[0:00] 1 John chapter 4. We're going to begin reading verse 7! This is love.
[0:37] Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
[0:53] No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us because he has given us his spirit.
[1:09] And we have seen and testified that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
[1:21] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him.
[1:33] In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment.
[1:49] The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
[2:05] For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command.
[2:16] Whoever loves God must also love his brother. This is God's word. Well, we are studying four graces of the Christian life.
[2:32] Four key graces of the Christian life. And we're seeking to memorize not only them, but their main activity. What is it that these graces do in our lives? So it's quiz time.
[2:44] And you tell me the main activity. Humility. Humility. The great emptier. Faith. The great receiver.
[2:58] Love. The great receiver. And hope. The great motivator. Now those last three, faith, hope, and love, are often found together in the scriptures and are seen as chief graces.
[3:13] And we've added humility to that because that is the soil out of which all grace grows. Now this morning, yes, so there we have it.
[3:25] The four graces and this morning we're moving on then to love the great giver. That means we're halfway through this series.
[3:36] So let's keep growing downward in humility, upward in faith, and now outward in love. A love that gives.
[3:49] Now in our study on faith, we went to the faith chapter, Hebrews chapter 11, for some of our instruction on what faith is and what faith does.
[4:00] Is there any chapter in the Bible that might rightly be called the love chapter? Well, you're smiling. 1 Corinthians 13.
[4:12] It's all about love. And so that might as well be called the love chapter. Pastor Jason recently took us through that in our afternoon luncheon services.
[4:25] And so we'll not be preaching through it. I just want to draw your attention to the last verse, 1 Corinthians 13, 13, that you're very familiar with. And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love.
[4:40] But the greatest of these is love. Love. Why is it the greatest? Well, we've mentioned that it's the greatest because it lasts the longest.
[4:54] Faith will one day be turned to sight. Hope will one day be turned to fruition. But love will just go on and on. Through the endless ages, there will be love.
[5:07] Indeed, Jonathan Edwards called heaven a world of love. But this love doesn't wait until heaven. This grace begins in the heart of God's children here and now.
[5:21] It's one of the chief graces of the Christian life. Right here, right now. In this world without love. A world that is hating and being hated. God has a people who are experiencing his love in a life transforming way.
[5:38] That has made them and is making them more and more a people who love. A people known by their love.
[5:49] So true is that that the Apostle John can say this is how we know who the children of God are. They love. The Lord Jesus said it on the Sermon on the Mount.
[6:00] Love your enemies that you may be sons of your father in heaven. He loves his enemies and so do all his children. The Apostle Paul.
[6:11] Now about brotherly love, he writes to the Thessalonian church. We don't need to write to you because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
[6:22] Do you know that's a lesson that God personally teaches every one of his children? To love one another. We don't need to write to you.
[6:33] God has taught you to love one another. And that's why it's found in all of his children. Because God knows how to put love in the inward parts and to really teach us to really love.
[6:49] Jesus says they will all be taught of God. Speaking of his children. Every one of them taught by God. And one of the first lessons he teaches us. And that he just keeps teaching us all our life long is to love one another.
[7:04] And so Paul says to the Thessalonians. You don't need me to write to tell you to love one another. You've been taught by God to love each other. And in fact you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia.
[7:16] Yet we urge you brothers to do so more and more. So the best that I can do for you who have been taught by God to love one another.
[7:26] Is simply to urge you to do it more and more. Even as we seek to grow in every one of these graces. More and more. So what is the main activity of love?
[7:40] Well it says it's the great giver. And that's not hard to see in the scriptures is it? Some of our favorite verses of the Bible. Show this.
[7:52] John 3.16. For God so loved the world. That he. He gave. And the measure of his love was.
[8:03] Was not to be found in us. But to be found in the one he gave. His one and only son. He gave. That whoever believes in him. Might not perish. But have everlasting life.
[8:16] Favorite verse of many of you wives. Ephesians 5.25. Husbands. Love your wives. Just as Christ. Loved the church. And. Gave himself up for her.
[8:30] Galatians 2.20. I live by faith in the son of God. Who loved me. And. Gave himself. For me. So.
