1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,880 I have talked a lot more about BBQ than I think I ever have and 2 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,240 I ever will in my entire life now that Jonah Chitty is here, 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,080 having come from the South. And today I yet again will use 4 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:26,240 an illustration referencing BBQ. When you are barbecuing you, you 5 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:29,720 want to get a barbecue in there. I already made a mistake. 6 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:31,280 You can't. You're not barbecuing. 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,800 BBQ is a food group. OK, We're learning this from the 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,000 people from the South. BBQ is a food group. 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,480 We, I call a BBQ the thing that we cook on. 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,280 But when you want to get flavor into the meat, you have to use 11 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,200 spices and you have to use all these, these different things 12 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:46,760 to, to get the flavor into the meat. 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,760 But if you just throw the spices on the meat itself, when you 14 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,720 throw it on the grill, things start to fall off, right? 15 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,400 And as you cook it, the, the, the seasoning and the flavor 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,880 falls off and you lose whatever you put on there. 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,520 And so as I've learned, you use what is called a binder. 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,319 And so a binder could be mustard or a hot sauce or any sort of 19 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,360 BBQ sauce or something that you put on the meat 1st. 20 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,320 And then you put the spices and the seasoning on there so that 21 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,640 they stick to the meat. And then that way as you grill, 22 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,240 I mean, some of it's still going to fall off. 23 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,240 But now you have that binder that is holding the seasoning 24 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,480 and the, and the spices to the meat. 25 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:28,240 So the flavor stays there giving you a nice well flavored meat. 26 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,720 And as we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks, 27 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,800 we've been talking about spiritual gifts in the church. 28 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,760 And if you have the Spirit, you've been saved by Christ into 29 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,960 the family of Christ, which is his church, and you've been 30 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:47,200 given a gift by the Holy Spirit to help the church grow into the 31 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,040 fullness of Christ. And last week, Pastor Jake 32 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,000 talked about the church being a body. 33 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,880 And with a body, we have many different members, but those 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,400 members make up one body. They have different gifts, they 35 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,640 have different activities in ways that they can serve, but 36 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,400 they all make up one body. Now, what this means is that as 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,800 one body, we are working together toward a common goal. 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,760 As your body goes throughout your day, all of your faculties 39 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,080 are working together for a specific task. 40 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,880 Your body parts are not pulling different directions. 41 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:23,680 And so we need to have a common goal, which is why we all need 42 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,840 to have and acknowledge Christ as our head. 43 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,800 Christ is the one who leads and guides us as a church. 44 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,320 But in First Corinthians 13, Paul points out a sin that is 45 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:40,240 going on in the church and that can be in any church, and that 46 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:46,400 is serving without love. What Paul wants us to understand 47 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,240 is that love is what binds us together. 48 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,480 We are called and gifted by the Spirit to help one another grow. 49 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,840 But if we serve one another without love, it's like throwing 50 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,200 the spice on the meat without the binder. 51 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,200 It just falls off as you cook it. 52 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,680 You don't feel that impacted by someone who serves you without 53 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,880 love. And so if we serve with love, 54 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,200 it's like using the binder on the meat. 55 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,960 It's like, it's like slathering your service so that that that 56 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,000 service can stick. It's you're slathering your love 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,000 for one another with that so that it sticks, so that it means 58 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,000 something. You feel greatly blessed and 59 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,400 impacted by someone who serves you because of their love for 60 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,480 you. So this morning, what we're 61 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,080 going to learn is the reasons of why love binds us together as 62 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,080 Paul shows them to hear to us in First Corinthians 13. 63 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,400 And so this morning, we're going to learn the importance of love, 64 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,720 the proof of your love, and the eternality of your love. 65 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,120 Let's bow forward with prayer before we open up God's Word. 66 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,000 Father, we thank you for your word to us. 67 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,840 We thank you that we get to read it, and we thank you, Lord, that 68 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,840 it is your inspired word. It is authoritative for every 69 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,600 area of our life. And Lord, we stand on it as your 70 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,519 truth. And we pray that as we read it 71 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,720 that your Spirit would open our eyes, that you would teach us 72 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,960 together and unify our hearts so that we might serve one another 73 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:31,320 with love together as your body. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. 74 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,720 Turn with me in your Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 13. 75 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:44,680 First Corinthians chapter 13. I'm speaking from the ESV if 76 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,800 anybody wants to pull it up on your phone or your tablet or 77 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,000 whatever. First Corinthians chapter 13 78 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:56,160 says if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have 79 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,920 not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 80 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:06,240 And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and 81 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,720 all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, 82 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:18,360 but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and I 83 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:24,440 deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain 84 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:28,640 nothing. Love is patient and kind. 85 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,720 Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. 86 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,560 It does not insist on its own way. 87 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:39,640 It is not irritable or resentful. 88 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,480 It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with 89 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,920 the truth. Love bears all things, believes 90 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:52,960 all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 91 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,880 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will 92 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,400 pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. 93 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,560 As for knowledge, it will pass away, for we know in part and we 94 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,520 prophecy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will 95 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,600 pass away. When I was a child I spoke like 96 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,400 a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. 97 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,120 And when I became a man I gave up childish ways. 98 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,680 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. 99 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,840 Now I know in part. Then I shall know fully, even as 100 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:36,320 I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love 101 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,320 abide these three. But the greatest of these is 102 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,840 love. The first thing we're going to 103 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:47,480 see this morning is the importance of your love. 104 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,560 How important is love in the body of Christ? 105 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,160 Another way maybe to ask the question is what's love got to 106 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,200 do with it? The answer is everything. 107 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,920 Love is not an optional add on for the Christian. 108 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,880 If we have Christ's Spirit in us, we must love one another 109 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:15,360 because God is love. This is because without love 110 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,800 you're annoying, Paul says in verse one. 111 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,000 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not 112 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,240 love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 113 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,320 The gift of speaking in tongues, if not done with love, is just 114 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,360 an annoying sound. Now the gift of tongues is is 115 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,680 the ability to speak a different language, and at times the 116 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,880 Spirit enabled people to do this without themselves understanding 117 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:44,680 what language it was they were speaking. 118 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,720 We see this in Acts chapter 2 with the coming of the Holy 119 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,600 Spirit, where they were given the ability to speak in many 120 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,560 different languages so that everybody who was present could 121 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:58,360 hear of the works of God. Now, this gift was one that the 122 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:02,200 Corinthians were abusing, and they were not using this gift in 123 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,080 love. And so Paul tells them, even if 124 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,840 you use this gift, if you're not using it with love, you're just 125 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:14,120 an obnoxious sound. You're just annoying to use. 126 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,400 Even a miraculous gift like speaking in tongues without love 127 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,640 is nothing more than an obnoxious noise. 128 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,000 Nobody cares. Nobody wants to hear it. 129 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,560 Worse, everybody's annoyed by it. 130 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,000 Next we see that without love you are nothing, Paul says in 131 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,120 verse 2. If if I have prophetic powers 132 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,840 and understands all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have 133 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,559 all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I 134 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:48,080 am nothing. Even the gift of speaking forth 135 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:51,440 the truth of God's Word or having wisdom or incredible 136 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:55,000 faith. Without love, Paul says I am 137 00:08:55,080 --> 00:09:00,000 nothing. Paul defines what prophecy is in 138 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:01,720 First Corinthians 14 verse three. 139 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,120 He says it's the one who prophesized speak to people for 140 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,680 their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 141 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,480 And so even understanding God's Word, even being able to explain 142 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,480 it in a way that builds others up and encourages them. 143 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:20,280 But if you do that without love, you are nothing. 