[0:00] I just come to worship God now by singing to his praise in Psalm 84 of the Scottish Psalter version. Psalm 84, you'll find that on page 338 of the Blue Book.
[0:15] A familiar psalm to us, as it's good to sing the familiar psalms with the young ones here present with us before they go next door. From the beginning of that psalm, how lovely is thy dwelling place.
[0:28] O Lord of hosts to me, the tabernacles of thy grace, how pleasant Lord they be. My thirsty soul longs vehemently, ye faints thy courts to see.
[0:40] My very heart and flesh cry out, O living God for thee. We'll sing from the beginning of that psalm down to the end of verse Mark 6.
[0:51] To God's praise, let us stand to sing. How lovely is thy dwelling place. Our lovely is thy dwelling place.
[1:07] O Lord of hosts to me. The tabernacles of thy grace.
[1:22] How blessed Lord they be. My heart and fleshly, my heart and flesh cry out, O living God for thee. My heart and flesh cry out, O living God for thee. My heart and flesh cry out, O living God for thee.
[1:39] I have seen the name of that psalm down to the end of verse Mark 6. The heart and flesh try out, O living God for thee.
[1:59] Behold the spot of thy divine, and thy strength to rest.
[2:15] The swallow also for herself, a purchase of the nest.
[2:31] In thine own altars where she stayed, her young was forth made vain.
[2:46] O love, almighty Lord of hosts, who art my God and King.
[3:02] Lest, darling, in thy hearts not dwell, may ever give thee praise.
[3:18] Lest is the man who strength the heart, in whose heart are thine ways.
[3:34] You passing that of me, God's will, may in due day God dwells.
[3:51] O so the rain that falleth die, the pools with water fills.
[4:07] Amen. We'll say a short prayer for the young ones before they go through next door. Let us pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we give thanks for this day that you have given to us, and all the privileges of it.
[4:23] We thank you for the people that are gathered here, and we pray that we would be known by you, and that you would know us in the depths of our hearts, the things that trouble us, and the things that we are ever so thankful to you for.
[4:40] And we just thank you for all the families that are gathered here. We pray for the young ones that are meeting with us, and we pray that they would come to know Jesus Christ, and that they would trust in him for their lives.
[4:54] And as they go through next door, we pray that they would learn more about him, and his beauty and presence with them, that they trust in him. We pray also for the teachers that teach them, and ask that you too would be with them.
[5:10] We pray for this time of holiday, and we thank you for friends and family gathering from other places, and that we have the time to go and meet with others, and that we can just enjoy the company of one another, and the love that we share with one another, be restored and renewed.
[5:30] We just pray that ultimately, we would know as we gather together, that we would meet with you this morning, and that our love for you would be rekindled, and that we would say that it is good to meet with you.
[5:45] As we draw near to your word, may it speak to us, and we just ask that you would go with us in every step that we take, even as we gather here, protect our minds from being led astray, and that we would give our minds attention to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died at Calvary for us.
[6:04] So we thank you for all that we receive through him, and we ask all things through his name. Amen. I'll just say a short word to the younger, young ones that are here with us, and I was in the garden shop a couple of months ago, probably about six months ago, and I love raspberries, and there was a wee raspberry bush there.
[6:33] It just looked like sticks. There wasn't much to it. I thought, well, we'll buy one. I said to the girls, we'll buy one, we'll stick one in the garden, and hopefully we'll get raspberries of it. But the man said to us, well, I don't know, will you get any of it this year?
[6:46] You might get one or two. But we did get a few, and the girls found a raspberry on the bush a couple of weeks ago, and they were delighted coming into the house saying, we found a raspberry.
[7:00] I thought I would take one in to show you. Now, I have a watch here. You see it? A raspberry there.
[7:12] It's big, isn't it? Looks juicy and yummy, doesn't it? Yeah? You like raspberries? Yeah? Yeah, they're good. I love them too. This isn't the one I brought in from my bush.
[7:25] Let me show you the one I brought in from my bush. That's it. There's not much to it, is there? No. No, I thought I could just plant it, and I would get loads of lovely raspberries from this plant.
