1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,440 That might chase some people out of the door. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,120 Sometimes it's because people don't want to be held 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,120 accountable for the way they live their lives if they call 4 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:11,960 themselves Christian, and so they might walk away as soon as 5 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:13,800 someone confronts them about their sin. 6 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,520 There are many reasons, but I'll tell you a sad truth is that 7 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,600 many people walk away because they feel burned by the church. 8 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,160 What I mean by this is they get hurt by people carrying the name 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:32,040 Christian, and sometimes the hurt is because of a lack of 10 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,160 care. They don't feel like the church 11 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:36,600 was there for them when they were in need. 12 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,600 And sometimes it comes from an act of hurt by something someone 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,520 did, probably in leadership, but possibly another member of the 14 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,640 church, and that has caused them to walk away. 15 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,200 Now, I'm not out here trying to start criticizing the church as 16 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,000 an organization. If anyone knows me, you know I 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,400 love the church and I love this part of it in particular. 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:05,200 But as a community of sinners, we do need to own and repent of 19 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:10,320 those times when we are responsible for hurting people 20 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:13,640 when it comes to relationships within the body of Christ. 21 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,360 But what really brought this to mind as I was preparing my talk 22 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:24,000 for today is that the big reason why people often walk away from 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:30,280 church communities is a lack of love, whether real or perceived. 24 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,080 Which is probably why those who walk away from the church are 25 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:39,480 often the most vocal in saying that the mark of the true church 26 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,720 is love. Love for the other. 27 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,920 As a church, we can pride ourselves on many things. 28 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,320 We can pride ourselves on being committed to biblical teaching, 29 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,640 to good theology. We might even take particular 30 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,520 pride in characteristics of our local expression of the church, 31 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,520 like how multicultural we are, how much our kids ministry is 32 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,800 thriving, how many service projects we have in our 33 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,639 community. And these are all good things 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,200 for a church to be doing. But how many of us look at 35 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,440 ourselves at the end of the day and say, wow, I've been doing 36 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:23,760 well at loving today? Love is one of those things that 37 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,360 can feel vague and a little hard to define. 38 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,640 Is it a feeling? Is it affection? 39 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,280 Is it acceptance or tolerance? Is it romance? 40 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,600 Is it passion? We don't always know what to 41 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,560 call love, but we do seem to notice when there's an absence 42 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,200 of it. And yet it is one of the most 43 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,760 foundational marks of the Christian faith. 44 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,600 Even Jesus tells us that it is the mark of the true disciple in 45 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,960 John 1335. He puts it this way. 46 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:03,720 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,240 one another. This is the mark of the 48 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,040 Christian. It's also the duty of every 49 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,880 believer because Paul says we should not have any debt 50 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,600 outstanding. The only thing we should owe 51 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,920 anyone is love, for whoever loves has fulfilled the law. 52 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,000 As a Christian, if we were to highlight one thing you ought to 53 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,120 be growing in, it would be love, which is what we're going to dig 54 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:33,840 deeper into God's Word about today. 55 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,360 But before we do that, I just want to pray for us. 56 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:42,960 Father God, thank you for who you are and thank you for how 57 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:47,040 you love us. As we look into your word today 58 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,360 and we ask questions about what it means to be marked by love, 59 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,200 we ask that your Spirit will lead us into your truth. 60 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,880 We pray that our hearts would be ready to receive your word and 61 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,480 that we would be. We would be ready to listen as 62 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,920 you teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us in what it 63 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:11,200 looks like to be your children. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 64 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,080 So today we're looking at the topic of love. 65 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,200 And for those who want to road map to know where I'm going, I'm 66 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:23,200 going to focus on three main ideas about love. 1st I'm going 67 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,160 to look at love as a fruit of the spirit. 68 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,960 Then I'm going to look at how our love is rooted in God's love 69 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,840 for us. And finally, I'm going to get a 70 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:36,960 little bit more practical and try to dig into some, dig a 71 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,440 little deeper into what love looks like. 72 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,240 So starting with love is a fruit of the Spirit. 73 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,440 Last Sunday, Eric spoke about what freedom in Christ looks 74 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:50,080 like. If you missed it, it's on 75 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,920 Spotify and Apple Music. But he showed us how we are free 76 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,600 from some things and free to some things. 77 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,320 We are free from the flesh, which wants what is contrary to 78 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:09,600 the Spirit, and we are free from the Law, which condemns us when 79 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:14,040 we fail to keep it. But we are also free too. 80 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,520 We are free to serve one another in love. 81 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,520 You see, when Israel was first given God's law, they repeatedly 82 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,840 made a habit of failing to keep it. 83 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:31,720 But that doesn't mean they didn't try. 84 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:36,280 In fact, some tried so hard that they added a whole system of 85 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:41,640 extra laws, very specific and detailed laws around the laws 86 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,880 that God had given them, kind of like a hedge, so that if you're 87 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,320 trying to keep these little ones, you don't have a chance of 88 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,280 breaking the big ones. All right? 89 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:53,280 So they're trying very hard, but in the process they got further 90 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:56,680 and further away from understanding why the laws were 91 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,160 given to them in the first place. 