1 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,680 You're very welcome to today's Triumph Church podcast. 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,440 We pray that you enjoy the message. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,680 So this morning we're going to be talking about love. 4 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,440 And Pastor Bradley spoke him about spiritual gifts last week 5 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,440 in First Corinthians and he mentioned briefly that the 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,680 spiritual gift chapters would be like First Corinthians 12 and 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,760 1st Corinthians 14. And God put right in the middle 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,440 of there First Corinthians 13, which we like to kind of call 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,600 the love chapter. So let's go ahead and read First 10 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,400 Corinthians 13 one through three. 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,920 If I could speak with all the languages of earth and of 12 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,160 angels, but I didn't love others, I would only be a noisy 13 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:55,560 gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy 14 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,680 and I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all 15 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,920 knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move 16 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:07,600 mountains, but I did not love others, I would be nothing. 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,120 If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my 18 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,160 body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:22,080 would have gained nothing. Love has so many definitions, 20 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,280 and like other aspects of the English language, the word love 21 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,440 is complicated. I think in a general sense, we 22 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,880 throw out that term and we understand what it means. 23 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,640 But a lot of other languages have several different words for 24 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,200 love. So this morning I'm going to go 25 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,400 through a few different things. First, we're going to talk about 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,160 the different kinds of love. Second, we're going to talk 27 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,800 about the greatest commandment, and then we're going to talk 28 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,120 about what it means to walk in love. 29 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,960 There were four primary Greek words when the New Testament was 30 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,480 written that you'll find. So I'm just going to go over a 31 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,480 couple of those. The first one was Eros. 32 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,680 It's a Greek term for sexual love, and it's where we get the 33 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,280 word erotic. And then this word is referred 34 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,760 to, you know, satisfying your impulses, your cravings. 35 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,680 It also shares the root word with areo, which means to beg, 36 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:21,600 ask or demand. Obviously this is the lowest 37 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:27,200 form of love and it is only thinks about it what it's itself 38 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,800 and only thinks about fulfilling its own desires. 39 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,000 This is not the type of love that we as believers should 40 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,360 aspire to. There is a better way then we 41 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,880 have stare go and this word primarily paints a picture of 42 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,040 love that exists between parents or family. 43 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,600 It also is can be translated devotion and like a God, like a 44 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:57,000 dog's love for his owner or like as if you might love your 45 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,640 country. And it does appear in the New 46 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:03,600 Testament I found in Second Timothy 33 where the apostle 47 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,720 Paul says people in the last days will be without natural 48 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,880 affection. And that's the word sterigo. 49 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:15,000 And it's used to describe basically deterioration of being 50 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,560 devoted to each other and like families and things like that. 51 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,720 Phileo is the third Greek word for love, which describes 52 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,840 affection between boyfriend and girlfriend, could even be 53 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,160 husband and wife. It could be between two best 54 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,080 friends. And the idea but with phileo is 55 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,680 basically you realize you're compatible, you're well matched. 56 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,720 It is a higher form of love than the other two, but it's still 57 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:47,360 not as high as agape because phileo love is based on mutual 58 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:52,800 satisfaction, and if somebody doesn't feel that love anymore, 59 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,880 that love can be lost. Then we have agape, the fourth 60 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:03,080 word for love, used in the 1st century Greek language, and it 61 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:08,200 is used to describe the love of God, which is the highest level 62 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:13,080 of love known. There is no love higher or finer 63 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,000 or more excellent than the agape love. 64 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,079 And there's a lot of words to describe this love. 65 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,600 Also found as I was researching that that's it was very hard for 66 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,000 translators to translate in so many different areas because it 67 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,080 has so many different meanings kind of tied to it. 68 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:34,680 So agape love occurs when an individual sees, recognizes, 69 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:39,160 understands, or appreciates the value of an object or person, 70 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,760 causing the viewer to behold that object or person in great 71 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:50,280 esteem, awe and admiration, wonder and sincere appreciation. 72 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:54,920 Such a great respect is awakened in the heart of the observer for 73 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:59,800 the object or person it's beholding that it's compelled to 74 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,520 love it. In fact, his love for that 75 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,960 person or object is so strong that it's irresistible. 