Commandments of Jesus Christ to His Disciples About Love #14

Commandments of Jesus Christ to His Disciples About Love #14. Blessings, this is Pastor Francisco Gómez of Jesus King of Kings Church greeting you. Today we are continuing our teaching series Called to Be a Disciple. We are on teaching number 14, commandments the Lord Jesus Christ gave his disciples about love. […]

Blessings, this is Pastor Francisco Gómez of Jesus King of Kings Church greeting you. Today we are continuing our teaching series Called to Be a Disciple. We are on teaching number 14, Commandments the Lord Jesus Christ Gave His Disciples About Love.

In this teaching we are talking about one of the most important topics there is, because the word says that no matter what we give or what we do, if we don't do it in love, it is nothing. But today we will be talking about love somewhat in general, because we will be touching on different areas of love — commandments the Lord gave concerning love, both how we show love toward him and, as we'll talk about a little, how he showed his love toward us, but also love among brothers and sisters — love in a somewhat general way. But it is a topic of great importance, because without love, well, nothing — nothing is nothing without love. In reality, we cannot bear true, good fruit for the kingdom of heaven if we do not have love — but love according to the word of God, which is very important, because there is more than one kind of love.

The world's love is not the same as love for God — this is one area where I see the enemy has deceived, does deceive, practically the whole world, especially within the family itself. I have noticed many times, in women, especially in mothers, love for their sons and daughters — they do love them, of course, but the love is contaminated, a love that comes tangled with deception, mixed with the world's love. So when that contamination is present, the enemy manages to get even a mother herself to harm her own sons and daughters, believing she is protecting them, wanting to protect them, but because the love is contaminated, because it is not according to the word of God, because it is not the true love that God gives, the enemy manipulates things so that, practically without realizing it, she suddenly traumatizes her sons and daughters.

That is how we must love, but we must love according to the word of God. So today we will talk about love, we are going to look at what the Lord says about love.

In John 15:10, if you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Now, here some people say, no, because God's love is unconditional. Well, certainly from one point of view, God's love is unconditional, or I would say more than anything, his mercy is unconditional, since, as the word says, the sun rises on the evil and the good. But listen to what the word says, if you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. In short, if you do not keep his commandments, you will not abide in his love.

If you do not keep God's commandments, you will remain under God's wrath. God's wrath is against those who are disobedient and rebellious and who intentionally live a life of sin. So, if we want to remain in God's love, we have to keep his commandments.

It's important to understand all of this. Many people don't understand this part, and they say things like, oh, God is love, God isn't going to send anyone to the lake of fire. In short, it's like a deception from the devil so that they can justify themselves and sin, thinking, no, you're not sinning, nothing's wrong, God loves you, God is love, God isn't going to send anyone to the lake of fire.

God is very good — yes, God is very good, he is — but he is holy, he is just, and in him there is no darkness, and he has no fellowship with darkness. Those who belong to the darkness go where the darkness goes, if they are not redeemed by him. 1 John 5:3, for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.

Once again, what is the love of God? That we keep his commandments. If we truly love him, if someone says, Lord, I love you — keep his commandments. If you don't keep his commandments, you don't love him.

In a person's mind, they think they can love God their own way, but here the Lord is telling us the way he considers to be true love toward him. Whoever does not do what he says — he says that person is a liar. Galatians 5:22-23.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. One of the fruits of the Spirit is love.

We have to seek all the fruits, but this one in particular, the one relevant to this teaching, is one of the greatest, or perhaps the greatest — love. That is a fruit we should desire — if we don't feel it in our hearts, we have to pray and ask the Lord for it. John 15:13.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Here the Lord is teaching, already showing us a deeper level of love, because he showed his love toward us. While we were still sinners, rebellious, disobedient, he gave his life for us.

Why did he give it? For love. To serve God, one needs love. To serve God, to separate oneself from the world as he commands, to be his disciple, and to live to serve others — love is required.

