1 00:00:00,960 –> 00:00:03,600 Well, we’re beginning today a new series 2 00:00:03,600 –> 00:00:04,940 on the subject of love, 3 00:00:04,940 –> 00:00:09,940 titled loving and being loved by Jesus Christ. 4 00:00:11,300 –> 00:00:13,440 I wonder what has been your greatest experience 5 00:00:13,440 –> 00:00:15,860 of love in life. 6 00:00:15,860 –> 00:00:18,400 I wonder what has been your greatest disappointment 7 00:00:18,400 –> 00:00:22,980 in regards to love in life. 8 00:00:22,980 –> 00:00:26,959 Thinking about love in its broadest expressions. 9 00:00:26,959 –> 00:00:29,680 The love of a husband for a wife. 10 00:00:29,719 –> 00:00:31,620 The love of a mother for a child. 11 00:00:31,620 –> 00:00:33,820 The love of friends. 12 00:00:33,820 –> 00:00:36,480 The love that binds people together in friendship. 13 00:00:36,480 –> 00:00:40,040 Jesus said, greater love has no one than this 14 00:00:40,040 –> 00:00:44,779 than that someone lay down their life for their friends. 15 00:00:44,779 –> 00:00:47,040 The love of friends. 16 00:00:47,040 –> 00:00:49,139 Where love flows, the heart is filled. 17 00:00:49,139 –> 00:00:54,139 And where love is restrained, the heart is broken. 18 00:00:54,380 –> 00:00:56,520 And some of you know what it is 19 00:00:56,639 –> 00:00:58,860 to have been surrounded by love, 20 00:00:58,860 –> 00:01:01,000 nourished by love from early life, 21 00:01:01,000 –> 00:01:04,879 loyalty and affection were modeled for you. 22 00:01:04,879 –> 00:01:09,879 And your whole life was really shaped by that experience. 23 00:01:09,959 –> 00:01:14,180 And others I know had very different experience. 24 00:01:14,180 –> 00:01:18,260 And the question in your mind may sometimes be, 25 00:01:18,260 –> 00:01:23,160 how can I love well when I have not received love 26 00:01:23,160 –> 00:01:25,000 that has been given to me well? 27 00:01:25,000 –> 00:01:28,940 How do I give what I did not in fact receive? 28 00:01:28,940 –> 00:01:30,879 Some of you are enjoying the blessing 29 00:01:30,879 –> 00:01:34,199 of happy and loving marriage. 30 00:01:34,199 –> 00:01:36,279 Others wish very much that that gift 31 00:01:36,279 –> 00:01:38,480 would be given to them. 32 00:01:38,480 –> 00:01:42,120 And some whether married or single find themselves asking, 33 00:01:42,120 –> 00:01:44,820 am I really the kind of person 34 00:01:44,820 –> 00:01:49,300 who is going to be able to love another person well? 35 00:01:50,760 –> 00:01:52,480 Now I want to emphasize right at the beginning 36 00:01:52,480 –> 00:01:55,180 that this is not a series about marriage. 37 00:01:55,180 –> 00:01:57,120 It is not a series about marriage, 38 00:01:57,120 –> 00:01:59,360 though we’ll touch on that subject. 39 00:01:59,360 –> 00:02:03,959 It is a series about love and so it is a series 40 00:02:03,959 –> 00:02:07,800 for every one of us and at the core of it, 41 00:02:07,800 –> 00:02:11,199 we need to recover what I am going to describe 42 00:02:11,199 –> 00:02:15,160 as the lost art of loving well. 43 00:02:16,100 –> 00:02:18,360 We need to recover that in friendship, 44 00:02:18,360 –> 00:02:20,039 we need to recover it in marriage, 45 00:02:20,039 –> 00:02:22,320 we need to recover it in family life, 46 00:02:22,460 –> 00:02:24,639 the lost art of loving well. 47 00:02:24,639 –> 00:02:28,039 We need to recover the lost art of loving God well 48 00:02:28,039 –> 00:02:30,839 and of loving each other well 49 00:02:30,839 –> 00:02:34,380 and so I want to begin just from this very simple question, 50 00:02:34,380 –> 00:02:38,259 how can I learn the art of loving well? 51 00:02:38,259 –> 00:02:40,679 We’re going to look at a number of scriptures today, 52 00:02:40,679 –> 00:02:44,039 the place where we begin is in 1 John and chapter four 53 00:02:44,039 –> 00:02:47,820 and so I invite you to turn in your Bible there. 54 00:02:47,820 –> 00:02:50,279 1 John and chapter four, 55 00:02:50,279 –> 00:02:53,520 we’re asking the question how can I learn 56 00:02:53,520 –> 00:02:58,199 the art of loving well? 57 00:02:58,199 –> 00:03:01,100 And the clearest answer you will ever get to that question 58 00:03:01,100 –> 00:03:04,419 is in 1 John chapter four and verse 19 59 00:03:04,419 –> 00:03:06,740 where we read these marvelous words 60 00:03:06,740 –> 00:03:09,399 that we love because, 61 00:03:09,399 –> 00:03:13,020 so here’s how we are able to love well. 62 00:03:13,020 –> 00:03:18,020 We love because He, God, first loved us. 63 00:03:20,440 –> 00:03:23,300 Now let’s take a moment to look at what John 64 00:03:23,300 –> 00:03:26,360 is saying here, if you look back to verse eight 65 00:03:26,360 –> 00:03:30,880 he has this marvelous statement God is love. 66 00:03:32,880 –> 00:03:33,919 God is love. 67 00:03:35,279 –> 00:03:40,100 So if you know God, you know love. 68 00:03:41,360 –> 00:03:45,679 If you have God, you have love. 69 00:03:46,800 –> 00:03:49,899 And if you could be filled with God 70 00:03:51,000 –> 00:03:55,800 you would be filled with love because God is love. 71 00:03:58,360 –> 00:04:03,199 Now, how do we know that, how is God’s love made known? 72 00:04:03,199 –> 00:04:05,199 How would we know that that is the reality? 73 00:04:05,199 –> 00:04:07,479 Well John tells us in verse nine 74 00:04:07,479 –> 00:04:11,380 that the love of God was made manifest among us 75 00:04:11,380 –> 00:04:15,000 that it was revealed, it was made clear, it was made known. 76 00:04:15,000 –> 00:04:16,320 So he’s going to tell us now 77 00:04:16,320 –> 00:04:19,720 how you can know that God loves you. 78 00:04:19,720 –> 00:04:21,640 How you can know that God is love 79 00:04:21,640 –> 00:04:23,200 and, therefore, that there is hope for you. 80 00:04:23,200 –> 00:04:25,260 Here’s where that discovery is found, 81 00:04:25,260 –> 00:04:27,220 it’s right there in verse nine. 82 00:04:27,220 –> 00:04:31,579 God sent his only Son into the world 83 00:04:32,600 –> 00:04:34,760 that we might live through him. 84 00:04:34,760 –> 00:04:37,279 That’s how God’s love is known. 85 00:04:38,420 –> 00:04:39,920 So, be very clear about this. 86 00:04:39,920 –> 00:04:44,119 We live in a fallen world of sickness and death. 87 00:04:45,239 –> 00:04:48,119 And when we look into this fallen world 88 00:04:48,140 –> 00:04:53,140 of sickness and death, what we see is massive confusion. 89 00:04:53,179 –> 00:04:57,399 You cannot conclude that God is love 90 00:04:57,399 –> 00:04:58,839 from looking at the world. 91 00:04:58,839 –> 00:05:00,959 If you try and make a conclusion about God 92 00:05:00,959 –> 00:05:02,220 from looking at the world, 93 00:05:02,220 –> 00:05:04,679 which, by the way, is in rebellion against God, 94 00:05:04,679 –> 00:05:06,660 then you will always be in confusion. 95 00:05:07,980 –> 00:05:10,239 But if you are going to come to the conclusion 96 00:05:10,239 –> 00:05:12,579 that God is love, and, therefore, there’s love for you 97 00:05:12,579 –> 00:05:14,260 and, therefore, there is hope for you, 98 00:05:14,320 –> 00:05:18,739 here is where you will find the path to that conclusion. 