The Indispensable Fruit of Love: Living in Christ’s Abiding Presence

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] We are continuing our redemptive history survey. And I was going to preach all of 1 Corinthians 13. And then after study, I thought, well, maybe I'll just preach the first four verses. And then after more study, I said, let's just preach the first three verses.
[00:00:21] so before I forget I want to come in to you an excellent book that you can find for free online or in print it's by Jonathan Edwards and it's believes called Christian charity and it's about this chapter chapter 13 of Corinthians
[00:00:39] even for non-believers they should be familiar with this chapter at least in America because perhaps certainly the most visited verse in weddings first corinthians 13 chapter that is so we're talking about a christian charity in the king james and
[00:00:57] it is the word charity here is love and so we're going to look at first corinthians 13 but i want to introduce it by going back to chapter 12 chapter 12 talks about the body of christ talks
[00:01:09] about the church is like a body like a human body we're all different parts and this introduction leading up to the this wonderful chapter of love begins with talking about the different gifts that everyone in the body has and how just like you know the hands the feet the eyes we all have
[00:01:28] different functions in the body so too we have different gifts and and it starts with that picture and leads right into this chapter on love and saying that there's something even greater than the greatest gifts that any of us have and it's called love now we don't subscribe to the
[00:01:48] mantra love is love no we subscribe to god is love and so love should be celebrated but the big question that should be in your minds is what is love and how do we receive it and how do we
[00:02:00] give it and how do we recognize it and how do we live it and that's what we hope to see now in first corinthians let's begin in chapter 12 verse 24. uh he's talking about the fact that
[00:02:14] have you ever thought about you know boy she has a pretty face but the face doesn't do much does it you ever thought about that people are look at the person's face how beautiful but i mean you
[00:02:26] know what is the cheek what is your cheek done for you lately you know but now a hand you know that's a different thing right or a foot or or you know or or even your backside you know you're all
[00:02:37] using it right now but uh so so that's why he says in verse 24 for our comely parts or our attractive parts our faith whatever uh for those of you who are attracted uh have no need but god hath
[00:02:52] tempered or mixed the body together having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked that there should be no schism no division in the body we're talking about the church and the body of christ uh yes that the members should have the same care one for another the same concern
[00:03:12] the same love for one another and whether one member suffers all of the members suffer you know if you got a cut in your hand your whole body is hurting you know same kind of idea it
[00:03:23] should be with the body of christ whether one members suffer all members suffer uh and then again if one member is honored all the members rejoice with it verse 27 now ye you in plural
[00:03:35] are the body of christ and members in particular and god has set some in the church first apostles secondarily prophets thirdly teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments diversities of tongues but are all apostles are all prophets are all teachers or all workers of
[00:03:54] miracles have all the gifts of healing do all speak with tongues do all interpret but covet earnestly the best gifts yet i show unto thee a more excellent way and now we're going to read
[00:04:06] first corinthians 13 but what a intro all of these gifts wouldn't it be great to be able to do miracles wouldn't it be great to heal people i'd go on over to well i'd finish service and i'd go
[00:04:17] to peggy's house and do peggy and then larry and then who else you got needs needs healing just give me a list and give me a gps cord i'm on my way you know i'm heading to the hospital
[00:04:28] if you really have the gift of healing go to the hospital right but he says there's something even greater than miracles something greater than healing think of people that you've loved that you wanted to see healed and didn't get healed you know how wonderful it would have been to have that
[00:04:43] healing says there's something even better even better than that what first corinthians 13 verse 1. though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity remember charity here is love have not love i am become as sounding brass or a tinkling symbol and though i have the
[00:05:04] gift of prophecy understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though i have all faith so that i could remove mountains and have not charity or love i am nothing and though i bestow all my
[00:05:16] goods to feed the poor and though i give my body to be burned and have not charity it profits me nothing charity suffereth long and is kind charity envieth not charity vaunteth not itself it's not
[00:05:32] puffed up it does not behave itself unseemly it doesn't seek her own it's not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth let me stop right there pastor andy preached a great sermon on love not that long ago and he asked us what if your name
[00:05:51] was placed in every place it says love is so for example um oh everyone says i pick on angelo i love angelo uh but angelo suffers long suffering angelo is kind angelo does not envy angelo doesn't
[00:06:06] vaunt himself, is not puffed up. Angelo does not behave himself unseemly, does not seek his own, not easily provoked. Angelo. But we pray so, right? Put your name in there and ask yourself.
[00:06:20] That was great, Pastor Andy, what you did. Put your name in there and ask yourself, does this describe me? And if not, maybe we're lacking in what true love is. Let's take a look.
[00:06:32] Okay, sorry to interrupt the reading of Scripture.
[00:06:35] Back to verse 5.
[00:06:37] Does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, bears all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
[00:06:52] Charity never faileth.
[00:06:55] But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail.
[00:06:57] Whether there be tongues, they shall cease.
