Love Letters Part 2 | Kings & Queens with Chris Schlotterbeck

He is glorious.

Behold the one who has come to life.

Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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text changeme to 970-00.

Thank you and enjoy the message.

How's everybody doing today?

Good, good to hear if you're joining us from home.

Thanks for welcoming us into your space.

So I just want to echo what was shared there

on the announcements about this past Friday night's

Night to Shine.

Many people were asking and didn't quite know what it was.

So what we have for you is a quick one minute

and 30 second video synopsis that kind of gives you a taste

of what went down here on Friday night.

Would you like to see it?

All right, let's check it out.

So

JIM :)

So

there was a debate over who had the best suit that night, you know.

I personally thought the tie-dye suit was better, but my friend argued with me that

his was better, so you know.

But anyway, hey, just to give you a quick idea, we had over 125 special guests.

We had over 200 volunteers.

Heck, we had over 25 on the wait list volunteers.

So the point is, it was an incredible night of just sharing God's love.

There were tears.

There was laughter.

There was dancing.

There was cooking.

There were shoe shines, haircuts, makeup.

You name it, it all happened here.

And the point was, it all revolved around God's love for everyone.

So can you just give yourselves a big hand?

I mean, just me personally, it was one of the best events that I've ever experienced

in my life.

It was that good.

I've already said to Tracy, we have plenty of room.

We're going to double it next year.

We're going to have 200 special guests and 400 volunteers.

Is that okay with you guys?

I knew it would be all right.

So at the end of the night, all of our participants, special guests that were there, the gentlemen

received a crown.

The ladies received a tiara.

And it just recognized that they were the kings and the queens of the prom.

It wasn't just one couple.

It was everyone.

And it was really special just to see everyone come together and recognize how God loved

them.

So I was praying for all of you yesterday.

I was preparing to share with you this morning.

And I felt like God wanted me to share with you that that's how he sees you.

He sees you as kings and queens.

That if you're in a relationship with Jesus, I want you to receive and walk in that identity.

Not just today.

Not just this week, but for the rest of your lives.

Because we're currently in a series called Love Letters.

We're discussing John's letters to the church, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John.

And last week we kicked off our series discussing the everlasting love of Jesus.

And today I want to focus specifically on 1 John chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

And it begins this way with a short, simple verse that I want to read over all of you

today.

And that is what we are!

What an amazing gift that is.

It's a title.

It's an identity.

It's a belonging.

And see, our minds can't even grasp the depth of love that that gift is when he says to

us that we are sons and daughters.

See, all of humanity was separated from God by sin and by death and by destruction, but

God made a way for us to be reconciled to him through the death and resurrection of

his son Jesus.

Because of his shed blood, he has given us new life.

And all of humanity, you and I included, if we think back to before our relationship with

God, many of us would consider ourselves simply dead men and a woman just walking this face

of the earth with no point or purpose.

But now it is possible for us, think about this, to sit at the family table with Jesus,

to consider him our brother, our provider, our savior.

And not only are we invited guests, not only we are special guests, but it's more than

that.

We are at his table as family.

He calls us sons and daughters.

Now for some, let's be honest, that might sound like an exaggeration, an overstatement,

nothing more.

And you just simply dismiss it.

You reject it.

For others, you doubt it.

This isn't really good news because you look in the past and you're overwhelmed with your

choices and your mistakes and your bad attitudes and you can't move forward believing and receiving

that gift.

But here's the reality, none of us deserve it.

None of us are ever worthy of such a blessing and yet because of God's grace and love, we

are given this priceless opportunity to be adopted back into the family of God.

Now hear me, we can never earn this.

We can never do enough to receive the title.

There isn't enough good works in you to make up for our sinfulness.

But Jesus in the shedding of his blood hanging on the cross washes our sins away to make

us right.

Oh, but there's a catch.

And some skeptics would say, yep, I knew it.

There's always a catch.

