A Loving Christian
Series: Walking in the Light
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 16th January 2021
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:29 Thank you.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 After the war, Mary received a long-awaited phone call from her son, Jack.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 Oh, baby, is everything okay? Are you still coming home next week?
00:00:42 --> 00:00:46 Yes, Mom, I'm in transit now, just waiting on a few more paperwork.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 I'll be home in a few weeks at the most.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 By the way, Mom, I have this buddy that fought with me.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 He had taken a nasty hit and will need some permanent care.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 I have invited him to stay with us.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 Oh, that would be nice to have your buddy for a few days.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 Is he from our town?
00:01:07 --> 00:01:13 No, Mom. I have invited him to stay as long as he likes so that he can be taken care of.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 Oh, what sort of care would he need?
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 How threatening were the injuries?
00:01:19 --> 00:01:24 I'm not sure how well I would cope with someone with a disability in the house.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 Don't the government have a department to look after them?
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 I would love to have something.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 I would love to do something for your buddy, but I'm not sure we are the best care for him, my love.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 But anyway, you come home first.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 We'll see.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 Okay, Mom, I'll be in touch.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 I can't wait to see you.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:44 Be home soon.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:44 I love you.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:45 I love you, Mom.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:52 After a week, there was a letter with a photo of Jack in the mailbox.
00:01:53 --> 00:02:00 He's in a wheelchair with one of his legs amputated and half his face deformed with an eyes missing.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:06 Mom, I'm in an excellent care home provided by the government.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 It's about a couple of hours' drive from home.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:15 I'm learning to drive, especially feed the car, and I will come by to visit as soon as my car is ready.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:28 We come to a challenging passage of the Bible, and I would say it's as challenging as Mary seeing her son Jack's photo for the first time after the war.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:36 However, it's about a topic that all Christians should know well and have experienced a lot.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 But also somehow struggle with a lot.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:49 It's a topic Jesus identified as the greatest commandment in the whole Bible.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:55 It's a mark of those who genuinely belong to Jesus.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 It's what signified a true Christian.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 It's a topic of love.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:08 Love is such an essential but often misunderstood subject.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 It often turns out to be utterly different from what we think it is.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:20 Maybe that's why John repeatedly repeats, like a broken record.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 I think not a lot of people know what that means.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 If you have the black broken record, it will just keep looping back to the same place.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:37 So he keeps looking back, looping back into the same line or same idea as he writes this letter of 1 John.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 Please keep the Bible open to 1 John.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:46 We'll be going through the chapter 3 and 4, but I'll refer some to the previous chapter as well.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:51 In 1 John 2, 5, John says,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:56 If anyone obeys God's word, love for God is truly made complete in them.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 And then in the same chapter in verse 9 to 10,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:05 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 and there is nothing in them that makes them stumble.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 And then in chapter 3, verse 1,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 See what great love the Father has lavish on us,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:31 And in our two passages today, the word love repeated more than 30 times.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 It's actually mentioned 34 times.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:41 Chapter 3, verse 16, and chapter 4, verse 9 to 10,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 It's almost the same.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 3, 16 says,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 This is how we know what love is.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Jesus Christ lays down his life for us.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 And then in chapter 4, verse 9,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 This is how God showed his love among us.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 He sent his one and only Son into the world,
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 that we might live through him.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 This is love.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:08 Not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 And in this two passages, it's repeatedly calling us to love one another.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:23 As the new year begins, we start on our new 5G plan to learn to be an authentic follower,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 an authentic disciple of Christ.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:31 Let's look into three areas that will help us start our journey well.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 I have three questions.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 Who or what is love?
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 Who do you live like?
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 And who do you love?
00:05:43 --> 00:05:47 When I start preparing this sermon by calling the first poem,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 What is love?
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 But then after reading the two passages over and over again,
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 especially from chapter 4, verse 7 to 8, and 10 and 16,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 I think I should call the first poem,
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 Who is love?
