GOD’S LOVE: GOD IS MY FATHER

GOD’S LOVE is an abbreviation of so many confessions that you are making daily. And from the text, 1 John 3:1, “How great is the love that God has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are.” Now we are going to take it this way, the abbreviation, God’s love, for the rest of the year. The G in the abbreviation is “God is my Father”. The O in God is “Overflowing in His fullness.” The D is “Doer of the Word.” The S is “Serving in Spirit and Truth. The L is “Living life, Spirit-filled.” The O is “Oneness with the body of Christ. The V is “Virtuous, Happy and Strong.” The E, “Enjoying Eternal life; Everything is fine.” As you go, it will always be fine for you. How are you? Can I hear you? It will ever be fine for you in the name of Jesus. We’re going to be taking that abbreviation one after the other. So today, we’ll dwell on the first letter, G: God is my Father. “God is my father. I am His child. As a son/daughter and member in His Family. I have taken my place; I’m acting my own part. Christ is in me; I’m in Him; we are One. Amen.” “How great is the love that the Father has loved us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are.” Who is God to you? Who is He to you? He is our Father. That is a relationship; a relationship is established. And this is the relationship: He’s our Father. And we have to enjoy our Father. The Father has released so many things for us. How great is the love that He has lavished on us. Meaning that He was just pouring it out without fearing that it will finish. We are swimming in the ocean of His love; we bathe in His love. We’ll come to that later. He’s our Father. How are you to Him? Are you just His creation? We were created two times: the first is when everybody was created naturally. Sin came and corrupted that creation. And then out of that same creation, He brought out a new creation: that is the second one. The two were similar: the first, was out of the dust. Out of decay and death, out of nothing, He brought out life. He said that darkness was everywhere and the Spirit of God hovered on the face of the waters. In the progressive manifestation, you see the glory. Man is created in the glory of God, he is the crown of God’s creations. Things were taking shape one after the other: there was a manifestation, then another level of manifestation, and then a higher level of manifestation. It progressed unto the time when He created man in His own image. If He had started creating man before other things, there would have been a more serious problem. He created every other thing, and last of all, He created man. The time was ripe for man to step in. And man, the crown of God’s glory, appeared. There is a time for everything; it’s not the day you were born that you started walking, crawling, talking, and doing everything. It must be progressive, and people must see your progress. In the faith, there is progress: your progress in prayer, in meditation, in love, in witnessing, in preaching the Word. We must live progressively. Solid food is for the mature, those who have exercised their senses through training to be able to distinguish good and evil. Your life must be progressive, in everything you do, you progress. When you start a business, the business grows progressively. And for the child of God, that is important, because you have His life. You have eternal life and that life is in abundance. You have this life, and so everything that has to do with you must be progressive: it must grow, increase, multiply, and fill everywhere. “…that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are.” The relationship has happened, now good things will follow suit. We are called children of God because God has invested into us. He made a sacrifice for us. And Jesus was the sacrifice for us to become children of God. As the new creation was appearing, redemption and righteousness were taking place. Romans 8:6-9, 14-16, 19, 21, “The mind of the sinful man is dead, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to the laws of God, nor can it do so. Those who are controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. But you are not controlled by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of Christ lives in you. He who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. He has given us not a Spirit that makes us a slave to fear, but He has given us the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. The whole creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to appear. And the creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom of the children of God.” The mind of the sinful man, the mind that is in union with the adversary, is dead. It is in spiritual death, in sin, in bondage, and in fear. It doesn’t know the laws of God, and it cannot know them. It does not even obey them, and cannot submit. You see that mind everywhere, verse 8, the mind of the sinful man is in agreement with the adversary and it works contrary to their destiny. People are working against their destiny, yet they do not know. They do not know because they are blind. They do things outside of God’s will. Their decisions are corrupt because they are influenced by the world, by the senses, by reason, by imaginations, by their circumstances, and by the situations that are around them. That is the sinful mind, the man of the flesh. But the mind controlled by the Spirit is born again and Spirit filled. Those who are consumed and ruled by the love of God are those who live life by faith. The man who is alive is controlled by the Spirit, and he lives his life by faith. Your faith is commended. You are a man of love, and you will not do anything unless it is to love. It is how to love that you know. When Joseph was sold into slavery, into Egypt, and the brothers came, he told them, “Do not be distressed. Do not make yourself unhappy that you sold me. God has sent me ahead to save lives.” He saw things from the perspective of love, that was love speaking. He was not ready to retaliate. If at all he’s retaliating, he’s moving in love, letting it loose. He’s letting love loose. He allowed his love to swallow up the evil they did to him. And when Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, discovered that Mary was conceived of a baby after she had been betrothed to him, he was not ready to disgrace her publicly. He was guided by love, looking for a way to save her life, her testimony, and her emotions. How do you deal with your family: your children, your brothers, your sister, your wife, your husband? Do you disgrace them? Joseph was not ready to disgrace Mary or call her names. He was not ready for all that. What motivates you? What is the motive behind your actions? Is it to disgrace and condemn people and make them feel depressed? Joseph, the son of Jacob, said, ‘do not be depressed that you sold me.’ Don’t let that affect the way you reason and act. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. That is the mind that has been renewed, that has been transformed by the Word, acting in God’s will, pleasing God in every way. The mind of a sinful man is hostile to God and does not submit to the laws of God, nor can it do so. Those who are ruled by the sinful nature cannot please God. When you are in God’s will and acting in agreement with the Word, you always want to please God. God is love; if you are not in love, you are not in the ways of God. We must live and be ruled by love. We are like our Father, and so we should be imitators of God. The summary of what we are saying is love. The summary of all the messages that you can preach, that you can teach, that you can pray, that you can sing is love. It is God that matters; we are here because of Him. We are created to meet Him, to have a relationship with Him. You meet Him in every aspect of life and to depend on Him. He is the Vine; we are the branches. The branches depend on the Vine because they have to. Apart from Him, we can do nothing unless in our abiding. “If anyone abides in Me, it is him that bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.” We are created to need Him, to depend on Him. We are not to severe ourselves from Him. You need to be controlled by Him. Yet, you have the free will: you can make your choices and you’ll be accountable for all of them. The mind controlled and led by the Spirit is life and peace. You need life? Come to the Word! The Word will refresh you and you will flow in the abundance. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” He’s the giver of peace, “My peace, I give unto you, not as the world gives. The world gives a fake and temporary peace, it doesn’t last. But the peace you receive from the Word, it lasts unto eternity; It lasts forever and ever and it can never be broken. It’s the peace of God. They call it the peace of God, the love of God, the joy of the Lord. It flows in accordance like streams of water. These are streams of water, it flows from the sanctuary of God. And I saw a river of water, pure as crystal, flowing from the throne of God. (Revelations 22:1). And in the book of Daniel 7:9,10a, “The thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His throne. And His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white as wool. And a river of fire was flowing out of Him.” How can fire and river be together? A river of fire was flowing out from before him. How can it be that this was a river of fire? See the contrast: river, fire, out of the throne. Do you see it? All things are possible with God. In the natural, is it possible? In the natural, it doesn’t work, river and fire cannot be together. But in the Spirit realm, these are realities. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace while the mind of the sinful man is hostile to God. He does not submit to God. Do you submit to God? To the laws of God? When the opportunity comes before you to make a choice, how do you make it? Do you submit to the Word? Do you allow the Word to rule? Do you allow love to dominate? You can’t talk about God without talking about His love, without talking about His faith, without talking about His life. He’s the God of faith, He’s the God of life, and He’s the God of love. How do you see the Word? The man of the Spirit, when he’s a man of prayer, will see the Word as a prayer. The man who sings the praises of God will see the Word as a song. He will be looking for the song in the Word. The man of prayer will be looking for the prayer in the Word, the prayer that is answered. The evangelist will be seeing the message of revival in the Word. The preacher will see salvation in the Word: he sees miracles, signs, and wonders in the word. That is how the Word comes to you. How does the Word come to you? How do you see the Word? When you see the Word, when you find the Word, what do you get from it? Do you see the aspects that promotes evil, hatred, bitterness, death, sorrow, and all sort of things. The man of the Spirit, when he sees the Word, he looks for the aspect of the Word that saves. If he sees somebody going wrong, he will see the aspect of the Word that can bring back the person. If he sees the person that is weak, he sees the aspect of the Word that can restore the person back not to condemn. See things the way the Word is seeing them. From the perspective of the Word, from the eye of the Word, from the understanding of the Word, you find treasures and mysteries. Begin to see your wife, your husband, your child with the eye of the Word and you will see the good. Your eye will be opened and you will see the good. Get exposed to the Word and you will see that the Word makes things anew. We were dead, the Word gave us life. We were sick, the Word healed us. We were poor, the Word brought prosperity. We failed and the Word brought success to us. We were in darkness and the Word shined upon us and said, ‘let there be light.’ He caused His light to shine in our hearts by His Spirit. If you are in bondage, the Word sets you free. There is a deliverance that comes through the power of the Word. The Word is the wisdom of God: righteousness, holiness and redemption that God gives. You find the Word, you find the reality and see the eternal glory. You see glorious and beautiful things that the Word gives. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Those who are controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Where are you? Do you find yourself doing the will of God? Do you find yourself doing that which pleases God? Are you in obedience to the Word? Seek out what pleases the Lord. Your ways must be acceptable and approved by God. You are controlled by the Spirit of God, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. What a joy we have and enjoy when we are being controlled by the Spirit of God. We have to be controlled by Him. And in verse 14 it says, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.” They are controlled by the Spirit, meaning they speak faith, they act faith, they live in love, love guides them, they live in life, and they are not in death. They are being led by the Spirit of love and love will lead you to relate well. It will not lead you astray. There is no error, fear, evil, or mistake in love. And if there is any evil, if there is any fear, love will cast it away. Perfect love casts out fear. You are coming to freedom, the liberty of the Word, through the power that flows through the Word. Let love lead and rule. It must be the standard of engagement. When I want to relate with my wife, love must be the game, it must bring us together. She speaks love; I speak love; love for love. And where evil comes, give love. If somebody brings evil, you give good. Don’t be influenced by evil, selfishness, hatred, bitterness, and fear. Don’t let them molest, harass, intimidate, and corrupt you. Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. For we have not received a spirit that make us to be in bondage to fear. Are you in fear? Is fear tormenting, terrorizing, harassing, and keeping you depressed? We have not received that spirit of death and evil. When love comes, it will cast out that fear. You have not received a spirit that makes you a slave unto fear again, it’s not one that puts you in bondage. You have received the Spirit of sonship: you are a son. “God is my Father. I am His child. As a son and member in His family. I have taken my place; I’m acting my own part. Christ is in me; I’m in him; we are One.” Choose the Word, it comes with its love, faith, and life. It may appear difficult at the moment, but joy comes at the dawn of the day. By this Spirit of God, we cry, ‘Abba Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. Do you have that testimony in your hearts? Do you have the testimony of the Spirit in your hearts? Do you have the testimony of love, of faith and of life? You need that testimony. I speak a testimony into your life. Because you have a relationship with God, the Father, He is flowing into you. The Father is happening in your life. God is happening in your life in the name of Jesus. The Spirit testifies, these are the things you enjoy as a child of God: Your ears can hear, your eyes can see, your heart can understand. The starting point is the Word. If you want to be controlled by the Spirit, the starting point is the Word. If you want to be led by the Spirit, the starting point is the Word. If you want to be filled by the Spirit, it is the Word that must fill you. Then with time, you will hear His still small voice. By which time, He appears to you and speaks to you. By which time you will say that the son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the son also does. The Father loves the son, and He shows him all that He does, and He will show him greater things than this. As the Father raises the dead and gave them life, so the Son also gives life to whoever He chooses to give. You will see the Father, but the starting point is the Word. You start seeing the Father in the Word. The Word has introduced the Father to us; the Word reveals the Father. When you start obeying that, when you start recognizing that, that consciousness is built into you. A time will come because the Father loves you, He will reveal Himself to you. “I will love him, I will show Myself, I will show Myself unto him.” If you keep obeying and doing the Word, the time will come when He will show Himself to you. I told you this morning that He said He’s coming with us to the service to show and reveal Himself. The Father will show Himself to you: you will see and hear the Father, and when He speaks to you, you will understand. In verse nineteen, “The whole creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to appear.” You are the sons everyone has been waiting for. It is generic term: When we say sons, daughters are included. When our salvation was prepared in Jesus, you were there. You were part of the process and the plan. See how many generations have come and gone, and still it’s not going to stop in our own generation. If Christ tarries, generations yet unborn are all included in that divine plan. Praise be to God! The whole world, all of creation, waits eagerly for the sons of God to appear: the people who live in love, who live a life of faith, who are alive, and who are led and controlled by the Spirit. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit the reality of the Word: our salvation, deliverance, redemption and righteousness. He is speaking out the good in us, bringing out the good in our lives. How great is this love! The Father’s love is that we should be called the children of God. Oh, that’s a great one! You are a child of God who is born of God, of the Spirit, of the Word, and of faith. That is what you are! This separates you from the world. In verse 21, “And the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom of the children of God.” Meaning it will be free from the control of the sinful nature. It will be free from the control of Satan, the devil, and of the evil world. It will be free from the control of the senses, of irrational thinking. It will be free from the control of imaginations, of the flesh, of the rules and ways of this world, of the earthly things. It will be launched into the spiritual realm, the realm of the children of God: the realm of glory, mercy, grace, power, righteousness, and holiness. They will be saints of God! Hallelujah! They are being launched out and released. Heaven is releasing more and more people that are being saved. And they will be saved and delivered through your message. For He sat down at the right hand side of the Father, and He began to see this manifestation: many are being healed, delivered, saved, and redeemed. Miracles upon miracles; grace upon grace; wonders upon wonders. Great things are happening, and it is happening in your life in the name of Jesus. God is happening in your life, marriage, business, and in the nations in the name of Jesus. And the nations of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ, and they shall reign. Jesus shall reign, and He will reign forever in the name of Jesus. These things are being born, can’t you see the good things? The creation itself will be liberated. Are you going through stress because of this year that is outgoing? Or are you stressed by circumstances around? You are liberated in the name of Jesus. The Word and the Spirit is liberating you. He’s setting you free from that bondage of decay, from spiritual death, to the glorious freedom of the sons of God. For it is for freedom Christ has set us free. Stay firm and do not let y