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When the music fades All is stripped away And I simply come

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Longing just to bring Something that's worth

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And that's your heart I'll bring you more than a song

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For a song in itself Is not what you have required

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You search much deeper within Through the way things appear

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You're looking into my heart I'm coming back to the heart of the ship

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And it's all about you It's all about you, Jesus

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I'm starting a new thing I've waited When it's all about you

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It's all about you, Jesus

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It's all about you, Jesus

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Give you one last word No one could express

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How much you deserve

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You're weak and poor All I have is yours

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Everything all right I'll bring you more than a song

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For a song in itself Is not what you have required

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You search much deeper within Through the way things appear

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You're looking into my heart

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Jesus, friend of sinners We were strayed so far away

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We caught down people in your name But the sun was never ours to sweep

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Jesus, friend of sinners The truth's become so hard to see

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The world is on their way to you But they're tripping over me

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Always looking around But never looking out

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You saw a double-minded A plain God saved with dirty hands

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And a heart divided Oh, oh, Jesus

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Friend of sinners Open our eyes to the world

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The end of our pointy fingers Let our hearts be led by mercy

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Help us reach for the heaven-high and no end

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Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners Break our hearts to one with you

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Yeah, yeah, yeah

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Jesus, friend of sinners Was right and innocent

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He's the righteous turn away And the stones fall from their head

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Help us to remember We are all in these degrees

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Let the memory of your mercy Bring your people to their knees

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Nobody knows what we're fully over against When we charge the warning

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What if we put down our sons from stolen life And life like it was then

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Oh, oh, Jesus Friend of sinners

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Open our eyes to the world The end of our pointy fingers

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Let our hearts be led by mercy Help us reach for the heaven-high

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And hope and love Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners

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Break our hearts to one with you

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And now was the lost heart And now was the outcast

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Help you

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You're grateful sinners just like me I'm grateful that you're ready to be

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So as many of you will recall some weeks ago

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we spent some weeks drilling down on love. We worked through the entirety

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of what's called the love chapter and we broke it down. We talked about

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relationships. We talked about all the kinds of different things that were in

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there that love cannot be and that love is declared to be and so on.

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This is not that message nor is it a synopsis of that message. The message

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today is a one-word descriptor of love that God used and it's a very specific

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word that means a very specific set of variables. I'm going to give you a quick

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illustration before we go to the text. So as you can imagine in creation as

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we're living in creation all things are sort of decaying.

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We take our bodies to the extreme. Your cells are dying off all the time

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while you are still young. Your body is producing new of every kind of cell

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more rapidly than your cells are dying off and so

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you're not really aging as much. You're maybe getting older, bigger, that kind of

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thing but at a certain point you pass a certain

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mark where your body's not able to produce the cells as much as

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what is dying off and you begin to age and show your age and so on.

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Talk about water. It's a cycle. It's continuing to go

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around so it falls to the ground, sits in the puddles, evaporates, goes up the sky

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and it rains again. But when you talk about the quality of

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water it is forever degrading, forever picking up

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pollutions and even evaporation does not. We've now found because of

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microplastics and things like that things that go into the water that is

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never gone from there. So the purity of water is degrading

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at all times. Talk about iron. Iron is solid, lasts for a long time. You make a

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bridge out of iron and you're good to go, right?

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Except that we know that iron corrodes, it rusts,

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it weakens over time so even the greatest structures of man created out of

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iron have to be maintained. Talk about copper, silver, gold. They

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don't rust per se but they corrode. They get an oxide

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on them that degrades their quality over time and yes these things that last a

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really long time we cherish them and we recognize their

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value. So gold rings for example, this gold ring has been on my finger

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for over 30 years and it's only been off my finger for short periods of time

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during that time and it's been pretty good shape. But if you take it off which

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I can't actually do so I can't actually

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demonstrate at this moment but if you take it off you'll see that it

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is oval and that the bottom of it has worn thin

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and that if my wife and I are married for 60 years like my mom and

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dad were it's possible it may actually wear through on the bottom

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or someday if I gain weight they will have to cut it off of me

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possibly. So all things are degrading and falling apart. What would be

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supreme and perfect would be something that is not

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degrading and not falling apart and the word, the Greek word, aptharcia in

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the Greek is that. It is that thing that is

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incorruptible, not decaying, not falling apart and that is the

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single one word that God uses to describe the love that God calls us to

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in Ephesians 6 24. So grab your Bibles and go there

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if you would with me. It's just the one verse. We will get some others to kind of

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put it in context. Thank you Ms. Chris. Maybe we're excited about this word of

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God today as we look at this one word descriptor.

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So God gave us that whole other chapter where Paul clearly wrote and said

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God is not that, God, I'm sorry love is not that, love is this, love is not that,

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love is this, but here in simplicity God gives us this one

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word descriptor, one adjective if you will to describe

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love. Ephesians 6 24 says this, grace be with you all those who love

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our Lord Jesus with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love

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incorruptible. That is the New American Standard Version.

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Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus with a love

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incorruptible. Now in the King James you'll notice that the word is translated

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sincerity and it carries that meaning very clearly.