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 If you turn to chapter 4, verse 7, it reads,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 Dear friends, let us love one another,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 for love comes from God.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:21 Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 And then verse 10, this is love.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 Not that we love God, but that he loves us
00:06:29 --> 00:06:33 and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 And then verse 16,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 God is love.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:46 Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 Apostle John repeated God is love a few times
00:06:51 --> 00:06:56 and defined love as what God has done for us through Jesus
00:06:56 --> 00:07:02 in chapter 3, 16 and 4, 9 to 10, which I read out before.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 This identification and definition of love are very different
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 from how we categorize love in this world.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 Don Carson says,
00:07:13 --> 00:07:17 One of the chief ways we distort the biblical picture of God's love
00:07:17 --> 00:07:22 is when we purposely presuppose that love demands freedom.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:29 The world is saying love means no boundary, no restriction.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:34 We distort the ideas of if you love so-and-so, set them free,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:38 to mean if you love so-and-so, let them do what they want
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 and be what they want to be.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 If a boy wants to dress up like a girl,
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 or a girl wants to be a boy, let them be.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 If people want to start a relationship with the same sex,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 we shouldn't stop them.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 Some politicians go as far as proposing laws,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 including prison for up to 10 years,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 or heavy fines for anyone caught trying to suppress
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 or change someone's sexuality.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 The world puts up slogans saying,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 Love is freedom.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 Love is lust.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 This kind of thinking and slogan
00:08:14 --> 00:08:19 feeds into all the gender identity debate,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 gay and lesbian movement,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 the redefinition of marriage,
00:08:23 --> 00:08:27 and many other problems our world faces today.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 Humans are saying,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 Love is God.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 And motivated by my love,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 I should not be stopped.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 I should be allowed to choose or control my destination
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 and decision.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:47 We have a microscopic and distorted view of love
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 that is all about us, ourselves.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Very self-centered,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 self-serving,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 self-fulfilling,
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 self-glorifying,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 and self-honoring
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 kind of love.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 That is not true and authentic love at all.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 The kind of self-guided misconception of love
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 drives King,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 the person mentioned in the first passage,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 in chapter 3,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 to become upset
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 when his offering to God
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 was not as favorable as his brother.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 He harbored hatreds towards his brother
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 and ended up murdering him.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 Get rid of his competition for God's love.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 John reminded us
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 that love is from God
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 and God is love.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 Love cannot be found in this world without God
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 and cannot be defined in any human terms
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 or any human construction
00:09:46 --> 00:09:50 because love is not from this world.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 Same is true freedom.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:58 True love can only be found in the words of God,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 in the Bible,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 which recorded all that God says and does
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 to set us free truly.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 The Bible also shows us
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 what it costs God to do so.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:16 I've been reading a book by Jared Wilson
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 called Gospel Deeps.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 He says,
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 The Bible shows us
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 our God who is love,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 saying and doing all sorts of things,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 most our more sensitive souls
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 will not consider loving at all.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 We must remember that God's ocean and love
00:10:36 --> 00:10:40 occupies space in the perfect balance
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 of the infinite universe
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 of all his attributes.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 He is love, yes,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 but he is also just and jealous.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 In the Bible,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 we find the love of God
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 violates human freedoms
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 regularly and consistently.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 If there's one thing
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 any Bible figures can count on,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 besides that God loves them,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 it's that they're not in control
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 of their destiny.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 God has a plan for us
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 that awaits ours.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 Jared concludes that
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 the Bible picture of God's love
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 is much bigger,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:21 stranger,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 and more complex
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 than how humans can imagine it
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 or try to construct it
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 in humans' terms.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 Love is from God
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 and God is love.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 God sent his one and only son
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 into this world
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 as an atoning sacrifice
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 for our sins.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 God shows his love
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 by sending Jesus
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 to be among us.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 Love is Jesus Christ
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 laid down his life for us
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 so we might live through him.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 To live through Jesus
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 is to focus on this area
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 of his sacrificial love.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 Sacrificial love
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 refers to the offering
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 of oneself for others' benefit,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 often without any reward
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 in return.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 It's not natural
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 for a human
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 to be sacrificial in love
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 or other-centered
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 in how we live.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 God knows that,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 so he repeatedly
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 remind us
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 and command us
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 to do so.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 In chapter 3,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:29 verse 11,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 for this
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 is a message
00:12:32 --> 00:12:32 you heard
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 from the beginning.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 We should love
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 one another.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 And then verse 16,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 this is how we know
00:12:39 --> 00:12:39 what love is.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 Jesus Christ
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 laid down his life
00:12:42 --> 00:12:42 for us
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 and we ought to
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 lay down our life
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 for our brothers
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 and sisters.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:46 Jesus.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 Verse 23,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 and this is his command,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 to believe in the name
00:12:52 --> 00:12:52 of his Son,
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 Jesus Christ,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 and to love one another
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 as he commands us.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 And then in chapter 4,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 verse 11,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 dear friend,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 since God so loved us,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 we also ought to love
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 one another.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 And he has given us,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 and verse 21,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 and he has given us
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 this command,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 anyone who loves God
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 must also love
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 their brother and sisters.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 Jesus.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 Apart from all these commands,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 John also warned us
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 from chapter 3,
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 verse 14,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 that we know
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 that we have passed
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 from death
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 to life
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 because we love
00:13:28 --> 00:13:28 each other.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 Anyone who does not love
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 remains in death.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 What is
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 remain in death
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 means?
