WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.620 Now, perhaps you can turn with me in your Bibles once again to 1 John 3, still on page 1227. 00:00:08.620 --> 00:00:19.660 And we're going to read the section that begins at verse 11 down to verse 20, where we read this. 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:22.820 For this is the message you heard from the beginning. 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.420 We should love one another. 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:29.620 Do not be like Cain, who belong to the evil one, 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:31.080 and murdered his brother. 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:33.399 And why did he murder him? 00:00:33.980 --> 00:00:38.020 Because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous. 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:43.120 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:48.500 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:51.920 Anyone who does not love remains in death. 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.180 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, 00:00:55.180 --> 00:00:59.180 and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 00:00:59.619 --> 00:01:03.000 This is how we know what love is. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:11.099 Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:18.519 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, 00:01:19.179 --> 00:01:22.019 how can the love of God be in that person? 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:28.780 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:36.780 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence. 00:01:37.479 --> 00:01:42.439 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:45.659 and he knows everything. 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:46.780 Amen. 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:46.859 Amen. 00:01:48.060 --> 00:01:53.960 So we're continuing to think about the church as the house that Jesus builds. 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:59.219 We're thinking about what does it look like as the life of God is at work in the life of the church. 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:04.260 And so we come to this section, which is all about loving one another. 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:09.700 So to help us to get into it, let's think about markers of identity and belonging. 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:11.860 So I guess it's a familiar sight. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:17.520 Tomorrow morning, if you happen to be out around quarter to nine, I guess, or half past eight, 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:22.460 you will see some school kids in uniform, no doubt, and you will know, okay, they belong to that school. 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:30.020 Or we see supporters in their team colors, and we understand where their sense of belonging lies. 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:35.219 And we're also familiar, I think, with the idea that within certain groups, 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:39.500 there is a particular feel and a particular set of values. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:47.700 If you join a new student society, or if you're involved in local party politics or some interest group, 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:54.400 even if you're in the terraces at a football match, there are shared ways of talking and acting. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:58.280 So groups have a look and groups have a feel. 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:04.140 And John is telling us that's to be true of God's church also. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:09.500 So as we think about the house that Jesus builds, we thought about that a couple of weeks ago, 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:13.719 as we think about the church as the body of Christ, we were thinking about that last week, 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:16.680 what does that look like and what does it feel like? 00:03:17.540 --> 00:03:22.740 And John says it looks and feels like love, love one another. 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:31.040 In this section of his letter, he's reminding us that as we've been joined together by God's love for us in Jesus, 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:34.879 as God's love is poured out into our hearts, 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:42.140 of necessity, God's love is then flowing out from us to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:48.680 And the impression that that is to create is that someone on the outside looking in might say, 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:50.740 see how they love one another. 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:55.540 There is a particular quality of Christian love that is in view. 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:02.060 But I wonder as we come to think about that, do we sense perhaps the challenge of it, 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:06.900 or even our own need perhaps to confess our failures in this regard? 00:04:08.100 --> 00:04:14.879 You know, as the church and as individuals, we don't always live up to the truths that we profess. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:22.600 The church should be the most welcoming and loving environment that any person could ever find themselves in. 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:26.800 But sadly, we know that that's not always the case. 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.719 Churches do not always serve to give life. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:37.279 Churches and Christians can, in fact, repel people rather than attract people. 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:42.879 If you've ever heard, you know, Christians being labeled for being hypocrites. 00:04:44.159 --> 00:04:48.679 Or, you know, the problem, so many of the problems of hate and division in the world, 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.859 where they stem from a religion and they stem from the church. 00:04:54.479 --> 00:04:55.699 Maybe you know stories. 00:04:55.859 --> 00:05:00.179 Maybe you've had the story where a church has been a source of hurt rather than healing. 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:11.240 There is a point where, as Christians and as churches, we need to confess that we don't always live up to the truths that we long to live up to. 00:05:11.900 --> 00:05:18.720 That the church can turn people off from Jesus, and that's a terrible truth and a terrible reality. 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:26.100 I imagine for us, if we are Christians, we want to be consistent. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:28.220 We want to practice what we preach. 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:34.820 We want this to be what our church families are like, places of love and sacrifice and service. 00:05:35.580 --> 00:05:36.740 But it can be challenging. 00:05:38.060 --> 00:05:45.200 So this evening, what we're going to do is we're going to spend some time together just thinking about this key mark of the Christian church. 