Shabbat Shalom! I would like to continue today in our study the first epistle of John. So, will you please turn to 1st John, chapter 4, verse 7 to 16. This passage is a continuation of the encouragement that Yochanan gave to the Mishpacha, to the family of God, to have this love relationship with each other. This is the agape love, the unconditional love that is so important if we are to manifest our relationship with the Lord. And you notice that, brothers and sisters, how important the evidence that we have fellowship with God is the relationship that we have one towards another in the Mishpacha, in the family of God.

And so, we read from verse 7: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him, here in His love. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. "No man hath seen God at any time; if we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Yeshua is the Son of God, God dwelleth in Him, and He in God. And we have known, and believed, the love that God has to us. God is love. And He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in Him." And I'm going to stop with the reading here in verse 16 of this chapter, 1 John chapter 4, 7 to 16 for the ministry today. Now do you remember, in our previous meeting together, we talked about the first six verses of 1 John chapter 4.

Those six verses seem to be placed there in the scripture, in the writing of John, as a warning to the Mishpacha, to the family of God. The warning was this, that every believer is to test, to try those spirits. Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. John, this is Yohanan, pause from speaking about love. Now it is very important to talk about love. But love on its own, if it is not merged or united together with truth, is really shallow on its own. And that's why John, Yohanan, is giving this instruction in 1 John chapter 4, verses 1 to 6, to warn the believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, to test what they hear.

Is it based upon the word of God? Why? Because many false prophets have already gone out into this world. And John, Yohanan, who was speaking 2,000 years ago, imagine what's going on today. You and I, who live in the day that is approaching of the coming of the Messiah, for His heavenly company, and ultimately for His earthly company Israel, we already need to be discerning and not listening to every form and opinion of man, but we have to make sure that it is subject to the written word of God. So after he gave these warnings in the first six verses, he now continues to speak about love.

In fact, brothers and sisters, if you take out those six verses of 1 John chapter 4 out of the scripture, you can link together from verse 7 on as a continuation from the end of the third chapter of 1 John. But we cannot take it out of scripture. He gave us this warning against the Antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah, as it has here in the first six verses. And he also told us in these verses that greater is he that is within you than is he that is in the world. Because we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us and we are able, by the grace of God, in the power of the Spirit of God, on the basis of the word of God, to discern whether something is of the Lord and whether something is simply from men.

We are continuing now speaking about the importance of love. And really, the theme of these verses is that God is love. You know, in the Bible, we have in John chapter 4 and verse 24, Yeshua said, God is spirit. In 1 John chapter 1 and verse 5, John said, God is light. Now, in 1 John chapter 4, he emphasized that God is love. God is spirit, Elohim hu-ruach, John 4:24. God is light, Elohim hu-or, 1 John chapter 1 and verse 5. And now, God is love, Elohim hu-ahavah, 1 John chapter 4 and verse 8 and 16. Now, you notice, brothers and sisters, that three times he is using this expression to love one another. You notice that? Just look with me down in the scripture.

1 John chapter 4, verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another. 1 John chapter 4, verse 11. We are also to love one another. Verse 12 is the third time, love one another. John is emphasizing right now the importance of believers loving one another. Now, brothers and sisters, he doesn't use the two other Greek words that are often being used. One of them is eros, that has to do with more like a sexual love, which the Bible doesn't use. The second word which the Bible uses is phileo, this is a relationship, a family love. But every time he uses this expression love, he uses the Greek word agapeo, the love that is unconditional.

It's not a matter of feeling. It's not a matter of what we think of each other. It doesn't even mean that we have to agree with each other. But the Bible teaches us the importance of this unconditional love that believers ought to have one towards another. And John elaborates here about the importance of loving one another unconditionally. Well, first of all, you will notice that he presents here in those verses three things about God. Verses seven and eight, what God is. Verses nine, 10 and 11, what God did. And verses 12 to 16, what God is doing right now in the lives of his own people. Let's look over those very interesting verses.

The first thing, what God is. You know, it's so precious. To know that God is love. The essence of God. He's love. Yes, he's light. First John one, five is holy. But God is also a loving God. God is love. And notice again, I'm reading in verse seven and eight. Beloved, let us love one another. Let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God. Why? Because God is love. And he's saying in verses seven and eight, you know, beloved, being born of God and knowing God will be producing in us love towards others.

