Love is Why - He Came, Died, Rose and Reigns - April 12, 2020 - a podcast by theCrossroads, UPC

LOVE is WHY
He CAME, DIED, ROSE and REIGNS
“LOVE IS WHY” SERIES

Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

LOVE IS WHY JESUS CAME
Through SIN – Satan gained power over mankind
Simply put – We couldn’t save ourselves…and we were slaves to SIN – with a death sentence hanging over us. The only way for us to have life was for there to be a sinless human sacrifice that would pay for our sins. God loved us enough that He took upon the form of a servant – and put on flesh to save by His Love!

LOVE IS WHY JESUS DIED
Very often when the Bible trying to find the most obvious expressions of God’s love, the fastest way is to beeline for the cross of Jesus Christ. Calvary is God’s statement of just how much He loves you. When you think of the immensity of God’s love, the first thing the Bible often asks us to do is to consider the price that was paid.
Romans 5:8 (NASB)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It was love that motivated Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross and take the punishment as our substitute. The death of Christ was also a visible demonstration of the love of God for sinful humanity.

We could not die for ourselves – our blood wasn’t pure enough to save us…We needed Jesus to take our place. He LOVED us enough to DIE for us!

LOVE IS WHY JESUS ROSE
On the cross, Jesus displayed that He can conquer corruption and forgive His people from their sin. Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Acts 2:24 (NASB)
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Jesus loved us enough to not just die – but to rise from the dead. That is what we Christianity celebrates today – the fact of the resurrection! Thank God He loved me enough to GET UP!

LOVE IS WHY JESUS REIGNS

Why would you want Jesus to REIGN in your life? Because He truly knows what is best for you. He ALONE is wise!
1 Timothy 1:16-17 (NKJV)
16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus Loves me enough to reign over all the world, but also He loves me enough to reign in my life as well. Love is why He reigns in my life – that’s good because…
He sees the Unseen & He knows the Future

If I’m in charge of my life…I am going to mess it up for sure…I need God to reign in my life. It’s not because He wants to be a dictator over me…it’s because He loves me and His wisdom is so much greater than mine…His ways are so far above my own. How arrogant I must seem to Him when I try to reign in my life…I need to let Him reign my life in His love!

 

How do I respond?
Ask God to forgive you, and remove any sin from your life – All of us have past mistakes and sins, many times it is those things that cloud our perception to the fact that Jesus loves us no matter what. The devil will use those things to make you feel unloved and unworthy of love. So ask God to cleanse you of all those things today! There is no one here that is worthy, but there is a proper way to deal with your guilt and shame – that is to turn it over to God at this altar and LEAVE IT THERE! That is when Love can come in.
Be Baptized today in Jesus’ Name – to wash you completely. His love made a way for you to be clean – why not take that step today to be identified with Him in baptism and have every stain from your past washed away?
Be filled with God’s love through receiving His Spirit – God’s Spirit will enable you to love the unloveable and will bring joy and peace into your life everyday. When you receive it, you will speak in a language you didn’t learn in school. This is the initial evidence that you are receiving the same experience that they did in the church described in the book of Acts.
Why don’t you make a place to pray right now in your home, in your living room or family room or wherever you are watching from and ask God to lead you closer to Him today. If you are not sure what your next step is after you have prayed – why not us right after service and get some spiritual advice on how to move forward.

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