1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello, and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:17,600 Now, come along. 8 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,440 Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today. 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,080 The Lord is faithful and something that we can be reminded 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,290 of all the time, because sometimes we're tempted to doubt, 11 00:00:30,770 --> 00:00:32,290 sometimes we're tempted to question. 12 00:00:33,330 --> 00:00:37,690 But when we're reminded of the love of God, we're reminded of his 13 00:00:37,690 --> 00:00:38,450 faithfulness. 14 00:00:38,770 --> 00:00:42,530 We're here in Romans today, and we're going to be continuing 15 00:00:43,010 --> 00:00:45,250 our study in the book of Romans. 16 00:00:45,490 --> 00:00:47,930 If you have your Bibles, I encourage you to turn there with 17 00:00:47,930 --> 00:00:48,170 me. 18 00:00:48,170 --> 00:00:49,730 Romans, chapter five. 19 00:00:50,370 --> 00:00:51,650 Romans, chapter five. 20 00:00:51,650 --> 00:00:56,070 And we are going to be looking today at the love of God. 21 00:00:56,870 --> 00:01:00,870 Love is a word that we hear frequently in our society today. 22 00:01:01,590 --> 00:01:05,110 And depending on who's saying it, depends on what it means. 23 00:01:05,910 --> 00:01:07,190 Depending how we say it. 24 00:01:07,190 --> 00:01:08,630 Depends on what it means. 25 00:01:09,350 --> 00:01:11,870 You know, I could say that I love a lot of things, but that can 26 00:01:11,870 --> 00:01:12,830 mean different things in. 27 00:01:12,830 --> 00:01:14,230 In our English language. 28 00:01:14,390 --> 00:01:14,790 Right. 29 00:01:15,670 --> 00:01:19,990 For example, I. I tend to use my children as analogies, and sometimes 30 00:01:19,990 --> 00:01:22,150 I forget to ask them if I can use them. 31 00:01:22,540 --> 00:01:24,980 And so I'm trying to do better, asking them, hey, can I bring 32 00:01:24,980 --> 00:01:26,860 you up here to use as an analogy? 33 00:01:27,180 --> 00:01:28,940 And my son is always like, yes. 34 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:31,820 My daughter sometimes says, no. 35 00:01:32,620 --> 00:01:34,820 My son that's in the nursery really doesn't have a choice. 36 00:01:34,820 --> 00:01:36,060 And I usually don't bring him out. 37 00:01:36,140 --> 00:01:38,820 So I'm going to bring up one of my children, Micah, Come on up 38 00:01:38,820 --> 00:01:39,100 here. 39 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:40,660 And I'm going to stand him up here. 40 00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:44,180 Because most of you know I love Micah, and I love Nora, and 41 00:01:44,180 --> 00:01:44,940 I love Silas. 42 00:01:44,940 --> 00:01:45,740 I love my family. 43 00:01:46,540 --> 00:01:49,420 And I don't think anyone would question that I love Micah. 44 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:50,440 Right. 45 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:51,440 Do you think I love you? 46 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:51,960 Yeah. 47 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:52,960 Do you know that I love you? 48 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:53,440 Okay. 49 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:54,400 He knows that I love him. 50 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:54,880 Okay. 51 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:56,960 But I also. 52 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,040 If I was having a conversation with you and I was talking about 53 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:05,120 sports, I would say I love softball. 54 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,640 I love playing softball. 55 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:07,920 I love watching baseball. 56 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,400 I love the Tampa Bay Rays. 57 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,400 Now, some of you just some. 58 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,480 I just lost a lot of credibility with a lot of people 59 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:14,160 here this morning. 60 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:14,600 Okay. 61 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:15,520 I'm from Tampa. 62 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,120 That's why I. I say that. 63 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:17,600 Okay? 64 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:18,440 So let's say. 65 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:19,120 Let's say I would. 66 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,480 I would have softball in sports and baseball and the Rays 67 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,440 personified right here in the middle. 68 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,560 And then I might be having A conversation with you about what 69 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:29,440 I like to eat. 70 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:32,240 And I say, guys, I love steak. 