WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.760 Well, good evening to all of you. 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:07.240 If you're new, joining us for the first time, I'd especially again like to welcome you. 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:12.700 This evening we're going to continue a study that we've started some time ago. 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:19.780 Actually, back in January, we've been picking our way slowly through 1 John, the first pastoral 00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:22.179 letter that John wrote. 00:00:22.859 --> 00:00:26.839 And this letter has a lot of wonderful things in it. 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:31.699 We've been focusing on one of the central themes in this letter, and that is what it 00:00:31.699 --> 00:00:32.820 means to know God. 00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:36.079 We've been asking that question as a community. 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:37.759 What does it mean to know God? 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:46.359 Not just to know the theology, not just to know the correct answers, not just to know the philosophy 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:50.859 or way of life, but what does it mean to actually have a relationship with God and what sets 00:00:50.859 --> 00:00:51.500 that apart? 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:58.320 And if you've been following in this letter or if you know anything about 1 John, John 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:02.140 does not write in the way that Paul writes. 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:06.379 In other words, John doesn't write in a linear fashion, laying out his propositions and his 00:01:06.379 --> 00:01:06.680 points. 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:11.519 John's writing is much more like a spiral, and it can be really frustrating at times because 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:16.780 he has themes and he will spiral around and around and he'll come back to the same themes 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:17.719 again and again and again. 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:23.280 And the main themes that we have seen are the themes of truth and obedience and then 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:23.719 love. 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:29.859 And tonight, we circle back for the final time. 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:30.780 This is the apex. 00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:37.859 This is the pinnacle of the letter where John talks about love and what love really is. 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:39.560 What is true love? 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:47.540 In light of the events of this past week in Baltimore, this is an incredibly relevant 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:51.939 topic, but it's also something that's very central and close to the heart of the Christian 00:01:51.939 --> 00:01:52.460 faith. 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:55.219 Love, what it is and what it means. 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:03.400 We've, well, I'll just tell you honestly, I was originally looking at this passage. 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:09.460 I was looking at 1 John 4, verses 6 through 12, and my plan was to cover all of that tonight. 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:11.879 It's just a few verses, and I thought that would be no problem. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:16.340 And then the more I looked at this, the more I began to realize how much there is here. 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:21.040 It's so central to our question of what it means to know God. 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:22.840 It's so central to the Christian faith. 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:24.860 And really, it's just beautiful. 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:30.360 And I felt like we would be sitting down to this beautiful meal and rushing through it. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.380 And, you know, if you sit down to a beautiful meal, sometimes you just want to slow down 00:02:33.380 --> 00:02:34.900 and enjoy each bite. 00:02:35.140 --> 00:02:36.200 You want to savor it. 00:02:36.600 --> 00:02:40.000 And so I felt as I was preparing that we really needed to do that with these verses. 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:45.240 And so rather than preaching a three-point sermon, I'm going to break this up into three 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:45.620 weeks. 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:49.300 So you're just going to get point one tonight, essentially. 00:02:49.880 --> 00:02:53.360 And so we're just going to look primarily at one verse here. 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:56.860 We're going to look at 1 John 4, verse 8. 00:02:57.560 --> 00:02:59.680 And in particular, we're going to look at this statement. 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:02.160 God is love. 00:03:04.160 --> 00:03:05.420 God is love. 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:10.120 And we're going to look at what this means, and then I'll give you five reasons why it 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:10.480 matters. 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:13.340 So let's pray for the Lord to help us. 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:18.080 Father, we do recognize that this is your word. 00:03:18.820 --> 00:03:23.640 But for it to become more than ink and paper, we need your spirit. 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:27.920 We need you to illuminate and enliven your word. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:30.019 Lord, we need you to open our hearts. 00:03:30.739 --> 00:03:36.019 And so we ask, Lord, just as you have shown us mercy through your Son, so in your love 00:03:36.019 --> 00:03:38.539 and your grace, you would enable us to hear you. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:49.379 We know that the same word that brought existence, brought this world into being at creation, now 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:52.219 in our midst, has the power to recreate us. 00:03:53.019 --> 00:03:56.379 And so we pray that it would, for your glory, in your Son's name. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:56.799 Amen. 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:56.920 Amen. 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:07.360 So first of all, I want to look at this statement that John makes, this profound, mysterious 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:09.920 claim that God is love. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.960 I'll give you a little bit of the context, starting in verse 7. 00:04:13.040 --> 00:04:13.280 He says, 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:31.180 So he's saying God is love. 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:34.360 In other words, he's saying, he's not saying God is loving. 00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:38.319 He's not saying that God feels love. 00:04:40.019 --> 00:04:44.620 Love is not just an attribute that he's putting on a list. 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:51.019 Rather, he's saying that love is of the very essence of who God is. 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:52.399 It's of his very nature. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:57.659 And this is one of those places in the Christian faith where, if you try to explain it too much, 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.419 you risk losing a sense of the mystery. 00:05:03.099 --> 00:05:08.899 You know, there's a, in the early church writings and in Scripture, we see this word mysterion. 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:12.799 The sacred mysteries at the heart of the Christian faith. 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:13.919 This is one of those. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:19.879 That somehow there's a God who is one, and yet a trinity. 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:26.139 And within those three persons, there is a love that is eternal, that has always been. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:31.219 And somehow, in the mystery of God's nature, love resides at the very center. 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:33.379 Love is his very essence. 00:05:35.219 --> 00:05:40.519 And what this means, especially in light of the context, is that God is the source of love. 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:42.000 He's the source of love. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.259 That's why it says in verse 7, love is from God. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.939 So many of us like to hike. 