92 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,000 And we see evidence of this by the time Jesus comes in the way 93 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,120 that they keep conflicting with him over their understanding of 94 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,600 the law. In Matthew 22, when Jesus was 95 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,440 questioned by the Pharisees about which was the greatest 96 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,400 commandment out of all the Hebrew Scriptures, he didn't 97 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,320 choose a single one from the 10 commandments. 98 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:27,240 Instead he highlighted the two that were framed around love. 99 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,520 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your 100 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,400 soul and with all your mind. Now this is a a very well known 101 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:40,280 verse in Jewish culture because every child from an early age is 102 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,360 taught the scripture from Deuteronomy 6 called the Shema. 103 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:48,360 Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is 1 And 104 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,200 immediately after the Shema with just a little pause in between, 105 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,360 they would say what they call the Ahavta, which is this verse 106 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,440 and stresses the command to love this Lord your God with all your 107 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,160 heart and soul and strength. So it would have been a very 108 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:07,400 familiar commandment to all the fun is when Jesus comes and adds 109 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,920 a second that he says is like it or equal to it. 110 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,920 Love your neighbor as yourself. Now this one comes from 111 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:15,720 Leviticus. Now if any who's trying to read 112 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,600 Leviticus, just out of curiosity, it it can get a 113 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,800 little bogged down in it kind of because it's it's a lot. 114 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:27,400 It's a lot of little details and and laws that are given and the 115 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:31,280 chat, the verse that Jesus pulls out, at first glance, it seems 116 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:35,160 to be randomly sandwiched between commands about not 117 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,960 endangering your neighbour's life and rebuking your neighbor 118 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,640 instead of holding a grudge against them and silently, 119 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,440 secretly resenting them. And then other laws about 120 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:48,480 keeping God's decrees like don't mate two different kinds of 121 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,160 animals together and don't sow two different kinds of seeds in 122 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,040 the same field. All right. 123 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:59,160 So at first glance you might just skim over it, but it seems 124 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,600 to act as a kind of a summary or a conclusion because all the 125 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:07,080 verses that come before it are talking about how to be around 126 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,480 the people around you, how to be with your neighbor. 127 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,160 But look at how Jesus ties these two commandments that He 128 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,880 selected together in Matthew 22. In verse 40, He says all the law 129 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,440 and the prophets hang on these two commandments. 130 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,360 Now in Jewish thinking they they, they talked about the 131 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,440 sections of the Bible as the law, the prophets, the writings. 132 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:34,720 But the law and the prophets became a kind of shorthand to 133 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,440 refer to the entire Old Testament Scriptures. 134 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:43,799 And he's saying that all of the scriptures they have hang on 135 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:47,640 these two commandments. In other words, if you keep 136 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,160 these two by default, you should keep all the others. 137 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,400 But the laws were intended to be more than just a long list of 138 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,360 arbitrary rules for a people to be bound under. 139 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:07,160 They were meant to point to the character of God and to give 140 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:13,080 direction on His will for how to live best under Him. 141 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,280 By the time we get to the letter of Galatians, we see how God's 142 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,440 plan has reached its fulfilment in Christ. 143 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,400 And Christ now gives the gives the freedom from the law because 144 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:27,080 he has kept it perfectly where people fail. 145 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,720 But if Christ has set us free from the law, and we have the 146 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:38,040 Holy Spirit living in us, the heart of God, the same heart 147 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:43,600 that shaped those laws, should be shaping us, what we value and 148 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,240 how we live. And so while Paul is able to say 149 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:52,120 we are set free from the law, he also tells us to live according 150 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,640 to the Spirit. And he lists what this life and 151 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:56,960 according to the Spirit looks like. 152 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:03,480 In Galatians 522 to 23, the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, 153 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,240 peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 154 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,640 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no 155 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,680 law. So when you have the Spirit 156 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,040 increasing to grow, increasingly growing these characteristics 157 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,480 within you, there's no need for a law to bind you. 158 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,760 So it's a little surprise then, that the first fruit of the 159 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:31,040 Spirit listed is love, because love covers it all. 160 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:36,120 It covers the way we should relate to God and it covers the 161 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:40,280 way we should interact with each other, which is why Paul is able 162 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,880 to say we are free to serve one another in love. 163 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:49,040 In that text in Romans 13 about leaving no debt outstanding 164 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,440 except the debt to love, he explains, Paul explains how how 165 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,080 this works. You see the commandments, you 166 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,080 shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not 167 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,840 covet, and whatever other command they may be are all 168 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,520 summed up in this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself, 169 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:08,560 because love does no harm to a neighbor. 170 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:11,760 Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. 171 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:17,200 Though, I warn you. In fact, you may find that 172 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:22,560 trying to live by love is harder than trying to live by the law. 173 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,560 Have you ever read the Sermon on the Mount? 174 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,560 It is one thing to not murder someone. 175 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:32,640 I don't know if anyone in this room can say they've ever 176 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,480 murdered someone. Hope not, but it is a completely 177 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,360 other thing to not call your brother fool in anger. 