Love Without Hypocrisy
First B Jackson
2016-09-11

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Are you this morning? It's good to see you. It's good to see you. It's a beautiful morning. What do you say we stand to our feet?

We give God praise. And how about a resurrection song start? Really, that's why we're here. Because of the resurrection of Christ, because of the power of Christ. From Acts, but God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible.

It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Isn't that amazing? I mean, not really. That is the strength. That's the power of God.

Let's sing a bit.

Let no one cough. Let no one cough in sin remain inside the light of inward shame. Perfect size upon the cross and run to will to show great love. And then for us, pretty bad victory? Oh, come stand in the light.

When the young God has defeated the night. Oh, day on, where is your stand? Oh, hell. Where is your victory? Oh, church, come stand in the light.

Our God is not

Amen. Y'all can have a seat.

Well, good morning everybody. How are you? It's good to see y'all. This is cool. Announcements this morning, we have several.

Old Bills Fun Run, if you were here in the valley yesterday, you know that at the event itself happened yesterday and I saw a lot of y'all with ice blue shirts that you had been running in that thing. So, I it happened. The the event happened but you can still give through old bills to whatever your preferred charity is, local benevolence here at First B, Turning Point, Pregnancy Resource Center, Good Samaritan Mission, or whatever else you might want to give towards. You can still do that up through the sixteenth. So, old bills, the fun run happened but you can still give until the sixteenth.

Hey, look at this. This is a thirty second little, look at these faces. We need children's volunteers for the nursery and for Peak Children's Church and and these were just picked at random off the computer. These are kids that go to church here. They're faces of their feet.

That's right.

It's

probably me. Is it me? No, it's not me. Okay. So, that's on a loop and we're gonna play that all sermon long.

No. Until somebody walks the aisle. No, I'm just kidding but they are actually in the back of the aisle. You don't have to walk this way. You can walk that way.

Krista, would you wave? Krista is back there. Bailey is back there. So, there are folks in the nursery right now that are taking care of the kids of First B but I want you to know who they are and I want you to volunteer. So, there you go.

We have coming up September 14, which is this week, September 14. It's fall afresh from ten to 11:30. This week here at First B, we're going to do this one. Did you want to announce this? I'm doing a good job so far.

Alright. That's happening this week from ten to 11:30. It's kind of a kickoff event for all of the ladies ministry and a lot of small groups that are happening in this valley at some point and even a couple of might be outside of this valley. Yes, do.

I'm sorry. But there are several small groups

Thank you. So I'm gonna grab a microphone. These guys are always on top of things. You have one. Sorry.

So, Dave Nutting is here and they did a class last night on Discovering Creation and it's gonna go on again tonight. Would you like to say a one minute plug?

I sure. Tonight, we're gonna be focusing in on one specific topic on this creation versus evolution controversy. But first of all, why is this important and what's going on? The number one reason that young people give for rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ is evolution. And as we speak at universities around the world, the number one reason that young people give for having left the church is evolution.

So we're going to be talking about evolution and giving one of the very best evidences for evolution tonight and what's wrong with that. And that would be the fossil record. And then we also hear that you're stupid if you believe that there's really a flood. Gonna be giving you the very best evidence from geology and archaeology that there really was a flood. So that's tonight.

Alright. Thanks. I'll come get the mic in a minute. Awana starts tomorrow night and so that's 06:00 in the evening. You might wanna get here a few minutes to get signed up but Awana because kids matter to God.

It's pouring scripture into the minds and filtering into the hearts of the kids and it's a good time. Besides that, it's a lot of fun for the kids who come and for the volunteers and.

Here I am with this mic that I had for you, Ray. Man. So, as school has kicked off this last week, we are also now getting into our youth season. So Friday morning breakfast start this Friday. We're giving you guys an extra fifteen minutes to sleep high schoolers.

07:45 instead of 07:30. So show up by 07:45, not 08:15. So, that's kicking off then. Also, this Thursday, 06:30PM, we have middle school youth group. So, that's going to be kind of the same as we've always done except we're not going to share a meal.

We're to have snacks and delicious things like that but we're not going to do a full meal. So, middle school, 06:30PM and high school, Fridays at 07:45. Flip it.

