Sit
204. Extravagant Love
Sometimes it is difficult to FEEL that God loves us. We hear about it, read about it, sing songs about it, but so often life’s circumstances seem to contradict His love. During those difficult times we sometimes find ourselves thinking or saying: “If He loves me, then why is this happening, or why did that happen?”
The very nature of God is love. God is so much bigger and greater than we can imagine and this is true of His love, as well. Our human love is often so petty, stingy, and self-centered.
But God’s love is vast; it is boundless; it is extravagant!
The only way we can really know this is to depend upon God’s Word more than our feelings. Ask yourself, are you spending more time with your feelings than you are with God’s Word? Your feelings are not always the truth, God’s Word IS TRUTH!
Paul prayed that we would experience this love.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through your whole being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!]” (Ephesians 3:14-19, NIV – Amplified Bible).
Notice that Paul’s prayer is for the church to know God’s love not just by intellect, but by experience. Notice, also, the four dimensions (wide, long, high and deep) that are mentioned in v. 18; we only have three space dimensions. That gives us a clue that His love cannot be fully explored!
Parables can help us understand the truth.
The field and the treasure
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).
The man who found the treasure is Jesus. The field is the world. This is stated in another parable in Matthew 13:38. When the man discovered that there was a treasure, he hid it. This is like Jesus putting a cover on us so that Satan cannot steal us. He did not really want the field, but he was realistic enough to know that in order to get the treasure, he had to pay the price for the field. The price of the field was very high. It cost him all he had. God cannot be bankrupted, however, His main priority was creating a family, and Jesus was ALL HE HAD for that. But he did it with joy because he knew the value of what he was getting in the treasure. His neighbors and friends probably thought he was crazy paying that kind of price for a field that was apparently good for nothing, but they did not know about the treasure. This goes along with John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Only the “whoevers” here are the ones he gets. Those are the treasures in the field. He redeemed the world (purchased it) for the sake of the “whoever.”
Titus 2:14 says, “who [Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
That is His treasure, a people that are His very own. A people who have been purchased out of the world, redeemed from wickedness, purified, and made zealous to do what is good. The price was Himself, all He had, and all He was. He laid down His life. He gave Himself to buy that field for the sake of the treasure, His redeemed people.
What a man spends his money on will tell you what he loves. If someone spent EVERYTHING he had for you, you must be special!
Jesus bought the field, but He leaves it
for His servants to do the harvesting of the treasure out of the field (world).
We must find the treasure, dig it up and take it out of the earth. It has
lain there for a long time and it is rusty, dirty, mildewed, corroded and it
needs a lot of cleaning up (discipleship).
The Pearl of Great Price
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).
The first parable shows God’s love for His people collectively, but the parable of the Pearl reveals the measure of God’s love for each human soul, individually. We are not just a part of a group; not merely a number in a large group with a faceless relationship with the boss. No, we have a personal one to one value. We are not just a number; we are a name and a face. He knows how many hairs are on our head. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He cares about our hurts and fears.
The merchant in the parable is Jesus. He was not just a tourist; He was a person who really knew the value of that for which He was looking. When He found this one pearl, He realized that it would be a good bargain to sell all He had just to buy that one pearl. His wife probably complained when he told her that he sold the house, the car, and the furniture, everything just for one pearl. Can you imagine how she reacted? How many of us would do that? That is the love of Jesus, it is extravagant!
The cost of the pearl is the same as the cost of the field, all He had. What did that price represent?
A pearl suggests suffering. All the gateways into New Jerusalem are made from pearl; there is no other way in! The suffering of the oyster produces a pearl. A grain of sand gets in to the shell and causes great pain. The oyster excretes a substance that turns that pain into a thing of beauty. Then the pearl has to be found and raised from the depths of the sea. Again, there is a lot of work for us, His servants. Imagine Jesus holding that one pearl (you) in His hand and saying to you, “It was for you that I paid that price. I gave all I had.”
Soak that in for a moment. So many of us deal with rejection, inadequacy, and low self-esteem. But the value of something is always determined by the price that someone is willing to pay.