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:51.300 And you know if you're hiking in the woods, and you're hiking on a hillside, 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.680 and you come across a stream of water, a little trickle of water, 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:59.879 immediately when you see that stream, that tells you that somewhere up the mountain, 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:08.139 probably beyond where you can see, there's a source where that stream emerges from the rock 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:10.839 and begins to flow down the hillside. 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:14.680 You know that there's, because of the spring, you know that there's a source. 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:20.560 And just as the stream points to the source up the mountain, 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:29.400 so the sheer existence of love in the world points to the source of love beyond the mountains. 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:36.040 That any time, in any way, in any place, we observe the reality of love in the world, 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:41.060 there is an inherent promise to that, that somewhere beyond the mountains, 00:06:41.200 --> 00:06:46.680 there is a source from which all of that love has come into the world. 00:06:47.780 --> 00:06:51.900 All of the love everywhere that we see, the love between dear friends, 00:06:52.320 --> 00:06:57.939 the love between parents and children, the love between lovers, husbands and wives, 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:02.080 the love that we have, the love that we share, all of these different kinds of love, 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:05.800 you know, the Greeks like to categorize these kinds of love. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:13.639 But really, they're all tributaries, flowing from the same source beyond the mountains. 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:19.919 And so all love is, in one way or another, a sign of God's goodness and His blessing in this world. 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.199 And the thing is, even if you don't believe in God, 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:24.959 some of you are here and you don't believe in God, 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:26.579 maybe you don't know what you believe. 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:29.740 But even if you don't believe in God, 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:34.279 our experience of love in this life 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:39.159 only makes sense if there's a source beyond the mountains. 00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:45.399 Our experience of love alone can only really fully be understood 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:48.539 if there is a source beyond the mountains. 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:49.500 And the reason is this. 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:52.379 It's because our experience of love in this world 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:56.659 always falls short of what we would hope for. 00:07:57.639 --> 00:07:59.060 It always falls short. 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:02.980 In other words, we have the capacity, and not just the capacity. 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:10.259 We have a deep down, innate desire, a need, a hope for a kind of love. 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.300 And that hope is never fully satisfied. 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:16.759 And if you think about your life, 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:18.680 think about your experience of love in the world, 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:21.199 you will find that to be true again and again and again. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.500 In all of your relationships, you know, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:25.479 we idealize when we're young. 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:27.680 I'm lucky my kids are still in this phase, 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:28.920 but not for much longer. 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.599 When you're very young, you idealize the love of your parents, 00:08:31.659 --> 00:08:33.679 and they are perfect, and they're infallible, 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:35.200 and they love you unconditionally, 00:08:36.019 --> 00:08:37.919 and you can't imagine a more perfect love. 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:39.000 And then you get older, 00:08:39.899 --> 00:08:43.039 and you begin to see your parents for who they really are. 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:45.139 And you realize that sometimes even the best parents, 00:08:45.439 --> 00:08:46.480 their love is conditional. 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:49.659 Or you realize that maybe you had siblings, 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:51.939 and maybe there was a clear sense of favoritism, 00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:53.139 even though your parents said, 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:54.459 we love all of you the same. 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:55.399 You know. 00:08:56.779 --> 00:08:58.219 Maybe your love kind of, 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:01.019 their love is kind of maybe based on your performance 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:02.799 a little more than you would like to think. 00:09:03.219 --> 00:09:05.000 And then you see your parents making decisions, 00:09:05.199 --> 00:09:08.059 and it really seems like they're motivated by self-love, 00:09:08.199 --> 00:09:09.539 rather than love for you. 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:11.659 And you go through these, 00:09:11.719 --> 00:09:12.819 and it's disillusioning, 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:14.899 and you realize this isn't that perfect love. 00:09:15.319 --> 00:09:15.600 Right? 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.360 And then you idealize your love for a friend, 00:09:18.420 --> 00:09:19.759 and I just want to find a best friend 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:21.019 with whom I can share everything. 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:22.840 And maybe you have an amazing friend, 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:24.320 and thank God for this incredible friend. 00:09:24.560 --> 00:09:27.360 But maybe there's also a bit of rivalry. 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:30.200 And maybe your friend has some success 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:31.100 that you didn't enjoy, 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:33.700 and there's also kind of jealousy and bitterness there. 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:37.100 Maybe you just grow apart in your interests. 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:40.660 And you realize that that wasn't really the love 00:09:40.660 --> 00:09:41.620 I was hoping for. 00:09:41.680 --> 00:09:41.879 Right? 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:42.920 And then you think, 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:44.339 well, maybe when I get married, 00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:45.000 then I'll find it. 00:09:45.019 --> 00:09:45.639 And you get married, 00:09:45.719 --> 00:09:46.259 and it's great, 00:09:46.339 --> 00:09:46.899 and it's bliss, 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:48.240 and you fall in love, 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:49.839 and you're surging with hormones. 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:50.839 Right? 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:51.979 And you can't think straight. 00:09:52.059 --> 00:09:53.740 And then after about a couple of years, 00:09:54.579 --> 00:09:55.899 normally, on average, 00:09:56.479 --> 00:09:57.759 the hormones kind of run out. 00:09:58.579 --> 00:09:59.000 And you, 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:00.139 who are you? 00:10:01.839 --> 00:10:03.120 We share a life now. 00:10:03.839 --> 00:10:05.879 And you begin to get to know your spouse 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:07.799 about two years into marriage. 00:10:09.439 --> 00:10:11.299 And you get to know them, 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:12.240 and it's great, 00:10:12.359 --> 00:10:13.500 but life is really mundane, 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:15.959 and sometimes life, 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:16.959 for long stretches, 00:10:17.099 --> 00:10:18.319 just seems like you're paying bills 00:10:18.319 --> 00:10:20.259 and fighting over who washes the dishes. 