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:48.040 So we're going to hear the command, and it's there in verse 11. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:49.680 Jesus calls us to love one another. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:58.680 We're going to think about the cross because we're told that Jesus' death reveals what God's love for us looks like. 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:10.040 And then we're going to see the confident assurance that we can have, that love for one another gives us assurance of our salvation. 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:12.620 So let's begin looking at the command. 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:17.459 So we'll think about the whole section, verse 11 to 15, but especially verse 11 there. 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:19.480 This is the message you heard from the beginning. 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:21.420 We should love one another. 00:06:22.259 --> 00:06:23.879 Just to introduce John's letter. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:31.379 This is a defense of true faith from false faith, true Christianity from false. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:33.860 And so he sets up a number of different tests. 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:36.639 And one of those we could call the social test. 00:06:37.900 --> 00:06:39.759 Do we love one another? 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:44.020 And we understand that this section is all about that test. 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:47.980 Because one bookend, one side, 311, we should love one another. 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:53.819 And then if you go to 421, the end of the section, and he has given us this command, 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:57.180 anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:03.240 And everything in between really focuses on this issue of God calling us to love one another. 00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:08.920 Within the wide section, it's got that key statement, and we heard it twice as Neil read it for us, 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:11.460 that God is love. 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:18.220 It's said in 1 John 4, 8 and verse 16 also. 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:24.500 So the God who is eternal, it dwells in eternal love. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:29.920 That love is essential to God's character and nature. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:31.139 God is love. 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.399 God is holy love. 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:44.660 And as he describes God as love, he then says that that should have a knock-on effect for the children of God. 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:52.160 If the God of love is our Father, if we were to take a spiritual DNA test, 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:57.100 then as Christians we should see that love is essential to who we are. 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:04.260 That we have a new love towards God, and we're called to love our neighbor, 00:08:05.080 --> 00:08:11.480 but there is a special love that we are called to have for our brothers and our sisters within the Christian fellowship. 00:08:11.940 --> 00:08:15.900 We should, chapter 3, verse 11, love one another. 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:21.899 In verse 14 of chapter 3, he changes the image slightly. 00:08:22.799 --> 00:08:27.959 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:34.579 So if you imagine you're in a hospital ward and you see lots of banks of monitors, 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.139 there are lots of ways to show signs of life. 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:39.559 You know, those things that go up and down. 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:45.839 This is, for the Christian, a sign of spiritual life. 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:49.039 Are we loving one another? 00:08:50.799 --> 00:09:00.539 That a sign of life of God in us is that love from God for his children will be worked out in us. 00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:05.779 Again, just to go back to 311, when John says, 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:08.059 this is a message you heard from the beginning, 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:12.099 he's reminding us that this is part of core Christianity. 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:14.039 This is essential. 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:16.860 This is not something that was added at a later date. 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:22.319 This has always been Jesus' design for how his church is to function. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:26.159 And that's why we read that little section of John 13. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:31.199 And to recognize that the Jesus who told us to love one another 00:09:31.199 --> 00:09:34.539 is the Jesus who perfectly practiced what he preached. 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:37.679 And so just to remind us when this is happening, 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:40.879 Jesus is speaking at the time of the Passover, 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:43.679 which will become the Lord's Supper. 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:46.319 And just before saying those words, 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:49.079 Jesus has laid aside his outer robe, 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:51.319 and he's got down on his knees, 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:53.480 and he'd washed his disciples' feet. 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:59.899 So Jesus, who practices humility and service and practical love, 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:00.920 he is the one who says, 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:03.259 go and do likewise. 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:07.420 And he will show us the fullest extent of his love 00:10:07.420 --> 00:10:09.500 as he will go to the cross, 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:10.539 and we'll think about that. 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:15.039 But like lungs breathing in and then breathing out, 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:19.580 we receive God's love as it's poured into our hearts, 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:24.320 and then it flows out from us to one another, 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:25.600 or it should. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:30.700 There is a warning that John has in these verses. 00:10:31.160 --> 00:10:33.620 Notice 12 and 13, and then verse 15, 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:35.440 do not be like Cain, 00:10:35.920 --> 00:10:39.060 who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. 