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When you create a thing out of metal, if the metal has impurities in it the metal

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will last less length of time unless the metal impurities

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are actually better metal. So when they make an alloy,

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unless when they put the metals together, unless the metals that are being added

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are of advantage, they're actually stronger, better,

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they don't decay as much or whatever, then that mixture

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will not be as strong as the original. And so

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Aptharcia includes the idea of purity presenting integrity through and through.

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So God is saying this love is pure. It is love through and through. I was

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watching a movie and there was a character in the movie

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and she said to the other guy that she was talking to and she meant it as

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praise but also at the same time she was upset with him

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and she said so you will be and she named the character she said you will be

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that person from beginning to end. So if somebody

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would take back the surface they would find

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you, that person beginning to end. If somebody would go deep they will find

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you, you are that person beginning to end. When we talk about integrity

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that's what it means. When a person has integrity which is still valued in

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society today and on certain circles it may be kind of hammered on because

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you're exposing someone's lack of integrity but as a general rule

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integrity is valued. We talk about integrity it's just being the same

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thing through and through. And this love that God is talking about

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here that is the love that we are to have it says we love

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our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible, a sincere love is first and

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foremost pure. It is that through and through.

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You don't love him and then under pressure not so much. You don't love him

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and then when exposed not so much. You don't love him and then get

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caught in a weakness or a temptation or a struggle

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and then pull up and not love him. It's love through and through beginning to

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end. Every ounce of it is love. Also it is remaining pure. It's not

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just that it is pure but it is that is remaining pure. In the

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olden days and the tall ship era which is one of my favorite eras

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to study in history and even in fantasy. I really enjoy stories about

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tall ships and so on and people don't realize that

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there was a whole society a whole set of rules or laws

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that existed aboard those ships. Men all men

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most of the time would be there and they had to learn how to relate to one or

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men with egos. Men who were arrogant. Men who were drunks.

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Men who were thieves. Men who were liars. Men who were Christians.

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Right all of that they had to learn how to relate to one another in those

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societies. Sometimes 100 or 200 men on a ship that was barely big enough to

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house them all and they slept in in blanket beds, hammocks swinging side

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by side where your neighbor's literally bumping you all night long and then once

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the once the motion of rocking is that everybody rocks this way everybody

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rocks that way you kind of even know they're there.

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But it was that kind of society on the tall ship

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and they would develop certain phrases to to say this is what we all do. For

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example all hands on deck. That means everybody's coming. So there

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were there were different kinds of hands. There were hands who worked only during

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the day. They worked on the nets you had to be

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able to see what you were doing. They worked on leather. They had to go see

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what you're doing. Worked on wood you have to be able to see what you're doing. So

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they were day hands. They only worked during the day.

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But most hands worked four hours and then got four hours off then worked four

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hours, four hours off around the clock for lunch time and they worked two

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hours and they got two hours off and then they worked four hours and got four

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hours off back around the lunch time again. And so each day your watch would

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be switching. You're in the what's called the larvard watch or the starboard watch.

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Each day it's switching four hours on four hours off and so

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the one day you would eat lunch first the next day you would eat lunch second.

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Every day rotating like they never got more than four hours sleep because you

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only got four hours off right. But the day hands they only worked

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during the daylight because they had to see.

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So they got nights off. They got to get a whole night's sleep.

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But when all hands on deck is called everybody's up on deck

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because we're going to do something. We're going to war. We're under attack.

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We're going to we got a real problem whatever. That all hands come to work. It

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doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night 2 a.m. and you're a day worker.

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All hands come and repelling borders. All hands to repel borders means everybody

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goes to the rails and stops the people who are trying to come on our boat right

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now. And this remaining pure is like that.

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This love is like that. It repels all borders.

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All hands on deck. It is 100 committed. And so when

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in the world as we have it today people the antichrist demons evil spirits

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teachings other than the bible try to define what love is.

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This love repels all borders. It is pure and it will remain pure. It will

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be in contrast to that which is proposed by the world

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because it is a love that is pure and remains pure.

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It does this as a means to its unendingness.

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It must not die. This love we do not back down.

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It is purely love through and through and remains

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pure by repelling all borders. All hands on deck.

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All the time. Also it reflects its purpose.

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God had a job for this love and it reflects its origin and the

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utilitarian nature of its power. This love goes beyond all things and you

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can get into that in first christened 13 if you want to.

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But the bottom line is God created this to carry the day.

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He ordained it. When God was alone and there were no people

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He loved Himself. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

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He created men and ordained a relationship

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of love between men and God that reflects God's overall purpose. Even so

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much so that it could be said in scripture that God

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essentially is love.

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This love testifies to its origin that is God and its utilitarian power.

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Its ability to accomplish all that God set out for it to accomplish.

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This love looks a lot like faithfulness in scripture

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because it always harkens back to the one who originated it. To the one who

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essentially defines it. And so when you say I love God or I love

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Jesus but you live in a way that is not faithful to God's teachings or faithful

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to the things that God has brought about in your life then that's probably not

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the love that we're talking about here.

