0 (1s): Good morning, 1 (2s): Church. Good morning. Good morning. Will you stand as we worship the Lord this morning? 0 (13s): It's to be the happier morning 2 (18s): You Jesus. Thank you for your presence. When all I see is about you see my victory tree when all I see is you see about and the, 0 (44s): And 2 (45s): As I walk through the shout, your love surrounds me. There's nothing to feel for. I am we with you. Come on. You notice. So I find on my knees with my hands lifted high, God, the battle belongs to you. I at your how seat through the night, oh God, the be belong to 0 (1m 30s): You. 2 (1m 37s): And if you against me for Jesus's nothing impossible for sees 0 (2m 2s): My 2 (2m 5s): You 0 (2m 10s): Is 2 (2m 13s): Here. 0 (2m 19s): So 2 (2m 20s): I find I with my hands. It did high. But that'll bes 0 (2m 30s): You. 2 (2m 31s): Everyth, right? I'll see through the, oh God. But that'll to 0 (2m 42s): You 2 (2m 47s): Homebody fortress, you go before us. 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The more I 0 (9m 58s): Put my 2 (9m 59s): Jesus, He's faithful. So I would, He 0 (10m 17s): Won't. He won 2 (10m 27s): Het, He give him a 1 (10m 48s): Revelation 21, 5 and six says, He who is seated on the throne said, 2 (10m 54s): I 1 (10m 54s): Am making everything new. Then he said, Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. He said to me, It is done. I am the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end to the thirsty. I will give water through water without cost. From the spring of the water of life. He who is seated on the throne said, I am making everything new church this morning we're gonna sing a newer song for us called New Thing. And may that be true for us. He has new things for you. No matter what season of life you're in, he has new things. Would you sing this with me? 2 (11m 55s): These's are the days that we prayed for a story. Being of faith has begun and I'm seeing so much still, I'm that the best is not yet come. 0 (12m 21s): Jesus 2 (12m 23s): Not done with me. You're tub a new, you're tubing anything away proceeded 0 (12m 46s): Praise 2 (12m 53s): To Jesus and all thes. Jesus not 0 (13m 5s): Done with me. You're doing anything you're doing. I get up. You 2 (13m 45s): Never up you get up. You up on 0 (13m 50s): Me. 2 (13m 51s): Your is get up. You get up. You never give up on 0 (13m 58s): Mes gonna give up. Never give 2 (14m 3s): Up. I 0 (14m 11s): Your 2 (14m 12s): Is up. You never gave up. You never give up on me. You is never gonna up. You never give up. You never 0 (14m 23s): Give up on me. Never gonna give up. You never, you never give. No. Jesus' 2 (14m 40s): Not 0 (14m 41s): Done 2 (14m 42s): With me. You're 0 (14m 45s): A new thing. You're 2 (14m 48s): Doing 0 (14m 49s): A new thing. I Im baby. You're doing a new, you're doing. Love is never, you never gave up. You never give up on me. You never gonna give up. You never gave up. You never give up on me. Give up, never up. Never up. 0 (15m 31s): I know. Done with me. You're a new thing. You're doing a new for all. You're doing a new, you're doing a new. 3 (16m 2s): Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning. We thank you that two who began a go to work in us. Thank you Lord. Still working, Lord still working on us. And you're, you're sanctify us. You're bringing us in that process of being made holy and holy day by day. Lord, you set us aside, Lord, you're calling us into a new thing, Lord, the new heavens and the new earth that will someday be Lord. But yet we're looking forward to that day. And while we're still here, Lord, we're calling and inviting others into your family, the family of God, and into a great and grand inheritance Lord. So remind us of that new thing that you're doing, that thing that you have for us yet keep our heart set and our mindset on your kingdom. 3 (16m 45s): Lord Jesus name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. 4 (16m 51s): A good Mor 3 (16m 54s): Almost there. 4 (16m 55s): Hello. Good morning. And welcome. It's not working. Is he going? There you go. There we go. Is it okay? There we go. There 3 (17m 5s): We go. Thank you. 4 (17m 6s): Technical difficulties. Good morning and welcome. It's Family Sunday again. We are just so glad you guys are back. As you can tell from the name, it's Family Sunday. We are all together here today. We got all the kids in, so we are just so glad we have donuts and it's just gonna be a great time to listen to the message today. Yeah. Yeah. And 3 (17m 29s): You're 4 (17m 29s): Brier. Oh yes I am. Brier. This is Jeremy. 3 (17m 32s): Jeremy. My name's Jeremy. I'm the youth and family pastor here. And this is not my son and he's not related, but my wife got us confused this 4 (17m 39s): Morning. I don't have any 0 (17m 41s): Positions here 4 (17m 42s): Yet. 3 (17m 44s): So yeah, we're so glad you're joining us here on Family Sunday. It's exciting day as well. We're having, having child dedication right after this. And so it's just a great day to, to be together as a family. We've got a few things coming up. So we also, last week we, we were challenged to help give towards Hurricane Ian relief. And so that was the challenge put out. I don't remember, I don't know how much was raised last week, but we're gonna keep raising that $10,000. We raised $10,000. That's amazing. So that is just a, a generous gift that we're gonna be sending out to Hope City Church out in Florida to, to support them and their, and their kind of regrowth effort building up efforts. 3 (18m 27s): So that's some there, if you still wanna help give towards that, you can write a checkout to Harvest Church or age, you know, on the website and just put in the memo hurricane relief. And, and that's on top of your regular giving church. You've been just an amazing church to, to continue giving. It's been just a great growth in our, the season of our church. So thank you so much. 4 (18m 50s): Also, we are going to be on October 31st or Halloween. We typically don't like Halloween. It's a little 3 (18m 59s): Bit dark. 4 (19m 0s): Yeah, it's a dark, it's it's a dark holiday. Yeah. So we wanna make it much more family friendly. Friendly. So we are going to be having an outreach during Halloween where we're gonna have like a mini carnival in here. So there's gonna be candy, it's going to be great. You can donate candy back at the info center. Yeah. And it's gonna be three to 5:00 PM three to 5:00 PM on October 31st. So 3 (19m 28s): Yeah, open the doors to the community. It's gonna be a great time just to share the gospel message with them in just a tangible way. So it's gonna be awesome. And gals wanna want you to mark your calendar for November 18th at 6:00 PM We're gonna be having a gals event. And this is just like put it on your calendar. We don't have all the details yet, so details are to come, but that'll be November 18th on a Friday night, 6:00 PM 4 (19m 50s): Also for the winter season, we are going to get ready for operation Christmas Child, if you don't know what this is, you take a little like shoebox and you fill it with a bunch of toys and stuff and then it gets sent across the world to a child that's not gonna be able to celebrate a normal Christmas. Yeah. And so we just want to bless these kids. So you can pick up your operation Christmas child box on the back and make sure you drop it off by November 13th so that it can be shipped out on time. 3 (20m 20s): Awesome. And you said your family's probably done 30 to 40 boxes over your 4 (20m 24s): Lifetime? Yeah, quite a few. Okay. They've done, yeah, we've done quite a 3 (20m 26s): Few. Awesome. Well we got a video for Operation Christmas Child. Let's check that out. 5 (20m 38s): At the count of three when children opened the shoe boxes, they're so excited. 6 (20m 43s): I mean, it's just been incredible. 7 (20m 46s): Kids are so excited giving them a gift. Do it in Jesus name. And that's what this is all about. 8 (20m 52s): Jesus loves you. 9 (20m 56s): It's a gospel opportunity is the chance for the children to change the entire life. 10 (21m 2s): The word of God is spreading. The gospel is 9 (21m 4s): Advancing, 11 (21m 6s): It is impacting children, it is impacting families. It is impacting the world greatly. 7 (21m 13s): Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving. God will bless and God will use your gift to touch the life of a child and to be able to do it. Jesus name. So thank you, thank you for being a part of it. God bless each and every one of you. 3 (21m 32s): All right. So just what a great way to impact our world for the life-changing mess of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So get your boxes in the back of the Info center right now. We're gonna have a, a time of meet and greet. So say hello to someone around you as well as I'll invite up to the stage those, those families that are dedicating their children today. So say hi to someone around you. We'll be back in a minute. 0 (22m 8s): We all 8 (22m 13s): Loves 0 (22m 14s): Us 8 (22m 18s): When we're so 0 (22m 21s): No 8 (22m 22s): Matter what we 0 (22m 23s): Do to, 8 (22m 26s): This is great. There's nothing better. Didn't 0 (22m 32s): You? We And in this fucking Mr. 0 (23m 20s): Prevails, 8 (23m 22s): I hope his Jesus God never fails matter. What we do. He loves is the 0 (23m 34s): Kids 8 (23m 36s): Is 12 (23m 46s): I'm 0 (23m 48s): Ladies. 3 (24m 6s): All right. You guys will. All right. Welcome everyone. Child dedication Sunday on the side. Yeah, can go on the side. Yeah. All right. Come on up. Come on up. Schwartz is what exciting day shows our, our church is growing, not, you know, from, from the youngest up. 3 (24m 51s): So it's, it's, it's great to see your families up here. It's all right. So I get to introduce everyone first. So over here we have Logan and Caitlin Weiss, and we have their whole family, but today they're gonna be dedicating Theodore, Theo, and Willow. Let's see. And and Theo was born July 13th, 2022. And Willow was born August 17th, 2019. And Emmett back here was born December 21st, 2016. All right. And over here we have the Schwartz family. 