Sermons about love. About love for God and neighbors

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters!

The topic of today's sermon will be love. This topic came to my heart and I began to prepare a sermon, but the sermon did not work out. The words and thoughts were correct, but there was no forward movement. Then I prayed and an inner voice asked me, “Do you yourself correspond to what you will preach to others?”, “Don’t you know that the Lord does not tolerate hypocrisy?”, “Don’t you know that the Lord does not need words , and what about you?” Then I prayed again and asked the Lord to help me compose a sermon for myself, so that I myself would learn to correspond to that word of Yours. I told the Lord that I would preach this sermon to my brothers and sisters because perhaps someone needed it. And the sermon began to work. Line after line lay down. And now we will consider the topic of love.

Love is the basis of the entire Bible. And speaking about love, they usually talk about two main commandments, the first is love for God and the second is love for your neighbor. But love in these two commandments is secondary. The Creator’s love for his creation is primary, that is, God’s love for man, and everything else is secondary. And we will be convinced of this by considering the word of God.

When God created man, He did not give these commandments. There was only one commandment - obedience, because love is manifested in obedience. When we raise our children and grandchildren, do we really demand love? No. We demand obedience. When God warned Cain that “sin lies at the door,” He did so out of love for His creation (Genesis 4:7).

Centuries have passed. The Jewish people became God's chosen people, in which God clearly showed all nations what grace He gives for obedience, and how He punishes for disobedience, that is, for sins.

Deuteronomy 8:5 - “And know in your heart that the Lord your God teaches you as a man teaches his son.”

And indeed it is so. Imagine that someone has one child of their own, and he has adopted ten more. All eleven children are playing around, but for the sake of science, to all the children, he gives the butt to only one, his own child. So, “The Lord punishes whomever he loves.” (Heb. 12:6)

Centuries and millennia passed. People sinned more and more and God punished them more and more. But God’s love for man has always been stronger than the punishment for his sins. With the exception of sins leading to death, but we will talk about this another time. And then came the decisive moment in the history of mankind, the Son of God Jesus Christ was born on earth.

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Isn't this a confirmation of God's love for people?

Having reached 30 summer age Jesus Christ began to teach the people of Israel, and through him, all nations. And the basis of His teaching was love. Let's read the Gospel of Matthew 22:37-40.

Matt. 22:37 - “Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Matt. 22:38 - “this is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matt. 22:39 - “The second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matt. 22:40 - “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

In the last verse, Jesus Christ tells us that the basis of the Bible is love.

Now we will look at the first two commandments. How do we as believers show our love for God? First of all, by obedience to Him. God should always take first place in our lives, under any circumstances. And as Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).

Remember how, out of love for your parents, you did what they asked, even when you did not agree. Moreover, out of love for God, we must put an end to any manifestation of self-will in our lives.

How often does a husband or wife, regarding certain events, say: don’t pay attention, never mind, or in some other way. Why? Out of love. They try to calm each other down so that their loved one does not get upset and thereby maintains health. How often, when getting a child ready for school, a mother tells him: don’t fight and don’t get involved with anyone. Why? Out of love for the child. His mother warns him against possible troubles. And she does this primarily out of love for her child, and not for other children. In the same way, God, out of love for us, through His prophets, apostles and His Son Jesus Christ, warns us believers against possible troubles in our daily lives. The Word of God, out of love for us, guides our entire lives and warns against sin, “so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” There is so much love and care in these words. And now we will consider, as it seems to me, the most difficult commandment for many - “love your neighbor as yourself.

Let's first try to answer some questions:

Who are our neighbors?

Why do you need to love yourself?

What do you mean by the word love?

I found answers to the first two questions relatively quickly. Our neighbors are those who are next to us, these are our relatives by blood and these are our relatives in spirit (by faith). If a person does not love himself, then he cannot love anyone else. But the third question was very difficult to answer. There is no clear answer. Working with the literature, we can conclude that the word “love” includes many different definitions, each of which is correct for a particular case. Now we will try to reveal the understanding of the word “love” for a number of specific concepts:

Love for God is unquestioning obedience to His will and living according to His word.

Self-love does not mean being a narcissistic egoist, but it means having inner world With myself.

Love for one's neighbor is inner peace in relation to the people around us.

Love for parents is obedience, respect and a feeling of gratitude or for everything they have done.

Love for children is a sense of responsibility for their upbringing and health. This is a concern for their future.

Love between husband and wife is the desire to always be together. This is constant care for each other.

Love for a brother or sister is the unconditional and selfless provision of help at the first need. This is the desire for mutual understanding and peace.

To the above it is necessary to add verse 1 Cor. 13:4.

1 Cor. 13:4 - “Love is patient and kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, it is not proud.”

In the Word of God we find instructions on how children should relate to their parents, Deuteronomy 5:16. What kind of relationship should be between husband and wife and how parents should treat their children is described in the letter of the Apostle Paul to Colossians 3:19-21.

Speaking about love for one's neighbor, I will give one example from Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables. An escaped convict with someone else's documents hurries to Paris, where there is a lot of easy prey for him. Night finds him in a small town and only the priest let him into his house for the night. The priest fed him without asking anything. The fugitive criminal saw in the priest's house a lot of silver dishes and two large silver candlesticks. The criminal woke up before dawn, collected all the silver in his travel bag and ran away. But on the way out of the city, the police stopped him, examined his travel bag and recognized the silver items as belonging to the priest. The police brought the caught thief to the priest so that he could identify the silver items stolen from him. But the priest told the police that he had given these things to a man caught by the police and asked them to let him go. When the police left, the thief began to return the stolen things, but the priest stopped him and said: “I give all this silver and may it help you become an honest person until the end of your days.” And he became an honest man. With the help of this silver he became very rich. He began to help widows and orphans, and rescued those who offended him from trouble. He became an exemplary Christian.

Now let's try to find an explanation why the Word of God requires us to “seek to have peace with everyone” (Heb. 12:14), so that we “love our neighbor as ourselves?” I think so that we, believers, have inner peace both with ourselves and with the people around us. Having this peace, we don’t get nervous, don’t get angry, don’t have unnecessary grievances, which means we feel good. But every believer is the Temple of God, and as the scripture says, “The Temple of God cannot be destroyed,” therefore, having inner peace with ourselves and those around us, firstly, we preserve the temple of God, and secondly, as our Lord Jesus Christ said : “from a good heart and good deeds.” That is why the Word of God calls us to always remain in love for our neighbor. For the same reason, we should not expect gratitude when we do good deeds. Speaking about love for one's neighbor, one cannot help but dwell on the relationship between husband and wife. After all, it would seem, who is closer? After all, it is written in the Word “and he will cleave to his wife; and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Nevertheless, in many families, even of religious people, there is no peace. It’s good if there are no mutual insults. And how will this unhealthy relationship between husband and wife affect their children, how will they grow up? This is why the Word of God calls for love and mutual understanding. It is for parents that Jesus Christ more than once says, “I do what I saw in His Father’s house,” thereby indicating to parents that they should be an example for their children.