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The question then remains in this passage of scripture why pray grace

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for God's people who love God this way if they clearly have that grace already

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among all men. Do you see that? He's praying for grace

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for those who clearly already have grace. He says

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grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love

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incorruptible. And so if we know this about love,

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if we have this understanding and existence of love in our lives it is

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pure, it remains pure, it reflects this purpose, testimony to origin and

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utilitarian power and it looks like faithfulness. If we know that then why

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pray grace for people who know that? Why pray grace for people who are living

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that out? Why do we need to ask for grace for folks who already have grace?

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We have it in abundance to know this love. He prayed it for those

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who love the Lord Jesus with a love incorruptible. Not just for Tom, Dick, or

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Harry who say they love Jesus or Tom, Dick, or Harry that say they know

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Jesus or that claim to be Christians but he prayed

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grace for those who know this love and live this love

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in Jesus. And so you're going to ask yourself why would he pray grace for

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those? Well there's a one big reason essentially

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Jesus made it very clear. Now as I go through these it's going to

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go fast. If you're a note taker write them down. You're probably not going to be able

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to flip to them because I took the time to take them out of the scripture and

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put them on the page. If you need this from me later I will

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send it to you. It's okay. All right. Jesus said this, he says

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these things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace.

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In the world you have tribulation but take courage.

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I have overcome the world. So grace is for Christians because we know

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who Jesus is and what Jesus has done but we're also facing daily trials and

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tribulations and sometimes those things rise to a tumult.

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They become so out of control that all you can see is the thing that you're

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facing and in that moment you need grace. Not grace to save your soul because if

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you're Christian that's already been done. But grace to receive an understanding

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of what you're going through. Grace to be able to love him with an

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incorruptible love when your mind and your body scream this is not right.

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I cannot endure it. I can't go through it. I can't accept what they've said, what

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they've done, what's happened. You need grace. You need God's presence.

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I need grace in God's presence to face the trials and tribulations.

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And in that then Jesus says we may have peace.

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So what then does it take for us to overcome the world? See Jesus said

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fear not for I have overcome the world. What does it take for us to

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overcome the world? Because we have his example and it says

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if he is our example then we ought walk as he walked and he overcame the world.

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So what then does it take for us to overcome the world and has that

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thing been provided? Romans 8 28 says all things work together for the good

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of the one who loves God and is called according to his purpose.

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1st Corinthians 2 9 says but just as it is written things which

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eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of

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man all that God has prepared prepared for

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those who love him. And so taken as a duet those verses tell

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us that in that moment when the the problems of this life rise to a

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tumult or let's be very simple about this if we may in that

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moment when we desire something to develop a certain way or

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something to go away and leave us alone we want it our way when you want it your

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way and God's way is different from the way

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that you want in that moment it says that all things work

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together for the good for the one who loves the Lord

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and you have not yet seen nor heard the good things that God has prepared for

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you in fact it has not entered into your heart.

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So you haven't figured out how good it can actually be yet.

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You have not tasted the good plans of God even in the midst of persecution or

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trials and the difficulties that we face that's going to be true.

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And when you make the best decision you know how to make

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if you leave out this love that is thusly described here

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incorruptible sincere is pure remaining pure reflecting his purpose

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looks a lot like faithfulness if you leave that out at that moment

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then you don't have the promises that we just read

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because the 828 promise was that all things work together for the good for

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those who love him and are called according to his

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purpose. James 1 12 says blessed is a man who

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perseveres under trial so when things go the way you wouldn't have when you're

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tested however you're tested for once he has been

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approved that that word there also means test in other words once God's test your

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metal once God's checked you out once God

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weighed your love to see whether or not you love him with an incorruptible love

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with a sustainable love with an ongoing love

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with a love that repels all borders and other definitions of love

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with a love that testifies to its origin and its utilitarian power with a love

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that looks like faithfulness when God sees that you love him like

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that it says for once he has been approved it says

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he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love

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him.

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James the brother of Jesus came to understand that though he had made errors

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he needed a savior he totally translated his life from that of a

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devout Jew to that of a of a devout Christian a

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follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and faced persecutions when the church in

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Jerusalem was persecuted and he would go on to say in that verse

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that I just read to you that these things that we're going through

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they are to test the quality the character the nature of the love that

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you profess to have for God do you love God the way God has called

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you to love him purely remaining pure repelling all borders

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and all other definitions rather than meeting your own needs and

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desires are you testifying to the unending nature of the love that God

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has placed in your heart for him does your love testify to where it came

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from to the origin of it and the utilitarian nature of its power

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does it look like faithfulness James would say if not so

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then certainly you cannot claim this promise

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that he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who

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love him

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Matthew 22 37 Jesus says and you may recognize this verse because it's

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really common in society in general it says

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you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with

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all your mind this is the great and foremost commandment

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this is the love that God is calling us to

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and so when your mind thinks it wants something else

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it had better realize that it thinks it wants something else and be governed by

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some part of you that loves God that way and it

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had better begin to love God that way love the Lord your God with your heart

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and your soul and your mind and so we love him with this kind of

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love that he qualified with aptharcia with that incorruptibility

314
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pure remaining pure reflecting purpose looking a lot like faithfulness and

