Professional Documents
Culture Documents
True Love Beckons
True Love Beckons
TRUE LOVE
BECKONS
PROLOGUE
01 Love Personified
02 Love Amplified
09 The Law
10 God Explained
11 The Craving for Love
12 Eternal Life
13 God's Love
Concealed 14 The Broken-hearted
Father
18 Worship God
the Father 19 Receive God's
Love 20 The Patience of
God
EPILOGUE
PREFACE
This is a true story of an unraveled mystery.
There is no love greater than the laying down of one’s life for
an enemy (John 15:13). Only the love of God is capable of
doing that. It is simply amazing and extraordinary. God the
Son died for us while we still regarded Him as an enemy –
Romans 5:7-8.
We have put aside the colossal and unconditional love of God
and settled for much less than what He has intended for us to
have and enjoy – Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10.
When we know just how much God values us, we will not allow
anyone or anything (including and especially negative thoughts
and emotions) to defile, depreciate, demean, corrupt, cheapen,
degrade, tarnish, or pollute us.
We trash those filthy thoughts and emotions to the obedience
of Christ; what Him crucified has made us to be - 2
Corinthians 10:5.
We get to know what true and real love is from the love of
God. It is only with God's love that we can love self and others
in the right way.
God did not spare even His beloved Son but gave Him up for
us. How shall He not also together with Him freely and
graciously give us all things for our enjoyment (Psalms 68:19,
KJV; Romans 8:32; 1 Timothy 6:17)?
Jesus was the eldest son of Joseph the carpenter and his
mother's name was Mary.
The Prophet
During His time, Israel highly esteemed a rather queer
individual. He lived in the wilderness and wore garment of
camel's hair. His food was locusts and wild honey. He was
John the Baptist.
Moses was the one through whom God gave the Torah to
Israel - John 1:17.
The Declaration
John the Baptist publicly declared Jesus to be the one whom
God promised to send as the scapegoat. He was to be
punished for all the evils done by people of the world and to
carry them through the challenges of life triumphantly. The
appointed scapegoat would die and be raised to life again
three days thereafter. The scriptures talked about it. The
scapegoat was known to Israel as the Lamb of God; the
promised Messiah (Christ).
The Confirmation
John would conduct spiritual cleansing by the River Jordan
known as water baptism. Every single Jew, including the
religious leaders, would go to him for spiritual cleansing. Jesus
was no exception.
The Animosity
Jesus garnered a huge following when news of His amazing
deeds spread throughout the country. He would have been
the hottest craze of any social media platform of our day. The
religious leaders of that day became furious and jealous. As a
result, they tried to find ways to arrest Jesus and kill Him
"legally". They dared not arrest Jesus in public as it would have
created a mob because multitudes thronged Jesus every day.
The Betrayal & Arrest
An opportunity came when Judas Iscariot decided to betray
Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. He provided the lead to Jesus'
arrest when He was alone with His disciples in the middle of
the night. Jesus was arrested prior to the Jewish festival of the
Passover.
The Readiness
Just before His arrest, Jesus was talking to God the Father.
Jesus knew that His appointed time was near and He sweat
blood. In medical terms, this is called hematohidrosis. It is a
condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat
glands rupture under extreme physical or emotional stress.
The Injustice
The religious leaders convened a kangaroo court in the wee
hours of the morning in accordance to their religious laws.
False evidence were brought against Jesus and even those
conflicted each other. Nonetheless, they bulldozed their way
and passed the death sentence.
The Denial
Peter who had earlier boasted of His love for Jesus denied
knowing Him three times before the rooster crowed. Jesus told
Peter beforehand that he would do so. True enough, Peter
chickened out just as Jesus prophesized.
We can never love God in the same way that He loved us.
The Hatred
As Israel was under Roman rule at that time, the religious
leaders brought Jesus to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
However, Pilate found Jesus innocent. The religious leaders
were adamant. They wanted Jesus dead!
