Love Rooted in Humility: The Heart of Christ-Centered Living

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] All of these things in the mighty name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
[00:00:04] We continue in 1 Corinthians 13 today in our redemptive history, in our sermon series on love.
[00:00:21] As we see from the sign out front, if you saw the sign, love is not love, God is love.
[00:00:32] We need a definition of love in America today in a bad sort of a way.
[00:00:37] before, well, without further ado, let's allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to give us a clear definition by reading our text, 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 1.
[00:00:50] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, King James, the word charity here is love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, and though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
[00:01:06] and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
[00:01:13] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
[00:01:21] Charity suffereth long and is kind.
[00:01:24] Charity envieth not.
[00:01:26] Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, Thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
[00:01:42] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
[00:01:47] Charity never faileth, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail.
[00:01:52] Whether there be tongues, they shall cease.
[00:01:54] Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
[00:01:57] 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.
[00:02:05] When I was a child, I spake as a child.
[00:02:07] I understood as a child.
[00:02:08] I thought as a child.
[00:02:09] But when I am become a man, I put away childish things.
[00:02:14] For now we see through a glass or a mirror darkly, but then face to face.
[00:02:19] Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.
[00:02:26] And now abideth faith, hope, and charity or love.
[00:02:31] these three, but the greatest of these is love. May God add his blessing and understanding to the reading of this, his holy word. This is our third message on 1 Corinthians 13, and I have a feeling we'll have several more. But we talked about in the first time together
[00:02:55] how important and how essential love is to the Christian faith. As a matter of fact, the book of galatians it says faith worketh by love and we're saved by grace through faith and if faith works by love then without love we cannot be saved and we know this of course from
[00:03:10] the famous passage all evangelical christians should know or be familiar with john 3 16 for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life he the impetus was love our salvation is based on
[00:03:30] love, true love. And this is not some kind of word that's just thrown around and means whatever people want it to mean today. This is a definition, an attribute of our eternal, triune, infinitely holy, righteous, and perfect God. This is not something to play with or to make fun of or to
[00:03:49] co-opt to our own personal uses. As a matter of fact, this is the greatest gift to mankind is God's love so we talked about the absolute foundational essential nature of love to our faith to our salvation
[00:04:03] and we've talked about how this is what's missing in America today we see hatred increasing we see polarization increasing I it's not because of a lack of education is not because of a lack of
[00:04:12] money is because of a lack of love true love from Christ as this nation departs from the by biblical foundation that it was based upon we have more and more internal strife more and more
[00:04:24] uh corruption more and more problems more and more anger more and more uh hatred and uh in every direction not just one direction in every direction uh because we're moving away from christ and christ is love then last week we talked about well then what is love well god is love but then
[00:04:45] in this chapter love is described and it is described all by verbs now in the english translation some of them are nouns but if you go back and look at the greek it's all verbs it's
[00:04:55] it's doing you can say oh i love everybody let's see your life let's actually see i love the lord nobody loves the lord more than me let's see your life you can say that it's easy to say but you're
[00:05:13] you'll know them by their fruits and also you'll know christians by their love and we talked about that last time so let's take a look then we come in to where we left off in verse uh four i believe
[00:05:27] it was charity suffereth long it's long suffering talked about that last week and is kind have you noticed that there seems to be less kindness in the world today why is that after all you know
[00:05:44] let's just we don't have to have anybody to check you out or to take your order here's a computer just go don't bother me there's less kindness uh long suffering love is kind charity is long long
[00:06:00] suffering is kind charity envieth not i think we got to that last time now we move forward from envy what is envy what causes envy by the way pride that's very astute observation because the very next thing we have here is charity vaunteth not itself is not puffed up so envy
[00:06:22] comes from pride and this is the very next thing charity does not exalt itself doesn't puff itself up to be bigger than what it is or better or swelled up in pride uh and then the next verse
[00:06:36] does not behave itself unseemly interesting word seeketh not her own is not easily provoked think no evil let's stop there let's focus on verse 4 charity vaunteth not itself is not puffed up if you've been here a while you know i preach a lot about pride pride is the absolute poison of
[00:06:54] the christian life pride is the absolute poison of love pride is the original sin of mankind pride as a matter of fact is the original sin of all sin even before the sin of adam and eve because satan
[00:07:07] who shows up in the garden already have fallen we understand from different places in the scripture how did he get there? He got there by trying to exalt his throne over God as an angel trying to
[00:07:19] be more than God himself, and he was cast down. Pride cometh before a fall. Pride is absolute poison in every aspect whatsoever. Unfortunately, in America today, we have been sold a bill of goods. We've been told you should be proud of your work. You should be proud of your children. You
[00:07:36] should be proud of this. You should be proud of your country. I'm not proud of my country. I'm thankful to be born in this great country of the united states of america it's a wonderful thing
[00:07:46] but i didn't make america great and i didn't get a chance nobody came to me while i was in the womb hey by the way what country you want to be born in no it's only of god's grace so i'm thankful
[00:07:58] you know and so we have to be careful with this word pride in america today it seems to be a good thing somehow or another over the last 150 years we we've we've gone into we need to be proud but
[00:08:09] according to the bible pride is a horrible thing it is a terrible thing it is the thing that creates selfishness and a self-love and an ordinate affection with the self and makes us uh put
[00:08:23] ourselves above everyone else and that kills love remember the bible says the first and great commandment is this jesus says in the new testament to love the lord your god with all your heart soul
[00:08:33] minus strength and then to love who second your neighbor as yourself well of the first two where do you get involved does he say by the way you can love yourself next you know well that's like one
[00:08:47] guy says i'm number three what do you mean you're number three uh the lord jesus christ number one everybody else is number two and i'm number three that's pretty good that's biblical and so the idea
[00:08:57] is humility we need to have humility is humility something that's prized in america today No, humility is looked at as a weakness, as a horrible thing.
[00:09:08] Who wants to be humble?
[00:09:09] Who wants to be a doormat?
[00:09:10] But biblically speaking, humility is key.
[00:09:14] By the way, let me say this.
[00:09:15] Without humility, you cannot be saved.
[00:09:18] You cannot be saved.
[00:09:20] The hell is filled with the proud.
[00:09:22] The Bible actually talks about that.
[00:09:24] We have to be very careful.
[00:09:26] If we're going to understand love, we need to understand humility.
[00:09:29] Love and humility go hand in hand.
[00:09:31] pride is the, those of you who like superheroes, the kryptonite of love. Pride is poisonous to love. Remember Romans chapter 12, after Paul, by the Holy Spirit, lays out this beautiful plan of salvation from chapter 1 all the way up to chapter 8. He explains how we're saved, not by our good
[00:09:54] works, but by God's love and his unmerited favor, his grace. And then we believe in faith, and then that makes us righteous we receive the righteousness of christ with the love of god but by the time we get to chapter 12 he wants to apply this to our lives how do we apply this
[00:10:11] wonderful truth of salvation by grace through faith you know it's easy to say oh well i've believed i've made some intellectual ascents and and decisions so am i going to heaven preacher can i go home now and watch football i beseech you therefore brethren verse 1 of chapter 12
[00:10:28] by the mercies of god what is your salvation but a mercy does god owe you salvation what does god owe us the wages of sin is and so his mercy to save us i beseech you therefore
[00:10:45] brethren i i beg you i urge you by the mercy of god your salvation that you present your body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto god which is your reasonable service and be not
[00:10:57] conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind proving what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God so you live for Christ Christ died for you you live for him sounds like a pretty good bargain
[00:11:11] most people are glad it's not the other way around but unfortunately there's a lot of people who are happy to say Christ died for them but when it comes time to actually live for him uh i believe pastor joseph isn't that enough well true belief faith
[00:11:30] without works is well remember we talked about who is it god says look jesus says love the lord your god all your heart soul mind and strength that's the first commandment number two love your
[00:11:43] neighbor as yourself but some people say well what's the third by the way in other words i'm not doing too good on the first two what's the third one let me try to start at number three
[00:11:54] no it doesn't work that way but here in romans 12 uh we just quoted one and two uh being a living sacrifice not being conformed uh to the world but then what's the very next verse so if it's true
[00:12:08] that that the outworking of our salvation is that we're to be a living sacrifice and what a joy what a joy to be because a living sacrifice for who i am living for christ i am living for god
[00:12:21] i'm an ambassador not of america or of russia or of china or any other nation i'm an ambassador of the king of kings and the lord of lords i i don't ride in a limousine or a rolls-royce uh i'll one
[00:12:32] day ride maybe having a chariot of fire a royal coach that will come from heaven to receive me into the kingdom and be conveyed into that home country of which here i am an alien and a pilgrim
[00:12:45] on a journey but a representative of the king of kings and the lord of lords that's not just true for me preaching but if you're born again that's true for you higher than any other calling any
[00:12:55] other nation any other secular calling you can even dream of and so this is what we're called to do how do we do it well the very first thing that we have to do if we're going to live that
[00:13:06] life should be found in verse 3 right one and two tells us be a living sacrifice don't be conformed to the world be transformed by the moon of your mind proving what is that good and acceptable
[00:13:15] will of god what is the good and acceptable will of god for you verse 3 of romans chapter 12 says this for i say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of
[00:13:26] himself more highly than he ought to think anybody here ever have a problem nobody loves the lord more than me do you know everybody is it possible there might be one person that does the very
[00:13:44] first command the very first thing we must learn in living the christian life is according to paul inspired by the holy spirit of god not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think
[00:14:00] now all that i just told you about the high calling that we have is only in christ without christ we are nothing we're ambassador of nothing or an ambassador of me i'm an ambassador of the
[00:14:14] nation of pastor joseph kind of a small nation not very impressive but when you're ambassador of the king of kings and lord of lords a different story so not to think of yourself more highly than
[00:14:25] you ought to think but think soberly according as christ hath dealt to every man the measure of faith every believer so in other words your salvation did you get it because you were good enough no god has given us this salvation remember who has bought us who has created us in the womb
[00:14:44] he says he knew us in the womb he called us like jeremiah in the womb to be his children he's given us physical life and if you're saved he's given you a spiritual life afresh we are doubly his
[00:14:56] amen and if so let us not think more highly than we ought to think of ourselves according as god hath dealt to every man the measure of faith we need to understand humility true humility
[00:15:12] starts how not some kind of medieval catholic thing of you know uh having a robe and walking barefoot and having a board and hitting your head or chains and self-flagellation and this and that and all kind of weird things no what's the first thing we need to do to be humble we need to
[00:15:35] understand who god is once you understand who god really is you'll get humble unfortunately we have a very distorted view of god promulgated and unfortunately people watch these things i don't watch but i hear second hand third hand fourth hand uh from the super bowl stuff and all
[00:15:59] of that god gets us you know god is your buddy he comes over to hang out forgive me lord he comes over to drink a beer he comes over to watch the football game isn't that wonderful this is not
[00:16:15] the god of the bible now do we have a friend in jesus yes but it never says uh in the bible uh you know uh god the father uh is is your friend no god when god shows up what do people say hey
[00:16:31] yes there's a beer in the fridge yeah come see me when you're done that's not the picture that we see you know well of course when God shows up to get those mean people of
[00:16:42] course they're afraid yeah but how do the most godly holy people chosen vessels of God act oftentimes when God shows up now he recognized Moses was an exception but even Moses when God shows up on Mount Sinai Moses himself who
[00:17:00] would talk to God almost face to face it's when God shows up on Mount Sinai and it begins to shake and there's thunders and there's lightnings and the sound of a trumpet that grows louder and like Moses himself says I exceedingly
[00:17:14] fear and quake how about Isaiah in the book of Isaiah Judah is is really gone almost apostate Isaiah is the chosen mouthpiece of God Isaiah is is prophesying so many wonderful things about the coming Messiah so many
[00:17:32] wonderful things about the attributes of god and the salvation to come but when isaiah is called by god and has a vision of god does he see god and say cool hey god come on have a seat now i
[00:17:45] got some things i want to talk to you about let's hang out because he gets me now let's take a look the ho one of one of the holiest people in israel at the time or judah isaiah we don't know there's
[00:17:57] anyone holier than isaiah at this time god's chosen him to be his mouthpiece on earth and when god shows up look at isaiah at chapter six just the first five verses in the year that king
[00:18:08] uzziah died i saw also the lord sin upon a throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple above it stood the seraphim each one had six wings with twain he covered his face with train he
[00:18:20] covered his feet with twain he did fly and one cried unto another said holy holy holy is the lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory and the post of the door moved at the voice of him
[00:18:32] that cried and the house was filled with smoke and then said i who's talking here isaiah the holiest and all of israel that we know of at the time woe is me why for i am undone why because i am a man
[00:18:46] of unclean lips and i dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the king the lord of hosts to see him in his glory immediately you're humble woe is me i'm going to
[00:19:00] die i'm going to be burnt up why because i'm so wicked and yet he's the holiest one in all of israel at the time he's the one chosen of god to speak the word to the people but when he sees god
[00:19:11] he understands humility real quick if you don't have humility i don't know that you know the god i know not just isaiah think of job if you read job it can be very depressing and confusing but i
[00:19:25] think the real point of job is is all of these problems that job has and he continues to desire to have an audience with god if i could just have god come and i could talk to him about how i
[00:19:39] I haven't sinned, and really, you know, explain that I'm really blameless.
[00:19:44] And, you know, then he would understand this kind of the implication.
[00:19:48] And so he wants to talk.
[00:19:49] Man, have you ever heard anybody say, you know, when I get to heaven, I've got some things I want to ask God about.
[00:19:55] I don't think it's going to work that way.
[00:19:59] Let me give you a biblical example.
[00:20:01] Job says that for chapter after chapter after chapter, not in a prideful way, I don't think, necessarily intentionally, but nevertheless it's still wrong and when God actually does show up Job is not so bold to plead his case
[00:20:20] as a matter of fact listen to what Job says in Job chapter 42 verse 5 and 6 when God does show up he says I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear
[00:20:33] but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.
[00:20:43] And earlier on, when God first shows up, you know, Job's been talking, talking, talking, talking, and God says, okay, I'm going to ask you some questions.
[00:20:55] Where were you when the foundation of the universe was laid?
[00:20:58] You know what Job does?
[00:21:02] He shuts up quick.
[00:21:04] You want humility?
[00:21:06] Get to know God.
[00:21:07] Do you struggle with humility?
[00:21:09] Get to know God.
[00:21:10] Get to know the God of the Bible.
[00:21:11] And you will see what an infinite, holy, eternal, all-powerful God he is.
[00:21:17] Now, we don't like to think of that because it makes us a little nervous because we know that we're not infinite and eternal and holy.
[00:21:24] And that's why we like to say, well, at least I'm not as bad as Hitler.
[00:21:28] Well, who asked you whether or not you're bad as Hitler?
[00:21:32] We're called Christians, as we said in Sunday school, not Hitlerarians.
[00:21:35] No, we are to follow after Christ.
[00:21:38] Christ is the example.
[00:21:39] And we cannot lower Christ.
[00:21:42] We have to rise up to this level that is so infinitely high.
[00:21:46] And that makes us nervous.
[00:21:47] But it shouldn't.
[00:21:48] It should make us humble so that we can humbly receive this wonderful gift that God has given us.
[00:21:54] You see, when God is just a little bit above us, for him to span that gulf and save us, that's not so much.
[00:22:04] You know, I could almost jump up there myself, you know.
[00:22:06] but I'm glad that you came down after all Jesus that was a great help thanks so much I'll take that but when we understand that he's higher than we can possibly see and we are underneath the floor and that the span is infinite and
[00:22:19] there is nothing we can do there is no amount of hard work there's no amount of knowledge there is no amount of dedication Paul says hey I could give my body to be burned but without love it profits me nothing I can do all kinds
[00:22:33] of things. I can have all kinds of gifts and knowledge and claim to be a great Christian and this, that, and the other thing, give everything to the poor. It does nothing without love. And so we need to understand love. God is love. We need to understand who he really
[00:22:45] is. And to know God is to experience humility. That's true for Isaiah. It's true for Job.
[00:22:53] You can look in Daniel chapter 10, 8. It's true for Daniel. When God shows up, he's eaten dust it's true for the apostle john the apostle john the one whom jesus loved the one who reclined
[00:23:07] in his breast and the bosom of christ at the at the table uh that close relationship but when christ has died on the cross for john's sin and raised on the third day from the dead and ascended
[00:23:20] into heaven on the 40th day and is now the glorified god holy perfect yes he is the god man but the glorified god man who shows up to john on the isle of patmos in the first chapter
[00:23:33] of revelation john doesn't say oh jesus come let me come get close to you again and and let's arm and arm and shake hands and let's talk about how things are since since you left no jesus shows up
[00:23:46] boom he falls as a dead man to the ground humility is that the way you look at god well i don't want look at god like that that makes me scared but that's why he sent jesus the father
[00:24:02] does not have humility as an attribute he does not humble himself god did not have humility as an attribute but the son does in the sense that the son came from heaven and humbled himself
[00:24:22] on our behalf and that's the love that saves us and by the way that's the love that we need to have to be saved and by the way that is the love that america desperately needs
[00:24:37] in a day like today america was the envy of the world in so many ways why because of biblical love why has it become a byword among the nations they fear us but they don't love
[00:24:58] us so much anymore because something has left that faith which evidence that love of Christ that made us the nation that gives and blesses and helps more nations anyone else in history love God who is so high and so wonderful in the book of
[00:25:20] Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 foreshadows what he's going to do for those who are humble say well if God is so high and I'm so humble doesn't that make us even further away I want to get up to God I that doesn't work that way remember
[00:25:35] Christ says he who exalts himself I will abase he who humbles himself I will exalt and that's really the outworking of Isaiah 57 15 for thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity try to get your mind wrapped around that whose name is holy
[00:25:53] i dwell in the high and holy place with who with the angels with the serp with who with him also that it is of a contrite and humble spirit for what purpose to revive the spirit of the humble
[00:26:08] and to revive the heart of the contrite ones you want revival let's humble ourselves in the sight of the lord as long as we stand afar off i don't need this who does he think he is yeah well god
[00:26:19] will understand or he'll just have to take me how he gets me no he'll take you and throw you out but the problem is we don't know humility we don't know humility we don't know god if we don't know
[00:26:31] god we don't know humility if we don't know humility we have no salvation brothers and sisters because true biblical love is humble and humbling that god would love me that much to give his son to die for me on the cross.
[00:26:49] Remember Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount.
[00:26:52] What does Jesus start out with?
[00:26:53] Blessed are the, what?
[00:26:56] Poor in spirit.
[00:26:57] Isn't that the contrite who he's promised to dwell with?
[00:27:00] Though he's in the highest place, he's going to dwell with the lowest.
[00:27:05] What about all in between?
[00:27:06] They don't get to be up there.
[00:27:08] Isn't that weird?
[00:27:09] That's what the Bible says, though.
[00:27:11] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for what theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[00:27:16] If you want to be saved, you have to be poor in spirit.
[00:27:19] What's poor in spirit?
[00:27:20] Humble, contrite.
[00:27:21] If you're not, you're not going to make it.
[00:27:24] Isn't that what it says?
[00:27:26] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[00:27:28] And then the next thing is blessed are those who mourn.
[00:27:30] So you mean I got to go around crying all the time to get to heaven?
[00:27:34] Blessed are those who mourn over what?
[00:27:37] Over their sin and over their, relatively speaking, abominable state compared to the eternal and infinite Holy One.
[00:27:47] That's why we find that Job says, when I saw you, I abhorred myself.
[00:27:56] I abhor myself because I see how I thought I was doing pretty good.
[00:28:02] You know, I haven't gone to many fancy restaurants.
[00:28:05] They got so expensive.
[00:28:06] But years and years ago when somebody else was paying, my parents, and we go to a fancy restaurant, I remember, you know, some of those fancy restaurants are real dark, you know.
[00:28:14] And then at a certain hour, the lights go down.
[00:28:17] You say, what's going on with my eyes?
[00:28:18] But that's a little trick they play.
[00:28:21] You know, you may see someone over here.
[00:28:24] You say, oh, what a fine-looking lady or a fine-looking man or whatever.
[00:28:28] But then when the lights are on, you're like, ooh, that's not who I thought it was.
[00:28:36] This is how we think of ourselves before God.
[00:28:42] But once the lights come on, ah, you see those wrinkles?
[00:28:46] No.
[00:28:47] Did you see how dirty those clothes were?
[00:28:48] No.
[00:28:48] and here's the thing god is not just love but god is remember in first in the gospel of john god is light in him is no darkness at all so when we stand away far from the light we can be dirty
[00:29:03] and filthy and not look so hot and yeah yeah it's kind of like where's ernie ernie hey that car looks good from about 50 feet away when you get closer oh look at all these imperfections look
[00:29:14] at this terrible paint work all this guy but 50 feet away looks great and so you're far away from Christ I think I'm okay but as you begin to draw closer and closer you're getting
[00:29:24] closer to the light it's getting brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter oh I didn't know I had this spot brighter and brighter I didn't know these jeans had holes in them and no it's not a fashion statement
[00:29:37] and and brighter and brighter and and I'm filthy dirty I didn't know that what's changed only that now you can see a better picture of the truth about your moral worth in and of yourself and that's why we need a savior that's why we need christ and that
[00:29:55] is the picture of love but if we don't need much love if god's just that much above of us how much love does it take to but to span an infinite gulf ah now that's love that's why we need to know
[00:30:08] who god is blessed are those who are poor and contrite spirit theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are those who mourn over their sin for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek towards others not not angry not unkind not not browbeating not proudful prideful
[00:30:24] blessed are those who are meek for they shall inherit the the earth and then blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness do you hunger and thirst for righteousness i didn't ask for all that i just wanted to come for a sermon we got to go out to lunch pastor joseph hey it's
[00:30:39] getting late no no no the bible says we should be hungering and thirsting for righteousness and what is righteousness christ god we want to be like him we want to be with him we want to be in the
[00:30:48] absence of sin the absence of pain the absence of wickedness the absence of hatred and malice and hypocrisy and sickness and disease and war and death itself with that it would be swallowed up in the presence of life that is god and his son jesus christ this is what we should hunger for
[00:31:07] and thirst for to be like him who loved us and gave himself for us and this is the picture though it takes humility to want to be like someone else and not be envious the example is christ himself
[00:31:27] isn't it you can't be saved without humility first in christ humbling himself for you was christ envious of us when he was in heaven when he was in heaven before he became incarnate before christmas did he need anything that you had i just can't wait to be like a person to suffer
[00:31:48] pains to suffer tiredness to suffer you know getting old i just can't wait to get down in that muck it's going to be so fun you know he needed nothing there was nothing to envy
[00:32:00] so then why did he come love brothers and sisters we cannot be saved without love the love of god that moved him to send his son for us could he send anything more valuable a million dollars a
[00:32:14] billion dollars a trillion dollars the militaries of all the world what else could he send what could god just think about it even if you don't believe the christian faith think about this theoretically philosophically what could the father send more precious than his eternal
[00:32:31] infinite precious spotless sinless son with whom he had an eternal unbroken perfect love relationship in eternity past before there was anything else before the creation what was there no angels no satan not even air what was there god but now love is not selfish we already learned so
[00:33:00] So how could God love himself?
[00:33:03] He's a trinity.
[00:33:04] The father from eternity past loved the son with the spirit of love.
[00:33:10] That love relationship he was willing to break on your behalf.
[00:33:15] No one on earth is willing to do that for you.
[00:33:20] Not even your sweet mom.
[00:33:22] She couldn't if she tried.
[00:33:24] This is God, folks, that has done this.
[00:33:26] We cannot be saved without the love of God and the humiliation of God in that gulf that infinite gulf folks when we try to say well you know i'm a good person or uh are
[00:33:38] you going to be saved well i believe in jesus and i hope i'm good enough this is blasphemy folks blasphemy we are trying to to get a stairway to heaven we're trying like the song no we can't
[00:33:50] we're trying to go up ourself the whole purpose of christ coming is that an infinite distance can only be traversed by the infinite person jesus christ no finite person can do it and this is the
[00:34:05] truth of the gospel of jesus christ to be saved we must have the humility of christ the second person of the trinity to come and humble himself on our account even to taste death for all who
[00:34:17] would believe but then we must have humility in ourselves so that we might know that we need that confess that we need that and to chain ourselves to christ link by link through the love of god
[00:34:33] that he puts in us through his son christ jesus through his spirit of love the holy spirit that we may love him in return in a way that is well pleasing in his sight you see jesus says something pastor andy alluded to it earlier if you turn to matthew chapter 18
[00:34:50] he says something that really tripped up the disciples at least temporarily the disciples are excited here in Matthew 18 about the coming of the kingdom of God so excited and especially that God has chosen them to be the twelve right there
[00:35:10] began to be as we see here in other passages they have a natural problem all of the disciples what's that natural problem pride and selfishness hey Jesus who's gonna be the greatest hey Jesus can I sit on your right hand
[00:35:25] unfortunately this is the way they all were it seems before his death burial resurrection and the sending of the Spirit there was a great change in them but here they believe in him and yet they are imperfect and Jesus they say to
[00:35:39] Jesus in Matthew 18 verse 1 at the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying who's the greatest of the kingdom of heaven I can just see Peter is it me Lord forgive us Peter if we are wrong and Jesus called a little child unto him
[00:35:59] and set him in the midst of them just a little child and he said verily or truly I say unto you except you be converted and become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven who wants to do that i'm strong i'm knowledgeable you can't tell
[00:36:22] me i'm not going to be a doormat what do you mean be like a little child that's crazy what are you talking about jesus made it pretty clear whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this
[00:36:35] little child the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven humility is the prerequisite or the qualification for the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
[00:36:49] How about you? How are you doing?
[00:36:53] I tell you what, I'm just so humble.
[00:36:56] I'm so proud about how humble I am.
[00:37:00] Be careful.
[00:37:02] In the qualifications for elders and deacons, in one place we find in 1 Timothy chapter 3, you find a little hint about how serious this sin of pride is.
[00:37:14] 1 Timothy chapter 3, we find that you're not supposed to make someone an elder quickly in the church.
[00:37:22] Why?
[00:37:23] If he's a novice, lest, the scripture says, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
[00:37:34] And we understand from different passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel, this is how the devil fell, through pride.
[00:37:41] Pride cometh before a fall.
[00:37:43] That's what happened to Satan, isn't it?
[00:37:45] By the way, that's what happened to mankind.
[00:37:50] How did Satan bait the hook for that apple, if you will, for Eve?
[00:37:55] Well, you know, God didn't really say that, or, you know, let's question the word of God, let's change the word of God.
[00:38:02] And then finally he says, look, essentially, in a paraphrase, in Genesis chapter 3, he doesn't want you to be like him.
[00:38:12] He knows that if you eat this apple, you'll be like God's yourself.
[00:38:16] hmm that might be a good idea what was it that caused man to sin pride self-exaltation and so it should be no wonder that the thing that has to save us is the absolute reverse of that which
[00:38:33] damned us it is pride that caused our dilemma it is pride yes spiritually ultimately but in our america today it's pride that causes most of the problems we face if you really get down to the
[00:38:46] root of it and it is humility that brings about salvation whether in christ coming from heaven to earth or for us in humbling ourselves to believe that's not easy though the real question that i find the real problem with most people when it comes to coming to christ is they don't want to
[00:39:03] give up they don't want to give up control you know you've seen the the have you seen the sign that says you know or the the bumper sticker when they used to have bumper stickers now only crazy
[00:39:15] people have my guests like me but anyways uh god is my co-pilot that's pretty nice but then i saw a sign on a church and it was even better it said if god is your co-pilot then switch seats
[00:39:30] gosh and people say i hope god is on my side no you're hoping the wrong thing you better make sure that you're on god's side and so when we think about biblically how well do people that
[00:39:45] are filled with pride do in the bible adam and eve not so good how about pharaoh not so good i mean i pray for everyone in iran all of them but i look at those leaders and i think of pharaoh and what
[00:40:03] about haman haman filled with pride in the book of esther and oh the king loves me and i've been exalted and all this kind of stuff uh but he was and he had all of these riches and honors but
[00:40:16] But there was this one Jew, Mordecai, that just got his goat, if you will, and he just couldn't stand it.
[00:40:21] And so he makes a gallows 50 cubits high to hang Mordecai from.
[00:40:29] And by the way, he ends up being hung on it.
[00:40:32] And you can go read the story about more of the humiliation he faced.
[00:40:36] Think of Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:40:37] Nebuchadnezzar, God gave Daniel a dream in Babylon about Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:40:43] hey, you know, you're pride, you need to, you're prideful, you need to give God the glory. If not, God's going to judge you. And about a year went by, maybe Nebuchadnezzar kind of played it low-key
[00:40:53] for a while, but then he goes out, oh, look at this great Babylon that I have created, you know, and all this. He's loving himself, self-love, and at that point a voice comes, and he becomes like a
[00:41:05] cow for seven years. He doesn't have his mind, he's out with no clothes, hair growing on him, And for seven years, talk about pride coming before a fall.
[00:41:15] And then Belshazzar, his son, doesn't do any better.
[00:41:18] You go find out about him.
[00:41:19] Remember the hand, the disembodied hand that comes in the room and writes on the wall, mini, mini, tekel up, harzen.
[00:41:26] You have been weighed in the scales and you've been found wanting.
[00:41:31] And think of others.
[00:41:32] But not just pagans, but what about the people of God, or at least the people who claim to have Jehovah as their God?
[00:41:39] Think of King Jeroboam.
[00:41:40] King Jeroboam in the northern kingdom when they separated after Rehoboam, after Solomon.
[00:41:46] And there's a prophet that goes up and he prophesies against the altar and against Jeroboam for pagan idolatry.
[00:41:54] And Jeroboam is so mad and prideful.
[00:41:56] Who is this guy?
[00:41:57] And he puts out his hand, you know, and get him.
[00:42:01] And his hand draws back up and dries up like that.
[00:42:04] Yeah.
[00:42:04] I mean, think of Uzziah, the godly king of Jerusalem, who did wonderfully well, if you go look at Uzziah, and yet he got so pride-filled that he decided he was going to go, not just
[00:42:16] as king, but as priest, and go burn incense in the holy place of the Lord.
[00:42:21] The priests go after him to get him out, and as soon as he comes out, he's mad at him, and then leprosy supernaturally begins to take him, and he died a leper.