00:10:21.319 --> 00:10:23.279 And sometimes it's really hard, 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:25.559 and sometimes the sex is amazing, 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.979 and sometimes you have maintenance sex. 00:10:30.439 --> 00:10:31.719 And more often than not, 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:32.959 maybe you have maintenance sex. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:36.400 And then more often than not, 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:37.820 you find that there are times 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:38.560 when neither one of you 00:10:38.560 --> 00:10:40.139 really even cares about sex. 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:41.980 You would much rather go to sleep 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:43.440 because you're tired. 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:45.900 And that sounds so much better than sex. 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:48.680 And all of these realities begin to set, 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:49.900 and you realize we love each other, 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:50.800 and at times it's bliss, 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:51.879 and at times it's really hard, 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:52.600 and at times, 00:10:52.680 --> 00:10:54.680 sometimes we kind of feel like we hate each other. 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:56.700 And you realize this is marriage, 00:10:56.740 --> 00:10:57.320 and the love is good, 00:10:57.379 --> 00:10:58.200 but it's not perfect. 00:10:58.759 --> 00:10:59.440 It's not perfect. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:02.060 And then maybe you think, 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:02.740 well, you know what, 00:11:02.780 --> 00:11:03.800 when we have kids, 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:06.980 then we will be able to pour all this love in, 00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:08.120 and it will be amazing. 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:08.940 And then you have kids, 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:09.680 and it's incredible, 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:10.960 and that moment in the hospital 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:12.100 is unlike anything else. 00:11:12.400 --> 00:11:13.320 And then you move forward, 00:11:13.400 --> 00:11:14.060 and it's great, 00:11:14.180 --> 00:11:15.180 and you're losing sleep, 00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:15.980 but it doesn't matter 00:11:15.980 --> 00:11:17.240 because you still love them, 00:11:17.380 --> 00:11:18.480 and then they break stuff, 00:11:18.540 --> 00:11:19.160 and it's okay, 00:11:19.560 --> 00:11:20.440 and you still love them. 00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:22.780 And then they don't do anything you say, 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:24.220 and it's okay, 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:25.500 you still love them. 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.040 And then they hormones kick in, 00:11:28.040 --> 00:11:29.080 and then they say, 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:29.900 hey, I hate you. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:32.080 And it's okay that you hate me 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:33.139 because I know you don't mean it, 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:33.980 and I still love you. 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:34.300 And then, 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:36.420 and this is if you're a successful parent, 00:11:36.540 --> 00:11:37.220 they leave. 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:42.820 And then you try to figure out, 00:11:42.920 --> 00:11:43.740 what do I do now? 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:45.100 The love of my life, 00:11:45.180 --> 00:11:45.660 my heart, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:46.300 my flesh 00:11:46.300 --> 00:11:48.100 just walked out, 00:11:49.060 --> 00:11:50.520 and now they're getting married, 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:53.680 and now they'll visit once a year at Christmas. 00:11:55.040 --> 00:11:56.060 And then what do you do? 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:58.419 And again and again and again, 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:00.719 our experiences with love are wonderful, 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:02.479 but there's something in us 00:12:02.479 --> 00:12:04.000 that says there's got to be more. 00:12:04.119 --> 00:12:05.539 There's got to be something out there 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:07.779 that will fulfill me, 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:11.099 that will satisfy this gnawing hunger in me, 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:12.419 this thirst that I have. 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:18.819 So here's the question. 00:12:20.339 --> 00:12:22.240 Why would we have such a desire 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:23.599 for such a love 00:12:23.599 --> 00:12:26.179 that goes so far beyond anything 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:28.240 we can experience in this world? 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:30.719 How could we explain that 00:12:30.719 --> 00:12:31.979 unless there is a source 00:12:31.979 --> 00:12:33.679 beyond the mountains? 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:36.860 And there's something in us that knows it. 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:39.360 And even if we don't know 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:40.519 that's what we're longing for, 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:42.080 that's what we're longing for. 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:45.740 So God is the source of love. 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:48.539 He's the source beyond the mountains. 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:50.940 And now I want to spend the rest of our time 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:53.060 just considering why this matters, 00:12:53.180 --> 00:12:55.700 why it's worth spending a whole sermon 00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:57.500 on this statement. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.879 So I want to just go over five reasons 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:01.940 why I think this matters. 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:04.300 The first reason, 00:13:04.880 --> 00:13:07.480 why does it matter that God is love, 00:13:08.400 --> 00:13:10.020 that he's the source of love? 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:10.740 Why does that matter? 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:12.140 Well, first of all, 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:14.840 it matters because it reminds us 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:16.660 that love is not God. 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.900 That love is not God. 00:13:21.900 --> 00:13:23.180 There's a philosopher, Simon May, 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:24.140 from King's College, 00:13:24.380 --> 00:13:26.460 wrote a book called Love, a History. 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.040 It's a fascinating book 00:13:28.040 --> 00:13:30.280 tracing the evolution 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:33.419 of our cultural approach 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:34.779 and understanding of love. 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:37.419 And basically, 00:13:39.079 --> 00:13:40.100 May makes a statement 00:13:40.100 --> 00:13:42.980 that we've gone in our culture, 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.519 as Christianity has occupied 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.339 less and less and less a place in culture, 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:52.079 that that vacuum has been filled with love. 00:13:52.939 --> 00:13:54.259 And May writes that we've gone 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:56.220 from being people who say 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:57.679 God is love 00:13:57.679 --> 00:13:58.819 to being people who say 00:13:58.819 --> 00:14:00.639 love is God. 00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:03.299 And that's a really popular idea 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:04.859 among religious people, 00:14:04.979 --> 00:14:05.819 non-religious people, 00:14:05.939 --> 00:14:06.919 conservative, liberal, 00:14:07.079 --> 00:14:07.799 doesn't matter. 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:10.019 Everybody loves the idea of love. 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:11.159 And particularly, 00:14:11.339 --> 00:14:13.620 we are deeply formed by romanticism. 