WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.599 your word, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. So our New Testament reading comes from the book of 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:19.480 Hebrews chapter 10, before we turn to finish our short study in that central section of 1 Corinthians 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:26.800 13. So Hebrews chapter 10, and we'll read from verse 19 to verse 25. 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:34.439 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:41.340 blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:49.679 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:57.179 and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:05.879 guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:14.680 we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:20.760 love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, 00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:30.360 but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. And then for one last 00:01:30.360 --> 00:01:38.120 time in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, let's read again verses 4 to 7. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:52.300 Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist 00:01:52.300 --> 00:02:02.360 on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:12.740 the truth. And then our verse for today. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:23.699 endures all things. So we're going to close our series looking at verse 7. As we thought about love 00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:36.219 as the most excellent way, we are going to return to consider Jesus as the source of love for us as 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:44.759 God's people. And to help us, we'll think about an oasis. Now I don't know if anybody here has been 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:52.019 to Marrakesh. I imagine we all have destination wish lists, maybe especially this year. Marrakesh would 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:59.640 always be one of those places for me. Beautiful, colourful, architecture, rich history. I discovered 00:02:59.640 --> 00:03:07.520 this week that it was founded some thousand or so years ago, and it was built next to an oasis 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:17.320 in the desert. Now an oasis is one of those fertile parts of a desert. You find you have sand everywhere, 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:24.579 but then you find this sort of rich, lush growth. And that's because there are natural underground 00:03:24.579 --> 00:03:32.560 water sources that then in certain areas seep and bubble up to the surface. And in order to enjoy 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:40.919 a provision, then farming communities will drill down some wells to tap into that, to have that supply 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:49.879 of water. So these oasis are really fertile places, but they're also acknowledged to be fragile as well, 00:03:50.019 --> 00:03:56.899 because of the desert wind and the desert sand. And so again, farming communities will typically plant lots 00:03:56.899 --> 00:04:06.919 of strong palm trees around the edge in order to protect it from the wind and the sand coming and stopping 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:17.360 up the water source. Let's take that oasis image as we come to think about, for one last time, 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:25.939 the idea of love that we find here in 1 Corinthians 13. I think all of us would recognise that love, 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:32.639 as we experience it, is something that is life-giving and refreshing, like finding water in the desert, 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:39.740 when love is patient and love is kind. When people are humble, when we're loving what's good rather 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:45.839 than what is evil, that's life-giving and refreshing. But we probably also recognise that love can be a 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:53.779 fragile thing. Paul certainly recognised it in this church. He wrote this letter to protect the church. 00:04:53.879 --> 00:05:00.740 He was aware that there were aspects in which a lack of love could be seen, as they are, for example, 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:06.000 having lawsuits against one another, as they are fighting to show that their spiritual gifts are 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:12.139 the most important, or as there are class divisions within the church. Love is a fragile thing. And so 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:17.319 what Paul wants to do is he wants to take them back to the source of love, to remind them of God's love 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:26.920 in Jesus. Just as for an oasis, it's vital that there's that underground source of water, 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:35.480 so it is vital for our lives as God's people, if we are to refresh others, if we are to bless others, 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:44.439 if we are to see loving relationships be protected, that we have that life-giving source of love flowing 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:53.580 in our lives. And as we've been thinking all the way along, that source of love for us is God's love 00:05:53.579 --> 00:06:03.459 for us in Jesus. Jesus, in a sense, draws on this image and idea in John chapter 4, when he's sitting 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:10.139 by the well with the Samaritan woman. And at verse 14 there he says to the lady, 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:17.219 whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become 00:06:17.220 --> 00:06:30.200 in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. If we are to love the way Paul is encouraging 00:06:30.200 --> 00:06:38.940 us in 1 Corinthians, we must first receive and be refreshed by the love of God that comes to us 00:06:38.940 --> 00:06:45.880 from Jesus. So that's why as we finish our study on love from 1 Corinthians 13, we're going to return to 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:53.699 Jesus as that life-giving source of love that we must be drawing from, not just once but always. 