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Pursued By His Love- Part 2 of 2

***SONG OF SOLOMON 2:1-6 (AMP)- She said I am only a little rose or autumn crocus of the plain of Sharon, or a humble lily of the valley that grows in deep and difficult places. 2) But Solomon replied, Like the lily among thorns, so are you, my love, among the daughters. 3) Like an apple tree among the trees of wood, so is my beloved shepherd among the sons cried the girl! Under his shadow I delighted to sit, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 3) He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love (for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him!) 5) Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. 6) I can feel his left hand under my head and his right hand embraces me!

In this passage of scripture we can see that Solomon continues to lift up the Shulamite woman with his words-“Like a lily among thorns, so are you, my love, among the daughters.” He lets her know that she is very special to him. He favors her over the daughters of Jerusalem.

YOU are special to God. YOU stand out from among the rest! I know that God is no respecter of persons, but have you ever felt like His favorite? You should! God is so awesome. In His awesomeness, He has a way of loving all of us equally, but each one of us stands out as His special, favorite child. God loves us in a miraculous way that can never be measured, and can hardly be described! Your relationship with God is special, intimate, and your very own. Nobody else has a relationship with God that is exactly like yours.

Just as the Shulamite woman was delighted to sit under Solomon’s shadow for protection (v.3), The Lord is our protector. He is our Hero, the one who fights our battles. As children who desire to please the Father, we abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). Submitting to His authority in our lives is a covering of protection. His banner over us is love (v.4). This means that His love actually moves as protection around us as we draw near to him. Have you ever gone into your prayer closet with a load of troubles? Sure, we all have. In that prayer closet, have you ever reached God in such a way that you find yourself lifted above your circumstances, full of peace that passes understanding, knowing that everything will be alright? If so, you were experiencing His banner of love! The Lord has a firm hold on us at all times, with his left hand under our head, while his right hand embraces us (v.6) Hebrews 13:5 in the amplified translation tell us that …’God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down or relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!’ Yes, he stresses ‘I will not’ three times, and I love that. Are you convinced that you are secure in Christ? If not, I have more proof.

Deuteronomy 33:27- The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

A good shepherd will give his life for his sheep. Although the wolves may be ferocious, the shepherd will stand in front of the sheep to confront the enemy’s attack to the point of death. To put it simply, we are the sheep. Satan is the wolf. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. JESUS DIED TO SAVE US FROM THE ENEMY! What makes you think that God would allow you to be overtaken now? As we abide in him, he scatters our enemies before us. YOU ARE SAFE.

***SONG OF SOLOMON 2:10;14-16 (AMP)- My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 14) So I went with Him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me, O, my dove, while you are here in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 15) My heart was touched and I fervently sang to Him my desire. Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards of our love, for our vineyards are in blossom. 16) She said distinctly, my beloved is mine and I am his! He pastures his flocks among the lilies.

The Lord has restored us and made us whole. He has destroyed and scattered our enemies. He has given us beauty for ashes. What is our part in this love relationship?

1. The Lord wants us to spend quality time with him. To keep any relationship alive, requires time and communication. The Lord desires to spend time with us. He wants hear from us. ‘…in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice. (v.14)’

Regardless of what you may think of yourself, despite the scars of this world, The Lord loves the look of your face and the sound of your voice. He loves when we pray. Find a quiet spot where you will not be disturbed, and talk to the Lord…OUTLOUD. He passionately loves you and is pursuing you.

Read your Bible. It is the best way to get to know the nature of God. Scripture is literally God speaking to us! His words are life and His promises are real. The Bible is also our best weapon against the enemy.

2. We should desire to remove the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. Little foxes represent small, hidden, or seemingly unimportant sins. Just as small fox puppies look cute and harmless, but can destroy an entire vineyard; small sins are often overlooked, but can lead to much damage in our lives. The Shulamite woman asked Solomon to take away all of the little foxes. (v.15) She knew the consequences of having an un-kept vineyard. She did not want anything to hinder the growth of her relationship with Solomon.

3. Another way we express our love for the Lord is to declare Him before men. The Shulamite woman openly declared that Solomon belonged to her and she belonged to him. Declare to others that you belong to Jesus!!! He is yours and you are His!

Matthew 10:32-33-(Jesus said) Everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me, I will also acknowledge him before my Father Who is in heaven and confess him. 33) But whoever denies and disowns Me before men, I also will deny and disown before My Father which is in heaven.

***SONG OF SOLOMON 4:9-10 (amp)- You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my promised bride; you have ravished my heart and given me courage with one look from your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. 10) How beautiful is your love, my sister, my promised bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!

