God Is Love!
God's nature is characterized by perfect peace, joy, and freedom from disquiet, making everything rejoice in itself.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the transformative power of divine love, emphasizing that God is love and those who do not love do not know God. She highlights that divine love brings perfect peace, joy, contentment, and happiness, making everything rejoice in itself. Love is described as the Christ of God, bringing blessings, happiness, redemption from evil, fulfillment of righteousness, and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Tileston explains that when governed by love, all unrest, dissatisfaction, and restlessness are overcome, just as darkness is dispelled by light.
Text
Mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied.
JUDE 2
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 JOHN 4:8
HE rests in God and He in him,
Who still abides in love;
In love the saints and seraphim
Obey and praise above;
For God is love; the loveless heart
Hath in His life and joy no part.
C.F. GELLERT
DIVINE love is perfect peace and joy, it is a freedom from all disquiet, it is all content and happiness; and makes everything to rejoice in itself. Love is the Christ of God; wherever it comes, it comes as the blessing and happiness of every natural life, a redeemer from all evil, a fulfiller of all righteousness, and a peace of God, which passeth all understanding. Through all the universe of things, nothing is uneasy, unsatisfied, or restless, but because it is not governed by love, or because its nature has not reached or attained the full birth of the spirit of love. For when that is done, every hunger is satisfied, and all complaining, murmuring, accusing, resenting, revenging, and striving, are as totally suppressed and overcome, as the coldness, thickness, and horror of darkness are suppressed and overcome by the breaking forth of the light.
WILLIAM LAW
Sermon Outline
- God is Love
- The Importance of Love
- The Effects of Love
- Satisfaction of Hunger
- Suppression of Complaining and Striving
Key Quotes
“For God is love; the loveless heart hath in His life and joy no part.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Love is the Christ of God; wherever it comes, it comes as the blessing and happiness of every natural life, a redeemer from all evil, a fulfiller of all righteousness, and a peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We should strive to be governed by love in our lives, allowing it to bring satisfaction and overcome evil.
- Love is the key to fulfilling all righteousness and making everything right and just.
- When we are governed by love, we will experience perfect peace, joy, and freedom from disquiet.