76 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,160 The greatest display of agape in the New Testament is found in 77 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:16,200 the words of Jesus recorded in John 316 for God so loved the 78 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:21,680 world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever 79 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,960 believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. 80 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,960 This is the love that God had for humanity. 81 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,520 Pastor Bradley often talks about Ephesians 2 four. 82 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,080 It's his favorite verse where it says God so rich in his mercy 83 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:42,120 and because because of in an order to satisfy that great and 84 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:49,200 intense love for us and it goes on to describe that Jesus came 85 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,960 and died for us. He had to satisfy this a massive 86 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,600 intense love for you and I and you know, we are our own worst 87 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,760 critics and we can even look around us in humanity and go 88 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,640 really God, what do you see here? 89 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:11,200 He sees something so amazing and precious. 90 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:16,240 Well, he sees himself because you are made in the image of 91 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,480 God. So even though mankind is held 92 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:26,800 captive by sin and Satan, the God of this world, He loved us 93 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,920 so deeply that he had to do something to save us. 94 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,720 So the agape love, it knows no boundaries. 95 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:40,160 In Ephesians 318 it says, may you have the power to 96 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:46,040 understand, as all God's people should, how high, how wide, how 97 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,400 long, how high, and how deep his love is. 98 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,680 This is very hard for us to comprehend sometimes, but we'll 99 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:57,760 keep going and hopefully we'll get a little something out of 100 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:02,960 it. So, but the God kind of love it, 101 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:07,440 it brings one to action. It's not just a feeling, which 102 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,960 you can feel it and that's good, but it's, it's further than 103 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:16,160 that. It's more than that and and 104 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,240 loving people and loving humanity. 105 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:22,600 It's a decision that we make. So in contrast, we have Eros 106 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,600 with the self seeking love. We have stair ghosts, which is 107 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,760 limited to your family or relation. 108 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,040 And then Phileo is based on feelings, on mutual 109 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,480 satisfaction, which can be disappointed and can be lost. 110 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,120 But Agape is a love that has no strings attached. 111 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,000 It's not looking for what it can get, but it's looking for what 112 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:51,600 it can give. It's in awe of the one who is 113 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,960 loved. And it's so deep and compelled. 114 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,680 You're so that feeling of love, you're compelled to shower that 115 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,360 love on someone else. It's also a sacrificial love, 116 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,640 and God loved mankind without expecting anything in return. 117 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,240 And that's what's also unique about agape. 118 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,680 When you love with such a pure love, you expect nothing in 119 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,800 return. It's impossible to feel hurt or 120 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,000 let down by the response of the recipients, which is probably 121 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,800 hard for us to say that we can kind of feel that way. 122 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,159 Agape is that highest level of love, so the greatest 123 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:41,000 commandment that Jesus gave us. Now let's talk about the 124 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,800 covenant for a minute. And I've had some people ask me 125 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,240 about the nation of Israel recently and about the Jewish 126 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,000 people and about what's the what's up with them, right? 127 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,520 And as we as Christians, how are we supposed to feel about the 128 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:58,840 nation of Israel and how we're supposed to feel about Jewish 129 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,600 people? And I'm not going to get into 130 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,760 anything political here, but I want you to understand a little 131 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,440 bit of the history there. So, you know, we have Adam and 132 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,000 Eve and then they send and separated themselves from God. 133 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,800 Basically, there's just a communication breakdown. 134 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,760 God cannot be where sin is. And therefore we've we've lost 135 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,640 that relationship. And it's not too long after when 136 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,560 we see with Cain and Abel, they're both sacrificing, one 137 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,840 out of what he feels like his duty, one out of love in his 138 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,120 heart for God. And then of course, Cain kills 139 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,880 Abel. God is losing touch with 140 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,720 humanity. And then we have we see Noah, 141 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,760 where he has one family left basically to save the world 142 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,400 because it's gotten so bad. And then not too far after that, 143 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,960 we have Abraham. So God says, OK, Abraham is 144 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,080 listening. He's looking for someone who 145 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,440 listens, someone he can talk to, someone he can connect with, and 146 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:02,960 he's connecting with Abraham. And he tells Abraham, come on, 147 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,320 let's move. Let's get you out of this place 148 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,560 around your other family, around your what you know is 149 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:10,360 comfortable. And I want you to follow me. 150 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:16,000 And so he follows him and he gets that relationship with God. 151 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:21,720 God desires a relationship with us, so Abraham, and then we have 152 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:27,240 Isaac, and then we have Jacob and then we have his sons, which 153 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,680 then turned into the nation of Israel. 