[00:06:59] Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
[00:07:01] for we know in part and we prophesy in part but when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away when I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I
[00:07:14] thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things for now we see through a glass or a mirror darkly but then face to face now I know in part but then shall I know even
[00:07:30] also as I am known.
[00:07:33] And now abideth faith, hope, and charity. These three.
[00:07:38] But the greatest of these is charity or love.
[00:07:42] May God add his blessing and understanding to the preaching of this, his holy word.
[00:07:47] Love.
[00:07:50] What is love?
[00:07:52] Well, the infinitely wise culture around us says love is love.
[00:07:58] Isn't that satisfied enough?
[00:08:01] What does that tell me?
[00:08:02] that tells me nothing pastor joseph is pastor joseph what else do you want to know sounds a little proud to me love is love that tells us nothing um the bible does say god is love it kind of turns that around we're leading up here in in all of the gifts everything is
[00:08:22] pointing to okay but without love there is nothing and that's why we're just doing these first three verses. Look at the logical presentation of the importance of love. Verse 1 of chapter 13, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, I have all kind of gifts. I can woo you with all
[00:08:41] kinds of abilities and even supernatural abilities. But if I don't have love, I'm become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And we're not talking about the bell choir up here. We're talking about,
[00:08:51] you know, the dishpan band, bang, bang, bang, you know, discordant, loud, obnoxious noises.
[00:08:58] If someone is, oh, look how good I am, look how spiritual I am, watch me, I'm so great.
[00:09:04] Someone who's spiritually sensitive, that's just a bunch of noise. That's not of the Lord, you see, because there's no love there. The world talks about, we need love.
[00:09:16] We want to tell you, they're right. The problem is, if they don't know the Lord, they don't know that love that we need that's what we're talking about here uh but not just if i have
[00:09:26] gifts but no love it says uh then you know i'm just a a loud clanking gong or whatever verse two and though i have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge boy
[00:09:42] you can have so much knowledge oh they know the bible they know the bible but they don't come to church. Maybe something more important than knowledge is missing. Did you know you can know the Bible and not be a Christian? You can know that the devil knows the Bible, I think, pretty
[00:09:58] well. He will not be in heaven. Okay, so to know, to know mysteries, and even notice this, this is strange, even faith, and have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am
[00:10:17] nothing wow who knew that the bible speaks so highly of love yes and then verse three and though i bestow all my goods to feed look how good this person is he gives millions of dollars to the poor
[00:10:33] though i feed the poor and though i even what's the greatest way you could show that you care for sacrifice yourself go like like this guy who was mad at israel for gaza or whatever and he went and
[00:10:47] he burned himself self-immolation in front of the israeli embassy i guess last year he set himself on fire but without love none of that profits anything you mean i can sacrifice myself and having to think about those men that went into the buildings in september 11th we have the recordings
[00:11:10] we know what they said we know what they thought they thought that by doing that they would immediately go to paradise as Muslims because they are fighting jihad to kill the infidel but what they doing out of a spirit of love they gave their bodies to
[00:11:28] be burned literally but without love it profits me nothing so I want to focus on this I've been I've been reading that book on Jonathan Edwards and it's so much there about love in this chapter that I felt let's just focus on the
[00:11:44] first three verses to understand why love is so important and so central to the christian faith and to uh life if you will we'll take a look at many passages to show that why is it that he mentions even faith i thought we're saved by faith pastor joseph what are you
[00:12:06] talking about i got to have love well we are saved by grace through faith but but love is extremely important uh as a matter of fact the bible tells us in ephesians uh two that we are saved by grace
[00:12:21] right god's unmerited favor we don't deserve it through faith believing that god sent his son to die for us on the cross uh and therefore we are saved by grace through faith but what about love
[00:12:34] when someone asked jesus what's the greatest commandment he said have grace from me and have faith is that what he said what do you say was the greatest commandment love the lord your god with
[00:12:45] all your heart soul mind and strength and then what's number two if every american believed that we have a lot less news to be watching here lately love your neighbor as yourself even the ice agent
[00:13:00] absolutely even the illegal immigrant absolutely even the person across the political aisle Absolutely. Even the Muslim? Absolutely. Even the atheist? Absolutely. The Christian alone has this command. And this is why I think we're seeing such trouble in our nation,
[00:13:21] unprecedented in our age, because of a departure from this book that so many claim is narrow-minded and hate-filled, but is actually just the opposite. It is the panacea, or the solution for the ills of our society if we would simply follow the first and second commandment
[00:13:41] love the lord your god all your heart soul mind and strength the second is likened to it love your neighbor as yourself and without love we can't even be saved so wait a minute pastor joseph it
[00:13:50] says for by grace you're saved through faith and that not of yourselves not of works not of yourselves as any man should boast i don't see anything in there about love well look for a
[00:13:59] moment with me in galatians just one verse turn to the right galatians chapter five in this second part of this verse it's almost hidden away it seems but it's extremely important galatians 5 verse 6 for in jesus christ neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision
[00:14:22] but faith which worketh by love how does faith work by love if there's no love does faith work faith works by love if the greatest commandment is love the lord your god all your heart soul
[00:14:38] mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself you don't have to worry about having faith in him you have perfect faith in him because you love him with all of your heart soul mind and
[00:14:46] strength if you say oh i have faith in jesus yes i got baptized oh i said some kind of prayer sometime, but you don't love him, the Bible says you don't have faith, essentially.
