yahweh puts no trust in His saints, and the heavens are not pure in His sight, How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water!
Isaiah 40: 6-7 . . . all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the
Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our Yahweh stands forever.
Application: Man in his best state, man in all his possession and position, man in his
utmost flourish and glory is still a withering, fading, dying creature. Taken singly . . . all flesh is like grass. His wit, beauty, strength, vigor, and honor are but as the flower. For the flower in the field beautifies the grass, just as all of these glorified attributes of man beautify our lives, but like the flowers of the field, and the grass therein, will soon wither and fade away. Before we are called to walk in a newness of Spirit, all we care about is “self” . . . and we still do. Yet our sanctification process, in other words, our walk, helps us to care about self less and less.
I (e). I John 4:18 (continued . . .)
“There is no fear in (agape)* love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because
fear hath torment. But he who feareth has not been made perfect in love.”
Word Study: “fear” in this scripture is synonymous with the word “care”. We get the
word phobia from the Greek, phobos.
Definition: “phobos” – to put an alarm, that which is caused by intimidation or
adversaries, anxious care and distracting thought in the wants and difficulties of life. It is an irrational, excessive and persistent fear of some particular thing or situation.
Application: When something unfortunate happens to us, we put too much care into
it. We ponder on it too much. We ponder on the problem rather than the problem solver! That’s why we keep living in fear today. The believer will be still, and know that He is Yahweh! Instead of stressing about our difficulties, we should study the situation. Watch and study your difficulty like a boxer studies his opponent in a ring.
II Timothy 2:15 - Study to show thyself approved unto Yahweh, a workman needeth not to be ashamed of the Word, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Application: Love is fearless! The power of the spirit of the Most High will cause
you to be calm during difficult times. Analyze the situation, for it will still be there when we get done with our anxiety attack. When we fear, we are saying that the Lord is not capable. We disregard his power; we forget about who he is, and what he is capable of. We start to seek our own strength, the strength of the flesh. We are called to walk in a newness of spirit, in the agape love of the Most High.
Application: Love is not easily provoked. Love is not easily troubled. Analyze the
situation, be still, and make your supplications known unto the Most High! As a believer, we want to walk in this love, it sounds good to us, but we often start out on the path to this love in our own strength. In order to mature in love, or to have our love perfected, we must meditate on the word day and night, and stay in fellowship, that we may strengthen each other in the Word.
I (e). I John 4:18 (continued . . .)
“There is no fear (phobos) in (agape)* love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because
fear hath torment (kolasis). But he who feareth has not been made perfect in love.”
Word Study: “perfect”, in Greek is telios., which means wanting nothing necessary for
completeness . . . you are complete. It means you are satisfied, you are faithful. Consummate human integrity and virtue . . .men, full grown!
Application: The word “perfect” in this scripture means an adult, mature and full
grown. When the world says, “well, no one is perfect”, let not the
believer use this as an excuse. We should strive to be perfect, or mature in our walk, firm and erect, as we follow the precepts of the Most High.
Phillipians 4:6-7 – Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto Yahweh, and the peace of Yahweh, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:25 – Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Application: We read these truths in scripture, but the carnal man cannot do these
things in his own strength. But he gives each of us gifts uniquely, and places his Law in each and every one of our hearts. The Word of the Most High is already written in our hearts, so when we hear a preacher speaks the Word, it resonates with what has already been placed in us.
It is this “divine influence” that will animate us and make us respond when we hear and meditate on the Word. This is how we mature in love, not by our might or by our strength, but by letting the spoken Word of the Most High connect with what is already in us, and allowing the spirit of the Lord to quicken your spirit and remake you into a new creature that can walk in the fullness of His Love.
I (f). Dispensations
Dispensations are unequal periods of time that the Most High used to
reveal himself to man; they were opportunities that he gave to man to redeem himself. However, man has shown that he cannot redeem himself.
A) Under the 5th dispensation, that of The Law (Mosaic), the scriptures are
characterized by the Lord saying, “Thou shall” or “thou shall not”. However, man is incapable of keeping his promises.
B) Under the 6th dispensation, that of Grace, the scriptures are characterized
by the Lord saying, “I will”, meaning, He is the one keeping the covenants now, for He is the only one who can. Ex: “I will be your Yahweh and you will be my child”. Grace, in Greek, is charis, or, the divine influence upon the hearts (the understanding) of the believer.
Application: There is absolutely nothing on this earth that we can do in our carnal
efforts to contribute to our salvation. The only thing we can offer is obedience!
When Saul was ordered to destroy all of the Amalekites, his disobedience lied in the fact that he leaned upon his own understanding of what would please the Lord by sparing the fatlings, goats and oxen for the purpose of sacrifice. But Samuel chastened him for compromising and deciding for himself that some of the animals should be spared, saying,” . . . to obey is better than sacrifice”. (See I Samuel 15-23.)
Matthew 6:25 – Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
I John 4:18 - “There is no fear (phobos) in (agape)* love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment (kolasis). But he who feareth has not been made perfect in love.”
Application: Saul’s excuse before Samuel was that the people were grumbling, and
for fear of them, he compromised Yahweh’s commandments (as spoken by Samuel). Saul was anointed by Yahweh to be king, yet his fear of losing his position caused him to err. Yet if he was walking in love, the love of the Most High, he would take no thought for his life (Matthew 6:25), because if the Lord made him king, no man could take that from him.
I (g) Read Psalm 84 - A song about the blessedness of dwelling in the House of the Lord.
I (h) Read Psalm 23 – A song of the beauty and comfort of having the Lord as our Shepherd.
To be continued. |
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