Love

Amen, we do have Victory as we walk with Jesus number of requests. First of all, we need to be a continued prayer for Rosita as she recovers. And so will lift her up. We had a call from our text, from one of our dear friends and Roads, Mickey petalis. If some of you have looked at the picture of the Seascape picture in my office, her mother painted that picture while we were in roads. Anyway, Mickey has been, she felt some pain in her chest, and she's been prescribed.

Ask ask to go to see a urologist so will sorry. Thank you, dear oncologist. So anyway, she said yeah, that would be bad. The other way wouldn't have Saturday.

Okay, let's continue in prayer for the Ukraine and it just a reminder this morning that we need to be in prayer for our dear ones in the military. We have a few and we need to continue to hold them up in prayer. It's It's a world that's changing and we don't know what could happen also.

Lindy received a call this week from a fellow, whose wife is suffering from ovarian cancer. We need to be in prayer for her and really we need to be in prayer for Thanksgiving, for God's blessing on our lives. We live in a wonderful area of the world that we can rejoice and every day because we look out and see the beauty that God has blessed this environment with and we we celebrate that. So Thanksgiving. Let's go to prayer.

Our dear father in Heaven. How precious is it to come before you recognizing and understanding your amazing love for each of us and your desire to lead us to understand and know you more and more? And father. That's why we're here coming each week to grow in that understanding in to know you more and to encourage one another in that regard. And so father. We thank you for your rich blessing and your continued guidance. How we need the work of your spirit to continue in our lives so that we might be more like you father. We do. Pray that your hand would be with our community and each and everyone of us that we would be Truly that we would truly have Open Hearts. That would long to

mr. The gospel of grace to those in need and we have many in our community that have that need help us to have the always reminded of that fact and to be an encouragement to others to look to you and find that grace and mercy that you desire to give to each person on the face of this Earth and in our community as well. Father, we do. I pray for the needs that have been mentioned, we think of Rosita and we pray that you would continue to revive her body and strength in it, that she would feel energy and encouragement and getting back to her old self met, you restore. We think of Mickey and she is fearful, and we pray that in that she would seek you, as she has that she called and asked us to be in prayer. And so, we are father. We're lifting her up to you and help pray that you would not only touch your body and even heal her, but that she would understand and recognize that, that truly is a gift from you. We are pray for the people of Ukraine. And even the rest of the world that surrounds that there is tension, that is stretching, not only in Ukraine, but all throughout Russia has there are many who do not consider this a wise move. For those on those, bordering countries like Poland, who are feeling a bit of the stress of the attacks that have come in. So father, we pray that your Mighty hand would be there particularly for those to have called upon your name and trusted you as Lord and Savior and gather in different places to encourage one another along, Lord. We are their brothers and sisters here in. So we need to lift them up and pray that your Mighty hand would help them to stand faithful and true through this ordeal. We do pray for our military and our young people that have joined up and are involved and serving our country. And this will we thank you for their faith. We pray that it would stand faithful and firm as they as they serve their country that you bless. We think of this. Young woman who is experiencing ovarian cancer that you would bring healing to our life. But father we even Pray for Peace that it would rain in both husband and wife and that they would truly trust be their guide in this.

Difficult circumstance that they face and father, we want to thank you and praise you. Thank you for life that you've given and for blessing and father for allowing us to live in a community like ours, where there is beauty all around us where there is a heart to honor and serve you and this body of Christ and even in the Baptist Church. And that there are many who who seek you father. May, we continue to encourage others? probably think of the unspoken request and pray that your hand would be upon each of those a hearts that

have needs and have desires that as they lay these burdens at your feet, that they would have the piece to just trust that you are there to take care of that need and trust that your way is the best way. May you bless him this whole or be with us. Now, as we continue to worship you, that we would do. So with an open heart to receive all that you have for us. We pray in the name of our Lord, our mighty king and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus has trained on Jesus.

When he shall call with trumpet sound for the 3DS and all other ground is sinking sand.

How do you spell?

Reply.

You are.

Still more awesome.

For me.

All of you is more than enough.