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Isaiah 64 for Isaiah wrote and this is long before Jesus ever walked the earth

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for from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear

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nor has the eye seen a god besides you talking about God the god of heaven who

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acts in behalf of the one who waits for him

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see waiting implies ongoing trusting in the Lord it implies

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waiting beyond what you're currently experiencing

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first peter 122 says since you have in obedience to the truth

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purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren now this is interesting

323
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because here in the new american standard version is

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there's a word translated sincere it is not aptharcia so we can see the

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difference it's pretty cool to be able to kind of

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contrast the two this means not fake this is the sincere it's

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unfeigned it's not fake love well why would he need to say since you have an

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obedience to the truth purified your souls

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for a not fake love of the brethren so loving others in a not fake way

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because people do it because people love others in a love that they have designed

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for themselves not a god love not a god given love not a god

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invested love not a love that testifies to its origin or its

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utilitarian power but another kind of love another definition of love

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a fake love if you will compare to the love that god has called us to

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since you have an obedience to the truth purified your souls for a

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sincere love of the brethren fervently love one another from the heart

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so this love this true love this not fake love

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fervently you could say energetically passionately

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on fire the word there is is a greek word that kind of means on fire

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it burns brightly and so this incorruptible love of god it burns

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brightly but it never burns out the source of the burning is never

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confused nor is it ever consumed it burns brightly and it ought to touch

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those who are around you not to get ahead of myself

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second timothy 4 8 says in the future there is laid up for me the crown of

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righteousness so that sounds really good which the lord the righteous judge will

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award to me on that day and not only to me also oh this sounds

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good we could be in there not only to me also but also to all who

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have loved his appearing oh boy that sounds good now i can get

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there now i can receive that crown of righteousness

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all i have to do is be prepared to love his appearing well right away i can tell

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you that if you're doing things that are

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going to embarrass the lord god when he shows up

353
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then if you're actively doing those things or even cherishing these things

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or even retaining the ability to do those things

355
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then when he shows up you're not going to love his appearing

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when i was a young man before i was saved there were some girls in my high

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school that i liked one in particular i dated for a year

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and at one point in time she came over visit of a house and we went up to my

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bedroom with the door closed and i began to

360
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encourage her to engage in activities that young people should not engage in

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and it was in process it was developing to the point that she had her bra in her

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lap

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and my dad came through the door i submit to you i was not pleased with my

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dad's appearing we lied to try to get out of trouble

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we did the best we could to which my dad said

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the two of you will never be in this room together again

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do you understand me when our father in heaven appears in his glorious appearing

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and we stand before the throne of judgment i submit to you there will be

369
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those who are going oh man caught me oh man i was carrying around

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that corrupted version of love i was allowing my love my pure love for the

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father to be messed with by some examples that we're about to see

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and in so doing now i am not pleased to suddenly be set upon if you are not

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living this love that god has ordained for you

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if jesus came right now you'd be like oh holy cow

375
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the spanking i got coming

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second corinthians 514 says for the love of christ controls us

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controls us governs and directs our actions it calls you out it's repel all

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borders is for you you are called to repel all borders you

379
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,400
are called to refute all other versions of love or all other

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teachings that would say that you say you love and that that your love is now

381
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,760
acceptable even though it is contrary to the faithfulness of the lord for the

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love of christ controls us having concluded this this is why the love of

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christ controls us that one died for all therefore all died

384
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john 1415 says if you love me you will keep my commandments that's why

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this pure sincere incorruptible love looks like faithfulness

386
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because if you love god you will keep his commandments

387
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and revelations two revelation two four but i have this against you he says to

388
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the church in ethesus that you have left your first love now

389
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you know that's terrible it really sounds terrible but actually the overall

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00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:49,840
passage is positive about the church in ethesus it says that they identified and

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kicked out false prophets prophets they stayed the course for

392
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jesus's sake not growing weary but but but they are chastised

393
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because they have left their first love when you first accepted jesus christ as

394
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lord and savior you realize that your soul was being saved

395
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,680
you're being inhabited by the holy spirit of god you committed yourself to

396
00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,760
live in purity for christ then all of a sudden somewhere along the

397
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road pushed by all of these worldly teachings of what love

398
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:24,560
actually looks like you developed perhaps a corrupted love

399
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:28,160
another version like it's good enough it doesn't quite look like faithfulness

400
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,680
but i know i love him like i love my brother mother sister father whom i

401
00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:36,880
haven't talked to in 20 years and i still love them and so i

402
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,760
don't have to talk to god day after day week after week i don't have to live

403
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,600
right for god day after day week after week because i can love him from afar

404
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,040
oh no god is not a god who loves from afar

405
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,800
in fact god is not a god who is ever afar those who do not know the lord

406
00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,280
jesus christ search around for him feebly in a second

407
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,640
and discover he was never far away in the first place god is

408
00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:01,600
there you go to the depths of the sea and he would be there to hold your hand

409
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,040
to the heights of the mountains to hide and he would first find you

410
00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:11,120
before ever you could look our god is not a distant god

411
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,880
and so those who have left their that version that cherished version that

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00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:20,400
precious version that apthar see a version of love behind

