Ten Scriptures About the Promises to Those Who Love God

A few weeks ago, I gave a sermon, which was a two-part series, on 10 scriptures in the Bible, which talk about the promises of those who love God. I think it's very interesting that when God stresses something in the Bible, it is quite important.

And so here he mentions about those who love Him and about promises that are connected to that love of others. That love of others toward God. And in the first part, I only got through the first two points, but I elaborated quite a bit. So this time around, I'm gonna just highlight those first two points, and I'm gonna try to get through those last eight points.

So we're gonna go a little bit quickly, but if you ever need notes, I'm glad to email them to you so you don't have to take all the notes down. But it's a very simple process here of explaining these ten points. First, we're gonna read the scripture, and then we're gonna talk about the key word behind this scripture. Then there's gonna be a biblical example of someone that highlighted, that exemplified that point. And then lastly, we're going to be talking about the promise involved. So we're gonna do that with all ten of these. And the first one that I already covered is found in Matthew 22, verses 36 through 38.

Matthew 22, verses 36 through 38, where they asked Christ the following, teacher, which is the great commandment in the law. Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. So here, the key word is love. You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

And this shows that this type of love that we are to have for God is a personal relationship with him. And that's where our spiritual life is based on, that personal relationship with God. It's not going to church, that's the personal relationship.

That comes along later. But it's your personal relationship with God. And that's why it's so important. It has to do with the first commandment. It's interesting that the first commandment says you shall have no other gods before me. In other words, you're going to exclude any other religion, any other deity or personage. You're going to worship the God of the Bible above everything else.

And what this brings out is it's like a coin with the two sides to it. In the first commandment, it tells you what not to do. You are not to have any other gods before you. But what they call the adverse side to it, the opposite side of the coin, is you're not only not going to have any other gods, but the God that you worship, you are going to love with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.

So they're both together. It's part of the first commandment. And a key example of this was King David, who loved God with all of his heart. I read to you the first time Acts 13 verse 22, where it talks about what God says about David, that I know my servant David, and I know he's a man after my own heart who will do everything I ask of him. So David was not a half-hearted follower of his.

He didn't do things lackadaisically. He really put all his energy. Look at all the Psalms he composed praising God. So he did love God with all his heart, mind, and soul, although he was far from a perfect person. Nobody is perfect in God's eyes, but David had that heart that was totally dedicated to God. And what is the promise? Let's read in Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 9. Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 9. It says, therefore, know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments.

So here it talks about that if you love God that way, you're going to be the beneficiary of his mercy. He's going to be very loving to you. He's going to help you with the faults that you have. He extends that mercy to those who love him. So that's the promise of having mercy on us, and we all need it. Secondly, the second point we find in Romans chapter 8 verse 28, a very familiar scripture. Romans 8 verse 28. And it says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

Now here talks about that ability to look beyond the present, to look into the future, and to have that faith that God is going to work things out for good.

And of course, this is not limited to this life, because practically everybody here has suffered some tragedy in their lives. Something that was very unpleasant, very shocking, very tragic, whatever it is. And so this promise is not just limited to this life, because not everything is going to work out for good in this life as well as things that happened to you. But as it mentions in Hebrews 11, it talks about those who died in the faith, and some died terrible deaths. Hebrews 11 talks about one man of God who was sown in half, which according to Jewish tradition, it was the prophet Isaiah.

So not everything worked out for good in Isaiah's life, but Isaiah maintained the faith because he knew there was a resurrection coming, there was a kingdom that he was going to be inheritor of, and he maintained the faith.

One example of that type of faith was even mentioned here in the first message, which was Joseph, his faith, that God was going to work things out. He maintained the faith in Egypt, even being part of the government of the Pharaoh. He still worshiped God. He was faithful.

It mentions in Hebrews 11, let's go to Hebrews 11 and verse 22, he's one of the men of faith, one of the men and women of faith here in Hebrews 11 and verse 22.

It says, by faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel and gave instructions concerning his bones.

This showed that he had faith in God's promises, that they were not going to stay in Egypt.

That he was going to take his people back according to the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So, Joseph, nearing death, expressed confidence that God would in the future deliver the Israelites from Egypt. So he had faith because God had promised that. And so, the promise here in the second point is that God will be with us through thick and thin.

He will never abandon us. No matter how dark things can be, he is going to be there. Hebrews 13 and verse 5. Hebrews 13 verse 5, it says, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. He is with us every day. He knows when we get up. He knows when we go to sleep. He has the very hairs on our heads, counted, even as they thin. And so, we see here that those who love God, now he has their backs. He is there through thick and thin. Thirdly, let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2. We're advancing through this New Testament. 1 Corinthians 2, 9 through 10. I'll read it. It says, but as it is written, I has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. So here, the key word is hope. It's about God's kingdom, how we can be part of it, even now in an embryonic way. And we know that's one of the analogies in the Bible of we're inside the church in the mother's womb, and we, if we are faithful, we are going to be born into God's kingdom.

