Ah Ooh, ooh, ooh. Ooh, la la la la la la la la la Hallelujah. God ruler of the universe, you are. There is There's no one like you, God giver of the deepest dreams you are. There is no one like you.
God think of what tremendous thoughts you are Thinking for God Royal, holy, true you are. And there is no one like you. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Welcome to Love Never Fails. In these last days, revival will come.
but begins with our individual walk and personal relationship with Jesus. Let's join Brother John now. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You're listening to Love Never Fails.
Now I know it may not be morning where you are, but that's just my thing. I always tell everybody, good morning.
So because somewhere in the world somebody's listening to this show and it's morning Well Last episode, we began to talk about this journey of Romans, the journey of Romans that Paul takes us on, where he takes us from the salvation experience down through the struggle and the trial of the old man versus the new man and the old way versus the new way, the law and the sin, but then this law of life and spirit, which is love. And he's sharing all this. And we talked about how so many people, it seems that they live their lives in Romans 4, 5, and 6. They're just struggling, going back and forth. They know they're born again, but they don't understand how to grow.
And they just struggle. And I've met so many people who always go, oh, I just, you know, my life is, it's like I'm just stuck in that chapter. I'm just stuck there. They never progress out into Romans 8, where he talks about, and we read this scripture to you the other day, where he says, for the law. Of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death.
So somewhere in our growth, in our, in our, uh, Journey and even this journey that Paul's on, we, the old man. Begins to pass away, and the new man begins to come along, and now that old law that used to condemn us and And force us into bondage and all these other things, it begins to pass away. And now we begin to have life and life more abundantly. And you've probably heard that scripture, like John says, is that you might know, have life more abundantly, both body, soul, and spirit. I mean, there's so many scriptures talking about how good it's supposed to be.
And we talked about. Is this as good as it gets? How many of you out there have had that that intense just Oh, God, is this as good as it gets? Is this the pinnacle of Christianity? No wonder.
Some other religions are going so much further because they're able to instill a law from the outside. That's that People think satisfies that need, but in reality, it's just a coercion and it's a. Setting up of boundaries in which you're really just a prisoner, like a sheep in a corral. But God's saying, Let's knock the corral down, let's let you loose into the he says that you would run like a deer. I mean, you've read those scriptures and Psalms and Proverbs that you would run like a deer or a gazelle.
And he talks about those things, these animals that are free and just they bound and run and they're joyful, and that's what it's supposed to be like. But so many of us live like the. Pig in the pin. In the waller, our problems, our complaints, our crybaby stuff, and all these, oh, woe is me. And sometimes we don't even realize we're doing that, but yet.
That's the way we live. We live like that in the way we treat others. And we talked about that. And, you know, the. Really I would not say the number one, but one of the major Factors of knowing in and of yourself that your Christian is in how you treat others.
If you realize that you don't treat people well, there's something wrong. Because we talked about John. John said in 1 John, he goes, Anyone who sees his brother in need but cannot help them, or shutteth up the bowels of mercy, or you see somebody. In a situation, and you're not willing to help them, howbeit the love of God be in you. How can the love of God be in somebody who's not willing to share and to.
to parent burden. You know, I I own a business. And and and really We had come back from the mission field and had done some things in the mission field, and God gave me three things to do. And one of them was to continue to do radio, and one of the others was to build this business, which at the time was just. A small, really one man was running the show while we were on the mission field and.
In a short time, we've grown and we've got dozens of people that work with us. And so on Monday mornings, I have a staff meeting. And I was in the meeting the other day, and I was showing him: I said, you know, you've got to think about it like this. If I'm. If I'm setting a vision To move forward and to grow and to help people.
And I say to you that we're not really this, but what we are is: we're in the business of helping people. I want you to go out and say to people, what can I do to help you? How can I bear. That burden. How can I help you take the burden off your back?
I'll carry it so that you can get on with your life until this is put back together, until this is fixed. I'm not just, you know, we're in business to make money, but I'm in. I see it as a ministry. People go, Oh, you can't run your business that way. If I could show you my books and show you what has happened, you would be like, Wow, you run your business that way.
And look at you, your growth, and all these things. And I say to my people, I said, There is absolutely no reason. I cannot find a reason in the word of God. For a person to ever say, Well, you know, that's church and this is business. And what they're really saying is: well, I don't bring God to my business.
That's really what they're saying. And I say to my people, no, I bring God. I want God with me in my business. I want God with us when we go into people's homes or into their businesses. I want God involved and walking with you when you're out there.
I want God working with you. I don't want us out there creating problems. Problems to me is not even a word I want us to use. Because we're paid to solve people's problems.
So, therefore, I don't allow my people to say, I've got a problem. I say, no, you've got an issue that you need to resolve, but you're the problem solver. And in your life, my friend, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, whatever you're listening to, you are the best problem solver you will ever meet. Most of your problems could be related to something you're doing wrong. Most of your successes are directly related to something you're doing right.
and what I would say to you is that a success that is obtained through deceit, or trickery, or some other means, is not truly success. I tell my people this all the time. If you make a deal, I want you to walk away and think about this. If I were to see them somewhere out in public, Would I have to run down the aisle or turn a corner or whatever to avoid them? If you think you would, then you made a bad deal, go back and fix it.
