Two weeks ago, I introduced this subject matter to us: Kingdom System. We started by examining this Life System which is our passcode into the Kingdom of God proper. Everyone that would be relevant in the kingdom of God must come in through this life system. And the week that followed, we examined the Faith System. And one of the things we realized under this is that the faith system is our mode of nutrition in the kingdom. The word of God says: man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The word of God is received through faith (Romans 10:17) and which shows that the faith system cannot be thrown aside in the kingdom.
Today we are moving on and we would be looking at the Love System, I am sure for many of us that are following, you know that that is the next point of call in this system. The Love system is our mode of reproduction. How do we reproduce in this system? How do we reproduce in the kingdom? It is by the love system. And we are going to look at the details of that as the Holy Spirit leads us this morning. The Love system is our mode of reproduction in this kingdom. So, when we talk about reproduction, what does it mean? Let’s start from there, because we will use reproduction to understand love. Love is one of the words that has been so abused in the world. And it is the most important word. Because it explains to us who God is. But it has been misrepresented and abused. And particularly in the context of the kingdom which is the real context. What is love? Love is our mode of reproduction, so, what is reproduction? We are going to start our observation from there.
Reproduction talks about the action or process of copying something. So, if you say I am reproducing my album. What are you doing? You are copying, you are in the process of copying that album again. That is reproduction, the action or process of copying something. But it doesn’t stop there; the production of an offspring by a sexual or asexual process, is also called reproduction. So, we are looking at two definitions and they are so important in our conversation. The first one we are looking at is the action or process of copying something.
Then the second one is the production of offspring. What is an offspring? That means of your fullness, you are producing another just like you. So, what’s the significance of reproduction in the kingdom? On the earth we know that if anything doesn’t reproduce, it goes into extinction. So, that’s why it is important to understand love in the context of reproduction. How will God not go into extinction? How will the continuity of the life of God be perpetuated on the earth? Love! The Love system. And we will see how this is so important for us to note.
We are going to start by looking at 1 John 3, then we will read 1 John 4. 1 John 3:1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. I am going to take that again. It says: Behold, look, see, what manner of love; is it faith? Is it hope? The Bible says there abide these three, faith, hope and love, but it said the greatest of them is love. So, it said what manner of love, the greatest, the Father has bestowed; so, love is bestowed. Love actually originate from God. But He bestows it. It said what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should, be called children of God! So, the love of God is what brought us into the life system. John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, would not perish but have everlasting life. So, the love of God is what introduced us into the kingdom.
The love of God is what births us, that reproduced us. So, when God made man in His image and in His likeness, was it born out of hatred? It was a product of love. The production of everything that God made is out of love. That’s why no one can show love the way God does. And no one can truly display love in the world if it’s not stemming from God. God bestowed the love that we should be called the children of God. It said therefore the word does not know us. So, the world has a problem with love. The world does not know us because they don’t know Him.
Let’s see 1 John 4, I will start from verse 8. It says; Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. so, there is no confusion about it. Love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. It says “everyone who loves” so, we understand that this, love is not the love that the world interprets, it is not the love that the world speaks about. Because the Bible says everyone who loves is born of God. How many people are actually born of God and knows God? The capacity to love is only requisite or resident in those who are born of God. So, we understand that this kingdom system is a process, so if you are not born of God, born of the water and the Spirit, you can’t have access to the life system.
If you are not born of God, you can’t partake of what comes from God. The faith system, the word of God, you can’t have it as your mode of nutrition. So, if you cannot be in the faith system, feeding from God, you cannot also produce God. Because you can only give what you have. The Bible says that those who love, they are born of God, they have come via the life system, and they know God, they have come by the life system. Verse 8; He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. So, if you are going to show love, you are producing God. Let’s not be confused about it. The Bible says God is love. So, if the Bible says that those who love, lets replace that love with God, because when you want to define something, you will say; for example, let me use my husband. Gboyega is a man, so you can replace it, a man is Gboyega. So, if I want to see a man, I should see Gboyega. His features are the features of a man.