154 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:34,760 And throughout the Bible you can see where people were grafted in 155 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,120 that weren't of that nation. People could be grafted in, 156 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,160 people could become part of the Jewish nation. 157 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:46,840 But what set them apart was they got divine instructions from God 158 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:49,680 and they followed them. They followed him. 159 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,560 They believed in him. What's kind of cool is the story 160 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:57,800 of Rahab when they went, you know, to the walls of Jericho 161 00:10:57,800 --> 00:10:59,720 and she said, we heard about your God. 162 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:04,760 But she said, I didn't just hear about him, I believed in him. 163 00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:08,840 And that's why she was saved in her whole family, because she 164 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,880 believed in God. So if you believed in God, you 165 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:18,120 can be grafted in just like Ruth and different people we see in 166 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,320 the in the Bible. But the nation of Israel through 167 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:27,400 Moses, Moses got the 10 commandments, Moses got the law, 168 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,280 right? And it's funny us as human 169 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:35,120 beings, because there's this side of us that wants to be told 170 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,960 what to do. And then there's this side of 171 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:39,720 us. Don't tell me what to do, right? 172 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,040 But then there's this times when you're just like, will somebody 173 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,760 just tell me how this works? Well, somebody just tell me 174 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,760 exactly what I need to do from A to B. 175 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,200 It's like raising children, right? 176 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:53,000 It's like, where's the manual? Just tell me how I'm supposed to 177 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:57,720 do it. And but The thing is, is with 178 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,680 before what Jesus did, we couldn't have the Holy Spirit on 179 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:06,040 the inside of us. Now the Holy Spirit could come 180 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:10,040 upon people and speak through people that were set apart to 181 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:14,960 hear from him like the prophets. And so we got the 10 182 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:20,360 commandments, kind of basic, some things that probably are, 183 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:23,600 you know, your heart, it's going to condemn you about don't kill, 184 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,400 don't steal, honor your father and mother, don't covet what 185 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,520 somebody else has. These are some basic 186 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:31,440 instructions. Then there's a lot more to the 187 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,080 law, and it's something I told my kids. 188 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:38,200 It's like the law. It's like me telling you to look 189 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:39,680 both ways when you cross the street. 190 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,920 You would think that my child was really crazy if they were 191 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,560 like, mom's making me look both ways when I cross the street. 192 00:12:47,560 --> 00:12:49,720 This is so stupid. I just want to walk across the 193 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,960 street if I want to, right? Well, I'm telling my kids to 194 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,920 look both ways before they cross the street to save their life. 195 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:03,680 And all these things in the law were further protection, you 196 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:08,600 know, in the dark ages when people are eating on pewter and 197 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:13,560 dying, not the Jews because they had the law and the law said 198 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:18,920 don't eat on mixed metals. They had the law that saved them 199 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,520 from things before science even knew why they were doing it. 200 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,600 It's amazing. God's word is amazing. 201 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,240 And everything he's does is for us and for you and I to bring us 202 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,840 closer to Him to help us through this life. 203 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:39,440 So I'm getting a little off track here, but we have those 204 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:44,200 commandments and it doesn't mean you do away with all the things 205 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,080 like even in America, because maybe there's a higher 206 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,080 population of Jewish people, but you'll have a whole kosher 207 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:52,880 section. So all the food's prepared. 208 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,240 The way the Israelites would want it, Jewish people would 209 00:13:55,240 --> 00:14:03,200 want it prepared. So anyway, you go in to Matthew 210 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:08,760 2236 through 40 and they said, teacher, what is the most 211 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,680 important commandment in the law of Moses? 212 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,880 And Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart, 213 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,720 all your soul, and all your mind. 214 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,920 This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is 215 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:25,640 equally important, that we're to love our neighbor as our self. 216 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:33,240 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets hang on 217 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:39,800 these two commandments. John 1334 through 35 says so now 218 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:48,640 I'm giving you a new covenant. Love each other just as I have 219 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:53,680 loved you. You should love each other, and 220 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:59,360 your love for one another will prove that you're my disciples. 