3 (25m 33s): We got Joel and Caitlin and Gwen. And today they're gonna be dedicating Laurel. And she was born on January 19th, 2019. I got the date right. Okay. And then also Juniper, who was born on October 21st, 2020. So you just had a birthday. That's exciting. So today it's, it's, it's, it's a great day cuz first and foremost, it's the parents that we're dedicat are dedicating their lives to the Lord and the raising of their children in to nurture and discipline in the admonition of the Lord. 3 (26m 13s): New living translation says the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And so I wanna read a passage from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy six, verses four through seven says, Hero Israel, the Lord our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. And these words, which I've commanded today shall be in your heart. So first and foremost, it's, it's the parent's relationship to God. That's the most important. And it it starts with the parents in their walka Lord as they're loving and obeying him and drawing closer to, to the Lord in humble obedience. So I brought up a triangle because I think in a way this is the, our relationship with God is the best pyramid scheme. There it is out there, okay? 3 (26m 54s): It's the good pyramid scheme. And so at a on a triangle, you have three different points. And you have God of top, cuz God is the rock, he's unmovable. But as the husband and wife begin to draw closer to God, and they began to come closer and closer to God, you can see they also, Dr. Come closer to each other. And so as your relationship individually grow and, and, and become closer to God, so too will your relationship with you as spouses grow closer to each other. And then what that does is Paul says that, follow me or imitate me as I follow and imitate Christ. So as you are going closer and your walk, the kids are gonna see that and they're gonna replicate that. 3 (27m 36s): So that is the triangle. But it also says, and Deutero, it says, You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk to them when you sit down at your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. It's, it's a lifestyle of raising these kids up and teaching and nourishing. And it takes full efforts. A hundred percent right? A hundred percent. Psalm 1 27 says, Behold children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward like the arrows in the hand of a warrior. So are the children in one's youth. And it says, Happy is the man who has e quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with their enemies at the gate. So the Bible says that children are not only a heritage and reward, but they're also arrows in the hand of a war. 3 (28m 22s): Parents, you're warriors, we're raising dragon slayers in the time of dragons. I like that Facebook post that came out during 2020. You see, arrows are not just meant to be to stay in the quiver, They're meant to be shot out, they're meant to be released. They're, they're, they're meant to be sent out. And it takes time, it takes focus, it takes effort, it takes concentration. So that's what parenting is. It is preparing your children to be released out into the world and accomplish what God has for them. So I'd love right now to just to to, for the church body, you're a part of this community, to, to help raise these kids, to love on them. So why don't you raise your hand for to just be as we just pray over these two families. 3 (29m 6s): Jesus, we thank you for these two families, Lord, who are here saying that they're here to dedicate their children into the Lord. We thank you for each of the individual personalities of these children and all that you want to accomplish in and through them Lord. And so Lord, draw the parents closer to you, God, and closer to each other, Lord, so that their relationship might be strong and that that love might trickle down into the lives of their kids. And that kids witness Lord, your, their obedience to you Lord. So Lord, we dedicate these children unto the Lord. We dedicate them to you. God. We say, Lord, that good work that you started in them, we complete it, Lord, yes, we thank you Lord. 3 (29m 47s): In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Love you guys. Love you. All right, Steve. 13 (29m 60s): Yeah, I'm up. 14 (30m 3s): Thanks Jeremy. Thanks guys. I remember 31 years ago, roughly we dedicated sweet KK to the Lord. And, and really it is a dedication of the parents, as Jeremy said, We're actually asking parents to make a commitment of their lives, to raise up godly offspring. And we're talking today about impacting our community and our world with the life changing message of Jesus Christ. I tell you, as parents and grandparents, we've got the greatest opportunity to impact our nation, our world, our community, and our world with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. 14 (30m 46s): So sometimes when we're busy, you look at my, look at these young families, there's so much going on, there's so much activity and so much drawing and pulling on these young families, and I just want to encourage parents and grandparents and grandparents. But that the greatest thing that you can do is, is impact your little kids with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. And watch how that will change the culture and will change your family and will change the dynamic of the, the nation and the world. Good and wonderful things happen as a result of that investment. And it's an investment, right? It's like a lifetime of investment, but it's got the best return possible. 14 (31m 31s): It's just the most amazing thing. And so with that, let's pray as we get into the message today, We're gonna be in First Corinthians chapter four. And Lord, we just want to invite you, Lord, we're so thankful for the opportunity to set time aside in the service, to challenge people, to challenge families, to raise their kids the way that the scriptures inform us to raise our kids. And so, Lord, I pray that there would be strength around that focus and commitment around that focus, Lord, that there would be a lifetime of dedication around that focus, Lord, that we as your church would make it our priority to pray for the next generation, to disciple the next generation Lord God, to instruct and to model to the next generation what it means to be a servant of yours, a follower of yours, Lord God. 14 (32m 22s): So in our conduct and our words and our thoughts and our deeds, God, that they would see and want to emulate and model that in their own, in their own lives, Lord God. So we pray Jesus, that each week as we gather that we'd be built up on our most holy faith, that we would, would receive instruction and encouragement to do what you've called us to do in your Word. And so part of that, and a major part of that Lord, is that we might impact those around us, impacting our community and our world with the life changing message of Jesus Christ will help us to do that. We pray, Lord, thank you for your grace in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. How many can remember, you guys seem a little quiet today? 14 (33m 5s): How many can remember our core values? Four core values on which we move forward together on, I'll give you the first word of each core value and then you fill it in. We are committed the Lord to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are confident in the word of God. We are created to serve God and others. And we are called to love all people, right? Do me a favor, write it down as my, some of us just need, we need core values for our own lives, right? Like we need to adopt core values for our lives that help to shape us and mold us as we move forward. 14 (33m 48s): And so use these core values because they are applicable, they are transferable, they work for a corporation, the, a corporate gathering of people like a church, but they also work for individuals and for families. And so, and then part of that is a purpose statement. What is your life gonna be like? Well, as a church, I hope and I pray, and our goal and our focus is that we would be impacting our community and our world with the life changing message of Jesus Christ. And so that's kind of what we're talking about today. But before we get to that, I got something for pastor appreciation that I'd like to share with you a couple weeks ago was pastor appreciation week. And so we received, you know, encouragement and gifts and that sort of thing. 14 (34m 29s): And one of the things that I did receive was a, a free joke. I got a free, I didn't have to pay five bucks for this joke. It was a free joke. And so this is the joke. What did the buffalo say to his son when he dropped him off at school? Bye son. I think I'm actually used that before, but it worked again. I got it. I had to use it. So anyway, hey, we're in First Corinthians chapter four. We're going to do our best to walk through all of First Corinthians chapter four. Do I have a calendar counter up there? Boy, I can't hardly see that. 30 Oh my glasses, I got like 45 minutes. Is that what they are? Is that what I have? 45 minutes. Thanks Amanda. Thanks. 14 (35m 10s): I might take 45 today impacting our community and our world life changing message of Jesus Christ. How do we do that? How do we do that? I mean, we gotta have steps to accomplish the goal. We gotta have things that we can do that help us march down that path, that intentional path that we've set out for ourselves. And so as we look at first Corinthians chapter four, the apostle Paul Apollos and Paul, our, our speak, Paul, especially through the, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is speaking to us about what our lives should look like. And he's speaking to a church, he's speaking to the church at Corinth, he's speaking to believers, people who are like you and I, who are just trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. 14 (35m 56s): And so, number one in your notes, how do we, how do we impact our community and our world with life changing message? We gotta live our lives for God and not man. So number one, live your life for God and not man. You think we see that in the scripture? We see it all throughout the scripture, right? We can probably unpack any book of the Bible, any chapter of the Bible, and we'll see kind of this underlying theme in there that we are called to live our lives for God and not for man. First Corinthians four, one says, So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God's mysteries. 14 (36m 39s): So this first kind of levels the playing field. Paul reminds us of his role as simply a servant of God. What does that word servant mean? Is if we get a word picture, it's actually the under rowers in the bottom of a ship. The under rowers are the, the least envied servants on the boat. They're underneath at the bottom of the boat and they're rowing and they're pushing the boat, they're moving the boat through the waters. It's, it's a thankless job. And they're underappreciated, but they're doing a job moving the ship. I'll re under rowers indicating the lowest galley slaves, the ones rowing on the bottom tier of the ship. 14 (37m 21s): They were the most menial un envied and despised of slaves. So when Paul talks about his role as a servant, he really has got a clear perspective of his role. This is the Apostle Paul who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. He could be boasting about his role within the kingdom, but instead, instead he doesn't, He realizes that he is a servant of the living God. And he communicates that throughout his epistles, as he writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He says, Hey, every person in the kingdom of God is merely a servants of God. And that word could be understood as, as an employee, maybe that's an easier word for us to understand where employees of God were actually working for God. 14 (38m 8s): Were employed by God here in the earth to do the work that he's called us to do. We're employed to do God's work in the earth. So every the servant of God is directly answers to God. Every one of us will give an account and stand before the king and give an account for our lives. Why? Because we're employed by him for a purpose to do, do the work that he's called us to do. So Apollo and Paul, they understood, hey, we're simply employees of God. They were put in charge of explaining God's mysteries. And so they were servants of God. 14 (38m 49s): Paul Apollo and Paul were servants who knew their job in the kingdom. So we're kind of getting some pieces and we're starting to put it together. Apollo and Paul, they were servants and they understood their role within the kingdom. And so there's some things that we can grab a hold of as believers here in the 21st century. We can get a better understanding, a clearer understanding of who we are. We are servants, employees of God with responsibilities. And it's our job to figure out what that responsibility is. Paul continues to challenge us in the next verse, verse two. Now a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 14 (39m 33s): So Paul's brings something else to the table that helps us to understand who we are and who we have been created to be. So we are simply servants of God. We're employed by God with responsibilities and we must be faithful in those responsibilities. So there's a little three many, three point service sermon within a sermon. These are things that God has called us to do. We can unpack the scripture and get point by point. We can get step by step the plan that God has for us. And Paul's outlining it for us. We are called to be servants. And so nobody in the kingdom is, is more important than another. 