WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 All right well good morning everyone. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Let's go ahead and find our way back to our seats. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:17.000 And I hope and I trust that you have been warmly greeted here at Ontario Community Church. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:22.000 My name is Patrick Daly and I am the pastor here at Ontario Community Church. 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:24.000 It is a privilege. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.000 It is an honour to have the opportunity to serve here as pastor. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:35.000 And today we are going to do our second week where we are going over the 3E pathway. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:44.000 It is our mission, it is our vision, it is our discipleship framework that we use known as the 3E pathway. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:50.000 We are learning about what it means to encourage people to love God and to love others. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.000 That's what we're going over this week. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 We're going over encouraging, encouragement. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:04.000 Next week we're going over equipping and the final week we'll be going over engaging the community for Christ. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:10.000 When we think about church, when we think about the body of Christ, us here together, 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:19.000 we have to remember that we're doing all of this for Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:28.000 Jesus Christ was sent by God to provide this free gift of salvation for all who believe. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:35.000 That should be the greatest encouragement that we have my friends, that God sent his only son. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:45.000 We are all, we should all be on this spiritual journey together going towards Jesus Christ and not running away from Christ. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:48.000 We should all be heading towards Christ. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:56.000 This first week of our series we did that overview of what it means to have vision for this church. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.000 We're going deeper into this framework, we're going over that first E. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:07.000 But before we go further what I'd like us to do, I'd like us to take time to pray and we'll delve right into it. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:09.000 So let's pray together. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:17.000 Father God, as we continue going over the 3E pathway, we ask that you encourage us, that you equip us, 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:22.000 and that you inspire us to be engaged in the community for Christ. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:28.000 We ask that you are with us here on this journey as we're going over many different verses in Scripture. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:36.000 We wish to be a church that follows in your footsteps, that goes on a trajectory towards you and not away from you. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:43.000 May we realize that we are made in your image, designed to have that relationship with you. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:51.000 For your way is truth and your way is life and your way is higher than my way or man's way for that matter. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:58.000 You have provided this free gift of salvation, this free gift. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:07.000 And we thank you and we thank your Son Jesus Christ for dying on that cross and being raised on the third day. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:09.000 We love you so much for that. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:19.000 We thank you so much once again for this time and for this opportunity to be here today as a community of believers. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.000 It is in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:24.000 And we all say together, Amen. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:29.000 So I want us to reflect on this question as we begin our time here today. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.000 Let's go ahead and put it up there. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:41.000 Can you think of a time when you were loved or you loved someone unconditionally even when it wasn't deserved? 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:46.000 That's, you know, we all need love in our life, don't we? 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:48.000 Can you think of that time? 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:56.000 Maybe it was a time where you did something wrong and your mom or your dad or your brother or your sister was there for you. 00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:02.000 Maybe you did something you shouldn't have been doing, but you were shown forgiveness. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.000 You were shown love. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:12.000 There's something about love that comes from God, something that is very powerful and we're going to go into that. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.000 We all need love in our lives. 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.000 And as people, sometimes it's easy to love other people. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:22.000 Other times it's more difficult. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:28.000 God calls us to love one another as he has loved us. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:35.000 God shows us his love in a way that is beyond what many of us can understand. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:40.000 How can God love me despite all the terrible things that I've done? 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.000 How can God forgive me? 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:45.000 But God does forgive you. 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:47.000 God loves you. 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:50.000 We're given this gift of life. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:55.000 We're given every moment to cherish, to honor God. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:05:01.000 God has blessed each and every one of us in so many different ways. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.000 For God is perfect and he gives us so many gifts, talents and abilities. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:15.000 It is up to you to decide what you're going to do with these gifts, what you're going to do with these talents, what you're going to do with your very life. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.000 God is perfect. Are we? 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.000 No. We're not perfect, but here's the thing. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.000 We worship the God who saves. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:31.000 We worship the God who is perfect, who is light, life and truth. 