[00:42:30] Or we think of King Asa, another good king, if you will, relatively speaking, in Judah, who did very well, but at the end of his life, he was diseased in his feet, lower extremities, and the end of his story says,
[00:42:43] you know, he had a disease in his feet, but he sought not the Lord, he sought the physicians, and the next thing is, and he died.
[00:42:56] Pride cometh before a fall.
[00:42:59] Beware, brothers and sisters.
[00:43:00] But let me turn to Daniel with you real quickly.
[00:43:03] Nebuchadnezzar, I didn't finish the story.
[00:43:05] After Nebuchadnezzar experienced these seven years of great humiliation, it's rather amazing that he was able to retain his throne.
[00:43:14] That was in the prophecy.
[00:43:16] After he's returned to his senses and upright and now like a human again and remembers what's going on, look what he does.
[00:43:24] This is a pagan, right?
[00:43:26] A pagan hierarchy.
[00:43:27] But look what he says in Daniel 4 after he's learned this lesson.
[00:43:31] Beginning in verse 34.
[00:43:34] And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High God, and I praised and honored Him.
[00:43:44] This is not a Jew.
[00:43:45] This is a pagan who defied the God in many times.
[00:43:49] But now, after being humbled, I bless the Most High.
[00:43:52] I praise and honored Him who liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.
[00:43:57] his kingdom is from generation to generation and he gets me no he doesn't say that and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven
[00:44:08] among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him what doest thou at the same time my reason returned unto me and for the glory of my kingdom mine honor and brightness
[00:44:20] returned unto me and my counselors and my lord sought unto me i was established in my kingdom and excellent majesty was added unto me now i nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the king of heaven this is jehovah god all who now listen to this this is this is the clincher all
[00:44:38] whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase nebuchadnezzar learned a lesson the hard way there's another one in the old testament remember saul in the old testament king saul it's very interesting saul was not presented as a real
[00:45:02] proud person as a matter of fact he seemed to be kind of shy interesting enough though saul was was a beautiful person uh handsome and tall it says from the shoulders upward he was taller
[00:45:15] than anyone else in israel wow and he was chosen to be king and uh and and he follows the lord at first but after a while something happens and there's a story there and and uh he turns away
[00:45:29] from god in disobedience the lord is no longer with him and now he is working out of his own imaginations and pride and uh and god forsakes him as king and anoints and seeks someone after
[00:45:42] his own heart and i want you to turn with me if you were to first samuel chapter 15 i just want you to see two verses there when god uh rebukes samuel and basically forsakes him as king look
[00:45:56] what god says to samuel i'm sorry he rebukes saul look what god says to king saul through samuel the prophet first samuel chapter 15 verse 16. then samuel said unto saul stay i will tell
[00:46:18] thee what the lord hath said to me this night and he said unto him say on and samuel said when thou was little in thine own sight was thou not made the head of the tribes of israel and the lord
[00:46:33] anointed the king over israel and the lord sent thee on a journey and said go and utterly destroy the sinners the amalekites and fight against them until they be consumed wherefore then didst thou disobey not obey the voice of the lord but did fly upon the spoil and it's evil in the sight of the
[00:46:50] lord notice when saul was little in his own sight was he little he was taller than anybody but he was little in his own there was some humility god could use him but as he got proud he was forsaken
[00:47:05] very interesting very interesting what happened to saul he vaunted himself he got puffed up is that language familiar first corinthians 13 love does not vaunt itself is not puffed up and this is how he fell away from the favor and love of god but there's another saul
[00:47:28] isn't there not just the soul of the old testament but the soul of the new testament saul was a jew he was a pharisee of the pharisee and and he was actually a persecutor of christians
[00:47:42] putting them in prison he was there uh agreeing with the the murder of stephen martyrdom of stephen he held the coats of those that stoned him and yet god did an amazing work in saul
[00:47:58] it all has to do with love and humility let's take a look before we end today saul of the new testament who we know as paul turn if you would to philippians chapter 1.
[00:48:10] Philippians chapter 1, we see in verse 21, Paul is in prison as he writes this letter.
[00:48:15] And he said, I don't know what's going to happen to me, but let me tell you, since I've been in prison, there's all kinds of things happening.
[00:48:20] People are getting saved.
[00:48:22] It's a wonderful thing.
[00:48:23] I think maybe God put me in prison to get people saved.
[00:48:25] That's essentially what he says.
[00:48:27] And then he says in verse 21, he says, listen, Philippians 1, 21, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
[00:48:35] What's my life about?
[00:48:37] Jesus Christ.
[00:48:38] And if I die, better still, I'll be with him.
[00:48:41] Does that define and summarize your life?
[00:48:45] It's easy to say yes.
[00:48:46] Does your life show it?
[00:48:48] For me, life is Jesus Christ and death is gain.
[00:48:54] The whole world is against death.
[00:48:56] We've got to find a way to get away from death.
[00:48:57] But for the Christian, death is a wonderful acceptance into everlasting life of the presence of him who loved us and gave himself for us.
[00:49:05] for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
[00:49:10] Now, you say, well, he didn't have much to give up.
[00:49:13] Oh, no, he had a lot to give up.
[00:49:15] Look at the same book, Philippians chapter 3, verse 7.
[00:49:18] Philippians 3, verse 7, he says, By the way, I'm not just any kind of, you know, run-of-the-mill guy off the side of the street.
[00:49:25] Let me tell you about my pedigree as a Jew.
[00:49:28] In Philippians 3, verse 7, he says, uh but which things were gained to me those i counted lost for christ uh i'm actually he begins his uh his recounting of his pedigree in verse five have circumcised the eighth day of the stock
[00:49:45] of israel of the tribe of benjamin a hebrew of a hebrew is touching the law of pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the church you hadn't seen what i've done touching the righteousness which is in the law i was blameless but what things were gained to me those i counted loss
[00:50:02] for christ now listen yea doubtless and i count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord for whom i have suffered the loss of all things and do count them
[00:50:15] but done that i may win christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is the law but that which is through the faith of christ the righteousness which is of god
[00:50:29] by faith that i may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death this is saul what happened to saul well also real quickly in the end of his uh missionary journeys he's talking to the church of
[00:50:52] at ephesus he's on his way to jerusalem where he's about to be thrown in prison there have been prophets who've said look you're going to be thrown in prison don't go to jerusalem and the
[00:51:02] elders at ephesus and the people at the church are all upset and don't want him to go and this is what he says in in acts chapter 20 just in a few verses verse 22 and now behold i go bound in
[00:51:13] the spirit unto jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there save that the holy ghost witnesses in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me but none of these things move me neither count on my life dear unto myself so that i might finish my course with joy
[00:51:33] and the ministry which i have received of the lord jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of god does that describe you what comes into your life that moves you oh my goodness did you
[00:51:45] hear about this oh no what's going to happen over here even though you may not do that maybe that's the way you feel inside he says none of these things move neither do i count my life dear unto
[00:51:58] myself so that i might finish my course with joy because it's the same paul who said in galatians 2 20 i'm crucified with crest christ nevertheless i live yet not i but christ liveth in me for the
[00:52:11] life that i now live in the flesh i live by the faith of the son of god who did what loved me and gave himself for me love humility not proud and this is what happened to paul in
[00:52:26] order for him to be saved he could not have been saved without humility remember what happens acts chapter 26 he recounts it one last time before king agrippa in verse 9 remember we said in proverbs chapter 16 verse 18 pride comes before saul was awful proud about being circumcised on
[00:52:46] the eighth day, a Pharisee of the Pharisee. Nobody says, he's so zealous he couldn't find enough Christians in Jerusalem to persecute. So he went and asked the high priest, give me a letter so I can go to Damascus and go persecute some more over there to show how zealous I am. And as he's
[00:53:02] going to persecute, maybe even kill Christians following Christ in Damascus, something happens on that road. Acts chapter 26, if you would look, beginning in verse 9, as he recounts, I verily, paul says thought with myself that i ought to do many things contrary to the name of jesus christ
[00:53:19] which things i also did in jerusalem and many of the saints did i shut up in prison having received authority from the chief priest and when they were put to death i gave my voice against them
[00:53:30] and i punished them often every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them i persecuted them even unto strange cities whereupon as i went to damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest full of power full of authority
[00:53:47] fighting and striving against christ he can preach all day long but i'm not going to believe that's what saul said same spirit pride i'm going to do it my way pride look what happens by god's
[00:54:05] grace at midday o king i saw on the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me them and them which journeyed with me and when we were all what
[00:54:19] fallen to the earth pride comes before we were all fallen to the earth he got knocked off his high horse if he was riding a horse and if not you understand what i mean i heard a voice and when
[00:54:35] we were all fallen to the earth i just like all the other appearances of god right i heard a voice speaking unto me saying in the hebrew tongue saul saul why persecutest thou me it is hard for thee
[00:54:46] to kick against the pricks that's the the ox's oxen and they have the cart behind them and they had these goads these sharp goads and they didn't like being pulled so they start kicking but when
[00:54:57] they kick they hit the goads ooh and they get bloody and they get punctured it's hard for you to kick against the pricks and paul says who are you and i said who art thou lord and he said i'm
[00:55:10] jesus whom thou persecutest when you're living for yourself you're persecuting jesus you're shutting him out of your life if you are a christian and you're living for yourself you're still persecuting jesus beware but rise stand upon your feet for i have appeared unto
[00:55:29] you for this purpose to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which you have seen and those things in the which i will appear unto thee delivering thee from the people
[00:55:38] and from the gentiles unto whom now i send thee to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light from the power of satan unto god that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me paul has to be humbled
[00:55:56] before he can be saved really humbled three days he can't see but in that time he has faith in christ ananias a disciple a christian in in damascus god appears to him hey go over there
[00:56:11] and lay your hands on saul uh he's blind but uh you know when he receives sight uh when you lay your hands on me hey lord haven't you heard about saul is that the one that came to kill me no lord
[00:56:25] go he's a chosen vessel unto me i will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake Humility.
[00:56:35] And so Ananias goes.
[00:56:36] He doesn't fight.
[00:56:37] When Ananias comes, Saul receives him.
[00:56:40] Who's Ananias?
[00:56:41] The Christian, the dirt that he considered he was going to kill.
[00:56:44] Now he submits.
[00:56:46] And probably Ananias baptized him.
[00:56:49] I don't know.
[00:56:50] But Ananias laid hands on him and gave him healing for his eyes and spoke to him.
[00:56:55] Saul, receive thy sight.
[00:56:58] Humility.
[00:56:59] You know, it's interesting.
[00:57:00] Saul's name changed.
[00:57:02] Remember Saul in the Bible?
[00:57:04] mighty saul taller than anyone heads but after saul becomes a christian his name changes to and what does paul mean little little little why did he choose that you have to become like a little child if you want to be saved more than that jesus says to nicodemus if you want to be
[00:57:32] saved you have to not just a little child you've got to go back in the womb you've got to be born again nicodemus is a leader in israel how can this be once you're old how can you go back in
[00:57:45] your mother's womb this doesn't make sense jesus explains some from the old testament there in john 3 and then he says just as the serpent just as moses raised up the serpent in the wilderness
[00:57:57] and they who looked upon it were saved so too shall they who look upon the son of man so too shall the son of man be lifted up and all who look upon him will be saved for god so loved the world
[00:58:09] john 3 16 so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life the motive of our salvation is love but the only way that love
[00:58:22] can be conveyed to us is the humility of christ coming down paul has to be humbled before he can be saved so too we have to walk in that humility receive that love of christ we have to learn what
[00:58:35] john the baptist said a little bit later nicodemus hadn't figured it out yet but later in john 3 john's got it because john says he must increase i must decrease i don't want to do that i don't
[00:58:50] want to decrease i want to increase jesus says if you want to go up you got to go down he who who exalts himself, I will obey. He who humbles himself, I will exalt. Some people are
[00:59:01] just full of themselves, right?
[00:59:03] Well, then where's the room for Christ?
[00:59:06] But when we decrease, he comes in and fills us with his spirit, the spirit of love, the spirit of salvation.
[00:59:16] I want to end by returning to our passage.
[00:59:19] We're almost done. Hang in there. We're very close.
[00:59:21] 1 Corinthians 13.
[00:59:23] Remember the description of love?
[00:59:25] love is long-suffering first corinthians 13 i want to ask you are you long-suffering yes pastor joseph but i got my limit i understand i understand how about christ was he long-suffering it seems that he might have been on the cross as much as six hours
[00:59:50] Some say three, depending on how you live it, six hours.
[00:59:56] And on the cross, dying for those who are around him, who are mocking him, making fun of him, ridiculing him, taunting him, spitting upon him.
[01:00:07] Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
[01:00:13] That's love, brothers and sisters.
[01:00:15] And that's long-suffering, because God is love.
[01:00:19] Love is long-suffering.
[01:00:21] Christ is long-suffering to you and me.
[01:00:23] for every time we sin is it not adding another slap to the face of the Savior if we are saved because he bore it all for us he's long suffering brothers and sisters kind never was
[01:00:38] a kind of man envieth not what did Jesus have to envy vaunteth not himself not at all he abased himself from heaven to earth what an example does not puff up himself but actually allows himself to take on the form of of a humble servant obedient even to the death of
[01:01:03] the cross isn't that christ this is love this is christ how about you and if not remember who do you do it for if you say you're a christian he did it for you how can we not do it for him and
[01:01:20] for his glory. I end with the words of Saul who became Paul when he too was humbled and saved.
[01:01:29] Words about what Christ did in his love and humiliation and as that a basis for us.
[01:01:35] As some of you are closing your eyes, as some of you are getting sleepy, some of you that ship sailed a long time ago. It's time to wake up everybody! Hear this before you go so you at least have something
[01:01:45] before you leave. Those of you, there's several of you got closed eyes, several of you are passing out on me.
[01:01:53] I see people moving around.
[01:01:55] Oh, it's time to wake up.
[01:01:56] It must be over.
[01:01:57] Listen.
[01:01:59] Get this if you get nothing else, okay?
[01:02:02] Please.
[01:02:03] This is the end.
[01:02:04] I want you to hear this.
[01:02:06] Paul says in Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bows and mercies, he's telling the church,
[01:02:21] he's telling you and me, fulfill ye my joy that you be like-minded like-minded to what having the same love what love being of one accord of one mind let nothing be done through strife or vain glory
[01:02:37] there's first corinthians 13 vaunting himself but in lowliness of mind that's humility right let each esteem others better themselves that's loving our neighbor as ourself amen by the way christ takes it a step further and says i say unto you a new commandment love yeah but love
[01:02:57] your brother love your neighbor even as i have loved you that's even greater than loving yourself isn't it and so he says having the same love it says and then look not every man on his own things
[01:03:10] but every man also on the things of others there's the love let this mind be in you the same love which was also in christ jesus who being in the form of god and thought of not robbery to be
[01:03:23] equal with god made himself of no reputation humiliation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself
[01:03:34] and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross wherefore god also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that the name of jesus every knee should bow it takes humility for a knee to bow anyone can bow the knee oh yes i bow the knee
[01:03:55] shakespeare but to bow the knee in sincerity it takes humility have you really bowed the knee to jesus in every aspect of your life he is lord unto him every knee shall bow notice of things in
[01:04:21] heaven of things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father say not me yes you notice what it says
[01:04:39] every knee should bow of things in heaven i hope that's where we're all going amen things on earth that's where we are and one more stay awake for this and things under the earth everyone in hell will one day bow the knee to king jesus forcibly is it not better to bow it now in
[01:05:03] love and gratitude and thanks for what he's done for us suffered for us shown us who are nothing but dust windbags literally who gives us the very next impulse of wind to enter our lungs and allow
[01:05:19] us to live than to shake the fist at our creator and one day in hell in anger and rage be forced to bow the knee and confess yes he is lord and savior and what an idiot what a horrible fool
[01:05:36] i have been and now i suffer for all eternity god forbid god forbid now is the time of salvation now is the acceptable time come to christ if he had slapped you and beat you up would that make you
[01:05:50] come some people are perverse and would like that better i guess god gave you love if he's given you his son how will he not with him freely give you all things does anyone here who has not
[01:06:05] accepted this love please come at the end of this service come come down here and pray receive the love of god no one will ever love you you'll never get a better offer no human can give you that much
[01:06:18] love all the humans in the world that have ever been on the world or ever will be fall infinitely short of the love of god that he had for you in giving his precious son love incarnate on the
[01:06:31] cross to bear your sin and your punishment in mind that's love that's love like you cannot imagine can never experience anywhere but in christ come forward if that's the case before we leave today don't leave without receiving that love and if you've received it is that the way you feel about
[01:06:49] your brother and your sister is anyone here that when they walk in the room or or a little bit of a grudge or a little bit of an uneasiness when we sing that last song go over and give them a big
[01:07:03] hook. And if they hit you, I'll talk to them. The love of God poured out for us at the cross. Jesus Christ. From heaven he came and sought us to be his holy bride.
[01:07:24] And with his life he bought us.
[01:07:29] And he opened up his precious bleeding side.
[01:07:33] Just as Adam received his wife as dead as a rib out of the side. Not Not from his head, for the woman to be the boss and wear the pants and rule over him.
[01:07:46] Not from his feet that he would trample upon her, but right here where the wife belongs.
[01:07:53] I see a couple back there.
[01:07:56] That wife's right there at the side because he loves her and she loves to be there.
[01:08:03] That's where Eve went with Adam when he woke up.
[01:08:06] That figure of the first Adam points to the second Adam, the last man, who on the cross bought and paid for his bride, you, church, as he died.
[01:08:21] And his side was opened up with the spear, and out flow the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb and the life-giving water of the Spirit of God, so that you might be his bride.
[01:08:34] one day join in his arm in heaven forevermore love with a love that you can only think and postulate far greater than we can hope ask or think but a love that you can begin to experience right now
[01:08:53] if you haven't bow the knee to King Jesus and let that love enter in amen to him be the glory honor and praise for he alone is worthy. Our final hymn is going to be
[01:09:07] one that should be familiar to all of you, if you ever watch any of Billy Graham's crusades.
[01:09:13] Just as I am.
[01:09:16] As we sing, think about if Christ looks at you just as you are, are you lovely?
[01:09:23] And if not, get right with Christ today. He's waiting for you. Let's stand and sing unto the Lord just as I am, number 417 in the hymn.