Thank you very much.

All right. And Young Life kicks off this week as well. So there was a big summer event where we did an outdoor movie, but it is kicking off Mondays. It's Mondays, the first Monday of each month, second Monday of each month, sorry, at 07:47. This is for high schoolers.

So if you need information about that, come see me. I've got little cards to hand out. You can see Bailey as well. Any other of our Young Life volunteers in here?

There are a few.

Right, no? Just put your arm around your dad.

Kyler.

Cool. Yes. Yes. And you can see Kyler as well. So that is kicking off Monday.

We'd love to see all you high schoolers there at that. But youth is kicking off. So buckle up.

Sounds good. Monday nights at First B is happening tomorrow night, same time as Awana. And that is starts at 06:00. Yeah. So.

No music message. Meal, music, and a message and you are in the Gospel of Luke.

Yeah.

Fantastic. For everything else and there's a ton more. We've shortened it to this, I promise. There's more in the bulletin. So, pick up a bulletin, keep it near you, put it on your refrigerator, and remember what's going on.

If you would, stand and greet one another. We'll bring you back together with a peppy song.

It's fallen from it's fallen from the clouds,

you are.

Beautiful fruit, beautiful free song of galaxies reaching far beyond Milky Way. Let's join in with the sound.

God, we do sing how great you are, really. You are awesome, and and we are unworthy. We've we've fallen short, and yet you've called us. You've drawn us to yourself. You've given your life.

You've laid it down for hours only to pick it up again to show your power and authority over sin, death, hell, and the grave. And so, God, we celebrate that. We rest in that. And I thank you, God, for being a very, very, very good father, the best father there is. And, God, as a parent, know I fall short every day, but I thank you that you don't.

And you are truly perfect in all your ways, even when we don't understand all of your ways. And some of them are very difficult to grasp, and yet I know that you are eternal power and authority. And you oversee and you you're you're just good in everything that you do, and you're sovereign. And so, God, we give you praise. We thank you.

We say you are a good father.

I'm loved by you. You It's who I am. It's who I It's who I am. Your good, good father. It's who you are.

It's who you It's who you are. I'm loved by you. It's who I am. Survival. Survival.

God, so true. You really are a very, very good friend. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of it over and over again. Even when things go wrong, yet you're holding all things together. And, God, if if if we're having a hard time trusting that, if we're having a hard time believing that, would you would you remind us once again that you're the one that's truly in control, in control of all of our days, sovereign over all things.

God, I thank you very, very much for all that you've given, and I heard recently that we can we can worship our money or we can worship with our money. And, God, I I pray that we would be people that worship with our money, that we would give back a portion of what you've given us and and do so gladly And, not because we're forced to, but because because you're good and because you deserve it. And because, God, you can use these resources to reach people not just here in Jackson, but you can reach people to the ends of the earth, and you are. And, God, we are very, very thankful for that. The gospel truly is good news.

It truly is good news. And I pray that you would continue to draw draw us to yourself. Draw those who have no idea who you are, who are living in darkness, but, God, could be living in the light that you are. And I pray this sincerely and honestly in your name. Amen.

Alright. So this morning, I when I'm studying, you know, I study. That's what I do. So I I study a lot, and then I usually take in, take in, take in, take in most of the week, then and I start thinking about how to present and so this week, on Wednesday at 10:19AM, I thought, I'm finished with the sermon. That doesn't usually happen.

That didn't usually happen till Saturday, sometime Saturday night. With the slides and everything, I was like, I'm finished with the sermon. This is crazy because I feel like a lot of what my job is is to study, study, study, and then present in a way that's easier to understand. Well, scripture this week is really easy to understand. It's hard to do but it's really really easy to understand.

So, that's why I thought I was through with the sermon. Now, I don't know if I was just revisiting the thing again and again until I felt like I gotta do more work than this. I I went I went and did a few other things, pastoral type things during the week but yesterday and Friday actually too. I went back into it. So, the first part of the sermon is the simple part.

