1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:05,040 So we are in the book of First Corinthians 13 this morning. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,120 If you guys could turn your Bibles there. 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:15,160 And it is with a heavy heart that I'm here today, as I was 4 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,640 last week. Can't get this murder out of my 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,240 head. You know what happened, but got 6 00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:25,400 allotted for a purpose. And I believe he's using Charlie 7 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:30,000 Kirk's passing to take us deeper in him personally. 8 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,720 Where we are with Jesus. Where's our commitment level? 9 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:35,880 What are we willing to do and say? 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,760 And how? How are we living in light of 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,480 what's occurring right now in the country? 12 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:47,600 After this past week of these horrific events of this 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,520 senseless death, we as Christians have seen a very 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,600 divided response that has been in many instances void of agape 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,640 in first Corinthians 13 is on agape love OK how God loves us 16 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,800 while we were yet sinners and enemies of him, He loved us. 17 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,840 He showed us His love unconditionally and with mercy 18 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,760 and grace. We're not real good at that as 19 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,960 human beings are we? People do something to us we 20 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,000 don't like or say something about us that we don't 21 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,240 appreciate, or whatever it might be. 22 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,520 We have problems loving people with the kind of love that God 23 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:32,240 loves us with. But what we have to understand 24 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,720 this response to the people who are celebrating his death, I I 25 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,960 can't comprehend that. That's inhumane. 26 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:44,240 Even if you don't like him or what he represented you, you 27 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,560 don't act like that as a human being, right? 28 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,320 But people are nonetheless behaving that way. 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,080 And there's believers like us that stand for the word of God, 30 00:01:55,080 --> 00:02:02,160 that we are also in the crosshairs of people that as as 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,200 you guys said in Spain, they don't want to hear about the 32 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,960 Lord, they don't want to know about Jesus. 33 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,080 They, they're not interested in what it is that's changed our 34 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,560 lives. So we're told by Jesus to love 35 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,040 our enemies, aren't we? How can we do that? 36 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,320 That's something I'm learning to do every day. 37 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:29,640 How do I die to myself and have my heart broken? 38 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,080 For people that don't know the difference, they're lost, 39 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,280 they're blind. They act the way they do because 40 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,840 they don't know Jesus, right? How can we expect people to act 41 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,840 differently if they don't have faith and they don't know Jesus? 42 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:49,760 How did Jesus do what he did while being crucified for us on 43 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,880 the cross when he said, Father, forgive them for they know not 44 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,680 what they do. That's our God, that's our 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,480 Savior. That's how he loves us, that's 46 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,160 how he treats us, that's how he forgives us, and that's how he 47 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:10,040 has mercy upon us. And so as I was studying this 48 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,640 chapter, preparing to teach it today, I've taught this book 49 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:18,240 numerous times in my 30 years of ministry, but it's like a whole 50 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:25,280 new study for me because it's really digging deep into where I 51 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,920 am in regard to what is my love like? 52 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:35,960 Is it my Eros love? My sexual love I have for my 53 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,480 wife, which is important. That's an important good love if 54 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,160 you're married. Is it my filet love that loves 55 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,560 people in general that are easy to love? 56 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,880 Is that my sorge love that causes me to have this intimate 57 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,840 deep love for my own family and my kids? 58 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:04,240 Or is it the gape love that God wants me to have for the world 59 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:10,920 as his representative? And so as I was preparing for 60 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,040 this, I was thinking about people right now like Erica 61 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:19,720 Kirk. How is she rolling with the two 62 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:24,480 kids? And how is she responding in her 63 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,880 own heart to the person who murdered her husband? 64 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:32,240 Well, she's a Christian like we are, and she has to to go to the 65 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,960 same place we do when it doesn't make sense. 66 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:40,240 We still have to love. And we can't do that in our own 67 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,600 strength. We need the Lord to pour that 68 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:47,200 love in us so He can pour it out of us to other people. 69 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,880 It says in Romans 5 that He shed abroad in our hearts this agape 70 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:55,600 love. Whenever we got born again, 71 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,600 whenever we got saved, the Holy Spirit came to live in US and 72 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,160 dwell on us so that this attribute of agape love could 73 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:07,320 live through us to other people. And the church is meaningless 74 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,160 and the Christian life is pointless if we aren't vessels 75 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,760 of this agape love to the human race, right? 76 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,440 Like we don't need more information. 77 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,440 We need more transformation. We need to become more like 78 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,440 Jesus. And my prayers, I was on my face 79 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,920 since this event happened and preparing for this message. 