100:00:00,480 –> 00:00:07,200Drawing from what John says here,200:00:07,280 –> 00:00:10,960I want then to offer by way of application300:00:10,960 –> 00:00:17,139six practical strategies for growing in love.400:00:17,139 –> 00:00:20,040Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.500:00:20,040 –> 00:00:22,700I’m David Pick and I’m glad you could join us today.600:00:22,700 –> 00:00:27,260And Colin how is what we’ll hear today, different from self-help?700:00:27,660 –> 00:00:33,980Well, self-help by definition is about trying to find something in yourself and bring it out.800:00:34,380 –> 00:00:36,540And the problem with it900:00:36,540 –> 00:00:40,540is that there are some things that we don’t have in ourselves1000:00:40,540 –> 00:00:45,220and therefore we can’t bring out and we’re talking today about growing in love.1100:00:45,520 –> 00:00:50,060And the key to it is that God is love1200:00:50,060 –> 00:00:53,200and that as His love is poured into our hearts1300:00:53,200 –> 00:00:58,180so it becomes possible for us to grow in something that we would not otherwise have.1400:00:58,660 –> 00:01:01,540We’re able to give as we receive.1500:01:01,540 –> 00:01:06,940And that’s the key, it’s coming into the knowledge of God Himself1600:01:06,940 –> 00:01:10,919who is love and His work in our hearts.1700:01:10,919 –> 00:01:14,959So join us if you can in 1 John chapter four1800:01:14,959 –> 00:01:18,639as we continue the message Love Flows from God.1900:01:18,639 –> 00:01:20,459Here is Pastor Colin.2000:01:20,839 –> 00:01:24,839Friends, these really are life-changing truths.2100:01:25,739 –> 00:01:26,919God loves us.2200:01:29,320 –> 00:01:31,320God sent His son for us.2300:01:32,959 –> 00:01:35,879God abides in us by His Holy Spirit.2400:01:37,360 –> 00:01:40,339If you’re a believer, you can personalise these truths.2500:01:40,339 –> 00:01:42,419You can say God loved me.2600:01:43,379 –> 00:01:45,379God sent His son for me.2700:01:46,699 –> 00:01:48,779God’s Spirit lives in me.2800:01:51,239 –> 00:01:55,080Now, there are, as it were, the three strands2900:01:56,220 –> 00:01:58,739that we can pull out from what John is saying3000:01:58,739 –> 00:02:01,279of what God has done.3100:02:02,199 –> 00:02:05,000What about the strands of what we do?3200:02:05,000 –> 00:02:06,820What about our part?3300:02:06,820 –> 00:02:09,139Well, first, our part is that we love.3400:02:09,139 –> 00:02:10,899Notice, he says in verse 19,3500:02:10,899 –> 00:02:13,720we love because He first loved us.3600:02:15,960 –> 00:02:18,460Verse seven, let us love one another,3700:02:19,160 –> 00:02:21,380for love comes from God.3800:02:21,380 –> 00:02:23,600Or verse 11, if God so loved us,3900:02:23,600 –> 00:02:27,580we also ought to love one another.4000:02:27,580 –> 00:02:30,419Or verse 12, if we love one another,4100:02:30,419 –> 00:02:35,419God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.4200:02:36,660 –> 00:02:41,660So God calls us to actively love one another4300:02:42,179 –> 00:02:44,380in the way that He has loved us.4400:02:44,419 –> 00:02:49,259That is, we are to give what we have first received.4500:02:49,259 –> 00:02:51,220And John says here very beautifully4600:02:51,220 –> 00:02:55,580that God’s love is perfected in us.4700:02:55,580 –> 00:02:57,339And what that means, very simply,4800:02:57,339 –> 00:02:58,899is it’s made complete.4900:02:58,899 –> 00:03:02,220It fulfills its own ultimate purpose.5000:03:02,220 –> 00:03:04,320In other words, God did not intend5100:03:04,320 –> 00:03:06,279that His love should end with you.5200:03:07,899 –> 00:03:11,020The purpose of God is that His love should flow into you5300:03:11,020 –> 00:03:13,440in order that it should flow out from you5400:03:13,440 –> 00:03:15,119into the lives of others.5500:03:15,119 –> 00:03:17,720And God’s love fulfills its ultimate purpose,5600:03:17,720 –> 00:03:20,020that it is perfected when we give5700:03:20,020 –> 00:03:24,259what we have received in loving one another.5800:03:25,740 –> 00:03:30,740We love, and then John tells us, we believe.5900:03:30,740 –> 00:03:35,000Verse 15, whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God,6000:03:35,000 –> 00:03:38,000God abides in him and he in God.6100:03:38,000 –> 00:03:42,240Or verse 16, so we have come to know and to believe6200:03:42,240 –> 00:03:46,059the love that God has for us.6300:03:46,059 –> 00:03:51,059So to believe is to be fully persuaded that God loves you,6400:03:52,339 –> 00:03:54,860that God’s Son gave himself for you,6500:03:54,860 –> 00:03:58,600and that God’s Spirit lives within you.6600:03:58,600 –> 00:04:00,979And believing these truths,6700:04:00,979 –> 00:04:03,020and you do actually have to believe them,6800:04:03,020 –> 00:04:05,500believing these truths of the gospel6900:04:05,500 –> 00:04:07,899will enable you to love.7000:04:07,899 –> 00:04:11,779And the more deeply you believe these life-changing truths,7100:04:11,820 –> 00:04:16,179the more deeply you are going to be able to love.7200:04:16,179 –> 00:04:19,760And then John has a third strand of what we do,7300:04:19,760 –> 00:04:22,579and that is that we abide.7400:04:22,579 –> 00:04:23,920Verse 16,7500:04:23,920 –> 00:04:27,579God is love and whoever abides in love.7600:04:27,579 –> 00:04:29,500So there we are, we are abiding in love.7700:04:29,500 –> 00:04:32,420Whoever abides in love, abides in God,7800:04:32,420 –> 00:04:34,380and God abides in him.7900:04:34,380 –> 00:04:35,459Or verse 15,8000:04:35,459 –> 00:04:38,700whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God,8100:04:38,739 –> 00:04:40,640God abides in him8200:04:40,640 –> 00:04:42,380and he in God.8300:04:42,380 –> 00:04:43,500Or verse 13,8400:04:43,500 –> 00:04:46,380by this, we know that we abide in him8500:04:46,380 –> 00:04:47,200and he in us8600:04:47,200 –> 00:04:50,000because he has given us of his spirit.8700:04:50,000 –> 00:04:55,000Now to abide simply means to live or to dwell.8800:04:55,619 –> 00:04:58,279Abide is what you do in your home.8900:04:58,279 –> 00:05:02,600So you can get the meaning from that analogy.9000:05:02,600 –> 00:05:05,440At home you rest,9100:05:05,440 –> 00:05:07,140you eat,9200:05:07,140 –> 00:05:09,720you find joy,9300:05:09,720 –> 00:05:10,980and it’s a place where you are9400:05:10,980 –> 00:05:14,820more yourself than any other place.9500:05:14,820 –> 00:05:18,179And John says, we abide in God.9600:05:18,179 –> 00:05:20,179That means that we rest in God.9700:05:20,179 –> 00:05:21,739We find joy in God.9800:05:21,739 –> 00:05:24,339We’re at home with God.9900:05:24,339 –> 00:05:25,519We walk with God.10000:05:25,519 –> 00:05:29,040We nourish ourselves on God.10100:05:29,040 –> 00:05:34,040We have a living heart to heart communion with God.10200:05:34,600 –> 00:05:39,779So now here are three things that God does10300:05:39,779 –> 00:05:43,739and three things that we do.10400:05:43,739 –> 00:05:45,440God loves us,10500:05:45,440 –> 00:05:47,480God sent his son for us,10600:05:47,480 –> 00:05:51,079and God’s spirit lives in us, abides in us.10700:05:51,079 –> 00:05:53,839And as a result of these things that God does,10800:05:53,839 –> 00:05:58,839we are able to love and to believe and to abide.10900:05:59,540 –> 00:06:02,320So now you have six major themes,11000:06:02,320 –> 00:06:03,880three that are God’s part,11100:06:03,880 –> 00:06:06,000three that are our part.11200:06:06,000 –> 00:06:08,440And I’ve tried to draw them out11300:06:08,440 –> 00:06:11,279like individual strands of spaghetti11400:06:11,279 –> 00:06:14,600so that we can see the different elements11500:06:14,600 –> 00:06:17,540that are here in what John is saying to us.11600:06:17,540 –> 00:06:20,959But of course no one serves spaghetti11700:06:20,959 –> 00:06:25,480with individual pieces laid out straight on a plate.11800:06:25,480 –> 00:06:27,640The way you serve and the way you eat spaghetti11900:06:27,640 –> 00:06:29,000is it’s all mixed up12000:06:29,000 –> 00:06:33,959and it’s beautifully heaped together on the plate.12100:06:33,959 –> 00:06:35,220And that’s the point.12200:06:36,760 –> 00:06:39,000That while each of these elements12300:06:39,000 –> 00:06:41,380is so important to the whole,12400:06:41,380 –> 