221 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,400 If there was an investigator around here, would they find 222 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,560 love between us? Could could they prove our love 223 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,920 for one another? Would they know us by our love 224 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:18,320 for one another? So Jesus fulfilled the law. 225 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:24,400 And what's really remarkable is we can receive the Holy Spirit 226 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,080 on the inside of us. He changes us from the inside 227 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,280 out. So the children of Israel had to 228 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,600 be led by the fire by night and by the cloud by day. 229 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,320 But we can be led by the Holy Spirit on the inside of us. 230 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:43,800 So we have this law of love. They didn't have what we have, 231 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,720 so they leaned a little heavier on the exact things. 232 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,360 Don't kill. OK, Wait, got to remember that 233 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,640 one, You know, Don't want what my neighbor has. 234 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:57,680 OK, I'm happy with what I have, you know, And it's not like 235 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:02,800 those aren't good things to look at, But if we're loving, then 236 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:08,320 those things are fulfilled. So now in well, and Romans 13 237 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,040 kind of says the same thing. I mean, there's so many 238 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:14,080 scriptures about love where he kind of reiterates. 239 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:15,400 He talks about the 10 commandments. 240 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:16,880 He says you must not commit adultery. 241 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,320 You must not murder, you must not steal, you must not covet. 242 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,400 These and other such commandments are summed up in 243 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,160 the one love your neighbor as yourself. 244 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,880 Love does no wrong to others. Love fulfills the requirements 245 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,640 of God's law. And Ezekiel and Jeremiah wrote 246 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:39,040 about the new covenant. They wrote about it yesterday. 247 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,760 If you have the Bible app, it was the verse of the day. 248 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:47,440 And Ezekiel 3626 says I will give you a new heart and I will 249 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:52,280 put a new spirit in you. I will take out your Stony, 250 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:58,760 stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 251 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,960 Hebrews 8 talks about doing away with the old covenant and 252 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,480 bringing in this new covenant through Jesus. 253 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:14,160 So loving our neighbor as our self, loving others. 254 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,720 Is that even possible? Can we do it? 255 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:24,119 But it's just like what Ezekiel says, we can because we have 256 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:30,440 been born again in God's spirit. Basically that born again is our 257 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,800 spirit is reborn with the life of God on the inside of us. 258 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:40,400 So as believers, we are called to walk in agape love. 259 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,680 When you walk in the Spirit, you will not gratify the selfish 260 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:53,480 cravings of your flesh. And Galatians 516 says walk in 261 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:55,960 the spirit and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. 262 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,040 Now I chose the new King James Version. 263 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:04,080 You can put up Galatians 516 and then we're going to do Ephesians 264 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:05,520 2. I don't know if you can see 265 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,880 those. And in the new King James 266 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:12,240 Version, it uses the word walk and they translate it a little 267 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:17,000 differently in different translations because it's the 268 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:21,560 word walk in maybe isn't something that we kind of a term 269 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,520 we use. I'm going to go into the 270 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:28,880 definition of walk. That Greek word is called Perry, 271 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:32,480 pateo. It's 2 words Perry and pateo. 272 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:40,200 So Perry means to go around or encircling and then pateo means 273 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,160 to walk. So it's not just simply walking, 274 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:49,520 but it's walking the same route over and over and over again. 275 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,800 So it's a habit. So we're supposed to walk in the 276 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,720 Spirit. We're supposed to habitually 277 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:02,160 walk in love. So Galatians 516 says walk in 278 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,760 the spirit, you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. 279 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:11,040 And Ephesians 52 says that if we walk in love as Christ has also 280 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,360 loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice 281 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:18,760 to God for a sweet smelling aroma. 282 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:24,360 So this is not something we do occasionally, just every now and 283 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:27,320 then, just when I wake up on the right side of the bed. 284 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,680 It's supposed to be something that we habitually do Rick 285 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:35,760 Renner is somebody that I follow and study after and he is making 286 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:42,000 his own version of of the Bible, his own translation, and he 287 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:46,400 likes to dive into and then he studies also cultural aspects 288 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,080 around the words and things like that. 289 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:52,240 So his version of Galatians 516 is really cool and I thought I 290 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,240 would read it to you. It says make the path of the 291 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,320 spirit, the place where you habitually live and walk. 292 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:05,000 Become so comfortable in the spiritual path that you learn to 293 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,480 leisurely and peacefully stroll along in that realm. 294 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,920 So agape love is love with no strings attached. 295 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:18,800 It's not looking for what it can get when we're walking in the 296 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:23,080 spirit. Galatians 522 through 23 says 297 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:27,040 the Holy Spirit produces the this kind of fruit in our lives. 298 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,800 So when we're walking and the first fruit is what love, 299 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:36,040 Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, 300 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,720 self-control. So when we love with a pure 301 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,240 love, the agape love, we don't expect anything in return. 