The money will come. If we do what is right. The money, the blessing will be there if we treat people properly.
Well, it works in the same way with our Christian life. What I did is I've been in business for years. Going over all over the world and going into different parts of the world. And I don't go to churches asking for money. I don't have to go.
I did early on, years ago, try to do that. And what I found out is that most Christians are finicky. And if you tell them that the soup tastes like liver and it should have tasted like, I don't know. Corn, they get offended and they quit helping you. And I told God one time after one of my trips, I was a young man, I was single, I said.
I don't want to be dependent upon your church or the church. I don't want to be dependent on them to do what you've called me to do. I'm not interested in answering to other people. For how I spent their 55 cent donation. And I mean that's how it is sometimes.
I have friends that are missionaries all over the world. And even we were one time at many different times we've we've lived overseas. And literally we had somebody I took a picture one day and put it on social media of me laying in a hammock with the Bible open in front of me, studying the Word. and I was up on a roof in a hammock. And somebody l who has never given a dime.
to us. Posted, well, I'm glad to see what you. How did they put it? I'm glad to see. What you're doing with where we sent you to go, or something like that.
Basically, they were giving me a hard time. for posting that picture of me studying the Word of God. And I'm going First off, who were you to judge me? And second off, you've never given to our ministry. And and and What?
I just, you know, that's when you just kind of go, okay, God, I'm throwing the love walk out. I'm about to tell this man what I think. But you don't do that. You stay in love. You keep walking and loving.
That man will never know. I mean, he might be listening to this show. I doubt it. But if he was, he might be smart enough to figure it out. But it just, you know, you kind of go, wait a second.
I do not see a separation between the character of what we're supposed to be and ministry and day-to-day life. I don't see it. Hmm. And and So, in our business, I say to people: I say, there's a way to live, there's a way to do things, and if you will do them, yes, maybe people will take advantage of us. They think that we're weak or whatever, but listen, walking in love does not mean we're doormats.
It does not in the slightest bit mean we are doormats. David walked in love, he wasn't a doormat. Jesus, the only reason he went to the cross is because it was his time. Before that, people tried to lay hands on him, and it's recorded a few times. They couldn't lay a hand on him.
He walked through them. Until it was his time, they didn't do a thing to him. And then what did happen to him is because he allowed it.
Well, uh you know I would dare to say to you that if God is love and God is the Almighty, all-powerful, and you and I were created in his image. And it rules. Adam lost it. But then, when we, as it says in Romans 5, and we're going to talk, we're doing this Romans journey. It says, um I love what it says.
He says that we confess Jesus as Lord, for it says in Romans chapter 10, verse 9: that if thou confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him up from the dead, and shall be saved with all my heart, or with all the heart believeth unto righteousness, and the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Well, that means you've confessed Jesus as Lord. This is part of what we call the Romans road. One of the things that so many of us, I used to do it all the time, you know, when I was beginning out and getting started, that was, I learned Romans road, and that's what that is. And you begin this journey by confessing that Jesus is Lord. But this journey doesn't stop there.
That's the beginning. That's putting your foot in the block, and you're beginning to launch out. But at some point, if you're going to run the race, you've got to take off from the starting block. And to do that, you've got to begin to take steps. You've got to begin to walk.
And the Bible calls that walking in love. You know, and that's what we've been talking about here. Is in Romans, he does such a great job of telling us this is the way it is. It's not just get your fire insurance and hippie-doo-dah, we're good to go. I'm going to go to heaven.
Meanwhile, I'm going to go out in the world and treat people any way I want. I'm going to run a business and treat people any way I want. I'm going to go pastor a church and treat people cruelly. Or I'm going to go to do this and lie to people. I'm going to get on TV and deceive people.
Whatever it is. I'm going to be a wife that complains about her husband. I'm going to be a husband that, because his wife, and it's not the wife's fault, even if she is doing that, that he goes out and cheats on her because, well, my wife's no good anyway. What? you know, all of that is fallen nature stuff.
You know, it's all fallen nature stuff. And you're responsible. For what you let come out of your mouth and what you let be seen and you do, you're responsible for it. And Paul here in this journey is talking about that. The Romans road journey is talking about the fallen man, the man that was the old nature, that was confined by the law of sin and death.
And he even says, so does that mean the law and sin are equal? No, the law and sin are not equal. But you were ruled by a sin nature until you discovered that there was a law. And the law said you need a savior. And you ran to an altar and you confessed Jesus as your Lord.
But that's the beginning point. Why? Because we talked about this last episode in Romans 5.5 through 5.8. He talks about that, God, when you did that. Planted a seed in your heart.
What is that seed? A seed of his nature. Part of the nature. Doesn't Peter say that we'd be partakers of the divine nature? Paul says in Ephesians that we would be rooted and grounded in love.