Some facts about God’s love.
1. It is individual.
Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) says, “The LORD appeared to us in the past (it is not a new thing it is from old), saying: ‘I have loved you (individually, personally) with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’”
2. It is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3).
3. It precedes time. Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
4. It is irresistible. Song of Solomon 8:6 says, “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.”
Picture yourself, the Pearl in the hand of Jesus, and Him saying to you, “My love for you is individual (personal), everlasting (will never end), it precedes time, and it is irresistible.”
What did it mean for Jesus to give His life (blood) to purchase us?
The life is in the blood.
The blood simply represents the entire life of an individual. Jesus did not just give us a little of His blood; He poured it all out unto death.
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
What does the blood have to do with the purchase of a human being? Why did the price have to be blood?
The purchase price of anything must be equal to or exceed the value of the item.
Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
The Blood must be shed a perfect 7 times.
The most important day of the year in Israel was the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). On that day alone, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies (the Presence of God) with the blood of the sacrifices that covered the sins of Israel for one more year. Leviticus 16:14 says, “He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.”
It was the blood alone that could atone for the sins of God’s people. The blood had to be brought right into the presence of Almighty God in the Holy of Holies. Notice that it was sprinkled seven times. Seven is the number that indicates a perfect work that has been done. This was exactly fulfilled in the way that Jesus shed His blood. His blood was sprinkled precisely seven times before the sacrifice was complete.
1. Luke 22:44 takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
2. Matthew 26:67 is in the house of the High Priest. “Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands.”
3. In Matthew 27:26 Pilate had him flogged. “Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
4. In Isaiah 50:6 they pulled out his beard. “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”
5. Matthew 27:28-29 describes the crown of thorns. “And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’”
6. Matthew 27:35 tells of the crucifixion. “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots.”
7. John 19:34 says they pierced His side. “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
What did we receive in Christ when He purchased us?
Not only was God extravagant in the price He paid for us, He was equally extravagant in what He gave us after the purchase.
We became heirs, joint heirs and children! Romans 8:15-17 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Notice that we not only share in His riches, but also in His sufferings. Our share of His sufferings is trials and tribulations when we stand on His Word.
1 Corinthians 3:21-23 says that all things (of God) belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. All things – it is quite an inheritance! We cannot work for God’s inheritance; it is a gift by grace. But we must be able to hear the Holy Spirit speaking our inheritance to us; otherwise, we might end up being paupers and beggars, and forfeit our inheritance.
We receive this inheritance through the Holy Spirit and the Word.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority; but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-15).
How can we respond to God’s love?
We must stop being mean, stingy and petty with others; we must learn to be EXTRAVAGANT LIKE GOD!
Do you really know God’s Love? If you do, you will rely on it.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16, NIV).
Read the story of the woman pouring out approximately $20,000 worth of ointment on the head of Jesus.
Read Mark 14:3-9. Jesus said that what she did will be remembered every time the Gospel is preached. The disciples complained, Judas the treasurer objected with gusto. Jesus said she did what she could. He was very happy with her total devotion. She wasted her very security and life savings on Jesus, and He, God, was happy and excited about it.
It really takes faith and a personal encounter with the living Jesus to waste your life on Him; to be extravagant with Him. The reward is tremendous, like it was for this woman.
How can you “waste” your life on Jesus? He does not call us to be great performers, or Bible College graduates. We may not even be called to be pastors or evangelists, but each and every one of us has an opportunity to waste our lives on Him. Ask yourself how you can do it today, then the next day and the next. Be extravagant with your time you give to Him and others, your money, your love, your forgiveness, the list goes on and on - how about your entire life?
The Judgment Seat.
When we get to the Judgment Seat of Christ for believers, what you wasted on Him will be returned many times now and in eternity. If you hold back from being extravagant for Jesus, you may (or may not) only enjoy it for a little while, but I would not want to be judged for being stingy with God.
He was and is extravagant for us; let’s do the same in return!
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