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:15.239 And so we love the idea 00:14:15.239 --> 00:14:16.239 of romantic love. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.479 And so it's very common 00:14:18.479 --> 00:14:18.979 in our culture 00:14:18.979 --> 00:14:19.719 to hear people say, 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:19.939 you know, 00:14:19.979 --> 00:14:21.019 the only real difference 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:21.819 between religions, 00:14:22.139 --> 00:14:23.120 the differences don't matter. 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.299 They can all be boiled down 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:24.679 to love. 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:26.500 We just need to love each other. 00:14:26.859 --> 00:14:28.199 That's all that really matters. 00:14:29.079 --> 00:14:30.159 When we look at romance, 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:30.459 we say, 00:14:30.579 --> 00:14:31.620 well, as long as two people 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:32.559 love each other, 00:14:33.719 --> 00:14:36.199 whatever they want to do is fine 00:14:36.199 --> 00:14:37.659 because the love is there. 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:38.779 The love is the thing 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:39.739 that makes the difference. 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:41.579 And in all of these ways, 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:42.759 we have gone from 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:44.659 believing that God is love 00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:46.659 to believing that love is God. 00:14:46.719 --> 00:14:47.459 And the Apostle John 00:14:47.459 --> 00:14:48.679 is aware of this. 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:51.259 People were making similar claims 00:14:51.259 --> 00:14:51.839 in his day, 00:14:51.939 --> 00:14:53.339 and so he makes it very clear 00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:54.460 that this is not the case, 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:55.080 and this is getting 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:55.720 a little technical, 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:56.420 so I apologize. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:57.460 But if you look 00:14:57.460 --> 00:14:58.600 at the original Greek, 00:14:59.160 --> 00:15:00.420 John does something interesting. 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:01.960 In the original Greek, 00:15:02.920 --> 00:15:03.960 the word God 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:05.540 has an article in front of it. 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:06.780 The word love does not. 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:07.680 You don't need to know 00:15:07.680 --> 00:15:08.399 much about that. 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:09.399 The only thing you need to know 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:10.680 is what that means is 00:15:10.680 --> 00:15:11.860 is that it's not reversible, 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:13.879 is that you can only 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:15.280 accurately translate this, 00:15:15.780 --> 00:15:16.660 God is love. 00:15:16.780 --> 00:15:17.800 You cannot say, 00:15:18.100 --> 00:15:18.660 love is God. 00:15:18.660 --> 00:15:19.320 It doesn't work 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:19.879 with the grammar. 00:15:20.400 --> 00:15:21.019 And he did that 00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:22.220 intentionally, I believe. 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:24.080 And this matters 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:25.899 because all of our definitions 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:27.259 of what love is 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:28.320 and how it behaves, 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:30.700 and there are many 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:32.360 in our culture. 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:33.759 The ways that we define love 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:35.580 are many and varied. 00:15:36.259 --> 00:15:37.820 But if God is love, 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:39.160 if God is the source, 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:40.040 then it means that 00:15:40.040 --> 00:15:41.540 our definition of love, 00:15:42.160 --> 00:15:43.680 our understanding 00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:44.700 of what it is 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:45.940 and how it behaves, 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:48.060 has to be drawn from God 00:15:48.060 --> 00:15:49.279 if it's going to accord 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:49.980 with reality. 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:51.159 If it's not, 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:52.680 then it's a fiction. 00:15:53.899 --> 00:15:55.019 So that's the first thing. 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.060 It reminds us that 00:15:56.060 --> 00:15:58.000 rather than enthroning 00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:59.659 human love as God, 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:01.659 that we're able to take 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:03.000 our love in all of its forms 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:04.039 and place it before 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:05.039 the throne of God 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:06.220 and ask God, 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:07.060 what is this supposed 00:16:07.060 --> 00:16:07.820 to look like? 00:16:08.920 --> 00:16:10.240 And that leads us actually 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:11.200 into the second point. 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:12.740 The second reason 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:13.639 this matters is this, 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:15.139 that knowing that God is love 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:17.080 matters because it means 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:18.560 that we cannot claim 00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:20.240 to know God personally 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:22.200 if there is no evidence 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:23.080 of love in our lives. 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:25.480 We're going to get to this 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:26.420 more in two weeks. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:29.040 But we cannot claim 00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:29.520 to love, 00:16:29.800 --> 00:16:31.139 to know God personally 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:32.220 if there is no evidence 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:34.780 of love in our lives. 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:35.400 And specifically, 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:36.680 he's talking about 00:16:36.680 --> 00:16:38.080 the love that Christians 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:38.980 have for one another, 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:39.820 the new commandment 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:40.660 that Jesus gives. 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:44.059 that that is to be the thing 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:45.659 by which God's people 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:46.439 are recognized. 00:16:48.579 --> 00:16:49.620 It's the real core 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:50.459 of hypocrisy 00:16:50.459 --> 00:16:54.179 is people who claim 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:54.759 to be Christians 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:56.579 without love. 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:00.219 This leads us to the third reason 00:17:00.219 --> 00:17:01.379 why this matters. 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:02.879 The third reason why it matters 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:04.059 that God is love 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:05.700 is this, 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:06.819 is that it reminds us 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:07.559 that we are not 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:08.480 the source of love. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.880 I don't know about you, 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:11.460 but that is something 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:13.039 that I need to be reminded of 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:14.339 many, many, many times. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:15.759 The way you know 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:16.480 that you believe 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:17.759 that you're the source of love 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.299 is when you look at yourself 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:20.240 and you look at your life 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.380 and you listen to something 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:22.480 like what I just said. 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.559 You can't claim to know God 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:25.220 if there's no love 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:25.700 in your life. 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:26.400 And if you're like me, 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:27.380 you look at your life 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:29.120 and you think, 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:29.720 oh my gosh, 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:30.980 there's a massive deficit 00:17:30.980 --> 00:17:32.839 in the area of love. 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:34.140 There's a massive deficit. 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:35.960 And the way you know 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:37.500 you believe you're the source 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:38.819 is if your response to that 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:39.299 is to say, 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:40.220 I gotta try harder. 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:42.099 I gotta buckle down. 00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:43.539 I gotta become more loving. 00:17:44.460 --> 00:17:45.140 The Bible says 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:45.980 that doesn't work. 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:47.140 In fact, 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:48.160 I think that that creates 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:49.220 more of a hardness 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:50.339 than anything else 00:17:50.339 --> 00:17:51.240 because you resent 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:52.099 having to do it. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:56.079 We can only love others 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:56.920 to the extent 00:17:56.920 --> 00:17:59.240 that we believe ourselves 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.420 to be loved. 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:04.180 And that means 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:05.420 if you look at your own life 00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:07.220 and you see a deficit there 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:09.539 like I do, 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:13.680 the answer is not to try harder. 00:18:13.820 --> 00:18:15.279 The answer is to go to the source. 00:18:17.320 --> 00:18:18.519 It's no coincidence 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:21.100 that John, 00:18:21.320 --> 00:18:23.500 as he addresses his people, 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:25.180 repeatedly calls them what? 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:26.640 Beloved. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.140 What he's saying is 00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:30.240 before your job, 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:31.160 before your race, 00:18:31.300 --> 00:18:32.120 before your ethnicity, 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.440 before anything else, 00:18:36.800 --> 00:18:37.640 his desire, 00:18:37.780 --> 00:18:38.280 pastorally, 00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:40.400 is that our primary identification 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.140 be as beloved. 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:45.180 And he would never ask you 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:45.780 to love 00:18:45.780 --> 00:18:46.980 if you weren't beloved. 00:18:48.300 --> 00:18:49.680 Only God's beloved 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:50.840 can love in the way 00:18:50.840 --> 00:18:53.300 that God loves. 00:18:53.299 --> 00:18:54.220 And so the way 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:55.279 to become more loving 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.379 is to go to the source. 00:18:57.980 --> 00:18:58.799 Not to say, 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:00.019 I'm going to try harder 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:01.639 to love, 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:02.359 but to say, 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:04.000 I'm going to open myself up 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:04.819 more 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:06.359 to what it means 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:07.519 that I am beloved. 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:11.440 To allow myself 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.460 to experience 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:13.779 that love. 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:16.659 So that's the third reason 00:19:16.659 --> 00:19:17.399 why it matters. 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:20.559 We're not the source of love. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:23.599 The fourth reason 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:24.259 that it matters 00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:26.059 why God is love 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:29.339 is because this shows us 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:30.700 what love should look like. 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:32.700 It shows us 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:33.879 what love should look like. 00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:34.919 Let's go back 00:19:34.919 --> 00:19:35.700 to the stream 00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:36.679 in the woods metaphor. 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:37.659 Right? 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:38.679 You come upon a stream 00:19:38.679 --> 00:19:39.240 in the woods, 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.539 say you're hiking, 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:41.460 you're out of water, 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:42.419 you're really thirsty, 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:44.200 do you drink it or not? 00:19:45.639 --> 00:19:46.759 Do you drink it or not? 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:48.839 Have you ever heard giardia? 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:48.919 Giardia? 00:19:50.139 --> 00:19:51.500 If you've ever had giardia, 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:52.519 you won't drink it. 00:19:52.919 --> 00:19:53.039 Right? 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:55.179 If you haven't, 00:19:55.500 --> 00:19:56.480 still don't drink it. 00:19:56.659 --> 00:19:56.859 Right? 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:00.099 Do you drink it or not? 00:20:00.199 --> 00:20:00.919 One of the things 00:20:00.919 --> 00:20:02.459 that really matters 00:20:02.459 --> 00:20:03.240 is how close 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:04.419 is that stream 00:20:04.419 --> 00:20:05.119 to the source. 00:20:06.139 --> 00:20:07.259 Because the further 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:07.959 downstream 00:20:07.959 --> 00:20:09.139 that water goes, 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:09.839 the more pollutants 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.740 get mixed into it. 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:12.299 Right? 00:20:12.619 --> 00:20:13.359 And the more 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:14.379 that gets mixed in, 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:15.279 the more impure 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:16.119 the water becomes, 00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:17.199 the more it's probably 00:20:17.199 --> 00:20:18.039 going to make you sick. 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:20.199 And so if you drink water 00:20:20.199 --> 00:20:21.319 right on next to the source, 00:20:22.099 --> 00:20:23.480 you're a lot better off. 00:20:24.159 --> 00:20:25.619 But the further down you go, 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:27.039 maybe you can drink it, 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:27.879 maybe you can drink it, 00:20:27.879 --> 00:20:28.619 but at some point, 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:29.519 the chances that it's 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:30.359 going to make you sick 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:31.599 get higher and higher 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:31.899 and higher 00:20:31.899 --> 00:20:33.119 until there's almost certainty. 