00:06:54.779 --> 00:07:00.180 So let's think about these phrases that we find in verse 7, beginning with that first one, 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:09.600 love bears all things, recognizing that love bears all things when we treasure Jesus and His love. 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:18.439 So there's a switch. In verses 4 to 6, the focus is how we love other people, whereas verse 7 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:27.879 has Jesus in view. And so this first phrase, love bears all things, has the idea of love that is 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:37.560 willing to bear suffering and shame for the sake of Jesus, because we love Jesus and the love that He's 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:44.500 shown to us. So Christians are ready to suffer for Jesus. For those of us who are around for our 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:50.959 studies in 1 Peter, we saw this time and time again in his letter. For example, chapter 2, he wrote, 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:58.279 to this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:06.240 in His steps, reminding the church we follow a king who is also the suffering servant. And so the pattern 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:13.220 of the Christian life involves, as Jesus said, cross-carrying involves being ready to suffer for 00:08:13.220 --> 00:08:19.980 His sake. Now, of course, that will look very different depending on our circumstances and 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:28.699 depending on where we happen to live. So this week, for example, I read the story of a lady called 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:38.139 Sylvie from the Camoro Islands. And for her, she's facing intense pressure and has been rejected by 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:44.620 her community because she's not sending her two girls to the local Islamic school. She is a Christian. 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:55.120 I also read last month in Eritrea, in Africa, 21 women were recently released from prison, having spent 00:08:55.120 --> 00:09:03.879 three years in jail because of their faith in the Lord Jesus. For some of our brothers and sisters in 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:11.779 Christ, suffering is real and intense. For us, the suffering is real, but it's not of the same type. 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:18.179 What might it look like for us? Perhaps it looks like a loss of reputation. Perhaps it looks like 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:25.339 mockery. Perhaps it looks like being marginalized from certain conversations. Are we ready to suffer 00:09:25.339 --> 00:09:31.500 for Jesus, to not retaliate like for like, to return love when we receive hate? 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:40.199 To continue that idea, Christians will put Jesus on our first ahead of our own. 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:48.780 This is something we see so clearly in Paul's own life. So in Philippians chapter 3, 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:58.300 just before verses 7 and 8, we find Paul sharing, as it were, his religious CV before coming to faith 00:09:58.300 --> 00:10:03.600 in Jesus. I had all of these qualifications, humanly speaking. I had everything. And then he says, 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:10.220 but whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:17.480 everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:27.899 have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ. My own reputation, my own 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:32.319 achievements, I will consider them garbage, I will consider them garbage because I found greater worth, 00:10:32.459 --> 00:10:37.340 greater value, greater honor from having Jesus as Lord. 00:10:40.459 --> 00:10:49.019 To know Jesus Christ as Redeemer, to know that he has loved us and given himself for us, to know him as 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:56.519 Lord and King, to know that he is ruling and reigning for the sake of his people, to know him as friend, 00:10:56.519 --> 00:11:03.480 to know that he is always with us and never leaves us, to receive God's love and his grace, 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:10.620 his forgiveness through Jesus' death on the cross. That's where true treasure is found. 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:18.460 That's the well that we want to be drawing from. That's where we want to gain our source of honor from. 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:25.579 How do we handle the dishonor that others might show towards us because of our faith in Jesus? 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:31.159 We find our hope and security in knowing that we are honored by the Lord God himself. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:40.799 Christians live for the Father's approval, not the approval of the world. 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:50.319 We probably recognize that from childhood there is that inbuilt need, desire for approval. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:56.440 With children, especially when they're little, so often you'll hear them say to a parent, 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:03.879 watch me, look at me, look at what I can do. Why is that? It's because they take delight in 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:11.240 the approval that they find from a parent. It's something that really matters to us as people. 