Much obedience, much one can love

Preamble: This article will be preached as a sermon in a Divine Healing Fellowship Meeting/Service.  Although it is a sermon, it flows as a complete article.  The grey-highlighted portions may be NOT be preached due to constraint of time; and if you are using this article as a sermon, please take note that this particular sermon will be long (up to 40 mins).  I tried hard to cut short, but I felt the things said here are all so very important, not just in relation to the series that I am covering, but as core belief, and so, I decided NOT to cut any further.  If you are NOT doing a series, you could just preach it as exposition of the 3 verses of John (John 14:15, 21 & 15:10), in which case, you can drop some of the more outlying issues, making the sermon shorter.

This is a continuation of a series on the secret to well-being of a believer. 

First, the “secret” is: we loving God.

But many could NOT get to the place of loving God (and, men, too). How do we get there?

Support the author: To author's cross catalogue

We have covered two of three channels to get our love capacity restored.  We have covered these two:

1.   The channel of receipt of forgiveness.  Much one isforgiven, much one can love; this, being gleaned from the Luke 7:36-48 – the account of the sinful woman at Simon’s house.

2.   The channel of receipt of grace and mercy. Much grace and mercy experienced and received in, much one can love; this being gleaned from Acts 9:1-20 - the account of The Road to Damascus, the story of the conversion of Saul (aka Apostle Paul).

Today, we will cover the third channel. Much one obeys God, much one is loving God, and is being restored of his capacity to love.

This channel can be gleaned from the words of Jesus, in John 14:15 & 21 & John 15:10.

John 14:15 - “If you love me, keep my commands

John 14:21 – Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.

Together, we can say it reads as “The one who loves me obeys my commands, and the one who obeys my commands is the one who loves me”.

John 15:10 - If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

But does the above imply, if we obey, our capacity to love God (and men, too), will be enlarged or restored? 

Without doubt, John 14:15 & 21 together, says if you love God, you obey His commands, and if you obey His commands you are one who loves Him, but is it implied in there, that if you obey His commands your love capacity for God is enlarged?

Firstly, John 15:10’s “remain in His love” means as you obey, God’s love, you would experience, and it would be impacting you and through you. Its key impact on you causes you to acknowledge it (His love) and receive it in.  In other words, obedience will help you, in acknowledging and receiving in, of God’s love.

Overall, it is God’s love changing us, causing us to love Him back, but we don’t say, “Much God loves, much one can love”?  No, we don’t say that, Why? Here are 2 reasons:

1.   The crux of the matter is NOT whether or NOT God loves you, for God does love you and I.  In fact, when we go deep into this subject, you will understand that God’s love for you and I, does NOT go yoyo-ing; God’s love is constant! 

We will NOT go into detailed discussion of this constancy of God’s love; it will take another sermon or preaching; nonetheless, it is still a question of whether you are in the position or positioning yourself to receive, the love of God, that the God’s love is flowing. (Analogy of the Sun and the sunflower).

2.   While God is center-ing (has His focus) on Man, we have a part to play. This posture is critical, so that we are always reminded that the Word must first be considered from the angle of, “What is it that it is telling me (you and I) to do”, and NOT God telling Himself what He must do. 

Can you name the group amongst us, Christian community, that has the inclination on the latter, that God is telling Himself what He must do, although they may deny it?

What is wrong with the phrase, in a nutshell, “Much God loves, much one can love”? 

Yes, it puts the onus on God; that is what is wrong with it.  The pleasing posture, to God is: We take care to do the part we are to do, and God will know how to do the part that is His.

Still, we may ask, “How does the logic go, that our love will grow as a result of us obeying God?” 

We should know this: love grows with knowing God more.  We can say this, “love grows with knowing God more” unreservedly, in the case of God (NOT necessarily so, for the case of men), because God is indeed holy, and God is good, all the time.

In obeying we get to know God more. Yes, in interaction with someone, we get to know him/her more, but in the case of our dealing with God, more often than NOT, it is through obedience that we get to know God more. 

