NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS!

Word For Today: January 28, 2020: NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS!

Beloved,

As I wait in the presence of the Lord this morning, the scripture verses found in John 15: 13 -15 stand out to me like neon lights:

13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

14You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.…

No greater love than this..... what powerful words Jesus spoke to us. Words we must allow to sink into our hearts and spirit.

NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS..... THAT A MAN.. LAY HIS LIFE DOWN....FOR HIS FRIENDS.... YOU ARE MY FRIENDS.... YOU ARE MY FRIENDS.... IF...... YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND YOU!

BUT I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, BECAUSE EVERYTHING.... I HAVE LEARNED FROM THE FATEHR I HAVE MADE KNOWN TO YOU....

The Message Bible records Jesus conversation with his disciples like this:

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love.

PUT YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR YOUR FRIENDS. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

Verse 9-10 I believe are the predicate that is needed to truly walk in the “friendship relationship with the Lord.” Moses was a friend of God. Abraham was a friend of God.

David was a friend of God a man after His own hearts. He called the 11 disciples his friends and taught them what real friendship of God was to be rooted in, PURE HOLY LOVE!

Beloved in 2020, The Holy Spirit has come to shed the “love of God” abroad in our hearts FULLY! His power is here to fill every fiber of our being with the pure holy love of God that will be a witness of Jesus in every nation.

Our life, our work, our calling effectiveness must be rooted in the Love of our Father. Jesus said, “I’ve loved you the way the Father loved me. MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME IN MY LOVE.

If there is one thing seriously missing in the body of believer today it is the one fact of “not making ourselves home in the Father’s love.”

Most Christians received enough love to be forgiven, saved, healed for what they need, but have not got filled with enough love for the glory of God to be seen upon them.

Beloved, This is the biggest change the Lord desires to bring forth in 2020 as He pours out his holy love in those who are seeking to be filled with it. It is those that make “themselves home in his love” that he is forming to become a wheel within a wheel upon the earth.

It is those who are learning to abide, dwell, and make their home in that pure holy love that are getting their roots down into the true foundation of the kingdom.

It is this remnant people that are going to fully manifest on the earth as full grown mature sons and daughter of God in His dominion power and authority to transform the earth.

This morning I hear over and over in my spirit, NOT GREATER LOVE THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

What does that truly mean to us? Through what eye sight are we seeing the world around us, our life, our family, our work, our ministry?

Are we seeing life from Heaven’s perspective, the Kingdom of God reality on the earth? Or are we seeing what is around through our own world vision?

DO WE BELIEVE JESUS MEANT IT WHEN HE SAID, NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS? IS THIS SCRIPTURE VERSE A COMMANDMENT AS FRIENDS WE MUST OBEY? YES, YES, YES!

Who are his friends? Jesus tells us who His friends are?

Jesus said, “You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

Let us look at some key things that Jesus said should be evident in his friends.

1. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. 2. Servants don’t know what their Master is thinking and planning, but His friends do. 3. I have named you friends because I HAVE LET YOU IN ON EVERYTING I HEARD FROM THE FATHER.

Doing what the Lord asks is the key to friendship. He starts this passage with “NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY HIS LIFE DOWN FOR HIS FRIENDS.”

When you go to the church you gather with on Sunday or home group, or prayer meetings ask yourself a question. Including yourselves, are you, have you, will you truly lay your life down fully for those you gather with as Jesus friends?

Would you be willing to ask the Holy Spirit what that means for you and those you gather with? Would you be willing to ask the Holy Spirit that means for your life and your own family, your church, your ministry, your fellowship of churches?

So many times we ask the question,, “Why did the Lord choose us individually, our family, our “church”, our fellowship to do His will on the earth?

He answers that question in verse 16:

16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

He said, YOU HAVE NOT.... NOT CHOSEN ME, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU.... I HAVE PUT YOU IN THE WORLD TO BEAR FRUIT, FRUIT THAT WON’T SPOIL.

Beloved if we are truly His friends we have been chosen by God himself to bear fruit and fruit that will remain.

We weren’t chosen to do just ministry. We weren’t chosen to build a church or a ministry or even get people saved. We were chosen to bear the fruit of the pure holy love of God.

We were chosen to bear fruit of the Kingdom of God upon the earth living only to do the will of the Father as Jesus did. In that people will be saved, healed, delivered, and set free.

That is the fruit of our love relationships and friendship of God. That is the fruit of an obedient love filled life God will use to touch, transform, and change everything on this earth.

This true “friendship with God” and only the fruit of that pure holy love relationship with Him will God work through to do those works and transform the kingdoms of this world into the kingdom of our God in Christ.

This “Love Relationship as friends of God ” is the very foundational principle of the Kingdom of God reality that must now be manifested on the earth.

It is God’s intention in 2020 to bring a transformational glory to his remnant people that will cause us to arise and shine for our light has come.

The light of his pure holy love filling every fiber of our being is what will cause the nations of the worlds to be drawn to us for our light has come.

NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS... THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS...

How can Jesus ask us to love like this? Beloved, we hardly see this kind of love demonstrated today in his household?

There is so much selfishness, self-preservation in his people that has caused so much division, strife, competition, and disunity instead of the unity of the Holy Spirit that the true witness of Jesus is hardly seen upon the earth.

Beloved, WE are never going to be able to be united by any man made effort. I don’t care how noble the mission is, the vision of unity or working together is. It can never come to pass without an invasion of the pure holy love of God filling His people.

I do encourage you that very work is happening. It may be a few drops or a few people God is allowing the Lord to fill them, and transform them with His glory, but it has begun.

These are the ones that God is going to bring together in a divine convergence in this nation. These are the ones who are getting rooted deeply in His pure holy love and are being changed by His transformational glory for His holy purposes to be revealed on the earth.

These “love ones” are going to form a wheel within a wheel upon the earth because they will be united as Jesus “friends’ in the pure holy love of God. They will be no division. There will be no completion or strife, for each part shall supply what the other needs.

There will be no lack in this “remnant sons and daughters, priesthood of the most high God, Bride of the Lord, overcoming people.

Beloved, for none will consider “WHAT THEY HAVE AS THEIR OWN as in the book of Acts chapter 2.

WE ARE GOING TO WITNESS ONCE AGAIN ON THE EARTH THAT THOSE THAT HAVE LANDS, POSSESSIONS WILL SELL WHAT THEY HAVE OUT OF THE LOVE OF GOD AND LAY IT ONCE AGAIN AT THE APOSTLES FEET WHERE THE NEEDS OF EVERYONE WILL BE MET.

Apostles of the Lord, do you see how the Lord wants to bring the provision to advance the kingdom? It is by the pure holy love of God filling the hearts of his people.

I can’t manufacture God’s love and neither can you. I can talk about God’s love. I can preach about Gods love, but that is not friendship.

Friendship with God is not something we do, it something we are made into by desiring the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind as our first love.

True friendship with God comes from being in love with him as our best friend and lover of our souls. Beloved, Friendship comes from love-ship.”

I know when I met my wife, a day came when my eyes were open by God to her, from that day forward I didn’t just love her, I was in love with her and that “in love” changed everything about me to pursue her until she said “yes” I will marry you.

Beloved, in the natural “in love” changes our life, how much more will it transform the church in the spirit when we return back to our first “in love” relationship with Jesus?

Jesus taught us how he would build His church. Jesus taught us how he would transform the earth. Many present church leaders are looking for the power of God to do it, when the key is in the “pure holy love of God” filling his people.

Beloved, this is the only work, the work of pure holy love, that can overcome this world, defeat the devil and establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth.

How do we get there. Jesus tells us in John 15:

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

Do we believe this? Is this to simple to believe? Can my whole life, my family, our ministry work be totally changed by God if we do this?

The bigger question is this will we be a friend of God? Will our family be found as friends of God. Will the work you are doing, the people you minister to and gather with be known to God as His friends?

Jesus says, “I HAVE LOVED YOU THE WAY MY FATHER HAS LOVED ME? Beloved of the Lord, do we really know they power of that love in us? Are we secure today in that love? Are our roots ground securely in that love? Has perfect love cast out all fear in us? Or are we still fearful?

If there is still fear in us then love has not done it’s full work in us. To the degree we live and experience the love of God is the degree the Kingdom of God “fearless love" can operate through us.

If you were to gather today with your Pastor, Apostle, church leaders, home group or wherever you gather could you step back and ask this question. Are we dwelling personally and collectively in the love the of Jesus the way the Father loved Jesus?

Am I, our leaders, the fellowship of believers in our gatherings AT HOME in Jesus love and dwelling in it? Are we keeping his commandments. Do we see the PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION AND REALITY OF KINGDOM LIFE? DO WE SEE NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY HIS LIFE DOWN FOR HIS FRIENDS IN OUR MIDST?

Beloved of the Lord, are we gathering just “to hear a word, get a new teaching, enjoy worship? Are our gathering producing the fruit of God’s pure holy love in us that will remain where God adds to the church daily those to be saved as in Acts 2?

If not, then why not? Is there a “lack of pure holy love issue amongst us that has one made our life at home in His love?

Can we tell that we have been chosen by Jesus and we are bearing the true fruit of pure holy love that will remain? Or is most of what we do, what we hear and say, just out of religious obligation, duty and jargon?

I have often written about it, but the best examples I can find of this pure holy love work where we can physically see the expression of that love is found in Acts 2:42-46 Message Bible.

"This was the fruit the Baptism of the Spirit bore through Peter’s preaching by the pure holy love of God burning in Him”

41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

43-45 Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

46-47 They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Verse 44-45 is the fruit of what to be filled with the love that the Father had for Jesus looks like in us.

AND ALL THE BELIEVERS LIVED IN WONDERFUL HARMONY, HOLDING EVERYTHING IN COMMON. THEY SOLD WHAT THEY OWNED AND POOLED THEIR RESOURCES SO THAT.... EACH PERSON’S NEEDS WERE MET... EACH PERSON NEEDS WERE MET.

DO YOU SEE BELOVED? DO YOU SEE THE WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL? DO YOU SEE HOW GOD ARRANGED HIS BODY PARTS EACH PART SUPPLYING WHAT THE OTHER NEEDS?

IS THIS WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU GO TO CHURCH? IS THIS WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU GO TO YOUR PRAYER GROUP OR HOME GROUP? IF NOT, THEN ASK YOURSELF A QUESTION, ARE WE GODS’ FRIENDS YET?

We can be his friends. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you obey the commandments I have given you. What commandments did he give? “LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.... NO GREATER.... NO GREATER... NO GREATER...LOVE THAN THIS.. THAT A MAN..... THAT A MAN...LAY DOWN... LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS!!!!

At the Last supper, Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “I NO LONGER CALL YOU SERVANTS BUT FRIENDS.

Do we want to be formed into the wheel within a wheel of God’s army upon the earth? Do we want to be formed into a kingdom of Priests and Kings to God and rule and reign with Him upon the Earth?

Then Jesus says, I HAVE TOLD YOU THESE THINGS FOR A PURPOSE.. SO THAT MY JOY MAY BE YOUR JOY, AND THAT YOU WOULD BE WHOLLY MATURE IN THAT JOY. THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!

Let me close this post with a prayer that right now.

Jesus please open our hearts to hear you speak these words to the depth of our heart and spirit. No greater love.. no greater love than this.. that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Holy Spirit burn these words in our hearts. We ask you to come like refiners fire and fuller soap to remove everything that is not the pure holy love of God and your kingdom in us.

We pray now that every single shackle of this world, the lies and deceptions the spirit of religion that has come to blind our eyes to this truth be broken today in Jesus name.

Lord fill us with a fresh baptism of your pure holy love today. We open our hearts to you and say Come Lord Jesus come. Come in the power of your pure holy love and create in us a clean heart where we would forever be your friends.

We want to know you. We want to know what you are doing. We pray you will work in our hearts the purity of your love that you can trust us with the true keys of the kingdom to reveal your glory upon this work.

We surrender to the work of your pure holy love today. Burn up everything that remains in us that is not pure holy love. Lord prepares us and fill us with your glory.

We pray teach us your ways, that we may know you. We trust you Lord, that you who have begun this good work in us is now faithful to complete it in us even to the day of Christ.

We thank you that today that you have answered our prayers in Jesus name! Amen.

Let us reread Johns word to us from the Message Bibles:

John 15:11-15 Message Bible

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.

This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you.

This is the very best way to love.

Put your life on the line for your friends.

You are my friends when you do the things I command you.

I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning.

No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO LOVE... PUT YOUR LIFE... ON THE LINE.... FOR YOUR FRIENDS. JESUS FRIENDS KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING! LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU!