1 00:00:10,050 --> 00:00:11,850 Good morning, everyone. Take your Bibles. 2 00:00:11,850 --> 00:00:14,490 Open up to the Gospel of John chapter 15. 3 00:00:15,170 --> 00:00:18,370 John chapter 15. That's page 958. 4 00:00:18,370 --> 00:00:21,050 If you're using one of the Bibles in the seat around you, 5 00:00:21,370 --> 00:00:23,250 if you don't have a Bible, please take one of those. 6 00:00:23,250 --> 00:00:27,680 That's our gift to you today. I want to welcome some people 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,240 who are joining us. First of all, I want to welcome 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,360 our family a forward Kitchener who are joining us for our 9 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,080 sermon series this month. And we also have a group of 10 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,600 students from Heritage College and Seminary who are here 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,440 joining us today. They are down here near the 12 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:44,000 front. Everybody wave. 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,240 Good to see you guys. Glad to have you with us. 14 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,360 And I want to make everybody aware as well that we have 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,400 another baptism service coming up. 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,200 It's so amazing to see what God is doing in our church family 17 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,800 and more people coming to faith. And so on October the 5th here 18 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,160 in Cambridge is going to be a baptism service. 19 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,800 We're also going to have a baptism service for those of you 20 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,120 in Kitchener. We're going to have one in 21 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,960 October as well. So if you have not yet been 22 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,640 baptized, just text the word baptism to our text number and 23 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,200 we will make sure that you get set up for our next baptism 24 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,680 service coming up in a couple of weeks. 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,640 All right, in honor of our friends from Heritage who are 26 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,200 here today, let me ask you this question. 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,480 How many of you would say you were really good students in 28 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,760 school? None of the Heritage students 29 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,280 raised their hands, which is kind of awesome right now. 30 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:41,040 I think some of us like we thrive when we're in school and 31 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,600 we're kind of, we just love sitting listening to somebody 32 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,960 teach us and lecture us and we just love, we're academic in 33 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:49,240 nature. We love, we feed off of the 34 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,160 academics of school. Others, others of us are like, 35 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,040 how fast can I get out of this classroom and just go and live 36 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,840 the real life? And we've learned by doing. 37 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,320 Some of us are wired to just do things and that's how we learn. 38 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:07,080 The truth is we need both. We we need both to be taught 39 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,960 what is right and the right way of doing things. 40 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,160 And we also need to get out there and experience some things 41 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,400 and learn by experience. Like for example, when you 42 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,160 learned how to drive, there is the classroom information that 43 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,120 you needed to get, which all of us hated sitting through. 44 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,400 All right, who's the one person that enjoyed driving school, 45 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,680 sitting in the classroom listening like all of us hated 46 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,040 guys like just let me get behind the wheel of a car and we all 47 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,400 think we know how to drive. We're given the information 48 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,160 about how to drive on slippery roads until the first time we 49 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:42,920 get out and drive on a slippery road. 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,160 And then we realized we didn't know as much as we thought we 51 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,240 knew. The first time for me was it 52 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,920 ended up in me rear ending the car in front of me, driving my 53 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:59,920 dad's car on his birthday with him sitting in the passenger 54 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,680 seat beside me. It was a tough way to learn how 55 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,600 to drive on slippery roads. One of the things I love about 56 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:16,000 the Christian life is that it is not merely God giving us a bunch 57 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,560 of information to know. It's not us sitting and 58 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,000 listening to a whole bunch of sermons and going to a whole 59 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,640 bunch of Bible studies, which are really important by the way. 60 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:27,120 We need the information of God's Word. 61 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,960 But the Christian life is always meant to be lived out. 62 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:36,120 It is a life that is not about an hour on Sunday morning, but 63 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:41,360 it is a way of life that we do 24 hours in a day, seven days in 64 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:46,440 a week, 365 days in a year. And so today we're going to 65 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:51,480 continue sitting at the feet of Jesus as he teaches us some 66 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,240 things, but then we're going to understand how he connects this 67 00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:00,320 to the real world, what he's looking for in our lives 68 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,040 tomorrow morning and maybe even today after church is done. 69 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,560 But before we do that, let me just remind you where we've been 70 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,320 the last couple of weeks. We started a couple of weeks ago 71 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:14,160 in this series reminding ourselves that the Christian 72 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,880 life is not primarily about what we do. 73 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,399 It is what Jesus has done. That Jesus went and died on the 74 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:25,160 cross for our sins so that we could be made right with God. 75 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,840 There's nothing you or I could ever do to make ourselves right 76 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:32,640 with God. Last week, though, we talked 77 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,400 about how that's not the end of the story. 78 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,400 That God's desire and design for our lives as humans and as 79 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,800 Christians, is that your life, my life, would be increasingly 80 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,000 fruitful. What that means is that our 81 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:51,440 lives are increasingly looking and sounding more and more like 82 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,400 Jesus over the course of our entire lifetime. 83 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,760 But fruitfulness, this idea of fruitfulness doesn't happen by 84 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,240 us working harder and saying, I'm going to manufacture 85 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,120 fruitfulness in my life. I'm going to prove to people 86 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,120 that I'm a Christian. Jesus says that you can only 87 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,640 bear fruit if you abide in Christ. 88 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,960 So we talked about how abiding is this love relationship. 89 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,720 It's a love relationship where we receive God's love for us. 90 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,680 We rest in His love for us, and then we turn it around and 91 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,920 express our love to God in return. 92 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,680 And that's what it means in part to abide in Christ. 