It is NOT God does NOT want to interact in other ways, with us; but it is that His nature-attribute fundamentally is one of holiness.  It is through obedience, we are being made holy and remain holy.  Put it simply, God cannot play with you when you are NOT holy, but when you are holy, He can be “WITH YOU”, playing and all!

So, what about God, that if we know more and more, will help us to love God?  In another way of saying, what spiritual things about God that the Holy Spirit is to give us understanding, to enlarge or restore our love for God?  The answer is the righteousness of God.  Remember, in the above we mentioned, we will love God more on knowing Him more, for He is holy and good; righteousness is got to do with holiness and goodness.

What is the difference between holiness and righteousness?  Short and sharp reply (NOT to make this long) is: righteousness is the manifest of/from holiness.

What is righteousness? 

Again short and sharp, simply, righteousness is about being right.  God being always right; that is what I love about God.  If God is at times right, and at times, wrong, would you love Him, unreservedly; I mean if God sometimes can be evil and wicked (that is wrong, NOT right, and NOT good), would you love Him; would you hold Him in highest honor?  No, I won’t.

Why is it that, righteousness, is key to us, in our capacity to love God? 

Because He is holy, ……. and we, Man, had had the Fall, in the Garden of Eden. Because of the Fall, we have the knowledge of good and evil; that is why. And God knows that.

What is the connection between love and righteousness? It goes all the way back to ancient of times.

You and I must know, when God created Man, He created Man righteous; it has to be, for Gen 1:31 recorded for us, this: “God saw all that He had created, and it was very good”. 

In a moment, I will give you my take of the form of righteousness that Man had, then, which we know he lost it through the Fall; and along with that, men’s capacity to love God was also diminished or impaired. 

In that Fall, we see the first distortion to love – fear; fear crept in (Gen 3:8-10). 

Gen 3:8-10 (NIV84) - 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

How were men righteous before the Fall?

This is my belief and is the reasonable belief – men just tapped on the righteousness of God, for they then did NOT have knowledge of good and evil.  After the Fall, Man no longer just tapped on the righteousness of God.  When Man just tapped on or rode on, the righteousness of God, unquestioning, he was able to love God quite perfectly.

When Man gained the knowledge of good and evil; that was when troubles started; Man began NOT to (just) tap on or ride on, the righteousness of God, unquestioning.  Man began to use the knowledge of good and evil over the riding on, the righteousness of God.

When one just tap on or ride on, the righteousness of God, can he be wrong?  The answer is no; and when he is NOT wrong, could there be punishment?  Again the answer is no; and when there is no punishment, there would NOT be fear, would there?  No. Now, you know why the Apostle John talked about fear in connection with love.

1 John 4:18 reads, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

What does this mean?

It means, in the matter of love, there is the issue of righteousness.

When righteousness was gone, love got impaired or distorted, fear came in (Gen 3:8-10).  Fear came in because of possible punishment, and punishment is possible when thing is NOT done according to the righteousness of God. 

Who has the perfect love?  God.  God’s love drives out fear?  Because God’s love is love unto righteousness – God loves men unto righteousness.  When you remain in this perfect love of God, you will NOT have fear.  How do you remain in God’s love? Yes, you obeys His commands (John 15:10).

What does it mean by God loves men unto righteousness (‘ahab love)?

It means God can only love you and I, in such a way as to foster greater or maintain, righteousness in us. When you and I still have fear, it means we have NOT been made perfect, yet.  Why?  Because we are NOT practising or living out the righteousness of God.

Do we have to practise or live out the righteousness of God?

Yes, 1 John 3:7 says, “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;” (NASB)

So, I hope we are clear that Man’s love became and was impaired, but NOT God’s. God’s love towards Man is always tied to the righteousness of God, and to His holiness. 

Many believers do NOT know that the love of God towards Man is fundamentally, love unto righteousness (‘ahab love, as revealed in the OT), and Man’s love needs to qualify the righteousness requirement as well.  Because of the Fall, with the loss of righteousness, there is no way Man could love God back, in an acceptable manner unless God deemed the person righteous, and we find that in the OT, there was the concept of God counting out righteousness to men, or deeming certain men righteous.