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:35.000 We ourselves, though, are human. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.000 We make our mistakes. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.000 We fall short. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:45.000 And quite honestly, I'm not perfect in any way, shape or form. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.000 And neither are you when we think about it, right? 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:55.000 But you know what's interesting is that in the Bible, there are many stories about human imperfection. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.000 You learn about the Israelites. You learn about Jonah. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:05.000 You learn about the people of God who they just don't get it at times. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:11.000 Sometimes they turn away from God and they have to learn their lesson to turn back to God. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:18.000 But it's much like how we are at times. Sometimes we don't get it. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:25.000 But despite the fact that we don't get it, my friends, God is still there for us. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:33.000 No matter what our mistakes are, no matter how much we have sinned, God is there for us. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:36.000 God is faithful. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.000 God is that constant in this ever-changing world. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:50.000 God is always available for us to turn to Him, to make a decision to have Jesus Christ at the center of your life. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:52.000 God is patient. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:55.000 God is slow to anger. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:58.000 God is gracious. He is merciful. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.000 And He abounds in steadfast love. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:06.000 I love that word, steadfast love. He abounds in Him. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:15.000 Our God shows us this agape love, which is defined as the highest form, the highest type of love. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:24.000 The love that God has for us is selfless. It is sacrificial. It is unconditional. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 That is the kind of love that I want in my life. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:33.000 That is the kind of love that we, as people, need in our life. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.000 And we'll explore more about this today. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.000 You know, in Scripture, we learn of many prodigals, right? 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:43.000 When we went over Jonah, we learned about the prodigal prophet. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:46.000 We learned about Nineveh, the prodigal city. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:51.000 And there's many other stories of people who turn away from God. 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:57.000 They realize the wrong that they do. They repent and they get restored with God. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:00.000 This is much like how we are. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.000 Aren't there times where we turn away from God? 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:08.000 Aren't there times where we get angry at God? Or sometimes we feel disted from God? 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:14.000 It is in those times where we need to realize that we can turn back to God. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:21.000 Sometimes it's from our own neglect. Sometimes it's from our own sin. Sometimes it's from our own action. 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.000 Remember, Jonah tried to physically run away, right? 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:30.000 He tried to spiritually separate himself, but he also tried to run away 2,500 miles. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.000 There are times where we too are prodigals. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:44.000 We need God, though, because here's the thing. Just because we think that we don't need God, we do need God in our life. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:52.000 I have found in my own personal life that people who are the most separated from God are the most angry. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:55.000 They are the most bitter of people. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:07.000 Flip it on its head. You find that very often the people who are close with God, they read Scripture, they have that relationship with God. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:11.000 They pray. They are present with the people of God. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:15.000 Are they angry? Are they upset? 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:23.000 Quite honestly, they are some of the most calm and peaceful people who are filled with the joy of the Lord. 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:28.000 It's like how Scripture says there is peace that is beyond understanding. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:34.000 I don't understand how you're so peaceful. I don't understand how you're filled with joy. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.000 Well, that comes from the Lord. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.000 You see, a life without God is meaningless. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:46.000 We can live for our work. We can live for money. We can live for knowledge. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:53.000 We can live for pleasure. We can live for many different things. We can chase the wind if you will. 00:09:53.000 --> 00:10:04.000 But a life without having God at the center of your life, a life without having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is a meaningless life. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:14.000 Because God gives us direction. God gives us purpose. God gives us wisdom. He gives us everything. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:22.000 If you're living a life without God, I encourage you to come to Him. If you feel distant from God, I encourage you to return to Him. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.000 Like many protocols in Scripture, we realize that we need God. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:31.000 Maybe you are at that point in your life where you need to repent. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:37.000 Maybe you're okay. Maybe you're doing fine with God. And that's great. Keep it up. 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:46.000 But if you ever do get separated, which we all do, be encouraged. Stay on that trajectory towards God and not away. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:57.000 Despite our silly and quite honestly our stupid actions, God is always there for us, waiting for us to turn to Him or to turn back to Him. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:04.000 Let us be encouraged. Encouraged to love God and to love people. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:13.000 In 1 Thessalonians, if you turn your Bibles, I'd like you to go, it's going to be in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 11. 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:28.000 It's going to be on page 1174 in your Pubible. If you're not using the Pubible, it's 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 11. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:36.000 And it says in here, follow along with me. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:43.000 Therefore, it's also going to be on the screen, but it's nice to open your Bible. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:51.000 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing. 00:11:51.000 --> 00:12:00.000 You know that word encourage, it means to comfort. It means to invite. It literally means to encourage. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:13.000 It also means to call near, call near to one's side. And contextually speaking, what we're seeing here is the Apostle Paul is talking about the day of the Lord. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:18.000 And that believers are to live in the light of truth. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:25.000 Now the day of the Lord for you Bible scholars out there, we know that's the day of judgment. It's the final judgment. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:34.000 And Paul is reminding the Thessalonians to encourage one another and to build each other up just as they have been doing. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:42.000 We do not know the time in which the final judgment will happen. We do not know when Jesus Christ will return. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:55.000 But what we can do is be encouraged to build each other up in the same manner and in the same way that Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians. 00:12:55.000 --> 00:13:00.000 This is but an encouragement for us as Christians. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:05.000 We are to encourage people to love God and to love people. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:15.000 So the question then comes up, well, who are we supposed to? Who are we supposed to love? Who specifically? 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:21.000 So I'm going to put that next slide up. You're going to see this list here of loving God and loving people. 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:30.000 And the Greek word that in many of these verses is adope or agapeo. And we're going to go over that in just a moment here. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:36.000 You know, the scripture tells us that we are to love the Lord. We are to love our neighbor. We're to love one another. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:43.000 We're to love our enemies. That's a difficult one. Love our enemies. What are you talking about? 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:51.000 We're also to have love and compassion for families as well as the stranger people that we do not know. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:14:04.000 The love that we are commanded to exhibit, I think you can build a case that it's for all people, for strangers, for enemies, for your neighbor, for one another. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:11.000 And if you think about it, look, the concept of neighbor, for example, it goes beyond who lives next door to you. 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:18.000 It goes beyond who's across the street or maybe who's right down the road. It goes beyond that. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:24.000 You know, I think of when you visit many different towns where someone says, howdy neighbor? 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:30.000 Is it your next door neighbor? Well, no, it means neighbor. Like, how are you doing? 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:35.000 Could be in the same town and it's a gesture that's used of saying, like, how are you? 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:43.000 I like that example because it conveys that neighbor can be someone we don't know. 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:52.000 It's certainly a interesting thing to think about. The type of love that I'm speaking about when we're looking at these verses is agape love. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:15:05.000 It is making the conscious decision to follow the Lord, to be in a relationship with Him, and a conscious decision to love the Lord with everything that you are. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:13.000 In the same manner and in the same way that God loves us unconditionally, we're to love and return to God. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:22.000 And we are to love each other in the same way. Now, that's not an easy thing to do if you think about it. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:29.000 A case can be made that this is part of one of the central themes of Christianity. 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:37.000 We find that God loves us so much with that agape love that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, for us. 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:49.000 This is the agape love that he has for us sending his son as the atoning sacrifice, as the sacrificial lamb, if you will. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:16:02.000 To think that if a human person were to sacrifice their own child for you, let alone their own life for you, that's remarkable on a human's standpoint. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:10.000 You're talking about the Creator God, who loves us so much that he's giving his only son. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:19.000 Can you imagine giving up your only child or giving up a child, let alone your own life, let's say? 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:24.000 That's not an easy thing to do. And I'll be honest, I don't know if I could do it. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:30.000 And the fact that God could do it, that is next level type of love. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:33.000 So I want us to go over these verses here. 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:46.000 We're to love the Lord and our neighbors. In Matthew 22, that passage it says, you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:54.000 This is the great end of the first commandment, right? Loving the Lord with everything that we are. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:00.000 When we think of our hearts, we think of our mind, we think of the essence of who we are. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:09.000 Love God in the same way that God loves us. That's an encouragement for us to show that love. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:20.000 The interesting thing is, it almost seems like you don't have as many verses as loving people. 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:32.000 That's because loving people can be more difficult, especially when you think of loving your enemies, loving strangers, people you don't know. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.000 It's easier said than done. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:45.000 John 13, 34, a new commandment I give you that you love one another just as I have loved you. You are to love one another. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:51.000 Contextually, this is where Jesus is saying, Christians, disciples, love each other. 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:59.000 I certainly hope that we are going to get along with one another in the same way that Christ commanded his disciples to. 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:03.000 But it's good that it is in there nonetheless. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:06.000 Loving our enemies, that's a different one. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:10.000 Culture tells us to love our enemies, right? 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.000 Culture tells us to forgive our enemies, right? 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:25.000 If someone does wrong and we think of worldly people, a secular world, how quick are they to say, hey, you know, they did you wrong, just forgive them, move on? 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.000 I don't think so. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:33.000 Quite honestly, what you find very often is, do people love their enemies? 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:42.000 No, they like to hate their enemies, dislike or try to cancel or block or delete if you will. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:55.000 Anybody that has an opposing view, love, that can't be right, but it says in here, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:19:05.000 If you're online and you have people who, let's say you're sharing in a Bible verse and someone's saying, oh, you Christian, you pray for them. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:13.000 Pray for people who oppose you. They very well may have a hardened heart. 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:19.000 And you praying for them? It's asking God to soften their heart. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:24.000 Maybe there's a reason why they're so angry or aggressive, if you will. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:31.000 Maybe they need prayer. The next time someone opposes your faith, pray for them. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:35.000 Pray that God will move in their life and in their hearts. 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:43.000 In the Ephesians passage, we talk about families where husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:50.000 In the same ways, husbands should love their wives as their own body. He who loves his wife, love himself. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.000 This is where we're finding about husbands loving their wives. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:59.000 It is the same type of love that we're seeing in the family unit. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:03.000 Now, specifically, it's talking about husbands to love their wife. 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:09.000 A case can be made that we are to love our families with this same agape love. 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:16.000 Love your children. Do you love your wife? Do you love your husband? Do you love your children? 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.000 Share in that love. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:27.000 And next one is strangers from Deuteronomy. The reason why I put an asterisk there, it's not specifically saying agape or agapeo, 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.000 but it is implied in here. 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:34.000 So it says in Deuteronomy, you shall love the foreigner or the sordriner. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:42.000 You were foreigners in the land of Egypt. In James 1.27, it says, religion is pure and undefiled before God. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:51.000 The Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:55.000 We're talking about acts of charity, right? 00:20:55.000 --> 00:21:03.000 When you're looking at the Deuteronomy passage, it's loving foreigners, just as you were once a foreigner yourself. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.000 Now, this is in the Old Testament, so it's not specifically using agape. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:20.000 When you're using James, when it's talking about visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, this is, it is part of the encouragement verse. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:32.000 You could also say it's part of engaging community for Christ, where to love other people through service, where to be encouraging to people when they're down. 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:37.000 So this is just another verse, and then finally, love in action. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:46.000 Now, we could do a whole study on 1 Corinthians chapter 13, but what's interesting about that passage is saying you could have all the knowledge in the world. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:51.000 You could have all of the, you could have faith to move mountains, you could speak in tongues. 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:56.000 You could, you could have all these gifts and abilities, but if you have love, you are nothing. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:10.000 That's a very hard passage, but it's an encouraging one, because it goes on to say that what love is, that love is patient, that love is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:18.000 It is not arrogant or rude. Love bears all things, believes all things. Love never ends. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:29.000 You see, we're created in the image of God, and we are encouraged to love God and to love people in the same manner and in the same way that God has shown to us. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:31.000 Where to do that to God? 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:35.000 When we come together in the church, we are to worship the Lord. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.000 We're to sing psalms to Him. 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:41.000 We're saying, thank you God for creating me. 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:47.000 Thank you Jesus Christ for dying on the cross and being raised on the third day. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:50.000 Thank you. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:23:05.000 Every time you sing a hymn of the faith or a brand new worship song, a Twila Paris piece or a Chris Tomlin piece, or you're doing a Martin Luther hymn, whatever it is. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:12.000 The idea is lyrically, melodically, you're praising God. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:17.000 And we as the body of Christ, we are praising God. 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:29.000 Next time you sing a song, think about how you're thanking God, appreciating God for what He has done and what He continues to do. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:35.000 That He loves us despite our how much we mess things up. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:40.000 That is an encouragement. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:47.000 God knew us before we were born, and despite the fact we sin, God still loves us. 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:56.000 How often when human interactions, when someone messes something up, do we get angry? 