144 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:25,360 These gifts, again, are given to help the body, but the point is 145 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,000 that we're using them with love, and if we don't, there's nothing 146 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,120 to them. If you do not bind your gift 147 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,360 together with love, even for all your wisdom, even with all of 148 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,120 your knowledge, even with all of your faith, you are still 149 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:47,560 nothing. Next we see that without love 150 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:52,080 you gain nothing. If I give away all I have verse 151 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,240 3, and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, 152 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:01,280 I gain nothing. Even in the most sacrificial act 153 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:05,120 of sacrificing all that you have, even all that you are, 154 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:12,320 your own body, if done without love, gains you nothing. 155 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,400 The point that Paul is making here is if you don't have love, 156 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,800 it doesn't matter how impressive you are, it doesn't matter how 157 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,120 gifted you are, it doesn't matter how much you sacrifice. 158 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:32,760 You're annoying, you're nothing, and you gain nothing. 159 00:10:38,450 --> 00:10:42,890 How important is love? If you don't have it, you're 160 00:10:42,890 --> 00:10:46,370 nothing. But if you have it, you have 161 00:10:46,370 --> 00:10:51,440 everything. The Bible tells the story of 162 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:56,000 Job, a man who walked in the fear of the Lord and and God 163 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:01,360 allowed Satan to take everything that he had, almost everything 164 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,480 that he had. Thankfully Job had some 165 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:09,400 wonderful friends. Chapter 2 verse one says 166 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,880 Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar made an appointment to come together 167 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:18,160 to show him sympathy and comfort and the best comfort they 168 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,360 offered him was the first seven days where they sat in silence. 169 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,440 The 1st to speak is Eliphaz who says in Job chapter 4 verses 7 170 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,440 and 8 remember who that was innocent ever perished or where 171 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,640 were the upright cut off? As I have seen those who plow 172 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,320 iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. 173 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,360 In other words, hey Job, you're getting what you deserve. 174 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:49,360 Next, Bildad chimes in and about the death of Job's kids, and he 175 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,560 says in eight verses, 4 through 6, if your children have sinned 176 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:55,280 against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their 177 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,360 transgression. If you will see God and plead 178 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:02,040 with the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, surely 179 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,480 then He will rouse Himself for you and restore your rightful 180 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,600 habitation. Basically your kids are getting 181 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:14,000 what they deserved. Then Zophar has to add his two 182 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,760 cents and he says in Chapter 11, verses 4 through 6. 183 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:20,800 For you say my doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God's eyes. 184 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,840 But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you, and that 185 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,720 he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for He is manifold in 186 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,040 understanding. Know then that God exacts of you 187 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:37,560 less than your guilt deserves. You should be getting it worse 188 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:42,000 than you are, Job. Don't you all wish you could 189 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:47,840 have such wonderful friends? Job responds in chapter 16, 190 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:52,120 verse one through 5. I've heard many such things. 191 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,080 Miserable comforters. Are you all? 192 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,560 Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you 193 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,760 answer? I also could speak as you do. 194 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,600 If you were in my place, I could join words together against you 195 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:13,120 and shake my head at you. These men all thought that they 196 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:17,920 were intelligent and gifted in the truth of God, but they were 197 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,960 wrong. They were wrong because what 198 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,080 they didn't understand is that God allows righteous people to 199 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:30,600 suffer. But besides that, they forgot to 200 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,880 love their friend. Because of this, they were 201 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:39,600 obnoxious and annoying. They were nothing and they 202 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,680 gained nothing except a rebuke from God. 203 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:48,120 Brothers and sisters, we need to know the importance of love in 204 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:53,720 all that we do. Service done without love is 205 00:13:53,880 --> 00:14:02,760 totally meaningless. We all have a gift from the Holy 206 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,920 Spirit, but if we use that apart from love for one another, then 207 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,240 we're annoying. We are nothing. 208 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:14,120 We are gaining nothing. There is no advantage whatsoever 209 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,200 to this sort of sacrifice. None. 210 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,840 We must seek to serve one another with love. 211 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,800 Why? Because God is love first. 212 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,200 John 4 verses 7 through 8 says Beloved, let us love one 213 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:36,320 another, for love is from God and whoever loves has been born 214 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,400 of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does 215 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,120 not know God because God is love. 216 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,640 If we are his children, then we must love. 217 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,520 Now we all know that this is hard because we're all sinners. 