MLC Sermon Notes Note 02/01
No one in the entire universe, except perhaps Yahweh's Son, is able to fully measure the Almighty's love for His creation, for mankind and particularly for the nation of Israel. That is something that the redeemed host will experience and study through eternity: and even so I do believe that we shall never really fathom the full extent of it.
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Isaiah 63:7 |
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. |
Love: The most widely used word in the language; a word that is the theme of millions of letters, books, songs, movies and plays; and yet perhaps the most misunderstood word ever to be voiced by the lips of men and women. Let us consider 'love' this morning.
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Love is not |
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1 Corinthians 13:4 |
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5: Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. |
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What Love is |
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7 |
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. |
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1 John 4:16 |
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. |
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Faith - |
conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things. |
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Hope - |
joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; and |
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Love - |
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity. |
God is Love:
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1 John 4:7 |
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. |
In his love and in his pity he redeemed them.
Redeem: Hebrew = gaal = to buy back, to recover a thing by payment or by doing something, to clear a debt by paying it off.
Note the following stages in the process of redemption as recorded in Exodus 6:6
But, you may well ask, what are we humans redeemed from? The answer is: humanity is redeemed from sin and its eternal consequences - death! These are symbolised by Egyptian/Babylonian slavery; which to the ancient Israelites seemed like an endless, living death.
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Exodus 2:23 |
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. |
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Exodus 3:7 |
And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; |
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Isaiah 48:20 |
Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob. |
Note: Egypt represents the place of slavery to sin, the place where a believer first accepts the Lamb's blood and from whence he/she is delivered by the blood of the Lamb (the Messiah).
Babylon stands for areas of subsequent backsliding, captivity and punishment. Newly converted believers come out of Egypt; returning exiles come out of Babylon. Yahweh saves both. Redemption is possible in both circumstances.
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2 Samuel 4:9 |
And David answered Rechab ... As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity. |
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1 Kings 1:29 |
King David said ... As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress. |
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Hosea 13:9 |
Oh Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself...10 I will be thy King... |
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Psalm 49:15 |
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. |
The Almighty's Agent of redemption is His only begotten Son Yeshua (Jesus). He is the way the truth and the life. If you want to be redeemed then you must believe in Yeshua the Redeemer of the Lost.
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John 3:16 |
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
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Romans 3:23 |
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. |
Our redemption was made possible by the Redeemer's death on Mount Calvary. He paid the price. He died in our stead. It is not possible to be forgiven of sin or be redeemed from the power of sin without an acceptance of that divine provision. Sin is a fatal disease, infinitely more deadly than AIDS or leprosy. No sinner can cleanse him/herself from sin; or escape the penalty of sin. If you desire forgiveness you must go to God in repentance and faith and request mercy. You will then be granted pardon through the merits of Yeshua the Redeemer's blood. That is how our redemption is made possible. There is no other way. Without faith in the shed blood of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, forgiveness is not possible. All the animal sacrifices specified in the Torah (the law of God) teach that fundamental truth.
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Acts 4:12 |
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. |
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Ephesians 1:7 |
In whom we have redemption through His blood ... |
Why does the Almighty seek to redeem mankind? What is His ultimate purpose? The answer, the full weight of which I can only dimly appreciate, is found in this passage of scripture.
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1 John 3:1 |
Behold (look, consider) 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. |
It is virtually impossible to fully appreciate this astonishing message. Now are we the sons of God. or even that phrase we shall be like Him. Pause awhile and try to appreciate your high and infinitely holy position as a 'son or daughter of the King of the universe.' The very concept of that royal position beggars the imagination. But it is true nonetheless, and one day we shall understand it to the full. Meanwhile let us rejoice in the fact that in His great Love Yahweh, the Almighty God of Israel has adopted us into His Royal Family. Praise His Holy Name for such astonishing love!
'To every thing there is a time' said king Solomon and that applies to the process of salvation.
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2 Corinthians 6:2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. |
Fundamental facts to remember:
When the Saviour returns to this earth, we shall begin to really understand the meaning of the word redemption. Suffice it at this moment to know that our redemption is by the grace of God; the grace which is prompted by Yahweh's amazing love - in my estimation the greatest characteristic the Almighty possesses. For all eternity we shall learn about and marvel at the multiple virtues of the Most High, His abilities and power, His position and authority, His likes and dislikes etc. But somehow I feel that we shall never fully fathom the depth, the height, the length, the breadth and the full extent of Jehovah's great love. That is a boundless domain, wider than the spiritual universe of motives, thoughts and deeds: an area for study, contemplation, appreciation and wonder throughout the endless cycles of time!
MLC Sermon Notes More sermons about Yahweh
July 1999
MatanYah Learning Centre, Duiwelskloof, South Africa
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