71 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:33,280 And by the way, I do love. 72 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:34,240 How many of you love steak. 73 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:35,880 I mean, some of you are like, no, I can't. 74 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:36,600 I love steak. 75 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,680 I love a good rib eye, medium rare. 76 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Okay, I love that. 77 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,800 Okay, So I would set that on this table over here and say, okay, 78 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:44,560 I love a steak. 79 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:45,640 Now do I? 80 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:48,520 Now, maybe some of you don't know me well enough, but do I love 81 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:54,520 steak and softball the same way that I love my son? 82 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,360 At least I shouldn't, right? 83 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,120 What if I said, okay, son, you're going to go without because 84 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,640 dad wants to play this, or you're going to go without because 85 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:03,680 dad wants to eat this. 86 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,160 So, son, you're not going to eat tonight because dad can only 87 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,890 afford one steak, okay? 88 00:03:07,970 --> 00:03:08,730 No, right? 89 00:03:08,730 --> 00:03:12,610 Because there's that level of love, there's that priority of love. 90 00:03:12,610 --> 00:03:14,290 There's the demonstration of love. 91 00:03:15,250 --> 00:03:18,130 And so the Bible is going to tell us here in Romans, chapter five, 92 00:03:18,130 --> 00:03:22,130 that this type of love that God has for us is the type of love 93 00:03:22,130 --> 00:03:23,569 that we are to have for others. 94 00:03:23,810 --> 00:03:24,890 And it's a Greek word. 95 00:03:24,890 --> 00:03:26,210 And the Greek word is agape. 96 00:03:27,490 --> 00:03:27,810 The. 97 00:03:27,810 --> 00:03:32,090 The word, the word agape is tied to another word that we would 98 00:03:32,090 --> 00:03:33,970 understand to be sacrifice. 99 00:03:34,930 --> 00:03:39,650 Sacrificial times in my life that I'm not willing to sacrifice 100 00:03:39,650 --> 00:03:42,090 for things that I quote, unquote, love, really, it's just 101 00:03:42,090 --> 00:03:43,010 I really enjoy. 102 00:03:44,530 --> 00:03:45,890 They bring pleasure to me. 103 00:03:46,370 --> 00:03:49,610 But that type of love sometimes is what people take onto 104 00:03:49,610 --> 00:03:51,090 other aspects of their life. 105 00:03:51,330 --> 00:03:55,370 Meaning, I love my wife only when she loves me and when everything's 106 00:03:55,370 --> 00:03:56,010 going okay. 107 00:03:56,010 --> 00:03:58,050 I love my children when it goes my way. 108 00:03:58,050 --> 00:03:59,930 I love this only when it goes my way. 109 00:03:59,930 --> 00:04:02,370 But the Bible says, no, that's not really true love. 110 00:04:03,190 --> 00:04:04,870 True love is willing to sacrifice. 111 00:04:04,870 --> 00:04:08,310 True love is not looking for what that person can bring to me. 112 00:04:09,430 --> 00:04:12,990 It's looking to the fact that I choose to love that person today. 113 00:04:12,990 --> 00:04:18,070 Therefore, I am choosing, if need be, to sacrifice and prove or 114 00:04:18,070 --> 00:04:19,430 demonstrate my love. 115 00:04:20,150 --> 00:04:24,670 And so to my son, to my children, to my wife, to folks that 116 00:04:24,670 --> 00:04:29,900 I am supposed to agape, I am to sacrifice, I am to go without. 117 00:04:31,020 --> 00:04:34,340 I am to be willing to be uncomfortable and lose what I would 118 00:04:34,340 --> 00:04:36,860 say is my pleasure, my desires. 119 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:40,380 And here, what we're going to look at here this morning is this 120 00:04:40,380 --> 00:04:46,340 idea of true love demonstrated to us through the sacrifice of Jesus 121 00:04:46,340 --> 00:04:46,700 Christ. 122 00:04:47,340 --> 00:04:49,340 And so in love comes priority. 123 00:04:51,420 --> 00:04:54,780 You understand that idea when it comes to these relationships that 124 00:04:54,780 --> 00:04:55,660 we have in our life. 125 00:04:56,890 --> 00:04:59,410 And so we're going to talk about God's priority when it comes 126 00:04:59,410 --> 00:05:04,970 to our life and how we as Christians can mirror or reflect 127 00:05:04,970 --> 00:05:10,410 that agape type of love that God displayed to us through our lives 128 00:05:10,490 --> 00:05:10,850 today. 129 00:05:10,850 --> 00:05:11,410 Thank you, son. 130 00:05:11,410 --> 00:05:12,250 I appreciate that. 131 00:05:12,250 --> 00:05:13,770 So let's go to Romans chapter 5. 132 00:05:13,770 --> 00:05:15,130 I gave you enough time to get there. 