LOVE ENDURETH
Tonight‘s subject is ―Love Endureth‖ We are told, ―He who has not loved does not know God, for God is love.‖ This is not a conclusion that the prophet reached after years of philosophic study, but an act of God in self-revelation. If God never revealed himself to man, I doubt that man would ever know that God is love. But, in spite of all the horror of the world, I know from experience that God is love. The apostle Paul tells us, ―Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.‖ Then he takes all the symbols of God and compares them to love. You could have all the wisdom of the world, all the power of the world, but if love is not present, your worldly power and wisdom is as nothing. There is no gift of the spirit comparable to love, and in the end love is the only thing that is alive. Faith will be fulfilled; hope will be realized. These are attributes of God, but love is not an attribute of God, God is love. When you stand in the presence of the Risen Christ you have only one emotion, only one feeling and that is love. And when love embraces you, you wear the body of the Risen Christ, the body of love.
Everything in this world will pass away, but love will endure forever. So ―He who does not love does not know God for God is love.‖ Tonight, what I am about to tell you may seem incredible, but it is all scripture and all true. We are told, ―Be persistent in the race, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and protector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame.‖ This is true, for I remember when he nailed himself on this body (this cross he now wears). He despised the shame, for he knew what he must experience before he committed the act. But he did it for your sake. Now you may wonder if there is any hope, any chance for his return. There is. Listen to his words, ―He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day.‖ May I tell you these statements are to be taken literally and fulfilled literally, although I know it doesn‘t make sense on this level. That is why Myers, in his lovely poem ―St. Paul‖ said: ―Oh could I tell he surely would believe it. Oh could I only say what I have seen. How can I? Or who will believe it? How, until he brings you to where I have been.‖ Although it sounds terrible to think of drinking anyone‘s blood, when he brings you to where I have been you will actually see God‘s living, pulsing, golden liquid blood and say to yourself, ―I know it is myself, Oh my divine creator and redeemer.‖ Then you will fuse with it and, absorbing it like a sponge, up you will go on the spiral stairway into the kingdom of heaven. That is your last day. And the last day comes to the individual every moment in time.
It has already happened and it is still, in a sense, happening and will continue to happen until all are saved. Until everyone is redeemed, for God is redeeming himself. Last summer, while visiting in New York City, I wanted to visit a bookstore I knew well and had visited regularly while living in New York City. I had purchased many books from Mary. She did not carry my books. In fact I doubt if she ever knew I wrote one. The lady was not interested in what the books contained, only in the profit they would provide. Whenever she noticed I was looking at a book, the moment I put it back on the shelf she removed it and changed the price. I know, for I have seen her do it. When I told a friend that I was going to the bookstore he said, ―Haven‘t you heard? Mary was killed last month and there is no more metaphysical library.‖ Now, this lady and her husband had gone their separate ways, yet had remained married. One evening, taking only her change purse with her, Mary had gone to the grocery store and was on her way home when she was knocked down by a passing car and killed. Since there was no identification on her person, no next of kin had been notified. Five days later her husband stopped by the shop only to discover it was closed with unopened mail still on the floor. When he went to the police to file a missing person‘s notice, they suggested he contact the morgue where he identified her body. Not for one moment could I arrest her attention as I have yours now. She made a considerable amount of money out of me. That was all she wanted, yet over the years she had many an opportunity to hear from one who had experienced scripture, but she wasn‘t interested at all. We are told that, at the end of his days Paul expounded to them from morning till night about Jesus, trying to persuade all who would listen to him using both the Law of Moses and the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, while others disbelieved.
Mary never gave me the chance to convince her, but I tell you that everything said in that book called the Bible is literally true and will one day be experienced by you and fulfilled by you literally, even to the drinking of the blood. You will recognize the blood of God as that which gave you life while you walked the earth. And ―He who drinks my blood has life in himself.‖ ―Because I live, you will live also.‖ See the difference in tense? Because I live… that‘s present… you will live also. He is addressing the spiritual you. You who seem to be alive, but are really not until you drink my blood. I have animated you, for I have placed my blood within you. ―Unless I die thou canst not live. But if I die I shall arise again and thou with me.‖ God died and his blood is in you and God is love. So I tell you, Love Endureth. It was love who began a good work in you and it is love that will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. Love is the ultimate reality. If the word ―Jesus‖ offends you, use ―love‖. Love said, ―Let not your hearts be troubled for I am the way, and the truth and the life.‖ That‘s perfectly alright. Change the word ―Jesus‖ to ―love‖, for Jesus is love, infinite love. I want to thank you for sharing your visions as they come to you and I will use them as they apply to the topic I have chosen. One I can use tonight. This lady said, ―In my dream I was looking for something, yet I didn‘t know what it was I was to find. Then I discovered three coins in my left hand. Looking at them I said, ‗Shouldn‘t there be thirty pieces of silver?‘ and a voice answered saying, ‗No, you have three precious ones.‘
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