218 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,280 We all fall short and we disappoint one another. 219 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,960 And some practical things that we can do to grow our love for 220 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,640 one another is by being willing to forgive one another when we 221 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,760 sin against each other. When someone has sinned against 222 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,880 you, take that to the Lord. Forgive them. 223 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,080 Don't hold it against them. Don't harbor a bitter heart 224 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,720 towards them. Maybe you even need to reach out 225 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,320 to them and maybe confront an issue, but confess. 226 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:25,120 Confess maybe your sin, but forgive so that bitterness 227 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,640 doesn't get harbored in your heart. 228 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:32,280 And then you can love them. Another way for us to love one 229 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,160 another is by praying for them. If you're having a hard time 230 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,680 loving a specific person in your life, then pray for them. 231 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,880 Your heart will turn towards them and the Lord will soften 232 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:47,920 your heart towards them. But if we want our service to 233 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,960 have a meaningful impact, then we must serve out of love. 234 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,720 Next we're going to see the proof of your love. 235 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,200 Well, now it begs the question, well, well, if we're supposed to 236 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:01,760 love each other, well, what is love? 237 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,400 What does love mean? What what is love? 238 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,440 Has love some sort of ooey gooey feeling that I get when I think 239 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,000 of certain people? Or as soon as I see someone my 240 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:16,160 my heart skips a beat? Or is love a kiss or a hug? 241 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,960 This is what our world tells us. Our world tells us that that we 242 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,200 can fall in and out of love. It's based on a feeling that you 243 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,120 get towards someone or a feeling that you have towards someone. 244 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,080 And if you don't have that feeling, then obviously you 245 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,240 don't love them. But this is not how Paul views 246 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:38,880 love. Love is action. 247 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,640 Love does things. Love is your attitude and your 248 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,320 actions toward other people. It's not a feeling. 249 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,400 If you put your first self first, you don't have love. 250 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,840 We're going to look at how Paul sort of lays these two things 251 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,400 out. This is how you know that you 252 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,520 have love. And if you put yourself first, 253 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,400 you don't have love. And so Paul is going to give us 254 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:06,640 a list of things that love does and does not do. 255 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,480 But let's first look at the things that love does not do 256 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,119 beginning in this, the part of verse four there love does not 257 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:18,040 envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. 258 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,560 It does not insist on its own way. 259 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,040 It is not irritable or resentful. 260 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,680 It does not rejoice at wrongdoing. 261 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,680 All of these attitudes and actions toward others show that 262 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,640 you don't have love. This is exactly how the 263 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,120 Corinthians were treating one another. 264 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,040 Some were jealous of others in their gifts and and felt more 265 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:43,120 worthy. And then there were others who 266 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:46,520 felt like they had less of a gift and they felt less worthy 267 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:50,520 than others. And this led to this dynamic 268 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,320 between those who were more spiritual and those who were 269 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:57,280 less spiritual. This is not love in the body. 270 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,000 And so these people who thought they were more worthy valued 271 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,400 themselves and their gifts and, and their possessions more than 272 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:08,120 others. And so they were rude and, and 273 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,360 they insisted on their own way and began pushing their way 274 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:16,080 around in the church. And all this led to is, is them 275 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:20,080 being irritated by one another, being resentful of one another, 276 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:23,640 and they began looking for and rejoicing in one another's 277 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,480 faults. In all of these attitudes and 278 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,440 actions, what is the heart? What is the center me? 279 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:38,640 When you put yourself first, you prove that you don't have love. 280 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,840 But if you put others first, you do have love. 281 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,480 Now let's look at the things that Paul says that love does 282 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,640 do. The beginning of verse 4 says 283 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:55,520 love is patient and kind. Skipping to the second-half of 284 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,240 verse six and seven, he says love rejoices with the truth. 285 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:06,600 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, 286 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:12,080 endures all things. All of these attitudes and 287 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,360 actions toward others prove that you do love. 288 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,200 When this is your response. This shows love. 289 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,160 And so, rather than being irritated and rude, the 290 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,200 Corinthians needed to be patient and kind toward one another. 