80 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,320 Lord, work on my heart and make me like you. 81 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:35,960 I'm not like you unless you make me like you. 82 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:41,840 I don't have the capacity to to do what I'm called to do without 83 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:49,920 your empowerment, Holy Spirit. And so someone said that this 84 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:55,000 chapter is a circulatory system of the Christian life. 85 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,840 Now, if any of you have cholesterol, which I'm sure some 86 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,920 of you do, I wouldn't wish that on anybody. 87 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:05,320 And you get your tests, you get your numbers, you start seeing 88 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,800 it going up, and they want to put you on satins, which has 89 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,680 side effects and other issues, right? 90 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,280 But it somehow I guess, prevents the plaque buildup and prevents 91 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,240 strokes and heart attacks. At least that's the science 92 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,000 behind it. But in the Christian life, 93 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:29,560 what's worse than cholesterol is bitterness, unforgiveness, 94 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:36,040 judgmentalism, self righteousness, pride, all the 95 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:42,160 attributes of the of the sinful fallen nature clogs up this 96 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,040 heart that God's given us that he wants to flow with his 97 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:53,520 presence to to people. And so you and I were put in 98 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,560 situations every day where we're called to love someone that 99 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,200 naturally we don't want to love or we don't like or we don't 100 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,440 want to be around, or someone who's betrayed us or someone 101 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,520 who's really hurt us. And it's painful to be hurt by 102 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,840 human beings. And we have a tendency when 103 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,480 we're hurt, we don't want to forgive. 104 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,400 We just want to remove ourselves from those people the rest of 105 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,800 our lives. This circulatory system of agape 106 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:24,400 love I've seen it ruin marriages when people don't love like 107 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,280 Jesus tells us to love. I've seen it's ruined families 108 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,760 where families don't talk to one another for months, years, 109 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,280 sometimes forever over some stupid thing had happened. 110 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,280 I've seen it split churches and cause Christians to don't want 111 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:45,520 to be with each other anymore. And it, it's, it's, it's madding 112 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:50,800 really as a pastor, because my responsibility, first of all, is 113 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:54,920 to somehow have some kind of character of Jesus in me that 114 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,440 when you guys see my life, you know, I'm not perfect, but you 115 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,240 know, like God is working in Clark's life. 116 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,040 He wants to flow through Clark's life for your benefit. 117 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,840 So that when you come here, you're hearing something that 118 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:13,480 can help you love the people that God's calling you to love 119 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:15,600 that you just don't want to have anything to do with. 120 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,240 And until we as Christians, until we as churches begin to 121 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,960 get real and be honest with God and say, I don't have the 122 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,480 capacity to do this, but I know this is your command. 123 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,000 This is what you want me to do. Lord, I'm surrendering myself to 124 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,039 you. I'm yielding myself to you so 125 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:37,200 that you can love through me. So I'm not self-centered, then 126 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,000 I'm others centered like you are all the time, Lord. 127 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:44,480 And I know if we believe that and pray that way, God will do 128 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,240 that in our lives. He will do miracles. 129 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:52,160 He will transform relationships. He'll cause us to love each 130 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,040 other as brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that we've never 131 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,120 loved each other before. He'll cause us to love our 132 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:04,640 enemies and to pray for people that despitefully use us and 133 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,200 say, O manner of evil about us for His name's sake. 134 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:17,360 Jesus in John 1334 and 35, he talks about the commandment of 135 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:24,880 love and he told us that we're to love one another. 136 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:30,760 He's given us commandment. He said by this love that he's 137 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:35,320 referring to this agape love. People will know You are my 138 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:40,880 disciples. Without the love in the midst of 139 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:44,400 the gospel, the gospel is going to fall flat on its face, not 140 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,800 because it doesn't have the power, but God chooses to use 141 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,960 people like us to take His gospel to other people. 142 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,120 And people can tell if you really love them or not when 143 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,720 you're telling them about Jesus. Is this a sales pitch? 144 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:01,200 Is this like trying to manipulate me or make me say 145 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,440 some prayer that I don't want to pray and you, you and that I do 146 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,640 it and then I'll never see again because you really don't care 147 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:08,400 about me. You don't interested in me. 148 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,840 You know when Jesus was on the earth and he was living his 149 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:19,480 lifeout he was 100% committed to the people he was speaking to. 150 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,400 His love was everlasting. It was overwhelming, it was 151 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:31,840 magnetic. It was so attractive that people 152 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,160 when they saw him as a human being, which he was like us, but 153 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,760 fully God at the same time, they're scratching their heads. 