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Oh re lost.
We're a different series of us.
Oh yeah.
It's rain here in your heart. You're still glad. Stars.
Oh really love?
Our lives delighted to hear.
The story.
Again.
Why you just cause corn?
Oh wow.
John 15.
Starting at verse 12.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You're my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you henceforth I call you not servants, but the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you.
As for his help, Lord Jesus, it is easy for us to see thee as being a friend to us when we think of all the comfort and health and the way Thou didst give thyself for us in Calvary. But.
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We marvel to see the occurring to us as friends and bringing us into Thy counsels about Thy purposes for now and the future. We thank Thee for Thy word. We ask Thee for help as we purpose to have things brought before us that that would give something that is needful for our state at this time. We pray in Lord Jesus, my most worthy and precious name, Amen.
Let the prophet speak two or three, and let the other judge, if anything be revealed to another, that to the file at the first hold of peace. Or he may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints. It's our desire, brethren, to have two or three perfectly 3 but at least two feet, please. Thank you.
Let's go to first John chapter.
Four and verse 19.
John's in his epistles gives what is characteristic.
Of the life of God that we have received as members of the family of God. This is God's character. God is light and God is love.
But in thinking about this question of his love, brethren.
I think love is one of the hardest words in the English language to define. I like to ask people to explain it.
And I think it is one of the hardest words to define. People say well it's seeking the good of someone else, but every explanation seems to fall short. But this verse came to mind.
In chapter four of one John.
Verse 19.
We love him.
Because He first loved us. And I think in the new translation it leaves out to Him we love because He first loved us. So we are not the source of love, God.
Is the source of all love.
And the love that the Scripture uses, the word, the agape word is the love, that is a love that loves not because of what the object is, it loves because of the source. We go to youth village in our area to preach the gospel to the kids and I like to ask them, why does God love you?
And they get a lot of different answers that are more or less true. I suppose sometimes they say because we're his creatures or because we're his children. I said, well, you're not a child of God until you accept the Lord Jesus. And yet he loves you. Why does he love you? And they're always looking for some explanation in themselves. And I say there's a very easy and simple answer. God loves you because God is love. And that's the best answer there is. God loves you because.
Of who he is, not because of who we are.
Now, if we understand that's the kind of love that He loves us with, it makes it easier to love as well when it comes to loving one another. But I'd like to go to speak a little bit more of the love of Christ. I want to touch on the practical side of our love to one another as well, but I want to turn to Ephesians chapter 3, the Apostles prayer for the Ephesian believers.
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He prays twice in the book of Ephesians, once in the first chapter.
And once in the third chapter and in the third chapter, it's more that which is inward.
Let's read a bit here verse 16 that he would grant you that is God according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit and the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love.
Maybe able to comprehend with All Saints what is.
The breadth and length and depth and height and to know.
The love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Notice, I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that verse 17 says we've been rooted and grounded in love. What's going to make you steady in the things of God is not knowledge merely.
Knowledge is important, but it is the enjoyment of the love of Christ in your soul. That's what's going to captivate you. That's what's going to make you steady rooted. A root system is that which goes down deep into the earth. And I understand in a normal tree the root system is about the same as what you see above the ground. I don't suppose that's the case in every tree.
Down in South America we have had avocado trees and.
We get big wins and it would flop those trees over and you could see their root system is all superficial.
You know, God allows the winds of adversity to blow in our lives sometimes so that those roots go deeper and we prove.
How real is his love? And I like to say because we live in a world of trial and trouble and problems.
That it is that which makes the roots go deep.
And to prove that you have something.
Worthwhile the love of Christ.
In the jungles of South America, the brethren that I used to live amongst down there in Bolivia had this slash and burn technology. They go in and shut down a piece of jungle and they would let it dry and burn it, and then they would plant their crops in there.
And they often said a big tree, it was too much trouble to cut it down. They would just leave it in the midst of a stretch of jungle.
But they often found that after a while, that big tree that had been surrounded by a lot of other trees.
When it didn't have those trees around, the wind would knock it down shortly because it wasn't that well rooted standing amongst the other trees of the forest. And when it was standing alone, it wasn't well enough rooted. You know, sometimes you say it's so nice to be amongst believers here in the conference. Why do we have to go home when there's just so few and we have to stand on our own?
Because the Lord knows that you need affliction in your life. We need it.
