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Amen. 
Turn with me, please in your 

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Bible to 1st Thessalonians 
chapter 3. 

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We're going to read from verse 9
to the end. 

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First Thessalonians chapter 3, 
verse 9 to the end. 

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For those online, the words will
come up on the screen as we 

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often emphasise we're reading 
from the King James Bible, the 

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most faithful and reliable 
translation. 

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First Thessalonians, chapter 3, 
verse 9. 

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Let's hear the word of God. 
For what thanks can we render to

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God again for you, for all the 
joy wherewith we joy for your 

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sakes before our God night and 
day, praying exceedingly that we

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might see your fears and make 
perfect that which is lacking in

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your faith. 
Now God Himself and our Father 

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and our Lord Jesus Christ direct
our way unto you, and the Lord 

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make you to increase and abound 
and love one toward another and 

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toward all men, even as we do 
toward you to the end He may 

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establish your hearts 
unblameable in holiness before 

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God, even our Father, at the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 

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with all His Saints. 
Amen. 

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We know God will stamp with His 
own approval and blessing this 

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reading of His own precious and 
infallible Word. 

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Amen. 
Now my text today is taken from 

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First Thessalonians and chapter 
3, and we're reading from the 

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verse 12, First Thessalonians 
chapter 3, and in the verse 12. 

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And it says, and the Lord make 
you to increase and abound and 

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love one toward another and 
toward all men, even as we do 

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toward you. 
Now, if entitled Today's 

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Message, a prayer about loving 
One another, the apostle Paul, 

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under the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit, wrote 14 out of the

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27 books that make up the New 
Testament. 

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In many of them, he included a 
very personal, practical prayer 

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for the church to whom he was 
writing, and the Church of 

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Thessalonica is no exception. 
Many commentators cite First 

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Thessalonians 3, verses 9 to 13 
that I've read in your hearing 

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as Paul's prayer for the church 
at Thessalonica. 

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Now here, according to the 
context, Paul's prayer reveals A

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longing and a yearning to see 
the face of these believers 

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again in Thessalonica, even 
after they were driven out by 

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the angry mob. 
The language here reveals the 

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prayerful longing of a broken 
and a burdened pastor. 

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Paul is praying about getting 
back to Thessalonanka, to this 

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infant church that he founded 
under God. 

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Now we do know that God did 
answer Paul's prayer, but not 

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immediately, certainly not the 
day that he fled from 

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Thessalonanka. 
Remember, he was asked for his 

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own safety by the congregation 
to withdraw, fearing for his 

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life. 
And when he left Veselnanka, he 

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went to Berea and then on to 
Athens. 

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Remember, he's left alone at 
Athens. 

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Timothy and Silas come back to 
Thessalonica to see how things 

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were going. 
Paul moved on to Corinth, and it

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was from Corinth in the back of 
Timothy's great report that he 

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wrote this first letter known as
First Thessalonians. 

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And then some years later he did
return to Macedonia as part of 

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his third missionary journey. 
And we read in Acts chapter 19 

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and verse 21. 
After these things were ended, 

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Paul proposed in spirit, and he 
had passed through Macedonia and

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Akaya to go to Jerusalem, 
saying, after I have been there,

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I must also see Rome. 
Now what we can say was 

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certainty is this, that although
Paul desired to go back to 

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Thessalonica, he definitely did 
not go immediately after he fled

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the city. 
Notice what he says in 1st 

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Thessalonians 3 verse 11. 
Now God Himself and our Father 

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and our Lord Jesus Christ direct
our way unto you. 

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What a blessed truth The God of 
the Bible is not just the true 

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and the living God, not just 
your Creator and Maker, 

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sustainer and Provider, 
Redeemer, the righteous Lawgiver

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and final judge. 
He is also your Father. 

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Who are we? 
That's a good question. 

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Who are we spiritually? 
We are His adopted children, 

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adopted in the basis of free 
grace. 

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Remember what we read there in 
Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 

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1 and verse 5, having 
predestinated us unto the 

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adoption of children by Jesus 
Christ to Himself according to 

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the good pleasure of His will. 
And as His adopted children, we 

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have access to Him in prayer. 
We can approach Him, but we can 

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address Him as heavenly Father. 
In fact, He goes on to say in 

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Ephesians 1 and verse 6, to the 
praise of the glory of His 

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grace, where they have made us 
accepted in the Beloved. 

