Loving God Because...

John 21:16 “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

Churchgoers are always so quick to acclaim their love for Jesus. It’s the subject of countless of their songs. It makes up the content of millions of their prayers. And it is the sole focus of many (many) sermons all over the country on any given Sunday. We’ve made it into a creed in Christendom – an almost mindless repetition during our worship services; “I love You, Jesus!” But do these people who claim love for their Savior really understand what they’re saying?

Our love for God isn’t all that spectacular. It was never the focus of either the Old or New Testament. True, we are commanded to love our God with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength – but this is far from being the theme of the Bible! The Bible doesn’t focus on our love for God, instead it focuses on His love for us!

(As a side note: loving God is not a feeling! It’s not a fondness toward Him or an emotional high during a church service. Jesus was very clear what it meant to love Him – “If you love Me, you will obey My commands.” You cannot claim to love Jesus and ignore what He has told you in His Word!)

Like I said, our love for Him isn’t all that amazing. Take a look at 1 John 4:10 – “In this is (real) love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Do you see that? Our love for God isn’t a big deal! It’s not worth all the songs, sermons and repetitions that it’s been made into. It’s God’s love for us that should be understood!

The man who wrote this verse, John, had an excellent understanding of love. He is often referred to as the “apostle of love.” He’s the one who penned these amazing passages:

“Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

“Perfect love has cast out fear…”

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“God is love…”

And yet, for all his focus on love, John never once spoke of his own love for Jesus! Instead, he referred to himself simply as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” When it came to how much John loved Jesus – he never thought it was worth mentioning! John understood that his love for Jesus was nothing compared to Jesus’ love for Him!

And herein lies a truth that many Christian misunderstand. On several occasions I have heard well-meaning believers claim to love Jesus “no matter what!” As if there was ever going to be a time when Jesus didn’t deserve their love? Our love for God is not unconditional! He deserves every ounce of love that we can give Him (and so much more!) There has never been a moment in history when He didn’t deserve the love of mankind! Drawing again from the apostle of love – let’s look at the first phrase of 1 John 4:19 “We love Him because…” There you have it – we love Jesus because! We only love Him because we have a good reason to!

And what is this reason? Let’s finish verse 19 – “We love Him because He first loved us.” Our love for God may not be unconditional (He deserves every bit of it), but His love for us is completely unconditional and undeserved. It is because of His unconditional love towards us that he deserves our love! Verse 9 of the same chapter elaborates on the amazing, unconditional love of God: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

We were sinners – He was righteous. We were worthless – He was worthy! We deserved nothing, but He gave us everything! Can you see how we’ve missed it by insisting on our love for Him while essentially ignoring His love for us? We need to keep a firm focus on how much God loves us. With this understanding - knowing just how much He loves us - it becomes almost effortless for our heart to respond “I love You, Jesus!”

Bless The Lord!

Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

The 103rd Psalm is a well-known passage of scripture. We read it often, quote it, and even sing it. But all too often we skip ahead to verse 3, where David starts listing all the things that God does for us! But look again at the very first thing David wrote. This Psalm isn’t about God blessing us - it’s about our soul blessing Him!

If you remember, we are made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body.  When we were born again, the real us (our spirit) was totally recreated! Before salvation, our spirit was dead in sin - but now it is alive in Jesus Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 shows us this: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Now that we’re born again, our spirit craves the things of God. We desperately desire God’s Word, we long to obey His commands, and there’s nothing we enjoy more than to spend time with Him and His people. This is true of every born-again believer!

So why do these desires sound foreign to so many of God’s people? It’s because they still think their soul is the real them! The soul is a person’s thoughts, desires, and emotions. Actually, let me clarify - it is a person’s natural thoughts, desires, and emotions. The Hebrew word for soul is “nephesh.” This word speaks of the natural mind. In fact, the soul is truly a part of nature - even animals themselves have souls, as limited as they may be. Animals think things through, make decisions based on their surroundings, and even possess emotions like fear and contentment. You see? What truly separates us from the rest of nature is our third part - our spirit!

When you’re born again, you are given a brand new spirit, but your soul remains the same!  All of a sudden, your godly spirit begins to desire everything that God has. This brings it into conflict with your soul, which is still thinking the same thoughts and desiring the same things. This is the fight every believer faces for the rest of their time on earth - spirit vs. soul, new vs. old, spiritual vs. carnal. When I’m teaching kids I call it, “The Battle Of The Two Mes.” It all boils down to one thing - are you going to obey God or do your own thing?