00:06:43,940you cannot pull them apart.12500:06:45,040 –> 00:06:47,619To change the analogy and put it another way,12600:06:47,619 –> 00:06:52,619think of these six as being like individual threads,12700:06:52,799 –> 00:06:56,820each of a different, beautiful color.12800:06:56,820 –> 00:06:58,000And what John is doing12900:06:58,100 –> 00:07:02,660is he’s weaving these threads together into one fabric.13000:07:02,660 –> 00:07:04,920If you were to try and pull one of the threads out,13100:07:04,920 –> 00:07:06,500you destroy the whole thing.13200:07:06,500 –> 00:07:08,480Each of them is interconnected,13300:07:08,480 –> 00:07:11,100each of them are interdependent.13400:07:13,320 –> 00:07:17,640So let me just show you this from the passage.13500:07:17,640 –> 00:07:19,079You’ll quickly get the idea13600:07:19,079 –> 00:07:20,079and then you can work it out13700:07:20,079 –> 00:07:21,959with regards to all of the other verses.13800:07:21,959 –> 00:07:26,720Each verse is connecting different elements13900:07:27,220 –> 00:07:30,100of God’s love for us, God’s sending his son,14000:07:30,100 –> 00:07:32,000God abiding in us by his spirit,14100:07:32,000 –> 00:07:36,500us loving us believing and us abiding.14200:07:36,500 –> 00:07:38,799So for example, verse seven,14300:07:38,799 –> 00:07:41,160love is from God and whoever loves14400:07:41,160 –> 00:07:43,160has been born of God and knows God.14500:07:43,160 –> 00:07:46,079So what we have here is the connection14600:07:46,079 –> 00:07:51,079between God’s love for us and our ability to love.14700:07:51,399 –> 00:07:52,640Love as we saw, it’s not something14800:07:52,640 –> 00:07:55,200that we have to work up from within.14900:07:55,200 –> 00:07:59,160Love is from God and the reason that you can love15000:07:59,160 –> 00:08:01,640is that God himself has entered into15100:08:01,640 –> 00:08:03,500and taken possession of your soul.15200:08:03,500 –> 00:08:06,000Whoever loves has been born of God.15300:08:06,000 –> 00:08:07,140That’s the connection.15400:08:08,160 –> 00:08:10,739If you look at verse 11, beloved,15500:08:10,739 –> 00:08:15,739if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.15600:08:17,000 –> 00:08:18,799And when he says if God so loved us,15700:08:18,799 –> 00:08:20,420he’s referring back to verse 1015800:08:20,420 –> 00:08:22,260where he says that God sent his son,15900:08:22,260 –> 00:08:24,559that’s how we know that God loved us.16000:08:24,619 –> 00:08:26,859And so what he’s doing here is he’s making the connection16100:08:26,859 –> 00:08:29,579between God sending his son for us16200:08:29,579 –> 00:08:31,579and our calling to love.16300:08:32,460 –> 00:08:36,440Or verse 12, if we love one another,16400:08:36,440 –> 00:08:40,940God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.16500:08:40,940 –> 00:08:44,400Now you see this verse begins with us loving16600:08:44,400 –> 00:08:47,340and John tells us that if we love one another,16700:08:47,340 –> 00:08:49,299then God abides in us.16800:08:49,299 –> 00:08:51,400So he’s making a connection now16900:08:51,400 –> 00:08:55,000between our actively growing in love17000:08:55,000 –> 00:09:00,000and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit within us.17100:09:02,299 –> 00:09:05,359Or verse 15, whoever confesses17200:09:05,359 –> 00:09:07,960that Jesus is the Son of God,17300:09:07,960 –> 00:09:11,460God abides in Him and he in God.17400:09:11,460 –> 00:09:13,119And now John is telling us17500:09:13,119 –> 00:09:16,380that that is a direct connection between our believing,17600:09:16,380 –> 00:09:19,739our confessing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ17700:09:19,799 –> 00:09:22,059and the work of the Holy Spirit within us.17800:09:22,059 –> 00:09:24,580Not gonna be a great work of the Holy Spirit going on17900:09:24,580 –> 00:09:27,780in you apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.18000:09:27,780 –> 00:09:28,919These are connected.18100:09:30,140 –> 00:09:34,460Or verse 16, God is love18200:09:34,460 –> 00:09:37,700and whoever abides in love abides in God18300:09:37,700 –> 00:09:39,419and God abides