Alright. Well, let's start with a word of Prayer. Precious father, how good it is to come before you before you were the one who ministers they each and every heart, but that's your desire. You want us to grow when you and find the fullness of Christ in our lives, but rather you do it as a body and not as individuals and help us to remember that as we come together, that we are truly a family of God, ready to grow in you. And so we ask that your spirit would be powerfully working in each of our hearts this day. Mine included a father. May you move each of us to desire your power in your presence. The growing us. We do pray for your hand, be upon me. That is you have guided me and bringing this message that you would lead me as I give it that I would honor you. Above all else in Jesus name. Amen. Well, we are working on going through the love passage found in 1st Corinthians, chapter 13, and it's an interesting one, because it's a challenge. If we read it a challenge, to each of us to really step up and apply that idea of love to our lives. Remember, last week. It was the message was more than action. You know, and what that meant. Was that our actions word enough. Let me quote from Jesus Christ message on The Sermon, on the Mount, from my Matthew 722 and 3 it won't be up there. This is an addition this morning. Many will say to me, on that day, Lord Lord. Did we not prophesy in your name? Imagine the prophesying of the name of the Lord and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles.

Then I will tell them plainly. I never knew you away from me, you evildoers, you know, there are times in our lives. When we think that, you know, if we just do big things for God, that it will make a difference in our lives, but

As Jesus says here. You know, he even if you do great things in my name, it doesn't mean we have a relationship. That relationship revolves around the idea of my love for you and your love for me. You see if we don't love God as he's called us to love him. It doesn't change our lives. Those actions that we give to God mean. Nothing showing up for church, on Sunday, morning without loving God doesn't mean anything to you because it doesn't change your life. And God wants to change your life and that's why we have this wonderful passage on love. Come to us out of scripture.

And that's the beginning. But we're going the other way today. And recognizing that you no work. Does mean something for our lives, God's call list of work, but sometimes that work, it is not what we might expect it to be. Because there must be some application to our lives. That revolves around the whole sense of love and God's desire for each of us to get to know him more and more because the love revolves around a relationship with God. And the understanding that God is showing us a pathway that leads us to truth and that pathway has to deal with the character and The Wonder of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And if you are not in pursuit of that love, then our actions your actions in my actions, did not mean anything. Our actions are a waste of time. If love is not being applied to our lives. So let's begin the process. In the First Corinthians 13 will read portion of a verse number for 4A. Very simple love is patient. Love is kind. And those are two of the attributes of Jesus Christ that he wanted to have us apply to our lives. He wants those things. Involved in his we read the story of Jesus Christ. We see these attributes played out in his actions to a world that is in desperate need to know him and follow him. And we are in a world that is in desperate need to know and follow him. And his character is part of that in these are two of his character. But we have a number of portions of scripture that call us to. Look at his character into begin to change our character because there's two sides. There's the side that desires to know Christ and there's a part of us that has a desire to live as the world lives. We need to be filling up one side and getting rid of the other side.

God has given us a bit of a list in Galatians. Chapter 5, verses 22 and 3, you know, that is the fruit of the spirit. But what it actually is a is is the The recognition that this is God and his character, and he is calling us to this so that we can apply these things to our lives and it begins with the whole idea of love because if these are not applied by the strength of the love, we have for those around us, it means nothing. We need to be a loving Body of Christ because that's God's called or lives. And if we're not operating that since we're not growing, let me read the section to you. We all know it pretty well, but we need to hear it. But the fruit of the spirit is love, okay, piece. And then forbearance, which is patient patience. Kindness goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control against such things. There is no law. These are characteristics which God has given us that we need to be thinking through, and then making a part of our Lives of flying into our lives in our interaction. With each other and then hopefully building it up. So our actions around the world, help the world to see Christ. I think that's one of the difficulties that we face in life. We talked a little bit about it and Sunday school, the whole idea that if we're not acting in our world as Jesus Christ, acted in the world, and we're not representing him. We're leading those around us astray. Not only are we going the wrong way. We're leaving them the wrong way and I think our church has become that to the world. We are simply another part of the world and know no better or no, worse than anybody else. We are just simply part of the existence of life, and we need to be different than that. We who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior need to be demonstrating that characteristic to everybody we meet in the world. And if we're not trying to apply these things to our lives, we're no different. Another section of scripture found in Colossians 3 verses 12 and 13 adds. A few things to that. One of those is compassion. If you don't have compassion for the people, you meet in this life, for your friends who you hang out with And present Christ through your character first. And then your words. But if they don't see Christ in you, your words are going to be mean nothing. You have to demonstrate Christ in the character that you have in your life. The next one is humility. And humble is to accept, that that's your call. And finally forgiveness that we give to others to allow them to see that we have true compassion online. So that's the first part love is. God in us and God wants to Growing us. Remember he wants to fill us up with his presence in the more of God. That is in us the more we reveal ourselves to the world. I talked about Mickey just a little bit ago. You know, I mentioned this before that Mary and I have been sitting in a restaurant. She is the one that came over to us. And said, do you know that you two are glowing?

We said, yeah, we understand that because that is Jesus Christ in our lives. If we are living as God has called us to live. If we are applying the love of Jesus Christ, where lives, we truly glow. With the presence of the Lord, sometimes it seen. And sometimes it's not but we need to remember that. We make a difference, the world and that's why she could call us 15 years after we left the island of Rhodes to say, please pray for me. Please pray for me. That glow goes on. But if you're hiding it. By acting as the world wants you to act, then you're not making any difference. In fact, you're leading to Destruction for those that are around you. Goes on to say that as we continue on First 1st Corinthians 13:4 B-26 talks about that. It gives us seven things that we need to avoid to cast out of our lives and these are all apart of Our Lives. There's no one here that probably can say. Well, I've never done that because each and every one of us has myself included. So let's read what they are. Love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonest others. It is not self-seeking, It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love, does not Delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. You know, it needs one of those are things that we have in our lives. Have you ever been envious of somebody saying? Oh man, that person is really good at what they're doing and I'd sure like to be like that. Sometimes we forget that God has made us exactly the way we are for a reason. You and I are the way we are because God has created. Is that way? So that we could shine as we are. And so did desire to have something that That we aren't. Is to deny that God has worked enough to make us exactly who we are. He's given us parents. That we have. He's given us a community. We live in. He's giving us all of these things. But more than that. He's giving us intelligence. He's giving us appearance and sometimes we are ugly, and sometimes we are handsome, and sometimes we are tall, and sometimes we're short, and sometimes we're flump and sometimes, then it doesn't matter. That's what God has placed into your life, and there's a reason for that. And we can thank him and praise him for that reason. Wherever you are and whatever you look like that is because God can use you more powerfully. As you are, then they could have used you. If you can do the things that you look at in this world and say, wow, I'd sure like to be able to do that.

It's the envy that takes us away from God and who he is.

The Old Testament. The Ten Commandments Exodus 20:17 a says, you shall not covet. You see recognize the God's given you everything you need. Everything you need. You do not have any needs in this world because God says, I will provide your needs. You might have once you might have things you want. But then that is denying that God is working. so, Remember God is giving you everything you need to be his disciple. In this world, his representative of view of the kingdom of the Heavenly, God for all those around us. So don't envy anything. Turn it away. Next thing, what we see so much in our world today is this whole idea of boasting whether you're a politician and athlete, the financier, whatever they like to boast about who they are and what they've done. you know, and that doesn't get us anywhere. That is just taking on the world in the saying. Yeah, I'm so good. The only reason that you might be good at something is because God has made you good at that something. So rather than praising yourself for what you can do. You need to be praising God for how he has blessed your life and what he is doing in and through you to watch the world in some respect. 2nd Corinthians. 10:13 says we however will not both Beyond proper limits, but we will complain or boasting to the Spear of service. God himself has assigned to us a sphere that also includes you in other words, that's once again is turning back to God has made you exactly who you are for a specific purpose in this world, and that's pretty exciting. God has made each of us, just right for what we can do in this world. But, you know, you have to give it back over to God, by seeking him by wanting him by applying that which is revealed to you about his character and making it a part of your life to make a difference.