178 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,520 It is quite another thing to love the person who has just 179 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,480 riled you up, or to not look down on someone and treat them 180 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,280 as though they are less worthy than you. 181 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:58,520 It is much easier not to commit adultery than it is to not 182 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,400 objectify another person and look at them with lust. 183 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:08,000 It is much easier to stay in your own lame and not actively 184 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:13,480 harm someone else than it is to do good to a person who sets 185 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:18,440 themselves against you to love even your enemy. 186 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:22,720 Now, if you're feeling just a smidge discouraged at this 187 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,640 point, it's probably a good place for me to remind you that 188 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,320 love isn't something you should be able to do out of the 189 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,200 goodness of your heart. We will fail. 190 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,720 The standard that Jesus sets is impossibly high, impossible for 191 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:41,160 us, not for Him. Which is why at its heart, we 192 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,920 need to recognize that love is a fruit of the Spirit. 193 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,400 It is the work of the Spirit in our lives. 194 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:52,000 This kind of love comes from a heart that is committed to 195 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,240 Christ Jesus as Lord and is devoted to Him and to knowing 196 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,160 Him better. It is only as we keep in step 197 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,400 with the Spirit and we get to know God's heart more and more 198 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:06,840 in His Word and submit ourselves to that Word through prayer and 199 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:11,560 obedience, that we begin to see more fruit, more love in our 200 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:15,200 lives. God will grow the love in us if 201 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,280 we are depending on Him to do it. 202 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,640 Our part is to align our hearts and our desires with God's 203 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,120 through pursuing that relationship with Him. 204 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:32,720 Because .2 our love is rooted in God's love for us. 205 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,360 Now, if you want to talk about love, we can't ignore that 206 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,280 lovely letter that John writes. You'll find it right near the 207 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,200 end of your Bibles, just almost before Revelation. 208 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,000 I want to read from 1 John chapter 4, verse 7 to 21. 209 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,760 If you have already zoned out this early in the talk, I highly 210 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:52,200 recommend shaking yourself awake. 211 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,440 Because when we let God's words speak directly to us, that's the 212 00:13:55,440 --> 00:14:03,040 best part, Dear friends, Let us love one another, for love comes 213 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,240 from God. Everyone who loves has been born 214 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:10,120 of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not 215 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:15,640 know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love 216 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:17,800 among us. He sent his one and only Son 217 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,680 into the world that we might live through him. 218 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,120 This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and 219 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:30,720 sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 220 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:35,360 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one 221 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:38,360 another. No one has ever seen God, but if 222 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,880 we love one another, God lives in US and His love is made 223 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,560 complete in US. This is how we know that we live 224 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:49,640 in Him and He in US. He has given us His Spirit and 225 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,960 we have seen and testified that the Father has sent His Son to 226 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,440 be Saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that 227 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,520 Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 228 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:04,280 And so we know and rely on the love that God has for us. 229 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:09,200 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in 230 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,400 God and God in them. This is how love is made 231 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,080 complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day 232 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,200 of judgment in this world. We are like Jesus. 233 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,520 There is No Fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear 234 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,640 because fear has to do with punishment. 235 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,440 The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 236 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,000 We love because He first loved us. 237 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,400 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a 238 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,640 liar. Whoever does not love their 239 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:39,600 brother and sister whom they have seen cannot love God, whom 240 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,400 they have not seen. And he has given us this 241 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:46,280 command. Anyone who loves God must also 242 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,320 love their brother and sister. Wow. 243 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,120 My daughter saw me preparing this and she actually stopped 244 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,480 and counted how many times the word love appears in there. 245 00:15:58,480 --> 00:15:59,960 I think it was something like 26. 246 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,920 And there is just so much in here that I imagine if we went 247 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,240 home right now and we just committed ourselves to reading 248 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,720 this text again and again for the next few days, we could 249 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,800 still get something different out of it every single day. 250 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,880 But I'm just going to pull a few things out from it for you. 251 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,520 First thing, the source of love is God and His love. 252 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:26,000 Verse 7 makes that connection directly between love and its 253 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,800 source. Love comes from God. 254 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,360 But then John goes a step further and adds in verse 8, 255 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:38,000 whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. 256 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:43,680 Love is so central to God's very identity that John is saying if 257 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:47,360 you know God, you will know how to love. 258 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,160 And if you don't know how to love, perhaps there's grounds 259 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,080 for questioning if you really know God. 260 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,640 And just in case you question the statement, John goes on to 261 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,200 give the greatest example of God's love. 262 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,200 This is how God showed his love among us. 263 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:11,920 He sent his only Son into the world that we might live through 264 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,960 him. And another example, this is 265 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,720 love. Not that we love God, but that 266 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:21,839 he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our 267 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:23,160 sins. So he's getting more and more 268 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,240 specific. John 316 says For God so loved 269 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,800 the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever 270 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:34,560 believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life 271 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,560 For God. So loved God showed his love 272 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:44,800 among us. This is love God sent Jesus. 