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And over there in Ephesians 
chapter 2 and in the verse 18, 

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this is what's written. 
Ephesians 2 And he obtained, for

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through him we both have access 
by 1 Spirit unto the Father. 

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What a unique privilege. 
We are the children of God by 

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faith in Jesus Christ. 
And it's only because of the 

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Lord Jesus Christ we have access
to the Father. 

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Let me illustrate. 
Think of King charts. 

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And I want to encourage you to 
pray for King charts. 

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I'll be writing to him now. 
I can't go and meet him. 

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That would not happen under 
normal circumstances. 

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But suppose I personally know 
Prince William. 

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Suppose Prince William and I are
good friends, I'm his friend and

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he is my friend. 
Then I would like to suppose 

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that on the basis of that 
friendship, on the basis of 

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Maine knowing the King's son, 
then through the son I could get

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access to the king on the throne
room. 

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Notice the word direct. 
What does that mean? 

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It means to guide. 
It means to lead in a right way.

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And here he looks to the Lord 
for permission. 

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He's asking for a right way to 
be made back to Thessalonanka. 

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He's looking for divine guidance
and help. 

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He's not presuming upon God. 
He prays to the Lord here for 

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the opening up of the way back 
to Thessalonanka in his 

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Providence. 
And then what follows is a 

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specific prayer for the church 
to increase and abound in love 

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one toward another. 
This is a prayer about the 

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church growing and developing in
love one toward another. 

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Three things this morning. 
Quickly one, the production of 

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true love toward one another. 
Notice the words in the text, 

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verse 12. 
And the Lord make you to 

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increase and abide. 
Underline the word Lord. 

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Think of the origin here of this
production. 

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Who makes you? 
And then the answer is the Lord.

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Now how does he do it? 
Romans 5 and five gives the 

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answer, because the love of God 
is shed to broaden our hearts by

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the Holy Ghost, which is given 
unto us. 

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Here's the answer. 
This spiritual love is provided 

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in our hearts, produced in our 
lives by the new birth. 

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John three and seven, marvel not
that I say unto thee, you must 

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be born again. 
It is produced in the soul of an

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individual born again of the 
Holy Spirit. 

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I put it to you, it's the work 
of the Holy Ghost to produce and

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create a spirit of love in our 
hearts, Love toward God and love

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toward man. 
It is not man made, it is not 

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something we can produce by 
ourselves. 

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It is not something that self 
manufacturers the love for God 

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we are called upon to show and 
display as created by God's Holy

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Spirit. 
Remember the call in Matthew. 

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Thou shall love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all

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thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great 

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commandment, and the second is 
like unto it. 

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Thou shall love thy neighbour as
thyself. 

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On these two commandments hang 
all the law, and all the 

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prophets. 
See twice in the Bible we read 

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these words. 
God is love. 

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Now let me ask the question, Who
can fully Plumb the depths of 

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that statement of truth? 
Who could scale the heights of 

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such a declaration? 
God is love. 

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Surely if a truth, it is too 
deep, too profound, too 

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wonderful to fully grasp and 
comprehend. 

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Anything that we love peels into
insignificance. 

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It is not really comparable. 
And yet God is love is a 

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wonderful truth according to 
second Peter one and four for 

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those in Christ and are born 
again. 

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We are made partakers of the 
divine nature. 

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What does that mean? 
It doesn't mean we become mini 

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gods or become gods. 
The essence of Deity is not to 

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be participated in by the 
creature, literally our takers 

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of the divine. 
Nature then means in the 

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likeness of being enabled to 
possess such spiritual qualities

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and graces. 
You see, we by grace are made 

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like God. 
God is love. 

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Therefore, in God we become 
love, because whosoever loves 

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has been born of God. 
God is truth, and we believe the

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truth. 
We buy the truth and sell it 

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not. 
We love what is true because God

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is truth. 
God is good, and He makes us 

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good by his grace. 
And you see the goodness that 

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even sinful man display as a 
tribute to God's common grace. 

