WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Is it warm, hot, cold in here? 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:04.440 I mean, are we okay? 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:09.960 Shum, behind you, of course, are the air con bits if you need to adjust it. 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.300 Good to see everyone. 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:15.820 I am very much wrapped up in layers here. 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:18.039 We have a football game later this afternoon. 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:23.539 Francis and I and other James are the strong defenders at the back. 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:25.560 It's going to be a feast for the other team. 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:28.400 It's going to be good. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:29.539 Pray for us. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:30.920 Aidan. 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:33.219 Aidan. 00:00:34.219 --> 00:00:34.960 Just A. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.420 Aidan sucks, suck to you. 00:00:38.980 --> 00:00:41.240 Can we give a round of applause for Aidan, who's freshly married? 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:41.840 Woo! 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:47.920 Aidan and Erica. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:48.519 What a joy. 00:00:48.659 --> 00:00:49.320 What a wedding. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.460 I'm trying so hard not to say anything. 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.740 Can you just, you're going to be asked this. 00:00:56.840 --> 00:00:58.799 Why don't you explain to all of us, describe to all of us, 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:01.759 what compelled you to change the color of your hair. 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:03.820 Start up, start up. 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:11.620 I went to six sessions of three-year-old counseling. 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:12.540 I just died. 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:12.540 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:13.079 I just died. 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:13.079 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:13.640 I just died. 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:14.159 I just died. 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:14.460 I just died. 00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:14.460 00:01:14.459 --> 00:01:26.879 Spare a thought for those who have their hair. 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:27.920 What a waste of work. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:30.019 What do people do with their hair these days? 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:32.339 We welcome you. 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:33.599 I'm so glad to have you back. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:38.159 We're talking about a very important topic today. 00:01:38.419 --> 00:01:39.699 A very simple one. 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:40.899 A one that you all know. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:42.679 In fact, a one that the world knows. 00:01:42.839 --> 00:01:43.479 I talk about this. 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.379 My favorite song of all time is the Black Eyed Peas. 00:01:46.699 --> 00:01:47.439 Where is the love? 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:48.419 They're asking it. 00:01:49.679 --> 00:01:50.479 Where is love? 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:53.259 Because the Beatles, a few decades before, posed the question. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:54.399 Well, it's a statement. 00:01:54.539 --> 00:01:56.459 All you need is love. 00:01:57.059 --> 00:01:58.659 And we've been talking about this. 00:01:58.679 --> 00:02:00.459 And last week, we talked about how this is growing. 00:02:00.679 --> 00:02:01.259 This is growing. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:02.159 There are people coming. 00:02:02.399 --> 00:02:06.379 There are people coming with their own experiences, with their own theology, with their own preferences. 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:09.900 And they're starting to infiltrate the people that are meeting. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:14.599 To the point where some of them are starting to say things that are values of the world. 00:02:15.019 --> 00:02:16.560 And it's seeping into the church. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:17.799 And that's dangerous. 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:19.259 Because people are saying, oh, no. 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:20.199 This is okay. 00:02:20.459 --> 00:02:22.400 You can compromise in this kind of way. 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:23.519 And it's still okay. 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:25.099 Because Jesus loves you. 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:28.259 Because your body and your spirit are separate things. 00:02:28.359 --> 00:02:30.340 So you can do anything with your body. 00:02:30.419 --> 00:02:31.479 And it won't affect your spirit. 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:32.599 These are all false, by the way. 00:02:33.959 --> 00:02:35.819 And of course, I'm talking about the early church. 00:02:36.359 --> 00:02:40.819 I'm talking about the early church where people are starting to join this way. 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:42.359 It wasn't called Christians. 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:44.500 It wasn't called EFC, ZKFC. 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:48.620 It was just called a group of people following the way of Jesus. 00:02:49.699 --> 00:02:52.439 You'd walk across someone in the street and go, hey, are you following the way? 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.859 See, it's that how it was described. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.280 And as people are coming in, John had to write this letter and say, hey, with all these people 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:02.060 coming in, I need to know that you know the truth. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:04.280 That you know which way we're heading. 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:06.659 God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:12.740 And so the first few sermons we've had is dealing with almost the morality of what it 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.600 means to be a Christian, to live in a world of darkness. 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:17.200 How can God still be the light? 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.000 How can you walk in the light? 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:22.659 But he moves from the moral today into the social. 00:03:23.260 --> 00:03:27.420 He moves from the moral into the social because in chapter one, it also says, if you walk in 00:03:27.420 --> 00:03:29.520 the light, you will have fellowship. 00:03:31.040 --> 00:03:34.439 What he doesn't talk about at that point is, man, fellowship is hard. 00:03:34.980 --> 00:03:35.340 Why? 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:37.759 Because people are hard. 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:40.640 Have you heard the term or the description? 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:43.180 Where there are people, there are problems. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.580 And so you've got all these people gathering together with all their different experiences, 00:03:47.939 --> 00:03:49.500 with all the practices they have. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:50.960 Hey, I like my music this way. 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:54.740 I like my, I like the way, I like the sermons this way. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:57.360 I like to do small groups like this. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.620 I like to live Christian life like this. 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:02.099 And suddenly you have all these people saying all these different things. 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:03.000 And what starts happening? 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:04.620 People start arguing. 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:06.159 People start arguing. 00:04:06.700 --> 00:04:08.000 People start disliking each other. 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:09.580 People start leaving the church. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:15.819 And that's where John moves it from the moral into the social because of course, they're 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:16.139 connected. 00:04:16.699 --> 00:04:20.860 And he talks today about something that's really, really interesting, which is about the 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:22.199 issue of love. 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:26.160 And he says this, if you're taking notes or if you're just following from your Bible, 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:30.160 as I always encourage you, if you have a paper Bible, bring it. 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:33.280 I use it because it reminds me that this is the Word of God. 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:34.220 This isn't just an app. 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:37.280 This isn't just something for my sake that I can dip in and out of. 00:04:37.400 --> 00:04:39.220 This book transcends time. 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.840 It has ancient wisdom in thousands of years and from the Word. 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:44.300 This is the Word of God. 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:46.480 So if you have this, please open it up with me. 00:04:46.780 --> 00:04:48.640 1 John 2, verse 7. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:54.259 He says this, Beloved, I'm writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that 00:04:54.259 --> 00:04:55.539 you had from the beginning. 00:04:55.860 --> 00:04:57.419 He's saying, hey, I'm not saying anything new. 00:04:57.599 --> 00:04:59.620 And I'll tell you right now, I'm not saying anything new. 00:05:00.060 --> 00:05:03.500 When you leave here, the thing that you're going to hear is, man, I've got to love. 00:05:03.979 --> 00:05:04.740 I'm going to love people. 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:05.979 So this is not new. 00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:07.740 And what's he talking about here? 00:05:07.900 --> 00:05:09.259 He's saying, what's the old commandment? 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:11.360 The old commandment is found in Leviticus 19. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.660 Leviticus 19, which is teaching the Israelites how to live with one another. 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:19.740 And the old commandment is, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:22.200 Put your hand away if you've heard that before. 00:05:23.340 --> 00:05:24.920 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.819 Put your hand away if you think you're actually actively doing that right now in your life. 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:30.100 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:30.560 Don't be shy. 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:31.160 Don't be embarrassed. 00:05:32.080 --> 00:05:32.320 Brilliant. 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:33.560 I'm preaching to a hard crowd today. 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.720 Okay, so that's what we're going to try and address. 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:39.420 Because this is an old commandment. 00:05:39.900 --> 00:05:40.439 We know it. 00:05:41.080 --> 00:05:42.640 And maybe just to dwell on that a little bit. 00:05:43.320 --> 00:05:45.640 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:46.140 --> 00:05:47.600 Of course, the two commandments, love God, 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.140 rule your hand, soul, management, and love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:50.700 --> 00:05:51.580 They're forever tied. 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:56.120 When you love God, you naturally can't help but love people. 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:58.740 When you love people, you're loving God. 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:02.259 When you struggle to love people, it's probably because you're struggling to love God. 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:06.280 Because your relationship with God isn't good, so therefore you're really struggling to love people. 00:06:06.780 --> 00:06:08.360 So they're intricately tied. 00:06:08.780 --> 00:06:09.540 Intimately tied. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:12.259 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:18.300 So this adds a third layer to that that I think is interesting, which is, how do you love yourself? 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:24.560 Because if I'm telling you, hey, you've got to love your neighbor as yourself. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:29.079 So, Teresa, you've got to love Annabelle the way that you love yourself. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.660 Just to stop there, you're going to go, okay, well, I'm going to figure out how I love myself. 00:06:35.100 --> 00:06:43.120 If I'm asking Cubone to love Gavs the way Cubone loves himself, Cubone needs to love himself in a way that Christ wants him to love. 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:47.180 But the question then becomes, how much do I love myself? 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:50.459 Or rather, what is my relationship with myself? 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:53.560 Because can you see how that impacts how you love other people? 00:06:53.799 --> 00:06:56.120 And can you see how that impacts how you love God? 00:06:57.039 --> 00:06:58.680 And so it starts with yourself. 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:01.819 There's a quote from St. Teresa Avila, which says this. 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:02.939 I think the one is going to put it up. 00:07:02.979 --> 00:07:03.139 Brilliant. 00:07:03.299 --> 00:07:04.620 Oh, it's not this one. 00:07:05.740 --> 00:07:06.419 That's Mother Teresa. 00:07:06.599 --> 00:07:07.159 That's a different person. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:07.919 Let me read it from here. 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:09.620 Oh, there we go. 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:13.799 It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves. 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:16.579 How is your relationship with yourself? 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:18.159 Before we even talk about loving other people. 00:07:18.159 --> 00:07:19.639 Before we even talk about loving God. 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:22.919 How is your relationship with yourself? 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:24.579 And you see, the problem here is this. 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:30.000 A lot of us, the relationship we have with ourselves is heavily influenced by our family background. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:34.319 Very heavily influenced by how our family love does as children. 00:07:35.719 --> 00:07:38.279 Our family is the place where we get discipled. 00:07:38.479 --> 00:07:39.399 It's the way we get placed. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:41.219 We get nurtured into how we love ourselves. 00:07:41.299 --> 00:07:42.659 What relationship do we have with ourselves? 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.159 What perception do we have of ourselves? 00:07:45.159 --> 00:07:50.179 It can be so when we're doing something really good, but actually our relationship with ourselves is not good. 00:07:50.180 --> 00:07:53.079 So even while we're doing something really good, we feel terrible. 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:56.259 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:58.319 Confucius says this. 00:07:59.340 --> 00:08:02.460 To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order. 00:08:02.840 --> 00:08:06.120 To put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order. 00:08:06.460 --> 00:08:09.519 To put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life. 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:12.160 We must first set our hearts right. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:23.080 Once you know and accept and love yourself, then, only then, can you love your neighbor in the way that Christ wants you to. 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:26.900 And this is just a question that we're not going to be able to fully address today. 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:31.980 But my question for you, especially if you're a part of a midweek group, is how do I love myself? 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:33.700 How do I feel about myself? 00:08:33.800 --> 00:08:35.620 What is my relationship like with myself? 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:38.340 Because I realize maybe that's the first thing that I need to think about. 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:40.320 That's the first thing I need to pray about. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:45.320 Because that will impact how I follow the greatest two commandments that Jesus gives. 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:48.039 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:48.980 And he says this. 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:50.179 Verse 8. 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:55.179 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I'm writing to you, which is true in him and in you. 00:08:55.539 --> 00:08:59.720 Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:01.500 So he's saying, hey, you've heard this before. 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:04.300 You know that you need to love yourself as your neighbor. 00:09:05.160 --> 00:09:07.519 Jesus then says, actually, I'm going to redefine that. 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:11.279 So John's saying, hey, you've heard that, but something has changed. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:12.180 What's changed? 00:09:12.420 --> 00:09:12.720 Jesus. 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.399 Jesus has redefined that commandment. 00:09:15.860 --> 00:09:16.500 How does he live? 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.000 He's redefined who a neighbor is. 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:22.580 Because that law in Leviticus was teaching people how to love people who were just like them. 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:24.580 Who were their neighbors, who were living together. 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:26.220 Teaching them how to live harmoniously. 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:29.139 But now Jesus is saying, hey, who's your neighbor? 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:32.519 Can anyone think of where Jesus addresses this? 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:39.000 Some smart guy asks Jesus, hey, who is my neighbor then? 00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:41.220 It's the Good Samaritan. 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:44.159 And Jesus then gives them the story of the Good Samaritan. 00:09:44.319 --> 00:09:46.139 Hey, actually, your neighbor isn't who you think it is. 00:09:46.419 --> 00:09:47.419 I'll tell you who your neighbor is. 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:49.480 Your neighbor is someone that you've been arguing with. 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:52.519 Your culture has been arguing with for generations. 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:55.980 It's someone that you are, the moment you're born, you are taught to hate. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:59.019 Jesus says in his sermon, love your enemies. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:04.240 So Jesus completely starts to flip this whole thing around and said, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:05.740 Let me tell you who your neighbor is. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.319 Love, loving your neighbor is going to be hard. 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:12.100 It's not someone who you find easy to love. 00:10:13.100 --> 00:10:15.100 Think of the person right now, and I won't ask you that. 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.080 Think of that person right now who you find really hard to love. 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.720 That's who Jesus is asking you to love. 00:10:24.160 --> 00:10:25.360 That changes things. 00:10:25.780 --> 00:10:32.820 Because our concept of a neighbor is someone that we have conversations with, that we enjoy their company, but it's not. 00:10:32.820 --> 00:10:35.600 Jesus is saying, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:39.560 And your neighbor is someone that I'm going to define for you who will be different. 00:10:39.640 --> 00:10:40.480 And he's saying this. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:45.480 If you say that you are walking in the light, you cannot hate the people around you. 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:49.519 If you say that you're walking in the light, you cannot dislike the people around you. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:50.580 You cannot hate the people around you. 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:53.019 It goes completely against what you're actually saying with your mouth. 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:54.639 Therefore, it makes you a hypocrite. 00:10:55.180 --> 00:10:56.879 Because God is light, and in him there is no darkness. 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:00.159 And if you're hating, you are in the darkness, is what he's saying here. 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:11.100 As I think about us here, and I think we're packed here with people, people who really enjoy each other's company, people who don't even know each other. 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:21.659 The question I have all the time is, if someone walks in here, and some of you are new here, and I'd be fascinated to hear how you feel, is do you see love? 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:29.219 Do you, even though you don't know the people yet, can you see people who love each other? 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:33.980 Are we a group of people who love each other? 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:37.279 Because that's going to be the defining factor as to whether God is in here or not. 00:11:38.439 --> 00:11:39.600 Doesn't that scare you a little bit? 00:11:40.699 --> 00:11:41.379 Doesn't that scare you? 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:41.819 It scares me. 00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:47.980 I'm going to ask some questions now, so just, this is time to kind of perk up if you need to. 00:11:49.339 --> 00:11:51.459 Imagine this community is one of love. 00:11:52.500 --> 00:11:54.179 What are the signs that someone should see? 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:03.439 What should someone see if they walk in here and they see a body of believers who followed the way of Jesus, who love each other? 00:12:03.779 --> 00:12:06.319 What should that person see? 00:12:13.699 --> 00:12:14.939 Any thoughts, birthday boy? 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:15.600 We'll start with you. 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:21.399 If they were known. 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:26.840 Just simply, just for the fact that when they are people known. 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:29.580 And not just by name necessarily. 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:33.220 As Ellen said, it's by, if you've had a terrible week, people know. 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.019 When you have a bad hair day, people know. 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:39.320 Oh, sorry. 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.100 My hand was just that way. 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:46.700 It was, you know, you know, good. 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:48.920 What else is there? 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:49.500 What else is there? 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:55.659 Suddenly, as you walk in here, and you're hoping to see a group of people who love each other. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:56.540 What does that look like? 00:12:56.539 --> 00:13:03.579 Acknowledging that you're here. 00:13:03.659 --> 00:13:04.179 There's a welcome. 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:04.740 There's a greeting. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:06.259 There's a, I'm so glad that you're here. 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:07.159 Right? 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:09.319 And actually, it wouldn't be the same if you weren't here. 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:11.139 And do we have that? 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:13.840 Now, it's impossible to do with a big group of people who are 160. 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:16.159 It's easy to do in your own midweek groups. 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:20.759 It's easy to do when you don't see someone who's in your small group going, actually, I missed you on Sunday. 00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:22.419 Is everything okay? 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.699 Like, that is, in some ways, love. 00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:28.840 What else is there? 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:29.519 Jojo. 00:13:30.779 --> 00:13:31.399 Throw something at me. 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:34.659 What's a sign of a community that loves? 