273 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,440 We sang about Jesus so, so many times today. 274 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:55,680 This isn't is God's love. God gave his Son to die for us, 275 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,560 for you and me to die as that sacrifice needed to atone for 276 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:03,880 our sins. And all the times we have failed 277 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:09,280 to love God and failed to love our neighbors, He paid the price 278 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:15,320 for your sins and mine to give eternal life as a gift to 279 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:20,320 everyone who believes This is love. 280 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:27,360 Which is why I think the heroes in the stories we enjoy, whether 281 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:31,560 in books or on screens, or the heroes we admire in real life, 282 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:36,960 are often those who give of themselves sacrificially, who 283 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:41,840 risk it all to save others. Because I believe on some level 284 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,560 it resonates with us as an echo of the truth. 285 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:51,120 The truth about what love is. The kind of love that God 286 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:54,960 demonstrates for us. This is the kind of love our 287 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,520 hearts seem to intuitively long for. 288 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,880 We're craving for that love that gives itself up for us. 289 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:06,040 And that's exactly the kind of love that God himself shows in 290 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:14,080 sending Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins .2 Our love flows 291 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:19,560 from his love for us. So John goes on to explain that 292 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:23,920 because we experienced this love of God, the natural result 293 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,080 should be that we love each other. 294 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,160 He says since God so lived loved us, we ought to love one 295 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:34,720 another. Because God loved us this much. 296 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:39,360 Because God loved us in this way, we also should love one 297 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:42,920 another. And he goes on to say that if we 298 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,880 love one another, God lives in US and his love is made complete 299 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,640 in US. So our love for one another is 300 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:55,520 evidence of God living in us. Our love is evidence of the 301 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,760 Spirit at work in US. And now we're back at .1. 302 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,320 That love is the fruit of the Spirit. 303 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,440 Of course some would say that. Anyone can love. 304 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,160 You don't need to be a Christian. 305 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,200 We don't have exclusive rights on the word. 306 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:15,520 You will hear that out there. But perhaps the real test is, 307 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:20,160 can we love the people who are hard to love? 308 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,360 You see, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. 309 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,240 Let me give you a beautiful example of this love for enemy. 310 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:35,240 Corrie, 10 Boom, is a girl who survived being sent to a 311 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,320 concentration camp with her family after they had hidden the 312 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,760 Jews from the Nazis in World War 2. 313 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,320 And when she got out of the concentration camp, she created 314 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,280 a kind of retreat center where people who had been in 315 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,640 concentration camps could come and recover and recuperate. 316 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:58,440 And she travelled around telling about God's love as well, and 317 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,840 she tells the story about her experience of this love that 318 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,240 comes from God. She had been speaking on 319 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,560 forgiveness in a church in Munich when a man approached her 320 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,440 after the service, and she recognized him instantly as one 321 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,920 of the s s jailers, A cruel man who had tormented her and her 322 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,000 sister Betsy in the concentration camp. 323 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:24,240 And here he was, standing in front of her, asking her if she 324 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:29,360 could forgive him His hand. I'll put it in her words, what 325 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:33,200 she says about that moment. His hand was thrust out to shake 326 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:37,240 mine. And I, who had preached so often 327 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,840 to the people in Blumenthal about the need to forgive, kept 328 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:46,080 my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful 329 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,680 thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin in them. 330 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,480 Jesus Christ had died for this man. 331 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,120 Was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me 332 00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:01,680 and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile and I I 333 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,160 struggled to raise my hand, but I could not. 334 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:09,320 I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or 335 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,440 charity. And so again I breathed a silent 336 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:16,680 prayer and I prayed, Jesus forgive me, I cannot forgive 337 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,920 him. Give me your forgiveness. 338 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,120 As I took his hand, the most incredible thing happened. 339 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:31,200 From my shoulder, along my arm, and through my hand a current 340 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:35,320 seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a 341 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,720 love for the stranger that almost overwhelmed me. 342 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,840 And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more 343 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:48,800 than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on 344 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,520 His. When he tells us to love our 345 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:59,200 enemies, he gives us along with the command, the love itself. 346 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,280 So in this moment, Corey experienced the kind of love 347 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,480 that comes only from knowing God. 348 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:12,120 On her own, she couldn't do it. And we'd say she's justified, 349 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,640 completely justified when you've been through that. 350 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:19,400 But I think she's a great example of someone who did know 351 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,720 and rely on that love that God has for us. 352 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:28,480 And as a result, she experienced the love that was beyond her own 353 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,520 ability. And so we too should make every 354 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,680 effort to know and rely on that love that God has for us. 355 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,480 And in doing this, we'll begin to see it becoming complete in 356 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,600 US. The 17th. 357 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:47,440 This is how love is made complete among us so that we 358 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:51,200 will have confidence on the day of judgment in this world. 359 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:56,200 We are like Jesus. The goal of God's love being 360 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:01,080 completed in US is we become more and more like Christ. 361 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:07,560 God's love begins to be seen in US and through us as we begin 362 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:12,680 more and more to resemble Him. And thirdly, I want to prove our 363 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:18,000 point out that love for God is proved by your love for others. 364 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,600 OK, so the source of our love is God. 365 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,880 Our love flows from His love. The last thing I want to draw 366 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,600 from the passage is that our love proves our love for Him. 367 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,480 So I started this morning talking about people who've been 368 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,160 hurt by the church. The reality is that what often 369 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:43,440 hurts them is the hypocrisy of people who claim to love God, 370 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,640 but their actions don't seem to line up with it. 371 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,360 Now, I'm not saying that all of us will love perfectly on every 372 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:56,080 occasion and that we'll never hurt someone that way, because 373 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,360 we're all works in progress and God doesn't mature us instantly 374 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,240 on the day that we choose to follow Him. 375 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:07,600 Growing in faith and obedience takes time, but I don't want to 376 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,320 let us off the hook too quickly because these are pretty strong 377 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,240 words. Here in verse 20, whoever claims 378 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,640 to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. 379 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,240 For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they 380 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,640 have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 381 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,560 So if you claim to love God and you don't love someone in the 382 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,560 church, you are a liar. He's calling you on that. 383 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,400 He's calling me on that. That's a big statement. 384 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,280 Now, brother and sister sounds like it's talking within the 385 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,400 church in particular. But let's remember that you 386 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,560 might have brothers and sisters outside of this particular body 387 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,320 of the church that we don't recognize because we don't know 388 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:53,080 the hearts of every person we meet. 389 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,040 And if we want to go to picking and choosing and limiting who we 390 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,920 should love, we are sounding dangerously like that expert in 391 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:04,640 the law who stood up to test Jesus and asked who is my 392 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,600 neighbor and was answered with the story of the Good Samaritan. 393 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,040 He was asking relating to this command of love, your neighbor 394 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:18,920 as yourself who he should love. And Jesus answer, given the 395 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:24,480 cultural context was shocking. Not who you should love, but be 396 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:29,120 the one who loves the person that everyone else avoids. 397 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:35,080 Be the one who is willing to be inconvenienced in order to help 398 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,880 someone in need. Be the one who is willing to 399 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:43,800 invest your resources in the well-being of a perfect 400 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:48,120 stranger. This is what loving the other 401 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:52,400 should look like. As John points out in his 402 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,520 letter, if you can't even love a person you can see right in 403 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:59,440 front of you, how can you love God who you can't see? 404 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,520 And let's not forget that love is not just a feeling, because 405 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:05,920 we won't always feel good feelings and desires for 406 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,080 everyone we can see. It's a choice, it's an action. 407 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,800 It's the Samaritan stopping binding up the wounds of the 408 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:17,080 injured man, carrying him on his donkey, and paying the innkeeper 409 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:21,320 to care for his needs. It's Corrie 10 Boom, making a 410 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,160 choice to forgive someone that she had good reason to hate. 411 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,040 It is stopping to talk to a person in the street that 412 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,520 everyone is rushing past. It is staying late to help 413 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:40,960 someone fix the car. It is budgeting extra to buy 414 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,120 food for people who might be struggling. 415 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,200 There are so many ways to love others, but it's always a 416 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:52,000 choice. It's that costly love for others 417 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,920 that proves that we love God. And on that note, I want to move 418 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,760 into my final point. We've looked at how love is a 419 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,440 fruit of the Spirit, how our love is rooted in God's love. 420 00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:05,920 And finally, we're going to try and get a little bit more 421 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:10,000 practical and look more closely at what love looks like. 422 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,440 Now, obviously there is no exhaustive list. 423 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,560 God's Word is full of examples of what love looks like. 424 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,400 But Paul did put together a rather beautiful and I think 425 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,600 challenging text in his first letter to the Corinthian church 426 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,200 that lists some of the characteristics of love. 427 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,280 I don't want to spend too much time here, but I might. 428 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,720 But I'm going to 1st read directly from God's words. 429 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,960 So if you've dozed off yet, now's another good time to focus 430 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:43,360 so that you can see if God brings in to your mind and your 431 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,200 heart any of the qualities in this list that maybe he wants to 432 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,600 work on in you. I'm reading from 1 Corinthians 433 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,640 13 from verse 4 if you want to follow in your Bibles. 434 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,080 Love is patient. Love is kind. 435 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,520 It does not envy, it does not boast. 436 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:08,520 It is not proud. It does not dishonour others. 437 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:14,640 It is not self seeking. It is not easily angered. 438 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:22,320 It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, 439 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:29,360 but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always 440 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:33,080 trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 441 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:39,000 Love never fails. So Paul is talking here in the 442 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,080 context of the various spiritual gifts in the church, and his 443 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:45,960 conclusion there is that without love, all those gifts are 444 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,240 meaningless. Love is the foundation. 