291 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,280 Rather than looking for mistakes and faults in others, they 292 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:36,080 needed to seek the truth and goodness of God and rejoice in 293 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,640 that. And then Paul concludes his list 294 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,600 with these four incredible statements. 295 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:47,800 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, 296 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:53,200 endures all things. Danny Akin summarizes this 297 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:57,560 section beautifully. What Paul is saying is that love 298 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:02,280 always sees the glass not just half full, but totally full. 299 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,800 It always looks for the good, the positive. 300 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,920 It does not look over people's faults, but it overlooks 301 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,240 people's faults. There is a staying power to true 302 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,080 love, like a flame that cannot be quenched. 303 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,400 Love takes the Longview, not the short view. 304 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,120 It keeps the big picture in mind. 305 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:27,120 It hangs in there with other people even under their worst 306 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:30,640 circumstances, and refuses to quit. 307 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,880 For married couples, it takes seriously those words. 308 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,720 Until death do us part, you simply cannot kill a love that 309 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:45,200 bears, keeps believing and hoping through, and endures all 310 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,080 things. That is a love that will last 311 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,800 through all adversity and stand the test of time. 312 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:59,680 Love is not a fleeting emotion, but a faithful, diligent resolve 313 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:03,240 to fight for those for whom Christ has died. 314 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,760 When these attitudes and actions are present in our lives, it 315 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:12,760 shows that we put others 1st, and it proves our love for them. 316 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,760 Jonathan had this kind of selfless love for David. 317 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,840 After rejecting Saul as king, God had chosen David, the young 318 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:27,000 shepherd boy, and anointed him as the future king of Israel. 319 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:31,600 And not long after, David defeated Goliath, which saved 320 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,000 and inspired the nation of Israel. 321 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,360 But David also caught the attention of Jonathan, King 322 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:40,960 Saul's son. And after seeing David's 323 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,000 courageous battle and how he handled himself in his 324 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:49,160 conversation with his father Saul, he was knit to the soul of 325 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,560 David. And Jonathan loved him as his 326 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:56,000 own soul. And Jonathan recognized that God 327 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,760 was with David in a special way. In first Samuel 18, verse 4 328 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,280 tells us that Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on 329 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:08,520 him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his 330 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:13,960 bow and his belt. Jonathan gave up his right to 331 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,560 the throne and was committed to God's plan through David. 332 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:23,200 Jonathan proved his love for David by saving him time and 333 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,040 time again from his father's plots to kill him. 334 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,360 And King Saul didn't understand what Jonathan was doing. 335 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:34,440 In First Samuel 20 we read You son of a perverse, rebellious 336 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,480 woman. Do I not know that you have 337 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:41,360 chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of 338 00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,640 your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse 339 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,920 lives on the earth, neither you nor your Kingdom shall be 340 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,760 established. Therefore send and bring him to 341 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,840 me, for he shall surely die. Then Jonathan answered Saul, his 342 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,880 father. Why should he be put to death? 343 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,440 What has he done? But Saul hurled his spear at him 344 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,480 to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father 345 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,280 was determined to put David to death. 346 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:09,600 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food 347 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,480 the second day of the month. For he was grieved for David 348 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:16,920 because his father had disgraced him. 349 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:20,360 He wasn't concerned about his own life that his father had 350 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:24,720 just tried to take. He was concerned for David in 351 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:29,680 the disgrace that he was facing. Jonathan's love for David was 352 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:34,000 proved in his actions and his attitudes toward him. 353 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:36,840 Jonathan couldn't put himself first. 354 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,400 He could have said, I'm in line to be the next king. 355 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,960 I'm not letting you take this position, but he put David 356 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,240 first. He submitted to 1st to God's 357 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,200 will, and he submitted to David as God's servant, and he showed 358 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,640 his love to him despite all that he suffered. 359 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,920 Brothers and sisters, this is the kind of steadfast love that 360 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:04,600 we must have for one another. We must strive to put others 361 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:09,640 first, even enduring suffering ourselves, so that others are 362 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,880 blessed and strengthened and encouraged in Christ. 