Read This As A reading
Good morning young people,
Today is Valentine's Day and we are definitely going to keep it centered around the Great Love Of God. Let us begin our lesson today with a prayer of love to our heavenly Father. On the first page of your folder, I have a prayer that we are going to pray together. This prayer is to teach you how to pray and learn about the importance of unity. These are both characteristics of love. Please let us pray in agreement.
Father God,
We come into your presence with thankfulness for your love to us. None of us deserve your love, none of us are good enough. You are the one who loved us enough to come looking for us. You were the one who loved us enough to die for our sins, You are the one who saves undeserving people and makes them good enough. Father help us to love you with our whole heart, with our whole mind, with our whole soul. Help us to be loving, forgiving people like you are. Help us not to look back, to move forward into a renewed joy in your presence and in the power of your love. Help us love others as you have loved us. May you be honored and glorified as you speak to our hearts today. We pray that if anyone here wants to be saved, we pray they will understand today, just how much you love them.
In Christ Name, We pray this, Amen.
Before we go forward into teaching this lesson I have a couple of announcements to make. Be sure to pay attention and take notes so that you will be prepared to answer some questions at the end of this lesson. Be sure to keep all your notes from week to week until the conclusion of this series. You will use those notes to prepare for our "BIG DAY BIBLE BEE". There will be prizes though I have not made up my mind yet what the prizes will be. Please do not interrupt with any questions until we are open for discussion. Thank-you.
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A few weeks ago I received a text from a friend, asking for prayer for a family that lost their 12-year-old daughter. She died suddenly in the middle of the night with some kind of seizure. A seizure is excessive and abnormal electrical disturbances in the brains activity. I'm not sure when her parents found her dead. How devastating to wake up in the morning, to find a son or daughter dead. The girl's name was Natasha, I also have a daughter named Natasha. The good thing about it though, they do not have to worry about where their child is now because she found salvation through Christ days prior to her death. She was attending the "Good News Club". She was lead to the Lord by a young lady there. The parents will see their daughter again one day because she was gloriously saved before she died. There was another salvation at Natasha's funeral. Her twin sister was lead to the Lord by the Pastor's daughter, Sarah. Praise the Lord!
If you were standing up in the window of a burning building, as smoke fumes were filling your lungs and had no rescuer, you would most likely burn to death. However, the greatest tragedy would be to die in your sins because then burning is forever. When someone gives you the "Good News" of Christ, they are showing you the love of Christ. Jesus is the rescuer asking you to jump into His arms of salvation to save you from the hell to come. This is an example I'm speaking of, that exemplifies Christ and salvation.
John 3:16 is the perfect verse as to why Christ came to earth in human form. God didn't want anyone to die or (perish) in their sins.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
When we receive the gift of eternal life, we are accepting God's love for us and agreeing with Him that we are sinners in need of His cleansing power and His forgiveness. He paid for our sins on the cross. He shed his blood for our sins, but it only applies when we believe unto righteousness.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
Once we have become born again (saved). Christ lives within us and we should resist sin and submit to the teachings of Christ. This is called being a follower of Christ. It doesn't mean that we will live perfectly, because we are like a child growing stronger as time goes by. I'm still growing in the Lord, and when you spend time in the Bible there's always something surprising even after reading something many times. God seems to help you understand more as you spend time with Him. I warn that you should never get to the place that you feel you are better than any other person, take heed lest ye fall. When we are walking in the Lord we are to walk in the Spirit of love. The Bible tells us that God is love. So anything that does not exemplify God, is not love.
There are many attributes that we should be seeing in the life of a Christian if they are walking in the Spirit. The Bible teaches us these traits. The Bible calls them the fruit of the Spirit. If you are showing traits contrary to these, the Bible says you're walking in the flesh.
When we were at the first church, God put us in. I tithed 10 % of whatever I made, I gave to missions. The majority of the money I made went back into the church. We do the same now in our new church. I kept very little for myself. I gave much more than just my regular tithe and offerings. When we left from pastoring the church. The church was debt free and had money in the bank. They supported 22 missionaries. It was our first church. My husband did the same, we gave and we gave and we gave. More than what was required. Love gives and gives and gives some more. No one could ever say we did not love that little church.
This is the way God is to those that love Him. He gives to us in so many ways. It might not be money He gives, it may be joy. It may not be friends, but it could be understanding. Sometimes He gives us something worth much more than anything this world has to offer. One thing I can think of that I'm so thankful for is "When God forgives us, He treats us just as if we never sinned." God's love covers a multitude of sins. I've always tried to show patience to people who are struggling. There are times that I have been deeply hurt by something and I didn't react as kindly as I normally do. I have felt very sorry for those times and it has caused me to be more patient and understanding to other people who are hurt. We can overlook some things because we know God is still working on them as well. We too should be careful not to repeat a matter and learn to overlook some things, for loves sake. Pray for them instead of talking about them or criticizing them. God is patient and longsuffering.
God has given us many examples of love in the parables, the "Good Samaritan" is among the greatest of them. (Starting In Luke 10:33) In the story of the good Samaritan, we see people passing by to the other side of the road, ignoring the one who desperately needs help. Maybe they didn't want to be bothered, or maybe they didn't like him because He was different. It could have been they didn't want to get their hands dirty. Maybe he had a different color skin. Whatever it was if they could have helped they should have. If it was a woman and a child that had no money, they most likely could not help. Some people just cannot help. However, the Bible speaks of people who past by that could have helped but didn't. They knew he was hurt and they ignored him.
This reminds me of another passage of scripture found in Matthew, it is also a parable of the Lord.
Matthew 25:35 -46
- For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink. When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee.
in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungered and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Now back to the good Samaritan. We see a man doctoring a stranger and going the extra mile. He traveled far to get him to a hospital and paid the price for his care and then went back to check on him. This man traveled with a horse or camel for days. It wasn't like today. This man showed a stranger the love of God.
When people see the love of Christ in us, they most likely will listen to the gospel message. If you are a child of God, through Christ, your life will shine forth the love of Christ. God has given us an example of good works that will shine forth because of Christ in us.
I have to warn however there are many that do wonderful works in the name of the Lord, who have not the spirit of Christ. They are very good people, but God looks at the heart. We cannot trust anything else other than Christ for salvation or we are not saved.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There is power in the love of Christ, for many have trusted Christ because of the love they see through a true Christian. I pray that we will shine forth good works that others will trust Christ. God tells us without love we are just making a bunch of noise....
1Corithians 13:1
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
God tells us to let our light shine, it is the light of His love and the light His truth.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When we love God we will give to Him faithfully and happily. We will serve Him and others with the good works of faith in the power of Christ and his love.
The greatest love of all is eternal love and eternal life, that is found in Christ alone.
This love is what brought Christ to us. What made Him, come looking for us?
He didn't want us to die in our sins. He came to save us from the Hell to come. Hell is waiting for all those that do not put their trust in Him, but the love of God says,
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
1John 3:16
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
The Power Of Love
Susan Nikitenko
Roman 10:9
Father God, I pray you will bless this lesson in the hearts of those listening. I pray you will be honored and glorified. I pray you will open peoples eyes to your truth and your pure love. I pray they will trust you and understand that they need you. I pray that they will humble themselves and cry out to you today. I pray that we will understand the power of love through Christ. Help us to be what we need to be, to please you with our lives.
In The Name of Christ Jesus, I pray this, Amen.
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