445 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,640 It gives meaning and purpose to everything else we do. 446 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,920 But let's look more closely at the part where he tells us what 447 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,880 love looks like. Love is patient. 448 00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:02,880 Love is kind. I'm sure we can all say we have 449 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,160 moments where we're we're patient, we're kind. 450 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,120 How patient and kind are you when your child is asking you 451 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:12,000 for the 20th time that day for the thing you've already said no 452 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,320 to every time before? Is it still there? 453 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,480 Or how easy is it to act in love when you're driving home after a 454 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,200 long day and someone carelessly cuts in front of you on the 455 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,840 highway? Yes, they won't hear what you're 456 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,040 going, what you say to them, but everyone else sitting in the car 457 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:36,080 will. Or how easy is it to act in love 458 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,840 when you're finished, you're rushing to finish your shopping 459 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,880 and get home, and someone stops you on your way across the 460 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:43,680 parking lot to ask for some money. 461 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,800 I'm not saying we should always have money on hand every time 462 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,600 someone asks, but do we answer with patience? 463 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:58,080 With kindness in our words? What do we act with impatience 464 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:03,120 and frustration? Do we recognize in every person 465 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:07,280 who interrupts our day that there is someone made in the 466 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:13,120 image of God? Love handles interruptions with 467 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,840 patience and treats the people we come across kindly. 468 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,080 Love does not envy. It does not boast. 469 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,640 It is not proud. Now these would easily fall 470 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:29,040 under what our day and time might call acceptable sins 471 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,400 because we live in a culture where envy is manufactured for 472 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:38,200 the purpose of marketing and pride and boasting are glorified 473 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,320 as part of finding and celebrating our true selves. 474 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,240 Now I'm not saying we should all go around hating ourselves. 475 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,720 I know how hard a low self esteem can break you down. 476 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,840 But what Paul says in Galatians 64 helps. 477 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,480 It says that each one of us should test their own actions. 478 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,760 They can take pride in themselves alone without 479 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,640 comparing themselves to someone else. 480 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,640 The comparison game is where the where the problems start, when 481 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,840 we start looking down on someone else to make ourselves feel 482 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,640 good. There's a story that Jesus tells 483 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,440 about a man, a Pharisee I think, who was standing in the in the 484 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,440 courts of the temple praying Lord, thank you that I am not a 485 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:25,920 Sinner like that man over there. That's the kind of pride that we 486 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:30,800 are warned against, seeing ourselves as better than others. 487 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:37,480 But also, when the focus is all on me, I can find it hard to 488 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,840 care about you, to celebrate your achievements. 489 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,840 Or here's a challenge. How easy is it to sacrifice for 490 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,200 someone else when it means that my goals might suffer? 491 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:54,520 I might not be able to keep up with the Jones, as if I can't 492 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,800 get this thing for myself. But here's someone God has put 493 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,040 in my path who needs what I have, right? 494 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:09,120 How easy is it to focus on the concerns of others rather than 495 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:12,600 to talk about yourself and your own perspective all the time? 496 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,720 It's hard. There's that famous saying 497 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,000 though about humility. And since love is not proud, I 498 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,320 think it's fair to say it about love too. 499 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:27,240 It's not about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of 500 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:33,160 yourself less. Love does not dishonor others. 501 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:37,440 It doesn't treat anyone like they are a lower class of person 502 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,920 than yourself. Instead, love treats everyone. 503 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:46,840 Whatever age, whatever race, whatever social status, whether 504 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,800 it's your boss or whether it's the person behind the till, when 505 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,640 you've been waiting for hours in the queue at Home Affairs or 506 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:54,640 whether it's some stranger on the street. 507 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,040 We have to treat them all with the same level of respect and 508 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:00,840 honour that we would like to receive. 509 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,640 It doesn't matter if the person is rude to you. 510 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,199 It doesn't matter if you're convinced that you are right and 511 00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:12,560 they are wrong. Love still honors that person 512 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:17,360 standing in front of you. Love is not self seeking. 513 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,600 When we are shaped by love, we are not looking to put ourselves 514 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,800 and our desires first. A self seeking person isn't 515 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,560 concerned about who gets trampled along the way as long 516 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:34,120 as they get what they want. But love says, wait, who's 517 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:40,520 around me that I can serve, Who's here today that I can 518 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:45,600 encourage, Who is around me that I can show love to? 519 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,120 Love is not easily angered. I'm sure some people struggle 520 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,639 with this one too, especially if you have young kids. 521 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:57,840 But love holds its temper in check. 522 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,480 Love does not burst out in anger, burning everything in its 523 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,800 path. Love is not ruled by fiery 524 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,360 emotions, but couples its feelings with wisdom and 525 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:13,600 self-control. But it's also more than that. 526 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:17,560 It's about how we see offence. If we're looking at the world 527 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:20,440 and other people as if they are here to serve us and our 528 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:24,440 desires, it's easy to see anything that gets in the way as 529 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,920 an offence to us. The driver cut me off. 530 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,120 It makes me angry the restaurant won't give me what I asked for. 531 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,240 I'm getting angry that person didn't do what I asked them to 532 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:38,560 do. I am angry. 