00:20:33.699 --> 00:20:34.399 Somewhere down there, 00:20:34.459 --> 00:20:35.439 it's no longer even water, 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:36.439 it's just mud. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:37.519 You know? 00:20:37.939 --> 00:20:39.019 It's just wet dirt 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:40.059 and muck. 00:20:41.679 --> 00:20:42.819 But if you're thirsty enough, 00:20:42.859 --> 00:20:43.319 you'll drink it. 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:45.720 And it's the same way 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:46.759 with love. 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:48.279 You know, 00:20:48.339 --> 00:20:48.920 we spend time 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:49.680 in West Virginia 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:50.519 from time to time 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:52.720 and along the Shenandoah River. 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:53.539 And you know, 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:54.819 the Shenandoah near the source 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:56.140 is pretty clean. 00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:57.379 But the further down 00:20:57.379 --> 00:20:58.220 the Shenandoah you go, 00:20:58.299 --> 00:20:59.339 there's chicken farms 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:01.079 all along the Shenandoah. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:01.619 And you can imagine 00:21:01.619 --> 00:21:02.779 what happens when it rains 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:04.700 and all that runoff 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:05.759 just goes into the water. 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:07.000 And so further down 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:07.500 the Shenandoah, 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:08.200 it actually poses 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:08.819 a health hazard 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:09.759 to animals and humans. 00:21:10.379 --> 00:21:10.539 You know? 00:21:11.299 --> 00:21:12.160 We found that out 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:12.640 the first year 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:13.279 we told our kids, 00:21:13.379 --> 00:21:14.299 yeah, you can swim. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:17.000 And then we're like, 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:18.119 rinse off, rinse off. 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:21.759 The further down you go, 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:22.779 the more polluted it gets. 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:24.879 It's the same with love. 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:26.819 The further love is 00:21:26.819 --> 00:21:27.440 from the source, 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:28.799 the more polluted it becomes 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:30.159 because all kinds of junk 00:21:30.159 --> 00:21:31.759 gets mixed in. 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:33.720 And love can be life-giving 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:37.240 or it can actually sometimes 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:38.720 be so polluted 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:39.639 that while there is 00:21:39.639 --> 00:21:41.059 a kernel of real love there, 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:42.200 it can actually begin 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:44.120 to do harm, right? 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.039 It can be a harmful, 00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:46.120 destructive, 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:47.860 kind of twisted form 00:21:47.860 --> 00:21:48.700 of love. 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:49.880 There's something in there 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:50.840 that is of the Lord, 00:21:51.460 --> 00:21:52.080 but there's a lot 00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:53.460 of other stuff mixed in 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:54.920 that does damage. 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:57.759 Like the friend 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:58.420 that you have, 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.259 and there's a part of you 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:00.380 that loves this friend 00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:01.580 and you do loving things 00:22:01.580 --> 00:22:02.120 for that friend, 00:22:02.340 --> 00:22:03.059 but there's also 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:04.799 a bitter, jealous rivalry 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:05.519 between you. 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:07.799 And you can't enjoy 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:08.480 the successes 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:09.720 of your friend 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:10.840 because of the jealousy. 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:12.019 That's a pollutant 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:13.419 that's been mixed in 00:22:13.419 --> 00:22:14.099 with the love 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:15.079 and it's unhealthy, 00:22:15.699 --> 00:22:16.000 you know? 00:22:16.179 --> 00:22:17.220 Or like the couple 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.240 and they really genuinely 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:19.019 marry each other, 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:20.240 love each other. 00:22:21.379 --> 00:22:22.539 They're really genuinely 00:22:22.539 --> 00:22:23.419 committed to the marriage, 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:24.220 but there's also 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:25.159 a lot of jealousy 00:22:25.159 --> 00:22:25.779 and there's not 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.519 a lot of trust. 00:22:27.439 --> 00:22:28.579 And they check each other's 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:29.480 Facebook accounts 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:32.359 and they follow each other's 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:33.399 email correspondence. 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:35.579 And from time to time 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:38.079 they check the credit card statement 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:39.179 to see if anything unusual 00:22:39.179 --> 00:22:39.779 is happening. 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:42.579 And you see that mistrust 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:43.859 is kind of mixed in 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:44.819 with the love. 00:22:44.919 --> 00:22:46.319 These are kind of pollutants 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:47.279 that will do damage. 00:22:47.879 --> 00:22:48.679 And what we see is 00:22:48.679 --> 00:22:50.240 the healthiest forms of love 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:51.859 are those that are 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:53.019 closest to the source 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:53.799 and what does that mean? 00:22:54.639 --> 00:22:56.419 It's love that accords 00:22:56.419 --> 00:22:57.519 with God's character. 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:00.259 That's why it's really important 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:01.599 to note that you can't say 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:02.399 that love is God, 00:23:02.459 --> 00:23:03.419 only that God is love 00:23:03.419 --> 00:23:04.579 because although God is love, 00:23:04.639 --> 00:23:05.679 He's much more than love. 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:07.279 In fact, in the same letter 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:08.359 He says that God is light. 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:10.479 And so what this is telling us 00:23:10.479 --> 00:23:11.459 is we have a source 00:23:11.459 --> 00:23:12.740 against which to measure 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:13.919 the love in our lives. 00:23:14.439 --> 00:23:15.619 To know is this close 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:16.399 to the source, 00:23:16.659 --> 00:23:17.519 is this reflecting 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:18.559 the same kind of love 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:19.259 clearly, 00:23:19.379 --> 00:23:20.599 as clear as water would? 00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:23.279 Or is it dirty water? 00:23:23.419 --> 00:23:24.279 Is it polluted? 00:23:24.379 --> 00:23:25.439 Is there stuff mixed in 00:23:25.439 --> 00:23:26.939 that needs to be cleaned out? 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:30.039 So what this tells us is 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:31.360 we can learn how to love 00:23:31.360 --> 00:23:31.880 our kids, 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:32.920 how to love our friends, 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:34.039 how to love our spouses, 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:35.940 how to love people 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:36.360 we don't know, 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:37.140 how to love our enemies 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:38.880 by looking at the source of love 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:40.880 and seeing how did He love? 00:23:41.080 --> 00:23:41.940 How does He love? 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:45.480 So that's the fourth reason. 00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:48.019 Knowing that God is love 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:49.240 matters because it shows us 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:50.200 what love should look like. 00:23:50.259 --> 00:23:51.580 And the fifth and final reason 00:23:51.580 --> 00:23:53.380 this matters is this. 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:55.580 The reason it matters 00:23:55.580 --> 00:23:56.740 that God is love 00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:59.860 is that it shows us 00:23:59.860 --> 00:24:00.600 what to do 00:24:00.600 --> 00:24:01.960 when love fails us 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:02.660 in this life. 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:05.280 It shows us what to do 00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:06.580 when love falls short. 00:24:07.580 --> 00:24:08.880 As we said a moment ago, 00:24:09.140 --> 00:24:09.680 it will. 00:24:10.360 --> 00:24:12.800 Parents, friends, kids, spouse, 00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:13.640 it will. 00:24:15.020 --> 00:24:16.340 It won't be a failure, 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:17.720 but it will fall short. 00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:19.680 You will be left wanting. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.600 And there are really only 00:24:21.600 --> 00:24:23.360 two options when that happens. 00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:24.860 The first option 00:24:24.860 --> 00:24:25.840 is to look elsewhere 00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:26.460 in the world. 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:27.900 Is to say, 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:29.300 well, that was this relationship. 00:24:29.540 --> 00:24:30.540 Surely there's a relationship 00:24:30.540 --> 00:24:31.080 out there 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:31.860 that will be better, 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:33.000 that will fulfill me completely. 00:24:33.540 --> 00:24:35.280 And romanticism drives 00:24:35.280 --> 00:24:35.780 a narrative, 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:37.000 for instance, 00:24:37.100 --> 00:24:38.440 that marriage is that thing. 00:24:39.560 --> 00:24:40.460 Romanticism drives 00:24:40.460 --> 00:24:40.840 this narrative 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:41.580 that if you can find 00:24:41.580 --> 00:24:42.140 the right person, 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:43.040 your soulmate, 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:44.880 which by the way, 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:46.180 that's a pagan myth. 00:24:46.300 --> 00:24:47.180 That's Greek mythology. 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:48.320 That's not Christianity. 00:24:49.280 --> 00:24:50.260 But if you find 00:24:50.260 --> 00:24:51.020 the right person, 00:24:51.300 --> 00:24:52.300 they will fulfill you. 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:52.919 Not true. 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:53.659 It's a lie. 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:54.919 It's not true. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:57.059 King Solomon, 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:58.599 one of the wisest people 00:24:58.599 --> 00:24:59.299 that ever lived. 00:25:00.139 --> 00:25:01.720 700 wives. 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:05.119 300 concubines. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:08.180 Do the math on that. 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:10.400 That's a lot of women. 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:11.500 Right? 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:12.460 You know, 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:13.000 we hear this 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:13.960 and we say it's absurd, 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:14.299 but, 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:16.440 you know, 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:16.820 guys, 00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:19.120 if you counted up 00:25:19.120 --> 00:25:19.840 the number of people 00:25:19.840 --> 00:25:21.200 you imagined 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:22.360 having sex with, 00:25:23.360 --> 00:25:24.960 if you were to marry 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:25.560 all of them, 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:26.420 maybe the number's 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:27.460 not quite as absurd 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:28.580 as it sounds, right? 00:25:29.060 --> 00:25:30.200 So Solomon was honest. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:34.340 But you look at a person 00:25:34.340 --> 00:25:34.980 like that 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:36.500 and all of his wisdom, 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:39.420 all of his wealth, 00:25:39.580 --> 00:25:40.480 all of his learning, 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:43.360 and yet he's still 00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:44.900 looking for love 00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:47.720 in these women. 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.860 The kind of love 00:25:50.860 --> 00:25:51.860 that can only be provided 00:25:51.860 --> 00:25:53.000 by God. 00:25:53.080 --> 00:25:53.600 And we know, 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:54.019 actually, 00:25:54.100 --> 00:25:55.500 if you read 1 Kings 11, 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:57.039 you realize 00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:57.880 that it was his, 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.359 it says literally, 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:02.019 1 Kings 11 tells us 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:02.700 that Solomon 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:04.519 clung to these women 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.119 in love. 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:06.819 That he was looking 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:07.759 for that fulfillment. 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:08.920 And he clung 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:09.819 to these women in love 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:10.960 and because of that 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:12.059 it pulled his heart 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:13.039 more and more 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:13.799 and more away 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:14.319 from the Lord 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.519 until he abandoned the Lord 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.119 and he started 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:17.099 worshiping other gods. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.700 G.K. Chesterton, 00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:21.920 this quote 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:22.940 is attributed to him. 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:26.080 Every man who knocks 00:26:26.080 --> 00:26:26.539 on the door 00:26:26.539 --> 00:26:27.380 of a brothel 00:26:27.380 --> 00:26:28.860 is looking for God. 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:32.279 Every man who knocks 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:32.720 on the door 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:33.360 of a brothel 00:26:33.360 --> 00:26:34.460 is looking for God. 