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.000 How often do we get frustrated? 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:02.000 Are we quick to love? Are we quick to forgive? 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.000 It's a challenge. Certainly it is. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.000 But be encouraged to love like God. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:12.000 God calls us to come to Him and to be in relationship with Him. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.000 God forgives us of all of our sins. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:20.000 That God is holy and He is that constant. 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:23.000 How much is culture changing? You don't have to answer this. 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:28.000 How much is culture changing? A lot or a little? 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:34.000 If you say a little, then, alright, maybe you're just seeing a little bit. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:37.000 Culture is changing a lot, though. 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:48.000 I don't need to go into all of the intricacies of how the world is changing, the technological advances, the social movements that are happening in our culture. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:51.000 Many of us already know what's going on. 00:24:51.000 --> 00:25:01.000 Despite the fact that culture may change, may go on a path that's completely separate from God, we have a constant in God. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:06.000 And I don't know about you. I don't know where culture is going. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.000 I don't want to know where culture is going. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:12.000 Well, I kind of know where culture is going. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:17.000 If a ship is sinking, don't you want to get on that lifeboat? 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:23.000 Alright, God's like that lifeboat. Get on the life raft, if you will. 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:26.000 Don't stay on the sinking ship. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:29.000 So this is the idea of encouragement. 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:37.000 I'm speaking with, we as a church, we're to love the Lord our God first and foremost. 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:42.000 And we are encouraged to share in that same love to other people. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:46.000 And so the question then comes, well, what does that encouragement look like then? 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:50.000 How does that look practically to the everyday Christian? 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.000 So let's go to our next, I have a few verses to share with you. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:26:05.000 Encouragement in action, welcoming people, inviting people, bearing one another's burdens, comforting those in need, 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:10.000 uplifting words, showing kindness. 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:15.000 This should be obvious, but it's in Scripture. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.000 It may be obvious, but we need to be reminded. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:23.000 And for some of us who don't know that, we should learn it. 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.000 Romans 15, there's a lot of verses in here. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:29.000 We're not going to go through, well, we are going to go through every verse, 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:33.000 but we're not going to, we could go in depth for a lot of these. 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:40.000 In Romans 15-7, it says, therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.000 This verse is saying that we are to welcome one another, right? 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:54.000 Contextually speaking, it's talking about how the apostle Paul is wanting the church to welcome fellow Christians for the glory of God. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:27:01.000 And in the same manner that that welcoming spirit is exhibited in Rome, 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:05.000 it's the same way that we can welcome people who come through the doors. 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.000 Certainly we are to welcome fellow Christians who come and visit, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:15.000 but when we're talking about loving God and loving people and inviting people, 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:18.000 we should be welcoming to those. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:21.000 You don't know what their story is like. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:23.000 You don't know if they're a Christian. 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:27.000 You don't know what their background is, 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:32.000 but that same welcoming spirit needs to exist, 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:37.000 whether it's a believer or someone who is yet to believe. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:40.000 It's having that personal connection with each other. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.000 It's an encouragement to have this sense of authenticity, 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:46.000 genuineness, the sense of warmth. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:52.000 We are encouraged as a church to be a welcoming people for anyone who goes through those doors. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.000 We certainly have that encouragement. 00:27:54.000 --> 00:28:01.000 In Hebrews 13, chapter 13, verse 2, it says, do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:04.000 and thereby, I always love this verse, 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:08.000 some have entertained angels unaware. 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:10.000 That's a very interesting one. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:17.000 We see that certainly there's the encouragement that we should show hospitality to others, to strangers. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:20.000 And I have always found it very interesting that it's saying, 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:26.000 you may have entertained an angel, but you won't know. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.000 Now to me, that's an encouragement. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:35.000 I don't know if one of you are an angel, welcome, welcome to church. 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:41.000 But certainly, look, the idea is that you may have entertained angels unaware. 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:47.000 It's just kind of a nice thing, like, wow, it'd be someone you completely unexpected. 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:54.000 Maybe it's someone who comes in who's dressed ruggedly and has tattoos or whatever. 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:55.000 Maybe that's the angel. 00:28:55.000 --> 00:29:01.000 I don't know, but the idea is having that sense of hospitality. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:04.000 As people come through the doors, let us welcome them. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:10.000 Let us show that sense of hospitality, creating that sense of community. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:13.000 It's like how we are called Ontario Community Church. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:24.000 We are a community, a community, the body of Christ, of fellow believers who love God and certainly love others. 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:31.000 That same word is also shown in Romans 13, 2, which is talking about contributing to the needs of the saints 00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:34.000 and seek to show hospitality. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:43.000 Now hospitality, when you think of someone who's hospitable, someone who's warm, someone who's welcome, 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:46.000 let's be encouraged to be a church like that. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:49.000 Let's keep the trajectory going. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:51.000 Galatians 6, verse 2, 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:55.000 bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.000 This verse says to fulfill the law of Christ. 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:03.000 It's going beyond empathy. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:07.000 It's showing active care for others. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:12.000 We are to support those who are hurting, those who are in need. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:17.000 We are to guide those who may have fallen into sin. 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:21.000 We are to work to restore people. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:26.000 There's a lot of people, and it's very difficult to ignore. 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:30.000 There's a lot of people who've walked away from the church and have walked away from Christianity. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:36.000 We are encouraged to work with them, to be present with them and exhibit that love. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:42.000 In the same way you would help someone who's hurting or working with someone who has sinned. 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:45.000 Work with them. 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:51.000 Help them on the path to restoration in Christ. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:56.000 Again, we may not always know what someone is going through. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:01.000 It's almost as though, could you imagine if we had a little sign above our heads 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:04.000 and said what you're struggling with? 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:06.000 What a crazy world that would be, right? 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:08.000 If our world's not crazy enough. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:13.000 But the thing is, you couldn't meet someone, and they may say they're okay, 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:15.000 but really they're not. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:20.000 Or other people who may look like the world's crumbling, but they're really okay. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:25.000 The point is, we don't know what someone is going through. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:31.000 That is why we are to be present with our brothers and sisters in Christ 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:33.000 and those who come through the door. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:40.000 Let us be a church that exhibits that love, embodies this love, and genuinely cares for others. 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:45.000 A church is a place where we can celebrate the birth of a child. 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.000 We celebrate marriages. We celebrate families. 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:56.000 It's also a place in times of trials and tribulations where we can help one another. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:32:06.000 That is but a part of showing, exhibiting love, the same kind of love that God has for us. 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:12.000 And in Corinthians chapter one, verses three to four, 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:17.000 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:27.000 and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our affliction, 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:38.000 so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:42.000 With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:51.000 What that verse is saying, we receive comfort from God, and we're to show that same comfort, comforting those in need. 00:32:51.000 --> 00:32:57.000 There's, again, there's that peace that comes from God. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:01.000 There's that love that comes from God. 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:09.000 I like to think of myself as a loving person, but the love that I have is nothing compared to what the love that God has for me 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:12.000 and the love that God has for you. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:18.000 And I want to be like Jesus. I want to love like how Jesus loves others. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:23.000 And that is, it's a challenge, but it's an encouragement for us. 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:29.000 We are the hands and feet of God. We should comfort those who are going through those difficult days. 00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:37.000 We're reminded to comfort those who are grieving, whereas that scripture says any affliction. 00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:42.000 In Proverbs chapter 12 verse 25, that verse says, 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:49.000 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Doesn't anxiety wear us down? 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:52.000 And that's a good word from Proverbs, right? 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:57.000 Proverbs full of such wisdom that we can use in our everyday lives. 00:33:57.000 --> 00:34:00.000 Anxiety weighs him down. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:05.000 So many things can weigh us down, right? In our everyday lives. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:08.000 How many of us are anxious? You don't have to raise your hand. 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:11.000 How many of us have been anxious before, right? 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:13.000 That sense of anxiety in us. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:17.000 It says here, a good word makes him glad. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:24.000 The words that we speak, the words that we say, it talks about the power of words. 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:28.000 This verse tells us how a good word makes someone glad. 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:32.000 It's a reminder that we need to be intentional. 