14 (40m 15s): We're all just servants of the living God, employees of God. And we've got responsibilities. And it is our responsibility to figure out what our responsibility is. And then once we've figured out what our responsibility is, then we must be faithful with our responsibility. This is indeed how we impact our world, our, our community, and our world. The life changing message of Jesus Christ. We get very serious about who we are. Not in a unhappy way, but in a, I don't know about you, but when, when a person figures out what they're on the earth to do, they, it, it, it just fills that person with a sense of purpose, a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility. 14 (41m 4s): Like I know what I'm here to do. A lot of people go out through throughout life and they've never quite settled in, in their identity and figured out who they are. And so they're running from thing to thing, accomplishment to accomplishment, trying to fill that void. And that void can only be filled in Christ Jesus when we realize that in Christ we are servants of God. Jesus modeled that for us. He said, I didn't come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. And so Paul, in the early church followers of Jesus Christ understood this. And they lived their lives in that way. Nothing's changed in 2000 years. This is what God has called us to do, to understand that we are simply servants, employees of God with a purpose and we must be faithful. 14 (41m 55s): It's a life and death situation. Spiritual life and spiritual death. And so this is why we charge families to disciple their young people. That's why in our church we're focused on discipling every generation that comes through. Because we want people to understand who they are in Christ. They are servants of the living God given responsibility, purpose in the earth. And they must be faithful. Three very important ingredients. Things that we must get our hands on and our hearts around and must fill our minds. This reality that we, we have purpose, we work who directly for who, Right? 14 (42m 39s): What was the second one that I said? Faithful. Faithful Faithful's. Three. What was the second one? You've got responsibility. All right, so first one, we are servants, employees of God. Number two, we have responsibilities. And number three, we must be faithful. Right? It's life and death, right? So make that, you know, stick in your heart and in your mind. Let that really settle into your soul and, and shape the way that you live your lives and the way that you make decisions. I am a servants of God, an employee of God. I have responsibilities and it's my job to figure out what that responsibility is. 14 (43m 24s): And then I, I must be faithful. If you're a, if you've got kids, your primary responsibility are those kids is your job. We will partner with you in Sunday school and in youth programs and all kinds of stuff. But it is, it is your job. You will stand before the Lord and actually give an account for the way that you've parented your kids. And so it's your responsibility to make sure that you are discipling your kids. And then as your kids grow and then as you have grandkids, it's your responsibility to invest in those grandkids because you are in their life for a purpose. My kids are amazing in so many ways because of their grandparents, because of the way their grandparents have spoken into their lives and for the countless hours that their grandparents have prayed for them and spoken life into them. 14 (44m 18s): So we have this amazing responsibility. Colossians 3 23 says, Work willingly at whatever you do at whatever you do ministry, vocation, parenting, all responsibilities, work willingly at whatever you do as though you are working for the Lord rather than for people, right? We're working for the Lord and it's to the Lord that we will ultimately give an account for our lives. We are working for God as number one servants. Number two, people with responsibility. And number three, as people who must be faithful. This is, this is probably all I need to say today, but I got a few more pages of notes here. 14 (45m 3s): So let's continue to go through Colossians 3 24. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward and that the master you are serving is Christ. Over and over again in scripture, we see that the one that we serve is not man, but God. As we work for the Lord, it makes very little difference what others think about our work. As long as we are satisfying the Lord. As an aside, if you're not satisfying your boss, you're probably not satisfying your Lord in general terms. So everything that we do must be un is unto the Lord. 14 (45m 44s): And I, I can make this promise to you, If you are serving your earthly boss, as you are your heavenly boss, your earthly boss will be more than satisfied. Why? Because people who serve God faithfully are people of integrity. They don't lie, steal, cheat. They are people who are responsible and reliable and honorable. And so if you're living your life that way at work and in your home, you are pleasing your heavenly boss. And I promise you, everybody else in your life kinda like that triangle that Jeremy had, God at the top man and woman, as they get closer to God, they're getting closer to one another. 14 (46m 25s): As, as you in your life get closer to God, you're pleasing those in your life because you're, you're a better husband, you're a better father, you're a better wife, you're a better mother, you're a better employee. You're, you're a better everything. You, you fill in the blank. Everything is better. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else will be added onto you. So make God your priority and everything else will fall into place. But you gotta, you gotta get that done first. You gotta make God your priority in every area of your life. Paul continues in verse three s for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. 14 (47m 6s): I don't even trust my own judgment at this point. Why is Paul making this statement? Paul makes this statement about people's evaluation of his ministry because people are always changing their minds and their basis for evaluation and their basis for evaluation isn't always God's basis for evaluation. So Paul saying, Hey, I just gotta make sure that I'm honoring the Lord and as I honor the Lord, I'm trusting that he's going to do what he wants to do through me. So Paul's not worried about externals, he's not worried about what people are thinking. He's not a people pleaser, He's a God pleaser. Why? Because he's an employee of God with responsibilities and he must be found faithful. 14 (47m 50s): Paul understood his life. We need to understand our lives, what we're here for. We need to get a hold of our purpose in the earth where we're here for a kingdom purpose and we got jobs and we've got, you know, hobbies and things like that. But those all take, those are all secondary and tertiary. They're all like way down the list compared to, compared to the reality that we are slaves of God, servants of God, employees of God, and we have responsibility and we must be found faithful. So Paul's not worried too much about what people think about his ministry. And that's really the best way to go about ministry. My ministry may be great for some, but it may put others to sleep. 14 (48m 34s): It really doesn't matter. I need to be about my father's business. And I, I tell you, it might put others to sleep because I watch people sleep during my sermons sometimes. And the craziest thing is sometimes they're right on the front row. I'm like, Holy cow, are you kidding me? You're asleep right now. Maybe preaching one of my best messages and you're asleep. Or I'm speaking to a chair cause there's nobody there. But I'm like, wake up. We had a guy years ago when I was an associate pastor and I was preaching and this guy was snoring right in the middle of my sermon. He was like 34 rows back and he's just sacked out completely. All right, listen, you can't sleep through sermons and expect to get anything from the Lord, right? 14 (49m 18s): So get some sleep at night and then come ready to go. Most of you know what I'm talking about. What does God think about your ministry? What does God think about my ministry? That's the most important thing. Now we can learn from other people's, from people's critiques, people's encouragement. Some of in my life, some of the hardest lessons that I've had to learn have been through super uber critical people. And the temptation is to say, Oh, they're just jerk star mean. And even if 95 or 99% of what they're saying is mean spirited and inaccurate, there just might be a nugget of something in there that I need to hear. 14 (50m 2s): There just might be something in there. Get a get through all the flesh and all the ugliness of how it was communicated. There might be something there. And so the Holy Spirit will use all kinds of things. Mostly his word and his spirit will speak to us. But also through people. We will get a chance to kind of evaluate our lives. But we can't live our lives for people. We can't, we we can't minister to please people. Proverbs 29 25 says, Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. So what are you called to do? And don't do it to please people. Don't fall into a, a, a role of responsibility because you think others think you should be in that role or responsibility. 14 (50m 47s): When I wanted to be a senior pastor years ago, somebody said, Well, you're just a kid. You probably should just be a youth pastor. I said, Well, maybe you're right. But I'm called to be a senior pastor and that's what I feel like I'm supposed to do. Right? The world wants to shape who we are, right? When we planted a church, well, you've never planted a church before. You shouldn't plant a church, right? What is it that the world is telling you you shouldn't do? Because you shouldn't do it in their perspective. Amen. Right? Like you, you shouldn't do what? Because you've never had what? The experience, the training, the education. What is it that you feel cold in your soul to do? 14 (51m 27s): But others are telling you you can't do? Maybe what? God, I'm back. Not maybe at all. For sure. What God has called you to do is fulfilling his kingdom purpose in your life. And so you as a servant of God, a lowly servant of God, get to settle in. Amen. And do finding out your purpose and maybe you're not finding out your purpose because you're trying to please everybody around you. Listen, you'll never be able to figure that out. You'll never please everybody cuz soon as you please one somebody else is mad at you because you're not doing it the way they thought you should do it or thinking the way they think you should be thinking. So figure out what you're in the world to do. You're first and foremost a servant, an employee of God. 14 (52m 10s): So let's get that settled. I'm just a, a lowly under rower, right? No prestige, no honor, really. It's just an under rower, right? And then I've got responsibility and that I must be found faithful. Paul tells us in verse four, My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I'm right. It's the Lord himself who examine me and decide Paul's conscience is clear, but he understands that he might be missing something. Paul's saying, Hey, we can't even really trust our conscience now we need to work toward clearing our conscience of known discrepancies in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. 