The Love of God
Our culture loves a hero. Oftentimes we are sentimental over the stories that include our brave soldiers fighting battles in foreign lands on our behalf. The pictures of the firefighters running into the World Trade Center buildings on 9-11 have been immortalized in our hearts and minds. We honor such people with holidays and days off as we should. So why isn’t the world running towards the God of the Bible? After all, He provided the greatest love substitution of all time. He came and fought our battle with darkness by sacrificing His own Son. God put all His wrath and anger on His own blameless Son so it wouldn’t have to be put on us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For God has made Jesus to be sin for us who knew no sin so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him.” We were unrighteous. Jesus was sinless. He died. We now can live eternally with His righteousness. God did all of that just because He loves us.
Ephesians 2:5 says, “Even when we were dead in sins God has made us alive together with Christ, by grace you are saved.” This is where we can see God’s greatest demonstration of love. The Bible says that even when you were living in vile sin, disobeying everything that God had ever said, God put you together with Christ. Do we fully understand this? Murderers, pedophiles, rapists, liars, drug addicts, criminals, blasphemers, adulterers, and all sinners have all been given reservations to sit with God’s Son and share the same life that Jesus has. This is why Christ is the only way, truth, and life. No other “religious leader” ever substituted himself for mankind’s atrocities to deliver man from their own destructive behaviors. None other has made this kind of love substitution. No matter what our past we are invited to partake in Christ’s life. Ephesians 2:6 goes on to say, “And God has raised us up TOGETHER and made us sit TOGETHER in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” God has placed sinning humanity with Christ and is willing to see us together with His Son. That’s the love of God. He looks on those who believe the same way He looks on Jesus Christ. The believer is together with Christ in all things.
God’s love has put us with the Victorious One. Jesus Christ conquered death and hell and now we are seated with Him in heavenly places. We are seated with Him on His throne. We can reign in life by Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17) Circumstances no longer frighten me because of Who I am with. It is a stereotype in our culture for young women to desire to marry a wealthy man for the purpose of security. Now imagine the security of being together with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Worry no longer stays with me. I am with Him. He has put us together with the Son of His love. (Col 1:13)
Pastor Tim
Family Church Jamestown is a non-denominational church located in Chautauqua County in Jamestown between Lakewood and Busti, NY. The senior pastor of Family Church is Pastor Tim Stahlman a native to the Jamestown, NY area.