[00:14:56] Faith works by love.
[00:14:59] So love is essential even to our very salvation.
[00:15:04] We cannot have salvation without love.
[00:15:08] As a matter of fact, why did God send Jesus to save us?
[00:15:14] For God so loved the world.
[00:15:17] John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe within him should not perish but have everlasting life so why does god save us because of his love very interesting this is the impetus for salvation now turn to first john also written
[00:15:36] by the same man the apostle john first john chapter 4 beginning verse 7 actually before we read this section i want you to just see this one thing verse 19 we love him first john 4 19 we love
[00:15:52] him why because he first how do we get saved because he loved us and sent his son to die for us and so how can we love him until we first know how much he loves us we're responding in faith
[00:16:06] that's salvation the very basis for loving one another is is non-existent until we have first received that kind of sacrificial love and that only comes from the pure divine unselfish god who had no need or obligation to save you or me
[00:16:23] but out of his sheer love mere love for us his own prerogative he puts to death his sinless perfect son in our place to suffer a torturous death and rejection from the very people that he came to save his own brethren that he created
[00:16:39] and yet for us to say ah could care less I don't care at all what's this how much love do you want can't find any greater than that so first john chapter 4 verse 19 says we love him because he
[00:16:54] first loved us let's go back to verse 7 of first john 4 to better understand what true love is and how much god has shared upon us in saving us through his son jesus first john chapter 4
[00:17:06] beginning verse 7 beloved let us love one another for love is of god and everyone that loveth is born of god and knoweth god it just seems that american society so few people have ever heard
[00:17:19] this or they don't believe it or they'd prefer to just hate somehow or another in our society people like me who are conservative and believe the bible you're just hateful hateful hateful yeah but i i don't know of anyone that i hate even those people that are completely different
[00:17:37] from me i want them to be saved i want them to have just as pastor andy eloquently prayed that they would have peace, that they would have joy.
[00:17:45] When I see somebody who curses me out or calls me a bigot or narrow-minded or a white Christian nationalist, obviously they haven't looked at me lately, but I say, well, God bless you.
[00:17:58] I'll pray for you too, you know.
[00:18:00] I mean, somehow it's just completely missed.
[00:18:05] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
[00:18:10] He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.
[00:18:14] Boy, that's powerful.
[00:18:15] Verse 8.
[00:18:16] He that does not love does not know God, for God is love.
[00:18:25] In this was manifested the love of God towards us.
[00:18:27] How did God manifest his love towards us?
[00:18:29] Because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.
[00:18:35] Notice, love and life go together.
[00:18:39] Without love, we are dead.
[00:18:41] I've come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
[00:18:44] And he comes because of the love of the Father.
[00:18:47] He comes bringing a message of love.
[00:18:49] We think of Valentine's Day and all the weird things that go along with that.
[00:18:53] What is love?
[00:18:54] Yesterday I went to buy a candy heart and I'm looking at the different ones.
[00:18:58] And here's one with the big rainbow flag on it.
[00:19:02] I wonder if the chocolates are any different in that one.
[00:19:05] But love, the love of God.
[00:19:11] God is love in this was manifested love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten Son of the world that we might live through him herein is love brothers and sisters not that we
[00:19:25] love God but that he loved us this is the first order that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins to a appease God's wrath that is upon us for offending him and being
[00:19:42] wicked and doing our own ways yet jesus loves so much that he stands in the place of what we deserve yes this is god's love indeed beloved if god so loved us we ought to love one another
[00:19:57] you see people who have hatred towards others don't know god because if you know god and how wonderful and how high and how pure and how holy and how perfect and how righteous and what he has
[00:20:08] done and condescending to die that i might have everlasting life then we become meek blessed are those who are poor in spirit you see pride is the anathema pride is the is the poison against love
[00:20:24] those who are filled with pride will never have true love for god or for anyone else this is a huge huge thing it's this great obstacle but like jesus says in the beatitudes blessed are the poor
[00:20:37] in spirit in other words i know that i can't save myself i know that on my own i'm wicked and i'll do things that are contrary to the law of god i know that i know that i need a savior and then
[00:20:49] the next one is blessed are the so blessed are the poor in spirit right and then what's the next one blessed are the is it the meek uh blessed are those who mourn mourn for their sin because we
[00:21:06] know that this is a serious thing the world is up whatever everybody says don't worry about it no it's serious because how wonderful and high and holy god is and what he's prepared for us this
[00:21:16] perfect place where there is no cynicism there is no sin there is no sickness there's no death there's no line there's there's no none of that everything is perfect and holy and right and true
[00:21:27] there is no rust and there's no moth and there's no aging praise god no wrinkles hey the doctors are out of work and the lawyers too praise the lord hallelujah i'm ready to go how about you
[00:21:39] and so this is so wonderful and so high and so holy and then to know that we are not that way we recognize there's an infinite distance between us and our holy god and so we mourn over our sin
[00:21:51] and then that makes us meek we're not proud whatever i'm better than so-and-so at least i'm not as bad as hitler or whatever no no we're meek and then the next step blessed are those who
[00:22:05] hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled filled with what love and then that love transforms us into the image of god righteous and holy more and more until the day that we see him and it says here in this very book that when we see him we'll be like
[00:22:28] praise god hallelujah wow i didn't mean to just preach in first john 4 but there's a lot here verse 11 beloved if god so loved us we ought also to love one another no man hath seen god
[00:22:43] at any time if we love one another god dwells in us and his love is perfected in us hereby know we that we dwell in him and he and us because he's given us of his spirit his spirit the holy
[00:22:59] Spirit is also the Spirit of love. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells
[00:23:14] in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love. And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Very interesting. He that dwells
[00:23:28] in love dwells in God. I want to ask you, do you dwell in love?