Finally, the way forward is provided by the Lord, Jesus; and God sent Him to restore the capacity for Man to be righteous, and so, the capacity for Man to love God.

Man broke love (righteousness) and faith, with God in the Garden of Eden; there was just no way Man can love God back ultimately, in an acceptable manner, without the lost righteousness restored; God allowed temporal aberrations, but everything including Man’s love must line up to the holiness of God, ultimately; and Jesus is the means to that.

So, the New Covenant is God’s offer to Man to re-love-covenant with Him.  And so, too, entering into the covenant is just the beginning of our returning to love God.  We must understand God cannot, at the ultimate, loves the unrighteous men, and the latter cannot love God rightly or in acceptable manner.  Until the ultimate, or the end of age, God is longsuffering, accommodating temporal aberrations of many against His very nature – holiness.

Now, knowing what God’s intent is, and what He is trying to do, we cannot just have a once-off loving Him back of mere signing the dotted line on the contract (New Covenant) with Him; we have to, actually be loving and continue to be loving Him, even as we are to continue to submit to Him in His Holy Spirit’s refining work in us, to align us to His righteousness. 

The Holy Spirit’s work is needed because, unlike previously, before the Fall, where Man just tapped on or rode on, the righteousness of God, unquestioning, now, Man has to will to just tap on or ride on, the righteousness of God.  And so, too, Man has to will to love God on a continual basis; and so, my common saying to us all, that love is first, a choice and then a commitment.

It is NOT right to think you are NOT needing to grow in righteousness or holiness, on the excuse of you are already having the (imputed) righteousness of Christ Jesus.

We were impaired of our capacity to love God, from the Fall, firstly; and then, through our own falling into sins, and coming under bondages. 

After you have become a believer, you have to will continually to live righteous or practise righteousness (His righteousness); only by so doing, (that is obeying God or His commands) can you possibly be loving God in an acceptable manner, and when you are so doing (which is living-obedience), over time, you will have, through the help of the Holy Spirit, a greater knowing of God, through greater knowing of His righteousness, and in the process, our capacity to love Him, God, is enlarged.  If you have a life of disobedience, and so, are living unrighteous, it sure would NOT help, in the restoration of your capacity to love God.  When you go down that path, all the 3 channels through which the Spirit of God works, to restore your love for Him, get choked.

Now, Jesus tied it, the obeying of commands to loving Him (John 14:15 & 21), why?  Because His commands reflect His righteousness, without which our love is NOT love, to God.  Jesus was in fact saying, if you want to love Him, you obey His commands.  If you increase your obedience to His commands, you increase your love towards Him.  And when you take all the 3 John verses (above) together, Jesus was also in fact saying, if you love God, you will remain in God’s love (obeying God’s commands=loving Him).  Do you have to love God, continually?  Yes, that’s what John 15:10 is implying – keeping commands, and so, is loving God, is continual affair. Jesus said He did that – kept God’s command until the very end of His life.

What we are to take away with this message, today, is that in practising obedience to God and His commands, the Holy Spirit gets to work on increasing our capacity to love God, through our knowing of God more - more of His righteousness. 

It really isn’t difficult to perceive, if we just think of the situation of a child, of he is NOT going to grow into one who is loving his father, if he was NOT practising obedience to his father’s instructions, bit by bit, over time. 

Such a child, can he ever come to be loving his earthly father, nonetheless?  Can, usually only after he has gone through one or all of the channels we have covered in this series. 

Any shortcut?  Yes, but that goes into the subject of sovereignty and prerogative of God.  Such sovereignty and prerogative are His business NOT ours; rather we are to be of this pleasing posture: We take care to do the part we are to do, and God will know how to do the part that is His. We leave God to His sovereignty and prerogative.

I hope you are convinced that you have to practice obedience to God if you want to increase your readiness to love God. If you have been disobedient, you need to work through channel 1 again – be in receipt of forgiveness.

Support the author: To author's items catalogue

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

Comments are welcome here. Alternatively, email them to me @: high.expressions@gmail.com.  Do follow this blog site. To go back to blog main page, click here.  

