The Heart of the Matter: Why Love is More Than a Feeling

• The Centrality of Love [00:00:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that love is often neglected in evangelical teaching but is the core of the Christian faith, citing John 3:16 and the Great Commandments.
• Faith and Salvation [00:04:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > He connects salvation to love by citing Galatians 5:6 ('faith worketh by love'), asserting that faith without love is merely rational affirmation and does not save.
• The Nature of Love (Verbs vs. Nouns) [00:07:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > He explains that biblical love is described as verbs (actions) like 'suffereth long' and 'is kind,' meaning love requires evidence and action to be real, similar to James' teaching on faith and works.
• Christian Witness and Distinction [00:11:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references John 13:35, stating that mutual love among believers is the primary identifier of disciples to the outside world, contrasting this with the current lack of visible Christian unity and love.
• The Fruit of the Spirit vs. Cultural Perception [00:12:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the world's expectation of Christians (being mean or swearing) with the biblical mandate to be characterized by abundant love, identifying love as the primary fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
• Long-suffering and Kindness as Love's Manifestation [00:14:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > He connects 1 Corinthians 13's description of love with Galatians 5's fruit of the Spirit, arguing that long-suffering (enduring injury) and kindness are practical expressions of the Holy Spirit within a believer.
• Vocation and Christian Identity [00:16:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor redefines 'vocation' not as a secular career but as the singular calling to be a child of God and serve Jesus, requiring a life worthy of this calling through humility and peace.
• Forgiveness and Rejecting Revenge [00:18:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > He exhorts the congregation to forgive immediately rather than seek revenge or hold grudges, citing Ephesians and Colossians to show that forbearance is central to the Christian walk.
• Imitating God's Character [00:24:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Exodus 34 and Ephesians 5, he argues that since God is 'merciful and gracious, long-suffering,' believers are commanded (mimete) to imitate this specific divine attribute in their interactions with others.
• Imitating God's Character [00:25:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that Christians are literally commanded (mimete) to imitate God, specifically His long-suffering and kindness, as seen in Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13.
• God's Long-Suffering and Repentance [00:28:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Romans 2, the pastor explains that God's goodness and forbearance are not signs of indifference but are intended to lead sinners to repentance, warning against despising this mercy.
• Self-Righteousness vs. Salvation [00:27:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor rebukes the 'self-righteous' attitude of judging others while ignoring one's own sin, emphasizing that all have sinned and deserve hell, saved only by God's mercy.
• Living Sacrifice and Genuine Love [00:33:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > Drawing from Romans 12, the pastor calls for a 'living sacrifice' of genuine love without dissimulation (hypocrisy), urging believers to be kind, hospitable, and peaceable.
• Overcoming Evil with Good [00:37:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor concludes the section by urging believers not to be overcome by evil but to overcome it with good, citing Romans 12:21 and the example of Stephen.
• Love and Long-Suffering [00:38:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines love as long-suffering and kind, citing 1 Corinthians 13, and uses biblical examples like David and Stephen to illustrate patience and forgiveness in the face of evil.
• Imitating Christ and God [00:39:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues against the 'skin of my teeth' mentality, asserting that believers are expected to imitate Jesus' character and be 'salt and light' now, not just in heaven.
• Love for Enemies [00:42:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Luke 6, the pastor exhorts the congregation to love enemies, do good to haters, and pray for persecutors, contrasting this with the behavior of 'sinners' who only love those who love them.
• The Sin of Envy [00:46:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies envy as a foundational, 'devilish' sin, tracing it from Satan's envy of humanity to Cain's murder of Abel, warning that it leads to confusion and evil works.
• Envy and Malice [00:50:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies envy as the motivating factor behind Satan's fall and human sin, contrasting it with the biblical command to rejoice in others' blessings.
• Biblical Illustrations of Envy [00:51:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the stories of Haman (Esther) and Joseph's brothers to demonstrate how envy leads to hatred, malice, and attempts to destroy the blessed.
• The Crucifixion and Envy [00:58:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that envy was the primary motive for the Jewish leaders delivering Jesus to be killed, citing Pilate's knowledge of their motive.
• God's Long-Suffering and Mercy [00:59:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using Paul's testimony in 1 Timothy, the pastor explains that God's long-suffering toward sinners is the pattern for salvation and the basis for the believer's call to love.
• The Primacy of Love [01:02:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor concludes that love is not optional but essential for salvation and obedience, summarizing the Law through the two greatest commandments.
• The Great Commandment (Love God and Neighbor) [01:03:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes that loving God and neighbor is the primary occupation and foundation for understanding the rest of the law.
• Salvation and Received Love [01:03:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asks the congregation if they have been saved and received God's love, which should overflow to others.

• Sermon Illustration [00:06:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical scenario of an alien asking for a definition of love, only to be told 'love is love,' to illustrate the uselessness of circular definitions. He compares this to dictionary definitions of 'car is a car' or 'church is a church' to show that such definitions are worthless.
• Sermon Illustration [00:09:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references a previous sermon by 'Pastor Annie' where he suggested inserting the names of congregation members (like 'Jason') into the text of 1 Corinthians 13 to test if the attributes of love actually described them.
• Sermon Illustration [00:12:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > He shares a humorous anecdote about a hostile person trying to provoke him into swearing or cursing, but he simply smiles and says 'I love you,' which he attributes to 'Pastor Andy' to illustrate the expected Christian response.
• Sermon Illustration [00:12:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about a critic who tries to provoke him into swearing or cursing, but the pastor simply smiles and says 'I love you,' illustrating the counter-cultural nature of Christian love.
• Sermon Illustration [00:16:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > He recounts his personal experience as a young man reading the New Testament straight through, which led to the realization that his true 'career' was serving the Lord, distinct from his secular job.
• Sermon Illustration [00:20:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, noting that they were expelled for a single act of disobedience (one bite of fruit) to illustrate God's holy view of sin and the seriousness of judgment.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Moses asking to see God's face, where God places him in the cleft of a rock and reveals His 'hinder parts' (Exodus 33-34) to demonstrate His glory and mercy.
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the attitude of the 'self-righteous Jew' or churchman who looks down on 'wicked people' (homosexuals, etc.) and thinks, 'I'm glad I'm not like that,' which Paul rebukes in Romans 2.
• Sermon Illustration [00:33:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a rhetorical example of hypocritical Christian greeting: 'Oh, brother, it's so good to see you. Come, let me give you a hug... No, it needs to be genuine,' to illustrate 'dissimulation' or hypocrisy.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites David's long-suffering under Saul, noting David could have killed him but refused to touch the Lord's anointed.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes Stephen being stoned to death, staying to preach to his killers, and praying 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge' while they killed him.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references David refusing to kill Saul, Stephen being stoned while praying for his killers, and Cain killing Abel out of envy to illustrate long-suffering and the destructive nature of jealousy.
• Sermon Illustration [00:43:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a rhetorical question about political parties (Democrats/Republicans) and news sources to highlight the lack of love in modern society, followed by a hypothetical scenario of America transforming if everyone practiced the Golden Rule.
• Sermon Illustration [00:44:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about loving his grandkids to contrast with the harder command to love enemies, and references the story of Esther and Haman to illustrate envy.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the story of Haman from Esther, who, despite his high status and riches, was consumed by envy and anger because Mordecai would not bow to him, leading Haman to build gallows to kill him.
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the story of Joseph, whose brothers envied him due to their father's favor and the coat of many colors, leading them to hate him and sell him into slavery.
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares his personal testimony of preaching about Joseph 'in the snow' when the congregation was smaller, establishing continuity with previous teachings.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the Apostle Paul's conversion as an illustration of God's long-suffering, noting that Paul was a blasphemer and persecutor whom God patiently saved to serve as a pattern for future believers.