154 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:41,600 I never met anybody like this before in my life. 155 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:45,640 I've seen these other people say they're Christians and I see how 156 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,200 they act. And of course, we know in First 157 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:53,120 Corinthians this is a corrective book because the Church of 158 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:58,880 Corinth was really messed up. Paul planted this church in AD 159 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:03,440 51 and his second missionary journey, he spent 18 months with 160 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,800 these people. That's a long time. 161 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,600 Him and Priscilla and Aquila, they were on a team and they 162 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,040 were discipling people and teaching people and spending 163 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:17,040 time with people and getting them grounded in the truth as a 164 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,160 as a Bible is beginning to be developed in the life of Christ. 165 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,440 He goes away on his third missionary journey. 166 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:29,560 He gets reports, letters that Corinth is messed up. 167 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,640 The leaders are fighting, the Christians aren't getting along 168 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,680 together. They're focusing on spiritual 169 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:39,480 gifts, and they don't even know the purpose of the gifts. 170 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,360 And what they were for is to glorify the Lord and build each 171 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,280 other up, not tear each other apart. 172 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,760 Paul was the planner and the apostle. 173 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,960 Can you imagine this? He goes back and they don't even 174 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,840 want him there anymore. You know, it's like if I went 175 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,440 away for a couple years and sometimes I'd like to do that, 176 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,760 to go to Stone Harbor for two years and come back. 177 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,400 But they'll come back and say, who's Clark? 178 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,120 What's he doing here? You know, and Lewis says, well, 179 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,320 he he planted the church 30 years ago and yeah, well, we 180 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,520 don't need him around anymore. We don't like him anyway. 181 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,200 So it's better off he he doesn't come back again. 182 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,920 And I know you guys won't behave that way or not that way, but 183 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:24,960 that's what Paul had to experience. 184 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:30,440 Can you imagine that? And so when he's writing this 185 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:36,920 letter and teaching them about spiritual gifts, he gives a list 186 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:41,440 of the of the of the gifts at the end of chapter 12. 187 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,400 And he's also reminding them that there should be no schism 188 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,960 in the body, but that the member should have the same care one 189 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:52,880 for another. So there should be no division 190 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:56,440 in the body of Christ. But unfortunately, there is. 191 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,480 Maybe you're here today and you're sitting over there 192 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:01,000 because you don't like someone over here. 193 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:05,280 I hope that's not the case, but. Or maybe you're watching on 194 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:09,120 YouTube and I'm glad you do. Or listening on Grace FM, but 195 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:11,440 you prefer to do that so you won't have to deal with the 196 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,280 people. Because it gets messy at times, 197 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,480 doesn't it? But this is where we get 198 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,240 Christianity worked out in the midst of one another, learning 199 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,160 how to rub up against each other and not get bothered by each 200 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,960 other and learning about the things I'll be teaching about in 201 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,440 First Corinthians 13. But after Paul talked about all 202 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,440 the exciting gifts and all the things that are happening and 203 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:37,840 how to do these things in order, he says at the end of verse 12, 204 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,280 he says, and yet I will show you a more excellent way. 205 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:49,440 And as he begins to teach in this First Corinthians 13, he 206 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:54,000 says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 207 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:59,080 but have not love, I've become sounding brass or a clanging 208 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,840 cymbal. You have around people that 209 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:08,440 dislike to hear themselves talk. You're with them and they never 210 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,280 ask you anything about yourself. They just want to, they want to 211 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,640 tell you all about themselves and you're there like an hour 212 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,120 later looking for an excuse of how you can get out of the 213 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,440 meeting and just get out of there because you know, you've 214 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:20,440 heard enough. Maybe. 215 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:27,680 But that's what we can become like if we don't have love, we 216 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,960 can have teaching ability, spiritual gifts. 217 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,840 We can go to look harder. We can do missions. 218 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:38,440 We can do all kind of like good things, but if they're not 219 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:42,880 motivated and empowered by agape love, they'll they'll fall flat 220 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:44,640 on their face. They won't last. 221 00:14:51,350 --> 00:14:55,110 And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all 222 00:14:55,110 --> 00:14:59,030 mysteries, wouldn't it be cool to to have that gift fully and, 223 00:14:59,030 --> 00:15:04,510 and understand all these deep things of God right now and have 224 00:15:04,510 --> 00:15:08,360 all this knowledge? And though I have all faiths 225 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,880 that I could remove mountains, boy, what kind of when you win 226 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,480 like that kind of that kind of faith that some obstacle or some 227 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,560 situation in your life occurs that you're able to see it 228 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:24,840 removed immediately because you have such dynamic faith, but 229 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:26,480 have not love. I'm nothing. 230 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:32,200 So Paul's giving these profound statements about things that 231 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,520 people wanted in Corinth, and maybe you want this stuff too, 232 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,840 but you don't have the foundation to make these gifts 233 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,400 work because if you don't have the agape love, then it's not 234 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,120 going to. It's not going to do anything. 