I would especially like to say a few words about maternal love. All-forgiving, all-understanding, selfless and limitless. What won’t a mother do in the name of love for her child? Both small and large. Very often maternal love is called blind love. She loves good children and bad ones equally. It would seem that there is no longer strong love than the love of a mother for her child. What mother would give up her only natural child to save her adopted children, not to mention other people's children? And the Lord God gave his only begotten Son for the salvation of tens of millions of sinners. God's love for his creation is much stronger and wiser. A mother loves and raises several children, but God loves and raises tens of millions of his children. Speaking about God's love for us, we will always remember “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Isn't this proof of God's boundless love for people? God is Holy, and nothing that is pure will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And our God, as a loving Father, so that His children are close to Him, therefore through His Word teaches us and demands from us that we live according to His word, if, of course, we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Word of God requires us, believers, to love our neighbors. In his first letter, the Apostle John writes: “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Studying the Word of God, I came to the conclusion that we must love, first of all, our brothers and sisters in faith. Let's open In. 17:9,24.

In. 17:9 - “I pray for them: I do not pray for the whole world, but for those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours.”

In. 17:24 - “Father! whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Let's pay special attention to the words “I do not pray for the whole world” and “Father! which You have given Me." We all know the words of Jesus Christ, “No one comes to Me without the will of my Father,” and since we came to Our Lord Jesus Christ according to God’s will, it means that the Lord is praying for us, so that we will be where He is. Some theologians say that the above verses applied only to the apostles. But most theologians argue that these verses apply equally to the apostles and to us. If this were not so, then the commandments of Jesus Christ would apply only to the apostles, but they apply equally to all His disciples. To those who were, to those who are and to those who will be. Gospel of John 13:34-35.

In. 13:34 - “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, [so] let you also love one another.”

In. 13:35 - “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

And if all of us sitting here consider ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ, then we must have love among ourselves. And “let love be unfeigned” (Rom. 12:9). But the Apostle John points out that we must first of all love our brother or sister in faith, and not a person from the world (1 John 4:20-21).

1John 4:20 - “Whoever says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”

1John 4:21 - “And we have this commandment from Him, that whoever loves God should also love his brother.”

In these verses, the Apostle John shows us that love for the invisible God can only be truly demonstrated in love for our brothers and sisters whom we see. Moreover, God’s commandment unites these two types of love into one - to God and to one’s brother. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to forgive our brothers and sisters (Luke 17:3-4).

OK. 17:3 - “Watch yourself. If your brother sins against you, reprimand him; and if he repents, forgive him.”

OK. 17:4 - “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day turns back and says, “I repent,” forgive him.”

On the one hand, the Lord calls on his disciples, that is, us, to monitor our behavior and language “watch yourself,” and on the other hand, he calls us to forgive our brothers and sisters constantly. (“Seven times a day” in this case is an image of completeness). Unfortunately, each of us can unknowingly sin. And when we come to prayer asking for forgiveness, let us first remember the words of Jesus Christ (Mark 11:25-26).

Mr. 11:25 - “And when you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Mr. 11:26 - “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses.”

In these verses, Jesus Christ shows us that, along with faith in God, an important condition reaching our prayers to God is the ability to forgive. God’s forgiveness of the believer and the believer’s forgiveness of other people are inextricably linked, and this connection was established by God Himself. Anyone who receives forgiveness from God must forgive his brothers and sisters, just as God forgave him.

Out of love for us, the Lord showed how important it is for us believers to live in love for each other, and what the consequences may be if we do not forgive our brothers and sisters. Who do we turn to with our problems? To the Lord. Who do we turn to when we feel unwell? To the Lord. What problems do we not turn to Him with? And how happy we are when any of our problems are solved God's help are quickly resolved. And how hard it is for us, then we pray and pray, but the problem is not solved. Then let everyone who has had this happen look into their inner closet and see if there is an unforgiven offense against a brother or sister. And when this offense is thrown away, let him begin to pray again, and the Lord will solve his problem.

When we teach our children or grandchildren, out of love for them we try to prevent them from possible injuries. Do not play with matches or a lighter - there may be a fire. Don't play with a knife - you might hurt yourself or someone else. Don’t swim too far, etc. And this is all out of great love. In the same way, out of love for us, the Lord warns us through His Word about sins that can become an obstacle on our path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must learn to have spiritual warmth for our brother in spirit (faith), the same as for our brother in blood. If we want to have a sensitive heart, we must first of all humble ourselves. Why does the Lord say so many times “tame your pride”? Many will answer “that God resists the proud, but helps the humble.” They will answer correctly. Why “helps the humble”? Because when a person learns to tame his pride, he will learn humility. And when he learns humility, he learns to forgive. And when he learns to forgive, he will learn to love his brother. And when he learns to love his brother, he will receive eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Because, as the Apostle Paul wrote (1 Cor. 13:13).

1 Cor. 13:13 - “And now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but love is the greatest of these.”

Only while preparing for this sermon did I realize the depth of God’s love for us, His creation. Since I came to God, I knew and understood that God loves me, and now I not only realized, but also felt it. If we humans love our children so much, then how much our Heavenly Father loves us. The entire Bible speaks of God's love for us, His children. All the warnings for us written in the Bible are written out of love for us. If we love our children blindly and are ready to forgive everything, even very bad deeds, then God is Holy and forgives everything. Therefore, he warns us, believers, in advance, through his prophets and apostles. The Word of God not only teaches us believers to love one another, but also demands it. Remember the words from the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ to “love one another” (John 13:34).

The word “love” is written in the imperative mood “love”. This is a requirement for us, this is an order to us. Jesus Christ more than once emphasized that spiritual kinship is higher than blood (Matthew 12:49).

Matt. 12:49 - “And pointing His hand at His disciples, He said, Behold My mother and My brothers.”

We pray for our church to be filled, but it is not filled. Why? And while preparing for this sermon, I realized that I lack true Christian love, I lack spiritual warmth for my brothers and sisters. There is no feign, but true, coming from the heart. It was not for nothing that Jesus Christ so often branded the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites. Perhaps I am not the only one who lacks true Christian love, but someone else too. The Word of God forbids us to hate our brother or sister, and we believers know this well. Therefore, some believers replaced hatred with indifference. It seems that there is no prohibition on indifference, but there is a complete discrepancy with the word “love”, which the Word of God requires of us. And how strange it is when a Christian is ready to help other countries and is completely indifferent to the fate of the brother or sister sitting next to him. Let us remember the words of our Lord (Mark 3:35).