00:10:40.660 --> 00:10:43.660 He uses this negative example as a warning. 00:10:43.659 --> 00:10:47.620 So Cain, back in Genesis 4, brother of Abel, 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:50.659 the story records that terrible sequence 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:52.360 that begins with jealousy, 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:54.240 that leads to hatred, 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:56.600 and that climaxes with murder. 00:10:57.339 --> 00:10:58.759 And in the midst of that, 00:10:59.199 --> 00:11:01.719 Cain hardens his heart to God's warning. 00:11:02.579 --> 00:11:06.039 So remember the point where God doesn't accept his sacrifice 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:07.039 because his heart is wrong, 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:07.819 and Abel's is right, 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:09.120 and he's really angry about that. 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:10.279 And God comes to him and says, 00:11:10.339 --> 00:11:11.539 have you got any right to be angry? 00:11:11.539 --> 00:11:12.559 And then he says, remember, 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:15.939 sin is like a predator crouching at your door. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:17.639 It desires to have you, 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:19.459 but you must master it. 00:11:19.459 --> 00:11:22.039 But he hardens his heart to God's warning. 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:25.639 And so hate is what defines Cain 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:29.099 and Cain's response to righteous Abel. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:32.459 And so what John does is he uses that example 00:11:32.459 --> 00:11:36.319 of here is how Cain acted towards his righteous brother Abel 00:11:36.319 --> 00:11:39.199 to say, this is how the world typically acts 00:11:39.199 --> 00:11:40.919 towards the church. 00:11:41.599 --> 00:11:45.000 So notice what he says in verse 13. 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:47.599 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, 00:11:47.599 --> 00:11:49.879 if the world hates you. 00:11:51.059 --> 00:11:52.860 So there's this pattern of, 00:11:53.079 --> 00:11:54.779 because they're opposites, 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:58.219 and like darkness and light cannot co-exist. 00:11:59.459 --> 00:12:03.079 There is the sense that the world is angered 00:12:03.079 --> 00:12:05.899 and wants nothing to do with the light, 00:12:06.339 --> 00:12:08.659 Jesus and his people. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:12.500 And so there is a pattern here within the world 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:13.839 that stands as a warning, 00:12:14.219 --> 00:12:17.819 do not be like the world in terms of showing hate 00:12:17.819 --> 00:12:20.019 and disregard towards God's people, 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:21.500 God's family. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:26.240 And so one thing that he's doing actually in these verses 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:29.379 is saying, well, here's one way to diagnose our spiritual condition. 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:33.580 How do we feel about the people of God? 00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:38.500 Signs of love are signs of spiritual life. 00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:42.100 But when John says to us, 00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:43.879 this is the message you heard from the beginning, 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:45.080 we should love one another, 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:49.460 we recognize that he is echoing Jesus' words, 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:52.460 and we understand that Jesus is calling his church 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:56.940 to be a genuine counterculture marked by true love. 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.780 And let's just think about what a difference that makes 00:13:00.780 --> 00:13:03.180 when a local church, 00:13:03.280 --> 00:13:06.120 when a group of God's people live that way. 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:07.920 What difference would it make? 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:11.400 Here's one way it would make a difference. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.440 We would find a church to be a refuge 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:18.200 from the usual rat race that we are so familiar with. 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:20.980 You know, that sense where we're always 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:23.820 feeling like we're comparing our CV 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:26.720 or our achievements or our gifts with someone else 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:28.020 or they're doing it to us. 00:13:29.780 --> 00:13:33.440 How easy it can be to be competing for prominence 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:35.820 and importance in society. 00:13:36.780 --> 00:13:38.200 The church has to be so different 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:41.160 because we serve one another. 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:43.360 And we can serve one another 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:45.019 because we've got a secure identity, 00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:48.519 because we know God's love for us in Christ. 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:51.759 And so we are free within the church to say, 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:55.139 you first, not me first, 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:57.980 to value others above ourselves, 00:13:57.980 --> 00:13:59.480 as we find in Philippians. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.500 A church that loves this way, 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:05.740 I think is also a safe haven 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:09.180 in what's often known as the selfie generation. 00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:11.779 In what sense? 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:13.180 Think about this. 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:15.519 If we've got love for Christ in our hearts 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:16.979 and in this community, 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.339 then the one thing that we shouldn't be doing 00:14:20.339 --> 00:14:22.939 is building our own personal platforms. 00:14:23.719 --> 00:14:25.959 We shouldn't be making it all about ourselves 00:14:25.959 --> 00:14:28.639 because who are we called to boast in? 00:14:29.339 --> 00:14:30.859 Not in ourselves, but in Jesus. 00:14:32.219 --> 00:14:35.699 And when we're living applying the gospel of grace, 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:40.860 we don't have to apply the airbrush filter to our lives 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:46.540 to give the impression that we are doing just fine 00:14:46.540 --> 00:14:48.320 and we're achieving wonderful things. 