WONDERFUL LOVE

Text: Ezekiel 16:1-14

God's Love Is Uninfluenced:  No man seeks after God,…

Psalm 10:4 “The wicked,…will not seek after God:...”

Romans 3:10-11 “There is none righteous, no, not one: ¹¹There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”

God's Love Is Eternal: Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.”

God's Love Is Unchanging: Roman 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God's Love Is Holy: Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”  God will not wink at sin!

God's Love Is In Harmony With His Grace: John 3:16.

In Ezekiel 16 we see an astonishing picture of the love of God.  As we examine this passage we see…

1.    THE CONDITION OF THE SINNER (v 4-6): The human condition! “And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. ⁵ None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. ⁶ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood,..”

• Unwashed, Unmedicated and Unclothed (v 4): No care had been given.
• Unpitied (v 5a): No compassion was extended
• Uncovered (v 5b): No shelter provided
• Unsettling (v 5c): [Loathsome, repulsive, nauseating] Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” 
• Unaided & Dying (v 6a):  Polluted = to tread down, trample, to desecrate.

2.    THE COMPASSION OF THE SAVIOUR: God’s love revealed! “when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood,…”

• He Has Come Near To Us (v 6). “when I passed by thee…”
• He Has Revealed His Compassion (v 8). “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.”
• He Has Displayed His Power (v 6). “I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”
• He Changes Those He Redeems (v 7). “I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.”

3.    THE COMPLETENESS OF GOD’S LOVE (v 8-14):

• We are Sheltered (v 8). “I spread my skirt over thee.”
• We are Redeemed (v 8).  “and thou becamest mine.”
• We are Washed (v 9). “Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee,..”
• We are Anointed (v 9). “…I anointed thee with oil.”
• We are Clothed (v 10). 

       “Broidered work” – God’s salvation is intricate.
       “Badgers skin” – God’s salvation is simple.
       “Fine linen” – God’s salvation is comfortable.
       “Silk” – God’s salvation is beautiful.

• We are Adorned with Riches (v 11, 14). “I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck… And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.” Ephesians 1:3-11; 2:7 / Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

• We Are Crowned (v 12). “And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.” 1 John 3:2  /  Psalm 103:4 “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;”

4.    THE CALLOUSNESS OF MAN (Ezek 16:15-22): “But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. ¹⁶ And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. ¹⁷ Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, ¹⁸ And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. ¹⁹ My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD. ²⁰ Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, ²¹ That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? ²² And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.”

WHILE ON THIS JOURNEY

1 Peter 1:17-25 ¹⁷ If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: ¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ²¹ Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ²² Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: ²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Peter is addressing the “Strangers scattered throughout.” He is in the process of trying to comfort and encourage them in the midst of great persecution.

Peter began his letter by reminding these Christians they were…

• “Strangers in a foreign land” (v 1).

• “the chosen of God” (v 2).

• “A people with a living hope” (v 3-4).

• “Secure in Christ” (v 5-12).

In the remainder of the first chapter, Peter takes up the theme of “What to do while on this journey.”

While on this journey we are to...

^#1. GLORIFY GOD (v 17-21).

Pass the time without unnecessary temporal attachments. Peter reminds us “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.” We are Strangers & Sojourners here.

Pass the time in fear [Fob'-os] = a reverential awe.

·         The Fear of God is,… the continual awareness that I am in the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God, and that every thought, word, action and deed is open before Him and is being judged by Him continually.

We should glorify the Lord because of what He has done for us?

• Divine Favor (v 2).

• Abundant Grace & Peace (v 2).

• The Holy Spirit (v 2).

• Salvation (v 3).

• The richest inheritance imaginable (v 4).

Those who are saved should willingly honor the Lord (v 17).

• Because of the cost of our redemption (v 18-20; 23-25).

• Because of God’s purpose in redemption.

-   Saved from “vain conversation” = aimless life (v 18).

-   Saved to a life of “faith and hope…in God” (v 21).

While on this journey we are to...

^#2. PURSUE PURITY (v 22). “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”

Key phrases: “Purified your souls” [past tense]; “Pure heart” [present & future].

A need for purity (v 15-16)  “as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

·         Purity/Holiness: Holy (hagios) means to be righteous, pure, virtuous, mature, and complete; to be separated and different from the world.

·         Conversation: manner of life: outward expression of our inward nature.

Psalm 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.”

 
2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

The avenue of purity (v 22) “In obeying the truth.”

The agent of purity (v 22) “Through the Spirit.”