14 (52m 50s): But even then, only God can judge us and come to an accurate conclusion. And so we need to be constantly checking in with the Lord. Lord, what am I doing? Is, is what I'm doing in line with you and you, you can't accurately hear from the Lord on the fly. You gotta like settle in and just take some time. You, you gotta spend time with the Lord and it can't be, Hey Lord, you know, speak to me throughout the day. I mean God will do that for sure, but you, you just probably just need to get with the Lord and spend some uninterrupted time. Turn off your phone, do whatever you gotta do. Get alone. Do whatever you gotta do to hear from the Lord and then do that on a regular basis. 14 (53m 31s): Otherwise you'll get way off track. It's easy to get off track. You gotta do what you gotta do to hear from the Lord. And you gotta do it on a regular basis. Lord, how's the ministry going? This ministry that you've called me to, Am I doing okay as I read the war, Lord? Is what I'm doing properly reflected in your word? Lord? Does it look like what you've called me to do? Does it look like what you've called the church to do? And Lord, am I being faithful? Am I being faithful? Last night, about six o'clock, I told my wife, I said, I gotta go for a walk. And I, cuz I, I go walk in and I pray. And that's just how I spend time. 14 (54m 12s): I, I'm just out there by myself and I can, I'm a probably a little bit so I can't sit cuz I'll get distracted by a thousand other things. So I just walk and I pray and, and I came back and I told only, I said, you know, I, I feel like I've been praying to an iron dome lately. I, I can't break through. Like, I, I, like, I I don't, I feel like when I'm praying I can't get through. And, and I realize, you know, we're, we're called to walk by faith and not by sight and emotions sometimes rob us of the joy of just doing what we know that we're called to do. And so don't, don't rely on emotions, cuz some days you're gonna have a great day, other days you're gonna have a bad day. Some days you feel like, Oh, I, I got a direct line to the Lord. And other days you're feeling like I can't even, I can't even touch heaven, right? 14 (54m 54s): So just keep doing what God has called you to do. Get up, figure out that you're a servant of God, that you've got responsibility and that you must be found faithful. Just trust the Lord. One Corinthians chapter four, so many judgements about anyone ahead of time before the Lord returns for he will bring our darkest secret secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. The new Bible commentary states, it is Christ, it will expose attempts to cover up misdeeds and will judge not merely actions but motivations. So Paul's saying, Hey, don't look on the outside and elevate one person over another. 14 (55m 37s): I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollo, I'm of Peter, I'm of Christ. You know, we, we look on the outside and we, we misjudge just do worry about yourself, right? Amen. Where are you? Right? Don't worry about what I'm doing or what your friends doing. What, what are you doing? Verse six, Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollo of myself to illustrate what I've been saying. If you pay attention to what I've quoted from the scriptures, you won't be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. So here, Paul reiterates what he's already said, and he challenges the factions in divisions within the church. 14 (56m 20s): One Corinthians one 12 says, Some of you are saying, I am a follower of Paul. Others are saying, I follow Apollos, or I follow Peter, or I follow only Christ. Paul's talking about the distractions that are happening within the church. Well, I'm a part of this faction, or I'm part of that faction, I'm part of that group or that that person or that whatever. What has God called you to do? Or called the team up together as a church and be part of the kingdom work that God's called us to in the earth. But what, what is God calling you to do? Right? So often we're focused on what others are doing or are not doing in their lives and in their ministry and how we are disappointed by that. But what is called you, what is God called you to do? 14 (57m 4s): So Paul, in a sense, is challenging at superstar mentality, right? Where we're elevating people and it's just so unhealthy, right? So if, if we're elevating somebody on the platform to at the expense of our own ministry that God has called us to, if, if we're missing the point of what God has placed us on the earth to do, then we're missing it all together. We are of Christ, period. We are of the Lord. I was at a church years ago and the one of the leaders in the church was introducing their pastor as the star. 14 (57m 46s): He said, Hey, there's our star. And there's no stars in the kingdom except Jesus. I mean, only God is He's he, He reigns in rules. Supreme. We need to live our lives for God and not men. Not trying to please men, not trying to become men who people are impressed with, or women that people are impressed with. It's none of that stuff matters. Our goal shouldn't be, I want to be impressive. My goal should be, our goal should be, I want to be invisible, man. I just wanna be a servant of God, an under rower. 14 (58m 27s): Like I don't care. I I I need to do what I'm called to do and be faithful. And that's what all is gonna matter in the, at the end of, at the end of the day. So impacting our community and our world with life changing message of Jesus Christ. Number one requires that you live your life for God and and not for man. And then number two, remember that your life and all that you have is a gift from God. In our culture where we've got plenty, we forget that all we have is a gift from God. Verse seven, For what gives you the right, Paul goes on First Corinthians chapter four, for what gives you the right to make such a judgment. What do you, what do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is a, is from God, why boast as though they were not a gift? 14 (59m 9s): You think you already have everything you need. He's challenging the carnality within the church. People who have resources or political power, he's challenging them because they feel like they've already arrived. We, we have to be careful when we've attained a, a level of success to remember that it doesn't matter how much we have or how much we've succeeded in this life. We are only and always still a bond servant and a servant, an employee of God in Jesus' name. That is our call. And that will keep us humble and that will keep us grateful. Every everything that we have is a gift from God. And so God has gifted some and it allows those people to become prominent and, and were to use those prominent gifts and talents to impact the kingdom that we might make a difference in the world. 14 (59m 57s): You think you already have everything you need. Paul said, You think you're already rich. You have begun to reign in God's kingdom without us. I wish you really were reigning, but then we'd be reigning with you. It's like, hey, you've, you're not even realizing that we're in a battle. You're celebrating well prematurely, but you're also celebrating the wrong stuff. We're not here in the earth to build a kingdom ourselves, a place of sanctuary for ourselves. We're in a battle for the kingdom. We are under rowers servants, period with responsibility, Period. 14 (1h 0m 39s): And we must be faithful. Period. Verse nine, He says, instead, I, I sometimes thank God has put us as apostles on display like prisoners of war at the end of a victor's parade condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world, to people and angels alike. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools. But you claim to be so wise in Christ, we are weak. But you are so powerful. You are honored. But we are ridiculed even now. We go hungry and thirsty and we don't even have enough clothes to keep us warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 14 (1h 1m 20s): We work weirdly with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world's garbage. Like everybody's trash right up to the present moment. And we can turn on TV and watch health and wealth messages all day long until cows come home and everybody's telling you, you should be healthy, wealthy, and wise. That's not what Paul's experience was. 14 (1h 2m 1s): The church is delusional if that's what we think we're here to experience into a accomplish. Now. God is good and he blesses and he takes care of his church. But most of the church around the world is not healthy, wealthy. And why They're in the early church experiences. Paul experienced this. We go hungry and thirsty. You turn on some television preachers, teachers, and they're telling you that this should never happen. Well, it happened to Paul, it happened to the early church. 14 (1h 2m 43s): We gotta change our mind about the kingdom. It's not about us. It's about the king. We will never impact our community in our world with a life changing message of Jesus Christ. If it's always about us. Just amen. I'm not writing these things to shame you, Paul said, But to warn you as my beloved children, verse 14, verse 15, For even if you had 10,000 others to teach you about Christ, you only have one spiritual father before I became your father in Christ. When I preach the good news to you. So I urge you to imitate me. Paul said, so I urge you to imitate me, right? 14 (1h 3m 23s): So Paul say, Hey, follow me as I follow Christ. Right? That's a bold statement. It's a statement that we should be able to make to our friends, families, and neighbors. Hey, follow me. I'll show you what it means to be a follower of Christ. Right? Paul's not arrogant, but he is certainly confident in who he is as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need to have that same confidence. Why? Because we understand that we are servants of God, slaves of God. We are here with purpose and we are laser-like focused on that purpose because we will be held accountable and we must be faithful. And so with that clarity and with that confidence and with that conviction, we move forward as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 14 (1h 4m 13s): And we do what God has called us to do. We live in the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ, and we impact our community and our world with life changing message of Jesus Christ. It happens really one person at a time. You impacting another person, you impacting someone else, One person impacting another one at a time, at a time, at a time. Paul wasn't confused about his life. We will be confused about our lives. If we deviate from the scripture, we will be confused about who we are, about how we should spend our time, our talent, and our treasure about everything alike. 14 (1h 4m 58s): We will be confused walking around in a cloud, confused about what success looks like, confused about what our purpose in life is, confused and never knowing whether we've actually made a difference in the earth. But if we figure out that we are servants with a purpose and we must be faithful, then we will no longer be confused. Paul wasn't confused about his life. He knew that his life and all that he had was a gift from God to be used for God. And that God could give him a gift to him or take from him whatever. And whenever, and Paul was ready for it. Philippians four 12 and 13 I, I know Paul's rights. 