THE PILGRIMAGE OF LOVE
A. "I HAVE LOVED THEE WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE"
- The voice of God's love has followed men in all ages:
- It was heard in the Garden of Eden - "Where art thou" - Gen. 3:9
- Only love would seek out a sinner that had rebelled against his Maker
- Only love sought to keep Cain from becoming the murderer - Gen. 4:6-7
- Only God's love plead with sinners during one hundred and twenty years - Gen. 6:3
- The last five thousand years in human experience:
- The pilgrimage of God's love can easily be traced
- And what is so wonderful, this divine pilgrimage is still going strong B. "I HAVE LOVED THEE WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE"
- How different is human love:
- "With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after covetousness" Ez. 33:31
- "O Judah, what shall I do unto thee, for your goodness (love) is as the morning cloud" - Hosea 6:4
- There are many times when men will feign love when they have hatred fill their hearts - Examples; Judas feigned to love Jesus Christ when he betrayed Him with a kiss - Matt. 26:49
- Human love is marked by selfishness, it loves when it receives love
- How different is God's love:
- It has no respecter of persons - Acts 10:34-35; 2 Sam. 14:14
- It reserves nothing to itself, but spends all on the objects of its love - 2 Cor. 8:9
- Said Jesus, the foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" - Matt. 8:20
- It does not limit itself to time or space, it is from everlasting to everlasting; it will never cease - I Cor. 13:13
C. MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMAGE OF DIVINE LOVE
- It enters every place where the sick are in agony and pain - Is. 53:3-6;
John 5:1-8
- Can you visualize how he visits and comforts the sick? In the person of His representatives - Matt. 25:36
- If you are His representative and you visit the sick and encourage them, it is in truth the Son of man that is the encourager
- It enters the place of mourning and comforts the sorrowing ones by speaking the word of hope to them
- This everlasting love paid the supreme price for you and me:
- When it made Him sin, who knew no sin, so that you and I may become righteous 2 Cor. 5:19-21
- Yes, love allowed the Son of God to become a pilgrim in this sinful world which pilgrimage led the Son to Golgotha to be nailed to the cross
- But, dear ones, keep in mind that God's everlasting love shined never more brighter than when it displayed that love in the person of the dying Son of God
- Hear the dying words of God's Son - "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" - Luke 23:34
- What is more, it that is possible:
- That love is at the right hand of God, pleading your case before the throne of mercy - I John 2:1-3
- That is not all, this divine love is busily engaged to draw sinners to God - John 12:32
- That divine love tries to influence you and me through the ministry of the angels, of the Holy Spirit; through the word of God, and through God's children
- And who is that love?
- God is that love - John 4:8,16
- He is from everlasting and therefore His love is everlasting
- That love is powerful and draws us with cords whatever those cords are - they are strong
- As you think of God's love, do you feel drawn by it? - 2 Cor. 5:14