• Pastoral Charge [00:10:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > Turn to John chapter 13 in their Bibles
• Pastoral Charge [00:21:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Repent of holding grudges and abstain from participating in the communion table.
• Pastoral Charge [00:22:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for those who have wronged the congregation, viewing them with pity rather than anger.
• Pastoral Charge [00:32:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Offer one's body as a living sacrifice to God
• Pastoral Charge [00:35:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > Live peaceably with all men, bless persecutors, distribute to necessities, and overcome evil with good
• Pastoral Charge [00:40:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up and praise God immediately.
• Pastoral Charge [00:44:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Commit to practicing the Golden Rule in all interactions.
• Pastoral Charge [00:50:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Repent of satanic thoughts of envy and malice towards those who receive blessings or promotions.
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Self-examination regarding personal salvation and the presence of God's love, followed by the active overflow of that love toward God and others.
• Pastoral Charge [00:54:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read the book of Esther to understand the story of Haman and Mordecai.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] All right, we're going to continue in our Redemptive History survey. We're in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter.
[00:00:07] We started last week. We were talking about the centrality of love to the Christian faith.
[00:00:17] It's interesting that this chapter, I think, I think this chapter gets a little neglected, especially in evangelical Bible-believing Christianity, because after all, you know, Love, yes, we're supposed to love one another and all of that,
[00:00:35] but it's kind of like a certain part of our society has taken the word love and used it a certain way, and we don't want to just be all mushy about love.
[00:00:48] But actually, the love of the Bible, it's not a mushy thing.
[00:00:52] Our salvation would not exist without love.
[00:00:55] Love is so central, as we know, 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, we usually focus on the believing or the whosoever,
[00:01:06] but seldom the love.
[00:01:08] If it wasn't for the love, there would be no Savior.
[00:01:10] There would be no opportunity for salvation.
[00:01:12] And of course, Christ says more than once that the first commandment and the second commandment has to do with love.
[00:01:19] So with that in mind, let's read our chapter once again, and we're going to pick up our exposition.
[00:01:25] We looked at the first few verses last week, and we'll continue into verse 4 today as the Lord leads.
[00:01:31] But let's read the whole chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
[00:01:35] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, that is love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
[00:01:47] And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
[00:01:58] 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.
[00:02:07] Charity suffereth long and is kind.
[00:02:10] Charity envieth not.
[00:02:11] 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, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
[00:02:29] charity never faileth but whether there be prophecies they shall fail whether there be tongues they shall cease whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away for we know in part and we prophesy in part
[00:02:41] 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 thought as a child
[00:02:52] but when I became a man I put away childish things for now we see through a glass darkly or a mirror But then face to face, now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.
[00:03:06] And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity or love.
[00:03:14] May God at his blessing understand in the reading of this his holy word.
[00:03:19] Our previous message, which was the first message on this chapter, emphasized the absolute necessity and foundational nature of love to the Christian faith.
[00:03:29] We've already talked about this idea of the first and second commandment.
[00:03:33] Remember, Jesus says the first and great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
[00:03:38] The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
[00:03:41] And I'm sad to say that I think a lot of Christians are probably saying, well, what's the third commandment?
[00:03:47] In other words, can I start there?
[00:03:50] No, no, if you haven't gotten the first two, don't look for anything else.
[00:03:53] And I've preached before in the past, if you can't address those first two, Why are you looking for anything else?
[00:04:00] I'd like to study theology.
[00:04:01] Yeah, well, how are you doing on number one and number two?
[00:04:05] If you're not doing good on number one and number two, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, loving your neighbor as yourself, forget theology.
[00:04:11] This is the foundational aspect.
[00:04:14] This is the foundation.
[00:04:15] And, of course, we know the Bible tells us God is love.
[00:04:17] Also, remember last week, we read in Galatians 5, verse 6, how love is so foundational to our salvation.
[00:04:24] We think of our salvation, Ephesians 2, We are saved by grace, unmerited favor, through faith.
[00:04:32] But in Galatians 5.6, it says, faith works by love.
[00:04:38] It says by love.
[00:04:39] In Galatians 5.6, faith worketh by love.
[00:04:42] In other words, if there's no love, faith, just a rational, oh, yes, I believe these things about Jesus.
[00:04:50] Oh, yes, I believe this about the cross.
[00:04:52] Oh, yes, I can affirm those things mentally.
[00:04:54] if there's no love, faith doesn't work.
[00:04:58] That's what it says.
[00:04:59] We can't be saved without love.
[00:05:01] The love of God, and then that love being received and given back to him in faith.
[00:05:07] Very foundational.
[00:05:08] And the first few verses tell us, look, you know, if we have all of these gifts of tongue and utterance and whatnot, verse 1 of chapter 13, it says, you know, hey, but I don't have love, it's just a bunch of noise.
[00:05:22] There's a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
[00:05:25] out of tune. If you can, whatever it is, whether it's tongues or prophesy or even preaching, I think, or teaching or going on about the Lord, if love is not there, it's just a bunch of noise.
[00:05:40] That's what it says. That's what verse one says. And then verse two says, no matter what kind of gifts you have, prophecy, understanding mysteries, knowledge, if you have faith that you could remove mountains and you have not love, it says, he says, I am nothing without love. And then in verse 3,
[00:06:01] no matter what you do, no matter how much you give away, no matter how many good works, even if you give your body to be burned, even if you sacrifice yourself literally for Christ, it says, without love, it profits you nothing. Wow. That's pretty important, love, foundational.
[00:06:21] So now we've talked about the absolute importance and foundational nature of love, and I don't think this is something, again, that is given the right place in Christian teaching and theology that we should see.
[00:06:32] Because, you know, again, I think it's kind of a nuance.
[00:06:35] Well, you know, love, love, sure we're supposed to love.
[00:06:36] Now tell us something about God.
[00:06:38] Give us some theology, Pastor Joseph.
[00:06:39] That's, you know, those liberals, you know, love is love.
[00:06:43] Well, how helpful is that?
[00:06:45] If somebody came from another planet and said, what is this love thing?
[00:06:49] Can you please define love?
[00:06:51] And he said, love is love.
[00:06:55] I don't know if aliens would scratch their heads or not, but what do you mean love is love?
[00:07:01] That's not very helpful.
[00:07:02] What if you went to the definition of every word that you want to define in the dictionary, and you went to the definition of a car?
[00:07:09] It says a car is a car.
[00:07:10] And then you go to the definition of a house.
[00:07:12] A house is a house.
[00:07:13] And then you go to the definition of a church.
[00:07:15] A church is a church.
[00:07:16] This book is worthless.
[00:07:17] You throw it away, right?
[00:07:19] What is that?
[00:07:21] So the Bible tells us what love is.
[00:07:23] So we understand now the absolute necessity and centrality of love to the Christian faith.
[00:07:30] Now, what is it?
[00:07:32] It's easy to say love, but what is it?
[00:07:35] Well, the rest of the chapter tells us what it is and what it isn't.
[00:07:40] And what's very interesting, though in the English it doesn't always come through, but every term here is actually a verb.
[00:07:49] It's not a noun.
[00:07:50] Notice in our next verse, verse 4, charity, love, suffereth long, is long-suffering.
[00:08:00] Now, some of the newer translations say patient.
[00:08:03] But see, that's not really a verb, is it?
[00:08:05] Now, suffering long or long-suffering could be a verb, but in the Greek, they're all verbs.
[00:08:10] Also, love is kind, is long-suffering and is kind.
[00:08:15] But in the Greek, it's a verb.
[00:08:17] And so, I think this is instructive.
[00:08:20] Love, real love, will result in action.
[00:08:24] You can say you love, but if there's no action, there's no proof, right?
[00:08:29] Like James talks about faith.
[00:08:31] Faith without works is dead.
[00:08:32] Love without evidence is dead, yeah?