99 00:05:18,739 –> 00:05:20,700 His love is made manifest 100 00:05:20,700 –> 00:05:23,700 in that God sent his only son into the world 101 00:05:23,700 –> 00:05:25,459 that we might live through him. 102 00:05:25,459 –> 00:05:27,320 That’s where it’s seen, 103 00:05:27,320 –> 00:05:29,119 not in the world, but in the Son 104 00:05:29,119 –> 00:05:31,200 who is sent into the world. 105 00:05:31,200 –> 00:05:33,380 It’s where you look to find the love of God. 106 00:05:34,179 –> 00:05:37,940 And then, John goes on to be more specific 107 00:05:37,940 –> 00:05:39,579 about what that actually involved. 108 00:05:39,579 –> 00:05:41,700 God sent his son, what did that involve? 109 00:05:41,700 –> 00:05:43,239 Verse 10. 110 00:05:43,239 –> 00:05:44,820 God loved us 111 00:05:46,040 –> 00:05:50,000 and sent his Son to be what? 112 00:05:50,000 –> 00:05:51,420 Big word coming. 113 00:05:51,420 –> 00:05:54,619 The propitiation for our sins. 114 00:05:55,739 –> 00:05:58,260 What that means is that all our sins 115 00:05:58,260 –> 00:06:00,880 and all the consequence of our sins 116 00:06:00,880 –> 00:06:02,940 in terms of divine judgment 117 00:06:02,940 –> 00:06:06,820 was poured out on and absorbed by the Son of God, 118 00:06:06,820 –> 00:06:08,179 and that happened, of course, 119 00:06:08,179 –> 00:06:09,500 when he was on the cross. 120 00:06:09,559 –> 00:06:11,859 That’s what the word propitiation means. 121 00:06:11,859 –> 00:06:14,000 The divine judgment for sin 122 00:06:14,000 –> 00:06:17,660 that was transferred from God’s people to Jesus Christ 123 00:06:17,660 –> 00:06:20,019 was poured out on him. 124 00:06:20,019 –> 00:06:22,459 He became the propitiation for our sins, 125 00:06:22,459 –> 00:06:23,980 and this is love, 126 00:06:23,980 –> 00:06:27,859 that God has done this for us. 127 00:06:28,959 –> 00:06:31,459 Now, that’s where love is seen. 128 00:06:31,459 –> 00:06:32,640 How does this love 129 00:06:32,640 –> 00:06:35,179 that can be seen in Jesus Christ 130 00:06:35,179 –> 00:06:37,760 actually get into me? 131 00:06:37,760 –> 00:06:40,140 How does it touch me? 132 00:06:40,140 –> 00:06:42,100 How does it come into my heart 133 00:06:42,100 –> 00:06:45,420 and actually affect me and change me? 134 00:06:46,299 –> 00:06:48,420 And the answer to that is in verse 16 135 00:06:48,420 –> 00:06:50,200 as we follow in what John is saying, 136 00:06:50,200 –> 00:06:51,119 here’s how love, 137 00:06:51,119 –> 00:06:52,440 the love of God reaches us 138 00:06:52,440 –> 00:06:54,239 and how it gets inside us. 139 00:06:54,239 –> 00:06:55,079 He says, 140 00:06:55,079 –> 00:06:59,820 We, the people of God have come to know 141 00:06:59,820 –> 00:07:02,559 and believe 142 00:07:02,559 –> 00:07:06,920 the love that God has for us. 143 00:07:08,559 –> 00:07:11,820 So here he is telling us what a Christian is. 144 00:07:12,799 –> 00:07:16,260 A Christian is a person who is able to say 145 00:07:17,179 –> 00:07:19,760 I know that God loves me. 146 00:07:21,600 –> 00:07:23,200 I know this, 147 00:07:23,200 –> 00:07:25,459 I believe this 148 00:07:25,459 –> 00:07:28,200 and the reason that I have become convinced of this 149 00:07:28,200 –> 00:07:30,799 is that I see this in His Son 150 00:07:30,799 –> 00:07:33,920 and particularly in what His Son accomplished 151 00:07:33,920 –> 00:07:35,320 in coming into the world 152 00:07:35,380 –> 00:07:39,260 being the propitiation for my sins. 153 00:07:39,260 –> 00:07:42,519 A Christian is a person who is honestly able to say 154 00:07:42,519 –> 00:07:44,519 in all the confusion of the world 155 00:07:44,519 –> 00:07:46,859 and in all the confusion of life 156 00:07:46,859 –> 00:07:49,459 the love of God is clear to me 157 00:07:49,459 –> 00:07:52,339 when I look at Jesus Christ. 158 00:07:53,459 –> 00:07:56,000 So I’ve come to believe this, 159 00:07:56,000 –> 00:07:58,640 I’ve come to know this. 160 00:07:58,640 –> 00:08:00,000 Verse 16. 161 00:08:00,000 –> 00:08:04,859 The love that God has for us. 162 00:08:05,579 –> 00:08:07,079 Now here’s the marvelous thing, 163 00:08:08,100 –> 00:08:10,619 when you come to believe 164 00:08:10,619 –> 00:08:13,339 the love of God that is made known in his Son 165 00:08:13,339 –> 00:08:16,579 who died for sins on the cross, 166 00:08:16,579 –> 00:08:18,859 then you will experience the love 167 00:08:18,859 –> 00:08:22,239 of Jesus Christ, the love of God, in your heart. 168 00:08:23,799 –> 00:08:24,640 And it’s very important 169 00:08:24,640 –> 00:08:26,100 to understand that’s how it works, 170 00:08:26,100 –> 00:08:28,799 that’s how this experience and knowledge 171 00:08:28,799 –> 00:08:30,380 of the love of God is entered, 172 00:08:30,380 –> 00:08:32,979 you come to believe 173 00:08:32,979 –> 00:08:34,820 the love of God that is made manifest 174 00:08:34,820 –> 00:08:37,419 in his Son who died on the cross for your sins, 175 00:08:37,419 –> 00:08:38,880 and as you come to the position 176 00:08:38,880 –> 00:08:41,099 of being able to now look at Jesus, 177 00:08:41,099 –> 00:08:41,919 I believe. 178 00:08:41,919 –> 00:08:43,580 I know the God is love, 179 00:08:43,580 –> 00:08:45,320 that he indeed does love me. 180 00:08:45,320 –> 00:08:47,380 It is then that the Holy Spirit 181 00:08:47,380 –> 00:08:50,719 sheds abroad the love of God in your heart. 182 00:08:52,140 –> 00:08:54,460 Now I’ve often over the years as a pastor 183 00:08:54,460 –> 00:08:55,580 had a conversation that goes 184 00:08:55,580 –> 00:08:57,580 something like this. 185 00:08:57,580 –> 00:08:59,039 A person says, 186 00:08:59,039 –> 00:09:02,200 well, I know in my head 187 00:09:02,200 –> 00:09:03,739 that God is love, 188 00:09:05,239 –> 00:09:07,460 you know what’s coming next don’t you? 189 00:09:07,460 –> 00:09:11,760 But I don’t feel it in my heart. 190 00:09:13,460 –> 00:09:15,140 So every time a person says that, 191 00:09:15,140 –> 00:09:16,179 so you’ll know what I’m going to say 192 00:09:16,179 –> 00:09:18,020 if you ever say it to me. 193 00:09:18,020 –> 00:09:19,659 I say, 194 00:09:19,659 –> 00:09:21,340 tell me about the love of God 195 00:09:21,340 –> 00:09:22,719 that you know in your head 196 00:09:24,179 –> 00:09:25,820 and usually the conversation 197 00:09:25,820 –> 00:09:27,200 sort of stalls there 198 00:09:27,200 –> 00:09:28,419 for a little bit 199 00:09:28,419 –> 00:09:31,260 and often the person doesn’t have much to say. 200 00:09:32,619 –> 00:09:34,580 Sometimes a person will say, 201 00:09:34,580 –> 00:09:35,979 the love of God that I know in my head 202 00:09:35,979 –> 00:09:37,419 well you know, 203 00:09:37,419 –> 00:09:40,260 Jesus died for our sin and all of that. 204 00:09:40,260 –> 00:09:41,080 And I’ll say, 205 00:09:41,080 –> 00:09:41,919 wait a minute, 206 00:09:42,900 –> 00:09:43,799 do you have sins? 207 00:09:45,700 –> 00:09:46,859 To which I often get the answer 208 00:09:46,859 –> 00:09:48,179 well, nobody’s perfect, 209 00:09:48,179 –> 00:09:51,099 you’ve heard that answer haven’t you, right. 210 00:09:51,099 –> 00:09:51,940 I say, 211 00:09:51,940 –> 00:09:52,760 no, no, no, 212 00:09:52,760 –> 00:09:53,599 wait a minute, 213 00:09:53,599 –> 00:09:54,619 I’m asking you a question. 