[7:44] But I didn't really look after it. I just stuck it in the ground, and we got one or two, but that was it. The birds have been eating the rest.
[7:54] So I wasn't really doing a good job looking after the plant. But in the Bible, we are told, and we'll spend time on this with the grown-ups, that we are branches, that Jesus Christ is like the main stem of the branch, like the roots, and God is the one that looks after the plant.
[8:14] And when God looks after the plant, and that we are like branches attached to Jesus Christ, we bring forth loads of fruit.
[8:25] We look tasty like that, nice juicy raspberry. It's good, isn't it? It is good. This one isn't good. And I'm not going to eat that one.
[8:36] I won't eat it. When we stay with Jesus, we will be beautiful. We will be something that pleases the one who looks after the plant.
[8:50] The one who looks after the plant is God. I didn't look after this plant very well, and I wasn't very pleased to see that the birds had eaten all my raspberries. But God looks after you.
[9:04] And if you trust your lives to Jesus, and you stay with Jesus, and you listen to the words of Jesus, when he tells you to obey your parents, that's a good thing to do, to share all your things that you have with others.
[9:17] That's a good thing to do, to love one another, to be nice and to be kind, to do all these good things. God will be happy with you. Yeah?
[9:29] So when you see raspberries, when you see these juicy raspberries, or juicy strawberries, remember that you can be a branch, and that you can be something pleasing to God, if you listen to what God says, and you listen to all that he asks us to do.
[9:48] So we'll say the Lord's Prayer together before you go. Okay? Close your eyes, put your hands together. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[9:59] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[10:11] Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen. Well, thank you, boys and girls, for listening to me.
[10:24] And remember, Jesus, if we stay with him, we will become beautiful in God's eyes. So we'll continue in our praise by singing in Psalm 63 of the Sing Psalms version on page 80, page 80 of the blue book.
[10:50] Psalm 63 from the beginning of that psalm. Psalm that speaks about having confidence in God in the times of trouble. We'll sing from verse down to verse 1 to 8.
[11:03] Oh God, you are my God alone. I seek your face with eagerness. My soul and body thirst for you in this dry weary wilderness.
[11:14] Down to the last verse there from 7 to 8. Because you are my help alone. And shadow off your wings I'll sing. You hold me up with your right hand. To you, O God, my soul will cling.
[11:27] So we'll sing these verses together. We'll stand to sing. O God, you are my God alone. O God, you are my God alone.
[11:45] I seek your face with eagerness. My soul and body thirst for you and rest my weary wilderness.
[12:07] In this dry weary wilderness. I've seen you in your holy place.
[12:20] Your power and glory held my gaze. For better is, your love, the light, and so my lips will sing your praise.
[12:49] I'll bless you, Lord, throughout my life, and raise my hand to you in prayer.
[13:06] My joyfulness will sing your praise. My soul is fed with riches fair.
[13:25] Upon my bed, I lie awake, and in my thoughts remember you.
[13:43] I meditate throughout the night, and keep your constant love in you.
[14:02] Because you are my help alone, in shadow of your wings I'll sing.
[14:20] You hold me up with your right hand. To you, O God, my soul will play.
[14:38] Amen. We'll turn now to a reading of the Word of God. We'll find that in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, from the beginning of that chapter.
[14:54] Gospel of John, reading from chapter 15 at the beginning. And we'll read down to the end of verse Mark 17.
[15:08] Let us hear the Word of God. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
[15:25] Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you.
[15:40] Unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
[15:51] For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and wither, and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
[16:03] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
[16:18] As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
[16:33] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
[16:46] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends.
[17:03] For all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
[17:24] These things I command you, so that you will love one another. Amen. May the reading of God's word be a blessing to the hearer of it.
[17:35] Let us join together in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we give thanks that we are gathered here again, and that we have your word set before us, and that by reading it, we have revealed to us the greatest things of you, and the greatness of your love for us, and how we struggle to comprehend it.
[18:05] We struggle to grasp it. We struggle to understand the depths of your love for us, the breadth of it, the height of it, the length of it, the width of it.
[18:17] But Lord, we pray as we gather this morning, and consider your love, that a measure of it would be made known to us, and that we would be certain of your love to mankind, and your love to us.