And the catch is this.

It's our choice.

That's it.

It's up to us.

It's up to you and me.

It's a choice whether we decide to receive that gift and to walk freely in it or just

push it away and reject the offer.

Now throughout John chapter, first John chapter three, John uses family language extensively.

Children, born, father, even the word brother at the end, six times we see children, four

times we see born or seed.

God is called the father in verse one.

Fathers of Jesus are called brothers in verse 10, 12 total references to family in 12 verses.

And here's the truth I want you to see today.

If you want to experience assurance of eternal life, you must understand and receive adoption

into the family of God.

To be a follower of Jesus means you have been born again as a child of God, which leads

us to our first thought, our first truth this morning.

See God is our perfect father.

God is our perfect father.

Listen to first John three, one, see how very much our father loves us for he calls us his

children and that is what we are.

But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because

they don't know him.

And see this is really good news no matter how old, how young you are.

You could be a student here.

You could be an adult that does not have a father or did not grow up with a father or

maybe you had a dad that wasn't really loving.

It's good news to those that are old and young that we have a perfect father.

And listen, even if you grew up with a great dad, it's still good news because God is a

lot better than him.

He's infinitely better than even the best dad on this earth.

God is perfectly loving, perfectly kind, perfectly wise.

God always knows what is best for us.

He's perfectly powerful.

He's never unable to act on our behalf.

He's perfectly knowledgeable.

He knows everything about our lives, where we've been, where we're going, what we're

going to say.

There's nothing hidden from him past, present or future.

He is perfectly good.

So if you are in a relationship with Jesus, this perfect, all powerful, all knowing, all

loving God of the universe is your dad.

He's your father in heaven.

See how very much our father loves us.

Now some translations say lavished on us that we should be called his children.

And I love that phrase.

See how very much our father loves us.

Think about it.

See how, in other words, experience how much the father loves you.

Other translations say what manner of love or such a great love.

Now in the original language of the New Testament, this word used here only occurs seven times.

And every time it means or implies astonishment and amazement.

So originally the adjective meant of what country.

So think about what John is saying here.

He says the father's love is so unearthly, so foreign to anything else that we know or

experience in this world.

It's otherworldly that our God has otherworldly love for you.

And don't just let that apply to other people.

See I believe right here where you're sitting in these chairs this morning, God is your

heavenly father.

And I want you to recognize that and that you belong to his family.

And that you don't leave it, but you're a part of it and you accepted him.

Look at your neighbor and say you're a child of God.

Now look at your other neighbor that one you ignored that doesn't smell very good and say

hey you're a child of God.

See salvation friends is not just God as judge sitting on a bench and declaring your sins

are forgiven.

And that's the end of the story.

So many people they think of God as a judge and then they go to him to be forgiven.

But once you're forgiven he does do that.

He stands from behind the bench, he removes his robes, he comes and meets us where we

are.

He takes away our shame and our guilt and he says come home with me son or daughter.

That's what he says to you.

And God does this for you and for me.

It's otherworldly.

It's so foreign.

Many people question how is it even possible?

Well that leads us to our next thought and our next truth.

See Jesus is our perfect brother.

Now for some of you, you think that that's a little inappropriate.

You say well Chris that's almost a slap in the face our perfect brother.

Because so many people they think as Jesus' savior, as Lord, as King but not as our brother.

But listen to what the Bible teaches us.

Hebrews 2 verses 11 to 13.

Hebrews 2:11–13

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same father.

That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

For he has said to God I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.

He also said I will put my trust in him.

That is I and the children God has given me.

I mean listen how Jesus refers to his disciples after he rose from the grave.

Matthew 28 10.

Jesus said to them don't be afraid.

Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee and they will see me there.

John 20 verse 17.

John 20:17

Don't cling to me Jesus said for I haven't yet ascended to the father but go find my

brothers and tell them I am sending to my father and to your father to my God and your

God.

