Accepted in the Beloved
JOHN 3:14-16
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
EPHESIANS 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Accepted in the Beloved
This word “Beloved” Greek = agapao = to love dearly, to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing, so we know that we have been accepted and are loved dearly by God because he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And the evidence of that is that we have recognised him in this age, because he only reveals himself to his own.
223-1 THYATIREAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.6
I want to give a warning right here. It says concerning the last days that because of abounding iniquity the love of many will wax cold. In the Laodicean, or last age, self love, and love for material things will take the place of the true love of God. We need to guard against the power of sin in these last days. So many are getting so hard because they haven't realized the effect of this last day spirit. It is time to draw nigh to God and let him fill our lives with His love, or we will feel the coldness of the last day church, and reject the truth of God which alone is able to help us.
We know that there are 3 types of love in the Greek language.
Eros = Romantic love - Sensual love, it is based almost entirely on feelings and is often very fleeting
Phileo = brotherly love, a bond between brothers and sisters, but is still conditional, people can fall out with one another – It’s a love that is still based to a large extent on feelings
Agape Love = is the love of God which is unconditional – it is a love expressed by actions, for God so love the world that he GAVE his only begotten son.
There is also a fourth Greek word for love that we normally don’t mention -
Storge = cultural love, the love of community and family, and this is the love that can hinder your spiritual growth and love for God because of family and cultural ties.
JOHN 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love (agape) one to another. This is the love that we are to have, a love that can forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
God made living things to be loved and accepted. Even in the animal kingdom we see how a mother’s love is such a necessary component to life.
A mother dear’s love for her little fawn, without that love life would not function properly, if at all.
Love is such an important component for life – love and life go hand in hand.
The hippie error of the 60’s and 70’s was supposedly based on love and freedom of expression - “just love man” and “peace” and “be happy” philosophy, but we know that that was just a perversion of the Love of God in trying to have peace and happiness and to get along with each other but without repentance and the acceptance of Christ.
I JOHN 4:7-19
7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 ¶ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
GOD'S.PROVIDED.WAY.OF.APPROACH.TO.FELLOWSHIP_ KLAMATH.FALLS.OR SATURDAY_ 60-0709
E-22 … Love is the most powerful force there is in the world. There's nothing as great as love; power only lays in love.
More than anything, God made living and conscious things to be loved, first by God and also by one another – and so we know that being unloved or the fear of being unloved is at the root of many problems.
We see adults who were perhaps not love properly as children, we see how it can affect them later on in life and often for their entire lives - they can experience all sorts of problems in how they relate to others and how they think about others.
There are many problems that people suffer that can be a directly linked to the fact that they were not loved properly or they have experienced some sort of rejection at some point in their lives, and rejection is the opposite to love and acceptance.
But this is where the Love of God can bring healing into our lives.
EPHESIANS 1:1-11 Picking back up on opening scripture
1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (Notice that he is addressing this letter to the saints, this is not to unbelievers)
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
(He is not referring to two people - God is the Farther and the Lord Jesus Christ, the same person but with different offices)
3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Greek = “agape” love; this is unconditional love – it’s the love of God, its unmerited love)
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (We didn’t make ourselves accepted in the beloved, but he hath made us accepted in the beloved. “Beloved” = agapao = to love dearly, to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing, we have been accepted and are loved dearly by God because of his choosing)
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (So this same beloved people He has also made known this great mystery of his will to us, this is especially applicable in this age with the fullness of the opening of the word)
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (we are in this gathering time right now – that is what is going on amongst the bride, it is the revelation of this hour that is gathering us to Christ because he is the revelation – the seventh seal is Christ revealing himself to his bride and the bride uniting with the word – God and man becoming truly one again)
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
THE.END.TIME.EVANGELISM_ JEFF.IN V-10 N-5 SUNDAY_ 62-0603
This quote is what inspired this subject, knowing that the world will reject us and hate us because it has already rejected and hated the messenger that God sent, and that is why it is so important to know that we are already accepted in the beloved, because that is the only way to stand the rejection of the world.
234 Then You stood and told them how the time would be, and here we are in the end time. Lord, come riding in again, won't You, Father? We're getting tired, wore out. Men has turned us down from everywhere; the denominations is all thumbs down. In California there them precious saints standing out there crying, forty churches, and that one leader stood up and said, "Well, if he baptizes, using the Name of the Lord Jesus, we don't want him." And turned the Gospel from them poor hungry people...
Here is the prophet of God feeling rejected because of the message that he holds dear and knows is the truth, and that rejecting is causing him to feel unloved. But the fact that God has revealed himself to him is the evidence that he has already accepted him in the Beloved and this also applies to us.
GOD'S.WRAPPED.GIFT_ JEFF.IN V-14 N-8 SUNDAY_ 60-1225
162 …See? Revealed Himself to all those people, the unlovable, when no one wanted them, called them fanatics, He revealed Himself to them. "I'm so glad that I can say I'm one of them." Unlovable, unwanted, sick and needy, hungry; He revealed Himself. Yes.
JOHN 15:17-21
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 ¶ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
If the world does not love us because of the revelation of this hour, then how important is it that we love one another.