in Him.18400:09:39,419 –> 00:09:41,820So now John is making the connection18500:09:41,820 –> 00:09:45,340between us walking with God, abiding in God18600:09:45,340 –> 00:09:47,299and the work of the Holy Spirit in us.18700:09:47,299 –> 00:09:49,419If you’ve never opened the Bible and don’t pray very much,18800:09:50,159 –> 00:09:52,880don’t expect a thriving work of the Spirit in your soul.18900:09:54,900 –> 00:09:59,900Verse 19, we love because He first loved us.19000:10:01,299 –> 00:10:03,419You see, here John is showing the connection19100:10:03,419 –> 00:10:06,299between our ability to love19200:10:06,299 –> 00:10:10,200and God’s great love for us.19300:10:10,200 –> 00:10:12,619Now, you can work this out on other verses as well19400:10:12,619 –> 00:10:14,900but what I want you to see big picture19500:10:14,900 –> 00:10:18,940is that these are all beautiful threads19600:10:18,940 –> 00:10:21,840that are interwoven together.19700:10:21,840 –> 00:10:23,619If you were to pull any one of them out19800:10:23,619 –> 00:10:25,460you would destroy the whole fabric.19900:10:25,460 –> 00:10:27,299How can we grow in love?20000:10:27,299 –> 00:10:28,359That’s the question.20100:10:29,299 –> 00:10:31,780That is the question and we’ll hear the answer to it20200:10:31,780 –> 00:10:32,659in just a moment.20300:10:32,659 –> 00:10:33,820So stay with us.20400:10:33,820 –> 00:10:35,419You’re listening to Open the Bible20500:10:35,419 –> 00:10:36,780with Pastor Colin Smith20600:10:36,780 –> 00:10:38,099and a message called20700:10:38,099 –> 00:10:39,979Love comes from God.20800:10:39,979 –> 00:10:42,080Part of our series Grow in Love20900:10:42,080 –> 00:10:44,380and if you’ve missed any of the series so far21000:10:44,380 –> 00:10:46,140or if you’re doing the future21100:10:46,140 –> 00:10:48,539or if you simply want to go back and listen again21200:10:48,539 –> 00:10:50,960you can do that by coming to our website.21300:10:50,960 –> 00:10:54,020That’s at openthebible.org.uk21400:10:54,020 –> 00:10:55,859and you can also find Pastor Colin21500:10:55,859 –> 00:10:58,260as a podcast on all the main podcast sites21600:10:58,260 –> 00:11:01,840by searching for openthebible uk.21700:11:01,840 –> 00:11:02,940Back to the message now,21800:11:02,940 –> 00:11:04,979we’re in 1 John chapter four.21900:11:04,979 –> 00:11:06,820Here is Pastor Colin.22000:11:06,820 –> 00:11:08,659How can we grow in love?22100:11:08,659 –> 00:11:09,760That’s the question.22200:11:11,099 –> 00:11:14,700Well we can grow in love because God loves us.22300:11:15,539 –> 00:11:18,539Because he sent his son for us.22400:11:18,539 –> 00:11:22,460Because his spirit abides in us22500:11:22,460 –> 00:11:27,419and we will grow in love in as much as we believe22600:11:27,419 –> 00:11:32,419and abide in these wonderful realities.22700:11:36,979 –> 00:11:41,979Now drawing from what John says here,22800:11:41,979 –> 00:11:45,539I want then to offer by way of application22900:11:45,539 –> 00:11:50,539six practical strategies for growing in love.23000:11:52,039 –> 00:11:54,580Six practical strategies for growing in love23100:11:54,580 –> 00:11:57,340and the first is, reflect often then23200:11:57,340 –> 00:12:00,880on how much God loves you.23300:12:01,780 –> 00:12:03,719Reflect often on how He loves you.23400:12:04,619 –> 00:12:08,359We love because He first loved us.23500:12:08,359 –> 00:12:11,179God loved us first.23600:12:12,919 –> 00:12:17,919In any relationship, someone makes the first move23700:12:19,719 –> 00:12:21,799and the other person responds.23800:12:23,000 –> 00:12:25,960You sometimes see this at a wedding reception23900:12:25,960 –> 00:12:28,340when the couple are embarrassed24000:12:28,340 –> 00:12:31,619by being asked questions like,24100:12:31,619 –> 00:12:35,320Who was the first to say I love you24200:12:35,320 –> 00:12:37,359and this sort of thing?24300:12:37,359 –> 00:12:40,559Who went first and how long did it take24400:12:40,599 –> 00:12:42,820the other person to get the idea?24500:12:44,419 –> 00:12:47,479Someone said I love you24600:12:47,479 –> 00:12:50,239and then someone else said