93 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,600 Well, today we're going to continue working through this 94 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,880 teaching of Jesus about what it looks like to abide in him. 95 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,960 So open into John chapter 15, and I want to begin reading 96 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:46,480 where we left off last week. In verse 9, Jesus says as the 97 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,680 Father has loved me, I have also loved you. 98 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,120 Remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you 99 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,800 will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands 100 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,120 and remain in His love. I have told you these things so 101 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:07,200 that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 102 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:13,120 This is my command. Love one another as I have loved 103 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,240 you. No one has greater love than 104 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,840 this to lay down his life for his friends. 105 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,840 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 106 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,160 I do not call you servants anymore because a servant 107 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,200 doesn't know what his master is doing. 108 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,800 I've called you friends because I've made known to you 109 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,400 everything I have heard from my Father. 110 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,240 Here's the big idea I want us to keep in mind through the service 111 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,640 this morning. Abiding in Christ requires 112 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:48,280 loving one another the way that Jesus has loved you. 113 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,640 That abiding in Christ is not something that's limited to your 114 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,880 quiet times of praying and reading your Bible. 115 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,920 It's a real world, everyday decision to say I'm going to 116 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,400 live every part of my life in obedience to Jesus. 117 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,360 That's what Jesus says in these verses. 118 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,720 And now for Jesus, he's making that first connection of what 119 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,440 does it mean to live in real world everyday obedience to him 120 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:17,160 by saying it looks like loving one another. 121 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,640 There is quite often this disconnect with a lot of people 122 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,360 between loving God and loving one another. 123 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,960 We for some reason think of these as being in two completely 124 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:33,800 separate boxes in our life. We we have this inability to 125 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,440 kind of see them as being united as one command. 126 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:41,880 We, we treat them like, I can love God, but really be annoyed 127 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,000 with other people at the same time. 128 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,360 For, for example, if you've ever had an argument with your family 129 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,000 on the way to church, you know exactly what I'm talking about. 130 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,800 You could be upset, you could be frustrated. 131 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,600 You could be yelling at your kids because they're just not 132 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,440 behaving this morning. And then you walk in the doors 133 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,200 of church and the music starts playing and the pastor starts 134 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,800 preaching. You're like, Hallelujah, I love 135 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:13,160 you Jesus so much, right? And that's not loving God in 136 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:17,960 that moment. In the eyes of Jesus, there's 137 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:23,280 this direct connection and link between your love for him and 138 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,480 your love for one another. When Jesus was asked what is the 139 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,520 greatest commandment, he said the greatest command is you love 140 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,799 God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. 141 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:38,799 But then he said, the second is what like unto it that you love 142 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:44,000 your neighbor as yourself? When Jesus says love one 143 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,480 another, I want you to think about it this way. 144 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,920 Think about it in terms of family. 145 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:53,160 Think about it in terms of your family and our Christian family, 146 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,600 our brothers and sisters in Christ, because Jesus is 147 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,800 specifically talking about within Christian community. 148 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,960 Yeah, you can take this idea of loving one another and apply it 149 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,360 to all kinds of relationships, but he is specifically talking 150 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,520 about within the Christian family. 151 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:14,640 The Bible has about 59 commands to talk about one another's in 152 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,560 Scripture, and all of them refer to how we are to relate to each 153 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:24,000 other as Christians. And so in order to become 154 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:29,400 increasingly fruitful with your life, you have to love one 155 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:34,720 another, but not just in this generic sense of going, yeah, of 156 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:40,360 course I love everyone, not just in that generic sense, but at 157 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:44,640 the standard that Jesus has set that that's what he says, love 158 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:52,880 one another as I have loved you. And so in these verses, we're 159 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,640 going to see from Jesus three very specific ways that he's 160 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:01,160 displayed his love for you and what that means, what that looks 161 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,600 like in the ways that we are to love one another in the same 162 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:05,720 way. Here's the first one. 163 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,800 Loving one another means your desire is for the ultimate good 164 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:15,840 of the other person. In your heart of hearts, do you 165 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,400 really want what's best for the other person? 166 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,800 In verse 11, Jesus tells us that the reason he's saying 167 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,720 everything he's saying about abiding in Christ is that His 168 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:34,120 desire is for his joy to be in you and for your joy to be made 169 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,120 complete. He he has this motivation of why 170 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:41,680 He's wanting you to abide in him, because Jesus already knows 171 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:43,680 the joy of living a fruitful life. 172 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:47,920 He already knows all that he receives in being in unity with 173 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:52,360 God the Father, and He wants you to experience the exact same 174 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,960 thing. And I, I don't know if you've 175 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,920 ever thought about Jesus as being a happy person before. 176 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,600 I, I, I think most of us, we thought of Jesus as being kind 177 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,280 or gentle or caring. Maybe we thought of Jesus as 178 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:12,640 being bold and courageous. But I've not heard a lot of 179 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,160 Christians talk about the word happy when they talk about 180 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,720 Jesus. But what Jesus is saying here is 181 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,560 I want my happiness. I want my joy to flow into you. 182 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:27,680 That's my desire for you. In Hebrews chapter 1, we're told 183 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:31,520 that God has anointed Jesus with the oil of joy. 184 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:36,400 John Piper describes Jesus as the happiest being in the entire 185 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:41,640 universe, and I wonder how our view of Jesus would change. 