[00:08:36] And so we see that these things are actually verbs, the way that it is described.
[00:08:41] It is action.
[00:08:42] And I want us to see these two main ones we're going to look at today in verse 4.
[00:08:46] long-suffering and kind. Long-suffering in the Greek, macrotheme, long-suffering. Your Bible might say patient, but I think long-suffering is better because it is an action. Suffering long, patience, okay, but long-suffering. And then the next one, kind. We think of kind, we don't think
[00:09:11] kind being a verb, but showing kindness would be a verb, and that's the idea here. Love is long suffering, and love is kind. Okay, got that, Joseph. Let's move on. Well, just knowing the Greek word or knowing the definition, does that mean you really got it? Not only do you need to
[00:09:31] understand it, but then the question is, are you really that? I like, again, what Pastor Annie did the first time he preached on this a few months back, he said, just put your name in there.
[00:09:43] Let's put your name in there instead of charity.
[00:09:45] You know, we'll take our brother Jason over here.
[00:09:50] Jason is long-suffering, patient.
[00:09:54] Carmela, don't speak.
[00:09:55] Jason is long-suffering.
[00:09:58] Jason is kind, okay?
[00:10:02] Jason, you know, he does not envy.
[00:10:06] Jason does not vaunt himself.
[00:10:08] he's not puffed up, he does not behave. So this is the question. Can you put your name in there and it really, truly speak of you? And if you're a little bit concerned, this is the sermon for
[00:10:19] you, right? We need to understand what it means, how it plays out in the Christian life. And I'm going to show you why, because as a matter of fact, these very things are involved in our
[00:10:31] salvation. And I'll explain that in just a moment. So with that in mind, think about this. Turn with me to john chapter 13 after jesus is the night that jesus is betrayed before he's put on the
[00:10:44] cross a lot of things are going on there's the lord's supper there is him washing the disciples feet and then in chapter 13 of the gospel of john verse 34 and 35 he says this a new commandment i
[00:10:58] give unto you that ye love one another that's a command as i have loved you that ye also love one another. How much are you supposed to love one another? As much as Christ loved you? How much
[00:11:14] is that? More than you're currently doing. You understand what I mean? We have to continue to grow in this because we're not Christ. We cannot love automatically, perfectly as much as he did all the time. This is the calling. And then notice, how should the world know that we follow Jesus?
[00:11:38] Look at the next verse.
[00:11:39] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
[00:11:44] Wow.
[00:11:46] If you say, well, what is it that's special about Christians?
[00:11:48] Oh, have you seen how they love one another?
[00:11:51] If you go ask the pagan wars of the Lillians, what do you know about the Christians?
[00:11:56] Oh, it's just amazing how they love one another.
[00:11:59] Oh, they all gave up their own churches and just became one church, and they love one another, and they're such a wonderful example to everybody, and they always agree on everything and walk in unity and peace and love.
[00:12:09] It's just a beautiful thing.
[00:12:11] Do you hear people saying that?
[00:12:13] Why are they not saying it?
[00:12:15] Because it's not true.
[00:12:19] Is it true what I just said?
[00:12:21] No, it's not true.
[00:12:23] So we're not loving one another as Christ loved us.
[00:12:27] I mean, as a people.
[00:12:29] You say, well, I am, Pastor George.
[00:12:30] Well, okay, praise God.
[00:12:31] Keep it up.
[00:12:32] But most of us aren't.
[00:12:34] We need to be in such a state of abundant love for one another that the outsider would say, that's what's special about them.
[00:12:43] Look how loving they are.
[00:12:45] I mean, it's just amazing how loving.
[00:12:46] I'm just trying to be as mean as I possibly can.
[00:12:49] I just can't wait until that pastor will swear or curse.
[00:12:52] And he never does.
[00:12:53] He just smiles at me and says, I love you.
[00:12:57] Must be talking about Pastor Andy.
[00:12:58] But, you know, the point is, this is what should be.
[00:13:03] this is the thing Jesus says, should be distinguishing us. So what distinguishes us?
[00:13:09] Ah, well, we're orthodox in the faith. We don't compromise. We preach the word. We preach the gospel. We cry out for revival. All those things are wonderful. But if love's not involved, it says it's worthless, worthless, worthless. Do you see a trend here of what Jesus is telling us?
[00:13:28] So the first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
[00:13:31] The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
[00:13:33] We know from Galatians 5, 6 that faith worketh by love.
[00:13:36] And, by the way, if you're born again, you have a spirit.
[00:13:40] It's not one you can buy at the ABC store.
[00:13:43] It is the Holy Spirit.
[00:13:45] Galatians chapter 5 tells us what should be in you if you have the Holy Spirit of God.
[00:13:51] Turn to Galatians 5, 22.
[00:13:54] But the fruit of the Spirit, what's the first one?
[00:13:57] Love.
[00:13:58] Wow.
[00:13:59] There's no coincidence there, is there?
[00:14:01] How shall they know you?
[00:14:03] Love should be preeminent.
[00:14:05] But not just love.
[00:14:06] We have joy.
[00:14:08] We have peace.
[00:14:09] And what's the third one?
[00:14:11] Long-suffering.
[00:14:13] Isn't that what we just had as a description of love in 1 Corinthians 13?
[00:14:17] Well, not only is it a description of love, but if his spirit, God is love.
[00:14:22] If you're born again, God comes into you, the Holy Spirit of God, and therefore the fruit of the Spirit should be manifesting.
[00:14:27] And one of those is long-suffering, which is what was described as love in 1 Corinthians 13.
[00:14:34] But not just that.
[00:14:36] If you continue looking at Galatians 5.22, gentleness, goodness, faith.
[00:14:44] That word gentleness is the same word kindness in 1 Corinthians 13.
[00:14:50] So those things which describe love are also the fruits of love, are the fruits of the spirit of love, which is the Holy Spirit that you should have inside of you if you are a Christian,
[00:15:01] these things should be manifesting.
[00:15:03] Say, well, I don't have much patience.
[00:15:05] Well, if you're a believer, you should have some.
[00:15:09] Should be growing.
[00:15:11] But if you're a believer, you've received the spirit of patience.
[00:15:14] I don't have much love for these people or that people.
[00:15:17] You should have some because you've received the spirit of love.
[00:15:20] I, you know, I don't, I'm not the kindest person, but you should have some because you've received the spirit of kindness.
[00:15:27] Do you begin to understand?
[00:15:29] Okay, continuing on, let's look at Ephesians with a description of what this Christian life looks like and the emphasis on love and these other two descriptions that we just read, long-suffering and kindness.
[00:15:46] Now remember, long-suffering is something that we do, that we endure from others.
[00:15:52] When people wrong you, how do you feel?
[00:15:54] I'll get him that's not long suffering and you say well yeah but they've done it four or five times that's why they call it long long, they've done it twenty times that's why they call it long
[00:16:10] suffering you see so that's a receiving injury from others or problems but kindness is something that we actually do you see so both of those together are manifest in a spirit of love we find it here in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 and 2. We are called to be children of the most
[00:16:30] high God. If you're a believer, you have a job. You have a career, actually. One of the greatest things that happened to me as a young man was when I read the New Testament straight through
[00:16:41] in a couple weeks' time, and God showed me that my career was to serve the Lord and that every Christian's career is the same, serving Jesus. Now, what job you happen to do is not nearly as
[00:16:55] important, because in whatever job you're doing to make money, your career is to serve Jesus.
[00:17:02] Your vocation, if you will, and that's why it says here in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, begging you, pleading with you, that you walk, you live a life worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called.
[00:17:18] Well, what vocation is that?
[00:17:20] Well, you're a pastor or, you know, you're a nurse or you're this or you're that.
[00:17:24] The vocation, he doesn't say the various vocations in which you have.
[00:17:29] No, the one vocation, because every Christian has the same vocation.
[00:17:33] And what's that?
