9. A Herald to Jesus of Nazareth's Bride

The Church in this country is at a time in which there will be no Isaiah 64:1-3 without Joel 2:13 first.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

This is episode nine of uh my version of a audiobook for the book I I wrote uh a Herald, The Jesus of Nazareth's Bride in the United States of America. In this episode, I'm gonna I'm starting with uh stone number six. The stone that is tripping people up and causing issues within the church across this country. This one is about the first and the greatest commandment. According to psychology, one of the most important things human beings need to be healthy mentally and emotionally is self-esteem. According to psychology, self-esteem is critical to human well-being. What baloney? Never, not one time, did Jesus, the creator of human beings, ever teach on the need for humans to have self-esteem. But self-esteem is so important to human health, one would think Jesus would have lots to say about this. But again, not even one time. And please do not reference Jesus' comment about loving others as we love ourselves as an example of self-esteem. First, Jesus says all all the scripture can be summed up with two commands loving the living God and then loving others. Not three commands, the third being to love yourself. If anything, he's talking about self-denial, something he regularly taught as being necessary for healthy followers. And yet, no surprise, psychology, as well as those church leaders infected with the demonic deception of psychology, will insist humans need self-esteem. For Jesus of Nazareth, loving the living God with all of one's heart, with all of one's mind, and with all of one's strength, is the first and the greatest thing a human can do, even more than loving others, much less the foolishness of loving oneself. Loving others is important, 1 John 4 20, but it's still second. Loving the living God is first and of greatest importance, and is the foundation to everything else in this life. It's the ultimate key to be a healthy human being as well as a lovesick, faithful follower of the Jewish bridegroom king, Jesus. So, how does a follower of Jesus of Nazareth grow in loving the living God first and most? Well, it doesn't happen magically, as if all Jesus does is wave his hand over a person or twitch his nose like the witch in the old TV sitcom Bewitched, and Cha-ching, one loves this God first and most. And as with any fruit, growing in them is a process, and in this process, the living God has a part, and the person has a part. The living God won't do the person's part, and the person can't do the living God's part. For example, how does a person acquire patience, a fruit of the Spirit? Simple. Jesus puts the person in situations which make him or her impatient and encourages him or her to choose to submit to him. And in that choice to submit to him, the spirit builds patience in the person. So, over time, involving situations that test the person's patience, the person learns to submit to the Holy Spirit, and as a result, acquires the fruit of patience. The same thing is true with love, with a little difference. Scripture says that it's not that we love this God, it's that this God loved us first. So it's like this the living God reveals himself and his charity to a sinner. That person is overwhelmed by this incredible mercy he or she does not deserve. This experience then makes the person want to love Jesus back, which he or she does even immaturely. Then Jesus expresses more of his love, his charity, agape, but also his passion, eros, and his liking of the person to the now born again by the spirit person, and they are blown away even more, resulting in an even greater desire in them to love Jesus back even more. And back and forth this dance goes throughout the person's life. The more the person experiences and tastes Jesus' love in all of its forms, eros fle ogape, the more the person wants to love Jesus back. And without realizing it, just as fruit grows, the person grows in loving the living God first and most. And then, secondly, again, just as fruit naturally grows, the person wants to love others with this love that they've been getting from Jesus. Additionally, with patience, Jesus will put the person into situations in which it's hard to love him, things like suffering, losses, persecutions, etc. And yet the Holy Spirit will encourage the person to keep loving Jesus of Nazareth when it's hard to love him. Just as Jesus noted that pagans can love those who love them, so it is with people who only love Jesus when it's when life is going good and it's easy to love him. But mature love is loving Jesus when it's hard to love him. In fact, there is a power powerful process the Spirit uses to develop the mature and mature a person into becoming a passionate, lovesick, faithful member of the Jesus' bride. And the Spirit put this unique process in the Song of Songs. See the book, the bridal process of the Song of Songs to fulfill John 17 26 for the specifics of this incredible process. As for loving others, it is secondary. If not, that's called humanism. Further, the Holy Spirit will not force a person, excuse me, force a follower of Jesus to love and obey him. Those who have the Holy Spirit can choose to love and to obey or not, just as they can choose to sow to the spirit and reap life, or sow to the flesh and reap destruction. Jesus may press a person to choose to love and obey him, but he will not cross the line from pressing to forcing. For a willing lover is what this is what thee Jesus is after. The willingness to choose to love Jesus first and most is what what this life is all about. The question Jesus is seeking an answer to from every human being is not, Do you know that I love you? The question he is seeking an answer to from every human being is, Do you love me? Thus, the first and the greatest commandment is the foundation to everything in the spiritual life with Jesus of Nazareth. Some people put ministry first, or family, or knowing the Bible, or a myriad of other things. But Jesus says that the first and the greatest thing one can do is the first and the greatest commandment. Here is a fact every human being is able to do what they truly love. In fact, we all always do what we truly love. Thus, others can tell what a person truly loves by how they live their lives. If a person loves money, it's obvious. If a person loves this or that, it's obvious. If a person loves Jesus of Nazareth, this too is obvious. Love truly is a great power. For whatever a person truly loves, they are very able to give themselves to it, have plenty of time, energy, and discipline for it, and enjoy it. It is never a problem or a hardship, for the person loves it, whatever it is. Therefore, first John 2 do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life comes not from the Father, but from the world. While one needs to experience this God's love first in order to have within them the love with which to love Him, as well as the Holy Spirit, who grows the fruit of love in the person, loving this God first and most is absolutely critical to a healthy spiritual life. And this is possible, for Jesus asked the Father. Notice he didn't say loving the Father. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you. And they know that you have sent me. I've made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them. Um I'm gonna stop there, other than just a quick little again, sort of a commercial, I guess. The book I wrote about the Song of Songs, the bridal process that leads to the fulfillment of John 17 26 that I mentioned a few moments ago, will really help. It's not a book for you to just sit down and read through. It's one that you will read a little bit, and then you're gonna have to put it down and like think about what you just read. I mean, there's the Song of Songs is absolutely incredible, and the process that the Holy Spirit put in there is uh I don't like using the word amazing, but it's it's it's just genius what he what he uh what he lays out in the Song of Songs. So again, if you're serious about developing the first and greatest commandment, uh not that I'm trying to sell you a book, um by the way, it's also available, it's one of the uh um audiobooks I've done. So you you can listen to it for free if you want.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Wrapping himself in We want a true love, we cannot talk the part, we love truth.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

Take me into the king's chambers my love to my children, let me stop.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Let me feel let me tell the fragrance, let me stay let us reach out to the kisses. His love is higher than the highest mountains. His love goes deeper than the deepest seas. His love it stretches to the eyes. Yes, Lord. It's higher. It's home. It's higher than the highest. The height is too found. It's one it's deeper than the king. It's gone. It's great, just to the heart, it's too right. It's stronger. It's long it's stronger. It's love. Please be in my life. Darkest hours. It's fun to push me on the back. This love is my strength and wall. You love you, love you. Oh, you love you, love the woman. His love sweeter than the sweetest of high. It satisfies the deepest of hunger. In Jesus' name. Your love is sweeter than the sweetest.