235 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:51,280 It's a waste of time. And then I think of Charlie 236 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,920 being a martyr. He wasn't planning on being a 237 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,360 martyr any more than anybody else has ever planned to be a 238 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,480 martyr. But it says here, and though I 239 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:06,120 bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body 240 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,240 to be burned. And that was pretty common back 241 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:09,760 then. People were being burned at the 242 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:16,200 stake for their faith and to get them to not confess their faith 243 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:20,200 in Jesus Christ. And so they they would be 244 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,400 burned. And some people were burnt to 245 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,480 the glory of God and some people burnt out of pride. 246 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:34,000 I'll show you my enemy, the ungodly Roman Empire, the people 247 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,120 who are putting me in prison and beating me. 248 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:42,840 I'll show you I'm not going to denounce my faith, but I hate 249 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,600 your guts while you're lighting the match and setting me on 250 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,440 fire. But I'm giving my body to be 251 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,480 burned. And who knows what the attitude 252 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:54,000 of the conversation was with some of these martyrs prior to 253 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:59,400 their death? But if they didn't have love and 254 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,200 look at the person who's going to martyr them and say, before 255 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,760 you do this, I want you to know I love you. 256 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,359 Why? What do you mean you love me? 257 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,359 I'm going to kill you. And you hear and read the 258 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,760 stories of martyrs throughout the centuries that were able to 259 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,920 tell their killers that they love them. 260 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,119 He says if you don't have love, you're burning profits. 261 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:29,600 Me nothing. So then he gets into these 262 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:35,440 definitions of what love is and we're not going to rush on these 263 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:40,920 things. I think they need to be thought 264 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:47,560 about a little bit personally. How are we doing with this 265 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,000 definition of love as we go through these different 266 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,320 attributes? And of course, this is referring 267 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:59,720 to Jesus and how he is and if you've put your own name in 268 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:05,080 there, like your name suffer as long as kind does not envy 269 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,520 whatever you'll find that you don't get through the list too 270 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:13,160 far before you realize I'm not really like that the way I know 271 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:18,840 I'm supposed to be. And this agape love that we're 272 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:23,440 studying here, the first place it has to be experienced and 273 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:27,080 seen is in the marriage relationship between the husband 274 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:32,400 and wife and between the kids and the and the parents. 275 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:38,320 If it's not working there, it's not going to work anywhere else. 276 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:44,000 I've been married 54 years and I'm still trying to learn how to 277 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,280 love my wife like Jesus loves the church. 278 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,560 I wish I could tell you I got it nailed, man, I do it right. 279 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,440 It's perfect. It always works out. 280 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,520 If you heard some of our arguments sometimes in the 281 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,760 house, you say, well, there's still works on process and we 282 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,720 love each other, but we're still learning how to love with agape 283 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:06,200 love because human love wears out. 284 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,080 People get on your nerves, you get burnt out, you're just like 285 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,400 weary. You know you just want to and 286 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,800 that's when you get a gun on your face before God and say 287 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:19,200 Lord work on my heart till I've got the love for this boss 288 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,320 that's driving me crazy and minimizing me and making feel 289 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:24,920 inferior and doesn't appreciate what I do. 290 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,440 Or this this husband is demanding all the time and 291 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,200 doesn't appreciate the simple things I do because he's so 292 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,600 focused on what he wants versus what he knows. 293 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:40,240 I need these basic principles of kindness and sensitivity to one 294 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:47,440 another. So he says love suffers long. 295 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,600 Now, if you look at Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit, we're 296 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,200 told we got to be filled with the Spirit, and that means be 297 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,800 under the control of the Holy Spirit 24/7. 298 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,440 And none of us do that. But as we're growing in the 299 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,800 grace of God, we're learning that by walking in the Spirit, 300 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,320 things work out a lot better in the home and workplace, in the 301 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,120 church, and everywhere in the community. 302 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,600 And the fruit of the Spirit is first one is love. 303 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:19,360 And everything emanates from that love, the joy, the peace, 304 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:22,520 the long-suffering, the gentleness, goodness and 305 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,360 meekness, the temperance and the self-control, the the, the, the 306 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:31,240 fruit of the Spirit. And if, if we have this love 307 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,400 occurring in our lives, this agape love, all those other 308 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,000 attributes would be automatically and organically 309 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,800 flowing out of us because it's the fruit of the work of God's 310 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:46,360 Spirit and control in our lives. And that kind of love is 311 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,000 overwhelming it. It blows people's minds. 