This was the sermon I had at Wednesday at 10:19 and then the second part of the sermon is when I started kinda digging a little bit deeper. I want you to consider this. Imperatives in abundance, okay? Imperatives are the command form, command form of any, it's the any verbs that are in the command form are direct commands, imperatives, and imperative that you do this. So, in Romans 12, we get that first verse that's so great that called it a couple weeks ago that is about presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice and last week, we kind of doubled up, went a little bit further specifically into a few things.

If your gift is teaching, then, teach. If your gift is encouragement, then, encourage but nine through 21 goes on. It's more general in English and as it goes, there are imperatives in abundance and I want you to see the imperative verbs in Romans. Now, I am not, I was on the math team. I have to admit it.

I'm a grammar nerd but I was also on the math team. I like graphs as much as the next guy. I didn't graph this but I I chose this. I checked his facts. This is the imperative verbs in Romans.

There are a few towards the beginning and then in six, we get that reckon this as true because up to six, he's told us all of this good theology that you are deserving of death, hell, and the grave. You're deserving of separation from God but yet mercifully, he gives through justification by faith to those who believe. He gives eternal life. He gives life in abundance. So, says, reckon this as true.

You have died with Christ. Reckon it as true and then so that's an imperative and then, yield to righteousness. He says that. So, that's this little bump right here and then he goes on through part of eight and nine, all of nine and then 10 to 12 starts to take off again and you see right there, twelve, thirteen, 14 is the height of it and this is not uncommon in Paul. Actually, this, if you look, is it like that in his other letters?

First and second Corinthians were responses we've already covered to specific questions the church in Corinth was dealing with at the time. So, I'll skip them for a minute but that is first Thessalonians. We've covered it. There were no imperative, no commands for the first three and a half chapters up in the chapter four before he ever commands anything at all and in that case, it was even encouraging. This is second Thessalonians.

He gets to almost to the second chapter before he ever commands anything at all and then it goes up from there. Galatians, you see how they're weighted towards the back? Imperatives given without indicatives. There's telling Chavidian, if you, that's the way it's saying. He says, that that creates impossibilities.

You can give indicatives as a grounding and then imperatives have to build off of that, okay? Because if you just give imperatives but no indicatives, there's no truth in what Christ has done. There's nothing to that, then, it's just human effort and it's going to cycle and it's going to turn back on itself eventually. So, Paul gives indicatives in the first part and Galatians, he's pretty fiery starting off, you know? Oh, foolish Galatians.

Who has bewitched you? And then he goes into it. So, but he still saves his commands and imperatives for after he's made his case. He's very logical, very legal. This is Titus.

Even the short books are like this. This is first Timothy. This is second Timothy. This is Ephesians. Getting up there in chapter five.

A lot of commands in chapter five. This is Philippians. This is Colossians. Now, this is James. James hits us hard.

We call it the gospel and work clothes for a reason. He says, do this, do this from the beginning. I just want you to see that Paul typically kinda starts you off, gives you what it is that you need to believe because he knows that doing follows being, believing, okay? You are what you are by what you believe and then you do what you do because of what you believe and that's the way he waits it. Revelation, oh my goodness.

That's revelation right there. The commands are front heavy in that one. This is first Corinthians because he's answering specific questions and whenever he answers a question, he gives an imperative to go with it and so that's why they're all over the place. This is where we start today. So, Romans twelve nine, that's what we're up to.

I I actually covered it last week as the closing thought was twelve, nine, and 10 but love must be sincere. Do you understand that? Okay, I don't have to explain. Okay. A lot of folks call this.

I've I read it in at least three different commentaries. This is the title of the section. You know, the Bible does not normally have in the Greek. It didn't have the title sections like we do in NIV and NASB and the New King James and everything else but a lot of people recognize this as the title of the section because it goes on to describe what love without hypocrisy is. Hate what is evil.

Now, as I was preparing on Wednesday before 10:19, when I see the word evil, when I think about the word evil, and I think about this weekend, it's September 11. I I immediately think of planes hitting buildings, and I think of bombs blowing up in town squares, and I think of bad stuff, I hate that. I just absolutely hate it. I didn't put any pictures up there of that. Y'all all saw it.

Most of you saw it. Some of you have seen it since. Cling to what is good. God is good. He can see us through.

