Priest Konstantin Litvyakov. About love. Love for God Sermon on Love for People

About love for God, neighbor and yourself

In the sermon of our reverend father Arseny, love for God and neighbor is spoken of.

Blessed is the man in whom there is the love of God, because he bears God within himself.

In whom there is love, he does not exalt himself before anyone, does not puff himself up, does not slander anyone himself. In whom there is love, he does not compete, does not envy, does not look with a hated eye, does not rejoice at the fall of others. In whom there is love, he fulfills the will of God. Blessed is he who has acquired it, he will be the companion of the angels. By love man is reconciled with God. We must use all our strength to plant in ourselves this feeling of love, the basis of salvation, the source of bliss.

How blessed is the one who has acquired love, so unfortunate and pitiful is the one who is far from it. Whoever does not have the love of Christ is an enemy to Christ. Whoever wants to be saved must certainly acquire it in himself, because, according to the words of the apostle, it is an excellent way to salvation (Corinth., 12). Love occupies such an important place in the matter of salvation that all the exploits of a person, all his virtues, without it, will serve nothing.

About the love of God. In order to increase love for God in oneself, a person needs to remember more often about the blessings that he received from Him. God is the beginningless, the highest, the uncreated, the infinite Good. As the sun always shines, as fire always warms, so God always does good. The Lord does good even then when He punishes, for He punishes in order to correct, to have mercy; brings sadness in order to truly console.

About the creation of man. God is the Creator - He created man out of nothing, not like other creatures, but by His special Divine Council. Man is created in the image and likeness of God. What marvelous goodness of God to man! God loves him so much that He sent His Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Love must be repaid with nothing more than love and gratitude. God is our Provider, He provides for man and takes care of him, giving clothes, food and shelter. A person is surrounded on all sides by His blessings, love, and without Him he cannot live for a minute. Everything around is created by His creative hand.

About signs of love to God. Nothing deceives a person so much as in love. Those who truly love God strive to keep His commandments and avoid everything that is contrary to God. A clear sign of love for God is heartfelt joy in God. A person usually rejoices in what he loves, so God's love cannot be without joy. This is spiritual joy, heavenly, there is a foretaste of eternal life. He who truly loves God remembers him, constantly keeps in his memory his love and good deeds. This can be seen in human love - whom we love, we often remember. So whoever loves God often thinks about Him and aspires to Him with all his heart.

About love for your neighbor. Whoever loves God also loves his neighbor. The source of love for one's neighbor is love for God; but love for God is known from love for one's neighbor. The root and beginning of love for one's neighbor is Divine love. God without a doubt loves every person, love for neighbor is constantly commanded in the word of God. We must try to love our neighbor not in word, but in deed.

About a person's love for himself. Man's love for himself is inspired by nature itself. To love oneself means to seek goodness, happiness and well-being. It belongs to man to know himself, his nature and purpose. If he loves himself as he should, then he tries with all his might to save his soul. A person who loves himself with the right love cherishes his calmness, not embarrassed by any vicissitudes, trying to cleanse his heart of filth and malice for this. A humble heart will never want that which turns it away from God.

About reading the Word of God. It is necessary to read the Holy Scripture more often, so a person will know better and notice his shortcomings and more root in himself humility of wisdom. Especially the study of the Word of God contributes to the removal of pride. Prayer disposes a person to fellowship with God and at the same time arouses love, both for God and for one's neighbor, and purifies a person's love for himself.

About the Golgotha ​​plagues of Christ. In the first and second appearances to the apostles, the Lord Jesus Christ showed them His sores on the Resurrected Body. And this action with God contained an instructive and mysterious meaning. The ulcers of the cross of Christ are signs of the boundless love of the Divine, a source of abundant grace and a letter of our condemnation. The sores of Jesus are nothing but eternally shining fiery writings, proclaiming to the whole world how much the Merciful Lord loved a person. The wounds of Christ not only preach about the highest love of the Lord, but are also a source of rich mercies of God for believers, because from them the Christian world and grace-filled comforts are poured out into the hearts. Jesus Christ in the Holy Mysteries of the Church revealed to man the inexhaustible heavenly spring of Grace, from where all reborn humanity draws eternal life in God.

My present sermon will be somewhat unusual for me, because up to now I have spoken only to believing Orthodox Christians. Today I will have to read my speech to a much more diverse audience. But this is even interesting, because how else to taste the taste of wine, if not to drink it? Jesus said, "Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" And I hope with all my heart that after listening to me, you will find this happiness and harmony of your souls.

The topic of my sermon, oddly enough, will be love. But wait, do not say that everything has been said about love for a long time, and there is nothing to discuss here. Let me disagree with you.

Love is eternal, it existed even before the Lord created this world, for God is eternal, and God is love. The first people were created for the love of God. The Bible book "Song of Songs" is entirely devoted to the love of King Solomon. Love for people prompted Jesus Christ to sacrifice himself for the salvation of mankind.