You see, he began by saying in verse seven, beloved, let us love one another. Why? Because love is from God. It's of God. This is the nature of God. And he continued, he said, everyone that loveth is born of God and he knoweth God. You and I have been born from above. We, what we call it, have been born again. You remember what Yeshua said to Nakdimon, Nikadimus, you must be born again. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the Ruach, of the spirit is spirit. You must be born again. And the evidence of our new birth is the proof, the evidence when we love one another unconditionally.

It is a proof that we have been born of the Ruach HaKodesh, of the Holy Spirit of God. And that's why he's encouraging. And in order to call them beloved. Because remember, Yohanan is like a father who is presenting his affection towards the Mishpacha, the family of God. He's concerned for the young one, for the old one, for the male, for the female, for the children, for the aged one. He's concerned for the household of God. And that's why this ministry, it's a ministry to the family of God. To enjoy each other, we must have this kind of a relationship if we are going to be able to stay together.

You know why many times local churches, local assembly, local congregation are broken into pieces? It's not always because of doctrine, but it's most likely because most of us fail in practicing love towards the brethren. Years ago, I remember the story that somebody used to come to a local assembly, local church, and he left the meeting after a while. He said, I'm not going to continue here. And they asked him, brother, why are you leaving? And he says, there's no love in the assembly. There's no love here. So they asked him, where do you read in the scripture that you ought to expect love? Scripture teaches us to give love.

Yes, if somebody doesn't give it to me, it does not change my responsibility to give it to him or to her. And so the brother thought about that. And he realized, yes, it's not only others who fail to give me love, but I fail to provide this love towards my brothers and sisters. Then he returned back and he began to practice what he should have known from the word of God. Listen, that's not an excuse. There is not love. There ought to be love. But if you don't receive love, you make sure that you give this love because the message is to you. The message is to me.

He doesn't say, let us expect love from one another. You don't find it here. But beloved, let us love one another. If there is no love towards you, that does not give you an excuse, doesn't give me an excuse not to love the brethren. Now the brothers and sisters are not always lovable. You know that. We are not always kind, gracious. We are not always lovable. But then again, beloved brothers and sisters, when God loved you and loved me, were we lovable? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Whom did he love? Romans chapter 5 says, while we were yet sinners, without strength, while we were yet enemies, the Messiah came to give his life for us because God loved us.

And so he says, listen, the evidence that you are born again, born from above, is your love towards the brothers and the sisters. Beloved, let us love one another. Beloved, let us love one another. Why? Because love is of God. This is the nature of God. And we have to watch it. If hate is boiling here in our own hearts. Because hatred is not from God. Hatred comes from the enemy, from Satan, from the flesh, from the world. But love comes from God. Because love is of God. Everyone that loveth is born of God and he knoweth God. You know, the word for knoweth God is not only knowing about God, but knowing God intimately.

You see, to Israel are people, God said many years ago, only you have I known. He said it through the prophet of Amos to the nation of Israel. In other words, you mean, God, you didn't know all the other nations? Of course I knew the other nations. But only you, Israel, have a special relationship. Only you have I known. I know about everybody else. I created the universe. But only you I know in a special relationship. You know, in chapter 4 of Genesis, we read about Adam. And Adam knew his wife. He knew her intimately. He didn't know about her. Of course he did. But he knew her intimately.

So the evidence of a relationship with God, a relationship with our Abba, with our Father, is when we have this kind of love in some small measure. Because we are not always where we should be. Many times we fail the Lord and we don't practice what we should be. But Yohanan is saying, beloved, he says, listen, being born of God and knowing God will bring about, will produce in your life love towards one another. And sometimes, brothers and sisters, when our brethren are not treating us well, or we don't treat our brethren well, that does not change the encouragement that Yohanan is saying. Even if we, at times, fail each other and hurt each other, the love towards our brothers and sisters still need to continue on in a way that it is pleasing to the Lord.