Much obedience much one can love (one page sermon note)

(By Anthony Chia on 27/06/2015 at TradeHub 21)

John 14:15, 21, John 15:10

Loving God=obeying God, & so, the importance of obedience in love. 

In obeying God, the HS could work on us in enlarging our capacity to love God, because in obeying we get to know God more and more. 

What do we get to know? His righteousness. Righteousness is the manifest of His holiness. Righteousness is God being right & good, all the time. 

Obedience is about righteousness, being about, being in agreement with God as to what is to be done & when it is to be done, & actually doing it.

Loving God=obeying God’s commands à connection between love & righteousness, consistent with ‘ahab love (love unto righteousness).  The love of God is dictated by the very fundamental nature of God, holiness.  That is why the love of God for men is love unto righteousness. And you cannot love Him back, unless you are loving Him back in righteousness.

Original righteousness of Man – the righteousness without the knowledge of good & evil, righteousness that just tapped on or rode on, the righteousness of God.

The Fall – Man lost his righteousness, with disobedience, & knowledge of good and evil; Man’s capacity to love was diminished or impaired from it.

God’s solution to right the inability of Man to love God back in acceptable manner - Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Entering into salvation is just the beginning.  We need to live righteous, just as He was righteous, in order to love God back, and be restored of our capacity to love Him, more and more.

We need to continue to obey God to continue in our journey of being restored of our capacity to love God (and men, too).

If we want to love God, we need to live a life of obedience.  So that we remain in His love, that it may be well for us, & we may bear fruit.

We need to repent, confess, & be determined to live in obedience to Him, hereafter (if we sin, we have to come into receiving forgiveness, again [practise 1 John 1:9] – what the first channel was about.

We have to keep letting the 3 channels work on us, in our journey.

I hope you are convinced that you have to practice obedience to God if you want to increase your readiness to love God.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

Comments are welcome here. Alternatively, email them to me @: high.expressions@gmail.com.  Do follow this blog site. To go back to blog main page, click here.  

Secret to our well-being

Preamble: This has been delivered as a sermon in one of my Divine Healing Meetings.

What a state, what a position!
There is a state in which we can say of God, in other words, we can declare it, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust"; where "Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence"; "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.".

A state in which evil cannot harm you: "You will NOT fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday." "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will NOT come near you.", rather "You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.".

Where is this state in which you can fall back on the backing of God; where "no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent", "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways"; "they {the angels} will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone"; where "You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent”?

Where is this position from which God would say, in other words, God declares, "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him"; where God would say, "With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation"?

Where, where, where or How, how, how?
Where is this state, this position or this place, so beautifully portrayed as that which we could have? Don’t you want to be in that state? Don’t you wonder why you are NOT in that state? Don’t you wonder how you could get there? Where in Scripture, has such a state being described for us?

Anyone wants to venture a guess?
Yes, it is Ps 91. What I have narrated to you are verses 2-8, 10-13, and the last 2 verses, verses 15 & 16.

What do you notice? I have NOT included verses 1, 9 & 14. But before we look at those verses, which spelt out for us the key to the state described, let us be as one who truly wants to savour the food God has provided, His Word, in the verses that I have just narrated. Let us know the extent of coverage of God’s promises in those verses.

I am going expound on this Ps 91, in 5 parts, 4 “promises” parts, and the last as the secret/key part

Part 1 - Where we can declare
Verse 2: I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

In this state we can declare confidently that He is our refuge and fortress, our God in whom we trust. In fact, more importantly, when we are in this state, we must believe He is our refuge and our fortress, our God, in whom we trust.

If you think you are IN this state when you are NOT; you are under delusion. But if you are IN it, but you still don’t believe you are in good hands, you too have a problem. When there is no operation of faith on our part, it is NOT pleasing to God (Heb 11:6), and the devil can know it, and can exploit it to our detriment.

What else can we declare?
Verse 3: Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

You and I must declare and must believe that He will save us from snares (traps, trickery) of the enemies, and from calamities.