14 (1h 5m 38s): I know what it is to be in need. I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I I can do everything through him who gives me the strength, right? I can do everything right. So don't get discouraged if you're in a hard spot in life. Welcome to humanity, right? Financial stressors, physical stressors, relational stressors. Don't get down on God because you think he's not living up to his end of the bargain. His end of the bargain is I say to you, you serve me. 14 (1h 6m 18s): That's it. Right? I redeem you by my grace and through my blood, and you serve me all the days of your life because I've give you, I've given you purpose. I've adopted you into my family, given you purpose. You get to serve within the kingdom to impact your community and your world with life changing message of Jesus Christ. That's what it's about. If we think it's something different, we've missed the gospel completely. If we somehow think that we're important within the kingdom, you're important as much, as much as you've been given responsibility. And if you don't do it, if you don't find yourself faithful, God doesn't find you faithful, then you've blown it. It's a bit, Did you hear me? You have blown it because you got your whole life to figure this out. 14 (1h 7m 3s): And God is so faithful and gentle and good. He continues to remind us and teach us. And maybe that's what he's doing today. He's reminding us, He's teaching us, He's instructing us. He's trying to get our attention in a world that's filled with distraction, filled with priorities that have nothing to do with kingdom filled with hindrances to what God has called us to. Paul said, Hey, imitate me. Do what I'm doing. Follow me as I follow Christ. Paul is discipling these believers in genuine Christianity. 14 (1h 7m 44s): Genuine Christianity. Genuine Christianity is what we see in the pages of scripture. Genuine Christianity. The definition of discipleship goes beyond just being a good student of a teacher. Discipleship requires that we imitate our teacher. Follow me as I follow Christ. Paul is urging these followers of Jesus Christ to follow him as he follows Christ. Verse 17. That's why I sent Timothy my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus. 14 (1h 8m 24s): Just as I teach in all the churches, wherever I go. Some of you have become arrogant thinking, I'm I, I will not visit you again, but I will come and soon if the Lord lets me. And then I'll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God's power. Because there's people within the church who are rising up and they're influential and they're speaking a godless, biblically void message. And there it's all about people exalting themselves. And Paul is there to challenge it. 14 (1h 9m 4s): He said, I'll come. I'll come. Listen. I'd rather have a dude come and shake me by the, by the neck and get my attention than standing before God. So I'm the dude today, and I don't make light of that. I, I am calling us. I am pleading that we would understand who we are, that we would get it at the core, that we would live it in Jesus Christ impacting our community and our world with life-changing message of Jesus Christ requires that all believers remember that your life and all that you have is they get from God. 14 (1h 9m 60s): And that we need to live our lives for God. There's a British rock band called Queen, great song that still played today great in the eyes of the world. What's her song? I want it all. I want it all, and I want it now. Freddie Mercury just belts it out, right? He wanted it all. They wanted it. That's the theme of the world. And if we're not careful, it's the theme of Carl Christians like we want it here and now. 14 (1h 10m 42s): We want our rewards. We want to live life. We want it all. Now, the fact that Freddy Mercury died of complications with AIDS at AIDS 45 isn't lost on me. This world doesn't offer what we're longing to experience as created beings in Christ, where we're called to serve the Lord, to give our lives to God. He said, Freddie, Mercury people, do you hear me? 14 (1h 11m 24s): Just give me the sign. It ain't much. I'm asking if you want the truth. Here's to the future for the dreams of youth. I want it all. Give it all. I want it all. I want it now. I want it all. Yes, I want it all. I want it all. Hey, I want it all and I want it now. I mean, it's just over and over and over again. This could be the theme of your life, like I'm working to get it all. Cuz we, we think somehow that that's what it's gonna scratch the itch or fill the void. He said, I'm a man with a one track mind so much to do in one lifetime. 14 (1h 12m 9s): Do you hear me? People not a man for compromise and wears and wise and living lies. So I'm living it all. Yes, I'm living it all and I'm giving it all. And I'm giving it all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. This is the theme of the world. Freddie Mercury died in 1987, but his songs are still going, impacting our community and our world with life changing message. Jesus Christ. Number three, remember that the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk. 14 (1h 12m 53s): It is living by the power of God. By God's power. Where did I get that? Where did I get that? There's 20. The Bible. Okay, If I'm up here preaching something that's not in the Bible, don't listen to me. But if I'm up here preaching what is in the Bible, listen, the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, but it's living in God's power. Verse 20, first Corinthians chapter four, For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, it's living by God's power. God spoke it. 14 (1h 13m 33s): This is what we believe as believers. This is what we live for as people who are living for Jesus. It's not just talking about it, but it's living in the power of God. I say it all the time. Everything that God calls us to requires that we live in that power, that we're empowered to do what God has called us to do. We cannot see what God is asking us to do. We cannot hear, we cannot do unless we're living in the power of God filled with the spirit of God. Which do you choose? Paul Road, Verse 21. Which do you choose? Everything comes down to choice, right? 14 (1h 14m 15s): Which, which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you? Paul says he understood his authority within the church and his job to bring correction. But it wasn't his hard to be people up. It was his hard to disciple people to raise them up, but to encourage them to do what God had called them to do. But he's willing to bring a rod of correction if that's what will awaken the church, which you choose. Should I come with a rod to punish you or should I come with love and a gentle spirit? What do we need? What are we choosing? I mean, do we, do we want to stand before the Lord after reading passages like this and hearing sermons like this and say, Ah, I didn't take it serious. 14 (1h 15m 7s): You say, Well, I'm old and I haven't been living my life like this. We'll start now. Say I'm young and my life is just getting started. Get going. Now. Think about it now. Say, Well, I haven't raised my kids the way this, that you're been talking about. We'll start now. Repent and apologize and start now. Say, Hey, I've tell your kids, Hey, I didn't raise you the way I should've raised you. Forgive me. I'm going to, by God's grace, begin again in your marriage. Maybe you've not been honoring your spouse the way you should begin again. Say, Hey, I haven't been the best spouse. 14 (1h 15m 49s): Forgive me. I, I'd like to begin again and begin again. Don't be discouraged by a message like this, but let it light a fire in your soul. We were had a campfire. We had our grandkids over Friday night and couldn't wait for grandpa to get home because I was gonna build a bill campfire, you know, they wanted to help me build a fire. You know, we got this little fire area in the back of our property and like, Grandpa, we wanna, we wanna gather sticks so we can help you build the fire. Like, okay, go grab up the sticks. And we start building this fire. 14 (1h 16m 29s): And it's just really small. At first, I said, just wait. It's going to, it's gonna get bigger. So I, I had built this TP of a structure around this, and it was just a matter of time before that fire just grew and grew and grew and then caught. And before you knew it was just tall and we're just, we're roast of marshmallows and having to be careful cuz we're getting too close to the fire. But it was exciting when there's a, a fire burning, it's an exciting thing. Some of us are just barely embers ember. We're just barely, barely alive. There. Stoke it. I got real close to the fire and started blowing on it. 14 (1h 17m 9s): I said, Watch this, guys. Watch, watch. When I blow life into the air, into this fire just begins to get hot and big. Let God blow some life into you. Amen. Because what God can do in a moment is, is wonderful and supernatural to bring life and light to your, your walk as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, your purpose. And you'll, you'll never find greater joy, greater peace, greater fulfillment, and greater satisfaction than when you're doing what God has created you to do. 14 (1h 17m 52s): Everything else pales in comparison to that. Everything else pales in comparison to that. So forget about the big points. What are the three small points? Number one, 0 (1h 18m 7s): Servants, 14 (1h 18m 8s): What is it? 15 (1h 18m 9s): Servants, Employee of 14 (1h 18m 10s): God. Oh, servants, employees of God. What does that mean to you? 15 (1h 18m 19s): My life? I'm here to do what 14 (1h 18m 23s): He wants me to do. You're here to do what he wants you to do. Yeah. Employed by God, we've all been employed by somebody in life, right? Right. What do you, how do you know that you're doing a good job when your boss is saying, Hey, great, great job. When you know you've got a good clear job description and you're doing the job, be a servant. Figure out what you're called to do and then do it faithfully. Go ahead and stand up, Lord, as we wrap this sermon up, Lord, we thank you for who you are and for your grace. And we love you Lord. And we know that you love us and that you've given us purpose and we will be held accountable for that purpose. 14 (1h 19m 8s): So, Lord, I pray, I pray that that's what happens here at Harvest Church and everywhere where we have influence God, that we would, we would model this and live it and we stumble. We'd be quick to repent and get back to it. In Jesus' name for all the days of our lives. In Jesus' name. Lord, thank you Lord. Thank you Lord God. As we get ready to worship again, I pray that we'd be worshiping with a clear conscience, knowing that we are settled from this moment. 14 (1h 19m 58s): We are settled and we are committed from this moment to march forward in Jesus' name, to build your kingdom, to impact our community and our world with life changing message of Jesus Christ. One person at a time. We are your servants. We have responsibility and we will be faithful. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name. It's worship 0 (1h 20m 29s): Jesus. You're doing on, you're doing ah, A you're doing a Never gave up. You never gave up, you never up on you never give up. 0 (1h 21m 11s): You never gave up. You never gave up on me. You gonna give up. Never gave up. Never gave up. I know Jesus. Not done. You're doing, you're doing a new, you're a new thing on your life. 0 (1h 22m 1s): You never gonna give up. You gave up. You never gave up. You never gonna give up. Never give up. You never give. Gonna give up, never give, never up, done with me. You're new. You're doing a new Hoo. 0 (1h 22m 51s): You're doing a new, You're doing a new. So come do a 1 (1h 23m 11s): God. That is our prayer this morning, that you would do something new within us, that we wanna be complacent, but that we would live to our eyes toward heaven. We would ask what our assignment is for the day. And God, we would just walk moment by moment, day by day with you. We thank you for your presence. We thank you for your truth. We love you. It's in your precious name we pray. Amen.