In Mark 335 he looked at those around him and said look these are my mother and brothers.

One who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.

See the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the unique son of God.

He is God in flesh but he is also our perfect brother who made it possible for us to be

adopted into what?

Into God's family.

And this is what 1 John chapter 3 is all about.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

If you look at all the descriptions of Jesus listen to how he is described here in 1 John

1 John 3:3

3 verse 3 5 7 and 8.

And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure just as he is pure.

See Jesus is pure and you know that Jesus came to take away our sins and there is no

sin in him dear children.

Don't let anyone deceive you about this when people do what is right it shows that they

are righteous even as Christ is righteous.

So think about it he is perfect he is righteous he is pure.

He is totally without sin.

Sin is nowhere to be found in Jesus' nature.

He is totally unlike us.

He is our perfect brother who came according to verse 5 to take away the sins.

But listen to verse 8 the reason the son of God appeared was but when people keep on sinning

it shows that they belong to the devil who has been sinning since the beginning.

But the son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Now think about that the whole point is that the devil's work is sin.

It says the devil has been sinning since the beginning.

So since Genesis 3 the devil has been tempting men and women every single one of us right

to turn away from God's direction from God's best for our very own life.

Tempting us to go in our own direction which leads to what?

It leads to death.

Remember we talked about it last week.

It's not about perfection.

It's about direction.

It's about the direction we are heading.

And it's the devil's work that ultimately leads us away from following Jesus but Jesus

came to destroy that work forever.

And how did he do that?

Well it's found in 1 John 2 1 through 2 which we discussed last week when we learned a new

word.

Anyone remember that new word?

Propitiation.

Remember we all learned it.

We all said it.

I said hey don't spit on your neighbor.

Because Christ the righteous is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for

sins of the whole world.

Which means that Jesus came.

He lived without sin the perfect life.

He died to pay the price for sin as a propitiation which means a sacrifice for you and me.

Then three days later he rose from the dead with victory over sin and the devil.

And I don't know about you but that's a good big brother to have.

You know one who has conquered death and he's destroyed the works of the devil.

And the Bible teaches that all who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus are welcomed

into the family of God as children of God.

And listen I've been praying all morning asking God God just adopt people into your family

today.

And I know it.

Some of you are here this morning and you just don't know God.

You may have been checking out Jesus checking out Christianity trying to find the right

church.

And you're just not in that personal relationship with him.

You've not turned from your sin or yourself.

You haven't trusted Jesus as Lord.

And I invite you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you today and be adopted by God.

In fact I'm telling you it can happen this morning right where you're sitting.

You can become a child of God that will just change your life for all eternity which leads

us to our next thought you see.

So what does it mean for children of God.

Well children of God are imperfect people.

See God is our perfect father.

Jesus is our perfect brother.

But even after we're adopted into God's family through faith in Jesus.

Look we're imperfect.

And this can be read throughout John's love letters to the church because so many people

they think love letters it's all it's all about love and perfection and oohs and ahhs

and sweet nothings getting whispered in your ear but John's a realist.

And he calls you out he calls me out he calls all of us out he says hey you're going to

struggle with sin because we're imperfect creations.

First John 3 4 6 8 and 10.

Everyone who sins is breaking God's law for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin but anyone who keeps on sinning does not

know him or understand who he is.

But when people keep on sinning it shows they belong to the devil has been sinning since

the beginning.

So now we can tell who are the children of God and who are children of the devil.

Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to

God.

I mean we are imperfect children.

I mean even as children of God we sin which first John 3 and 4 defines as lawlessness

means that we break God's law we choose not to follow what is written in the Bible we

choose not to follow God's ways and we want to follow our own ways.

And see it all comes from the attitude of our hearts.

It says I don't want to know what God's best is.

I want to do what I want to do.

I don't want to know what God says I don't want to learn what the Bible teaches because

I'm just going to disobey it.