413
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,080
oh boy it's not going to be pleasant in that moment

414
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:31,760
when god says this i have against you in jude 21 it says there's only one

415
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,360
chapter in jude keep yourselves in the love of god

416
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,560
waiting for the mercy of our lord jesus christ that leads to

417
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eternal life and then again in second john chapter one

418
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,920
verse six it says and this is the love that we walk according to his

419
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commandments this is the commandment just as you have heard from the beginning

420
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:53,680
that you should walk in it in first john 3a the one who practices sin

421
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is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning the son of god

422
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,560
appeared for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil in first john 215 do

423
00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:07,200
not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world

424
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the love of the father is not in him repel all borders second peter 1 4 for by

425
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these he has granted to us his precious

426
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:20,640
and magnificent promises so that by them you may become partakers of the divine

427
00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,680
nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world

428
00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:31,200
by lust his giving love his given love is our way

429
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:37,120
out of the infiltration of desire the things you want cannot control you

430
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:42,160
if you love him the way he has called you to love him

431
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:45,520
this incorruptible love immediately repels all borders

432
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,200
and lust which looks a lot like love a lot of the time

433
00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,720
let's be very serious when the young man is beating his girlfriend he said i

434
00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:56,000
wouldn't have to do that if you hadn't hurt me hadn't done this or

435
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:01,280
whatever and she begins to think that he loves her so much

436
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:09,920
when he shouts and yells that she must do what he wants her to do or when she

437
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:14,160
subverts his will it goes behind his back

438
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,760
when young men struggle with pornography looking at women and they

439
00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:20,960
think oh i love her that woman that they don't know

440
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,160
couldn't ever know in their lifetime are very unlikely to ever meet is doing

441
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,280
things on their screen that never should be done at all but they

442
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:31,840
love her no this love this pure love that god has

443
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:36,400
ordained for us will refute all forms of love that are

444
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,920
not actually love repel all borders and we as christians are

445
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:44,800
are called to be on the side of actively participating in refuting these false

446
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:49,360
versions of love this love is not what we want or what god

447
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,440
created us to want hold up a second let me say that again

448
00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:57,760
this is not what we want or what god created us to want so you could say well

449
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:02,880
i was created to want cake yes humans want cake cake tastes good

450
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:07,120
right or you could say well i i i was created to want a nice car

451
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,240
sure people like nice things right and the fact is

452
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:16,720
we are designed with desires right but outside christ those desires

453
00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,720
are only meant to point us to the one supreme desire which is to know god

454
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,200
through jesus christ and it'll never be right

455
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,800
and you can go after it and the man who leaves his wife or the girl who will

456
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,000
take better care of him will soon leave the girl who will take

457
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,480
better care of him because another girl will take better care of him

458
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:37,040
and the road of unending desire is just that and any version of love

459
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:41,040
that is based in what you want or what you desire or what you think will fulfill

460
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,360
you any version of love that is like that is

461
00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:48,560
not love at all it is based in your desires it is based in lust and love

462
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,280
refutes

463
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,240
that kind of definition of love

464
00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:02,000
you see when we go after what we want or even what we say god created us to

465
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:05,200
want we are taking on a quality that we do not have

466
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,320
as if we could identify what's best for us

467
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,320
as if we could say well if i if i eat exactly this much if i do exactly that

468
00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:16,000
much if i go exactly here and say exactly this that all will come out to

469
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,040
be perfect in the end except you and i cannot see the end it is

470
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,600
beyond death

471
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:25,920
so we would be wrong to think that we have this wisdom this level of wisdom to

472
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:30,960
desire what's best for us we will run from temptation into other

473
00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:37,360
temptation we will run for persecution when our true peace exists right on the

474
00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,040
other side of that persecution and so we will forever run from persecution

475
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:45,280
our entire lives avoiding the thing that we don't want or think we need when god

476
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:50,400
knows exactly what we need to find the peace that we truly need

477
00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:55,440
this love frees us from being led by what we want

478
00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:01,200
to a place that is outside his will for us

479
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,040
hebrew 6 10 says for god is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love

480
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,160
which you have shown toward his name don't you understand if you love god

481
00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,800
this way the way that we're talking about and you found you're found faithful

482
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:17,200
god will not forget that god will not forget that you turned away from that

483
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:25,360
handsome attractive desire fulfilling thing whatever it is

484
00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:31,920
and he will give you then the desires of your heart so saith scripture

485
00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,880
he will not forget the love that you have shown toward his name in having

486
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,520
ministered and instill ministering to the saints and so

487
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,480
when you take care of the church you take care of the church's business you

488
00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:42,720
take care of the pastor you take care of the deacons you take care of the team

489
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,320
leaders you take care of the ministry itself you do the work god will not

490
00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:51,440
forget you're showing this love that you have for him in that way

491
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:58,480
or i submit to you in any way that brings us to our conclusion then

492
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,400
this love that we're talking about it's got to be somewhere here on earth

493
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:07,280
it's got to be available through us jesus made the example clear

494
00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:12,000
it naturally abounds in doing the things that god would have us to do

495
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,600
because why because god is doing those things

496
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,960
this love naturally abounds in doing the things so uh