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:37.980 Praying for one another. 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:39.480 Praying for one another. 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:42.399 And, of course, in order to do that, you need to know the challenges that they're facing. 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:43.840 You go, okay. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.500 Oh, actually, I've had a rough week. 00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:46.920 I just need some time. 00:13:47.300 --> 00:13:50.820 And actually, and it's not just sitting there going, oh, that's so sad to hear. 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:51.340 Sorry to hear. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:55.279 It's, can we get to a place where, in our own, hey, can I pray for you right now? 00:13:56.060 --> 00:14:00.779 Can we not be a group of people that see someone and go, oh, I'll remember you in my prayers? 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:04.539 Because I'll tell you, we never remember people in our prayers. 00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:07.060 Can we be a group of people going, let's pray right now. 00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:08.180 10 seconds. 00:14:08.560 --> 00:14:09.180 20 seconds. 00:14:09.920 --> 00:14:10.440 10 minutes. 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:11.420 Whatever we can afford. 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:12.420 Let's do it right now. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:18.240 Because I want you to know that you're known, that you're seen, that you're welcomed, and that we care, and that we will pray for you. 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:20.519 One or two more. 00:14:20.680 --> 00:14:20.920 Uday. 00:14:21.300 --> 00:14:22.639 You're my favorite guy to pick on. 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:26.179 There's a deep level of care. 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:30.679 There's a deep level of care. 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:35.879 So give me an example of how, do you have a personal experience of what that might look like? 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:36.039 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:44.079 yeah 00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:49.740 yeah 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:53.819 and it's the thing that you've got going on in that week 00:14:53.819 --> 00:14:57.559 and that means it requires almost regular meeting 00:14:57.559 --> 00:14:58.919 hey how's this last week been 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:01.639 because if we don't show up and we don't see each other for months 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.179 all you can really say is how you've been 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:08.099 and then it's just an impossible question to answer in a personal deep way right 00:15:08.099 --> 00:15:12.219 but it is hey i literally just saw you yesterday jay for breakfast 00:15:12.219 --> 00:15:15.000 how's these last 24 hours been like how's it been 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.539 to be able to follow up like that to show deep care 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:22.739 and i think one day i'd love to even for us to sit and actually talk about 00:15:22.739 --> 00:15:25.519 what does it mean to ask questions what does it mean to care for people 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:29.819 to ask good questions to foster deep relationship what does that look like 00:15:29.819 --> 00:15:31.799 i'll tell you i'm trying to figure that out myself 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:35.719 so john's writing and he's saying hey you gotta love each other 00:15:35.719 --> 00:15:40.759 because people are hard and being together is hard 00:15:40.759 --> 00:15:43.839 which they're having friends with i'm having dinner with friends last night 00:15:43.839 --> 00:15:46.419 and we were saying actually even just two people getting together 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:50.019 requires compromise because everyone does things differently 00:15:50.019 --> 00:15:53.159 if you're living with someone it's just it's just different 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:54.779 you just have different preferences 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.159 so it requires compromise right right as you're now living with erica 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:01.000 there's those things that there's things that you have to acknowledge 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.000 that she does differently there's a different pace to things 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.659 and the whole point of being together in a group like this is going okay the music's 00:16:07.659 --> 00:16:10.699 a little bit too loud for me but i'm going to be okay because the music's good for you 00:16:10.699 --> 00:16:14.500 hey this is my preference about how i 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:21.360 get my jesus on but if this helps you encounter jesus that's okay with me too 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:26.879 and it's not kind of as a group we have to as a group we have to later on the football field we're 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.700 going to have to the people around you're going to have to make up for my weaknesses 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:33.580 and so they're just going to have to go around okay james can't run anymore 00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:35.200 it's only been five minutes but he can't run anymore 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:37.919 so here so now i'm going to have to cover for him 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:44.620 that's a community of love that's the only way it goes and john's saying hey you've heard this before 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.879 love your neighbor as yourself so my question is do you love yourself 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:50.740 what's your relationship life with yourself and when you love others 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:54.279 what does that actually look like and it's interesting he talks 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.559 and so i want to briefly talk about three separate points here 00:16:56.559 --> 00:16:59.319 one is why should we love because john gives us some reasons here 00:16:59.319 --> 00:17:02.199 why should we love who should we love and how should we love okay 00:17:02.199 --> 00:17:06.859 why should we love who should we love and how should we love and so first of all 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:11.240 why should we love john is so poetic now you may have struggled to kind of keep 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:15.559 with this sometimes because one john he's just writing all over the place he's an artist 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:20.319 he's painting with words and so it's kind of jumping around all over the place a little bit 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:25.439 and in verse 12 to 14 he jumps into what i think is a song what commentators think is 00:17:25.439 --> 00:17:30.059 probably a well-known song of some sort or at least he's i would think he's probably jumping 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:34.919 into rap here and here he goes i'm writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:39.600 for his name's sake i'm writing to you verse 13 i'm writing to you fathers because you know him 00:17:39.600 --> 00:17:43.740 who is from the beginning i'm writing to you young man because you have overcome the evil one then he 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:48.000 repeats the verse again and he goes i write to you children because you know the father i write to you 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.200 fathers because you know him from who is from the beginning i write to you young men because you 00:17:52.200 --> 00:17:56.039 are strong the word of god abides in you and you have overcome the evil one 00:17:56.039 --> 00:18:02.279 so he jumps into this little bit that's kind of like a song and he's writing to three groups of people 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:07.119 he's writing to little children he's writing to young men and he's writing to fathers and he's 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:11.619 basically telling them why they should love the first one verse 12 i'm writing to you little children 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:17.139 because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake i'm writing to you to remind you