Moore College Mission Brett Hall
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 23rd March 2013
Passage: 1 John 4:1-21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Good morning. Let me pray.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 We thank you, Heavenly Father, for your word to us,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 that it is powerful, powerful to change lives.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:15 And so we ask that you would give us hearts to receive it,
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 our ears to hear it, minds to comprehend it this morning.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 So I think this week for mission,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 I've probably spent more time on the North Shore
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 than at any other time in the entirety of my life.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 I, at the moment, live in Newtown,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 and to be frank, I've just never had any reason
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 to really cross the ditch over to the picturesque, leafy North Shore.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 And so it's been great as part of this mission,
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 coming to Chatswood and keeping my eyes open,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 keeping my eyes peeled to the things that make this part of the world what it is.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 There's a few things that I was expecting to find here.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 One of the things we've been doing that I mentioned before
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 is that we had a stall set up down in Chatswood,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 near the entrance to Lemon Grove and Westfield.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 And there's no surprise that over the two days that we were there,
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 manning the stall,
00:01:09 --> 00:01:13 that we met a lot of people from Chinese or Korean backgrounds.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:14 I was expecting that.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 Now, I've since been told as well
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 that Chatswood is like the Bondi Junction of the North Shore.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 Or perhaps you'd rather,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 Bondi Junction is the Chatswood of the eastern suburbs.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 And so there's not just been Chinese folk that we've seen,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 or Anglos,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 but there's actually been a whole range of people that we've seen
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 down in the shops in Chatswood
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 who have come here because it's a commercial hub or a transport hub,
00:01:39 --> 00:01:43 so they're either here for work or shopping or just passing through.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:48 Some of us were also introduced to a man named Charles Knox,
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 who's a caseworker with Streetwork,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 Streetwork, so an organisation working with at-risk youth and young people,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 particularly in and around Chatswood.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 Now, I never would have conceived before I came here
00:02:00 --> 00:02:04 that there could possibly be a need for such an organisation
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 in Chatswood of all places.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 Having spent a week here,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 I feel like I'm starting to get a feel for the place,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 especially reflecting on the food that's available.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 I've been forced to say a few times this week,
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 why have I not spent more time in Chatswood before?
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 I guess you could say the place is growing on me.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:28 But I wonder,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:33 if God were to turn and look upon Chatswood right now,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 what would he have to say about the place?
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 I actually think he would say that I love Chatswood.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 But why?
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 God doesn't need to eat,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 so the restaurants are hardly likely to impress him.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 And if God glanced over at the Westfield,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 he'd probably be more disgusted than impressed
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 by the way that people worshipped spending money like idols.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 And so,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:10 what is it that would ever give me this confidence to say
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 that if God were to look at Chatsfield,
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 he would actually say,
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 this is a place,
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 these are people that I love.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 Rather than speculating further,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 or presuming to put words into God's mouth,
00:03:24 --> 00:03:25 let's turn to Scripture
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 and see what God has already said.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 So if you could have that passage from 1 John chapter 4
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 open in front of you,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 that would be fantastic.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:42 So we're looking at from verse 7.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 And verse 7 begins with a very ordinary encouragement, actually,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 but standing behind it is an extraordinary truth.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 Come and read it with me.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Dear friends,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 let us love one another,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:00 for love comes from God.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Whoever does not love does not know God,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 because God is love.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 The very ordinary encouragement that we read
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 is this instruction to love one another.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 There's nothing particularly complicated or controversial about that.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:24 But the extraordinary truth that lay behind this command
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 is that God is love.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 This phrase,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 God is love,
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 frequently is misunderstood.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 There's one mistake that I've heard
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 where people think that words in Scripture
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 can simply be interchangeable.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 So you'll be familiar with another part of the Bible, perhaps,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 that reads this way.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 Love is patient,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:48 love is kind,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 it does not envy,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 it does not boast,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 it is not proud.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 And so I had a friend once,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 when I was working on the south coast
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 with a church down there,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 who led a Bible study
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 by taking us through that other passage
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 and comparing it with this one
00:05:01 --> 00:05:01 and saying,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 if God is love
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 and love is patient,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 God must be patient.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:07 Yeah?
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 Now that's actually true.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 God is patient.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 But this isn't actually a very good way to read the Bible.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 It's not how language works.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 It's not how words work.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:20 I'll give you an example.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:25 I happen to think that clothes shopping is very boring.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 It's not something I like spending time on.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 Get me in there,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:28 get me out of there,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 I'll be happy.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:31 So clothes shopping is boring.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 Now I might also think that doing the dishes is boring.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:36 Now I don't.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 Invite me around to your house for dinner.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:39 I will do the dishes afterwards.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 I quite enjoy washing dishes.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 This is a very strange thing.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 But just because clothes shopping might be boring
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 and doing the dishes is boring
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 doesn't mean that I'm doing the dishes
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 when I'm buying you socks.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 You see, words don't work that way.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:58 So we can't move from saying that God is love
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 and love being patient
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 to say that God is patient.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:02 Okay?
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 That's one mistake that I've seen made.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 Another common mistake
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 is to think in the wrong direction.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 To think,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 what is loving?
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 What do I think is loving?
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 And then to apply that to God.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 And so I had a friend
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 that I studied with at university.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 His name was Scott.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 He went to church every week.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 He was part of the music team.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 But his personal opinion
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 is that he didn't think
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 it would be a loving thing
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 for God to punish sin.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 So he took what he thought was loving,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 not punishing sin,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 and then applied that to God
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 because this passage says
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 God is love.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:41 But you see,
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 what he's actually done there
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 is he's not moved from God
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 to see what love is.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 He's conjured God up in his own image.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 He's made a God
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 that suits his own tastes and desires.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:55 Rather,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 the right direction to think
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 is actually found in verse 7.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:00 Dear friends,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 let us love one another
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 for love comes from God.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 And so it doesn't matter
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 whether someone is a Christian or not,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 the very essence of love
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 as we know it in this world
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 comes from God.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 And love isn't just something
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 that God created.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 He made the heavens
00:07:20 --> 00:07:20 and he made the earth
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 and he didn't kind of make love next
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 because God actually existed
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 before he spoke the universe
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 into existence.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 One God in three persons.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 And these three persons
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 loved one another.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 So love is not something made.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 It actually exists
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 as part of who God is.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 I want you to picture
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 in your mind for me
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 three of the young children
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 that we had down here before
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 for the kids talk
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 out on the deck
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 playing with a ball.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 And they have absolutely no idea
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 that there is anything else
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 happening around them.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 They're just playing
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 with one another
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 in absolute delight
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 and love
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 and joy
00:08:05 --> 00:08:05 with one another.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 Now it's not a perfect analogy
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 by any means
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 but I actually think
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 this is a reflection
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 of the kind of love
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 that existed within God
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 before he even made
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 the heavens
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 and the earth.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 The Father loved the Son
00:08:22 --> 00:08:22 and the Spirit
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 and the Son
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 loved the Father
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 and the Spirit
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 and the Spirit
00:08:26 --> 00:08:26 loved the Father
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 and the Son.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 And their concern
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 was not so much
00:08:29 --> 00:08:29 for themselves
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 but for one another.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 This is the nature of love.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 This is what it means
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 in this passage
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 when it says
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 God is love.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 He's the source
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 and the origin of love.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 He's the very image
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 of what true love
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 and real love is.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 And because God is love
00:08:53 --> 00:08:53 he couldn't actually
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 keep it to himself
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 as if he could bundle it up
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 and so we see
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 that God has shown
00:08:59 --> 00:08:59 his love.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 Come and have a look
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 with me at the next two verses.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 Verses 9 and 10.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 This is how God
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 showed his love among us.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 He sent his one
00:09:11 --> 00:09:11 and only Son
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 into the world
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 that we might live
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 through him.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 This is love.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 Not that we love God
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 but that he sent his Son
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 as an atoning sacrifice
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 for our sins.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 At the heart
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 of God's
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 magnificent demonstration
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 of his love
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 is what we talk about
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 when Christians
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 use the word gospel.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 And in these verses
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 like a multifaceted diamond
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 there are several dimensions
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 to the gospel
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 to the way that God
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 has shown his love.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:43 And so I want us
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 to shine some light
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 on this diamond
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 from a couple
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 of different angles
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 so that we might see
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 some of the breadth
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 of what God
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 has shown to us.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 God has shown
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 his love
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 by sending
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 his one and only Son
00:09:59 --> 00:09:59 Jesus
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 into the world.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:02 And when verse 9
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 of our passage
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 says one and only
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 it's not just a number.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 The passage
00:10:08 --> 00:10:08 is not trying
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 to give an account
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 for how many sons
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 God has
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 so much.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 It's actually saying
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 that Jesus is unique.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 He's special.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 He's the one
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 that God delights in.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 He's the one
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 that God loves
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 like no other.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 In Mark's gospel
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 one of the biographies
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 of Jesus' life
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 there's a scene
00:10:28 --> 00:10:28 where Jesus
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 is baptised
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 and he goes down
00:10:31 --> 00:10:31 into the water
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 and as he comes up
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 from the water
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 there's a voice
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 that comes from the heavens
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 and the voice
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 says this