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:37.180 It's that deep down hunger. 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:38.940 You know, 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:39.680 you look at things 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:40.180 like this, 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:42.140 you look at our desire, 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:43.660 our fascination 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:44.700 with, you know, 00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:45.580 Fifty Shades of Grey 00:26:45.580 --> 00:26:46.220 or pornography 00:26:46.220 --> 00:26:47.519 or whatever, 00:26:48.080 --> 00:26:49.900 brothels, you know. 00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:51.620 And you realize 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:53.319 that even though 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:55.679 within that 00:26:55.679 --> 00:26:56.539 is a deep fear 00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:57.039 of intimacy, 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.859 even though within that 00:26:58.859 --> 00:26:59.500 there's a whole 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.439 power dynamic, 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:01.799 even though there's 00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:02.279 all these, 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:03.299 we can psychologize 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:03.859 it all day long, 00:27:03.919 --> 00:27:04.639 that at the core 00:27:04.639 --> 00:27:06.059 there is that hunger, 00:27:06.219 --> 00:27:07.159 that gnawing hunger, 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:08.299 that gnawing thirst 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:10.599 for that love. 00:27:12.639 --> 00:27:13.339 It's there. 00:27:14.399 --> 00:27:15.679 So that's the first option 00:27:15.679 --> 00:27:17.319 is that you can kind of 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:18.199 get into that 00:27:18.199 --> 00:27:19.899 romanticism-fueled loop 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:21.019 of looking for love 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:21.500 and failing, 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:22.240 looking for love 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:22.660 and failing 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:23.400 and going again 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:24.220 and again and again 00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:24.540 and again, 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:25.040 700, 00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:26.120 1,000, 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:27.100 2,000, 00:27:27.320 --> 00:27:28.019 more and more 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:28.580 and more and more 00:27:28.580 --> 00:27:28.920 and more. 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:30.920 Or, 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.019 or the second option 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:35.140 is to look for the source 00:27:35.140 --> 00:27:35.920 beyond the mountains. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.100 In John 4, 00:27:38.560 --> 00:27:39.560 when Jesus meets 00:27:39.560 --> 00:27:40.700 the woman at the well, 00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:43.860 he knows, 00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:44.560 and he reveals, 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:45.500 he knows that she's 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.740 had five husbands, 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.920 and he says, 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:49.180 and the one you're with 00:27:49.180 --> 00:27:50.420 now is not your husband. 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:53.180 And yet he knows 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:54.559 down deep beyond that, 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:55.240 below it, 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:56.579 behind it, 00:27:56.859 --> 00:27:57.620 that this is a woman 00:27:57.620 --> 00:27:58.420 who is in search 00:27:58.420 --> 00:27:59.480 of the kind of love 00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:00.559 that will fill her up 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:01.359 completely. 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:02.799 And that's what he speaks 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:03.779 to in verse 13. 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:04.240 He says, 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:05.559 everyone who drinks 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:06.299 of this water 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:07.539 will be thirsty again. 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:08.440 He's not talking 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:09.059 about the water, 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:09.759 by the way. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:10.900 He's talking about 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:11.319 the husbands. 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:13.839 He says, 00:28:13.900 --> 00:28:14.480 everyone who drinks 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:14.960 of this water 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:15.900 will be thirsty again, 00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:16.680 but whoever drinks 00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:17.220 of the water 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:18.180 that I will give him 00:28:18.180 --> 00:28:19.820 will never be thirsty again. 00:28:20.620 --> 00:28:21.200 And she says, 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.140 where can I find it? 00:28:25.040 --> 00:28:25.620 He's saying, 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.280 the kind of love 00:28:26.280 --> 00:28:26.940 you most need, 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:27.500 the kind of love 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:28.400 that will fill you up, 00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:29.620 can only be found 00:28:29.620 --> 00:28:30.519 at the source. 00:28:32.080 --> 00:28:33.640 And this is the good news 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:34.540 of Jesus. 00:28:35.060 --> 00:28:36.200 And this is the news 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:37.800 that we will look more at 00:28:37.800 --> 00:28:39.100 next week, 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:39.500 actually, 00:28:39.620 --> 00:28:40.660 in great detail. 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:43.100 The good news is this, 00:28:43.100 --> 00:28:44.120 that the love 00:28:44.120 --> 00:28:45.780 that we long for 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:47.099 the love 00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:47.879 that we look at 00:28:47.879 --> 00:28:48.460 and we know 00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:49.579 it can't be found here 00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:50.299 and we know 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:51.240 down deep 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:52.480 that there is a source 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:53.480 beyond the mountains 00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:55.799 that although 00:28:55.799 --> 00:28:56.740 even if we were 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:57.339 to go looking, 00:28:57.460 --> 00:28:58.599 we would never be able 00:28:58.599 --> 00:28:59.899 to find it on our own. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:01.079 The good news is this, 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:02.680 that that source 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:04.259 in Jesus Christ 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:05.319 has come down 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:07.799 and he has found us. 00:29:08.579 --> 00:29:09.799 And that is the promise 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:10.960 of the Christian faith 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:12.680 and the certainty 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:13.399 of the love of God 00:29:13.399 --> 00:29:13.940 that we share. 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:15.759 let's pray. 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:15.820 Let's pray. 00:29:15.820 --> 00:29:16.059 Let's pray. 00:29:16.620 --> 00:29:16.980 Let's pray. 00:29:18.759 --> 00:29:21.320 Let's pray. 00:29:21.320 --> 00:29:22.820 Let's pray. 00:29:22.820 --> 00:29:23.940 Let's pray.