WEBVTT 00:00:08.349 --> 00:00:10.390 Father, I want to thank you and praise you that 00:00:10.390 --> 00:00:13.869 we can come before you, open up your word, learn 00:00:13.869 --> 00:00:18.910 of you, and learn of what you have for us as 00:00:18.910 --> 00:00:22.649 your people, because your scripture holds everything 00:00:22.649 --> 00:00:25.570 for life and godliness. Lord, I pray that you 00:00:25.570 --> 00:00:27.809 would be honored and glorified as we present 00:00:27.809 --> 00:00:30.109 the full counts of your word today, that we as 00:00:30.109 --> 00:00:32.170 your people would rightly divide it, and that 00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:34.149 we would really come to understand what real, 00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:38.810 true, biblical love looks like. Lord, we do praise 00:00:38.810 --> 00:00:40.890 you and thank you for your faithfulness. To you 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:43.929 be honor and glory. In Jesus' name, amen. To 00:00:43.929 --> 00:00:50.289 love is to obey. That little term, to love is 00:00:50.289 --> 00:00:53.259 to obey. was interesting because I wasn't thinking 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:57.799 about the song we picked. So we are in John 14. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:07.019 As you heard in 1 Samuel, what was the scripture 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:08.760 reading? Give me the scripture reading address 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:13.939 real quick, please. 1 Samuel what? 15, thank 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:16.420 you. I was thinking 55, and I have no idea why. 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:20.370 But if you look at 1 Samuel 15, I want you to 00:01:20.370 --> 00:01:25.250 notice some things here. Verse 22. I can get 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:34.870 there. There it is. 15, verse 22. I want you 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:39.810 to pay attention to what Samuel says here to 00:01:39.810 --> 00:01:44.390 King Saul. Because when we read before that, 00:01:44.569 --> 00:01:50.659 we see King Saul's attitude. Towards God's word. 00:01:51.239 --> 00:01:55.239 Okay. Notice I'll read 17 through and then you 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.959 guys pay attention to verse 22. And Samuel said, 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:04.120 though you are little in your own eyes, are you 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:08.680 not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:11.939 anointed you king over Israel and the Lord sent 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:17.870 you as a mission and said, go devote. to destruction 00:02:17.870 --> 00:02:21.629 the sinners and the Malachites and fight against 00:02:21.629 --> 00:02:25.770 them until they are consumed. Why then did you 00:02:25.770 --> 00:02:33.990 not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce 00:02:33.990 --> 00:02:37.189 on the spoil and do what is evil in the sight 00:02:37.189 --> 00:02:40.650 of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, I have 00:02:40.650 --> 00:02:45.060 obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone. On 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:47.860 the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:51.479 brought Agag and King Amalek. And have devoted 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:55.120 the Amalekites to destruction. But the people 00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:00.199 took the spoil. Sheep, oxen, and best of the 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:03.900 things devoted to destruction. To sacrifice to 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:06.879 Yahweh. To sacrifice to the Lord your God in 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:13.639 Gilgal. Think about Samuel's attitude here. God 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:17.439 said, do not take anything. You destroy everything. 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.000 And he goes, well, the people took it because 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.919 they want to give a sacrifice to God. And then 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:31.060 Samuel said, has the Lord as great delight in 00:03:31.060 --> 00:03:34.039 burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:40.060 the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:44.439 than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:49.080 rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:54.219 and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. 00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:58.020 Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:04.280 he has also rejected you from being king. But 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:08.629 I did obey. No, you didn't. Partial obedience 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:18.050 is not obedience. So Jesus deals with the reality 00:04:18.050 --> 00:04:22.649 of what true love of God looks like. Now I want 00:04:22.649 --> 00:04:24.370 you to understand this because this has been, 00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:26.790 when you're reading the Old Testament, this has 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:31.370 been the problem of the Israelites all those 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:35.410 years. I'll obey a little bit here, but never 00:04:35.410 --> 00:04:39.889 all of it. And so there are several principles, 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:41.730 and I want you to pay attention to some things 00:04:41.730 --> 00:04:44.069 as we go through this. We are going to be going 00:04:44.069 --> 00:04:48.170 through John 14. Let not your hearts be troubled. 