312 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,960 They, when they meet you and you're filled with the Spirit 313 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:57,760 and you're living this way, they want to talk to you about what 314 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,160 it is that's happening in you. It's very uncommon in most 315 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:05,360 people. They're used to people flying 316 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,320 off the handle. They're used to people getting 317 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,640 mad and getting angry. They're used to people judging 318 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:13,760 or saying things they know they shouldn't say. 319 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,720 And unfortunately, this happens many times in our lives as 320 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,640 Christians. And so it makes our faith 321 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:27,120 hypocrisy. We we all have to come to grips 322 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,800 with this chapter and pray and does not read. 323 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,800 You know, I read it. Cindy and I read it when we 324 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,880 first got married. We we were crying, you know, we 325 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,280 were emotional, you know, she had her mini skirt. 326 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,040 I had my hair down to my shoulders. 327 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,120 We had just gotten saved and, and her parents all have 328 00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:48,760 sunglasses on thinking why is she marrying this, this nut 329 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:50,800 case? You know, what's happening to 330 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,760 her, her her niece, What's happening to our daughter? 331 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,920 Where's she going with this guy and that we had just gotten 332 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:00,520 saved and we're giving our testimony and you know, we're 333 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:05,760 just young and 18 and 20 and the whole whole life ahead of us and 334 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,320 boy, we thought we just got to say we we know everything now. 335 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,280 Everybody else needs to be like us. 336 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,400 Well, they they needed to get saved, but they certainly didn't 337 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,320 need to be like us at that time. We're just starting out. 338 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:24,080 We didn't know much about anything and we're still not 339 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,320 real sharp. We're still learning to be 340 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,920 honest with you. It's funny, 54 years, you think 341 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:34,760 you'd have some stuff down by now, but but it's, it's a 342 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,560 process, right? No guilt trips here today. 343 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:43,160 I'm, I'm being real. I struggle with understanding 344 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,880 this love that God has for me. Lord, why are you so patient 345 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,560 with me? Why have you been so good to me? 346 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:55,280 Why have you chosen to use me? I, I know myself as I am. 347 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,840 I'd be like the last person I would say to the Lord, you know, 348 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:13,400 pick that guy to serve you. So we start out our life and our 349 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,720 conversations now and our prayer time together and the things we 350 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:22,800 open up about things we regretted or things we wish 351 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,160 would have worked out differently or things we wish we 352 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,720 could have maybe managed or handled differently. 353 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,560 Too late to change that stuff, but it's not too late to be 354 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:37,320 humbled by it. Allow it to work on our lives 355 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:42,800 today. And that's how you learn this 356 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:47,560 subject of agape love. It's it's day in and day out 357 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:53,120 learning to suffer. Be patient, not for 5 minutes, 358 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:58,920 but for maybe five hours, maybe 5 days, maybe 5 months, maybe 359 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,360 five years. That's how God is with us. 360 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:05,560 God's patient eternally. He never says I'm done with you, 361 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,120 I don't have time for you. I've had it. 362 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,880 I never want to see you, God. Thank God he doesn't say that to 363 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,400 us. So none of us would be here 364 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,120 today. We have nothing. 365 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,480 We have no good news. God's good, but he's only 366 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:24,000 patient for one or two times and after that you're done though 367 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:28,480 he's patient 70 * 7 for the same offenses. 368 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:41,240 So when you look at that first word there love agape suffers 369 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:47,920 long where, where are we with this right now? 370 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,600 That's an open-ended question. No answer, obviously, but where 371 00:24:55,600 --> 00:25:01,720 are you in regard to your patients with your older mom's, 372 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:12,200 your older dads, your wives, your husbands, your neighbors, 373 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:17,720 your children, the populace of the United States of America? 374 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:23,000 Where are you and being patient with the nonsense that's 375 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:27,400 occurring? How do you interact, or are you 376 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:29,960 even willing to interact with someone that thinks differently 377 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,200 than you? You're able to hear them out and 378 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,760 to listen to them and maybe give them something to reflect on as 379 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,440 opposed to just blowing them off as a waste of time and they're 380 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,880 not interested and you don't you could care less about. 381 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:46,680 And that's that's not how God is. 382 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,120 How long did the Lord wait for you to come to salvation? 383 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,120 How long is he still waiting for other people to come to 384 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:02,240 salvation? He's eternal. 385 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:12,400 Love is kind. Just to be a kind person, to be 386 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:19,920 kind to someone. People in general don't seem to 387 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:24,120 be real kind nowadays. You ever going to shopping 388 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:27,120 center parking lot and you see the spot that you think that 389 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:29,480 that's where you're supposed to park and someone else zooms in 390 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:36,080 and you get mad or you're kind, that's OK, I'll find another 391 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:37,440 spot. No big deal. 392 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,840 Where as you pulled in, they're giving you the sign language, 393 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:47,480 right? People don't have patience. 