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Even though we're sinful 
creatures, we can still do good 

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things. 
The licorice sweets teach us 

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that. 
I haven't time to go into it 

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this morning. 
That's a subject all by itself. 

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God is pure and holy. 
So in Christ he makes us pure 

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and holy. 
God is faithful. 

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And because we're in God by the 
new birth, we will display 

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faithfulness and fidelity toward
our God and in relationship to 

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others. 
See the Bible says if any man be

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in Christ, he's a new creature. 
All things have passed away and 

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all things have become new, and 
all things are of God over there

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in the book of Titus, in Titus 
chapter 3, we read this in verse

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3, Titus 3, and verse 3. 
For we ourselves also were 

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sometimes foolish, disobedient, 
deceived, serving divers loss 

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and pleasures, living in malice 
and envy, hateful and hating one

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another. 
But after that the kindness and 

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love of God our Saviour toward 
men appeared, not by works of 

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righteousness we have done, but 
according to His mercy. 

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He saved us by the washing of 
regeneration and renewing of the

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Holy Ghost, which He shed in US 
abundantly through Jesus Christ 

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our Saviour. 
Here's what we once were. 

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This is how we were lived before
we were converted, Titus says. 

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Now in Christ, because the love 
of God has appeared, we are 

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changed. 
We have been transformed by the 

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grace of God and the love of God
has been placed in our souls. 

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God has done a very gracious, 
wonderful work in our hearts. 

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This love has been produced by 
the Holy Ghost. 

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Therefore in Christ we love the 
Saviour. 

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We can sing Oh how I love Jesus.
In Christ we love the scriptures

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of truth. 
We can say, Oh how I love thy 

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law. 
In Christ we love the Sabbath 

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day, the one day and seven set 
aside for worship. 

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In Christ we love the sanctuary,
the meeting place of God's 

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people. 
In Christ we have a love for the

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Saints of God and the souls of 
man. 

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In Christ we love our sovereign 
God. 

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So I asked the question this 
morning, Are you born again of 

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the Holy Spirit? 
Do you know and love God? 

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Has God's love been shed abroad 
in your heart by the Holy Spirit

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in the production of this true 
love towards one another? 

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00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,200
Don't only just think of the 
origin here, but think of the 

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00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,880
operation. 
Notice the words go back to the 

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text verse Thessalonians 3 and 
12. 

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00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,600
And the Lord make you to what? 
To increase and abound in love. 

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We'll pause there. 
What does that mean? 

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Increasing abounding love? 
It means to grow and overflow. 

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It means to exceed and excel. 
And I believe that Paul's prayer

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was answered over there in First
Second Thessalonians chapter 1 

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00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,880
and verse 3 second letter he 
wrote. 

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He says We are bound to thank 
God always for you, brethren, as

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it is meet, because that your 
faith groweth exceedingly, and 

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the charity of everyone of you 
all toward each other aboundeth.

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The word charity is agape, which
means love. 

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You see, the principle of love 
produced in the soul by the Holy

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Spirit will, by the same spirit 
and grace, grow and overflow in 

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the life. 
That's true of the individual 

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Christian. 
That should be true of the 

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individual local church. 
Then that should be true of the 

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Church of God universal on 
earth. 

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Here's the proof. 
Here's the acid test of true 

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00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:59,080
spirituality. 
Our love for God, our love for 

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the things of God. 
And that love is growing, and 

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that love is overflowing. 
Literally, it spills over. 

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00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:11,560
Remember, every believer born of
the Spirit has the fruit of the 

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Spirit, not fruits, the fruit of
the Spirit. 

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The fruit of the Spirit is 
Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, 

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gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, temperance, against 

226
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such which there is no law. 
And every believer has to some 

227
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:33,040
degree all nine parts of the 
fruit of the Spirit. 

228
00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,960
We could better say all nine 
graces. 

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00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,280
He has all the fruit of the 
Spirit. 

230
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:47,360
And yet amazingly, out of all of
these 9 graces that's produced 

231
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,840
by the Spirit, that's called the
fruit of the Spirit. 

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00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,440
One of the most that's 
mentioned, especially in regard 

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00:16:54,440 --> 00:17:02,560
to prayer, is love, because 
that's what we need the most, 

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00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,000
and that love is to increase and
abound. 

235
00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:14,440
The word for love here is agape,
the same word that's used when 

236
00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,640
it's translated. 
God is love. 

237
00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,520
I'm well aware, and you are too,
that faith without works is 

238
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,200
dead. 
I'm well aware that faith 

239
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,160
worketh by love. 
What does that mean? 

240
00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:35,520
It means that your true faith is
evidenced by the works like 

241
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:41,000
Abraham's was, like Rahab's was.
It's not the ground of our 

242
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,640
salvation. 
It is the evidence. 

243
00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:49,480
And this true faith that's a 
gift of God that's planted in 

244
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:53,160
the soul. 
This true faith is real and 

245
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,080
genuine, and the reality and 
genuineness of our faith is 

246
00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,280
shown by your spirit of 
spiritual love. 

247
00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:04,600
The principle of love is active.
It is not static. 

248
00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:10,680
This principle of love produced 
in the soul grows and overflows.

249
00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,840
It has the capacity to increase 
and abound. 

250
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:20,920
Let me ask the question, in what
way is it increase and abound? 

251
00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:25,760
I want you to think secondly, 
the power of true love. 

252
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,560
Look at the text increasing 
abound and love one toward 

253
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,840
another. 
So there's a love for the 

254
00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,440
Saints. 
True Christians all over the 

255
00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:43,160
world will love one another. 
John 1334 says a new commandment

256
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,600
I give unto you. 
I get it exactly right. 

257
00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:58,920
John chapter 13 And in the verse
34, I read here a new 

258
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,120
commandment. 
I give unto you that you love 

259
00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,600
one another, as I have loved 
you, that you should also love 

260
00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:06,360
one another. 
By this shall all men know 

261
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:08,760
you're my disciples. 
If you have loved one to 

262
00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,640
another, notice the repetition 
one to another. 

263
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,240
This love is manufactured by the
Holy Spirit. 

264
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,680
This love is multiplied by the 
power of the Spirit. 

265
00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,720
This love is manifested by the 
power of the Spirit. 

266
00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,600
It's seen there's loads of one 
another's statements in the 

267
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,520
Bible. 
We're taught to encourage one 

268
00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,360
another. 
We're taught to pray one for 

269
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:34,280
another. 
But we're taught to serve one 

270
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,520
another, bear one another's 
burdens. 

271
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,120
We're taught to restore one 
another in a spurt of meekness. 

272
00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,600
We're taught to consider one 
another, to forgive one another.

273
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:49,160
Well, here's another one. 
We're to love one another. 

274
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,320
There's a story told about 
Samuel Rutherford ate one night.

275
00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:58,320
There was a caller came to the 
bounce over there in Anwarth and

276
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:03,280
Samuel Rutherford was out his 
Mrs Mrs Rutherford answered the 

277
00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,440
door and it was a man like an 
old trump. 

278
00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,720
And he asked for a bed for the 
night and he asked for some 

279
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:10,640
food. 
We'll see. 

280
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,360
Out of sympathy brought him in, 
put him at the table, gave him 

281
00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:17,640
some bread and, and, and some 
soup and talked to the man. 

282
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,400
And she thought, well, you know,
who is this fella? 

283
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,560
She said to him, Sir, how many 
commandments are there? 

284
00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:25,600
And he had to wet the soup 
laughing. 

285
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,920
Oh, he's a real stupid 
dunderhead. 

286
00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:31,920
Everybody knows there's 10, even
the children 11. 

287
00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,280
Oh, it must be a real heathen. 
So she put him in the spare room

288
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:37,880
and off the bed. 
Sammy Rutherford got up early 

289
00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,400
the next morning, about four or 
5:00, and whenever he get up, 

290
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,120
there was already a stirring in 
the guest room. 

291
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:46,520
He could hear a noise, but he 
didn't go in. 

292
00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,880
He sat at his breakfast and as 
he sitting at the breakfast the 

293
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,640
door opened and then come none 
other than Archbishop Usher from

294
00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,640
Armagh and they sat at the table
and they talked. 