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:53.160 Rather, we have freedom to confess sin and failure and need. 00:14:53.159 --> 00:15:00.159 So when a church really lives practicing God's love together, 00:15:00.319 --> 00:15:03.259 it creates a very different community. 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:10.419 And it serves to put a spotlight on the glory of God's love towards us 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:11.559 and towards the world. 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:16.299 When we build a life around this value, 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:18.860 God's love for us in Jesus, 00:15:19.319 --> 00:15:21.139 when we work that out together, 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.120 by God's design, 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:24.960 we shine a light in the darkness. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.379 It made me think, 00:15:27.560 --> 00:15:29.240 some of you were there actually. 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:32.320 I can't remember how many winters it was ago, 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.019 but the Cozzi project, 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:35.540 they had an art project 00:15:35.540 --> 00:15:37.440 and from our building, 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:39.120 in the midst of winter, 00:15:39.480 --> 00:15:41.340 they projected a light show. 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:44.379 So imagine how dark and cold 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:46.580 a typical Edinburgh winter is. 00:15:46.900 --> 00:15:48.400 And then there is light 00:15:48.400 --> 00:15:51.519 beaming from this place. 00:15:52.680 --> 00:15:54.680 And that's exactly what John is saying 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:55.579 and Jesus said, 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:57.000 the church is to be 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.819 the people of God shining the love of God 00:16:00.819 --> 00:16:02.879 into a dark world 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:06.479 to draw people towards the light of God's love. 00:16:07.319 --> 00:16:08.579 So that's the command. 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:10.679 Jesus calls us to love one another. 00:16:12.099 --> 00:16:13.620 And then he gets more particular. 00:16:13.779 --> 00:16:15.500 Let's look secondly at the cross 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:17.039 because there at the cross, 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:19.599 Jesus reveals God's love to us. 00:16:20.599 --> 00:16:21.459 Verse 16, 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:24.479 this is how we know what love is. 00:16:25.099 --> 00:16:29.539 Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 00:16:30.239 --> 00:16:32.159 So the love that Jesus teaches, 00:16:32.859 --> 00:16:34.259 the love that John is speaking about, 00:16:34.359 --> 00:16:37.459 is a love that Jesus has put on display. 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:40.099 And it is a love that is, 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:42.579 when we think about applying it ourselves, 00:16:42.819 --> 00:16:44.339 is more demanding and difficult 00:16:44.339 --> 00:16:45.919 than may at first seem 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:47.719 because what we discover is 00:16:47.719 --> 00:16:49.879 this is a love without any limits. 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:54.379 I was thinking about Matthew 5, 46. 00:16:54.379 --> 00:16:57.200 In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:01.539 Jesus gives a reminder to his listeners, 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:04.519 if you love those who love you, 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:06.900 what reward will you get? 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:10.900 Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:13.300 So when we think about the kind of love 00:17:13.300 --> 00:17:14.960 that Jesus is calling his church to, 00:17:15.040 --> 00:17:17.000 it's not the easy bits 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:19.420 and it's not just with easy people. 00:17:20.300 --> 00:17:22.600 It's not just a love for those who are like us 00:17:22.600 --> 00:17:24.259 and those who happen to like us. 00:17:25.600 --> 00:17:26.040 Rather, 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:28.400 and this is where it becomes really important, 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:28.780 I think, 00:17:28.820 --> 00:17:30.180 in a fractured world 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:34.019 where we can often focus on differences 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:35.119 that divide us, 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:37.740 Christian love and the Christian church 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:40.480 should stand out as a place of healing 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:45.019 because we understand the nature of love 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:46.639 because we've seen it 00:17:46.639 --> 00:17:48.359 and we've experienced it 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:50.039 in God's love for us in Jesus. 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:53.099 So that it is Christians 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:54.940 who are uniquely equipped to love 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:56.579 even when it is inconvenient, 00:17:57.579 --> 00:18:00.839 to love at great personal cost, 00:18:01.379 --> 00:18:03.700 to show love across the barriers 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:05.200 of our own personal comfort, 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:08.960 across our own personal cultures. 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:13.700 The more we appreciate God's love for us 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:15.480 and the more we move closer 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:16.940 to the source of true love, 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:18.240 who is God, 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:20.940 we find that we are moving closer 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:22.740 to one another as brothers and sisters 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:24.600 and the better able we are 00:18:24.600 --> 00:18:28.299 to put this love on display in the world. 00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:32.059 So what exactly does God's love look like? 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:36.059 And that's why he gives us chapter 3, verse 16. 00:18:36.159 --> 00:18:38.119 This is how we know what love is. 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:41.179 Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 00:18:41.639 --> 00:18:44.059 And then again in chapter 4 and verse 9, 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:46.700 this is how God showed his love among us. 00:18:47.179 --> 00:18:49.779 He sent his one and only son into the world 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:51.619 that we might live through him. 