[18:34] Lord, let your word speak to us. May the riches of it come before us, and our rested hearts. May your love be evident amongst your people, that we would be fulfilling the command that is set before us, to love one another, to love the brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, but to love also those who are not in Christ, that their heart desire would be, and our love would be, for the lost amongst us, and the lost that are within our community, and our families, and our friends, that we would have the greatest desire to go out, and tell them about the greatest love of the world, greatest love beyond the world, that we find in Jesus Christ, that it would be openly shared, and not with hell, as Christ himself shared, the things of God with us, and his plans and purposes for our lives, that he will be one that will go before us, and prepare a place for us, and we can be assured of his love, when we come to the cross at Calvary, because he died for us, and we can be certain, and sure, that his love, is for us,
[19:53] Lord, as we come to these things, we admit our weaknesses in understanding it, but we pray that your spirit would enable us, and if we do things of our own selves, it says there in the words, that we will come to nothing, and likewise, more so when we come to your words, that we do not rely on our own strength, or our own wisdom to understand it, or to speak to the hearts of others, or to speak to the hearts of others, or to rely on the power of your spirit, that it would go forth from your words, into the hearts of sinners, convicting, converting, persuading, and enabling them to embrace the greatest love of Jesus Christ, and that they may come and abide in him, and rest in him, receiving the greatest joy of life, and finding in themselves the purpose of their lives, that they are not left estranged, they are not abandoned, they are not forgotten about, but the love of Jesus Christ extends to them, as our loving heavenly father does to his child, the father does not forget about his children, but he calls them to come to him, and to come and confess the pains of our hearts, and the agonies of our hearts, the plights of life, and that you will hear our prayer, and you do not withhold your grace from us, and that you will answer us, according to your wisdom, and your ways, often it is just the groaning of our hearts, that we can echo, but you know them too,
[21:31] Lord, we give thanks for all that you have done for us, and continue to do for us, we ask that you would continue to go before us in all things, and every step of life, which is so uncertain to us, we do not know what an hour brings forth for any of us, we are often surprised, we are often shocked, but we can rest assured, that the love of God will ever remain, it surprises us when it comes to us, but it is not one that will depart from us, we can trust in it eternally, and even beyond this life, for death will not end that love, that love will continue in eternity, for Jesus is alive, and his love is ever present with us, we pray for each one that is gathered here, and our situations, we pray for those who are sick, we pray for those who are mourning, we ask that you would be their comforter, and draw near to them, be their strength,
[22:39] O Lord, we pray, that they would know you, being present with them, and abiding with them, Lord, we just ask that you would be with us, in the preaching of the gospel, whatever it be, gathered here, or across our nation, that it would go with your power, that it would go with your spirit, that it would grow with great effect, and we say, that we may see, people turning to abide in Christ Jesus, and turning to rest, under the shadow of his wings, and the shelter that he gives to us, that we are joy may be full, and the joy of Christ Jesus, may fill the land of Scotland, that we remember Alex and Nina from Moldova, we pray for him, as he preaches the gospel also, that he may be an encouragement to one another, that we may strengthen one another, as we meet tonight, we pray for Alex and Nina, and the boys, as they speak to us, and speak to the young ones, that they may, to likewise, bring the beauty of Christ with them, that dwells within their hearts, we pray for them, in Nisborain, and the work that they do in the church, and that you would be their strength, as they welcome, and support neighbouring Ukraine, and the people that flee, from the dangers that are there, we pray, that you would bring peace in that land, we pray for Russia, and their forces, and that they would turn from their ways, in which they are set upon, that they may see the folly of their ways, that they would question their ways, and ask why are we doing such a thing, to our mankind, we just pray, that you would, be over us in all things, we pray for the young, as they enjoy time of holiday, and return to schools, we remember the teaching staff as well, as they prepare, to have the children come back, just ask that you would bless the children, in their young years, and that they may hear the gospel, and know it, and not depart from it, and their lives may grow in, through him, and become beautiful, in the eyes of God, as we too, trust in Christ, may our lives, echo his beauty, and be pleasing, to God, all these things, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, and our saviour, amen, we continue in praise to God, by singing in Psalm 45, in the Sing Psalms version, on page 56,
[25:15] Psalm 45, from the beginning of that psalm, a noble theme inspires my heart, with verses for the king, my tongues a skillful writer's pen, composing lines to sing, you far excel the best of men, your lips are full of grace, for God has blessed you evermore, as light shines on your face, we'll just sing, down to the end of verse Mark 4, these four stanzas, it is a love song, a love that the king gives to his people, and it is a noble theme, that should inspire the heart, of every one of us, the love that Jesus Christ, our king has for us, so we'll sing these four stanzas, a noble theme, inspires my heart, let us stand and sing, praise to God, a noble theme, inspires my heart, with verses for the king, my songs a skillful writer's pen, my songs a skillful writer's pen, from the old sea lines to sing, you far excel the best of men, your lips are full of grace, for God has blessed you evermore, his light shines on your face,
[27:19] O mighty one, and find it on your thigh, with glorious center, with glorious center, and with your majesty, sacrifice, your badge, glad to hend to be worthy of, — I can't display your deeds of all of separate and lies.