[00:23:34] Well, I thought, maybe. I try to love people. Do you dwell in love? The Bible says if you don't dwell in love, you don't dwell in God. We need to be walking in love towards God,
[00:23:47] towards our fellow man and sister, towards our brothers, towards those we love and are just like us and our family and our children and our parents and even those that we don't really like that much we still have to love them how why because the one who loved us on the cross
[00:24:08] father forgive them for they know not what they do who was he talking about he was talking about those that were nailing him to the cross right talking about the romans but was he also talking
[00:24:20] about the jews who brought him to the romans but was he also talking about you your sins and mine and every time we sin if we're believers we added if it were another nail to the cross
[00:24:36] another slap to the Savior's face and so Christ right now according to the Bible is doing what?
[00:24:43] He's at the right hand of the Father doing what?
[00:24:45] Making intercession for us and what do you think he's saying?
[00:24:49] Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do.
[00:24:55] That's love, brothers and sisters.
[00:24:59] To have received all of this and to continue to sin against him.
[00:25:05] And so he who dwells in love dwells in God and God in him.
[00:25:12] Verse 16.
[00:25:12] Verse 17.
[00:25:13] Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.
[00:25:17] That's a wonderful thing.
[00:25:19] Don't raise your hands.
[00:25:20] Okay?
[00:25:21] How many of you absolutely know for sure without a doubt, with no doubt whatsoever, if you died tonight, you know immediately you'd be in heaven?
[00:25:31] Now, I don't want anyone's hands raised, but what I have come to discover that within this own congregation, there are some people that aren't absolutely sure.
[00:25:39] God wants you to be absolutely sure, not based on how good you are, but based on how good He is.
[00:25:45] And that's why it says here in verse 17, Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness when the Lord returns.
[00:25:53] Why?
[00:25:54] Because as He is, Jesus, perfect, sinless, righteous, holy, standing before god so are we in this world if we are his because god looks at us through the blood of christ he looks at us through the perfect finished work of christ who said on the cross
[00:26:13] it is finished so that we don't have to worry we don't have to worry about what's going to happen on judgment day because we're not so focused on oh i hope he doesn't bring up this or i hope he
[00:26:22] doesn't bring up that we're so focused on i can't wait to see jesus and to follow his feet and to praise him because i've loved him so much and i've just been in faith wanting to see him and wanting
[00:26:33] to praise him and wanting to worship him and he knows all about me and i can't wait to just be on my knees and confess it all and say thank you lord for saving me i love you i'll worship you and to
[00:26:45] be with him for all eternity we have boldness and in that boldness of knowing that god has already laid what we deserve on his son recognizing what we deserve for our sins we can look at others
[00:26:59] and saying we're no better than they are if they've done us wrong we've done others wrong and worse we've done god wrong but he forgave us so we must forgive them herein is love brothers
[00:27:12] and sisters are we walking in that love i think there's an epidemic in america today lots of them actually but one of them is fear panic attacks i guess people had panic panic attacks 40 years ago i just don't remember hearing about it but now it's like everybody seems to have
[00:27:33] panic attacks and fear is pervasive and there's all sorts of fears many ways we see it one of the most telling times was in coven uh you know whatever it was however serious it was people
[00:27:47] debate still today but look what happened just the possibility that you might get sick and it could possibly die even if it's a tiny tiny possibility even for younger people no church i don't care i'm not going to church you can't drag me to church i'm not going anywhere
[00:28:06] i'm going to stay right here so what's more important your life or your god who gave you your life who gives you eternal life and so i just share that as an example brothers and sisters look what happens we can say i'm not afraid i'm tough and then something comes
[00:28:27] look how easily 99 of the church in america closed for how long this church didn't close but almost all of it did why even if the pastors and the leadership didn't believe it they were shamed in the closing
[00:28:44] be not afraid brothers and sisters trust in the Lord and that's why verse 18 says there is no fear in love but perfect love is amazing here is the solution for fear perfect love cast out fear
[00:29:00] hallelujah do you have fear in your hearts fear of whatever it is even those fears that you may not go to heaven well when we have perfect love in us those fears go away it's a beautiful and
[00:29:13] thing perfect love casteth out fear because fear has torment and if you've had fear you know he that feareth is not made perfect in love we love him because he first loved us if a man say I love God say oh yeah I love God and hates his
[00:29:30] brother he is a liar now that's pretty straightforward isn't for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen and by the way who does that include my brother who are we supposed to love are we supposed to
[00:29:50] love our neighbors ourself right so to love our brother anyone else who are supposed to love by the scripture our enemy who's left brother neighbor enemy anybody we're not supposed to so whoever it is whether it's a political figure or or god forbid a neighbor or whatever else or
[00:30:14] maybe a family member, if you have hatred in your heart towards another individual, this is showing that you do not have the love of God in your heart.