And these are horrible things for a son or a daughter to say to the father.

I mean he's a father whose ways are just perfect loving good and best and that's the difference

between our earthly fathers and our heavenly father.

You know I love my kids.

I have six children and I know that if you're a parent all across this room you love your

kids.

We don't want anything bad for our kids we want to do whatever we need to do to provide

for them.

We try to teach them and show them God's best and how we live and how we speak.

We don't want to hurt them yet sometimes let's be honest we don't do what's best for them.

True or false?

We make mistakes.

You know we maybe we're stressed out and we're just full of anxiety and we explode in anger

at our children raising our voices.

Maybe we give them counsel that's not very good because let's be honest we're not perfect.

I mean Jess and I often look at each other and say can you believe God put us in charge

of six kids?

I mean we had no clue what we're doing.

We simply rely on God through the power of the Holy Spirit to do the best we can do.

But here's the beauty.

God never asks what do I do because he's perfect.

He never doesn't know what to do because he'll always provide.

He never ever is going to give you bad counsel ever.

He's our perfect father.

He always knows what is best for us.

Always speaks to us and gives us direction but yet we choose not to talk to him.

We choose not to listen.

We choose not to trust.

I mean we're prone to rebel against what is written in the book and what is that?

That's the essence of sin.

And to make it even more sobering since we're not following God our father then who are

we following when we sin?

Well 1 John 3 says, but when people keep on sinning it shows they belong to the devil.

See whenever we sin we are like the devil acting in outright rebellion against God.

Whenever we sin even the smallest of sin in our lives we're following the devil who hates

us and wants to lead us to death.

He's come to destroy us instead of a perfect father who loves us and wants to give us abundant

life.

And some of you sitting there think, well Chris that's a little harsh.

You may sound harsh but remember what Jesus said to Peter.

You know Peter, Jesus looked right at Peter and said get behind me Satan.

Well your words are not from God.

So if Jesus can look at Peter and say get behind me Satan I know he can look at me and

say the same thing.

Paul who wrote more than half the New Testament writes this in Romans 17.

And I know that nothing good lives in me.

That is in my sinful nature.

I want to do what is right but I can't.

I want to do what is good but I don't.

I don't want to do what is wrong but I do it anyway.

But if I do what I don't want to do I'm not really the one doing wrong.

It is sin living in me that does it.

So when we sin what does the imperfect child of God do?

The imperfect child of God does what we've seen and discussed already in 1 John 1 9.

We confess our sins knowing that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse

us from all unrighteousness.

Why because Jesus is our perfect brother who sacrificed himself to cover our sins.

So we confess our sin.

We turn from it and we receive his grace and mercy.

We come back to him as our father and we say God forgive me.

I don't want to do this anymore.

I don't want to think this way.

I don't want to be tempted.

I don't want to have these desires.

I mean that is a relationship with Jesus.

Daily learning to trust God more than we trust ourselves.

See when we sin against him when we go to him and receive his forgiveness guess what

we will grow in our experience of the good life of the abundant life that our perfect

father desires and has designed for us.

That's a relationship with Jesus.

Imperfect children with a perfect father growing in his grace to know and trust and love him

more and more and more which leads us to our fourth truth.

You see children of God live to display the family likeness.

So let's put it all together.

God is our father.

He's perfect.

Jesus is our brother.

He's perfect.

We are imperfect children but Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil.

Sin does not have the power over us anymore and we are free to experience life as children

of God.

So we grow more and more into the likeness of our father.

I mean we see this in our families.

If you're a parent don't you see yourself in your kids.

You're darn right you do.

The good but more importantly the bad.

You see it come out.

I mean you see your parents in yourself sometimes.

I mean I know Jess says to me when I'm in an argument with her hey you're acting like

your dad.

She says it and I'll say back you're acting like your mom.

I go right back.

Anybody want to join me in the marriage class?

What's this Friday?

Good and bad.