[28:27] Let me turn back to the passage that we read together. And we'll have a focus between verse 9 and verse 13.
[28:38] Verse 9, as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. And verse 13, greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.
[28:53] Have you ever wondered if God loves you? Have you ever questioned God if he cares for you? I'm sure many of you have. On often times of difficulties, when life is hard, we ask these things of God.
[29:08] We don't tend to ask it, though, when life is going well. Maybe that's for fear that we may think that it is true, that God loves us.
[29:19] Regardless of whatever situation we are in tonight, or today, this morning, I hope that we will realize that God loves us as we come to this passage.
[29:30] And this passage that we have here in chapter 15, it's the last words of Jesus Christ to his disciples. As he met with them in the upper room before he was taken away to be crucified.
[29:43] He is preparing and strengthening his disciples, his friends, before he departs, and for what is to come. And the chapters between chapter 13 and chapter 17, we have some of the richest passages of Scripture set before us.
[30:00] It is, as anyone's last words would be, a weighty expression of his love for them. And in it, what we have set before us today, is love present and love practiced.
[30:17] There are two points today, love present and love practiced. But before we take these points by means of introduction, we look at the image briefly that is set before us here of this true vine.
[30:32] The vine that is used to express the love of God and the love of Jesus Christ. The vine that grows with many branches. The father that cares for this plant.
[30:45] The vine, which is Christ, the substance of it, the stem, the roots, is Christ. And this is the main focus of the father's devotion and love.
[30:59] And out of that stem, that root, that vine, comes the branches. We are the branches, the people of God, who only bear fruit when we abide in Christ.
[31:16] Jesus is saying to them, you are made as a branch. You are made to bear good fruit. And you can only do that when you are connected to me.
[31:29] When you are connected to the vine. And if you do not take your strength from me, well, we learn that the branch withers. For the branch will not be a pleasing sight like fruit.
[31:43] It will be bare. And we only fulfill our created purpose by abiding in Christ. What we have here, we are the branches.
[31:58] Every one of us here is like a branch. And you are created by God to be a part of his purposes.
[32:11] And even in that itself, your answer to your question, does God love you? He has created you. And he wants you to be a part of him. Answer it with assurance that yes, he does love you.
[32:25] This is the best place for you. To be adjoined to Jesus Christ. To be abiding in the love of Christ. And if you are, it says that your life will be abundantly beautiful.
[32:40] There is no comparison between the branch that bears fruit and the branch that withers. And it is a joyful thing to have fruit.
[32:52] Just like my children came running into the house to show me that they had found a raspberry. It is a joyful thing to bear fruit for God.
[33:03] And it is a joy that you bear fruit to God. We will find joy in abiding in Christ. And what is expressed in this image is the love of God.
[33:19] The love of God made known to the branch through the vine. The love of God that we know through Jesus. Just as the Father loves me, so I love you.
[33:35] It is passed on. The love of God we know through Jesus Christ. And he is comforting his friends, his disciples in these words by saying that God will remain with you.
[33:53] The love of God will be known in your life through me. And when you know my love, you will know my joy. And it will be like no other joy that you have ever known.