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:53.500 This is love. 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:55.539 Not that we loved God, 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:57.720 but that he loved us 00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:00.980 and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:03.380 for our sins. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:06.559 Love looks like laying down. 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:11.259 And John deliberately uses the same language 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:12.539 that he used in his gospel. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:16.099 So in the middle of the Lord's Supper, 00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:20.339 Jesus laid aside his outer robe 00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:22.699 so that he could wash his disciples' feet. 00:19:23.639 --> 00:19:27.000 He says that same Jesus laid down his life 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:29.480 to wash us clean of sin. 00:19:30.639 --> 00:19:32.339 That he laid down his life 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:34.879 to give us eternal life. 00:19:35.619 --> 00:19:37.099 He demonstrates God's love 00:19:37.099 --> 00:19:39.799 so we can experience God's love. 00:19:40.339 --> 00:19:44.500 But we understand that that love is sacrifice. 00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:49.019 Jesus in love takes our place. 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:55.039 When we think about Jesus dying on the cross 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:58.900 in that place of curse and punishment, 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:03.099 we understand that that should be our cross, 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:05.920 our cross, our curse, our punishment. 00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:09.900 That there on the cross, 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:12.319 as Jesus becomes the atoning sacrifice, 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:16.679 he faces and absorbs God's wrath, 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:19.339 the wrath that should fall on us. 00:20:20.679 --> 00:20:22.519 Jesus fell on it for us. 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:28.079 When Jesus dies and the world goes black 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:29.480 and he cries out, 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:30.700 my God, my God, 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:32.399 why have you forsaken me? 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:36.480 That should be our experience eternally. 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:39.159 Separation from God and his goodness. 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:44.560 But Jesus lays down his life for us. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:46.900 Jesus takes death for us. 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:50.240 Jesus gives everything for us. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.940 He is wounded for our healing. 00:20:53.120 --> 00:20:55.320 He is condemned for our freedom. 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:58.380 He is forsaken for our welcome. 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:03.660 And as we think about God's love for us in Jesus, 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:05.620 we also understand that it is positive 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:07.079 and it is active. 00:21:09.159 --> 00:21:12.059 The God who describes himself in the Old Testament 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.179 as compassionate and merciful and gracious, 00:21:14.739 --> 00:21:16.659 he sees our need. 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:18.859 And Jesus comes to act, 00:21:18.979 --> 00:21:20.219 to meet our need. 00:21:21.139 --> 00:21:23.219 When we think about the story of the good Samaritan, 00:21:23.379 --> 00:21:25.059 Jesus is the great Samaritan 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:28.339 who recovers and restores us to life and health, 00:21:28.719 --> 00:21:30.759 paying the ultimate price 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:33.119 in order to do so. 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.200 So love is sacrificial 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.539 and costly 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:39.819 and active. 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:42.240 This week, 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:43.599 I was reading an article 00:21:43.599 --> 00:21:45.119 from a Christian counselor. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:47.680 And the counselor was reflecting 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.160 actually on Philippians 2. 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:50.879 The bit at the beginning, 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:52.279 do nothing out of selfish ambition 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:53.859 or vain conceit rather than humility, 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:55.559 value others above yourself. 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:56.339 And then it moves on 00:21:56.339 --> 00:21:58.119 to have the same mindset as Christ. 00:21:58.519 --> 00:21:59.619 Towards the end of the article, 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:01.500 told a lovely story 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:02.539 of a married couple, 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:03.339 an old married couple 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:04.979 called Bobby and Kathy Keaton. 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:08.179 And they'd been married for 68 years 00:22:08.179 --> 00:22:10.639 and were still very much in love 00:22:10.639 --> 00:22:12.959 until the very end. 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:15.699 And the counselor was recalling a time 00:22:15.699 --> 00:22:18.519 when Bobby was 93 years old, 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:18.939 I think, 00:22:19.219 --> 00:22:21.059 in a memory care facility. 00:22:21.639 --> 00:22:24.399 So Alzheimer's was taking hold. 00:22:24.399 --> 00:22:26.259 Only had a few weeks left to live. 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:27.979 And his wife, Kathy, 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:30.759 came to visit this particular afternoon. 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.339 And the staff said that 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:34.680 as soon as Bobby saw his wife, 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:36.279 his face is lit up 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.519 and he tried to run down the corridor 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:40.960 to reach his precious wife. 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.940 Well, a couple of months after that, 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:47.380 this counselor asked Kathy, 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:48.960 what was the secret 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:52.059 of their healthy marriage? 