1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,860 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. How do we know where to find answers to the toughest 2 00:00:15,860 --> 00:00:21,080 questions in life? While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search 3 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:27,300 and how do we discover this truth? Today, in this teaching podcast, John Meador, lead 4 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:32,440 pastor of Cross City Church, takes a specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth 5 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:41,320 for the life we are searching for. Well, I'm looking forward to getting into our new series 6 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,280 this morning. If you have your Bibles, please take them and turn to Matthew chapter 22. 7 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:51,360 And as you turn to Matthew chapter 22, I'm going to give you just another word of announcement 8 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:56,480 if I can, and that is having to do with healthy home. Hopefully you know that healthy home 9 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:01,560 is more than a conference. Healthy home is not just a conference that we commit to have 10 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,840 every year, and you're hearing more and more about the one coming up on the 5th of February, 11 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:12,480 but it's also a group of resources that we want to provide for you so that you can have 12 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:18,480 a healthy heart and a healthy home. It's all about being healthy spiritually. So if you 13 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,960 would, take a moment and just look at what we have for you. There is a QR code on the 14 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:27,640 screen. You might even want to pick up your phone and raise it up and get that QR code 15 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,560 because that goes directly into a series of four apps that we are providing to you. Now 16 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,720 as that code is on the screen, let me share with you what those four apps are within our 17 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,960 website that we're providing. First of all, if you want to read the Bible through in the 18 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:46,200 course of a year, there's a great app there for helping you read the Bible through. There 19 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,760 are about 22 different plans you can choose from, and it doesn't matter really which plan 20 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:55,320 it is, but these plans always go along the lines of what might make you more comfortable 21 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,840 in the sense of starting with the New Testament or starting with the Old Testament, whatever 22 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:04,120 it might be to help you get through the Bible reading in the course of a year. It's an incredible 23 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,400 blessing to be able to do that, and there's an app for that. So that's on that screen 24 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:14,920 as well. And then in addition to that, we have the New City Catechism app is on that 25 00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:20,480 screen as well. New City Catechism is a daily kind of interaction. Really it's broken into 26 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,240 52 different weeks with 52 different truths, but daily you can go through these with your 27 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:31,120 family, and they're doctrinal, they're biblical, they're a great way to raise up the next generation 28 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,200 and the faith of the next generation. We've handed these books out in the past, but now 29 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:41,200 we have it in app form, so that's on the QR code as well. Then thirdly, if you're a married 30 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:46,600 couple, there is a way to understand the five love languages, and there's an app that is 31 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,800 connected to the five love languages, and it just helps you know how to best relate 32 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,400 to your spouse, and we want you to take advantage of that. The fourth aspect of that is that 33 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:01,720 when you hit this QR code, you'll also hit the code for our podcast. The podcast of our 34 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,400 services as well as other material and content that we're putting on that podcast is for 35 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:11,160 you to grow spiritually, and all this is about helping you be as healthy as you possibly 36 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:16,800 can spiritually. Of course, the way to do that is get in the Word, and just allow God's 37 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,480 Word to impact your life in a huge way, so that's our invitation to you, and that's the 38 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,880 address for where you get all those things. In addition to the Healthy Home Conference, 39 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:30,000 there's all kinds of resources we're going to be giving you. All right? Well, we start 40 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:35,800 a new series today called Real Church, not the perfect church, but the real church, because 41 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,200 I hope that you've concluded at this point, there is no perfect church yet. The church 42 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:46,000 is perfect in that it's Christ who will perfect it, but there is a church that is on earth 43 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:51,480 right now that can be a real church. Matthew chapter 22 is where we're going to start today. 44 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,200 This is a vision series, a series that reminds us of the priorities of who we are as a church. 45 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,640 At the end of January, after the Healthy Home Conference, we'll jump back into the book 46 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:06,200 of Genesis, where we have been for some months. We'll pick up Genesis chapter 4 through chapter 47 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:12,440 11, amazing truths in Genesis chapter 4 through chapter 11. Well, are you ready? Do you have 48 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:18,840 your Bible? Let's stand together. Matthew chapter 22, today a real church loves well. 49 00:04:18,840 --> 00:04:27,680 A real church loves well. Now, the context of Matthew 22 is the Pharisees have seen that 50 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:32,480 Jesus has silenced the Sadducees. They're trying to put Jesus out of business, basically. 51 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:37,480 They're trying to embarrass Jesus and trap him. They're having a conversation with Jesus 52 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:43,680 on this day. In verse 35, one of the Pharisees comes up and asks him an important question. 53 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:49,560 It says in verse 35, one of them, a lawyer, asks him a question, testing him, teacher, 54 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:54,160 which is the great commandment in the law? He said, you shall love the Lord your God 55 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:59,720 with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and 56 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:05,320 foremost commandment. Now, think for a moment how powerful that statement really is. Jesus, 57 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:10,400 in a very brief but clear way, says this is the most important thing you can know about 58 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:15,800 the law and the commandment. It's a big deal. Verse 39, the second is like it. You 59 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:21,280 shall love your neighbor as yourself. Then in verse 40, Jesus concludes this statement 60 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:29,560 by saying, on these two commandments depend the whole law and prophets. What a statement. 