394 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:51,880 They don't have kindness. It's basic kindness. 395 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,920 Opening the door for someone telling someone have a nice day 396 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:05,600 thank you for what you did for me it's a it's an art it's an 397 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,160 art of life and living through the power of the Holy Spirit to 398 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,640 be kind. When you come to church, you 399 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,320 don't expect people not to be kind, right? 400 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:23,400 And I pray that when people come here, they sense the the love of 401 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,440 God. They sense the patience of God 402 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:29,280 through the worship and through the Word and through the Supper 403 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:30,960 and all the things, the fellowship we have. 404 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,760 They sense the kindness of God. I like going to that church, 405 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,800 being with those people because they're kind to me, because I'm 406 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:41,320 in a world that isn't kind, right? 407 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,480 I work in an environment that isn't usually kind. 408 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:51,680 I'm driving in traffic that's far from kind, but here it's 409 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:56,040 like a safe haven for me to get re energized and get re 410 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:00,080 acclimated to what life's really all about and that's Jesus and 411 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:07,680 living for him. Love does not envy. 412 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,760 When Jesus came, there was nothing that anybody had, 413 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:25,400 whether it was material or personality or communication 414 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:30,240 skills or nice houses, whatever. Nothing wrong with any of that. 415 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:35,160 But he, he didn't come here like wanting something from you and 416 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,560 me. All He wanted was to give of 417 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,680 himself completely to you and me. 418 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:50,000 He wasn't ever self focused, He was always focused on you. 419 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:02,840 And MV can go into all kind of dangerous places, whether it's 420 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:08,360 wanting someone else's wife or husband or someone else's family 421 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:13,760 set up or someone else's house or car or someone else's 422 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,680 community wherever they live, or someone else's ability to 423 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:24,440 vacation wherever it can. It can sneak into your heart and 424 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,040 before you know it, you're jealous. 425 00:29:33,990 --> 00:29:36,710 Love doesn't parade itself. In other words, it's not 426 00:29:36,710 --> 00:29:41,990 interested in being a big shot in charge and control. 427 00:29:45,150 --> 00:29:51,030 There's humility in someone who is living through and in agape. 428 00:29:52,470 --> 00:29:58,750 They don't want any accolades. They don't care if anybody 429 00:29:58,750 --> 00:30:04,640 thinks there's something the Bible says If you think you're 430 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,240 something when you're nothing, you deceive yourself, right? 431 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:11,480 That's stupid thing to think of yourself as being more highly, 432 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,040 thinking of yourself more highly. 433 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:21,360 And you ought to. But the society lifts up people 434 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:29,640 that are famous or that have power politically or in in in 435 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:36,280 the arts, in the film, theater, legal stuff, all that Anybody 436 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:43,000 that is is like puffed up to be someone that is super important 437 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:47,200 running Amazon or Microsoft or whatever. 438 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:49,840 And unfortunately, a lot of these people that are so 439 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:55,240 successful are totally lost. And if they die without Christ, 440 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,480 no one's really even going to remember them in 50 years. 441 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,080 It's it's all going to be in vain. 442 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:10,120 But what is it in us that causes us to want to be important and 443 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:16,720 recognize Jesus came and says he made himself of no reputation. 444 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:34,600 Pastors are known for egos and also the narcissistic, unhealthy 445 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:39,720 tendency to want to attract the following, which is the worst 446 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:42,120 thing that a pastor could fall into. 447 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,480 They want to be on TV. They want to have jet planes, 448 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,440 they want to brag about their wealth or their budget or the 449 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,120 number of people that attend their churches and and it makes 450 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,040 them feel like there's something. 451 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:08,040 And if people are following you and me, they're following the 452 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:13,360 wrong leader, aren't they? We're to be following Jesus 453 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:20,880 Christ and him only on Christ the solid rock I stand. 454 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,880 All other ground is sinking sand. 455 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,280 Last one I'm going to cover today and we'll cover the rest 456 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,600 next week. Love does not behave rudely. 457 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,480 I'm reminding you of this frequently where Cindy will say 458 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:42,080 to me occasionally you are so rude that should shock you. 459 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,560 I'm a pastor. Or maybe I just did something 460 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,440 stupid. I didn't hold the car door open 461 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,960 or I went through the door and I'm thinking I got to get 462 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,360 through, but I'm not thinking about her that she's got to get 463 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:53,680 through. I mean, it's, I'm not doing it 464 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,040 intentionally. It's just part of my flaws. 465 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,400 And, and you're some of you are looking at me like shock. 466 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,360 My gosh, pastor, how can you be rude? 467 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,400 You know, well, I'm trying to be less rude. 468 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,200 And any way I can be less rude is by being filled with the Holy 469 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,840 Spirit, right? Because if I'm not filled with 470 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,440 the Spirit, I'm going to be the same rude Clark that she married 471 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,720 54 years ago, right? Nothing going to change. 