OUTLINE:

Ro 5:8 [Amplified Classic]
But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Godly Love
- “Is my life consistent with God’s love?”
- “Am I willing to lay down my life for others, not because I am emotionally attached to them, but rather for our Father’s sake in Heaven, the way Christ did?”
- “Is my heart right before God?”

God’s Love On Trial
How many times have YOU said to God, “Show me that You love me!” How many times have you “demanded” that God reveal His love to you? And how many times have you used the EVIDENCE of His love for you as PROOF that His love for you even exists???

God’s Morality In the Law - blog -
Ro 2:20b, “having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” The fact is that the law is a perfect reflection of God’s holy character.


The Sphere Of God
Love and the law of God coexist in the same sphere, namely, God’s essence. These are inseparable qualities (among others) that, though distinguishable individually, nonetheless always function in perfect synchronicity, harmony, and immutably.

Heaven
Perfect peace!

“keeps”
tereo - to keep, guard, observe, watch over (Strong’s Concordance). Is in the present tense, active voice, which means that it is something a person does habitually.

“has been perfected”
teleioo - (Strong’s): (a) as a course, a race, or the like: I complete, finish (b) as of time or prediction: I accomplish, (c) I make perfect; pass: I am perfected.

MacDonald On 1Jn 2:5
The ‘love of God’ does not refer to our love for God, but rather to His love for us. The thought is that God’s love toward us has been brought to its goal when we keep His word. It accomplishes its aim and reaches its end in producing obedience to Him.

Balance Statement
Sanctification takes time; therefore, to our series title, “Undistracted devotion to the Lord” <— this, too, takes time!

Perspective
- None of us are perfect.
- Our faith isn’t.
- Our love isn’t.
- Our deeds aren’t.

Sanctification
God sanctifies our hearts. Fruit is the evidence of His love abiding in us. Increasing evidence means increased sanctification (e.g. we “keep His word” - 1Jn 2:4-5).

Sanctification
If truth ever puts us back into bondage, it’s not truth’s fault, it’s our own. Truth sets us free, by God’s design.

1Jn 5:3 [Amplified Classic]
For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).

Ro 7:19-20 [Amplified]
For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

The Sphere Of Love
Anyone abiding in the sphere of love WANTS to DO what love desires. In the case of children of God, it is to OBEY their Father in Heaven.

Post- vs. Pre-Sinning Obedience
By now, most of us are pretty good at obeying the “recovery from sin” commandments in the Bible (e.g., confess, ask forgiveness, etc.); however, obeying commandments that keep us from sinning in the first place constitutes a much better lifestyle.

Premeditation
This is the root sustenance of an evil lifestyle. Such a lifestyle would immediately halt if we quit planning and “feeding” it. If we know this and refuse to adjust, we are willfully sinning (Jas 4:17).

The Whopper
We sometimes adopt lifestyles that inhibit our own sanctification. If we consistently sin in one particular area in our life, we need to step back, evaluate our lifestyle, and make appropriate adjustments.

The Whopper
A lifestyle may not be sinful by itself. However, if you ARE weak in a certain area and you architect a lifestyle that consistently places you in the crosshairs of temptation (and failure), then you are sinning.

Our Joy Is Conditional
Joy in time for a believer is conditioned upon obedience (Jn 15:7-11; 16:24).

Lifestyle Vs. Sin
Too many people try to justify their ungodly lifestyles by focusing on a benign lifestyle instead of the consistent sin it produces. If you choose to live an evil lifestyle, it is your choice that stands out as the sin, not necessarily the lifestyle (for it may be fine for someone else).

NCC As A Lampstand
In one sense, NCC trains people how to eat, how to digest and be sustained by the Word of God; and furthermore, teaching what kind of “doing” actually sustains a believer over the long haul, as it did our Lord (ala Jn 4:34).

“adding to their number”
This is the opposite of having a church’s “lampstand” removed (ala Rev 2:5). This church in Ac 2 was fervently loving the Lord and therefore its lampstand was established all the more!