The Scourging
As in the practice of that day, flogging preceded crucifixion. But
before that, the Roman soldiers humiliated Jesus and
physically abused Him.
At the end of the session, Jesus was so badly lacerated that not
even a trace of skin was left on His body. His bones were
exposed with profuse bleeding. Many before Him had died
from severe blood loss.
The Crime
After the gruesome flogging, Jesus was dressed and the
garment fastened to His lacerated body. He was to carry the
wooden beam (34kg to 75kg) on His shoulders to the
execution site for His crucifixion.
"It is finished!"
It was then that Peter shared the message of true love and
3,000 people received God's love. It marked the beginning of
the community of believers in the message of God's love as
demonstrated by the Son of God crucified in human form as
Jesus of Nazareth.
He was fully God and yet fully Man. He was God in human flesh
and temporarily set aside His power to take on the limitation
of a human being.
He endured all that for the sole purpose of letting us know just
how much God loved us.
"In this is love: Not that we love God but He first loved
us - 1 John 4:10."
02 LOVE AMPLIFIED
Jesus loved all of His disciples. But John fixed his eyes on the
Lord’s love for him and amplified that love in his life.
Today, we are the beloved children of the Most High God, the
Creator and Possessor of the heavens and the earth. God the
Son crucified as Jesus of Nazareth has given us the right to be
the apple of God’s eyes.
John 1:12
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave
the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of
God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in,
and rely on) His name
David of the Old Testament was a servant going after the love
of God.
You are the very beloved child of God who have received
the love of God (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:15; Galatians
4:6)!
As the pages unfold, you will get to see from the Bible just how
much God wants you to know that He loves you! The love of
God for you is His Kingdom that God the Son crucified has
established on this side of heaven.
Having God’s love in mind regulates the pace of our life making
it restful and comfortable. It is the rhythm of our life.
For this reason, the love of God personified (Jesus), said in
Matthew 11:28,
The letter (as a commandment) kills but the Spirit (the love of
God) gives life – 2 Corinthians 3:6.
“The first and most important one is: “Admirably answered, Teacher; You
truthfully stated that
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one He is One, and there is no other but Him;
Lord; and you shall love the Lord your and to love Him with all the heart and with
God with all your heart, and with all your all the understanding and with all the
soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, strength,
understanding), and with all your
strength.’ and
Then I said,
God the Father prepared a physical body for God the Son to
lay as a sacrifice. It was to demonstrate and prove His love for
us. He wants us to know that He is our loving Father Who
Himself tenderly loves us – Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; John
16:27.
God is more interested in getting us to know His love for us. It
is by that knowledge that we can then relate both to God and
others in the manner our Creator has intended for us.
But when we begin to see God for Who He really is, we have
life and life more abundantly. We will start to experience the
Kingdom of God; the true sense of self-worth, peace and joy in
the love of God - Romans 14:17.
Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good;
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is
the man who takes refuge in Him.
05 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
God abundantly pours out His great love for us into our hearts
by the blessed Holy Spirit. And we receive the blessed Holy
Spirit the moment we confess Jesus as Lord and personal
Savior - Romans 5:5.
For He whom God has sent speaks For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves
the words of God [proclaiming the you, because you have loved Me and
Father’s own message]; for God have believed that I came from the
gives the [gift of the] Spirit without Father.
measure [generously and
boundlessly]! The Father loves the
Son and has given and entrusted all
things into His hand.
1 Timothy 1:14
The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and
blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together]
with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus.
To know the love of God for us is our top priority just as the
apostle Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ crucified –
Matthew 6:33, Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 2:2.
TOP PRIORITY
Romans 5:8 Good News Translation
But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were
still sinners that Christ died for us!