It says in verse 8, he that loveth not, he knoweth not. Because God is love, Elohim, who ahava, God is love. And when we don't practice this, it is an evident that we don't have any fellowship with the Lord. Because it does say here in verse 8, he that loveth not, does not know God. We might know about Him, but we don't know Him intimately and have fellowship with Him. Because the more we spend time with our blessed Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, the more you will see that it will change us. And it will produce in our hearts a love even towards those that we do not necessarily agree with and we do not necessarily appreciate.

Yet, because they are part of the family of God, we are called to love the brothers and sisters in Yeshua, the Messiah. So, Yohanan is presenting here God and he is saying, listen, what God is, He is love. And you know what, His love and His light is consistent with who God is. Because in light, He proved that He is holy and His holiness demanded judgment for sin. But His love is not inconsistent with His light, with His holiness, because His love sent the Messiah to this world to be judged on behalf of mankind. So, His love and His love is consistent with each other.

And that's how beautiful it is for us to appreciate God is love. And we are to walk in love. I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter 5 and verses 1 and 2. Shaul Paul is writing. He says, "Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children." And then he says in verse 2, "And walk in love as the Messiah also loved us and has given Himself for us." An offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior. In other words, Paul, John, and all the apostles will encourage the believers to follow through with who they are. Because we are children of the Father. We belong to God.

We have been born from above. And therefore, there ought to be this desire to be followers of God. God is love. And therefore, we are to walk in love. As the Messiah also have loved us. So, 1 John, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8. What God is. God is love. In Hebrew, Elohim Hu Ahava. God is love. So, John continued. After he said this, in verses 9, 10 and 11. Yohanan, that is John, pointing out to what God did. Not only what he is in his essence, God is love, but what he did. Brothers and sisters, listen to this. In verse 9, God proved that he is love when he gave his Son, the Mashiach, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of this world.

It says in this verse, in this was manifested, the love of God towards us. Because God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. You see, it's not enough to say, well, I love you. And yet to refrain from reaching out to the one that he claimed that he loved. So, God did something about it. It's not enough to say, well, God is love. And to remain in such a situation, well, how will that help the sinners? The weak ones, the enemies, how it will help them? Well, God did something about it. And that's why John says the proof that God is love is in the fact that he was willing to give the darling of his bosom, the Son, the Messiah, to this world.

Look at this verse, and I'm reading again, 1 John 4, verse 9. And this was manifested. That expression, to manifest, means to show out, to come out. God manifested his love towards us. How did he do it? How did he do it? Because God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Now imagine, you know, can you imagine, brothers and sisters, what it meant for God to give his Son? To give the only begotten Son. This expression, the only begotten Son. Beautiful expression. That word for begotten, it's like the one and only Son. It reminds us of Abraham Avinu, Abraham our father, who was called by God to give his only begotten Son, Yitzchak, Isaac.

Even though he had two sons. One of them was the son of promise from Sarah. And the other one was from the servant, from Hagar, Yishmael. But when God said to Abraham, Abraham, you take now thy son, thine only Son, whom thou lovest. And offer him for me on Mount Moriah as a sacrifice. Abraham was willing to give his son. I mean, it is unimaginable what it meant for the heart of Abraham, our father, to get up in the morning. To take his very own son. To walk all the way with him to Mount Moriah. To bring him all the way to the top of the mountain.

To lay down the altar. To prepare the altar. To take his son, Yitzchak. To bind him on the altar. To take up the knife and ready to slay his son. Can you just imagine this? You see, the story of Abraham and Isaac became only a miniature message. Of the love of God towards mankind. Except that Abraham's son was spared. But God's son was not spared. He who spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. We read in the book of Romans. That's the proof of the love of God. What more do we need? God is saying to the whole world. What more can I give you?

I have nothing more to give. And that's why it's so precious. In this world manifests the proof. The evidence that God is love. Is in the fact that he sent his only begotten son. He only had one son. And this very one son. He had been giving here for this world. And you know it says that we might live through him. You see, we were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians tell us this. When we enter into this world, even though we have physical life. But spiritually we are dead in trespasses and sins. So in order to receive spiritual life, eternal life, the son had to be punished.

