[0:00] Well, good evening, Grace Fellowship Church. Let me say again how much I miss you, how much I miss singing with you, and worshiping with you.
[0:11] I check the news every day to see if there's any clue when the social distancing is going to be over. And I think we are all there, aren't we?
[0:23] Ready to be back together again. We love each other. We do love each other. And COVID-19, the coronavirus, hasn't killed that at all.
[0:36] It's amazing the things that the coronavirus, COVID-19, has done. It's stopped nations and businesses and their tracks. But it's powerless against the kind of love that we have here at Grace Fellowship Church.
[0:53] COVID-19 is strong. Agape love is stronger. And that's the point of this evening's sermon. Love bears all things.
[1:05] Trusts all things. Always hopes. Always perseveres. Love never fails. Love never fails. And so when COVID-19 is just a speck in the rearview mirror and our love for each other will still be there.
[1:26] Our love for each other will still be there. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says even more than that. When all the years of this earth are done.
[1:40] And when faith has given way to sight. And when faith is nothing but a mere memory. And all of our hopes are realized. Well, love will still be there.
[1:53] We'll still be loving each other. And that's what we see. And that's what we read in 1 Corinthians 13. And so take your Bibles there at home.
[2:05] And turn there to 1 Corinthians 13. And follow along as I read. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
[2:21] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love. I'm only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy. And can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge.
[2:35] And if I have a faith that can move mountains. But have not love. I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor. And surrender my body to the flames.
[2:47] But have not love. I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud.
[2:59] It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil.
[3:10] But rejoices with the truth. It always protects. Always trusts. Always hopes. Always perseveres. Love never fails.
[3:23] But where there are prophecies. They will cease. Where there are tongues. They will be stilled. Where there is knowledge. It will pass away. For we know in part. And we prophesy in part.
[3:34] But when perfection comes. The imperfect disappears. When I was a child. I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child.
[3:46] When I became a man. I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection. As in a mirror. Then we shall see face to face.
[3:58] Now I know in part. But then I shall know fully. Even as I am fully known. And now these three remain. Faith. Hope.
[4:09] And love. But the greatest of these. Is love. Well let's pray. And ask God's blessing.
[4:20] On the word preached. Pray with me. Our heavenly father. You are the one who taught us to love. You are the one who has put love.
[4:31] Into our hearts. By the Holy Spirit. And so I pray. That you would open up your word to us. Holy Spirit come. And take your word.
[4:43] And teach us. Enlighten our minds. Enlighten our hearts. Stir our wills. So that we would be ready. To do your word. Give us faith to believe it.
[4:57] Give us humility. To humble ourselves before it. To examine ourselves. And to learn what you have to teach us. All that we would be more like Jesus Christ.
[5:09] Our Savior. I pray this in his name. Amen. Well the greatest of these. Is love. Why is love better than faith.
[5:21] Better than knowledge. Tongues. And prophecy. Because love is the very heart. Of the Christian life. We know that we have passed.
[5:32] From death to life. If and because. We love the brethren. Faith. Hope. And love. Are all born into the Christian.
[5:44] At the new birth. And born into that new Christian's heart. But there's only one. That lasts. Forever. Everything else.
[5:54] All the gifts. All the other Christian graces. Like. Like the scaffolding. Are eventually taken down. And what is left. Is. Love.
[6:05] Love for God. And love for each other. And so. We are going to keep. On. Loving each other.
[6:16] Through this whole. Ordeal. Love. Love won't fail. Our love for each other. Here at Grace Fellowship Church. Will. Not.
[6:27] Fail. Because it's not. In the nature. Of. Of. Christian love. To fail. When we're born. In this world.
[6:37] In this world of sin. World of sin. We're. We're born to die. We're born mortal. But when Christian love. Is born. Into. A Christian's heart.
[6:48] That love. Is. Immortal. It cannot. Die. That's why I say. It's not. In the nature. Of Christian love. To fail.
[6:59] And so. A few. Points. This evening. A few things. I want to. Think about. With you. I want. To think with you. For your encouragement. For your edification.
[7:10] And. The first. Is just to answer. A question. What kind of love. Am I talking about? What kind of love. Is this. That doesn't fail.