Monday Oct 17, 2022

Identity Series: Called to Love All People - Steve Henry

Monday Oct 17, 2022

1 (1s): Good morning Harvest Church. Let's stand and praise and worship the Lord Jesus this morning together. Amen. I have been saved by the grace of God. Amen. I been raised to a loyal sing. 1 (42s): Jesus, Jesus, 0 (52s): Love you. 1 (1m 1s): She's i a in the, you won't. 1 (2m 28s): That's who that is. The 0 (3m 14s): You She. 1 (4m 24s): There's, that's the power name. Just giant strongholds. And there is, that's the, 0 (5m 24s): There's 1 (5m 25s): A hope. There's a hope that courage, the c expectation giants fall. 1 (6m 6s): That's, 0 (6m 10s): It's, 1 (6m 40s): I see you taking ground. I see you press hand. Your power is dangerous. The enemies can. Yeah. You still do miracle. You'll do what you, you've always sing it. Your kingdom, 0 (7m 19s): You still do 1 (7m 21s): Miracles. 0 (7m 22s): You'll do what you, 1 (8m 49s): How could I 2 (8m 57s): Sing this out? Sing. And you never with your hands, don't you get lift soul, You lie inside. 2 (11m 34s): Praise the sing it 0 (11m 41s): On. 2 (11m 43s): Don't you get, 0 (11m 48s): You 2 (11m 48s): Gotta 1 (12m 31s): Raise you again and again. All that I have is and knows I'm set for singing. 2 (15m 30s): You 0 (15m 31s): Are my. 2 (16m 54s): Yeah. Let's declare that together. 0 (18m 50s): I 3 (19m 20s): Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that perfect love, cast at all fear, Lord. And because your presence is here this morning, Lord, we pray in the name of Jesus, you'd cast at all fear. Fear does not belong in this place. Lord. Lord, your perfect love would just envelop us, Lord God, 0 (19m 42s): That 3 (19m 42s): We be, we just feel a tangible presence of your love this morning, and that we would then after this service to be able to go out and share your love with the world. Lord, we invite you here. In Jesus name you pray. Amen. You can take a seat. Well, good morning, Church is so good to see you. My name's Jeremy. I'm the youth and family pastor. And on Sundays I also double as a parking lot attendant. So I'm sorry if I'm the first face that you see in the morning, you know, chasing away from parking spots. Be gracious with us and with our neighbors, they've, they've kind of requested a few of their, their spots on a Sunday morning. So if you're looking for different places to park and that parking lot's full, we have a bunch of spots over here, right behind Clawdy Parts Pizza. 3 (20m 30s): And you just get a free voucher that'll let you outta the gate for free. There's some across the street, if you have family, the great spot to park is over by the kids minutes back there. So there's a lot of spots. Park right behind our church on the freshly re paved spot. And then in, in, right in front of Anderson Burs. Those are all available to you, but they get filled up fast, especially if, if you're a little on the later side. So just, just putting that out there. And a few announcements for you this morning is next week is a really exciting week in the life of our church. We're having child dedication. It's, it's a way that our church is growing. And so next week so far, we have five children being dedicated. 3 (21m 10s): And what that is, is it's not, we're not baptizing them. We're not sprinkling them. We don't believe in infant baptism here at Harvest Church, but we do want to dedicate these children. And it's, it's less to do with the child as, as it is with the parents and the, the family and the community. So we pray over these children, over the, over the families that the families will just raise these children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So that's gonna be next week. If you haven't yet sent me an email to have your child dedicated that day, then just do that and join the, the, the fun. And then another way that we can love our community is next week for Halloween, we're gonna be opening up. We're gonna take all the cheers out of the sanctuary and we're gonna be opening up and having a number of game booths. 3 (21m 54s): And we're gonna be inviting the community into the, into the sanctuary and have them have some fun at some different booths. Now, some of the children that are gonna come will have never stepped foot in a church. And some of the parents will maybe never have set foot in the church. So it's a way of opening up our sanctuary, letting them see that it's not strange in here. It's a really cool building and inviting them in to to, to have a little love and to be loved on, and maybe hopefully invite them back to church and join our community. So it's gonna be a great, great time to serve. We do need people to help out with volunteers. So it's, it's an afternoon Halloween. It's, it's a Monday, I believe. So sign up back at Info Center. 3 (22m 36s): It's a great place to do that. And then thirdly, I don't know if many of you remember, but Dust and Chelsea, they served here at, at Harvest Church for a long time. And I think I might have a picture there We are, Dustin and Chelsea. And they were just great volunteers around here. They, they, Chelsea helped out with the kids' ministry. They both helped out with the youth. And earlier in this year, back in May and May 1st they felt the calling to move to Florida we're like, Okay, you go. So we prayed them out for our youth group. I know we, we, we, we just prayed for them as they went for our staff team as well. They went out to Florida, they got hooked up with a church there and started volunteering right away. 3 (23m 18s): And they happened to move to Fort Myers, Florida. And so that was May 1st. They, they were there for not very long, got really involved with their church. And then September 1st they felt like, Man, Fort Myers not, may not be our place. They were right on the coast. So September 1st, they got a new place in Naples. And so the end of the month, as many of you remember, and, and some of it's, this is kind kind of in the rear view mirror, but Hurricane Ian came through and, and, and wiped out Fort Myers, Florida where they were living now, Dustin and Chelsea won, say they're doing great. God protect 'em. God put them in this little bubble right there in Naples. 3 (23m 60s): They're a little bit inland. And so they said the only damage they had on their, the house that they're renting is tornado damage. Like who would've thought, you know, a hurricane of flight comes to and they had a little hurricane or a little tornado, They never lost power, They didn't lose water. But they're, they know a lot of friends and a lot of people in their community that are hurting. And so we want to partner with Hope City Church and that's the church that they're volunteering at that they're involved in. Hope City Church has a video about how we can help partner and help love on our brothers sisters in Christ in Florida. So can we roll that video? 3 (26m 15s): So a number of years ago with my old church, we, a year after Hurricane Katrina, we got to go and help out rebuild homes and, and, and get involved in the life of people that had been just demolished by that hurricane back then. So I, speaking with people being in their homes even a year after the fact, the the damage is lasting. So this joining with Hope City Church is just a great way to partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ that are hurting there. You can go back to the info center to find out more about how you can donate or you can give to help that church and their, as they're going out to reach people for the gospel in a tangible way. So just a great way to get involved in that way. So right now we're gonna have a time of meet and greet. 3 (26m 55s): So say hi to someone that's around you and yeah, God bless you guys 5 (27m 5s): Life and in your love and kindness raise me up with Christ and made me righteous. 0 (27m 16s): You have of remain love, 5 (27m 26s): Love 0 (27m 33s): Save, love 5 (27m 37s): You that broke the you soul. When I am ho if ever I forget my true identity, show me who I am in. Help me believe you 0 (28m 6s): Have grand chance of your amazing and love 5 (28m 16s): Made. Love 0 (28m 46s): My 5 (28m 46s): Sadness being 0 (28m 47s): Raised. 5 (28m 51s): I'll never be 0 (28m 52s): The same You 5 (28m 58s): Back. Love made love with love by your Grace House. Save 0 (29m 13s): You have love 5 (29m 23s): Made. Love with. 6 (29m 58s): Morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome. I love that video. The opportunity for us to partner with my microphone is on fire. It is. Okay, good. So I wonder, in the spirit of generosity, I wonder if in just a way to love people who've been impacted by Ian, the hurricane there, I wonder if there's a way for us to set a goal. 6 (30m 49s): I wonder if we should set a goal, you guys game for a, like a financial goal that we can bless that part of the world with. I mean I think we need goals, right? I think it's important for us to, to love our community and our world with the life changing message of Jesus Christ. And, and so what do you think? Do you think we could raise $25,000 to send off? Is that possible? Do you think? Okay, if if I just occurred to me, I we didn't have, I haven't had any conversation with anybody about this until now. So is it unrealistic to do $50,000? 6 (31m 31s): No. No. Who said no? Who said 50,000? Everybody 7 (31m 39s): Gave a hundred. 6 (31m 41s): Oh, okay. So if everybody gave hundred bucks. So I think we, we put a ton of money into this building and renovations and we are always putting in money into our facilities and our community and that sort of thing. But how cool would it be to, I mean, can we do, I mean if we all pitched in a hundred bucks, both, you know, all the people in our church, every family. I mean, I think, I think we could do that. How many families do we have at Harvest Church? You think so? Yeah. Per family. 6 (32m 22s): Per family. Okay. So let's try to do that 50 grand, right? I mean it's, I think it's, I think it's doable. I'll pitch in a couple hundred bucks and you'd, so, I mean I'm just, this is just kind of coming right now. Thanks. I'm not gonna put you on the spot cuz I don't want you to feel like you gotta raise your hand. But who's got real faith for this kind of thing? Josh, You got some faith for it? Josh, come on up and pray for us. Can we get a microphone and I think, yeah, come on up. 6 (33m 3s): And this is Josh Erman. He's gonna pray that the Lord would just open up the windows with heaven through us so that we could send them off a blessing. And I don't know what $50,000 will do in the scheme of things, but I think more important than the $50,000 I think is just the, the, the church coming together. Amen. And us you know, us thinking outside of our own 8 (33m 26s): Little, just realizing one, that the fact that we can gather together here free, we can gather together with warm water and, and Lord and sends money through tough times. Their faith is challenged. We at work, Thank you so much. Our church can be there in present giving hugs and encouragement. And may we as a church just brighten their light of faith, funnel money over to that church and seeing your kingdom grow. Lord God, I pray that each person here, their face would be, their faith would be increased with the opportunity to serve. 8 (34m 12s): Maybe not everyone here has the, the ability or time to, to fly over and be there and be directly your hands and feet, but through just modern technology and the, the ability to send our finances over Lord may, may that be multiplied. Yes. May the the the money that we we send have so much more of an impact than it would be with what we were to do in our own neighborhoods. Lord, I pray for encouragement. I pray that there would be excitement and that this would be an opportunity for us as a body here locally to, to grow and to, to get that fellowship where all of us can contribute and serve together in a unique way outside of the, the traditional ways of helping Lord Godda, may you be glorified in our time together in Steve's message. 