61 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:35,320 Father, today in Jesus' name, give us the wisdom and the illumination of your Holy Spirit 62 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:41,640 on our hearts, on our minds, in our lives, to understand and to embrace this truth that 63 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,120 you've given. Father, thank you so much that you love us first so that we can even know 64 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:52,000 what it means to love you. I ask all this in Jesus' name. All God's people said, amen. 65 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:58,540 Please be seated if you would. I was doing some research on the perfect church not long 66 00:05:58,540 --> 00:06:04,120 ago, and I came across an article that someone else wrote about the perfect church. Let me 67 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,040 read it to you. The perfect church is the perfect size. It's not too large and it's 68 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:15,520 not too small. It has perfect togetherness. Everyone is close friends and share many things 69 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:21,240 together. No one is ever lonely. It's made up of perfect volunteers and perfect leaders. 70 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:27,080 Every member is a perfect example to those on the inside and outside, never missing an 71 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:33,400 opportunity to encourage someone else. Every member takes his or her turn serving in a 72 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:39,380 Bible class or in preschool or in children. There's never a deficiency for volunteers 73 00:06:39,380 --> 00:06:45,360 in this perfect church. Everybody that comes to a small group is adequately prepared. They're 74 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:50,720 ready for the lesson ahead. The perfect church has perfect leaders and excellent teachers. 75 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:56,320 They never miss a detail. While few adverse situations arise in the perfect church, when 76 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:03,320 they do, the leaders handle each of them perfectly. Deacons are models of efficiency in ministry. 77 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:11,160 The preacher, while he's practically perfect, now remember I didn't write this, every sermon 78 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:16,840 is a home run. He's just the right age, 33, with just the right experience, 40 years of 79 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:23,840 experience. He has a perfect wife and a perfect family. He's at the same time deep and simple, 80 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:29,720 entertaining and practical, and he's never long-winded. Now you know I didn't write it 81 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:35,920 now. The perfect church has perfect worship experiences, perfect attendance, spirited singing, 82 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:41,200 eloquent prayer, moving communion. The sound volume is always perfect for everybody in 83 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,720 the room. There's a deep reverence, yet at the same time everybody's excited. There's 84 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:50,320 never a distraction. No one ever wanders in and out. They're all glued to their chair 85 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:55,720 for the whole service. Every visitor is greeted warmly and without exception wants to come 86 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:01,040 back immediately the next week. The perfect church has the perfect building. It's nice, 87 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:06,080 but not gaudy. It's always the right temperature for everyone, conveniently located no matter 88 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,760 where you live. There is perfect unity in the perfect church. No one disagrees. There 89 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:15,600 are no offenses, no signs of spiritual maturity, even in young Christians. It's the perfect 90 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:21,200 church. What else would you expect? Now if you know where that perfect church is, please 91 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:28,960 tell me so I can go. But I think most of us know there is no perfect church. Obviously 92 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:34,400 the writer was rotting tongue-in-cheek, but the truth is the perfect church has not even 93 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:39,680 been found even in the Bible. Do you know how many churches are detailed, highlighted 94 00:08:39,680 --> 00:08:44,680 in the Bible, in the Scripture? And yet every single one of them had flaws. They had flaws 95 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:50,280 because they had people. The Jerusalem church had many great qualities, but they also had 96 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:55,240 a couple of famous liars, Ananias and Sapphira, and then they neglected the widows and the 97 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:00,960 daily serving of food, and they had general disunity. Adiach was a notable congregation 98 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:09,640 because of its doctrine, but they also exhibited racial prejudice. That's the Lanica. It had 99 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,240 a group of people that didn't want to work, and so Paul had to write to them, if you don't 100 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:19,400 work, you can't eat. And Corinth, it was probably the most imperfect 101 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:24,840 church. They were selfish and greedy. Ephesus? Ephesus lost their first love. They moved 102 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:29,920 away from loving Christ. So even under the leadership of the apostles, early on after 103 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:35,480 Christ, the church was not perfect at all. And I've come to the conclusion that it's 104 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:40,400 not going to be perfect until Jesus Christ comes back. Now we serve a perfect Savior, 105 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:46,200 again, and we pursue Him, but we have not yet been made perfect in the sense of our 106 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:53,360 practical everyday life. We're perfectly forgiven, perfectly sanctified in Christ, but we are 107 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:59,760 not perfect people in the church of Jesus. So the church isn't going to be perfect until 108 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:06,480 Jesus returns, but listen very carefully. It can be real, it can be authentic, and it 109 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:11,600 can be life giving. And today, that's one of the most important 110 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:17,200 things that we can focus on. The church can be what God called us to be on this planet, 111 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:24,320 moving towards more and more likeness of Him that we must, we must be real. We must be 112 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,920 authentic. We must be life giving. You know, we have a phrase around here that 113 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,040 we use quite a bit, and anytime I talk about a vision series, I'm going to bring this 114 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:39,360 phrase up. But this phrase is built around a graph, or a graphic that we use, and that 115 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:45,920 graphic is involving the words relate, engage, adopt, and lead. And that graphic really kind 116 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:50,040 of points out the things that we really believe. We believe that Jesus Christ has called us 117 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:54,000 to have an abundant life. In fact, that's what Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 118 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:59,280 10. Imperfect people, like us, are called to have life through Jesus and have it more 119 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,640 abundantly. So based on that, we built a phrase that was very important to us. And that phrase 120 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:11,760 is real people have real hope and real life in Jesus Christ. And we use that phrase all 121 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,040 the time. In fact, these church are bound that we've given away over the years. Real 122 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,880 people, real hope, real life. And it resonates with us because we know we can't be perfect 123 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,240 until Christ comes back, but we also know that we can be real, and we do have a real 124 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:30,600 hope that we find in Jesus. And we know we can have the real life that Jesus offers, 125 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:35,200 that abundant life he refers to. So whenever you talk about the vision of the church, you 126 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:40,360 have to come back to qualities and priorities like that. Now we have a graphic that we put 127 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:46,560 together and it uses the word real to denote four key words that are important to us. I 128 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:50,800 won't spend a lot of time on this, but I will spend a little bit of time on it. Those 129 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:57,120 four words that respond to our acrostic, the real acrostic are relate, that we relate well 130 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:01,720 to God and others. That's the first priority of the church and the focus I'm having today. 