363 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:19,080 This is going to take much more than emotion and feeling. 364 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:27,720 This is going to take a resolve, a commitment, a dedication to 365 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,600 God first, and then a dedication to His children. 366 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,960 So often we are only willing to love when we feel like it. 367 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,280 Our love must be deeper than that. 368 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:45,040 It must endure even when others fail or even sin against us. 369 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:50,160 Do you love your brothers and sisters in this church? 370 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:54,960 Maybe you're wondering if you do or not. 371 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,440 Well, how do you know? Well, Paul shows us how we can 372 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,280 tell if we know if we love others. 373 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,920 How do you act towards your brothers and sisters in Christ? 374 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,320 What is your attitude towards your brothers and your sisters 375 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,360 in Christ? Do you envy? 376 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:17,080 Do you boast? Are you arrogant or rude? 377 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,560 Are you insisting on your own way? 378 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,160 Are you irritable or resentful towards your brothers and 379 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,760 sisters in Christ? Do you rejoice when they fall? 380 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:34,640 Brothers and sisters, if these are the attitudes and actions in 381 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:38,360 your heart towards brothers and sisters in Christ, you do not 382 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:45,520 love. We must pray to the Lord to 383 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,720 forgive us for our hard hearts and pray that He softens our 384 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:53,280 hearts to love one another and in our flesh. 385 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,320 We cannot do it, we cannot love as we ought to, but through 386 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,920 Christ we can be patient and kind toward one another. 387 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,840 Through Christ we can rejoice together in truth. 388 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:10,840 Through Christ we can bear all things, believe all things, hope 389 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,480 all things, and endure all things. 390 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:18,000 Through Christ and the power of His Spirit within us, we can 391 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,640 prove our love for one another by putting others first. 392 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,600 The next thing we see is the eternality of love. 393 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,560 Paul has already shown us the importance of love and and that 394 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,360 is that without love you are nothing. 395 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,840 He's also shown us the proof of our love, that whether or not 396 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,440 you love someone is shown in your attitudes and your actions 397 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,480 toward them. And now Paul shows the 398 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,680 eternality of love. This is the reason why love is 399 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,560 so much greater than gifts and everything else. 400 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:56,320 Love for one another is so much more important than gifts or 401 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,800 service or actions toward one another. 402 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,720 And this is because your gifts will pass away. 403 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,480 Look at verses 8 through 10. Love never ends. 404 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,160 As for prophecies, they will pass away. 405 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,280 As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass 406 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,880 away. For we know in part and we 407 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:19,960 prophecy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will 408 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,560 pass away. No matter how great of a gift 409 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,040 you have to serve the church, it will pass away. 410 00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:31,280 Now it may have been that Paul picked these three unique gifts, 411 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,920 prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, because they were 412 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,400 specific gifts that the Corinthians were abusing. 413 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:41,040 But Paul says here that there's coming a day when you won't need 414 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:45,240 these gifts anymore. The Holy Spirit has given the 415 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,080 spiritual gifts to the church so that the church can grow into 416 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,600 the knowledge of Christ, into the maturity of Christ, into the 417 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,480 the fullness of Christ its Savior. 418 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,080 And the reason we need each other is because we live in a 419 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,200 fallen world, and we're constantly tempted to turn our 420 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,720 eyes away from Christ, down to the things of this world. 421 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:10,160 And so we need people to turn us back to the focus that we have 422 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,960 on Christ. But guess what, when the perfect 423 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,880 comes and we all stand in the presence of our Lord and Saviour 424 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,840 Jesus Christ and our faith finally becomes sight, I won't 425 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:27,760 need you to remind me to trust in Christ and to pray to Him who 426 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,080 hears, because I will see and speak to my Saviour who lives 427 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:36,640 and pleads for me. You won't need me to remind you 428 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:40,160 to be in God's Word every day and to walk in obedience to 429 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:44,520 Christ because you will know and be taught by the Word Himself. 430 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,400 We won't need each other to be there for each other in the 431 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:53,240 highs and the lows of this life because we will see Jesus Christ 432 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,000 our Savior face to face. Amen. 433 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,000 Paul then uses an illustration of a child. 