But the good thing is when God is your heavenly father the more you become like him the better

it always is.

I mean Ephesians 5.1 look imitate God.

Therefore in everything you do because you are his dear children.

I mean that's a relationship with Jesus growing to imitate the father as children.

Actually being conformed to the image of our brother.

If we put this together we read this in Romans 8.28 and we know that God causes everything

to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose

for them.

Even through the toughest things in this life God is working it all together for good.

And many of you sitting here you remember I said first you know that verse you quoted

often you're going through a difficult time God's going to work it out for good.

God's going to work it out for good.

But then you don't even know verse 29 which is the most important thing.

What's the purpose that he's putting it all together for?

Listen to verse 29.

For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his son.

So that his son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

The whole point is that our purpose is to be conformed into the image of Jesus.

All things are working toward that end in that direction.

That we might become more and more and more like Jesus.

And that is why John writes this in 1 John 3.2-3.

Dear friends we are already God's children but he has not yet shown us what we will be

like when Christ appears.

But we do know that we will be like him for we will see him as he really is and all who

have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure just as he is pure.

See it's after John says this that he talks about how we don't keep on sinning.

If we do keep on sinning it's a sure sign we don't know Jesus.

That we are not children of God.

Listen to verse 9 of 1 John.

Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning because

God's life is in them.

So they can't keep on sinning because they are children of God.

And again when John says keep on sinning he's not saying that the child of God never sins.

He's not saying that.

The word picture here is actively continually to sin.

Sinning without confession without repentance without any desire to change.

And the Bible is saying that for the follower of Jesus for the child of God persistent sin

against the Father without confession and repentance it's just inconceivable.

Like you just don't want to do it for a child of God his spirit lives in you.

You have new life in him you have abundant life and you're growing into his likeness.

You flee from sin.

You don't continue to walk in it.

And that was so amazing about Friday two Fridays ago we had a freedom night and at the night

to shine I was sharing with one of our partners and he just looked at me he goes man freedom

night was incredible.

And I was like really just share your story with me and I had been struggling with this

sin specifically sinning for years.

And two weeks ago before freedom night you called me out you specifically referenced

something and I knew God was speaking to me I knew it was a barrier between men and me

and him and I came to freedom night and I brought it all and I just threw it away.

And I walked away from it because I didn't want to continue to walk in that.

And that's what God desires for his children.

When it comes to a point that we make a mistake that we fall into sin don't stay there don't

live in it leave it hate it confess it and then fight against it.

And then the next time you're tempted you know use the name of Jesus with greater passion

speak to it because he's destroyed the works of the devil because you want to be more like

Jesus.

That's what it means to be in a relationship with God.

You want to follow Jesus and every time that you fall short you hate it.

You don't want to fall short anymore you want to please the Father you want to follow his

ways you want to enjoy his life for you and as a result you can't wait until the day when

you won't sin anymore which leads us to our final thought.

Look children of God focus on the kingdom.

From the first verse we read in this passage we hear about Jesus's coming and not just

his first coming.

Remember his first coming he came to destroy the works of the devil but his second coming

and it sounds like this in first John 3 2 through 3.

Dear friends we are already God's children but he has not yet shown us what we would

be like when Christ appears but we do know that we will be like him for we will see him

as he really is and all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure just

as he is pure.

The words we will see him as he really is refers to the arrival of a king or a ruler

with splendor and majesty and here's the picture.

Jesus came once over 2,000 years ago as a little eight pound five ounce baby in a manger

to destroy the works of the devil but Jesus is coming back again right and this time and

it could even be today he's not coming as a baby.

He's coming as a king not in a manger and he'll be riding on a white horse with a tattoo

on his leg that says king of kings and lord of lords.

He won't be coming to destroy the devil he already did that he'll be coming as the one

to claim those that belong to him and it says in first John 3 2 that we're going to see

him physically literally physically.