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:53.050 Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's 00:04:53.050 --> 00:04:55.709 house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would 00:04:55.709 --> 00:04:58.810 have told you that I go to prepare a place for 00:04:58.810 --> 00:05:01.209 you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, 00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:03.569 I will come again and take you to myself, that 00:05:03.569 --> 00:05:07.449 where I am you may be also. And you know the 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:11.829 way to where I'm going. And Thomas said to him, 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:15.470 Lord, we do not know where you are going. How 00:05:15.470 --> 00:05:19.050 can we know the way? Jesus said, I am the way, 00:05:19.110 --> 00:05:24.829 the truth, and the life. No one comes to the 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:28.310 Father except through me. If you had known me, 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:31.899 you would have known the Father also. From now 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:35.779 on, you do know him and have seen him. And Philip 00:05:35.779 --> 00:05:38.839 said to him, Lord, show us the father and it 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.560 is enough for us. And Jesus said to him, have 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:45.100 I been with you so long? You still do not know 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:51.160 me, Philip. Whoever has seen me has seen the 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:53.699 father. How can you say, show us the father? 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:57.379 Do you not believe that I am in the father and 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:00.220 the father is in me? The words that I say to 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:03.500 you, I did not speak on my own authority, but 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:07.879 the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.500 me that I am in the Father and the Father is 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:14.839 in me, or else believe on account of the works 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:18.180 themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:20.839 believes in me will also do the works that I 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:23.620 do. And greater works than these will he do, 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:27.000 because I am going to the Father. Whatever you 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.920 ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:33.000 may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:36.439 in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:39.259 will keep my commandments. You know, what's funny 00:06:39.259 --> 00:06:42.779 is many preachers stop there. Ask whatever you 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:45.220 want, and God will give it to you. And what does 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:53.480 Jesus say? Obey me. That's what I want. If you 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:58.560 ask according to my word, if you obey me, if 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.120 you love me and keep my commandments, I will 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.639 do whatever you ask. That's what he's saying 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:06.879 here. But, you know, we want that new Bentley. 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:12.620 And I will ask the Father and he will give you 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:17.560 another helper to be with you forever. Even the 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:20.920 spirit of truth who The world cannot receive 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.980 because it neither sees him nor knows him. But 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:26.680 you know him for he dwells with you and will 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.839 be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:34.899 will come to you. Yet a little while and the 00:07:34.899 --> 00:07:39.560 world will see me no more. But you will see me 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:44.139 because I live. You also will live. In that day 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.420 you will know that I am in the Father and you 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:50.420 in me and I in you. Whoever. has my commandments 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:57.279 and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:00.579 who loves me will be loved by my father and I 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:04.360 will love him and manifest myself to him. And 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:08.160 Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, how is 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:11.000 it that you will manifest yourself to us and 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.660 not to the world? And Jesus answered him, if 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.639 anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:21.680 father will love him. And we will come to him 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.980 and make our home with him. Whoever does not 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:29.839 love me does not keep my words. The word that 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:33.120 you hear is not mine, but the father's who sent 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:36.519 me. These things I have spoken to you while I'm 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:39.399 still with you. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.059 whom the father will send in my name, he will 00:08:42.059 --> 00:08:44.759 teach you all things and bring them to your remembrance. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.679 All that I have said to you, peace I leave with 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:51.960 you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:55.279 do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.679 neither let them be afraid. You heard me say, 00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:02.080 I am going away and I will come to you. If you 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.139 love me, you would rejoice. You would have rejoiced 00:09:06.139 --> 00:09:08.659 because I am going to the Father and the Father 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.539 is greater than I. And now I have told you before 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:15.139 it takes place, so that when it does take place, 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:20.019 you may believe. I will no longer talk much with 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:22.899 you. For the ruler of this world is coming, and 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:26.039 he has no claim on me. But I do as the Father 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:29.580 commanded me, so that the world may know that 00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:33.980 I love the Father. Rise, let us go up from here. 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:37.539 Do you see what Jesus said here? That the world 00:09:37.539 --> 00:09:39.620 may know I love the Father, I love him because 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:43.039 I do what he's commanded me to do. So why should 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:47.559 that be any less different for his people? Because 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:51.039 we live in the days of grace? Remember I told 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:53.960 you that the definition of grace is not God's 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:59.039 riches at Christ's expense. It's the power to 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.019 do what is right. Not the license to do whatever 00:10:02.019 --> 00:10:04.240 you want, not the license to sin, but the power 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:06.720 to do what is right. That's what grace is. And 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:11.340 here's the point. To obey Christ is to love Christ. 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:16.899 To obey Christ is to love Christ. Joshua 22 .5 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:22.710 says, Only be very careful. Only be very careful 00:10:22.710 --> 00:10:25.409 to observe the commandment and the law that Moses, 00:10:25.549 --> 00:10:28.529 the servant of the Lord, commanded you. To love 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:31.529 the Lord your God and to walk in all his ways 00:10:31.529 --> 00:10:34.350 and to keep his commandments and to cling to 00:10:34.350 --> 00:10:36.950 them and to serve him with all your heart and 00:10:36.950 --> 00:10:40.090 with all your soul. Love God, love his word, 00:10:40.129 --> 00:10:44.870 love his ways, love his things. It's clearly 00:10:44.870 --> 00:10:48.549 right there. That is the standard of believers. 00:10:50.789 --> 00:10:55.789 To love is to obey. To love is to obey. To obey 00:10:55.789 --> 00:10:58.870 is to worship. Worship is not what we do up here. 00:10:59.590 --> 00:11:02.250 Worship is what you do every single day of every 00:11:02.250 --> 00:11:04.250 single moment of your life as you're walking 00:11:04.250 --> 00:11:07.049 through life and life gets difficult and it gets 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:10.309 very hard and you don't know what to do and you 00:11:10.309 --> 00:11:13.850 don't know if you can trust and you have no choice 00:11:13.850 --> 00:11:17.610 but to obey. But we don't, do we? Because it's 00:11:17.610 --> 00:11:22.029 easier. Because we think we know better. See, 00:11:22.090 --> 00:11:25.929 a man plans his ways, but God ordains his steps. 00:11:28.330 --> 00:11:32.389 In John 14, 16 through 17, look what it says. 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:39.210 If you love me, if you will keep my commandments. 00:11:40.009 --> 00:11:42.929 He does the same thing with Peter at the end 00:11:42.929 --> 00:11:46.570 of this book in chapter 21. Peter, do you love 00:11:46.570 --> 00:11:49.289 me? Lord, you know all things. You know I like 00:11:49.289 --> 00:11:57.230 you a lot. Then feed my sheep. What was he doing? 