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:19.080 Now, through life, that may switch. Who we live to please may well switch. It may switch to a husband 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:27.659 or a wife. It may move to a coach or an employer. But that desire to be noticed remains. That desire 00:12:27.659 --> 00:12:36.259 to hear, well done, you have value, that remains with us, doesn't it? And what the Bible teaches us 00:12:36.259 --> 00:12:44.319 as Christians, that we are to look for our ultimate sense of approval and value from God, 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:53.220 our Father's view of us. To live to hear His well done, good and faithful servant. 00:12:53.220 --> 00:13:04.320 To find our source of security as people from who we are in the Lord Jesus. 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:11.720 And the result of that is then we are equipped to cope with rejection. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:21.660 We have this connection to a loving God so that we are enabled by His grace to return love for hate. 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:33.860 To find our deepest joy from being adopted by God, our Father. And so that we are then able to love 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:42.480 others well. Love bears all things when we treasure Jesus and His love. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:54.600 Perhaps you know the story of Jim Elliot, the Christian missionary, who was working in Ecuador. And as he 00:13:54.600 --> 00:14:01.940 worked, he developed this profound love for the Auka people. And he had this deep desire to go and 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:11.279 share the love of Jesus with them. And he and some missionary colleagues eventually made their way to that 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:22.059 remote island. And within days, each of them were killed. They died because they loved Jesus and they 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:28.120 wanted to share the love of Jesus with others. And just a few days before he died in his diary, 00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:29.759 Jim Elliot wrote, 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:41.399 He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. He understood that love bears all 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:51.240 things, even death, when we treasure Jesus and His love. To know that Jesus in love was willing to bear 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:58.259 suffering for us, to bear our sin, to bear in His body the wrath of God His Father to save us. 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:05.960 And it fills our hearts with love, doesn't it? That's what's going to make us willing to bear suffering for the 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:20.080 sake of Jesus and His mission, willing to love well. Secondly, love believes all things and hopes all things 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:30.360 when Jesus is the source of our love. So I guess lots of us are probably busy now if we've got gardens in the garden. 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:38.080 And you've probably also noticed that your gardens are busy with birds. So this time, about this time last year, 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:45.420 I think in the height of lockdown, we built ourselves a makeshift pot and pot is a bit of a grand term. 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:50.179 We've got a basin and filled up with rocks and some water, basically, so that the birds and the bugs could have 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:55.299 some water to drink. Well, we have some pigeons that have kind of made it their own, but we also sometimes 00:15:55.299 --> 00:16:01.139 get smaller birds that come and enjoy a little drink before they flutter off. Well, this week, as I was 00:16:01.139 --> 00:16:07.459 sitting outside doing some reading, I felt really bad because I saw some sparrows coming and some goldfinches 00:16:07.459 --> 00:16:13.000 coming to get their water to drink. So it was hot last week, and they kept discovering it was empty. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:18.379 It had run dry, and I hadn't found the time to fill it up. They'd come to their little garden oasis, 00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:32.840 and it had failed them. That can be true for us as well as people. As we are built to seek out love 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:41.639 and joy and satisfaction. The Bible tells us so many times, if we go looking for that love and joy 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:51.860 and satisfaction in the wrong sources, just like the birds, we will come up empty. The good news of the 00:16:51.860 --> 00:17:02.280 Bible is that there is a love from God in Jesus that endures forever. There is a supply of love that never 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:11.619 fails. There is in Jesus that oasis that constantly is there to refresh us and will never run dry. 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:20.619 This central section of verse 7, it says, love believes all things and hopes all things, 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:28.519 points us again to the source of our love. That love that we receive from Jesus, that's what fuels our 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:39.759 faith. That's what drives our hope. Faith in Jesus is about believing. What is it that we believe? Well, 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:45.500 we certainly believe as Christians that Jesus is the Son of God, who by the miracle of the virgin birth 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:51.500 became one of us, and ultimately going to the cross to be the Savior for sinners. 00:17:51.500 --> 00:17:59.619 We read Hebrews 10. We believe that Jesus, by his death on the cross, cleanses us from sin, 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:08.359 cleanses us from our guilty conscience, gives us access to God by his blood shed on the cross. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:18.700 We believe that through Jesus, we are reconciled to our Father. That sin that separates us has been 00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:28.140 taken by Jesus so that we can draw near. We believe that through Jesus, we can be adopted into the family 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:36.920 of God and to enjoy his love as his children. And we believe that, yes, Jesus died, but he also rose 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:45.920 again, and he is alive today, and he is for us in heaven. He is still speaking as our prophet through 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:53.259 his word and by the Spirit. He is still ruling as our king, governing all things according to his purpose. 