[00:30:23] We need to be very careful.
[00:30:25] We can't say we love God who we have not seen, and we don't love our brothers and sisters who we do see.
[00:30:31] Finally, verse 21, And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God love his brother also.
[00:30:39] Powerful section of scripture, amen?
[00:30:41] Now, again, you know, I recognize that most Americans, the best I can tell, are not born-again Christians.
[00:30:55] Over 60-70% claim to be some kind of Christian, but most of them don't claim to be Bible-believing, born-again Christians.
[00:31:03] I understand that.
[00:31:04] But most of America does claim to be Christian, and so they should have some kind of attention to the Bible.
[00:31:10] And again, do we see in the news and what's happening around America today, do unto others as you would have them do unto you?
[00:31:22] No.
[00:31:23] Unless everybody wants to commit suicide because they're trying to kill everybody.
[00:31:27] Do we see love your neighbor as yourself?
[00:31:30] Do we see love the God?
[00:31:32] Not at all.
[00:31:35] Returning to these passages.
[00:31:36] What do we see?
[00:31:37] Well, the Bible told us what we see.
[00:31:39] 2,000 years ago, it prophesied America.
[00:31:42] Not just America, but America now in 2026.
[00:31:45] Let's take a look.
[00:31:46] 2 Timothy chapter 3.
[00:31:49] It's very interesting how accurate this is.
[00:31:55] In 2 Timothy chapter 3, the Apostle Paul talks about the state of love in America in 2026.
[00:32:02] Although it's not stated that way, but it does.
[00:32:05] 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 1.
[00:32:07] This know also that in the last days...
[00:32:10] perilous time shall come dangerous times do we live in dangerous time for men shall be lovers that's good of their own selves that's not so good covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers false accusers
[00:32:41] incontinent fierce listen to this one despisers of those that are good traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god now all of these people in america that are like this atheists oh no according to some they're upstanding christians having a form of godliness
[00:33:10] but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
[00:33:17] Oh, I'm a Christian.
[00:33:19] I was baptized.
[00:33:20] Or I went through confirmation.
[00:33:22] Or I signed some paper.
[00:33:23] I'm a Christian.
[00:33:24] And then watch them act like the devil all day long.
[00:33:27] Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
[00:33:33] What power are they denying?
[00:33:34] The power, the transforming power of the love of God to make me a new creation.
[00:33:40] New creation.
[00:33:40] A new creature.
[00:33:41] Behold, if you're born again, behold, you're a new creation, a new creature.
[00:33:46] Old things have passed away.
[00:33:47] Behold, all things have become new.
[00:33:50] And all things are of God.
[00:33:51] And so all of a sudden, you know, you used to be cursing, swearing, smoking, doping, alcohol, hell-raising.
[00:34:00] All of a sudden, praise God, you go to Pastor Andy's revival service and you get born again.
[00:34:06] God saves you.
[00:34:08] You get saved, whatever, wherever, however, through the Word of God.
[00:34:11] and now you don't do any of that anymore and you go to hang out with your friends and what do they do what's wrong with you and after a while they don't call you anymore
[00:34:21] and they don't want to be around you anymore that's ok there's a new set of friends and they'll be with you for eternity the body of Christ not just friends but brothers and sisters mothers and fathers
[00:34:34] no man has left father or mother sister or brother houses or land for the kingdom of God's sake and for Christ's sake, who will not receive now in this time a hundredfold and everlasting life in heaven.
[00:34:49] Yes, you may lose a lot of physical family when you come to Christ, but you gain a global family, the household of God.
[00:35:00] It's a wonderful thing.
[00:35:00] Real quickly, very brief testimony.
[00:35:02] I was a missionary.
[00:35:03] Wherever I would go to preach or to minister, at first I used to want to be in a hotel because that's all I knew.