The apostle Paul said, "God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and love, and soundness." So you should not consider this "spirit of love" as some kind of mysterious guest that visits a person, takes possession of his whole being, causing a storm of enthusiastic feelings and a terrible attraction. This is not true. I agree that love is a wonderful, incomparable feeling. But, one way or another, it must be comprehended, both rationally and empirically. My point is that the frivolous feelings that reign in the world today have little to do with true love, the kind of love that encourages people to become husband and wife, build a happy family, raise children and avoid divorce.

Open your eyes! Look around! Look around! Isn't that what John wrote about in his Apocalypse: fornication, and adultery, and immorality! In this world, there seems to be no place left for love and family. Many narrow-minded people would say: “But why love and marriage to a modern person?” What do you mean why?! Is modern society really a poorly organized, shattered structure that smells of drugs, alcohol, pheromones and is illuminated by red lanterns?! Has mankind now returned to the Stone Age, to the time of promiscuity, when everyone slept with everyone else?

In most developed countries, the institution of marriage is collapsing, or at least in crisis. Many marriages end in divorce. Incomplete families make up 20% of the total number of families. And this despite the fact that when parents divorce, the most innocent creatures suffer - children. In his stunning epistles, Paul wrote: "Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies: he who loves his wife loves himself." What, was the apostle not right? Does love really end only in bed, without going beyond promiscuity and dubious relationships?

A lot of young people today start their families this way. Having met, we met for about two months, got a little idea about each other and decided that they would live together. All! Just live together. And how do they explain it? Yes, it’s very simple: they say, suddenly we don’t get along in character, fall out of love with each other, decide that we can’t be together. Then there is nothing easier than to disperse. But if nothing so terrible happens, then we'll see, maybe - and we will register our relationship. But for the most part, such relationships end in divorce, but in essence, nothing. There were two loving hearts, and no. And it’s also good that during their life together, young people did not make a child! Otherwise, he will suffer the most. But parents don't care. And the whole tragedy happened due to the fact that once they did not give a damn about love, they decided that it was no more important than a cigarette: you can smoke it and throw it on the dirty asphalt. And they themselves are to blame for this. No one is to blame: neither God, nor others, nor the Church, nor anyone else - only they are responsible for everything.

So it turns out that we have real, strong families - once or twice and counted, and then some still shout: “We don’t need families, we don’t need love!” Well, you don't have to and you don't have to. Only I want to ask such air shakers: “Where did you come from? After all, someone gave birth to you? And if I gave birth, then I hope not in a public toilet at the station, or not in the gateway of the red light district, and certainly not in a nightclub, right on the dance floor? I am sure, I swear to you, that it is not. You were born by a completely normal woman, under normal conditions, and for sure - you are the fruit of pure and strong love of your parents. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here and listening to me.

One of the letters of the New Testament says: "All that was written before was written for our instruction." So let's turn to the Holy Scriptures, namely, to the speeches of the Apostle Paul, already mentioned by me in this sermon, his First Epistle to the Corinthians, ch. 13, for it is not without reason that he is called the "Apostle of Love."

So, now we will talk not only about family love, for I sincerely hope that each of those sitting here shares the biblical truth “a man will cleave to his wife, and two will become one flesh.” Now spiritual love, love for one's neighbor, will be added to the love between a man and a woman. And in no case should these two manifestations of love be separated, for remember: God is love and God is everything in this world and God is one, therefore love is one and never ceases, no matter what happens and no matter what crazy speeches are uttered.

Paul says: “faith, hope, love; but the love of them is greater. So what's so difficult about it? Believe! And according to your faith, you will be given the hope of salvation. Hope! For your hope will surely bring love with it. So love, because in essence only love rules the hearts of good people, through love it is easiest to know God; remember that he loved us so much that he gave his only-begotten son as a sacrifice for our sins! Believe, hope and love, because since the creation of the world people have believed, hoped and loved. So it was and so it will be!

But what is neighborly love? Let me take as an example the pure love of a man and a woman. What does Scripture say? That love is merciful, long-suffering, not exalted. And from myself I will add: and sacrifices himself for the sake of his beloved. So, if love is mutual, then let it endure everything; if for some reason she cannot endure everything, then love is weak and cannot be called real.

Take care of love, for there will be nothing better than love in your life, for there is nothing and no one better than God, and God, I repeat, is love. Nothing will replace love for you: no drugs, no alcohol, no music, no dubious entertainment, no promiscuity; and if you do not know how to love, then there is no more unhappy person in the world, I swear to you. Love is fragile, like a reed, and tender, like lily leaves, hide it from the harmful effects of everything evil and diabolical. Is it true that when a candle is burning in your hands and the wind blows, do you not shelter its flame from the wind? So hide your love from the winds of life, otherwise they will extinguish it and plunge your entire existence into darkness.

Let me tell you another story. When he was a student of history, this man met one girl, beautiful, smart and kind. After some time, love was born between them. And what would you think? Young people got married and began to live together. I'm sure at first the love between them was the most real! But soon the same worldly winds appeared: boring working days, new acquaintances, minor problems. These people did not save their love, they allowed it to be torn into small pieces. And to whom? To ourselves! It's easier than ever to take out anger and fatigue on your neighbor, and you try to love him, no matter what, despite all the troubles of life! Try to take care of your loved one, not noticing the speck in his eye, and even pulling the log out of your own eye! This is what is difficult, this is what requires strong faith and strong hope!