472 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,600 But when she says to me that I've been rude, I don't want to 473 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:23,520 be rude. Honey, forgive me. 474 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,200 You're right. I was wrong. 475 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,680 I got to think about that more now. 476 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:37,000 And so I'm trying to walk behind her now so she opens the door 477 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:48,080 for me. So we're going to, you know, 478 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,640 stop here and that worship team can come forward. 479 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:55,000 We'll take the Lord's Supper. Devin Noel, I saw her a little 480 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,680 earlier and she looked at me. Holy Spirit, word she says, 481 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,560 Clark, the Lord's God of the day. 482 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,800 I looked at her like, because I'm struggling teaching on this. 483 00:34:08,639 --> 00:34:12,360 Be honest with you, but it's it's fun being with you guys 484 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:16,560 because you're gracious and and I looked her and I said, Deb, I 485 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,639 needed to hear that the Lord has this teaching. 486 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:24,159 I don't, but he does and he has it for you. 487 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:31,400 What a wonderful thing when someone has a word for you right 488 00:34:31,639 --> 00:34:33,800 and speaks it into your life to encourage you. 489 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:37,840 And many of you do that. We endeavor to do that with one 490 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,080 another. So before we go in the Lord's 491 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,040 separate, there's two things I wanted to share. 492 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:47,040 Pastor Lewis and I were in here praying on Wednesday and he was 493 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,760 concerned about the attendance on Wednesday night. 494 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:54,320 Not that we don't take a role or anything, but we have these 5-6 495 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,840 guys that teach the Old Testament, pour their heart into 496 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:02,040 the word, spend time Brad and Janelle and the, and the kids 497 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,160 ministry. They they prepare they they 498 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,760 really work hard to provide a resource for you during the week 499 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:10,720 if you are so inclined to want to participate. 500 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,920 And so he he wanted me and he's going to chat about it too that 501 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:16,800 pray you can't come every week I can. 502 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:22,880 I'm on the road most of the time out of town, but when you can 503 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,520 come. This is this place is open for 504 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,680 your benefit to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God 505 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,640 to build relationships. Wednesday nights are different. 506 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:35,680 You can ask questions with the teacher because it's just a 507 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:40,080 different format. Sunday morning, the youth group 508 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,920 that's developing and growing all these ministries. 509 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:48,920 There's people here actually called to these things and 510 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,480 they're here to serve you. So please, please pray about 511 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,080 that this coming Wednesday. I have a friend that's coming 512 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,280 and and I don't want you to miss it if you can't. 513 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,840 He's a former addict. His story is thrilling and how 514 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:03,640 the Lord saved him out of addiction. 515 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,600 He went to Calvary Chapel, Bangor, ME went through their 516 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:11,520 program, Ken Graves, the pastor, a friend of ours, this amazing 517 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,560 story. I met him at a church plant 518 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,120 outside of Pittsburgh and New Calvary. 519 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,240 It's starting. And he was saying, well, I'd 520 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,240 love to get my testimony sometime. 521 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:22,960 And so he's going to be here this coming Wednesday at 6:30. 522 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:24,920 Anthony's his name, pray for him. 523 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:30,920 And his grandfather started at Calvary Chapel in Honolulu years 524 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,360 ago. So this guy grew up in the faith 525 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:36,000 but got away from the Lord like a lot of us can. 526 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:40,440 And he went his own way. And now he's on fire with his 527 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,720 wife and his kids. And so he'll be here at Calvary 528 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:46,120 on 6 at 6:30 this coming Wednesday. 529 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:49,960 Also the men's retreat that's coming up. 530 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:56,840 What they said, Karen, the men's retreat with with 19th. 531 00:36:57,360 --> 00:37:00,280 Yeah, it's awesome. So Ed Taylor, who's on a radio 532 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:08,840 station at 5:30 out of Colorado, he's a dear brother. 533 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,680 He's going to be speaking and he's a wonderful Bible teacher. 534 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,200 It's at Ligonier Conference Center, right down the road from 535 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:18,240 us, and we have to go far. If you can't afford it, guys, 536 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:20,680 we'll help you and and pay for it. 537 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,960 Just let us know, but you can, you can register online. 538 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:26,040 There'll be more details about that next week. 539 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:31,560 I'm going to go up Friday night and go come back home. 540 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:34,520 I I'm not staying overnight with some guys snoring and keep me up 541 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:36,520 on that. I'm going to go home and I'll 542 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,880 come back Saturday. So some of you might just want 543 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:42,440 to go Friday night or or just Saturday, whatever. 544 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:45,040 But please brothers, pray about going. 545 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,960 It'll change your life that time just hanging out with the other 546 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:53,320 brothers, other men of God. So we did have a baptism at our 547 00:37:53,320 --> 00:38:00,440 house on Saturday. 5 people got baptized, verse 13, about a 548 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:02,960 month ago. It's exciting to see people 549 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:06,440 falling with baptism. And she had it there. 550 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:09,280 Praise the Lord. Water was 86. 