[34:09] So we ask ourselves, what sort of branch are we this morning? Do we abide in Christ? Are we bringing forth fruit for God?
[34:20] Or are we a branch that is set on its own ways and will ultimately wither? So love present in this passage.
[34:31] Really what I want to do first is see how love present in our lives. and how we understand love in comparison to the presence of God's love.
[34:43] Because we are so often the branch that does not want to abide in Christ, aren't we? We so often want to do things our way. We want to love the things of the world without Christ.
[34:54] We don't want to love Christ in and of ourselves. We want to live without him. But we are told that that branch withers. life without Christ leaves us empty at the end of the day.
[35:09] A love without the love of Christ leaves us bare. And in the sight of God is no good. And you can think of all the things that you love in this world, not in a romantic sense, but where the affections of your heart are drawn to.
[35:26] You have many different things. It may be football, it may be rugby, cars, bikes, it may be your home, it may be your bed. You can love the smallest of things and you can love the greatest of things.
[35:41] As the people around us, the friends and the families that we have, there's a vast difference between these loves. But love is every bit a part of us.
[35:54] What is your greatest love in this world? What is your greatest love in this world? And has your love been perfect to that thing or person?
[36:08] Has your love ever deviated in its devotion to the object of your love? Has your love ever grown cold? Has your love ever changed? Has your love ever been distracted by something else?
[36:20] It probably has if we are honest with ourselves. Because our love, it's not perfect. Our love fluctuates. It grows. It fades.
[36:32] Our love moves. It changes. And our love can decay. We place our love in the things of this world. But they are liable to disappoint us.
[36:46] And so also we can disappoint them. And ultimately the loves of this world will come to an end. and that may leave us chasing other loves.
[37:00] Our heart's desire is to love. Love of the world only temporarily satisfies us. And it is true that maybe we can say that we can exhaust the loves of this world.
[37:14] And sometimes we can say sadly that the loves of this world fail us. where do you go then? When every love of the world has failed you where do you go?
[37:28] What do you love? So we can chase after all the things of this world. We can grab a hold of them but our love deviates.
[37:39] Our love grows cold. Our love changes. It's like chasing the wind. We try and grab and hold love but we never quite get it.
[37:51] We're never quite satisfied with it. It never quite gives us joy. We're left withered when we try and satisfy ourselves with the love of the world.
[38:04] When we try to keep our love alive by our own strength and our own loves we're left fruitless. Someone once said that the loneliest place in the world is a human heart where love is absent.
[38:20] And there's truth to that. But love is not absent in God. It is our nature to love to give love to know love and we can all say and agree together in one voice that love gives us the greatest joy in this life but love so also gives us the sourest of pains.
[38:46] Great are the marks of great love and great are the marks of great love that is lost. Love it leaves an impression on us and while so sore and so painful at times it still retains something of beauty.
[39:05] the dictionary describes love as something profoundly tender and that it is. John Owen would say that love is a jewel of human nature because it's well it's a precious thing.
[39:24] A jewel is precious. It's valuable, it's beautiful, it's desirable but really the beauty of the jewel is only fully seen and fully realised and put on display when it trusts and abides in Christ.
[39:41] The love of our nature is only fulfilled and made joyous when we dwell in Christ and we become branches that please the vine dresser.
[39:55] our love of itself fluctuates, it's not perfect. Our love, what is our love in comparison to the love present here in Jesus Christ?
[40:12] We think of the love of Christ, we have it equally in the love of God. We are of the same thing in verse 9, as the Father has loved me so I have loved you and he calls us to abide in that love.
[40:30] This is the greatest love we can know. This is the greatest love that we can receive. This is a love that does not fluctuate, it does not move, it does not change, it does not decay over time.
[40:45] Christ's love and God's love are firm and sure. The vine Christ is loved by the vine dresser. God's love is continually expressed towards Christ.
[41:00] God's love is eternally present towards Christ. God's love is inexhaustible and it is a love that we receive through Christ. And we can be secure and assured of that love as God loves his Son.
[41:20] love is perfected because love is untainted in God. God's love is pure.