214 00:09:54,619 –> 00:09:56,760 Do you have any sins 215 00:09:58,059 –> 00:10:00,659 that would damn you to hell 216 00:10:00,659 –> 00:10:02,299 forever 217 00:10:02,299 –> 00:10:04,460 if Jesus Christ had not borne them 218 00:10:04,820 –> 00:10:07,780 and become the propitiation for these sins. 219 00:10:10,340 –> 00:10:12,500 Here’s where I’m going with this. 220 00:10:12,500 –> 00:10:14,979 If you have never felt 221 00:10:16,299 –> 00:10:17,419 that you, 222 00:10:18,260 –> 00:10:20,260 however young or old you are, 223 00:10:21,219 –> 00:10:23,099 have sins 224 00:10:23,099 –> 00:10:26,440 that would damn you to hell forever, 225 00:10:26,440 –> 00:10:28,380 it will be very difficult for you 226 00:10:28,380 –> 00:10:29,919 ever to come to the conclusion 227 00:10:29,919 –> 00:10:32,140 that what Jesus did on the cross 228 00:10:32,140 –> 00:10:34,260 was actually significant 229 00:10:34,260 –> 00:10:37,179 was actually love 230 00:10:37,179 –> 00:10:38,000 for you. 231 00:10:39,760 –> 00:10:44,260 So, here’s how you come to know the love of God. 232 00:10:44,260 –> 00:10:46,580 The whole height of this series 233 00:10:46,580 –> 00:10:49,020 is I want that we should know, 234 00:10:49,020 –> 00:10:50,619 whatever we are in the Christian life, 235 00:10:50,619 –> 00:10:52,419 more of the love of God 236 00:10:52,419 –> 00:10:55,039 and drink more deeply of this marvelous fountain. 237 00:10:55,039 –> 00:10:57,219 Here’s how you come to know the love of God. 238 00:10:57,219 –> 00:10:58,859 God sent his Son into the world 239 00:10:58,859 –> 00:11:01,359 so that we might live through him. 240 00:11:01,359 –> 00:11:03,140 Nobody will live without him. 241 00:11:03,140 –> 00:11:04,559 And here is what he had to do 242 00:11:04,559 –> 00:11:06,280 so that life would come to us 243 00:11:06,280 –> 00:11:08,719 and so that we would not be damned forever. 244 00:11:08,719 –> 00:11:12,679 He became the propitiation for our sins, 245 00:11:12,679 –> 00:11:15,460 and we come to know and believe 246 00:11:16,320 –> 00:11:19,880 that God truly loves us 247 00:11:19,880 –> 00:11:23,840 as we see how his love is made manifest for us 248 00:11:23,840 –> 00:11:26,599 at the point of our greatest need 249 00:11:28,219 –> 00:11:29,679 by his Son, 250 00:11:31,080 –> 00:11:32,419 Jesus Christ. 251 00:11:33,619 –> 00:11:37,320 Now, I really want that every person in this service 252 00:11:38,340 –> 00:11:40,820 would be able to say honestly, 253 00:11:41,739 –> 00:11:44,979 I know that God loves me. 254 00:11:44,979 –> 00:11:45,940 Can you say that? 255 00:11:47,659 –> 00:11:49,460 I believe this. 256 00:11:50,539 –> 00:11:52,119 I know this. 257 00:11:53,299 –> 00:11:55,539 And I know it not because I saw it 258 00:11:55,539 –> 00:11:56,859 in this world of trouble. 259 00:11:56,859 –> 00:11:58,780 No, I don’t see it in this world of trouble, 260 00:11:58,780 –> 00:12:00,340 but here’s where I do see it. 261 00:12:00,340 –> 00:12:02,659 I see it in God’s Son. 262 00:12:02,700 –> 00:12:04,580 I see it in Jesus Christ. 263 00:12:04,580 –> 00:12:07,020 The love of God for me is clear 264 00:12:07,020 –> 00:12:10,099 every time I look at Jesus. 265 00:12:10,099 –> 00:12:11,539 That’s why every time we worship, 266 00:12:11,539 –> 00:12:13,179 we want to look at Jesus 267 00:12:14,979 –> 00:12:17,900 so that the love of God for you and for me 268 00:12:17,900 –> 00:12:19,179 will be absolutely clear. 269 00:12:19,179 –> 00:12:20,780 And this love has reached me. 270 00:12:20,780 –> 00:12:22,679 I want you to be able to say that. 271 00:12:24,419 –> 00:12:27,940 Paul talks about how God’s love is poured out 272 00:12:27,940 –> 00:12:30,960 in two ways in Romans chapter 5. 273 00:12:31,940 –> 00:12:32,760 And remember he says, 274 00:12:32,760 –> 00:12:34,719 that God demonstrates his love for us in this. 275 00:12:34,719 –> 00:12:37,039 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 276 00:12:37,039 –> 00:12:40,080 There is where you see God’s love made manifest. 277 00:12:40,080 –> 00:12:41,359 And when you come to believe that 278 00:12:41,359 –> 00:12:44,080 and you come to know that God does indeed love you 279 00:12:44,080 –> 00:12:47,859 what happens, the Holy Spirit pours out 280 00:12:47,859 –> 00:12:49,979 the love of God into our hearts. 281 00:12:49,979 –> 00:12:51,140 That’s Romans 5, 8 282 00:12:51,140 –> 00:12:53,520 and Romans chapter 5 and verse 5. 283 00:12:53,520 –> 00:12:55,799 So here’s how these things are connected. 284 00:12:55,799 –> 00:12:58,840 When people believe that God’s love is poured out 285 00:12:58,840 –> 00:13:02,679 in his Son on the Cross. 286 00:13:02,679 –> 00:13:06,580 You come to believe that, not just say it, but believe it. 287 00:13:07,919 –> 00:13:11,059 Then the Holy Spirit pours out God’s love 288 00:13:11,059 –> 00:13:14,760 into the hearts of these people. 289 00:13:14,760 –> 00:13:17,539 So here’s what John is saying to us. 290 00:13:17,539 –> 00:13:20,719 How am I going to be able to love well? 291 00:13:21,900 –> 00:13:22,880 And John says, 292 00:13:22,880 –> 00:13:27,719 here’s how we love, our capacity to love grows, 293 00:13:27,820 –> 00:13:32,820 our ability to love grows, because he first loved us. 294 00:13:33,580 –> 00:13:35,719 The love of God seen in Jesus Christ 295 00:13:35,719 –> 00:13:37,340 poured out into your heart 296 00:13:37,340 –> 00:13:40,119 by the Holy Spirit gives the capacity 297 00:13:40,119 –> 00:13:45,039 to be able to love God and others well. 298 00:13:45,039 –> 00:13:47,679 Now, that’s what this series is about. 299 00:13:47,679 –> 00:13:49,000 And it follows, you will see, 300 00:13:49,000 –> 00:13:53,320 that the more that we know about the love of God, 301 00:13:53,320 –> 00:13:56,260 the better we will be able to love one another. 302 00:13:56,299 –> 00:13:58,940 And that will affect families, 303 00:13:58,940 –> 00:14:01,500 that will affect our fellowship, 304 00:14:01,500 –> 00:14:03,940 that will affect the bonds of friendship 305 00:14:03,940 –> 00:14:07,340 that are so important in the body of Christ. 306 00:14:07,340 –> 00:14:10,020 The more you are filled with the knowledge 307 00:14:10,020 –> 00:14:12,979 of the love of God the more your capacity 308 00:14:13,940 –> 00:14:18,940 to love other people well will increase. 309 00:14:20,200 –> 00:14:22,520 So here’s the great aim of this series 310 00:14:22,520 –> 00:14:25,320 to experience the love of God more deeply. 311 00:14:26,780 –> 00:14:31,500 So that we may be able to love others more fully. 312 00:14:32,599 –> 00:14:34,619 Isn’t it interesting that Paul writing 313 00:14:34,619 –> 00:14:38,520 to Christian believers says in Ephesians three, 314 00:14:38,520 –> 00:14:39,780 now this is my prayer. 315 00:14:40,880 –> 00:14:43,539 I want you to know the breadth and length 316 00:14:43,539 –> 00:14:46,020 and depth and height of the love of God 317 00:14:46,020 –> 00:14:48,960 the love that surpasses knowledge. 318 00:14:48,960 –> 00:14:51,260 And so to be filled to the measure 319 00:14:51,260 –> 00:14:52,539 of all the fullness of God. 320 00:14:52,539 –> 00:14:55,119 That’s what I’m praying for the Church. 321 00:14:56,979 –> 00:14:58,619 Because then we won’t have religious people 322 00:14:58,619 –> 00:15:01,380 going around constantly in doubt of the love of God. 323 00:15:03,059 –> 00:15:06,960 And in great difficulties in actually loving each other. 