186 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:48,440 If we view Jesus as being happy, I wonder how our view of being a 187 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:53,920 disciple of Jesus would change if we saw that abiding in Christ 188 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:59,040 means that Jesus wants to take his joy and have that flow into 189 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,880 our lives and overflow out of our lives so that we are happy 190 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:07,680 people. Everything that Jesus desires, 191 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,560 why he loves you is because it is for your good. 192 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:16,720 So think about, think about the people sitting around you today. 193 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,760 Think about the other Christian friends in your life. 194 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:26,000 Think about your own family or even your own marriage. 195 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,920 How often are you driven by the idea? 196 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,160 What would be the best thing for the other person? 197 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,800 I don't mean the casual, I mean always driven by the thought 198 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:47,040 what would be the best for them? Think about those times where 199 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:48,800 you get into a disagreement with someone. 200 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,400 How often when you're going to be honest before God? 201 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,800 How often when you're in a disagreement with someone, are 202 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,800 you really looking through the lens of what would be the best 203 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:04,000 thing for that person right now? Not very. 204 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,440 I don't do it very often. When I'm in a disagreement with 205 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,520 someone, it's usually like, I just want to prove you wrong. 206 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:14,760 I'm not always sitting there thinking about what is genuinely 207 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,360 the best thing for this other person. 208 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,160 When you're at church on Sunday, do you ever think about what 209 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,160 would be the best for the other people that are sitting around 210 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,480 me? Or is your primary interest? 211 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:34,240 What am I getting out of today? Now, because I love you and I'll 212 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,640 give you the benefit of the doubt, I think most of us do 213 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:38,880 have people in our lives that we go. 214 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,600 We genuinely want the best for that other person. 215 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,280 But this command to love one another is all-encompassing. 216 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,800 It's not like just for your little group of people. 217 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:54,480 It's an all-encompassing command that we are to have this desire 218 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,040 for every single person wanting the best for them. 219 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:01,760 Now here's what else we need to consider. 220 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,680 When Jesus desires your good, it's not the same thing as 221 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:11,280 agreeing with you on how you would define what would make you 222 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:17,280 happy. Like Jesus never showed up and 223 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,960 come to give every person what they felt was going to make them 224 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,760 happiest. He came to give them something 225 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:29,960 even better because he knew the joy that he was experiencing was 226 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,480 even better than whatever they were going looking for to give 227 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,560 them joy. And so he says, I want to give 228 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,720 you my joy. I want to give you my happiness 229 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:41,200 because it's better. Sometimes we're going to see 230 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:42,840 Jesus when we read through the Gospels. 231 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,000 We'll see Jesus showing up and giving people what they think 232 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,080 they need in the moment. But a lot of times you're also 233 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,640 going to see Jesus show up and he's going to teach people 234 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,480 something different than what they think is going to make them 235 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,760 happy. Sometimes He is there to 236 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,680 graciously care for you and provide for you in a moment, and 237 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:06,560 sometimes He's there to also correct you. 238 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:13,080 He is, as John chapter 1 says, filled with both grace and 239 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:17,600 truth. Jesus loves you enough to always 240 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,840 tell you the truth, not because He's out to get you, but because 241 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,320 His heart is that you would be able to experience the same joy 242 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,640 that He has. And I think this can be such a 243 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,760 lost part of what it really means to love one another 244 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,760 because all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, we lean 245 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:42,360 into grace or truth. We are naturally wired as people 246 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:46,360 to kind of like, I love to tell people truth or I'm a little bit 247 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,200 more gracious with things. Rarely are we filled with both. 248 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:55,040 Like some of us, some of you in this room, you are wired for 249 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:59,000 confrontation. There. 250 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,040 There are some of us who all we want to do is be angry and 251 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:03,520 challenge everybody all the time. 252 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,880 We always want to tell everybody else what they're doing wrong. 253 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,920 And if that's you, if you find yourself as being I am the truth 254 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,040 teller to always tell everybody else what they're doing wrong. 255 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,760 You need to check your heart and your motives and ask yourself 256 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:24,280 the question, do I really actually care about this person? 257 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:30,280 Do you really desire the best for the other person, or do you 258 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,720 just want to be right and get them to say that you're right? 259 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,280 Always remember that even when Jesus corrects his followers, 260 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,040 it's because his desire is for their joy. 261 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,680 Many of us are. We're wired the opposite way. 262 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,440 Like we hate any type of conflict or disagreement at all. 263 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,800 So all we do is we always give in to whatever the other person 264 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,120 thinks is going to make them happiest, whatever they want. 265 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,599 Imagine if we did that with kids all the time. 266 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,359 Like for those of you who are parents, imagine if every time 267 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:14,560 your kids said this is what I want, you said yes, dentists 268 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,200 would be far richer people than they already are because of all 269 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,920 the candy that would be eaten, right? 270 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,240 We all inherently know that we can't say yes to everything that 271 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:30,040 everybody wants. But sometimes because we're kind 272 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:33,240 and we're caring and we're compassionate, we just kind of 273 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,000 let everybody go along with the flow, even if it's actually bad 274 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,360 for them. If you really want the best for 275 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:42,640 another person, sometimes you have to speak up. 276 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,360 Loving one another is going to mean that your deepest desires 277 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:49,280 for the ultimate good of the other person. 