If we don't love with a love that is according to God — because if we have love for the world, love of material things, love of distractions — we cannot do that, we cannot serve people. How are we going to invest our time serving people if we can better serve ourselves instead? Love is required, but not self-love, love for others — a love according to the word of God, in order to be able to do the work of God. 1 John 4:7-8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.

Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Here the word commands us to love one another.

If someone doesn't love, it's because they don't know God. Although I'm not excusing anyone, I do want to open a small parenthesis. For example, these days we are ministering to many people with trauma, with wounds from the past, childhood wounds, sometimes wounds from adulthood, and it happens that, in some of these cases, the heart hardens because of those wounds, because of what a person has been through.

There is a spirit of hardness of heart, and when that happens, it's as if love shuts off inside a person, as if a person becomes numb. So, more than anything, this is a parenthesis, because I know some of you are going to say, pastor, but I don't feel like I have love. You're going to feel very bad about it.

Certainly, if you don't feel love, that's bad, and the problem needs to be solved. One of the reasons — many of you are going to need emotional healing, you're going to need deliverance. That's why it's important to be part of a church where healing and deliverance are ministered.

But on the other hand, if there is no love, there could be another reason — that there truly was a false new birth, since love is of God, as the word says — true love, because here's the thing, everybody loves. Homosexuals and transvestites judge us, the disciples, those who know God, saying that we don't love.

They say, you don't love, because you don't hate us. We don't hate them — we hate sin, we hate deception, not the person. But the devil makes them believe that we hate them, that the fact that we don't accept the behavior, or that we don't accept a marriage between two men or a marriage between two women, the devil makes them believe means we don't love.

They are made to believe that we are the ones without love, but that they do love. Some think God doesn't love, because God doesn't accept what they do, but that they themselves do love, because they love one another. Do you understand? They do love, but it is a diabolical love, a perverse love, a false love.

It is not a true love. God is love. So we have to be alert.

We want to love, love according to the word, love according to the Lord. John 13:35. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

This is a very important word. This word actually exposes the fact that the denominations, in reality, are not disciples of the Lord. Because it says, they will love if they are my disciples, if they love one another.

If you look, for example, at the Trinitarian Pentecostals and the Oneness Pentecostals, they don't love one another. Right there, they're exposing the fact that they are not disciples, or at least that one of the two groups is not made of disciples, or neither of them are. Because those of us who are truly disciples of Jesus Christ, there must be — there must be love for one another.

By this they will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. There must be love, there must be love. We are at war, and the devil is a thief.

And that devil, that thief, steals even love. That is why deliverance, once again, is important. We have to rebuke every spirit of unlove, every spirit that steals love, every spirit of hardness of heart, every spirit that freezes love.

And there are many more spirits out there that hinder, that block love. But it is important that everything blocking love be removed, because love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and it is one of the fruits that confirms we are true disciples, and it is one of the necessary qualities so that everything else we do bears good fruit.

Because if we don't do it in love, things are not right. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Here you can understand — there is love of the lie, and there is love of the truth.

Love of the lie is part of the false love, the love that comes from darkness. Those who have that love, if they don't repent, will not be saved. But it says, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved — in order to be saved we have to love the truth.

And so, what does the word say to those who don't love the truth? That God sends them a deluding power so that they believe the lie, so that those who did not believe the truth would be condemned. Now, this word here is strong, this word is strong. Someone might understand it this way, that if a person doesn't love the truth, if they take everything lightly, and the lie, whatever comes along, oh, how nice, I'll take it —

— the Lord practically sends that person a deluding power so that they are condemned. So then, even to be saved, what do we have to do to be saved? We must love the truth. Today I was talking with a woman who asked a question in one of our virtual gatherings, and I shared a bit with her, because today many deceiving demons manifested while I was ministering to someone.

