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                      Keep Yourself in the Love of God

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By David Wilkerson
October 25, 1999
__________

          Thirty-five years ago, God put it on my heart to start
          a boys' home in Amityville, New York, on Long Island. I
          truly sensed the Lord was behind this work. Yet, after
          just a year and a half, state officials put impossibly
          stringent regulations on the home. They told us we had
          to have a full-time psychologist on staff, as well as a
          priest or rabbi if we took in boys who were Catholic or
          Jewish. We couldn't afford to operate under those
          restrictions, so we simply shut our doors.

          We'd taken in only four boys during the brief time we
          were open, and after we closed down, I lost touch with
          them. I've always thought that venture was one of the
          greatest failures of all time. For more than three
          decades, I wondered why God ever allowed us to move
          forward with it.

          This past week, however, I received a letter from a man
          named Clifford. He told the following story:

          "Brother David, I was one of the four boys sent to your
          Amityville home thirty-five years ago by the Nassau
          County Children's Agency.

          "My father and mother were Jewish, but they split up
          and my mother remarried. She was such a rebel that she
          put me in a Catholic school. I was sprinkled in the
          Catholic Church when I was eleven years old.

          "Right after that, our home became dysfunctional. I had
          to clean the whole house, cook, take care of my little
          brother, and care for my mom while working a paper
          route early in the morning. Once I had to break into my
          mother's bedroom, where I found her on the floor
          foaming at the mouth. Lots of empty pill bottles lay
          scattered around her.

          "I had attended a huge Catholic cathedral, I had gone
          to confession, I had genuflected, I had done my rosary
          -- but I only feared God. I was convinced he didn't
          care about me.

          "Neither I nor my mother knew that the social worker
          was coming to place me in your boys home. But I was
          desperate to get away from my stepfather's abuse, the
          poverty, and my mother's suicide attempts. So I went
          along and ended up in your home.

          "Your house parents were so loving and kind. They
          taught us Bible studies and took us to church. One day
          they took us to a little church that was holding a tent
          revival. I was so bitter inside and so despondent. It
          was at that little church, under the tent, that the
          Holy Spirit began tugging at my heart. One night, I
          couldn't resist any longer. All the years of pain,
          confusion and hopelessness came to the surface. I was
          choking.

          "Then I heard the preacher say, 'Jesus loves you.' I
          got on my knees and prayed, 'God, I'm not really sure
          that you're real, or that you're listening to me. But
          if you are real, please forgive me, and please help me.
          I need somebody to love me, because I feel so bitter,
          rejected and full of turmoil.'

          "All at once, I felt like somebody was pouring warm
          molasses on my head and it was flowing down over my
          body. The bitterness all melted away. God had my heart
          completely from that day on.

          "Brother David, that was thirty-five years ago. Now God
          has called me to preach, and he's moving me into
          full-time ministry. I found you while surfing the
          internet. This thank-you has been brewing in me for
          thirty-five years. I just want to say thank you for
          caring. I know what the love of God is."

          This man's letter proves to me that nothing we do for
          Christ is in vain. That boys' home was not a failure --
          because one lost, confused Jewish boy discovered the
          meaning of God's love. He'd only known the dread fear
          of God until he came to our sanctuary.

          How sad it is that so many millions like Clifford grow
          up knowing nothing of God's love. They've never known
          loving parents, so they don't know how to relate to the
          love of God. They live a lifetime full of fear,
          confusion and rejection.

          Yet it's just as tragic that multitudes of believers
          who've tasted the love of God have never learned how to
          enter into the fullness of his love. They know the
          doctrine of God's love, they've heard it preached often
          -- yet they don't know what it means to be kept in his
          love.

          The Holy Ghost recently stirred my spirit concerning
          his love. He led me to this passage from Jude: "Ye,
          beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy
          faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in
          the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
          Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 20-21). As I read
          these verses, I heard the Spirit quietly whisper to me:

          "David, you've never yet come into the fullness and joy
          of my love. You have the theology right -- but you
          haven't yet experienced the ecstasy and rest of keeping
          yourself in my love. Up to now, you've only been in it
          up to your ankles. But there's a whole ocean of my love
          for you to swim in."

          The Bible is filled with the truth of God's love. But
          at times I allow myself to wonder how the Lord could
          ever love me. It's not that I doubt his love; it's more
          a failure on my part to keep myself in the knowledge
          and assurance of his love to me.

          That's the reason I'm writing this message. I want all
          of us to learn more about how to be kept in the love of
          God.

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                           The Love of God Has to
                            Be Revealed to Us by
                              the Holy Ghost.