278 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,680 Here's the second thing Jesus teaches us. 279 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,280 Loving one another means sacrificially serving others. 280 00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:00,160 Look at verse 13. Jesus says no one has greater 281 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:05,480 love than this, to lay down his life for his friends. 282 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,920 I want to give some context to where we find ourselves here in 283 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,400 John chapter 15. This is part of what is called 284 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,800 the Upper Room discourse. We're sitting in the middle of 285 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,720 the conversation that Jesus is having with his disciples the 286 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,360 night before he is about to be crucified. 287 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:27,160 For three years, every single day, this group of disciples, 288 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,520 this group of friends of Jesus had spent every single day with 289 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:32,440 him. They laughed together, they 290 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,280 cried together. They've seen miracles take 291 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,240 place. They've seen people's lives 292 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:42,840 change together. But nothing that they had 293 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,920 experienced to this point would compare to what was about to 294 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:52,200 happen in the next 24 hours. Tell me something. 295 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:59,040 What would you think about willingly getting arrested, 296 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,680 beaten up, spitted on? That's not a word. 297 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:15,360 Spitted, spat on, flogged, humiliated, and brutally 298 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,720 murdered for the sake of someone who's going to live 2000 years 299 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:26,200 later. I don't know any person who 300 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:31,480 thinks like that, but that's what Jesus did for you. 301 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:41,320 He willingly went to the cross, you and I. 302 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,840 We are sinners by nature and by choice. 303 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,280 And the Bible says every single human being is in that place and 304 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:51,800 we all deserve the judgment of God on our lives. 305 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:58,920 But it also says but Jesus. But Jesus lays down his life in 306 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,560 your place. Jesus takes the judgment that 307 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,200 you and I deserve. And why? 308 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,560 Because he loves you and He wants the very best for you. 309 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,520 He gives his life so you can have eternal life. 310 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,760 If you're here today and you don't know Jesus as Lord and 311 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:25,320 Savior of your life, I want to invite you to consider Jesus, to 312 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,800 consider that your life is not about how much you can do to be 313 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,040 made right with God, but it's what Jesus has done on a cross 314 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,720 to pay for your sins. And you can receive this gift of 315 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,200 eternal life by repenting of your sin and turning to Jesus 316 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:42,440 and putting your faith in him today for your salvation. 317 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,560 And for those of us who are already believers and followers 318 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:51,000 of Jesus, this kind of sacrificial living is what it 319 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,480 looks like to love one another. This is our standard. 320 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,640 One of the most subtle lies that's become normalized in 321 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,600 families, friendships, and churches is this. 322 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:13,160 Just do what's best for you. Because what we usually mean 323 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,040 when we say that is do whatever is going to make you feel most 324 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:22,560 comfortable and most safe. Imagine where you and I would be 325 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,560 today if Jesus just wanted to be safe and wasn't willing to die 326 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:31,640 for you. Like, let's get really practical 327 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,800 with this marriages. I know in a room this size with 328 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,600 this many people here in Cambridge and in Kitchener, I 329 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,120 know it is inevitable. Statistically, there's going to 330 00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:45,400 be marriages that are struggling and going through it right now. 331 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:53,680 And the Bible calls us to love one another as Christ has loved 332 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:54,760 us. So what does that look like? 333 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,640 Hey, man, it starts with you. It starts with me. 334 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:05,120 The calling on our lives as husbands is to love our wife 335 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:09,680 like Jesus loved the church. That's the standard, to live 336 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,440 with a sacrificial love for the sake of our wife. 337 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,280 Now, for every wife who's in the room who's saying yeah, give it 338 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:22,160 to them. Kirk, I want to remind you of 339 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,040 this. The command to love one another 340 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,240 holds for you, too. What does it look like for you 341 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,800 to love your husband with a sacrificial love? 342 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,360 For some of us, even not in marriage but in any type of 343 00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:43,240 relationship, loving each other sacrificially might mean 344 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,240 forgiving them for something that they've done to you. 345 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:52,440 Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness requires a sacrifice 346 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,400 because you're not able to get any retribution from the other 347 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,800 person when you forgive them, like you can't get anything back 348 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,400 from them. You're just forgiving them. 349 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:07,040 You're absorbing the full weight of the pain, but that's how 350 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:12,280 Jesus has loved you. Some of us, we're at the stage 351 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,000 of life with aging parents. Think about what does it mean to 352 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,760 sacrificially serve your parents? 353 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,920 There's a significant time and emotional investment that's 354 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,960 there. Why do we love each other this 355 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:27,480 way? It's not because the other 356 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,720 person always deserves it. It's because it's what Jesus did 357 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,400 for us even when we didn't deserve it. 358 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,280 Here's another one, volunteering at church. 359 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,000 There's a lot of people who buy into a mindset that says 360 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,360 something like this, Sure, sure, I'll help you out with something 361 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:51,320 and so you sign up. But there's always kind of this 362 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,680 little asterisk with I'll help you out with something. 363 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,440 It's a limitation. It has to fit my schedule. 364 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:04,240 So maybe I can squeeze in an hour or so once a month. 