324 00:15:08,419 –> 00:15:10,679 But people whose souls and lives 325 00:15:10,679 –> 00:15:14,599 are being filled with this marvelous knowledge, 326 00:15:15,659 –> 00:15:18,020 and are experiencing something of the wonder 327 00:15:18,020 –> 00:15:20,679 of what it looks like for that to begin to overflow 328 00:15:20,679 –> 00:15:25,679 in homes, and in families, and even in the Church. 329 00:15:27,099 –> 00:15:29,940 Now the title today is The Bride and the Bridegroom. 330 00:15:29,940 –> 00:15:31,460 And again, that is a reference 331 00:15:31,460 –> 00:15:35,059 not particularly to marriage as we normally think about it, 332 00:15:35,059 –> 00:15:38,659 but particularly to the fact that God uses this analogy 333 00:15:38,659 –> 00:15:40,700 throughout the Bible to describe 334 00:15:40,700 –> 00:15:44,520 His own relationship of love with His people. 335 00:15:44,520 –> 00:15:47,340 Now, I want to take just a few moments to remind you 336 00:15:47,340 –> 00:15:50,059 of how this runs right throughout the Bible. 337 00:15:50,059 –> 00:15:51,419 For example, in the Gospels, 338 00:15:51,419 –> 00:15:53,159 do you remember Matthew chapter 9, 339 00:15:53,200 –> 00:15:55,080 the Pharisees are complaining 340 00:15:55,080 –> 00:15:57,440 that the disciples are not fasting. 341 00:15:57,440 –> 00:15:58,479 You know, we’re fasting, 342 00:15:58,479 –> 00:16:00,900 why are you guys not fasting, and so forth. 343 00:16:00,900 –> 00:16:02,479 And Jesus gave this answer. 344 00:16:02,479 –> 00:16:04,059 Can the wedding guests mourn 345 00:16:04,059 –> 00:16:06,960 as long as the bridegroom is with them? 346 00:16:06,960 –> 00:16:09,760 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken 347 00:16:09,760 –> 00:16:10,960 and then they will fast. 348 00:16:10,960 –> 00:16:15,679 So He describes Himself, Christ, as the bridegroom. 349 00:16:17,159 –> 00:16:18,619 Then you remember in the parables, 350 00:16:18,619 –> 00:16:20,760 Jesus spoke about how the Kingdom of Heaven, 351 00:16:20,760 –> 00:16:25,719 Matthew 22, is like a King who gave a wedding feast 352 00:16:25,719 –> 00:16:27,380 for his son. 353 00:16:27,380 –> 00:16:29,260 Then invited all of these guests. 354 00:16:29,260 –> 00:16:30,479 Some of whom didn’t want to come 355 00:16:30,479 –> 00:16:32,299 and so others came instead. 356 00:16:33,400 –> 00:16:35,320 Then you remember Matthew chapter 25, 357 00:16:35,320 –> 00:16:37,239 the Lord Jesus says well, the Kingdom of Heaven, again, 358 00:16:37,239 –> 00:16:41,479 can be compared to 10 bridesmaids. 359 00:16:41,479 –> 00:16:44,359 And they’re waiting for the bridegroom to come. 360 00:16:44,359 –> 00:16:47,140 This constant way of the Lord Jesus Christ 361 00:16:47,219 –> 00:16:52,140 referring to himself as the Son, King’s Son, 362 00:16:52,140 –> 00:16:52,979 the bridegroom. 363 00:16:54,140 –> 00:16:56,479 The Book of Revelation as most of you know well 364 00:16:56,479 –> 00:16:58,940 takes up this marvelous theme 365 00:16:58,940 –> 00:17:02,580 and appoints us to this great 366 00:17:02,580 –> 00:17:05,619 joy at the return of Jesus Christ 367 00:17:05,619 –> 00:17:08,900 that is the marriage supper of the Lamb. 368 00:17:08,900 –> 00:17:11,420 Revelation chapter 19. 369 00:17:11,420 –> 00:17:14,060 I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude 370 00:17:14,060 –> 00:17:15,380 the roar of many waters, 371 00:17:15,380 –> 00:17:19,699 the sounds of many peels of thunder, hallelujah. 372 00:17:19,699 –> 00:17:22,900 For the Lord, our God, the almighty reigns. 373 00:17:22,900 –> 00:17:25,619 Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory. 374 00:17:25,619 –> 00:17:26,459 Why? 375 00:17:26,459 –> 00:17:30,619 For the marriage of the Lamb has come. 376 00:17:30,619 –> 00:17:33,579 Jesus, the Lamb of God, His bride 377 00:17:34,640 –> 00:17:37,000 has made herself ready. 378 00:17:37,900 –> 00:17:40,420 Then in chapter 21, right at the very end 379 00:17:40,420 –> 00:17:42,680 of the Bible, the last chapter, book one, 380 00:17:42,680 –> 00:17:45,839 you see the new heaven and the new earth, 381 00:17:45,839 –> 00:17:49,180 the first earth has passed away, the seas no more 382 00:17:49,180 –> 00:17:51,119 and John says, I saw the holy city, 383 00:17:51,119 –> 00:17:52,880 it’s coming down out of heaven 384 00:17:52,880 –> 00:17:55,479 and it’s prepared as a bride. 385 00:17:56,819 –> 00:17:59,859 Adorned, dressed for her husband. 386 00:18:01,640 –> 00:18:04,000 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, 387 00:18:04,000 –> 00:18:06,540 behold the dwelling of God is with men. 388 00:18:06,540 –> 00:18:11,160 Oh, at last, God is with the people He loves. 389 00:18:12,119 –> 00:18:15,839 And God’s people who have loved Him by faith 390 00:18:15,839 –> 00:18:20,680 and walked with Him in trust are with Him at last, 391 00:18:20,680 –> 00:18:21,520 as well. 392 00:18:22,520 –> 00:18:24,000 Now, that’s the New Testament. 393 00:18:25,079 –> 00:18:30,079 Think about this, in addition there are two entire books 394 00:18:32,479 –> 00:18:37,439 of the Bible that are devoted in their entirety 395 00:18:37,479 –> 00:18:41,079 to communicating to us the love of God 396 00:18:41,079 –> 00:18:44,420 through the analogy of marriage. 397 00:18:44,420 –> 00:18:45,859 You think which two they are? 398 00:18:47,099 –> 00:18:50,199 One is, of course, the book of Song of Solomon, 399 00:18:51,099 –> 00:18:53,479 which portrays the joy of love. 400 00:18:53,479 –> 00:18:56,280 The story is simply that Solomon 401 00:18:56,280 –> 00:18:59,599 is in love with a beautiful woman 402 00:18:59,599 –> 00:19:03,900 and he comes to claim her as his bride. 403 00:19:03,900 –> 00:19:05,979 If you ask the question, 404 00:19:05,979 –> 00:19:09,699 why is the Book of Song of Solomon in the Bible, 405 00:19:09,699 –> 00:19:11,459 well one reason is that it teaches us 406 00:19:11,459 –> 00:19:13,099 some very good and important things 407 00:19:13,099 –> 00:19:14,760 about love and marriage. 408 00:19:15,699 –> 00:19:18,099 But the reason that it’s in the Bible 409 00:19:18,099 –> 00:19:19,300 is actually more than that. 410 00:19:19,300 –> 00:19:20,819 The reason the book of Song of Solomon 411 00:19:20,819 –> 00:19:24,219 is in the Bible is to impress on us 412 00:19:25,180 –> 00:19:30,180 the intensity of God’s love for his people 413 00:19:31,180 –> 00:19:35,300 and the analogy that communicates that most clearly 414 00:19:35,300 –> 00:19:37,060 within our frame of understanding 415 00:19:37,060 –> 00:19:39,319 is what the bride and the bridegroom. 416 00:19:40,819 –> 00:19:42,699 Other book in the Bible that’s devoted 417 00:19:42,699 –> 00:19:46,140 in it’s entirety to the analogy of marriage, 418 00:19:46,140 –> 00:19:47,880 anyone got it? 419 00:19:47,880 –> 00:19:48,819 The book of Hosea, 420 00:19:49,880 –> 00:19:51,900 which is a very, very different story. 