00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:53.919 And she said, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:57.379 I learned that all I had to focus on 00:22:57.379 --> 00:22:58.940 was looking out for Bobby 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:02.740 because I knew he was looking out for me. 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:05.000 And I think that statement 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:06.960 wonderfully reflects the gospel. 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:11.200 It wonderfully reflects Jesus' mindset for us. 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:12.980 The sacrifice of Christ 00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:15.500 towards his bride, the church. 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:19.160 And what John does, 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:20.579 as he includes that, 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:22.079 this is how we know what love is 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:23.099 in the middle of this section. 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:23.500 He's saying, 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:25.640 we need to be transformed 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:27.240 and fueled 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:30.279 by the love of God for us in Christ 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:32.720 if we are to love one another. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:35.700 And so the cross reveals 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:38.059 God's love to us. 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:40.660 And then let's think thirdly 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:41.660 about this 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:43.200 because it's so important. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.319 He goes on to speak about confident assurance. 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:49.460 He says that as we love one another, 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:53.120 it stands as a mark of our salvation. 00:23:53.620 --> 00:23:54.700 This whole letter 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:58.539 is designed to give assurance to Christians. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:01.840 We know this because John tells us that. 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:04.019 1 John 5, verse 13. 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:06.299 I write these things to you 00:24:06.299 --> 00:24:08.759 who believe in the name of the Son of God 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:11.380 so that you may know 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:13.720 that you have eternal life. 00:24:14.760 --> 00:24:15.880 So he's writing 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:17.740 that they may know with confidence 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:20.240 that they might have assurance of faith. 00:24:21.300 --> 00:24:22.260 And so he's saying to them, 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:24.480 when you have love for Jesus Christ, 00:24:24.540 --> 00:24:26.140 when you know that he's the Son of God 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:26.720 and when you know 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.320 that he is the sacrificial Savior, 00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:31.000 and when you are practicing love for his people, 00:24:31.260 --> 00:24:33.960 then that is a mark of belonging to God. 00:24:34.620 --> 00:24:36.420 It's a sign of the life of God 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:39.440 working itself into the life of God's church 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:40.799 and into God's people. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:45.640 John, by the time he's writing this letter, 00:24:46.120 --> 00:24:47.460 is an older Christian. 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:48.860 He's a wise pastor. 00:24:49.360 --> 00:24:50.720 And one thing that he knows 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:53.360 is he knows people's hearts. 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:54.900 He knows our hearts. 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:59.080 So look with me at 1 John 3, verse 19, 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:01.100 when he says, 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:03.179 this is how we know 00:25:03.179 --> 00:25:05.399 that we belong to the truth 00:25:05.399 --> 00:25:08.919 and how we set our hearts at rest 00:25:08.919 --> 00:25:09.919 in his presence. 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:12.179 If our hearts condemn us, 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.000 we know that God is greater than our hearts 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:17.299 and he knows everything. 00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:19.959 So he understands that as Christians, 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:23.079 there are times when we face doubts. 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:26.740 And how do we answer those doubts? 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:29.599 How might we silence those whispers 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:30.859 in an appropriate way? 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:32.839 And one answer that he's giving to us 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:33.759 in this letter is 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:35.559 to help us to ask the question, 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:38.299 well, do I have a love for Jesus and his church? 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:40.559 Is that love present in my life? 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:42.440 Is it continuing in my life? 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:43.319 Notice he doesn't say, 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:44.099 is it perfect? 00:25:45.700 --> 00:25:46.839 But is it genuine? 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:48.539 Is it there? 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.940 It's a message that John keeps on repeating. 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:55.779 Chapter 4, verse 7. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:56.579 Dear friends, 00:25:57.139 --> 00:25:58.680 let us love one another, 00:25:58.859 --> 00:26:00.660 for love comes from God. 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:04.599 Everyone who loves has been born of God 00:26:04.599 --> 00:26:06.000 and knows God. 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:07.359 There's assurance. 00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:10.460 Chapter 4, verse 12. 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.119 If we love one another, 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:15.000 God lives in us 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:18.500 and his love is made complete in us. 00:26:19.379 --> 00:26:22.399 And again, verse 16. 