Unfortunately, such a story is not uncommon today, and, sadly, it is being repeated more and more often among young people. But I sincerely hope that the hearts of all who sit here are not made of stone, but of flesh, and at least a small part of my sermon has touched these hearts. And this is the most important and comforting thing for me.

Finally, I want to say that everything I said today was not unfounded. Not at all. My sermon today before you, who so kindly agreed to listen to me, is based on the immortal truth of the Holy Scriptures and in my strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who said to us:

GOD IS LOVE.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen.

In previous weeks, the Holy Spirit has prompted me to pray for a deeper knowledge of God's love for me. After I read 1 John 4:16, I realized how little I know about walking daily in God's love. John wrote in this Epistle: “And we knew the love that God has for us, and we believed in it. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

I am sure that most Christians know about God's love for them only theologically. They have studied the scriptures about love and heard sermons about it - and yet their understanding of love comes down to a line from a children's song: "Jesus loves me, I know this, because the Bible tells me so."

We say that we believe that God loves us, the whole world, all lost humanity. But this is an abstract belief! Few Christians can say with certainty, “Yes, I know that Jesus loves me because I have a correct understanding of what His love is. I comprehended it, I live in it. She is the foundation of my daily walk.”

However, the daily life of most Christians is not about walking and relying on God's love. Instead, they live under a cloud of guilt, fear, condemnation. They never felt truly free, they never rested in God's love for them. They are able to sit in church, raise their hands and rejoice, but all the while they carry a secret burden with them. There was never a moment when they were absolutely free from the constant feeling that they could never please God. They say to themselves: “Something is missing in me, I am not what I should be. Something is wrong!"

Listen to what Paul says: “Live in love, even as Christ loved us.” (Eph. 5:2). The apostle insisted, turning to the Ephesians: "Jesus truly loves you - so live like those whom He loved so much!"

I have heard the confessions of many "mature" Christians, those who have walked with the Lord for thirty or forty years and yet confess that they have never known the joy of being loved by God. Outwardly, they looked happy and content, however, inside they always carry the burdens of doubt and fear. I'm sure these brothers and sisters simply never knew the depth of love God has for them. They have never experienced the peace that knowledge of God's love brings to the heart!

You will never seek revelations of God's love until you get tired of living in fear, guilt, condemnation, and shame!

You must wake up one day and say to yourself: “It is impossible to live like this! I cannot continue to serve God with this consciousness of anger on me, always feeling condemned and unworthy. If I love Jesus and believe that my sins are forgiven, then why is my heart so heavy?”

Of course, God did not save you in order to allow you to live your whole life with guilt and condemnation. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24).

One of the meanings of the word "judgment" here is the word "wrath". Jesus says that you will not come to judgment - that is, on the Day of Judgment you will be free from His wrath. But "judgment" also means "a feeling of being constantly out of standard." And Jesus is saying here that the believer will never have this feeling of dissatisfaction with himself!

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1). Any sense of guilt and condemnation, of course, from the devil. And Paul warns us not to fall into “condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). In the English translation, this passage sounds like “condemnation from the devil.” Here he is saying that when you fall under judgment, you will fall from grace—that is, you will come out of that state of rest that God has given us through the Blood of His own Son.

Beloved, the Holy Spirit convicts, but He never condemns. His ministry is to convict sin. But He does this only for the purpose of healing - to bring a person into a state of peace and rest in Christ. And He does it with tenderness, not with anger.

“Who condemns? Christ died, but rose again; He is also at the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us.” (Rom. 8:34). The Lord says, “Who condemns you? Why are you walking around with a sense of condemnation when your Savior is right before Me, interceding for you?”

Judgment remains only for those who have refused the light of the gospel: “The judgment consists in this, that the light has come into the world; but people loved the darkness more than the light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19).

If you love for the Word of God to come and reveal everything that's in your heart, then you're no longer condemnable. Judgment remains only for those who hide sin and love darkness! You love light, don't you? Then why do you allow yourself this feeling of guilt?

However, you may have been attacked by a temptation that you feel you cannot overcome. Or perhaps you are under a sense of inadequacy, unworthiness, fear that the devil will trip you up and you will not stand.

Then today is the day for you - the day of the revelation of God's love for you! I pray that as you read this sermon, something stirs in the depths of your heart and you say, “You're right, Brother David, it's all about me. I don't want to live like this anymore!"

Christians who live with guilt, fear, and condemnation are “not rooted and grounded” in the love of God:

“by faith Christ dwell in your hearts, so that you, rooted and confirmed in love, may comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19).

“Rooted and established” here means “founded on a deep and stable foundation of knowing and fully presenting God’s love for you.” In other words, knowing God's love for you is the fundamental truth on which all other truths must be built!

For example, this is what the fear of the Lord is based on. The holy fear of God is not the fear that He is ready to punish you right away if he catches you in some small offense. No, it is the fear of His holiness, of what is being prepared for those who love darkness more than light!