A spirit of false tongues, of false miracles, of false healings, of false gifts, of false visions, of false prophecy, of false teachings, false pastoring, false calling, a false gift of tongues, false light, a false spirit — many manifested that way, all of them deceivers. And she said, pastor, now with all this — because she saw one come in the form of light, and I was against that one, but then another one came that also looked like light, passing itself off as Jesus Christ; she saw it in visions, and it turned out to be Lucifer deceiving her. But I told her, since now the question is, how do I know that everything happening here is true, when a demon works so hard to deceive?

So I told her that yes, the devil certainly works fervently to deceive, but if we seek, if we put everything, if we put the Lord first, love for the truth first — meaning, we don't want a copy — if in our hearts we are fervently seeking God, and while we seek him, Lord, we don't settle for the fact that we see signs, we see wonders, we see healings, we see beautiful visions, prophetic words — all of that, if it comes from God, is good and edifying, but we don't accept it just because it looks good and beautiful. First, our heart always has to be, Lord, if this that I am seeing, this that I am hearing, if these visions, if these signs, if these wonders, if these healings, if these deliverances come from your Spirit, Lord, show me, because I will receive it — but if they do not come from your Spirit, Lord, even if it all looks very beautiful and pleasant, I don't want it, because that is loving the truth. When we set our hearts, our understanding, our effort in that way, we are saying in the spirit, we are saying, I love the truth, I don't want the lie; Lord, have mercy on me, Lord, I don't want something just because it looks nice or because it seems like you're doing it — I want to know, Lord, that it comes from you; I accept it and I want it if it comes from you, because I submit to the will of the true God, not to the impostors who pass themselves off as Jesus Christ. We have to seek God, persevere, but always with our hearts desiring only the truth — no imitations, no copies, no lies.

Ephesians 4:14, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ. Speaking the truth in love — love for the truth, that is the distinction, that is the key, that is important. Those who love the truth, those who, with humility, with love, with perseverance, with patience, seek God, but putting truth first — not a doctrine, not a man, not a pastor, not a church — it is the Lord.

We want the truth. Wherever the Lord leads us, if people are truly seeking him with their whole heart and in truth, then perfect, we receive it all. But if they turn to other paths that are not of God, if they don't show that love for the truth, if they are not seeking God with humility, then we're better off taking a different path, because we want the truth — it is the truth that sets us free.

If we love the truth and receive the truth, we are saved. Not if we receive doctrines of men — no, that way there is no salvation. If we receive a deluding power and believe the lie — as the word says — will those who believe the lie, twisted doctrines, go to heaven? No, they will be condemned, the word of God says.

The road that leads to salvation is narrow. Philippians 3:7, but what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. What was gain, he counted as loss — why? For love of Christ, and that is what it's about.

Those who are willing, just as Paul was, to count everything as loss for the sake of gaining Christ, because they love the Lord above all things. Here, in other words, he is saying, I love the Lord above all things, and for him I am willing to give up things — what was valuable to me, I have renounced, or I am willing to lose it, because I love the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:10, therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

1 John 3:16, by this we know love, because He laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. By this we know love, in that he gave his life for us, but the word also commands us here that we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. In the end times, which are already here, there will be persecution and there will be things to face.

Brothers and sisters, the flesh compromises family — unfortunately some will betray us and hand us over to death, will hand us over to prison, will hate us and betray us, but true love in Christ will still love us. Some time ago I shared this word and someone with a very Jezebel spirit, or heavily influenced by Jezebel — forgive me, but very, very much walking in that spirit — got angry with me: nobody's going to die for anybody, that's a lie, no man is going to give his life for anybody. That person started sending me messages, nobody's going to die for anybody, that's a lie. But I told her, whoever is not willing to die for God is dead — even if they're alive, they're dead. If we are his disciples, this word is true, and just as the Lord laid down his life for us, if we are disciples of the Lord, we are willing to die for him and to die for our brothers and sisters. That is love in Christ — in the flesh we cannot do these things, but through the Lord we can, and we still do it with joy, we do it with joy.

