Lve Lifted Me Recvery Ministries http://www.lveliftedmerecvery.cm Lve - Fulfillment f the Cmmandments Jesus said, "If yu lve Me, keep My cmmandments" (Jhn 14:15). I remember as a new Christian wndering, "What are thse cmmandments? Are they the Ten Cmmandments? I thught the New Testament teaches that we are nt under the law, but under grace? S hw des that fit in with keeping the cmmandments f Jesus?" The answer is fund in several principles r truths, which are repeated in the Scriptures: 1.) If yu lve Jesus yu will keep His cmmandments; 2.) All the cmmandments are summed up in "LOVE Gd and LOVE yur neighbr as yurself" ; 3.) The Hly Spirit gives us the lve f Gd in ur hearts and the pwer t carry ut the cmmandments; 4.) Keeping His cmmandments and abiding in His LOVE is prf that we belng t Him. S, it is a cntinuus cycle f Gd puring His lve int us s that we can keep His cmmandments, and ur beying His cmmandments keeps us abiding in His lve. If Gd Himself gives us the pwer t lve and keep His cmmandments, then what is ur respnsibility, what is ur part in the equatin? Jesus said, "Yu shall LOVE the Lrd yur Gd with all yur heart, with all yur sul, and with all yur mind." This means that we must be WILLING t ALLOW Gd t pur ut His lve in and thrugh us. We must turn ALL f ur strength and purpse, ALL f ur emtins and feelings, ALL f ur thught-life twards Gd, and ASK Him t use us as a cntainer and channel f His lve. He prvides the pwer, but He des nt frce it n us, r give it t us while ur hearts and minds are ccupied in selfish, wrldly cncerns. He waits fr us t be willing vessels, and then He will pur ut His lve and pwer int us and thrugh us t thers. 1. If yu lve Jesus yu will keep His cmmandments - Yu can talk all yu want abut hw much yu lve Jesus, but He wants yu t "walk the walk, and nt just talk the talk." Actually, Jesus is saying that keeping His cmmandments is prf that yu d lve Him. Jhn 14:15 "If yu lve Me, keep My cmmandments." Jhn 14:21 & 23-24 "He wh has My cmmandments and keeps them, it is he wh LOVES Me. And he wh lves Me will be lved by My Father, and I will lve him and manifest Myself t him." "Jesus answered and said t him, 'If anyne lves Me, he will keep My wrd; and My Father will lve him, and we will cme t him and make Our hme with him. He wh des nt lve Me des nt keep My wrds; and the wrd which yu hear is nt Mine but the Father's wh sent Me.'" I Jhn 2:6 "He wh says he abides in Him ught himself als t walk just as He walked." I Jhn 5:2-3 "By this we knw that we LOVE the children f Gd, when we LOVE Gd and keep His cmmandments. Fr this is the LOVE f Gd, that we keep His cmmandments. And His cmmandments are nt burdensme." 2. All the cmmandments are summed up in "lve Gd and lve yur neighbr as yurself" - On the surface, yu may nt think that everything culd be cvered by thse tw cmmandments, but if yu find the rt cause f any sin, it cmes dwn t nt lving Gd cmpletely and whlly, r nt lving thers with the Gd kind f lve. The same cmmandment is stated in a slightly different way in I Jhn 3:23, "And this is His cmmandment, that we believe in the name f His Sn Jesus Christ, and LOVE ne anther, just as He cmmanded us." Yu can't lve Gd withut believing in His Sn Jesus Christ. "Whever denies (des nt believe in) the Sn des nt have the Father; the ne wh cnfesses the Sn has the Father als" (I Jhn 2:23). Rmans 13:8-10 "Owe n man anything except t LOVE ne anther, fr he wh LOVES anther has fulfilled the law. Fr the cmmandments, 'Yu shall nt cmmit adultery,' 'Yu shall nt murder,' 'Yu shall nt steal,' 'Yu shall nt bear false witness,' 'Yu shall nt cvet,' and if there is any ther cmmandment, are all summed up in this saying, 'Yu shall LOVE yur neighbr as yurself.' LOVE des n harm t a neighbr; therefre LOVE is the fulfillment f the law."