133 00:05:15,130 --> 00:05:16,170 Romans chapter five. 134 00:05:16,170 --> 00:05:18,730 We left off last week in verse number five. 135 00:05:19,290 --> 00:05:23,000 And it says, and hope maketh not ashamed. 136 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,520 The confidence of God that we have will never fail us. 137 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:27,560 That's what it says there. 138 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:28,600 Because why? 139 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:34,080 Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 140 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:35,720 Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. 141 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:41,000 And so when we trust in God, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, 142 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,520 we are, as the Bible says, justified. 143 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,400 We are declared righteous, we are saved, we are forgiven. 144 00:05:47,700 --> 00:05:47,860 And. 145 00:05:47,930 --> 00:05:51,130 And therefore the Holy Spirit indwells us, lives within us. 146 00:05:51,130 --> 00:05:55,210 And that Holy Spirit, as he works in our life through various 147 00:05:55,210 --> 00:05:58,730 ways, we experience the love of God. 148 00:05:59,610 --> 00:06:02,170 But then we're going to see, starting in verse number six today, 149 00:06:02,410 --> 00:06:04,730 a description of that type of love. 150 00:06:05,290 --> 00:06:06,970 A description of that type of love. 151 00:06:06,970 --> 00:06:10,530 Because to understand love, you have to understand the one who 152 00:06:10,530 --> 00:06:11,930 is giving that love. 153 00:06:12,170 --> 00:06:14,930 But you also need to understand the one who is receiving 154 00:06:14,930 --> 00:06:15,530 that love. 155 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,800 Now, in this context here In Romans chapter 5, the Bible says 156 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,120 that the one who is giving that love is God. 157 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:24,320 He is giving that love. 158 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:25,960 Now, who is receiving that love? 159 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,240 Well, we're going to see in verse number six, who is the recipient 160 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,520 of this wonderful, perfect love of God. 161 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:38,920 It says, for when we were yet without strength. 162 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,840 This idea here in verse number six is this. 163 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,200 The ones who are receiving the love of God are the ones who cannot 164 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:49,120 do anything themselves. 165 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,480 They are without strength, they are weak, they are hopeless. 166 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:58,320 Folks, before we experience the love of God, before we rest in 167 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,160 the love of God, before we trust in the love of God, we, the 168 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,000 recipients of the love of God, as it says here, are without strength, 169 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:06,720 hopeless. 170 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,280 We cannot accomplish the the things that we want to accomplish 171 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:11,000 in our life. 172 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,640 For when we were without strength, you could put your name 173 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:16,120 in there. 174 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:22,920 When Josh was without strength, when I was hopeless, when 175 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,240 I was helpless, when I could not do anything, when I could not 176 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:27,560 lift up myself. 177 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,240 It says here that is when God demonstrates his love towards us, 178 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:37,220 says, for when we were yet without strength, in due time, at 179 00:07:37,220 --> 00:07:40,980 the right time, at the very moment we needed it in due time, 180 00:07:40,980 --> 00:07:45,580 Christ died for the Here it is ungodly. 181 00:07:45,580 --> 00:07:47,180 We are the ungodly. 182 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:50,940 Ungodly means the ones who are in opposition to him, the ones who 183 00:07:50,940 --> 00:07:53,260 cannot fulfill his perfect plan. 184 00:07:53,340 --> 00:07:55,900 The one who cannot hold the standard of righteousness. 185 00:07:56,060 --> 00:07:59,020 We humans are the ones who are ungodly. 186 00:07:59,020 --> 00:08:00,940 We are the ones without strength. 