If God gives such attention to the For I made the decision to know
appearance of wildflowers—most of nothing [that is, to forego
which are never even seen—don’t philosophical or theological
you think he’ll attend to you, take discussions regarding inconsequential
pride in you, do his best for you? things and opinions while] among you
What I’m trying to do here is to get except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified
you to relax, to not be so [and the meaning of His redemptive,
preoccupied with getting, so you can substitutionary death and His
respond to God’s giving. People who resurrection].
don’t know God and the way he
works fuss over these things, but
you know both God and how he
works. Steep your life in God-reality,
God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t
worry about missing out. You’ll find
all your everyday human concerns
will be met.
We direct all of our attention to knowing the love of God for us
that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 10:5
We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every
exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the
[true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought
and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ
06 FOCUS ON GOD'S LOVE
David was a man living under the Old Covenant but he had a
New Covenant mindset. God has declared him to be a man
after His own heart – 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22.
G A Z ING O N G O D ' S L O V E
OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT
God is love and Jesus is God – John 1:1-3; 1 John 4:8, 16. God
the Father has subject all things under Jesus – 1 Corinthians
15:27. All things will eventually pass away. Only three things
will remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is
love – Luke 21:33; 1 Corinthians 13:13.
God the Son came to reveal God as our loving Father Who
Himself tenderly loves us.
This is the name which God the Son has made known to us so
that God’s love may overwhelm our hearts – John 16:27; John
17:26.
Our Lord Jesus came to ratify the New Covenant with His
Blood – Matthew 26:28.
John 13:34-35
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one
another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one
another.”
The power and ability to love God and others come from the
love of God.
The Law shows us just how far we have drifted away from
God, the One Who truly loves us. Yet the immense love of
God for us was concealed within those commandments.
God the Father sent God the Son to reveal what was
concealed in the Old Testament by the power of God the
Holy Spirit.
10 GOD EXPLAINED
No one has seen the Father except God the Son – John 1:18;
John 6:46.
Life is about how much love we receive and give. Freely you
have received, freely give – Matthew 10:8
It is the love of God the Father that nailed God the Son to the
Cross so as to free us from guilt and condemnation - 2
Corinthians 5:21.
But when we try to find the love we so yearn from the things of
the world, we lose the real meaning of life. We were created to
enjoy and live by God's love for us.
We are meant to enjoy and bask in the love of God for us. It is
the love of God that builds us up and strengthens us – 1
Corinthians 8:1. Attend to the word of God’s love for us
because it is life to those who find them and healing and
health to our mortal bodies – Proverbs 4:22.
Against this backdrop, let us turn to the Big Ten to see how
the love of God for us was concealed therein.
THE TEN GOD'S LOVE
COMMANDMENTS CONCEALED
1. You shall have no other I am your only Father Who
gods before Me. Himself tenderly loves you. I
love you with an everlasting and
a jealous love – John 16:27;
Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14;
Deuteronomy 4:23-24;
Deuteronomy 5:9;
Deuteronomy 6:15; Jeremiah
31:3
2. You shall not make idols. I am your only Father and you
belong to Me. I am worthy of
3. You shall not take the your honour and obedience –
name of the LORD Matthew 23:9.
your God in vain.
Hosea
6:6,
Living
Bible
THE TEN GOD'S LOVE
COMMANDMENTS CONCEALED
4. Remember the Sabbath The Sabbath speaks of Christ
Day to keep it holy. Jesus.
TYPOLOGY
OLDER SON - JEWS YOUNGER SON - GENTILES
Matthew 15:8-9 Amplified Bible Ephesians 2:11-12 Amplified Bible
‘This people honors Me with theirTherefore, remember that at one time you
lips, Gentiles by birth, who are called
“Uncircumcision” by those who called
But their heart is far away from Me.
themselves “Circumcision,” [itself a mere
mark] which is made in the flesh by human
‘But in vain do they worship Me, hands— remember that at that time you
For they teach as doctrines the were separated from Christ [excluded from
precepts of men.’” any relationship with Him], alienated from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
to the covenants of promise [with no share
in the sacred Messianic promise and
without knowledge of God’s agreements],
having no hope [in His promise] and [living]
in the world without God.
