01/08/12

Whom does Jesus love?

John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."


One will hear many Christians say that Jesus loves everyone and died for the sins of everyone; this is not what the Bible says.

Sure God's love and grace is available for everyone but when Jesus died God knew who He died for and the sins of whom He has forgiven through His sacrifice. God says only those who are accepted Him and His sacrifice are the ones whom He died for.

God knows who will accept Him and who will not and those who reject Him are the ones He calls as the children of Devil.

In today's message Jesus specifies who He loves and whom the Father loves and He is very clear about it. He says those who have His commandments in them and who keep them are the ones whom He and His Father loves and would manifest their love to and also who Jesus Christ is.

God's love like His grace is also for everyone but yet not all will avail of it. Only those who show their love for Him by having His commandments in them and make the efforts to keep them would avail of His love.

Having God's commandment in us does not mean to study the Bible but means those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit. It is when a person gets baptized in the Holy Spirit that the Lord writes His commandments in the heart (soul) of that person. To keep then also it is not by the person's own efforts but by the help of the Holy Spirit alone that the person can keep the commandments that is written in him or her.

The Lord is telling us if we claim to be loved by Jesus we need to ask ourselves are we baptized in the Holy Spirit. You will ask me brother how do I know if I am baptized in the Holy Spirit?

If we read the Bible in the book of Acts the people were not clear with baptism of water but when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit they were very confident. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was always manifested with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They would speak in tongues, prophesy or other gifts of Holy Spirit were manifested in them.

The disciples did receive the Holy Spirit long before Pentecost when Jesus breath in them and said 'receive My Spirit' but they were only baptized when they surrendered to the Holy Spirit when they were all collected in the upper room during Pentecost (Feast of Harvest - it was the day the Church not only the Apostles received His Spirit). If anyone does not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit in them should remember because of their belief in Jesus Christ as their saviour they have received the promise of (as a token) the Holy Spirit. All they need to surrender their lives to the Holy Spirit and they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and would be loved by Jesus Christ and by the Father and they will come to really know who Jesus really is.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, Your love and grace was manifested for the whole of creation but only those who are your sheep hear your voice and come to You are the ones who really receive your love and grace. Lord we pray for those who are fooled to believe that they are loved by You just because they believe in You. Lord we pray that they are baptized in your Spirit and really receive your love and are saved...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
John 14:15-24
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.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

John 4:41-47
41 "You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father-God."
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Mark 12:30-31
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

John 5:42-43
42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

John 20:22 - And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:45-47
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)