[00:35:10] an older missionary said no no you don't want to be in a hotel you want to go to people's houses you know i kind of like my privacy i'd rather be in a hotel no he was right because the only
[00:35:19] families that want you in their homes love the lord generally and love missionaries and and i would go like i went to iowa one time to preach way out in the middle of nowhere and i was in
[00:35:30] michigan and i drove all the way and this older couple was going to keep me you know in their home as i preach in that church i come to the door and oh joseph pastor joseph i've never met
[00:35:42] these people hadn't even seen a picture of them don't know anything about them except their names and their address so glad we've been praying for you brother come in the house come in the house
[00:35:51] sit down brother uh here's the best chair you sit right there now put your feet up pastor joseph honey uh get the get the supper ready now pastor joseph what do you want to drink now we've got
[00:36:03] all of this and then and we sit down and they start talking well how it goes how's the work going how's the preaching going what do you think about this bible passage what do you think about
[00:36:14] that passage we've really been praying about this how about you and we said and immediately just like that just like we've known each other forever that's the family of god that's what's in store for all of you if you truly bow the knee to king jesus and by the way just a tiny little taste
[00:36:34] because in heaven you only just get to hang out with folks from iowa but abraham isaac and jacob to sit down and meet with them and the other saints and all who have believed from ever in the past all and even jesus himself of course who will be the focal point
[00:36:55] hallelujah god in the land where pure and perfect love will be manifest to such an infinite degree that it would cause us to faint and fall just to experience a moment of it even as john who wrote
[00:37:12] the revelation on the isle of patmos did when he saw the revelation of god by the way in revelation chapter 4 he sees christ with a rainbow around the throne he sees god with a rainbow around and that
[00:37:24] that's also i think in ezekiel interesting rainbow co-opted by the lgbtq lmnop i don't know but they've taken that and said this is our symbol this is god's symbol and and what was it the
[00:37:41] symbol of he destroyed the earth with the flood just killed everybody except knowing his family but he says i'm going to put a bow in the clouds to show that i'm never going to do this again
[00:37:53] with the flood i'll never again destroy the earth with the flood uh because he knows that man is is sinful and wicked and and he needs a savior really that rainbow is a picture of what love
[00:38:06] god's love divine love mercy merciful love that he doesn't destroy us and give us what we deserve in his son jesus christ who sits in heaven surrounded if you will by a rainbow in the sight
[00:38:20] of man praise god for his wonderful love hallelujah are you dwelling in that love lovers of themselves high-minded lord have mercy is that where we are today just a couple more passages before we end gospel of john chapter 15 if you turn there
[00:38:41] in john chapter 15 in the gospel of john there are many i am statements jesus says i am i am the good shepherd i am the vine uh you know i am many different things you'll see the bread of life
[00:38:59] and it's just significant because when god says uh in the bush to to moses sends him to free the israelites moses doesn't know he doesn't have the old testament why because it hadn't been written yet who shall i tell him sent me he says tell him i am since you who is i am god and when
[00:39:25] jesus comes i am i am i am i am and then john 8 58 before abraham was pharisees guess what i am and they don't just step boy this is an enigmatic saying i wonder what he means can someone bring a
[00:39:41] commentary a concordance bring your iphone i don't know immediately immediately they pick up stones to kill him why without any because they know there's no way that jesus could have more strongly asserted that he is an identity with the god who created the heavens and the earth the god of the
[00:39:59] old testament the god of israel and so here we have jesus presenting himself i am the true vine if we think of the vine the grapevine for example and of course that makes sense because when we
[00:40:13] celebrate communion in the lord's supper we have the fruit of the vine right the grape juice and the bread or the cracker if you will i am the true vine jesus says my father is the husbandman
[00:40:25] every branch in me that beareth not fruit he takes away who's the branches here we are right the The people, actually, the branches, every branch that is in me that bears not fruit, the branches are those people who are in church.
[00:40:43] Notice, some bear fruit and some don't.
[00:40:46] Isn't that interesting?
[00:40:47] Let's continue on.
[00:40:48] Every branch, verse 2, in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.
[00:40:53] And every branch that beareth fruit, he purges it or prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.
[00:40:59] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
[00:41:02] Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine.
[00:41:07] No more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[00:41:10] I am the vine, ye are the branches.
[00:41:13] He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.
[00:41:17] For without me ye can do nothing.
[00:41:19] Now here's a question for you.
[00:41:21] Fruit.
[00:41:22] What fruit?
[00:41:23] What is he talking about?
[00:41:25] Bring forth fruit.
[00:41:27] Biblically speaking, what does your mind run to?
[00:41:30] Faith?
[00:41:32] How about the fruit of the Spirit?