[8:41] Just as real saving faith. As we saw last week. Is not something dead. But active. It does things. It. It expresses itself.
[8:53] Even so. All real love is active. And gives. In fact. Love's very nature. Is. To give. Love. Delights.
[9:05] To give. Love's. Heartbeat. Or. Impulse. Is to. Enrich others. By giving. Of oneself. So.
[9:15] Love. Cannot. Not. Give. Can I say that again? Love. Cannot. Not. Give. That's what love does. That's what love.
[9:26] Is. The impulse. To give. Any more than the son. Cannot. Not. Give. To us. Here on earth. Death. It's very nature.
[9:37] Is to be. Constantly. Giving off. It's light. And heat. And energy. It can't help doing so. It can't keep it in. It's the son. After all.
[9:48] And. That's its nature. To burn. To give. Even so. Wherever God's love is found. Whether in himself. Or in his people.
[9:59] It will be giving. It will be. Diffusing. It will be. Spreading. Outward. To others. On my bed stand.
[10:09] Is a diffuser. It's just a little. Container. Holding about a cup of water. You can put a little peppermint oil. In there. If you like. Or other oils. Why is it called a diffuser? Because it diffuses.
[10:23] It dispenses. It disperses. It distributes. It spreads. It gives out. All that's on the inside of it. And so little droplets.
[10:38] Are scattered. All. To all. In the room. And that's love. By its very nature. It can't stay. Bottled up. Inside. No.
[10:48] It must give itself. To others. By nature. It's diffusive. It's spreading. Now that's what we mean then. When we say that love. Is the great giver.
[10:59] It is ever giving. That's the nature of love. Now. In our series. We're going to. To notice. That the Bible teaches us. That love. Flows in two directions.
[11:09] Love gives. God word. And love gives. Man word. To our fellow man. And that's. That's just. Tracking. With the two greatest commandments.
[11:20] That God has given to us. To love the Lord. Our God. With all of our hearts. And soul. And mind. And strength. And to love our neighbor. As we love ourselves. So.
[11:31] Love goes two directions. God word. And man word. Now the Bible is eager. To tell us. And to show us. That God. Is. Love. We read it.
[11:42] In first. John chapter four. Verses eight. And verse sixteen. So any worthy study. On love. Must begin. Here. With God's love.
[11:54] He's the fountain. The source. Of all love. In the universe. And did you know. That God's love. Flows in. The same two directions. God word. And man word.
[12:07] And we may not think. Much of the former. Of God's love. God word. We're always thinking. Of his love. Man word. But we need. To think. Of his love.
[12:18] God word. For many reasons. Long before. There were people. People to love. Before God.
[12:30] Ever created. The heavens. And the earth. Adam and Eve. Forever. And ever. Without beginning. This one God. Has existed. In three persons. God the father.
[12:41] God the son. And God. The holy spirit. Not three gods. One God. In three persons. We call. Refer to this mystery. As the. The trinity.
[12:51] Try. Three. Unity. One. The three. In one. And so. For all the eternal. Ages. Past. When there was nothing else.
[13:02] In existence. But this God. Who is love. Whose very nature. Is love. That's what he is. We wonder. Well what was he doing.
[13:14] All that time. Before creation. Well let me tell you. What he was not doing. He was not a frustrated deity. With all this love inside.
[13:25] Bottled up. Without objects. To love. It is a seriously defective view. Of God. To think that he created man. Because he was lonely. And needed someone to love.
[13:37] Not in the slightest. Only man would be so proud. As to make himself. The center of the universe. No. Because within God. Was. And is.
[13:48] This trinitarian world. Of. Perfect love. So for all eternity past. God the father. Has been loving.
[13:59] Lavishing love. Upon. God the son. He is the father's. Delight. And pleasure. To look upon. And love his son. And for all eternity.
[14:11] The son of God. Has been. Basking. In the love of God. His father. And has been. Returning that love. Back to the father. And for all eternity.
[14:22] God the father. And God the son. Have been. Pouring out. Loving. On the holy spirit. Of God. And the holy spirit. Of God. Has been loving.