551 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:14,640 That's Ava. She's 13, big volleyball player 552 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:19,040 and Hemfield School district. Awesome, Awesome. 553 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:23,760 There she is again. And that is Luke, Right? 554 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:25,120 Luke. Right. 555 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:27,200 That's Luke. Who is it? 556 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:28,600 Laura. Oh, Laura. 557 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:31,240 I'm sorry, I can't tell. That's Laura. 558 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:35,120 I kept calling her Anna. That's Gina's and Jerry's 559 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:37,440 daughter. She's all excited about Jesus. 560 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:40,560 There's Luke. He's a little troublemaker in 561 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,480 our kids ministry over there. He's got a lot of energy and we 562 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,600 got to stay on that kid. But you know, the Lord's getting 563 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:48,840 hold of his heart. And he, he made that decision 564 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:54,440 himself to get baptized. And then who else we got, huh? 565 00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:00,200 Oh, it's all OK. So we have you, sister. 566 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,840 You got baptized. Raise your hands, everybody. 567 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,480 And who, who else got? Did I miss anybody? 568 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:14,200 Miss anybody, Lewis. OK, so anyway, it was exciting 569 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:19,600 and it was amazing. Families came to witness and 570 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,000 watch it and they were all celebrating seeing their 571 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:27,360 families getting baptized. Glory to God, Dave and Cindy, 572 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:29,360 thank you for coming and sharing with us. 573 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,680 And May God continually give you a wonderful retirement. 574 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:37,640 Healthy and enjoy yourselves. Well done, Well done. 575 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:40,400 So let's pray and prepare our hearts for the supper. 576 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:50,680 This supper today, in the memory of what Jesus done for us, I 577 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:55,960 think the way we could really glorify and honor Him is to just 578 00:39:56,080 --> 00:40:01,080 take a moment and think about First Corinthians 13 and ask Him 579 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:06,320 to work on us in our hearts that we will be experiencing and 580 00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:10,200 living this kind of love in a way we've never lived before. 581 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,240 Not any. In our church, but first in our 582 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:17,560 home and our families in our neighborhood where we work all 583 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,440 those places. So let's just take a minute 584 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:23,080 before the Lord and if we need to repent of some stuff, let's 585 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:26,080 let's give it to him. If you're here today and never 586 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,640 put your faith in Jesus today, today to say I need to be saved. 587 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:32,960 I need my life to change. It's just not working the way it 588 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,240 is. And I know I'm a Sinner and I 589 00:40:35,240 --> 00:40:39,240 need you, Jesus, to come into my life and save me and forgive me, 590 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:44,400 change me, change me inside. Until we're changed inside, 591 00:40:44,400 --> 00:41:04,400 nothing will change outside. Father, we're just so thankful 592 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:09,360 for your patience, your long-suffering, Your love, Your 593 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:13,840 grace, your kindness, your goodness, your meekness, who you 594 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:18,640 are, who you are to us. Lord, we, we know you and we 595 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:21,640 want to be like you and we know that's your will for us, that 596 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:27,360 you would conform us, all of us, the hardest center, the hardest 597 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:31,400 heart here today. Lord, you are able to change us 598 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:35,960 so that we're like you and we can make an impact in this 599 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:37,800 world. There's a lot of people are 600 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,200 angry today out there's a lot of people that are hurting, a lot 601 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:46,600 of people suffering. And Lord, you've called us to be 602 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:52,880 a solution, not a problem, to be an answer for people's 603 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:58,280 hopelessness and fears, to bring the gospel, Jesus Christ to them 604 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:03,440 so that they can have a brand new start in this life. 605 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:09,000 Lord, we bring our own hearts to you and we ask you to to to 606 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:16,760 touch them and to make them like your heart that we could 607 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:21,680 experience first of all this wonderful agape love and a 608 00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:25,360 deeper way in our own hearts with you, but then to give it to 609 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:30,320 one another. Lord, we pray for today, for 610 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:36,200 those who are broken over the earth for Charlie's memorial 611 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:40,160 service. God, we pray you would use His 612 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:45,880 death for Your glory in our country and in our world. 613 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:53,840 Comfort His dear wife and children and all of us, Lord, 614 00:42:53,840 --> 00:43:00,960 who are shook from this event. We pray, Lord, you would protect 615 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:08,440 us from danger and hatred. You put a hedge of protection 616 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:11,360 about us and our families in these days, wherever we go, 617 00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:16,160 whatever we do, Lord, we know you go before us, You go with 618 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:22,040 us. And the Knights of Jesus is 619 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:25,640 betrayed. He took the bread in his hands 620 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:28,480 and he broke it, and he gave thanks and he said, take, eat. 621 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,960 This is my body which was given for you. 622 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:41,480 Eat this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, in that 623 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:47,600 evening he took the cup, and he said, This cup is a new covenant 624 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,480 in my blood, which was shed for the forgiveness of sins of many. 625 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:59,680 Drink this in remembrance of me. For as often as we eat this 626 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:05,200 bread together and we drink this cup, we show forth the Lord's 627 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:06,880 death till he comes again. Amen. 628 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:09,880 God bless you guys, have a wonderful day.