00:11:57.990 --> 00:12:01.289 Was he obeying? He was fishing. How many of you 00:12:01.289 --> 00:12:05.830 guys like to fish? Anybody a better fly fisherman 00:12:05.830 --> 00:12:14.389 than Ben? No? No, you wish. He's a phenomenal 00:12:14.389 --> 00:12:17.269 fly fisherman if you ever want to go. You got 00:12:17.269 --> 00:12:20.710 to talk with him about that. But the reality 00:12:20.710 --> 00:12:25.230 is Peter's fishing. And God told him, Christ 00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:29.970 told him to go. Why are you fishing? And so he 00:12:29.970 --> 00:12:32.950 asked him again, Peter, do you love me? Lord, 00:12:32.990 --> 00:12:39.129 you know all things. I like you a lot. Didn't 00:12:39.129 --> 00:12:44.730 take care of my sheep. And then he asked him 00:12:44.730 --> 00:12:52.190 a third time. Peter, do you like me a lot? And 00:12:52.190 --> 00:12:53.789 he says, Lord, you know all things. You know 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:57.629 I like you a lot. Then feed my sheep. In other 00:12:57.629 --> 00:13:00.769 words, Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know. 00:13:01.549 --> 00:13:07.330 Then obey me. Even if you like me, obey me. Then 00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:09.929 he says, at the very end, if you really like 00:13:09.929 --> 00:13:13.250 me as you say you like me, then why aren't you 00:13:13.250 --> 00:13:17.370 obeying me? Because Peter didn't really love 00:13:17.370 --> 00:13:21.710 God. Remember the Peter that was like, I'm not 00:13:21.710 --> 00:13:25.309 going to let anybody harm you. Take a sword, 00:13:25.509 --> 00:13:29.490 cut off a dude's ear. Rooster crows, he denies 00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:34.409 him. Look what it says in verse 16. And I've 00:13:34.409 --> 00:13:36.009 asked the Father and he will give you another 00:13:36.009 --> 00:13:38.529 helper to be with you. Do you get that? The first 00:13:38.529 --> 00:13:39.990 thing he says is, if you love me, you'll keep 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:42.389 my commandments. And then he says, I will ask 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:45.429 the Father and he will give you a helper. A helper 00:13:45.429 --> 00:13:49.690 to do what? Get through life? No, to be obedient. 00:13:50.450 --> 00:13:52.789 You want to be victorious in your Christian life? 00:13:53.129 --> 00:13:56.789 Obey him. That's the point. We're like, that's 00:13:56.789 --> 00:14:02.210 legalism. No, that's the standard here. We don't 00:14:02.210 --> 00:14:04.990 live by the law, or we die by the law if we live 00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:07.370 by the law. No, we live by grace, the power to 00:14:07.370 --> 00:14:09.450 do what is right. In response to the power to 00:14:09.450 --> 00:14:13.570 do what is right, we want to obey because we 00:14:13.570 --> 00:14:18.720 love him. And he's given us someone to help us 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:23.299 obey. And this person, the third person of the 00:14:23.299 --> 00:14:29.799 Trinity, will be with us forever. He even tells 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:32.120 you who he is. He is the spirit of truth whom 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:34.120 the world cannot receive because it does not 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:38.919 see him, nor knows him, but you know him. For 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:41.200 he dwells with you and will be in you. That's 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.320 what he's saying to the disciples. You know what 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:45.620 we have that the disciples didn't at the time? 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:49.759 The Spirit did not dwell in them until the time 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:54.080 of Pentecost. But the moment Christ redeemed 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.399 you is the very moment the Spirit of God was 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:59.279 living in you. He was probably in you before 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:04.100 that, just to say, if you read Romans 10. But 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:07.179 the reality is, the reason why we can obey, The 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:09.559 reason why we can know and the reason why we 00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:12.240 can know him and know his word is because the 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:15.679 spirit lives in you. If you have the spirit. 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.940 Number two, to love Christ is to obey the gospel. 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:24.519 This is an important thing because he clarifies 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:29.139 this here. I talked to you before that the gospel 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:32.929 is more than just a story. It's more than just 00:15:32.929 --> 00:15:36.269 a proclamation of the sacrifice of Christ. It 00:15:36.269 --> 00:15:39.690 is a command. It's an imperative. Believe the 00:15:39.690 --> 00:15:42.690 gospel. It's not an option for the believer, 00:15:42.769 --> 00:15:47.090 for the one who has been chosen by God to be 00:15:47.090 --> 00:15:51.830 in the family. You are responsible. Every single 00:15:51.830 --> 00:15:54.970 person on the earth is responsible to either 00:15:54.970 --> 00:15:58.149 obey it or they're going to disobey it. It's 00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:01.309 an obedience. It's an issue of obedience. Believe. 00:16:04.850 --> 00:16:10.009 Ecclesiastes 12, 13. The end of the matter. All 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:14.070 has been heard. Fear God. Keep his commandments. 