But part of that is just saying how God has done a miraculous work to make me exactly who I am. And that's wonderful because I'm exactly the image that God wants to use in this world. And so I need to pursue him. And allow him to use me as he would.

Pride that's probably the Big E that changes so much of life that to think that somehow we can do anything apart from God. That is worthy. But everything that we do apart from God is is unworthy. It doesn't do anything for blessing the world in the name of God or for ourselves because it's a destructive pattern. Remember the first Pride destroyed everything when Adam and Eve thought it was okay to eat the fruit. That was Pride that somehow they could defy the Living God. And from then on it's been downhill. In fried has just destroyed so many but so often we want to take pride in things and then boasting takes effect. How many times have you seen football, players, you know, finish all they make a tackle. They might be down by 30 points, but they're made a tackle. So they're excited. They jump up and dance and everything else.

That's not the way a Christian ought to be a Christian ought to be giving that glory to God.

How about rudeness? We see that in the life of David, pretty clearly remember. David was a man who most of the time, we can say, really pursued. God, he saw him and he wanted to serve him in his life, and he was applying the character of God into his life and all of these things. And then one day, he got the idea that it was okay for him to be lacks in his desire to serve the Living God and go out with his armies and he hung back and in Jerusalem wandering at night. He looks down. And he sees a woman who is bathing outside and rather than turn away. He stares and he takes in and eventually takes this woman to bed. You know. Is an adulterer a sinner and it goes down worse. Because eventually kills the man. Who is the husband of this woman?

Terrible stuff. Why? Because he chose to live. In the way of the world, he chose. The idea to be rude to God and turn away from him and serve himself in on when we desire to serve ourselves. It's wrong. So God takes care of that. And David, you know, when we truly want to follow God he takes care of it and it kind of hurts a little bit. But here is what happened in 2nd Samuel 12:1, the Lord sent Nathan to David and when he came to him, he said there were two men in a certain Town, one. Rich the other poor. You see, David was a rich man, and he took from a poor man and David said at the end of his story that man needs to die.

Nathan says you're the man. You're the man. And there's some times in our lives. When we decide that we're okay, to go ahead and send and carry that on in our lives and we don't realize how much we are deserting, the Living God and serving the world, and our own egos, our own desires, and that's what David was doing it. He fell on his knees and said, God forgive me and God did forgive him. Now he had to go along with the consequences of that and he had a destructive family after that, but his desire was turned back to God. But so many times people, just say, I don't care. I don't care. I'm going to do what I want to do. And not only did they destroy their witness and testimony for the Living God, but they turn away from him and they destroy the people that are even around them. Because they have not shown that God exists in any way and we need to reveal Christ of the world. How about self Seekers those who want their lives to be reveal their their things to happen? You know, I want what's best for me because that's important, but God wants us to seek after his will and his desires first.

1st Corinthians, 10:24 says no one should seek their own good but the good of others. You know, a nice to speak to our lives. Consistently then that desire for a self-seeking attitude goes away, because as God takes more of a part of our lives, our desire to honor and seek, after him becomes what his character, or did he sought life? Or the world will world, it was destroyed. Bison. And through his life and death and Resurrection. He reset the world and allowed man to come to know him. He did it all brothers, and we in our lives, need to be willing. To seek God's desire more than ourselves. Anger. Boy. That's another biggie. Another beat deep one and Jesus addresses that once again in The Sermon on the Mount. He says, but I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. If you ever and anger with anybody. You know, I think most of us on the highway every once in awhile, I get angry with somebody who does something wrong. It happens a few times. I know until you and so many others, we get angry over situations. I know it almost every one of us get angry about the politics. We hear how about a, you know, God wants us to kind of think through that I know, is my anger causing others to falter and fail.

And we need to think through those processes as we go through those things. God doesn't want us to be angry.