131 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:06,800 Secondly, we want to engage those that are far from Christ with the prayers and hopes 132 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:11,840 that we can draw them to Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life. Thirdly, 133 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:17,080 we are to adopt new brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can have the family of God 134 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:23,680 as we gather. And fourth, we need to be willing to lead and serve one another as those that 135 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:30,080 are called and gifted to serve. So relate, engage, adopt, and lead. But today I want 136 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:36,320 to talk about the relationship part of that, the very top phrase to relate. I mean what 137 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:43,320 Jesus said in Matthew chapter 22 is all about relationships. Oscar Thompson was a seminary 138 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:48,320 professor that I had. He was an interim pastor of this church during some previous years. 139 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:53,320 Dr. Thompson used to have a phrase that he said all the time. He said, mark my words 140 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:57,320 in 20 and 30 years, this phrase will mean more to you than you could possibly imagine. 141 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:02,320 But here's the phrase, and the phrase is, the most important word in the English language 142 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:08,320 is relationships. Now when I first heard that I wasn't overly impressed. I thought there 143 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,320 are probably some deeper statements and thoughts that I will carry with me. I thought I would 144 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:17,320 carry with me for 30 and 40 years, but it's an interesting statement. And 30 and 40 years 145 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:21,320 later I look back and realize that's probably one of the most important things I've ever 146 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:28,320 heard. That relationship is the most important word in our language. Because everything good 147 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:33,320 that happens happens through relationships, and everything bad that happens happens through 148 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:40,320 faulty relationships or no relationships. It's incredibly important. And when Jesus 149 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:45,320 spoke to these Pharisees and these lawyers trying to entrap him, he dealt with the issue 150 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:50,320 of relationships. God has always been about relationships. Now there's a phrase in verse 151 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:56,320 40 that Jesus spoke that I want to spend a moment on before we move on to what he said 152 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:02,320 primarily. But one of the phrases he said is this phrase. He said, on these two depend 153 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:10,320 the law and the prophets. Loving God, loving others, on these two depend the law and the 154 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,320 prophets. And I was interested in that phrase some time ago when I began to study that. 155 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:20,320 And I realized that phrase was only said three times in the New Testament in that form. The 156 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:24,320 first time it was said is Matthew chapter five where Jesus said, I've come to fulfill 157 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,320 the law and the prophets. The second time it was used is when Jesus gave us what we 158 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:33,320 know as the golden rule, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. And Jesus 159 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:39,320 said, this fulfills the law and the prophets. The third time is the text we just read. Love 160 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:45,320 God with all your heart, love others as yourself, and this fulfills the law and the prophets. 161 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:50,320 Now I made a statement to you that God has always been concerned about relationships. 162 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:55,320 Go all the way back to the book of Exodus and the giving of the Ten Commandments. Have 163 00:14:55,320 --> 00:15:01,320 you ever analyzed those Ten Commandments and broken them down and thought through what 164 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:06,320 it means each one of them? The first four commandments are all about loving God and 165 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:12,320 honoring God. The next six commandments are all about loving people and honoring people. 166 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:17,320 The pretty incredible statement for Jesus to say that the first five books of the Old 167 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:22,320 Testament, which we know as the law, and then the last 17 books of the Old Testament, which 168 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:28,320 we know as the prophets, all those are fulfilled in what Jesus gave that day to those people 169 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:34,320 trying to entrap him. It seems to me we need to know what that verse, what that passage 170 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:39,320 really, really means. So today we're going to break that down and look at what it means 171 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:45,320 to prioritize the relationships as the church of Jesus Christ that Jesus gave that day. 172 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:50,320 Let me just start with this statement. A real church is a group of people who aspire to 173 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:57,320 three relational priorities. A group of people who aspire to three relational priorities. 174 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,320 You know the church is not the buildings, even though we enjoy sitting in a nice 175 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:07,320 air-conditioned or heated building, right? We enjoy our cup of coffee. We enjoy classrooms 176 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,320 that are good for us as we study God's Word, but it's not about the buildings. It's not 177 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:16,320 about the location. The church is not the location. The church is not the leaders either. 178 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:21,320 The church is the people. In fact, the word church, ecclesia, means called out ones. 179 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:26,320 You are the called out ones who have been called out by Jesus Christ. So today I want 180 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:32,320 you to see this as the marching orders for you and I who are the called out ones. A real 181 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:37,320 church is a group of people who aspire to three relational priorities, and it's not 182 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:45,320 hard to guess what they are. Number one, love God. Say those two words with me. Love God. 183 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:52,320 Jesus starts his answer to these Pharisees in that way. They ask him, teacher, what is 184 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:57,320 the greatest commandment in the law? And he said to him, you shall love the Lord your 185 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:02,320 God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your minds. And I'm going 186 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,320 to promise you in just a few moments, I'm going to tell you how I believe that applies 187 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:11,320 to us practically, but before that I want to share a few things with you. The Pharisees 188 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:18,320 were trying to entrap Jesus. You know, the Pharisees were connected to God religiously, 189 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:25,320 but not relationally. They saw religion as a way of doing the right things, a list of 190 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:30,320 dos and don'ts, avoiding the wrong things so that God might not be angry at you. Some 191 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:34,320 people still have this mentality where they're always looking over their shoulder that God 192 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:39,320 