So our sins will be dealt with. And if you see the picture of Abraham and Yitzhak, Abraham and Isaac. God took the knife, you might say. And he slew his very own son on the cross, on the tree. You remember what we read in the book of John, the gospel. Therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life. No one taketh away my life from me. I lay it down of myself that I may take it again. This commandment I have received of my father. You remember Yeshua in Matthew chapter 27. He says, "My God, my God, Elohi, Elohi, lama shvaktani, why has thou forsaken me?" The darling of his bosom.

He was willing to give in order that we who were dead in trespasses and sins might have life. We cannot fathom that beloved brothers and sisters. That's why we have a time when we think about it and we talk about it. It's so overwhelming of the love of God towards us. And John speaking, he says, "The proof, the evidence of the love of God is that he had given everything he had. He had given the only begotten Son of God that we," And he's including himself, Yohanan here. "We who were dead in trespasses and sins might live through him." Look at this. This expression "manifested" is mentioned there twice.

In 1st John chapter 3 and verse 5 it says, "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins." Look at verse 8. It says, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil." You see, Yeshua, HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah appeared here, manifested, came to this world in order to deal with the question of sins. And to put away the works of Satan, of the devil. And that made it possible for you and I, as 1st John 4 verse 9 said, "To have life through him." "He that has the Son has life." "He that has not the Son of God has not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." That's what John is saying here.

"He has proved that he is love in that he gave his only begotten Son." And you know, that love has been expressed in various ways. Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 3 in relationship to Israel. "God said to our people Israel, I have loved you with an everlasting love." The love of God for our people of all, the people of Israel, is an eternal love. In relationship to the church, to the assembly, is in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25. Where we read, "Husbands, love your wives." How? "As the Messiah loved the assembly and gave himself for it." Imagine, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, loved the church, the assembly, the called out one.

And he was willing to lay down his life for the church, for the assembly, for the congregation. We have it in John chapter 3 and verse 16 in relationship to the whole world. The famous verse that we often read, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." And the love of God in relationship to everyone individually. The apostle Paul said in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, he says, "The life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Now, brothers and sisters, Yeshua gave himself for you, for me individually.

If you were the only one in this world, God's love was manifested towards you, towards me, in that he gave his Son, the Messiah, to die for us on the tree. That was the proof that God is love. The world doesn't know that. The world rejects God today. That God loves the world so much that he has done something about it. He gave his only begotten Son. And that's why man is looking to find love in so many places. And they don't find it because it cannot be found except in the person of the Mashiach, the Messiah. God the Son who was willing to give his life a ransom for many.

Well, notice this, brothers and sisters, what John is saying here in those verses. Especially again in verse 9, he gave his only begotten Son. God have only one Son. And I want to just elaborate here just a little bit more. You see, we don't believe in three gods. We believe in one God who exists and consists in three persons. And this is the Elohim, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of creation. He always has been existing and consisting in three persons. Elohim in Hebrew is a plurality. The Hebrew word echad, Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. He, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The word echad is a compound unity. Three persons in one single God of Israel, God of the universe. And that's why God has given his Son to come to this world to pay for the penalty of sin. God in the person of his Son would enter humanity and pay for the price of this world. That's why, beloved brothers and sisters, I'm emphasizing, you see, people say, well, what you have more than one God. We say, no, the Bible says, no, we have one single God who exists and consists in three persons. And it is the Son, who is the eternal Son, who enters humanity, took union humanity with the divine nature.

And as men, he paid the price for our sins on the tree. That's the story of the Gospel. He died on the cross. He was buried and he rose on the third day for our justification. And so, he continues here in verse 10 and he says, listen, we really didn't love God, but God loved us. Herein is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us. And he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Listen, we did not love God. We did not want God in our lives. None of us can say that we have really on our own wanted God.

In fact, men by nature do not want God. The psalmist of Israel said this many years ago in Psalm 14. The evil man said in his heart, The evil man said in his heart, There is no God. I do not want God in my life. No God. But God loved us. And what did he do? He loved us. We did not love him. We did not love him. He loved us so much. He sent his Son. And notice this expression at the end of verse 10. To be propitiation for our sins. Again, this is one of these English words that are difficult, but it simply means that he made God satisfied with respect to our sins.