Jesus said, This is my command. Jesus said, If you love me, you'll abide in me. He said, I am the vine and you are the branch.
Well, if we're connected to the vine, then the same sap that flows through Jesus should be flowing through us. And what is that sap? What is that blood? It's the blood of love. It's love.
And if what we lost in the garden was the divine nature. of love, but yet Jesus the s the Comes back and dies on the cross and gives us a bridge to cross so that we can become born again or reborn into our original nature. What is that original nature? It's love. Because you see, you look around, you open your eyes, you feel your flesh, you hear these things, you sense these things.
I'm a man, I'm a woman, I live in this world. That's the fallen world. That's the product of a physical world. You're not just a man or a woman with skin and eyes and hair. and intellect and all that.
You are a spirit being. And when you're born again, you're born again of the Spirit. and that spirit it drops the spirit God who is love. John says God is love.
So God who is agape, that's that love, the noun, God is love. The noun is agape. It's shed abroad in your heart, is what it says there in Romans. And when Paul says that in Romans chapter 5, he's using the word agape. He says, Agape is shed abroad in your heart.
That's the divine nature.
So so many of you, you live your life. like the rest of the world, but you go to church on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, and you love to have that bumper sticker on the back of your car. But when you go through the grocery store, not a single person in there would know that you're a Christian by the way you act. 'Cause you grumble and complain and moan and won't whatever. You know, and some of you, you do business like the devil himself.
But you got a good profit and loss statement. I'm having to do a profit and loss statement right now for something. Oh my gosh.
So, anyway, but. You cannot. Separate or compartmentalize one part of your life from another. You're either a Christian or you're not. You're either filled with love or you're not.
That's what John says. John says, if you see your brother in need, or if you say that you love God, but yet you treat other people another way, he doesn't say, oh, by the way, but here's an out. Oh, by the way, here's an exclusion.
Nowhere does it do that. These are absolutes. If you are born again, then you are born again to become a creature of love. That was the original intent of man. God created man and woman in his image.
The image of God is love because God is agape.
So, if you and I are to become love, then we've got to get through this journey. You've got to get out of Romans chapter 4, 5, and 6, and get, and 7, and get over down the road away from that, away from that fallen nature, and away from who you were. Because as long as you entertain to do business and to treat people and do those things, you're operating according to fallen nature, and now you've got controversy within yourself. Because your spirit man wants you to walk in love, but your flesh, your mind, and your intellect, because of the way you were raised or whatever, or because of bad preaching or whatever, you think you can live the way you did before Christ. It doesn't work that way.
So you're a controversy.
Well, Brother John, God's never answered my prayer.
Well, answer His. Respond to what he put in your heart. I meet people all the time who cry. Cry and moan about not getting prayers answered. And I'm like Well, what have you done with what God gave you?
What do you mean, Brother John? Have you even tried to walk in love? You're demanding something from your father in heaven.
Meanwhile, you don't even obey him. You don't even endeavor to walk in love. And Jesus said, If you love me, you will. Obey me. And the funny thing is that if we would obey God and demonstrate His, for God so loved the world that He gave, and God demonstrated His love for us while we were yet sinners.
So while we may not feel like love, while we may not feel like we've got it figured out. While we may feel like the worst thing on planet Earth that was ever created, we have faith. We use our faith and say, you know what, God, today I don't feel like what you say I am, but I believe that you are who you say you are. You do what you say you do.
So, you know what, God, I'll uphold my end of the bargain and I'll give it a shot. I'll try. And sometimes that's all you got to do. And once you start, the first day, it might be hard. And the next day, it might be.
Hard, and in the third day it might be difficult, and in six weeks it might be. strenuous and in a year it might have some strenuous and hard moments. But change is beginning to happen. Why? Because you say, I'm not just going to be me the way that I always was.
I am going to attempt to walk in love. And what you will find is that as you begin to walk in love, you begin to take step by step, day by day, something begins to change.
Now, peace that you used to think was just a single thing you could study and obtain, peace comes to you naturally. You used to never be joyful, but now because you endeavor to walk in love and that you're walking in the fruit, which is love, now joy comes up out of you, and you never realize. You never realized. That You're in pursuit of joy, you're in pursuit of patience, you're in pursuit of self-control. But if you would just Walk in love, those things would be there.
Because all of those things make up love. Because that's the character of God. You can eat the ingredients. of the cake or you could just eat the whole cake. And in eating the coho cake, it all is there.
I think it's amazing that in the church we love to teach all these different subjects and topics, but we don't teach. The major topic We major on the minors and we don't teach. We don't major on the majors. And what is the major? Walking in love.
That's the major thing: salvation and walking in love. Salvation is the beginning point. You must listen. If you're out there, I am not talking about, oh, you know, some mealy mouth, easy doormat love. That's not what I'm talking about.
And I'm not talking about what you see on Hollywood and cartoons and feel-good movies and all that. I'm not interested in all that. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a divine nature love that is so different and so unusual. You know, you're listening to this show, and I'm not bragging.