Cling to what is good. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Every human soul, every human soul, everyone requires love. It requires our love.

As God loves, it requires our love. Now, you can hate the evil act. You can hate the sin but love the sinner. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. You recognize how that is.

Hate what is evil is an imperative. It's a command. Hate what is evil. You, people, hate what is evil, okay? You, people, cling to what is good.

This is what it says in English. This is what it says. Be devoted to one another in love. Oh, that's beautiful. Amen.

Let's be devoted to one another in love and that's a direct command. That's one, two, three. We're we've gone two verses and we've had three direct imperatives. And after so much of Romans being theology and understanding and believing this, it's great to get to a series of commands because now we can do something. Praise God.

We can and I like this. Be devoted to one another and love. Amen. Honor one another above yourselves. What did Jesus say?

Esteem others is better than yourself. What Paul said? He says it. Over and over, we see that we are to be honoring one another above ourselves. I I have a had a professor in seminary and he was a very very gentle guy.

His name is Don Howell and the I should've used this one last week. I didn't hear it before last week. I I listened to a lecture he gave this week. A wise and proper estimation of oneself as God would do. A wise and proper estimation of oneself, self examination in light of what the Holy Spirit shows, a wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others.

I agree with that. I just liked it enough to share it with you. It kinda goes with honor one another above yourselves. It's hard to think of someone as better than yourselves unless you really have a proper estimation of who you are. Right?

We are all sinners. We're all deserving of a righteous judgment. So, a wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides a secure basis for a generous and love and appraisal of others. So, we go on to verse 11. Never be lacking in zeal, straight, direct command.

Never, people. Don't let your, don't let it down. Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual server, fervor, serving the Lord. Amen. My brother and Florim both like hard preaching.

My brother in in Georgia right now is going, that junker is just Nate. I don't know about that new preacher, man. He just don't do hard preaching. I want hard preaching. I want him to pin me to the back wall and well, never be lacking in zeal.

Keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Amen. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Amen. Do those things.

Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Amen. Amen. Practice hospitality. Y'all have a greater opportunity in this valley for practice and hospitality than any other church I've been in.

Because people are always wanting to be here and you can practice hospitality. There's some people who are stuck here and need some hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.

Was that hard to understand? No. Is it hard to do? Yes. Okay.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn even is kind of hard to do. It seems like being sad around someone who's sad would not be that hard to do. But if you're always trying to cheer that person up, hey, come on. Let's do something fun. Paul's not saying rejoice with those who mourn.

He's saying, actually, rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Actually, to Tyndale says, make merry with those who are making merry. There might step over some lines for Baptist in that description. I think that's why they change it to rejoice. 90% of Tyndale's New Testament made it into the King James by the way but make merry with those who make merry and weep with those who weep or mourn with those who mourn.

It's not hard to understand but it is kind of hard to do. Don't sing songs to a heavy heart. If somebody's got a heavy heart, just be there with them. Be there with them. Live in harmony with one another.

Amen. Do not be proud because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, right? But be willing to associate with the people of low position. Do not be conceded. There seems to be a theme here with the self.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone because everyone is watching. Everyone is watching. If it's possible as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Now it does say, if it's possible because there are some people who just will not have peace and no matter what you do, they are gonna make war.

If it's possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Is that hard to understand? Nope. Is it hard to do? Yes.

Okay. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, it's mine to avenge and I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

And in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. That one seems a little weird to me. I have to admit. I heard a couple of chuckles. If you're trying to be really nice, would you want to heap coals on his head?

I think I put it in the second set. No, I did put it in the first set here. Romans two four, we've already seen this in Romans. But do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and his tolerance and his patience? People who have been saved, do you think lightly of what God has done for you, of his riches of his kindness and his tolerance and his patience?

Not knowing that it's the kindness of God that leads you to repentance. Now, if you want to be godly, be kind because it's the kindness of God that leads people to repentance. Paul does mention the kindness and the severity of God but in this particular passage following that one up about the kindness and severity, he says, it's mine to avenge, thus saith the Lord. It's mine to avenge. Let me handle that.