365 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:06,280 Maybe I can make that work for you. 366 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,520 It needs to be something that's not too far outside my comfort 367 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,160 zone because like my comfort is the 1st and most important 368 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:20,400 thing. I want to be really clear to 369 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,960 everyone here at Forward we, we don't ask people to volunteer 370 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,240 because as Christians, volunteering is not the way 371 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:34,360 things work. As Christians, we live more in a 372 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:39,520 conscription place. God has given every single 373 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,400 Christian gifts. First Corinthians chapter 12 374 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,600 tells us those gifts that have been given to you by God are 375 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,720 with the expectation of you using them to build up the body 376 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:54,280 of Christ. It is not something we volunteer 377 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:55,960 for. It is something we say yes to 378 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,920 Jesus about. We are called to be servants. 379 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:02,760 It's not optional for Christians. 380 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:07,000 One of the ways that we express our love and grow in our love 381 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,520 for one another is by being a part of a serve team here in our 382 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,600 church. And So what that means is that 383 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,920 for some of you, it's going to take up some of your time. 384 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,840 You might have to drop some other things so that you can 385 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:25,240 serve. Maybe. 386 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,040 Maybe you won't be able to watch 9 hours of football on a Sunday. 387 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,800 For some of us, it's going to mean getting uncomfortable 388 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,760 sometimes, that you're going to do things that make you push 389 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,440 yourself outside your comfort zone. 390 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,520 Sometimes you're going to end up getting close to people and 391 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,680 you're going to become emotionally invested in their 392 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:51,360 lives in a way that's going to feel heavy and hard and 393 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:53,560 difficult. And that's the reality of 394 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,680 sacrificially serving one another. 395 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,360 Now, as your pastor, I also need to say this. 396 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,400 Some of you are wired in such a way that you buy into 397 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,600 sacrificial serving to such a degree that you've maybe dropped 398 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,200 some other things that Jesus has commanded you to do. 399 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,640 You're not spending as much time with God. 400 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,960 You're not taking time to rest. So some of us, we need to like 401 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,920 slow down a little bit on the sacrificial side of serving and 402 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:27,880 some of us need to ramp it up. And only you and God know where 403 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,200 you're at on that. Here's the third thing that 404 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,880 Jesus teaches us about what it means to love one another. 405 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,400 Loving one another means being a friend who speaks the words of 406 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:42,040 God to others. When it comes to friendships, I 407 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:43,440 think most of us are looking for this. 408 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,080 We're looking for people we can have fun with, people we have 409 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,800 lots in common with, people that we can be honest with, who 410 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,360 support us in the tough times of life. 411 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,120 And those things are amazing and great, and they are gifts for 412 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:58,920 you. But I think quite often our 413 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,280 friendships and our relationships are missing one 414 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,800 piece of the puzzle that would take them to a whole other level 415 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,320 that would help us to love others the way that Jesus has 416 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:10,800 loved us. In verse 15, Jesus says this. 417 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:15,400 He says, I've called you friends because I have made known to you 418 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,000 everything I have heard from my Father. 419 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,200 Here's what Jesus is saying. I want to distinguish between 420 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:28,160 you being my slave and you being my friend that, that there is a 421 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:29,720 difference that is going on here. 422 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:33,640 He he could have, he could have just gone and said, this is the 423 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:35,120 command. Just do it. 424 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,160 Any parents in the room ever done that before, right? 425 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:42,520 Just do what I told you to do. And what Jesus is saying is 426 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,720 that's not how I approach this relationship. 427 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:49,160 I don't approach it from a just do this because I said So. 428 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,000 What he's saying is I'm coming alongside you and I'm calling 429 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:58,720 you friends now and I'm explaining to you the words of 430 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,280 God the Father. Everything that God's taught me, 431 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:05,000 I'm teaching you. And his whole point is, I'm not 432 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,800 only telling you what to do, but if you, if you walk with me, if 433 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,520 you pay attention to how we've walked together over these 434 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:15,440 years, you would see that I've been telling you and showing you 435 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:20,720 why these commands matter. The difference between being 436 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,120 Jesus, seeing you as slave and friend is not just that he gives 437 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,280 you a command, but he tells you the why and the heart behind the 438 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:31,760 commands that he's given. And then he says, I call you 439 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:37,520 friend. Jesus is committed to speaking 440 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:42,000 the words in the heart of the Father so that you and I can not 441 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,640 only understand what God wants, but we can understand why God 442 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:51,240 wants it. A friend talks about the words 443 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,840 of God to each other. Like, it's really easy to have 444 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:56,480 an opinion of what other people should do. 445 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,600 Most of us, to some degree, are experts in opinion. 446 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,280 It's a lot of fun sometimes to share your opinion with other 447 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,920 people. Like you know exactly where 448 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:09,120 other people are making their mistakes, you know exactly what 449 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,440 they've done wrong, and you've got a wonderful plan for how 450 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,640 they should correct it. And I'm sure that most of your 451 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:21,600 opinions are very logical, but I promise you, they don't begin to 452 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,160 touch what people really need to hear. 453 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:25,920 And that is they need to hear the words of God. 454 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:33,680 For the people that God brings into your life, you are given a 455 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:40,400 sacred trust to not only care for them, but to care for them 456 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,800 enough to speak God's words to them. 457 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:50,840 Not not as a weapon to get them, but out of a heart that really 458 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,920 wants the best for them. If you're a parent here today, 459 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:59,160 every single day your kids are bombarded with messages. 