Revelation of the Love of God

The revelation of the love of God is wrapped up in the reality of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is not about being kind, although being kind comes along with God's love. It is not about being emotional. The Love of God was revealed to the Apostle John, and God will reveal His love to you! You will have to go deep to find it. The Bible says to seek the Lord with all your heart. The Word also says to love the Lord with all your mind, your heart, your soul and your strength. Can you truly say that you are doing this today? Are you really after seeing the love of God manifested in your life?

Love God with all of your being. Love other people like you love yourself. Jesus said that these are the most important commandments. God is love. In the gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, we see where Jesus first met John. James and John were fishermen with Peter. John caught the greatest revelation of the love of God in his walk with Jesus. The life that Jesus lived, never changing no matter what anyone did or said to him, affected John. John made a decision to live with this reality in his own life. In the book of John, chapter one, John wrote: In the beginning, the word was with God, and the word was God

Jesus brought knowledge into this life that darkness, unredeemed people could not understand. You know, we have never majored in the Word of God. Now, today, all these years after John wrote these things, this eternal Word is full of life for us today, this particular life from the beginning.

Let's picture ourselves in John's position as a young man. Young folks like to know and experience everything. Now, if we as Christians don't catch hold of what John was saying, that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, the living Word, with God, was God, we come to see that the Word is the personality that speaks the Word. That makes Jesus and what He says the same. What He says will never pass away. He is still upholding all things by the Word of His Power. Jesus' relationship with God is so much more than just being born of a virgin. He dwelled among us.

The miracles, turning the water to wine. That must have been awesome. How would you feel having lived with someone who raised people from the dead? Someone who walked on water? Caused demons to depart? The demons recognized Jesus. And John had the awesome experience of knowing Jesus. Really knowing Jesus. Not a religious experience, a real experience. There is something in John's little book that will affect your life! In the life and testimony of John, God is giving us the revelation of Jesus. Here was a man, who was also God that defied the powers of that age. The Pharisees and the government couldn't contain Him. Yet, who can contain the Love of God? Only those who believe.

There was no question in John's mind that Heaven exists. That the devil was real. These issues are debated in the minds of people today, because they do not have the revelation that John had.

John knew that when eternity said, "roll the stone away," a miracle would occur. John knew that He who set time into existence could call Lazarus forth. John left us the roadmap in his first letter:

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life."

Yes, John knew that he had handled the Love of God, the living Word of God, revealed:

For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.

Yes, the Love of God can be manifested if you have the heart to receive it! John did. Do you?

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Is your joy full today? If so, glory be to God, pass it on. If not, keep pressing on. This love is available to you! This is not just a religious saying. This is not a storybook tale. You can know the love of God!

John had a face to face encounter with the Love of God! Jesus looked like a man, but He was so much more outstanding! John was allowed to go on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. After that experience, John was even more convinced that Jesus could accomplish whatever He set out to do. John understood that Jesus controlled the armies of the world. John understood that all power belonged to Christ. John said he'd looked upon Him, handled the Words of Life! Get this, now. Here is a being in a physical body, yet John knew that he'd had the occasion to touch He who had framed the worlds and all creation. John is speaking from experience. He is saying that I've had the occasion to witness the Son of God free a woman bent with infirmity for eighteen years. John saw Jesus speak to the circumstances and saw the woman's body completely restored. Would you say that that woman's joy was full after that?

This reality became such a part of John, that they couldn't kill him. The other disciples and apostles ran into some things, but not John. History has it that they even tried to boil him in oil, and it didn't hurt him. What a revelation of the power of the love of God!

Jesus said, "I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." Man did not have abundant life. He'd lost it in the Garden of Eden. Jesus brought it all back to us. Think about it. God told Adam that once he'd partaken of that tree, he'd surely die. God meant a lot when He said that. Then, hundreds of years later, after witnessing all kinds of deaths and curses, John lived to see Love in Action. John saw Love alive! John touched and handled the Love of God! So can you! Can you handle it! More importantly, do you want to handle it? Do you want to touch and feel the Jesus that John knew?