I'm not trying to be whatever, but the reason you're listening to this show and the reason I teach love is because 30 years ago, God said, Speak love, speak love, teach love, preach love. And I kept praying. I said, God, let me teach something else. I was insulted that He told me to preach love.
So I preached love, and somebody came up and said, I've been a Christian for 50 years. I've never heard that taught. And then I went to another church and preached love. They said, We've never heard that taught. And place after place after place I would go and I would teach on the divine love and that you and I can become that divine love.
And people go, We've never heard that before. Many of you, you're hearing this going, where did this come from? It's been in the Bible the whole time. You're listening to this show because there's a demand in the spirit for this, that God is endeavoring. And it's not because Brother John is something great or something good.
No, but there is something coming down the road, my friends, and there's things coming, and you need to be prepared for what's coming. You know, we live in the last days. How do you think you're going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death that is coming upon us if you don't know? He who sits on the throne How do you walk through the valley of shadow of death except in love? Romans 8:9 or 9:4 says that chapter 9 talks about all the demons coming out and coming up out of the abyss, and people are crying and begging to die.
And they cannot, because they're tormented and tortured. But it says this in verse 4, and the demons are commanded to touch not those who have the mark of the Holy Spirit. What do you think the mark of the Holy Spirit is? It's not some six or a cross or whatever on their forehead or a seven on their forehead. It's not the mark of ash from one religion.
No, the mark of the Holy Spirit is the same thing that David talked about. It's the same thing that was anointed on David. It's the same thing that was done to Abraham. The mark of the Holy Spirit is the anointing of love. It is the presence of love.
It is the surround-about-you hedge of protection, which is love. There's something coming to this world. There's something that's rising up. You see it all around you. You hear it all around you.
You know it in your spirit.
Well, how are you going to survive it? How are you going to?
Well, Brother John, I'm going to be on the bus. The rapture Okay. But you think that it's going to start in an instant, and the instant before it starts, you're gone? No, it's already started. The birth pangs have already started.
Millions of Christians are being killed every year right now. And what happened? Did they miss the rapture? No. No.
So, why are they going through these things? And yet, the word tells you this stuff, but we haven't been, as a whole, the church has not been teaching. what it is. We're too worried teaching the end times and how bad it's going to be, and doom and gloom, and the Antichrist this, and the puppet this, and the beast this, and Babylon this, and yet we don't teach that listen, none of that matters. Oh, well, in the days of Noah, brother John.
Yes, in the days of Noah, when all the Nephilim and all the bad things and all the just that's it's going on now, artificial intelligence, and they're making Nephilim. What are Nephilim? Nephilim are crossbreeds of two different things, the giants and the Nephilim. And the Raphael from those days were angels and demons that bred with women and produced Nephilim. And Raphaim, what do you think is going on in the labs all around the world?
We've got artificial intelligence killing the people that invented it. You've got artificial intelligence making its own language. You've got people taking goats and lambs and babies or human embryos and creating Nephilim. You've got people laughing and mocking God. Good has become bad, and evil has become good.
We've reached that point, my friends, as in the days of Noah. Oh, Brother John, you're doom and gloom. No, no, no, I'm making a point here. Because if anything, maybe I'm jesting just a little. Because the point is this.
If you are born again, And you know your God. and you're walking in love. It's not about all those things. It's not about the Antichrist or Babylon or any of that. Why?
Because in the days of Noah, There were eight people that were led. that were rescued, that were protected. that were cared for. If he could not be able to could lead his children. And protect them and provide for them and do all those things in the day.
What, how Romans says this, chapter 5, how much more so? While everyone else is dying, what did he do for his children? What makes you think it's going to be any different for his children in these days? I mean, folks, let's get our priorities right. If we will walk in love, the provision and everything you need will be there.
Answers to prayer will come. You'll get words from God in the middle of the night. He'll wake you up and be teaching you things. You'll be going, wow, I never knew it could be this good. It is not just for the preachers, it is not just for the anointed few.
We could blow that argument out of the water just with a few good scriptures. But we've believed the lie. Ephesians says that if you would be rooted and grounded in love, what happens? Attaining maturity. Not no longer being swayed back and forth by the cunning teachings of men.
Don't you want to be that way? I do. I remember the first time I read that, I said, I want to be like that. I want to be. I've read that one verse about no longer swayed and back and forth by the cunning teachings of men like a ship on the storm.
And that's what it's like. If you follow all these Christian fads, you follow all these Christianese things that we do. What's the big thing now? Oh, well, it's hypergrace, it's hyper-faith, it's this, it's that. That's all the tossing back and forth.
But the man who's rooted and grounded in love, I read that, I read that, but I never put the two together, even though they're just a few verses away from each other. And that's how most of us read the word. We don't realize that it all flows together. That you would be ra rooted and grounded in love. Why?
Oh my gosh.
So that we would Grow? and produce fruit, And when people come along and try to deceive us, we just kind of go, yeah, you know, sorry. That's not the nature of God, that's not my nature either. Because I'm a child of God, I walk in love. Oh, and this is not a journey that today, you know, you say, okay.