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 you
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 you are my son
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 in whom I take
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 the utmost delight.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:46 this is the son
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 that God
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 sent into the world.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 God has shown
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 his love
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 by sending
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 his one and only
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 Son Jesus
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 that we might
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 live through him.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 What John
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 is concerned about
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 when he says
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 that we might
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 live through him
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 is that we might
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 live
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 and not be conquered
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 not be ruled over
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 by death.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 In June
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 last year
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 I received
00:11:19 --> 00:11:19 an email
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 from one
00:11:22 --> 00:11:22 of my aunts
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 suggesting that
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 my uncle
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 was quite sick
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 he'd been
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 diagnosed with cancer
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 back in January
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 and so
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 the basic gist
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 of this email
00:11:34 --> 00:11:34 is that things
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 weren't looking good
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 and then
00:11:38 --> 00:11:38 one night
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 at college
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 just after
00:11:40 --> 00:11:40 dinner had finished
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 I got that
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 text message
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 that no one
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 ever really
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 wants to get
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 saying that
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 his condition
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 was quite serious
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 and so
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 I jumped in the car
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 and I drove down
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 and I sat with him
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 and my aunts
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 because my aunt
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 and uncle
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 had never
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 had any kids
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 and I held his hand
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 and I sat there
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 and I watched
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 the heart rate monitor
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 for about
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 three hours
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 50
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 49
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 48
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 49
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 47
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 and it kept
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 dropping
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 until there was
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 no more life
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 left in him
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 and he
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 passed away
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 you see
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 death
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 is not a light
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 thing
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 frequently
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 we spend
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 our lives
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 trying to set it
00:12:27 --> 00:12:27 to one side
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 giving it
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 little concern
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 little thought
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 we are
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 we
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 as a society
00:12:36 --> 00:12:36 are obsessed
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 with
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 youthfulness
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 because it
00:12:39 --> 00:12:39 drives us
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 in the opposite
00:12:40 --> 00:12:40 direction
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 to aging
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 and then
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 dying
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 and even
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 just now
00:12:45 --> 00:12:45 as I describe
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 the situation
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 that my uncle
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 was in
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 did you notice
00:12:48 --> 00:12:48 that I use
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 the phrase
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 he passed
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 away
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 we even
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 use our
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 words
00:12:52 --> 00:12:52 to soften
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 the impact
00:12:53 --> 00:12:53 of death
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 because we
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 don't really
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 want to
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 think about
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 it
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 he's
00:12:56 --> 00:12:56 passed
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 away
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 he's
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 kicked
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 the bucket
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 he's
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 given up
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 the ghost
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 but in
00:13:01 --> 00:13:01 that moment
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 like a
00:13:02 --> 00:13:02 slamming
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 door
00:13:03 --> 00:13:03 when something
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 like this
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 happens
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 in your
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 life
00:13:05 --> 00:13:05 you cannot
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 escape
00:13:06 --> 00:13:06 death
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 it punches
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 through the
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 facade
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 and it
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 robs you
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 of loved
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 ones
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 it robs
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 you of
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 friends
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 of family
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 and eventually
00:13:14 --> 00:13:14 it will
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 take your
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 very own
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 life
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 and yet
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 God has
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 shown his
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 love in
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 this way
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 that through
00:13:24 --> 00:13:24 his son
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 we might
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 live
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 and not
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 be conquered
00:13:28 --> 00:13:28 or ruled
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 over by
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 death
00:13:29 --> 00:13:34 God has
00:13:34 --> 00:13:34 shown his
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 love
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 by sending
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 his son
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 as an
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 atoning
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 sacrifice
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 for our
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 sins
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 the reason
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 that death
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 has this
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 kind of
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 absolute
00:13:43 --> 00:13:43 power
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 over our
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 lives
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 is because
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 of sin
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 I don't
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 know what
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 you think
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49 of when
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49 you hear
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 the word
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 sin
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 but I
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 want to
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 tell you
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 that sin
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 simply
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 is a
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 way of
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 describing
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 a life
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 lived
00:13:55 --> 00:13:55 without
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 God
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 and the
00:13:57 --> 00:13:57 Bible
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 says that
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 people
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 with sin
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 are like
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 pigs
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 in mud
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 we can't
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 resist
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 living lives
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 that leave
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 God out
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 we just
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 kind of
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 wallow
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 around
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 I remember
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 some years
00:14:11 --> 00:14:11 ago seeing
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 an experiment
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 that was shown
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 on YouTube
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 the way that
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 it worked
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 was this
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 there was a
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 kind of
00:14:19 --> 00:14:19 within the
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 camera frame
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 there was a
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 shot where
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 you could
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 just see
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 the inside
00:14:22 --> 00:14:22 of a room
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 the interior
00:14:23 --> 00:14:23 of a room
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 and there
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24 was a door
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 into the
00:14:25 --> 00:14:25 room
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 and there
00:14:26 --> 00:14:26 was one
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 of those
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27 kind of
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 one way
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 windows
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 so that
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 people could
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 see in
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 but you
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 couldn't
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 see out
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 leave the
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 biscuit
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 I'm going
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 to go
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 away for
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 a little
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 bit
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 and if
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 you haven't
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 touched
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 the biscuit
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36 when I
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 come back
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37 not only
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 will you
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 get that
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 biscuit
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 but I'll
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 give you
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 another
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 one
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 how do
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 you think
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 that went
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 now the
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 scene played
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 over and
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 over and
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 over again
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 and so the
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 first child
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 comes in
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 and picks
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 up the
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 biscuit
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 and looks
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 at it
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 puts it
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 down
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 picks it
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 up
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 looks at
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 it again
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 no
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 puts it
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 down
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 picks it
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 up
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 takes a
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 little
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 nibble
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 but then
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 tries to
00:14:57 --> 00:14:57 hide it
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 now some
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 of the
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 other kids
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 that came
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 in
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 one of
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 them just
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 as soon as
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 the adults
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 out of the
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 room
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 door closes
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 bam
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 it's gone
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 and then
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 some of
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 the children
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 who were
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 more thoughtful
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 about the
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 future
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 left the
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 biscuit there
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 and ended
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 up getting
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 the second
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 one as
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 well
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 and my
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 point is
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 this
00:15:17 --> 00:15:23 though God
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 has given
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 us instructions
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 directions
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 a shape
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 to how to
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 live life
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 and if we
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 follow this
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 kind of shape
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 this direction
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 that is given
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 to us it
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 will lead to
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 good things
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 in the
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 future
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 a second
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 biscuit
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 if you
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 will
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 we still
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 insist on
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 leaving him
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 out of the
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 picture
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 and deciding
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 for ourselves
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 how we'll
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 live
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 sometimes we
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 get a little
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 bit creative
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 in it
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 we'll try and
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 hide the
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 things that
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 we do
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 that leave
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 God out
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 but you see
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 with God
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 we're not
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 talking about
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 mere biscuits
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 we're talking
00:15:58 --> 00:15:58 about the
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 difference
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 between life
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 and death
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 you see
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 there's as
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 much
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 in verse
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 8 it
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 says that
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 God is
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 love
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 elsewhere
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 in the
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 Bible
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 we find
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 that God
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 is light
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 when I
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 was little
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 my family
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 had a
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 Subaru
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 wagon
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 with these
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 massive
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 driving lights
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 on the
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 front
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 and they
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 could just
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 cut through
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 the darkness
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 for up to
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 about a
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 kilometre
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 down the
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 road
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 where the
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 light was
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 darkness
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 couldn't
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 be
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 and where
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 sin is
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 God
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 sorry
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 where God
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 is
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 sin
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 cannot
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 be
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 God
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 will not
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 let us
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 wallow
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 around
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 in our
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 sin
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 in the
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 mud
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 forever
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 and this
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 is where
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 death
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 comes in
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 death
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 is God's
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 way
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 of dealing
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 with sin
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 and so
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 where people
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 insist on
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 living without
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 God
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 something
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 someone
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 has to
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 die
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 God
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 sent
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 his
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 one
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 and only
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 son
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 his
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 unique
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 son
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 that he
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 loved
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 like no
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 other
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 to die
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 that
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 death
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 for us
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 and the
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 amazing