2 Corinthians 12:15, and I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

Here the apostle is saying how he spends what he has, spends his time, spends — if I spend myself completely, he says — why did he do it? For love of souls. If there's no love for God, one cannot really serve God. Many pastors right now are out there just preaching a couple of hours, two or three days, I don't know, two or three days for a few hours, but they're not giving their lives, they're not focused there on setting the sheep free, on healing them, on fighting the spiritual battle so that the kingdom of God advances, because they still lack the love of God in their hearts, they still lack revelation — because if we have revelation and we have love and we see souls in chains, how could we not do at least what we can? We can't do everything, but we do what the Lord allows us to do. Why do we do it? For love of souls. If there's no love for souls — it's an important love to have. I would say that without that love we cannot bear fruit, especially those of us who have a ministry. How can we bear fruit in a church? How can we truly be useful to the Lord if we don't love souls? It is an important love, love for souls, in order to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 16:14, let all that you do be done with love. Here the word commands us that whatever we do, we do it with love.

Romans 12:9, let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. That is love — God's love also means hating what is evil. So these are things the world doesn't understand, and then people judge us wrongly, saying no, if you truly loved, you wouldn't criticize Catholics, for example — it's not about criticizing Catholics — if you truly loved, you wouldn't criticize Jehovah's Witnesses or any of the many false denominations. If we truly love them, we have to correct them. The world's love, the love that comes from darkness, would say, don't expose the lie — in short, don't correct the person who is in error. That is called love of darkness, that is called not exposing evil — that is not love, it is not according to love in Christ, because if I don't expose the evil, then I am making myself a participant in that evil. How do I love them, if I see that they are in error and that they are going to the lake of fire because of the deception, that they are going to be condemned for not having received the truth — how do we love them if we don't expose that they are wrong? But whoever corrects them, whoever says, look, what you believe — I know you do this because you believe you're right, but you're deceived, this road, even though it looks nice, is not the narrow road, it leads to destruction, it is the wide road — whoever does this in love, whoever does this, is showing love, because it can save the soul of that person who is deceived. True love hates what is evil and defends what is good.

Titus 2:2, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience — once again, love — sound in love.

Galatians 5:13, for you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Through love serve one another — that has to be the reason, the one true reason to serve in the church: love for God first, love for souls, love for our brothers and sisters. Ephesians 4:1, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love — with all humility and patience and gentleness, bearing with one another in love.

If there is love for souls, along with those other beautiful virtues — humility, gentleness, patience — we can overcome even the opposition the enemy puts in place to cause division. With patience and love we overcome.

Galatians 5:6, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Faith works through love — salvation comes through the love, the love with which Christ loved us, and we receive that salvation if we love the truth, which is his word, if we love what he did and what he tells us in his word. Love is necessary in order to be truly saved.

1 Timothy 6:10-11, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

Here it's talking about another kind of love — one of the loves that is unproductive, that brings death: the love of money. The word says love of money is the root of all evil; love of the sexual is the cause of many sins; love of the material — many people sell their lives, sell their souls, sell their bodies, sell drugs, kill — why? For love of money. Love of money is the root of all evil. Many marriages are destroyed because if one of the two loves money, there is wickedness, much wickedness — wherever there is love of money, there is every kind of evil. So love is love, but we don't want that kind of love — there are many kinds of love. The love of God is the one we want; the love of God brings life, and life abundantly. But the love of the world, the different kinds of love that come from darkness, and there are many, bring wickedness, bring division, bring opposition, bring persecution against disciples — the love of the world.

Colossians 3:13-14, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. That bond is what unites us in perfection so that there may be true unity, true brotherhood in the church — there must be love, love is the bond of perfection.

1 Thessalonians 1:5, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. Here the apostle is saying that his gospel did not come to them in words alone, but also with power in the Holy Spirit — and why did they come to that place? For love of them. Love — that is the reason, that is the fuel that has to drive our lives, to serve Christ and to do things. If what we do, we do for love of God, for love of souls, then the fruits will be good and we will have nothing to be ashamed of at the coming of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:8, but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. Wearing the breastplate of faith and love — love is a breastplate, it's like a protection, like a shield that protects us. Love, love for the truth — to fully receive the armor of God we need to love; love is part of that hinge that helps us receive and be protected in the Spirit.