[00:17:34] To be a child of the Most High God and to live a Christian life.
[00:17:38] How?
[00:17:38] Verse 2, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And so this idea of long-suffering, meekness, lowliness, goes along with the kindness in the description of love in
[00:18:01] 1 Corinthians 13. This is our calling. Our calling is to live this life as a pleasing sacrifice unto God, and it is that which, verse 3, is endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of
[00:18:15] peace. If people do you wrong, long-suffering. Ha-ha, I'm going to get mine. You don't know what they did to me. Long-suffering. Doesn't mean that you never seek justice, but you never seek revenge. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. You forgive them from the heart immediately. You walk
[00:18:33] in love. You walk in kindness. You walk in peace. And we'll talk about that some more as we move forward. A parallel passage might even help us more is Colossians chapter 3, a little bit more
[00:18:45] insight, verse 12. As a Christian, we put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved boughs of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and long-suffering. Now, let me just ask a question. When somebody talks about you, I see Brother Pat has joined us from across the
[00:19:07] pond here from Denver, and we think of Pat or think of you, think of yourself.
[00:19:12] When someone thinks of you, Pat, or me, or you, do they think, ah, Pat, I tell you what, I can tell he's the elect of God because he's holy. He has bowels of mercy. He's a beloved of God. He's
[00:19:25] filled with kindness. He's always so humble and meek and long-suffering. Maybe that's true. I don't know Pat that well. How about you? Is that what comes to mind when people think of you?
[00:19:37] Should be. If it's not, what's the problem? Well, God is calling us to be that way. Say, well, I just can't, pastor. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can, because that's the spirit of all
[00:19:51] of these things. You see, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. There is the foundation.
[00:20:01] How can we hold a grudge against another person when Christ has so much he could bring up against us? We are to forgive so that we may be forgiven. If we are not forgiving other people who harm us,
[00:20:14] How do we expect God to forgive us?
[00:20:17] Now, of course, if you don't have a very high and holy view of God, you think, oh, well, I'm not as bad as other people.
[00:20:22] God gets me.
[00:20:23] It's okay.
[00:20:24] No, no.
[00:20:25] You've got the wrong God.
[00:20:27] That's a God of your imagination.
[00:20:29] The God of the Bible, the smallest sin, he will punish.
[00:20:32] He will punish.
[00:20:33] The smallest sin, just one, will send you to hell for all eternity.
[00:20:36] The Bible tells you.
[00:20:37] Adam and Eve, how many times did they have to mess up sin to get kicked out of the garden?
[00:20:45] Once only?
[00:20:47] Just one bite of that fruit?
[00:20:51] Wow.
[00:20:53] And so God calls us, verse 14, above all these things put on charity.
[00:20:59] Above all of these things, humility, long-suffering, vows of mercy, meekness, all of these things, above all put on charity, love, which is the bond of perfectness.
[00:21:10] And let the peace of God rule in your heart to the which you are called in one body and be ye thankful.
[00:21:16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, and whatsoever ye do in word or deed,
[00:21:29] do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
[00:21:35] Does that describe you?
[00:21:37] And if not, why not?
[00:21:39] If you're a Christian, it should.
[00:21:41] We may not be perfect in this, but we should be aspiring to be like this.
[00:21:45] Because that is the spirit of Christ.
[00:21:48] That is our calling.
[00:21:50] Some of you have been wronged in various ways.
[00:21:53] Some of you, God forbid, at least know what it means.
[00:21:57] Hopefully no one here is holding a grudge against anyone right now.
[00:21:59] If you are, you need to repent.
[00:22:00] Please don't come to this table if you are.
[00:22:03] But probably most of us have held a grudge against somebody in the past.
[00:22:08] That's not of God.
[00:22:09] That's not of Christ.
[00:22:11] Notice what it says in 1 Corinthians.
[00:22:12] Sometimes when people do you wrong, you know what you should do?
[00:22:16] just forgive them and move on.
[00:22:19] Yeah, but what they did to me, I got to get payment.
[00:22:22] Well, notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 6, 7.
[00:22:26] Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another.
[00:22:31] Why do you not rather take wrong?
[00:22:35] Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
[00:22:40] Now, this doesn't mean that it's a sin to try to get back what is rightfully yours.
[00:22:46] But there's a lot of times where you just need to let it go.
[00:22:49] Just pray for them.
[00:22:50] How pitiful those people are that have done you that way.
[00:22:53] Pray for them.
[00:22:54] They're in a terrible state.
[00:22:56] Pray for them that they think that's okay.
[00:22:59] You see?
[00:23:00] And instead of, I've got to get my own.
[00:23:03] They're going to learn.
[00:23:04] They won't get me like that.
[00:23:07] This is not of Christ.
[00:23:10] Thank God Jesus didn't feel that way about us.
[00:23:14] We've been going through the book of Proverbs, and we've been seeing many verses that speak to this.
[00:23:19] Let's just look at a couple.
[00:23:21] Proverbs chapter 19, 11.
[00:23:26] Easy verse to remember the reference.
[00:23:28] 19, 11.
[00:23:32] We find the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
[00:23:40] Little slights, this, that, and the other thing.
[00:23:43] Let's pass over it.
[00:23:44] Love them anyways.
[00:23:45] Love them.
[00:23:46] Forgive them.
[00:23:48] It's a glory to pass over these things.
[00:23:51] and then again in chapter 10 verse 12 of Proverbs it says this if thou hatred stirreth up strifes but love covereth all sins I just can't forgive him where's the love?
[00:24:15] aren't you glad he didn't say I just can't forgive him that's because he is love and that's what we should aspire to now the Bible tells us in more than one place including Ephesians 5.1 but other places
[00:24:27] that we are to imitate who?
[00:24:30] Go over to him and take God, actually.
[00:24:32] It says that.
[00:24:32] So let's go back and see who God is.
[00:24:35] Exodus chapter 34.
[00:24:36] You remember when Moses wants to see God's face?
[00:24:40] And he says, I want to see your face.
[00:24:42] I want to see your glory.
[00:24:44] And so this is this business of putting him in the cleft of a rock.
[00:24:47] You can't see my face, but I'll let you see my hinder parts, that kind of thing.
[00:24:52] And what does manifest and reveal about God?
[00:24:56] Exodus chapter 34, verse 5 and 6.
[00:25:00] It would help if I'm not in Genesis.
[00:25:05] 34, 5 and 6.
[00:25:08] And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
[00:25:13] And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed.
[00:25:15] Look what he says about himself.
[00:25:16] The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.
[00:25:26] There's the long-suffering and goodness or kindness.
[00:25:28] That's God.
[00:25:29] God is long-suffering.
[00:25:31] Really?
[00:25:32] Yes.
[00:25:33] Towards who?
[00:25:35] Us.
[00:25:36] And we're to imitate him, right?
[00:25:39] We're to imitate him.
[00:25:41] Well, keep that in mind because we go back to the New Testament, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1, and we find that verse that we just mentioned, this idea that we are literally commanded to imitate God.
[00:25:53] You find it in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1 and 2.
[00:26:00] Be ye therefore, in the King James it says followers, that's true, but the Greek word is mimete, mimete.
[00:26:07] What English word does that sound like to you?
[00:26:10] And that's a literal translation, really, imitate.
[00:26:13] Be ye therefore followers or imitators of God as dear children.
[00:26:19] How?
[00:26:20] Verse 2, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior.
[00:26:33] Now, with that in mind, if you would turn to Romans 2, and we find that, notice, as you're turning to Romans 2, walk in love as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us.
[00:26:52] What was the motivation for him to give himself for us?
[00:26:56] For God so loved the world.
[00:26:58] walk in love as Christ also loved us.
[00:27:04] The motivation for our salvation is love and ultimately God's glory and has given himself for an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
[00:27:16] Now with that in mind, in Romans chapter 2, we find that Paul is rebuking the Jews and or the self-righteous.