When Yeshua died on the tree, when he shed his blood, this innocent man, now God is propitiated, satisfied with respect to the sins of this world. So when God looked at you and I today, he said, listen, I do not need to punish you anymore because someone else has been punished instead of you. He satisfied the righteous requirement of a holy God. God is satisfied. He does not need to judge sin twice. It was judged already. And when we stand on the place when the Messiah was judged, now we have been receiving justification. We have been now accepted in the beloved. We are accepted by God because we confessed our sins, repented of it, accepted Yeshua, our Mashiach, as the Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Sacrifice.

God now saying, your sins are forgiven. And therefore, in verse 10, he sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. The sins of the past. The sins of the present. The sins of the future. You see, when Yeshua died, it was 2,000 years ago. Where were you and I? Where were our sins then? We were just born, some of us, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 years ago. And when we were born, we were born in sins. We were dead in trespasses and sins. But the very work of the Messiah that he had done 2,000 years ago was sufficient enough to meet our sins today. And when are we going to leave this meeting?

Are we going to fall into sin? If we will, those sins have been washed away by the very same blood of the Lamb for those who know him. We need to be, of course, walking with the Lord and not looking to sin. But what I'm saying, when we sin, when we fail, every sin that we have committed have been washed by the blood of the Lamb. And so that expression, propitiation, he satisfied God. He appeased. His work has satisfied the holiness of God. Look at what it says in verses 1 and 2. My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua the Messiah, the righteous.

And now notice verse 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins. And not only for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. In other words, the value of the work of Yeshua the Messiah is sufficient to meet every sin in this world. But only those that have accepted him will enjoy and benefit from the value of the work of the Lord Jesus the Messiah on the cross, on the tree. So he is the propitiation for our sins. He satisfied a holy and a righteous God. Well, now notice what John, what Yohanan is saying to the mishpacha, to the family, to the sons and daughters of the Father.

In verse 11 of 1 John chapter 4. Now John is saying, if God loved us so much. Don't you think that we ought to love one another in some small measure? He is saying in verse 11. Notice that word so. He is saying, if God so. He is like, he does not have an end. He says, if God's love is so, so unique towards us. Don't you think that we should love one another? Don't you think so? Should we hate our brother? Should we speak against them? Should we run them down? Should we cut them? Should we wish them evil? No, he says. That's not right. That's not of God.

When you and I do so and think so, immediately the Spirit of God say, ah, ah, wait a minute. You are not in the ways of the Lord at all. That is Satan's way. This is the world's way. This is the flesh's way. This is not the ways of God. And that's why he's saying, beloved, if God so loved us, we are to love one another. Now, again, I would like to emphasize, we don't necessarily agree with each other. That doesn't mean loving one another. It's not a matter of just hugging and kissing here. No. Loving one another in a matter of saying, listen, I'm not going to hate this brother.

I'm not going to hate this sister. I wish them well and wish them the Lord's blessing, the Lord's guidance. I will seek to be a blessing to them. I will seek to be an encouragement to them. I will seek to pray for them, to minister to them, to forgive them, to be a help for them. That is the ministry of the Spirit of God in the lives of the sons and daughters of the Father. Listen, John is saying, verses 7 and 8, what God is, God is love. Verses 9, 10, and 11, what God did, he sent the darling of his bosom, so we will have the question of sin dealt with once and for all.

Wonderful, beloved brothers and sisters, how John is presenting this to the brothers and sisters to whom he wrote. And it's really refreshing because we need to remember this ourselves. Sometimes we seem to forget that God loves us. You know, sometimes you feel like the whole world is against us. Things are not going well. I have a problem with my family. I have a problem with my friends. My job situation is not so good. My finances are not the best. My health seems to run down. My neighbors are not so good to me. I'm coming to the assembly, to the congregation meeting. The brethren are not necessarily so loving and caring.

Nobody loves me. That's how we feel. Don't you feel sometimes like that? But then God says, don't forget that there is someone that loves you. And his love towards you is unchangeable. The proof of it, he gave his son, the anointed one, the Mashiach of Israel, the savior of the world. He gave him for you. He gave him for us in order that he will satisfy God with respect to our sin and sins. And deal once and for all with my own sin nature and sin problem. God loves you. God loves me. His love will never change. And by the way, when we disobey him, he doesn't change his love for us.