00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:38.000 We need to be mindful, cautious, careful, if you will, of the words that we say to people. 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:42.000 It's just like how many of us know that verse that says, 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:46.000 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:56.000 This verse is an echo of that, of how powerful the words that we say to people, how powerful it is. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:03.000 We can express God's love when we choose to encourage and to lift up people. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:07.000 Now, certainly, I want to remind all of us, 00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:13.000 we stand firm on the word of God, but we deal in love. 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:17.000 I've mentioned it a couple of times before, and I'll mention it again. 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:24.000 We love because God loved us, and we stand firm on the truth of God. 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:28.000 We don't waver. We don't change our beliefs. 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:32.000 We stand firm on the constant that is in God. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:37.000 We stand firm, but you can still deal in love. That's a challenge. 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:42.000 Because so often you have, let's just say, people. 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.000 They may stand firm on the word of God, but do they deal in love? 00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:52.000 What happens is sometimes you're standing firm, maybe you're not exhibiting love. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:57.000 On the other side, you have people who are dealing in love, but are they standing firm? 00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:04.000 There's this balance between the two, on standing firm in the truth of the word of God, 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:09.000 standing in that constant, and dealing in love. 00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:14.000 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 says, be kind to one another. 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:18.000 That's a great encouragement. Can we all get along? 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:23.000 That's not a problem here at this church, but certainly it can be a problem at any church, though. 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:27.000 It could be a problem here, and I hope it never becomes a problem here. 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:32.000 We need to be kind to each other. This verse is a reminder that, or it says here, 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:37.000 be kind to one another, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:43.000 It's showing that love. It's forgiving each other, being kind. 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:49.000 Show kindness and compassion and forgiveness to others as we have received from Christ. 00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:56.000 This is how we encourage through kindness, acts of kindness, words of kindness. 00:36:56.000 --> 00:37:02.000 We show compassion. Showing compassion can do so much for them somewhere. 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:06.000 Imagine growing up in a world where there's no compassion and there's no love, 00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:12.000 and if you say the wrong thing, you're completely blocked and removed from society. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:16.000 That doesn't sound anything like the world that we live in today, right? 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:20.000 Can you imagine such a world like that? Wait a minute. 00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:25.000 It sounds awfully a lot like the world that we live in. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.000 This world needs love. It certainly needs forgiveness. 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:35.000 It's kind of crazy to think that Christ is more forgiving than culture ever will be. 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:40.000 You say one wrong thing. Someone quotes you out of context. 00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:46.000 He says, see, this person's a terrible person. We need to shut him down. 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:51.000 Even if you'd said the right thing, they'll take it out of context. 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:59.000 Does God do that? If you made a mistake, if you sinned, God forgives you. 00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:03.000 We're encouraged and I think there is... 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:07.000 I don't think there's a better time for us to share in forgiveness 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:11.000 and compassion and kindness and love, because the world that we're dealing with now 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:15.000 is not forgiving. It's not loving. 00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:22.000 And anything that speaks against whatever the culture is teaching, 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:26.000 you're out of there. You're gone. But here's the thing. 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:31.000 Instead of removing people, God invites us. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:35.000 And what a great opportunity for us as Christians to realize that. 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:40.000 God invites us despite our mistakes, despite our sins. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.000 So what are you going to do about that? 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:48.000 How can we... 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:52.000 How can we show kindness in our daily actions with others? 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:54.000 I want to challenge you with that question. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:57.000 It's a question that we should think about. 00:38:57.000 --> 00:39:03.000 How can we share in kindness to other people? 00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:10.000 A few years ago, I knew a woman who never had been a Christian before. 00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:17.000 She was raised in a, you would call it a secular home, or a non-believing home. 00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:20.000 She was invited to church by her friends. 00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:26.000 Her friends said, hey, why don't you come to church and we have these Bible studies and stuff. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:30.000 And this woman was hesitant. This is someone that I know. 00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:36.000 She came to church and she started to attend and she had many questions. 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:39.000 Who's this Jesus guy? 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:43.000 Isn't he just a good teacher? 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:49.000 This person, the church welcomed her. The church helped her. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:55.000 And certainly, when they didn't have all the answers, 00:39:55.000 --> 00:40:01.000 they were like, I don't know, but we'll find out. Let's explore scripture. 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:11.000 As time went on, this woman, she began to see the love that the church had for her. 00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:17.000 She was anxious and full of anxiety and struggled with depression. 00:40:17.000 --> 00:40:22.000 She kept coming and she was encouraged by the community. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:26.000 She was shown the love that Jesus had for her. 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:31.000 And I'm proud to say that this woman made a decision for Christ. 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:37.000 She became baptized and she became an active member of her church. 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:40.000 Now this is just one story. 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:45.000 A story about a woman who grew up in a worldly home, if you will, 00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:51.000 came to church and was shown the love of Christ through other people. 00:40:51.000 --> 00:41:00.000 And because of that love, she made the decision to have Jesus Christ in her life. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:03.000 What's your story? 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:07.000 You may have a similar story. You may have a completely different story. 00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:12.000 But I want you to think about as we're coming to a close today, 00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:19.000 I want you to think of a story that's yet to happen, a story that's yet to come. 00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:21.000 Think of how you came to Christ. 00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:28.000 Think of how you can be an example of how you can share in that love and be encouragement for people. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:32.000 We all need Christ. It doesn't matter the age. 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:37.000 What matters is that we share in that love with other people. 00:41:37.000 --> 00:41:43.000 Jesus Christ showed that agape love to everyone, even the outcasts of society. 00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:46.000 Think of the tax collectors, think of the lepers. 00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:54.000 Think of the, well, the scum of the earth and society, there to be welcomed as well. 00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:58.000 It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what you've been through. 00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:02.000 It doesn't matter what you're going through or what you are going to go through. 00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:06.000 What matters is that God is constant and God loves you. 00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:11.000 We are loved by God. We are saved by grace through faith 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:14.000 and it is up to us to make that decision for Jesus Christ. 00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:18.000 The love that God has for us, it changes lives. 00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:24.000 Christ died for all so that we can have new life in him. 00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:31.000 We should all come to Christ and live for Christ and not the fleeting things of this earth. 00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:38.000 Not for status, not for wealth, not for money, not for pleasure. 00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:41.000 Remember the verse we began with? 00:42:41.000 --> 00:42:44.000 Let's put that verse back on. 00:42:44.000 --> 00:42:50.000 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing. 00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:59.000 I want you to think of just one person that you know that you can share in that love this week. 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:03.000 I want you to think of someone that you can encourage this week. 00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:08.000 Let us ask God to give us direction for encouraging people. 00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:15.000 May God give us the eyes to see people through the lens of love through him. 00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:21.000 May we stand firm on the truth of the Word of God in doing so. 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:26.000 How can you be encouraging to your neighbor today? 00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:30.000 With that, let's close in prayer. 00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:36.000 Father God, we thank you for this time and this opportunity for us to gather today. 00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:39.000 You God, you are a loving God. 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:42.000 You are truth and you are life. 00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:44.000 You are love. 00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:47.000 May we learn to stand firm on your word. 00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:51.000 May we learn to love like Jesus does. 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.000 You knew us before we were born. 00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:56.000 You've done so much for us. 00:43:56.000 --> 00:44:00.000 And I pray that this church will be an encouraging church. 00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:05.000 That we as the body of Christ, that we will love God and love other people. 00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:10.000 May we learn what it means to show that agape love, that unconditional, that forgiving, 00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.000 that kindness, that compassionate love to others. 00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:17.000 We pray that we may realize that we are loved by you. 00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:19.000 You love us. 00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:21.000 May we love you in the same way. 00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:22.000 You love us. 00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:24.000 May we love others in the same way. 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:26.000 You comfort us when we are weak. 00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:27.000 You give us strength. 00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:29.000 You give us new life. 00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:31.000 You give us identity and purpose. 00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:38.000 Give us divine direction so that we may not perish as Proverbs chapter 29 verse 18 says, 00:44:38.000 --> 00:44:43.000 May we have divine direction that comes from you. 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:47.000 For without divine direction, we will perish. 00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:52.000 May you, may your son be at the center of our lives. 00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:55.000 Be with us as we go this week. 00:44:55.000 --> 00:45:01.000 It is in Jesus' name that we pray and we all say together, Amen.