Second Quarter
2003 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"The Forgiven"
Insights
to Lesson 7: "For the Love of God"
May 10-16,
2003
(Produced
by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
The
topic for this week's lessons, "The Love of God," is infinite in
scope. "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
As
is rightly noted in the lesson, love cannot be commanded. Nor can it be
purchased with money. Nor can it imposed by threats. Much of what
masquerades as love for others or for God in this world is not truly love
for either but love for self. It is a lesson the world is slow to learn, but
true love cannot flourish in a heart that is consumed by self. The sad truth
is, we humans are incapable of loving as God loves. Human love is such that
it loves those who love in return. It loves those who make us feel good or
do nice things for us. Human love quickly turns sour if betrayed, despised,
or refused. Human love grows cold and is constantly seeking for something
new to stimulate that loving "feeling" again. God's love is so
different that the Bible writers chose an uncommon word from the Greek
language to describe it—a word less adulterated by the confused human
ideas of human love so common in their day—agape.
This
special message of agape is what Ellen White spoke of as "the
third angel's message in verity." It is light that must yet
"lighten the earth with glory," truth that cannot be comprehended
by those who hold to the doctrine of natural immortality. It's a special
contribution that God wants Seventh-day Adventists to make to the world.
True
love comes only from God, because only God is love (1 John 4:7, 8). Love is
a mystery. And love, like obedience from the heart, cannot be commanded or
forced. To love our enemies. To love Him. To love our husbands or wives. To
love our neighbor as ourselves. How can we ever hope to achieve this goal?
Certainly not by trying. No amount of effort can make a cold, selfish heart
love. Not only that, God has described this love in the Ten Commandments.
Like the allegory Paul shares in Romans 7, we lament "For I know that
in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present
with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I
will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I
practice" (Romans 7:18, 19).
How
are we ever to be faithful to the call to love others? The Word reveals the
answer: "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). The
"how" of achieving this otherwise impossible goal comes in
"beholding" His love. Nothing more. The problem is, too many of us
are content with a cursory glance. We do not look to Jesus moment by moment.
We do not wait to listen for His voice. Our lives are filled with
distractions, many of them necessary and meaningful. But in the midst of
life, He calls us to quiet moments spent in meditating on God's love for us.
In the absence of this continual looking to Christ and beholding His
matchless charms, our own hearts grow stale and cold, and our relationships
with those closest to us suffer.
"Behold
the Lamb of God," John the Baptist announced. Yes, we are to look on
His amazing love and sacrifice in coming to save man. Consider it.
Comprehend it. Measure it. Contemplate it. And in the few moments remaining,
that is what we will do.
It
has been said that the measure of God's love for us can be appreciated only
as it is viewed in relation to the staggering loss He sustained in giving up
His only beloved Son (John 3:16), the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13) to
save our unthankful, evil race (Luke 6:35). For God to have sent His Son to
save a righteous man would have been unfathomable. But the Scripture tells
us He died for us while we were His enemies (Romans 5:10).
As
we meditate on the following excerpt from a sermon given by A. T. Jones at
the 1893 General Conference Session, consider what the Father Himself gave
up in this effort to save man:
"When
Jesus Christ left heaven, he emptied himself, and sank himself in us—for
how long a time was it? That is the question. And the answer is that it
was for all eternity. The Father gave up his Son to us, and Christ gave up
himself to us, for all eternity. Never again will he be in all respects as
he was before. He gave himself to us … ."
"Wherein
did He link Himself with us? In our flesh; in our nature. To what extent
did he link Himself with us?—'By ties that are never to be broken.'
Thank the Lord! Then he sank the nature of God, which he had with God
before the world was, and took our nature; and he bears our nature
forevermore. That is the sacrifice that wins the hearts of men. Were it
looked upon, as many do look upon it, that the sacrifice of Christ was for
only thirty-three years, and then he died the death on the cross and went
back into eternity in all respects as he was before; men might argue that,
in view of eternity before and eternity after, thirty-three years is not
such an infinite sacrifice after all. But when we consider that he sank
his nature in our human nature to all eternity, that is a sacrifice. That
is the love of God. And no heart can reason against it … ."
"Ever
since that blessed fact came to me that the sacrifice of the Son of God is
an eternal sacrifice, and all for me, the word has been upon my mind
almost hourly: 'I will go softly before the Lord all my days.'" 1893
GC Bulletin, p. 382.
Many
of us have wasted much time in our Christian walk fretting over our sins. We
wish to be free from this sin or that sin. We desire to obey. We try to
obey. But in our hearts we have felt discouraged because we haven't seen the
progress we desire. To one and all the call is given to behold Him!
Consider the infinite sacrifice Jesus made to save you. Contemplate His love
and tender mercy towards the least deserving, towards the despised and the
despicable. Let His love melt your own heart. And you will find yourself
irresistibly drawn to Him. When temptation comes, as it surely will, flee to
Christ. Cling to Him. If you feel too weak to flee, then open your eyes to
look at Him. See Him touched with the feelings of your infirmities. See in
Him as One mighty to save. Let Him draw you close in His strong arms of love
and do not resist His drawing. His love will compel you to turn from those
things you once loved, those things that kept you helplessly locked in the
vice grip of sin.
Let
the love of Christ constrain you. If you do not resist His love, you cannot
help but be drawn to the safety of His arms (see Steps to Christ, pp.
26, 27 as quoted in Friday's lesson). Praise God for our Saviour and our
loving heavenly Father who has freely given us all these blessings in
Christ!
|