Because it doesn't ring a bell out his character. In fact, as we add any of these things that we're going through to our lives. We're taking away some of the character of Christ in our lives. I mean, you either add or you take away and if you had one of those sides, you take away the other side. We need to think through that. How about records of wrongs? Little story. You know, when when Mary and I first moved to too hungry to teach at a International Christian School, we traveled 4 hours on the plane and we got to the airport and hungry and there was nobody there to meet us. So we somehow finally got a cab to take our goods. And the cab driver, didn't know where we were going. We were going to a town of. And he was from Budapest, and he had no idea but somehow he made some contacts and we were driving along. And we started going by the building that we'd seen in Flyers about the school at Mary says, hey, that's the school. So we kind of turned in there and we found our way and we we got in there and the administrator that are superintendent of the school said you're late. That's the first thing out of his mouth. You're late. The second thing was, I've never met a Californian that didn't let me down.

Wow, well, thank you. I'm glad to be here.

We continued on for 3 years and you know, he never really let up too much and what I did but I tried to focus on the things I was doing, but there was a little depth of resentment toward what he done to me. And as he got to the opportunity to head back to the states. He was going to retire and and Anyway, I was upstairs praying as I did every morning at school and and will Lord very clearly came to my head and said, Don you need to go down and apologize to this man for your feelings. And if I heard you got to be kidding, I can't believe what this guy has done to me and you want me to apologize. And God said, yeah, I really do. So, I went down to his off. I made an appointment went down to his office and I probably spent an hour there and I did apologize for my attitude towards him, that it really had become wrong. And so I was, I was, I've been keeping a record as you just heard. I have a record of what he did to me and that record wasn't a good one. And I shouldn't have kept it. And so, in my apology I felt as I got up and I left room. I just had this huge burden that just fell from my back in terms of my relationship there and how I faced attitude. We need to remember that we can't keep that negative attitude towards others. We have to let that go and forgive. Forgive those things because they do place a burden on our backs. Now. He never apologized for his attitude for me, but that didn't matter. That didn't matter at all. Because God was working with me. I'm sure he was working with him, but I can't worry about that. I need to worry about what he was doing with me. And we need to remember that when it comes to the whole idea of keeping records of wrongs and those things in our lives. So anyway, we get to the end of it there. And it says, love does not Delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. We need to remember that that we need to continually apply truth to our lives. And our truth is all that character that we have of the Living. God needs to be ever-growing in our lives. Each of us. You're responsible that that love is growing in my life. Did you realize that because we're a family, we're a body of Christ here. We're a family of Christ and those things that you do for me, help build me up, but it's also true that I need to be helping each of you along. And so it is that as we grow together. The Bible tells us that we reach the fullness of Christ as a family, not as individuals. You will never grow as much as you could grow. If you're trying to do it on your own. That's why it's so important to not just go out and worship God in the wilderness because you're all alone. And you have no hope of growing as much as you can. It's worse, why? It's so important to be in the body of Christ and find that growth here in the body because otherwise we will begin to add some of those negative aspects to our lives that we just went through. Did bring destruction to our Lots harm? We need to change our Direction. Well, let's finish it off, 1st Corinthians 13:7. Love always protects. Always trusts always, hopes, always perseveres.

You know, that's an interesting thing and I was we tend to always think about it, just have ourselves. You know, how much that that we need to apply those things to ourselves and truly, we do. But one day while I was driving along and roads going to actually pick up some people for church, and I was thinking through this passage as I was driving and I was thinking, you know, that's like God is love and so that also applies to God's love for me. Think about that love, always protects. God loves me and so he's out to protect me. He's out to protect you. He loves you, and he's there to protect you. And so the circumstances that happened in your life are very often to protect you from harm.

To help you do, the things God has called you to. So if you're struggling with what happens and circumstances in your life and how things are applying think this God is working through that circumstance to help protect your life.

God trust you and that God dress you, he loves you and he says, love trust, always trust. He trust you to do what you're called to do.

He's trusting you to want to grow in his character to want to be applying these things to your life, more and more. He's trusting you to do that. Imagine that God trust you.