302 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:50,000 It's impossible to feel hurt or let down by people if we're 303 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:55,480 walking in love. 1 John 314 says in the New Living Translation. 304 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,560 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it 305 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,240 proves that we have passed from death to life. 306 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,800 But a person who has no love is still dead. 307 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,120 And verse 16 says we know what real love is because Jesus gave 308 00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:14,360 up his life for us, so we ought to give up our lives for our 309 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:19,120 brothers and sisters. Galatians 220 says My old self 310 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:24,880 has been crucified with Christ, so it's no longer I who live, 311 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:32,320 but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body 312 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,960 trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for 313 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,960 me. Romans 611 says so you should 314 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:47,480 also consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and 315 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:54,960 alive through Christ Jesus. So my dad is a funny guy, but 316 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,400 and he, he explained this to me and we talked, we would talk 317 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:04,000 about this and if I ever was so upset about something that 318 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,240 somebody did or said to me, he would say, well, just not dead 319 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:13,920 enough yet. Thanks Dad, appreciate that. 320 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,280 But he was right. The Lord brings that to 321 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,840 remembrance from time to time because let's face it, you know 322 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,080 that saying. I'm sure you guys might have 323 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,480 heard the saying before, sticks and stones can break my bones, 324 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,480 but words can never hurt me. Anybody know that phrase? 325 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:37,680 Well, obviously it's not true because words can hurt and 326 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:39,520 things can really, really hurt us. 327 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:47,360 But if you're walking in the Spirit, if you're walking in 328 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:53,360 love, if you've truly been crucified with Christ, well, 329 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,480 it's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 330 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,480 What can you do to me? What can you do? 331 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:08,040 And I can choose to love. I can choose to walk in love. 332 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,080 Now this takes crucifying the flesh. 333 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:14,800 This does take you doing something. 334 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,960 And this does take you putting your flesh under, because your 335 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:20,640 flesh is going to want to retaliate. 336 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,640 Your flesh is going to want to react. 337 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,760 Your flesh is going to want to feel something and act on those 338 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,800 feelings, but they aren't. It's not the way that God wants 339 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,560 you to act. The apostle John explains the 340 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:39,160 role of agape in our life. 1 John 318 in the amplified says, 341 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,800 little children, believers or dear ones, let us not love 342 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:46,840 merely in theory, with word or tongue, giving up lip service to 343 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,200 compassion, but in action, in truth, in practice, in 344 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:55,760 sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than 345 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:59,320 words. Love does something through 346 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,280 God's grace and through His ability in our life. 347 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,880 We can love the way He's asked us to love. 348 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:12,920 Now let's read First Corinthians 13 verses 4 through 7. 349 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,760 And then I just kind of tapped in 8A, the first part of eight, 350 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,360 because this would be something that would be great. 351 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,080 I challenge you to read every single day. 352 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:27,840 How about we make that a challenge? 353 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:32,120 We read First Corinthians 13 verses 4 through 7 every single 354 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:35,720 day this week. See how maybe it helps you 355 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:42,320 change your love walk. Love endures long and is patient 356 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,040 and kind. Actually, you know what? 357 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,080 Why don't you repeat after me? Let's do that, OK? 358 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,400 Ready. Love endures. 359 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,160 Oh, this is a different version. Oh, they don't have amplified 360 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,080 classic. Amplified Classic's so much 361 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:58,440 better. OK, just repeat after me. 362 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,240 Love endures long and is patient and kind. 363 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:14,240 Love is never envious, never boils over with jealousy. 364 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:18,800 Even though my daughter's on a cruise right now and I really 365 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,600 wish I could be there. Not jealous, OK. 366 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:29,960 It's not boastful or vainglorious, Does not display 367 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:39,040 itself haughtily. It's not conceited, arrogant or 368 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:47,160 inflated with pride. It's not rude, unmannerly. 369 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:59,800 It does not act unbecomingly. Love, God's love in US, does not 370 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:06,080 insist on its own rights or its own way. 371 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:16,120 It's not self seeking. It's not touchy or fretful or 372 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:23,160 resentful. It takes no account of the evil 373 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:28,760 done to it, and it pays no attention to a suffered wrong. 374 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:39,200 It does not rejoice at injustice or unrighteousness, but it 375 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,400 rejoices when right and truth prevail. 