So, go anywhere in the world apart from the color of his skin, anywhere you see a man, they look like Gboyega. Now forget about the physical features, whether the person has pointed nose or flat nose, the most important thing is that the person has a nose, the person has eyes, the person has ears. Those are features. So, whenever you see love, you will see the characteristics and the features of God in that thing. That’s why the world does not have capacity to produce love. Because you can only give what you have. For example, if a woman is pregnant, you can only be pregnant to the degree of the man that impregnated you. You can’t be impregnated by a black man, and have a white baby. Except the baby is albino. And that’s not white.
You can’t have a Caucasian baby haven been impregnated by a black man or an African. Why? Because the pregnancy must be of the fullness of the person that is impregnating you. So, if the person has the features of a black man, the baby will look like the man. Is the baby the man? But the baby will look like the man. The baby will have the features. Do we understand it? So, when we are talking about love, we are talking about things that carry the features of God. So, the love system is the system of reproduction in the kingdom, what do we produce in the kingdom? God!
So, the Bible makes us to understand in that verse 8, He who does not love does not know God for God is love. Love carries the features of God. God is love. So, everywhere you see love, you can identify love because what you are looking for in love is the features of God. Galatians 5 beginning from verse 19 the Bible says; Now the works of the flesh are evident, these are the features, when you see flesh these are the features. you will see adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.
Those are the features. So, you can say the works of the flesh is adultery, when you see the flesh, you will see part of the features is adultery, envy. So, when you see the flesh, you are not confused about who is producing what here. When you see a man that is given to adultery, you know what is producing this here. The production is done by flesh. So, every time flesh will produce or mass produce, these are the products of flesh. Envy, jealousy, these are the things you see. The production line of flesh will always turn out these products. Because it’s about the raw material, the cell structure, it’s about the mode of nutrition, it’s about the things that have fade into the system. You can’t want to make sweet cookies now, and you go and get bitter leaf, what will you produce? Bitter cookies. Why? The material. So, we understand that in the kingdom, God is walking us through a process, you must be born of God, you must carry the DNA of God.
You must come by the life system; you must come by Christ Jesus. Then you must have your mode of nutrition as the word of God, then you can reproduce God, the love system. So, when we now go to verse 22, we now understand what the Bible is saying here. Now let us finish verse 21; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things, who produce such things, “will not.” Forget those funny ideologies, that says when you are so drenched in sin, God will now throw you beyond the kingdom of darkness and you land in the kingdom of light. It doesn’t work like that. So, the Bible says clearly, those who practice such things, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Why are we walking the kingdom system? Why are we in the process? It’s to inherit. It’s to gain. It’s to have the kingdom. But it says those that produce these things, those that allow the works of the flesh to be evident, those that refuse to come by the life system and the faith system, they cannot produce, and they will not inherit. So, let’s see verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is what? Love. You may want to ask; why “is love” when the list is still going on? “is love” there should be full stop after love. Isn’t it? When you are using “is” it means a singular thing. Why should we have love, joy? Why should we have a list when we are not using “are”?
Because all the expressions and the features of God are all summed up in love. But after love, the Scripture is now listing for us the features. So, what are the features? When you look at love, what will you see? Joy, peace, long suffering. Remember the Bible says God is love. So, when you look at God, you will see joy. The Bible says in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy. And at His right hand are pleasures forever more. So, when you look at love, you are seeing the features of God, so the features of love are joy, peace. Jesus is the prince of peace. So, peace is not outside God. He said My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you, not as the world gives, do I give to you. So, there is peace, longsuffering. These are the features.
So, when you want to produce love, you know what you are looking for. When you see a work that is born out of love, reproduced after the order of love, produced in love these are the things you will see. You will see joy, you will see peace, you will see longsuffering, you will see kindness, you will see goodness. God is good, you will see it. Faithfulness, God is faithful, you will see gentleness, you will see self-control. These are the features of love. Anything and anyone that is born of God is born of love. And the Bible makes us to understand that love covers a multitude of sins, nothing conquers love. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible says nothing conquers love. So, are you still confused that there is something called love or there is a personality called love that is outside God? Because those features are the features of God.
Does God fail? Is there any impossibility with Him? No! that’s the same thing with love. So, when you produce in love, you are producing in God. So, we understand that there is nothing you produce in the kingdom that must be outside love. 1 Corinthians 16:14, so that we will understand that love in the kingdom is no joke, and love is for the matured. You would have been fed by God to produce in love. The reason why many believers are still finding it difficult to walk in love is because of maturity. Many immature believers cannot walk in love. Why? They have not grown up, they are still battling with their faith system, they have not gotten it.