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          The revelation of God's love comes in part when we are
          born again. If you were to ask most Christians what
          they know of God's love for them, they'd answer, "I
          know God loves me because he gave his son to die for
          me." They would quote John 3:16: "God so loved the
          world, he gave his only son, so that whoever believes
          on him wouldn't perish, but would have everlasting
          life."

          It's a wonderful moment when you grasp this truth. You
          suddenly realize, "God loved me when I was lost,
          undone, a stranger. And he proved his love for me by
          sacrificing his own son on my behalf."

          Few Christians, however, learn how to be kept in God's
          love. We know something of our love toward the Lord --
          but we seldom seek the revelation of God's love for us.
          In fact, if you were to ask most Christians to find
          biblical passages on God's love for us, they could
          point to only a few.

          Yet understanding the love of God is the secret to an
          overcoming life. Multitudes grow spiritually cold and
          lazy because they're ignorant of the Lord's love for
          them. They don't know that their greatest weapon
          against Satan's attacks is to be fully convinced of
          God's love for them, through the revelation of the Holy
          Ghost.

          Let me share with you three things that God's Spirit
          has shown me about his love for his people:

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                          1. God Loves His People
                          With the Very Same Love
                           He Has for Jesus, Who
                          Sits at His Right Hand.

                      -------------------------------

          In his final prayer on earth, Jesus said,
          "Father...thou lovedst me before the foundation of the
          world" (John 17:24). What an incredible thought: Christ
          was greatly loved by the father before creation. Before
          anything was placed in the cosmos -- before any planet
          was formed, before the sun, moon or stars came into
          being, before the earth was made, before the creation
          of man -- Jesus was loved by the father.

          Then Jesus prayed this remarkable prayer: "...thou,
          Father...hast loved them, as thou hast loved me"
          (verses 21-23). He also prayed, "...that the love
          wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in
          them" (verse 26). Christ was saying, "Father, I know
          you're going to love those I bring into my body, just
          the way you've loved me."

          According to Jesus, in God's eyes Christ and his church
          are one. Paul illustrates this with the analogy of a
          human body. He says Christ is the head, and we're his
          body -- bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh: "(God)
          hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be
          the head over all things to the church, which is his
          body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all"
          (Ephesians 1:22-23). "For we are members of his body,
          of his flesh, and of his bones" (Ephesians 5:30).

          The implication here is that when the father loved
          Jesus before eternity, he loved us too. Indeed, when
          man was still only a thought in God's eternal mind, the
          Lord was already numbering our parts and planning our
          redemption: "According as he hath chosen us in him
          before the foundation of the world, that we should be
          holy and without blame before him in love" (Ephesians
          1:4).

          I believe in the unlimited foreknowledge of God. I
          accept that the father knew from eternity all who would
          respond to his call to be made in the image of Christ.
          In the Psalms, David writes that he was loved by God
          while still in the womb:

          "Thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst
          make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was
          cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my
          mother's belly" (Psalm 22:9-10). "Thine eyes did see my
          substance, yet being unperfect [unformed]; and in thy
          book all my members were written, which in continuance
          were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them"
          (139:16). In essence, David is saying, "Even before I
          was formed, you knew me, Lord. You had all my parts
          marked down beforehand."

          God has always loved both his son and us -- because his
          love is as everlasting as he is: "...I have loved thee
          with an everlasting love..." (Jeremiah 31:3). "...God,
          even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us
          everlasting consolation..." (2 Thessalonians 2:16).

          Jesus didn't earn his father's love by going to the
          cross, or by his obedience, or by loving his father.
          Nobody can gain God's love -- not by any godly thing he
          or she does. Likewise, God didn't start loving you the
          day you repented and received Christ as Lord. He didn't
          suddenly love you when you began to obey his word and
          walk in the Spirit. You were already loved, from
          eternity.

          How long has God loved you? He's loved you since he has
          existed -- because God is love. It is his very nature.
          He loved you as a sinner. He loved you in the womb. He
          loved you before the world began. There was no
          beginning to his love for you -- and there is no end to
          it.

          When will God stop loving you? He'll stop only when he
          stops loving his own son -- which is impossible. Christ
          says, "...the Father, having loved his own which were
          in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).

          Now we can better understand what Jude is saying when
          he instructs, "Keep yourselves in the love of God."
          He's telling us, "Keep this truth -- lay hold of it,
          and never let it go. The knowledge of God's love is
          meant for your comfort, your strength. It will set you
          free and keep you free." The apostle John adds, "Herein
          is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
          and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.We
          love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:10, 19).

                      -------------------------------

                   2. To Keep Yourself in the Love of God
                   Is to Know, Believe and Keep Trusting
                   In His Love, Even in Your Struggles.

                      -------------------------------

          Anyone can keep his joy when he's riding high in the
          Holy Ghost, not being tried or tempted. But God wants
          us to keep ourselves in his love at all times --
          especially in our temptations.