00:16:14.330 --> 00:16:17.830 For this is the whole duty of man. If the gospel 00:16:17.830 --> 00:16:20.690 is a commandment. And it is the duty of man to 00:16:20.690 --> 00:16:24.470 come to Christ. Because he has commanded us to 00:16:24.470 --> 00:16:28.970 come. Not just to go and preach. As it says in 00:16:28.970 --> 00:16:36.299 Mark. but to come, then we must respond in repentance 00:16:36.299 --> 00:16:41.080 and come. That's the responsibility of man. So 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:44.379 in John 14, 18 through 21, I will not leave you 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:47.700 as orphans. I will come to you. Yet a little 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:51.279 while and the world will see me no more, but 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:55.620 you will see me. Because I live, you also will 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:58.519 live. Notice Jesus states, I am already alive. 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:05.700 You can't kill a living God. You might try to 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:11.319 kill his body, but it will rise. This is a definitive 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:17.079 statement here. Because I live, not because I 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:20.740 will die then live. He's saying I've always lived 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:23.990 and will always live. And the body that they 00:17:23.990 --> 00:17:30.130 will destroy will rise. In that day, you will 00:17:30.130 --> 00:17:33.049 know that I am in the Father, and you in me, 00:17:33.250 --> 00:17:36.509 and I in you. When? The day he resurrects, because 00:17:36.509 --> 00:17:40.250 again, he proves he is alive. Look what it says 00:17:40.250 --> 00:17:44.190 here. Moreover, whoever, sorry, has my commandments 00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:52.269 and keeps them, it is he who loves me. Who has 00:17:52.269 --> 00:17:56.009 the commandments? God's people. God's people 00:17:56.009 --> 00:18:02.029 are to keep them. And he says that those who 00:18:02.029 --> 00:18:07.849 have and keep are the ones who love. Why? Because 00:18:07.849 --> 00:18:11.609 commandments of God are the motivating desire 00:18:11.609 --> 00:18:17.089 of our hearts to show love towards him. And he 00:18:17.089 --> 00:18:19.880 who loves me. Will be loved by my father and 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:22.240 I will love him and manifest myself to him. There 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:27.720 it is. The reality of the manifestation of Christ 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:36.140 to the believer is the gospel. How else will 00:18:36.140 --> 00:18:39.480 Christ manifest himself to us? Through the gospel. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:43.160 Through the reality of our submission and response 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.819 by believing in the gospel. The command to come. 00:18:48.269 --> 00:18:52.089 And to know that Christ died, was buried, and 00:18:52.089 --> 00:18:57.150 rose again on the third day. The Father loves 00:18:57.150 --> 00:19:01.170 those who love Christ and obey His word. The 00:19:01.170 --> 00:19:03.190 Father loves those who love Christ and obey His 00:19:03.190 --> 00:19:06.789 word. In John 15, 10, If you keep my commandments, 00:19:07.109 --> 00:19:10.710 you will abide in my love, just as I have kept 00:19:10.710 --> 00:19:13.970 my Father's commandments and abide in His love. 00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:17.519 You want to know what it means to abide? Remember, 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:20.119 if you abide in me and I in you, you will bear 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:24.720 much fruit. What produces the fruit? The Spirit 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.339 of God working through the Word of God producing 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:34.160 His fruit in you. You want to truly abide? Live 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:37.859 obediently. You're like, well, that's kind of 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:40.859 hard considering we're sinners. Yes, we're not 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:46.539 going to do it perfectly. You're in a constant 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:48.500 battle every single day of our lives when we 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:54.039 wake up with the flesh. But the reality is through 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:57.339 Christ, by the power of Christ, by the power 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:58.900 of the Holy Spirit, through the work of the Word 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:02.319 in our lives, He will sanctify us and conform 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.900 us into the image of His Son. And every day, 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:09.900 what you see out of all of the older people who 00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:12.819 are in this room is they have become more godly. 00:20:13.829 --> 00:20:16.809 Because they have walked, lived, and obeyed for 00:20:16.809 --> 00:20:25.470 many years. So, I'm going to throw this in there 00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:29.970 for the men. Men, older men teach the younger 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:33.230 men. It's your responsibility as older men to 00:20:33.230 --> 00:20:35.630 come alongside these younger men and to teach 00:20:35.630 --> 00:20:38.650 them, to walk with them. We're not talking about 00:20:38.650 --> 00:20:40.670 not only AIDS, we're also talking about spiritual 00:20:40.670 --> 00:20:44.410 maturity. So that's my challenge to you, to men 00:20:44.410 --> 00:20:46.069 who have walked with the Lord for many, many 00:20:46.069 --> 00:20:51.349 years. Mentor someone. Younger men, find a mentor. 