460 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:05,720 Will you love your kids enough to make sure that they are 461 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,680 taught everything that God has to say? 462 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,960 Many of us in this room, we have someone in our life who is 463 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,560 really struggling right now, really going through it. 464 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,800 Whether it's your spouse or a child or a friend or someone who 465 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:29,200 sits near you at church, you need to speak the words of God 466 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:36,200 over that person. I cannot begin to tell you how 467 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:41,480 many times when I am going through a rough spot in life. 468 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,840 It's amazing how many people have wonderful opinions about 469 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:52,720 what I should do. And it's amazing how life giving 470 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,320 it is when people say, hey, here's a Bible verse that just 471 00:30:55,320 --> 00:31:02,000 came to mind for you. Imagine if we were to like lower 472 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,040 the temperature on our opinions and increase the temperature and 473 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,720 how much we talked about what God has to say to each other. 474 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,880 How much more life will we be speaking into each other's 475 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:19,240 lives? That's what Jesus came to give. 476 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,880 He came to give us life, and you're only going to find it in 477 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,640 Him. As we think about all the ways 478 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:29,400 we're called to love one another, there's one thing 479 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,000 that's really clear. If we're going to grow and 480 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,560 loving one another, it's going to require being truly connected 481 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:40,760 to other people. Like it's very difficult to 482 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,080 really love each other if you don't ever spend any time 483 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,880 together, if you never talk to each other, if you're not 484 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:48,600 invested in the lives of other people. 485 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:52,000 It's really difficult. Like imagine if Jesus would have 486 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,760 just said, hey, I love you, trust me, I love you, but I 487 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,040 think I'm going to hang out in heaven instead of going down to 488 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,680 earth. But that's not what he does. 489 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,280 He willingly leaves heaven to come and live on this earth 490 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,960 amongst us as an expression of His love for us. 491 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,440 He left all the glories of heaven for you. 492 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,000 There's just something about being in the same space as other 493 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:24,680 people that's going to force you to really grow in understanding 494 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:28,000 what love looks like. Because the more that you 495 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,280 interact with other people, you're going to discover 496 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,280 something. Most of them don't think the 497 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:39,200 same way that you do. And the temptation in our 498 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:43,000 current culture is, I'm just going to walk away until I find 499 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,240 the people who do think the same way that I think about 500 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,240 everything. But guess what? 501 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,320 Most of us don't really think the way that Jesus does. 502 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:56,520 And he still loves you. That's the standard. 503 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,960 I, I can honestly tell you, I did not really begin to 504 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,600 understand what it meant to love one another until I got married. 505 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:07,960 There's just something about being in the same space with 506 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,520 another person day in and day out that you suddenly start to 507 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,400 discover, hey, we don't think the same way. 508 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,400 And we're going to have to figure out what it looks like to 509 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:21,600 love each other. And 31 years later, I'm a slow 510 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:22,960 learner. I'm still trying to figure it 511 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:29,520 out. Some people have some Christians 512 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:32,520 have this mindset. Hey, I've got my people. 513 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:38,280 And so we limit who we're going to love to the people who think 514 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:41,560 like us and like the same things that we like. 515 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,680 But that is only a small piece of loving one another. 516 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,800 That's called living inside the space of your social media 517 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:53,800 algorithm. Loving one another means loving 518 00:33:53,800 --> 00:34:01,160 everyone who is in the family. Over the last couple weeks 519 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:06,880 alone, I have watched things happen in our culture that 520 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:08,920 should never happen amongst Christians. 521 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:16,719 I have watched Christians calling each other names, 522 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:31,840 intentionally creating division in churches over politics, and I 523 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:37,320 am not going to stand up here and talk to you about right or 524 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:40,520 left in politics. What I am going to say is this. 525 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:48,320 For a Christian, the name of Jesus is the only name by which 526 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:54,560 this world can be saved. We cannot be rescued by any 527 00:34:54,560 --> 00:35:01,280 political party. And for us to ignore the command 528 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,880 to love one another so we can get our political opinions 529 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:13,160 across is wrong. And we if we have committed 530 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:15,520 that, we have to repent of that sin. 531 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:25,080 See, when Jesus died on the cross and he builds his church, 532 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:32,120 Jesus is creating an entirely different community in in a 533 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:36,720 world that has always been fractured, that always feels 534 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:38,840 like it's falling apart at the seams. 535 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,480 In a world where some people go, the divide is too great for us 536 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:49,560 to ever get on the same page. Jesus enters into the equation 537 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:51,560 and he becomes the great equalizer. 538 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:56,560 Jesus enters onto the scene and says, all of you, I don't care 539 00:35:56,560 --> 00:36:01,600 where you land on the political spectrum, you're all sinners and 540 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:06,840 you all need God's forgiveness. And at the foot of the cross, 541 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:11,800 we're all equal. And when Jesus dies on the cross 542 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,040 and he creates this new community, he sets the standard 543 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,360 for this new community called the church and says we are 544 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:23,040 called to love one another. That we're to be so different 545 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,480 than all the division that's in the rest of the world. 