421 00:19:51,900 –> 00:19:54,339 The Song of Solomon is about the joy of love 422 00:19:54,339 –> 00:19:56,380 while the book of Hosea of course 423 00:19:56,380 –> 00:19:58,719 is about the pain of love. 424 00:19:59,619 –> 00:20:03,680 And that story, an outline, is that Hosea was a godly man, 425 00:20:03,680 –> 00:20:06,040 he was a prophet, he walked with God, 426 00:20:06,040 –> 00:20:08,760 but his wife whose name was Gomer 427 00:20:08,760 –> 00:20:13,119 was not a godly woman and Gomer left Hosea 428 00:20:13,119 –> 00:20:15,439 and Hosea was broken-hearted. 429 00:20:15,439 –> 00:20:17,780 And what made it even worse was that 430 00:20:17,780 –> 00:20:21,699 Gomer chose a lifestyle that became destructive 431 00:20:21,699 –> 00:20:23,520 and nearly destroyed her. 432 00:20:24,500 –> 00:20:26,780 And here’s Hosea with his broken heart, 433 00:20:26,780 –> 00:20:30,959 he loves his wife, and he cannot stop loving her. 434 00:20:32,839 –> 00:20:35,500 Now you say, why is that book in the Bible? 435 00:20:35,500 –> 00:20:38,619 Well, again, the Bible speaks to every 436 00:20:38,619 –> 00:20:41,900 circumstance of life and there are people here 437 00:20:41,900 –> 00:20:46,140 in very, very difficult and torn relationships 438 00:20:46,140 –> 00:20:48,219 and there are broken hearts and the Bible 439 00:20:48,219 –> 00:20:50,439 speaks directly to your situation. 440 00:20:52,199 –> 00:20:54,119 But there’s a bigger reason than that. 441 00:20:55,119 –> 00:20:59,719 It is to impress on us the intensity 442 00:20:59,719 –> 00:21:04,719 of God’s love for us and if you have experienced 443 00:21:05,000 –> 00:21:08,319 the pain of a broken heart then you have 444 00:21:08,319 –> 00:21:13,319 some insight into the intensity 445 00:21:13,800 –> 00:21:16,640 of the love of God for his people. 446 00:21:18,199 –> 00:21:20,319 I want you to understand God knows the joy 447 00:21:20,319 –> 00:21:22,959 of love at its highest, he knows 448 00:21:22,959 –> 00:21:27,000 the pain of love at its deepest. 449 00:21:28,599 –> 00:21:30,839 Now I want you to think with me for a few moments 450 00:21:30,839 –> 00:21:34,479 about the significance of this analogy 451 00:21:34,479 –> 00:21:35,880 of the bride and the bridegroom. 452 00:21:35,880 –> 00:21:37,140 It runs all the way through the Bible. 453 00:21:37,140 –> 00:21:39,959 Old Testament, New Testament, Gospels, Revelation. 454 00:21:41,500 –> 00:21:43,719 God keeps coming back to communicate 455 00:21:43,719 –> 00:21:46,400 through this analogy. 456 00:21:46,400 –> 00:21:47,239 Why? 457 00:21:47,239 –> 00:21:51,739 Because he wants us to know that he loves us. 458 00:21:53,780 –> 00:21:56,079 And I want you to think about this with me 459 00:21:56,079 –> 00:21:57,260 for a few moments. 460 00:21:58,699 –> 00:22:02,619 What you believe most deeply about God 461 00:22:03,739 –> 00:22:08,479 will shape all of your experience of him. 462 00:22:10,160 –> 00:22:14,660 What you believe most deeply about God 463 00:22:15,920 –> 00:22:20,920 will shape all that you experience of him. 464 00:22:23,160 –> 00:22:28,160 And while God communicates to us 465 00:22:28,479 –> 00:22:31,119 that he is, in relation to his people, 466 00:22:31,119 –> 00:22:35,479 the great lover, the lover of your soul, 467 00:22:35,479 –> 00:22:37,479 the lover of your life, 468 00:22:38,760 –> 00:22:41,439 the reality is that many of us 469 00:22:41,439 –> 00:22:46,119 live with alternative analogies 470 00:22:46,119 –> 00:22:49,839 as to how we think of God in relation to our lives. 471 00:22:49,839 –> 00:22:51,280 And let me just give you one or two, 472 00:22:51,319 –> 00:22:53,819 and you’ll recognize them very, very quickly. 473 00:22:53,819 –> 00:22:56,079 By the way, is anyone enjoying the World Cup? 474 00:22:57,119 –> 00:22:58,520 Because I’m really enjoying the World Cup. 475 00:22:58,520 –> 00:23:00,420 And this is real football now, 476 00:23:00,420 –> 00:23:02,359 as far as the rest of the world, 477 00:23:02,359 –> 00:23:04,920 you understand, is concerned. 478 00:23:04,920 –> 00:23:07,500 So thinking about the analogy, 479 00:23:07,500 –> 00:23:09,479 I’ll call it soccer here. 480 00:23:09,479 –> 00:23:12,459 Some folks think of God as the referee. 481 00:23:14,079 –> 00:23:17,160 And that is actually your primary analogy, 482 00:23:17,160 –> 00:23:19,680 that God is somehow running up and down the field, 483 00:23:19,680 –> 00:23:22,560 watching all of us play the game of life 484 00:23:22,560 –> 00:23:26,060 and making sure that we play according to the rules. 485 00:23:26,060 –> 00:23:27,099 If we break the rules, 486 00:23:27,099 –> 00:23:29,420 he blows the whistle and cries foul. 487 00:23:29,420 –> 00:23:31,839 If we seriously break the rules, 488 00:23:31,839 –> 00:23:34,140 he takes the yellow card out of his pocket. 489 00:23:34,140 –> 00:23:35,380 If we do that more than once, 490 00:23:35,380 –> 00:23:37,060 he takes the red card out of the pocket 491 00:23:37,060 –> 00:23:38,619 and we’re off the field, right? 492 00:23:39,859 –> 00:23:42,280 And that’s how you think of God. 493 00:23:44,180 –> 00:23:47,880 Now, if you see God primarily 494 00:23:48,819 –> 00:23:51,359 as the referee in your life, 495 00:23:52,420 –> 00:23:55,500 it will help you to be a moral person 496 00:23:57,579 –> 00:23:58,979 but it will not do anything 497 00:23:58,979 –> 00:24:00,880 to increase your capacity to love. 498 00:24:02,439 –> 00:24:03,699 And, friends, if you think about it, 499 00:24:03,699 –> 00:24:06,900 this is exactly the situation with the Pharisees. 500 00:24:06,900 –> 00:24:08,280 What did the Pharisees do? 501 00:24:08,280 –> 00:24:10,619 They went through their lives playing by the rules. 502 00:24:10,619 –> 00:24:11,459 Why? 503 00:24:11,459 –> 00:24:13,579 Because they saw God as the great referee. 504 00:24:13,579 –> 00:24:15,260 They were moral people, 505 00:24:15,260 –> 00:24:17,160 they did not wanna get sent off, 506 00:24:17,180 –> 00:24:18,699 they did not wanna get the yellow card, 507 00:24:18,699 –> 00:24:20,199 they didn’t wanna commit fouls, 508 00:24:20,199 –> 00:24:23,359 and so they pursued a moral life 509 00:24:23,359 –> 00:24:26,500 but they were obviously, as you read the Gospel, 510 00:24:26,500 –> 00:24:29,160 notoriously, even as you read the Gospel, 511 00:24:29,160 –> 00:24:30,819 lacking in love, weren’t they? 512 00:24:32,300 –> 00:24:34,680 Because their entire life was shaped 513 00:24:36,239 –> 00:24:37,459 by a wrong view of God. 514 00:24:39,079 –> 00:24:42,000 And that’s true of many, many people in church today. 515 00:24:42,000 –> 00:24:43,359 You see God is the referee 516 00:24:44,540 –> 00:24:45,520 blowing the whistle, 517 00:24:46,500 –> 00:24:47,599 keeping the rules. 518 00:24:47,599 –> 00:24:49,359 Is that how you think of God? 519 00:24:49,359 –> 00:24:50,560 So you’re a moral person 520 00:24:51,760 –> 00:24:53,160 but you don’t have much love. 521 00:24:54,739 –> 00:24:55,939 Other people think of God 522 00:24:55,939 –> 00:24:57,400 as a kind of gatekeeper. 