Romans 13:10, love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. That is why the word says that whoever loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law — it doesn't say it any other way here, and it doesn't explain it further: love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. In short, the law God gave through Moses had the purpose of not doing harm to one's neighbor. That's why it says we are no longer under the law, because now God's love has been shown in a different way, through his Holy Spirit — if we receive him and repent of sin, then loving our neighbor is the fulfillment of the law, because if we have truly repented of sin, if we know the Lord, if we have received him, then we will no longer seek to harm our neighbor, and therefore we have already fulfilled the law.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So this chapter, this very precious chapter, is about love, and it says that in the end faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of them is love. It doesn't say that if we do many things, do good — if we give to the poor, if we sell everything we have to give to the poor, and even if we are willing to die, perhaps for the Lord, if we have gifts, if we do many things — if we do it without love, it is nothing. In short, if we want what we do to be received by God — our sacrifices, our service, whatever we do, if we fast, pray, give offerings, read the word, seek to evangelize, seek to serve however we can, to be useful for the advance of the kingdom of heaven — the word says that if we do all these things but we don't do them in love, we're not doing anything. So it is one of the virtues, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, that we must seek fervently. We should say, Lord, search my heart — if there is no true love, Lord, please have mercy on me, forgive me, deliver me, help me, guide me, I want to be free, Lord, I want to have that love in my heart, the way that pleases you, because practically everything depends on love. If we don't have love, the fruit we bear is bad. So love is indispensable, so that we may bear fruit worthy of being received by our Creator.

1 Peter 4:7-8, but the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Above all, have fervent love among yourselves — love will cover a multitude of sins. Love is not only necessary for us to serve and be a blessing, but with love we can also be useful, so that, in a sense, the sins of others may be covered and other souls saved.

1 John 4:16, and we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love is like that — it's a help, it's evidence that helps us understand and confirm that we are in him and he is in us — love.

Philippians 1:9, and this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment — that your love may abound. Here the apostle prays, and that is his prayer for everyone. And I, to conclude this teaching, this is also my prayer and my petition for all of you listening: that the love of God be firm and grow and remain in your hearts, that you learn to love everything God loves and hate what God hates, that your love be made perfect, that your love be pleasing in the sight of God, that the Lord teach you to love according to his will, not according to the world. Thank you for listening to me, the Lord bless you, until next time.

Order it now — our book is available in English and Spanish, in Digital and Print editions

Our Book Will Be Published Very Soon — subscribe to be notified when it's available.

Subscribe to be notified of new posts.

Categories

• Blog
• Teachings
• Prayers
• Bible Prayers
• Verses

Subscribe so you don't miss any of our YouTube broadcasts

Recent Posts

• Deliverance from Autism | Spiritual Warfare PDF
• Prayers of the Old Testament
• Exposing the End-Time Apostasy – There's No Need for Spiritual Warfare: Apostasy in the Christian Church. #9
• Exposing the End-Time Apostasy: Doctrines of Demons. #8
• Exposing the End-Time Apostasy: False Baptisms in the Christian Church. #7

Support Us — Your offering helps change lives all over the world, for eternity. Thank you for your contribution.

SHARE THIS POST

Pastor Francisco Gomez

Thank you for reading our posts. It is our greatest desire that you be edified and blessed. Greetings in the name of our entire Jesus King of Kings congregation.

Keep Reading

Deliverance from Autism | Spiritual Warfare PDF

Prayers of the Old Testament

Exposing the End-Time Apostasy – There's No Need for Spiritual Warfare: Apostasy in the Christian Church. #9

Exposing the End-Time Apostasy: Doctrines of Demons. #8