There are 3 issues, here: one, you have to declare it; two, which is the same as that in verse 2, you and I need to believe; operation of faith we must have. Lastly, you cannot willfully disobey God, insisting your own way.

Verse 4: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

I once had a vision of God as the papa eagle (you can read of it, in my separate article – The Lord as the papa eagle); and in Deu 32:10-11, we read of a very similar portrayal of the Father God coming as the eagle to tend to His children. Here, I believe the picture the psalmist had in mind, was that of a papa eagle, covering us with His feathers. Using His wings, He would bring you and I into His bosom, and there we will find refuge – protection, warmth and rest.

In that article of mine (link as given in preceding para.), I talked about, the vision was telling us that, the faithfulness of the Father God, as the papa eagle, is beyond question. When you do NOT see Him or you do NOT feel Him; it is NOT because He is NOT there, He is in stealth mode! Because of this faithfulness, God is our shield and our rampart (mounted defense).

As pointed out for verse 3, you cannot be stubborn, insisting your own ways, and stubbornness is self-pride - you think you know better and you want to come out from under His wings; you want to step outside of His shadow, and then you wonder why God does NOT protect you, and you wonder where His shield and rampart are. Scripture said in no unclear term, if you are proud (with self pride), God opposes you; and if He opposes you, no wonder you find NOT His faithfulness as your shield and your defense.

In the NT, there was the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and one point of the Parable is that the wayward son had wanted, and went outside of the “shadow”. He was treated like “dirt” outside of the covering of the father. Clearly the story had to say, he subsequently returned to his father’s house, and so, that parable should more accurately be named as The Parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son (Some people, the overly grace believers, expound the Parable to say that there was no returning to the father or penitence on the part of the prodigal son; that in my view, is NOT rightly dividing the Word of God).

Of course, by now, you should know we are NOT necessarily referring to physical location like a physical place; we are NOT. Physical, as in, inside a home, is only allegorical or metaphorical. What is more important is the person’s heart condition or state. It is still The Parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son if the story had developed to say, the repented wayward son sent words home to the father to come to fetch him, for he was too weak to journey home; it is NOT necessarily physical! So, when your heart turns contrite and you cry for the papa eagle, he shows Himself; before that He would be in stealth-mode; you just don’t see, but He is there!

Those who were at the TRF Meeting up at Tuas late 2011 where Ps Cynthia Oei spoke, concerning how the Papa eagle would fly swiftly to catch eaglets dropped off the nest before they could hit the ground when they failed to fly; she said to remember Papa Eagle could fly faster than we fall. Well, the vision God showed me, was that “He is already there, only you don’t see Him, for He is stealth-mode!” A vision of this kind changed how you and I look at God.

Part 2 - Where evil cannot harm you (unless God permits it)
Verse 5: You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

The terror of the night is referring to the bad things that wicked or evil people do in the camouflage of the night/darkness. Of course, it can refer to the terror of evil spirits.

Arrows that fly by day is referring to the many “wars” or “battles” that take place in the day time; indeed we face onslaughts (slander, libel, insult, discouragement, provocation, abuse, threat, etc) throughout the daytime, in our homes, in our work places, in the various activities and events we have to attend to, each day.

For all of these, we are able to summon our courage to face them. In this state we will be able to summon the courage that comes from knowing that we are living in God’s protection to overcome our fear, of any or all of these things.

Verse 6: nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Some more descriptions of troubles of life: calamities that come in most unsuspected times (stalk in the darkness), and threats that come at the appointed times (at midday).

Christians or not, we may have to face them (if you did NOT have to face some, count it God’s grace), the only difference is how Christians are supposed to face their troubles of lives - being able to summon the courage that comes from knowing that we are living in God’s protection to overcome our fear, of any or all of these things.

Verse 7: A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Yes, we are to face our troubles with full confidence in the protection of the LORD. A thousand may fall at our sides, ten thousands at our right hands but no harm shall come to us.

Is it always like that? Yes, if you are in that state or position. NO if you are NOT.

Verse 8: You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

We will only see the punishment of the wicked, and so, take care that you and I do NOT stray and be lumped together with the wicked, and be punished along with the rest of the wicked.