376 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,040 Amen. Love, hold on. 377 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:53,080 We're not done yet. Love bears up under anything and 378 00:26:53,080 --> 00:27:01,400 everything that comes. It's ready to believe the best 379 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:08,360 in every person. Its hopes are fadeless under all 380 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:14,160 circumstances. OK, we're almost done. 381 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,160 You can do this. It endures everything without 382 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:25,120 weakening. Love never fails, never fades 383 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:29,840 out, becomes obsolete, or comes to an end. 384 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:36,200 Now what if we read that every day this week? 385 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:43,680 It's going to help, right? It's going to help because we 386 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,480 all live in this flesh and we all have a mind that needs to be 387 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:53,480 renewed and we need to remember that God's love has been shed 388 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,240 abroad in our hearts. You can do it. 389 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,040 You have the ability to do it now. 390 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:07,720 Ephesians 432 says be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one 391 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:14,200 another even as God Forgives. So really I just thought I would 392 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,720 tack this in there because forgiveness and love kind of go 393 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:23,160 hand in hand. And how can we forgive as God 394 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,840 Forgives? How does God forgive? 395 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:31,640 Well, actually the word of God tells us, God said, I, I blot 396 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,760 out your transgressions and I will not remember your sin. 397 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,040 That's how we forgive. Just like in First Corinthians 398 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:43,960 16, it says takes no record of a suffered wrong. 399 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:50,560 So we're not supposed to remind our spouse of what they did last 400 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,840 week that really bugged us. We're supposed to forgive them. 401 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:01,280 I remember having this lady come to me and it was about her 402 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,720 mother-in-law and she, she reiterated the story over and 403 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:06,960 over again. And she's like, I just don't 404 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:11,480 know if I can forgive her. And I said you can and I'm going 405 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:15,040 to challenge you in this because I could just, I just knew by the 406 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:18,400 Holy Spirit, I said, you need to not tell that story again. 407 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,800 You don't want to tell the stories of people. 408 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:35,160 Love covers a multitude of sin. Love covers because the grace 409 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:39,200 and mercy of God is enough to reach that person and cleanse 410 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,040 them from all unrighteousness too. 411 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,000 And you can't go on a go on around telling what somebody 412 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:48,120 else did to you. If you've truly forgiven them. 413 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:49,920 You have to stop talking about it. 414 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:53,080 You have to stop talking about it. 415 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:58,200 And so obviously the enemy is going to bring things to your 416 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,080 remembrance and you will remember. 417 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,520 But you just have to say, no devil I dealt with that. 418 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,160 I forgave them of that. You can take those thoughts 419 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,840 captive. Mark 1125. 420 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:13,160 Pastor Brad brought this up last week. 421 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:18,360 You know, Mark 1123, if you say to this mountain be removed and 422 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:22,640 be cast into the sea and not doubt, you'll have what you say. 423 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,680 But what does the next verse say when you stand praying? 424 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:33,440 Forgive, forgive. And a lot of reasons why our 425 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:38,400 prayers aren't getting answered might be because we're not 426 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,760 walking in love. Might be because we're harboring 427 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:46,160 unforgiveness. And it's like the thing that 428 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:49,880 clogs up the pipe or the drain, that connection between you and 429 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:56,280 God, that unforgiveness turns to bitterness and it just stops the 430 00:30:56,280 --> 00:31:01,520 flow of the Spirit in your life. 1 John 314 to 15 says we know 431 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,840 that we've passed out of death into life because we love the 432 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:09,360 brothers and sisters. He who does not love remains in 433 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,920 spiritual death. And everyone who hates works 434 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,720 against his brother in Christ and is at heart a murderer by 435 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:19,480 God's standards. And you know that no murderer 436 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:24,240 has eternal life abiding in him. And I just want to challenge you 437 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,000 today. Really, the word hate should not 438 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,680 be in our vocabulary and I've heard even other Christians, oh, 439 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:31,760 I hate this or I hate them or I hate that. 440 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:36,680 And it's like, no, hold on. We can hate the enemy, we can 441 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:42,280 hate Satan, we hate the devil, but we have to be careful how we 442 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:46,200 talk about God's creation. Now, this does not mean 443 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:50,080 accepting and being a doormat for people to walk all over. 444 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:58,320 You understand Well, I it is it is a challenge and how we and 445 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,200 how maybe how we understand how to love people. 446 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,560 But we shouldn't use I don't think we should use the word 447 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,440 hate. We do have to crucify the flesh 448 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,920 and the Bible says that our faith works by love. 449 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:18,840 So one Peter 3 verses 8 through 9 says finally all of you should 450 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,160 be of one mind, sympathize with each other, love one another as 451 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,560 brothers and sisters, be tender hearted, keep a humble attitude. 