[7:22] That doesn't fail. Paul uses a very particular word. He uses the word agape. This is agape love. And it wasn't. The normal. Typical.
[7:33] Usual. Word for love. In the Greek world. But Paul. Took it. Even though it was unusual. And he took it. And he filled it up. With Christian.
[7:43] Meaning. With distinct. Meaning. And so. What kind of love. Is agape. Love. Well. Agape love. Is not. The world's. Love.
[7:54] The world love. Comes. From. From. There being something. In another person. That I find. Lovely. It.
[8:05] The world's love. Comes from. Other people. Being lovely. In some way. And so. The world. Loves other people. Because in some way. Or in something. About that person.
[8:17] Draws out. Their love. There's something lovable. Or desirable. Something that's in them. That's good. Or pleasant.
[8:27] To me. And so. As long as they do something. For me. Or have something. For me. I love them. And that's what. The world means. When it says. They've fallen out of love.
[8:39] Or the love. Died. And what they mean. Is. You. Quit. Doing. It for me. Doing whatever that is. That you.
[8:50] Were doing. For me. You quit being lovable. For me. I couldn't find any more. Reason. In you. For me to keep on loving you. So I. Quit.
[9:01] But that's not. Agape love. Love. Agape love. Agape love. Doesn't begin with something. Desirable. Or lovable. In the other person. Agape love.
[9:12] Is. Grace. Agape love. Doesn't start. In them. With something. About them. It's born. In me. It's a gift. From God.
[9:24] To love. As God loves. Agape love. And he doesn't love us. Because he found something good. Or pleasant. In us.
[9:35] He doesn't love us. Because there's something he gets. From us. He loves us. Because of something. In him. His own goodness. His own desire.
[9:48] To bless us. The world's love. Is about what's in you. Agape love. Is about what's in me.
[9:58] It's about God's life. God's heart. God's grace. Living in me. By the Holy Spirit. Spirit. And so. The very first fruit.
[10:09] Of the Spirit. Is. Love. It's love. And that's why love. Can't fail. That's why this. Agape love. Cannot. Fail.
[10:19] That's why this. Love. Bears all things. And believes all things. And hopes all things. And always perseveres. And never fails. Because it's not about. What's in other people. It's about who.
[10:32] Is in me. The life of God. The Spirit of God. In the soul. Of man.
[10:44] And so. Grace Fellowship Church. That's why. COVID. 19. And everything. That is going on. Is no match. For this love.
[10:54] That we have. For each other. And so. That's why. When we do. Our Zoom meetings. And even though. We've been apart. For over a month. Month. There's something in us.
[11:05] That is still. Loving each other. We're glad. To be there. We love. These people. Because. Our love. For each other. Doesn't depend on us.
[11:15] Being together. Or finding each other. Something wonderful. Because. Honestly. As soon as. We get. Back together.
[11:26] We're going to. Remember. All those things. That annoy us. That bug us. And we're going to. Remember those. Other people's sins. Other people's weaknesses.
[11:38] You're going to. Remember mine. And I'll remember yours. But COVID-19. Is no match. For our love. For each other. Because it's not about. What's in me.
[11:51] Or what's in you. It's the life of God. In us. It's the. Super. Natural. Gift. Gift. That's what Paul. Is talking about.
[12:01] In 1st Corinthians 12. All the way through 14. Are these gifts. And he's saying. The greatest gift. The most useful. The most perfect. The most wonderful. The most excellent.
[12:12] Gift of all. Is this gift. Of love. This gift. Of the eternal. Loving. God. Giving us. That love. In our hearts.
[12:24] He puts it. Into us. He writes it. Into our hearts. By the Holy Spirit. This is. Part. Of. The new covenant. He says. I will take my law.
[12:35] And write it. On their hearts. So that they will. Do it. And what is the summary. What is the law. James says.
[12:45] The royal law. Found in scripture. Is love your neighbor. As yourself. Galatians. The whole law. Summed up. With.
[12:56] Love your neighbor. As yourself. And so. God has taken. That law. And he has. Put it. Into our hearts. He's engraved it.
[13:06] He's etched it. He's reshaped. Remolded. He's put. Grooves. Into our hearts. That we would love. Our brothers.