Some may say, “If being born again leads to this conflict, then why didn’t God just give us new souls too?” Trust me on this, you’re glad He didn’t! Everything you’ve ever learned. from “don’t touch a hot stove” to “now I know my ABCs”, is stored in your soul! If God replaced your soul, you would have to re-learn everything you know right now! Going even further than that, your soul holds all of your memories. Aren’t there things in your life (even before salvation) that you want to remember? Important memories - such as memories of loved ones, cherished times, and lessons learned the hard way - are also stored in your soul. God never intended to replace your soul - He intended you to renew it!

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

How do we win the battle of the soul? By renewing your mind with God’s Word. This is what the Bible refers to as the salvation of your soul. We see this in James 1:21, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” God’s plan was to help you tame your soul and bring it under the control of your recreated spirit!

So what does this have to do with Psalm 103? Listen again to what David said: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” We know that David was a worshipper. It seems as if worship just flowed out of Him! But in Psalm 103, David seems to be reminding himself to worship God. Why? He was stirring up worship from his soul!

Most believers think that real worship only happens when they get all emotional. They mix up worship from the spirit and worship from the soul. True worship always comes from the spirit. Our new nature loves to worship God - it flows out of our spirit naturally. Our spirit will worship God as a default - for Who He is! But worship out of the soul - from the mind, will and emotions - is kind of shallow. This kind of worship comes and goes based on the way we feel. So the key to true worship is remembering where it really comes from: your new nature.

Be that as it may, I do enjoy getting my soul involved in worship! We’ve already seen that David did too! I want to show you the right way to get your soul into your worship. The key isn’t going to church, sitting next to the right person, turning the lights down just right, and singing the right song. The key to having your soul agree with your spirit in worship is found in the very next verse...

Psalm 103:1,2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits...”

This is why David began to list the blessings that God gave him; to stir up his soul! When you begin to remember all the things that God has done for you, and list them out loud, it stirs up your mind and your emotions. You begin to realize how much He deserves for what He’s done for you. Then you begin to stir up your desire - even your soulish desire - to worship your Heavenly Father.

Do you remember His benefits? If you’ll read the next few verses, David will list some of them. Meditate on what God has done for you - this will stir your soul into worship. When you’re worshipping God from your spirit, soul and body; then you can truly say, “Bless the LORD...all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

God Doesn't Fit Your Image

Exodus 20:5 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.”


At first glance, the second commandment is very straightforward - there is to be no trace of idolatry, period. Americans may call it religious diversity, multiculturalism, and pluralism - but God calls it wickedness. Whether it’s one of the hundreds of Hindu gods, a Buddha statue, or a crucifix - humanity has no business bowing down or praying to a statue.

Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were created in the image of God: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” How silly it is when a man, created in God’s own image, makes a carved or engraved image and worships it!


God makes fun of this kind of behavior in the words of Isaiah 44. Listen to His ridicule in verses 14-18 (NLT):
“He cuts down cedars;
   he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
   to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
   With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
   and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
   and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
   and to keep himself warm.
   He says, ‘Ah, that fire feels good.’
Then he takes what’s left
   and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
   worshiping and praying to it.
‘Rescue me!’ he says.
   ‘You are my god!’
Such stupidity and ignorance!
   Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
   Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.”
No matter what the culture, no matter what the religion - God hates idolatry!


Now, most believers would agree wholeheartedly with this! They would never allow an idol into their home! Many of them even go to the extreme of avoiding Chinese restaurants so they would never have to see a statue of Buddha! But not so fast - the spiritual side of the second commandment is just as straightforward.


You see, the second commandment isn’t only referring to pagan idolatry. It was intended to apply to the worship of Yahweh as well! Listen to what God said in Deuteronomy 4:15-16: “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when YAHWEH spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure...”


Do you see it? God didn’t appear in a physical shape on Mt. Sinai because He knew that if He did, Israel would begin to make images of Him to worship! God made sure that the Israelites would never be able to reduce Him to a man-made object. To prevent this, God revealed Himself in glory that appeared like fire and smoke. This is an important point to remember - God’s glory can never be duplicated by human effort!


So how does this apply to us? It shows us how much God hates it when we worship Him in our own way! Just like the Israelites were prohibited from worshiping Yahweh through idolatry (a command that they ignored in Exodus 32), we cannot use our own programs, systems and traditions to worship God.