JESUS IS REAL, ALIVE, AND HAS POWERFUL FEELINGS FOR US! Like the songs says ‘When He was on the cross, we were on his mind’. Think about the reality of that night. Take a moment to consider what Jesus must have felt the night He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemene. Think about the extreme suffering he endured…the brutality of the scourging and His death on the cross. Now realize that it was his love for you and me that moved him forward, giving him the endurance to proceed. ‘You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my promised bride…(v.9)’ The persecution and ridicule of the San Hedrin could not keep him from loving us. The severity of the scourging could not keep him from loving us. The weight of the cross could not keep him from loving us. THERE IS NO TRIAL IN OUR LIVES TODAY THAT CAN KEEP HIM FROM LOVING US- HIS PROMISED BRIDE!

Romans 8:35- Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

***SONG OF SOLOMON 6:1 (amp)- Where has your beloved gone, O you fairest among women? (Again the ladies showed their interest in the remarkable person whom the Shulamite had championed with such unstinted praise; they too wanted to know him, they insisted.) Where is your beloved hiding himself? For we would seek him with you.

This wonderful verse of scripture is so meaningful to us as believers. Notice how the Shulamite woman is addressed as ‘the fairest among women’. She has been restored and changed. Just as Christ has transformed us from sinner to saint, she has been transformed from the lowliest of women to the most fair among women. Just as we openly testify of Christ to the world, She openly praised Solomon for his goodness. The words of her testimony were supported by the obvious change in her life. Just as we draw others to Jesus with our witness and testimony, others were drawn to this remarkable person, Solomon, and wanted to seek after him. (v.1)

PURSUED BY HIS LOVE- Part 1 of 2

Thanksgiving is not the only time to realize that we have everything to be joyful about. The Lord has saved us and redeemed us. The Lord is our Shepherd and King who cares for us and puts us in a place of honor as His bride! The Lord has taken us out of the stench and mire of our old lives. He has elevated us to a place of dignity, purity, and authority in Christ! JESUS LOVES US!

The Song of Solomon gives us a clear illustration of Christ's love for us. When reading The Song of Solomon keep in mind that Solomon represents Christ, and the Shulamite woman represents the church…and the individual Christian. Through this book we see how the love of the Lord pursues us and changes us. We, in turn, begin to pursue Him to know Him more intimately.

***SONG OF SOLOMON 1:1-4 (amp)- The Song of songs [the most excellent of them all] which is Solomon’s. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! [She cries. Then, realizing that Solomon has arrived and has heard her speech, she turns to him and adds] For your love is better than wine! [And she continues] The odor of your ointments is fragrant; your name is like perfume poured out. Therefore do the maidens love you. Draw me! We will run after you! The king brings me into his apartments! We will be glad and rejoice in you! We will recall [when we were favored with] your love, more fragrant than wine. The upright [are not offended at your choice, but sincerely] love you.

For the Shulamite woman, nothing compared to being in his presence. Solomon was her first priority. She desired to feel closer to him. (Draw me! We will run after you. V. 4)

Much like the Shulamite woman, the sincere Christian has a desire…a hunger… to be closer and closer to the heart of the Lord. God is so awesome. He wants to reveal his will and nature to us. Everyday He reveals His love to us in very specific ways. God’s love for us surpasses any earthly pleasure. (…your love is better than wine. V.2) When we truly enter into a relationship with the Lord we cease to long for the things of this world. He becomes the desire of our heart.

The Shulamite woman honors Solomon’s name. (…your name is like perfume poured out. V.3) Have you ever noticed that you talk about what you think about? Someone in love talks about their beloved all of the time. Why? Because they are constantly thinking of the one they love. They can actually wear out their listeners, but in their excitement, they don’t notice. Our passionate love for Christ should stir us to tell others about Him. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more he is on our mind and on our lips.

***SONG OF SOLOMON 1:5-6- I am so black; but [you are] lovely and pleasant [the ladies assured her]. O you daughters of Jerusalem, [I am as dark] as the tents of [the Bedouin tribe] Kedar, like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon! [Please] do not look at me [she said, for] I am swarthy. [I have worked out] in the sun and it has left its mark upon me. My stepbrothers were angry with me, and they made me keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard [my complexion] I have not kept.

The Shulamite woman felt insecure and ashamed (V.5). She saw herself as being unworthy of Solomon’s love. She compared herself to the daughters of Jerusalem. She noticed their fairness, and felt that her faults stood out. Why would Solomon want her? She didn’t look like them…She hadn’t lived like they had lived…And it was revealed in her countenance.