[13:17] And our sisters. And so. There is something. Going on. More than. Our own. Efforts. More than ourselves. This isn't love.
[13:27] That we are. Working up. This is the new covenant. This is the fulfillment. Of that new covenant. That blood bought covenant. Jesus.
[13:38] Died. In order to give us. Hearts. That would love each other. And that's why love. Will never fail. Because Jesus. Bought it. On the cross.
[13:50] He won for us. The Holy Spirit. Who takes that law. And puts it. Into our hearts. So that we would. Do it. So.
[14:00] COVID-19. Is no match. At all. For agape love. Because. What's in us. What we experience. What we share. What is this most.
[14:11] Excellent way. That we should. Try to grow in. And pursue. Is nothing less. Than the love of God. Than the love of Christ. And God's love. Is from everlasting.
[14:22] To everlasting. And it bears up. Underneath everything. It bears everything. It waits long. It never runs out of patience. It never withers.
[14:32] On the vine. Christ. Bears. In love. With us. Could we bear. From one another. What he daily.
[14:44] Bears. From us. He perseveres. With us. And so. He's washing us. He's sanctifying us.
[14:55] And we're. We're put into the bathtub. Of sanctification. But so much. Of the time. We're more like. A cat. Getting a bath.
[15:06] Than a happy. Two-year-old. Getting a bath. We're dirty. And sometimes. We hate the water. We hate the process. We're clawing. And scratching.
[15:17] To get out. But he. He bears. With us. He bears. With us. In love. Love. Never. Fails. This agape.
[15:28] Love. This love of God. That's in our hearts. Now. It never fails. Now. Look at. Verses. Seven and eight. What. Why doesn't love. Fail.
[15:41] Because it bears. All. Things. It bears. All. Things. On.
[15:55] Easter. Easter. Sunday. Morning. Early in the morning. Caveman and I went on a walk. In the Plymouth Park. And at one point. In the.
[16:05] In the. The trail. You can go underneath. A bridge. And so. The road. The. The highway. There. The road. Goes over the yellow river.
[16:17] And you can take the footpath. Underneath. That bridge. Now. There is a sign. On. The bridge. Where the cars go. And it's a sign that says.
[16:30] What the weight restrictions are. For that bridge. So. Two axle. Cars. Can weigh so much. Three axle trucks. Can weigh more. Now. Because the bridge.
[16:40] Can carry. Only so much weight. It can only bear up. Under so much weight. Too much weight. Will. Buckle. The bridge. Well. Love.
[16:52] Doesn't have a sign. Like that. On it. Love. Bears. All. Things. Now. The NIV.
[17:03] Translates. This. Always. Protects. And I'm not exactly sure. Why. It translated it. That way. I'm not sure. Their reasoning. Behind that. Most translations. Just simply.
[17:13] Translates. It. As it bears. All. Things. That's. That's the more natural. The more literal. Translation. And so. Why. Why. Doesn't love fail? Because.
[17:24] You can't. You can't. Annoy it. Out of existence. You can't. Run it. Out of patience. It will put up with. Anything.
[17:35] And everything. The same word. Is used in. First Corinthians. Nine. Verse. Twelve. Just a few chapters. Before this. And Paul says.
[17:47] On the contrary. We put up. With anything. Rather than hinder. The gospel of Christ. We put up. With. All of this grief. And all this.
[17:57] Opposition. And all of. And everything. That's against us. We put up. With it. We put up. With the poverty. Of preaching. The gospel. Without pay. We put up.
[18:08] With anything. Rather than hindering. The gospel of Christ. That's. That's the same word. Love. Will put up. With. Anything. And so.
[18:20] Think about. That person. In your life. Who. If. There was a picture. Of. The hardest person. In my life. To love.
[18:30] Their picture. Would be there. Their name. Would be there. Maybe it's in your family. Maybe it's your spouse. Maybe it's a child. Or. Right now. Maybe you're thinking.
[18:41] Of someone. At. Church. And if you're honest. If you're being honest. With yourself. You would say.
[18:52] They. They. They bother me. It's hard. To love them. They annoy me. They can be insensitive. They rub me.
[19:02] The wrong way. Their. Their personality. Is. Is. Like that fly. In the middle of the night. In your bedroom. And you can't catch it. And you can't kill it. And it just buzzes around. Or maybe it's.