Mr. 3:35 - “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

And when there is true Christian love in our church, the Lord Himself will fill the empty ranks.

Our holiness lies in the purity of our thoughts and actions. Because as the Apostle Paul wrote (1 Cor. 13:3).

1 Cor. 13:3 - “And if I give away all my substance and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

So let's pray that every believer has true Christian love in his heart.

Young people tend to dream of big and bright love; they look forward to the coming of this holiday on their street. Loving and being loved is an important need for every person, regardless of his social status and beliefs. God created us this way, and even the Fall did not destroy this need.

Unfortunately, true love is in short supply in a sinful world. The more that is written and sung about her, the less of her there is in the world. Modern mass culture only increases this deficit, presenting love as a mundane and ordinary matter, free from such valuable qualities as emotional affection, fidelity, responsibility, and self-sacrifice. It is not for nothing that she applies the formal expression “making love” to human relationships, as if we are talking about playing sports. So they relieve their carnal needs with anyone, anytime. These primitive attitudes are introduced into the consciousness of young people through films, indecent magazines, and the amorous adventures of sports and screen stars. All this pushes people to love not another person, but their own pleasure. Such love does not bloom for a long time. It lasts until the first frost.

A couple I know lived happily in a civil marriage until their partner became seriously ill. And then the holiday ended, the love evaporated, and the guy sent his roommate out of his apartment to make room for another. This is the result of a relationship based on pleasure.

For Christians, true love is a serious matter. Maybe that's why in Orthodox Church Do married couples put crowns on their heads as a reminder of the calling to moral achievement? I would like to discuss a number of reasons for taking love as a serious matter. Knowing them will help you prepare yourself for family life.

1. Love is a serious matter because it must glorify God. !

Scripture very categorically commands: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). This command also applies to loving relationships. If love does not glorify God, if it is a “cure” for boredom, if it is filled with sexual preoccupation, it is sinful! For love to glorify God, it must come from Him. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Therefore, expect this gift not from yourself, but from the Lord! Pray for him!

When does love glorify God? She glorifies God if she becomes like His love - unconditional, sacrificial, faithful and holy. Thanks to her, a person becomes “not good for the good, but nice for the good.” (L. Tolstoy)

Many years ago I had to talk to a girl who was about to get married. She was sad. “I'm sure God wants me to marry this guy, but I don't have feelings for him. What should I do?" I said, “If God calls you to marriage, then He will give you love. Ask Him about it!” We knelt down and the girl sincerely asked God for the gift of love. Not much time passed before I realized from their shining faces that love from God had visited her heart. To this day, they glorify God through their relationship.

2. Love is a serious matter because it is about serious things.

People live in a world of fiction when they mistake enthusiastic feelings for love. It is clear that living on an emotional high is more interesting than living in an ordinary life. But the pursuit of pleasant sensations is pointless. Life is very difficult; it doesn’t so much caress us as it hits us. Only true love can withstand its blows. The Apostle Paul describes it from the perspective of everyday affairs: “Love is patient, it is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not proud, does not act rudely, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished” (1 Cor. 13:4-8).

Each of these qualities of true love confirms its calling - not only to give, but also to receive. Isn't this the secret of its stability?

I often ask young people who come for a consultation: “Why do you want to get married?” (I have never heard them admit: “To fulfill the commandment, be fruitful and multiply!” I usually hear in response:

- We love each other, how can we not get married?

- Well, continue to love each other, why get married?

- Yes, I would like to have children...

- Take the children out orphanage to educate and make them happy!

Seeing that the young people were confused, I explain: “A godly marriage has one important goal- service. If you want to get married just to receive, you will be disappointed. Marry to give! The Bible commands: “Serve one another through love!”

One God-fearing man and his young wife went on a honeymoon during which a misfortune happened: lightning struck his wife, and she found herself bedridden forever. She could not be left alone for more than two hours. If the love of that person was intended to obtain benefits, it would collapse under the weight of problems. What is the use of a wife who cannot cook food, wash clothes, clean the house, care for her husband, or give children? Isn't it better to consider such a marriage an unfortunate mistake and dissolve it? However, the servant of God was determined to love biblically! For 38 years he selflessly cared for the sick and at the same time taught at the seminary. You don’t know what difficulties God will lead your love through, but if it is set on service, you will never be disappointed!”

3. Love is a serious matter because the consequences of its failure are serious.

Your choice will attract the attention of many people and your parents first. The Bible says: “Honor your father and mother and it will be good for you on earth.” In this situation, to honor your father and mother means to initiate them into your intentions, it means to ask them to pray for the successful development of your relationship. The blessing of your parents will mean a lot to you, because they, like no one else, are interested in your well-being. They will spend on gifts, decorate the wedding hall, prepare a feast and give good wishes during the wedding. They care whether you are happy or unhappy, whether you use their help to build a family or whether you reduce their efforts to zero. Don't disappoint them! If you don't maintain your happiness, they will worry about it a lot.

Also, many relatives and friends will watch your love. They will be pleased with your good, and saddened by your misfortune. Therefore, for the sake of peace of mind of your fathers and mothers, your relatives and friends, do not play at love!

If your love turns out to be in vain, it will be bad for you too. You will suffer from anger, bitterness, depression. The pain of rejection can destroy you mentally.

I once met a man who addressed everyone he met with the same question: “Will you love me?” At first I brushed off that strange guy, but then I thought: why was he tormented by this particular question? Most likely, the rejection he experienced left a heavy mark on his psyche and she, unable to bear it, broke down...

The pain of rejection can lead to rash decisions. I know of cases when, in revenge for the guy who left her, a girl agreed to marry the first person she met and thereby ruined the life of herself and him.

The pain of rejection can destroy a person physically. When Goethe’s novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther” was published, a wave of suicides swept across Germany, because in the story of Werther’s passionate love for Lotte, young people reflected their own experiences. And the suicide of the main character gave many a terrible thought: when you cannot be with your loved one, you are an outcast, and it is better for an outcast not to live.

If love affects such a wide circle of people, and has such dire consequences in case of failure, how can one not consider it a serious matter!