[41:33] We can say that love is fulfilled in God and Christ. Love is complete. His love is the greatest love and really his love, it is the essence of what love is because it is full, because it is untainted.
[41:52] The greatest love is the love of God. The greatest love we receive is the love of God through Jesus Christ. Great love, it is never alone.
[42:08] It is something that stimulates action. Love is outworked by some means and it is a great confirmation of the love within the heart when you see the actions of it.
[42:20] Jesus is not only telling his disciples about the love that he has for them, he is preparing them and expressing them about how he will show it to them.
[42:35] Love is present and abounding in Christ, but love will be practiced by Christ. You see there, in verse 13, greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friend.
[42:54] Our second point, love practiced. Christ's life is a manifestation of the perfect love of God and the resulting actions of what you see in Jesus' love.
[43:11] You search through the gospels and you see the love of Jesus Christ coming through. He cared for others, he cured for others. He did not revile or reject others.
[43:22] He called them to come to him with a loving heart. He compelled them to come. He compassionately taught them and met their need. The low were not too low for him, the high were not too high for him.
[43:39] But here in verse 13 we have an explanation of what great love looks like and what the greatest display of love is that a man would die for his friends. But we are mindful as we come to this that this is only a portrayal of what great love looks like.
[43:57] In human terms it is understandable that we would die for someone whom we greatly love and the greatest action that we could have for that person would be to die for them.
[44:13] And if someone died for us out of love we would be left in no uncertain terms as to the love that that person had for you. He died because he loved you with a great love and there would be no doubt about it in your heart if he had died for you.
[44:36] And others would say if they looked at the person that died they could say well look how much he loved you. And you could say yourself look how much he loved me because he died for me and he gave his life for me.
[44:56] Jesus is reminding his disciples here before he goes of what great love looks like and what the greatest love of man looks like because Christ was shortly going to die for them and the love of Christ for his friends drove him to die for them.
[45:16] This is how he would show his love so that they would not doubt, so that they would not question nor wonder whether he loved them or not.
[45:27] Is this the greatest display of love in human reasoning? Yes, that a man would die for one of his friends. But is this what Christ did?
[45:40] Well, not really. You see, the love of Christ was greater and more, far more abounding than the greatest of man's love.
[45:53] The death of Christ was a greater display of the greatest of what man could give and offer. For Christ died for his friends and his enemies.
[46:06] We see in Romans 5, it tells us that God shows his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
[46:19] He died for his friends, yes. He died for those who loved him. But he died also unequally for the people that condemned him to the cross, the people who spat on him, the one who took his name in vain, the one who wanted nothing to do with him, the passerby who slandered him.
[46:46] He died for the sinner. He died for the one that does not want to go to church on Sunday morning, nor listen to this service. Christ died for you.
[47:03] And you might ask, well, why did Christ die for me? Well, it's so that you may know in no uncertain terms how much he loves you.
[47:18] And that I can say with confidence to you, see how much Jesus loves you. And that you can say in your heart, see how much Jesus loves me.
[47:37] And we can't understand really someone dying for their enemy. We struggle to comprehend that someone would give their lives for someone they did not like, someone that did not love them back.
[47:55] But such was Christ's love. And so far more abounding than the greatest love of man, that he died for us while we did not love him.
[48:10] And that is why the cross is so treasured by Christians. When we come to that place, when we view it, when we consider what Christ has done for us, what we see is the greatest love perfectly practiced.
[48:27] We come to something worthy of our time. It's the greatest display of love that we can know. It's a love that is beyond our understanding and beyond the loves of this world.
[48:40] And even though it is a place of pain and sorrow, it is wrapped in sweet beauty and leaves the deepest marks eternally.
[48:52] For the love of God has not died. Jesus is alive and that love still lives and that love is still expressed to every single one of us today.
[49:06] Jesus has died for you so that you can say in no uncertain terms that he loved you. If you take the fact that someone dies for another, if someone died for you, what implications do we have of that action?
[49:28] Why die for someone else? For what cause would you need someone to die for you? Well, usually it is to pay punishment, to pay justice.
[49:42] he dies for you so you can go free. It may die for you to rescue you so you can go free. By the giving of his life, you may continue to live.