546 00:36:26,240 --> 00:36:29,000 That the rest of the world looks at us and says, what's up with 547 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:35,920 these people? Jesus says the world will know 548 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,200 that you are his disciples. How? 549 00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:44,120 By our love for one another. Our love for one another is what 550 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:49,120 is going to distinguish us and create a whole beautiful, 551 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,040 powerful new community that Jesus came to bring. 552 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:56,880 If you really believe that there is no other name by which this 553 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,600 world can be saved than Jesus, then you'll be far more 554 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,120 passionate about being obedient to Jesus than you will about any 555 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,840 other preference belief that you have. 556 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:18,360 If you're going to increasingly bear more fruit with your life, 557 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,880 it is going to require that you abide in Jesus. 558 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,640 And if you're going to abide in Jesus, it's going to require 559 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,680 being obedient to Jesus. And if you're going to be 560 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:34,120 obedient to Jesus, it's going to require that you love one 561 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:36,480 another. It's not optional. 562 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:39,600 Oswald Chambers puts it this way. 563 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:43,480 He says being a disciple means identifying yourself with God's 564 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:49,760 interests in other people. And as a church, we want to help 565 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:52,920 you live this out. So right now, for those who are 566 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,240 at Forward Kitchener, I'm going to turn this back over to Pastor 567 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:59,080 Steve and Kitchener to walk with you on how to live this out. 568 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:01,880 And right now, I want to invite some guests up onto the stage 569 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:04,560 with me. Zach and Jen Rickson and Curtis 570 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:07,160 Heaton are going to join me up here on stage. 571 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:09,480 If you guys could just welcome them as they join me. 572 00:38:17,100 --> 00:38:20,180 Thank you, Paige. And for those of you who are in 573 00:38:20,180 --> 00:38:23,500 the room here, could you pull a brochure that's in the seat 574 00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:28,040 around you? And that is something that we 575 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,640 use. We talk a lot about our mission 576 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:34,160 of making disciples of Jesus who love God, love others, and serve 577 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,320 the world. And there's a lot of activity 578 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,440 that happens here at our church, but there are some really 579 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:44,040 critical things that we need to put into practice in our life 580 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:46,600 that are the most important things for you to put into 581 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:48,320 practice in your life if you want to grow. 582 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,280 We talked last week about loving God. 583 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:52,640 And if you want to grow and loving others is what we're 584 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,000 going to talk about here today. So first of all, when it comes 585 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,680 to building your family, we have a number of different resources 586 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:01,920 available for you. I want to encourage you, if your 587 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:06,600 parents talk to Neil Moody, our children's ministry director, 588 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,640 talk to Brittany and Nate, our student ministries directors, 589 00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:12,560 they'd love to get you resources to help you with your families 590 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,360 and to be able to grow and loving each other at home. 591 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,400 But these three are here to talk about a couple of other ways for 592 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,640 us to live out what it means to love one another. 593 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:28,040 And Zach and Jen, how long have you guys been coming forward 594 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:29,920 now? It's been 4 years now. 595 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:31,800 Four years. So you came in during COVID? 596 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:34,080 We did in. A steak, Absolutely. 597 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:38,240 All right, that's good. I said the C word. 598 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:39,480 I probably shouldn't have said that. 599 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:46,520 And I know that when you came to the church, you jumped into a 600 00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:48,800 discipleship group fairly quickly. 601 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,360 What led you to jump in and join a discipleship group? 602 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,080 So we had always wanted to be part of that at our old church. 603 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,800 And when we moved to Cambridge for about four years, we were 604 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,240 still going to our old church and it was about a 45 minute 605 00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:06,720 drive away. And work schedules and in that 606 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:09,760 distance made it very difficult to join a group, even though we 607 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:12,440 we always wanted to. And so it was right in the 608 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:13,960 middle of COVID. I think it was probably the 609 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:16,160 second time we were here. We were. 610 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:18,960 Sitting at the back because we were new, right? 611 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:23,120 And everybody was still massed up and distanced and the service 612 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:27,600 ended and this this guy turns around and he says, what are you 613 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:32,600 doing the rest of the day? I said, watching football and 614 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:37,040 peeling off wallpaper. And that was Dave Van Weingart. 615 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:39,000 And about 20 minutes later we were in there. 616 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:42,080 We were in their group. And we've been been part of it 617 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:44,160 ever since. So that's amazing. 618 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:50,560 How has being part of a group helped you to really grow in 619 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:55,560 your love for others? Yeah, it's been very different 620 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,640 for both of us. One of us is very extroverted 621 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,480 and makes friends a little bit easier. 622 00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:06,240 We have very different gifts and I think that group really helped 623 00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:08,640 me see that. Well, we do have different 624 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:11,400 gifts. God has designed us for the same 625 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:16,920 thing, and we needed that close connection and the design of 626 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:20,360 group. We're not made to be an island 627 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:23,120 and we really needed that, both of us. 628 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:28,400 Yeah, that's amazing. I I know that when you are wired 629 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,600 differently can take a little bit time. 630 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:32,440 Were you hesitant at first to join a group? 631 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:37,160 I had about 10 reasons I could have spat out right away why it 632 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:41,000 wouldn't have worked. OK, All right, So what would you 633 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,480 guys say? Now, for anyone who's here who's 634 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,920 not in a discipleship group, why should they think about joining 635 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,600 one? I would say I wish I was wearing 636 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:52,600 Nikes or something because I'd say just do it. 637 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:59,000 And I would really, I would really encourage everybody to be 638 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,200 part of it. And I would really encourage 639 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:07,600 everyone not to say no. When God gives you what you 640 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:11,880 prayed for, it's not always going to be on the night that's 641 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,160 convenient for you. You know, you might have to rush 642 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:16,840 through dinner. You might have to get the kids 643 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:18,600 packed up. You might have to get a sitter. 