As much as it depends on you live at peace, I'll handle that. If you're kind to your enemies and I had a professor, another professor in seminary that was in Pakistan for years. He was there in the same village for more than twenty years and he had somebody break into his house while he was there, beat him up pretty bad, break a lot of his stuff, tear up the house, and stole some things, running out with him bleeding on the floor. And he could have and the police caught the people and were going to prosecute him, and they would have prosecuted him to the furthest extent of the law, which was very extreme in Pakistan. And so my professor said, you know what?

No. We're not gonna we're not gonna do that. We we're not pushing for the death penalty. We're not pushing for removal of appendage or whatever it was at the time. We're not gonna do that.

God says, forgive. We're gonna forgive. He says, vengeance is mine. If repayment is coming due that God will be the one to repay. Now, the state can definitely do that here and there.

The state can do what they do. God has put the authorities in place but because he would not press further and would not press charges and would not go after them, it made a huge difference in the community he was dealing with. So, he's there for over twenty years. First part of his ministry kinda second part of his ministry after being beaten nearly to death was a lot more effective because people knew that he was following what his lord said for him to do and there's something really appealing about grace. There's something really appealing about mercy that you can't fake.

So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink and in doing this, you'll heap burning coals on his head. Or he'll get saved. Being kind leads people to repentance. They don't understand grace.

They don't understand mercy and if they see that, they will either turn or they will face the judgment but it won't be on you. Does that make sense? If there's war, war, war, war, war and you react with peace, I know I sound like a hippie. I know. That's what it says though.

That's what it says. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. So, that's the end of the passage and that's what I had at 10:19 on Monday morning and I knew we had communion this week. So, a short sermon is okay. When I went back through though, I studied it in the NIV because that's what we started this and I thought, man, I'm loving this.

I'm I'm really really liking that and take everything that it said. I don't want to wash anything that it said away because those direct commands are great for Christians. They're fantastic for Christians who have the Holy Spirit living in their heart, who is prompting them and directing them in the ways that they should go. It's great. So, take those directive commands and just run with them but I wanted to translate this for a minute and this is my translation.

So it's when I started looking back into it, was like, wait a second. That one's not an imperative. And and that one's not an imperative. And that one's not. If you notice the green in the previous slides, the green were all imperatives.

Those were the direct commands to be taken from there. So actually let me flip back through this for a minute. You see these? None there. None there.

There. None there. None there. There. There.

None there. Bless. Bless and do not curse. Those are the commands right there. Bless and do not curse.

Do not be conceited. That's a direct command. It's good for all time. You don't have to pray about this one. Do not be conceited.

Leave room for God's wrath. Amen. Direct. Very strong command. Feed him.

Give him something to drink. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Those are the commands right there. Now, here we go. This is my translation and I'm working us towards the communion table.

That's what I I want to think about because only one who's ever demonstrated a completely unhypocritical love is our savior Jesus Christ. Now, he can live that life out through you if you will. Yield the original commands. Reckon this is true that he has done it. He's already lived it.

He's proved that it's possible and he promises to empower us to do the same and even he says, greater works. The love without hypocrisy. It's actually love without that's not what it says. Love is a noun. The love that is without hypocrisy is people abhorring evil.

Christians should be abhorring evil. The love that is without hypocrisy is people abhorring evil. It is clinging to good in difficult times all the time. It's clinging to the good, cleaving, and clinging to the good. It is being devoted to one another with the brotherly love, the the only brotherly love, the love that is in Christ.

It is people esteeming one another in honor. Have you ever seen somebody just try to tear everybody else down so they look better? That is not love. It is people esteeming one another in honor, not lagging in diligence. It is people fervent, being fervent in spirit and serving the Lord.

It is people rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, and being constant in prayer. People contributing to the needs of the saints. People practicing hospitality. Be blessing those. Be blessing those.

It's direct command who are persecuting y'all. Second person plural. It's very helpful to have the y'all actually. Be blessing those who are persecuting y'all. The fact that it's there makes it even stronger.

Makes the the direct command even stronger. So, y'all, be blessing. Those who are persecuting. Be blessing and not cursing. And I'm gonna mention, this is a middle tense.