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 It means
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 we are separated
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 from our God
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 and others.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 it means
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 we stay
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 in our old life
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 and have not been
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 born again
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 in the kingdom
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 and family of God.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 It means
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 we are not
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 experiencing
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 the full intention
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 of what God
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 has made us to be
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 because God
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 made us
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 to glorify
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 and to enjoy
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 him forever.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 And the consequences
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 of not meeting up
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 to God's expectation,
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 of not completing
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 what God
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 has set out
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 for us to achieve
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 will be
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 the diminishing
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 in our confidence
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 before God
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 and we grow
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 in fear.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 And God
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 knows that as well.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 God knows
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 we feel this way too.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 So he tells us
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 from chapter 3,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27 verse 19,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 this is how we know
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 that we belong
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 to the truth
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 and how we set
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 our hearts
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 at rest
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 in his presence.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 If our heart
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 condemns us,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 we know that God
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 is greater
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 than our heart
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 and he knows
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 everything.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 God tells us
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 that he is
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 greater than our heart
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 and he knows
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 everything.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 He knows
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 we will fail him
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 and disobey him
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 and treat him
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 with hostility.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 But he still
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 addresses us
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 as friends,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 not as enemy.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 In verse 21,
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 chapter 3,
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 verse 21,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 dear friends,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 if our heart
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 do not condemn us,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 we have confidence
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 before God
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 and receive from him
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 anything we ask
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 because we keep
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 his commands
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 and do what
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 pleases him.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 The key
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 to have confidence
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 before God
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 is to keep
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 his commands
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 and do what
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 pleases him.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 God is encouraging
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 us to keep
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 our focus
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 on pleasing him
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 with everything
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 that we do
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 and how we live
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 our life.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 that is the key
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 to our confidence
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 before him.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 And then again
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 in chapter 4,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 verse 16 to 17,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 and so we know
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 and rely on
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 the love
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 that God
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 has for us.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 God is love.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 Whoever lives
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 in love
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 lives in God
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 and God
00:15:49 --> 00:15:49 in them.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 And this is how
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 love is made
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 complete among us
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 so that we will
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 have confidence
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 on the day
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 of the judgment.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 is in this world
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 we are like Jesus.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Jesus is our best
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 example of someone
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 who keeps God's
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 commands
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 and does everything
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 that pleases God.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 And more than an example,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 Jesus is our substitute
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 when coming to
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 fulfillment of God's
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 command,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of all God's
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 command,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 to be made
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 complete in the
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 love of God
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 and have confidence
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 before him
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 at any time,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 there's one question
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 we should keep
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 asking ourselves.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 Who am I like
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 in this world?
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 How do you speak?
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 How do you
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 entertain yourself?
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 Who do you like?
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 Do you like to build
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 your joy
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 on others' pain?
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 Do you enjoy
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 bantering
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 and picking
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 on others?
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 In how you
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 organize your
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 priority
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 in life?
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 What career
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 are you pursuing?
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 Where are you
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 sending your kids
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 to school?
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 In your
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 interaction
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 with others?
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 In how you
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 spend your
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 money,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 time,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 and energy?
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 It's all those
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 things that you
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 live out,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 living like Jesus.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 And particularly,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 in how you
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 love your
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 brothers and
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 sisters.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 In how you
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 deal with
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 conflict and
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 disagreement with
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 others in God's
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 family.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 How do you react
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 when someone
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 challenges you
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 or hurts you?
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 God knows that
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 it's not easy
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 for us to be
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 Christ-like
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 24 hours a day,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 seven days a week.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 And he knows
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 if he leaves us
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 alone
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 and does not
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 violate our freedom
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 to intervene,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 we will fail
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 and fail badly.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 So he
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 reminds us
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 twice,
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 from chapter
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 3, 24
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 and chapter
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 4, 12
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 to 13,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 that we
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 are not
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 alone.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 Chapter
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 3, 24,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 the one who
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 keeps God's
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 command lives
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 in him
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 and he
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 in them.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 And this is
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 how we know
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 that he
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 lives in us.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 We know it
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 by the spirit
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 he gives us.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 And chapter
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 4, verse 12
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 to 13,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 No one
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 has ever
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 seen God
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 but if we
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 love one
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 another,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 God lives
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 in us
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 and his
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 love is
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 made complete
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 in us.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 This is how
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 we know
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 that we
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 live in him
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 and he
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 in us.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 He has
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 given us
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 his spirit.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 God has
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 given us
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 his spirit
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 to ensure
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 we remain
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 and live
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 in him,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 to follow
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 Jesus
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 and to
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 lift out
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 his command
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 in our
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 life.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 The
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 Father,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 Son,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 and the
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 Holy Spirit
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 all work
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 together
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 to ensure
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 we stay
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 within God's
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 love.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 So the
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 question
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 remaining
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 is,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 who do
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 you love?
