Embracing the Eternal Love of Christ

 

Summary

In Song of Solomon 6:3, we find a profound expression of love: "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." This verse encapsulates the essence of the Christian life, which is centered on loving and being loved by Jesus Christ. The Bible, at its core, is a love story that begins with God, who is love, and extends to us through Jesus Christ, the heavenly bridegroom. Before creation, love existed within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—demonstrating that love is fundamental to God's nature. This eternal love is the reason for our innate longing to love and be loved, as we are made in God's image.

However, sin has distorted our love, turning it inward and away from God. This misdirection is the essence of sin, leading us to hide from God rather than seek Him. Yet, Jesus came to restore this broken relationship, bringing us back to God through His sacrifice. His prayer in John 17 reveals His desire for us to experience the same love He shares with the Father. This divine love is not just a theological concept but a personal reality for each believer.

Beware of "gold digger Christianity," where the focus is on what we can gain from Christ rather than loving Him for who He is. True Christianity is marked by a genuine love for Christ, not just a desire for His blessings. This love is most powerfully demonstrated when we continue to love God amidst suffering and loss, as exemplified by Job. Such love glorifies God, confounds Satan, and strengthens fellow believers.

Enjoy the strength of Christ's love, which is personal and eternal. Unlike earthly possessions, which are temporary, Christ's love is forever. Embrace this love and give yourself to Christ without reservation. When we truly understand and experience His love, it simplifies our lives, providing clarity and purpose. As we face life's challenges, we can confidently say, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," knowing that Christ is with us and for us.

Key Takeaways:

- The Eternal Love of God: Before creation, love existed within the Trinity, demonstrating that love is fundamental to God's nature. This eternal love is the reason for our innate longing to love and be loved, as we are made in God's image. [03:18]

- Sin as Misdirected Love: Sin is essentially a disorder of our affections, where our love is turned inward and away from God. This misdirection leads us to hide from God, but Jesus came to restore our relationship with Him. [06:32]

- Beware of Gold Digger Christianity: True Christianity is marked by a genuine love for Christ, not just a desire for His blessings. We must guard against a mentality that seeks Christ only for what He can give us, rather than loving Him for who He is. [19:38]

- Loving God Amidst Suffering: Loving God in the midst of suffering and loss glorifies Him, confounds Satan, and strengthens fellow believers. This love is a powerful testimony of our faith and devotion to God. [26:21]

- The Personal and Eternal Love of Christ: Christ's love is personal and eternal, unlike earthly possessions that are temporary. Embrace this love and give yourself to Christ without reservation, finding clarity and purpose in His love. [31:59]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:14] - Introduction to Song of Solomon
- [00:47] - The Heart of the Christian Life
- [01:59] - The Eternal Love of God
- [03:18] - Love Within the Trinity
- [04:46] - The Greatest Commandment
- [05:16] - Misdirected Love and Sin
- [06:32] - The Essence of Sin
- [08:21] - Jesus Restores Our Relationship
- [09:46] - Jesus' Prayer for Us
- [11:12] - The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
- [12:37] - Solomon's Bride and True Love
- [14:40] - Beware of Gold Digger Christianity
- [19:38] - Genuine Love for Christ
- [26:21] - Loving God Amidst Suffering
- [31:59] - The Personal and Eternal Love of Christ

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Song of Solomon 6:3
- John 17:24
- 1 Peter 3:18

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Observation Questions:

1. What does the phrase "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" in Song of Solomon 6:3 signify about the relationship between the speaker and their beloved? [01:07]

2. How does John 17:24 illustrate the eternal nature of love within the Trinity? [02:20]

3. According to 1 Peter 3:18, what was the purpose of Christ's suffering, and how does it relate to our relationship with God? [08:54]

4. In the sermon, what is described as the essence of sin, and how does it affect our relationship with God? [06:32]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the eternal love within the Trinity, as described in John 17:24, shape our understanding of God's nature and our own longing for love? [02:20]

2. What does the sermon suggest about the dangers of "gold digger Christianity," and how can this mentality affect one's faith? [19:38]

3. How does the story of Job, as mentioned in the sermon, illustrate the power of loving God amidst suffering? [26:21]

4. What does it mean to give oneself to Christ without reservation, and why might someone hesitate to do so? [32:38]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own relationship with Christ. Can you genuinely say, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine"? What steps can you take to deepen this relationship? [01:07]

2. Consider the concept of "gold digger Christianity." Are there areas in your faith where you might be more focused on what you can gain from Christ rather than loving Him for who He is? How can you shift your focus? [19:38]

3. Think about a time when you faced suffering or loss. How did your love for God manifest during that period? What can you learn from Job's example to strengthen your faith in difficult times? [26:21]

4. How does understanding the eternal love within the Trinity impact your view of God's love for you? How can this understanding change the way you love others? [02:20]

5. What are some practical ways you can remind yourself daily of Christ's personal and eternal love for you? How can this awareness bring clarity and purpose to your life? [31:59]

6. Identify any reservations you might have about fully giving yourself to Christ. What steps can you take to overcome these hesitations and embrace His love more fully? [32:38]

7. How can you demonstrate your love for Christ in your daily actions and decisions, especially when facing challenges or temptations? [23:15]

Devotional

Day 1: The Trinity's Eternal Love as Our Foundation
The eternal love within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—demonstrates that love is fundamental to God's nature. Before creation, this divine love existed, and it is the reason for our innate longing to love and be loved, as we are made in God's image. This love story begins with God, who is love, and extends to us through Jesus Christ, the heavenly bridegroom. Understanding this eternal love helps us recognize our true identity and purpose in life, which is to love and be loved by God. [03:18]

1 John 4:7-8 (ESV): "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Reflection: How does knowing that love existed within the Trinity before creation change your understanding of your own need for love and connection today?