What do I mean by that? We can’t hold onto our denominational by-laws, our church programs and schedules, and our crowd-pleasing tactics and completely ignore what God’s Word says. When we religiously follow our own ways of approaching God in worship while ignoring what God says - that becomes a form of idolatry! We take our “image” of what church should be (feeding the poor, lively music, inspirational messages) and make it into “God”! When has that ever worked?


Jesus is just offended at this as He is at a polytheist sacrificing to Zeus! Listen to what He has to say about our man-made rituals and programs: Mark 7:8-9 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’”


So you have two options.
One - you can hold on to the idolatry of denominationalism and church tradition. If you’re going to stay here, know this: you’re standing in direct opposition to God!
Two - You can let go of empty tradition and meaningless worship and embrace the true glory of the Creator!
You can’t do both. When you hold the traditions of men to be sacred, you are laying aside the commandments of God. True worship must be biblical - not merely inspirational!


John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (worship based on the Word, not tradition).

We Weren’t Saved For This

In Jeremiah 7, God pleads with the kingdom of Judah to leave their wickedness. This was just after the death of king Josiah - one of Judah’s godliest kings. Despite Josiah’s extensive reforms, Judah never turned their hearts to God. They simply added the worship of Yahweh to their sinful, disobedient lifestyles. Listen to the warning God gives them and see if it applies to America’s church today:

Jeremiah 7:1-11

The Word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, “Stand in the gate of Yahweh's house, and declare there this Word, and say, ‘Hear the Word of Yahweh, all Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship Yahweh. So says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, “Make your ways and your doings good, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in lying words, saying, ‘The temple of Yahweh, The temple of Yahweh, The temple of Yahweh are these.’ For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you completely do judgment between a man and his neighbor; if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your hurt; then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever.

“Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot do any good. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?

Do you think God’s complaint against His people was valid? They came to His temple every day to worship Him, but they never changed the condition of their hearts. Isaiah 29:13 speaks about these kinds of people, “These people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me.”

Their backslidden heart soon produced backslidden actions. You see, sin starts in the heart but spreads to your actions. And the people of Judah were doing some very wicked things! Listen to what God accused them of! “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods...” Theft, murder, adultery, lying, and idolatry! No wonder God wasn’t happy with them!

Do you think this behavior is in God’s house today? Do you think there are any thieves, liars, or adulterers (if not in action, in heart)? If hatred of your brother is the same in God’s eyes as murder...how many murderers are in our worship services? Are there any idolaters in church - people who put their priorities on temporal things of this life and not on the things that God sees as important?

“Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot do any good.”

What were the lying words these people were trusting in? What was it that made them think their sin was ok? They were listening to the message of false prophets. These men would say, “The temple of Yahweh, The temple of Yahweh, The temple of Yahweh are these!” Judah was being told that as long as they kept worshipping in  Yahweh’s temple...these other things didn’t matter!

Because of what the false prophets were saying, the people took up a motto, “We are delivered to do all these abominations.” They were claiming that God saved them, but that He didn’t care what they were doing!

This is the cry that is being raised in too many churches right now! “God loves you. God forgives you. God’s grace will cover what your sin.” It’s the message of distorted grace.

Let me tell you, no one believes in God’s forgiveness like I do! I am so grateful that He forgave my sin and wiped it out of His record! He delivered me from the punishment I deserved! But He did not deliver me so I could keep doing it!

I said before and I’ll keep saying it until someone listens, God forgives sin when you repent! When there’s no repentance, there’s no forgiveness!

God’s grace does wipe away our sin, that is an absolute fact! But the rest of the story is found in Romans 6:15, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Grace is not liberty to do as you please!

I believe that Jeremiah 7:9 and 10 applies just as much to the church as it did to Judah.

“Will you steal, hate your brother, commit adultery in your hearts, lie, and chase after the things of this world (like you should be chasing Me) - and then come to church and stand before Me in My house and say, ‘We’re sinning but it’s ok, we’re covered by grace’?”

A Glorious Church

2 Chronicles 1:3-4 Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

This passage gives us look at two different tents of worship:

The Tabernacle was the tent that God set up in the wilderness. Moses built it in the book of Exodus. Once he set it up, the Bible says that God's glory filled it. The priests weren't even able to go in at first, because of the glory of God. The Ark of the Covenant was there – a majestic symbol of God's presence. When Israel finally entered the Promise Land, the tabernacle came with them It was set up in Shiloh.