434 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,880 He says, when I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought 435 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,520 like a child, I reasoned like a child. 436 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:14,160 When I became a man, I gave up childish ways for now we see in 437 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,040 a mirror dimly, but then face to face. 438 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:21,320 Now I know in part. Then I shall know fully, even as 439 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,520 I have been fully known. Paul is trying to help us to 440 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:28,200 understand the the limits of our knowledge while we live here in 441 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:30,720 this life. Children are limited in their 442 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,720 understanding because they're young, they're inexperienced, 443 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,120 they don't know things as they ought to, and so they just don't 444 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:42,760 understand things very well. Me and our children were were 445 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:46,520 enjoying the the World Series and and the baseball playoffs 446 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:48,440 this this year. And we enjoyed watching. 447 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,880 And I was surprised that they enjoyed watching baseball so 448 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:52,960 much. But I think what surprised me 449 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,880 more is their ridicule of the baseball players as they watched 450 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,760 on TV. And you watched that pitch 451 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,480 coming and you're like, why didn't you swing at that? 452 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,920 How can you hit that? I could hit that so easy. 453 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,160 Now, for those who maybe don't know baseball very well, here 454 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:12,960 you have a guy, a pitcher, who's standing 60 feet and six inches 455 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:18,600 away from you, throwing the ball 100 miles an hour, giving you .4 456 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,840 seconds to decide if you're going to swing the bat. 457 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,320 Not only that, but the pitcher throws different kinds of 458 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:26,600 pitches. So maybe one time you're 459 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,120 expecting a fastball that comes straight in the middle of the 460 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,560 plate, and the next time it's going to dive down into the dirt 461 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:34,240 and you're going to swing right over it. 462 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:39,280 It might be the hardest thing in sports to do and my but if my 463 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,640 children were there, they would hit a home run every time. 464 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:44,760 But that's the mind of a child, right? 465 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,440 A child doesn't understand. A child doesn't see as they 466 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,000 ought to. And that's exactly what Paul is 467 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,800 saying. We are, you're like children. 468 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:59,320 You don't get it. We don't understand as we live 469 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:00,840 in this world, we're like children. 470 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,720 We're like looking in a mirror dimly. 471 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,360 We we can kind of see, but we can't. 472 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:09,480 And that's why we need spiritual gifts because we help each other 473 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,280 to see a little bit more clearly. 474 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,760 But Paul says just in part, it only helps a little bit. 475 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:19,760 We still don't see as we ought to, but we still try to .1 476 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,280 another to Christ. But one day we will not be 477 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,840 children, we will be adults. We will not see in a mirror 478 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,520 dimly. We will see face to face. 479 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,200 Paul is definitely thinking of seeing his Savior Christ face to 480 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:40,200 face and we will understand and we won't need anyone to point us 481 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:45,440 to Christ anymore. Your gifts are going to pass 482 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,800 away, but your love will never end. 483 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:56,920 As the beginning of verse 8, Paul says love never ends and in 484 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,880 verse 13 he says so. Now faith, hope, and love abide 485 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,160 these three, but the greatest of these is love. 486 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,840 In heaven we will see the reality of our faith. 487 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,840 We will no longer need the gifts to point us to Jesus because we 488 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:17,520 will see him face to face. John MacArthur says this so 489 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,440 well. The objects of faith and hope 490 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,560 will be fulfilled and perfectly realized in heaven, but love, 491 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,680 the God, like virtue, is everlasting. 492 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:32,080 Heaven will be the place for the expression of nothing but 493 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:34,960 perfect love toward God and each other. 494 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,320 Spiritual gifts are only necessary for this short time 495 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,400 here on earth, but they will pass away. 496 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,920 But love is eternal. It will never end. 497 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:50,440 Therefore, let us pursue love for one another. 498 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,720 Brothers and sisters, what are you focusing on? 499 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,240 Are you focusing on your gifts and your service toward others, 500 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,520 or are you pursuing one another in love? 501 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,680 How do you view church? Is this the place that you come 502 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,720 to feel better about yourself? You feel like you you checked 503 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,600 the box to going to church. And so now God is happy with me 504 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:18,160 because I went to church on Sunday. 