The Lord's Love
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December 31, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
Two thousand years ago, Jesus, who is the Son of God, came to the earth in the form of man as the Light of life for the world. He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and shed His precious blood on the cross; any believer in Him is able to receive salvation. Isaiah chapter 53 has the prophecy of the cruel sufferings of the cross that He would take.
As prophesied in Isaiah chapter 53, Jesus' body was torn by scourging, His head was pierced by thorns, and His hands and feet were nailed to the cross to redeem us from our sins. He endured contempt and persecutions to take on the burden of all the pains and sorrows of all mankind. By doing so, He demonstrated the love of God for mankind (Romans 5:8).
In order to more deeply feel this love of the Lord, let's take a look at meanings of Jesus' ministry in three aspects.
1. Jesus' ministry in the aspect of justice
Jesus came down to this earth to save mankind who were all sinners. But to save sinners, the price of justice had to be paid according to the law of the spiritual realm. As recorded in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, and all of mankind were sinners. As such all were destined to die according to the spiritual law. So, to free them from this curse of the Law, Jesus took all the sins of mankind upon Himself and died on the cross.
In fact, Jesus' coming down to this earth in a human body of itself is the beginning of paying the price of the justice. Jesus existed in the form of God (Philippians 2:6). He had the glory and power equivalent to that of God. Nevertheless, He confined His divinity in a human body and experienced the limitations of the physical world.
He was born in a shabby stable. He was laid in a manger to become the 'true bread of life' to sinners. He lived a life of poverty to redeem us from poverty. He had to feel hunger, tiredness, sorrows, and pains just like the fleshly people.
Jesus knew exactly when and how He'd be crucified. The process of fulfilling justice for the forgiveness of sins was not easy even for Jesus.
Hebrews 5:7 says, "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety." In this way, Jesus paid the full price and fulfilled the measure of justice. He knew about the forthcoming sufferings of the cross very well, yet He still took each step forward imagining the moment of glory when the way of salvation would be opened. I hope you will feel the love of the Lord who dedicated His entire life and eventually gave His life for us.
2. The ministry of Jesus in the aspect of love
The essence in fulfilling the measure of justice is love. In John 15:13 it says, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." As recorded, Jesus could willingly take the heavy cross and climb up the Golgotha because He loved the souls enough to give His own life.
What we have to deeply realize here is that His love is spiritual love that gives life. Generally people think that love is doing everything the other person wants. True love is not just to embrace the other but also to lead him/her to the right way that is truly beneficial for him/her. If you do that, at times you might feel the pain and you might have to sacrifice yourself. However, it is also love to endure all these things to let another person know the right way and to wait for him to go the right way by himself with faith.
Jesus had this kind of love so that He didn't only take the cross for us but He gave reprimand and advice to those who loved Him to guide them to the way of life. He gave stricter reprimand to those who loved Him with true heart and without change of mind.
If you remember this love of the Lord, in the march of faith you can overcome any trial that comes. Even if things do not go as you expected while trying to enter spirit, you will not lose heart nor fall into frustration. Even if you are rebuked, although you worked hard for the work of the Lord, you will not feel troubled nor give up. Rather you will feel the love of the Lord who leads and perfects you and thereby you will take it as the opportunity to change yourself into the truth.
Although not seen, the Lord of love watches and prays for you all the time. He has high hope for you not to stop the march of faith and to come forth as God's true children. I urge you to remember this earnest love, expectation and hope of the Lord and try to achieve the heart of spirit and whole spirit quickly.
3. The ministry of Jesus in the aspect of glory
Jesus fulfilled the way of cross with justice and love. The fruit that He gained through justice and love is glory. Jesus fulfilled justice with love, and now we can enjoy authority and glory as the children of God.
Later Jesus was greatly glorified. It is as it is written in Philippians 2:10, "So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth." And whenever God's children are victorious in overcoming the world, it glorifies God. And, if they enter spirit and whole spirit, can you imagine how greatly God will be glorified! People of spirit and whole spirit can manifest the glory of God by receiving and performing God's strength, authority and power.
The powerful works manifested on this earth is the evidence by which so many souls can believe in the existence of God. Seeing these powerful works, believers can also keep their faith even in the face of persecutions and temptations and will eventually come forth as true children who glorify God and dwell in the glory shining like the sun in the eternal Heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we looked into the love of the Lord in three aspects, which are justice, love, and glory. After all, the love of the Lord is from the original love of God that is endless and vast. Jesus showed true love to mankind, which is the sacrificial love that gives life, to confirm the love of God.
As 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body," I pray in the name of the Lord that you as believers who were bought and saved through the price of Jesus' blood will feel His love every day and become God's true children.
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