Day 2: Sin as a Distortion of Our True Affections
Sin is essentially a disorder of our affections, where our love is turned inward and away from God. This misdirection leads us to hide from God, but Jesus came to restore our relationship with Him. By understanding sin as misdirected love, we can begin to see how our desires and actions may be leading us away from God rather than towards Him. Jesus' sacrifice was meant to realign our hearts with God's love, inviting us back into a relationship where we can experience true fulfillment and joy. [06:32]

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV): "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Reflection: In what ways have you noticed your love being misdirected away from God? What steps can you take today to realign your heart with His love?


Day 3: Genuine Love for Christ Over Material Gain
True Christianity is marked by a genuine love for Christ, not just a desire for His blessings. We must guard against a mentality that seeks Christ only for what He can give us, rather than loving Him for who He is. This "gold digger Christianity" is a shallow faith that misses the depth and richness of a true relationship with Jesus. By focusing on loving Christ for who He is, we can experience a more profound and fulfilling spiritual life that is not dependent on our circumstances or material gain. [19:38]

Matthew 6:24 (ESV): "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

Reflection: Reflect on your motivations for following Christ. Are there areas where you find yourself seeking His blessings more than His presence? How can you shift your focus to loving Him for who He is?


Day 4: The Power of Loving God Amidst Suffering
Loving God in the midst of suffering and loss glorifies Him, confounds Satan, and strengthens fellow believers. This love is a powerful testimony of our faith and devotion to God. When we continue to love God despite our circumstances, we demonstrate a faith that is not dependent on our situation but rooted in the eternal love of Christ. This kind of love can inspire others and provide hope and encouragement to those who are also facing trials. [26:21]

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV): "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

Reflection: Think of a current or past trial in your life. How can you choose to love and glorify God in the midst of it, and how might this impact those around you?


Day 5: Embracing the Personal and Eternal Love of Christ
Christ's love is personal and eternal, unlike earthly possessions that are temporary. Embrace this love and give yourself to Christ without reservation, finding clarity and purpose in His love. When we truly understand and experience His love, it simplifies our lives, providing clarity and purpose. As we face life's challenges, we can confidently say, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," knowing that Christ is with us and for us. [31:59]

Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV): "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Reflection: In what ways can you embrace Christ's personal and eternal love more fully in your daily life? What changes might this bring to your sense of purpose and clarity?

Quotes

"Before anything else existed, there was love, and he spoke of one God who exists in three persons and of how love has always flowed within the very nature of who God is himself between Father and Son and Holy Spirit always has always will. That is fundamental to what it means when the Bible says God is love." [00:03:07]

"Sin in its essence, it is misdirected love. It's a disorder of the affections. It's us loving the wrong things. That's the fundamental human problem, and that's why our first instinct is not actually to seek God, but our first instinct in our natural state is actually to hide from God." [00:06:22]

"Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, that he might bring us out of hiding, that he might correct within us the loving of the wrong thing and bring us back into a living relationship with this wonderful God who loves us." [00:08:56]

"Beware of the gold digger mentality. Beware of the gold digger mentality. Now I actually checked the dictionary for a definition of gold digger, and this is what I found in Miam Webster: gold digger, a woman who becomes or tries to become romantically involved with a rich man in order to get money and gifts from him." [00:14:36]

"Awtoer sounded the alarm over what I'm calling today gold digger Christianity, and he said this: 'The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Christ may be received without creating any special love for him in the soul of the receiver.'" [00:17:43]

"There is nothing particularly surprising about a Christian who loves God when things are going well, but when a believer loves God truly when good gifts are taken away, there is a demonstration to heaven and to hell as well as in this world that we really do love God and not just his gifts." [00:23:15]

"One gift after another was stripped away from Job, and now this godly man is in a dark valley of pain. He's struggling with all kinds of unanswered questions, but he does not cease to love God. Though he slay me, yet I will trust him. I know that my redeemer lives." [00:24:48]

"Loving Christ still in the middle of unexplained suffering and loss may be the greatest contribution that you will ever make in all of your life to glorifying God and to pushing back the boundaries of Satan and to advancing the work of Jesus Christ in the world." [00:26:16]

"Enjoy the strength of Christ's love. Enjoy the strength of Christ's love. It's been one of the aims of our whole series that we would more deeply grasp the love of Christ for us so that we would more fully come to love him and more deeply come to love others." [00:27:50]

"One of the great blessings of being a Christian is just being able to say 'Jesus Christ is mine.' There's a peace, there's a strength, there is a confidence, a security that comes there. Christ is mine. I'm in him. He is in me, and there's something intensely personal about this." [00:28:21]

"Give yourself to Christ without condition and without reservation. Not only is she able to say my beloved is mine, but she says I am my beloved. You able to say that in relation to Christ? I'm his. I've given myself to him without reservation, without condition." [00:32:39]

"The greatest sadness that I feel when I pray for some of you who are still holding out on Jesus Christ, still wrestling with your own maintaining of your own independence, is that by that very fact you're showing that you have not yet discovered his love." [00:33:28]

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Transcript
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