So think about that there's going to be a day suddenly instantly that he's just going

to be there we're going to see him and we're going to see him in all of his glory and if

you're in a relationship with Jesus I want to encourage you look forward to that day

more than you look forward to anything else and for some of you like whoa is it a tease

tell me about that look forward to that day more than you look forward to anything else

including your graduation your vacation your wedding day your next promotion your next

raise your next job the next thing that you want to purchase that's going to make you

happy or even your retirement look forward to that day more than anything else in this

world because you know why in this world we're going to have trouble there's trouble in this

world no matter what we think is going to make us happy but on that day when we see

him it's going to be unlike any other because we're going to be free from sin free from

sorrow no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things they've

what it's passed away it will be perfect we will be with God our father our perfect father

and our perfect brother along with all of our other brothers and sisters from every

tribe tongue and nation as we're adopted into the family of God so as imperfect children

let's live every day to grow into his likeness which leads us to our action steps if we grow

into his likeness the more and more we look like Jesus the more and more we'll be loving

others and here's the picture I want you to see today love in the family reflects the

love of the father in other words when a father loves his children and those children experience

and enjoy that love and live in that love then they will reflect that love toward one

another which leads us to our first step understand God's love compels us to love others 1st John

311 this is the message you have heard from the beginning we should love one another I

mean I look around at our at our gatherings at 9 and 11 I look around on Friday night

at night to shine and we're all very different people like all of us are just different we

have different lives we have different backgrounds some of us are different nations you have

different personalities different jobs you go to different schools you're at different

ages and stages of life and let's be honest we all have different problems many of us

have different political positions and some would say our political positions are our

problems and that's true regardless we are different people but think about this one

thing that brings us together every single Sunday is that we are children of God we are

loved by God we are his sons and his daughters and that's why we never look at any of those

other things as a means of bringing us together what brings us together is that we're children

of God his love unites us so that we would be a people captivated by God's great love

for us I mean think about it when Jesus was asked well Jesus what's the greatest commandment

how did he respond well Mark 12 says you must love the Lord your God with all your heart

soul mind and strength and the second is equally important love your neighbor as yourself no

other commandment is greater than these he tells his disciples in John 13 so now I'm

giving you a new commandment love each other just as I have loved you you should love each

other your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples see

this is how people will know you're a follower of Jesus it's not because you say you're a

Christian it's not because you check the box that says oh well I'm a Christian it's not

because you grew up in a Christian home and it's not because you go to church they will

know you're a child of God if you love one another that's how they know it and that's

why John the same disciple who recorded Jesus saying those words he laid on his chest is

now saying this in the letter to the church he says if you don't love one another like

this there's a reason to question whether or not you're even a child of God because

love in the family reflects the love of the Father which leads us to our next step and

it's a reality check for all of us we have to recognize hate is the opposite of love

hate is the opposite of love and there's just a lot of confusion in our world today about

what hate is and what love is because for many of you 75 percent of you sitting here

say well Chris I don't hate but let's see how the Bible defines hate and how God defines

it for us hate originates with the devil see John goes all the way back to Genesis chapter

four when Cain murdered his brother Abel and the Bible says Cain was one of the evil ones

and that's a reference to the devil who is the author of sin recorded in Genesis chapter

three first John 3 8 says that the devil has been sinning from the beginning and John says

this to the devil in John 8 44 for you are the children of your father the devil and

you love to do the evil things he does and he's challenging the religious Pharisees of

his days with these words he was a murderer from the beginning he has always hated the

truth because there is no truth in him when he lies he is consistent with his character

for he is a liar and the father of lies the devil is the origin of hate which the Bible

basically defines as selfishly seeking another's harm why did Cain murder his brother or according

to first John 3 12 it says we must not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and

killed his brother and why did he kill him because Cain had been doing what was evil

what God did not want for him and his brother had been doing what was righteous he was following