4. Love is a serious matter because God hates its abandonment.

Love leads people to marriage, but will never lead them back to its destruction. Losing love is a crime: “But I have this against you, that you have forsaken your first love” (Rev. 2:4). Christ taught: “...have you not read that He who created in the beginning created man and woman? And he said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.” So, what God has joined together, let no man separate. They say to Him: How did Moses command to give a letter of divorce and divorce her? He says to them: Moses, because of your hardness of heart, allowed you to divorce your wives, but at first it was not so; but I say to you: whoever divorces his wife for reasons other than adultery and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. His disciples tell Him: if such is a man’s duty to his wife, then it is better not to marry. But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this word, but to those who have been given it” (Matt. 19:4-11).

Christ speaks very directly and seriously: divorce is sinful, for it lays the foundation for the gravest sin - adultery. Even the disciples were amazed by such radicalism of Christ, and they decided: it was better not to get married. Before these words of Christ, divorce was easier, but after them it became very difficult. Christ did not intend to unnecessarily complicate our lives, He simply returned us to the original ideal of marriage. For all the dissimilarity of the habits and characters of the spouses, for all their problems, God considers them one, indissoluble whole. Getting a divorce means cutting to the quick. To get divorced is to raise your hand to a masterpiece of God’s work. The creator of marriage participates in the marital union: “what God has joined together, let man not separates." Only death can separate spouses!

There is one non-canonical story. One day a certain couple came to the pastor. Husband says:

- We decided to get a divorce. You combined us, you will separate us!

“Okay,” said the pastor, you will be divorced, but only in a biblical way!

He put them on their knees, picked up a heavy Bible and began hitting the husband on the head with it.

- You'll kill me! - the man shouted.

- It is written that only death can separate you!

5. Love is a serious matter because it places serious responsibility on people.

Getting married entails a series of serious matters: building relationships, having and raising children, and providing financial support for the family. God gives man the responsibility of being the head of the family, who must decide wisely all sorts of problems, abundantly presented by life. A chapter is not the same as a leader and a family is not the same as a gang. The leader will punish the offender, and the leader will correct him. The leader can kill, but the leader will heal. Unfortunately, many men behave like leaders at home. They do not realize that they are called to a different style of relationships.

Scripture calls husbands to imitate Christ: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, cleansing her with the washing of water through the word; that he might present it to himself as a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she might be holy and without blemish. Thus should husbands love their wives as their own bodies: he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and warms it, just as the Lord does the Church” (Eph. 5:25-29).

Husbands should take the example of Christ in His sequence of work on the church: first sacrificial love, and then the word of edification, reproof, consolation. Husbands have a different sequence - first the word, and then, if the wife is obedient, love. The present head imitates Christ and does not follow the worldly way of life.

6. Love is a serious matter, because Satan fights against it.

This evil genius knows very well that marriage is built on love, and love makes marriage a prototype of the relationship between Christ and the church. He hates everything that comes from God and that glorifies God, and is desperately trying to destroy it. At the dawn of human history, he destroyed the happiness of Adam and Eve and continues his dirty work on earth to this day. One example of Satan's wiles is the substitution of passion for love. He knows how to inflame carnal thoughts and feelings: “And Satan rose up against Israel, and stirred up David to number the Israelites” (1 Chronicles 21:1). Spiritually and psychologically incompatible people, blinded by carnal love, marry and mutilate each other.

A young man once told me with delight:

- Pastor! I have never been as happy as I am now! I fell in love with a girl!

- Is your girlfriend a believer?

- No, but she is very good! We understand each other perfectly! We have deep feelings for each other!

— The Word of God prohibits marriages with unbelievers!

- But she is very good!

- If you are a believer, you will create many problems for her. She wants to go to the theater on Sunday, but you go to church - that’s a reason for conflict. You want to raise children in a Christian spirit, but she prefers to raise them in a secular spirit - here is another reason for disagreement. You will be responsible for her unhappiness.

Saddened by my answer, the handsome young man went home. Two years later he came back to church to repent of his sin with contrition of heart. His life turned out very badly. Satan managed to deceive him with carnal love. In this sense, the Russian proverb is right: “love is evil, and you will love a goat.”

Another manifestation of Satan’s machinations is instilling in people the idea of ​​the right to happiness. A person reasons: “Marriage should bring me pleasure, and if it does not bring it to me, I have the right to dissolve it and look for new happiness!” Clive Lewis wrote about this: “Recognizing the “right to happiness” (in this area), before which all ordinary norms of behavior are nothing, we think not about what actually happens, but about what we imagine when we in love. Troubles are quite real, but the happiness for which they are endured and created turns out to be illusory again and again. Everyone except Mr. M. and Mrs. N. sees that in another year Mr. M. will have the same reasons to leave his new wife. He will again understand that everything is at stake. He will fall in love again, and self-pity will replace pity for the woman.”

7. Love is a serious matter because it has to endure the shortcomings of your neighbor. .

Two imperfect people enter into marriage, two egoists, each expecting all sorts of benefits from the other. TO positive qualities Spouses quickly get used to each other, they begin to be annoyed by their shortcomings. Unfulfilled expectations give rise to disappointment, disappointment - anger, anger - resentment and revenge. All these emotions live latently in a person and break out during moments of quarrels.

The hero of the story L.N. Tolstoy's "Kreutzer Sonata" Pozdnyshev, in a confession to a random fellow traveler, expressed the problem of psychological incompatibility common to many families. “There was nothing to talk about. Everything that could be said about the life that awaited us, the structure, the plans, was said, and then what?... Together we were almost doomed to silence or to such conversations that, I am sure, animals can have among themselves: “What time is it?” ? It's time to sleep. What's lunch like today? Where to go? What is written in the newspaper? Send for the doctor. Masha’s throat hurts.” One had only to step out of this impossibly narrowed circle of conversation by a hair's breadth for irritation to flare up. There were clashes and expressions of hatred over coffee, a tablecloth, a carriage, over the propeller's turn - all matters that could not be of any importance to either one or the other. In me, at least, a terrible hatred for her often seethed! Sometimes I watched how she poured tea, waved her leg or raised a spoon to her mouth, slurped, sucked in the liquid, and I hated her precisely for this, as for the worst deed... With my brother, with my friends, with my father, I remember, I I quarreled, but there was never that special, poisonous anger between us that was here.”

It is much easier to endure material deprivation than spousal alienation. It can be hard for us because of our own shortcomings. But upon marriage they double. Is it possible to endure them without God's love? Only serious love is capable of such serious work!

8. Love is a serious matter because it requires a holy life.

Almost everywhere, on their wedding day, young couples consider it their duty not to bypass the church. It’s not that they love her with all their soul and mind, they just need a blessing so that their efforts and expended material resources do not go to waste. When I look at couples like this, I think: “Lord! How do You tolerate manipulation of Your grace? Before marriage, people do not even think of seeking Your will, and only at the time of the wedding do they selfishly remember You as a benefactor!” But will God allow them to use Himself? Does He not see these shameful motives? The Bible says that God will “reward to everyone according to his deeds: to those who by persistence in good deeds seek glory, honor and immortality, eternal life; But to those who persist and do not submit to the truth, but indulge in unrighteousness, there will be wrath and wrath” (Rom. 2:6-8).

