Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Wednesday,
August 30, 2017
MAR 12:28-30, And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
MAR 12:29-30, Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
MAR 12:31 "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
JAM 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
Category one love is the believer's capacity to love God and to respond to God's love based on Bible doctrine in his soul.
- If Bible doctrine or the words of Christ are not abiding in you, you do not have love for God, this is according to Joh 5:38-42.
- If a believer really loves God, it will be manifested by his desire to hear God's doctrines, Joh 8:47.
"hears" is the pres-act-ind of akouo which is akouei meaning to hear in an audience, to listen, to concentrate, to understand, to learn, to give a hearing.
- Not only will you hear doctrine but "if you love the Lord" you will keep His doctrines, Joh 14:15.
"keep" is the aor-act-imp of tereo which is teresate which means to guard something that belongs to you. It also means to watch over carefully, to keep, to hold, to preserve and to pay attention to, therefore to retain!
- If you guard or keep God's Word in you, God's love will be in you, Joh 15:10.
Having God's mind or Bible doctrine is that which produces God's love in the local assembly, PHI 2:2
PHI 2:2 make my happiness complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
- Keeping doctrine is the only way to love with God's love, 1Jo 2:5.
"perfected" is the perf-pass-ind, teleioo which means to complete or to reach maturity. It also means to come to the place where it can be released.
- Loving God is also revealed with impersonal love toward one another, 1Jo 4:7.
"knows God" is the pres-act-imp of ginosko and the present tense means the more we love reveals the more we are progressively getting to know Him.
Since God is invisible and the object of category one love, we must see and love Him through doctrine in the soul.
You cannot love God unless you know God, and you cannot know God unless you have metabolized enough pertinent doctrine, 1PE 1:8, Eph 3:18‑19, Heb 6:10, 2Ti 1:13‑14, Col 3:1‑2.
1PE 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe Him [His doctrine,
A pastor's love for TLJC is manifested by how often he feeds the Lord's sheep!
JER 3:15 "I will give you pastors after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.
JER 23:4 "I shall also raise up pastors over them and they will feed them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord.
- Category one love also sets up the standard for grace, Psa 119:132, Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Thy manner with those who love Thy name.
- Category one love is also the basis for supergrace blessing, 1CO 2:9, Ps 37:4‑5.
1CO 2:9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him."
PSA 37:4-5, Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
- Category one love is the basis for personal and national blessing, Deu 30:15‑20.
- Category one love motivates combat courage and military victory, Jos 23:10‑11.
JOS 23:10-11; "One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.
- Category one love provides strength for adversity and pressure, HEB 11:27; HEB 11:27 By means of doctrine resident in the soul, Moses left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
This is why there is a special curse on believers who fail to have category one love in 1CO 16:22, they are said to be "cursed until the Lord comes."
1CO 16:22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha.
Even witnessing must be motivated by category one love, 2Co 5:14 "The love of Christ motivates us."
Rom 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him,
There is no love for God until there is an X amount of metabolized doctrine.
Love toward God then becomes a major issue.
Not love for people but as we will see love for God.
There is no real divine love toward people until there is first, personal love toward God.
ROM 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
- Familiarity
b. Selfishness -- Love for Self.
Flexibility is not compromise --- it is the freedom given to all members of the human race the right and the ability to reveal their love and worship toward God in their own unique way.
JOH 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
HEB 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
HEB 2:11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,