to love because i 00:18:17.139 --> 00:18:24.700 want to remember that you were forgiven and that's kind of like the springboard to love if you're 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:31.920 struggling to love yourself others god it might be to do with forgiveness 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:40.600 if you're struggling to love yourself others or god it might be to do with the fact there's something 00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:47.640 inside you that is stopping you and that something likely is unforgiveness he's saying love young 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.840 children because you've just come into the faith and how did you come into the faith because you 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:55.959 realized you were a sinner because you realized that you need to confess and now you've been forgiven 00:18:55.959 --> 00:19:00.939 because god is faithful and just love because of that because your account which was in debt 00:19:00.939 --> 00:19:07.480 has now been completely wiped clean so you can love that's what he's saying and so love and forgiveness 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:12.359 are tied so close so close here but i think for us as young christians that's the thing that we 00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:20.659 remember right i don't deserve any of this and yet here i am god forgave me and because of that i can't help 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:26.680 but love and that's where the tie is and this is about the theresa quote that can uh bonnie you can 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:33.400 put up here if we really want to love we must first learn how to forgive if you're like oh i really 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:40.580 want to love i know love is the thing then the first thing is can we learn how to forgive can we learn 00:19:40.580 --> 00:19:46.360 how to forgive ourselves and thereby love ourselves can we forgive others so we can learn to love others can 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:53.919 we work through that get through that martin luther king jr says this we must develop and maintain the 00:19:53.919 --> 00:20:00.359 capacity to forgive he who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:07.659 so if we're going to be a community of love it starts with us remembering as little children that our sins 00:20:07.659 --> 00:20:14.219 are forgiven because that's what springboards us into love that is one of the reasons why we love 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:21.400 the second reason is verse 13 he says i'm writing to you fathers older people old men and he's saying 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:28.880 because you know him who is from the beginning what's he saying i'm writing to you fathers who 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:33.900 have been in the faith for a long time and maybe it's you've forgotten about all the journeys that 00:20:33.900 --> 00:20:39.480 you've been on look back he's saying he's looked back fathers and how you've known him from the 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:45.960 beginning it wasn't changed nothing that is the point god is faithful god is true he is constant 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:51.599 he loved you when he first called you to hong kong he loved you when he called you to start the vine he 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:59.660 loved you when he called you to start kfci he loves you now fathers remember this love in your mature years 00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:05.220 show the young ones how to love god is faithful from the beginning and god is still the same now 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:11.200 he's saying forgiveness is one reason why we love and the other reason is because you just have 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:18.160 fellowship you know god and you know how good he is and so that's why you love and then to the verse 14 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:23.400 he talks to the young men those who maybe aren't right in the crucible of the christian battle right now 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:31.779 living as a christian in darkness fighting fighting for purity fighting to love and he's saying hey you guys 00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:37.180 i'm writing to you and when because you have overcome the evil one he's writing in this perfect 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:42.160 tense saying you have already overcome the evil one what's the reason to love because there is already 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:50.319 victory you love from victory you love because jesus has won and he has overcome so you can you're free 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:57.559 to love and so as we fight this battle we remember that actually he is the one who is one he prepares a 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:03.379 table before us in the presence of our enemies those of you who are still in the grind fighting 00:22:03.379 --> 00:22:08.579 do you understand the concept that jesus has prepared a table for you in the presence of his 00:22:08.579 --> 00:22:14.019 enemies so that boss that is really giving you a lot of grief that lifestyle that work that value that 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:19.879 is really kind of being an enemy to you jesus saying hey come sit down we don't have to worry about 00:22:19.879 --> 00:22:24.500 that we don't have to worry about that you can love because the victory already has been won you have 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:28.920 already overcome the evil one because of me and he talks to these people the little children he talks 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:35.619 to the fathers and he talks to the young men the question therefore is who should we love and i love 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:40.220 this because in this little rap he has he refers to these three different groups of people but what 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:44.559 does that really tell me it tells me that he's telling us to love as a cross-generational church 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:51.680 as a cross-generational church of young and old that's what he's saying because so often in society 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:58.320 with dividing right oh this is a young people church this is an old person church and so john's 00:22:58.320 --> 00:23:03.480 saying here he's writing to all of them as if just to show us hey it's supposed to be all together 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:10.019 everyone is supposed to learn how to love one another the young ones lay down your pride you don't know 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:15.920 everything there is something that those who are older will be able to teach you even if you don't 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:20.440 truly respect who they are right now there is something that you can learn from them so would you 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:25.480 humble yourself young man tim keller was the one who said if you look back on the yourself five years 00:23:25.480 --> 00:23:30.660 ago that person looks pretty stupid right because that's kind of just the general trajectory of 00:23:30.660 --> 00:23:36.140 humans if you look back on yourself five years ago it was a very different person so therefore 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:42.220 if we use that same rule the five years you from now is going to look back on you right now 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:46.580 and think you're pretty stupid so therefore there's something that you don't know there's something 00:23:46.580 --> 00:23:49.960 that you're going to learn there's something that you're going to learn so therefore the best way the 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:55.279 best approach is to be humble right now would you just humble yourself young men old men you have 00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:00.720 so much to teach you have so much to be able to bless and of course it's not just men it's women 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:07.100 it's it's just people who are more seasoned in life you have so much to teach so much to teach and as 00:24:07.100 --> 00:24:12.799 we pour into this next generation you're part of this you're part of this generation that is pouring 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:19.139 in to the next one that's the only way faith has continued all these two thousand years it's just 00:24:19.139 --> 00:24:24.319 being having people who are willing to pour into the next generation so whatever wisdom you have 