[49:57] You may not suffer death. Jesus is the one who gives his life so that we can be free. Jesus is the one who bore our punishment, died as a ransom for many, as we were teaching the children last week, so that we may be free.
[50:17] This is the great action of Christ's love for you, and it bears testimony to the love of God. These things are not hidden from us.
[50:32] The gospel has been revealed to every single one of us. The love of Jesus Christ has been shown forth on the cross, that we may come and receive it and abide in it, so that we may know our purpose in this life, and that we may bear fruit, and that we may with confidence rest and remain with him, and assuredly say, Jesus loves me.
[51:00] Some of you may be sitting and listening and saying, well, how does all this affect me? I didn't choose Jesus to die for me, and you're right.
[51:11] Read verse 16 with me. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide.
[51:28] We did not choose God nor Christ, but he chose us. And he is making known these things to you today, even if you have not chosen him.
[51:42] He is displaying to you and portraying his love for you, so that you may know how much he loves you, that you may come and receive that love, so that you may not be a withered branch, but that you may be fruitful and abounding in fruit.
[52:01] It is no loneliness in the love of God, but his love gives us the fullness of joy, as we see in verse 11, that we come and abide in his love with the greatest confidence, growing in his strength that comes to us, pleasing to God by the fruit in which we bear.
[52:27] love. Jesus Christ loves you with an everlasting love, and he has chosen you today to hear these things, to hear that he loves you, that you may come and abide with him.
[52:46] His love was practiced perfectly, but he asks us to practice love too. as the love of Jesus Christ made an impression on you, have you realized just how much he loves you?
[53:01] Well, he asks us to love him in return by obeying his commands. Read there in verse 12, this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
[53:14] that we in Jesus Christ love one another that is here and love the world that is out with the doors of this church, that we practice the love of Christ as he did, that we look at him and abide in his word and learn from him and how to practice love, that we may please God the Father by obeying the commandments of Christ and likewise the commandments of God.
[53:51] What are our actions of the love of Christ? How do we respond to the love of Christ? It's love present in our heart.
[54:04] We are loved with an everlasting love, a steadfast love, an eternal love, a perfect love and it is for you to hear about it today. He has chosen you and therefore none of us can leave this building today doubting that love.
[54:24] We are in no uncertain terms with doubts or questioning in our heart whether Jesus loves you or not because he gave his life for you and died for you at Calvary.
[54:38] That is even before we consider the sufferings of the cross and in such a manner in which he died but he gave his life for you.
[54:51] Come and abide in his love, grow in his grace and bear fruit to the glory of God. That's what he says to each and every one of us this morning.
[55:03] May these thoughts be blessed to us. We'll conclude by singing to God's praise in Psalm 86 in the Scottish Psalter version.
[55:19] Find that on page 341 of the Blue Book. Psalm 86 We'll sing from verse 10 down to verse Mark 13.
[55:33] Amen. From verse 10. Because thou art exceeding great and works by thee are done which are to be admired and thou art God thyself alone.
[55:50] Teach me thy way and in thy truth O Lord then walk will I unite my heart that I thy name may fear continually. O Lord my God with all my heart to thee I will give praise and to the glory will ascribe unto thy name always because thy mercy toward me in greatness doth excel and thou delivered hast my soul out of the lowest hell.
[56:19] We'll stand together and sing these verses from verse 10 down to 13 because thou art exceeding great. great. Because thou art exceeding great and works by thee are done which are to be admired and life art taught thyself alone.
[56:59] Teach me thy way and turn thy truth O Lord then walk will I unite my heart that I thy name may fear continually O Lord O Lord my God with all my heart to thee I will give praise and die the glory well has died unto thy name always because thy mercy towards me in greatness doth excel and thou deliver deliver touch my soul
[58:38] I call the lowest hell conclude in prayer as we park our loving heavenly father may we realise your love as we gather in your presence this day and may we leave abiding and trusting in that love may your grace may by abiding in your grace may we grow the fruit to the glory of God and all things as we live our lives sets forth love as our direction and to give that glory and return to God be with us as we part which over us in the evening hours and evening services may it be a blessing to our hearts and souls forgive us our sins in Jesus name Amen