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:25.039 Whoever lives in love, 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:26.740 lives in God 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:28.319 and God in them. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:31.460 This is how love is made complete among us 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:33.759 so that we will have confidence 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:35.680 on the day of judgment. 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.819 In this world, 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:39.539 we are like Jesus. 00:26:39.539 --> 00:26:43.019 If we can see signs that we love the church, 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:44.700 like Jesus loves the church, 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:49.359 we can have confidence for now and for the day of judgment. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:52.759 And to instruct us and to encourage us, 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:54.960 John writes to remind us 00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:56.680 and to help us to think about, 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:59.639 well, what does that kind of love look like? 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:01.420 So back to verse 16. 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.759 This is how we know what love is. 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.059 Jesus Christ laid down his life for us 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:08.259 and we ought to lay down our lives 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:10.160 for our brothers and our sisters. 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:12.480 So the kind of love that we are to practice 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:15.379 is sacrificial and servant-hearted. 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:17.279 We believe Jesus is our savior 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:20.720 and we also know that Jesus is our example. 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:23.279 He is how we are to love. 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:25.680 And when we begin to think about that, 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:28.480 then every Christian that we meet who is in need, 00:27:29.139 --> 00:27:32.460 it becomes a way for our obedience and love for God 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.240 to be put to the test. 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:36.899 It's a way for us to practice faith 00:27:36.899 --> 00:27:40.839 as we seek to love those that we find in need. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.779 And so he says in verse 17, 00:27:43.899 --> 00:27:45.839 if anyone has material possessions 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:47.539 and sees a brother or sister in need, 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:49.019 but has no pity on them, 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:51.559 how can the love of God be in that person? 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:55.319 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, 00:27:55.419 --> 00:27:57.899 but with actions and in truth. 00:27:59.539 --> 00:28:02.879 So we should be willing to let love 00:28:02.879 --> 00:28:05.639 touch our bank accounts and our diaries. 00:28:06.539 --> 00:28:09.159 It should influence our stewardship of time 00:28:09.159 --> 00:28:12.599 and resources and our energy. 00:28:15.419 --> 00:28:16.919 We can be really thankful. 00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:18.559 I'm really thankful in this church 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:21.720 for the many examples that we have 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:23.779 of people demonstrating practical love 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:25.319 within our church family, 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:27.099 caring for new mums, 00:28:27.259 --> 00:28:28.259 caring for the elderly, 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:30.839 caring for those going through serious illness, 00:28:31.019 --> 00:28:33.179 those facing loss. 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:37.419 We can give thanks for those models that we see. 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:40.919 And what we find from John in this letter 00:28:40.919 --> 00:28:42.980 is reminding us that love is positive 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:44.400 and love is active, 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:47.700 just like Jesus' love was positive and active. 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:50.299 John is saying the same thing 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:53.440 as James will say in his letter, 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.360 James chapter 2, 00:28:54.900 --> 00:28:57.799 actions speak louder than words. 00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:00.460 And so there in verse 17, 00:29:00.539 --> 00:29:02.079 he gives us a really simple formula. 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:05.099 If you see a brother or sister in need, 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:07.880 and if we have the ability to meet that need, 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:10.599 then we ought to act in love. 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:12.819 It's demanding, 00:29:12.980 --> 00:29:14.079 but it's not complicated. 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:17.539 It's like the parable of the good Samaritan. 00:29:18.159 --> 00:29:21.259 Jesus condemns the two who see the need 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:23.099 and cross the street and walk on by. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.599 And he calls us to be a good neighbor 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:29.759 and to practice love without any limits, 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:31.159 not to be trying to limit it 00:29:31.159 --> 00:29:32.699 like the guy talking to Jesus. 00:29:33.139 --> 00:29:34.279 Jesus, who is my neighbor? 00:29:34.719 --> 00:29:36.779 Give me the nice easy list that I can practice. 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:38.879 He says, go be a neighbor 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:40.160 to anyone who's in need. 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:44.220 And so here we find John saying 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:46.360 that as we are fueled and empowered 00:29:46.360 --> 00:29:48.200 by God's grace and love, 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:51.560 as we're following the example of love set by Jesus, 00:29:51.800 --> 00:29:54.480 we are to practice love for one another, 00:29:55.260 --> 00:29:57.460 to make visible and evident 00:29:57.460 --> 00:30:00.620 that we belong to him. 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:03.700 So when we put this together, 00:30:04.040 --> 00:30:06.100 we recognize that by God's design, 00:30:06.099 --> 00:30:08.039 this church and every local church 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:10.039 is to be a place that is marked by, 00:30:10.379 --> 00:30:12.339 characterized by love for one another. 