Matthew 22:36-40 "'Teacher, which is the great cmmandment in the law?' Jesus said t him, 'Yu shall LOVE the Lrd yur Gd with all yur heart, with all yur sul, and with all yur mind. This is the first and great cmmandment. And the secnd is like it: Yu shall LOVE yur neighbr as yurself. On these tw cmmandments hang all the Law and the Prphets.'" Jhn 15:12 & 17 "This is My cmmandment, that yu LOVE ne anther as I have LOVED yu." "These things I cmmand yu, that yu LOVE ne anther." I Jhn 2:7 & 3:11 "Brethren, I write n new cmmandment t yu, but an ld cmmandment which yu have had frm the beginning. The ld cmmandment is the wrd which yu heard frm the beginning." "Fr this is the message that yu heard frm the beginning, that we shuld LOVE ne anther." I Jhn 3:23 "And this is His cmmandment, that we believe in the name f His Sn Jesus Christ, and LOVE ne anther, just as He cmmanded us." I Timthy 1:5 "But the gal f ur cmmandment is LOVE frm a pure heart and a gd cnscience and a sincere faith." 3. The Hly Spirit GIVES us the LOVE f Gd in ur HEARTS and the pwer t carry ut the cmmandments - Gd never meant fr us t try t live the Christian life in ur wn strength. Why d yu think we just have the ne cmmandment t LOVE in the New Testament, whereas they had ver 600 cmmandments t keep in the Old Testament? Rmans 5:5 and Jhn 7:37-39 give us part f the answer: they did nt have the Hly Spirit DWELLING inside each believer in the Old Testament times, and it is by the Hly Spirit that Gd gives us His lve by which we are able t lve ne anther. On the Day f Pentecst, AFTER Jesus was "glrified" by His resurrectin and ascensin t heaven, the Hly Spirit was GIVEN and cntinues t be given t ALL WHO BELIEVE in Him (II Cr. 1:22 & II Cr. 5:5). Rmans 5:5 "Nw hpe des nt disappint, because the LOVE f Gd has been pured ut in ur hearts by the Hly Spirit wh was GIVEN t us." II Timthy 1:7 "Fr Gd has nt given us a spirit f fear, but f pwer, and f LOVE, and f a sund mind." Jhn 7:37-39 "On the last day, that great day f the feast, Jesus std and cried ut, saying, 'If anyne thirsts, let him cme t Me and drink. He wh believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ut f his HEART will flw rivers f living water.' But this He spke cncerning the SPIRIT, whm thse believing in Him WOULD RECEIVE; fr the Hly Spirit was NOT YET given, because Jesus was nt yet glrified. I Jhn 3:23-24 "And this is His cmmandment, that we shuld believe n the name f His Sn Jesus Christ, and LOVE ne anther as He gave us cmmandment. Nw he wh keeps His cmmandments abides (dwells) in Him, and He in him. And by this we knw that He abides in us, by the Spirit whm He has given us." I Jhn 4:13-16 "By this we knw that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has GIVEN us f His Spirit." (Verse 15) "Whever cnfesses that Jesus is the Sn f Gd, Gd abides in him, and he in Gd. And we have knwn and believed the LOVE that Gd has fr us. Gd is LOVE; and he wh abides (dwells) in [Gd's] LOVE abides in Gd, and Gd in him." 4. Keeping His cmmandments and ABIDING in His LOVE is prf that we belng t Him - Ntice hw many f the Scriptures are frm the Gspel f Jhn and the Epistles f Jhn. N wnder Jhn is called the Apstle f Lve! Just as Jesus said that keeping His cmmandments is prf that we really lve Him, ur lve fr ne anther is prf t the wrld that we belng t Jesus. Jhn 13:34-35 "A new cmmandment I give t yu, that yu LOVE ne anther, even as I have lved yu, that yu als LOVE ne anther. By this all men will knw that yu are My disciples, if yu have LOVE fr ne anther." Jhn 15:8-10 "By this My Father is glrified, that yu bear much fruit; s yu will prve t be My disciples. As the Father lved Me, I als have lved