From here, you can also see, the punishment of God for the wicked can happen in his earthly lifetime, even when we know that God is long-suffering concerning the sins of men, desirous of giving time and opportunities for men to repent of their ways. So, you better NOT think that others got away in their life-time, you would too, if you try!

Part 3 - Where we can fall back on the backing of God
Verses 10-12:

Verse 10: then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. No harm will befall you; no disaster will come near you (near enough as to harm you).


Verse 11: For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; God will command his angels to guard you in all your ways.

Verse 12: they {the angels} will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. The angels will lift us up in their hands so that we will NOT strike our feet against the stones.

For those of us who have read the Temptations of Jesus, we will remember Satan actually quoted this verse 12, when attempting Jesus to throw Himself down from a high place. (Satan knows the Word, he may use it, but like Jesus, we can also use it against him {so, you and I have to know the Word because if we do NOT, we cannot use it against Satan or his minions})

I have elaborated earlier (against v4), that we are NOT necessarily referring to a physical place, but rather, the heart condition or state. The temptation of Jesus, also was confirming this point:

Jesus answered Satan saying, we should NOT test the Lord our God. Had Jesus actually listened to Satan and jumped off, do you think, by this verse 12 here, Jesus would be safe; it said, the angels would go and lift Jesus before His foot would hit the stone on the ground, does it NOT? The few verses here so affirmatively stated God’s protection is full-proof, and would never fail; but I believe it would fail, but it failed, NOT because Jesus was NOT in Heaven but on earth (talking about place {physical}); it would be, it failed because, had Jesus jumped, the heart condition/state of Jesus would have NOT been right with God (It would be doubting God/testing God because of doubt).

Verse 13: You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

When we come face to face, so to speak, with the beasts and the snakes (collectively, called the minions of Satan) we will have victory over them, and we will be winning over the great beast, the great lion (lion, being a powerful and majestic animal can symbolically be used to represent the Lord {Lion of Judah}, and sometimes, Satan or devil; in here, it is referring to Satan) and the serpent (serpent, most typically referred to Satan). When we have victory over the followers of Satan, we are winning over Satan.

These few verses tell us that we can fall back, or rely, on, the backing or resources of God.

Part 4 - Where God declares – When in this state or position or place, we even have God declaring in our favor:
Verse 15: He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

Notice here that God did NOT say no trouble, rather, God said, “In his trouble, I will be with him”. God will NOT only deliver him but also honor him; yes, God does honor men but who? We will know in a little while!

Verse 16: With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

God said He will give such a person long life, and show him His salvation which NOT only includes the gift of life but also, healing and deliverance. The Hebrew word used for salvation is H3444, “yĕshuw`ah”, and its scope included eternal life (being rescued from Hell destiny), deliverance, divine help, and welfare which includes health, prosperity and victorious life).

Some people want to argue that the long life is NOT referring to our physical life on earth, but that portion after physical death, life extending into eternity. No, simple reading suggests it is talking about a man’s physical life, in the first part of the verse, and the second part is where God was saying, He would show the person His salvation, and in that salvation, it included the eternal life which would NOT end.

Part 5 (last part) - the secret part, a look at verses 1, 9 & 14 (of Ps 91)
Verse 1: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

The first clue the psalmist gave was he declared that he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

A shelter is a place of protection, so he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High is he who lives in the protection of God. He will be resting in the shadow of the Almighty God, NOT that there will NOT be any “disturbances” or troubles, but because we are confident of the Almighty God’s protection. This is an important understanding (that it was NOT that there would NOT be any trouble, and it was confirmed to us, in v15), so that you do NOT be dismayed in life thinking there is something wrong with you, when in fact we are in the world (fallen world) and will be exposed to troubles or “disturbances”. Jesus said this in John 16:33: …. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

How many of us are like the ones, the psalmist was talking about, living in the protection of God, and are able to find rest in that protection? All of us? All of us have the potential to live in the protection of God, and to rest in Him, but NOT all of us are availing ourselves to it.