[14:33] God the father. And God the son. there was no shortage of love or objects to love love was giving love was flowing freely all around within that fellowship of shared love within the trinity father son and holy spirit it was not out of need that he made us then but for his own pleasure and glory that he freely chose to create a new channel in which to express the wonder of his amazing love so as long as god has been god forever he's been loving for god is love and as long as he's been love forever he's been giving for love gives that's its very nature and it's been giving within this fellowship of love within the trinity now let me ground this in scripture john 17 and verse 24 jesus is praying to his heavenly father so we have god the son talking to god the father on the evening of completing his mission in the morning he's going to lay down his life for all those that the father has given him and he says to his father in verse 24 john 17 father i want those you have given me to be with me where i am that they may see my glory the glory you gave me because you love me before the creation of the world i'll notice several things father i want those you have given me oh there are people who are a love gift from the father to the son love gives and god the father gave a people to his son i want those people that you have given me to be with me where i am to see my glory the glory you have given me because you love me before the creation of the world notice not only were a people given to christ but glory was given to jesus the son because of the heavenly father's love for him love gives gave him people gave him glory but notice the time of this love the glory you have given me because you love me before the creation of the world now that takes us right back into eternity past before there was anything but god father son and holy spirit many questions abound about what god was doing all for for those eternal ages but here in jesus prayer to the father we have one of the rare peaks into that eternal past and what we find is love love between the father god the father and god the son in isaiah 42 when god speaks of his coming messiah servant he he says he's my chosen one in whom is all my delight he's been his delight for the eternal ages at his baptism what is the father god the father say of his son this is the son of my love in whom i am well pleased he's loved him for eternity and been well pleasing to the father for all eternity so god's own love you see flows in two directions and we must not forget this first one before we think of his love for us we must first think of his love god word within the trinity a fellowship of love i say it's critical to holding a right view of god god is no self-centered preoccupied with self-being turned in on himself
[18:33] the essence of selfishness no no there's this wondrous outflow of love within the godhead between the father giving to the son the son to the father the father to the spirit the spirit to the son all around love all around giving giving giving because love is the great giver and it's that way in god himself toward the members of the godhead the persons of the godhead but then we think of god's love flowing manward that there is even such a thing as man is evidence of god's love for god the father god the son and god the holy spirit took counsel together and they decided to create a universe with man male and female made in his own image is the crowning work of creation you remember genesis 1 26 and 27 he says let us let us that's the council let us make man in his own image there's the trinity of love deciding to create mankind and when god had made adam oh the love that he lavished on him and and gave him because love is giving he gave him a wonderful world of delights to live in with noble work to do in the paradise the garden paradise i gave him a day of rest from his work that work to rule over and subdue the whole earth and bring it into the service of mankind a world of delights in in a wife eve a perfect companion and helper in his task but by far the greatest wonder of god's love to adam and eve was to welcome them into the fellowship of this trinitarian love circle that had been going on for eternity and they are now brought into that fellowship not that they become gods and become part of the godhead but they're welcomed into that circle of loving fellowship to have god come and walk and talk with them in the cool of the garden at evening to have him expressing his mind and his thoughts and his plans and as we find in these opening chapters of our bible but god's love broke out in an even greater wonder when after our first parents rebelled and came under god's curse and were thrust out of the garden and separated from god by sin having plunged themselves into eternal misery oh then did love hit a new gear then did love shine forth indeed it took their sinful rebellion to demonstrate the depth of god's love that upon sinning and rebelling against god god should turn and announce to them a way of salvation a way back a way back into the fellowship that sin had broken a way back into this this wonderful love circle of father son and holy spirit whereby they could have their sinner their sins forgiven and enjoy this fellowship with god in love but it would only happen at great cost to god's love a cost that would stagger our belief even the cost of his one and only son the son of his love who had been his delight for all eternity it would take him the righteous one dying for the sins of the unrighteous ones to bring us back to god to bring us back into that fellowship of love we have a wonderful uh remark on this fellowship uh in first john chapter one john loves to write about love and
[22:41] his gospel but also in his epistles and he opens his epistle uh talking about uh him who was from the beginning that's the son of god in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word he who was from the beginning the word of life he calls him and john says the life appeared he was from the beginning with god but the life appeared down here and we have seen it that's an apostolic we we the 12 we lived with him we beheld his glory and we've seen him and testify to it and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was was with the father and has now appeared to us we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us us believing apostles and our fellowship is with the father and with the son you see jesus christ he was forever with the father he's appeared to us and it's only in and by and through him and his saving work that we now have fellowship with god the father and god and his son jesus christ and then brought into this love circle of fellowship we then learned that you know there's never been a time when god hasn't loved us john chapter jeremiah 31 3 i have loved you with an everlasting love i've drawn you with cords of loving kindness psalm 103 and verse 17 from everlasting to everlasting the lord's love is with those who fear him believer child of god there's never been a time when god has not loved you even when you were nothing more than a thought in his mind a planned child he loved you then and in love he chose you and predestined you to be adopted as his son ephesians 1 4 and 5 tells us believers are welcomed into this trinitarian fellowship of love and we can know this amazing love of the father for us as his now as his adopted sons and we can know this this wonderful love of god the son as as our elder brother and this love of god the spirit as as the one who indwells us as our comforter and our helper.