187 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,560 And so we, the recipients of God's love, are the ones who are 188 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,440 weak, without strength, ungodly. 189 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,080 But yet God, in his love, shows us the sacrifice. 190 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,720 Christ died for the ungodly at the right time. 191 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,320 And then it goes on to explain here that. 192 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:22,200 That this description of love. 193 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:29,330 This description of love has a demonstration for scarcely for a 194 00:08:29,330 --> 00:08:31,050 righteous man will one die. 195 00:08:31,050 --> 00:08:32,410 Meaning it's rare. 196 00:08:33,130 --> 00:08:36,210 It's rare for someone in this world to die for someone who is a 197 00:08:36,210 --> 00:08:36,970 righteous man. 198 00:08:37,610 --> 00:08:39,210 Like, we would all understand, like. 199 00:08:39,210 --> 00:08:41,930 Like if someone was here today and they were a dignitary, they were 200 00:08:41,930 --> 00:08:43,450 someone who was important in this world. 201 00:08:43,770 --> 00:08:46,570 Maybe they held political office, or maybe they just had a 202 00:08:46,570 --> 00:08:49,490 lot of power because of their money or because of their status. 203 00:08:49,490 --> 00:08:51,210 And they had bodyguards around them. 204 00:08:51,370 --> 00:08:53,610 I don't know if you've ever been to a place where there's bodyguards 205 00:08:53,610 --> 00:08:54,090 around someone. 206 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:55,480 You say, well, who is that person? 207 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:56,280 Well, why. 208 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:57,320 Why do they need a bodyguard? 209 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:57,680 Well, they're. 210 00:08:57,680 --> 00:08:58,120 They're important. 211 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,520 And the reality is, is that there are people who are willing 212 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:02,720 to die for those people. 213 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,600 In many cases, they're getting paid to do it. 214 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,840 But what the Bible says here, in this case is that even if we had 215 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,840 a righteous person here, it would be rare for someone to be willing 216 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:11,560 to die for them. 217 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:13,000 It goes further and says this. 218 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,600 Yet per adventure for a good man, Some would even die. 219 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:17,120 Dare to die. 220 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,480 Meaning this, that there are some people that we would consider 221 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:21,580 worth dying for, right? 222 00:09:22,140 --> 00:09:25,100 We would agree that there are people that I would say, man, they're 223 00:09:25,100 --> 00:09:26,060 worth dying for. 224 00:09:26,700 --> 00:09:28,940 My children are worth dying for. 225 00:09:29,260 --> 00:09:30,300 Not gonna lie to you. 226 00:09:30,540 --> 00:09:34,100 There are very few people that I would, without thinking, jump in 227 00:09:34,100 --> 00:09:35,340 front of something and take. 228 00:09:35,420 --> 00:09:36,540 I will take it for them. 229 00:09:36,859 --> 00:09:37,980 I will take their pain. 230 00:09:38,300 --> 00:09:39,500 I will take their suffering. 231 00:09:39,740 --> 00:09:41,700 I told you guys like this last week when. 232 00:09:41,700 --> 00:09:44,780 When Silas was coming out of surgery, I wanted to take that pain. 233 00:09:45,020 --> 00:09:47,890 I was like, if it means for me to be hurt, if it means for me to. 234 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,280 To never talk again, I want my children to be able to have peace 235 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:51,960 and comfort. 236 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,040 So we understand that principle. 237 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,640 We understand dying for someone who is good to us, doing 238 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,840 things for us, bringing something to us, whether it be love 239 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:02,600 or gifts or whatever. 240 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:03,879 But what we can see here is this. 241 00:10:03,879 --> 00:10:07,720 He says, we understand that in our human thinking that someone would 242 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,440 die and sacrifice themselves for a good person. 243 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,760 Now we know back, though, who is good. 244 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:13,880 There is none good. 245 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:14,520 No, not one. 246 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:15,480 There is none righteous. 247 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:15,720 No. 248 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:16,200 Not one. 249 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:17,880 So, so he's going to go further. 250 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,120 He says, so verse number eight. 251 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:23,080 But God. 252 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,280 Now, anytime you see those two words, but God, there's. 253 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:28,120 There's a shift in thinking. 254 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:30,280 There's a change in the narrative. 255 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:30,680 There's. 256 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:32,280 There's a turn in the story. 257 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,760 We even see this in Ephesians chapter two. 258 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,160 Ephesians, chapter two talks all about how bad we are before we 259 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:39,520 come to God, how. 260 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:42,760 How limited we are, how we are dead in our sins. 261 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:46,540 But then it says, but God, who is rich in mercy, shows his love 262 00:10:46,540 --> 00:10:47,060 to us. 263 00:10:47,460 --> 00:10:49,620 In this case, it's saying, hey, you know what? 264 00:10:49,700 --> 00:10:52,580 God loves the unlovable God. 265 00:10:52,660 --> 00:10:55,220 God is the one who died for the ungodly. 266 00:10:55,220 --> 00:10:56,020 But guess what? 267 00:10:56,260 --> 00:10:57,420 Here are the ungodly. 268 00:10:57,420 --> 00:11:00,660 And he says, but God commendeth. 269 00:11:01,060 --> 00:11:03,940 That word commendeth really just means to demonstrate. 270 00:11:04,900 --> 00:11:09,600 But God commendeth his love agape to. 271 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:18,600 Towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 272 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:18,960 us. 273 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:20,480 The idea would be this. 274 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,480 God sends his only begotten Son to this earth. 275 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,080 Not for people who are good to Him, Not. 276 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,200 Not to people who have proven their love to Him. 277 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,780 The Bible says we love him because. 278 00:11:34,850 --> 00:11:36,290 Because he first loved us. 279 00:11:37,090 --> 00:11:38,330 And the idea would be this. 280 00:11:38,330 --> 00:11:41,010 God did not come to the people that were worth dying for. 281 00:11:42,050 --> 00:11:42,850 You know, some of. 282 00:11:42,850 --> 00:11:43,450 Sometimes. 283 00:11:43,450 --> 00:11:45,570 Sometimes I'm tempted to think this way, that. 284 00:11:45,570 --> 00:11:49,130 That in some degree that I'm worth it, that some degree I earn 285 00:11:49,130 --> 00:11:51,250 God's love, that I'm above all the others. 286 00:11:51,330 --> 00:11:54,090 But the Bible says, no, we were not above others. 287 00:11:54,090 --> 00:11:57,530 We are all guilty in our sin and none of us deserve this. 288 00:11:57,530 --> 00:11:59,250 But God proved His love. 289 00:11:59,250 --> 00:12:00,490 He demonstrated his love. 290 00:12:00,490 --> 00:12:02,850 So we have the definition of this type of love. 291 00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:07,470 But here in verse 8, we see the demonstration of this type of 292 00:12:07,470 --> 00:12:09,590 love, and that is sacrifice. 293 00:12:10,550 --> 00:12:11,350 John 13. 294 00:12:11,510 --> 00:12:12,030 Excuse me. 295 00:12:12,030 --> 00:12:12,630 John 15. 296 00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:17,830 John 15:13 is a common verse that we talk about when it comes 297 00:12:17,830 --> 00:12:20,830 to folks that sacrifice their lives for our country. 298 00:12:20,830 --> 00:12:24,550 Which of course is a wonderful sacrifice that shows wonderful love. 299 00:12:25,270 --> 00:12:30,410 But in the Context of John 15, Jesus is explaining what true love 300 00:12:30,410 --> 00:12:31,330 really looks like. 301 00:12:31,330 --> 00:12:35,330 And he says in John 15:13, Greater love hath no man than this, 302 00:12:35,330 --> 00:12:38,890 that a man laid down his life for his friends. 