Got also hopes for you. He's hoping that all those things that he wants to grow in your life are for you. Imagine when I think about God protecting God, trusting God, hoping for my life. And he never gives up. He never gives up because the last one is he perseveres. He never gives up in those attitudes. He continually wants you and I to be growing in his character and he doesn't give up. It's always there. He never changes because he's always loved and he's always abiding with you wanting to help you do all that he can do for your Lots. This government loving us. So let's turn it around now. He also wants us to love one another to protect each other's wives. He wants us to be involved in helping each other alone. Psalm 44/7 is what you give us victory over our enemies and you put our adversaries to shame. That's what God does. And that's what we ought to be doing for each other. When we have a dear one who is struggling with their walk in this life. We ought to be willing to come along and help them out to take that step that encourage them in their walk with the Lord.

Trust.

Trusted in each other. I hope that you can trust me to be there for you if you need me, and I hope I can trust you to be there if I need you. Scripture says, trust in the Lord and do good. Well in the land and enjoy safe pasture. You know, trust causes us to go, do good to one another to have a desire to help each other along and that helping a long as helping each other walk, more deeply in the love of Jesus Christ. It's the greatest gift and the greatest, hope for each and everyone of us. We need to have hope in each other. First Corinthians 17. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift, as you eagerly wait for our Lord, Jesus Christ to be revealed. Our encouragement and our hope for each other is Jesus Christ is going to take us home and we need to encourage and help each other along. And understanding that that is what can carry us along and give us the courage and strength to face. The real difficulties in life. God doesn't promise if there's not going to be struggles. Does he? But we can face those struggles as our hope, stands firm, and faithful, and we need to help each other stand firm in our low of Love and Hope for our walk in Jesus Christ. And finally perseverance.

Ephesians 4:13. Here's the call for each and every one of us as people who are truly Desiring to follow, follow Christ. Until we reach the unity of faith and then our knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, a tanning, to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. You see God wants to fill us up. He wants us. Overflowing with a spirit of the Living God. And that comes when we are unified in our effort for that same goal. Remember Paul saying, I press on towards the prize. I haven't reached it yet, but I'm pressing on towards that prize and that's for a call for each and everyone of us to continue to press on for that prize. But to do it as a body of Christ to help each other to help the young people along towards that goal. And help the old people. Like me, and you've many of you to get on towards that goal.

We all have a mission in this world and that mission revolves around our Unity as a body of Christ in finding the Christ like character. That makes us full of him. And when we are full of him, we become a light to our community. That's when we truly, can shine through a world that isn't desperately. You have friends. I have friends in our community that are lost and Bound for hell.

They have no hope. And you are. A person that does have that hope in you and you're the one that can show that. But if you're walking like the world, if you're applying the negative characteristics of this passage in your life, you have no hope to give them because they'll look at you and say he ain't no different than I am. We need to be different. And the only way we can be different is as we grow in that character of Jesus Christ that he wants to put into our lives, because then we truly become love.

And we help those who are in need. Let's pray.

Precious. Father, how thankful we are that we have a God who loves us so deeply. That you protect, you trust, you hope and you persevere in all of that. Oh, thank you. Father. That your care for us goes beyond even our understanding help us to grow in that character. And that care for one another that we would all be lifted up toward that. Throne of grace that Mercy that we find through Jesus Christ. That Eternal hope. We haven't the Living God, so that we might be shining lights to a world that desperately needs Shining Light. Bless us in this. Oh Lord Our God in Jesus name. Amen.

May the Lord bless you.

Be the Lord song.

Shine his light upon you. May the Lord make his face to hold you. Give you his and you.

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord. Give us a speech.

Last week came to this place today. The bus. Now, we will do this place today and what style we will go in. Peace.

may the Lord and

May the Lord smile on us. Shine his light upon. May the Lord be pleased to give us a chance.

Go down. Lee.

Go now in peace.

he says, we contemplate all that, you desire for our lives, that truly makes a difference both now, and for all eternity for our lives and for those who we have an opportunity to minister to as we travel through this life. So bless us this week as we go forth. Father, that our hearts would yearn to grow in you and pursue you in all we do. We ask this in the name of Tsar. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is our power and strength to accomplish. The task before us. Amen.