[25:32] And we can do this because Jesus has brought us right into this wonderful fellowship of love. So God's love has its twofold direction. Godward among the members of the Trinity.
[25:43] Manward with each person of the Godhead. Father loving his children. Son loving his brother. And the Holy Spirit loving those he comes to indwell.
[25:57] So why do we start our study on the Christian grace of love with God's own love? Well, a couple reasons. Because God's love is the fountain and source of all love in the universe in your heart and mine.
[26:13] God's love is the fountain. It begins here in the heart of God. In God who is love. And we're going to see that our love is to flow in the same two directions.
[26:25] Godward and manward. But left to ourselves, we don't have that kind of love that God has. He's the only source.
[26:36] That's why we start with him. And second, growing out of that, because all of our love is simply the response to God's love. We had it read for us.
[26:49] First John chapter 4 and verse 19. In John's discourse in love, he doesn't want us to miss this fact. That we love because he first loved us.
[27:00] We love because his love causes our love. The King James inserts the word him.
[27:13] We love him because he first loved us. And that's true. True enough. We never would love God had he not loved us. If God had waited to love us until we loved him, he'd have waited the endless ages.
[27:27] Because the only reason we love him is because he first loved us. His loving us gives birth to our love for him. Not the other way around.
[27:38] He loved us when loveless and unlovely. And yes, it's true. We love him because he first loved us. But the hymn is missing in the original.
[27:50] So it just says we love because he first loved us. And I believe it's true both ways. We love manward. We love Godward. Because he first loved us.
[28:03] And apart from experiencing his prior love, we never would or could love others. Any more than we could love God. Not with real love.
[28:13] Not with God's kind of love. And the context of this verse is pushing us in both directions. We wouldn't have loved God and we wouldn't have loved our fellow man. But his love is the cause of both.
[28:29] And we love God and we love our fellow man because he first loved us. You can't do either without first experiencing his love for you. In other words, the outflow of your love is no greater than the inflow of your love.
[28:43] You got a picture of water. How much water can you pour out? Only as much as poured in, right? How much love can you have for God and man?
[28:57] Only that which you have received from God. Only that which you have experienced and entered into. The inflow of love determines the depth of your outflows.
[29:10] You're giving of love. That's why we begin our study on the grace of love with God's love. It's the source of ours. Ours is simply the response and result of his prior love for us.
[29:24] That means if I am suspicious and doubting God's love for me. Then my love for him and for you all is going to suffer.
[29:35] It has to. I have no love but what I receive from him. And if I'm suspicious of that love and not living upon that love, I won't have that which to give you or back to him.
[29:49] And conversely, the more I'm basking in the warm sunlight of God's love for me, the more my heart will warm to love him in response.
[30:01] And to love you in response to God's prior love. So, application. When your love for God is growing cold with no holy heartburn for him, so-so.
[30:16] No longer amazed at God's love. Or when your love for others is wearing thin, and you're giving little and you're demanding much. It's a warning light on the dashboard of life.