While the Tabernacle was at Shiloh, something devastating happened to it. 1 Samuel chapters 4-6 tells the story: A single, ungodly act by the Israelites caused the Ark of the Covenant to be captured. Although God brought the Ark back to Israel seven months later, it never entered the Tabernacle again. The Tabernacle still functioned though; and it moved from Shiloh to Nob to Gibeon – where it was in the time of Solomon. The priests still performed the religious rituals and ceremonies. From the outsiders point of view, it looked the same. But this tent of worship was missing the Ark, the very symbol of God's presence!

Enter David. God loved David and David loved God! When David became king in Jerusalem, his heart's desire was to have the symbol of God's presence (the Ark) close to him. At the time, the Ark was being cared for by the family of Abinadab in the town of Kirjath Jearim. David's desire was to move it to Jerusalem. After a three-month pit stop at Obed-Edom's house (while David learned a lesson on the proper way to usher in God's presence), the Ark was brought to Jerusalem. David set up a tent for it and appointed Zadok and Abiathar to be priests. A multitude of singers and musicians were there to constantly praise and worship God.

The difference between these two tents was striking. One was beautiful on the outside, the other was rather plain. One had all the religious traditions and customs, the other had heartfelt service and genuine worship. One had the presence of God inside it, the other was hiding its emptiness.

It's the same difference between churches today. One type is all about forms and customs, the other is devoted to God's presence. One can be found in 2 Timothy 3:5 “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” The other can be found in Ephesians 5:27 “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

It's not about how relaxed or how formal your church is. God's presence was in the Tabernacle first, with all it's ceremonies and traditions. And then after staying in David's informal tent, the Ark went to the Temple, with its ceremonies and traditions. So being formal or casual has nothing to do with this. What it's all about is this; are you in a place where God's presence is?

But beyond the local church, are you personally housing God's presence? Or, like so many professing Christians, are you going through the rituals and traditions of “church” without ever seeking the presence of God? You could be in the most devout, powerful and sincere church on the planet and still be worshiping in an empty Tabernacle personally. If I were you, I would find out how to be a part of Jesus' glory-filled church and leave empty traditions behind!

Loving God's House

Genesis 28:16-17 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

There's a growing problem in the Church of God today. It's an issue that strikes at our very heart. It's a problem that, if not solved, will destroy individual believers as well as local churches. That problem? Apathy.

We've lost our passion for God's house. We've forgotten what coming to church is all about. In a very true sense of the word, we've been asleep. Just like Jacob, we've wandered into Bethel ("the house of God") without realizing Who's here with us! Why else is it surprising to us when there's a "great service"? During those moments, we wake up like Jacob and say "God is surely in this place!" But too often we fall right back asleep again. It shows on our faces...we're bored. In God's house, the very gate of Heaven...we pay no attention!

The answer isn't more exciting church programs. It isn't attendance drives or more "relevant" messages. It's God's word, people...if a preacher just got up and read three chapters and sat down, it would be relevant! The answer is for us to realize where we're at!

"How awesome is this place!" That was Jacob's realization, and it needs to be ours too. This isn't just a building. I know that we've been taught that over and over, but we've been misled. Sure, you and I are the church of God - that's part of the truth. But the rest of that truth is found in 1 Timothy 3:15 "I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" I know that we are the Church, but when you and I (the body of Christ) meet together - wherever we meet becomes the church of God - God's house on earth! Where we meet together with God is Bethel!

Now listen to what else Jacob says! "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!" Are you wanting more from God in your life? do you want to see God do more in your life? Do you feel like Heaven is closed up to you? I would examine your attitude toward your local church! Where you come to meet with God is the gate of Heaven in your life! Everything God wants in your life has to come through the gate of Heaven - the house of God!

Now...concerning your attitude toward your church. Are you fussing with your brothers and sisters? Are you eating your pastor (God's gatekeeper, if you will) for dinner on Sunday afternoon? Are you always half-awake, half-hearted, and a half-hour late? How would your friends feel if you showed up to their house like that all the time? How would your boss feel? Why do we reserve that kind of indignity for the gate of Heaven?

The bottom line is this, if you want what Heaven has - you have to treat its gateway with a little more respect.