          The apostle John tells us very simply how we can keep
          ourselves in God's love: "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" (1
          John 4:16). In short, if we "dwell in God's love,"
          we're keeping ourselves in God.

          The word "dwell" here means "to stay in a state of
          expectancy." In other words, God wants us to expect his
          love to be renewed to us every day. We're to live every
          day in the knowledge that God has always loved us, and
          will always love us.

          In reality, most of us flit in and out of God's love
          according to our emotional ups and downs. We feel safe
          in his love only if we've done well. But we're unsure
          of his love whenever we're tempted or tried, or the
          time we've failed him. That's especially the time we're
          to trust in his love. He's telling us in these
          passages, "No matter what trial you face, you must
          never doubt my love for you. If you're actively
          trusting in my love, then you're living the way I want
          you to live."

          Are you enduring some great temptation? Have you been
          overcome by some old lust you hate? Is your marriage in
          turmoil, your family in chaos? These are the times you
          need most to keep yourself in the love of God. You have
          to know that through it all, the eternal father is
          still loving you.

          You may wonder, "Do you mean that, in loving me, God
          simply overlooks my failures? Does he turn a blind eye
          to my sin?" Of course he doesn't. He'll chasten you
          with his rod -- but he always corrects his children in
          great love. "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth..."
          (Hebrews 12:6).

                      -------------------------------

                      One Reason God Shows Us His Love
                        in Our Weak And Sinful Times
                      Is to Draw Us Back to Himself.

                      -------------------------------

          Jeremiah 31 offers a wonderful illustration of God's
          love. Israel was in a backslidden state. The people had
          grown fat and prosperous and were indulging in all
          kinds of wickedness. They'd turned to idols and were
          committing fornication and adultery. They'd forgotten
          about all the tender mercies God had shown them.

          Then suddenly, their lusts turned sour. They lost all
          pleasure in fulfilling their sensual appetites. Soon
          they cried out, "Lord, we're lost. We need you to turn
          us around." God heard their cry of repentance, and his
          loving heart went out to them. He chastened the people
          with his rod of correction -- and Israel cried,
          "...Thou hast chastised me...turn thou me, and I shall
          be turned. Surely after that I was turned, I repented"
          (Jeremiah 31:18-19).

          Listen to God's words at this point: "...since I spake
          against him, I do earnestly remember him still:
          therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely
          have mercy upon him..." (verse 20). "...with
          lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (verse 3).

          Here is what you must know of God's love: God was
          telling his people, "I had to chasten you and speak
          hard words of truth to you. Yet even then you sinned
          against me, doing despite to the grace and mercy I
          extended to you. You turned against my love, rejecting
          me. Nevertheless, my bowels of compassion were moved
          deeply toward you. I remembered you in your struggle --
          and I will surely have mercy on you. I'll freely
          forgive and restore you."

          In Hosea 3, God likens backslidden Israel to an
          adulteress. He tells Hosea, "...Go yet, love a woman
          beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to
          the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who
          look to other gods..." (Hosea 3:1).

          God was instructing Hosea to give Israel an illustrated
          sermon on his love for them, even as they were cheating
          on him. He was saying, "You've sinned against me
          blatantly, like a prostitute on the street. But you're
          still married to me -- and I love you. I will be for
          you. Now, you be for me."

          We see this kind of unconditional, restoring love in a
          letter sent to us recently by a dear sister in Christ.
          She wrote: "A year ago, when I was involved in an
          adulterous affair, I wrote you an anonymous letter
          asking for prayer. I was in such torment because of the
          deceit in my life. I am truly born again, and the Holy
          Spirit was dealing with me.

          "I have now been restored to my husband and to my
          wonderful Lord. We really needed healing in many areas
          of our life after forty-three years together. Your
          messages convicted me so, and also encouraged me to
          keep trusting in the love of God. I've learned now more
          than ever how much God loves me."

          God's love has had a powerful effect on this woman. Yet
          ignorance of God's love can have just the opposite
          effect. Consider this letter written by another woman:

          "I have so often felt that God was out to get me -- to
          spank me and punish me for everything I did. Therefore,
          I was harsh and mean to others, trying to whip them
          into line. Now I just want to run to his mercy seat to
          receive his love, and to show his love to others. I'm
          tired of being so judgmental." Thank God -- she desires
          to be kept in the father's love.

                      -------------------------------

                     3. The Love of God Is Conveyed to
                       Us Only Through Jesus Christ.

                      -------------------------------

          According to John, all of God's love dwells in Jesus.
          He writes, "...of his fullness have all we received..."
          (John 1:16). How have we received the father's love?
          We've obtained it by being in Christ.