00:20:55.470 --> 00:20:58.569 Be coached. Older women, teach the younger women. 00:21:01.029 --> 00:21:05.049 Older women, find someone you can mentor. We'll 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:08.349 be starting this probably in the next several 00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:11.490 weeks. Women's groups called Women in Ministry. 00:21:12.339 --> 00:21:14.200 WM groups. You're going to be able to go into 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:18.980 a WM group of four, five at the most women, and 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:20.839 you're going to do study together. You can do 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:22.700 it over the phone. You can do it in person. You 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:25.579 can do it over Zoom. It doesn't matter. You women 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:28.019 get together, mentor each other, and develop. 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:32.839 Women who understand what complementarianism 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:39.339 is. And younger women, get involved. Find a mentor. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:47.019 And I would challenge you that a woman is anyone 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:56.539 of the age of 16 or older. Now, I know my wife's 00:21:56.539 --> 00:21:59.980 going to talk to me about that later. She's looking 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:01.940 at me like, you just threw that out there. I 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:06.400 know you did. Sorry, honey, I love you. John 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:10.380 14, 22 through 24. Judas, not Iscariot, said 00:22:10.380 --> 00:22:13.599 to him, Lord. How is it that you will manifest 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:17.279 yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus already 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:19.420 manifested himself to the world by putting on 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:22.660 flesh. How is he going to manifest himself to 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:27.279 us? Through the resurrection, through the reality 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:31.220 of the Spirit of God. The helper that was promised 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:37.299 earlier in the chapter. Jesus answered him, if 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:42.650 anyone loves me. He will keep my word and my 00:22:42.650 --> 00:22:45.670 father will love him and we will come to him 00:22:45.670 --> 00:22:49.990 and make our home with him. Notice, love here. 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:55.930 If you love me, you'll keep my word. The gospel 00:22:55.930 --> 00:22:59.190 is the word of God, the command of God for people 00:22:59.190 --> 00:23:02.710 to come and repent. And it's the work of God 00:23:02.710 --> 00:23:05.470 upon the heart of the person because of the work 00:23:05.470 --> 00:23:09.609 of Christ on the cross. That's why it's not a 00:23:09.609 --> 00:23:12.690 work that you can do, only God. For it is by 00:23:12.690 --> 00:23:14.269 grace you have been saved through faith and this 00:23:14.269 --> 00:23:17.069 not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by 00:23:17.069 --> 00:23:22.890 works. Whoever does not love me does not keep 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:27.410 my words. And the word that you hear is not mine, 00:23:27.490 --> 00:23:30.710 but it's the Father who sent me. Whose word has 00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:34.150 Jesus been preaching? The Father's word. Who 00:23:34.150 --> 00:23:36.710 is... Who is the representative of the Father's 00:23:36.710 --> 00:23:42.950 word? The word incarnate. If you have any questions 00:23:42.950 --> 00:23:45.250 about that, Ephesians chapter 1 clarifies the 00:23:45.250 --> 00:23:47.730 reality of this truth. That God the Father set 00:23:47.730 --> 00:23:49.769 the plan. God the Son fulfilled the plan. God 00:23:49.769 --> 00:23:53.609 the Holy Spirit sealed the plan. But it's God's 00:23:53.609 --> 00:23:58.170 plan. The Father's plan. And it's God the Son's 00:23:58.170 --> 00:24:02.230 work. And then it's God the Holy Spirit's guarantee. 00:24:03.950 --> 00:24:07.029 Those who love Christ have been given the Holy 00:24:07.029 --> 00:24:11.589 Spirit to keep and learn God's word. Psalm 143 00:24:11.589 --> 00:24:16.750 verse 10. Teach me to do your will for you are 00:24:16.750 --> 00:24:21.210 my God. Let your good spirit lead me on level 00:24:21.210 --> 00:24:27.990 ground. John 14, 25 through 31. These things 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:30.509 I have spoken to you while I'm still with you. 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:35.200 Here it is. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, 00:24:35.339 --> 00:24:38.900 whom the Father will send in my name, he will 00:24:38.900 --> 00:24:44.359 teach you all things and bring to your remembrance 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:49.599 all that I've said to you. What's the Holy Spirit's 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:53.140 ministry in your life? Not only is to do the 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:56.880 work to bring you to redemption and do the work 00:24:56.880 --> 00:25:00.579 of reconciliation for you and do the work of 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.779 of regeneration in your life. It's the reality 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:09.960 is he is also your teacher. He will teach us 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.440 all things. So when a preacher or a teacher is 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:15.819 teaching you, what should you do after that? 