So loving God means doing what he expects of us now and looking forward to that coming kingdom.

We can't be passive. We have to be active. We need to be serving God every day.

The key example is Abraham. He loved God. He was even willing to sacrifice his only son.

And he was willing to live with the consequences of that.

Not only that, but when he went up, he took his knife with him. And he had some wood, and he was going to sacrifice Isaac. He was going to follow God's orders, even to that point.

And when the knife was descending, God stopped him. But Abraham didn't know that, because he even loved God more than his own son. And as it tells us here in Hebrews 11, he thought God could resurrect that dead Isaac right there, if necessary. He knew God has the power to resurrect people from the dead. Notice in Hebrews 11, 8 through 14. We're right here in verse 8. It says, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place where he would receive an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Talking about the kingdom. He knew it was coming. He wanted to be part of it, more than anything else. Then he goes on to say in verse 17, And by faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises, offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called. That was a contradiction. God had promised it was going to be through Isaac. And then God says, sacrifice him. He says, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him, in a figurative sense. So talk about faith. Talk about hope.

Abraham never lost hope. And our loved ones are going to be resurrected as well.

As long as we hold out that hope and do our part. What is the promise?

Let's go to Matthew 19, verse 28.

What is that promise of that scripture? I has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. Matthew 19, verse 28.

It says, So Jesus said to them, As surely I say to you that in the regeneration, which has to do with the rebirth or resurrection, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. But it doesn't just include these twelve. Notice the next verse. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my namesake.

In other words, he's a disciple of Jesus. Shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.

So that's the promise that we will inherit what God says. I has not seen, nor ear heard, the things that God is preparing for us. The fourth scripture is 1 Corinthians 8, verses 1-4.

1 Corinthians 8, verses 1-4. It says, Now concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Paul knew that well. With a lot of knowledge, people can get a swelled head. But if you have love, that's good for all time. He goes on to say, And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing, yet as he ought to know, be humble about your knowledge. He said, But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him. What does that mean? That if anyone loves God, this one is known by him. It means, in the sense that God approves of that person. Oh, he loves me.

Well, I have a special relationship with him. I approve of that person. I'm going to be with that person. And what a privilege that is. He goes on to say, Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. So, knowledge that comes from God is something that we receive from him if we love him.

So, the key word here is wisdom.

God provides grace and knowledge to us. If we love him because he knows us, he's working with us, he's adding to our grace and knowledge. That's very important.

The example we have is the Apostle Paul. He was an example of growing in wisdom, grace, and knowledge. He was able to teach and yet maintain his humility. God gave him so much wisdom and knowledge that he had to give him a thorn in his side just to keep him humble. So, thankfully, nobody's there. So, that's why we don't have a thorn in our sides. We're not up to that grade.

And what is the promise? In Luke chapter 10, verse 21 through 23, it tells us what that promise is of all of those that are known by God.

It says, In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things, this spiritual knowledge from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Yes, he didn't reveal it to all these college PhDs with theology and divinity degrees and all of these great scholars. No, he didn't. Basically, those that are here are the babes in this world. They're not the rich, the powerful, the brilliant, and yet he has revealed these wonderful truths to us. We don't deserve it. And yet he has done so. He goes, Even so, Father, so it seemed good in your sight.

He says, All things have been delivered to me by the my Father, and no one knows who the Son is, except the Father and who the Father is, except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal him. So it's all about God calling people, opening their minds to these precious truths. Never take it for granted. We have been so blessed to be called. You can go on TV. You can go read all the things that you want and have all of these wonderful televangelists. They're not talking about these things, about the truths of God as such.

They don't even believe in keeping the commandments of God or the law of God. That's the first step toward conversion, is not having an adverse attitude toward God's law.

Like David said, Oh, how I love thy law. It is my meditation all day long. I'd love to see some of these televangelists say something like that, but then they'd have to talk about the Ten Commandments and the Fourth Commandments and the Holy Days. Oh, no, no. Let's just stick with what is practical for us. Just stick with what I was taught in the seminaries, but not these precious truths of God. We go to the fifth scripture, Ephesians chapter 6, verse 24.

This is a very brief statement, but it mentions those who love God. Ephesians 6, verse 24, he's ending the epistle and he says, Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Notice he didn't say, well, all these people that say they love Jesus Christ. He's putting a condition here in sincerity.

And so the key word here is sincerity, which means genuineness of faith. It's not something just superficial. No, this goes all the way down. This is the genuineness person.

