Lesson 9: "The Fruit of the Spirit is Love," part 3

What was the preparation for the promise of the Holy Spirit? You know that promise as found in the fourteenth chapter of John's gospel. But remember what precedes, in the thirteenth chapter. Before Christ promised the Holy Spirit He gave a new commandment, and about that new commandment He said wonderful things. One thing was: "Even as I have loved you, so you love one another." To them His dying love was to be the only law of their conduct and interaction with each other. What a message to those fishermen, to those men full of pride and selfishness! "Learn to love each other," said Christ, "as I have loved you." And by the grace of God they did it. When Pentecost came they were of one heart and one soul. Christ did it for them.

And now He calls us to dwell and to walk in love. He demands that though a man hate you, still you love him. True love cannot be conquered by anything in heaven or upon the earth. The more hatred there is, the more love triumphs through it all and shows its true nature. This is the love that Christ commanded His disciples to exercise.

What more did He say? "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

You all know what it is to wear a badge. And Christ said to His disciples in effect: "I give you a badge, and that badge is LOVE. That is to be your mark. It is the only thing in heaven or on earth by which men can know me."


Do we not begin to fear that love has fled from the earth? That if we were to ask the world: "Have you seen us wear the badge of love?" the world would say: "No; what we have heard of the Church of Christ is that there is not a place where there is no quarreling and separation." Let us ask God with one heart that we may wear the badge of Jesus' love. God is able to give it, "The fruit of the Spirit is love." Why? Because nothing but love can expel and conquer our selfishness.
 
Self is the great curse, whether in its relation to God, or to our fellow men in general, or to fellow Christians; thinking of ourselves and seeking our own. Self is our greatest curse. But, praise God, Christ came to redeem us from self. We sometimes talk about deliverance from the self-life— but I am afraid some people think deliverance from the self-life means that they will no longer have any trouble in serving God; and they forget that deliverance from self-life means to be a vessel overflowing with love to everybody all the day.

And there you have the reason why many people pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, and they get something, but oh, so little! because they prayed for power for work, and power for blessing, but they have not prayed for power for full deliverance from self. That means not only the righteous self in intercourse with God, but the unloving self in intercourse with men. And there is deliverance. "The fruit of the Spirit is love." I bring you the glorious promise of Christ that He is able to fill our hearts with love.