Title: Three Things God Gave to us (2)
Last week we learned that God has not given us a spirit of timidity. In fact, fear is a tool that Satan uses and gives to us to make us hesitant to obey the Word of God and seek for the second thought. Thus, the Bible says that Jesus came to liberate us from fear and those who have fear will not enter the kingdom of heaven but the lake of fire (Heb 2:14-15; Rom 8:15; Rev 21:8).
After the fall, we all have the fear of death. However, we must overcome the power of death as well as the fear of death, because that is not natural: we are not created to have such fear or live under the power of death. In order to overcome and be released from fear, we must receive the Lord’s blessing of peace and His word (Jhn 14:27).
- Power
What God has given to His believers is power (Jhn 18:4-5). Jesus knew would happen to Him if He is caught. Yet, when there came the people looking for Him to kill Him, Jesus boldly spoke and declare “I am He.” Facing the death, Jesus showed the figure of the most powerful person, brave and courageous person where there is no shadow of fear but filled greatly with power. However, Peter kneeled before the fear of death and denied Jesus 3 times with the same mouth that he confessed he would rather go to the jail with Jesus (Mat 26:70-74).
- Love
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
The second thing God has given to His believers is love: Agape in Greek. Agape means unconditional love, first love, and sacrificial love.
God has loved us with Agape love, unconditional love. Then He, asked us to love others with Agape love (Jhn 15:12).
- First love is forgiveness
1 Pet 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
The love of God can be explained with the prayer of forgiveness Jesus made as the first Word on the cross (Luk 23:34). Like God’s love is first love, it happened and was given to us before we do anything that deserves it, forgiveness is also forgiveness: when everyone was busy mocking Jesus or running for their lives, Jesus proclaimed His forgiveness.
If we have the love of God, we must have forgiveness towards our brothers and sisters. (Luk 10:25-28; 1 Jhn 4:18; Luk 10:25-28; 1 Jhn 3:14-15).
- Discipline
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Chinese character for ‘discipline’ used here is ‘勤慎’ and it means, firstly ‘be careful, be cautious’, secondly ‘examine oneself with a remorse and repentant heart’, and thirdly ‘control attitudes and languages’.
1 Pet 3:10 “For, “THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, M UST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.”
Psa 34:12-16 “Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Bible says that only those who are being disciplined will see the Lord coming again.
1 Pet 1:13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Pet 4:7 “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.”
1 Thess 5:6-8 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
The one who is disciplined is the one who prays. Amen!
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 