God's laws so the ultimate example of hatred is the desire to harm someone else is Cain

taking the life of another a person's life is the most precious possession so to take

it away from another is the greatest sin you can commit against anyone but remember what

Jesus taught back in Matthew 5 you have heard that our ancestors were told you must not

murder if you commit murder you are subject to judgment but I say these are Jesus's words

if you are even angry with someone you are subject to judgment if you call someone an

idiot you are in danger of being brought before the court and if you curse someone you are

in danger of the fires of hell I don't know about you but I was reading that this week

and that is stepping on your toes see hatred is not just an outward action like murder

it is an inward attitude of anger towards another person and the Bible challenges every

one of us to examine our hearts and ask is there any evidence of anger towards others

in our hearts and for many of us it doesn't matter if it is at home at work in our community

at our church it is I mean we gossip we call people names we make fun of people heck when

we think about certain groups of people we have this hatred come over us friends that

is the opposite of love and that is a sin the Bible says no that is a sin you need to

repent of it now don't miss the everyday effect of hatred 1 John 3 17 John writes this

listen if someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need

but shows no compassion how can God's love be in that person I mean the everyday effect

of hatred is indifference that leads to inaction busyness consumed with yourself I mean you

put it all together we may not murder someone we may not even have anger towards another

person but if we see another person in need and we are able to meet that need yet we choose

to ignore them and to close our hearts towards them that is not God's love and in a sense

it is hate because we are not allowing ourselves to be used it is not necessarily seeking another

person's harm but it is being content to allow that person to continue to suffer and the

Bible says that is not from God this is evidence of spiritual death it is evidence of a lack

of God's love in your heart and that is why John says back up at verse 13 do not be surprised

that the world hates you remember the way John uses the word world right it is anything

that is against God anything that is against the Bible and he says if we love our brothers

and sisters who are believers it proves that we have passed from death to life but a person

who has no love is still dead see the church you and I it is not this building the church

is called to be different from the world we are called to be set apart not set apart in

that we do not spend time with them and talk to them engage them but set apart means we

look different we are not the same did you know that Sunday morning church is the most

racially divided place in the world Sunday morning church in the United States of America

is the most racially divided place in the world that should not be I mean it should

not be so and if anything we as a community of faith we cannot be indifferent to it we

have to work to change it because we are going to worship with every tribe tongue and nation

when we are in eternity and we need to work to change that here ok and it is not just

issues of race but it is any area of your life see we do not naturally have hearts that

are inclined to love selflessly you know like what we are reading about we are quick to

judge we are quick to hate we are quick to anger we are quick to just ignore people because

we are busy we are quick to turn away how about this we are quick to think of ourselves

first have you ever thought you know you drive you see someone in need maybe it is a homeless

person they want a dollar or whatever and you think hmm how is this going to affect

me it is my last dollar it is all about me it is not about them it is part of having

a sinful heart in this world we get focused on ourselves and God says that is not a child

of God change which leads us to our next step practice compassion that leads to action the

bible is clear that love originates from God we know what real love is because Jesus gave

up his life for us so we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters

the greatest harm you can do is to take the person's most precious possession in their

life so what is the greatest good you can do for someone else give your life for them

lay down your life for them you are like Chris are you saying I need to die for them no it

means you get your selfishness out of the way it means you put others first because

that is what Jesus did human religion is built around what we can do for God but the whole

point of the gospel the whole point of the good news is what God has done for us out

of love for us I mean you can know what love is because Jesus laid down his life for who

you and me and I invite you to receive that love today this is the supreme example of

love and how does that play out in our everyday lives well instead of indifference and hate

that leads to inaction it is everyday love that is full of compassion and leads us to

action 1 John 3 18 through 19 deal children let us not merely say that we love each other

let us show the truth by our actions our actions will show that we belong to the truth so we

will be confident when we stand before God followers of Jesus should have compassion

in our hearts when we see others in need which leads to action on behalf of those in need

