| Part 1 (Copyright 12-15-2024) by Rod Reynolds (Wentzville, Missouri) |
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| We are instructed in Scripture to examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). How can one know if “Jesus Christ is in” himself, or herself? Is there a measuring stick we can use for this purpose? Is it how often we attend church services, or church activities? Is it what church we belong to? Is it Bible knowledge? Or something else? Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). We are instructed to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2). John wrote, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:8). We are to strive to become like God (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:45). Scripture says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). But merely professing to love God or our neighbors is not enough. We are to love “in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). But what is love? How is love defined? Are there specific items we can examine to test how we measure up, and how we can improve? Find answers in this message, as these questions are addressed in some detail, so we may follow the admonitions we are given, and with God’s help, improve our standing before him in terms of love. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.cogmessenger.org Sermon Link: Christian Love, Part 1 | COGMessenger ————————————————————————————————————————- See Rod Reynolds other articles at: Reynolds, Rod – The “New” Church of God Messenger (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Messenger Church of God https://www.cogmessenger.org/ ————————————————————————————————————————- |
| Part 2 (Copyright 12-15-2024) by Rod Reynolds (Wentzville, Missouri) |
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| When asked what is the greatest commandment in the law of God, Jesus said, “`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40). How many who claim to be Christians, however, take this statement to heart? How many even have a valid concept of what “love” is, from the standpoint of Scripture? Common ideas of “love” to the world, even to many who claim to be Christians, are deeply flawed, and often they are diametrically opposite to what the Bible itself defines as love. Yet, there is nothing more important to real Christianity than both the understanding of the concept of love from a Biblical perspective, and its application as one lives his life in fulfilling these two greatest of the commandments. Far from being just a warm feeling in one’s heart, genuine Godly love is specifically defined in how it is to be fulfilled from a practical standpoint, both as it is directed towards loving God and loving one’s neighbors. Much of the Bible is directed at instructing us in how to apply these precepts and informing us with regard to how they have been perverted, subverted and rejected among human beings, and God’s judgments on individuals and the world as a whole as a result. There is no one on the earth who is applying these precepts perfectly, and there is no one who could not learn how to apply them more perfectly. This message focuses on admonitions from the Bible on precisely how we can love God and love other human beings in practical ways and avoid pitfalls and misunderstandings regarding this vital subject. Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Sermon Link: Christian Love, Part 2 | COGMessenger ————————————————————————————————————————- See Rod Reynolds other articles at: Reynolds, Rod – The “New” Church of God Messenger (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Messenger Church of God https://www.cogmessenger.org/ ————————————————————————————————————————- |
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