I I my friend and I were driving down the road the other day and I said You know, there was a point in time I wished that when I got up from the altar, all my problems were taken care of. I've seen a few people that that's happened. I mean, it was like the minute they got saved, bam, they were golden. And you're like, man, look at them. They've turned, they went from super demon to super apostle overnight.
It didn't happen that way for me. But it began to happen, and I began to grow, and God would talk to me. And I said to God one day, I said, Father, I'm willing to do this. I'll give it my best shot. I'll do the best I can.
But father? You know. Make it Give me the ability. that as I live through this stuff, that I'm able to teach it uh to others. Because what good does it do me to learn this, to learn what the hedge of protection is, what the Shekinah glory on my life is, what the Zoe life is, what the fruit of the Spirit is, how to see all these different things and to see the blessing of God with which there is no shame.
or condemnation, What good is any of that if I can't help others get there, if I can't teach it to others? I'm not interested in being the next great preacher, the next great this. I really could care less about all that. I gave all that up. What I'm interested in is that maybe somebody out there is listening and you go, I can do that.
I can walk in love. I'll start to morrow. And or I'll start right now. Because I'm telling you, my friends, that as, you know, Paul. This journey Of seeing the old man.
Now you confess Jesus is your Lord and Savior, and Paul just hammers at, hammers it, hammers it. And then he talks about. You know, that in Romans 8, the law of life and death is the law of Christ. And let me read to you what it says in the Amplified about that. And and Um Let me read to you.
the amplified version of what that says. That same verse that we were quoting at last episode, he says, Therefore, there is now condemnation. no adjudging guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictations of Celeste, But after the dictations of the Spirit.
So walk not after the flesh, but you're walking after what? The Spirit. And what is the Spirit? Love.
So you're walking in love. And he says, So if you're walking in love, for the law of the Spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus, the law of our new being, has freed me from the law of sin.
So, what is the law of Christ?
Well, he told you in John 13:34 that you love. It's the commandment that always was. We'll do an episode on that.
So, and he talks about that, he goes, and he even says it's for For God has done what the law could not do in its power, being weakened by the flesh.
So, the law that we tried to live under, in that funny We create all these laws and we throw people in jail because we can't control them. We couldn't do it. Why? Because the law doesn't solve the sin problem. The only thing that solves the sin problem is the law of life in spirit, or the spirit of life.
Which is in Christ Jesus. And what is that? Love.
It's love. The spirit of life is love. And I want to read to you because, you know. we can talk about all the different things that that Paul talked about, and he talks about, goes on in verse 10, or chapter 10 and 11 and 12, and talks about. being grafted in.
that we're no longer Gentiles. We're Jews in the spirit. The same that that the olive branch was cut and then we were grafted in. And whenever we confess Jesus as Lord, and we read the Romans road there for a minute, We're no longer Gentiles, we're Jews. And Paul called that a great mystery.
I love it when Paul calls things a mystery. He talked about The relationship between you and I, or you and I, and God.
So my relationship with God And Paul was saying that's a great mystery, and the only thing he could compare it to. Was a man and a woman in marriage. And then he says, it's also this mystery of what God did for the Gentiles in adopting us as heirs or sons and daughters with the Jews. We are no longer Gentiles, we're Jews. When we live according to the law of the life and spirit in Christ Jesus, we become.
Family members, adopted sons and daughters, of the promises of the Jewish Culture, or the nation of Israel, you could say. And when we realize that, and we begin to go, wait a second. All the promises God made. Abraham and all those different men belong to us. Why?
Because we've been engrafted in. But one of the things he says is, how do we know? How do we know that that's us? How do we know we're part of that? Let me read to you, and because as Paul reads, Goes on to say all of this.
He's talking about fear. He's talking about how to. You know, in chapter 12, he really kind of breaks down our conduct. Let your love be sincere and real, hate what is evil. Turn in horror from wickedness and hold fast to that which is good.
Love one another. Giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor. Be aglow and burning with the Spirit. Be aglow and burning with love.
Be steadfast and patient, Be constant in prayer, And he goes, Live in harmony with one another, not haughty, snobbish, high-minded, exclusive, but readily adjusting yourself. And give yourselves the humble tasks. I I've I know people. That It's a They want to sit at the head of the table. They'll order the.
biggest, most expensive thing on the meal. I I took some people out to eat one night. And Our bill was $120. One person spent $60. And there were seven of us.
And I kept my mouth shut. And I just thought, well, you know, I didn't limit them. I didn't, but it just occurred to me: I was like, does this person not understand? Any of what I've read to you. No, they don't.
They don't understand and they don't care, and it's sad. It tells me a lot about them. You know, one way you can learn a lot about people is. is see how they act when their foods delivered wrong. How do they treat the waitress?