God gives true love to those who never neglect Him, who seek His will and are dedicated to His Word and service.

9. Love is a serious matter because the conditions for marriage are serious.

I am often asked: when can you fall in love? I answer: you cannot be friends “just like that,” friendship must lead to marriage. But for its construction certain conditions are necessary: ​​physical maturity, which develops towards adulthood, spiritual maturity, which develops later, a profession that would provide financial well-being families, and the availability of housing. You should not be guided by the proverb “Heaven is in a hut with your dear one”; in our time there is nowhere to put a hut - the land belongs to someone. It is not possible to rent an apartment on a low income. So the age limit for marriage - whether we like it or not - is being pushed back to a later time than it was before. That is why the time before marriage should be used to obtain an education and a profession. Don't burn it in computer games or useless parties.

And the last condition for the beginning of “friendship”: knowledge of your time. The Bible says that for every thing there is a time under the sun. Christ came into the world at a certain time, at a certain time He died for the wicked, and at a certain time He rose again. His example is a model for all of us. A person must know that his time has come from the Lord to start a family. And when knowledge is available, one should pray that God will send love to some girl. And here it is important to be attentive to the actions of God. After all, before giving Adam Eve, God brought animals before him, and Adam did not see an equal helper in any of them. Likewise, when searching for your other half, you may come across “animals on two legs,” and God forbid you avoid the temptation to make friends with them.

Our church structure helps you with choosing a life partner. Girls attend church, small groups, participate in various church events and can be unobtrusively noticed. If you like a girl, and at the same time she has the fear of God, loves Scripture, is dedicated good deeds, shows a good character, then after prayers and “external observation”, invite her to a cafe and invite her to meet and pray for the development of relationships. If you get her consent, then go to her parents, ask for blessings to meet their daughter and observe the dynamics of the relationship. If your sympathy for her grows, you are interested in communicating with her, and you realize that you cannot live without her, then contact the pastor of the church for pre-marital counseling. It can take up to six months. If the conversations with the counselor go well, and love does not diminish from them, then ask to be introduced to the church as the bride and groom, and feel free to prepare for marriage.

As for you, dear sisters, my advice to you will be simple: do not try to attract the attention of your brothers with all kinds of outfits and an abundance of paint on your eyes and lips. Remember the Russian proverb that they look for a bride not in a round dance, but in a vegetable garden. Work for Christ wherever possible, participate in all Christian fellowships, and there the Lord will show you to your fiancé.

Some preachers teach that a believing boy and girl should not meet and discuss issues of the future life before marriage; it is enough for them to find out the will of God, get married, and then life will teach them everything. I don't agree with this approach. Under the guidance of mentors, we learn to work on a computer, we learn to drive a car, but marriage relationships are much more complex and also require learning. Indeed, in the process of studying with a counselor, typical problems of marriage are discussed, and when they arise in family life, the young will not fall into despair: “Alas! We're lost! They will remember: “And they told us that we would be faced with this circumstance, and they offered a biblical way to resolve it. Everything is fine with us, we are growing in relationships, let’s try to act biblically!”

Let me note in passing: during the period of courtship, relationships that belong only to marriage - hugs and kisses - are unacceptable. Christians must first develop spiritual relationships, without which marriage will be empty and painful. The physical ones will follow them, but in due time.

10. Love is a serious matter because God takes marriage vows seriously.

Someone said that marital love is the most powerful proof of the existence of God. Only He could come up with and give people such a pleasant relationship. Blind evolution, even if it existed, would never have thought of this! Unfortunately, our society is increasingly practicing civil marriages in which people do not bind themselves to any promises. “Let’s live together as long as we can, but if it doesn’t work out, we’ll separate!” Such relationships have nothing in common with marriage, because there is no commitment to each other. People come together not out of love, but out of calculation. They do not trust each other and admit the possibility of their relationship falling apart.

True love is not afraid to make promises, but willingly makes them. God gives marriage vows great value. He rejoices in fidelity in marriage and punishes infidelity. I'll quote modern translation from the book of the prophet Malachi:

“You ask: “Why doesn’t the Lord accept our gifts?” Because the Lord saw you sin, and He is a witness against you. He saw you cheating on your wife. You married this woman in your youth. She was your beloved friend, and then she became your lawful wife, and the Lord was a witness to this. God wants husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit so that they can have offspring. So protect this spiritual union. Do not be treacherous against your wife; she became your wife while you were still young” (Mal. 2:14,15).

God has taken marriage under His protection, and if a person has made a promise of fidelity, he must fulfill it, no matter how difficult it may be. The Bible teaches: “When you make a vow to God, do not hesitate to fulfill it, for He does not take pleasure in fools: what you have promised, do it. It is better for you not to promise, than to promise and not keep” (Eccl. 5:3,4).

The seriousness of love is directly related to the seriousness of earthly life. We walk as if on a razor's edge - the world, the flesh and the devil are constantly attacking us. It’s so easy to lose your way, to mistake infatuation for love, passion for God’s guidance. To get past these dangerous rocks, you need to trust His ways. He knows how and when to send a friend of life. Only He can give serious love!

And I want, but I am not able to love people:

I am a stranger among them; friends are closer to my heart -

Stars, sky, cold, blue distance

And the forests and the desert are silent sadness...

I won’t get tired of listening to the noise of the trees,

In the darkness of the night I can watch until the morning

And it’s so sweet and crazy to cry about something,

Like the wind is my brother, and the wave is my sister,

And the damp earth is my mother...

Meanwhile, I can’t live with the wave or the wind,

And I'm scared of not loving anyone for the rest of my life.

Is my heart dead forever?

Give me strength, Lord, to love my brothers!

D.S. Merezhkovsky

(From a conversation with the youth of the Transfiguration Church)

In the previous weeks, the Holy Spirit had led me to pray for a deeper knowledge of God's love for me. After I read 1 John 4:16, I realized how little I knew about walking in God's love every day. John wrote in this Epistle: “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

I am sure that most Christians know about God's love for them only theologically. They have studied the Scriptures about love and heard sermons about it - and yet their understanding of love comes down to a line from a children's song: “Jesus loves me, I know it, because the Bible tells me so.”

We say that we believe that God loves us, the whole world, all lost humanity. But this is an abstract belief! Few Christians can say with certainty, “Yes, I know that Jesus loves me because I have a correct understanding of what His love is. I have comprehended it, I live in it. She is the basis of my daily walk.”