533 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:44,280 But love would rather get curious instead, recognizing we 534 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:47,360 don't have the full picture of what's going on in the lives of 535 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:51,000 people around us. And love fills the gaps with 536 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,480 grace. That driver who cut me off? 537 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,560 Maybe they were in a hurry or distracted because of pressures 538 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:00,480 that someone else is putting on them. 539 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,600 That restaurant that wouldn't give me what I ordered. 540 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,400 Maybe there was a problem with the supplier, but I'm sure 541 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,560 they're doing the best they can. The person who didn't do the 542 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:17,560 thing I asked them to do, is it possible that maybe they have a 543 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,360 good reason why they couldn't get around to it? 544 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,720 Anger jumps in when we feel wronged, but love recognizes 545 00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:29,240 that the world is not black and white like that and so it 546 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:33,480 doesn't jump straight to offence, but waits For more 547 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:37,080 information and fills the gaps with grace. 548 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:44,400 Love keeps no record of wrongs. I think most of us would agree 549 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,120 that making a list of all the bad things another person has 550 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,200 done to you in the past is not a helpful way of building a 551 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:54,480 relationship. Jesus tells us to forgive. 70 * 552 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:58,040 7. Don't put a limit on your mercy 553 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:01,560 towards others. Love doesn't judge your present 554 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:04,360 actions in light of your past failures. 555 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,680 Love understands the power of God's grace because it's 556 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:13,920 experienced it. Love continues to hope for the 557 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:19,080 best in another. Love does not delight in evil, 558 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:22,560 but rejoices in truth. So here we have one that some 559 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,360 people might not like to hear. But love is discerning. 560 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,520 It isn't blind acceptance. It doesn't ignore sin. 561 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:34,840 It doesn't pretend everything is OK as long as you're sincere. 562 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,400 Love really wants what is best for others. 563 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,000 This is why parents put boundaries in place even if the 564 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,560 children don't understand or appreciate them. 565 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:50,120 So the child in their immaturity may lash out and say you don't 566 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:55,200 love me, but the parent continues to do what they 567 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:59,800 believe is in the best interests of their child, even when it 568 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:04,200 hurts. When a friend chooses a path 569 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,520 that leads to destruction, Love rebukes. 570 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,520 Love calls that person back to the truth. 571 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:13,160 Paul says in Galatians 6. When someone is caught in a sin, 572 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:16,440 you who live by the Spirit should restore that person 573 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,000 gently. Love says I care about you too 574 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,400 much to let you continue down that path. 575 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,640 Love doesn't give approval to sin. 576 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:33,480 Love always protects. It doesn't look down on weakness 577 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,360 or vulnerability. Instead, love actively works 578 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:41,360 towards the safety of others. Love guards against the harm of 579 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:46,640 the people around you. Love cares about the weak. 580 00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,840 Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 581 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,120 Now I'm just going to say up front, I don't think love always 582 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,080 trusts is a blanket statement that you should always trust 583 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,760 your partner, for instance, because coming into a 584 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:07,640 relationship like that, it opens the door to the possibility of 585 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,560 being manipulated and abused, hurt by someone else's sin. 586 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,400 Even Jesus didn't entrust himself to people because he 587 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:20,360 knew people. He understood our hearts. 588 00:39:20,720 --> 00:39:24,680 He understood our nature. But I think the trust here is 589 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,160 directed very specifically towards God. 590 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:33,080 We can trust God. We can trust God for the good of 591 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:37,800 the person we are loving. We can trust God to help that 592 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,520 person, but we shouldn't put our trust in that person 593 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,720 necessarily. You see, we've already seen that 594 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:48,240 our love is rooted in God's love to us, and our love flows out of 595 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:51,000 his love. So it's not a stretch to believe 596 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:55,000 that the object of our trust, which is another word for faith 597 00:39:55,120 --> 00:40:01,560 or belief, is God. God is the one who is 598 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:04,640 trustworthy, and love is rooted in faith. 599 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:09,200 Back in the context of Galatians when we see Paul was talking 600 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,760 about the false teachers insisting on circumcision. 601 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,560 He says in chapter 6, verse 6. For in Christ neither 602 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:18,720 circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. 603 00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:22,160 But here's the important thing. The only thing that counts is 604 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:28,240 faith expressing itself in love. So the trusting is trusting God. 605 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:34,200 Love flows from faith in what Christ has done for us, and it 606 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:37,680 is faith that allows us to trust God for the needs of the people 607 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:41,280 we care about. It is this faith that fuels our 608 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:46,160 hope for the best for those people around us, and it is this 609 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:50,840 faith that enables us to persevere even when it is 610 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:56,000 hardest to keep loving. It is this love that is able to 611 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,760 endure the hardships and do the hard work that it takes to serve 612 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:03,520 one another in love. And it is this kind of love, 613 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:08,520 this patient, kind, humble, self controlled, self giving, 614 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:14,480 hopeful, persevering kind of love that shines brightest in a 615 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:18,720 world where passion and romance and tolerance are confused as 616 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:23,600 the meaning of love. So what does love look like for 617 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,640 us? Now, I've said a lot of things 618 00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,160 about love, and in some ways I feel like I've barely scratched 619 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,520 the surface because God is love and His Word is all about Him 620 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:35,800 and full of truth about His love and how He wants us to live. 621 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,800 But I want to draw, try to draw just a few practical ideas for 622 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:44,280 us moving forward. First, I think we need to make a 623 00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:48,440 point of continuously returning to the source. 