505 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:23,120 Maybe you feel like you have some valuable gift to give to 506 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,720 the church and and now you've and in using it, you earn extra 507 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:27,720 brownie puts. I went to church. 508 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,600 Not only did I go to church on Sunday, but I also served in the 509 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,920 daycare. Now God's extra pleased with me. 510 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:40,640 Is that how you view church? Or do you view church as the 511 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:45,600 redeemed people of God, a chosen priesthood of people that are 512 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:51,000 holy to the Lord, who have been washed in the love in the blood 513 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:55,040 of the Lamb, who are loved by God and therefore worthy of 514 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:59,360 love, worthy of your love? Do you view the church like 515 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:04,560 that? We are to love like this by 516 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,000 looking at the example of the love of our Saviour. 517 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:12,880 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent 518 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:17,199 his only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 519 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:22,199 In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He 520 00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:27,960 loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 521 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,120 If God loved His people so much, do you? 522 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:40,199 God was willing to send His Son into the world to die for our 523 00:34:40,199 --> 00:34:43,520 sins so that we might live through Him. 524 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,440 Do you love the people Christ died to save? 525 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,840 Are you willing to put others first to prove your love for 526 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:57,280 them? If you do not have love for the 527 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:00,680 people for whom Christ died, you are nothing. 528 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,240 Even if you serve them, you gain nothing. 529 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:12,680 Don't come to church because you think you're earning favour with 530 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:16,040 God. Going to church doesn't save 531 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,400 you. Giving money to church doesn't 532 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,600 save you. Serving the church doesn't save 533 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:27,160 you. There is only one way to be made 534 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:31,760 right before God, and that is salvation through Jesus Christ. 535 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:37,800 Faith in Him alone. Come to church to love the 536 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:43,120 people for whom Christ died. Come to share in the highs and 537 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,880 lows of the lives of the believers who are here. 538 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,520 Come to confess your sins to people who will relate to you 539 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:56,640 and who will pray for you. Come to grow together into the 540 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:02,080 fullness of Christ our Savior, using our gifts to .1 another to 541 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:07,360 Jesus our Savior, the reality of our faith who we will one day 542 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,400 see face to face. We will not do this perfectly 543 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,480 and we will sin against one another, but what joy there is 544 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:20,120 in looking to Christ our Saviour together, experiencing the joy 545 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:24,000 of His grace and forgiveness as well as one another's 546 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:27,360 forgiveness. This will make heaven that much 547 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,440 sweeter when we're all in the presence of our Saviour 548 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:33,960 together, completely free from sin. 549 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:41,160 Will you be there? Will you be in the presence of 550 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,440 Christ? Will you see him face to face? 551 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:50,280 The truth is, if you're like me, you're a Sinner. 552 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,400 This means that you cannot stand before a holy God. 553 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:03,400 But God loved you and me so much that He sent His Son to die in 554 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:08,520 your place, in my place, as a sacrifice for your sin. 555 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,720 And if you repent of your sin, and if you turn to Christ and 556 00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:17,200 confess Him as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved. 557 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,560 Friend, if you have not done that yet, what are you waiting 558 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:26,720 for? Come experience the joy and the 559 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:31,800 peace that comes from having all the sin and guilt, that burden 560 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,480 that you carry, having it released and placed on Jesus 561 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:39,280 Christ on the cross. Come experience the love of God 562 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:43,920 as we, the people of God, serve one another together. 563 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,720 As we look forward to that day when we will be with Him for all 564 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:54,760 eternity, let's pray. Father, we thank you for your 565 00:37:54,760 --> 00:38:00,680 incredible love toward us, Your love that was shown in your 566 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,880 willingness to send Christ as a sacrifice for us. 567 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:08,720 Or would you daily remind us of our need for grace? 568 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,240 Even as believers, we sin each and every day, and we need Your 569 00:38:14,240 --> 00:38:17,600 grace and Your forgiveness. We need Your Holy Spirit to help 570 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:22,040 us to love one another more, that we might embody the love of 571 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:23,640 our Savior. Lord, we pray that You would 572 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,760 help us to love one another, that this community of believers 573 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:32,920 would be an example of love to all who come in, to all who see 574 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:37,080 us interacting with one another outside of church, wherever we 575 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:41,880 may be, and that our love for one another would bring glory 576 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:44,400 and honour to Jesus Christ our Saviour. 577 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,880 This we ask in Jesus name, Amen.