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:29.539 whether it's whatever life experiences mistakes you've had would you be willing to actually step 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:34.019 into the person a young person's life and actually teach them and actually share with them hey actually 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:38.940 i made that mistake let me tell you how i got through it and how do you do that do the scattering do the 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:42.799 why are you christmas party that we're going to have do all the different options that we have when 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:46.860 it comes to mentoring looking after people is are we willing to do that because we're supposed to be 00:24:46.860 --> 00:24:54.799 a cross-generational church that mixes together the problem is the more we get to know each other 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:59.700 it's easy actually to love a neighbor from afar but as they get closer and closer then it gets harder 00:24:59.700 --> 00:25:04.960 and harder because you start to see some of the flaws and everyone has flaws and that's what we talked 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:10.100 about at the gathering even last year right that book that i kept quoting from the boy the mole the 00:25:10.100 --> 00:25:16.700 hawk box the horse it's actually the more we get to know each other that's the more we love there is 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:21.579 more to love some of you know i know what i don't want to tell you more about myself because the more 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:25.600 i tell you about myself you're going to find out some pretty dark stuff and that's when you're going 00:25:25.600 --> 00:25:31.319 to start loving me the truth is that's completely wrong actually only when we know about those things 00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:36.619 can we truly love you so would you let yourself go and there is no judgment here there is no there is 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:40.980 only grace if but would you allow us to get to know you would you open yourself up to people 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:48.439 and when you do that's only then only then can they truly love you i speak mostly to the midweek groups 00:25:48.439 --> 00:25:53.700 here and actually i i'm i praise god because uh hank and i we were talking and we were going through 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:57.700 the list of the people that we have in this community and we let's say we have 160 we have 90 plus 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:02.279 people who are in small groups and i'm just so grateful for that because that's where that's a 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:09.120 key component to the church this is just a celebration this is just the cherry on top but in those groups 00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:14.539 are we willing to open up ourselves that that quote that we always hear what you give is what you get 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:21.519 that is so true here would we willing be willing to open ourselves up to be vulnerable to to show people 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:27.519 deeper layers to ourselves and only then can we experience the love that he is calling us to 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:33.259 because the truth is we were made to love we were made to be known we were made to love we were made 00:26:33.259 --> 00:26:42.400 to be loved and to love we were humans as flourish on our best when we are with people introverts are 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:46.940 like oh i beg to differ i might just be better on my own and you know actually in your heart that's 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:52.980 not true that there is some degree small doses albeit where you need people around you humans 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:59.940 were designed from community and for community and that's the only way we flourish i was reading a 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:07.160 book recently um by malcolm gladwell called outliers who's read that book before great book fascinating 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:12.440 book loads of cases of really interesting things about i mean of course i guess i'll spoil it for you 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:16.799 the whole point is that there are people who are really perceived to be outliers in the world who are 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:21.500 extra special and extra geniuses in the truth they're not it's just people who maybe have 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:26.819 different gifts maybe different levels of gifts but so much of it is down to timing down to luck 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:32.059 down to effort all these things and actually um there is no such thing in some ways it's kind of 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:35.599 disgrace but he talked about this one community of people that i thought was really fascinating 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:40.899 i don't know if you heard about it it's it's a it's a group of people uh in rosetto has anyone heard 00:27:40.899 --> 00:27:45.940 about this uh there's a community italian people who moved over to america and they settled into the 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:51.700 small town uh near pennsylvania and what they actually found was this small community of 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:57.700 people about 2 000 people or so they had an incredibly low rate of heart disease in a season 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:03.820 where everyone's dying of heart disease yet in this one community it was virtually impossible to find 00:28:03.820 --> 00:28:09.460 anyone under 50 or 60 who died from heart disease and the most people who died even in the later years 00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:15.539 died because of just old age and it was just this one community and it was fascinating it's interesting 00:28:15.539 --> 00:28:19.960 so they studied it and they found something that was really fascinating i'll read you a quote it's a 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:24.700 little bit long it's not on the screen here um and this is what they found finally after a long 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:31.139 stay in rosetto wolf and sociologist john brun sought the mystery of the rosettans rather than genetics 00:28:31.139 --> 00:28:37.500 diet or geography the social structure and culture of the rosettans were the core reason for their long 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:44.140 and happy lives it wasn't the diet it wasn't the lifestyle the exercise that they were doing in fact 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:48.359 they were eating all kinds of food they were smoking and the lifestyle was not deemed to be healthy 00:28:48.359 --> 00:28:55.000 yet it was the social structure and culture that did it the rosettans lived in close-knit communities 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.660 reminds me when aiden and i talked about what what does it mean to live in a as a christian what does 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:04.599 the church really mean it's that we believe that the christian faith is lived out in close-knit 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:08.939 community the resistance lived in close-knit communities they loved each other and took 00:29:08.939 --> 00:29:15.899 every opportunity to engage as a community the local clubs organizations potlucks and more were 00:29:15.899 --> 00:29:21.619 routinely well attended several generations of a single family often lived together the same roof 00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:29.159 several generations several generations being in the same room was the cause was the reason for the 00:29:29.159 --> 00:29:34.359 help a unique relationship existed between neighbors the elderly would naturally less stressed as 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:38.439 there was always someone looking out for them because of the cordial relationship between family and 00:29:38.439 --> 00:29:43.159 neighbors they reached out to those across the street more than locking themselves in they preferred 00:29:43.159 --> 00:29:48.219 backyard bingo over indoor entertainment activities and like our generation we like to stay in and watch 00:29:48.219 --> 00:29:54.199 netflix every evening in rosetto was like a festival people cooking for one another joining tables and 00:29:54.199 --> 00:29:59.459 having dinner together in the front yard lively stories and songs used to go on till midnight result 