00:18:53.480 --> 00:19:00.539 And he is still acting as our priest. He's praying for us, and he's pleading our cause on the basis of his 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:09.279 great sacrifice. So we believe all things. But how do we come to the point of believing? 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:18.819 It's an important question to ask. How do we come to the point of faith? And the Bible is really clear 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:25.440 on that. It's not our reason. It's not our logic. It's not the basis of our background or heritage. No, 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:35.200 it's a work of God. Faith is a gift from God. God must open our eyes by his Spirit to see the truth 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:43.340 about sin. Our need of a Savior to see the beauty of Jesus as the Son of God, to recognize the plan of 00:19:43.340 --> 00:19:53.580 salvation, and to believe that he died for me. It's a gift of God that God pours his love into our hearts. 00:19:53.680 --> 00:20:00.180 We speak about conversion. We speak about new birth. This isn't something we work in ourselves. This comes 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:16.259 from God. God's love is the source for our faith. And then our faith is strengthened and grows as we 00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:26.000 see and appreciate more of that love. So today, if you're here and you're a Christian, if you see the 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:35.200 love of God in Jesus, give thanks for that faith. Keep going with joy to that well of salvation. Never 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:43.420 grow cold and complacent to that wonderful good news. But if you're not a Christian, knowing that this is 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:50.059 a gift from God, ask him for that gift. Ask that he would show you what Jesus has done for you and who 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:56.619 Jesus is, that you too would believe and have this love that's spoken of in his Word. 00:20:59.899 --> 00:21:08.159 We're also told here that love hopes all things. Again, for a Christian, hope is in Jesus, and Jesus 00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:15.379 fuels our hope. When we think about hope, especially as we think forward, what's our hope as God's people? 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:22.060 Our hope is that the world won't always be the way it is, with so much brokenness and sadness and the 00:21:22.060 --> 00:21:30.600 loss of love. We hope, with certain expectation, that Jesus will come again and he will bring evil 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:37.580 to an end. He will make his enemies a footstool under his feet. He will establish a new creation. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:43.960 He will bring his people to live with him in glory in that world of perfect love. 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:56.160 And we're invited to hold on to that hope, not as wishful thinking, but as certain expectation. 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:05.660 Because we trust in who Jesus is. We trust in the character of our God, that he keeps his promises. 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:13.279 But again, as we think about our hope, we see how central Jesus is to it. His love for us, 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:21.639 his loving commitment to his church, and to bringing the work of salvation to a climax, to completion, 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:34.420 is what our hope rests in. So again, I wonder, is this our hope, really and truly? As we dig down, 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:42.080 is our life founded on what Jesus has done, what he is doing, what he will do, what he's promised to do? 00:22:42.140 --> 00:22:49.400 Do we have this one sure thing as we live in a very uncertain world? 00:22:49.400 --> 00:23:00.440 Every month or so, I have a call, a Zoom call with some guys around the country who are involved in ministry. 00:23:01.080 --> 00:23:07.940 And we chat through a book, and we have a discussion, and we pray. And this month, we were talking about 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:13.920 the phrase, identity in Christ. Is that a helpful phrase, or is it just one of those buzzwords that's 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:18.279 kind of bandied around, and people talk about it without you thinking about it? Well, for me, when I 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:22.800 hear a phrase like identity in Christ, I find it really helpful. I really appreciate it, because 00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:31.460 I think it reminds us as Christians that central to who we are is Jesus. And especially as we think 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:38.080 about today, his love. Think about how vital Jesus' love is for us as Christians, and for our identity. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:44.059 His love in the past. Let's think about his coming to live in perfect obedience, and then to die 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:49.319 in our place for our sins. The cross shows us God's love, and we can't be saved without that. 00:23:49.919 --> 00:23:55.740 We can't know God without that. So his love is vital to who we are. But think about his love for us in 00:23:55.740 --> 00:24:04.500 the present. Right now, Jesus is ruling and reigning for the sake of his people, his church. He sends us 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:12.099 the Spirit so that we can hear him speak. Jesus is interceding in heaven for us. His love for us today 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:19.240 is vital. But think about his love for us promised in the future. He's not just going to leave the 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:23.240 world as it is. He's not going to leave us as we are. Rather, he's promised he's going to return, and he's 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:28.759 going to take us home. So from beginning to end of the Christian life, our identity is rooted in the love 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:36.779 of Jesus for us. So his love, then, is the basis for our believing all things and hoping all things, 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:46.920 because Christ is, must be, our hope in life and in death. Like the city of Marrakesh, founded around an 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:56.700 oasis, God's church must be built around the love of Jesus. We must be drawing from that love 00:24:56.700 --> 00:25:02.680 in order for the love of Jesus to be the basis for Christian unity. So we've been thinking about 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:08.799 that in 1 Corinthians 13. And also the basis for our mission. What is it that we want the world to 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:13.580 know? We don't want them to know about us. We want them to know about God's love for them. 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:23.539 And then finally, to look at that last clause in verse 7, love endures all things, 00:25:23.539 --> 00:25:33.659 our love perseveres always because we are loved and kept by Jesus Christ. 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:41.639 All the way through sort of studying 1 Corinthians 13, these verses, there's been a danger, sort of a 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:49.879 tightrope, as it were. There's the danger that this could be presented as self-help, 00:25:49.880 --> 00:25:56.620 well, a bit of moral self-improvement. This could be, you know, the Bible says love is patient and 00:25:56.620 --> 00:26:00.700 love is kind. And so you and I, we need to do better and try harder at being more patient and 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:06.100 more kind. We could take God out of it and just put all the emphasis on ourselves. That wouldn't be 00:26:06.100 --> 00:26:09.860 good news, would it? Sometimes we'd feel okay, but other times we'd feel crushed. 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:17.140 We could have operated from a basis of guilt. You know, the Bible says love should be like this. 00:26:17.140 --> 00:26:21.700 Why don't we love better? And again, that wouldn't be good news, and that wouldn't be 00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:29.680 where the emphasis on the Bible falls. Rather, the truth that brings freedom is that, first of all, 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:39.300 we receive God's love for us in Jesus, and then and only then are we equipped, enabled, empowered 00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:49.200 by God's grace to show God's love to others. It is God's love, God's grace from beginning to end that 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:59.720 we must be drinking from. It's the source of who we are and how we live. And so when it comes to 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:08.720 Christian love that endures till the end, we don't want to be saying, it endures because I'm going to 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:14.120 work jolly hard at making sure it endures. No, Christian love endures because and only because 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:23.100 of God's unfailing, never-ending love towards us, expressed in the sending of Jesus. Let's think about 00:27:23.099 --> 00:27:30.639 that in three ways. Love endures because we're given a new nature. Christianity is not a makeover 00:27:30.639 --> 00:27:37.500 project that we engage in where we are going to turn over a new moral leaf, and we are going to 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:46.259 work jolly hard on our character. No, in Christ we are given a new identity. In the gospel we are given 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:52.980 a new heart. God comes and he renovates us from the inside out so that Paul can say, in Christ you are 00:27:52.980 --> 00:28:02.079 a new creation. God has done a powerful work in us. The power of sin is broken. Sin is no longer our 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:09.039 master. Jesus is. Now we're able to love God, please God, enjoy life with God. And the wonderful news is 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:19.079 that no one and nothing can reverse that process. Love endures because that new nature endures. 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:28.899 We are a new creation. Love endures because of God's work. And we can think about Jesus' words in John 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:41.060 chapter 6. John chapter 6. Jesus says, This is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of 00:28:41.060 --> 00:28:49.019 all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who 00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:57.100 looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 00:28:57.099 --> 00:29:06.899 Now do we see God's commitment here? This is the will of God that he won't lose any of his people. 00:29:07.619 --> 00:29:15.179 This is the will of God that all who trust in Jesus will be raised and enjoy eternal life. 00:29:19.199 --> 00:29:26.439 This is Jesus' commitment to come on this mission to make sure that none of his people 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:34.580 will be lost. Love endures not because of our work, but because of God's work through Jesus, 00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:44.660 that love that has come to us by his grace. Love endures because in Christ we gain eternal life. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:51.680 That's what Jesus has just said in John chapter 6. To trust in Jesus is to know that he will raise us up, 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:58.920 to know that we will enjoy eternal life, and that eternal life will be marked by eternal and perfect 00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:09.080 love. So love will endure because of that life that we receive from Jesus. So it's all about Jesus. 