I love you too.24700:12:51,640 –> 00:12:54,059But there’s always someone who went first.24800:12:54,059 –> 00:12:58,419And God is the one who said I love you first.24900:12:58,419 –> 00:13:00,520God loved us when we were his enemies25000:13:00,520 –> 00:13:03,679and he sent his son even then to save us.25100:13:04,640 –> 00:13:09,640So, you see, when you love first,25200:13:10,640 –> 00:13:13,280that is when you show patience and kindness25300:13:13,280 –> 00:13:16,679to a person who doesn’t show patience and kindness to you,25400:13:16,679 –> 00:13:18,440you are reflecting the love of God.25500:13:19,440 –> 00:13:21,119And you’re giving evidence that in fact,25600:13:21,119 –> 00:13:22,200you are born of God.25700:13:22,200 –> 00:13:24,580That something of the life of God, the Spirit of God,25800:13:24,580 –> 00:13:26,940the love of God is actually in you25900:13:26,940 –> 00:13:30,940because how else would you be in a position26000:13:30,940 –> 00:13:34,840of loving first which is the way that God loves.26100:13:35,960 –> 00:13:39,280Second, remember that love is God’s command.26200:13:39,280 –> 00:13:40,340You can’t avoid this here.26300:13:40,340 –> 00:13:45,340Look at verse 21, and this commandment we have from him,26400:13:45,559 –> 00:13:48,880whoever loves God must also love his brother.26500:13:50,159 –> 00:13:53,299So as we think about how we can grow in love,26600:13:53,299 –> 00:13:57,260it is helpful and important for us to keep in our minds26700:13:57,260 –> 00:13:58,739that love is not an option.26800:13:58,739 –> 00:13:59,940This is not something that we hope26900:13:59,940 –> 00:14:01,580we’ll get around to some day.27000:14:01,580 –> 00:14:05,320It is our central calling from God.27100:14:06,320 –> 00:14:10,880Jesus died to redeem us from the curse of the law.27200:14:10,880 –> 00:14:13,919That is the condemnation that the law would have brought27300:14:13,919 –> 00:14:15,640because we had not kept it.27400:14:15,640 –> 00:14:18,840But remember that the New Testament tells us27500:14:18,840 –> 00:14:21,880that God gives us his Holy Spirit27600:14:21,880 –> 00:14:24,919so that the righteous requirements of the law27700:14:24,919 –> 00:14:28,280will be fully met in us.27800:14:28,280 –> 00:14:30,760So that we will fulfill the purpose of God,27900:14:30,760 –> 00:14:34,359which is summed up in this one word, love.28000:14:34,840 –> 00:14:37,000That’s Romans chapter eight and verse four,28100:14:38,119 –> 00:14:40,280or first Peter chapter two and verse 24,28200:14:40,280 –> 00:14:43,719he bore our sins in his body on the tree28300:14:43,719 –> 00:14:47,799that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.28400:14:47,799 –> 00:14:49,840This is the life to which we’re called.28500:14:51,239 –> 00:14:56,239So our new life in Jesus Christ is a gift and praise God,28600:14:56,580 –> 00:14:58,859it is freely given.28700:14:59,719 –> 00:15:02,359But never forget that our new life in Jesus Christ28800:15:02,359 –> 00:15:07,359is also a calling and the heart of that calling28900:15:08,640 –> 00:15:11,919is to live a life of love.29000:15:13,440 –> 00:15:16,280Third strategy for growing in love, very practical,29100:15:16,280 –> 00:15:20,119ask God that you may grow in love.29200:15:20,119 –> 00:15:21,840Again and again in the New Testament29300:15:21,840 –> 00:15:26,039we have the apostle Paul praying that this will happen29400:15:26,039 –> 00:15:28,200so that’s clearly something that we should do.29500:15:28,200 –> 00:15:32,460It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.29600:15:33,479 –> 00:15:38,219May the Lord make you increase and abound in love.29700:15:38,219 –> 00:15:41,799May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God.29800:15:41,799 –> 00:15:46,799Ask God to help you grow in love.29900:15:46,799 –> 00:15:49,880Ask Him, tell Him this is what you want.30000:15:51,280 –> 00:15:55,760Bring the faces and the situations of particular people,30100:15:55,760 –> 00:15:57,739perhaps those you find it hard to love,30200:15:57,780 –> 00:15:59,219into your prayers.30300:15:59,219 –> 00:16:03,900Pray that God