That’s why this thing is a process, you can’t jump class, you can’t jump systems. You can’t say I have entered from the life system, I am going to the love system, no you must pass through the faith system. 1 Corinthians 16:14, I want us to see what the Bible says there. Let all that you do. Did it say some? It says let all that you do, be done with love. So, there is nothing you are doing in this kingdom that must be outside love. The Bible says that when we are going to present our works, before God, our works will be tried through the fire of love. And it said the works that are consumed, are the works that are done without love. No wonder if you go through from that 1 Corinthians 13:1 to verse 13, it said let me be speaking in tongues, what was the revelation and the truth Apostle Paul was communicating to us?
It said let me have the gift of prophecy, in fact let me have the gift of faith, that I can remove mountains, in fact let me give my goods all of it to the poor, he said if I have not love, I am nothing. Because in the kingdom of God, all your works will be tried in the fire of love. So, anything that is not done with love, meaning that is not coated in love, is not wrapped in love, is not produced in love, it will burn, it will be consumed, it will be unacceptable. So, let all that you do, the Bible says do all things as unto the Lord, as unto love. So, whatever you are doing, do it with love, that’s when that work, that’s when that action, that’s when that your speaking in tongues, your gift of faith, can truly be acceptable or else its nothing.
No wonder Jesus said in the last days, many will come to Me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, and He will say I do not know you, I only know those who work with love, You workers of iniquity, you workers of the flesh. What the Lord is looking for, when you grow to maturity, you are fed by God, you must produce in love. It takes maturity, many believers are still at this phase, we are struggling, we say God I want to do the works of Christ, I want to do the work of God, and God is saying this is the prerequisite. The works of Christ must be done in love. They must be done in God. If you can’t do it, you can’t do the works. So, it’s important we understand this love system, this is the reward system in the kingdom.
Jesus said I am coming and My reward is with Me to give to everyone according to their works. What kind of works will God reward? Works done with love. God is not going to reward everybody’s screaming and shouting in His name. no! because the Bible says that those who come to God must believe that He is; He is love. And He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek love. He is a rewarder, so, God rewards love, do everything in love. Why is love so important in this kingdom? Why is the love system a reproductive system? Colossians 3:14. But above all these things put on love. Did you see above? Love is the greatest.
Jesus told His disciples, He said this is the greatest commandment. In fact, this is the golden rule, love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Did you hear Him say anything outside Love? Everything He said was about Love. He said this is how the world will know that you are my disciples, because you have love for one another. So, love is the greatest. That Colossians 3:14, But above all these things put on love, why? it is the bond of perfection, it is the glue. So, whatever you are doing, and you have been doing it in faith and it’s not bound in perfection in love it’s not acceptable. That’s why apostle Paul said if I have Faith I can move mountains, if I have not love it profits me nothing.
There is no profit outside love in this kingdom. It must be done in love. It must be done with love. Put on love; put on love means put on God. And when you do it, it said it is the bond of perfection. So, when we are talking about walking in love, when we talk about putting on love, when we talk about doing things with love, we are saying copy God, do things the way God is doing them. The Bible says let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, what kind of mind was in Christ Jesus? Love! He said scarcely will a good man die and give his life up, but while we were yet sinners, in hope that we will accept Him, Jesus died for us. The Bible says love is stronger than death. The love Jesus had for us was stronger than death.
We were reading that Scripture in Luke yesterday about when Jesus was praying, when His time had come, see how Jesus was praying, do you know Jesus was angry with His disciple when He found them sleeping? He would have said; see what I am trying to do for you, and you are sleeping, I am going to carry the burden, you can’t even pray, you can’t even tarry with me for one hour, but still in spite the fact that they were sleeping, He didn’t say God look at the Apostles they are sleeping I am not dying again. If they are sleeping while I am still alive when I die, they would run away. I am not dying again. But no! the love He had for us was stronger than our excuses. So, when we are talking about love in the kingdom, it’s not that its convenient it’s not that you are going to find it all rosy. Love is not a sweet game in that sense. You love when it’s difficult. That’s why when you look at the characteristics of love in Galatians 5:22, it mentioned longsuffering, suffering is part of it.