may zap them with a boat of lightning if they don't do right well enough or if they don't 193 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:46,320 avoid wrong long enough. So they related to God on the basis of religion. Others that 194 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:52,320 are that they related to God or they were aware of God by awareness. They knew about 195 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:56,320 God in general because of how other people talked about God. Maybe they knew about God 196 00:17:56,320 --> 00:18:01,320 because they observed creation and most people who observed creation realized it didn't get 197 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:07,320 here on its own. So they knew about him religiously. They knew about him in the sense of awareness, 198 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:14,320 but they did not have any relationship with God. So Jesus responded to their question 199 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:21,320 about the greatest commandment with a relationship kind of answer. Jesus responded to those trying 200 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:26,320 to entrap him with the greatest statement the Bible gives us about relationship. Now 201 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:31,320 the reason he does that is because God does not consider religion to be the priority. 202 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:38,320 And he knows that awareness is not enough. He wants you to have a relationship with him. 203 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,320 And what's important is not your good works and not your perfect behavior and it's not 204 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:49,320 your religion or an unmarked past. What God says is priority is knowing how to love him 205 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:53,320 with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. Here's a statement for 206 00:18:53,320 --> 00:19:00,320 you. God desires that we are relationally connected to him and he makes that possible 207 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:09,320 through Jesus Christ. Somebody say I am glad. He makes it possible. You and I don't have 208 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:15,320 a clue about how to relate to a holy God. We have no idea how to please him. No idea 209 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:20,320 how to connect with him at all. We don't know how to speak his language at all. But Jesus 210 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:27,320 came and he gave his life so that we might have a connection with God that involves relationship. 211 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:33,320 And today we have a relationship and are connected to God through that, not through religion, 212 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:38,320 not through anything else. And for those men in that day and time, for all those that Jesus 213 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,320 shared the message with, this was the most revolutionary thing they could possibly imagine. 214 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:49,320 But Jesus came to make a way for us. He came to reveal God to us. He came to redeem us 215 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:55,320 to himself. Think about all he did. He left glory, the glory of heaven to come and walk 216 00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:00,320 on this earth. And he revealed the father by his life and by his words and by his work. 217 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:05,320 He died on the cross to pay for our sin. He made it possible for us to put our faith in 218 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:11,320 Jesus Christ so that we can have a relationship with him. It's pretty profound. It's the greatest 219 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:17,320 message the world's ever heard. You know the word in the Bible for gospel is the word that 220 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:25,320 means good news. And it is good news, great news. I spell gospel acrossically. I love 221 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:31,320 acrossic stuff. Apparently I do love them. G in the gospel stands for God's character. 222 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:35,320 He's a loving, merciful God who doesn't want to punish us for our sin, but a just judge 223 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:40,320 who will by no means let the guilty go unpunished. The O of the gospel stands for the 224 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:45,320 offensive sin that we are all sinners separate from God, every single one of us are. The 225 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:50,320 S of the gospel stands for the savior or the sufficiency of Jesus Christ who lived a 226 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:55,320 perfect life, died on the cross to make it possible for us to have forgiveness and 227 00:20:55,320 --> 00:21:01,320 relationship with God. The P of the gospel is a personal response because just because 228 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,320 Jesus did this doesn't mean it's ours yet. We must repent of our sins and put our 229 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:12,320 faith in Jesus as Lord and savior. The E of the gospel is eternal urgency. It's important 230 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:17,320 that we make this decision because it's about life and death and eternity. We don't have 231 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,320 any guarantees for how long we'll live. And so we're urgent in presenting this to you. 232 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:26,320 And we are urgent in asking you to make a decision to follow Christ. The L of the gospel 233 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:32,320 is life transformation because once you put your faith in Christ, your life changes, but 234 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:39,320 all this spells access. We have access to God because of Jesus Christ. It's how we know 235 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:45,320 him. It's how we're able to worship him and pray to him. Everything we do in our relationship 236 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:52,320 with God is granted by the access through Jesus Christ. And through Jesus, you can get 237 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:57,320 to God and know God and relate to God in a way that you couldn't do without Jesus at 238 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:02,320 all. That matter how religious or how good you are, you can never ever have a good relationship 239 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:10,320 with God at all without Jesus Christ. He provides access. A good friend of mine, Dave Chrome, 240 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:17,320 who passed away last year tragically was for years a sportscaster, an anchor person. And 241 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,320 I love to tell this story because the first time Dave took me to Dallas Cowboy football 242 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:27,320 game, I realized that's the way to go because in the new Cowboy stadium, they had a brand 243 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,320 new press room. And if you were an anchor person, you could go to that press room and 244 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:37,320 bring a friend. Dave had an access badge, a lanyard he wore. He had a sticker on his 245 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:42,320 car and he picked me up one day. We went to Dallas Cowboy football game. Dave drove right 246 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,320 up to the stadium. I was expecting to walk like most of us commoners have to walk when 247 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:51,320 we buy a ticket to the Cowboy game. You walk 25 miles and you're there, right? And he drove 248 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:55,320 right up to a side door right next to the stadium. And I thought, Dave, are you going 249 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:59,320 to get towed? He goes, no, I've got this card. He says, just tell him you're with me. I said, 250 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:04,320 all right. He went to the door that nobody else could get into and it just opened with 251 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:10,320 a five because Dave was credentialed, right? And if anybody looked at me, he just said, 252 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:14,320 just tell him you're with me. We went to an elevator that nobody else really used. And 253 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,320 we went up to the press box in that elevator and that elevator was only for those that 254 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:22,320 were credentialed, but I didn't have a credential, but Dave did. So Dave said, just tell everybody 255 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:27,320 you with me. And when we got to the press box, it had this most amazing place for, for 256 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:32,320 sports writers to sit down and there were multiple massive television screens. And I 257 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:38,320 learned later that while the football game is going on, every live football NFL game 258 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:43,320 was being broadcast on these screens, simultaneous to us watching the Cowboys on the field. 