452 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,400 Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults 453 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,840 when people insult you. Instead pay them back with a 454 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,520 blessing. That's what God has called you 455 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,840 to do. I got somebody a gift basket 456 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:44,240 once. They treated us horribly. 457 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:51,040 It was terrible and it was kind of a parting of ways situation. 458 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,080 I just got them big old gift basket, filled it with tons of 459 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,920 stuff. I said, I'm just this is my way. 460 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:00,720 I'm going to love you and gave it to him. 461 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:06,120 And so, you know, whatever you feel like maybe you need to do, 462 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:11,440 but do good. You know, he says love your 463 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:13,240 enemies and do good to those who hate you. 464 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,840 But Jesus remarked on how he could forgive those who 465 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:19,960 persecuted him when he was on the cross. 466 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,280 Remember, he said, forgive them, Lord, because they don't know 467 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,880 what they're doing. And a lot of times people just 468 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,840 don't know what they're doing. I don't. 469 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,840 I mean, OK, maybe in some cases, but people don't go around 470 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:36,120 trying to be horrible and hurtful and mean. 471 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:40,160 And a lot of times we know that hurting people hurt people. 472 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,840 And so we know we don't wrestle with flesh and blood. 473 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,760 Just like that situation that I was in, it was not a flesh and 474 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:51,840 blood situation and I could tell it was a spiritual situation. 475 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,720 And that's how you deal with situations in the Spirit. 476 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,800 You know, we are all created by God with a purpose and a 477 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:05,680 destiny. And we have to surrender our 478 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:09,760 lives. We have to crucify our flesh. 479 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,639 Believing in God is not just, it's not enough. 480 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,239 The demons believe. The Bible says the demons 481 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:23,800 believe and they tremble. But what sets us apart because 482 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:28,199 we put ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ because 483 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:33,400 we serve him, because we say not my will, but your will be done 484 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,639 in my life, Lord, not what I want to do, but what do you want 485 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:40,639 me to do? That's the earmark of a true 486 00:34:40,639 --> 00:34:45,040 Christian. So I want to try to tackle, you 487 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,400 know, loving people who maybe aren't lovable. 488 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:52,400 We aren't supposed to have close fellowship with people that are 489 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:57,480 in darkness. And John Adams said facts are 490 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:01,960 stubborn things, but the truth cuts to the heart of the matter. 491 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:08,200 And the truth is that if you serve the Lord your God, if you 492 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:10,280 love him with all your heart, like he said, and you love 493 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,200 others, then you're in the Kingdom of light. 494 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,720 You're in God's Kingdom. But if you don't, there's only 495 00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:20,320 two kingdoms. I'm not trying to be mean or 496 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,280 something, but there's the Kingdom of light and there's the 497 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,880 Kingdom of darkness, and there are those who don't believe. 498 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,440 There are those who are not, are walking in darkness. 499 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:35,080 And so we are not supposed to be yoked with unbelievers. 500 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:39,160 There's a second Corinthians 614 says don't be unequally bound 501 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:43,320 together with unbelievers. Don't make mismatched alliances 502 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:46,400 with them inconsistent with your faith. 503 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,320 For what partnership can righteousness have with 504 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:53,520 lawlessness or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 505 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:58,160 So it's kind of like I explained to my children, like a bull's 506 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,320 eye. And you have at the center your 507 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,480 core beliefs, your, you believe in God, your values and all of 508 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,120 those things. The people that you let in your 509 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:12,000 inner circle, the people that you do life with every day that 510 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:16,040 you open up your heart to, those people should have your same 511 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,040 core beliefs. They should be, you should be 512 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,920 united in that there's going to be people on the outside of that 513 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,040 ring that you can hang out with that you, it's not like we're 514 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:28,600 asking you to be in a bubble and you don't have anything to do 515 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,080 with the world. Of course not. 516 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:34,840 We're supposed to be a light to the world, but we're supposed to 517 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:38,640 be the influencers, not them be the influenced, right? 518 00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:42,920 And so when we are yoked together, like just imagine 519 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,840 you're going to do a business venture, you're going to go into 520 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:49,480 business with somebody. Well, a lot of Christians have 521 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,360 found themselves in a lot of trouble because they went into 522 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,600 business with someone who wasn't a believer. 523 00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:58,640 Relationships. This is a big one. 524 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,640 And a lot, there's a lot of Christians who are like, well, 525 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,840 you know, they are, they're OK with me going to church. 