497
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:21,840
had some of the kids from the family come over to the house and they want to

498
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,560
play a game the game they want to play i don't

499
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,920
really want to play i don't really like that game

500
00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:31,120
sherry likes that game so the kid sat down at the table and they played the

501
00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:36,560
game and sherry played and i didn't and i went off and i did something else

502
00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,400
while i was doing that i wasn't with them

503
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:44,000
because they were playing a game i didn't want to play god's doing a thing

504
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,800
that you don't want to do that in your flesh in your corrupt mind

505
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:52,320
you don't want to do you don't want to share the gospel you don't want to give

506
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,560
sacrificially you don't want to give until it hurts nobody wants to

507
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:57,280
intentionally hurt themselves so you don't want to give until it

508
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:02,080
hurts and give sacrificially which is the new testament standard for giving

509
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,720
you don't want to work beyond your own personal capabilities because that's

510
00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:09,040
exhausting and hurting you don't want to say no to relationships

511
00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:12,320
that are enticing that make you feel good about yourselves build your ego

512
00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,440
whatever you don't inherently want to do that

513
00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:19,040
you don't want to speak up for justice and kindness and mercy and grace

514
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,880
in a world where that's surely going to result in your persecution

515
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:28,000
you don't want to do that but god does god wants to do all of those things i

516
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,720
just named and when you join him in doing those things

517
00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:33,920
that will be an expression of this love it's a choice

518
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:38,000
this love it's cool because the word there is is agape

519
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,440
or agapao and that one and then agape it's all the same word with different

520
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:45,440
endings it's a choice but it's not a choice to be saved or

521
00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:49,600
not jesus paid the price for you can be saved

522
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,800
and if you would just receive that free gift it's not like you're

523
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,000
you're obviously you're committing to follow him and if you actually do follow

524
00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:01,360
him you will wind up loving this way but you can receive that free gift of

525
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:05,120
salvation these works do not save you if you would

526
00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,400
do all the faithfulness and follow all the commands that's not going to save

527
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,040
you if you would do them all so that you can

528
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:15,360
be saved that's not going to save you the order is like this you recognize

529
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,640
that god loves you like this love that we're talking about

530
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:22,960
and that by saying no to that love you are refusing the one gift the salvation

531
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,600
the one thing that he wants more than anything which is his presence in your

532
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:28,880
life and your presence with him for eternity

533
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,400
so it's just about making a simple decision right now a choice

534
00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:35,920
are you willing to be loved by god like this

535
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,680
but then if somebody loves you like this you ought to love them back

536
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:42,720
and if you love them back you ought to love them this way what we're talking

537
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:45,920
about and that will result in faithfulness it will result in following

538
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,880
quote unquote the rules that right now is an unbeliever if that's where you're

539
00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:53,040
actually at chafe bother frustrate

540
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:56,880
you can't quite do what god wants me to do and if that's where your heart is

541
00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:00,320
it's because you don't love god the way god loves you which is exactly what

542
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:04,080
we're called to it's a choice to love him that way

543
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,520
it's a choice not to do the right thing it's not like you read scripture and go

544
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:11,760
okay he says here obey your parents oh gosh okay i'm going to do that from now

545
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,640
on and you start developing a little journal

546
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:19,040
and pretty soon you've got 1100 things that you're going to do every day all day

547
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,760
which is barely even possible you can't even remember them you're like

548
00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:24,320
something happens that you didn't expect you wait a minute check my journal is

549
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,080
there something in here about this what i do under this

550
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:30,160
oh number 364 it's like gibbs rules right all of a sudden you've got all these

551
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:35,520
rules that you have to follow about what is that is not what we're called to

552
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,960
our faithfulness arrives out of a desire to express

553
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:44,800
his presence in us that's it he's here and because he's here and you love him

554
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:47,680
you want to let him flow through you that's what it looks like to be a

555
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:52,240
christian and so when you are seduced when you are led when you are enticed

556
00:39:52,240 --> 00:39:55,440
when you are tempted when you are persecuted when you feel like your own

557
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,960
desires are rising up and stopping the outflow of his presence in you

558
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,680
that is when it is time to turn to him and to him alone

559
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:08,080
it is a choice we will continue to make because his unending presence

560
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:12,400
deserves an unending representation he's always here and if he's always here

561
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,600
he must always be shown and he must always be known

562
00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:19,280
and he's god and if you don't think god always has to be shown or always has to

563
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:22,800
be known then you don't know the god that the bible talks about

564
00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:26,000
and you get to know him when you accept jesus christ as lord that means he tells

565
00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,560
you what to do and savor that means he paid the price for your sins at which

566
00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,280
point in time when you've experienced that in his holy spirit presence

567
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,600
you will daily want to let his holy spirit's presence in you affect anything

568
00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:39,680
and everything that you can affect that's what it means to be a christian

569
00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:43,120
and at the end of that road after temptations trials persecutions and

570
00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:46,960
repelling all borders and teaching what love truly is to anyone

571
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:52,000
and everyone who will listen at the end of that is a crown of life

572
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,360
and rightly so because you are a child of god

573
00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:58,640
this is a freedom that comes with a heart replacement i get it our hearts

574
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,600
were corrupt oh boy wicked and deceitful is the heart who

575
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:06,240
can know it but ezekiel 36 tells us that we can have our heart of stone

576
00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:10,560
replaced with a heart of flesh and love and gratitude become a natural

577
00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,760
response so you might be sitting here going ah he's trying to he's picking on

578
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:16,480
my life he's saying things that i don't like i don't quite agree with everything

579
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:20,240
that he's saying here but i'm telling you that this is the truth

580
00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:23,920
there is a love that is available to you that flows out of a heart of flesh newly

581
00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:27,280
replaced a born-again you that is toward god and it will give you the

582
00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:32,240
strength to say no to the other definitions of love

583
00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:37,920
this is a freedom that comes with a heart replacement

584
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:43,520
and if you want to strengthen a certain muscle then you exercise that muscle

585
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:48,640
and so if your heart has been replaced then you exercise your new heart

586
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:53,120
and it is what god chooses to do meanwhile it's the thing that he wants

587
00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:57,520
to do and you can be part of it with him and do what it is that he wants to do

588
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:04,400
and it overcomes the world because it is not of the world as the world resists it

589
00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:08,880
because it is not of the world and so of course there are a thousand or a million

590
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:12,000
or theoretically infinite other versions of what love looks like

591
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:19,280
because the world exists to resist the love that god created since adam and

592
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:23,440
eve that's where we're at it's a fallen world

593
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,840
jesus spoke in matthew 24 and he said then they will hand you over to

594
00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:31,920
tribulation and kill you this is verse 9 and you will be hated by all nations

595
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:36,720
because of my name and at that time listen many will fall away

596
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:41,040
and they will betray one another and hate one another and many false prophets

597
00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:44,720
will rise up and mislead many people and by the way i submit to you that

598
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:47,760
those false prophets will be teaching another version of love

599
00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:50,560
and they're going to get hundreds or thousands or millions of people to

600
00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:52,560
follow them because that other version of love

601
00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:56,400
it appeals to your flesh and your stone heart not replaced

602
00:42:56,400 --> 00:43:00,720
and even your flesh is still with you and so when your heart is replaced it

603
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:03,680
would be easy to follow a version of that love that

604
00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:07,440
one of these false prophets teaches to do the things that god has said we

605
00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:12,080
should not do it says many prophets will rise up and mislead many people

606
00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,840
because lawlessness is increased in other words doing the things that god

607
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:20,400
told us not to do is more common failing to do the things that god told us to do

608
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:26,400
is let is common most people's love will become cold what is he talking about

609
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:30,640
he's talking about your love becoming cold the love that you say you have for

610
00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:34,400
god becoming cold even though you might have done great things for the lord

611
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:37,840
becoming cold because you buy into someone else's version of love you say

612
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:43,600
their version of love is equally correct this other love

613
00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:47,200
he loves her it's clear he's sticking with her even though he was not doing it

614
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:49,600
right not faithful to god not following god's

615
00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:52,240
rules not following god's standard but he clearly loves her he stuck with her the

616
00:43:52,240 --> 00:43:55,600
whole time he clearly loves his children raised

617
00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,400
them they're pretty decent kids whatever you know

618
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,600
they're had some trouble as teenagers but they got past that now he clearly

619
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:04,320
loves his children provided them for them for their whole lives he clearly

620
00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:07,360
loves them so that other version of love over there

621
00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:10,720
where things go on behind closed closed doors it's not appropriate that other

622
00:44:10,720 --> 00:44:14,320
version of love is equally legitimate to the love that god has called us to

623
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:21,360
no repel all borders all hands on deck our love is a pure love through and

624
00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:24,160
through beginning to end it is always the same

625
00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:28,400
it remains pure repelling all borders it reflects god's purpose

626
00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:32,720
a testimony to its origin which is god and its utilitarian power its ability to

627
00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:37,920
accomplish things it looks a lot like faithfulness

628
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:42,960
but most people's love will become cold but then verse 13 says

629
00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:47,040
but the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved

630
00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:54,880
i am calling us as god has called me to a love like this stick with god no

631
00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:59,600
matter what because it is he that endures it is the one of us that

632
00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:04,000
endures to the end that will be saved and this means our love must not and need

633
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:07,840
not grow cold because it is his love and his love

634
00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:11,280
like god is incorruptible pure it remains pure

635
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:14,320
testifies to the power of the originator as well as

636
00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:18,480
contains the very power that is necessary to stay the course to the end

637
00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,440
realize that god's love and patience have provided us

638
00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:25,680
another day and in this day there's going to be

639
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:29,600
plenty of opportunities plenty of provisions of the world

640
00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:33,440
but if we want to live in light of the eternity then we need to realize we

641
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:37,440
cannot become friends with the world's definition of love

642
00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:40,800
or any provision that arises out of the world

643
00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,880
it will dilute our god-given love until the difference between them

644
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:49,200
is not discernible that's why right now people don't know whether to choose

645
00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:52,080
christ or choose some other false religion because

646
00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:58,640
other versions of love look better to them than the christian version of love