259 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:48,320 You talk about utopia and I didn't belong there and I knew it, but Dave was credentialed 260 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,320 and I was with Dave. Then it was a buffet line. Let me tell you something, folks. They 261 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:56,320 feed you in that stadium, in that press room. And I didn't have the card, but Dave says, 262 00:23:56,320 --> 00:24:00,320 tell them you're with me and you can eat all you want. And so I went and I ate all I 263 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:05,320 wanted. It was an incredible experience, but none of that experience is something I deserved, 264 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:11,320 but I got because I had access through my friend, Dave Krohm, who was credentialed. 265 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,320 Well, ladies and gentlemen, you know where I'm going with this and that is only Jesus 266 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:19,320 Christ is credentialed before God the father. And the reason you're forgiven is because 267 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,320 you're with Jesus. And the reason you go to heaven is because you're with Jesus. And the 268 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:28,320 reason that you have access to God is because you're with Jesus. And that 269 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:34,320 constitutive relationship with Jesus Christ that allows you to know this God and to love 270 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:41,320 him for all the things he has done for you. When Jesus said, love the Lord your God with 271 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,320 all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, he knew that we would be talking 272 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:51,320 about this 2000 years later as the greatest commandment that he gave us. Now let me give 273 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:57,320 you some personal insight into my life and what I think this passage means to me as an 274 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:02,320 individual, because people ask the question, how do you love God with all your heart, with 275 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:07,320 all your soul, with all your mind? How does that work exactly? But I have to give you 276 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:15,320 three words that have impacted my life. The first one is the word all a W E. I believe 277 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:25,320 loving God means that you stand in all of his incredible power and presence. As a matter 278 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,320 of fact, I don't think you can love him well until you're impressed with who he is. And 279 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,320 if you know anything about this world and life, you've got to be impressed with who 280 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:38,320 he is. He spoke and the world's came into existence. Think about that. He upholds all 281 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:43,320 things by the word of his power, the scripture says, and I believe it. There are times I 282 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,320 just get out at night or early in the morning. I look up in the sky and I see the stars in 283 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:52,320 the solar system and I'm in awe, not of the stars and not of the solar systems. I'm in 284 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:58,320 awe of the God that put them there. There are times I watch incredible movies on television 285 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:03,320 about nature, about animals, about the ocean, about birds in the air. And I'm not impressed 286 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,320 by the ocean. I'm not impressed by the birds in the air, but I'm impressed with the God 287 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:13,320 who put it all there. That's what it means to be in awe of God and we can love him because 288 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:20,320 we're in awe of him. But then I think about what God has done for me and I have affection. 289 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:25,320 That's the second word, affection. Well, I think about the fact that Jesus left the glory 290 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:30,320 of having to come walk on the earth just because he was willing to down across to pay for your 291 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:36,320 sin and pay for my sin. I have affection for the God who reached out to me in that way, 292 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:42,320 who sacrificially laid his life down on the cross. Affection means thank you for what 293 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:47,320 you've done for me. I love you for what you've done for me. I love him with all my heart, 294 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:52,320 my soul, and my mind because of what he's done for me. And then alignment is the third 295 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:57,320 word. I love him with all my heart, soul, and mind when I want to think like he thinks 296 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:05,320 and do what he says to do. I mean, really, love is all about doing what's best according 297 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:11,320 to the one you're serving and that's God. So the awe that I have in my life, the affection 298 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,320 I have in my life, the alignment I have in my life constitutes loving God with all your 299 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:19,320 heart, with all your soul, and all your mind. And if there's anything else that involves, 300 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:24,320 God will reveal that to us and we will give that to him because of who he is. And maybe 301 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:29,320 those three words will mean something to you at some point. We need to learn to love God 302 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:34,320 with awe, learn to love God with affection, learn to love God with alignment. And that 303 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:39,320 actually brings security. It actually brings all kinds of significance in your life. And 304 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,320 it'll be the one thing that guides you through every part of your life, learning to love 305 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:48,320 him well. And beyond that, loving him well means it puts you in fellowship with other 306 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:55,320 people that have learned to love God well. There is a plane of relationship that no other 307 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,320 friendship can get to unless you're with somebody who loves God with all their heart, with all 308 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:04,320 their soul, and all their minds. I mean, I have a lot in common with people that love 309 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:09,320 old cars, no trucks. I talk about those things all the time with a few guys. I've got an 310 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,320 old truck I've rebuilt. I love that kind of thing, but there's a ceiling to that kind 311 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:17,320 of relationship and it just doesn't go all the way to the top unless they love God with 312 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:22,320 all their heart and all their soul and all their mind. There's football friends and we 313 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,320 like to yell at the TV a lot and we do that together and we're in harmony with that, but 314 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:31,320 there's a level that is a ceiling there that I can't go higher than unless they have a 315 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:36,320 love in their heart, they love God with their whole heart, soul, and minds. And every other 316 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:41,320 relationship is like that. But my friend, when you love God with your whole heart, when 317 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:45,320 you're in awe of God, have affection for God, and you're in alignment with God, there's 318 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:51,320 a relationship there that is incomparable with anything else in life. It's just an amazing 319 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:56,320 