Yet, the younger one returned to the father relying solely on
the father’s love. He recalled his father's love even for the
servants. As such, he was prepared to become a servant
because he deemed himself unworthy to be his son. What he
did not know was that his father had been scanning the
horizon daily for his return so as to lavish his extravagant love
on him – Luke 15:14-19; Ephesians 2:13.
However, the older one has been bitter with the father all the
while as he perceived that he had to earn his father's love. On
that basis, the prodigal son could well be the elder brother -
Luke 15:29-30.
Look, dear son, his father said to him, ‘You and I are very
close, and everything I have is yours’ – Luke 15:31, Living
Bible
The father appealed for the love of both his sons with his love
for them.
15 THE APPEAL FOR LOVE
God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything
therein, is appealing to all of us who have deserted Him to
receive His love – Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:20.
God the loving Father has never forsaken us. We were the
ones who have rejected Him – Deuteronomy 31:6, 8.
In the thick of that rejection, God the loving Father sent God
the Son as Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified as an appeal for
our love. He was resurrected for our acquittal from the penalty
and power of sin – Romans 4:25; Romans 5:8; Hebrews
10:5-7.
In this is love:
Romans 5:7-8
Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his
life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good
man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone
might even dare to die. But God clearly shows and proves
His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
God is love and Jesus is God – John 1:1; 1 John 4:8, 16.
Hence, Jesus is love. And love heals.
The King of kings and the Lord of lords came to defeat the
disease of diseases. With that in place, all other diseases have
also been subdued such that no plague can come near us -
Psalm 91:10. By His stripes, we are healed - Isaiah 53:5; 1
Peter 2:24.
It is the love of God that keeps our very being intact; spirit,
soul, and mortal body – Colossians 1:17.
Your love for me is better than wine. Your word of love for me
is sweeter than honey – Psalm 119:103; Song of Solomon
1:2; Song of Solomon 4:10.
Psalm 100:4-5
Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.
Since it is God Himself doing all the work from start to finish,
how will our feelings affect the guaranteed outcome - Romans
3:3?
Therefore, sit back and relax. Be still and know that God is
faithful. He will do what He said and make good what He
promised - Numbers 23:19; Psalm 46:10; Romans 4:20-21.
May I invite you to receive God’s immense love for you right
now by saying:
God has destined for you to be His beloved child before the
foundations of the world – Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5-6.
In the days ahead, may you get to know and experience the
love and faithfulness of Father God for you more and more!
20 THE PATIENCE OF GOD
What is depression?
Godly KPIs
God the loving Father wants our self-worth to be built on the
unshakable foundation of His KPIs; what God the Son has
performed as Jesus of Nazareth. We are already accepted and
approved in the Beloved Son of God. It is uplifting and
refreshing. The word of God’s perfect love gives life – John
6:63.
2 Timothy 2:14
Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge
them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy
over words, which does no good, and [upsets and
undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen.
“Never mind what other people are saying about Me. But Who
do you say that I am?”
Even the apostle Paul who received direct revelation from the
ascended Christ used the holy scriptures to prove that Jesus
was indeed the promised Messiah – Acts 17:1-3; Acts 18:27-
28; Galatians 1:11-12.
Psalm 27:13-14
I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see
the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
God the Son came in human form as fully God and fully man.
He died the horrendous death of crucifixion and was
resurrected to release us from guilt and condemnation.
Although ascended to heaven to His rightful place of deity, He
remains the firstborn of the new creation on earth.
All who have received the love of God through Him are new
creations - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
May the Lord Jesus flood your heart with His love.
I have also written the following books about the immense love
of God for you through God the Son as Jesus of Nazareth:
THE MESSIANIC
CREDENTIALS SERIES
Her Seed
What is love?