See, the way you treat somebody Who you'll never see again, who has no string connection to your life, tells you. tells others exactly what kind of a person you are. How we treat others matters. It says in verse 18: If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he's thirsty, give him a drink. And in doing so, you'll reap burning coals on his head. And do not allow yourself to be overcome with evil.
Well, then he gets into verse 13, and so he's talking about some conduct, but he says something. That is just amazing that is coming up. And and I'm really want you to sit and see this and I'm going to spend some time because In this journey, Paul's talking about Being born again. A struggle. The old man, the new man.
knowing what we should be doing, how we should be. And and I believe one reason there's so many neurotic Christians is because we're not teaching how to become a new man. We're teaching topics. We're teaching people reason and knowledge. But we're not demonstrating beloved nature.
We're not demonstrating what a spirit man is who lives in the life of the law of spirit in Christ Jesus. And so, Paul. Does a good job in Romans of trying to explain all this, but he listen to what he says because in verse 13, in chapter 13, he's still going on. about conduct. And he says, and I'm going to say this in verse 7: render all men.
Their dues. Pay taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.
Now here comes the next three verses. four verses that I'm really gonna focus on. Keep out of debt and owe no man anything except you love one another. For he who loves his neighbour, who practises loving others, has fulfilled the law relating to one's fellow man, meeting all requirements.
So let's just look at. Let me read all this. He says: The commandment, verse 9: The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you should not steal, you shall not covenant. And any other commandment that are summed up in a single command: you shall love. Your neighbor as you do yourself.
Verse 10: Love does no wrong to one's neighbor. Therefore, love meets or fulfills all of the requirements and is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this verse 11, this is you know what a critical hour it is, how it is high time for you to wake up. out of your sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than it's ever been before.
My friends, it is time to wake up. You know, there's that old story, I can't remember, it was a Tommy Tinney who said he saw a vision of a giant that was sleeping. And there was a day coming when it would begin to wake up out of its slumber. Paul is telling us, and I'm telling you, my friends, it is time to wake up out of your religion, out of the religion of Christianity, out of the Western mindset, out of the capitalist mindset. It is time to wake up out of your drunkenness, your lying, your gossiping, your schemes, and your games.
It is time to wake up out of your compartmentalizing of Christianity from all the other parts of your life and how you treat others. It is time to wake up. There is a revival coming, and I cannot tell you if America is or is not going to see it. But what I do know is that it is tied to love. And if you're not loving, you're probably not going to be a part of it or experience it.
Because everything and and This is a whole nother episode, but it talks about the restoration of the word and restoring of the word and all these different things that have happened in church history since coming out of the dark ages. All of that is prophesied in this Bible. And you and I are living in a day which there are several hundred, if not up to twelve hundred prophecies that must still come to pass. And one of them is that the sons of God will be revealed. The sons and daughters of love will be revealed.
And I wonder when you see one walk by, will you recognize them? Will you know them? Because that revealing is not going to take place after the rapture. After the bus comes to pick you up, The world is already dark and it gets darker day by day. The scriptures, God even says it, if it weren't for his elect.
That's why he sped time up. And how many times have you been, man? It just seems like it's getting faster and faster and faster. God said he would do that. For the sake of his children, Why?
Because we're coming, where we are. Coming into a crash landing, hard the world is, but those who know their God. Shall do great exploits. Those who know their God shall not be touched. How can you live with this hedge of protection?
How can you live with all of this?
Well, let's talk about this because it's time to wake up from your slumber. It is time to wake up. So, listen to what he says. I'm going to go back to my King James real quick. And I want to read this.
Out of the King James 'Cause I'm used to teaching this. From my King James, and excuse me, as I'm turning, and This is one of my favorite, and I spend a lot of time in my book. Uh Lovesick talking about this.
So. CHAPTER thirteen of ROMANS It says, oh, no, verse 8: owe no man anything but to love one another.
Now, this word love here, and see, this is important because we talked about this last episode. If you've ever been listening to Love Never Fails, we talk about this all the time. There are 32 different words in the Bible. That are translated into one English word, which is love.
Some of them refer to a humanly love, a brotherly love, but then many of them refer to a God-kind of love, a divine love. And two of the most common words are agape and agapeo. And here in verse 8, he says: owe no man anything but agapeo, agapeo, one another. That's a verb. That's an action.
That's something you do. That's something you practice. For he that loveth, and that's that word agapaho, it's a root word of agapajo, has fulfilled the law. For he that loves one another has fulfilled the law.
So, what's he telling you? He's telling you. That If you practice love, I define agapeo this way: the daily practice of pursuit. Of loving one another or treating people according to the nature of God is within us. That's love.
Yeah. And what was the nature that was set abroad in her heart? Agape.
So, here in verse 8, he uses the action verb. He uses this verb saying to love, to love, to love. And if you love, if you walk in love, as John called it, if you walk in love, then what are you doing? You're fulfilling the law.
So he says this in verse 9: For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and there shall be any other commandment is briefly comprehended in this one, saying that thou shalt agape a hail thy neighbor as thyself. Isn't that interesting?