I mean, a middle passive, active, middle, right? This is this is middle, which means y'all, no really, y'all, yourselves, be blessed and do not be cursing. The not cursing though is the one that's middle. And so be blessing is strong enough but not cursing yourselves because if you're cursing them, you're really bringing fire back on yourselves. I like that.

I feel like that deserves a mention. Be blessed and not cursing yourselves by cursing them. To rejoice with the ones who are rejoicing and to weep with the ones who are weeping is being of the same mind towards one another. Nobody wants to hear. Somebody that's trying to bring em out of the ditch or somebody trying to bring em down when they're rejoicing.

Yeah. Debbie Downer is not really all that welcome at a wedding party. Yeah, I hope it goes alright. Didn't work for me but seriously, rejoice with the ones who rejoice and I'm so happy for you. This is wonderful.

Not being haughty minded but willingly going along with the lowly ones including everyone in your life. Do not be being wise in yourselves. Do not be being wise in yourself. It's continual. You see that that's what I'm emphasizing.

Do not be being wise. Don't have a higher opinion of what you think than what other people think. Do not be being wise in yourselves repaying evil for evil because that's what they deserve, doggone it? It might be what they deserve, but let God be the judge of that. You answer for you.

You don't answer for them. You answer for you. Do not be being wise in your own opinion. We see in other places in scripture but I'm translating this very literally. Do not be being wise in yourselves, repaying evil for evil.

But y'all prepare ahead of times to be providing good things before all men. Now, really, it says providing but the that type of providing is making provision for. Get ready ahead of time to be blessing all men. Y'all be prepared that your response, be resolute how you're going to respond to be ready to be providing good things before all men. Now if possible, so far as it depends on y'all living in peace with all men.

Never avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place for God's wrath. For it has been written, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay. That actually is one of the things I heard about a million times in Mexico. They love this little two word saying and it's biblical.

God will repay. Now, the times that I most often heard it is when I meet somebody new in town and they say, what is it that you do, man? You know, working on somebody's car, doing whatever you do. You know, just whatever you're doing and the guy goes, what is it that you do? I said, well, I'm building a school for the deaf out the Breccia 116 and oh man, that means God will repay.

Well, praise God. Thank you. That's wonderful. That's a blessing. But the other way to use that is when somebody cuts you off in traffic, you go, God will repay.

I'm not going to chase you down with road rage. I'm going to leave room for God's wrath or give place as it says to God's wrath For it has been written, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay. On the contrary, if your enemy should hunger, you feed him. Don't pray for him to be fed or you can pray for him to be fed too but it says, if your enemy is hungry, you feed him.

You know, we we help support a lot of different missionaries and we offer we we help several missions that are reaching unreached nations. With resource ministries to help them be able to feed people that most of us would consider our enemies. Now, people are not our enemies. The ideology that is oppressing them is our enemy. Hate the evil.

Cling to the good. Pray for their souls. Feed them if you can. If your enemy should hunger, you feed him. If he should thirst, you give drink to him for in doing this, you'll heap coals of fire upon his head.

Do not yourselves be overcome by evil. That's a very emphatic thing. That's also middle tense. Do not yourselves be overcome by evil or you could look at it this way. Do not overcome yourselves by evil because you can do that.

You can follow after the hatred. You can follow after the darkness. You can follow after those things which are bound up in the heart of our old man. Do not yourselves be overcome or do not overcome yourselves by evil but you be overcoming the evil with the good. Amen.

God, would you, right now, just convict us in the ways that you would have us convicted. I thank you for giving us such a clear picture of what love is. I always think of first Corinthians 13. Love is patient. Love is kind.

All of that. We hear it in weddings. Might have heard it so many times we stop paying attention. But Lord, this is the first time I've ever read Romans 12 for an explanation of what your love is. It is when your people are abhorring evil and clinging to good.

It is all of these things. And so in that description of love, Lord, we see ourselves lacking if we're honest and God, the only way that we can do that is through your empowerment, through your spirit. We can yield our lives to your spirit. You promise that you will direct. And so, God, I ask that you would impress that upon us, exactly what you would have us do.