The Bible knowledge commentary mentions about this verse. It has the idea that believers love for the Jesus Christ is to be pure, not corrupted with wrong motives or secret disloyalties.

The Bible believers commentary says the apostle wishes grace for all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible, sincere love. True Christian love has a quality of permanence.

Its flame may flicker and grow low at times, but it is never extinguished. It continues through time because it's genuineness.

One example of sincerity was Paul's helper, young Timothy. Notice in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians chapter 2 verse 19. He says, But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father, he served with me in the gospel.

Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. So you know Timothy was going to do things the right way, just like Paul was doing it, as Christ was revealing it to Paul. Timothy was following Paul's footsteps, and he was doing it in a genuine way. It wasn't how much he could get out of things.

He sincerely and genuinely cared for the brethren. And what is the promise about sincerity?

In Matthew 5, verse 8, it says, Matthew 5, verse 8, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. See that person that has that purity, that sincerity in the heart of following him. Not doing it for wrong motives. He will see God one day in that kingdom and in that new Jerusalem. The sixth scripture that mentions love toward God is in James chapter 1, verse 12. James chapter 1, verse 12.

It says, Blessed is a man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. The complete Jewish Bible has this scripture, a little better translated. It says, How blessed is the man who perseveres through temptation, for after he has passed the test, he will receive as his crown the life which God has promised to those who love him. Many of these have to do more with testing, with trials.

The key word here is perseverance. It is hard to have the right attitude when we go through difficult trials.

And it is up to us to see what spiritual benefit we can glean from these trials.

Trials bring out hidden things that we didn't previously see. It helps us to examine ourselves better. When things are going great, we seldom examine ourselves. When something goes wrong, we start saying, Well, I need to examine myself, evaluate how things are going. Sometimes we catch things that we needed to have changed in our lives, overcome better, and tests can be wake-up calls in that regard.

The example in the Bible is Job in his fiery trials. Let's look at James chapter 5, James chapter 5 verse 11, where it talks about Job's trials.

And certainly some people go through Job trials in their lives. Very tough trials, but still we can learn from them. It says here in James chapter 5 verse 11, it says, Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

A person goes through things. Sometimes they think they'll never get over it. And yet, God has plans. He works things out when we never expected it. And Job certainly didn't ever think all of those things were going to be beneficial to him. He learned something very important in his life.

And that was that he was so dedicated to God, he was so faithful that he had a problem with self-righteousness. And then later on, God had to whittle him down to size and said, Job, you got to be careful with that self-righteousness, because you're still not good enough for what I have plans for you in the future. And Job said, Now I learned. I realized how wrong I had been. And I repent in dust and ashes, or sackcloth and ashes. And what is the promise?

Well, it tells us here it's that crown of life, which is the same as saying salvation. God promises salvation to those who persevere. In Matthew 24 verse 13, we've read that many times, for he who perseveres or he who endures to the end will be saved. In the new American Bible, it says, But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved, will have salvation.

So that's a very encouraging promise. The seventh scripture is James chapter 2 verse 5, just one chapter over. James chapter 2 verse 5. He says, Listen, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?

And throughout the ages, the great majority of people that God has called have been quite poor. Quite poor. Yes, there have been exceptions to the rule, but if you look at the brethren in the first century, Paul looked at them in 1 Corinthians 1, 24 through 26, and said, Look at you, brethren, not many wise and noble has been called by God. And most people have a modest income that come into the church. Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?

So there are going to be quite a number of people that don't have a good economic situation, but have chosen to truly love him, obey him, and be poor in spirit, which is to be humble before him.

And of course, the key word here is humility.

It's hard for the rich and mighty and powerful to learn humility. It's not that hard for common ordinary people to do so as well.

And the example is Jesus Christ. He is the outstanding and absolute example of humility.

And God has given us a promise to give us humility if we ask him, because godly humility comes from God. It's not a human attribute. In Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 through 23, it describes the fruits or what God's spirit produces in us. In the Good News Bible, I'm going to read it. Galatians 5, 22, and 23, it says, but the spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Other translations have meekness, but it's the same word, prou-oties, which has to do with being humble. Now, it takes us to the eighth scripture, 1 Peter 1 verses 8 and 9. 1 Peter 1 verses 8 through 9, talking about Jesus Christ. Peter says, quote, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The key word here is joy. God gives those that love him spiritual joy, not the joy of momentarily winning some lottery ticket or... No, this is a long-term type of a joy that he gives us. The example that we have in the Bible is Moses. All the trials that he went through, but he had that joy while he obeyed God. Notice in Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11, just a couple of pages back, in verse 24, talks about Moses.