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 We have
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 been told
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 repeatedly
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 from today's
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 passages
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 that God
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 is love
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 and he has
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 demonstrated
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 his love
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 for us
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 by sending
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 Jesus,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 his only
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 son,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 to atone
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 our sins.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 in
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 response,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 we should
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 and ought
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 to love
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 one
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and the
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 other
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 by laying
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 down
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 our
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 life
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 for our
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 brothers
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 and
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 sisters.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 Chapter
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 4,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 verse 20
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 says,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 by loving
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 one another,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 we get
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 to know
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 God
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 and see
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 God.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 Whoever
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 claims
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 to love
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 God
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 yet hates
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 a brother
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 or sister
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 is a liar.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 For whoever
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 does not
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 love their
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 brothers and
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 sisters
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 whom they
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 have seen
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 cannot love
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 God
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 whom they
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 have not
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 seen.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 Our
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 relationship
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 with
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 others
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 reflects
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 our
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 experience
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 with
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 God
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 yet
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 to also
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 affect
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 our
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 experience
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 with
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 God.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 Tony
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 Evans'
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 book,
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 Horizontal
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 Jesus,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 also used
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 this line
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 as his
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 subtitle,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 our
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 relationship
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 with others
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 affects
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 our
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 experience
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 with
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 God.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 He
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 has
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 written
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 this
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 book
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 to explain
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 the
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 correlation
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 between
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 our
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 relationship
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 with
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 others
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 and
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 our
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 relationship
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 with
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 God.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 He
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 shares
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 that
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 outside
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 Christ
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 the
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 King
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 Church
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 in
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 San
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 Diego,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 there
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 is a
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 statue
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 of
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 Jesus
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 with
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 both
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 hands
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 missing.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 Friend
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 was broke
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 off in
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 the mid
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 1980s.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 Rather
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 have the
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 statue
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 repaired,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 the
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 pastor
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 chose
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 to put
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 a
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 plaque
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 at the
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 base
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 of
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 it
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 that
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 reads,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 I
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 have
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 no
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 hands
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 but
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 yours.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 This
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 plaque
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 declared
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 that
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 because
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 Jesus
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 has
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 ascended
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 to
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 his
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 rightful
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 place
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 in
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 heaven
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 and
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 is
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 not
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 physically
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 present
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 on
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 earth,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 we,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 his
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 body,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 are to
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 be his
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 hands
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 to one
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 another.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 We
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 are to
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 be his
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 feet
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 to one
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 another.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 We
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 are to
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 offer
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 his
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 love
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 and
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 assistance
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 to one
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 another.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 We
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 are to
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 live out
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 our
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 horizontal
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 relationship
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 with one
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 another in
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 light of
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 our vertical
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 relationship
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 with Christ.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 We
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 are to
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 be the
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 manifestation
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 of Jesus
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 to one
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 another.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 That is
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 our ultimate
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 calling as
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 his
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 disciples.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 That is
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 our highest
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 aim and
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 the most
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 authentic
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 reflection
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 of the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 two
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 greatest
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 commandments
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 identified
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 by Jesus
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 to command
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 to love
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 God
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 and love
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 our
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 neighbors.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 The
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 believer's
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 responsibility
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 to show
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 Christ's
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 life
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 sacrificial
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 love to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 others
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 is not
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 optional.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 God
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 commands it
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 as a way
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 of displaying
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 his love
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to the
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 world.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 When it
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 comes to
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 love,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 it's a
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 full-body
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 exercise.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 It requires
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 our head
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 to decide
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 to love,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 our heart
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 to be
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 motivated by
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 God's
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 spirit to
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 love.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 It requires
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 us to
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 open up
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 our eyes
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 and hear
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 to notice
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 others'
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 needs and
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 move our
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 hands and
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 feet to
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 take action
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 to meet
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 those needs,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 to show
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 God's love
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 to the
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 world.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 John
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 reminded us
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 in chapter
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 3, 16
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 to 18
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 that this
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 is how we
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 know what
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 love is.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 Jesus Christ
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 laid down
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 his life
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 for us
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 and we
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 ought to
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 lay down
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 our lives
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 for our
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 brothers and
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 sisters.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 If anyone
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 has material
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 possession
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 and sees
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 a brother
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 or sister
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 in need
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 but has
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 no pity
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 on them,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 how can
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 the love
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 of God
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 be in
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 that person?