So he quotes to you. the parts of the Ten Commandments, that deal with how we treat one another. And he says, if you want to fulfill these, Mm-hmm. Then you love one another. That's that action.
You treat one another. the way you'd want to treat You would want to be treated. You treat one another not even the way you would want to be treated, because some of us are just. Sick in the way we allow people to treat us, but in the way that God would treat them. How would God Treat that person standing in front of you, and the thing you have to remember is that person.
is also a child of God. He loves them as much as he loves you. You know, for those of you who are married, God is not just your father, He's your father-in-law. Men, if you're out there doing horrible things, the people you're doing that to. He's their father, too.
How would the Father in Heaven treat that person. That's the way we need to look at it. We need to live in a manner. that causes other people to praise God because of what we've done. That's my goal every day.
How can I treat people today in a manner that praises God? That uplifts God, that glorifies God. Because when I think that way, I remember I was driving down a road one day in my old pickup truck when I first started my business, and I said, God, I'm going to do this. I'm going to buckle down. I'm going to live in a manner that causes people to praise you.
You know, it's one of those moments, those God moments that you always remember. And I remember the day. I remember the road I was on. I remember right on that road where I was that I made that pact with God. And I endeavor To cause people to praise him, I want my life to be a reflection of praise to him.
I'm not a good worshipper. I I can't sing. I can't keep a melody. But my life, because of the way I love, worships him.
So Paul is telling you The Holy Spirit through Paul is telling us that if we demonstrate and practise love. We become 'Cause listen. Verse 10, Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. He doesn't use agapeo there, he uses agape.
So in verse 8, you're agapeo, you're practicing, you're doing, you're you're endeavoring every day to Walk in love towards others. But now, in verse 10, because you've done it, you've been practicing it, you become love. 'Cause there he uses agape, but he's still talking about you and I.
So you practice and then you become. much like an athlete when or, you know, I've taught people I've been a coach for many, many years and and whether whether it was in rowing or, you know, I've coached baseball and basketball and football and and I've coached people in business and different things in Let's take construction, for instance. When somebody wants to get started doing construction, maybe let's say, You know, you have a tape measure, and the guy shows up the first day of the job, and the owner puts him to work and says, Okay, do you have a tape measure? And he. Pulls, you know, we've got a guy that works for us that when he first worked for us, he pulled out a tape measure, and I looked at it and said, That ain't gonna work.
And I bought him a new one, and then I took that one he had. I called it a toy, I chucked it off the roof. And because it didn't have what was needed on it, only had inches and feet. But if you're in construction, you need one that has other things on it. And so we replaced his tape measure, and slowly but surely, he started learning.
When he first started, he was just a laborer. He didn't even show up with the right kind of hammer.
Now, most of you out there, you wouldn't even know what I mean by the right kind of hammer. But I mean, I can look at a guy swinging a hammer and tell you if he knows how to use that. I can look at a guy walking a roof and tell you if he knows how to walk on a roof, if he knows what he's doing. You're not going to fool me.
Some of you out there, you do different things for a living, and you could ask a few questions and know if somebody really knows what they're doing. It's the same way with love. And so, when somebody shows up and they begin, whether it be an athlete or whatever, you show up. You're not the star athlete. You're not even an athlete.
You're just hoping to make the team. And you make the team and you start practicing. And maybe you're, you know, playing soccer and football, and you start learning how to kick the ball and kick it with your toe and point it and do all this. And slowly but surely, every year you get better, and you go from being somebody who wanted to play soccer to trying out for the team.
Now you're on the team, but then years later, maybe you get a job as a. Professional athlete, and now people say they don't just say you're an athlete, they say he's a soccer player. Or he's a baseball player. You go from wanting to be that to now, they're like, he's a baseball player, he's a football player, he's this, and you're getting paid to do it, and you excel at it. And you get to the point where you can teach others to do it.
Love is the same way. You start out tomorrow. Say, Father, I believe what Brother John says that Romans 5:8, that this love of God has been shed abroad in my heart.
So, therefore, Father, there's a little tiny portion of that love in me. Let me try to be sensitive to it today, Father, to love somebody the way you would love them. And it could be a number of different ways: random acts of kindness, helping somebody in need, just being honest. You know, if you're a gossiper, just holding your tongue. I mean, there's so many, every one of us is individual, and every one of us has our issues.
So, what is your issue? Be honest. What is your issue? Because you've got to give those things up and begin to walk in love so you can become what God expects you to become, what all of creation, according to Romans 8:19, 16 says that all of creation waits within your expectation for what you are to be revealed. And if you don't do it here in this earth, you're going to do it when you get to heaven.
You're going to have to learn these things sooner or later.
So, in this training experiment called Life on Earth, let's start doing these things. Let's start practicing these things. Let's start becoming what God expected us and created us to be. That's the deception, the greatest deception the devil has pulled is that we cannot become what God created us to be. And what did He create us to be in His image?
What is His image? Love.
That's what the devil goes after all the time. He goes after that image of God that's in you. What is the image of God that is in you? It is love. John says, God is love.