[00:27:24] Could be church people here.
[00:27:26] Say, yeah, I know about Romans 1, all those wicked people, it talks about homosexuals, it talks about all kind of people who could care less about God, they don't care at all about God, they forgot his word, they do wicked
[00:27:38] things, they take pleasure in people that do them, and the self-righteous Jew, or maybe the self-righteous churchman, that's right, that's right, that's right, yeah, I'm glad I'm not like that.
[00:27:47] And then Paul turns around and says this in verse, let's see, verse 3, is it?
[00:27:58] Yes, verse 3.
[00:28:00] And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
[00:28:08] And look at verse 4 of Romans 2.
[00:28:10] Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, his forbearance, his longsuffering?
[00:28:18] Not knowing that the goodness or kindness, love is kind, life is long-suffering, of God leads thee to repentance.
[00:28:26] In that verse, it tells us that what leads us to repentance is his long-suffering and his kindness.
[00:28:33] And what are the first two descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13?
[00:28:37] Love is, it's, suffereth long and is kind.
[00:28:44] Should we be that way?
[00:28:45] We should.
[00:28:46] Why?
[00:28:46] Because the one who saved us, saved us because he is long-suffering and kind.
[00:28:52] You see that?
[00:28:53] He says, do you despise God's long-suffering?
[00:28:57] In that you just sit there, huh, I'm good to go.
[00:29:00] These other people, they need help.
[00:29:03] Do you despise thou the richest of goodness, of forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
[00:29:11] Verse 5.
[00:29:11] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,
[00:29:31] eternal life.
[00:29:32] But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile.
[00:29:48] But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, for with God there is no respect of persons.
[00:29:59] You see, folks, this is how we're saved.
[00:30:02] If you go back to our text, 1 Corinthians 13, and the exposition of love begin in verse 4.
[00:30:11] That is to say, what is love?
[00:30:14] Charity.
[00:30:15] The very first one is long-suffering.
[00:30:17] Well, how are we saved?
[00:30:18] The long-suffering of God.
[00:30:20] That's what it says in Romans 2, isn't it?
[00:30:22] Verse 4.
[00:30:24] And then the next description, love is kind.
[00:30:29] And that also is in there, goodness.
[00:30:31] The goodness of God.
[00:30:32] Do you despise the long-suffering and goodness of God by saying that you're good enough, that you don't need to change, that you're okay?
[00:30:40] No.
[00:30:41] Look what God has suffered toward you.
[00:30:43] You say, well, God had to suffer for me.
[00:30:44] I'm pretty swell, you know.
[00:30:46] Folks, we need to understand.
[00:30:48] All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[00:30:51] Our existence on this earth, our using His air to fill our lungs, our walking on His ground to hold up our weight and not let us drop into hell is a gift and a mercy of God that we don't deserve.
[00:31:02] All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[00:31:04] Before we have trusted in Christ, we are under the wrath of God.
[00:31:08] John chapter 3, verse 36.
[00:31:10] We are an abomination to God.
[00:31:12] We deserve hell from the very beginning.
[00:31:14] It's hard to believe a precious little baby deserves hell.
[00:31:17] But the idea is all of us were born separated from God by our sin.
[00:31:23] Adam and Eve.
[00:31:24] Everyone after that, nobody was born in the Garden of Eden.
[00:31:27] That's why Christ has to come.
[00:31:29] And Christ, long-suffering.
[00:31:31] Did Christ suffer long?
[00:31:33] Christ suffered long brothers and sisters for us and he is good and he is kind and we are called to emulate that love because if we have believed on him and received that spirit it is the spirit of Christ
[00:31:46] it is the spirit of love which is long-suffering towards others who harm us and kind towards everyone else understand?
[00:31:56] and if we don't we're basically refuting the very thing by which we were saved.
[00:32:04] Love, long-suffering, and kindness.
[00:32:06] Romans chapter 2, verse 4.
[00:32:10] With that being said, let's turn to Romans again, if you're already there, chapter 12.
[00:32:17] You know the first two verses.
[00:32:19] After a long exposition of what salvation is, how we are saved by grace through faith.
[00:32:30] It's a beautiful passage, Romans.
[00:32:33] And then finally, Romans chapter 12, you know, verse 1 and 2, now we come to the application.
[00:32:38] Okay, so we're saved by grace through faith.
[00:32:40] It's not of works.
[00:32:41] It's not of us.
[00:32:42] It's by God and his atoning sacrifice through his son Christ Jesus, through his mercy, through his love.
[00:32:48] So what?
[00:32:49] So then, if you truly have believed and have been born again, now you owe him your life, if you will.
[00:32:59] Your life's been bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus, And so we are called to live a living sacrifice.
[00:33:05] I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, the mercies of God that we could be saved, that you offer your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service,
[00:33:17] and be not conformed to the world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, proving what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
[00:33:26] The rest of chapter 12 breaks down what that looks like.
[00:33:30] We're not going to read it all, but take a look.
[00:33:32] further in chapter 12 now in picking up in verse 9. Let love be without dissimulation. What's dissimulation? Hypocrisy. Oh, you know, oh, brother, it's so good to see you. Come, let me give you a
[00:33:51] hug. Okay, good to see you. All right, let me go. No, it needs to be genuine, right? Needs to be genuine. Even if I do have to go, it needs to be genuine. Don't just, oh, yes, I'm a Christian. I
[00:34:04] love everybody. Oh, you hypocrite, right? Whoever, me, you, anyone, be careful. Let love be without dissimulation, that is to say, hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love. That goes back to the description
[00:34:23] of love in 1 Corinthians 13. If this does not describe you, you should be worried right now, because I, the number one, you are not a Christian, and you are not born again, and you will go to
[00:34:34] hell. Or number two, you are a Christian, and you are seriously lacking in your walk, and you're grieving the Spirit, and you're in a place that is not healthy in your relationship with the Lord.
[00:34:47] We need to be very concerned. But if this does describe you, at least to some degree, be encouraged and ask God to help us grow in it, because we can't put it on. He has to work it
[00:34:58] through us by his grace, and his love, and his mercy, and his spirit of love within us, the Holy Spirit if we are saved. Verse 10, be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
[00:35:17] rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation. There's that long suffering again. Continuing instant prayer, distributing to the necessities of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you. Do you do it? That's long-suffering. It's also kindness, isn't it? Bless and curse not.
[00:35:39] Rejoice with them that do rejoice. Weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one towards another. Mind not men of high estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil
[00:35:52] for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. As it is possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men. What if every American tried that? Things would look a lot
[00:36:06] different in Minnesota, amen? How about Moresville? As much as it is possible, live peaceably with all men. Rush hour in Moresville might look different too, huh? We're not doing it. We need to be concerned. We need to be concerned. This is our calling. This is the way we should be. This is
[00:36:27] what distinguishes us. Why do people yawn at the church? Yes, I know some of you are yawning in church. But the point, I'm not asking that. I'm asking, why do people yawn at the church? Yeah,
[00:36:39] yeah, they can preach, they can teach, but there's nothing there. I mean, there's no power, there's nothing to what they say. You know, as we've been hearing this stuff forever, nothing changes. It's the same. No, no. There should be a difference. There should be a power. There should be a light.
[00:36:55] And that has to do with the spirit inside of us and his fruit manifesting. The aroma of Christ should be let out every time we open that door.
[00:37:05] God forbid a stench of dissension or lack of love or unforgiveness or unkindness.
[00:37:12] No, no, we should be the aroma of Christ.
[00:37:15] People should know and see and marvel at the love that we have for one another.
[00:37:20] Recompense to no man evil for evil, verse 17.
[00:37:23] Provide things honest in the sight of men as much as possible.
[00:37:26] Live peaceably with all men.