The answer of purity (v 22) “Love of the brethren.”

While on this journey we are to...

^#3. LOVE LAVISHLY (v 22). “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” Jeremiah 31:3

The Love of God is a continuous theme in the Bible,.. from Adam’s fall to the Bible’s last invitation.

We have been born again as a result of God’s Love (v 23). John 3:16;
Isaiah 38:17 “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”

God’s Love Is...

• Unmerited. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

• Universal.  John 3:16

• Unfailing. “He loved them unto the end” John 13:1

• Unsearchable. “That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend…what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

• Unequaled. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1

• Unquenchable. “The love of Christ constraineth us.” 2 Cor 5:14

• Unselfish. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

The Quality of our Love (v 22). “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”

Our love for one another is to be…

• Brotherly love = loving affection. 
• Unfeigned love = authentic, sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy.  

Fervent Love = [ek-ten-oce'] From a verb which means to "stretch out the hand” – to be reaching out -- earnest, resolute. A love that can endure strain and stress.

PERCEIVING THE LOVE OF GOD

1 John 3:1-3, 16 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ² Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ³ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure…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.”

True love cannot lay dormant. Love longs for expression. If you command it to be without expression, you command it not to live. Love is not satisfied with expressing itself in words. Love must express itself in deeds, as the old proverb says, “Actions speak louder than words” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Love is willing to sacrifice and express self-denial. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the quality of love is expressed. Love is willing to endure pain, and losses, and crosses. These principles of true love make the truth of Scripture even greater when we consider that God is love.

1 John 4:8, 16 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love… ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

Because God is love, He must express His love; He cannot merely speak of His love. His love must be expressed through action.

                                                                   

God does not say to mankind, “I love you; and you must believe that I love you although I do nothing for you to prove my love.”

Instead, He gives us abundant proofs of His love. The Apostle John (the apostle of love) made a tremendous statement when he said, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”  In John 3:16 he stated, “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

I want to show you how to perceive the love of God. Most of mankind fails to perceive, recognize or understand the love which God has manifest to us.

^#1. There are many ways in which God displays His love, but most men fail to recognize. We may perceive the love of God...

·      Through the surroundings into which we were born: I’m glad I was born an American… to law abiding parents… Etc… Many people, born with greater manifestation of God's love, fail to perceive it. There are ten unchangeable:  They are life conditions over which I have no control. My parents, Time in history, Race National Heritage, Gender, Birth order, Siblings, Physical features, Mental abilities, Aging. They are life conditions chosen for me by God. I must accept them as His wise and loving provision for my ultimate benefit. God’s “unchangeables” are the starting points for His character training in me, and they are the means of developing His special message through me. If we are unhappy with one or more of these “unchangeable” features of our life we will be hindered in our spiritual growth and may even posses a floating bitterness towards God.

·         In the wise and just laws He has given: The commandments of God are a great gift to mankind.  They tells us the wisest and the happiest way to live. It forbids us nothing but what would harm us, and withholds nothing from us that would bring us real joy.

The commandments that say “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not” are like danger signs posted for our benefit.

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. ⁹ For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ¹⁰ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

·         In the daily manifestations of His divine providence: Providence is the care, guardianship, and control exercised by divine direction.  If our eyes were really open to see the abundance of God's providence we would begin to see every loaf of bread and every drop of water as a manifestation of the Love of God.
Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Here we may perceive the love of God.”

·         There are some who would accuse God of being unjust, unfair and unloving because not all was born with the same privilege.

WARNING: There is danger in taking up the offence of others. Where there is lack – this is the result of sin. BUT, where there is lack – there is also abundance of grace.

2 Cor 10:12-13 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ¹³ But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.”

^#2. The greatest manifestation of God's love is revealed in the death of Christ on the Cross. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”

·         There can be no greater proof of love than for a person to lay down his life for the object of that love. Many have given their life for love of country and for love of humanity.

·         Our Lord Jesus Christ has proved his love for sinners by dying for them. It is one thing to die for a great country or for the furtherance of humanity, or for a great cause; but it is entirely different to die for sinners – for our sakes; for felon's of God's law.

Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

·         Our Lords sacrifice was greater than any other because there was no claim of death upon Him. Death has claim on sinners only!

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

·         Our Lords sacrifice was greater because there were no appeals made to Him to die for us.  His death was voluntary! Jesus came Unasked, Undesired and Unsought, to lay down His life for the Ungodly!

Isaiah 53:2-6 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”