[19:13] It's worse than that. Maybe it is. Real sin. They've been a wrecking ball. They've hurt you.
[19:25] Well. What. Can. Carry. That weight. What can. Bear that weight. What can. Handle that. Well. The world's love. Can't do that.
[19:36] Because. The world's love. Is always looking at. What. Can you do. For me. But. Agape. Love. Is totally. Other. Focused.
[19:47] And so. Agape. Love. Can. Carry. The weight. It puts. Up. With. Everything. It carries. All the weight. Of. Those. Personality. Differences. And those. Opinion.
[19:57] Differences. And those. Political. Differences. It. Puts. Up. With. Sins. It. Puts. Up. With. Their. Odds. Their. Quirks. Their. Failings. Love. Can. Bear.
[20:08] Up. Now. Emotionally. We don't. We sometimes. We don't feel like that. Emotionally. We feel like. I can't take it anymore.
[20:20] I can't love this person. Anymore. But that's. Why we need to have our feet. Planted. In the gospel. And on. On God. Himself.
[20:30] Because we can't measure. Our. Our weight. Restrictions. Our. Ability. To bear. By. Our. Emotions.
[20:42] We. We have to measure. Our. Potential. Not by what we find. In our own. Hearts. And our. Emotions. But what we find. In. God. What's in him. So.
[20:53] Why. Doesn't love. Fail. Because it can. Bear. All. Things. Well. Secondly. It doesn't fail. Because. It doesn't give. Into. Suspicion.
[21:05] It doesn't think. The worst of people. It's not cynical. About people. Love. Always. Believes. It trusts. Love. Doesn't make you.
[21:15] Gullible. Or. Simple. Paul. Prayed. That the Philippian. Christians. Love. Might grow. In knowledge. In depth. Of insight. So.
[21:26] So. Love. And wisdom. Are. Twin. Virtues. They go. Together. But. Love. Doesn't get. Overturned.
[21:37] The waves. Don't crash. So much. Into. To. Love's boat. That it. Overturns it. It. It doesn't let. All these waves. Of doubt. And cynicism.
[21:47] About people. Overturn it. So. Paul's point. Here. About. Where it says. Love. Always. Trusts. Is. That love.
[21:58] Works. Hard. To be. Generous. Toward. People. It. Works. Hard. To be. Generous. Toward. People.
[22:08] Not a little bit. It. It. Trust. Always. All things. And all these things. I know. I've said this. More than a few times.
[22:20] But in love. We need to do. We need to be thinking. The best of people. We need to do our best. To think of how. Those. That person.
[22:31] Those people. Could be right. How can we. Take them. How can we understand them. How can we. What can we assume about them. That would. Would. Make them. Look good.
[22:43] Would put them in the best light. Again. Love. Gives. The benefit. Of the doubt. Paul. In the book of Philippians. Again.
[22:53] Says. Let your gentleness. Be evident. To all. That. That. It. Means. That. That word. Gentleness. Means. Sweet. Reasonableness. You're.
[23:06] It's. This. Gracious. Attitude. You. Want. To be. Convinced. You. Want. Them. To be. Right. You. Want.
[23:17] To think. Well. Of those. People. Again. James. In chapter. Three. He's. Talking about. Wisdom. That. Wisdom. That. Comes. From. Above. You know.
[23:27] There's. Wisdom. That. Comes. From. Below. That. Looks. At. Everyone. And. Is. Cynical. And. Doubtful. And. Doesn't. It's. Always. Looking. For. Something. Wrong. In. Other. People. But. That's. Not. The. Wisdom.
[23:38] From. Above. That's. The. Wisdom. From. Below. Wisdom. That. Is. From. Above. Is. Is. Again. It's. Considerate. Or. Reasonable. It's.
[23:48] Not. Jaded. Wisdom. And. Love. They're. Both. From. God. And. Neither. Of. Them. Are. Jaded. They. Don't. Produce. In. Us.
[23:58] This. Harsh. Cynical. Acidic. Way. Of. Looking. At. People. Where. You're. Always.
[24:08] Eating. Away. At. Their. Story. At. Their. Person. Looking. To. Poke. Holes. In. Them. One. Person. Wrote. Paul.
[24:19] Simply. Wants. To. Say. That. Love. Holds. Us. Back. From. Always. Assuming. The. Worst. About. Someone. Or. Always. Jumping. To. The. Premature.
[24:30] Conclusion. That. They. Are. In. Er. Or. They're. Motivated. By. Selfish. Concerns. Now. At. Some. Point. We.
[24:41] Do. Come. To. Certain. Conclusions. But. You. Want. To. Be. Reluctant. To. Come. To. Those. Conclusions. Love. Doesn't.
[24:51] Pretend. To. Be. A. Heart. Reader. A. Mind. Reader. But. If. It. Does. It. Assumes. The. Best.
[25:03] It. Assumes. The. Best. You. See. Why. Again. Love. Doesn't. Fail. Because. In. The. In. The. Rub. In. The. Back. And. For. Life.
[25:14] People. Are. Going. To. Smack. Us. We're. Going. To. Smack. Into. Each. Other. There's. Going. To. Be. Things. That. Set. Off. Alarm. Bells. There's.
[25:24] Going. To. Be. Things. That. We. See. That. First. Of.
[25:35] Our. Brothers. And. Sisters. We. We. Can. All. Do. That. And. So. Suspicion. Threatens. To. Destroy. Love. But.
[25:45] That's. Where. Love. Says. Slow. Down. What. Why. Not. Instead. Of. Doubting. Them. How. About. You. Think. Better. Of. Them. That's. What.
[25:55] Love. Does. Well. Love. Doesn't. Fail. Because. It. Always. Trust. And. It. And. It. Hopes. All. Things. It. Always. Trust. Again.
[26:08] Love. Doesn't. Write. People. Off. As. Lost. Causes. Love. Doesn't. Give. Up. On. People. And.
[26:21] We've. All. Been. Tempted. Or. We've. All. Done. This. But. Love. Does. Not. Relegate. People. To. The. Trash.
[26:31] Can. It. Doesn't. Categorize. People. As. Hopeless. Love. Doesn't. Give. Up. On. People. Love.
[26:42] Hopes. Sincerely. Hopes. And. Thinks. You know. Maybe. What they need. Is. More. Time. Time.
[26:53] Is. On. Their. Side. In. Time. They'll. Get. There. And. So. Love. Doesn't. Take. Quick. Drastic. Final. Action. With. People. We. Can. Do. That. Too. Easily. Where.
[27:04] They. Don't. Change. In. Our. Time. Frame. They. Don't. Change. Immediately. And. So. We. We. Get. So. Fed. Up. And. So. We. Just. Write. Them. Off. And. We. Take. This. Drastic.
[27:15] Final. Action. We. Consign. Them. We. Relegate. Them. To. The. Trash. Can. But. That's. Not. Love. That's. Not. Love. Love.
[27:29] Knows. That. Sometimes. People. Don't. Need. A. Good. Talking. To. They. Don't. Need. Convinced. And. Changed. Right. This. Minute.
[27:40] Sometimes. All. People. Need. Is. Time. So. Love. Says. Slow. Down. And. Hope. God.
[27:51] Not. Done. With. Me. He. Not. Done. With. Me. And. He. Not. Done. With. Them. So. Hold. On.
[28:02] They. They. They. They. Get. There. Now. You. Know. As. Parents. If. You. Are. Parents. We. We. Can. Push. Our. Children. And. We. Want. Them.
[28:12] To. Always. Be. Growing. Up. Always. Maturing. And. Those. Things. Are. Good. And. So. We. Push. Them. To. Read. Or. We. Push. Them. To. Do. Math. Or. We. Push. Them. To. Figure. Out. To. Do. Their. Chores.
[28:23] Just. The. Right. Way. To. Remember. Those. Or. Write.
[28:40] Them. Off. And. You. Can. Get. All. Bitter. Against. Them. And. Exasperate. Them. Because. They. So. Exasperated. You. Or. Instead. I.
[28:52] Think. We. Need. To. Take. The. Path. Of. Love. And. Say. You. Know. Maybe. Just. Need. To. Slow. Down. Just. Wait. They. They. Get. There. They. Figure. This. Out.
[29:02] God. Will. Help. Them. God. Will. Grow. Them. I. Can. Give. Them. To. God. I. Can. Pray. For. Them. So. Just. Wait. Things. Will. Get. Things. Will. Change. For. The. Better. And.
[29:12] That's. How. Love. Thinks. About. People. Not. As. Finished. Products. Not. A. Statue. Stuck. In. Time. Finished. For. Good. Or. Finished.
[29:23] For. Bad. But. Love. Sees. People. As. In. Process. God. God. Is. Good. God. Is. Faithful.
[29:34] And. Because. God. Is. Good. And. Faithful. And. Because. God. Is. Strong. I. Can. Wait. I. Can. Wait. And. Hope. I. Can. Keep. Praying. I.
[29:44] Can. Keep. Loving. I. Can. Keep. Doing. Them. Good. Now. Isn't. That. How. Jesus. Treats. Us. He. Knows. We're. Not. Done. He. Knows.
[29:54] We're. Still. Works. In. Progress. But. As. Much. As. We. Are. Looking. Forward. To. That. Day. When. We. Are. Perfected. I. Believe. That. The. Lord. Jesus. Is.
[30:05] Keeping. His. Eye. On. That. Day. And. He. Is. Loving. Us. In. Hope. He. Doesn't. Write. Us. Off. He. Doesn't. Throw. Us. Away. And.
[30:15] Say. That. They're. They're. Never. Going. To. Get. It. No. He. Goes. On. Loving. Because. He. Knows. That. We. Are. Going. To. Get. There. He.
[30:27] Loves. Us. In. Hope. In. Hope. That. One. Day. We're. Just. Going. To. We're. Going. To. Be. Just. Like. Him. We'll. Be. Just. Like. Him. With. No. Spot. Or. Wrinkle. With.
[30:37] All. The. Wisdom. And. Love. And. Mercy. And. Patience. And. Every. Grace. Will. Be. Perfected. In. Us. And. His. Bride. Will. Be. As. Perfected. In. Holiness.
[30:47] As. Our. Lord. Jesus. Is. And. That. Hope. Keeps. His. Love. Burning. Bright. It's. Not. Perfect. Now. That.
[30:57] This. We're. Not. Perfect. Now. Our. Relationship. Isn't. What. It's. Going. To. Be. And. Yet. He. Has. The. End. In. Mind. And.
[31:07] So. He. Keeps. On. Loving. Us. And. And. That. Is. The. Love. That. God. Has. Begun. That. God. Has. Planted. That. God. Is. Born. And. Put. Into.
[31:17] Us. And. So. Don't. Don't. Write. Off. Your. Brothers. And. Sisters. In. The. Faith. Don't. Write. Off. Your. Brothers.
[31:28] And. Sisters. At. Grace. Fellowship. Church. Don't. Wash. Your. Hands. Of. Them. That. That's. Not. Love. That's. Really. Self. Love. That's.
[31:40] Hopelessness. It's. Unbelief. Instead. Wait. Wait. Quietly. For. The. Lord. To. Work. Keep.
[31:52] Your. Eye. Fastened. On. The. End. And. So. Love. Doesn't. Fail. Because. It's. Grounded. In. Hope. It. Has. This. Hopeful. Look. Outlook. So.
[32:04] Finally. Why. Doesn't. Love. Fail. Well. Because. It. Always. It. Always. Perseveres. It. Bears. All.
[32:14] Things. That. Means. It. Will. Carry. Any. Weight. It. Will. Put. Up. With. Anything. Perseverance. Means. It. Will. Go. As. Long.
[32:24] As. It. Takes. So. Bearing. Is. How. Much. Weight. It. Will. Take. And. Perseverance. Is. Saying. How. Long. It. Will. Go. Love.
[32:36] Is. The. Long. Sought. After. Perpetual. Motion. Machine. That. Just. Once. Once. It. Started. It. Keeps. Going. It. Keeps. Going. And.
[32:46] Going. Love. Never. Fails. It. Never. Runs. Out. Energy. It. It. What. The. Energizer. Bunny. Wishes. It. Could. Be. It. The. Life.
[32:57] Of. God. In. The. Soul. Of. Man. It. This. Light. Of. God. Shining. Into. Your. Heart. And. Once. Be. It. Just. Shines. Brighter. And. Brighter. And. So. This. Love.
[33:07] Is. power of God filling a person and he's eternal so this love is eternal and I can say in all honesty I see it in you I see it especially in many of you who year after year of hard loving maybe it's that spouse and you go on loving them year after year in a difficult difficult situation I see it in year after year caring for special needs children raising children is hard for everyone but it is anguish and it is exhaustion for you it's brutal hand-to-hand combat day after day for you and for some of you it's been 20 years and it's been 16 years and it's been 10 years and and love hasn't failed it's stumbled it's grown tired but love lives on and you get up and you love again and you wake up and you're driven by love and you go to bed exhausted by love and the love hasn't died just look the perseverance of love and pilgrim's progress Christian climbs that hill difficulty but for some of you you have climbed the Himalayan mountains of difficulty and it just gone on and on it's it's it's not one lap it's been a marathon a marathon a marathon with your children a marathon with your spouse a marathon with whoever that person is those people are a marathon with the wind against you with the devil screeching and howling doubt and despair in your face and there's been traps and there's been snares and you've been tired but you're still running and so do you see why Paul says tongues prophecies healing all the gifts what are they to love love never fails it never completely buckles under the weight it never gives up it never comes up short it never proves inadequate that's some of the idea of love never fails is it never proves to be not enough it never proves to be inadequate not enough for the task it's it's always enough so you remember that story of the apostle john when he was an old man and his sermon and he would preach the sermon brothers love one another brothers love one another brothers love one another and so finally why do you keep preaching brothers love one another and his answer was because it's enough it's enough it's enough for us right now it's enough for grace fellowship church if grace fellowship church loves each other loves each other the way first corinthians 13 is talking about we can get a lot of things wrong but the main thing will be right and we will be fine
[37:08] so brothers and sisters what do we what do we need to do in these present circumstances these present circumstances well first corinthians 14 verse 1 says pursue love and i be follow the way of love it's pursue love pursue is this active word it means chase love do what you can to get love to exercise love to live in love do everything in your power to love it's the same sort of thing and in in proverbs chapter 3 and 4 where it's saying get wisdom whatever you can get under understanding that's what this is saying pursue love that's what we need to be doing right now jesus pursued love he chased after it he stayed on the path and he followed hard and he ran after it john the gospel of john chapter 13 verse 1 it marks this transition in the whole gospel of john it's this turning point and it basically says jesus he knew what was about to happen and he knew uh... that he was about to leave them and it says knowing all that he showed them the full extent of his love and what john is saying is from here on to the very end of the gospel this is jesus showing his disciples how much he loves them everything that he does from that point on is supposed to be telling you this is how much jesus loves his people so there's the foot washing the instruction he prays for them they go to gethsemane they go to golgotha and even the resurrection all of that is jesus pursuing love his love for us never failed not in the upper room when judas betrayed him not in the trial when peter denied him not on the cross love kept him going he pursued it in his every heartbeat was this is how i love them they need to know how much i love them they need to see my love and so every beat of his beautiful heart was love it was love for god love for his father and love for us it that love carried him through gethsemane to the trial to the cross to the depths to the experience of being of being forsaken feeling forsaken by god drinking the cup of god's wrath it kept him
[41:09] drinking that cup till the very end into the grave and then back in love he took back his life for us in love he rose from the dead for us he loved us and it never failed and so let's love one another he pursued love then let's pursue love with one another let's pray our lord jesus we do thank you for that love that pursued us that didn't find anything good in us but found us sinful found your bride beside the road in love with other lovers with a heart going astray covered in sin and not for the good that was in us but for your own in your own way and for your own reasons out of your own heart you loved us and you did us good thank you for that love that doesn't give up on us that continues in hope that continues to pursue us to put up with us to love us thank you for that and I pray that as we drink that love in it would give us strength then to love one another as we live in the light and the glory and the joy and the delight of your love you would help us then to reflect that love to our brothers and sisters this love that we've talked about is the most excellent gift it is the most excellent way help us to live in it help us help grace fellowship church to grow in love for one another as we grow in our hope and our faith and our love for you we pray this all in your name
[43:30] Lord Jesus for your glory amen