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:15.080 In Jesus, we're loved with that everlasting love. In Jesus, his resurrection life is the guarantee 00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:22.679 of ours. In Jesus, we have a living hope. We look forward to knowing and sharing in this perfect and 00:30:22.679 --> 00:30:24.460 enduring love for all eternity. 00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:33.259 The love of Jesus is for us our source of living water. He is our oasis. 00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:43.519 So as we close our series on love, where I'm sure, if you're anything like me, God's Word has challenged us 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:51.160 about our love in the church and in the world. But I'm sure it's also encouraged us as we have been 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:59.480 reminded of God's perfect love towards us, of Jesus, the model of perfect love. 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:05.940 So as we come into the summer season, and hopefully some of us, maybe many of us, will get to go 00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:12.720 on holiday and get a bit of break, a change of routine. Let's enjoy that holiday. Let's enjoy that rest. 00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:19.680 But let's not take a holiday from Jesus and his Word. Let's recognize that in Jesus and his Word, 00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:28.299 that's where we find true rest and renewal. As our habits change, let's not change the habit of 00:31:28.299 --> 00:31:35.480 spending time with Jesus and his Word of drinking deeply from this love. To remember how we began in 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:43.160 Isaiah 12, let's make sure that with joy, we're drawing water from the well of salvation, that we 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:51.480 would be refreshed by God's love for us in Jesus, so that we might then refresh others. Let's pray together. 00:31:55.060 --> 00:32:07.019 Lord, our God, we thank you for your eternal love. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you exist in that 00:32:07.019 --> 00:32:13.279 eternal fellowship of perfect love. But in your kindness, you have poured out that love 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:22.119 into our lives. You have invited us as your people into your perfect love. 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:32.759 We thank you that Jesus has come as that great demonstration of love, that while we were still 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:42.200 sinners, Christ died for us. Lord, may each one of us in the building and watching on the internet, 00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:50.740 may we know your love for us in Jesus. May it be our source of true delight and satisfaction. 00:32:51.759 --> 00:33:01.759 May it be our source of hope and joy, that as we live knowing your approval as our Father in heaven, 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:12.619 knowing your welcome. May that then enable us to love others well. Lord, as we look ahead to the 00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:19.059 summer season, may it be a time where we know much of your goodness, much of your kindness, and may we 00:33:19.059 --> 00:33:26.019 grow to appreciate more of your love for us in Jesus. We pray it in his name. Amen. 00:33:26.019 --> 00:33:35.139 Now let's draw our service to a close, hearing the hymn, folks at home, you can sing, 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:38.660 How Deep the Father's Love for Us. 00:33:38.660 --> 00:33:56.460 How Deep the Father's Love for Us. 00:33:56.460 --> 00:34:00.460 How Deep the Father's Love for Us. 00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:16.619 How vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only Son to make a wretchedest treasure. 00:34:16.619 --> 00:34:28.480 How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns his face away. 00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:39.179 As woods which mar the chosen love bring many sons to glory. 00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:59.719 Behold the man upon the cross, my guilt upon his shoulders. 00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:05.959 Ashamed I hear my mocking voice 00:35:05.959 --> 00:35:10.599 All out among those offers 00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:16.879 It was mercy that held Him there 00:35:16.879 --> 00:35:21.699 Until it was accomplished 00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:28.219 His dying breath has brought me life 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:34.399 I know that it is finished 00:35:34.399 --> 00:35:47.219 I will not boast in anything 00:35:47.219 --> 00:35:52.779 No gifts, no power, no wisdom 00:35:52.780 --> 00:35:58.960 But I will boast in Jesus Christ 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:03.600 His death and resurrection 00:36:03.600 --> 00:36:09.960 Why should I gain from His reward? 00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:16.139 I cannot give an answer 00:36:16.139 --> 00:36:21.780 But this I know away from my heart 00:36:21.780 --> 00:36:27.139 His wounds have made my ransom 00:36:27.139 --> 00:36:43.179 Let's stand to close our time in prayer 00:36:43.179 --> 00:36:49.099 It's a prayer drawn from the end of the book of Jude 00:36:49.099 --> 00:36:52.880 To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling 00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:56.659 And to present you before His glorious presence 00:36:56.659 --> 00:36:58.960 Without fault and with great joy 00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:01.519 To the only God our Saviour 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:05.639 Be glory, majesty, power and authority 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:07.960 Through Jesus Christ our Lord 00:37:07.960 --> 00:37:10.019 Before all ages 00:37:10.019 --> 00:37:12.860 Now and forevermore 00:37:12.860 --> 00:37:13.779 Amen 00:37:13.780 --> 00:37:14.019 Amen