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 Be
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 children,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 lest not
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 love with
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 words or
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 speech,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 but with
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 actions
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 and in
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 truth.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 Love
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 is not
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 an abstract
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 concept.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 It
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 concerns
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 the
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 outworking
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 of the
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 believer's
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 faith in
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 ordinary
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 day-to-day
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 interaction
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 with others.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 The love
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 that God
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 wants us
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 to exhibit
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 is not
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 any random
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 act of
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 kindness
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 that make
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 us feel
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 good about
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 ourselves.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 It's a
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 kind of
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 love that
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 we need
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 to decide
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 whether we
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 put other
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 person's
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 needs above
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 our comfort
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 as we do
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 it to
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 glorify and
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 honor God.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 God
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 remember
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 Mary and
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 her son
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 at the
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 beginning of
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 this sermon.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 I'm like
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 Mary when
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 I come to
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 loving God
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 and others.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 There are a
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 lot of
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 calculation
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 going on
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 in my
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 mind.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 Can I
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 do it
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 well?
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 Because I
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 don't want
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 to be seen
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 as someone
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 that starts
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 something that
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 I can't
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 complete.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 What will
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 I get in
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 return if
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 I make
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 myself
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 vulnerable
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 in this
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 situation?
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 What if
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 the other
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 person does
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 not love
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 me back?
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 Will I
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 be
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 short
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 changed?
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 Are they
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 all going
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 end up
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 hating me?
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 Or what
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 if the
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 other person
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 becomes so
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 attached to
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 me that
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 I lose
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 my freedom
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and I
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 can't keep
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 up with
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 their demands?
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 All these
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 questions
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 are telling me
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 and us
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 that we
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 love ourselves
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 more.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 Instead of
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 God,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 we listen
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 to ourselves.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 We have
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 not tapped
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 into the
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 fountain of
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 love,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 our living
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 God.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 I know
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 the right
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 answer to
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 the question,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 who do
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 you love?
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 And I
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 know also
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 the real
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 answer to
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 that question
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 is, I
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 love myself
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 and we
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 love ourselves,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 not God
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 or others.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 When I
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 come to
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 the topic
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 of love,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 what is
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 the initial
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 emotional
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 reaction that
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 whirls up
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 deep in
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 you?
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 Are you
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 glad that
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 God knows
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 you and
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 has given
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 his spirit
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 our assurance
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 and helper
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 to fulfill
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 his commands
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 and keep us
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 in him?
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 In this
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 world,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 are you
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 like Jesus?
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 Or will
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 you be
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 found wanting
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 when it
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 comes to
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 magnifying
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 Jesus to
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 one another?
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 God
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 knows where
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 we are at.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 he knows
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 we are
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 like a
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 wounded
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 soldier,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 handicapped
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 regarding
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 loving him
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 and others.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 He made
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 the best
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 arrangement
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 for us
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 to heal
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 and learn
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 how to
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 love by
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 sending
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 his son,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 Jesus.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 Jesus
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 said,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 all things
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 have been
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 committed
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 to me
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 by my
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 father.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 No one
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 knows a
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 son except
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 the father
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 and no one
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 knows a
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 father except
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 the son
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 and those
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 to whom
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 he chooses
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 to refill
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 him.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 Come to
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 me,
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 all you
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 who are
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 weary and
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 burdened,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 and I
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 will give
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 you rest.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 Take my
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 yoke upon
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 you and
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 learn from
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 me,
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 for I am
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 gentle and
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 humble in
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 heart,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 and you
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 will find
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 rest for
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 your soul,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 for my
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 yoke is
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 easy,
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 my burden
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 is light.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 Today is a
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 day for you
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 to come to
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 Jesus and
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 be united
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 with God,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 and God
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 will give
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 you rest
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 and his
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 spirit to
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 help you
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 love those
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 you can
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 see,
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 and so
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 that you
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 are genuinely
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 following him.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 And as you
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 experience God's
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 love for you,
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 we are called
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 to go and
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 show this world
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 God's love for
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 them with the
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 help of his
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 spirit, to
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 love with
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 action and
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 in truth.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:57 set
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 and
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 let's
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 create—