Our heavenly Father sent His Son to die for our sins and weaknesses. And without knowing and fully understanding this love for you, you will never have a stable, solid foundation!

“That you may understand the love of Christ” The Greek word translated here as “understand” means “to seize swiftly”, “to seize”. Paul wanted to tell us here to take hold of this truth and make it the foundation of our Christian life. He's saying here, "Reach out your spiritual hands and say, 'I own this, this is mine!'

1. God's love for us is tied to His heavenly treasures!

You cannot separate God's treasures from His love. His love is connected with the abundant riches that are in heaven for our use. He gives us everything we need for every crisis in our lives - to help us live victorious lives all the time!

I prayed for weeks, “Lord, I want to know Your heart. I cannot get an explanation of Your love for me in any of the books in my library, or even from the most holy person who has ever lived on earth. This revelation can only come from You. I want to have my personal revelation of Your love - straight from You! I want to see it so clearly that it can even change my walk before You and my service.”

When I prayed, I didn't know what to expect. Will the revelation of His love come, overflowing my soul with a flood of praise? Or will it appear as a great vision that will leave me breathless, or as a manifestation of His nearness? Or will it come as a feeling that I am somehow special in His eyes, or will it be such a real touch of His hand on me that will change me forever?

No, God spoke to me in a very simple little verse, “For God so loved that he gave a Son” (John 3:16). His love is tied to His riches in heaven—His abundant provisions for us!

The Bible says that our love for the Lord is proved by our obedience to Him. But His love for us is revealed in another way - through His giving! You cannot know Him as a loving God until you see Him as a giving God. God so loved us that He put all the treasures, glory and bounty of the Father into His Son Jesus and gave Him to us! Christ is God's gift to us, in whom is hidden everything we need to be overcomers in this life.

“For it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him.” (Colossians 1:19). “For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him” (Colossians 2:9-10). In other words, “In Him you have everything you need—everything you need!”

But the problem is that only a few Christians accept what God has to offer. We do not seek or possess the treasures hidden in Christ - and they lie unclaimed in heaven!

What a surprise awaits us when we reach heaven! Then God will show us all the riches prepared by His love for us, and how we have not used them.

We see an example of this in the parable of the prodigal son. This story reveals God's love very deeply and proves that His love for us is connected to His untold riches and contentment!

2. God's love insists that we come to the end of all our human resources and demand His bountiful treasures!

This is the whole point of the parable of the prodigal son. This is the story of two sons: one who came to the end of his resources, and the other who never claimed his father's supplies.

The younger son came to his father and said: “Give me the next part of the estate.” (Luke 15:12). What he received - and wasted afterwards - represents his own qualities: his talents, abilities, everything he used to face life with all its difficulties. He said, “I am intelligent, smart, educated. I can go away and try to live my own way!”

This example reflects the condition of many Christians today. However, when the going gets tough, how soon do we run out of our own supplies! How quickly we are wasting everything we have! We can find a way out of some problems and inner strength for some trials. But there comes a time when hunger strikes the soul!

You come to the end of your strength and do not know where to turn. Your friends cannot help you. You were left devastated and hurt, with nothing inside you to get support from. All your strength is exhausted - all your struggle is over! All that's left is fear, depression, emptiness, hopelessness.

Perhaps you are still wandering around the devil's horned troughs, floundering in the void, starving to death? It happened to the prodigal son. There was nothing left for him to hope for! All his own resources were depleted. And he realized where all his arrogance had led him.

But what finally sobered him up? When did he come to? It happened when he remembered all the abundant riches in his father's house!

He said, “I am starving here. But in my father’s house there is enough bread, even in abundance!” (see Luke 15:17). He decided to go home and take advantage of his father's generous supplies!

The meaning of God's love lies in the Father's invitation to enter and enjoy the food at His feast!

There is not a single word in this parable that says that the prodigal son came back because he loved his father. True, he repented - he fell to his knees, crying: “Father, I am guilty! I have sinned against you and against God. I am not even worthy to enter your house.” But he didn't say, "Father, I'm back because I love you!"

On the contrary, the truth is revealed here that God's love for us is manifested without any conditions, it does not depend on our love for Him. Indeed, He loved us even when we were far from Him in our hearts, were sinners. This is unconditional love!

When the prodigal son returned, his father did not list the entire list of his sins. He didn't say, “Where have you been? How many harlots have you slept with? How much money is left in your wallet? Give me a report!”

No, instead he fell on his neck and kissed him. He told the servants, “Kill the fatted calf! Put new clothes on him, new shoes on his feet and a ring on his hand. And let's celebrate - let's rejoice and have fun!"

Where in this picture is Father's love revealed? In His willingness to forgive? His tender kiss? A fattened calf? Clothes, shoes or a ring?

Of course, these were all expressions of His love, but none of them are complete. “In this is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10). “Let us love Him, because He first loved us.” (Art. 19).

The full revelation of love is that a father could not have true joy until he made sure that his son was with him again in the banquet hall!

“He brought me into the banqueting house, and his banner over me is love.” (Songs P. 2:4). A father's joy could not be complete until he sat down in the banqueting house with his son, and until he made sure that his boy knew that he was forgiven and his sins washed away. They were to sit at the table - at the feast table of the Lamb!