[30:28] Blinking. Check the engine. Check your heart. Have you been drinking deeply of God's love for you? Have you been swimming in the ocean of God's love?
[30:41] Or dragging yourself along the dry desert of this world? Where there is no love. Unimpressed. Underwhelmed.
[30:52] Unamazed. Unmoved by God's love. Oh, it's then we must get to the cross. Because the cross is the grand demonstration of God's love. For God demonstrated his love for us in this.
[31:06] That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So there are many places to see the love of God. But here's the grand demonstration for all time.
[31:18] Romans 5, 8. Get to the cross if you would see and taste and drink in the love of God for you in Jesus Christ.
[31:28] And so it's then when my love for God and man is dimming that we must get to the cross. Lead me to Calvary.
[31:41] And leave me there. Leave me there until from the heart. I can say I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene.
[31:53] And I wonder how he could love me. A sinner. Condemned. Unclean. Oh, how marvelous. How wonderful.
[32:04] Is my Savior's love for me. That's where love begins, folks. Love for him. Love for others. Jesus, keep me near the cross.
[32:17] That beautiful, that terrible cross. Keep me near. Until once again my heart burns under the spell of God's love. You see, we simply don't live right and love right.
[32:32] Unless we're regularly being filled with God's love for us. Unless it's melting our hearts and holding sway in our hearts. So to be growing in the grace of love.
[32:44] We need to ever be going deeper into God's love for us. To understand more of the width and length and height and depth of the love of God.
[32:57] So let's just in the time remaining just step into this Trinitarian love at Calvary. Consider, child of God. God the Father's love for you there.
[33:11] Having loved you from eternity past. Choosing you, predestining you in love to be adopted as his children. To be one of his holy people. He then showed his love among us by sending his one and only son into the world.
[33:23] That we might live through him. He sent him to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. That might propitiate his wrath. And turn it away from us by him taking it for us. God sent him to do that for us.
[33:35] So consider the Father's love for you in Gethsemane and Golgotha. As Gethsemane is merely the shadow of the cross. Spilling back in time a few hours before he gets to Golgotha.
[33:51] And consider the Father's love as he sees his only one and only beloved son. He sees his only one and only one and only one and only one. He sees his only one and only one and only one. He sees his only one and only one and only one.
[34:01] He sees his only one and only one. And can be heard talking to his disciples. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. The hellish cross is just now hours away.
[34:12] And is coming into clearer perception in the mind of our Savior. And he falls to ground under the weight of the thought of it. And he prays, Abba, Father, everything is possible for you.
[34:27] Take this cup from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will. So fathers, can you see something into the Father?
[34:38] An avenue into the Father's heart as you think of this? Here he is. God the Father. Father, seeing his son that he loves and delights.
[34:53] On the ground, deeply distressed. Sorrowing to the point of dying, sweating bullets of blood. And asking, Father, if it's possible, take this cup from me.
[35:10] What are the Father's options? Well, it's to spare him the cup of God's wrath. And to have us drink it for eternity. Or to spare us the cup forever.
[35:24] And to have his beloved son drink it on the cross. His only option. Spare him or spare us. And in love, he chose to spare us.
[35:38] Over his son. Romans 8 through 32. He did not spare his own son. But gave him up for us.
[35:52] Now that's love. It's love like you find nowhere in the universe. But in God. And here it's God the Father. Oh, what love.
[36:03] How deep the Father's love for us. And in that prayer that night. As Jesus was talking to the Father. He says.
[36:14] That Lord, you're doing all of this. To let the world know that you sent me. And have loved them. Just as you have loved me. I wouldn't believe that.
[36:28] If the Son of God hadn't said it. To say that God the Father loves us. His adopted sons. Just as he loves. His one and only son.
[36:42] What more could he give to convince us of his love. He had nothing. Better to give. He emptied heaven. Of its choice. His. Gift.
[36:56] So we think of. Calvary from. The perspective of God the Father. And we see love. Pouring out upon us there. Choosing to spare us.