295
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,560
They had breakfast and they 
would off to have their 

296
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,200
religious service in Anwarth. 
There's Mrs Rutherford sitting 

297
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,480
in the front row. 
She didn't know what had 

298
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,760
happened in the morning time. 
She didn't disturb her husband. 

299
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,440
Whenever she was sitting in the 
front row of the church, she 

300
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,880
looked up in the pulpit. 
And who was sitting up in the 

301
00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,960
pulpit but the stranger that she
had met the night before. 

302
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,800
And he got up and he said, my 
text today is John 13, verse 34.

303
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,160
A new commandment I give unto 
you, Mrs Rutherford. 

304
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,920
This is the 11th commandment. 
And of course everybody 

305
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,520
tethered. 
And they, they laughed. 

306
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,880
Why do we love one another very 
quickly? 

307
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,560
Because all true believers are 
bought with the same blood 

308
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,800
sacrifice, the sacrifice of 
Jesus Christ. 

309
00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:47,560
Husbands, love your wives. 
How? 

310
00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,760
Even as Christ loved the Church 
and gave Himself for it. 

311
00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:54,880
You see, He loves us all, 
regardless of your size or shape

312
00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:56,960
or your background to your 
station. 

313
00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,160
He loves us all the same, 
equally. 

314
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,760
He loves us everlastingly, 
freely, sacrificially, 

315
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:09,400
unconditionally, personally. 
Why He chose to and why do we 

316
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,440
love one another? 
Because all believers are bought

317
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,320
with the blood sacrifice of 
Christ. 

318
00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,360
All true believers are born of 
the same Spirit. 

319
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,320
All true believers are seen by 
the same Saviour. 

320
00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:27,640
Salvation is of the Lord. 
Salvation is by grace alone, 

321
00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:32,880
through faith alone and Christ 
alone as revealed in the Bible 

322
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,520
alone. 
All true believers are the 

323
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,600
children of God. 
We've been adopted into God's 

324
00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:43,320
family over there again in 
John's Gospel and John chapter 

325
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:48,280
1, and in the verse 12, we read 
these words, but as many as 

326
00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:50,920
received Him. 
That's Christ. 

327
00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,920
Do them give you power. 
That's the right, the authority 

328
00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:58,040
to become the sons of God, even 
to them would believe in His 

329
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,120
name which were born. 
Notice the connection not of 

330
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,000
blood, nor of the will of the 
flesh, nor of the will of man, 

331
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,920
but of God born from above, born
of God's Spirit. 

332
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:14,800
And all true believers belong to
the same body, the body of 

333
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,880
Christ. 
And we're all in union with 

334
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:22,320
Jesus Christ by the new birth. 
We're all indwelt by the same 

335
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,760
Spirit. 
Our bodies are not our own 

336
00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:27,560
because they've been bought with
a price. 

337
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:29,760
We're to glorify God with our 
bodies. 

338
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,040
Why do we love one another? 
Here's a fivefold answer. 

339
00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,760
Because of the blood sacrifice 
of Christ, because we're born of

340
00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,600
the same spirit, the same 
Saviour who had adopted into the

341
00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,160
same family, we've been placed 
in the same body. 

342
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,240
We are family, we are brothers 
and sisters. 

343
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,520
And there has to be a love for 
the Saints. 

344
00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,640
Very quickly. 
There's also a love for the 

345
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,280
souls of men. 
Notice again the text. 

346
00:23:55,880 --> 00:24:00,600
And towards all men. 
You see, that's a love for the 

347
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,440
lost, a love for the 
unconverted. 

348
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:08,040
And this love will extend to a 
lost, sinful world. 

349
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,960
There'll be the manifestation of
a soul winner's love. 

350
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,960
We should have a burden for the 
lost souls of men, you see. 

351
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:26,040
Think of the love of Andrew for 
his brother Peter, John 141 and 

352
00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,040
42. 
Think of the love of Philip for 

353
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,800
his friend Nathaniel John 1 and 
45. 

354
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:39,120
Think of the love of a woman for
her time, the woman of Samaria, 

355
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:45,720
John 439 and many believe 
because of the testimony of that

356
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,520
woman. 
Now here's a question, do we 

357
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:53,320
have a real love for souls? 
Remember the Bible says where 

358
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,800
there's no vision the people 
perish. 