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:17.960 You take the notes, you go home, you listen to 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:20.259 the message, you prove it out by the word of 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:28.559 God. The word of God is the clarifier of truth. 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:33.619 The Holy Spirit is the reality of truth active 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:38.579 in your life. He will bring you truth because 00:25:38.579 --> 00:25:41.660 he is the spirit of truth. Peace I leave with 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:44.420 you. My peace I give you. Notice, he doesn't 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:46.839 say, hey, you're born again. I'm giving you peace. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:49.579 He says, hey, you're born again. And if you're 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:51.400 born again, you love me. And if you love me, 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:54.900 my peace is with you. Because you can't have 00:25:54.900 --> 00:26:02.069 peace with God in disobedience. My peace. Peace 00:26:02.069 --> 00:26:04.089 I leave with you. My peace I give you. Not as 00:26:04.089 --> 00:26:08.589 the world gives do I give to you. I don't give 00:26:08.589 --> 00:26:12.690 you peace like the world gives. Like the board 00:26:12.690 --> 00:26:16.569 of peace. This is a peace that you can create 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:18.789 all the boards on the planet and it doesn't matter 00:26:18.789 --> 00:26:21.269 because this kind of peace can only come through 00:26:21.269 --> 00:26:27.710 the blood of Jesus. Real, true, genuine peace. 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:34.599 It's interesting, in these days we're calling 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:36.220 for peace, but we don't know what really peace 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:40.700 is. We call for peace among men, but not peace 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:44.319 with a living God, which you should be more terrified 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:49.880 of. But look what he says, let not your hearts 00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:53.980 be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:56.640 heard me say to you, I'm going away and I'm coming 00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:00.759 to you. If you love me, you would have rejoiced. 00:27:04.490 --> 00:27:06.589 Why? Because I'm going to the Father and the 00:27:06.589 --> 00:27:09.950 Father is greater than I am. If you love me, 00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:11.730 you would know that what I've said to you and 00:27:11.730 --> 00:27:14.150 what I've commanded you to do is the truth. You 00:27:14.150 --> 00:27:16.529 would know that I'm alive, that I'm coming again 00:27:16.529 --> 00:27:19.130 because I promised you I would do that. But no, 00:27:19.210 --> 00:27:21.789 you don't want me to go. You know why? Because 00:27:21.789 --> 00:27:28.730 they don't want a Savior. They want a King. But 00:27:28.730 --> 00:27:35.130 Christ is their Savior and their King. Verse 00:27:35.130 --> 00:27:38.109 29, and now I have told you before it takes place 00:27:38.109 --> 00:27:40.809 so that when it does take place you may believe. 00:27:40.869 --> 00:27:43.329 What? Believe what? Believe that I will raise 00:27:43.329 --> 00:27:45.269 from the dead. Why? Because I told you I'm alive. 00:27:46.930 --> 00:27:53.450 And you will also live. They have no clue. The 00:27:53.450 --> 00:27:56.029 very living God of all creation is before them. 00:27:56.970 --> 00:27:59.589 Peter even proclaims the reality of the truth 00:27:59.589 --> 00:28:03.269 of Christ. You are the Christ, the son of the 00:28:03.269 --> 00:28:08.329 living God. But yet, they still aren't sure if 00:28:08.329 --> 00:28:13.109 he is God. Which we've read in the beginning 00:28:13.109 --> 00:28:18.769 of chapter 15. Chapter 14, sorry. Show us the 00:28:18.769 --> 00:28:21.650 Father and we'll believe. Have I been with you 00:28:21.650 --> 00:28:23.670 so long, Philip, that you still don't know me? 00:28:27.509 --> 00:28:29.630 Reminds me of our Bible study on Wednesday nights. 00:28:32.410 --> 00:28:35.660 God commands them not to do. not to build a calf, 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:38.500 not to build anything of gold and silver, and 00:28:38.500 --> 00:28:43.359 not to sacrifice on any altar to it. Chapter 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:50.440 20. Chapter 32, they do the exact opposite. Not 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:53.319 only do they build a calf, Aaron encourages them, 00:28:53.500 --> 00:29:00.299 give me the gold. He makes it. They then sacrifice 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:05.019 peace and burnt offerings. A sin offering and 00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:07.660 a peace offering as if this golden calf is going 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:11.700 to give them peace. Peace I give you. Not as 00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:16.220 the world gives. And then at the end, which they're 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:18.380 going to find out this week because they're homesteading, 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:23.740 