God is not giving us love as long as we love him back. In fact, we just read, not that we love God, but God loved us. Don't for a moment think that because we failed the Lord, that his love for us has changed. No, dear beloved brothers and sisters, he is the only one who will never fail us. Friends will fail us. Family will fail us. But God will never fail us. Somebody will say to you and I, I love you, but then he or she changed their mind. But God will never change his mind. He loved us and he proved it when he allowed his son, Yeshua, the Messiah, to pay the price for our sins.

And when we're going to be in heaven, we're going to be surrounding him and we're going to praise him and worship him. And we're going to look at the marks on his hands and his sides, which would be the token of his love towards us. And we will remember that years ago, he paid a price on the tree. The psalmists of Israel have said they have pierced his hands when they hung him on the tree on the Roman cross. He became a sacrifice. Revelation chapter 5 says that he's seen there in glory as a lamb that had been freshly slain. As if he was just slain this moment.

Throughout eternity, we're going to look at this lamb as if he had been just now paid a price for the sin of this world. We're going to cast all the crowns at his feet. And we're going to worship him. And we will never stop to worship him. We're going to say to him, thou art worthy. Not me, not them, but thou art. You are worthy to receive our praises. And what a joy that will be for our hearts when we are going to be with him in the coming days. Well, let's look down now in the next verses. Now in verses 12 to verse 16, Yohanan, John, is presenting what God is doing in our lives now.

You see, God is love, verse 7 and 8. God sent his son, what he did, verses 9 to 11. But what God is doing now in your life, in my life, now. You see, we are living here and now. We are not yet in heaven. We have already received forgiveness of sins. We are here and now we are between. You might say we are on the path that lead us one day to go to be with Yeshua in glory in heaven. So what is going on right now? And now notice that, you see, God always wants to have fellowship with man. Always he wants to enjoy man's fellowship. You remember in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 8, we read that God walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day.

But Adam sinned and disobeyed him and hid himself behind the tree. But God had desire to have fellowship with Adam. We read with Enoch, we read in chapter 5 and verse 22 of the book of Genesis, Enoch walked with God. When it's come to Noah, we read in Genesis 6 verse 9, and Noah walked with God. When it's come to Abraham, Abraham our father, we read in Genesis chapter 17 and in chapter 24 that Abraham walked with God. God desired men to walk with him, men and women, people to walk with him and to enjoy him. But sin came in. In Exodus chapter 25, God says, let Israel make me a sanctuary that I will dwell with them.

The shachanti betocham, I want to dwell in the midst of God's people. I want to enjoy fellowship with the human race, with my people. But when sin come in, it separates us from God. And so we read throughout scripture that even the glory of God departed from the temple. If you remember in 1 Samuel chapter 4, because of the sin of the nation, of our nation Israel. The glory of God have left the tabernacle, the temple. Because now Israel were not in the right relationship with him. But God always wanted to have fellowship with the people of God. So now, beloved brothers and sisters, look what we read in verses 12 to 16.

That God want to have fellowship with men. Notice that first of all, in verse 12, it says that no man have seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. What he is saying in verse 12, no one have seen God at any time. The only one we know in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, verse 18, it's the only begotten son. The Messiah, Yeshua, the eternal son. He had seen the Father. He knows the Father. But the world don't see God. The only way that the world will see God is through you and I. The only way that the world will know love is when they watch and observe the people of God, how they behave.

And the proof that God is in existence is by the manner in which the people of God behave. And his love is perfected in us, matured in us. You see, the proof that God is existing to the world around us is by the way that we relate to each other. If there is love among the people of God, then the world around can say, wait a minute. There is something special here. I don't know if there is God. I don't believe in God, they might say. But one thing for sure when I see this group of believers, that I see when they love one another, God dwells in the midst of these people.

You see, the only way that the world will know that you and I are really representing a living God is by the way we conduct ourselves. You see, John chapter 13, Yeshua said in the upper room, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to one another. Let me reverse it. By this shall the world, all men know that you are not my disciples if you hate one another. You know, sometimes it is amazing when unbelievers come into the midst of a good, healthy congregation. And they say, wow, there is something special in the midst of this group of people.