You must be aware that you don't have to be denomination minded. You don't have to be church minded! You don't have to be church duty minded. When there is a revelation that you serve God with all of your heart, your mind, your soul, serving the eternal, everlasting Word of God -- He is just as real today, then you are on the road to Love that John knew.

Think about this, now. We as Christians are about the only group who doesn't major in what we believe. Athletes major in sports. Singers major in singing. We can get to know mathematics, computers, and mechanics. Most of us are up on that because we have applied ourselves to coming to know these things. People even major in serving idols and the devil. Yes, we approach these kinds of things with an attitude of mastering them, so we succeed.

Yet, we Christians are just failing when it comes to spiritual things. In our knowledge and use of spiritual things, we don't even know two plus two equals four. If the Church were the learning institution it should be, most Christians would fail. We get after kids for playing hooky, yet we play spiritual hooky all the time. The professor is in class, the students don't show up. The things we should know most of all, we know least of all. The spiritual things that directly affect our lives, we don't know. We are not like John. We've not had that spiritual experience, of handling the Word of life. We want to treat the preacher's like doctors. We don't have to know what they know to get well. We don't want a teacher who will teach us how to live for ourselves. You don't have to know what the doctor knows, use what the doctor uses. We just expect the doctor to perform. Yet the Bible says, "people perish for lack of knowledge." You need to have this same experience, this same knowledge that the Word is giving you.

You need to know where your healing is, your prosperity is, and your right standing with God is. You need to know the assistance of angelic forces you have. But we don't have this, so life remains a mystery to us. We fail to comprehend spiritual things. Light will shine in a place of light, but light won't comprehend it because light won't do what needs to be done to comprehend, to handle the Word of Life. This is one of the most disheartening things for a minister of the gospel. You see that people are not equipped, and they won't try to get it. It's like never learning how to count, or what money is, then going to the grocery store and have the man ask you for twenty dollars. You don't know what it is. You never took the time to find out how to count. Or you have a car; you’re driving and can't read. You'll be in a mess sooner or later.

How many Christians know how to cook better than they know God? God should be above everything else that we know. One day, you'll come face to face with the reality that you need this. It's almost like trying to get somebody to breathe for you, or to get his or her heart to beat for you. It won't work. You'll have to touch, to know to handle this reality for yourself. And you'll have to handle it with skill and experience. You must personally know your own God.

This is what John is talking about. We must have this same kind of experience. When you are living every day, the Word of God should be just as real in everything you do as when you open your Bible and read it. You need to pray and ask God to reveal His Word to you -- not just from a book, but for real, everyday life. When you ask God to reveal His Word to you, allow Him to do it. Then, live the Word, do the Word! From Genesis One to the last page of Revelation, the Word of God should be real to you. The fall and redemption of man should be just as real to you as breathing. You need to know that God is involved in your life. You are a product of the plan and purpose of God! His Love is higher than anything else you can ever think of is. Your racial ties are not even important. You are a member of the family, the kingdom of God. You are of God, little children.

This is what is so sad about Christianity. We can have racial differences, social differences, and lack of associations. Yet, Christianity is supposed to bring us together. You know why it hasn't happened? There's no revelation of the Love of God in the Church. When you see yourself more than you can see God, you don't have a revelation of God. When you can see yourself and the difference in other people, you're not seeing God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And to have a revelation of God is to have a revelation of the Love of God. This should be growing in your life every single day, hour, and year. There should be a depth of the reality and application of this love that wasn't here last year. You have to get your purpose, which is to be fulfilled in the love of God! You might want to start by majoring in First John. Once you get a handle on that, you can go on to learn the character of Love in First Corinthians 13. Don't jump ahead of yourself, thinking you know algebra when you don't have two plus two down. Touch, handle, and know the love of God for yourself.

Now abides faith, hope and love. Yet, the greatest of these is love. Keep yourselves in the love of God, dear ones. May your joy be full, complete and overflowing. Amen.