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 part is
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 that God
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 has shown
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 his love
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 to those
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 who didn't
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 love him
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 you might
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 have missed
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 it as we
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 read over
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 verse 10
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 it's easy
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 to skate
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 over
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 come back
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 there with
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 me now
00:17:18 --> 00:17:22 this is
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 love
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 not
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 that we
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 love
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 God
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 I'm not
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 sure if
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 you've
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 noticed
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 this in
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 situations
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 around you
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 but more
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 often than
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 not
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 love
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 comes to
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 depend on
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 something that
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 the other
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 person does
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 for me
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 we would
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 never say
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 this of
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 course
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 but you
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 only have
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 to pay
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 attention
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 when you
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 speak with
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 people
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 have you
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 ever heard
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 the phrase
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 I just
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 don't love
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 them anymore
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 this is
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 often
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 not always
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 but often
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 code word
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 for
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 whatever
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 that person
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 used to
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 do
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 that made
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 me
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 happy
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 they don't
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 do anymore
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 or it
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 doesn't make
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 me happy
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 anymore
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 you see
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 their love
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 for the
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 other person
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 depended on
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 what that
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 person could
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 offer them
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 as long as
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 you're fun
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 to be around
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 then I'll
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 still love
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 you
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 as long as
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 you're beautiful
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 then I'll
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 still love
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 you
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 as long
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 as you're
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 in perfect
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 health
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 then I'll
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 love you
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 you understand
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 what I mean
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 now don't get
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 me wrong
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 it's okay to
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 find something
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 attractive or
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 endearing about
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 another person
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 but mere
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 attraction
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 is not the
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 essence of
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 love
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 you see
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 because God
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 loved us
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 when we were
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 strangers
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 in fact
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 worse than
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 that
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 when we
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 were his
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 enemies
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 and so
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 it means
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 that when
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 we're no
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 fun to be
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 around
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 God
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 still
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 loves
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 us
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 when we're
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 unattractive
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 or ugly
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 you've put
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 on a few
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 kilos
00:18:56 --> 00:18:59 God will
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 still love
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 you
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 when we're
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 crippled and
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 sickly
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 God will
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 still love
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 us
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 God's love
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 means that
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 even when we
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 ignored or
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 hated him
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 he sent his
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 one and only
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 son that we
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 might live
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 through him
00:19:14 --> 00:19:18 and so we
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 come full
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 circle back
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 around to
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 verses 11
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 and 12
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 but it
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 kind of
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 comes back
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 around to
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 where we
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 started
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 dear friends
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 since God
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 so loved
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 us we
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 also also
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 love one
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 another
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 no one has
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 ever seen
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 God but if
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 we love
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 one another
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 God lives
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 in us and
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 his love is
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 made complete
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 in us
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 in just
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 three short
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 verses we've
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 been plunged
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 into the depths
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 of God's love
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 for us
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 in Jesus
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 to emerge
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 on the other
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 side with the
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 same instructions
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 that he began
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 with dear
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 friends let us
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 love one
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 another
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 this reminds
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 me of words
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that Jesus
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 himself spoke
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 as I have
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 loved you so
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 you must love
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 one another
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 by this all
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 men will know
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 that you are
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 my disciples
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 if you love
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 one another
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 a great
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 Christian author
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 has put it
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 this way
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 no one who
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 has been to
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 the cross
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 and seeing
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 God's
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 immeasurable
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and unmerited
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 love displayed
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 there
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 can go back
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 to a life
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 of selfishness
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 and so this
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 is why churches
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 all around
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 Sydney
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 are concerned
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 with showing
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 love and
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 kindness to
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 the communities
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 around them
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 God has
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 shown his
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 love to us
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 he's actually
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 shown in an
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 indirect way
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 how much he
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 loves Chatswood
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 and knowing
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 that God
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 loves Chatswood
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 and the
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 surrounding
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 suburbs
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 it would be
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 no surprise
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 to me
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 if this
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 church
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 invests
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 itself
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 in the
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 same way
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 endeavouring
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 to love
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 your friends
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 your neighbours
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 your colleagues
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 but I'm
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 led to ask
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 as we've
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 handled this
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 marvellous
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 multifaceted
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 diamond
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 of God's
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 love
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 shown in
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 the gospel
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 as we've
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 contemplated
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 the mountain
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 peaks of
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 who God
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 is
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 his very
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 character
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 as we've
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 been
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 plunged
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 into the
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 depths
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 of God's
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 love for
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 us in
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 Jesus
00:21:10 --> 00:21:13 are you
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 convinced
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 of God's
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 immeasurable
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 and unmerited
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 love
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 for you
00:21:22 --> 00:21:28 if God
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 came to
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 Chatswood
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 he wouldn't
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 just say
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 I love
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 Chatswood
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 he'd
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 actually
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 also
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 turn to
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 you
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 face to
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 face
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 and say
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 I
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 love
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 you
00:21:42 --> 00:21:45 this
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 is how
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 I showed
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 my love
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 towards
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 you
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 I sent
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 my one
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 and only
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 son
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 into the
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 world
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 that you
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 might live
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 through him
00:21:55 --> 00:21:58 this is
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 great news
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 great news
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 for every
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 one of us
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 here
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 but there
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 might be
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 some here
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 this morning
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 for whom
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 this is
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 especially
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 welcome
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 news
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 the idea
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 that God
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 loves you
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 and you
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 personally
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 might be
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 actually
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 entirely
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 new
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 you might
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 have heard
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 about Jesus
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 when you
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 were younger
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 at an earlier
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 stage in your
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 life
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 but never
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 really taken
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 his claims
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 seriously
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 taken his
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 death and
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 resurrection
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 seriously
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 maybe you've
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 been to
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 church a
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 while ago
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 but this
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 point that
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 God loves
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 you
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 has never
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 really sunk
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 in
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 regardless
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 God has
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 shown his
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 love for
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 each one
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 of us
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 if you want
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 to accept
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 God's love
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 for you
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 shown in
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 sending
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 Jesus
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 if you want
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 to begin
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 to live a
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 life where
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 God comes
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 into the
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 picture
00:22:57 --> 00:23:00 I'm going
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 to pray
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 a prayer
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 now
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 that you
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 might want
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 to pray
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 along with
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 me
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 now I
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 want to
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 say that
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 praying a
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 prayer doesn't
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 make you a
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 Christian
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 following Jesus
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 understanding that
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 he loves you
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 that God has
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 demonstrated his
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 love in sending
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 him as a
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 sacrifice for
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 your sins
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 that is what
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 makes you a
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Christian
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 but praying a
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 prayer can be a
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 fantastic way to
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 start
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 so I'm going
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 to pray now
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 and then
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 Chris is going
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 to come up
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 and give some
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 further instructions
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 about what you
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 might want to
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 do if this is
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 something that's
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 been particularly
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 pertinent for you
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 this morning
00:23:33 --> 00:23:36 will you pray
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 with me
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 heavenly father
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 I'm sorry that
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 I've lived a
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 life that has
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 so often left
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 you out of the
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 picture I want
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 to thank you that
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 you have shown
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 your love by
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 sending your
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 son that
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 I might live
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 I pray that
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 you would help
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 me to love
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 you and to
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 love others the
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 way that you
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 do in Jesus
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 name amen
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 friends if