You know, scripture interprets scripture better than anything else. And God says, man was created in my image. What is the image of God? Love.
He is a spirit. We are spirit beings. When we get born again, Love is shed abroad in our heart. That is the divine nature. That Peter talks about.
The divine nature is love. It doesn't get any more simple than that. And so in Romans. Chapter 13, verse 8: If you love one another, for he that loveth has fulfilled the law. Are you struggling with all of that?
Kind of, how do I do? And you get neurotic. You're like, I got to do this, I got to do that, I've got to fast, I've got to pray, I better pray every day at this hour, I better do this every day. God's never said that. But that's what religion has taught us.
That's what even good success principles and coaching seminars and all these things you can go to. They say, well, a successful man reads this many books a year. Successful people don't watch TV. Poor people do watch TV. They teach you all this stuff.
Why? They want you to focus on that stuff and not focus on this. If you'll focus on love, everything else will fall into place. And the deception is to get you confused and distracted so you don't know what the battle really is. The battle is right here in your nature.
Between who you were And the way you currently act versus the way God wants you to act, which is. in the divine nature. And he goes on to say, and so in verse 10, love, agape, you and I can become agape. And agape. How do we know we're agape?
Because we work no ill towards anybody else. Working no ill in anybody else, he doesn't say working no ill on Sunday mornings. Working no ill at the restaurant after church because you're still wearing your suit. Working no ill on Sunday night. Working no ill at your Bible study.
No, he says, working no ill, that's all of life in your business. In your home time, your private time, your quiet time, when you're driving. All of those things you work know ill. Why? Because you're love.
You lose the right to do those things. when you become love. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Agape is the fulfilling of the law. Paul said, I am but a little slave.
A little love slave. You and I, my friends, we have to come to the place where we recognize that we're the little agape that are planted on this earth. And we've been given a brief, as the Bible says, wisp of time. To demonstrate and pursue that and become that in this earth. That's what we're here for.
That's what we're here for. It is the greatest evangelism tool to walk in love. It is the greatest avenue to success financially to walk in love. It is the greatest avenue to healing in your body to walk in love. It is the greatest avenue to hear from God and be led by the Spirit because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of love.
So many of you out there, you have controversy in your lives and in your families and in your own heart. Why? Because you refuse to acknowledge the nature that you were created to be, which is love. And Paul tells you in this great struggle, this exciting story, and this exciting message, he tells us in Romans. That when you start here and you transform into this, and it's all about love.
He tells you when you confess Jesus, Lord and Savior, He puts that love in you.
Now you must follow after that love. And all these chapters, He spins telling you the conduct. the conduct he's laying law down, then he says, Oh, hey, If you love. If you love. And why?
Because we'll talk about this in some Episodes coming up, Ephesians. That's where we're going next. He says that you may be rooted and grounded in love to know this love that surpasses, surpasses. He uses phrases like that you be filled to the fullest. My friends, I want to be filled to the fullest measure of God.
I want to be filled to the fullest measure of love. Why? I want to burn with zeal, as Paul said. I want to stir up that fire of love that's within me. And if I go out of here in a flame of glory, at least I'm going in love.
And love is the one thing the Bible, there's three things in the Word of God that can never fail: His Word, God Himself. His mercy. And love. And the greatest of these is love. Why?
It's God. God Himself can't fail. Why? 'Cause He is love. Four things.
I often leave God out of that equation. I don't know why I did it that way. But do you understand, my friend? It's about love. And it's not friendly Kindness Love, those are all parts of love.
Those all come out of you. You don't have to focus on those things because when you become practice agape and become love, It all begins to flow together. Friends, I pray that today and as you sleep, as you drive, as you work, whatever it is, That love would begin to consume you. It is the path to victory in your life in every area. You don't have to have everything else figured out.
You don't have to have a Bible school degree. You don't have to be a member of this church, that church, or even be fancy, famous, or pretty. Or handsome and dark, or whatever. Speak English. You don't have to be white, brown, black, whatever.
You just have to walk in love. And when you do that, Success will run you down and overtake you. I tell people all the time. Don't walk in front of me. They say, why?
Because if you're walking in front of me, you won't see. When the blessing of God runs me down and overtakes me. And that's a whole nother episode. Why? Because when I walk in love, His promises run me down and overtake me.
We love you, my friends. We appreciate you. We want you to be blessed. We want you to live the life that God has ordained from the foundations of the world for you to live. But I cannot.
Control. your love walk. Only you can. It's up to you. and only you.
You've got to spend time with God. You've got to endeavor to do this, and you've got to say, Father, make me what you intended for me to be. and use me as you intended to use me and make me love. We love you, friends. We appreciate you.
We're so glad you're listening. Remember, Jesus loves people, and love never fails. Thank you for listening to Love Never Fails as we pursue revival. Remember, Jesus loves people and love never fails. For more information on Love Never Fails and ministry events, please email us at love neverfails with brojohn at gmail.com.
That's love never fails with B-R-O-J-O-H-N at gmail.com. Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah
