Love to God

Matt. 22: 37, 38 — “Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

Mark 12: 29-34 — “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord thy God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.”

Deut. 10: 12 — “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.”

PROPOSITION: To love God with all the heart and with all the soul, and all the mind is the first and great commandment.

(It includes all else.)

II. How Love to God Is Manifested.

(i) Ex. 20: 6 — “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

2 Jno. 6 — “And this is love, that ive walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. ’

i Jno. 5: 3 — “For this is the love of God, that we keep his com* mandments: and his commandments are not Sevens.”

FIRST PROPOSITION: The supreme manifestation of love to God is keeping His commandments.

This is love to God. Keeping God’s commandments is more than merely obeying God’s commandments. The word translated * keep,” expresses watchful care. It means to “attend to carefully,” take care of, ““guard.” So also the Old Testament word.

(2) Deut. 10: 12 — “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

SECOND PROPOSITION: Love to God is manifested by
serving Him with all the heart and all the soul.

Paul in writing to the Thessalonians speaks of their labor of love.” The word for “labor” denotes “intense” labor, “toil.” The one who loves God will labor intensely for Him. An easy-going Christian life proves an absence of love for God.

(3) Ps. 97: 10 — “Ye that love the LORD hate evil.”

THIRD PROPOSITION: Love to God manifests itself in a
hatred of evil.

The man who loves God cannot regard sin with favor or indifference. He hates it. All sin. There is no small sin to him.

(4) i Jno. 2: 15 — “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

FOURTH PROPOSITION: Love to God manifests itself in not loving the world.

The man who loves God cannot set his affections upon the world with its gain and its honor, and its pleasure, and its gratifications. All that is in the world is not of the Father, it draws away from Him, and a lover of God cannot love it.

(5) i Jno. 4:20, 21 — “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.”

FIFTH PROPOSITION: Love to God is manifested by a love to Gods children, our brethren.

III, Results of Lore to God,

(1) UNDER THE OLD COVENANT.

Deut. 5: 10 — “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them thatlovl me and keep my commandments.”

7: g — “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

Ex. 20: 6 — “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Ps. 69: 36 — “The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.”

Ps. 91: 14 — “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.”

145: 20 — “The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.”

Is. 56: 6, 7 —” Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.

PROPOSITION: The blessings and promises under the Old
Covenant were for those who loved God.

(2) UNDER THE NEW COVENANT.

(1) i Cor. 8: 3 — “But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”

FIRST PROPOSITION: He that loveth God is known by God.

(2) Jas. i: 12 — “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

SECOND PROPOSITION: The Crown of Life is for those who love God.

(3) Jas. 2:5 — “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?”

THIRD PROPOSITION: The Kingdom is promised to those who love God. (4) i Cor. 2: 9 — “But it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

FOURTH PROPOSITION: God hath prepared for those who love Him things beyond those which eye hath seen or ear heard, and those which have entered into the heart of man; deep things which the Spirit alone searches and reveals. (See context. )

(5) Rom 8: 28 — “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

FIFTH PROPOSITION: All things work together for good for those who love God.

(6) Rom. 8:28, 29, 30, R.V. — “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

SIXTH PROPOSITION: Those who love God are “the called according to his purpose” “foreknown” “foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son,” ’ ‘justified, “” glorified.”

IV. How to Get Love to God.

(1) i Jno. 4: 7 —” Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.’*

FIRST PROPOSITION: We get love to God by being born of God.

We are not saved by loving God, we are saved to loving God.

(2) i Jno. 4: 19 — “We love him, because he first loved us.”

SECOND PROPOSITION: We get love to God by believing in and meditating upon His love to us.

(3) 2 Thess. 3: 5 — “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”

THIRD PROPOSITION: God, in answer to prayer, directs our hearts into the Love of God.