[00:37:28] Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay save the Lord therefore if thine enemy hunger what should you do feed him if he thirst what should you do
[00:37:42] give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head and this last verse be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good I think that our society has become
[00:37:57] in so many ways evil that our goodness has been kind of a cover, has thrown over it.
[00:38:05] Well, you don't want to be too good, you know, on this side, you get taken advantage of, you know.
[00:38:09] Be careful.
[00:38:10] Don't let evil overcome good, but overcome evil with good.
[00:38:16] Now, back in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4, love is long-suffering, love is kind, and then there's a negative thing that love is not, or does not do, and what's that?
[00:38:28] Love does not envy.
[00:38:31] It does, it envieth not.
[00:38:33] Envy.
[00:38:35] Are you ever envious?
[00:38:36] Envious of someone?
[00:38:38] Envious of something?
[00:38:39] We have to be very careful.
[00:38:41] Love does not envy.
[00:38:42] Love is long-suffering.
[00:38:44] Can you think of people in the Bible besides Jesus who were long-suffering?
[00:38:48] What about David?
[00:38:50] How long did he suffer under Saul?
[00:38:52] And by the way, he could have killed him more than once.
[00:38:55] But he refused to touch the Lord's anointed.
[00:38:57] Yeah?
[00:38:58] Think about Stephen.
[00:38:59] You know?
[00:38:59] Now, Stephen could have got out of Dodge, if you will, but he stayed there to present the word of God to all those people he knew was going to kill him, and they killed him.
[00:39:09] But even while they're killing him with stones, he said, you sorry rascals, you sinners, you need to go.
[00:39:15] You're all going to go to hell.
[00:39:16] What's he say?
[00:39:17] Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, you know.
[00:39:20] Long suffering.
[00:39:22] And there are many other examples.
[00:39:24] Well, of course, the penultimate is Christ, and we are called to imitate who?
[00:39:30] Christ, Christ, yes.
[00:39:34] Be wary, let's say, well, that's Jesus.
[00:39:35] You don't expect me to be like Jesus.
[00:39:37] Bible does expect you to be like Jesus.
[00:39:41] Did you hear that?
[00:39:43] There's a lot of false religion out there.
[00:39:45] Well, Jesus is here and some godly, saintly people are here.
[00:39:49] I'm just happy to have a little shed in the corner of glory land, you know.
[00:39:54] If I could just get in by the skin of my teeth.
[00:39:57] No, that's not what the Bible says.
[00:39:59] You're supposed to be filled with the Spirit of God now.
[00:40:02] You're supposed to be more than a conqueror now.
[00:40:04] You're supposed to be the light to the world now.
[00:40:06] What good is it in heaven?
[00:40:08] Your light won't even be noticed because the light of the world is going to be in his presence.
[00:40:12] You're supposed to be the salt of the world now.
[00:40:16] Now is the acceptable day.
[00:40:17] Now is the time of salvation.
[00:40:19] Get out of your seat and give God praise.
[00:40:22] You can stand up and praise him, but I'm talking about we've got to get going.
[00:40:26] The night is far spent.
[00:40:27] The day is at hand.
[00:40:27] now is the time to love with with a fervent zeal now is the time to show long suffering now is the time to show kindness now is the time to walk that walk because in heaven everyone is a believer
[00:40:42] how will all men know you but by your love and in heaven everybody knows you because you're all believers but on earth we should be showing that love we should be walking in that love the power
[00:40:52] of the Spirit of God.
[00:40:53] The very power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power of God and God is love and if that love is not operating in our life, how do we expect to see the power of God
[00:41:05] manifest in any way when you need me to pray for you or you got a problem at work or in your family or in your body or whatever else?
[00:41:17] Please pray, pastor.
[00:41:19] I'll pray.
[00:41:20] But if we're not walking in love, where's the power?
[00:41:24] I have a gift of faith, a gift of tongues, a gift of prophecy, all sorts of gifts.
[00:41:29] Without love, nothing.
[00:41:31] It's not going to profit anything.
[00:41:33] It doesn't matter how much you know, how much you do.
[00:41:36] Kill yourself for Jesus.
[00:41:38] And if it's not based on love, absolutely worthless.
[00:41:44] I don't know.
[00:41:45] Maybe I sound to you like a tinkling cymbal.
[00:41:48] Maybe I sound just like a bunch of noise.
[00:41:50] well forgive me for my infirmities and my shortcomings I apologize but the word of God cannot be ignored we should be obsessed with the love for the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
[00:42:05] we should be obsessed with the love of being with the Lord one day and every day living a life that is well pleasing to Him a life that we know that He would be pleased
[00:42:18] to inhabit by the power of His Holy Spirit that we might be his ambassador of what true love is in a nation that is so horribly perverted, wickedly and blasphemously, this beautiful truth and name, love, of our Triune God.
[00:42:40] Lord, help us.
[00:42:42] The Bible says in Luke chapter 6, Jesus is teaching about the importance of forgiveness, the importance of love, And I think this little section is worthy of reading.
[00:42:57] Luke chapter 6, verse 27.
[00:43:00] But I say unto you, which hear, love your enemies.
[00:43:03] Do good to them which hate you.
[00:43:05] How are the Democrats and Republicans doing on that?
[00:43:11] How's the liberal news and the conservative news, or whoever else?
[00:43:14] I mean, it's just terrible, you know.
[00:43:17] Love your enemies.
[00:43:19] Well, they're not really my enemies, so I don't have to love them.
[00:43:21] No, you missed it.
[00:43:23] If he's supposed to love everyone, love your neighbor, love your brethren, love your enemies.
[00:43:27] What's left?
[00:43:28] Whoever I want to hate and not be convicted.
[00:43:30] No, you can't hate anyone with malice towards no one.
[00:43:36] Love your enemies.
[00:43:38] Do good to them that hate you.
[00:43:39] There's love, kindness.
[00:43:41] Bless them that curse you.
[00:43:43] Pray for them which despitefully use you.
[00:43:45] Is this something people see in you?
[00:43:47] And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer the other also.
[00:43:50] Him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.
[00:43:54] Give to every man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.
[00:43:59] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
[00:44:04] Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.
[00:44:07] How would America change if every person in America said, I'm going to do that.
[00:44:11] I know I can't do it perfectly, but I'm 100% committed to do that.
[00:44:15] I'm going to do to everybody else how I want them to do to me.
[00:44:19] America would be transformed radically.
[00:44:21] even without the power of God at this point, because the people just trying would be better than what, now they're trying to do unto others how they don't want them to do.
[00:44:32] But with the power of God, there can be true transformation that is lasting to his glory and saving to eternity.
[00:44:42] Yes, continue on.
[00:44:44] Verse 32, For if you love them which love you, what thank have you?
[00:44:48] Oh, I love my grandkids.
[00:44:49] You see how much I love, Pastor Joseph, I'm filled with love.
[00:44:51] See how I love my grandkids.
[00:44:53] Whoop-de-doo.
[00:44:56] How about loving that person across the street that always yells at you?
[00:45:00] That's a different story, right?
[00:45:02] And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?
[00:45:06] For sinners also do even the same.
[00:45:08] And if you lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye?
[00:45:12] For sinners also lend to sinners.
[00:45:14] Yes, sinners generally love their grandkids, wicked people, to receive as much again.
[00:45:18] But love ye your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing again, that your reward shall be great.
[00:45:25] You see, now listen to this.
[00:45:26] Rewards in heaven.
[00:45:28] For what?
[00:45:29] Tied to loving your enemies.
[00:45:31] Yeah?
[00:45:31] Love your enemies, do good, lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great.
[00:45:37] No, I need it now.
[00:45:39] God's saying, if you'll wait, I got something better.
[00:45:43] Which would you rather have?
[00:45:46] And ye shall be the children of the highest, for he is kind.
[00:45:48] See, we're supposed to imitate God.