yu; abide in My LOVE. If yu keep My cmmandments, yu will abide in My LOVE, just as I have kept My Father's cmmandments and abide in His lve." Jhn 15:14 "Yu are My friends if yu d whatever I cmmand yu." I Jhn 3:18-19 "My little children, let us nt LOVE in wrd r in tngue, but in deed and in truth. And BY THIS we knw that we are f the truth, and shall assure ur hearts befre Him." I Jhn 2:3-6 & 10-11 "Nw BY THIS we knw that we knw Him, if we keep His cmmandments. He wh says, 'I knw Him,' and des nt keep His cmmandments, is a liar, and the truth is nt in him. But whever KEEPS His WORD, truly the LOVE f Gd is perfected in him. By this we knw that we are in Him. He wh says he abides in Him ught himself als t walk just as He walked." "He wh LOVES his brther abides in the light, and there is n cause fr stumbling in him. But he wh hates his brther is in darkness and walks in darkness, and des nt knw where he is ging, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." There are three kinds f lve mentined in the Bible: sensual, sexual lve (the Greek wrd is ers), brtherly lve (the Greek wrd is phile), and Gd's kind f lve (the Greek wrd is agape). Gd's kind f lve is sacrificial and giving, nt selfish. The Hly Spirit gives us the lve f Gd in ur hearts. I Jhn 3:16 "By this we knw LOVE, because He laid dwn His life fr us. And we als ught t lay dwn ur lives fr the brethren." Rmans 12:9-10 "Let LOVE be withut hypcrisy. Abhr what is evil. Cling t what is gd. Be KINDLY affectinate t ne anther with brtherly lve, in hnr giving preference t ne anther." Philippians 2:3-4 "D nthing frm selfishness r empty cnceit, but with humility f mind let each f yu regard ne anther as mre imprtant than himself; d nt merely lk ut fr yur wn persnal interests, but als fr the interests (welfare, well being) f thers." I Thessalnians 4:9 "Nw as t the LOVE f the brethren, yu have n need fr anyne t write t yu, fr yu yurselves are taught by Gd t LOVE ne anther." I Jhn 4:7-11 & 19 "Belved, let us lve ne anther, fr LOVE is frm Gd; and everyne wh lves is brn f Gd and knws Gd. He wh des nt lve des nt knw Gd, fr Gd is lve. In this the lve f Gd was manifested tward us, that Gd has sent His nly begtten Sn int the wrld, that we might live thrugh Him. In this is lve, nt that we lved Gd, but that He lved us and sent His Sn t be the prpitiatin (sacrifice) fr ur sins. Belved, if Gd s lved us, we als ught t lve ne anther." "We lve Him because He first lved us." The "Lve Chapter" f the Bible, I Crinthians 13, and Ephesians 4:31-32 and 5:1-2 tell us hw t "walk in lve," what lve is, and als what it is nt. The individual cmmands in Gd's wrd are there as guidelines, s that we can CHECK OURSELVES t see if we are truly WALKING in LOVE. Fr instance, if yu find yu are hlding nt resentment, anger r bitterness against smene, yu culd either lk at it as "breaking the cmmandment" f Ephesians 4:31-32, which says "Let all BITTERNESS, wrath, ANGER be put away frm yu...and be KIND t ne anther, tenderhearted, FORGIVING ne anther," r yu culd just realize, "I am nt walking in LOVE twards this persn. Lve is nt puffed up with pride, des nt behave rudely, des nt seek its wn (is nt selfish), is nt prvked (desn't get easily irritated), and thinks n evil, therefre I see that I am nt walking in lve where this persn is cncerned, r in this situatin." I Crinthians 13:1-8 & 13 "Thugh I speak with the tngues f men and f angels, but have nt lve, I have becme as sunding brass r a clanging
cymbal. And thugh I have the gift f prphecy, and understand all mysteries and all knwledge, and thugh I have all faith, s that I culd remve muntains, but have nt lve, I am nthing. And thugh I bestw all my gds t feed the pr, and thugh I give my bdy t be burned (as a martyr), but have nt lve, it prfits me nthing. Lve suffers lng (is patient) and is kind; lve des nt envy; lve des nt parade itself, is nt puffed up (with pride); des nt behave rudely, des nt seek its wn (is nt selfish), is nt prvked (nt easily irritated), thinks n evil; des nt rejice in iniquity, but rejices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hpes