EVEN MORE ABOUT LOVE AND COMMANDMENTS
Thursday – November 21, 2019, Cheshvan 23, 5780
Greeting my precious brothers and sisters in Christ and welcome back to this in depth, illuminating, and empowering Bible Study of the Book of John. If you are reading this on Facebook, please take a moment and hit the “love” and “share” buttons to encourage Donna and me and more importantly expand the reach of this gospel. The pictures today, Wednesday, and Thursday are of the buffalo (Adam and Eve) that I owned in Texas. Precious ones please understand that there are no more important Words, nor more important knowledge, not even close, than the Words of God, our knowledge (intimate) of God, of His Word. Knowing His Word, receiving His Word, having an unwavering faith in His Word, using His Word in Love and being led of the Holy Spirit should be the most fervent cry of our heart. If it is not, we might ask ourselves what knowledge, whose words do we value, what words do we have absolute faith in, where is our love, and who is leading us? Now let us turn to our primary Bible text and read it aloud together.
John 14:15-21 (KJV)
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
We are still dealing with the idea, the reality, that the content of our heart with regards to loving (agapaō) the Lord is inexorably tied to obeying the commandments. When Jesus is talking about the commandments, He is talking about all 613 of them not just the Ten Commandments. However, we see on more than one occasion that when we obey the commandment to love God and our neighbor the others will be fulfilled as well.
Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
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.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
We see the idea that all hangs on loving God with our total being and loving our neighbor (everyone else) in the following Scripture as well.
Galatians 5:14 (KJV)
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
To love God is to do the Scriptures, all of them, not just our favorite ones. Keep in mind, once we decide to do all the Scripture our lives will have a dramatic change for over the top good. Will there be temptations, will there be attacks of the enemy, and will there be persecutions? You betcha! That is kind of how you know you are on the right track. Don’t be nervous you are well equipped. The world and the Church (religious, traditional Church) will rise up in indignation when they see you abounding in wealth and health.
Mark 10:29-30 (KJV)
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
It is really hard to escape the fact of how important this is to God and thus to us. There is no victory short of walking in love. Of course, the fulness of our love walk will start at a baby level but with diligence will grow and come into maturity. I for one want to walk in mature love (agapaō). In that place we will walk as Jesus walked, think as Jesus thought, talk as Jesus talked, and do as Jesus did.
John 14:12 (KJV)
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Now for a moment as we end for today back to 1st John.
1 John 2:3-6 (KJV)
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
The word “perfected” in verse five has to do with being made complete or becoming mature. When we keep His commandments, it is a demonstration that we actually know Him otherwise we just know about Him and have no personal relationship. To be fully enveloped in the Master we must do the commandments (love) otherwise we are play actors, liars, hypocrites. When we don’t keep the commandments, the Truth is not in us, meaning the Jesus is not in us, the Word is not in us, the Holy Spirit is not in us, and finally love is not in us. What a sad place to be.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it, believe it, and speak over yourself and your family by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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