523 00:24:58,380 –> 00:25:00,939 Think of the officer in passport control 524 00:25:00,939 –> 00:25:02,739 when you come in at O’Hare, 525 00:25:02,739 –> 00:25:05,119 if you’ve been traveling in another country 526 00:25:05,119 –> 00:25:06,219 and you show your passport 527 00:25:06,219 –> 00:25:08,859 and the officer checks your passport 528 00:25:08,859 –> 00:25:09,959 and if everything’s in order 529 00:25:09,959 –> 00:25:12,540 he stamps your passport and lets you in 530 00:25:12,540 –> 00:25:14,859 and if there’s a problem it’s his job 531 00:25:14,859 –> 00:25:16,959 to keep you out. 532 00:25:18,560 –> 00:25:20,079 Now if you see God as 533 00:25:20,079 –> 00:25:23,260 essentially like the officer at passport control 534 00:25:23,260 –> 00:25:27,160 it may motivate you to a religious life. 535 00:25:28,500 –> 00:25:29,859 I want to go to heaven, 536 00:25:30,979 –> 00:25:33,319 I certainly don’t want to go to hell, 537 00:25:34,640 –> 00:25:37,079 what do I have to do to go to heaven? 538 00:25:38,760 –> 00:25:41,020 Believe in Jesus. 539 00:25:41,020 –> 00:25:43,459 Okay, I believe in Jesus. 540 00:25:43,479 –> 00:25:45,119 How many people have made a decision 541 00:25:45,119 –> 00:25:46,420 at five or six years old? 542 00:25:46,420 –> 00:25:48,760 Entirely on that basis right? 543 00:25:48,760 –> 00:25:49,900 I don’t want to go to hell, 544 00:25:49,900 –> 00:25:51,160 what do I have to do? 545 00:25:51,160 –> 00:25:52,079 You say I believe in… 546 00:25:52,079 –> 00:25:53,300 Mom, okay dad, 547 00:25:53,300 –> 00:25:54,780 I believe in Jesus. 548 00:25:54,780 –> 00:25:55,619 Believe in Jesus. 549 00:25:57,479 –> 00:26:00,800 Now that may be enough to make you a religious person 550 00:26:00,800 –> 00:26:02,219 because what follows is, 551 00:26:02,219 –> 00:26:03,699 well what else does Jesus want me to do? 552 00:26:03,699 –> 00:26:04,719 Well read your Bible, 553 00:26:04,719 –> 00:26:05,560 say prayers, 554 00:26:05,560 –> 00:26:06,880 go to church. 555 00:26:06,880 –> 00:26:07,719 Get involved, 556 00:26:07,719 –> 00:26:08,540 serve, 557 00:26:08,540 –> 00:26:09,680 okay I do these things. 558 00:26:09,680 –> 00:26:11,699 I don’t want to leave anything to chance 559 00:26:11,699 –> 00:26:13,060 when I get to the gates of heaven 560 00:26:13,160 –> 00:26:15,180 because I’m going to see the great gatekeeper 561 00:26:15,180 –> 00:26:18,660 therefore I will be a religious person. 562 00:26:18,660 –> 00:26:20,920 Here’s the thing. 563 00:26:20,920 –> 00:26:23,780 It doesn’t do anything to increase your capacity to love. 564 00:26:25,599 –> 00:26:27,020 It actually leaves you like 565 00:26:27,020 –> 00:26:28,420 you know the character in the gospels 566 00:26:28,420 –> 00:26:29,319 who is very like this, 567 00:26:29,319 –> 00:26:30,540 was the rich young ruler. 568 00:26:30,540 –> 00:26:32,099 What do I have to do to get eternal life? 569 00:26:32,099 –> 00:26:33,099 Just tell me what I’ve got to do, 570 00:26:33,099 –> 00:26:33,979 I’ll do anything. 571 00:26:35,420 –> 00:26:38,459 Except it turned out he wasn’t quite ready to do anything 572 00:26:38,459 –> 00:26:41,979 because he didn’t have anylove for Christ in his heart. 573 00:26:41,979 –> 00:26:42,800 Think about that, 574 00:26:43,040 –> 00:26:46,079 this is possible to be very religious 575 00:26:47,180 –> 00:26:50,400 and to have very little love. 576 00:26:50,400 –> 00:26:51,880 That was the rich young ruler. 577 00:26:53,640 –> 00:26:54,979 Then there are other people 578 00:26:55,959 –> 00:26:57,939 who see God as a servant. 579 00:26:59,219 –> 00:27:00,479 That one goes like this, 580 00:27:00,479 –> 00:27:02,040 if that’s the way that you think of God 581 00:27:02,040 –> 00:27:05,439 and many many people in our culture today 582 00:27:05,439 –> 00:27:07,119 have really bought into this 583 00:27:07,119 –> 00:27:09,599 that God is there basically 584 00:27:09,599 –> 00:27:12,359 to give me the life that I want. 585 00:27:12,640 –> 00:27:16,439 His job, we give job description to God as it were, 586 00:27:16,439 –> 00:27:17,780 is to answer our prayers, 587 00:27:17,780 –> 00:27:19,040 and here’s what I want. 588 00:27:19,040 –> 00:27:20,260 I want health. 589 00:27:20,260 –> 00:27:21,760 I want work. 590 00:27:21,760 –> 00:27:23,000 I want marriage. 591 00:27:23,000 –> 00:27:24,199 I want children. 592 00:27:24,199 –> 00:27:25,140 I want money. 593 00:27:25,140 –> 00:27:26,219 I want grandchildren. 594 00:27:26,219 –> 00:27:27,060 I want long life. 595 00:27:27,060 –> 00:27:29,040 I want a happy retirement, et cetera, et cetera. 596 00:27:29,040 –> 00:27:30,560 God, here’s the list. 597 00:27:32,119 –> 00:27:34,180 I’m marking off the list, 598 00:27:34,180 –> 00:27:36,540 and you owe these things to me 599 00:27:36,540 –> 00:27:38,800 because I have really lived a good life 600 00:27:38,800 –> 00:27:40,520 and I deserve it. 601 00:27:41,040 –> 00:27:45,199 And so God becomes the servant 602 00:27:45,199 –> 00:27:46,640 and that’s how you think of him. 603 00:27:46,640 –> 00:27:50,000 And whenever something on the list doesn’t get checked off, 604 00:27:50,000 –> 00:27:51,880 guess what happens? 605 00:27:51,880 –> 00:27:55,640 This is the fastest way to becoming a selfish 606 00:27:55,640 –> 00:27:57,819 and a bitter person. 607 00:27:59,579 –> 00:28:01,040 We all know people like that. 608 00:28:02,760 –> 00:28:07,239 And its root is in an entirely false view of who God is. 609 00:28:08,099 –> 00:28:10,359 I know very little about love. 610 00:28:12,459 –> 00:28:14,319 Now friends, here’s a concern 611 00:28:14,319 –> 00:28:16,079 that’s at the heart of this series 612 00:28:16,079 –> 00:28:18,119 as I’ve prayed about it and prepared it. 613 00:28:20,319 –> 00:28:22,160 There are many people in church 614 00:28:23,319 –> 00:28:25,319 who see God as the referee 615 00:28:26,680 –> 00:28:29,680 or as the gatekeeper or as the servant. 616 00:28:29,680 –> 00:28:31,800 In fact, they’re in church precisely 617 00:28:31,800 –> 00:28:34,640 because they see God as the referee 618 00:28:34,640 –> 00:28:36,040 or the gatekeeper 619 00:28:36,040 –> 00:28:38,119 or the servant. 620 00:28:39,560 –> 00:28:42,520 And I’m asking you in this world of confusion 621 00:28:42,520 –> 00:28:43,560 about who God is, 622 00:28:43,560 –> 00:28:46,319 what do you know about God 623 00:28:46,319 –> 00:28:50,040 who is the lover of your soul? 624 00:28:51,680 –> 00:28:54,579 Because what He communicates in the Bible, 625 00:28:54,579 –> 00:28:56,420 Old Testament and New Testament, 626 00:28:56,420 –> 00:28:57,780 time and time and time again 627 00:28:57,780 –> 00:28:59,800 is when you want to thank God, 628 00:28:59,800 –> 00:29:00,979 thank love, 629 00:29:02,359 –> 00:29:03,239 thank love. 630 00:29:03,699 –> 00:29:08,199 Because that is the very heart of His relationship 631 00:29:08,199 –> 00:29:10,640 with His people. 