The sermon emphasizes the importance of love in our lives, and how we can attain merciful love through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
In this sermon by Basilea Schlink titled 'No Longer Loveless,' she emphasizes the importance of love in our lives and how God can transform our relationships. She shares that love is the greatest thing in both time and eternity. Basilea Schlink also mentions the consecration of a nursing home in Canaan, where the aim is to let love be victorious in all tensions of everyday life. She reminds us that Jesus responded to his enemies with love and encourages us to reflect God's image of love in all our words, actions, and being.
Full Transcript
God lives and works today. We should all be able to see him at work in our lives, especially in our relationships with our family and at work. How many times our love and patience are tried during the day? And how many times do we fall flat on our faces? But, God can transform everything, also in this area of our lives, as we'll hear in today's meditation by Basilea Schlink called No Longer Loveless.
No Longer Loveless The greatest thing of all, in time and in eternity, is love. That is why there is no greater guilt than the sin against love. We were created in the image of God, who is love, and after the fall we were redeemed to love through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, nothing pierces God's heart more deeply than our not reflecting his image of love. Yes, the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13 that without love we are nothing, and that our supposedly loving deeds, like giving away all we have, or delivering our bodies to be burned, are also nothing. All our words and actions, our whole being, have to be filled with love.
Otherwise, no matter what we do, we will constantly become guilty towards others. Several years ago, we consecrated our small nursing home here on Canaan, in which the old and infirm not only receive physical care, but share the same common aim of faith, to let love be victorious in all the tensions of everyday life. This would bring true joy to our Lord Jesus.
Mother Basilea told all of us on the day of consecration, in the life of our Lord Jesus, love was always the victor. Towards his enemies, Jesus responded with only love, and therefore he won in every battle. Surely in Jesus' heart must have been the temptation to give up and write off all the people who were tormenting him.
For the Bible tells us that he was tempted in all things as we are, but now he stands before us as the Lamb of God, who triumphed over all temptations. And because we have him as our Lord, we too can attain the high goal of merciful love. It's actually possible through repentance, for through repentance we learn to see ourselves as the guilty one whenever we can't bear a certain person in love.
Jesus is calling to us, fight the good fight of faith for this love and mercy. Yes, we must fight till the point of shedding blood, for with his words it is finished, a new fount has been opened for us, and his love will flow forth from this fount through his precious blood. I am redeemed I am redeemed Love burns in me and flows And like a flood God's love now slowly flows Forever from those bleeding wounds this stream will run This holy stream of love from God's own Son I am redeemed This program by Basilea Schlenk has come to you from the Little Land of Canaan.
If you would like a free leaflet by the same author, please write to God Lives and Works Today, 9849 North 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85028-4099. That's God Lives and Works Today, 9849 North 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85028-4099. God bless you.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Love
- A. Love is the greatest thing in time and eternity
- B. We were created in the image of God, who is love
- C. We are redeemed to love through Jesus Christ
- II. The Consequences of Not Reflecting God's Love
- A. We become guilty towards others
- B. Our actions and words are nothing without love
- III. The Power of Love in Jesus' Life
- A. Jesus responded to his enemies with love
- B. He won every battle with love
- IV. Attaining Merciful Love
- A. Through repentance, we learn to see ourselves as guilty
- B. We can attain merciful love through faith
Key Quotes
“Love burns in me and flows And like a flood God's love now slowly flows Forever from those bleeding wounds this stream will run This holy stream of love from God's own Son” — Basilea Schlink
“I am redeemed I am redeemed Love burns in me and flows And like a flood God's love now slowly flows Forever from those bleeding wounds this stream will run This holy stream of love from God's own Son” — Basilea Schlink
Application Points
- We must fight the good fight of faith for merciful love and be willing to shed our old self to attain it.
- Through repentance, we can learn to see ourselves as guilty and take responsibility for our actions.
- We can reflect God's image of love by living a life filled with love and mercy.
