Love Believeth All Things
God's love is not based on human perception, but on what He sees, and we should strive to imitate this love by being gentle and forgiving towards others.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the profound depth of God's love as illustrated in Isaiah 63:8, where God chooses to overlook the faults of His people, demonstrating His unwavering commitment to them. Despite their imperfections, God sees them through the lens of love and grace, covering their iniquities with the blood of Christ. This divine love calls us to extend the same grace to others, encouraging us to be gentle and compassionate, and to see the potential in everyone, including non-Christians. By embodying the mind and heart of Christ, we can help others realize their true worth through love and prayer. Ultimately, love believes all things, fostering hope and transformation in ourselves and those around us.
Text
There is a beautiful expression in the book of Isaiah which reflects with accuracy the depth of the love of God. He said, They are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour (Isaiah 63:8). They lied, but He would not believe it. At least He speaks as if He would not believe it, in the greatness of His love, because they were His people. He has not seen iniquity in Jacob nor perversity in Israel. There is plenty of it to see, and the devil sees it all, and a good many people are only too glad to see it, but the dear Father will not see it.
He covers it with His love and the precious blood of His atoning Son.
Such a wonderful love ought surely to make us more gentle to others and more anxious to cause our Father less need to hide His loving eyes from our imperfections and faults. if we have the mind and heart of Christ, we shall clothe even the non-Christians with those graces which faith can claim for them. We shall try our best to count them as if they were real, and by love and prayer we shall at length make them real. Love believeth all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Sermon Outline
- The Depth of God's Love points: - God's love is not based on human perception - He sees us as His people, not our imperfections
- The Nature of God's Love points: - It covers our iniquities and perversities - It is not based on what we see, but on what God sees
- The Call to Imitate God's Love points: - We should be gentle and forgiving towards others - We should try to see the good in people and help them grow
- The Power of Love to Transform points: - Love can make us see people as they truly are - It can help us to see beyond their flaws and imperfections
Key Quotes
“They are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour (Isaiah 63:8).” — A.B. Simpson
“He has not seen iniquity in Jacob nor perversity in Israel.” — A.B. Simpson
“Love believeth all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We should try to see the good in people and help them grow, just as God sees the good in us and helps us to grow.
- We can make non-Christians see the good in themselves by cloathing them with the graces of faith through love and prayer.
- We should strive to be more gentle and forgiving towards others, just as God is towards us.