However, everyday life For most Christians, walking and trusting in God's love is not an idea. Instead, they live under a cloud of guilt, fear, condemnation. They never felt truly free, they never rested in God's love for them. They are able to sit in church and raise their hands and rejoice, but all the while they are carrying a secret burden with them. There was never a moment when they were completely free from the constant feeling that they could never please God. They say to themselves: “Something is missing in me, I am not what I should be. Is there something wrong!"

Listen to what Paul says: “Live in love, just as Christ loved us.” (Eph. 5:2). The Apostle insisted, turning to the Ephesians: “Jesus truly loves you - so live like those whom He loved so much!”

I have heard the confessions of many “mature” Christians, those who have walked with the Lord for thirty or forty years, and yet confess that they have never known the joy of being loved by God. On the outside they looked happy and content, but inside they always carried the burden of doubt and fear. I am sure that these brothers and sisters simply never knew the depth of love that God has for them. They have never experienced the peace that the knowledge of God's love brings to the heart!

You will never seek the revelation of God's love until you are tired of living under fear, guilt, condemnation and shame!

You must wake up one day and say to yourself: “It’s impossible to live like this! I cannot continue to serve God with this consciousness of anger on me, always feeling condemned and unworthy. If I love Jesus and believe that my sins are forgiven, then why is my heart so heavy?”

Of course, God did not save you to allow you to live your entire life with guilt and condemnation. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24).

One of the meanings of the word “judgment” here is the word “wrath.” Jesus says that you will not come to judgment - that is, on the Day of Judgment you will be free from His wrath. But “judgment” also means “a feeling of constant failure to meet standards.” And Jesus says here that a believer will never have this feeling of dissatisfaction with himself!

“There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1). Any feeling of guilt and condemnation, of course, comes from the devil. And Paul warns us not to fall into “condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). IN English translation This passage sounds like “condemnation from the devil.” Here he is saying that when you fall under condemnation, you will fall from grace—that is, you will come out of that state of rest that God has given us through the Blood of His own Son.

Beloved, the Holy Spirit convicts, but He never condemns. His ministry is to expose sin. But He does this only for the purpose of healing - to bring a person into a state of peace and rest in Christ. And He does this with tenderness, and not with anger.

“Who is judging? Christ died, but also rose again; He is also at the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us.” (Rom. 8:34). The Lord says: “Who condemns you? Why do you walk around feeling condemned when your Savior is now before Me interceding for you?”

Condemnation remains only for those who have rejected the light of the Gospel: “This is the judgment, that light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19).

If you love for the Word of God to come and reveal everything that is in your heart, then you are no longer under condemnation. Condemnation remains only for those who hide sin and love darkness! You love light, don't you? Then why do you allow yourself this feeling of guilt?

However, you may have been attacked by a temptation that you feel you cannot overcome. Or perhaps you are under a consciousness of inadequacy, unworthiness, fear that the devil will trip you up and you will not stand.

Then today is that day for you - the day of the revelation of God's love for you! I pray that as you read this sermon, something will stir in the depths of your heart and you will say, “You are right, Brother David, this all applies to me. I don’t want to live like this anymore!”

Christians who live with guilt, fear and condemnation are not “rooted and grounded” in the love of God:

“By faith may Christ dwell in your hearts, so that you, being rooted and established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19).

“Rooted and established” here means “based on a deep and stable foundation of knowledge and a full understanding of God’s love for you.” In other words, knowing God's love for you is the fundamental truth upon which all other truths must be built!

For example, this is what the fear of the Lord is built on. Holy fear of God is not the fear that He is ready to immediately punish you if He catches you in some small offense. No, this is fear of His holiness, of what is being prepared for those who love darkness more than light!

Our heavenly Father sent His Son to die for our sins and weaknesses. And without knowing and fully understanding this love for you, you will never have lasting, solid foundation!

“So that you may understand the love of Christ” Greek word, translated here as “understand”, has the meaning: “quickly seize”, “take possession”. What Paul wanted to tell us here is to take hold of this truth and make it the foundation of our Christian lives. He's saying here, “Reach out your spiritual hands and say, 'I take possession of this, it's mine!'

1. God's love for us is connected with His heavenly treasures!

You cannot separate God's treasures from His love. His love is connected with the abundant riches that are in heaven for our use. He gives us everything we need for every crisis in our lives - to help us live a victorious life all the time!

I prayed for weeks: “Lord, I want to know Your heart. I cannot get an explanation of Your love for me in any of the books in my library or even from the holiest man who ever lived on earth. This revelation can only come from You. I wish to have my personal revelation of Your love - straight from You! I want to see it so clearly that it can change even my walk before You and my service.”

When I prayed, I didn't know what to expect. Will the revelation of His love come, filling my soul with a flood of praise? Or will it appear as a great vision that will leave me breathless, or as a manifestation of His nearness? Or will it come as a feeling that I am somehow special in His eyes, or will it be such a real touch of His hand on me that it will change me forever?

No, God spoke to me in a very simple little verse: “For God so loved him that he gave his Son” (John 3:16). His love is tied to His riches in heaven—His abundant provisions for us!

The Bible says that our love for the Lord is demonstrated by our obedience to Him. But His love for us is manifested in another way - through His giving! You cannot know Him as a loving God until you see Him as a giving God. God loved us so much that He invested all the treasures, glory and bounty of the Father in His Son Jesus and gave Him to us! Christ is God's gift to us, in whom is hidden everything we need to be overcomers in this life.

“For it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him.” (Colossians 1:19). “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:9-10). In other words, “In Him you have everything you need—everything you need!”

But the problem is that only a few Christians accept what God offers. We do not seek and take possession of the treasures hidden in Christ - and they lie in heaven unclaimed!

What a surprise awaits us when we reach heaven! Then God will show us all the riches His love has prepared for us, and how we have not used them.

We see an example of this in the parable of the Prodigal Son. This story reveals God's love very deeply and proves that His love for us is connected with His untold riches and provision!

2. God's love insists that we come to the end of all our human resources and demanded His generous treasures!

This is the whole point of the parable of the prodigal son. This is the story of two sons: one who came to the end of his resources, and the other who never claimed his father's supplies.

The younger son came to his father and said: “Give me the next part of the estate.” (Luke 15:12). What he received - and subsequently squandered - represents his own qualities: his talents, abilities, everything that he used to face life with all its difficulties. He said: “I am intellectual, smart, educated. I can go away and try to live my own way!”

This example reflects the condition of many Christians today. However, when the going gets tough, how soon we come to the end of our own reserves! How quickly we waste everything we had! We can find a way out of some problems and inner strength for some challenges. But the time comes when hunger strikes the soul!