and when we do this what is that evidence of Jesus we are an example of Jesus God our

father has given us his children new hearts hearts that are now inclined to love like

his son like our perfect brother and that means when our hearts are prone to hatred

or anger or indifference God gives us a supernatural power as his children to love instead to feel

compassion like he feels to lay down our lives for others in need and friends I just want

to encourage you I see this all throughout our community of faith I mean this past Friday

is I was walking from room karaoke room to shoes being shined to makeup being done to

food being served to I mean this place looked like a dance hall did you see that image like

we are going to have people are going to want to do proms in here and we are going to say

no ok it is night to shine in sorry too much work man too many chairs to move but the point

is that was all done out of love you know you serve sacrificially this week we will

we will we will spend over 600 community service hours this week serving at the cold weather

shelter serving the homeless you know we will play games with them and pray for them and

worship with them and just love all over them why because of compassion and love this Wednesday

if you have never given out a flower on Valentine's Day we will give away 400 flowers in the square

in downtown Hagerstown if you have never done it come do it with us and this is why because

when you give someone a flower and you see that smile on their face it makes it all worth

it and I will tell you what something that has just changed my life this past year every

other Wednesday we are going to Hagerstown health care on the dual highway and we are

spending an hour and a half with the forgotten with people that are in a nursing home and

I am not talking about older people I am talking about the forgotten of our society that the

state sends and puts away hoping that they will die and stop wasting money I mean these

people don't have friends they don't have family but we are going in there every other

Wednesday there are several of you that serve with us and our staff and we just love on

them and we worship with them and we share with them the Jesus with them and we pray

for them and they are a part of our community of faith and there is so much a part of our

community of faith that they have asked that we send people to them on Sundays to start

our live stream with them at 11 o'clock so they can have church with us because they

are a part of our church does that make sense so I want you all and I said this during our

first gathering pray about pray about can I go to Hagerstown health care on Sunday mornings

at 11 or 1030 or whatever start our live stream all you have to do is turn YouTube on start

a live stream high five for Jesus all of them worship with them pray for them encourage

them and then go back and share the good news with all of us you know is God calling you

to do that because I tell you what that is the church there that is the church that is

the segment of our church that is on the dual highway it may not be here in person but it

is there and they want us to come and love on them and why because it is compassion loving

action towards others it is not natural for us it is supernatural which leads us to our

last truth be empowered by God's spirit as His children God enables us to love like He

loves and this happens when He empowers us through His Holy Spirit look at 1 John 3 23

to 24 and this is His commandment believe in the name of His son Jesus love one another

just as He commanded us those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with Him

and He with them and we know He lives in us because the spirit He gave us lives in us

so John describes a two-fold commandment believe in Jesus that means we put our trust in Jesus

as Lord and Savior then we what we love one another those two go together and then when

you believe in Jesus as you love one another right He fills you with His supernatural Holy

Spirit within us that overwhelms us with His love and then other lives are changed just

think about it how does someone come into a relationship with Jesus if you're in a relationship

with Jesus here this morning this is how it works the spirit was working in both you and

the person that led you to Jesus it's a both and thing right there was a person that was

an example of Jesus to you and you were drawn to them and in being drawn to them you then

heard the truth and put your trust in Jesus and now both of you are changed every person

in this gathering has that same story you have that story of whether trusting or not

trusting right then one day when you experience God as your Savior you overwhelmed you to

love now you are filled with the spirit and now you are called to go and do the same and

I have prayed and believe that there is a supernatural work being done right now that

our relationship with God is a supernatural life characterized by supernatural love it's

a love that's not natural and it's a love whose origin is supernatural it's a love that

can't produce on our own but only God can produce in us we can't be marked right by

this world we can only be marked with the spirit that is living inside of us you know

you can talk about aliens all you want the Holy Spirit is outer worldly it's not from

this place and it's God's beckoning call for you to go and share that.