[00:41:33] galatians chapter 5 and what's the first one love is there a connection here love love is is our fruit supposed to be love you go back and read galatians 5 love joy peace and all the others
[00:41:47] including long suffering and many love is the first and that's there for a reason and so abide in me that you may bring forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing and by the way who
[00:42:00] is God? Love. And what does it say in 1 Corinthians 13? Without love, I am nothing. Without me, Jesus, love, you can do nothing. But if you abide in me, and I abide in you, and my words abide in you,
[00:42:12] then you will be fruitful in, first of all, love, but also joy and peace. Doesn't everybody want peace? Doesn't people want joy and all these things? The only way to get it is to first have
[00:42:23] love and that love comes from god who is love who comes to us in jesus christ who shows himself now in verse 5 again as a vine i am the vine verse 5 ye are the branches he that abides in me and i
[00:42:36] and him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing if a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire
[00:42:46] and they are burned if ye abide in me and my words abide in you you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you wow what a promise herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit
[00:42:59] so shall you be my disciples god gets the glory when we bear fruit and what's the first fruit that's mentioned in galatians 5 22 love that goes hand in hand with what he said about the first
[00:43:10] great commandment love lord you go with all your heart soul mind and strength love your neighbor as yourself we are being fruitful for the lord he gets the glory when we're walking in that love
[00:43:19] notice again he says in verse 9 as the father hath loved oh there's another connection as the father hath loved me the father loves jesus how well you think he did do you think god did a good
[00:43:34] job maybe i think it was a little bit of love love on alternate tuesdays what you know the father's love for the son should be perfect right and infinite that's a lot of love how much love more
[00:43:49] we can comprehend right so as the father hath loved me look at this folks so have i loved you jesus loves me that much that's more than your mama that's more than your wife more than your
[00:44:04] husband more than your kids more than any human could even possibly love because this is a divine eternal infinite and glorious one who has loved you even as the father loved him wow wow talk about a valentine there is no love like this as the father hath loved jesus so has jesus
[00:44:27] loved you now continue and abide in that love if you keep my commandments you shall abide in my love even as i have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love these things i've spoken
[00:44:40] unto you why that your joy might be full that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full i look around america i don't see a lot of people filled with joy i see people going you know
[00:44:55] i see people i see all kind of stuff but i i very seldom see hey wonderful great you're here so glad to see you hey brother gary praise the lord hallelujah so glad to see oh yes well something
[00:45:08] happen not too good in the stock market that's all right praise god he's in control anyways ah you lost your money that's okay god provides right hallelujah praise god let's go have a meal you know joy joy no matter what joy is not just some giddy happiness oh i went to the roller
[00:45:23] coaster i went to the amusement park and i've got fun by the way what does amusement mean ah muse not to think no no no we think upon christ and as we do we're filled with this love and we're
[00:45:34] filled with this joy and no matter what we face in this earth we don't follow a false gospel a false religion a false tv christianity that says if you believe this and if you have enough faith
[00:45:43] you'll never get sick and you'll be rich and you'll never have problems and you'll be happy and you'll have a leo jet and a rose royce and everything will be wonderful no folks that's not
[00:45:51] the way it is but it's far better than that in heaven and god's laid it up for us that's absolutely certain and absolutely sure and absolutely secured but in the meantime though We may or may not have earthly wealth and riches and fame and health or anything else.
[00:46:06] Those things are not that important because no matter what we face, there is a joy in us that bears us up and lifts us up no matter what trouble, no matter what trials, no matter what circumstances in the body,
[00:46:17] in the mind, in the family, in the marriage, whatever it is, there is a joy of God that is inside of us, that is giving us that extra spring in the step every day as we look forward to joy and love
[00:46:29] completely fulfilled and manifest when we look Jesus right in the face.
[00:46:34] We say, there's love.
[00:46:35] There's joy.
[00:46:37] There's the one who loved me and gave himself for me.
[00:46:40] And he says, come on, come on.
[00:46:41] I'm the author of your race.
[00:46:43] I'm also the finisher.
[00:46:44] Come on home.
[00:46:45] Come on home, child.
[00:46:46] I got it laid up for you.
[00:46:47] Enter into the joy of the Lord.
[00:46:51] Purchased with his very lifeblood for you and me.
[00:46:55] And that's love.
[00:46:56] and that's what we should have and if we feel like that you can call me crazy you can call me an idiot but that's okay i'll smile on your face and say i love you and i'll pray for you and i'll mean
[00:47:08] it too by god's grace just think if all of america was like that boy the news agencies would go out of business wouldn't they all right we're almost done here uh back to verse 11 these things have
[00:47:24] I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you that your joy might be full this is my commandment Jesus gives us a commandment what that you ye love one another as I have loved you do you love
[00:47:37] one another as much as Jesus loved you so that means we better keep trying right I take it by your silence that you recognize you don't so we got to keep trying right and by the way greater
[00:47:54] love hath no man than this what that a man lay down his life for his friends and who's that referring to of course and then he says to you brothers and sisters jesus the creator of the
[00:48:11] heavens of the earth you are my friends if you do whatsoever i command you praise god hallelujah friend with the creator of the heaven and the earth let's end in Romans chapter 5 we end in Romans chapter 5
[00:48:35] beginning in verse 1 therefore being justified after Paul presents to us how we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ in his perfect life his work on the cross his taking the punishment we deserve
[00:48:56] in his death and then his resurrection and glorious ascension to heaven therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:49:10] Do you have peace with God today?