So, even though you are suffering long you are loving. So, love is not a joke, it’s not a feeling. It’s a necessary mode. The Bible says the love of God has been shared abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit, why? Because we need it. The Bible says as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. You can’t actually walk in the fullness of God, without love. It is difficult to love in the flesh. Because God loves the unloving. The Scripture says He causes the rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous. When God is causing rain to fall, He is suffering long. You will hear people come out openly and denounce God, creatures of God, they say they are atheist, they don’t believe in God and God made them, and God will still cause rain to fall on them.
What do you think is going on in the heart of God? He is suffering long, He is enduring, He is forbearing, He is having self-control. Because what does it take God to destroy the earth? Nothing! But love. So, when God is asking us to love, He is saying come and operate in my realm. You are saying God is not easy I feel like slapping this person and God is saying have self-control. You may say Lord I feel like just leaving the country, and He is saying suffer long, love your nation even though it is unlovable. So, you must understand that when we talk about love, it is the attribute of God. So, that’s why you can pray for a country you don’t have any patriotism for. As God say pray, you are not praying in hatred, you pray in love. So, God will put the love of your country in your heart.
Some people will say all Christians know how to do is to pray, do you think it’s easy to pray? It’s not easy to pray for a country you feel you should just leave, and you are still praying? That’s love, there is something going on. Do you think it was easy for God to release Jesus to go and die? And He saw people, committing adultery, fornicating, sin everywhere. Unlike us we are limited to what we can see. God sees everything. So, imagine the magnitude of what God is taking in every day. God will see people that will go and sleep with their boyfriend and come to church, and they will lift up their hands, if you were God you will strike the person dead, let them know that she’s just coming from fornication, let the whole world know. But why would God not kill the person? Self-control, love.
So, when we are talking about love in the kingdom, it’s a state of maturity. Before you can reproduce you must be mature. An eight-year-old girl is not supposed to reproduce, why? She’s not mature. So, we produce in the kingdom to the degree of our maturity. God will not require love; He won’t put a burden of it on a child that has just come into the kingdom. That’s why He would necessarily take that child through the faith system. You must grow. When God is making demands on you because you have grown, its love. He knows you can bear it, He knows you are mature, so when you give excuses to God, He sees you as an irresponsible child. God requires love from us because He knows that we have matured.
So, when we fail God at that we are showing to God we are not responsible. The greatest virtue is love. 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Why? Because love is kind, love suffers long, love has self-control, in Ephesians 3:16-17, the Bible says we should be rooted and established in love. What does that mean? When you get to the point of maturity, become established in love. That’s the point of maturity, love is our point of maturity in the kingdom. When you are operating in love, you are operating in the place of maturity. Love is God.
Let us see in closing 2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. God will not ask us to produce what He has not impregnated us with. God has not given us the Spirit of fear, so, you can’t produce fear. God has given us power, love and sound mind. So, when we produce, that’s the order we must produce in. the love of God is reproduced in us by His Spirit. What happened to Mary is not exclusive to Mary; It was the beginning of an order. When the angel came to her and said to her, you are favored, you are blessed, he said and you will have a child of the Holy one, she said how will these things be seeing that I know no man? And the angel said the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, the Spirit of the most-high will over shadow you.
So, when the Spirit of God comes, it comes to deal with our human limitation so that we can produce God. That’s why when we come into the kingdom via the faith system, faith is built in our heart to receive the Holy Spirit. Because it is in receiving the Holy Spirit that we can produce God. so, the Bible says the love of God is shared abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. So, God has given to you what you can produce back. Why is our cell structure God? because we must produce God. if you go and read Genesis 1 you will see that God always have a sustainability plan.
When He created trees, it created it with their seed bearing, because God is always sustainability conscious. So, when God created you, He also created a spirit to overwhelm you so that His love can be sustained on the earth. So, when we reproduce God, we are creating a sustainable environment on the earth where God continues to rule. So, the love system is the mode of reproduction in the kingdom. What do we reproduce? We reproduce everything in the order of God. so, when you are producing a family, you are producing that family after the order of God, you are producing a business after the order of God. the features of God must be seen in that business. As you are raising your children, you are raising them in the order of God.
Everything you are producing in this kingdom; it must be with love. Can we just go ahead and speak to the Lord? And say Lord I receive the grace to produce in this kingdom, I receive.