303 00:12:40,970 --> 00:12:44,090 Just in the verse right above that, in John 15:12, it says, this 304 00:12:44,090 --> 00:12:47,330 is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved 305 00:12:47,330 --> 00:12:47,490 you. 306 00:12:47,490 --> 00:12:49,010 And so what does Jesus say? 307 00:12:49,010 --> 00:12:50,890 He says, I love you. 308 00:12:51,770 --> 00:12:53,370 I sacrifice for you. 309 00:12:53,690 --> 00:12:58,120 The way that you show that you understand that, the way that you 310 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,800 show that you believe that is that you show that same type of love 311 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:02,920 for those around you. 312 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,640 But again it's the same type of love that God showed to us. 313 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,680 The type of love that God showed to us is not I love those 314 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,320 that are good to me, I love those that bring me benefit. 315 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:14,200 No, what is that? 316 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,800 It means that I love people that don't always do the good things 317 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:18,360 to me. 318 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,080 And we even know that Jesus teaches what we would call a revolutionary 319 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,910 concept, that we are not just to love those that love us, but. 320 00:13:24,980 --> 00:13:26,660 But we are to love our enemies. 321 00:13:26,660 --> 00:13:29,300 We are to love those that make our life difficult. 322 00:13:30,420 --> 00:13:35,420 And so when we understand the love of God in our salvation, we 323 00:13:35,420 --> 00:13:38,020 are then to live that type of love to others around us. 324 00:13:38,020 --> 00:13:42,860 Jesus says that in John 15, he says, Look, I love you enough to 325 00:13:42,860 --> 00:13:43,460 die for you. 326 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:45,700 I love you enough to sacrifice for you. 327 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,780 Therefore show that to other people. 328 00:13:48,580 --> 00:13:50,100 Live that type of lifestyle. 329 00:13:50,990 --> 00:13:53,710 If you go back a couple chapters In John 13, Jesus says, 330 00:13:53,710 --> 00:13:55,870 I'm going to show you what it looks like to love. 331 00:13:56,270 --> 00:13:57,710 It means to serve. 332 00:13:58,590 --> 00:14:01,990 You know the story, Jesus washes the disciples feet and he 333 00:14:01,990 --> 00:14:05,750 washes the disciples feet and, and, and we know that two of those 334 00:14:05,750 --> 00:14:08,790 disciples, all of them eventually at some point will turn 335 00:14:08,790 --> 00:14:10,750 away from him that night to a degree. 336 00:14:10,830 --> 00:14:13,510 But we know that one of those disciples is named Judas, who will 337 00:14:13,510 --> 00:14:14,350 betray Jesus. 338 00:14:14,430 --> 00:14:17,630 We know another disciple named Peter will deny Jesus three times. 339 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,000 But yet Jesus shows his love. 340 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,320 He demonstrates his love by washing the disciples feet, by serving 341 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:23,640 them. 342 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,840 And so we're here in Romans chapter 5. 343 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,120 And in the context of salvation, what is he saying? 344 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,480 Well, the description of the love of God is a sacrificial love 345 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,400 seen in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. 346 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:40,240 The, the demonstration of that would be that we sacrifice, that 347 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:41,000 we serve. 348 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:42,480 And so it says. 349 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,920 But God commended his love toward us in that while we are yet 350 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:46,040 sinners, Christ died for us. 351 00:14:46,220 --> 00:14:50,380 I used to think about this verse this way and I still do that 352 00:14:50,380 --> 00:14:54,340 Jesus, when he was on the cross, in his humanity he was feeling 353 00:14:54,340 --> 00:14:55,980 pain and suffering and anguish. 354 00:14:56,620 --> 00:15:00,300 But in his deity he was able to see throughout all of time and 355 00:15:00,380 --> 00:15:02,140 know that, hey, you know what? 356 00:15:02,700 --> 00:15:06,340 Josh Massaro is going to sin against me, but yet I'm still willing 357 00:15:06,340 --> 00:15:07,020 to die for him. 358 00:15:07,020 --> 00:15:07,980 That's what it says there. 359 00:15:08,460 --> 00:15:11,980 While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 360 00:15:11,980 --> 00:15:16,400 Meaning Jesus understood that we would sin, but yet he continued 361 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,120 to go through with what God's plan was for his love for us and 362 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:21,240 sacrifice for us. 363 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:22,920 What an amazing truth that is. 364 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:31,400 Go back to this idea that in my life do I truly rest in this type 365 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:31,720 of love? 366 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,600 Do I truly believe that God loved me this much? 367 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:39,850 Because sometimes if you're like me, you might be tempted to 368 00:15:39,850 --> 00:15:41,890 think that maybe God doesn't love me. 369 00:15:42,850 --> 00:15:44,050 Maybe I've done enough. 