Comparing ourselves with others is a sure way to take our focus off of our calling and our Lord. God created us as unique individuals. We should feel free to live in the custom-made plan that God has designed for our lives. Just as the daughters of Jerusalem encouraged the Shulamite woman (V. 5), we must also encourage one another in the Lord.

The Shulamite woman realized that she had not kept her vineyard (V.6). She knew her mistakes were obvious to those around her. She was repentant. She now desired to live Solomon’s way, and she hoped that he would receive her.

Each of us has been given the responsibility of tending to a vineyard. It is our life… the way we are living. The Lord wants us to tend to our vineyard by making Godly decisions…Decisions based on honesty, morality, and purity. When we commit sin, we are destroying our vineyard. Thus, we cannot produce good fruit in our lives.

What do we do when we find ourselves in a situation like that of the Shulamite woman? An outcast. Burdened with guilt. Alienated by shame. How does the love of the Lord restore us, take away shame, and bring us to a place of honor? By making us a new creation in Him!!! The old person is passed away, and all is new. I am so glad that Jesus did not see me for what I was. Instead, He saw what I could be through Him. The Lord always sees the potential in a person. YOU are full of God-given potential.

***SONG OF SOLOMON 1:9-11;15-16- O my love [he said as he saw her], you remind me of my [favorite] mare in the chariot spans of Pharaoh. Your cheeks are comely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels. We will make for you chains and ornaments of gold, studded with silver. Behold, you are beautiful, my love! Behold you are beautiful! You have doves’ eyes. [She cried] Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved [shepherd], yes, delightful! Our arbor and couch are green and leafy.

Solomon begins to restore the Shulamite woman. Through his words and actions, he builds up this lowly woman to bring her to a place of honor. He tells her that she is his favorite (V.9). He dresses her in a beautiful garment that he made for her (V. 10-11). He affirms her over and over again with his words. He builds her confidence and trust in him. The Shulamite woman knows that without Soloman she would be nothing. However, because of him, she is now in a position of worthiness, honor, and value.

JESUS SEES YOU AS BEAUTIFUL. It doesn’t matter what you have done, or where you came from. It doesn’t matter what you think about yourself, or what you see when you look in the mirror. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you, their opinions, negative words, and fault-finding. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. He has dressed you in a royal robe. He has put you in a position of honor. Walk with confidence in Him.

Just as Solomon built up the Shulamite woman with his words, God wants to build us up through His Word. The Bible reveals who we are in Christ. We have been made perfect through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 13:20-21). We can do all things through Christ’s strength (Phil.4:13). We are precious enough to die for (John 3:16). We have the power to be more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

SERMON NOTES: Powerful Prayer 3

III. PRAYERS FIGHT BATTLES IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS

***EPHESIANS 6:12- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

A. THE CHURCH AND EVERY CHRISTIAN ARE BATTLING A REAL ENEMY

B. OUR ENEMY IS NOT HUMAN (our problem is not with individual people, but with
spiritual wickedness in situations)

1. to cause sickness and suffering

2. to tempt to immorality

3. to confuse and deceive through false teaching

4. to hinder God's plan for our lives (1 Thess. 2:18)

C. WE MUST USE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS (such as prayer) TO FIGHT A SPIRITUAL
ENEMY

***2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-4- For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh: (For the weapons of our ware-fare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.)

D. IF WE ARE IN CHRIST, WE HAVE AUTHORITY OVER SATAN THROUGH CHRIST

***LUKE 10:19- Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

***MARK 16:17-18- And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

1. We have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms

2. Satan has no real power over a Christian, so he tries to deceive with doubt and fear

E. DANIEL PRAYED THROUGH A SPIRITUAL BATTLE (Read Daniel 10)

1. Daniel intercedes for Israel

2. Daniel prays and fasts for three weeks, waiting on an answer to prayer.

3. From the first day of Daniel's prayer, an angel attempted to minister the answer. However, the Prince of Persia (a demon) withstood the angel until Michael the Archangel came to help.

4. The angel finally appears to Daniel with the answered prayer- a revelation concerning Israel.

5. This teaches Christians to continue to pray and do not lose faith. Our prayers carry power. Continued prayer is rewarded and gets much accomplished.