benefit we have from loving God with our whole heart, our whole mind, and everything about 320 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:04,320 us. So first of all, love God. Sounds simple, it is profound. But the second part of this 321 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:11,320 statement is to love people. Jesus said the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor 322 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:18,320 as yourself. That's in verse 39. So based on this powerful and intimate relationship 323 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:25,320 we have with God, this vertical relationship, we can now love others as well. And it's an 324 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:30,320 intentional way of life, just like his love for us was intentional and it flows out of 325 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:39,320 being loved instead of liking other people. This kind of love involves what Jesus demonstrated 326 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:48,320 in his life, selflessness, compassion, service, and sacrifice. You remember John 13, where 327 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:54,320 Jesus was watching his disciples, he was preparing them to get ready for his crucifixion, and 328 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:59,320 they weren't really catching on very well, and he started talking to them about a new 329 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:05,320 commandment. And in John chapter 13, this new commandment was expressed this way, a 330 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:09,320 new commandment I give you, that you love one another. But the key line is this next 331 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:17,320 one, even as I have loved you, that you love one another also. By this, all men will know 332 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:23,320 you're my disciples if you have love for one another. Now it's important for you to note 333 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:29,320 that this word love is the agape word, the unconditional love that's spoken of in the 334 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:33,320 Bible, and only in the Bible. It's not just friendship based on common interests. It's 335 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:39,320 not family love that comes naturally because we're members of a family. It's not erotic 336 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:45,320 love or sexual love. It's far more than that. Unconditional love is love with no guarantee 337 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:51,320 of return, love with no strings attached. It desires only for the well-being of the 338 00:30:51,320 --> 00:31:00,320 one loved. It's the kind of love Christ has for us. And when we have it, it stands out 339 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:06,320 in a broken world, a world that doesn't know how to love one another. I'm telling you that 340 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:11,320 I believe it because you know the love of God, you have the ability to love people that 341 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:17,320 you didn't have before. If I love God and have the love of God in my life, I'm accepted 342 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:22,320 by God, so I'm not fearful of being rejected by somebody else's love. They may love me, 343 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:27,320 they may not love me back, but that's not the most important thing because I am not 344 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:33,320 rejected. I am loved by God eternally and unconditionally. Now, sometimes it's hard 345 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:38,320 to love people. How many of you know that? Would you raise your hand? Sometimes it's 346 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:46,320 hard to love people. Sometimes people are irregular. They don't go the same way we go. 347 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:52,320 They don't believe the same things we believe. We don't even like them. And so it's hard 348 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:56,320 for us to love them. Have you ever heard this statement before? I've heard this before. 349 00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:00,320 I love you, but I don't like you. Have you ever heard that in marriage? Have you ever 350 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:06,320 heard that in marriage? But the Bible tells us that when we have the love of God in our 351 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:13,320 lives, we have the ability and the power, having experienced God's love, to give that 352 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:19,320 love. That's what Jesus is talking about. Love that Lord your God with all your heart, 353 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,320 with all your soul, all your mind. This is the first and most important commandment. 354 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:28,320 The second is likened to it. Love your neighbor as yourself. Get that vertical love and know 355 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:34,320 what that means. And then now spread that horizontally. It's a pretty big deal. So how 356 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:42,320 do we do that? First John chapter four, verse 19 says we love because he first loved us. 357 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:46,320 So what that basically means is because you know the love of God for you and how he's 358 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:56,320 loved you, you love others in that way. We love God because he first loved us. 359 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:01,320 We love each other because he first loved us. We love our family because he first loved 360 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,320 us. We love our neighbors because he first loved us. We love the church because he first 361 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:09,320 loved us. We love the loss because he first loved us. We love people who are different 362 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:14,320 because he first loved us. We love people who are difficult because he first loved us. 363 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,920 We love people who are annoying because he first loved us 364 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:25,420 We love our enemies because he first loved us not because we like them not because they do us any favors not because they're making 365 00:33:25,780 --> 00:33:29,960 Promises to return that life we love because he first loved us 366 00:33:31,780 --> 00:33:33,780 That's it, that's it 367 00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:36,500 That's the criteria 368 00:33:37,380 --> 00:33:41,700 So what that makes us is very different people 369 00:33:41,700 --> 00:33:43,940 Talk about peculiar people we're peculiar 370 00:33:44,820 --> 00:33:48,980 Because we've experienced the love of God and we're willing to love others even if they don't love us back 371 00:33:49,540 --> 00:33:53,940 Do you think that doesn't stand out in a loveless world? It stands out big time 372 00:33:54,820 --> 00:34:00,020 When the church of Jesus Christ loves that way we've literally been taught God to love one another 373 00:34:00,340 --> 00:34:07,060 And the how of loving others is to know what it feels like for Jesus to love others and in this case others mean you 374 00:34:07,060 --> 00:34:10,580 You are the receiving end of God's love 375 00:34:12,020 --> 00:34:15,780 One of the greatest conversations about love in the bible is in first john 376 00:34:16,420 --> 00:34:20,340 And first john 4 verse 7 and 8 verse 11. Here's what it says 377 00:34:20,820 --> 00:34:27,380 Beloved let us love one another for love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God 378 00:34:27,700 --> 00:34:32,740 The one who does not love does not know God for God is love 379 00:34:32,740 --> 00:34:38,900 Beloved if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. He's called us to love others 380 00:34:39,540 --> 00:34:41,540 the way he's loved 381 00:34:41,540 --> 00:34:44,660 You know one of the best examples of this is in the 382 00:34:45,140 --> 00:34:50,020 parable of the good samaritan remember the story of the good samaritan where Jesus is telling 383 00:34:50,500 --> 00:34:52,500 a group of leaders about 384 00:34:52,580 --> 00:34:56,820 This man had been robbed and was bleeding on the side of the road left for dead 385 00:34:57,380 --> 00:35:00,500 And he talks about two religious leaders who were in the same church 386 00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:03,700 And he talks about two religious leaders who passed him by 387 00:35:04,900 --> 00:35:06,900 But didn't stop 388 00:35:07,060 --> 00:35:12,820 And then a samaritan a half-breed in the eyes of those listening that day who was not of the same ethnicity 389 00:35:13,060 --> 00:35:15,940 Was not of the same religion yet stopped and showed compassion 390 00:35:16,580 --> 00:35:18,980 And Jesus told the story then asked the question 391 00:35:20,420 --> 00:35:24,020 As it was asked of him who's my neighbor and he answered the question by saying 392 