I'm sure, is Moses goes, what did you do? And 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:29.980 Moses says, it just popped out. What are you 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:35.680 thinking? Moses is like, what are you thinking, 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:41.160 Aaron? What do you mean? Obedience. It's called 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:48.200 love. Look what it says. I will no longer talk 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:51.160 much with you, for the ruler of this world is 00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:56.299 coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the 00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:59.359 Father has commanded me, so that the world may 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:04.170 know that I love the Father. I obey what the 00:30:04.170 --> 00:30:08.289 Father has commanded me. I do it so that the 00:30:08.289 --> 00:30:11.309 world may know that I love the Father, not because 00:30:11.309 --> 00:30:14.250 they don't love the Father. They live in disobedience. 00:30:14.250 --> 00:30:18.710 I live in obedience. Look what he says. Rise. 00:30:18.789 --> 00:30:20.750 Let's go up from here. He's like, I'm done talking 00:30:20.750 --> 00:30:27.170 about this. And you go into chapter 15. He talks 00:30:27.170 --> 00:30:32.819 about what it means to abide. And what it means 00:30:32.819 --> 00:30:35.740 to abide is to be obedient. If I abide in his 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:39.599 word, if I abide in his love, that I am obeying 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:43.740 him. And that expression, verse 10 in chapter 00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:45.720 15, if you keep my commandments, you will abide 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:49.720 in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:53.599 and abide in his love. These things I have spoken 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:57.480 to you that my joy may be in you and that your 00:30:57.480 --> 00:31:00.500 joy may be full. You want full, genuine joy? 00:31:01.369 --> 00:31:07.670 Be obedient. Obey his word. This is my commandment 00:31:07.670 --> 00:31:09.789 that you love one another as I have loved you. 00:31:11.589 --> 00:31:15.509 Genuine biblical love expressed in obedience 00:31:15.509 --> 00:31:18.690 to God's word is then shared among his people. 00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:25.390 Greater love has no one than this that someone 00:31:25.390 --> 00:31:32.660 lay down his life for his friends. Why did Jesus 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:38.119 lay down his life? Obedient. No greater love. 00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:45.319 And so, what's the point of today's lesson? To 00:31:45.319 --> 00:31:50.599 love Christ is to obey. Genuine biblical love 00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:55.619 is obedience in action. Obedience in action. 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:58.940 That's my challenge to you. So, we've learned 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:01.539 quite a bit over these last couple weeks about... 00:32:01.579 --> 00:32:05.539 The Word. And we will continue to learn Sola 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:08.420 Scriptura. There's a lot more to the Word than 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:10.519 what we think. It's not just going home and reading 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:13.480 it every day, which is very important. Or listening 00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:16.279 to it, which is very important. Studying it and 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:18.019 memorizing it, which is very important, which 00:32:18.019 --> 00:32:22.279 we will get to. Learning how to study it, meditate 00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:27.980 on it, memorize it. That's coming. But you have 00:32:27.980 --> 00:32:35.329 to learn how to do it. You do it. And the greatest 00:32:35.329 --> 00:32:38.269 way to show that you do it is how you love one 00:32:38.269 --> 00:32:43.869 another. Okay? So, let's pray. And then we will 00:32:43.869 --> 00:32:51.410 do communion. And then we will get ready for 00:32:51.410 --> 00:32:53.769 food. Father, I want to thank you so much for 00:32:53.769 --> 00:32:56.190 your faithfulness. Thank you for your goodness. 00:32:56.269 --> 00:32:58.089 Thank you for your word. Thank you that you have 00:32:58.089 --> 00:33:01.410 called us to love you. Command us to love you. 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.200 And that your command of love is to be obedient 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:08.819 to your commands and to love you. To express 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:12.460 that obedience and love. So Lord, help us to 00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:16.240 walk in your word. To love you, to love your 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:17.640 word, love your ways, love your things. This 00:33:17.640 --> 00:33:20.880 is not, Lord, I know for many of us we have struggled 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:24.319 with this. Thinking it's about legalism. It's 00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:30.970 not. It's about submission and humility. and 00:33:30.970 --> 00:33:36.289 desire for you and your ways. Your ways are not 00:33:36.289 --> 00:33:40.569 burdensome. You have freed us and give us freedom. 00:33:40.789 --> 00:33:42.930 We do praise you and thank you in Jesus' name.