If you were to look out the window at this moment, you would see a young man who has just received a true revelation of God's love:

Oh He danced for joy! There was music and he laughed and was happy. His father was happy for him, smiling at him!

o He was not under a cloud of fear. He did not listen to the ancient lie: “You will return again to this pig trough! You're not worthy of that kind of love.” Oh no, he accepted forgiveness and heeded his father's word to come in and take what he needed.

o He heard his father whisper to him, “All that is mine is yours. You don't have to go hungry ever again. You don't need to be lonely anymore, beggarly, cut off from My storerooms.”

Beloved, this is the fullness of God's love, its very essence! It lies in the fact that even in our dark hours, God not only does not shame us and does not remind us of the past, but, on the contrary, says: “Bring here a fatted calf, we will eat and be merry! A feast is always prepared in My house for My beloved!”

Today we have an even better promise: “And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. But to Him Who, by His power working in us, can do incomparably more than what we ask or think about” (Eph. 3:19-20).

This is what God's love for us is: “I offer you a transcendent, overflowing fullness—every crisis, joy for every moment of your life. Come to My pantries and take!”

At the same time, the eldest son was in the field, working hard, doing the work assigned by his father, and, returning from work, he suddenly heard music, laughter, songs. As he got closer to home, he discovered that the whole feast was about the return of his prodigal brother - the one who had squandered his father's estate with harlots, living dissolutely!

When the eldest son looked out the window, he saw his father rejoicing over his prodigal son, enjoying the sight of him. He couldn't understand how his bad brother could feel so free, happy and blessed in such a short time! Scripture says of him, "He was angry and would not come in." (Luke 15:28).

Finally, his father came out of the house and urged him to enter. But the eldest son answered: “Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your command; but you never gave me a kid to have fun with my friends.” (Luke 15:29). That is, he said: “This is not fair! All these years I have served you well. And never disobeyed you, not once.”

Oh, how many of us are like a big brother! We spend years trying our best to please our Lord, living a life of perseverance to always do the right thing! This also applies to me to a large extent, because very often I was outside the house, looking inside what was happening there.

See, I've known the Lord all my life. I have never been in the world. I never smoked a cigarette, never touched drugs, never lived in fornication. I tried to live for the Lord.

Sometimes I saw a new convert come back home to Jesus, someone who used to live in sin. When he returned, he suddenly began to dance, rejoice - happy and free! He came to Christ with simple faith and no longer had any sense of guilt, condemnation, or memories of the past. Everything was new to him! God seemed to be smiling at him!

Then I sat down, thinking: “Of course, he is singing and glorifying now, but is he really holy? I have paid the price for my place with God—I have served Him for many years. And I still have burdens, worries. Sometimes I feel the weight of guilt, shame. And here comes this one, dancing! He comes in and goes beyond me with simple faith in God's Word. Lord, this is wrong! He feels so free and my life is so complicated!”

The eldest son, in spite of all his years of service to his father, never knew true joy because he never took advantage of his father's invitation to accept everything he needed!

I think the eldest son immediately returned to his shepherd's shack, thinking about the day he would receive his inheritance: “Just wait! Someday, when death has done its work, I will enter into great blessings. I inherit great wealth!” This is an example of a person who thinks to enter heaven and there receive all that is good from God.

His father must have been broken in his heart. I think he repeated to his son over and over again: “My son! You are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours!” (Article 31). In other words, “You have been with me all these years, and everything I have was yours. You know I would give you everything - but you didn't come to get it!"

I ask you: how many years have you been away from home? You have a Father who has prepared great treasures for you. And you haven't claimed them yet!

The parable shows us that the prodigal son received doubly by entering and enjoying his father's treasures. He could continue his earthly life with a generous supply of forgiveness, joy, peace, and all the blessings that were now his. And when death brought him an inheritance, he could fully enjoy what he knew already on earth.

Indeed, the sin of the elder brother, the one who stayed at home, walked in obedience and never transgressed the will of the Father, was greater. Yes, of course, it is a great sin to exchange our Father's property for carnal life and apostasy, but it is an even greater sin to refuse God's great love, i.e. leave unclaimed the supplies He gave us at such a great price!

God's love insists that we stop focusing our attention on our mistakes and sins and instead turn our attention to the riches offered to us in Christ!

No one reproached the prodigal son, did not give him morals, did not remind him of his sin - because God did not allow the reminder of sin to be at the center of the restoration process of his son.

There was true remorse and regret for what had happened. And it was time to enter the banqueting house - for a gala dinner! The father said to his eldest son: “He disappeared, but now he has been found. He is forgiven – and now is the time to rejoice and be happy!”

Are you tired of living like a beggar when you could have been provided with everything you need? Maybe the very object of your attention is chosen incorrectly? You tend to dwell on your weaknesses, temptations, and past failures. And when you look inside your own heart, what you see there disappoints you. You allow guilt to seep into your consciousness.

Beloved, you must look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith! When the devil comes and points out some weakness in your heart, you have every right to say, “My Father already knows all of this—and yet He loves me! He gave me everything I needed to get the victory and keep it.”