You are reaching the end of your strength and don't know where to turn. Your friends can't help you. You are left devastated and hurt, with nothing within you to find support. All your strength is exhausted - all your struggle is over! All that is left is fear, depression, emptiness, hopelessness.

Maybe you are still wandering around the devil's troughs with horns, floundering in the void, mortally hungry? This happened to the prodigal son. There was nothing left for him to hope for! All his own resources were exhausted. And he realized where all his arrogance had led him.

But what finally sobered him up? When did he come to his senses? This happened when he remembered all the abundant riches in his father's house!

He said, “I am starving here. But in my father’s house there is enough bread, even in abundance!” (See Luke 15:17). He decided to go home and take advantage of his father's generous supplies!

The meaning of God's love is the Father's invitation to enter and enjoy the food at His feast!

There is not a single word in this parable that says that the prodigal son returned back because he loved his father. True, he repented - he fell to his knees, crying: “Father, I am guilty! I have sinned against you and against God. I am not worthy to even enter your house.” But he did not say: “Father, I came back because I love you!”

On the contrary, the truth revealed here is that God’s love for us is unconditional, it does not depend on our love for Him. In fact, He loved us even when we were far from Him in our hearts, when we were sinners. This is unconditional love!

When the prodigal son returned, his father did not list the entire list of his sins. He didn't say, “Where have you been? How many harlots have you slept with? How much money is left in your wallet? Give me the report!”

No, instead he fell on his neck and kissed him. He said to the servants: “Kill the fatted calf! Put it on him new clothes, new shoes for his feet and a ring for his hand. And let's celebrate - let's rejoice and have fun!”

Where is Fatherly love revealed in this picture? In His willingness to forgive? His tender kiss? A fattened calf? Clothes, shoes or ring?

Of course, all of these were expressions of His love, but none of them are complete. “This is love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10). “Let us love Him because He first loved us.” (v. 19).

The full revelation of love is that the father could not have true joy until he was sure that his son was again with him in the banquet hall!

“He brought me into the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (Songs of P. 2:4). The father's joy could not be complete until he sat down in the feasting house with his son, and until he made sure that his boy knew that he was forgiven and his sins washed away. They had to sit at the table - at festive table Lamb!

If you looked out the window at this moment, you would see young man who has just received a true revelation of God's love:

Oh He danced for joy! There was music and he laughed and was happy. His father was happy for him, smiling at him!

o He was not under a cloud of fear. He did not listen to the ancient lie: “You will return to this pig trough again! You are not worthy of such love” Oh, no, he accepted forgiveness and obeyed his father’s word to go in and take for himself everything he needed.

o He heard his father whisper to him: “All that is mine is yours. You don't have to go hungry ever again. You no longer need to be lonely, poor, cut off from My storehouses.”

Beloved, this is the fullness of God’s love, its very essence! It lies in the fact that even in our dark hours God not only does not shame us and does not remind us of the past, but, on the contrary, says: “Bring here the fatted calf, we will eat and have fun! In My house there is always a feast prepared for My beloved!”

Today we have an even better promise: “And to understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. But to Him who, by the power that works in us, is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:19-20).

This is God's love for us: “I offer you a surpassing, abundant fullness—everything needed for every crisis, joy for every moment of your life. Come to My storerooms and take it!”

At the same time, the eldest son was in the field, working hard, doing the work assigned by his father, and, returning from work, he suddenly heard music, laughter, and songs. As he got closer to the house, he discovered that the whole feast was about the return of his prodigal brother - the one who had squandered his father's estate with harlots, living dissolutely!

When the eldest son looked out the window, he saw his father rejoicing over his prodigal son, enjoying the fact that he saw him. He couldn't understand how his bad brother could feel so free, happy and blessed at such a time. a short time! Scripture says about him: “He was angry and did not want to go in.” (Luke 15:28).

Finally, his father came out of the house and urged him to enter. But the eldest son answered: “Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never violated your orders; but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends.” (Luke 15:29). That is, he said: “This is unfair! All these years I have served you well. And I never disobeyed you, not even once.”

Oh, how many of us are like big brother! We spend years trying our best to please our Lord, living in a persistent desire to always do the right thing! This applies to me to a large extent, because very often I was outside the house, looking inside what was happening there.

See, I've known the Lord all my life. I've never been to peace. I have never smoked a cigarette, never touched drugs, never lived in fornication. I tried to live for the Lord.

Sometimes I have seen a new convert come home to Jesus, one who lived before in sin. When he returned, he suddenly began to dance and rejoice - happy and free! He came to Christ with simple faith and no longer had any sense of guilt, condemnation or memories of the past. Everything was new to him! God seemed to be smiling at him!

Then I sat down, thinking: “Of course, he sings and praises now, but is he really holy? I have paid the price for my place with God - I have served Him for many years. And I still have burdens and worries. Sometimes I feel the weight of guilt, shame. And then this one comes, dancing! He comes in and goes beyond me with simple faith in God's Word. Lord, this is wrong! He feels so free, but my life is so complicated!”

The eldest son, despite all his years of service to his father, never knew true joy because he never took advantage of his father's invitation to accept everything he needed!

I think the eldest son immediately returned to his shepherd's shack, thinking about the day when he would receive his inheritance: “Just wait! Someday, when death has done its work, I will enter into great blessings. I inherit enormous wealth!” This is an example of a person who thinks to enter heaven and there receive all the good things from God.

His father must have been broken in his heart. I think he repeated to his son again and again: “My son! You are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours!” (v. 31). In other words: “You have been with me all these years, and everything I have belonged to you. You know that I would give you everything - but you didn’t come to get it!”

I ask you: how many years have you been away from home? You have a Father who has prepared great treasures for you. And you haven't claimed them yet!

The parable shows us that the prodigal son received doubly by entering and enjoying his father's treasures. He could continue his earthly life with a generous supply of forgiveness, joy, peace and all the blessings that were now his. And when death brought him into his inheritance, he could fully enjoy what he had already known on earth.

Truly, the sin of the elder brother, the one who stayed at home, walked in obedience and never transgressed the will of the Father, was greater. Yes, of course, exchanging our Father’s property for carnal life and apostasy is a great sin, but an even greater sin is to refuse God’s great love, i.e. leave unclaimed the supplies that He gave us at such a great price!

God's love insists that we stop focusing our attention on our mistakes and sins, and instead turn our attention to the riches offered to us in Christ!

No one reproached the prodigal son, did not give him morals, did not remind him of his sin - because God did not allow the reminder of sin to be at the center of the process of restoring his son.

