27 July 2008 Mentmore
Love
My love of meaning in the miracles, parables, metaphorical stories and allegories
Matthew 13 – mustard seed; yeast; treasure hidden in field; pearl of great price; good and bad fish
Mustard seed – relevance to baptism? No, all refer to Kingdom of Heaven.
Love
20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Genesis 15
Jacob was buying a wife
Swindled brother out of inheritance (birthright)
Impersonated brother to deceive father and receive Isaac’s blessing
Escapes brother’s fury
Has dream at Bethel – ladder to heaven – wrestles with God – conversion experience
Meets cousin Rachel by a well. Love at first sight. Kisses her.
Uncle Laban gives Rachel to Jacob as wife – 7 years service. Swindles – gives him elder sister Leah instead. Serves another 7 years.
Serves 14 years for Rachel – difficulty in becoming pregnant – Leah and servants produce many sons before Rachel conceives. Such love
God is Love
We cannot fully understand – but can get glimpses of what God’s love means
Romans 8 – All things work together for good for those who love God
Sometimes hard to accept – natural disasters; premature death of babies; pain and suffering
Romans 8 in context of Suffering – “God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness and suffering and intercedes for us with God”
We also see God’s love mirrored in human love
Jacob’s love for Rachel
One human being’s love for another
Parent’s love for a child
From human love we can learn more about God’s love for us
Wanting to be with the loved one – test of desire to marry
Desire to talk to each other
Sacrifices we are prepared to make for each other
God’s love shown to us in that God did not withhold his only Son
Rom 8:38 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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