SERMON NOTES: Powerful Prayer 2

II. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRAYER

A. CONFESSION- REPENTING OF SINS

B. CONSECRATION

1. Surrendering our will to the Lord

a. Laying aside our plan to submit to God's plan

b. Laying aside our timing to submit to God's timing

2. Jesus' prayer of consecration- Luke 22:42

C. PETITION

1. Asking God to meet our needs

2. praying with a pure motive

3. Aligning our prayer with God's will

D. AGREEMENT

1. Unity in prayer with other Christians is powerful

2. One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight (Deut. 32:30)

***MATTHEW 18:20-For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.


E. INTERCESSION

1. Old Testament prophets are an excellent example of intercessors

a. Moses, Samuel, Daniel, Jeremiah

b. Cried out to God and fasted on behalf of Israel

c. They pleaded for God to have mercy and deliver the nation.

2. Intercession saves lives and can help to save souls

***EZEKIEL 22:30-31- And I (God) sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them.

3. God is looking for intercessors to stand in the gap

a. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead in all prayers

b. to pray anywhere and anytime God places the burden for the particular need.

4. Abraham interceded for Lot during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 18)


***GENESIS 19:29- And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

a. Abraham pleaded with the Angel of the Lord to have mercy on any righeous that may have been in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.


b. God was moved by Abraham's intercession and saved Lot and his family.

E. PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

***Psalm 100:4- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.

1. Praise and thanksgiving bring us into the presence of the Lord.

a. Think of the tabernacle

1) One must enter through the gate before he could make a sacrifice in the court

2) The Shekinah Glory (visible presence of God) was seen between the two
cheribum on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.

b. Therefore, as we express our praise to the Lord, his presence is invited among us


***HEBREWS 13:15 (amp)- Through him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

***PSALM 22:3-But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

2. Biblical ways to praise

a. shouting and clapping

***PSALM 47:1- O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with a voice of triumph.

b. lifting up our hands

***PSALM 134:2- Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord

c. dancing

***PSALM 150:4- Praise him with the timbrel and the dance...

d. musical instruments

***2 SAMUEL 6:5- And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments...

3. Praise is Powerful against the enemy (2 Chron. 20:3-25)

a. Praise confuses the enemy

b. Satan desires praise for himself and despises praise to God

c. Paul and Silas' songs of praise moved God to deliver them out of their shackles and
chains in the inner dungeon

***ACTS 16:25-26- And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed.

d. Likewise, our praises to God shake the foundation of Satan's plan.

SERMON NOTES: Powerful Prayer

I thought I would post my notes for any who wanted to further study the related scriptures.


***JAMES 5:16-Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.

Scripture tells us to pray for one another- for the sicknesses, faults, and problems of one another... And to pray persistently. Notice scripture tells us that the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous can accomplish much. This means our prayers are powerful. They do not just bounce off of the ceiling, but go up before the throne of grace and move God on our behalf.

The following is a study of effectual prayer- What kind of prayer does God desire? What are some different types of prayer?, and How is prayer a spiritual weapon?

I. EFFECTUAL PRAYER

A. What is required for our prayers to be effectual?

1. FAITH

***JAMES 1:6-8-But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he should receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

a. Faith is believing in the promises of God
1) If God says it, then that's all there is to it!
2) Faith is more than mental knowledge
3) Faith is being fully persuaded and convinced in our hearts- that God will do
what He said He will do


b. Faith receives the blessings of God
1) all things are given to man by the grace of God
2) We receive God's grace through our faith (Eph. 2:8)


c. We are not to waver in double-mindedness
1) We must be persistent in faith while we wait on God's timing
(some trials are long and can take years)

2) We must be persistent in faith when our circumstances seem to be escalating
a) Maginify God rather than the circumstances
b) Even when it is not possible with man, all things are possible with God

3) When the enemy tries to tempt us with doubt, or when trials are long and
difficult, we must not be double-minded.

2. HUMILITY IS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTUAL PRAYER


***JAMES 4:6- But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

a. Renaissance period (Beginning 14th century Europe)
1) a revival in scientific discovery, art, literature, music
2) man's thinking began to transform from being God-centered to being self-
centered. (self-reliance, self-confidence, self-awareness...rather than...
reliance on God, confidence in God, and awareness of God.)