624 00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:52,480 Maybe you've heard it said that you can't love from an empty 625 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,520 cup. Well, today we've spoken a lot 626 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,800 about how our love comes from the Holy Spirit living in US and 627 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,640 from God, and that God and His love is the source of our love. 628 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:07,200 So we know where to go to get our cups filled up to 629 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:11,400 overflowing, right? We need to keep going back to 630 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:15,320 God. Also, if you happen to be 631 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:18,720 sitting here today and you realize that maybe you haven't 632 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:22,400 personally experienced or accepted that gift of God's love 633 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,520 for you, that's where you need to start. 634 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:28,040 You can't go out there and try to love better than that without 635 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,120 Him. You need to come to Him, ask Him 636 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:36,320 to forgive you and put your trust in Jesus and what He did 637 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:38,280 for you on that cross in Calvary. 638 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,120 And if you have any questions about a relationship with Him 639 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:46,320 and what does that look like, talk to someone and start that 640 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:51,080 journey towards Him because He promises to be found by any that 641 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:55,440 seek Him. But if we want to get better at 642 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:58,680 loving and as people who have experienced God's love in our 643 00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:02,680 lives, we should want that. We need to keep going back to 644 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:07,640 Him in faith, living our daily lives in dependence on Him, 645 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:12,760 keeping in step with the Spirit, pursuing the relationship that 646 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:17,440 God called us into, walking daily by faith. 647 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:22,680 Because as we learn to walk in dependence on Him, knowing and 648 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:26,240 relying on His love, we will grow in that love and find 649 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:32,920 ourselves able to love more the people around us and maybe even 650 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:37,480 maybe especially those that God has placed around you that are 651 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:42,000 hard to love. Second, to quote Paul in 652 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,800 Galatians 610, he says, therefore, as we have 653 00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,520 opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who 654 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:50,200 belong to the family of believers. 655 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:53,560 We need to live according to the Spirit. 656 00:43:53,720 --> 00:43:55,360 And that looks like loving our neighbors. 657 00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:58,800 We, we kind of should have that part by now looks like doing 658 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:03,800 good to all people, not just those who are like us, but all 659 00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:07,160 people. But Paul adds here, especially 660 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:10,400 to those who belong to the family of believers, when we 661 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:13,200 accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we're brought into a 662 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:15,800 family. And within this family, we need 663 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:19,880 to be making that effort to love each other, to bear one 664 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:23,080 another's burdens, to forgive one another, to be patient with 665 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:25,560 one another. All the one another's that you 666 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:28,240 find in God's Word, you need to practice here. 667 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:33,080 This is where we get to learn and practice love. 668 00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:36,520 See, love is a key trait in our family. 669 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:41,120 It shows the resemblance to God. It's something we inherit from 670 00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:42,960 our Father. But like children in any family, 671 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:47,200 it's also learned. It's here in the household of 672 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:50,040 God that we first get to practice what we are learning 673 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:51,960 before we live it out in the world outside. 674 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:56,920 But just in case you were still feeling discouraged because of 675 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,720 how hard it is to love like Jesus does, I want to conclude 676 00:45:00,720 --> 00:45:04,520 with two quotes from Mother Teresa who is a person that is 677 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:08,160 recognized by both Christians and non believers alike as 678 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:14,040 someone who embodied love. Do not think that love, in order 679 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:16,600 to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. 680 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:20,080 What we need is love without getting tired. 681 00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:24,840 Be faithful in the small things because it is in them that your 682 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:27,960 strength lies. The small things. 683 00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:32,360 Step out in faith and obedience to the Spirit's prompting, and 684 00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:36,560 God will grow the love. And the second quote I want to 685 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:39,440 share because it beautifully captures the nature of a loving 686 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:43,600 community. Also, Mother Teresa, I can do 687 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:47,720 things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. 688 00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:56,320 Together we can do great things. So let us try to be a space 689 00:45:57,160 --> 00:45:59,360 where love is shared in common ground. 690 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:02,760 Weinberg let U.S. Open up enough to the people 691 00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:06,280 around us that we actually can share our needs and carry each 692 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,280 other's burdens. A good place where this can 693 00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:12,600 happen is community groups or talking with someone in the 694 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,120 eldership team. But we should all be striving to 695 00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:20,840 be a safe space where people know they can be protected and 696 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:22,920 not hurt if they are vulnerable with us. 697 00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:27,120 Let us strive to be a community where no one is missed and no 698 00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:29,160 one walks away feeling uncared for. 699 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:32,760 Let us ask the questions of ourselves and prayerfully 700 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:36,880 consider the ways that we personally are being called to 701 00:46:36,880 --> 00:46:40,480 serve one another in love. Let us each find a place where 702 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:45,560 we can love as God has loved us, and together God will do great 703 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:49,080 things through US. Let us pray. 704 00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:58,360 Father God, thank you that you are love. 705 00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:04,160 We praise you for who you are and we are humbled by the way 706 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:08,400 that you loved us even when we were unworthy of your love. 707 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:17,640 Please help us to truly know and rely on your love and grow in us 708 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:22,840 by your spirit, the kind of love that will show others what you 709 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:26,800 were like. Help us to love each other well. 710 00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:30,320 In Jesus name we pray, Amen.