will help you to love that person,30400:16:03,900 –> 00:16:05,539these people more.30500:16:07,179 –> 00:16:08,700Growing in love is an effect30600:16:08,700 –> 00:16:11,320of the work of the Holy Spirit in you.30700:16:12,260 –> 00:16:14,080So ask Him.30800:16:14,080 –> 00:16:15,820And ask Him to reveal anything30900:16:15,820 –> 00:16:20,739that is hindering your growth in love and deal with it31000:16:20,739 –> 00:16:21,979so that nothing within you31100:16:21,979 –> 00:16:24,719grieves the Holy Spirit in this regard.31200:16:25,559 –> 00:16:29,119Then strategy number four,31300:16:29,119 –> 00:16:33,419be intentional in your pursuit of love.31400:16:34,380 –> 00:16:38,380The New Testament regularly speaks to Christian believers31500:16:38,380 –> 00:16:41,059in a way that you couldn’t speak to anyone else31600:16:41,059 –> 00:16:43,780because a Christian believer31700:16:43,780 –> 00:16:48,780has the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit within them.31800:16:49,020 –> 00:16:51,599And it’s for that reason you see that in the New Testament31900:16:51,599 –> 00:16:52,760we can read very simple,32000:16:52,900 –> 00:16:55,320plain straightforward language like this,32100:16:55,320 –> 00:16:57,859above all these put on love.32200:16:58,880 –> 00:17:02,159Or just husbands, love your wives, just do it.32300:17:03,820 –> 00:17:05,979Or Second Peter, a long list of things32400:17:05,979 –> 00:17:08,400that we’re to add to our faith.32500:17:08,400 –> 00:17:09,959Let me just give the short version32600:17:09,959 –> 00:17:12,319from the beginning and the end for this reason,32700:17:12,319 –> 00:17:15,060make every effort to add to your faith32800:17:15,060 –> 00:17:17,619or to supplement your faith with godliness32900:17:17,619 –> 00:17:21,900and brotherly affection and love.33000:17:21,900 –> 00:17:26,660You see the point, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,33100:17:26,660 –> 00:17:31,359if the Holy Spirit lives in you,33200:17:31,359 –> 00:17:35,300if you are walking with him and abiding in him,33300:17:35,300 –> 00:17:37,140loving is something you can do,33400:17:37,140 –> 00:17:39,219so go out this we can do it.33500:17:40,500 –> 00:17:42,420Stop repeating Satan’s lies33600:17:42,420 –> 00:17:46,040when he tells you that you can’t love.33700:17:46,040 –> 00:17:51,040God tells you that you can and by his grace you will.33800:17:52,780 –> 00:17:56,520So make it your daily commitment and intent33900:17:56,520 –> 00:17:58,359when you get up in the morning,34000:17:58,359 –> 00:18:03,099Lord let this be a day when I seek the good of others,34100:18:03,099 –> 00:18:05,920when I think more about their interest34200:18:05,920 –> 00:18:09,400than I think about my own.34300:18:09,400 –> 00:18:14,400Lord let me bring the blessing of your patient kind love34400:18:14,900 –> 00:18:19,880into the lives of others with whom I interact today.34500:18:20,619 –> 00:18:22,780And then number five.34600:18:22,780 –> 00:18:27,780Get in touch with your own deepest desire.34700:18:28,880 –> 00:18:32,420Here’s a wonderful truth stated by Peter34800:18:32,420 –> 00:18:34,500in 1 Peter chapter one in verse eight.34900:18:35,900 –> 00:18:40,760Though you have not seen him, you love him.35000:18:42,239 –> 00:18:43,500And when you are born of God, you know35100:18:43,500 –> 00:18:45,859that is the deepest reality about you.35200:18:47,239 –> 00:18:48,119You love him.35300:18:48,880 –> 00:18:53,439You really do because you are born of God.35400:18:55,160 –> 00:18:58,479I’ve been helped here by a comment of Dr. J.I. Packer.35500:18:58,479 –> 00:18:59,560Let me read it to you.35600:18:59,560 –> 00:19:03,380He says again and again,35700:19:03,380 –> 00:19:07,439it appears that Christians are not sufficiently35800:19:07,439 –> 00:19:10,160in touch with themselves35900:19:11,439 –> 00:19:14,880because they do not know themselves36000:19:14,880 –> 00:19:17,239well enough to realize36100:19:17,479 –> 00:19:20,560that because of the way in which their nature36200:19:20,560 –> 00:19:22,479has been changed,36300:19:22,479 –> 00:19:27,140their hearts are now