          But, you may ask, what's so important about knowing
          God's love is conveyed to us through Christ? How does
          this affect our everyday lives?

          This knowledge is more than just a biblical concept. On
          the contrary, knowing that God's love is conveyed to us
          through Jesus has everything to do with how we keep
          ourselves in his love. You see, it's not enough for me
          to know that God will always love me and never stop
          loving me through all my struggles. He also wants his
          love to have a certain effect on me.

          How does God's love impact our lives? We can't look to
          man as our example. Many Christians respond to the
          revelation of God's love by turning it into a license
          to sin. They convince themselves, "God loves me
          unconditionally. He has to keep loving me in spite of
          all my drinking, adultery and pleasure-seeking. His
          grace is greater than my sins. " Such people do despite
          to God's love.

          We have to look to Christ as our example. Jesus has
          already told us the father loves us in the same way he
          loved the son. So, what impact did the father's love
          have on Jesus?

                      -------------------------------

                  The Fruit of the Father's Love in Christ
                     Was in Jesus' Presenting His Body
                     as a Living Sacrifice for Others.

                      -------------------------------

          John writes, "Hereby perceive we the love of God,
          because he laid down his life for us..." (1 John 3:16).
          Here was the fruit of God's love in Jesus: He gave of
          himself as a sacrifice for others.

          The second half of this verse tells us the purpose of
          God's love in our own lives. It reads, "...and we ought
          to lay down our lives for the brethren" (verse 16).
          God's love leads us also to present our bodies as
          living sacrifices.

          Have you ever thought about what it means to truly lay
          down your life for your brothers and sisters? Paul
          isn't talking about becoming martyrs on foreign soil.
          He isn't referring to being an organ donor. And he
          doesn't mean we're to take the place of some condemned
          criminal on death row. Christ alone made that
          sacrifice.

          No, the only kind of Christian who can bring life and
          hope to his brethren is a dead one. Such a servant has
          died to this world -- to all self, pride and ambition.
          And he has resigned himself to the holy will of God.

          This "dead" Christian has allowed the Holy Ghost to
          take a spiritual inventory of his soul. He sees the
          corruption and ungodliness in his heart. And he
          willingly goes to God's altar, crying, "Lord, consume
          me. Take it all." He knows that only through being
          cleansed by Christ's blood can he give his life for his
          brethren.

          This is the single most important truth that enables me
          to continue in spiritual warfare. If I'm fully
          persuaded that God is faithful to forgive and restore
          me, I'll have the power to resist all temptation. I'll
          know he is with me, no matter what I face -- and he'll
          love me through it all. I may fall occasionally. But
          I'll know he'll be waiting for me at the end of the
          struggle -- and I'll emerge loved by him.

          I want you to read a powerful letter we received
          recently from a converted witch. Her story is a vivid
          illustration of someone who has been kept in God's
          love:

          "Dear Pastor Dave, I came to Jesus twenty years ago
          after ten years of witchcraft. I read tarot cards and
          held seances in my home. I was doing well, getting
          rich, driving a sports car.

          "When I gave my life to Christ, Satan appeared to me
          six weeks later in my bedroom. He told me I could be
          the witch of the south if I rejected Jesus. He
          paralyzed me from the neck down and pinned me to the
          bed. I didn't see Jesus in the room, but I sensed he
          was coming. He came into the room and called Lucifer by
          name, and said, 'You can't have her -- she's mine.'
          Satan left the room like a scolded dog, leaving an
          awful odor behind.

          "Now, after serving the Lord for twenty years, I see so
          much witchcraft in the church. Anytime a person comes
          up to you with a prophecy or word and tells you
          something of your past that's under the blood and
          forgiven, that's a familiar spirit. The Holy Spirit
          would not bring up anything of your past that's under
          the blood. If he's forgotten your sins that have been
          forgiven, only the devil would remember them.

          "Also, I see so many manifestations in the church that
          are being attributed to the Holy Ghost, but people are
          getting all the attention. The Holy Spirit comes for
          one purpose -- one reason -- and that's to focus all
          eyes on Jesus. If a manifestation centers on a person,
          you can be sure it's not of God."

          This dear woman is a powerful living sacrifice. She
          still faces many trials: She's confined to a wheelchair
          and lives with awful physical pain. And some Christians
          tell her she's still under the devil's power because
          she hasn't been healed.

          But she's confident in God's love for her. She knows
          she's been forgiven for her involvement in witchcraft
          and delivered from it fully. And she doesn't let
          anything keep her from speaking the truth in love to
          her brothers and sisters. She closed her letter to me
          by saying, "I give God honor and glory for showing me
          his love."

          Keep yourself in God's great love for you, as this
          woman has done. It will be your strength through all
          things.

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

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