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 Shomair Yisrael Messianic Jewish Congregation

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A. Atmosphere Of Unconditional Love

        This is a term that is easily misunderstood. We use it often, yet it is not found in Scripture by that name. The word “unconditional” does not exist in any of the popular versions of Scripture. So let’s turn to the concept of love, since conditional love isn’t really love. Conditional love sounds like this… “I’ll love you if…(usually if you…)”

        Love is just a wildly misunderstood concept. It is first used in Scripture when God tells Abraham to go sacrifice his son whom he loves. The greatest test of Biblical faith came upon Abraham in the area of love. Let’s try to recapture the moment.

    Abraham obeys God, continuing his father’s journey into Canaan. Then he obtains promises from God…at the age of 75. Gen 12:2

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you And make your name great; NKJV

        Abraham even goes so far as to remind God that he is without an heir…however; God reassures him…Gen 15:4 but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then the Lord brought Abraham outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him," So shall your descendants be." NKJV

    Now, this is amazing…Ten years after that promise, Abraham and Sara are still without an heir. Abraham listens to his wife and goes into Hagar. Hagar bears Ishmael.

    Thirteen years later, God again appears to Abraham at the age of 99 (Sara is 90)… Gen 17:18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" 19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. NKJV

    As a sign of the covenant God gives the symbol of circumcision. Ishmael was the first to be circumcised (at the age of 13)
Gen 18:10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying," After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." NKJV

    Isaac was circumcised at the age of 8 days when Abraham was 100 years old. But there was trouble in the house…
 

Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham,"Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed." NKJV

Gen 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Gen 22:6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. Gen 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." NKJV.

    We learn much about love from Abraham. He loved God more.

    What does it mean to have an “atmosphere” of unconditional love in the congregation?

    One of the things it means is that there are no big shots in the congregation.
 

    Yeshua invited the disciples to the last supper. You do know why it is called the last supper. He has just completed investing the last 3 ½ years of his life into these men. As they come to this great event described by Yeshua… Luke 22:7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." 9 So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?" 10 And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready." NKJV

Luke 22:15 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; NKJV

Luke 22:24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. NKJV

    Unconditional love means valuing each of God’s created human beings. Forgiven is the sign of each of our heads. Forgiven by God and by each other.

A word on offense.

Unconditional love.

1 Cor 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. NKJV

1 Cor 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. NKJV