632 00:29:12,680 –> 00:29:14,260 So we’re into the last few minutes now, 633 00:29:14,260 –> 00:29:16,859 but turn back with me just to what we read in Ephesians 634 00:29:16,859 –> 00:29:18,520 in chapter five, 635 00:29:18,520 –> 00:29:21,260 and I just want you to see in these last few minutes 636 00:29:21,260 –> 00:29:25,699 how Jesus Christ really loves His people, 637 00:29:25,699 –> 00:29:29,040 so well, so well. 638 00:29:29,900 –> 00:29:32,719 There are five very simple words here 639 00:29:32,959 –> 00:29:36,479 that speak about what His love does 640 00:29:36,479 –> 00:29:39,119 in the life of one of His own children, 641 00:29:39,119 –> 00:29:40,359 someone who’s come to say, 642 00:29:40,359 –> 00:29:43,400 I know and believe that God is love. 643 00:29:45,219 –> 00:29:48,280 When that’s your position in life, 644 00:29:48,280 –> 00:29:50,380 look at what His love does. 645 00:29:50,380 –> 00:29:52,760 Think about His love cleansing you. 646 00:29:52,760 –> 00:29:55,280 Verse 25, husbands, love your wives 647 00:29:55,280 –> 00:29:56,780 as Christ loved the church 648 00:29:56,780 –> 00:29:59,719 and gave Himself up for her 649 00:29:59,739 –> 00:30:01,380 that He might sanctify her 650 00:30:01,380 –> 00:30:02,880 having cleansed her 651 00:30:05,119 –> 00:30:07,819 by the washing of water 652 00:30:07,819 –> 00:30:09,000 with the word. 653 00:30:10,459 –> 00:30:13,099 A believer coming to Jesus Christ 654 00:30:13,099 –> 00:30:14,920 and asking for forgiveness 655 00:30:14,920 –> 00:30:17,319 will never hear Jesus say no. 656 00:30:18,819 –> 00:30:20,959 Isn’t that marvelous? 657 00:30:20,959 –> 00:30:23,959 You’ll never have the cold shoulder. 658 00:30:24,819 –> 00:30:26,819 He never holds a grudge. 659 00:30:27,560 –> 00:30:30,060 He never brings up old wounds. 660 00:30:33,599 –> 00:30:35,939 He never picks at old sores. 661 00:30:38,339 –> 00:30:42,520 So husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. 662 00:30:43,540 –> 00:30:45,699 See how practical that is? 663 00:30:45,699 –> 00:30:47,920 And not just husbands, by the way, 664 00:30:47,920 –> 00:30:50,579 because it’s, although it’s stated specifically here, 665 00:30:50,579 –> 00:30:52,540 it’s certainly not exclusive. 666 00:30:52,540 –> 00:30:56,119 Jesus said, love one another as I love you. 667 00:30:56,959 –> 00:30:59,199 I have loved you and his love 668 00:30:59,199 –> 00:31:01,699 for all of us is a cleansing love. 669 00:31:01,699 –> 00:31:05,859 And so we are to love one another in that kind of a way. 670 00:31:07,739 –> 00:31:11,099 Do you see his love, how it not only cleanses you, 671 00:31:11,099 –> 00:31:14,680 washing guilt from the condemning courtroom 672 00:31:15,939 –> 00:31:18,359 of your own heart and washing guilt 673 00:31:18,359 –> 00:31:21,260 from the presence of God in heaven? 674 00:31:21,260 –> 00:31:25,619 He cleanses and not only that, his love sanctifies you. 675 00:31:25,619 –> 00:31:27,119 And what that means, just to put it another way, 676 00:31:27,119 –> 00:31:29,300 it would make you flourish. 677 00:31:30,160 –> 00:31:31,619 The love of Christ makes you more. 678 00:31:31,619 –> 00:31:33,859 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church 679 00:31:33,859 –> 00:31:38,020 and gave himself up for her so that he might sanctify her. 680 00:31:38,979 –> 00:31:43,520 Christ will make more of you than you can ever make 681 00:31:43,520 –> 00:31:45,520 of yourself without him. 682 00:31:46,739 –> 00:31:49,400 Christ will cause your life to flourish in a way 683 00:31:49,400 –> 00:31:53,579 that your life can never possibly flourish without him. 684 00:31:54,439 –> 00:31:57,079 Give yourself to following him 685 00:31:57,079 –> 00:31:59,819 and see what he will make of you. 686 00:32:02,800 –> 00:32:07,079 And think about how Christ’s love nourishes you. 687 00:32:07,079 –> 00:32:09,719 Verse 29, no one ever hated his own body 688 00:32:09,719 –> 00:32:13,719 but nourishes it just as Christ does the Church. 689 00:32:15,619 –> 00:32:20,540 The love of Christ builds up the Christian believer. 690 00:32:20,839 –> 00:32:23,099 The love of Christ gives you strength 691 00:32:23,099 –> 00:32:27,099 to face the toughest circumstances of your life. 692 00:32:28,479 –> 00:32:32,540 Think about this at the end of Romans chapter 8. 693 00:32:32,540 –> 00:32:36,420 Paul says, can you imagine a tougher circumstance than this? 694 00:32:36,420 –> 00:32:38,099 If you’re facing a tougher circumstance 695 00:32:38,099 –> 00:32:40,780 than this I’d like to know what it is afterwards. 696 00:32:40,780 –> 00:32:43,439 But here’s what Paul says I’m facing. 697 00:32:43,439 –> 00:32:47,439 For your sake, we are facing death all day long. 698 00:32:47,459 –> 00:32:49,020 Death all day long. 699 00:32:50,420 –> 00:32:53,239 That’s pretty tough right. 700 00:32:53,239 –> 00:32:57,400 Then he says, but in this, we are more than conquerors. 701 00:33:01,520 –> 00:33:04,260 How in all the world could you be 702 00:33:05,140 –> 00:33:09,040 more than conqueror in the face of something that bad? 703 00:33:09,040 –> 00:33:12,280 Answer, because nothing can separate us 704 00:33:14,140 –> 00:33:17,219 from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 705 00:33:17,560 –> 00:33:19,300 Christ Jesus our Lord. 706 00:33:19,300 –> 00:33:21,979 That’s how I’m able to stand this week. 707 00:33:21,979 –> 00:33:23,680 That’s how you’re able to stand this week 708 00:33:23,680 –> 00:33:26,979 because you’re given strength, you’re nourished 709 00:33:26,979 –> 00:33:28,000 on the inside 710 00:33:29,739 –> 00:33:32,119 by this inexhaustible love 711 00:33:32,119 –> 00:33:34,560 of your heavenly Father poured out in his Son 712 00:33:34,560 –> 00:33:37,140 and now poured out through his spirit 713 00:33:37,140 –> 00:33:39,800 into your life on a daily basis. 714 00:33:41,660 –> 00:33:46,359 Think of how his love cherishes you, values you. 715 00:33:46,439 –> 00:33:48,500 The father hated his own flesh but nourishes it 716 00:33:48,500 –> 00:33:51,959 and cherishes it, I’m just picking out the verbs here 717 00:33:51,959 –> 00:33:53,479 just as Christ does his church. 718 00:33:53,479 –> 00:33:56,119 So specific statement about Christ and his people, 719 00:33:56,119 –> 00:33:57,979 he cherishes us. 720 00:33:59,319 –> 00:34:00,160 Think about this. 721 00:34:00,160 –> 00:34:01,319 Brother, sister, 722 00:34:02,699 –> 00:34:06,959 there is never a moment in your life 723 00:34:08,340 –> 00:34:11,360 and never has been in your life 724 00:34:11,439 –> 00:34:14,800 when you were not the conscious object 725 00:34:19,439 –> 00:34:22,699 of the love of Jesus Christ. 726 00:34:25,360 –> 00:34:27,840 There is never a moment in your life 727 00:34:28,919 –> 00:34:33,919 where Jesus Christ is not consciously 728 00:34:34,399 –> 00:34:39,399 directing His affection towards you. 729 00:34:42,780 –> 00:34:47,479 So the word cherish means you’re of such great value. 730 00:34:47,479 –> 00:34:50,419 You know, there may be others who may say in this world, 731 00:34:50,419 –> 00:34:52,959 and you may have heard someone say this, 732 00:34:52,959 –> 00:34:56,000 nobody really cares about me. 733 00:34:57,439 –> 00:34:59,939 But if you’re a Christian you will never say that. 734 00:35:01,239 –> 00:35:02,239 You cannot say that. 735 00:35:03,060 –> 00:35:08,000 Because you are, at every moment of your life, 736 00:35:08,000 –> 00:35:11,340 the focus of the affection, 737 00:35:12,439 –> 00:35:16,199 the cherishing of Jesus Christ. 