359
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,880
Do we have a love for the souls 
of men and women that make up 

360
00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:02,880
the carried off community and 
beyond? 

361
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,960
You see if we have no love and 
if we have no desire to see soul

362
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,680
saved and no love for the lost 
to reach them with the Christ, 

363
00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:15,520
then there has to be a question 
mark if really the true love of 

364
00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,240
God is shed abroad in our 
hearts. 

365
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,720
It was Paul that said funny 
enough was saying this to a wee 

366
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,440
woman in Saintfield just the 
other day when I was out doing 

367
00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:28,640
some shopping. 
The love of Christ constrainteth

368
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,920
me, Paul said. 
You see, here's why Paul was 

369
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,680
doing it. 
Here was his mindset. 

370
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:42,320
Here was the manifestation of 
his love for the lost and his 

371
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,440
attempt to reach them with the 
gospel. 

372
00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,840
He was constrained by the love 
of Christ. 

373
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,720
We all have homes. 
We have family members and 

374
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,320
friends. 
We could all share a word of 

375
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,120
testimony. 
We can all give out a little 

376
00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:01,120
tract. 
You can make a phone call to 

377
00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:03,240
somebody who's in need or 
somebody who's sick. 

378
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:07,600
You could send them a card. 
You could give a personal visit.

379
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,000
And you could do it under the 
guise of being constrained by 

380
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:16,080
the love of Christ, a desire 
that they'll know God and that 

381
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,360
they love our Lord Jesus Christ 
and that they've come to worship

382
00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:21,280
him and that they will serve 
him. 

383
00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:29,400
See one day we will die and our 
life will be over and the chief 

384
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,440
question for all is where will 
the soul be? 

385
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:37,320
Job 14 and 10 man dieth and 
wasteth away and giveth up the 

386
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:38,640
ghost. 
And then he asked the question, 

387
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,440
where is he? 
Let's remember to pray for our 

388
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,120
family, our friends, our 
neighbourhood, our workplace, 

389
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,840
our school, our university, our 
country and we need to be busy. 

390
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,240
We need to make an attempt to 
reach out and pray that the Lord

391
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,520
gives you an opportunity to 
speak to 1's soul this incoming 

392
00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,280
week. 
There's also very quickly a love

393
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:02,360
for the servants of Christ. 
If you look again at the text 

394
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:08,360
that says even as we do toward 
you, you see this is a reference

395
00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:11,480
to Paul labouring and working in
the gospel. 

396
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:20,280
Paul's labour was a labour of 
service and sacrifice, and this 

397
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:26,160
labour of Paul's, this love that
he had, was deeply committed to 

398
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:30,800
Christ and to Christ's cause. 
And the love of God in our 

399
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,320
hearts is deeply dedicated to 
the good of Christ's church and 

400
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,000
earth. 
It's deeply committed to 

401
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,800
spiritual growth and maturity. 
This love is deeply sacrificial.

402
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:47,160
This love is seen especially in 
times of suffering and days of 

403
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,800
need and days of trials and 
troubles. 

404
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,440
Whenever individuals are in the 
furnace of affliction, then the 

405
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,840
love of the Saints is manifest. 
A love for souls is manifest, a 

406
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,560
love for the service of Christ. 
Why are you doing this? 

407
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:06,320
I'm doing it unto the Lord. 
See, this love is a display and 

408
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:10,760
proof of true spirituality. 
This love is deep and white. 

409
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,640
It's this love that grows deeper
and stronger. 

410
00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,720
Think of the little chorus. 
My cup's full and running over. 

411
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,200
What's it full and running over 
with? 

412
00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,880
It's running over with love 
because love is the greatest 

413
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,760
gift. 
The ocean of your heart is 

414
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,720
filling up with love. 
It's running over. 

415
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,920
This true, pure, holy love 
overflows. 

416
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,920
This is the love that Paul's 
praying about. 

417
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,280
This is the love that we must 
pray about. 

418
00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:42,400
And the greatest need is a 
prayer that we'll increase and 

419
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:46,360
abound in this love. 
This love is holy and hate sin. 