It drives the roots deeper into the ground so that when affliction comes, you will be able to stand. If we have our brethren around us all the time, that's not going to be the case. So being rooted and grounded in love is important. But I want to say this too about the love of God. It's a love of sacrifice, for God so loved the world that He gave.
His only begotten Son, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. So the love that we're talking about is a love of sacrifice. That's important. When we are those who are called on to love, we need to remember it's easy to say I love you.
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But do we know what it means to sacrifice practically?
That's the proof of real love, and it has exercised me, brethren, that the Scriptures command us in John's writings. We have seven times no less, that John commands us to love one another. Now, you're not going to be able to love if you don't enjoy the love of Christ in your soul. That's what's first of all.
And that's why it's so important to come to the Breaking of Bread meeting.
Where we go back to Calvary, that is the vastest display that there will ever be in time and eternity of the love of God is the cross of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Son of God, the Creator of the universe, hanging on a cross.
Battered his body by human instruments.
And there, hanging in the dark of those three hours.
Satisfying and glorifying God about the question of sin.
Oh, what a thing. And for all eternity there will be never a display like that of the love of God. May the Lord help us, brethren. We need to get back each Lord's day to remember Him and His death if we don't.
Who knows how far we'll go, but I'd like to just run over in John's writings those seven times we are commanded to love, you know, the commands of the New Testament.
Are interesting. They're not the commands of the Old Testament I remember.
AC Brown used to explain the difference between the commands of the Old Testament and the commands of the New Testament in this way.
He said the commands of the Old Testament were do this and you will live.
Commands of the New Testament are live and you'll do this. That was a real helpful statement to me. In the Old Testament, man did not have a nature to do the commands of God and he couldn't. But in the New Testament, God gives us first the nature and a life that desires to do the will of God, and then he gives us the commands and they are directives to that new life that you and I have in Christ.
So the first one is in John chapter 13.
Let's read it in verse 34 and 35.
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another.
A new commandment didn't the Old Testament command.
To love your neighbor as yourself.
And I like to think that this is a new commandment because it has a completely different reference point.
In the Old Testament, the reference point was myself.
How I loved myself. I should love my neighbor.
But now we have a totally different reference point.
New commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you. How much did you love? Oh brethren, the cross is how much he loved, and that's the measure, you and I.
Can we ever love that much? I don't suppose we'll ever get to that. But that's the standard, to love as He has loved us. And this is what is characteristic of Christians, they love.
Doesn't mean that we Passover the failures of one another. There is a way that we should deal with that the Lord Jesus in the first verse of this chapter 13 says having loved those that were his in this world. He loved them unto the end and then what does he do he gets up from that Last Supper and he gets.
A bowl of water and a towel and he girds himself with a towel and he gets down at the disciples feet to wash their feet.
That's not easy work, but love will do it. And when we see something that needs attention in each other's lives, I thank God for brethren that have washed my feet.
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Brethren, let's not have a standoffish attitude. Let's do something about it before things go further.
He got down. This is the Lord of glory and this is the disciples that were sitting there and he gets down.
He lays aside his garments. The garments is what you're known for in light. You can tell a policeman by his garments. You can tell a doctor by his garments. You have to lay that aside. You can't be a policeman to do this work. You can't be a doctor to do this work. You've got to lay aside those things. Got to get down.
Remember Brother Paul Wilson speaking about this chapter and he said.
Sometimes we like to use a long handled brush to wash our brethren steep.
And sometimes we use scalding water.
And sometimes we use freezing water.
Those are not techniques that the Lord Jesus used.
And he had a towel.
And after you've worshipped their feet, he left them feeling comfortable.
Brethren, do we know how to be a help to our brethren in that way? That's part of love too. Just like to read before we go on in Psalm 141 what it says. It's such a beautiful little statement.
Psalm 141, verse 5.
Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness, and let him reprove me. It shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head, for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
Oh, how we need help from our brethren. So it takes getting down if we see something that needs attention in each other. May the Lord help us to know what it means to really, truly love in this way.
Love isn't something that will Passover things that need attention. It will truly address them, but in a way that doesn't leave the person feeling uncomfortable. The next time we're commanded to love is in the 15th chapter. I think Brother Dan read that at the beginning of this meeting, verse 12. This is my commandment.
That ye love one another.
As I have loved you.
Down in verse 17.