647
00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:03,680
you understand we can't do that

648
00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:10,880
this is a very significant difference that i'm talking about today one of

649
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:18,320
these loves last for other forever and want and all the rest do not

650
00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:23,840
matter and now i'm going to poke the bear for a second

651
00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:28,080
a man may say he loves a man and a woman may say

652
00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:33,120
she loves a woman but even if that is some form of a

653
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:38,800
legitimate love in this lifetime and they are self-sacrificing or whatever

654
00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:43,840
when they die when one of them dies

655
00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:51,200
that love ends because it is not eternal and i said even if it is some form of a

656
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:55,040
legitimate worldly love it is better wouldn't it be better for a

657
00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:58,640
man and a man to be monogamous and stay together for their whole life for them

658
00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:02,000
for them to go around and have continuous adulterous relationships

659
00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:04,320
with all kinds of other people and fornicate all the time

660
00:47:04,320 --> 00:47:08,240
well sure it would be better it would be the choosing

661
00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:12,000
of the lesser of two evils

662
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:18,400
the reality is the world is right now during the debates about where same-sex

663
00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:23,680
marriage is in the senate there was a senator i watched him myself live on c-span

664
00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:27,680
who said into the microphone right before the vote he was one of the last

665
00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:30,480
speakers before they voted as to whether or not we would have same-sex marriage

666
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,960
legalize the united states of america and i'm not trying to be political but

667
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:38,240
this is just an illustration and he said in order for me to vote

668
00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:41,280
against this motion to legalize same-sex marriage

669
00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:47,760
i would have to be willing to say to senator so-and-so that she does not

670
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:52,000
love her lifelong mate that she's been with for

671
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:55,440
i think 20 years or whatever

672
00:47:55,760 --> 00:48:00,640
therefore i urge all of you to not say that

673
00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:05,680
but to legitimize to recognize that their love is legitimate by voting yes

674
00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,480
for this motion

675
00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:17,040
god says i mean i'm sorry god says not that their love is illegitimate

676
00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:23,360
but there is only one love that is incorruptible that is pure

677
00:48:23,360 --> 00:48:30,960
through and through that lasts forever it does not wane or run out

678
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:35,360
there is no weakness in it it is the kind of love that we are called to have

679
00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:39,280
toward our god and the kind of love that we are called to

680
00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:44,160
have toward one another man

681
00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:48,240
meets a young lady they date for a long time

682
00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:51,440
he can't think of being without her he's like wow she's got to be in my life

683
00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:54,720
forever i want to be with her she wants to be

684
00:48:54,720 --> 00:49:00,000
with me so he says let's move in together

685
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:05,280
we know first corinthians 13 says that love in that chapter is not

686
00:49:05,280 --> 00:49:12,320
unseemly that's not the way it works that's a problem

687
00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:16,880
i'm not picking on anybody i'm not teaching something contrary to what any

688
00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:22,000
one person believes i'm simply teaching what god said if you

689
00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:25,600
want to have an incorruptible love it's going to look a lot like

690
00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:28,720
faithfulness god said if you love me you will follow

691
00:49:28,720 --> 00:49:34,560
my commands this love that actually is god in a sense

692
00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:40,560
this love is pure remains pure is found faithful to god's

693
00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:44,400
ways and it testifies to its origin which was god

694
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:48,240
and it carries in it the power to stick with god no matter what

695
00:49:48,240 --> 00:49:52,160
because it is the one that endures to the end that will be saved

696
00:49:52,160 --> 00:49:56,480
and this means our love must not and need not grow cold

697
00:49:56,480 --> 00:50:02,560
because it is his love and his love like him is incorruptible pure remains pure

698
00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:07,200
and testifies to the power of the one who originated as well

699
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:10,720
as contains the very power that is necessary to stay

700
00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:16,640
the course to the end it's hard to love people i'm not

701
00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:22,000
realistically speaking i mean if you find it easy to love people by the way

702
00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:29,440
i check the temporal nature of your love people are mean

703
00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:32,320
even when they're not trying to be mean they can say or do things that get under

704
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:34,960
your skin they have weaknesses we all have

705
00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:40,720
weaknesses unsafe people lie out of habit or

706
00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:44,480
or whatever their particular evil spirits are

707
00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,680
it's hard to love people

708
00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:53,120
which is why the love that we're talking about originates with god

709
00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:56,880
because it's a hard thing it's a hard thing

710
00:50:56,880 --> 00:51:00,880
that he can do and he has proven that he does

711
00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:06,400
and he has invited us to accept his love and then having accepted his love to

712
00:51:06,400 --> 00:51:10,720
have his presence in us and to make his presence in us known you

713
00:51:10,720 --> 00:51:15,440
are a conduit for the one miracle that god wants to do one just one

714
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:22,080
miracle and that is to spread his love to every

715
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:27,360
human being not the world's definition of love or

716
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:30,240
any version of his love slightly tainted by touched

717
00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:33,920
by different words or whatever but his love

718
00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:38,000
his pure remaining pure reflecting purpose

719
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:43,200
looks like faithfulness can overcome the world

720
00:51:43,200 --> 00:52:01,120
law oh in case anyone