738 00:35:18,500 –> 00:35:20,780 And then the last of these here, 739 00:35:20,780 –> 00:35:23,459 His love cleansing us and sanctifying us 740 00:35:23,459 –> 00:35:27,719 and nourishing us, strengthening us and cherishing us, 741 00:35:27,719 –> 00:35:30,120 and then eventually presenting us. 742 00:35:30,399 –> 00:35:32,439 Look at this, Christ loved the church, 743 00:35:32,439 –> 00:35:33,659 He gave Himself for her, 744 00:35:33,659 –> 00:35:38,219 so that He might present the church to Him in splendor, 745 00:35:38,219 –> 00:35:42,459 without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, 746 00:35:42,459 –> 00:35:46,959 that she might be holy and without blemish. 747 00:35:49,080 –> 00:35:53,120 And it’s amazing, we had two weddings in the church today. 748 00:35:53,120 –> 00:35:56,239 And why is it that every time we have a wedding, 749 00:35:56,239 –> 00:35:57,739 we bring death into it? 750 00:35:57,739 –> 00:35:59,520 Have you noticed that, by the way? 751 00:36:00,060 –> 00:36:01,540 The vow is, till death us do part, 752 00:36:01,540 –> 00:36:03,219 why would you do that, really? 753 00:36:03,219 –> 00:36:04,860 I mean, there’s this lovely couple 754 00:36:04,860 –> 00:36:06,100 and they’re enjoying their day 755 00:36:06,100 –> 00:36:08,560 and we stick death in the face, you know? 756 00:36:09,760 –> 00:36:10,600 Why? 757 00:36:10,600 –> 00:36:13,899 Because every relationship in this world 758 00:36:13,899 –> 00:36:15,459 is a beginning and a middle and an end. 759 00:36:15,459 –> 00:36:18,260 By the way, that is why you must value 760 00:36:18,260 –> 00:36:21,100 every relationship God has given to you. 761 00:36:21,100 –> 00:36:22,979 Never take it for granted. 762 00:36:22,979 –> 00:36:25,139 Love to the best of your ability. 763 00:36:26,040 –> 00:36:29,379 But Jesus Christ comes and He pledges to you 764 00:36:29,379 –> 00:36:31,020 a love that will never end. 765 00:36:31,020 –> 00:36:34,620 He does not say to you, till death do us part. 766 00:36:34,620 –> 00:36:36,540 He says, I will love you in life 767 00:36:37,580 –> 00:36:39,899 and I will love you through death, 768 00:36:41,179 –> 00:36:44,800 and then I will bring you into the splendor 769 00:36:44,800 –> 00:36:47,419 he speaks about, glory, and when you get there, 770 00:36:47,419 –> 00:36:49,379 I’m gonna bring you in faultless 771 00:36:49,379 –> 00:36:53,300 and all the draining and wearing effects of life 772 00:36:53,699 –> 00:36:56,219 that have caused wrinkles in you, 773 00:36:57,959 –> 00:37:02,959 they’ll all be gone, they’ll be behind you forever 774 00:37:03,199 –> 00:37:06,159 and I will welcome you into the glory of my presence 775 00:37:06,159 –> 00:37:07,780 and you will be more beautiful 776 00:37:09,179 –> 00:37:12,899 than at any time in your entire life. 777 00:37:15,320 –> 00:37:17,020 If you’re a Christian today, 778 00:37:18,860 –> 00:37:22,620 think how happy you can be because you are loved like this. 779 00:37:23,780 –> 00:37:28,780 Think how blessed you are to be loved like this. 780 00:37:32,080 –> 00:37:36,639 The love of Christ cleansing you always, 781 00:37:36,639 –> 00:37:39,800 sanctifying you always, 782 00:37:39,800 –> 00:37:43,479 nourishing you, strengthening you always, 783 00:37:43,479 –> 00:37:45,979 cherishing you always 784 00:37:45,979 –> 00:37:50,979 and then at length, bringing you into glory 785 00:37:51,020 –> 00:37:54,139 and into glory forever and forever and forever. 786 00:37:54,139 –> 00:37:57,020 This is the love to which he has loved you. 787 00:37:57,020 –> 00:37:59,320 And Christ endured unspeakable agony 788 00:37:59,320 –> 00:38:01,219 so that this could be yours 789 00:38:03,100 –> 00:38:07,360 and think how well therefore you can now love God 790 00:38:07,360 –> 00:38:10,439 in return and now begin to reflect this love 791 00:38:10,439 –> 00:38:12,780 with which you have been loved to others. 792 00:38:12,780 –> 00:38:15,739 We love because he has first loved us 793 00:38:15,739 –> 00:38:17,360 and it is an amazing love. 794 00:38:18,340 –> 00:38:21,139 And if you’ve not yet committed 795 00:38:21,139 –> 00:38:22,719 yourself to Jesus Christ, 796 00:38:22,719 –> 00:38:25,340 I’m really wanting to press this question 797 00:38:25,340 –> 00:38:28,139 in the last minute on your mind and on your heart. 798 00:38:28,139 –> 00:38:33,100 Why in the world would you push this Jesus Christ away? 799 00:38:33,100 –> 00:38:35,620 I can understand why if it was just morality 800 00:38:35,620 –> 00:38:37,699 you would say I don’t want that. 801 00:38:37,699 –> 00:38:41,219 I can understand why if it was just religion 802 00:38:41,219 –> 00:38:43,239 you might say I don’t want that. 803 00:38:43,260 –> 00:38:44,639 I don’t want that. 804 00:38:44,639 –> 00:38:47,560 I would understand why if it’s all 805 00:38:47,560 –> 00:38:50,320 just about God somehow being your servant 806 00:38:50,320 –> 00:38:51,699 you might say, you know, I don’t need that. 807 00:38:51,699 –> 00:38:52,540 I can do it myself. 808 00:38:52,540 –> 00:38:53,479 I don’t need a servant. 809 00:38:53,479 –> 00:38:54,840 I’ll make my own way in life. 810 00:38:54,840 –> 00:38:56,979 I don’t need a God to try and help me. 811 00:38:56,979 –> 00:39:00,260 I could understand that, but what I cannot understand 812 00:39:00,260 –> 00:39:02,620 is why any person in this service 813 00:39:04,159 –> 00:39:07,219 would possibly look at the love of God 814 00:39:07,219 –> 00:39:10,959 in Jesus Christ poured out and say I don’t want that, 815 00:39:11,780 –> 00:39:14,479 or look at what he accomplished on the cross 816 00:39:14,479 –> 00:39:17,060 where he died as a propitiation for sins 817 00:39:17,060 –> 00:39:20,659 and for you then to say I don’t need that. 818 00:39:20,659 –> 00:39:23,560 I cannot understand why you would do that. 819 00:39:23,560 –> 00:39:27,439 Here’s Jesus Christ, and whoever you are young or old, 820 00:39:27,439 –> 00:39:32,399 he is saying to you in love tonight, 821 00:39:32,399 –> 00:39:33,840 I’m ready to be yours. 822 00:39:33,840 –> 00:39:36,719 He’s holding his hand out to you 823 00:39:36,719 –> 00:39:39,239 in the preaching of the Gospel. 824 00:39:39,239 –> 00:39:42,820 He’s communicating his love for you right now. 825 00:39:44,360 –> 00:39:46,840 Why would you not therefore say, 826 00:39:46,840 –> 00:39:49,879 I’m gonna be done with my unbelief, 827 00:39:49,879 –> 00:39:51,679 and I’m gonna put my trust in him? 828 00:39:52,699 –> 00:39:55,159 I’m gonna be done with living for myself, 829 00:39:55,159 –> 00:39:56,800 and I’m gonna live for him. 830 00:39:57,919 –> 00:40:00,100 I’m gonna move towards the savior now 831 00:40:00,100 –> 00:40:03,000 who is reaching out to me, and he’s gonna be mine, 832 00:40:03,000 –> 00:40:05,199 and I am going to be his, 833 00:40:06,120 –> 00:40:09,239 and that’s gonna be how it is for my life, 834 00:40:09,239 –> 00:40:12,239 and that’s how it’ll be for me in my death, 835 00:40:12,239 –> 00:40:16,320 and that’s how it will be for me to all eternity. 836 00:40:17,199 –> 00:40:20,979 Father, hear our prayers 837 00:40:23,020 –> 00:40:26,780 that your love may flood into hearts 838 00:40:26,780 –> 00:40:31,100 all over this congregation today 839 00:40:32,479 –> 00:40:34,280 for these things we ask. 840 00:40:35,219 –> 00:40:36,399 In the name of Christ, 841 00:40:36,399 –> 00:40:40,479 who loved us and gave himself for us, 842 00:40:41,439 –> 00:40:44,239 and all of the people together said, amen.