There was true remorse and regret for what happened. And it was time to enter the feast house - for a gala dinner! The father said to the eldest son: “He was lost, but now he has been found. He is forgiven - and now it’s time to rejoice and be happy!”

Aren't you tired of living like a beggar when you could be provided with everything you need? Maybe the object of your attention itself is chosen incorrectly? You tend to dwell on your weaknesses, temptations and past failures. And when you look inside your own heart, what you see there disappoints you. You allow guilt to seep into your consciousness.

Beloved, you must look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith! When the devil comes and points out some weakness in your heart, you have every right to respond: “My Father already knows all this - and yet He loves me! He gave me everything I needed to get victory and keep it.”

“For if (our) heart condemns us, how much more does God, because God is greater than our heart and knows everything.” (1 John 3:20). He knows everything about you, but He continues to love you and says, “Come and get everything you need. The pantries are open!”

Verily, the doors to His storehouses are wide open, and His riches overflow. God encourages you: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).

Here's what you need to enter His treasury and receive everything you need:

1. Come boldly to His throne and ask without hesitation for all the mercy and grace you need to get through all temptations and trials. The devil has a million ways to make you feel guilty, fearful, condemned and embarrassed. And he will tell you: “You feel this way because there is a lot of garbage in your heart!” But I stopped looking into my heart a long time ago because it is always black. And yet it appears white in the eyes of my Father - because it is covered with the blood of the Lamb!

It doesn't matter how you feel. Just look in the Word of God, what Jesus did. He has completely erased the record of your sins!

2. Remind God that it was His idea for you to come. You didn't come to the Lord saying, “Father, I want everything You have!” No, He invited you, saying: “All that I have is yours. Come and get it!”

3. Come to God with faith in His Word. The Bible says that everything He has for us is achieved by faith. All you have to do is say in faith, “Lord Jesus, fill me with Your peace—because You said it was mine!” I ask for peace for my soul!”

You can't do this yourself. You can't beg it or take it with songs. No, it comes when you are rooted and grounded in the revelation of God's love for you. This comes not in feelings, but in the Word that He Himself said: “In My house there is much bread - even in abundance!”

4. Take God's Word and smash all your fear, guilt and condemnation into pieces! Renounce all this, it is not from God! You may say, “Let the devil come to me with his lies. My Father already knows all this, but He has forgiven and cleansed me. So there is no more guilt or judgment for me. I am free!"

Dear believer, I believe that if you ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand this truth right now so that you can be strengthened and grounded in it, the days ahead will be the greatest of your life. You can say, “Lord Jesus, I know I will make mistakes. But nothing will shake me, because You have everything I need to achieve victory and live in it!”

Come to His treasury and demand everything that is yours from your loving Father! Hallelujah!

About love for God, neighbors and yourself

The sermon of our venerable father Arseny speaks of love for God and neighbor.

Blessed is the man in whom there is the love of God, because he carries God within himself.

He who has love does not boast before anyone, does not become arrogant, and does not slander anyone. In whom there is love, he does not compete, does not envy, does not look with a hateful eye, does not rejoice at the fall of others. In whom there is love, he fulfills the will of God. Blessed is he who acquires it; he will be the companion of the angels. Through love a person is reconciled with God. We must use all our strength to instill in ourselves this feeling of love, the basis of salvation, the source of bliss.

How blessed is the one who has acquired love, so unfortunate and pitiful is the one who is far from it. Whoever does not have the love of Christ is an enemy of Christ. Whoever wants to be saved must certainly acquire it within himself, because, according to the apostle, it is an excellent path to salvation (Corinth. 12). Love occupies such an important place in the matter of salvation that all the deeds of a person, all his virtues without it will serve nothing.

About love for God. In order to grow in oneself love for God, a person needs to remember more often the blessings that he received from Him. God is the beginningless, highest, uncreated, infinite Good. Just as the sun always shines, just as fire always warms, so God always does good. The Lord also does good when He punishes, for He punishes in order to correct and have mercy; brings sadness in order to truly console.

About the creation of man. God is the Creator - He created man out of nothing, not like other creatures, but by His special Divine Council. Man is created in the image and likeness of God. What wonderful goodness of God to man! God loves him so much that he sent his Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. Love must be repaid with nothing other than love and gratitude. God is our Provider, He provides for man and takes care of him, providing clothing, food and shelter. Man is surrounded on all sides by His blessings, love, and cannot live for a minute without Him. Everything around was created by His creative hand.

About the signs of love for God. Nothing deceives a person so much as in love. He who truly loves God tries to keep His commandments and avoids everything that is contrary to God. A clear sign of love for God is heartfelt joy in God. A person usually rejoices in what he loves, and God’s love cannot exist without joy. This spiritual joy, heavenly, is a foretaste of eternal life. He who truly loves God remembers Him and constantly keeps His love and benefits in mind. This can also be seen in human love - whom we love, we often remember. Likewise, whoever loves God often thinks about Him and strives for Him with all his heart.

About love for one's neighbor. He who loves God also loves his neighbor. The source of love for one's neighbor is love for God; but love for God is known from love for one's neighbor. The root and beginning of love for one's neighbor is Divine love. God undoubtedly loves every person, love for neighbors is constantly commanded in the word of God. We must try to love our neighbor not in word, but in deed.

About a person's love for himself. A person's love for himself is inspired by nature itself. Loving yourself means seeking goodness, happiness and prosperity. It belongs to man to know himself, his nature and purpose. If he loves himself as he should, then with all his might he tries to save his soul. A person who loves himself with the right love values ​​his peace of mind, not being embarrassed by any vicissitudes, trying to cleanse his heart of filth and malice. A humble heart will never want that which leads it away from God.

About reading the Word of God. We must read the Holy Scripture more often, so a person will better know and notice his shortcomings and more deeply root humility in himself. Especially the study of God's Word helps to remove pride. Prayer disposes a person to communicate with God and at the same time arouses love both for God and for neighbor, and purifies a person’s love for himself.

About the Calvary plagues of Christ. During the first and second appearances to the apostles, the Lord Jesus Christ showed them His wounds on the Resurrected Body. And this action of God contained an edifying and mysterious meaning. The wounds of Christ on the Cross are signs of boundless Divine love, a source of abundant grace and a certificate of our condemnation. The plagues of Jesus are nothing more than eternally shining fiery letters, proclaiming to the whole world how much the Merciful Lord loved man. The wounds of Christ not only preach about the highest love of the Lord, but are also a source of rich mercies of God for believers, because from them peace and gracious consolations flow into Christian hearts. Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacraments of the Church revealed to man the inexhaustible heavenly spring of Grace, from which all regenerated humanity draws eternal life in God.