all things, endures all things. Lve never fails." "And nw abide faith, hpe, lve, these three; but the greatest f these is lve." Ephesians 4:31-32 & 5:1-2 "Let all BITTERNESS, wrath, ANGER, clamr, and all evil speaking be put away frm yu, with all malice. And be KIND t ne anther, tenderhearted, frgiving ne anther, just as Gd in Christ als frgave yu. Therefre be fllwers f Gd as dear children. And WALK in LOVE, as Christ als has LOVED us and given Himself fr us, an ffering and a sacrifice t Gd fr a sweet-smelling arma." I Crinthians 13 als gives us the true mtivatin fr ur serving Gd in the Bdy f Christ, the church. Rather than arguing abut which cmmandments we must keep, r which spiritual gifts are the best, Gd's wrd tells us that the mtivatin f LOVE is what really matters. Unfrtunately, many peple try t serve Gd ut f "duty" nly, and they will miss ut n rewards in heaven, because they tried t keep the cmmandments in their wn strength ("in the flesh"). Rmans 13:10 says, "LOVE des n harm t a neighbr; therefre LOVE is the fulfillment f the law," but what if I am ding smething wrng, but it desn't harm anyne else? What abut gluttny - yu may be hurting yur wn bdy, but yu're nt hurting anyne else? What abut drunkenness if yu nly drink alne, and n ne else is harmed? If yu are a Christian, that wuld be breaking the cmmandment t "Lve the Lrd yur Gd with all yur heart, with all yur sul, and with all yur mind." Yu have made fd, alchl, r whatever addictin r cmpulsin yur "idl" r yur "gd," and that addictin takes away time, energy and devtin that rightly belng t the Lrd. Yu are turning t thse things fr "cmfrt" instead f t the Lrd, wh tells us He is the Gd f ALL cmfrt, and the Hly Spirit is the Cmfrter. What if yu say, "I drink t frget the pain in my life"? Gd's wrd says that "strng drink is fr him wh is perishing, and give wine t thse wh are bitter f heart. Let him drink and frget his pverty, and remember his misery n mre" (Prverbs 31:6-7). If yu are a Christian, a child f Gd, then yu are nt ne wh is perishing! Jhn 3:16 says yu will never perish! Yu are a king and a priest t Gd, and He says, "It is nt fr kings t drink wine, nr fr princes intxicating drink..." (Prverbs 31:4). Yu have n excuse and n reasn t turn t drink r anything else if yu are in misery r pain. Gd wants t relieve yu f that pain. Jesus came t this earth and died n the crss t relieve yu f that pain, and t take yur heavy burdens, and t und the wrks f the devil in yur life, if yu will nly let Him. I Jhn 3:8 "...Fr this purpse the Sn f Gd was manifested, that He might destry the wrks f the devil." Jhn 10:10 "The thief (Satan) des nt cme except t steal, and t kill, and t destry. I (Jesus) have cme that they might have life, and that they may have it mre abundantly." Matthew 11:28 "Cme t Me, all yu wh labr and are heavy laden (burdened), and I will give yu rest. Take My yke upn yu and learn frm Me, fr I am gentle and lwly in heart, and yu will find rest fr yur suls." II Crinthians 1:3 "Blessed be Gd, the Father f ur Lrd Jesus Christ, the Father f mercies, and the Gd f all COMFORT."
Revelatin 1:5-6 "...T Him wh lved us and washed us frm ur sins in His wn bld, and has made us KINGS and priests t His Gd and Father..." I Peter 2:9 "But yu are a chsen generatin, a ROYAL priesthd, a hly natin, His wn special peple, that yu may prclaim the praises f Him wh called yu ut f darkness int His marvelus light." Ephesians 3:17-21 "That Christ may dwell in yur hearts thrugh faith, that yu, being rted and grunded in LOVE, may be able t cmprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, and t knw the LOVE f Christ which passes knwledge; that yu may be filled with all the fullness f Gd. Nw unt Him wh is able t d exceeding abundantly abve all that we ask r think, accrding t the pwer that wrks within us, unt Him be glry...by Jesus Christ. Amen."