420
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:52,880
This love loves the truth. 
Let me ask the question. 

421
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:58,480
I've challenged my own heart. 
Is there a love for the St in my

422
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:03,400
heart? 
A love for the Sinner, A love 

423
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:09,320
for service of Christ, a love 
for the scriptures of truth. 

424
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:15,120
You see many churches today, and
I, I mean this many churches 

425
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,520
today, manifest no love for 
souls. 

426
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:24,640
And it's seen in that those 
churches are opposed to a truly 

427
00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:28,640
evangelistic ministry. 
They, they are opposed to the 

428
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,720
presentation clearly of the 
gospel. 

429
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:40,560
I want to say this, this kind of
love in the service of Christ 

430
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:45,920
will make us patient with 
others, Be patient with me. 

431
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,680
This kind of love will make us 
less boastful. 

432
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,000
This kind of love will make us 
less arrogant and less cutting. 

433
00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,480
You know, people can cut other 
people off. 

434
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:08,440
They can make snide remarks, but
this kind of love makes us less 

435
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,640
arrogant and culling makes us 
less full of pride, less self 

436
00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,120
seeking, less argumentative of 
how God's people love to argue 

437
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:22,400
one with another, less easily 
annoyed, less angry. 

438
00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:27,280
We all can get angry, can't we? 
We can sin even in our anger. 

439
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,880
This kind of love will make us 
more prayerful. 

440
00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,320
This kind of love will make us 
more Christ like. 

441
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:45,200
Will you ask this week that the 
Lord will help you to grow and 

442
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:50,760
abound in your love? 
A love for the Saints, the 

443
00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,160
souls, and the service of 
Christ. 

444
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,440
Did you do everything in your 
power for the advancement of 

445
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,320
Christchurch? 
One other thing and I'm 

446
00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:02,880
finishing the possession of true
love towards one another. 

447
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,520
Look at verse 13. 
We'll preach in this and then 

448
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,320
we'll just do 2 sermons in 
chapter 4 and then we'll go into

449
00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:11,800
chapter 5, First Thessalonians, 
chapter 3, verse 13. 

450
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,000
Look at this to the end. 
He may establish your hearts 

451
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,200
unblameable in holiness. 
In other words, here's the goal 

452
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,080
of it all. 
Here's why He prays that their 

453
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:28,040
love would grow in a bound. 
True love belongs to the subject

454
00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,280
of true holiness and 
sanctification. 

455
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,880
I never seen that before. 
I never seen it to the other 

456
00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:35,840
day. 
When does holiness and 

457
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,400
sanctification begin? 
It begins in the new birth. 

458
00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,920
Because once we're born again, 
the love of God is shed of 

459
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:48,000
brotherhood. 
The love of God is produced, the

460
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:52,360
love of God is powerfully 
displayed, the love of God is 

461
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,440
possessed. 
And here's the fullest and the 

462
00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:01,720
deepest demonstration of true 
love, that we're a godly people,

463
00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:05,480
that we're a holy people. 
Our motto was holding us on to 

464
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:08,160
the Lord, that we hate sin and 
love righteousness. 

465
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:12,760
See, the love of God motivates 
us to holiness. 

466
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:17,400
And how many people in Northern 
Ireland connected to the Church 

467
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:21,080
of the first born and tell us, 
oh, I love Jesus. 

468
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:28,800
And yet they have no desire or 
motivation to live a holy life 

469
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:32,240
unto God. 
There's something wrong. 

470
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:39,000
The goal of it all. 
The reason why he prayed was to 

471
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,120
the end. 
He may establish our hearts 

472
00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:46,120
unblameable in holies. 
That's the possession of true 

473
00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,000
love. 
Here's a prayer, loving one 

474
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,920
another, and I pray that the 
Lord will take these few 

475
00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,480
thoughts, stumbling and rambling
as they are, and the Lord will 

476
00:32:55,480 --> 00:33:00,800
bless them to your hearts today.
Thank you for coming, and I want

477
00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,640
to thank you most of all for 
listening. 

478
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:09,720
Let's all, including myself, 
pray for me that I'll apply the 

479
00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:11,480
Word of God to my heart.