They really practice in a small measure kindness, affection, care for each other, serving one another, not bickering and fighting and hurting each other. You see, that is not of God. That is not ministry. That is the flesh. You see, what God is doing now, he is maturing us. He is working, he is plowing us. He is allowing us to experience some trials and tribulation that we will have a sense of care for others. Because when we are carefree and have no problem and everything is hunky-dory and everything is fine, who needs anybody, right? In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul said those words. "Blessed be God, even the Father," this verse 3, "of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of mercy, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." You see, loving and caring for each other and comforting each other, it is evident that God is existing.

The world watches the people of God and see it. And when the world sees that the believers are bickering and fighting and he says, "Listen, I don't have to go to be with you, I can go to the bar. I can go to any place else." People are fighting all over. Maybe they even behave better than you are behaving. They might say to us, and therefore you can see, God dwells in the midst of his people and through his people there is a proof that he is existing. And the world can say, "Ah, ah, there is something unique among these people." No man sees God, but they can see through the way in which we behave towards another.

Then notice that. Secondly, in verse 13, God gave us the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh. He has given us the Holy Spirit to indwell in us. You notice verse 13, he says, "Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit." The Holy Spirit of God had been given unto us. You see, brothers and sisters, what distinguishes us today in the present day church age is that every believer is indwelled by Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God. A divine person is indwelling us. Don't you know, 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 19, that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you are not your own?

You have been purchased with the blood of Yeshua the Messiah. Romans chapter 8 and verse 9, he said, "If any man have not the Spirit of the Messiah, the Spirit of Christ, he is not belonging to him." 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13, "By one Spirit we will all be placed into that one body, the body of Mashiach, the body of Christ." John 14 and verse 16, Yeshua said, "I will send another comforter and he will dwell in you." We have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us, in the believer. And God gave this to us to dwell in us, to be a witness that we belong to the Father, we belong to him.

Notice verse 14 now. God uses us, the believers, his people, to witness to the world. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. We are to testify to the world by mouth and by our behavior that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. You see, God is working. It's not only what God is, he is love. What God did, he gave his Son. But what God does in the midst of his people, he is working in the midst of his own people in order to produce that which is for his glory in the life of his own people.

Verse 15 now, we read that God dwells in his people. "Whosoever shall confess that Yeshua is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God." Honest, truthful confession, that Yeshua is the Son of God. It's an evidence that God is dwelling in us and we dwell in him. fellowship if we actually confess and let men know. People around us know that God sent his Son, that Yeshua is the Son of God. Again, he that has the Son, we're going to read it in the fifth chapter, has life. And he that has not the Son of God has not life. That's the way that the scripture is proclaiming.

And what happens when we confess to the world that Yeshua is the Son of God, we're actually proclaiming the Gospel. Paul said in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of the Messiah." Why, Paul, you are not ashamed of the Gospel of the Messiah? Because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. And it is to the Jewish people first. And also to the nations of the world. But I am not ashamed in the body of the truth of the Gospel. Because in this body of truth is the message whereby a sinner can be saved. The power in the message of the Gospel that Yeshua, the Son of God, died for us on the cross as man was buried and raised from among the dead.

And so, brothers and sisters, in conclusion, in verse 16, God is love. Dwelling in love is dwelling in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love. And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. You notice, by the way, in verse 8 where we begin, God is love. In verse 16 where we end, God is love. It's like all what we have been speaking about in between, sandwiched in between this fact that God is love. And because he is love, we can enjoy fellowship with him now because he sent Yeshua, the Messiah, and expressing this in a practical way towards one another.

That is an amazing thing. Can you imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, if you and I, in a small measure, will practice this? Can you imagine what a testimony that will be to the world around us? I'm going to read two verses in conclusion. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. You want to know what love is? Well, look what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 4. Love suffer long. Love is kind. Love envious not. Love boasts not. Love puffs not up, not proud. Love does not behave itself unseemingly. Love seeketh not her own. Love is not easily provoked. Love thinks no evil. Love rejoices not in iniquity. Love rejoices in the truth.

Love bear all things. Love believeth all things. Love hope all things. Love endureth all things. And verse 8a. Love never faileth. Imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, if we, in some small measure, practice this, that we are encouraged to do. Beloved, Yohanan said, let us love one another. May the Lord help us to do so.