[00:49:12] I mean, real peace?
[00:49:15] Is there a little bit of fear about what's going to happen on Judgment Day?
[00:49:19] There is a godly fear, but we should have peace with God and recognize that Jesus bought and paid for it.
[00:49:24] And by the way, He didn't have to bargain it down.
[00:49:28] He paid full price.
[00:49:30] And He was on the cross for you and for me.
[00:49:32] they tried to give him they gave him two things the first thing he received the second potion if you will that they gave him or drink was something that was supposed to kind of be an anesthetic kind of help him not experience quite as
[00:49:48] much pain and he refused it because he wanted to taste every last drop of the wrath of god that you and i deserve every last pain so that you would not have to experience that's love brothers and sisters yes romans chapter 5 verse 1 therefore being justified by
[00:50:12] faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ by whom also we have excess by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of god and not only so
[00:50:27] but we glory in tribulations you mean even troubles and trials we're glorying yes because we know that tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope does not make ashamed because the love of god is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy ghost which
[00:50:46] is given unto us for when we were yet without strength in due times christ died for the ungodly for scarcely for a righteous man will one die who would you die for well maybe say for a child or something
[00:51:00] peradventure for a good man some may dare to die but would you die for the person you hate the most I hope you don't hate anybody but the person you find the most wicked the most
[00:51:11] offensive would you die for them most likely not but God commended his love towards us and that while we're yet sinners That is to say, in enmity against him, sometimes even literally shaking our fist at him, Christ
[00:51:28] died for us.
[00:51:30] Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
[00:51:36] Hallelujah.
[00:51:37] For if when we were enemies, enemies to God, we're enemies to God.
[00:51:41] If you don't know Christ right now, if you're not born again, I'm not trying to offend you at all.
[00:51:46] The Bible says you're an enemy to God.
[00:51:49] But look how God looks at you.
[00:51:50] it says when we were if we were enemies when we were enemies verse 10 we were reconciled to god by the death of his son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life and not only so but
[00:52:05] we also joy in god through our lord jesus christ by whom we have now received the atonement wherefore is by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men
[00:52:18] for all have sinned but notice christ gives us the free gift the gift of salvation verse 15 but not as the offense so also is the free gift for if through the offense of one adam many are dead
[00:52:33] all have died and sinned in adam we've been we're not born in the garden of eden there's a separation between us and god but notice for if through the offense of one verse 15 many be dead
[00:52:45] much more the grace of god and the gift by grace which is by one man jesus christ has abounded to many are you part of the mini before we leave today i hope you are it's a gift it's a wonderful
[00:52:55] gift it's the greatest gift it's the gift of grace it's the gift of joy it's the gift of love it's the gift of peace don't you want all those things yes god's provided for them at a terrible cost the
[00:53:06] cost of his own perfect son his righteous holy son that never sinned with whom he had a great perfect pure infinite love relationship for a long time now by the way before anything was created what
[00:53:20] was there well there was a lot of air no there was no air there were the galaxies no there was no galaxy well space no space and time had not yet been created what was there only god well god would
[00:53:36] be pretty selfish just to just to kind of love himself for all eternity past wouldn't he that's why we understand the bible presents god as a trinity the father for eternity past has been loving the son with the spirit of love the holy spirit in pure perfect unbroken communion for all
[00:53:59] eternity past until we sin and then on the cross jesus had to come and say after an eternity of perfect communion and love with the father my god my god why has thou forsaken me may those words
[00:54:24] remind us daily because of my sin because of your sin because of all of those who believe in christ god turns as it were his loving gaze away from the sun and forsakes him for a season
[00:54:42] that he might embrace you, child of God, by grace, through faith, into his loving arms forever and ever.
[00:54:54] But that can only happen if you first bow the knee to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
[00:55:00] You cannot be a lover of yourself and a lover of God.
[00:55:04] You have to choose.
[00:55:06] You cannot worship God and money.
[00:55:08] You can't worship God and you name it, whatever else it is.
[00:55:12] It has to be God and him alone.
[00:55:13] for his sake and for his glory love hope joy peace salvation everlasting life in the absence of fear and the absence of torment in the presence of infinite love set up for you in heaven does
[00:55:37] that interest you i hope so because god gave the most infinitely valuable thing that you and i could even conceive of to pay the price for you and for me and whoever would believe how important is this
[00:55:53] love of god how wonderful how glorious that's why we say love divine all loves excelling joy of heaven and grace come down to us through the son jesus christ amen there's an old baptist hymn we
[00:56:11] We don't have it in our hymnals, but we're going to sing it, Brother John.
[00:56:14] Yes, we love our Baptist brethren, too.
[00:56:18] Love lifted me.
[00:56:19] If you've received it, you can sing it.
[00:56:22] Stand and sing unto the Lord.
[00:56:23] It's only on the screen.
[00:56:24] Love lifted me.