“For if (our) heart condemns us, how much more so does God, because God is greater than our heart and knows everything.” (1 John 3:20). He knows everything about you, but He continues to love you and says, “Come and get everything you need. The pantries are open!”

Verily, the doors to His storehouses are wide open, and His riches overwhelm them. God encourages you: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).

Here's what you need to enter His treasury and get everything you need:

1. Come boldly to His throne and ask without hesitation for all the mercy and grace you need to get through all the temptations and trials. The devil has a million ways to make you feel guilty, fearful, condemned, and embarrassed. And he will tell you: “You feel this way because there is a lot of garbage in your heart!” But I stopped looking into my heart a long time ago because it's always black. And yet it is white in the eyes of my Father - because it is covered with the blood of the Lamb!

It doesn't matter what you feel. Just look in the Word of God what Jesus did. He wiped clean the record of your sins!

2. Remind God that it was His idea for you to come. You didn't come to the Lord saying, "Father, I want everything You have!" No, He invited you, saying, “All I have is yours. Come and take it!”

3. Come to God with faith in His Word. The Bible says that everything He has for us is accomplished by faith. All you have to do is say in faith, “Lord Jesus, fill me with Your peace—because You said it was mine! I ask for rest for my soul!”

You cannot do this yourself. You cannot beg for it or take it with songs. No, it comes when you are rooted and grounded in the revelation of God's love for you. It does not come in feelings, but in the Word that He Himself said: “There is plenty of bread in My house – even in abundance!”

4. Take God's Word and break all your fear, guilt and condemnation into pieces! Renounce all this, it is not from God! You can say, “Let the devil come to me with his lies. My Father already knows all this, but He has forgiven and cleansed me. So there is no more guilt or condemnation for me. I am free!"

Dear believer, I believe that if you ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand this truth right now so that you can be strengthened and grounded in it, the coming days will be the greatest of your life. You can say, “Lord Jesus, I know I will make mistakes. But nothing will shake me, because You have everything I need to get the victory and live in it!”

Come to His treasury and claim all that is yours from your loving Father! Hallelujah!

Zhanna Zakharova 2012

The one who knows how to love is the creator

Scripture passage: Colossians 3:14

Today, taking advantage of the opportunity and honor given to me by God to stand in this pulpit, I will affirm that the one who knows how to love becomes a creator. He can create everything new in himself and around him.

Is there anyone in this room who needs a word of love? Someone may not feel that he is loved, who feels a lack of love in his life.

I look forward to your most active participation in today's meeting. If your heart will respond to what I say - say out loud "Amen", raise your hand, nod your head.

Today we will not just parse the word, we will work together on ourselves. This is what we come here for. Praise God and change according to His word And if you have any questions, write it down for yourself, we will discuss it after the service.

I know that some believers are, to put it mildly, embarrassed when they see a woman instead of a preacher. Someone, perhaps, will think now: “Well, a woman, in the spring she was drawn to romance, she is going to talk about love.” Those who think so are in for a surprise.

Meanwhile, love is one of the three Christian virtues. And - the main one. What are the other two? Any ideas?

1 CORINTHIANS 13

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have no love, then I am a ringing brass or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but have no love, then I am nothing.

3 And if I give away all my possessions, and give my body to be burned, but have no love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, does not pride itself,

5 does not act disorderly, does not seek his own, is not irritated, does not think evil,

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ceases, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

10 When that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part will cease.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child; and when he became a man, he left the childish.

12 Now we see, as it were, through a dim glass, guessingly, then face to face; Now I know in part, but then I will know, just as I am known.

13 And now these three remain: Faith Hope Love; but the LOVE of them is greater.

God has order in everything and always. If only we knew and understood this order. He tells us about three Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. They are interrelated, but still they are not the same.

Each has its own peculiarity. Faith is different from hope. Hope, for example, does not heal. If you keep saying I hope I get well, it will be a long wait. Maybe until the end of his days. If you say, I hope that there is a God, then it is said about you that he who doubts is like a wave of the sea and let him not hope to receive anything from God.

Another thing is when we say: “I believe that I am saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ”, “I believe that by His stripes I was healed”, “I believe that my name is written in the Book of Life in Heaven”. Hope cannot please God. The only way to please God is by faith.

But - this does not mean that hope is useless things, this should be treated with disdain. No. She is also from God. In what cases should we hope and for what? Let this be your homework.

Despite the fact that believers, non-believers, romantics, skeptics, poets, writers have written volumes about love about love. And there is no single answer to the question of what love is. Believers, already so, habitually, somewhere even routinely say God is love. Well, the most savvy will cite a bunch of quotes from the Bible about love, since there are a lot of them. Someone counted, like 76. I didn't count.

People manage to justify their mistakes, their stupidities with love, they try to justify fornication and adultery with love. After all, someone thought of this, to say: “Love is evil, you will love and ....” I don’t even need to continue, because everyone already knows. Love is evil... Yes. Is love evil? The World Health Organization has included love in the register of diseases under the name "disorder of habits and desires." Some wonder if this love even exists? It's like asking if there is a God?