370 00:15:45,010 --> 00:15:45,810 Maybe I've. 371 00:15:46,050 --> 00:15:47,210 I've gone too far. 372 00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:49,450 Maybe I've taken one step too far. 373 00:15:49,450 --> 00:15:51,730 Maybe it's like the last straw, right? 374 00:15:53,410 --> 00:15:55,250 The straw that broke the camel's back. 375 00:15:56,050 --> 00:15:57,290 Maybe I've done too much. 376 00:15:57,290 --> 00:15:58,770 Maybe I've sinned too much. 377 00:15:58,770 --> 00:16:00,090 Maybe I've gone too far. 378 00:16:00,090 --> 00:16:01,210 Maybe God doesn't love me. 379 00:16:01,210 --> 00:16:04,850 Folks, I'm going to tell you that, number one, God already proved 380 00:16:04,850 --> 00:16:08,170 his love for you by dying on the cross for your sins. 381 00:16:08,730 --> 00:16:09,850 He already proved it. 382 00:16:10,330 --> 00:16:10,650 So. 383 00:16:10,650 --> 00:16:12,570 So you don't have to go back and say, well, I wonder if he loves 384 00:16:12,570 --> 00:16:12,690 me. 385 00:16:12,690 --> 00:16:13,690 He already proved it. 386 00:16:14,650 --> 00:16:15,850 But it doesn't stop there. 387 00:16:17,610 --> 00:16:21,650 We, we know that John 3:16, a verse that probably most of us have 388 00:16:21,650 --> 00:16:25,050 at least heard the reference, for God so loved the world that he 389 00:16:25,050 --> 00:16:26,250 gave his only begotten Son. 390 00:16:27,770 --> 00:16:30,810 So, so what do we do when we're tempted to doubt that God loves 391 00:16:30,810 --> 00:16:30,930 us? 392 00:16:30,930 --> 00:16:33,990 Now, by the way, I'm talking in the context of a believer here 393 00:16:33,990 --> 00:16:37,990 this morning, but if you're a believer here this morning, if you 394 00:16:37,990 --> 00:16:40,350 trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Bible says that you are 395 00:16:40,350 --> 00:16:41,070 secured in him. 396 00:16:41,070 --> 00:16:43,030 You are sealed by the Spirit. 397 00:16:43,590 --> 00:16:45,190 The love has already been given. 398 00:16:45,350 --> 00:16:45,670 The. 399 00:16:45,670 --> 00:16:47,110 The gift has already been given. 400 00:16:47,510 --> 00:16:50,590 And so therefore nothing that you can do can separate you from 401 00:16:50,590 --> 00:16:51,310 the love of God. 402 00:16:51,310 --> 00:16:54,390 If you're tempted to doubt that, read the whole book of Romans, 403 00:16:54,390 --> 00:16:56,150 specifically Romans chapter eight. 404 00:16:56,310 --> 00:16:57,070 We're going to get there. 405 00:16:57,070 --> 00:17:01,690 In our study, Romans chapter 8 says that nothing, and I mean nothing, 406 00:17:01,690 --> 00:17:04,450 he lists a bunch of things, but nothing can separate us from 407 00:17:04,450 --> 00:17:05,290 the love of God. 408 00:17:05,530 --> 00:17:08,690 If you are a child of God, nothing can separate you from his 409 00:17:08,690 --> 00:17:08,970 love. 410 00:17:08,970 --> 00:17:11,170 But let me go a little bit further here this morning, because 411 00:17:11,170 --> 00:17:14,210 I can't assume that everyone here today is a child of God. 412 00:17:14,210 --> 00:17:17,490 The Bible says that that type of love is reserved for a child of 413 00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:17,850 God. 414 00:17:19,770 --> 00:17:21,770 What other person who's not a child of God? 415 00:17:21,770 --> 00:17:24,010 Because that's what's taught in our culture today. 416 00:17:24,250 --> 00:17:26,970 What's taught in our culture today is a different type of love. 417 00:17:27,870 --> 00:17:30,830 Love in our culture today in many forms is this. 418 00:17:31,230 --> 00:17:35,110 I love you, therefore I identify with you, therefore I condone 419 00:17:35,110 --> 00:17:35,790 what you're doing. 420 00:17:35,790 --> 00:17:38,910 And therefore I must say that whatever you do is okay. 421 00:17:39,950 --> 00:17:43,070 Now let's take that analogy of my son again, okay? 422 00:17:43,390 --> 00:17:48,990 If I love my son, truly love him, am I going to be okay with anything 423 00:17:48,990 --> 00:17:51,710 that he does and affirm anything that he does. 424 00:17:51,790 --> 00:17:54,310 Well, some of you that are parents understand that that would 425 00:17:54,310 --> 00:17:55,950 not be a good parenting model. 426 00:17:57,090 --> 00:18:00,490 Because if my son is doing something wrong, I need to love him 427 00:18:00,490 --> 00:18:01,210 enough to say no. 428 00:18:01,210 --> 00:18:02,090 I want to help you. 429 00:18:02,090 --> 00:18:03,170 I want to change that. 430 00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:05,490 I want to come into your life and encourage you. 431 00:18:05,570 --> 00:18:08,130 I want to make sure that you're not going down that path of 432 00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:08,930 destruction. 