John tells us in 1 John 4:8 and 16 that God is love.
In John 3:16 John tells that because God is love He did something. He sent His one and only Son to give His life for our sin. God’s love moved Him to do something of infinite good for us.
So if God is love and He loves us, what is love?
Our culture says that love is:
(1) an attraction based on kinship or admiration or common interests
(2) a strong sexual attraction
God says that love is very different from what the culture says it is.
God says that love is:
(1) showing undeserved kindness
(2) being faithful
(3) delighting in the presence of another
(4) putting someone’s needs ahead of your own
God’s love is about others.
God’s love is always unconditional and eternal.
Four Pictures of God’s Love
Picture #1: God’s love is grace.
Genesis 20:1-2
Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in the Gerar, and there Abraham said to his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.
Abraham, a man of faith, the man God had chosen to form a nation out of for Himself lied to Abimelek about Sarah being his wife. Abraham betrays his wife and fails God.
In Genesis 20:11 Abraham explains why he lied to the king about Sarah being his wife. He says, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’”
Now, I understand. Abraham was fearful and didn’t trust God to take care of him and Sarah. He didn’t believe that God would or could protect them. And this is a man of faith?
Because of his lack of faith in God. Abraham gets into a position where he could not only lose his wife, but also hinders the promises that God had made him. He was messing with God’s will.
So what does God do?
Genesis 20:6-7
Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. This is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”
God intervenes and keeps Abimelek from having sex with Sarah. God also demands that Abimelek give Sarah back to Abraham.
Genesis 20:14-16
Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”
Then God has Abimelek give gifts to Abraham and Sarah that enrich them. He also had Abimelek allow Abraham to live anywhere he wanted.
Grace gives us more than we deserve. God took a lack of faith on Abraham’s part and turned into a huge blessing.
Now, we need to remember that God promises us grace, but we can never presume on that grace. We cannot live like we want to and assume God will, because of His grace, get us out of any bad situation we get into.
God does assure us that His love will be there in the midst of our sin and our struggles.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is based in and on the grace of God.
Picture #2: God’s love is protecting.
Genesis 3:24
He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Many would see God’s action here as discipline or punishment for Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God.
This action is protection. God didn’t want Adam and Eve eating from the tree of life and living forever in a state of rebellion against Him. God wants us to live forever in right relationship with Him, not in sin.
God will not let His children stay in an unhealthy spiritual condition without making us desire to change.
God will confront us about our sin because He knows it will destroy us if not dealt with.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about putting ourselves under the authority of God and His protection.
Picture #3: God’s love is accepting.
In John 8 the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus who they had caught in the act of committing adultery. I have always wondered exactly how they accomplished that and where the guy who she was committing it with was.
The religious leaders ask Jesus what He thought they should do with her. They then reminded Him that the Law said to stone her, like Jesus needed to be reminded what the Law said.
Jesus simply told them that the one without sin could throw the first rock. They all dropped their rocks and left.
Then Jesus goes to the woman. He asked, “Where did they go? Has anyone condemned you?” The woman answered, “No one, sir.” Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you either. Go! From now on don’t sin.”
Jesus didn’t condemn her.
Jesus didn’t reject her.
Jesus accepted her.
God’s love accepts us like we are. But God’s love also always motivates and empowers us to change.
God loves and accepts us, but not our sin. God hates our sin.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about accepting people and loving people and, with God’s love, helping people to be transformed into the image of Jesus.
Picture #4: God’s love is restoring
John 21:15-17
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.” Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.” A third time He said, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” Peter said, “Lord, You know everything; You know I love You!” He said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
Why did Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved Him? Peter said he did the first time and the second. Why did Jesus ask the third time? Well, let’s go back to Peter’s denial of Jesus. Peter denied he knew Jesus three times. Jesus was allowing Peter to affirm his love for Jesus the same number of times that he denied his love for Jesus.
When our fellowship, our intimacy with Jesus is broken, Jesus desires to bring us back to Himself. His will is always for us to be in right relationship and right fellowship, intimately connected to Him.
Jesus will do what it takes in our lives to bring us to that place.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about building intimacy in our relationship with Jesus. And helping others be restored to Jesus.
Jesus loves you! That is the overwhelming message of the Bible.
Jesus wants you to experience His love in your life all the time. That can only happen if you are in right relationship and right fellowship with Him.
We have to be honest with Jesus. We have to let Jesus Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls from our lives. Then we can share our lives with Jesus. We can share every part of our lives with Him.
We can share the:
Sins
Struggles
Fears
Hurts
Joys
Desires
Dreams
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about surrendering you life to Jesus so you can share all of it with Him and experience His unconditional, no boundaries, no time limit love.
In And With Jesus’ Love Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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