It says, by faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, in other words, a prince, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. He's looking to God's kingdom. What is Egypt's kingdom in comparison to God's kingdom? He wanted to be part of God's kingdom. He had that faith. He goes on to say, by faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He had that faith. He had that joy.

And he was a faithful servant of God, one of the men that were most tried. How would you like to, taking care of 40 years, these hard-necked, stiff-necked Israelites? And yet he did it, and he did it with joy.

So the promise is that God will give us, to those who love God, He will give us that joy. As Christ mentioned in John 15, verse 11. Let's read it. John 15, verse 11.

He says, These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. So it's one of God's fruits of the Spirit, that joy. It's a promise that He will give to those who love Him.

The ninth scripture is in 1 John, chapter 5, verse 1. 1 John, chapter 5, verse 1. It says, Notice this is talking about this conversion stage. So here it's talking about that person who loves God is going to love the others whom God has called.

In the contemporary English version, it says, The key word here is brotherly love.

In the Greek, it's the word Philadelphia. That's where we get the city in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

It means brotherly love in Greek. And we have the example of the Apostle John in his writings, always equating the love of God to the love of the brethren. It says, how can you love God and yet not love those that God has called?

We are to show that brotherly love toward each other. That's why it's wonderful to have live Sabbath services, and we can be here and show that brotherly and sisterly love toward the brethren, to be there for them.

And what is the promise of that brotherly love? Matthew 25 verse 34.

Matthew 25 verses 34 and 40.

Remember when Christ returns, and He's going to separate the wheat from the shaft. He's going to separate the sheep from the goats. And what does He say in verse 34?

He says, Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That had been prepared even before creating human beings, this kingdom. And then it goes on to say in verse 40.

And the king will answer and say to them, As surely I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.

And so here, talking about that brotherly love, God is going to give us that brotherly love.

We are going to express it because we love God.

And as a result, it's going to unite us together. I always love that saying, which is that blood is thicker than water, which has to do with that family relations are stronger than friendships. But I like one better, which is that the Spirit is stronger than blood or water. Because we have that spiritual unity, which we can't have with other people.

And that certainly is the case.

I know with my mother and brothers and sisters that I have, none are in the church. I love them. I visit them. But there's just one dimension that is missing. I can't share that spiritual truth with them.

And I can with the brethren here.

That's my spiritual family.

This takes us to scripture number 10.

The last one.

It's also in 1 John 5, verse 3. It's the same epistle as the previous one. 1 John 5, verse 3, it says, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

Do we express that love of God?

Well, by keeping his commandments and feeling and thinking, these commandments are not burdensome. They're not something we'd love to just have released from us.

And that's very sad, because we had so many more brethren at one time, and they were with us. We were sharing fellowship, and yet there was a time when they did say the commandments were burdensome to them, and that they didn't want to keep them. They were not going to be faithful to them.

Now, we know there's still a lot of time left, and God can bring people back.

He's already shaking this earth with these plagues that we're going through, but he's going to shake it a lot more in the future.

So the key word here is commandments. Commandments.

The Passion Translation for 1 John 5.3 has a good translation. It says, True love for God means obeying His commands, and His commands don't weigh us down as heavy burdens.

We enjoy it. We enjoy looking forward to the Sabbath, to the Holy Days, to following this way of life.

The contemporary English version has it, We show our love for God by obeying His commandments, and they are not hard to follow.

Keeping the Sabbath is a blessing. Being able to disconnect yourself for one day.

So many people, for them, the whole week is the same. It's just based on things to do and chores to carry out. They never get a break like we do. Well, you can put things down Friday evening and be able to rest on that this day, to be fed spiritually, to focus on more spiritual things. We need that spiritual recharge.

Again, the outstanding example is Jesus Christ in John 15 verse 10.

John 15 verse 10.

It says, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love.

So you see, they work together. There's no conflict here.

And what is the promise?

As we're finishing up, the promise is to one day be in the New Jerusalem. That's the culmination of the Kingdom of God coming to the earth. It just starts with Christ, but he's paving the way. That's just the start. The millennium is just the start.

The final culmination is when the New Jerusalem comes down, and it's described chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation. Notice what it says in Revelation chapter 22 verse 24.

Revelation 22 verse 24. It says, Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

It's talking about that New Jerusalem to have the opportunity, the blessing, to enter through the gates into that city.

So, brethren, we have gone over these 10 scriptures that talk about those who love God. And what does God say back to them? Because you love me, here are the promises. Here are the biblical examples. Here are the key words to rehearse and go over. Yes, there are 10 scriptures, 10 key words that we've gone over, 10 biblical examples, and 10 promises. So, when you have the time, when you feel discouraged, go over them and be encouraged and persevere to the end with our faith intact.