[00:45:50] He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
[00:45:54] I can be kind to nice people, but not to mean people.
[00:45:57] God's kind to the unthankful and evil.
[00:45:59] It's right there.
[00:46:00] Are we to imitate God?
[00:46:01] Isn't that the second description of love?
[00:46:03] Kindness after long suffering?
[00:46:06] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
[00:46:09] Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
[00:46:11] Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
[00:46:13] Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
[00:46:15] And kindness give, and it shall be given unto you.
[00:46:18] Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall men give into your bosom.
[00:46:22] For with the same measure that you meet with all, it shall be measured unto you again.
[00:46:29] Love is long-suffering.
[00:46:30] Love is kind.
[00:46:31] Love is not envious.
[00:46:33] Do we have any envy in our hearts?
[00:46:35] Say, well, I don't really think so, Pastor Joseph.
[00:46:37] You know, the ninth, well, the tenth commandment, isn't it, is thou shalt not covet.
[00:46:44] Covetousness, envying.
[00:46:46] I don't see that that's a big problem.
[00:46:48] Actually, envy is a crucial foundational sin that all of us need to beware of.
[00:46:55] Turn to James chapter 3, if you would, quickly.
[00:46:58] James chapter 3 tells us about the danger of envy.
[00:47:04] Love is not envy.
[00:47:06] In 1 Corinthians 13, we're being told what love is and what love is not.
[00:47:11] And it's important to know both.
[00:47:12] And to know if love is not envy, let's understand envy and let's make sure we're not doing that.
[00:47:18] Okay, and so in James chapter 3, verse 13 says, Who is a wise man and dude with knowledge among you?
[00:47:27] Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
[00:47:32] But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth.
[00:47:39] Where does this come from?
[00:47:40] Verse 15, this wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
[00:47:47] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
[00:47:54] But the wisdom that is from above, which we should have, is first pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, good fruits like love and long-suffering and kindness, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
[00:48:10] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
[00:48:14] Beware of envy.
[00:48:16] Brothers and sisters, the first sin after an Adam and Eve, what was it?
[00:48:20] Do you remember?
[00:48:21] Recounted in the Bible?
[00:48:25] Cain and Abel.
[00:48:26] Right.
[00:48:26] And what did Cain do?
[00:48:28] He killed his brother.
[00:48:29] Why?
[00:48:32] Jealousy?
[00:48:33] Envy?
[00:48:35] Let's turn to 1 John.
[00:48:36] It tells us just in one or two verses it gives the answer.
[00:48:38] 1 John chapter 3, if anyone ever asked you, verse 11 and 12 tells us.
[00:48:53] Sounds like envy.
[00:48:54] For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
[00:49:00] That's the positive.
[00:49:01] What's the negative?
[00:49:02] Cain killing Abel.
[00:49:03] Why?
[00:49:04] Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, of the devil, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew he him?
[00:49:12] Because his own works were evil and his brother's were righteous.
[00:49:17] He was envious.
[00:49:19] His brother's was accepted.
[00:49:21] His weren't.
[00:49:21] He was also convicted by the righteousness of his brother's offering of faith.
[00:49:27] Envy.
[00:49:28] And this comes from where?
[00:49:29] Who was moving Cain to do this?
[00:49:32] Sin is crouching at your door, the devil.
[00:49:35] James tells us envying is what?
[00:49:37] For earthly, sensual, devilish.
[00:49:40] And by the way, it might be suggested, rightly I think, that in the garden, why does Satan tempt and make Adam and Eve fall?
[00:49:54] That's just what he does, he's the devil.
[00:49:57] We believe, according to scripture, that Satan at one time was an angel.
[00:50:03] and he was in communion with God.
[00:50:07] He sinned.
[00:50:09] He lost communion.
[00:50:11] Now here's these two in the image of God given authority over the earth and in perfect communion with God.
[00:50:23] Satan is envious.
[00:50:26] I believe that's true.
[00:50:27] That may not be the only reason, but I believe he was envious.
[00:50:31] They have authority over the earth, not me.
[00:50:34] And so what does envy do?
[00:50:36] It creates malice.
[00:50:37] Have you ever had someone besides you get a promotion and you didn't?
[00:50:43] Why did they get it?
[00:50:45] Hope something happens to them today.
[00:50:47] I sure would like that position.
[00:50:50] Maybe not in so many words.
[00:50:51] Have you ever had that thought?
[00:50:53] That's a satanic thought.
[00:50:55] Need to repent.
[00:50:56] We should not be, our brothers and sisters who are advanced, who are blessed in different ways, we should rejoice at their gifts, at their prosperity, at their blessings as long as it doesn't bring snares to them.
[00:51:08] We should not be jealous.
[00:51:09] We should not be envious.
[00:51:11] This is, it seems, at least part of the reason that all of us are in the predicament that we are that Satan envied that wonderful place of man in God's image and perfect communion and Eve and caused the sin.
[00:51:27] That's interesting because I know we need to get to the table.
[00:51:30] We're just about out of time, but you actually will find this in other places too.
[00:51:34] Think about Esther.
[00:51:35] Remember Esther?
[00:51:36] Remember that guy named Haman?
[00:51:38] Old Haman.
[00:51:39] Where was he from, by the way?
[00:51:41] Another Iranian.
[00:51:42] He's from Iran.
[00:51:43] Esther talks about Iran.
[00:51:45] And Haman is so, he's at the right hand of the king.
[00:51:50] But there's one thing that's got his goat.
[00:51:53] What is it?
[00:51:54] Ah, this old Jew, Mordecai.
[00:51:57] That old Jew, Mordecai.
[00:51:59] I tell you what.
[00:52:00] Look at this, just one verse.
[00:52:01] Just one verse from, actually, I don't want to lie, three verses.
[00:52:05] Esther, if you look back, turn to Psalms, then turn to the left, go through Job, get back here to Esther, and look at chapter 5.
[00:52:20] And just three verses here, maybe it's four.
[00:52:28] I may have miscounted.
[00:52:30] Esther 5, verse 9, so Haman has been exalted.
[00:52:34] He's at the right hand of the king.
[00:52:36] He's got everything.
[00:52:37] He's got riches.
[00:52:37] He's got honor.
[00:52:38] He's just been invited to the banquet with the queen.
[00:52:41] He thinks that's a good thing.
[00:52:43] And he's so excited.
[00:52:45] He's full of power.
[00:52:47] Everything's going great.
[00:52:49] He should be happy.
[00:52:50] But look, verse 9.
[00:52:54] Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart.
[00:52:58] But when Haman saw Mordecai the Jew in the king's gate, and he stood not up nor moved for him, he was full of indignation.
[00:53:07] Mordecai wouldn't get up in his presence.
[00:53:09] or wouldn't bow down, whatever it was needed in that particular.
[00:53:12] In other words, Mordecai would not show him honor.
[00:53:15] In other words, if everybody's supposed to get up, there's Mordecai sitting.
[00:53:18] I'm not getting that.
[00:53:20] Haman becomes incensed.
[00:53:23] Nevertheless, it says, verse 10, Haman refrained himself, and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh, his wife, and Haman told them of the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children,
[00:53:35] the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and the servants of the king.
[00:53:41] This guy is full of himself.
[00:53:43] Haman said, moreover, yes, Esther the queen did let no man come into the king's banquet, the banquet that she's going to prepare, but myself only tomorrow.
[00:53:53] And I'm invited unto her also with the king.
[00:53:56] But look at this one verse, verse 13.
[00:53:58] Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.
[00:54:05] Boy, that guy's got problems.
[00:54:08] All of this, but this guy, he's got something, and he's mad.
[00:54:13] He can't stand it, and there is envy, and there is anger, and there is hatred, and there is malice.
[00:54:19] Who is this man that he doesn't stand up?
[00:54:22] And what is the root of envy?
[00:54:25] Pride.
[00:54:27] He didn't honor me.
[00:54:28] He needs to get up.
[00:54:30] And so he tries to kill him, and what happens?
[00:54:32] He makes a gallows.
[00:54:34] What is it, 50 cubits high?
[00:54:36] But how many of you know Proverbs 16, 18?
[00:54:38] Pride cometh before, and who gets hung on the gallows?
[00:54:44] Haman and not Mordecai.
[00:54:47] If you don't know the story, go back and read it.
[00:54:50] So this envy and this anger and this malice manifest of the seed of Satan against the seed of the woman throughout the Scripture.
[00:54:57] Think of, real quickly, because we're really out of time, but I want to just touch on a couple more things and then bring us to the table.
[00:55:03] Think about Joseph.
[00:55:05] Remember me preaching about Joseph in the snow when most of you weren't here?
[00:55:09] But you heard the message.
[00:55:10] Joseph is a preeminent and perfect type of Christ.
[00:55:14] And what happened when Jacob, ah, Jacob loved Joseph more than his brethren.
[00:55:18] Hey, son, here's a coat of many colors.
[00:55:21] And Joseph comes along to his brethren, and when they see him, how do they feel about him?
[00:55:26] Oh, Joseph, our dear brother, we love you so much.
[00:55:28] Come and let us give you a hug and kiss.
[00:55:31] No, it says they hated him.
[00:55:33] And then later it says they envied him.
[00:55:37] And what does that cause them to do?
[00:55:39] They're going to kill him.
[00:55:40] Anyways, they end up sending him as a slave to Egypt.
[00:55:44] Wow.
[00:55:45] And of course, as we mentioned, Joseph is a perfect type of who?
[00:55:50] What happened to Jesus?
[00:55:53] Remember Ephesians chapter 4, real quickly.
[00:55:57] We're almost done.
[00:55:59] We mentioned Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 and 2.
[00:56:02] What is our vocation?
[00:56:03] How do we walk worthy of our vocation with which we're called?
[00:56:07] Ephesians 4, just two verses, one and two.
[00:56:09] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of vocation with which you're called.
[00:56:14] How?
[00:56:15] With lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
[00:56:25] Now turn to chapter 5, verse 1.
[00:56:27] Be ye therefore followers of God, imitators of God.
[00:56:32] What's your vocation?
[00:56:33] Oh, I don't know, I work at Lowe's or, you know, I work here.
[00:56:37] What's your, I'm an imitator of God.
[00:56:40] People think you're nuts, but that's what the Bible says.
[00:56:44] You're called to follow and imitate God.
[00:56:46] And how do you do it?
[00:56:47] Preeminently, verse 2 tells us of chapter 5 of the book of Ephesians, and walk in love.
[00:56:54] What's the number one way to imitate God?
[00:56:57] Walk in love as Christ also.
[00:57:01] And how?
[00:57:02] What kind of love?
[00:57:02] as Christ loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior.
[00:57:14] Turn with me to Matthew chapter 27.
[00:57:17] Jesus, it's the day he's crucified.
[00:57:20] We're getting ready to remember that, his death, burial, and resurrection, and Easter.
[00:57:24] But here in Matthew 27, I want you to see just one word.
[00:57:28] I want to read a few verses.
[00:57:31] He's before Pilate.
[00:57:33] The Jews have brought him.
[00:57:34] to the Romans.
[00:57:36] They want him dead.
[00:57:38] And Pilate is no idiot.
[00:57:42] He's an intelligent man.
[00:57:44] Matthew chapter 27, verse 11.
[00:57:49] And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews?
[00:57:53] Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest it.
[00:57:55] And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
[00:58:00] Long-suffering brothers and sisters.
[00:58:02] Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
[00:58:06] he answered him never a word and so much that the governor marveled greatly now at the feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would and they had then a
[00:58:18] notable prisoner called barabbas therefore when they were gathered together pilot said of them who will ye that i release unto you barabbas or jesus which is called christ for he knew that for envy they delivered him.
[00:58:37] What killed Jesus?
[00:58:41] The Romans, the Jews, envy.
[00:58:44] Pilate knew the reason they delivered him out to be killed was envy.
[00:58:49] See that?
[00:58:51] Not because they thought he was a blasphemer.
[00:58:53] Not because they didn't think he was the Christ, although some may have.
[00:58:57] The real reason they want him dead was envy.
[00:59:02] The opposite of love is hatred.
[00:59:05] And they hated him so much, they didn't, on to the point that they didn't care if he was the Messiah.
[00:59:10] They want this man dead.
[00:59:13] Do you see how serious this is?
[00:59:17] Love envieth not.
[00:59:18] He knew they delivered him for envy.
[00:59:26] Love is long-suffering.
[00:59:29] Kind does not envy.
[00:59:31] Remember, it's the long-suffering of God that saved us.
[00:59:35] And his kindness.
[00:59:38] Finally, we'll end with this verse, 1 Timothy chapter 1.
[00:59:44] 1 Timothy chapter 1.
[00:59:47] The Apostle Paul knows something about long-suffering.
[00:59:53] Would you say that the Apostle Paul experienced long-suffering in his ministry?
[00:59:58] If you go read about him being shipwrecked, being a night and a day in the deep, being beaten with rods, probably killed and brought back to life, all sorts of things that he suffered for Christ's sake.
[01:00:12] But he didn't really boast so much about that.
[01:00:15] Look at 1 Timothy chapter 1.
[01:00:17] He had something better to boast about.
[01:00:19] Verse 12.
[01:00:20] And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, this is Paul talking, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, says I was a blasphemer of Christ, Paul,
[01:00:35] and a persecutor of Christ, and injurious to Christ, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus
[01:00:52] what saved Paul well love is primary here this is a fateful saying verse 15 and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came unto the world to save sinners of whom I am chief Paul says this
[01:01:09] how be it for this cause listen verse 16 this is what i want you to hear how be it for this cause i obtained mercy that in me first in paul jesus christ might show forth what all long suffering
[01:01:26] for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting christ had much long-suffering to Paul.
[01:01:39] He put up with Saul, if you will, before he converted a great deal.
[01:01:43] And yet he gave mercy and salvation.
[01:01:46] And so he says, this is a great example.
[01:01:50] I'm an example of the long-suffering, not of my long-suffering, but of Christ's long-suffering to me.
[01:01:57] And notice, that he might show forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter to believe on him to life everlasting.
[01:02:06] I want you to hear that, brothers and sisters.
[01:02:08] I believe the pattern he's talking about is that just as Christ was dealing with Saul, long-suffering, it's the same way he has to deal with all of us before we come to him.
[01:02:19] All of us have been blasphemers of the Lord one way or another, injurious to his cause, not putting him first, not loving him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our neighbor as ourself,
[01:02:29] and it's only because of God's long-suffering, God's love and God's mercy that we can be saved at all.
[01:02:38] And so now we are called to walk in that love towards God and towards others.
[01:02:44] And by the way, this is no just mushy thing.
[01:02:46] Oh yeah, I got it.
[01:02:47] Let's move on.
[01:02:47] No, no.
[01:02:49] Without it, we have no salvation.
[01:02:51] The inspired word of God says without it, we can do nothing.
[01:02:55] We profit nothing.
[01:02:56] And even in verse 2 of our text, I am nothing without love.
[01:03:01] May God help us.
[01:03:03] Have you been saved?
[01:03:04] Have you received that love?
[01:03:06] And that love should be in you overflowing towards God and towards others.
[01:03:10] This should be our primary occupation.
[01:03:14] Don't look for the third commandment until you have first applied yourself with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength to follow the first and the second commandment.
[01:03:28] To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.
[01:03:35] Jesus said, all of the Bible, all of the law and commandments, hang on these two.
[01:03:42] How are you doing?
[01:03:44] By God's grace.