These things I command you, that ye love one another. Isn't that interesting? Do we not get the point? Why is it that He has to command us time and time again? Don't we have a nature that loves? Yes we do, but we need to be reminded about this, brethren, to let the love flow in our lives.
You know Scripture says in another place, provoke unto love and to good works.
Sometimes we provoke in the wrong direction. Is there a way to provoke to love?
Yes, I believe there is what provokes love in another.
Love provokes love. It's like these old pumps. I don't see them around anymore, but I think there are a few around. Start pumping and you have to have a pitcher of water in one hand and you pour that water into the top of that pump and then you pump and that makes the water start to come out of that well.
Somebody not loving you like you think this should?
Oh brethren, pour in some love yourself.
You know, that's the kind of love that God loves us with, and that's the kind of love that you have in yourself.
And when I hear somebody complaining, there's not very much love in this meeting.
I say the first person responsible is the person that's talking.
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Because the kind of love we're talking about is love that loves when there's nothing lovable.
So if there's no love in that meeting, you'd better start loving.
That's.
What we have in Scripture, brother, may the Lord help us to make that a practical reality. There are so many little acts of kindness that we can do. You see a brother or a sister and there's some practical need. Consider him. The Scripture says, provoke unto love and to good works.
Now let's go over to John's epistle.
And we'll see the.
Three in the first epistle and the last one in the.
2nd Epistle.
I, John. Chapter 3.
In verse 11.
He's contrasting here the children of God and the children of the devil.
And that they make themselves manifest.
Verse 11 Says this is the message.
My Bible and the command in the margin it says this is the commandment.
That ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another.
Not as king, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew he him, because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous.
So here's another command. Go down to the end of the chapter.
Verse.
23 This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment.
Now over to Chapter 4.
And verse 19 we already read. Let's keep on with verse 20. If a man say I love God and hated his brother, he is a liar.
John speaks in blacks and whites. No Shades of Grey here.
He is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, How can he love God whom he hath not seen? Verse 21. And this commandment.
Have we from him that he who loveth God?
Love his brother. Also there's the 6th time dimensions and then let's just read the 7th in second John.
Where John as the elder is addressing the Elect Lady and her children.
Let's read from verse 4I Rejoice greatly that I found thy children walking in truth.
As we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I had wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment that, as you have heard from the beginning, He should walk in it. May the Lord help us, brethren. I don't want to take any more time when I leave time for others.
But I just sincerely want to encourage us in our expressions, in our relationships, one with another, what characterizes the people of God. And to me, it is a real joy. The maze of the Lord gives me to travel amongst the Lord's people in this country and into the South everywhere I go. You know, when you're traveling in areas, you got to be really careful of people whom.
Mean evil for you. They will take your baggage off you in a moment's time without you realizing it, but as soon as you get amongst the Lord's dear people.
Just changes.
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What a beautiful experience to find.
Those bonds of love doesn't matter the nationality.
Or the country you're in. Or the social position.
In February, some of us were privileged to be down at Oaxaca conference.
And you know, sometimes you have to sleep on the ground in those places. But I must say I was thankful this time that somebody gave up their bed and I had a nice.
Foam rubber bed to sleep on. What nice love. Somebody didn't have a comfortable bed because they gave it to Lemoyne and me to sleep in. He let he slept with his head on one end and I slept with my head on the other end. But that was all right. We could sleep well that way. But practical love, that's what characterizes the people of God.
Lord help us.
Perhaps we could have a little more on the subject of love and John's Gospel chapter 3.
Beginning with verse 34.
I would like to go over in the Gospel of John the seven times that it mentions the love that the Father had for the Son. And certainly there is something for us in that. This is the first John's Gospel, chapter 3, beginning with verse 34. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God.
For God give us not his Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
Can't help but think of a contrast to this when.
Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden.
And.
It was suggested that God had withheld something from man by the tempter.
Sadly, they fell for it.
Here you have a man, Christ Jesus.
God's son, too. Who?
Perfectly confides.
The Spirit is not given by measure.
There never came a time in the life of the Lord Jesus when God didn't have sufficient provision so that He should turn somewhere else for help.
Never doubt God's love.
Never doubt it.
God give us not his Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hands. So the Lord begins his ministry in this way, as it were.
Perfectly confident.
That the Father always loved him. Chapter 5.
Verse 19.
Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
The Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do. For what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son. Likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth, and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Well, these two verses, we've often spoken to them as a couplet, a perfect combination.
Were it in verse 19.