00:35:24,660 --> 00:35:28,040 Go and do the same as this samaritan 393 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,560 Now when you think through that you'll realize that the samaritan had no hope of return 394 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:39,400 There was nothing good coming out of him helping the sky except that the sky was would be helped. That's how Jesus framed the story 395 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,200 And he did it all 396 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:47,560 So that we might know what it means to show mercy on those not just in your family or your circles 397 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:52,520 But how to show mercy and compassion on your neighbor in every which direction 398 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:56,360 Jesus said go and do the same go and do likewise 399 00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:59,880 Love him the way the samaritan loved the stranger 400 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:05,480 So think through what does it do? What does it mean to do this? What does it take to do this? 401 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:11,880 Quite simply means that we look around and recognize the needs in other people's lives and reach out 402 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,400 And meet those needs in the name and the spirit of Jesus Christ 403 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:19,320 In the same way you've been loved 404 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:23,240 To seek to express that in other people's lives in your 405 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:28,200 other people's lives in your lifetime and in your area of influence 406 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:32,360 imagine what the person with a broken marriage feels like and what they need 407 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:39,000 If you were to reach out to them imagine what the young person with a broken home needs and love them that way 408 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:45,240 Imagine the hurting person imagine the this illusion person imagine the lonely person 409 00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:52,840 And meet the need in their life or the displaced person who has no family anywhere around. How do you meet that need? 410 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:58,780 But when you see their need and you find a way to meet that need responsibly 411 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,700 Then you're loving like the samaritan 412 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,400 Loved in jesus story 413 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:10,200 You know one of our goals is to build an invite culture in our church meaning that we are 414 00:37:10,500 --> 00:37:12,760 conscious of everyone's need for the gospel 415 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:18,200 If you needed the gospel everybody needs the gospel if I needed the gospel everybody needs the gospel 416 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:23,640 But but looking around us at people in our lives and saying the best thing I can do for them 417 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:30,440 Might be a practical thing, but ultimately it will always be introducing them to the love of and the good news of Jesus Christ 418 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,160 Maybe bring them to a service with you 419 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:37,800 Maybe expose them to a small group in your in your in your church where you're helping them 420 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,480 See what it means to be loved and to be loved by God and loved 421 00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:43,480 by God and love other people 422 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:46,520 And we want to encourage you 423 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,640 To realize that's what real life is really all about helping love people the best way we can 424 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,080 Who do you need to reach out to who do you love? 425 00:37:55,480 --> 00:38:00,040 Who do you need to speak to with the same kind of love that God reached out to you with? 426 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,160 So love God 427 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:07,320 Love others. The third thing is love scripture love scripture 428 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:12,760 Now at first when we look at this text, we don't think the scripture is part of the love relationship 429 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:17,080 We're talking about but i've just shared with you a moment ago that loving God with all your heart 430 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:19,560 So the mind means aligning with him 431 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,200 It's interesting that Jesus brings 432 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:28,040 The whole law and the prophets essentially all the teaching of the old testament into his new testament answer 433 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,640 In other words if you want to fulfill everything i've already said in the old testament 434 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:36,440 God in the flesh says 435 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:40,360 Then love God with all your heart and love others as yourself 436 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:46,680 So he says this is the great and foremost commandment and then he says on these two commandments depend the whole 437 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:50,280 law and the prophets why did Jesus include this 438 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:55,880 Why didn't he just stop with saying this is the great and foremost and the second is like into it 439 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,600 Why does he bother to go on beyond that and say? 440 00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,920 all the law all the commandments are built on these two things because 441 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,600 He wanted us to understand that all of God's word is part of 442 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,120 What we do when we love God love others 443 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:12,760 Love his word to us 444 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:17,000 That's so incredibly important Jesus used the scripture to reveal truth 445 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:22,280 Scripture is then and now the basis for what Jesus came to say and came to do 446 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:29,160 If you want to pass on to someone else what Jesus says to them use your bible and tell him what he says to them 447 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:31,720 Because you've learned what it means for you 448 00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:38,040 When Jesus says I love you with an everlasting love in the old testament or when he says i've come to give my life or 449 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:40,040 ransom for mankind 450 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:46,280 That's what he means for you to say to somebody else love his word enough to share that with other people 451 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:51,720 Now, you know Jesus spoke the truth and he identified as the truth at the same time. Don't you? 452 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:56,200 For example, John 8 32 you will know the truth and the truth will make you free 453 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,840 Or he identified as the truth in John chapter 14 454 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:06,200 14 verse 6 if you were to walk in the front door of our buildings, you would see a large stone there 455 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:11,240 And john 14 6 is there where Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life 456 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,880 No one comes to the father but through me 457 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:16,680 Why do we have that stone there? 