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:04.900 stress levels were so low they were practically off the charts in a good way and life spans reflected 00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:10.660 the unique comfort level it became a phenomenon referred to as the rosetto effect by which a close-knit 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:15.140 community experiences a reduced rate of heart disease and extended life span 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:24.180 oh i know they may not be christian necessarily but that's that's the hope for a community that chooses to 00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:30.259 to hang out to do different things together recognizing the importance of community and in order to get 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:36.180 community there must be love there must be love that's the only way it happens because it's almost impossible 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:40.820 there are people in here that were not the church were not the christ you would not want to hang around 00:30:40.820 --> 00:30:48.740 with that's all but because of christ you are willing to love you're willing to spend time with do you share that 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:54.660 vision for community if you do i invite you in and i ask you to invest because that's the only way 00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:58.819 because all it would take is someone in this rosetta community to kind of you know what i'm not going to 00:30:58.819 --> 00:31:03.460 come out just going to do my anything i've got different things that i need to do and then that breaks down 00:31:05.299 --> 00:31:09.380 are we willing to be that community where we're willing to invest in one another it reminds me of 00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:16.500 another show uh not sure uh it's on netflix called live to 100 who's watched that live to 100 julian 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:19.859 you watch that can you give us the premise for it 00:31:27.619 --> 00:31:27.859 yeah 00:31:30.500 --> 00:31:35.460 yeah it's about it's about um different practices that lead to longevity in life they tracked and went 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:41.700 around the world to see which places in the world have people living up to 100 and they found some 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:45.299 interesting and then they just basically researched and tracked it and it's interesting one of the places 00:31:45.299 --> 00:31:50.579 okinawa singapore is actually one of them there's a town in costa rica sardinia and they called these 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:55.940 places blue zones where people are centennial centenarians and basically people who would live 00:31:55.940 --> 00:32:01.539 to 100 and they well what is the reason for that and it's basically they found the same things as the 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:06.899 razzetto community these were the these are the findings that they had that the people belongs to 00:32:06.899 --> 00:32:13.460 community you live to 100 if you belong to community but you are more likely to live to 100 because you 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:17.220 you belong because you have people around you who know you who welcome you who pray for you who care 00:32:17.220 --> 00:32:25.059 for you and who hang out with you and they said out of 300 people that they actually met only one was not 00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:34.180 based in the faith community 299 a lot christians were based in the community that pointed to something 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:41.620 else beyond themselves that was number one number two they had loved ones around them in the sense that they 00:32:41.619 --> 00:32:48.500 lived in a home with grandparents and children that it was a community it wasn't just one demographic 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:52.179 and there was love that was shared across generations 00:32:53.939 --> 00:32:59.859 and they had the right tribe the community that supported themselves through through healthy lifestyles 00:32:59.859 --> 00:33:04.979 where you have sports clubs when you have different hobbies that are happening where people get to enjoy 00:33:04.980 --> 00:33:12.579 and promote healthy lives isn't that interesting isn't that the old commandment isn't that it isn't that 00:33:12.579 --> 00:33:17.539 the whole message of god saying hey just love one another be together learn to love and love's a 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:23.779 commandment why because it's hard we don't we don't naturally love why because we naturally want to choose 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:30.259 ourselves we naturally want to choose what we want to do we naturally want to choose and basically create a 00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:36.420 life and it's completely of ours that's what we naturally want to do that's why it has to be a 00:33:36.420 --> 00:33:42.740 commandment saying love yourself neighbor as yourself and the final point i have is this how should we love 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:47.940 because jesus doesn't just redefine that word that term with your neighbor as yourself he doesn't just 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:54.019 redefine neighbor he actually changes it and john knows this because he was there because even though 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:57.700 in matthew 22 jesus says these are the two greatest commandments love god rule your heart soul mind and 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:04.019 strength and love your neighbor as yourself and in john 13 just before he goes he redefines that he says 00:34:04.019 --> 00:34:12.740 love one another love one another but how not as you love yourself he takes it a whole step further and he 00:34:12.740 --> 00:34:22.659 says love one another as i have loved you so even if you struggle and understanding what it means to love 00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:27.059 yourself love your neighbor as yourself jesus then goes one up and he redefines it that's why the old 00:34:27.059 --> 00:34:31.779 commandment now becomes the new commandment he changes it as a new way to interpret it it's a new way to 00:34:31.779 --> 00:34:38.259 execute it and that is to love one another as i have loved you john 15 then says this there is no greater 00:34:38.259 --> 00:34:45.219 love what's the ultimate example of love that one would lay down his life for his friends and he changes it 00:34:45.219 --> 00:34:54.259 completely he blows the previous definitions out of water i'm calling you jesus is calling us to love each other 00:34:54.260 --> 00:35:01.860 in the way that he loved us and how did he love us and that's what florence read at the beginning 00:35:01.860 --> 00:35:07.380 philippians 2 who though was in the form of god did not count equality with god a thing to be grasped but 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:13.220 emptied himself taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man he humbled himself by 00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:22.500 becoming obedient to the point of death even death on the cross that's how he loved us and that's how 00:35:22.500 --> 00:35:29.139 he calls us to love one another now that's a different kind of love of course the beauty in all of this 00:35:29.139 --> 00:35:35.459 just before you think oh that's way too hard galatians 2 also says it is not no longer i who live but christ 00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:40.659 who lives in me so therefore actually the way we love one another it's just because we can't love i 00:35:40.659 --> 00:35:47.220 can't physically love you the way jesus loved me by giving myself up for you but through jesus i can do 00:35:47.220 --> 00:35:52.900 all things it is jesus who's going to love you through me there's no longer i who live but christ who lives 00:35:52.900 --> 00:35:57.460 in me and christ is the one who allows us to love so how does that look like in the community it looks 00:35:57.460 --> 00:36:04.019 like just a group of people who want to love who live with open hands okay jesus show me how to love 00:36:04.019 --> 00:36:09.300 the people next to me and can you love the people next to me through me because i can't do it because 00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:13.619 each time i try i tell i think about it i want to do the other thing i want to love myself instead i 00:36:13.619 --> 00:36:19.380 want to choose my own way instead but your way jesus is one way you emptied yourself so i open up my hands 00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:25.300 and i empty myself would you fill me and would you lead me to love the people that you place in front of 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:30.420 