One philosopher wisely remarked: "It is much easier to love the whole of mankind than your nearest neighbor." Look at your nearest neighbor. Ask yourself, do I love him? Just be honest. You don't have to say anything out loud. It's so for yourself. Useful a little later.

Many want to walk in love, they want to love people, they know that a Christian must love, must cover everything with love. But how to do it? Does not work. Can't I love him? Well, why should I love him? It doesn’t suit me to force myself ... Well, I don’t feel love for him. That's right, you don't feel it. Because the biggest misconception is to mistake your own feelings for love. Because feelings can come and go, often we cannot control them.

"Love Serve One Another" says in the letter to the Galatians (5:13), and in the letter to the Romans (12:9) warns us: "Love, let it be unfeigned."

Like or not really the one who sits behind, side, front. That's fine, leave him alone and take care of yourself.

Now let's make a breakthrough in understanding why love fails. Forcing yourself is useless. Your love, as it is said, let it be unfeigned.

God proved His love to us by giving His Only and Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ for us. The Lord Jesus proved His love to us by giving His life for us.

BUT WE CAN ONLY GIVE OTHERS WHAT WE HAVE.

We get irritated, offended, we talk to others, like controllers on a train, we offend someone, then we repent, we get upset, we feel guilty, we ask for forgiveness, we pity others, in the end we feel terribly sorry for ourselves. Prayed, suffered, recovered .... And we went around in a new circle. And all because there is no love in the heart. It should be, but it isn't. Why does one have it and the other doesn't?

The breakthrough in my understanding of the question of why some have love and others do not, occurred when I realized I DID NOT REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVED ME MYSELF. BECAUSE I NEVER SERIOUSLY, REALLY TAKEN HIS LOVE FOR MYSELF. I've heard a thousand times, God loves you, God love. But this word did not become my flesh, I did not put on it. That's why I chose from many Bible quotes about love - this one: “Most of all, put on LOVE, which is the bond of perfection.” She calls to action. Get dressed, get dressed.

If today you cannot accept a person as he is, then you have not fully realized and have not accepted that God loves you yourself, despite what you have done. God doesn't always love what we do, but he always loves us.

If you cannot forgive a person for his imperfection, then you have not yet realized that God accepted and forgave you yourself, not for your dignity, and therefore He cannot but love. If you don't accept it, then you have nothing to give. You have not received anything, therefore you have nothing, and therefore .... Let's look again at Corinthians 13,

The way you treat people shows how you think God treats you. Not how He really feels about you, but how you think He feels about you. And we must see ourselves through the eyes of God, then we will look at others differently.

By believing that God truly loves you personally, you, as God, will hate sin but love sinners. And try to do for him what God did for you. He covered your sin with His love, He put love above judgment.

We read in Corinthians 13, verse 2, "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but have no love, then I am nothing."

You can imagine the level of faith that can move mountains. 4th, 5th... And God says, all the same, I'm nothing without love... Tell yourself loudly - I'm nothing without love. If a person comes up and tells you: “You are nothing,” it’s insulting. But when God says - you are nothing, then this must be accepted as a manifestation of His love and desire for you to become - everything. Can a person who grows in faith remain nothing. Maybe. This is very well illustrated in the sermon series "Spiritual Love" by Pastor Jaerock Lee.

Faith grows by hearing, it is strengthened by seeing signs and wonders. Remember, they won't believe until they see it. And spiritual love can grow when we put effort into it. The Word of God says that faith works by love. Love must work. See how much work - to be merciful, to endure ...

Ask yourself now, in what situation do you annoy the most? Shout, quarrel? And in what situation do we get scared? I will tell you a short parable. Fear knocked on the door, love asked: “Who is there?”. But no one answered. Then she opened the door and saw that there was no one there.

Perfect love casts out fear.

The problem of fear, depression, conflicts in the family lies in the lack of love in us. We can walk by faith, affirm that you and your house will be saved, proclaim, believe that the husband will be a priest in the house, and every knee in the family will bow before the Lord.

And tell me honestly, doesn’t it happen that we simply bring our unsaved relatives, friends with intrusive, edifying conversations. They already shy away from us, once again they don’t want to communicate with us, they don’t invite us to visit. They do not listen to us, and if they listen out of politeness, they do not hear. And it happens even worse - they insult, threaten, expel. Do you know why they don't listen to us? Why are they still not here with you, although you believe that they will come and hope. If we do not act in love, then our faith is fruitless!

IF WE HAVE NOT ACCEPTED GOD'S LOVE INTO OURSELVES, THEN THERE IS NO AUTHORITY OF THE CREATOR IN OUR WORDS.

Before ascending to heaven, the resurrected Jesus Christ said to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matt. 28:18)

When Pontius Pilate told Jesus that it was in his power to crucify him or let him go, Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over Me unless it was given to you from above."

What is the connection between power and love? Very simple. GOD IS ALL POWER, AND GOD IS LOVE, it means that if you put on God's love, accept it, then it enters you along with the power. One of the criteria of power is responsibility.