[37:08] Instead of his own son. But then think of. Think of it from God. The son's perspective. And think of his love for you. There. Think of his love there in Gethsemane. As he felt this upcoming terror of the cross.
[37:20] Of being crushed. By God's infinite wrath. Abandoned by his Father. Forsaken. Left alone. Without any felt support of his love.
[37:30] And he cries out. If there's any other way Father. Please. Please. But if not your will. Not mine. On the cross.
[37:43] The bystander shouted. Come down from the cross. And save yourself. Jewish religious leaders. Mocked his claim to be the savior. He saved others. Ha. He can't even save himself.
[37:54] Let this king. This Christ. This king of Israel. Then come down from the cross. That we may see and believe. Okay. What are the choices? What are the options? For the son of God? Well.
[38:07] Save. Yourself. Save yourself. Which he could have done with a word. And called ten thousand. Angels. And destroyed the world. And saved himself.
[38:20] But if he saves himself. Then we're lost forever. In hell. So. It's either save yourself.
[38:31] Or save. Them. It's only options. And it was. Because he so loved us. That he chose to save us.
[38:43] Over himself. The son of God loved me. And gave himself. For me. What more did he have to give?
[38:58] Himself. What love. To take my hellish cross. And give me his heaven. And Octavius Winslow said. That he loves us the same today.
[39:09] So much so. That he would do it all over again. If it was needed. Blessed be God. His once. Once for all death. Was sufficient. To satisfy God's wrath. And to win heaven. For all who trust in him.
[39:23] But the point is. His love is still as strong today. As it was that day. When he chose. Out of love. To save you. Instead of himself. Love divine.
[39:34] All loves excelling. Greater love has no man than this. That a man lay down his life for his friends. And you are my friends. If you do what I command. And he laid down his life for us.
[39:47] When we were enemies. And made us his friends. By his. Loving. Sacrifice. And then there's the Holy Spirit's. Love for you.
[39:57] And we don't have. As much. Scripture. On that fact. But. Hebrews 9. And 20. Hebrews 9. 14. Says. How much more than will the blood of Jesus.
[40:09] Who through the eternal spirit. Offered himself. Unblemished to God. Cleanse our consciences. From acts that lead to death. So that we may serve the living God.
[40:19] Which tells me that the Holy Spirit. Was upholding the humanity. Of the son of God. Just to keep him there. To keep him. On the cross.
[40:31] Through the eternal spirit. He offered himself up. And the same Holy Spirit. Came to us. God haters. Which is Romans 8. 7. Calls us. Came to us.
[40:41] God haters. In our lifetime. And melded our hearts. And quickened us. To new life. Opened our blind eyes. So that we could finally see. How lovely Jesus is. Who we didn't have any desire.
[40:53] To follow. But. But now to see him. And to offer ourselves. And faith. To him. He wooed us. The spirit. The loving spirit. Wooed us to the Savior. And he now reads with us.
[41:04] The Holy Scriptures. And he says. Look at him. Look at his love. Where have you ever seen. Love like that John. Look at the Father's love. You see.
[41:14] He's the loving spirit. And he loves us. And he sheds abroad. The love of God. In our hearts. He convinces us of it. He works on us.
[41:25] So that. Yes. I see it. And it grips us. It grabs us. And we're held in the grip of. Calvary love. That's the spirit.
[41:37] He's loving us. So this is the blessed fellowship. Of Trinitarian love. That we've been brought into. Through God's work of salvation. All love in us starts here.
[41:48] In the God who is loved. And who's loved us when unlovely. And only through this love of the Father. And of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit. Do we even begin to love God.
[41:58] And our fellow man. Only from him do we even know what love is. That's what 1 John tells us. This is how we know what love is. God sent his one and only son.
[42:10] Into the world for us. We wouldn't even know what love is. His love defines love. We wouldn't even know how to love. What do you mean love? We've got to start with his love.
[42:24] Only from him do we have any of this love in our hearts. Any power to love like he loves. So to know and experience his love. Is a life changing thing.
[42:34] That just goes on and on and on. Until one day we see him as he is. And all lack of love is immediately filled up in our hearts. And we will love perfectly.