Ah? The difference between those who dwell in the shelter of God and finding rest, and those who do NOT, is a choice; in other words, it is volitional. We have to choose to live in the protection of God. If you choose otherwise, you may NOT have the full protection and rest.

The psalmist actually repeated his opening lines of verse 1, in verse 9, but this time, he said, “If you make …”

Verse 9: If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge -

Why would one NOT choose that, to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, if it is a choice, like I said it?

The answer is: we are NOT willing to love God enough to listen to Him. Where does it say that there is a requirement to love God in order to be able to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, you may ask? The answer is found at verse 14.

There are those who said the answer is “a close relationship with God”, but if you break it down, it is still “God loves you, and you love Him back, and you are in sync with Him”. Whether you look at close relationship with God or you loving God, exposition is needed of what is comprised in that close relationship or loving God.

For the purposes of this message I will stick with what was clearly stated by the psalmist, i.e. loving God (v14), and even so, I will NOT be expounding much on what that called for (to expound on the subject of loving God would take separate
article), except to mention that obedience CANNOT be left out (I might in the future do a separate message as a continuation to this, to expound on what is comprised in loving God).

Before we go to verse 14, perhaps, it is important NOT skip saying a few words on such words as “dwell” and “abide” or “abiding” which are in verse 1. The “rest”, in there is referring to abiding rest. Basically, the 2 words implied, “staying in there, continuing in there”, like I dwell in a house on Bt Timah Hill, but I stay over at the Sheraton Hotel, I don’t dwell in Sheraton! There is a degree of permanence implied in dwelling and abiding. Likewise, the requirement of loving God, is also one of continuity, love and continue to love; just bear this in mind, even as we look at verse 14.

Verse 14: "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

This verse is the KEY to this beautiful psalm of protection. How do we get to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, and so be able to rest in the shadow of the Almighty God? Don’t just gloss over this verse 1 of Ps 91!

The answer is only one: Loving God. And Scripture teaches us that we are to love God with all of us, all of our heart, all of our soul and our mind (Matt 22:36-37 and Deu 6:5). You would have noticed that I said “love God and obey Him”, earlier on, even as I said I would NOT be expounding on loving God. It is indeed loving God and obeying Him, for “he who loves God obeys His commands, and he who obeys His commands is the one who loves God” – John 14:15 & John 14:21a. Because God’s love is ultimately, love unto righteousness (`ahab love), and we are to love Him back, also with love according to His righteousness, inevitably, our love for God, is tied to obeying His commands, for His righteousness, in a large part, was and is revealed in His commands, written or spoken, past or presently.

Many people like to quote “God is love”. I submit to you that it is even better to say, “God is love unto righteousness” or “God is `ahab love”. When we acknowledge His name this way, and we love Him back according to His righteousness, we get to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, and when you are living in the shelter of the Most High, you can rest in the shadow of the Almighty God.

Jesus talked about to plunder the home, one has to bind the strongman first (Mark 3:27). Likewise, to get to us, the enemy has to face God first; that is why we are very safe. God said, “I will rescue him; I will protect him”. So if you are asking, “How come I am NOT rescued or protected?”; maybe you should ask first, if you have been loving God, and obeying Him. His rescue and protection is assured, most assuredly, for those who have acknowledged Him and are loving Him, and obeying Him. Are you acknowledging Him, including acknowledging Him as God who ultimately, can only love you unto righteousness, and are you loving Him back according to His righteousness? It is a choice; you have to make the choice to do that. Why don’t to make that choice today, and stick with it, through thick or thin.


Anthony Chia, high.expressions - Lord, thank you for your illumination of this great truth in your Word, that indeed the key to our Christian well-being is in us loving you. May I always bear in mind that your rescue and protection is assured, most assuredly, for those who have acknowledged you and are loving you, and obeying you. Lord, bless this sharing of your Word; that many will begin to make that choice (to love you) to avail themselves of all that you promised in this beautiful psalm of protection. In Jesus’ most precious name, I pray. Amen.

Comments are welcome here. Alternatively, email them to me @: ... {click on it to reveal complete address}

Or just email me your email address so that I can put you on my blog (new entry) notification list. To go back to blog main page, click here.