8 (35m 2s): And I just am encouraged in his spontaneity and challenging us. I mean we all rise to that and make you proud. Your name I pray. Amen. 6 (35m 13s): Amen. Thank you brother. Appreciate it very much. Yeah, the back. So I, I just, I don't know about you guys, but are you about looking at Shelly because we were ask the Lord what would do and then the 9 (35m 54s): Pray 6 (35m 59s): Again. And so then their faith was, I think sometimes we make commitment. We've heard from Lord about this 50,000. But I just think that, that God's honored when we're generous with the resources that he's blessed us with, helping those who will never pay us back, they'll will never even know who they are, this side of heaven. But imagine the other side. When we are in the presence of the saints and the presence of the living God, and we meet people who've we've helped, we didn't even realize we, we, they're gonna come up to us somehow we're gonna know and there's gonna be a connection there. 6 (36m 45s): So think there's something eternally minded, connected to a drive like this. A a desire to help people. So do whatever you feel like you want to do. Just make out your check or do whatever and just put in what, what should we put Ian? Or hurricane or hurricane? Hurricane Relief. How's that sound? Good? Okay. Sounds good. Sounds good. Thanks for that. How many, you're gonna jump in a little bit. I gotta get you a little bit of a commitment, right? I'm not asking you to jump in with how much, but if you've got money or even if you don't have, I think sacrificially giving, I think it's just the way we're talking about love today. So this is a great example. We're really, I mean this is like the rubber meets the road kind of way to love people who will never be able to love us back. 6 (37m 30s): This side effect, we'll never get, like, you know, it's not like you're helping your neighbor across the street who will someday maybe help you back, right? Like, hey, here's, you know, some help. We'll never get it back. Never, ever. I think that's the most beautiful way to give to sacrificially. Give unselfishly. So anyway, we'll be receiving those gifts over these next couple weeks. It'd be great if we could get it done in a week. You think we can get it done in a week? You think we can get it done in a week? It'd be really good. This has nothing to do with church except for we get to help. So I'm not, you know, we're just gonna see what we can do. See what the Lord will do. 6 (38m 12s): Yes. If you need to borrow 200, yes, that's fine. I don't know who's gonna give it to you, but yeah, somebody will loan it to you. Who's got 200 bucks for Keith over there? Hey, thank you so much for honoring us. The pastors last week at Pastor Appreciation week. We, Jeremy and I are the only two pastors right now. Well up to that, up to last week. And now Curtis is on the team. So yeah, we wanna, we're so thankful. Just want to, if you weren't here last week, we, where did he go? He disappeared. He, he went out anyway, so we ordained my son Curtis, who has been serving in the church initially as a volunteer, then slightly paid staff and then just kind of grew in his role and his graduate. 6 (38m 58s): So we've, you know, besides the graduate studies, besides all of the most important stuff is what we've just seen in Curtis's life. The way in which he's grown. His character, his love for people, his love for the ministry. So we're just so grateful. And so, hey, so Jeremy talked about if you get here late park across the street, I got here late this morning, so I was, I parked across the street and so the way you get a free way out of there is you go back to the info center and get a parking pass. What's it called? Validation. There we go. So there's lots of parking around here actually. There's lots and lots of parking around here. So it's just literally like right across the street. 6 (39m 39s): So at the Century 21 parking lot there. All right, so we're, I, I got 17, so how can I be down to 17 minutes? Alright, I gotta be 17 cause I spent a lot of time doing other stuff here, but I'm gonna try to wrap this up here in 17 minutes. Our core values we're committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Confident in the word of God. Created. Oh, good, good. And called to love all people. There we go. There we go. We'll be in First John four, seven through 21 today. So these core values that we've been talking about, these are kind of the wheels that we roll forward on. And if one of those wheels is slightly flat, I got a flat tire recently. I don't believe in karma. 6 (40m 19s): You know why? Okay, thanks for asking. Because everywhere I go, like when I'm walking or running, if I see a nail, I will pick it up. In fact, I intentionally look for nails because I, it's a bummer to pick up a nail in your tire. So karma would say that because I pick up nails, I will never get a nail in my tire. I get nails in my tires all the time. Karma doesn't work. But I still, anyway, so I, I'm noticing my tire is, is low. And then the next morning I wake up and my tire is just dead, just dead flat. And so it, like, I aired it up and it, it goes flat within like 30 minutes. 6 (40m 59s): And so, so the idea is that you gotta keep some air on those tires and those are the tires that you roll forward on and you get better traction, you get better, all kind. You just, you're able to do what you're meant to do. So we're gonna be talk, we're, this is the last study this week or the last sermon on the core values called to love all people. And so we're talking about the love of God. I love, I love talking about the love of God because I know, we know, we know if you've been a Christian for any amount of time, you know that it's the love of God that keeps us, that draws us, that calls us in Jesus name. A friend of ours who's passed now, Cheryl Hancock was a missionary in Israel for decade couple, I don't know, 20 years or so. And I would, I, Ron d and I went over there to visit her a couple times and, and just did some ministry with her. 6 (41m 46s): And I asked her, what makes your ministry so effective? I mean, why, why are Muslims and, and Jews, why are they giving their lives to ge? I mean, why, why are they converting to Christianity? Says, she said, it's because of the love of God. It's foreign to them. And when they experience the love of Christ through Christians, they're just, they're excited about that. They, they get excited about that. So I I love talking about the love of God. It's important, it's crucial. It's, it's the identifier for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are known the world will, will know that we're disciples of God because of our love, one for another. 6 (42m 28s): So I first wrote this, we first as a staff leadership team and elders, we got together, I think back in 2014 and wrote out these core values. And we, we said, Hey, what identifies us? Not what do we hope to be? What do we or what what we're striving to be, but who, what who are we really today, right now? And, and so we identify these core values and we just know that we're, we're called to these things and that God has given us purpose as we live out these core values and we're hopefully gonna be impactful as we live out. These core values we're called, literally called. So it's, it's not just like something we should do, but it's actually a calling upon our lives as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 6 (43m 12s): If you are in Christ, then you are called to love all people. When Jesus walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he called his disciples one by one, just like he called you. When you came into the faith as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he called them, He calls us to a new life, a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new way of being. It's like we're born again. And that's what the Bible says to we're actually like born again. John three, three we're born again. It's your new way of living and thinking and being. We're called. We're called. And the core values don't say we, we should love all people while we, while we should love all people, but we are actually called, It's, it's, it's not just a, a should an assignment, but it's actually part of our DNA as believers. 6 (43m 60s): It's actually part of our spiritual makeup. So it's not something that we do outwardly necessarily. It is outwardly, but it's, it's birthed out of the core of who God has called his people to be. As believers we're called, we are called to love all people. Why? Because we're new believers in Jesus Christ. So, so God has called us to do wonderful and supernatural. He's put it within our DNA to do this. A visitor to one of Henry Ford's auto plants met Ford after a tour of the factory. The visitor was in awe of what he had seen. 6 (44m 42s): And he said, it seems impossible. The visitor told Ford, it seems impossible that a man who started with nothing could accomplish all of this. You say that I started with nothing. Ford replied, But you are wrong. I started with all that I needed. He Ford had an understanding about who he was. He had a God given ability to envision and then accomplish something most don't even consider. So because of our new birth in Christ, we have everything that we need to do what God has called us to do because the spirit of God has filled us, taken up resident in our lives. 6 (45m 27s): We actually have, by the grace of God and the power of God, the spirit of God, we have the ability, the strength, and the grace to do what he's called us to do. And so we have within us, by God's grace, because of his filling, because of our adoption, because of our new life in Jesus, we have the capacity to love all people. Do you? Is that, do you, do you believe that? Yes. Okay, good, good, good. We talked about this first last week in Jesus, two 10. For we are God's handy work created in Christ Jesus to do good works. And so if we're doing all kinds of works, but it's not out of the love of God, we're just a noisy going and a clingy symbol. 6 (46m 14s): But if we're doing all kinds of busy things, but we're not actually loving, we're created to do great works with the heart of love, with the, and part of those great works is obviously love for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So let's jump into our main sex this morning. First John four, seven versus seven through 21 says to your friends, Let us continue to love one another. So John the apostle is writing to the church, He's writing to believers and he's challenging them. And he is challenging us, challenging us to continue to love because it's hard to love. 6 (46m 56s): And sometimes we don't wanna love and sometimes we give up on people because we just, they're just too hard to love. But John is saying, Hey, brothers, sisters, family of God, dear friends, let us continue to love one another. For love comes from God. And anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God for love comes from God. Anyone who loves God as a child of God. So he's telling us, reminding us of our responsibility and really the privilege, it's a privilege to love people. It's a, it's a privilege because what we get to do in loving the unlovely people in our lives, it's easy to love people who love us back is really hard to love people who don't like us at all. 6 (47m 47s): Right? But the privilege is we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We get to be Jesus with skin on. And that we get to love people who don't love us back. And we get to confound them by God's grace and his love and do what the world doesn't do and choose to love in the face of hatred. And when, when somebody hates you and despises you, we, we get a chance to, I say this all the time, everything that God requires of us requires his power, his supernatural grace at work in our lives. And so there's people in your life that you're like, I can't love that person. You don't have to like everybody, right? 6 (48m 28s): You don't have to agree with everybody, but you gotta, you gotta love them. And and that maybe just means that, Hey, I'm not gonna hold a bitterness darkness in my heart toward this person. I don't agree with them, I don't like them, but I'm gonna pray that God, you know, God would bless them and help them and speak to them. Doesn't mean we have to hang out with everybody cuz we're not gonna do that. There's just some people who great on us, right? Anybody else have people and we all do. Right? Okay, good. And so, but the important thing is that we would express the love of God to them and that we're gracious by God's grace. 