[42:48] In that new heavens. A new earth. The world of love. Will you be there? Will you enjoy that? I mean you've lived in this world that's hating and being hated.
[43:00] Will you be in that place where there's nothing but love? We'll come to Calvary and see God's love. In his bleeding son.
[43:13] Trust in him. Repent of your sin. You have been bored with that love. You have yawned at that love. You have been so underwhelmed by that love.
[43:24] That you've walked past it. Year after year. Oh repent of such evil. This is the greatest love in the universe.
[43:35] Repent that it meant nothing to you. Look again at that savior. Be drawn this morning. Come to him this morning. Cast yourself.
[43:47] Throw yourself upon his love. He turns none away that do. The Lord's love was very evident this week in our family.
[43:59] And I'll close with this. On Monday. Julie had an ultrasound. My daughter Julie. And it revealed two areas of concern.
[44:09] In the little boy that she's carrying. And it seemed. That the little guy's heart was not functioning properly. As well as other problems.
[44:20] But that was the problem of her first born. Maya. That had her in the hospital. For six months when she was born. And open heart surgery. And all the rest.
[44:30] And so we couldn't help but think. Oh no. Does this little guy have what she has? So they got her into a specialist.
[44:41] This Thursday. For a closer look. Of what was happening. And. I was at home. And she called with the results. And I must tell you. I was holding my breath.
[44:53] Bracing for the worst. And then she said. Dad. There's nothing wrong. His heart. All four. Chambers are working perfectly.
[45:07] Everything's where it should be. I don't mean to tell you. That. That brought me down. God's love.
[45:20] He remembers. That. That we're just dust. He knows. Our frame. He knows. How much trial. We can take. And he measures out.
[45:31] Our trials. Accordingly. So. Great. His love. I just had to get out of the house. And walk. Thank you. But I want to tell you.
[45:42] Never did I feel. Thank you. To be so hollow. So. Inadequate.
[45:54] I. I was so. Overwhelmed. With his kindness. His love. And. Thank you. Yeah. Okay. That's all I have. And that's all I can give. We can't pay him back.
[46:07] But. I felt. So. Thankful. That. The words. Sounded. So. Insufficient. As I poured out my thanks to the Lord.
[46:17] I. I thought. John. If such. Temporal mercies. Move you. To love that God. Should you not be like that every day.
[46:30] You were on death row. You were a sinner. Under God's. Judgment. You had.
[46:42] Everlasting. Weeping. And wailing. And gnashing. Of your teeth. To look forward to. The moment you died. Jesus so loved you. That he said.
[46:53] I'll take it. Instead of you. I say. Why am I not. Melted. In thankfulness. And gratitude. At that love.
[47:03] And loving him. In return. Like I was. For this. Precious. Temporal. Mercy. Oh. These are everlasting. Mercies.
[47:14] That are all of ours. Who are in Christ. And Isaiah. Or Isaac Watts. When he. He surveyed that wondrous cross. Cross. And the love. That he saw. On that cross.
[47:24] He said. We're the whole realm. Of nature. Mine. That were a present. Far too small. I felt my thank you. Was so small.
[47:35] And. And Watts says. When I survey. The wondrous cross. I feel like. If I own. The whole. Universe. That would be a present. Far too small. Love.
[47:46] So amazing. That I see there. Love. So divine. That I see there. Demands. My soul. My life. My all. My all. So let's give him.
[47:58] Let's give him. Our love. Let's dwell. On his cross. Let's let his love. And ours. We want to close. By singing. Of that love.
[48:08] Here is love. Here is love. At Calvary's cross. Stand with me. As we sing it. And let's pour out. Our love. To our savior.
[48:21] Our loving father.
[48:32] Thank you for. Grounding us. Rooting us. And establishing us. In your love. Loving spirit. Would you then. Give us power.
[48:43] Together with all the saints. To grasp. How wide. And long. And high. And deep. Is the love of God. This love. That is. Beyond.
[48:54] Knowing. Give us. To know more of it. Till we are filled. To the full. With the fullness of God. Till we love. With his love. Both him. And.
[49:05] Our fellow man. So we thank you. We thank you. In Jesus name. Amen.