458 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:20,600 Because of the thousands of people that walk through that front door every year 459 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:26,120 We want every single one of them to know that Jesus claims to be the way the truth and the life 460 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:31,960 And there's no two ways about it. He is the way for salvation. We love what he said 461 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:36,760 We believe it's true and we want everybody to know that so we love god. We love 462 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,920 Others and we love the scripture. It's a huge value for us 463 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:43,560 You know, the true church has always held to the word 464 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:47,480 It's the apostate church that has left the word behind 465 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:51,000 And what's going on in our world today as it always has 466 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:57,640 Without scripture people are left to guess or worse make up what they want their truth to be what they believe about god 467 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:02,040 What they believe about right and wrong, but god is there and god is not silent 468 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:06,040 Love the scripture because it brings you into alignment 469 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:08,680 With the god that you love 470 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:13,960 Love scripture because it helps others know about the god that loves us 471 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:19,800 You know the bible says all scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching for reproof 472 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:24,920 For correction and training in righteousness. It's our guide. It's our authority 473 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:32,120 It is our conscious and everything and we firmly stand on that for all these reasons and more and more 474 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:34,920 Here's how I want you to look at god's word today 475 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:41,800 And every day look at god's word as god's note to you for the day his note to you for the day 476 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,400 I'm on my bible reading plan that reads just four chapters 477 00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:48,520 A day of the scripture and i'm starting in the new testament 478 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:52,040 Four chapters today will let me read eleven hundred and eighty nine 479 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:54,840 chapters of the bible all of them 480 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:57,080 in less than 300 days 481 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:59,960 297 and a half days i'll finish this 482 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:06,040 And every one of them when i'm reading them i'm reading them with this perspective. What does this text tell me about god? 483 00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:09,240 And what does this say? 484 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:11,480 That god is saying to me today 485 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,120 What does it tell me about him? 486 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,840 What message does he send to me today with what i'm reading? 487 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:21,320 And i'll tell you i see a lot of life when I read the bible everybody it just speaks to me so powerfully 488 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,840 I've come to love the scripture because it's god speaking to us 489 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:29,960 And part of loving people is helping people know the truth part of loving god is being in alignment with him 490 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:33,240 So love god love people love truth 491 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,040 You say but pastor sometimes it's hard 492 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,240 For people we're trying to love to hear the truth 493 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:42,600 Sometimes they don't want to hear it and I agree sometimes they don't 494 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:46,440 You know there have actually been times in my life where I told people the truth about a question 495 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:49,160 They've asked me and then they not like me anymore 496 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:53,080 And they've been angry at me they've retaliated against me 497 00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:57,320 But there have also been people who years later have come back to me and said to me 498 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:02,280 Thank you for telling me the truth. I didn't want to thin but I I knew it was true in my heart 499 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:08,520 It's so important to love god love people love the truth. Here's how we wrap it all up 500 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:12,040 Here's the line a real church is a group of people who aspire to love god 501 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:14,200 love people 502 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:15,560 And love scripture 503 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,200 And all that begins with you 504 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,440 today 505 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:22,440 The church is a group of people 506 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,520 Not the building not the organization 507 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,400 The church is you 508 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:30,920 love god 509 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:32,920 love people 510 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:34,920 Love the scripture 511 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:36,920 In just a moment, we're going to come back to the church 512 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:39,240 In just a moment, we're going to close in prayer 513 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,720 About three invites I want to give you today. First of all the decision station 514 00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,680 We talked a lot about the gospel today if you've never 515 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,600 Accepted what christ did on the cross for you personally 516 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:57,240 If you've never entered into a personal relationship with Jesus christ through what he did on the cross today's a great day to do that 517 00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,000 These decision stations are manned by people who can answer questions 518 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,520 And they can lead you in prayer. I want to encourage you to stop on the way out 519 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:08,520 Have a conversation about faith in Jesus 520 00:44:09,240 --> 00:44:11,240 That's number one number two if you're a guest today 521 00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:14,520 I would love to meet you in our guest reception centers just outside 522 00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:19,480 The center exit doors and across the hallway. It's a glassed-in room. You'll see me there in a moment 523 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:24,040 Please stop by let me tell you about what god is doing here across this church 524 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,840 Plus, I'd just love to meet you and say thank you for being here today 525 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:29,480 Number three 526 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:33,640 There's always an opportunity to invite others to come join us next week 527 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:39,000 There are invite cards out there with the real church logo on it. I want to encourage you to pick them out 528 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:46,120 Take a bunch of them invite people to come with you next week reserve a spot for them sit next to them make them feel welcome 529 00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:52,520 But let them hear about how the church is supposed to engage people who don't know christ yet 530 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:58,440 But who will someday come to know christ because we have reached out to engage them in the gospel 531 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,320 Would you stand with me as we close in prayer today? 532 00:45:01,320 --> 00:45:05,960 Father today, I am so grateful for your words so grateful for this 533 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:11,240 Greatest commandment the difficult question posed but the answer you gave amazing 534 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:15,880 Father today, I am so thankful too that you have taught us how to love you 535 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:21,800 With all of our hearts with all of our soul with all of our mind father. I pray that you would bring us to a place of all 536 00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:25,480 That we would come to a place of affection for you 537 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:28,280 And that we would align ourselves with you 538 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:34,040 Lord be at work in our hearts today use us as we go out of this building today into the world you've placed us in 539 00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:37,640 To love others the way you've loved us in jesus name 540 00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:59,640 Amen