After all, God does not just reign, He sits on the Throne. God is not a wedding general. He works. He moves among us. He performs miracles, heals, changes people, saves. See how responsibly God approached creation. He first prepared everything necessary for man, and even more than that, and then he created man himself. He did not create it when there was still darkness on the earth. Wander in the dark as you wish.

The easiest way to believe that God loves you is to look around you. God's love for us is shown at every step. God could have created one type of tree, one type of flower, one type of butterfly. For the biological balance of the planet, this would be enough. After all, he wanted to please us. He decorated this planet as parents decorate a room for their baby, making sure that it was not only safe, but also cheerful, beautiful.

GOD CAN'T NOT LOVE, BECAUSE THIS IS HIS CREATOR NATURE.

God, loving us, used his power and changed us. He said, "He who loves me keeps my commandments". If we ourselves do not want to be subject to God's commandments, do not be surprised if others do not obey us.

Jesus was given all authority. People around noticed that He did not teach like the Pharisees, but as having authority. He just did it with love. The Father knew that the Son's main motive was love for people. If the motive of your words, actions is love, then speak, act. Then there will be power in your words, and they will bear fruit. If not, it's best not to say anything. Those who do not know how to love open the doors to the devil in their lives. Put on first love, which is the bond of perfection. Build your homes with love, build your relationships on love at home, in church, at work. Because we have a responsibility for this before God and before people.

John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Have you accepted this word about love today, has it fit into you? Then

Sow love and you will reap more love. Sow right now, you can stand up, walk up to someone or turn to your neighbor and tell him lovingly what you yourself would like to hear. Pass on what you received. You have a couple of minutes, and then we will pray together.

Deacon Alexander Rastvorov

Today the Holy Church offers us the gospel reading about the main commandment that God gave to man - that we must love God and our neighbor.

And one of them, a lawyer, tempted Him, asked, saying: Teacher! what is the greatest commandment in the law?Jesus said to him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is like it: love thy neighbor as thyself; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Gospel of Matthew chapter 22)

It is not easy to talk about love, because it is hard to give yourself a truthful answer whether I myself fulfill the commandment of love and to what extent.

Many are bored to hear about the commandments,especially so with the young andvery young parishioners:this can be done, then it cannot be done;commandments, canons, norms…

In life, there are enough various restrictions and regulations, parents strictly regulate every step. For young people, this is probably still excusable - due to the fact that they live in obedience and can be carefree to some extent, but for us it is unforgivable.

Why does this happen, why are we indifferent in our hearts to the word of God? For completely understandable reasons. Because we do not feel their need, an absolute necessity for us, but also because in everyday life we ​​manage somehow, based on our habits and concepts of good and bad.

We sacredly comply with the order not to park the car in the center of Moscow in the wrong place - the fine is large, and even the car will be taken away: pay again, waste time. We are afraid and observe, do not violate.

But today the Lord speaks to us not about some kind of prohibition and prescription, even a very important one, but about the most necessary thing, about that, without which we become absolute empty shells, without which we will not receive any blessings from God, and all our deeds will be an unnecessary waste of time and effort; without which we will prepare ourselves for punishment, we will receive a fine that we cannot pay with anything.

The Lord says that love for God and man are the main commandments, the main deed of our life, from which all other deeds are born and to which all our actions, thoughts and prayers should be directed.

If someone was lucky in his life to communicate with people who have acquired high virtues and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, then he can testify that a person wants to be near them, listen and obey them. Not just because they understand us, show us the gifts of insight or healing. But because they truly love us, they actively fulfill the commandment of love. The heart feels it and trembles. And their love heals the soul, gives wings, incinerates any worldly fear. Unfortunately, there are not many people around us who truly love us. Why? Because there are not so many people in the world striving for God with all their might.

Saint Isaac the Syrian says that those who love this world (by the world he means passions) cannot acquire love for people. However, “when someone acquires love, together with love he is clothed in God Himself.”

Sometimes it seems that the world around us is frighteningly complex, and with great difficulty we get settled in it, study, look for a job, and support a family. But how could we, behind all professional achievements, communication skills and other skills necessary for life in modern society, not forget about the main commandment - about love! Sometimes you carefully look at a person, mentally remove external clothes, social status, some skills and acquired abilities, conceit formed by origin, education and position - and often there is almost nothing left, you can not see a loving heart.

Some people take the commandment of love lightly, without any reason believing that they certainly fulfill the commandment, love God and everyone around (well, they can’t stand, of course, a couple of people - a neighbor, boss, relative some), and so - they love everyone. And the fact that they have passions, various sins - this, in their opinion, does not particularly interfere with love, it has nothing to do with the commandment of love.

Is it possible to have genuine Christian love and deep-rooted passions at the same time? Of course not.

From childhood we can have a good patient disposition and other positive qualities inherited from our pious ancestors. But this is not yet love. These are only good seeds that need to be grown.

Of course, one cannot simply acquire love for one's neighbor. Want and love. However, since the Lord calls us to love, since He says that this is the first and main commandment, we are obliged to believe in Him and strive for it.

The Holy Fathers figuratively say that Love, aroused by something, is like a stream filled with rain, which dries up when the rain stops. But love, which has God as its culprit, is the same as that which spouts from the earth