those two very practical things just to finish off because you might be like okay fine i'll start loving 00:36:30.420 --> 00:36:36.099 what does that look like do i have to jump in front of the bus for someone do i have to wait 00:36:36.099 --> 00:36:40.180 just try and save someone from the mtr and took myself on instead like what does that even look 00:36:40.180 --> 00:36:45.059 like in a community like this there's two quick things that i can see that jesus did here who though 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:50.019 was in the form of god did not count equality we've got the things to be grasped but he came down one way 00:36:50.019 --> 00:36:56.740 is can we be a community that is willing to go out of our way jesus went completely out of his way to love 00:36:56.739 --> 00:37:02.659 us can we do the same i don't know what this looks like what does this look like what is going out of 00:37:02.659 --> 00:37:07.299 your way look like if you were to think i'm going to love someone now i'm going to go out of my way 00:37:08.019 --> 00:37:10.179 what does that look like grace what would that look like for you 00:37:13.299 --> 00:37:21.299 yeah 00:37:26.739 --> 00:37:31.219 yeah 00:37:31.859 --> 00:37:32.179 yeah 00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:34.179 yeah 00:37:34.179 --> 00:37:43.059 yeah 00:37:44.579 --> 00:37:44.819 yeah 00:37:44.819 --> 00:37:44.819 00:37:44.819 --> 00:37:50.019 it's interesting because you talk about the the five love languages uh in order for us to know how 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:55.619 to love people properly we need to know them at least a little bit not to not to girlfriend boyfriend 00:37:55.619 --> 00:37:59.779 spouse level but we need to know what actually how do they receive that love because you might do 00:37:59.779 --> 00:38:04.339 loads of things for them but they're like oh that's actually so actually it requires close to 00:38:04.339 --> 00:38:09.299 community it requires people who actually know each other you know what yes you say oh actually no 00:38:09.299 --> 00:38:14.980 james really would appreciate if i went to wash his car and and i don't know what his dog and 00:38:14.980 --> 00:38:17.539 wash his dishes i got it we got it 00:38:17.539 --> 00:38:25.219 it's us knowing each other and and actually all of that is going out of our way because you don't 00:38:25.219 --> 00:38:29.619 need to do that because you've got a massage chair and you can camp out there but you're going to go 00:38:29.619 --> 00:38:34.500 out of your way right so what does that look like for you as you go out of your way i was talking to 00:38:34.500 --> 00:38:39.300 ryan uh last week and he met someone uh in his neighborhood when he went out of his way he 00:38:39.300 --> 00:38:43.699 bumped into someone who was in need and he spent that time walking with them caring for them even though 00:38:43.699 --> 00:38:50.179 his cantonese is zero and she could only speak cantonese but he managed to do it he went out of 00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:56.500 his way are we are we people who are willing to go out of our way to do something that we otherwise 00:38:56.500 --> 00:39:03.460 would not do one more one more how would you go and live out of your way for someone what does that 00:39:03.460 --> 00:39:13.139 look like for you hey lee what do you got yeah 00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:19.380 yeah 00:39:22.740 --> 00:39:26.179 yeah actually there are some people who are particularly good at that 00:39:26.179 --> 00:39:30.579 like noticing the people who are left out in the room noticing the people who other people don't see 00:39:30.579 --> 00:39:34.579 because we if we're honest we there are tons of people out there that we somehow just human 00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:38.579 wallpaper to us we don't even notice right and there are some people who actually know actually 00:39:39.779 --> 00:39:44.980 even knowing where they are and choosing to go out of your way as part of the mission of are we 00:39:44.980 --> 00:39:48.900 willing to go to the fringe are we willing to scatter and go and find these people because jesus did 00:39:48.900 --> 00:39:55.380 what he went to go find our sheep and that's the same thing that we must be called to do as well 00:39:55.380 --> 00:39:59.139 and don't really actually all of you really tighten them the same point which is one for me going out 00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:05.859 the way second is just giving people attention giving people attention i think we really struggle 00:40:05.859 --> 00:40:12.659 with that giving people attention giving people time where we say hey in order to find out what 00:40:12.659 --> 00:40:17.460 your week has been like someone you need to ask someone like hey how was your week what's something 00:40:17.460 --> 00:40:23.299 that happened this week that is new that you didn't expect giving people attention undivided 00:40:23.300 --> 00:40:30.019 putting your phone facing down on the table when you have a coffee and giving them a call and say 00:40:30.019 --> 00:40:36.019 how are you i think that's rare i think in the world we have people who say hey how you been how's it 00:40:36.019 --> 00:40:41.060 going and then we never stayed to actually ask them that oh here how it's going and how it's been 00:40:41.060 --> 00:40:47.060 can we be people go how are you doing like can how's it been for you how was the basketball game 00:40:47.059 --> 00:40:52.340 last week tell me about it yeah yes the basketball no we're not going to talk about that that's it 00:40:52.739 --> 00:41:01.139 people ask us uh who won why is it going to be about winning right jesus won jesus won it's not about 00:41:01.139 --> 00:41:09.059 winning actually our two leading team won they're the winners you guys came and you made it sound like we 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:20.900 won um would you love would you choose to love would you reflect on whether you're able to love 00:41:20.900 --> 00:41:25.059 yourself and if you struggle with that that's the first question that's the first thing that you share 00:41:25.059 --> 00:41:31.619 in your group i don't know what it means to love myself can we can i ask you to be brave to do that 00:41:32.420 --> 00:41:37.940 and then can you ask god who is my name actually show me someone who i really struggle to love 00:41:37.940 --> 00:41:44.340 like and can i love them one of this is so i can love god with all my heart soul mind and strength 00:41:46.579 --> 00:41:53.860 and would we be willing to go out of our way i think we are all posed opportunities each week 00:41:54.980 --> 00:41:58.820 where we can choose to go our own way but sometimes we think it's just easy to do 00:41:59.780 --> 00:42:04.260 well so we think it's easy to go our own way when actually we know we should go this way we know 00:42:04.260 --> 00:42:07.540 before we go home even though we're tired there's one more trip that we can make 00:42:09.300 --> 00:42:13.620 one more call that we can take just to care for someone just to love someone 00:42:15.620 --> 00:42:21.060 can i invite us just to spend a couple minutes now just to ask god for you to ask god because i think 00:42:21.060 --> 00:42:26.900 all of us as even just alex sharing there we're all built differently we all love differently and we 00:42:26.900 --> 00:42:33.700 will have different people around us can we take up this call this old commandment that was interpreted 00:42:33.700 --> 00:42:38.420 in a new way and lay down our lives and go out of our way and give attention to the people that the 00:42:38.420 --> 00:42:43.300 lord has called us to i'm just going to spend a moment of quiet reflection now just for you to ask the 00:42:43.300 --> 00:42:49.860 lord is there anything is there anything that i can look better is there anyone i can forgive that i need 00:42:49.860 --> 00:42:57.940 to forgive let's spend that moment now 00:43:00.740 --> 00:43:03.700 jesus we we choose your way 00:43:08.980 --> 00:43:10.660 and we know that your way is one of love 00:43:10.659 --> 00:43:18.179 without your love for us you laid down your life 00:43:21.379 --> 00:43:28.420 you became poor so we could become rich but you died so we could live you became blind so we could see 00:43:30.980 --> 00:43:35.539 you have the father turn his back on you so that we would be found and that he would shine his face upon us 00:43:35.539 --> 00:43:39.779 we love because our sins are forgiven 00:43:43.380 --> 00:43:46.019 we love because you've been faithful since the beginning 00:43:49.219 --> 00:43:53.699 we love because you have overcome the victory has already been won 00:43:53.699 --> 00:44:01.299 so it's with that in mind 00:44:03.299 --> 00:44:04.579 that we commit ourselves to 00:44:06.259 --> 00:44:07.299 living out this commandment 00:44:10.659 --> 00:44:11.539 to following your lead 00:44:11.539 --> 00:44:16.579 we need 00:44:16.579 --> 00:44:18.179 show us lord who we can love 00:44:20.820 --> 00:44:22.500 show us lord how we can love them 00:44:25.619 --> 00:44:36.500 we thank you