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