00:30:13.339 --> 00:30:15.500 That it's part of our gospel instinct. 00:30:16.159 --> 00:30:18.599 We understand that God has loved me, 00:30:18.719 --> 00:30:21.179 though I am unworthy and unlovely. 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:23.639 And God has loved them. 00:30:24.099 --> 00:30:25.719 They are now my brothers and sisters. 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:27.859 And so I will love them too. 00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:32.919 It prompts us to ask the gospel question 00:30:32.919 --> 00:30:35.059 within a local church, 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:36.619 not asking in the first place, 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:39.839 who is serving me and who is meeting my needs? 00:30:40.959 --> 00:30:42.399 But rather we're looking out, 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:44.079 who will I love and serve 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:45.599 to put God's love on display? 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:48.699 And it reminds us of the importance 00:30:48.699 --> 00:30:50.459 of being a gospel community, 00:30:50.459 --> 00:30:51.899 that part of our mission 00:30:51.899 --> 00:30:55.299 is God's people sharing life together 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:58.179 and God's people sharing love together 00:30:58.179 --> 00:31:00.179 in such a way that anyone who walks in 00:31:00.179 --> 00:31:02.500 should be able to see that 00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:04.019 and experience it for themselves. 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:07.459 And that's something that starts on Sundays. 00:31:08.259 --> 00:31:10.039 That's why our times of worship together 00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:11.319 are super important, 00:31:11.939 --> 00:31:14.039 but that extends into our homes as well. 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:16.819 You know, if we have, 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:19.220 if we're parents and we've got kids, 00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:23.000 every time friends of our kids come into our home, 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:25.500 that's an opportunity for them to experience 00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:27.240 something of Christian community. 00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:31.019 Think about the gathering, 00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:34.180 a CU or a community group 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:36.099 as a place where Christians 00:31:36.099 --> 00:31:38.859 can then invite someone else in 00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:42.079 so that they can hear and feel 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:46.319 and sense what God's love looks like. 00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:49.379 That we'd be asking ourselves the question, 00:31:49.539 --> 00:31:50.000 together, 00:31:51.139 --> 00:31:53.079 can we shine the spotlight on Jesus 00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:54.759 by loving others well? 00:31:55.699 --> 00:31:56.879 Because by God's design, 00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:58.299 the clue is to be a place marked 00:31:58.299 --> 00:32:00.000 by love for one another. 00:32:01.919 --> 00:32:03.579 Let me leave you with the idea 00:32:03.579 --> 00:32:06.559 of the light display from this church. 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:08.839 You know, Jesus said to his disciples, 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:10.000 to us, if we're Christians, 00:32:10.339 --> 00:32:11.879 you are the light of the world. 00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:14.799 And that light that we are to shine 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:17.299 is the light of God's sacrificial, 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:20.579 self-giving, grace-driven love. 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:23.220 It is this Jesus 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:26.259 who gladly laid down his life for us 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:28.399 who says to us, 00:32:29.399 --> 00:32:31.220 we should love one another. 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:32.799 So let's pray together. 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:35.700 Our God and our Father, 00:32:35.819 --> 00:32:37.119 we thank you that we come 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.720 to the God who is love. 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:41.159 And we thank you that you have shown us 00:32:41.159 --> 00:32:44.279 your love in giving us Jesus 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:46.259 to be our atoning sacrifice 00:32:46.259 --> 00:32:49.599 in his willingness to lay down his life 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:51.740 in order to forgive us 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:53.500 and to redeem us 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:56.460 and to bring us back to our God. 00:32:57.559 --> 00:32:59.259 And Lord, we pray that as 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:01.659 we experience more of your love, 00:33:01.660 --> 00:33:02.680 you would enable us 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:03.900 to love one another, 00:33:04.580 --> 00:33:05.740 not just when it's easy, 00:33:05.840 --> 00:33:07.400 but also when it's costly. 00:33:07.580 --> 00:33:10.320 Help us to be ready to sacrifice 00:33:10.320 --> 00:33:12.800 knowing that you have sacrificed 00:33:12.800 --> 00:33:14.120 infinitely more 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:16.019 to show your love for us. 00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:18.080 And Lord, we pray that as 00:33:18.080 --> 00:33:23.060 we sense that we do love Jesus, 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:24.300 even if it's not perfect, 00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:26.900 and as we do love the church, 00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:28.600 even if we don't always do it perfectly, 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:31.080 that that would serve to assure us 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:32.500 that we are your children, 00:33:32.879 --> 00:33:34.220 that these are instincts 00:33:34.220 --> 00:33:36.139 that belong to the children of God. 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:37.960 And so we pray that you'd help us 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:41.259 in this week to live as the children of God, 00:33:41.679 --> 00:33:43.199 as we would seek to love you 00:33:43.199 --> 00:33:44.699 and to love one another. 00:33:45.059 --> 00:33:46.460 And we pray in Jesus' name. 00:33:46.859 --> 00:33:47.179 Amen. 00:33:47.179 --> 00:33:47.279 Amen. 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:47.339 Amen. 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:48.240 Amen. 00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:48.339 Amen. 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339 00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:48.339