644 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:23,000 It might not seem like something that's convenient. 645 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,160 I promise it's worth it. So when God gives it to you, I 646 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,200 think it's really incumbent upon all of us to not say, yeah, but 647 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,200 this, But what about those conditions I asked you for, 648 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:35,440 Lord? What about that perfect scenario 649 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:37,160 that I asked you to put together for me? 650 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:40,800 We prayed for it. God gave it to us, and we just 651 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:42,400 felt compelled to to jump right in. 652 00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,800 And I would encourage everybody, if you feel that that's a part 653 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,800 of your life that's missing and maybe you don't know it's 654 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:53,800 missing yet, we've been very, very blessed individually and as 655 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:56,160 a couple to be part of a group. And we'd encourage you to join 656 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:57,240 one as well. That's awesome. 657 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:00,480 Thanks. Also joined by Curtis Heaton 658 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:03,400 over here. And Curtis, you've been around 659 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:04,960 forward longer than Zach and Jen. 660 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:06,280 Do you remember how long have you been here? 661 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,360 14 years. 14 years. September. 662 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:10,040 Yeah. All right. 663 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:14,080 And you're a busy guy, you got a family and life is crazy and 664 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:17,080 hectic. And because you don't have 665 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:19,440 enough time with kids, you decide it would be a good idea 666 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:20,920 to start serving in kids ministry. 667 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:26,720 And could you just talk a little bit about like what leads a guy 668 00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:30,800 who has a very busy life, full life to say, yeah, I'll, I'll 669 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:34,800 serve in kids ministry. Yeah, well, you summarize it 670 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:37,760 well. My life is busy, I have 3 kids 671 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:41,160 and you'll probably see us running around in the sanctuary 672 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:43,640 after the service. We try to tire them out before 673 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:45,640 we get home for Sunday afternoon nap. 674 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:51,080 But yeah, I if it was up to me, I wouldn't have picked kids 675 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:54,480 ministry. But as you summarize well, Kirk, 676 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:57,600 this morning it was about walking in obedience to Jesus. 677 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:01,000 And I remember being in a season, it was about a year and 678 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,960 a half ago in my life where I was transitioning out of 1 area 679 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,440 service and looking for a way to get involved. 680 00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:10,760 And I prayed one of those dangerous prayers like Lord 681 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:12,880 direct me to where you want me to serve. 682 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:17,720 And I remember we were doing one of these ministry spotlights and 683 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:22,080 Deb Thompson was up here talking about how they needed guys to 684 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:25,680 serve in kids ministry in preteen specifically. 685 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:28,360 And I felt the Holy Spirit kind of nudged me. 686 00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:32,560 And I was like, that would be like pretty low on the list for 687 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:36,880 me. And then I'm thankful for my 688 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,000 wife because later on that day she was like, Hey, remember when 689 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:42,760 they talked about, you know, serving in preteen? 690 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:45,400 I felt like that would be a good fit for you. 691 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:51,520 I was like, OK, here we go. And it has been a real blessing. 692 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:55,360 And, and like I said, it was just walking in obedience. 693 00:44:56,320 --> 00:45:00,640 I think, you know, I like maybe lots of people looked at serving 694 00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:04,040 as like a little bit like a hobby, trying to find something 695 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:07,840 that I I enjoyed or might enjoy being involved in. 696 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:10,360 That's not the way we should look at it. 697 00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:14,600 We need to look at where are the needs and where is God calling 698 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:18,520 us to serve? How has serving kids men grown 699 00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:20,840 your love for others? I'm sure it's grown your 700 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:23,360 patience, but how has it grown your love for others? 701 00:45:24,720 --> 00:45:28,400 Yeah, God's giving me a lot of reasons to grow in patience in 702 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:30,360 my life. But one of the things that has 703 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:37,040 been so enjoyable has been just investing in kids, investing in 704 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:40,440 the younger generation. It has been such a joy. 705 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:43,880 It is. It's hard, it's hard work, it's 706 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:48,120 tough ground sometimes working the soil of of these kids 707 00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:52,040 hearts. Some of them are very energetic 708 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:56,880 and not the best of listeners, but you know what it has been. 709 00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:00,280 I've just seen God at work and there's something about 710 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:02,680 ministering to the heart of a child like we are. 711 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:06,720 We have such an opportunity raising up the next generation 712 00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:09,320 Kids are so they're just like sponges. 713 00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:13,280 They absorb so much. And so I've just been so blessed 714 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:18,600 seeing the little ways that God is showing up in in our ministry 715 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:22,080 and, and the love that I've experienced just in being able 716 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:24,720 to serve in that way has been so wonderful. 717 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:27,680 Yeah, that's amazing. Church. 718 00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:32,760 You can text the word group or text serve to our text line, and 719 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:35,440 you can get some more information on how you can get 720 00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:38,480 into a group or join a serve team. 721 00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:41,840 I'm going to ask the worship team to come on out here and 722 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:43,800 we're going to close in a moment. 723 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:46,040 I just want to say a couple of words, you guys. 724 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:58,110 Thank you for joining us. Church, would you stand please? 725 00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:08,440 We're going to sing, and as we sing this song, I want us to not 726 00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:12,600 just sing a song, but I want you to really reflect on how this 727 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:18,040 represents the way that Jesus has loved you and think about 728 00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:23,160 what does that mean for you today and tomorrow and the day 729 00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:26,360 after. And as a way of life to go, I 730 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:30,200 live to love others the way that Jesus has loved me. 731 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:33,920 Let's sing and reflect on what Jesus has done for us.