526 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,640 Well, yeah, but the Bible says we're not supposed to yoke 527 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,640 ourselves together with unbelievers. 528 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,760 And there's a, there's a, there's a definite reason for 529 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:19,040 that. However, a lot of times too, 530 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:23,720 people have a hard time loving people who aren't like them. 531 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:27,520 And what does that look like? You know, the church for a long 532 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:32,920 time had a hard time with the unwed mother, let's just say. 533 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,880 And well, I mean, we can go back to the scarlet letter, right? 534 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:43,720 Or whatever. And and then if I feel like the 535 00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:46,920 church kind of got more comfortable with that and 536 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,200 learned how to love people through that. 537 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:54,680 And now, you know, there's, you know, we have the LGBTQ movement 538 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:59,920 and different things. I mean, I will just say sin, a 539 00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:05,920 sin, some sins have different consequences than others. 540 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:11,160 So we shouldn't stand over there like Jesus said and point out 541 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:12,640 the speck in somebody else's eye. 542 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:17,280 Well, we have a giant plank in our own, but sexual sin does 543 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:22,600 have more repercussions to it. I mean, it's soul ties. 544 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:27,400 It's Jesus says you become one with that person. 545 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,760 You might want to be careful who you become one with. 546 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:35,120 And look, you know, we've all made mistakes and we've all been 547 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:37,160 there. God can heal you of those soul 548 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,240 ties. God can heal you of those things 549 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,040 and cleanse you and make you brand new as if it never 550 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:46,440 happened. So there's no condemnation for 551 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:50,400 any of that. But consider how you walk with 552 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,280 the Lord. Consider how you move forward. 553 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,400 But loving people who aren't share. 554 00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:59,920 Don't share our core values. Don't share our heart. 555 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:04,360 Don't maybe believe like we do. You still love them. 556 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,960 The fruit of the Spirit still applies. 557 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:13,160 Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, 558 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:17,360 self-control. And they shall know us by our 559 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:22,080 love. They shall know us by our love. 560 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:27,240 I remember hearing a story about a man, a young gay man and he 561 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:29,760 grew up, it doesn't really matter, but he grew up without a 562 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:33,200 father. He, he was in and out of same 563 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,640 sex relationships. But there was this one couple in 564 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:39,880 his building, his apartment building, and they just were 565 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,880 always nice to him. And he was really, really sick. 566 00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:46,760 And they came and checked on him and he was in bed and he didn't 567 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:48,880 have anybody around. And they, they came and they 568 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,200 brought him meals and they nursed him back to health. 569 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:55,240 And they were Christians and they prayed for him and they 570 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:58,120 prayed for him and they brought him to church. 571 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:02,880 He gave his heart to Jesus and got married. 572 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,120 And that's just the real quick version of it. 573 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,160 But do you see how we can love people? 574 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:11,440 That doesn't mean we're putting our stamp of approval on 575 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:16,920 everything that they do. But we can love people and, and 576 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,880 show them the love of God because the love of God leads us 577 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:24,080 to repentance, doesn't it? So I just thought I would, I 578 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:28,360 would throw that in there. You know, redemption is a 579 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:33,600 beautiful thing. It's so wonderful to to see that 580 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:37,320 we all have that in our own lives and to see it and see 581 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:42,240 people the way God sees them. You know when I first started 582 00:40:42,240 --> 00:40:48,120 off that description of love? When you see and recognize and 583 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:54,440 understand and appreciate the value of a person beholding that 584 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:58,280 person with great esteem, awe, admiration, wonder, and sincere 585 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:04,240 appreciation, such great respect is awakened in the heart of the 586 00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:07,120 observer for that person that they're beholding, that they're 587 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:12,720 compelled to love it. And though it may be a challenge 588 00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:17,920 to see people that way all the time, especially when confronted 589 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:23,720 with ugliness or different behavior, and it's a challenge 590 00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:27,800 for us, isn't it, To see people the way God sees them? 591 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:31,080 Because every single life was created by Him. 592 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:34,000 Every single life has a purpose and a destiny. 593 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:41,200 Every single person deserves that love and has been given 594 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:47,360 that love by God, regardless of whether they choose to respond 595 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,120 to it or not. So let's pray. 596 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,800 Thank you for listening to the Triumph Church podcast this 597 00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:58,400 week. If it was a blessing to you, 598 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:03,240 share it with someone you know. For more information on Triumph 599 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:09,160 Church, you can visit us at www.triumphchurch.ie.