6 (49m 10s): I, a couple weeks ago I was in the back here and it was Sunday morning and this couple had come through the parking lot. And this person, one person in the in particular was just really harsh a number of years ago. And I was surprised at my reaction to them. I was like, Hey, are you guys coming to church? I was like, where's this coming from? You know, like afterward? And they said, Oh no, we've already been to church. We're just coming for lunch. I said, Hey, I, I love you. And they were like, Oh, thanks. And afterwards I thought, where did that come from? It wasn't like contrived. I, I didn't like think about it. 6 (49m 51s): It just came out. I just decided to love them. It doesn't matter what they've done. And I probably might have to decide that again. If something else happens or if I see them in I'm in a bad mood or something, I might have to decide I gotta love them, right? Right. We got to love. So the John is right. He's telling us, reminding us of our responsibility and privilege to love others. John reminds the church that love actually originates with God and we demonstrate that we belong to God. When we love like God, when we love like God, we actually demonstrate that we belong to him. 6 (50m 32s): So the result or the result of a true confession of faith is the indepth dwelling spirit of God that enables us to love. So this verse is saying that the ability to love the way God calls us to love can only happen when his abi, when his abiding presence is with us. So everything that God asks us to do, that when you serve, give, do whatever. It's all a result of the grace, the abiding presence of the living God within us versus anyone who loves as God calls us to love. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. So we can't love like the world loves cuz the world's love is very conditional. 6 (51m 14s): Like if you do A, B, and C, I will love you. If you do 1, 2, 3, I will love you. That's not the kind of love that God has called us to love each other with. And it's not the kind of love that God loves us with. He actually loves us with this unconditional love God. I got called Agape. It's this unconditional love and it's a love that we actually can't earn and a love that we can't keep by our own actions. We, we never, we can never earn the kind of love, the unconditional love that God gives to us. And it's interesting that he gives us that love so that we can experience it so that we can choose by God's grace to love others. 6 (51m 57s): Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God, but anyone who does not love does not know God. For God is love. Wow. Interesting. Anyone who does not love anyone who does not love does not know God for God is love. So maybe your challenge this morning about how to love, who to love, why to love if there's a certain person in your life that you need to forgive, maybe that person is already passed and you're struggling to forgive what happened, You're struggling and it's just wearing you out, right? 6 (52m 38s): I mean, it's just like thrashing you internally because you're going over the pain, you're rehearsing the incident, you're going over in your life, what has happened and it's just wearing you out. Say, you might have to say, God, I, I wanna forgive that person. I want to, Well I can't express love in the, in the sense, but I can, I can release this person and allow the true, We can't have love and unforgiveness and bitterness in our heart. They, they, they cannot share the same space. And so we will not be able to love until we let go of bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment. We will not be able to do that. So maybe you're struggling. How do I love? Begin with just letting go of things that are taking up space in your heart. 6 (53m 22s): Let let that stuff go. Then you'll find that there's of room and plenty of capacity to love the way that God has called you to love. What does love look like? Jesus said in Matthew 5 43 through 48, You have heard the love that says, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Love your enemies. Love your enemies. Did did Jesus have any experience in this? Maybe, right? I mean of course he did. Right? 6 (54m 3s): So he's not just speak, it's not just hypothetical, right? In Jesus' life. It's not just, oh, this is a good idea. I think I'll share it with my followers. This is who he is. Verse 45. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good. And he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupts tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect. 6 (54m 43s): And that word means mature even as your father in heaven is perfect. So we need to allow our lives to mature in this area, to be, to grow in perfection in this area. We're called to love. We're called to love. Number one, as God's people, we cannot get away from this call, this call to love. And there's nobody outside of, outside of that call. We, we, we have to love all people. Again, the the action of love is distinctive to us as believers. 6 (55m 25s): It distinguishes us from all other people in the world. Our ability to love it distinguishes us. And if we don't have that distinguishing characteristic in our lives, it's probably a demonstration that God needs to do some, He needs to do some heart surgery on us. Love is part of the evidence that a person is actually born. Again, the ESV footnote remarks, the person who lacks love shows himself to be unchanged at the core of his being by the gospel message. 6 (56m 10s): John is not saying that God is only love, he has numerous other attributes, nor that love is God a statement for which there is no scriptural support. God is love means that God continually gives of himself to others and seeks their benefit. Whew, that's a strong statement. Let me read it again. God is love. Quotes means that God continually gives of himself to others and seeks their benefit. So this type of agape love that the scriptures are talking about is, is a selfless, supernatural love that can never be generated out of our natural flesh, but can only be generated out of the spirit of God. 6 (56m 57s): I'm gonna just skip down to the last part of my message because we got 40 seconds left here. But I wanna talk about the different types of love because it helps us in contrast to contrast the kind of love that we're talking about compared to worldly love. There are great different types of love in the Greek language. Here are a few. A aeros is one of the words for love. It describes all emotional love, the feeling, the feelings of love. It's where we get our word erotic. So aros love is that insatiable desire to be near the target of this love. 6 (57m 37s): The exciting, passionate, nervous feelings that sweep over people in the appropriate circumstances. This is the love that says, I love how you make me feel. Interesting, huh? I love how you make me feel. Then there's fee loss, fee loss, love or brotherly love. Friendship, love is the next kind. We'll look at fee loss describes the love between two people who have common interests and experiences or fondness. For felo steadily grows like a building, being constructed stoned by stone. For this reason, when close friends are separated for a while and united, they will often say it's like we picked up exactly where we left off. 6 (58m 25s): Felo is half about the circumstances and half about the commitment of two people to one another. It says, I love who we are together. Or in a case of a non-person, I am fond of this food feel loss love generally grows over time, except in the case of some kind of betrayal. And there's storey love. Dogie is the love one house for a dependent. It's an emotionally, it's a commonly called motherly love. So there's different types of love. So we say in our English language, I love hot dogs, I love my wife, I love God, right? 6 (59m 11s): So there's a great hot dog place in the poem. You gotta go. It's like a, I dunno if it's like, anyway, it's, it's on the east side, you get off test street, turn left. It's, it's a Chicago hot dog place. Anybody know what I'm talking about? What's it called? Peppers stuff on. Oh, there it is. Yeah. So it's So you go there, yeah, you go there and you get this hot dog, it's all beef and it's got pickles and onions and peppers and you can build that thing, right? So this is, this is a type of love, right? I love, like I went yesterday cuz I was really wanting a hot dog and they were closed. I didn't love that at all. 6 (59m 52s): Right? We're not talking about hot dog kind of love. We're talking we're, we're not. That's not the kind of love that got, I mean it's like, you know what I'm saying? Let's jump into Agape kinda love. Agape love is entirely about the one who loves and it's nothing whatsoever to do with the one being loved. Wow. So sometimes we're like, Ah, I'm not sure I let my wife today, she didn't make my eggs just right, Right? We're like, Ah, I'm kind of put off right? As got love says, it doesn't matter if she burns my eggs, which she never does. 6 (1h 0m 32s): But if just hypothetically, if she burned every meal that she ever could, I'd still love her, right? Because my love for her has nothing to do with anything. Just a decision. It's a decision on the person who is loving has little to do with the one being loved. It got beloved in its purest form, requires no payment or favor in response. So when we're sending off this money to the Hurricane Ian victims, we're, this isn't agape kind of love. We're expecting. No repayment requires no payment or favor in response. The most common word for God's love for us is a go babe. And it gives lists. 6 (1h 1m 13s): The love we are commanded to have for one another is this type of love. It's the kind of love that First Corinthians 13 talks about. It's kind of love that John's talk first John, for talking about, it's like every time God calls us to love, it's this type of love. It's this type of love. And so when we talk about we are called to love all people, we're, we're called to love people who disagree with us theologically. Yeah. We're called to love people who differ with us politically. You're like, Oh really? Yep. We're called to love people who disagree with us, philosophically, socially, just in every way we're called to love people, right? 6 (1h 1m 56s): We don't have to agree with everybody, but we gotta love. We've actually got to love everybody. It's commanded to us in the scripture that we'd love God and love others. And so with that, I'm gonna invite the worship team up and we're gonna worship some more. And I gotta learn to write shorter sermons. That's I gotta learn to do. Let's go ahead and stand up. Ah, thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Let's just in the quietness of our own hearts and minds, ask the Lord. 6 (1h 2m 36s): And I'm not gonna call anybody out on anything today. I'm just, let's just ask the Lord. Lord, who do I need to love? And Lord. So that's the first question. Who do I need to love? That's probably someone that we're having a hard time loving. And then Lord, we're asking this next question. Lord, how do I love better? Show me how to love better within a agape kind of unselfish kind of love. Lord, I pray that as a church, that we'd be unselfish in our love. That we would, God, that we would love unconditionally seems really hard, Lord God, that we would love the way that you love us, which is unconditionally, Lord. 6 (1h 3m 30s): So help us to realize that, that we have the power by your grace and strength within us to do these things. And so help us to do it, Lord God. So day to day, throughout the course of this week, we pray that you remind us to love. Remind us to love. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Let's worship 0 (1h 4m 34s): You. Hi 2 (1h 6m 39s): To to 10 (1h 6m 49s): You. 2 (1h 6m 58s): To 0 (1h 7m 16s): You 2 (1h 7m 16s): Are, 10 (1h 7m 22s): Thank you, Father, that you are our God, Thank you that we can exalt you, Lord, we choose to exalt you even when we don't feel like it. But I pray that you would give us the courage and the strength to love and to love. Well this week, Lord, would we hide scripture in our hearts? Would we call on you in our times of need? Would we exalt you and lift you high? Thank you for being our present help. Thank you for being our comforter and our healer and our provider. We love you and we praise you. It's in your preciously we pray. 10 (1h 8m 3s): Amen.