set against all known sin.36400:19:28,640 –> 00:19:32,000Here’s a common problem for Christians says Packer.36500:19:32,920 –> 00:19:34,859We don’t know ourselves well enough.36600:19:36,180 –> 00:19:40,859We don’t realize that because our own hearts36700:19:40,859 –> 00:19:43,479and therefore natures have been changed36800:19:43,479 –> 00:19:45,040because we’re born of God,36900:19:45,079 –> 00:19:47,239our hearts at the deepest level37000:19:47,239 –> 00:19:51,079are actually set against all known sin.37100:19:52,959 –> 00:19:54,079Packer puts it this way,37200:19:54,079 –> 00:19:57,920the regenerate heart cannot love37300:19:57,920 –> 00:20:00,660what it knows God hates.37400:20:01,800 –> 00:20:02,660Can’t do it.37500:20:03,680 –> 00:20:04,739It’s not possible.37600:20:06,819 –> 00:20:10,199Now Satan wants to dupe you37700:20:11,180 –> 00:20:13,079into believing that what you really want37800:20:13,079 –> 00:20:14,699is to live for yourself.37900:20:15,599 –> 00:20:17,800But if you’re in Christ,38000:20:17,800 –> 00:20:18,780that is not true.38100:20:21,280 –> 00:20:22,920When you are born of God,38200:20:22,920 –> 00:20:26,160what you really want at the deepest level38300:20:26,160 –> 00:20:28,000is to please Him.38400:20:29,520 –> 00:20:30,959It’s to be like Him.38500:20:32,380 –> 00:20:33,420It is to love.38600:20:34,339 –> 00:20:36,280And when you love,38700:20:36,280 –> 00:20:41,079you fulfill your own deepest desire.38800:20:41,079 –> 00:20:41,920It’s beautiful.38900:20:42,880 –> 00:20:45,239The last thing is simply this.39000:20:45,239 –> 00:20:49,020Find joy in the great privilege of your calling.39100:20:49,020 –> 00:20:52,199We are called to a life of love39200:20:52,199 –> 00:20:54,079and what a privilege that is.39300:20:55,040 –> 00:20:57,140Notice verse 12 in this last moment.39400:20:57,140 –> 00:20:59,760No one has ever seen God.39500:21:01,060 –> 00:21:02,579If we love one another,39600:21:02,579 –> 00:21:04,540God abides in us,39700:21:05,660 –> 00:21:09,479and his love is perfected in us.39800:21:09,479 –> 00:21:11,459We saw earlier that what that means39900:21:12,020 –> 00:21:16,459perfected in us is that it fulfills its intended purpose40000:21:16,459 –> 00:21:18,199which is that it doesn’t end in us40100:21:18,199 –> 00:21:20,800but it flows through us and on into the lives40200:21:20,800 –> 00:21:23,020of other people in this world,40300:21:24,400 –> 00:21:27,459and you see John’s point, he says look.40400:21:27,459 –> 00:21:31,160No one has ever seen God.40500:21:32,540 –> 00:21:33,739No one has ever seen him.40600:21:35,280 –> 00:21:40,280So how then can God’s love be seen and known in this world?40700:21:41,900 –> 00:21:44,199And John gives us this amazing answer40800:21:44,199 –> 00:21:48,800that God loves others through us40900:21:50,880 –> 00:21:53,760and when we love others,41000:21:53,760 –> 00:21:58,760his presence and his love are seen and made known.41100:22:03,560 –> 00:22:06,280Pastor Colin Smith on Open The Bible41200:22:06,280 –> 00:22:09,079with the message Love Comes From God.41300:22:09,079 –> 00:22:11,780It’s part of a series called Grow In Love41400:22:11,780 –> 00:22:13,800and if you’ve missed any of the series,41500:22:13,800 –> 00:22:15,520it’s easy to catch up or go back41600:22:15,520 –> 00:22:20,459and listen again at our website, openthebible.org.uk,41700:22:20,459 –> 00:22:23,520or if you prefer, go to your favorite podcast site,41800:22:23,520 –> 00:22:26,079search there for Open The Bible UK41900:22:26,079 –> 00:22:28,339or follow the link from our website.42000:22:29,880 –> 00:22:31,479Many of us love reading,42100:22:31,479 –> 00:22:34,459but our busy lives don’t allow much time for that.42200:22:34,459 –> 00:22:37,520So we often listen to audio books and podcasts.42300:22:37,520 –> 00:22:39,040Maybe when we’re driving42400:22:39,420 –> 00:22:40,900or out for a walk.42500:22:40,900 –> 00:22:44,040So we have a new podcast starting this month42600:22:44,040 –> 00:22:46,880and it’s called Hike Through The Bible.42700:22:46,880 –> 00:22:48,420And the Hike Through The Bible podcast42800:22:48,420 –> 00:22:51,719will take you on a journey through the entire Bible story42900:22:51,719 –> 00:22:53,640giving you the option of listening43000:22:53,640 –> 00:22:56,119or watching rather than reading.43100:22:56,119 –> 00:22:59,300And in each episode, I’ll read a chapter of my book,43200:22:59,300 –> 00:23:00,540Hike Through The Bible,43300:23:00,540 –> 00:23:02,880and then I’ll discuss it with some friends.43400:23:02,880 –> 00:23:06,959I hope you’ll join me in hiking through the Bible.43500:23:06,959 –> 00:23:08,719You’ll grow in your faith.43600:23:08,760 –> 00:23:11,439You’ll deepen your grasp of scripture43700:23:11,439 –> 00:23:13,520and you’ll come to love Jesus more.43800:23:13,520 –> 00:23:16,680So that’s the Hike Through The Bible podcast.43900:23:16,680 –> 00:23:18,520And it’s not too late to get started.44000:23:18,520 –> 00:23:21,400You’ll find the Hike Through The Bible podcast44100:23:21,400 –> 00:23:23,239wherever you get your podcasts.44200:23:23,239 –> 00:23:25,540And there’s a link on our website44300:23:25,540 –> 00:23:28,040at openthebible.org.uk.44400:23:28,040 –> 00:23:32,380You’ll also find more information about the podcast.44500:23:32,380 –> 00:23:34,800Open The Bible is able to be on this station44600:23:34,800 –> 00:23:37,560as well as our website and the podcasts44700:23:37,640 –> 00:23:40,239because listeners like you give generously44800:23:40,239 –> 00:23:41,839to support our work.44900:23:41,839 –> 00:23:44,479So if you already support Open The Bible in this way,45000:23:44,479 –> 00:23:46,319thank you so much.45100:23:46,319 –> 00:23:47,880If supporting Open The Bible45200:23:47,880 –> 00:23:50,479is something you want to start doing this month,45300:23:50,479 –> 00:23:51,780we’d love to say thank you45400:23:51,780 –> 00:23:54,579by sending you pastor Colin’s brand new book,45500:23:54,579 –> 00:23:55,959Grow In Hope.45600:23:55,959 –> 00:23:58,579It’s a 30 day devotional study,45700:23:58,579 –> 00:24:02,859drawing on scripture and years of pastoral experience.45800:24:02,859 –> 00:24:05,359Colin, who is this book for?45900:24:05,359 –> 00:24:08,579Well, this is for everybody who wants to have hope46000:24:08,579 –> 00:24:11,079and I think that’s absolutely every person.46100:24:11,079 –> 00:24:12,400We all need hope.46200:24:12,400 –> 00:24:15,959And if you would like to have hope drip fed46300:24:15,959 –> 00:24:18,339into your life for 30 days,46400:24:18,339 –> 00:24:22,260then Grow In Hope is a devotional that will do just that.46500:24:22,260 –> 00:24:25,319It’s full of the promises of God.46600:24:25,319 –> 00:24:28,400It shows that hope comes from God.46700:24:28,400 –> 00:24:31,160It comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ46800:24:31,160 –> 00:24:34,599and it comes to us by His marvelous grace.46900:24:34,619 –> 00:24:35,979So 30 Days of Hope,47000:24:35,979 –> 00:24:37,959I think that’s something that everyone can use47100:24:37,959 –> 00:24:39,319and I hope it’s gonna be a blessing47200:24:39,319 –> 00:24:40,400to everyone who reads it.47300:24:40,400 –> 00:24:42,880So Pastor Colin’s book, Grow In Hope,47400:24:42,880 –> 00:24:46,000is our gift to you when you set up a new direct debit47500:24:46,000 –> 00:24:48,599of five pounds per month or more47600:24:48,599 –> 00:24:51,280or a one-off gift of £60 or more47700:24:51,280 –> 00:24:54,280to support the work of Open The Bible this month.47800:24:54,280 –> 00:24:56,640Full terms and conditions are on our website47900:24:56,640 –> 00:25:01,280at openthebible.org.uk and you can give online.48000:25:01,280 –> 00:25:04,040Don’t forget though to leave your full name and address48100:25:04,040 –> 00:25:08,140when you donate so we’ll be able to send you your gift.48200:25:08,140 –> 00:25:11,680For Open The Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick.48300:25:11,680 –> 00:25:13,119Thanks for being with us today48400:25:13,119 –> 00:25:16,280and we look forward to having you join us again next time.48500:25:23,199 –> 00:25:26,300Where does a life of love begin?48600:25:26,300 –> 00:25:28,900Find out next time on Open The Bible.