I thank you that you've given us a clear guide. But, God, as we endeavor to fulfill these English commands or these Greek participles, God, that you would be the one that it shows through because everyone is watching. May we come together right now around this communion table and be loving one another, honoring and esteeming one another as better than ourselves. May we have a serious look at ourselves and know what it is that we look like. Like James says, to look in the mirror, take a long look, see exactly what it is.

So, God, I pray that as we start to go into this time of the Lord's supper that you would show us lord where we're lacking and give us the encouragement that you will build us up, that you will do what needs to be done as we yield our lives to you. I thank you Jesus for your shed blood. I thank you for your broken body, the perfect example that you made, the living that perfect life without any sin whatsoever so that you could pay by your perfect death for anyone's sin who believes, for all who believe, whosoever will may come. I thank you for the perfection that is your word and that it can be understood. Lord, would you help us to do it?

Would you help us to fulfill your word? And our witness, I thank you for the blood. So, God, would you bless during this time of communion? Elders, y'all can come forward and distribute the bread on kale plays. Thank you, lord.

Amen. With his disciples, the upper room and he's sitting there explaining something that they can't possibly grasp. I I know we've got a better picture of it having the Bible written down that we can study. See in the Holy Spirit come at Pentecost, all that stuff but before that, on the night that he was betrayed, he was practicing exactly what Paul's preaching right here. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread after supper and he after giving thanks, blessed it and said, take this and eat.

This is my body which is broken for you. Broken body, your perfect example Thank you for your shed blood that you gave as a ransom for many for whosoever would believe, lord. I ask you to bless all those who have partaken of the bread, who will partake of the cup, and for those who haven't, lord, may the rest of us be kind and attractive and winsome and loving and show them who you are by our walk. In Jesus name, would you bless this cup as as it's distributed in Jesus name. Amen.

Same way that he had taken the bread, he took the cup after supper and he told his disciples, he's telling us that this is a new covenant in his blood. A conditional old covenant. That was so hard and so oppressive. He said, this is the new covenant in my blood. Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me.

Amen. Now, as a benediction while you're still sitting, I've got one more story. I hope it's quick. Ironsides, there's a guy named Ironsides who was the pastor at Moody Church for a long time. I've got several of his commentaries, great Bible scholar, wonderful pastor, loving gentleman, good guy and as he examined his life, he saw that he saw a hint of pride there and so he went to his elders and he said, I feel like I'm I've gotta I'm proud and I don't know what to do about it and so one of them said, well, you need to be humbled.

Elbers meetings can be humbling. They can be. Not here usually but anyway, they said, what you need to do is put on a sandwich board, go down to Downtown Chicago, walk around with, you know, Romans five eight on the front, John three sixteen on the back, and just stand there in the banking district and have all those guys walk by in their suits going to their places and just they are going to not give you the time of day and that's not what I would recommend but it is it does sound like it would be humiliating, right? And so he did it and he went down there and he stood there and they did deride him and walk around him and not really pay a whole lot of attention. Occasionally, Christian would give him a nod, you know, but for the most part, it was humiliating.

And he just felt like, oh, what am I doing here? They said, don't say anything. Just stand there. Now, he's a great preacher. He could expound, you know?

Nope. Don't say anything. Just stand there. Let the sign carry the message or simple humble servant and he came back and he he said it was humiliating. It was humbling and it brought him down and then when he got into his prayer closet and he was thanking God, he said, I I bet I'm the only guy in Chicago that would have done that.

It is very sneaky. This stuff is not hard to understand. It's very hard to put into practice. It's very hard to do. Would you sing with us?

I will follow and then y'all can get on to lunch.

When you found the one, I'll follow. All your ways. All your ways are good, all your ways are sure. I will trust in you. No.

I am in my sight, high above my light. I will trust in you alone. Where you go, I'll go. Where you stay, I'll stay. You'll I'll you.

Who you love, follow, like you serve, I'll serve. If this life I do, I'll follow you. I will follow you. In you, there's life everlasting. In you, there's life everlasting.

Amen. Romans fifteen fifty seven and eight says, but thank God he gives us the victory over sin and over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, couple of imperatives for you. Be strong and immovable in him. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Amen. Amen.