Can’t Seem To Break That One Sin – Part 4 In the Moses Covenant it was said this way: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) In the New Covenant it is a little different. We find this idea in Ephesians 5:24-30 (NIV) “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body.” Well now you are probably saying where is he going with this? What do these verses have to do with how we should live our life? These verses talk about how a husband and wife should relate to each other. You are absolutely right and that is our answer! It says “Now as the Church submits to Christ…” Who is the Church? You and I, men and women that have been Born Again are the Church. The Church is also the Bride of Christ, and we are to present ourselves to Him: “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Revelation 19:7 (NIV) Then the verses say that the bride (wives) “so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” We do this out of love not command; I don’t know too many women who would do this unless they loved their husband. Then it says the key point to all I have said. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Do you get the picture here? Jesus so loved the world that He gave Himself! He gave of Himself so that you and I could be clean and pure and undefiled by the sin of the world. And He did it as an example for you and me, so that instead of trying to keep a Law that we can’t, instead we will love Him because He first loved us. “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of His body.” The last clue is that no one ever hates his own body, or themselves, that is, even if they have what the world calls, “Low Self Esteem,” they still care about themselves or they wouldn’t feel slighted. In fact Low Self Esteem is a misnomer. A person with Low Self Esteem actually thinks too much about himself. Not what he has, but what he thinks he doesn’t have, and what he thinks others think about him. Those at the other far end of the spectrum, think too much about themselves too. But they think that they are the best there ever was, and that everyone needs to know it. It is in that way that those with low or high self esteem agree, they both want everyone to hear about how good they are so they will be liked, and they talk about themselves and what they have, or maybe haven’t accomplished. We all fall into this spectrum of pride, somewhere. But no matter what, we all love ourselves, but Jesus tells us that we should not just love our neighbor as we love ourselves, but that we should love our neighbor as He loved the Church. When you finally understand this truth of what has always been in the Scripture, you will begin to understand all that I have written here. I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten you as He has enlightened me. I thought that I knew what love was, but I never knew what it really was! Paul describes the love of God in 1 Corinthian 13:1-8 (NKJ) “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” The only way that we can walk in this love is when we walk in the Spirit. The Spirit gives life and allows us to walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” John 6:63 (NKJ) Next Week: Can’t Seem To Break That One Sin – Part 5 Until He comes! (Hosea 10:12)
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:50:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015