CHRIST.IS.THE.MYSTERY.OF.GOD.REVEALED_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-7 SUNDAY_ 63-0728
80 Love one another, above everything. Love one another. Don't... No matter what the devil tries to say! Now you're all one great big sweet group now, but remember my warning, see, Satan won't let that stay that way (the reason he attacks this area of Love between brethren is because it is the most powerful stronghold, and if he can break that he can destroy the whole thing). No, sir. He'll shoot everything, if he has to bring somebody in to make his target. He'll bring some critic or unbeliever in, and sit him down, and cause him to fellowship with you under the quietness and things, and then he'll shoot that guy with some kind of a poison stuff, and he'll start through the church with it. Don't you take sides with it. Don't you have nothing to do with anything else. You stay right loving and sweet and kind to one another. Pray for that man, that he'll be saved too, or that woman, or ever who it is, just pray for them. And stick one with another.
I JOHN 3:23-24
23 ¶ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. (agapao = to love dearly, to accept in the beloved)
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
True love never rejects – it might distant itself like God did with man for a season, but he could never stop loving his children because his love was not conditional upon our behaviour – like if we are good then God will love us, but if we a bad then God wont love us anymore – that is a catholic idea, but you won’t find that anywhere in the bible.
QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS_ JEFF.IN COD WEDNESDAY_ 59-1223
498-131 Love, chosen us in love before the foundation of the world... Now, watch:
Having predestinated us... (Now, there's the word "predestinated.")... Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to--according to the good pleasure of his will.
What about that, Brother Mike? Isn't that wonderful? He loved you. He loved you before there was a world. He knowed your nature; He knowed your weaknesses; He knowed your habits. He knowed all about you, what you was going to be. And then, when He looked all over the great universe, as it was, He said, "I choose you." And when He did that, before there ever was a speck of--of life, then you're eternal with God.
The love of God is the most powerful thing in the world. There is an abundance of Eros love in the world, but it is this agape Love that is lacking, and that is why the world is falling apart.
LOVE_ SASKATOON.SASK SUNDAY_ 57-0519E
E-8 Now, I'm going to read tonight one verse of Scripture, very familiar to the smallest child here, that ever attended Sunday school, called the--the Golden Text of the Bible: John 3:16. For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
E-9 You say, "Brother Branham, would you read such a little text for a great service?" You see, it doesn't make much difference how small it is, it's what it says. It's the contents in it. The context, what makes it so valuable. That is enough Scripture to convert the entire world to God and to Christ tonight. If it be received in the right mental attitude, it would do it, would bring every sinner to his knees.
And the reason I chose this, tonight, is because my theme has always been love. I think love is the most powerful force that the world has, because God is love. And there's no more power--more powerful force than God. And love is one of the greatest things that I could speak of.
QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS_ JEFF.IN COD WEDNESDAY_ 59-1223
497-127 …You're sons and daughters of God. Predestinated us... Now, watch just a minute.
According as he hath--he has chosen us... (Now, we didn't choose... How could I choose Him? Four hundred billion, million, billion, trillion years ago, how could I have chose Him? But He chose me. Amen. Oh, Brother Wood, that's it. See?)... chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy... (Now, don't try to make it yourself, 'cause you can't.)... and without blame before him in love:
Oh, brother, that will answer a question I seen in here just a few minutes ago. Somewhere I--I seen it just... Oh, yes. You said, "How could a man live above, live so close to God he would be without sin." Listen to this:
... holy... from the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
498-129 His love did it. His love paid for my sins. His love taken it away. Love is the most powerful force there is.
THE.LAW.HAVING.A.SHADOW_ CHICAGO.IL THURSDAY_ 56-0621
E-46 If there's one thing you could do to merit it, you'd have something to brag about it. "Lord, I've sought You day and night." But you can't say that to Him. He said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him." And God seeks man and not man seeking God. So you don't have one thing to say, but, "God it was Your grace that did it." And there, as long you're accepted in the Beloved, how can God bring you into judgment, when He's already judged Christ in your stead?
BEYOND.THE.CURTAIN.OF.TIME_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 61-0305
E-25 I am more convinced than ever in my life, that it will take perfect love to enter that place. There was no jealousy, no tiredness, no sickness, no old age, no death, only supreme beauty and joy. (Hallelujah!)
Whatever you do, lay aside everything else until you get perfect love. Get to where you can love everybody, even every enemy. No matter if the plane is rocking, the lightning is flashing, or the guns of the enemy are upon you, these things do not matter; get perfect love.
If you're not saved, accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, now. If you have not been baptized in water, be baptized now. If you have not received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, receive It now. Press on in that perfect love, which will take you to that beautiful and joyful place beyond the curtain of time.
The prophet and his message was rejected (and it got him down from time to time), but he knew that he was accepted in the beloved, and so we know that the bride with the same message in her heart will be rejected here, but we also know that we have been accepted in the beloved.
We may be unloved by the world now, but we are already dearly loved by the Lord Jesus who gave his life for us and has revealed himself to us in this hour by the opening of the word.
So there is no reason for us to ever feel unloved, for we know that he has chosen us by election to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.