3) man began to exalt himself
a) relying on his own strength and abilities
b) relying on his own understanding for solutions to his problems


b. Humility relies on God
1) Apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5)
2) Trust in the Lord, and do not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6)

3. CONFESSION OF SINS

***Psalm 66:18- If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

a. unrepented sin distances us from God
1) God is serious about sin
2) God requires us to have a pure heart



4. WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE OTHERS

***Mark 11:23-And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any...

5. PRAY IN JESUS NAME

a. Christians have authority in his name
b. Christians can come before the throne of grace through his name (Heb. 4:15-16)


B. WHAT HINDERS PRAYERS FROM BEING EFFECTUAL?

1. PRIDE
a. arrogance/superiority (thinking more highly of ourselves than others)
b. a comtempt for others
c. Compare the prayers of the Pharisee with the repentant publican in Luke 18

2. WILLFUL, DELIBERATE DISOBEDIENCE (abuse of grace)


***1 JOHN 3:22- And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.


***GALATIANS 6:7 (amp)- Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside), [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.


a. God blesses an obedient repentant heart, not deliberate disobedience
b. John records that God was blessing their obedience to his commands.

3. IMPURE MOTIVES HINDER OUR PRAYERS

***James 4:1- From whence come conflicts and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

a. James gives us an example of a church that is warring in its body because the members
are in strife with one another.

1) Jealous and envying of one another
2) Hurting one another to get ahead
b. Their prayers were not being answered.
1) some weren't asking God
2) many who were asking were asking out of selfish, jealous, impure motives



4. STRIFE WITH OUR MATE HINDERS OUR PRAYERS


***1PETER 3:7- Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them with understanding giving honor to the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.


5. We can see that hindrances to prayer do exist. The solution is not to distance ourselves from the Lord, but to run to him in prayer!



a. We must ask the Lord for his help, and be willing to get in agreement with his plan
b. Jesus will immediately meet us in our weaknesses.
c. READ MARK 9:14-29

1) The disciples try to cast a demon out of a boy without success
2) Jesus told the boy's father that all things are possible if he believes
3) The man asks for help with his unbelief
a) he had inner turmoil
b) he was honest with God
4) Jesus delivered his son

d. If we are honest with God and go to him with our weaknesses (doubt, fear, jealousy,
strife, disobedience, whatever the case may be...) He will meet us in our situation with his strength.

Grace Goes the Extra Mile

Matthew 5:41- And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two.

During the time of the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers could force those subjugated to them to carry their armor, gear, and belongings for a mile. If you were a Jew during that time, you could be required by a Roman to carry his baggage. Jesus tells His listeners to not only carry the baggage for one mile, but with a pure and loving heart, be willing to go two miles.


As Christians, we are called to be a people of excellence and not of mediocrity. I once heard a great preacher say, "Grace does more than the law." How true that is! To be obedient merely out of obligation, causes us to complain, do the minimum, and not give our best. Jesus instructs us to follow His example, and do all things in love, with a pure heart before God and man.

When love is our motivator, we will find ourselves joyfully putting forth the extra effort to help others, forgive our enemies, and be excellent.

Grace does not give us a license to disobey God's commands.

Matthew 5:19-Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men to do so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

As we grow in our love for God, obedience follows. Jesus said that those who love him are to keep his commandments. (John 14:15)

Notice that obedience flows from a heart condition- love for the Lord. This does not mean that we will not ever make a mistake. However, a pure heart will not purpose to sin against God, nor try to manipulate Him.

Most Pharisees tried their best to follow the laws, but they did not have a heart of love toward God. The result was self-righteousness. They looked righteous, talked righteous, and seemed righteous to the public, but their hearts were hard and wicked.

Matthew 5:20-For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

In this scripture, Jesus shows the necessity of going the extra mile. He lets us know that it is not enough to merely act righteous, talk righteous, and appear righteous to others. Our inner attitude of the heart must be dealt with first.

We cannot "make" ourselves righteous by works or obedience. Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer by the power of His blood. Jesus' sacrifice allows us to be seen as righteous before the Father. After a heart has been surrendered to the Lord, righteous conduct, pure speech, and modesty will follow. As our love and hunger for God grows, we will begin to change. Because we love the Lord, we will despise sin and grow in faith and obedience.

Here are some examples of how grace requires the inner purity of our hearts and exceeds the demands of the law:

Matthew 5:21-22-Ye have heard that it was said...THOU SHALT NOT KILL... But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

Matthew 5:27-28- Ye have heard that it was said...THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart.

With hearts of love, we want to bless God and be a blessing to others. Here is a practical example: Rather than merely tithing ten percent like the Pharisees, love tithes and then gives, and gives, and gives. We can become cheerful in all that we do for the Lord. We can expect God to do great things through us.


God sees our hearts. (1 Sam. 16:7) It is His plan to make us vessels of honor. He wants to beautify and restore us for His use. If our hearts are pure and willing before God, He will make us excellent by His power and might.

2 Timothy 2:21-22- If a man therefore cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, set apart, and useful for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.