433 00:18:09,810 --> 00:18:13,130 So therefore, when we tell people that God loves them, we tell 434 00:18:13,130 --> 00:18:15,810 them that he loves them enough to save them. 435 00:18:15,890 --> 00:18:18,530 But he does not love the lifestyle of sin. 436 00:18:18,530 --> 00:18:20,930 He does not love the lifestyle of rebellion. 437 00:18:21,980 --> 00:18:26,100 So an unsaved person cannot claim the same benefits as a child 438 00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:26,700 of God. 439 00:18:27,420 --> 00:18:31,340 God corporately loves the world in the fact that he gave the 440 00:18:31,340 --> 00:18:33,500 gift, he gave the sacrifice. 441 00:18:34,140 --> 00:18:37,460 But here this morning, many of you understand that we could have 442 00:18:37,460 --> 00:18:40,220 a gift for every single person as you leave today. 443 00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:42,820 I could say, hey guys, we got a hundred dollar gift card for you 444 00:18:42,820 --> 00:18:43,900 as you head on out today. 445 00:18:44,780 --> 00:18:46,020 Now we do that. 446 00:18:46,020 --> 00:18:47,540 Because now we don't really do that. 447 00:18:47,540 --> 00:18:47,980 Okay. 448 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:52,440 I saw a commercial recently and someone put out like a false 449 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:57,000 promise on a commercial, and they held them, like, accountable 450 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:57,440 for that. 451 00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:59,160 So, by the way, let me do disclaimer. 452 00:18:59,160 --> 00:18:59,840 Just kidding. 453 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:06,080 We don't have 100 for everyone at the door, but if we did, you were 454 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:08,080 heading out and we've got these hundred dollar gift cards, 455 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,280 and we would say, we have these gift cards because we love 456 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:10,600 you. 457 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:11,720 Is that true? 458 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,800 Yeah, we love you because we love you. 459 00:19:14,990 --> 00:19:18,350 But if you in the lobby say, well, you know what, I don't need 460 00:19:18,350 --> 00:19:18,950 a hundred dollars. 461 00:19:18,950 --> 00:19:21,390 That, that would be disgraceful that I would take your 462 00:19:21,390 --> 00:19:21,550 money. 463 00:19:21,550 --> 00:19:22,430 I don't need your money. 464 00:19:22,510 --> 00:19:23,710 And you walk out. 465 00:19:25,470 --> 00:19:27,230 Did you walk out with a hundred dollars? 466 00:19:27,230 --> 00:19:27,430 No. 467 00:19:27,430 --> 00:19:30,870 You rejected that gift, therefore you're not a beneficiary 468 00:19:30,870 --> 00:19:33,070 of that gift that was extended to you. 469 00:19:33,710 --> 00:19:36,470 So therefore, you cannot rest in that hundred dollars. 470 00:19:36,470 --> 00:19:39,910 You cannot rest in that grace that Middletown Baptist has extended 471 00:19:39,910 --> 00:19:40,350 to you. 472 00:19:40,580 --> 00:19:42,980 You have rejected that gift and you have tried to find your own 473 00:19:42,980 --> 00:19:44,180 way to pay for lunch. 474 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:46,500 And that's what happens when it comes to salvation. 475 00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:49,380 God has the gift of grace extended to all. 476 00:19:49,540 --> 00:19:52,660 But some can reject and some can believe and receive. 477 00:19:52,820 --> 00:19:56,580 And therefore, those that reject cannot claim the same benefits 478 00:19:56,580 --> 00:19:57,620 of those that have received. 479 00:19:58,420 --> 00:20:01,740 So what we have to understand here this morning is we are in dire 480 00:20:01,740 --> 00:20:02,140 straits. 481 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:06,580 If we tell the world that God loves you and everything's okay, 482 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,440 we can say God loves you, but you need to accept the gift. 483 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,040 There is a call to action. 484 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:15,400 So What I have to say here this morning is this. 485 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,760 And this isn't necessarily something that everyone loves to 486 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:21,400 hear, but we have to be honest in our love. 487 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,680 The Bible says to speak the truth in love. 488 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,640 So to be loving means to be honest. 489 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:30,680 Now, it doesn't mean to be combative. 490 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:32,760 It doesn't mean to be hateful. 491 00:20:33,370 --> 00:20:34,730 It doesn't mean to be aggressive. 492 00:20:35,050 --> 00:20:36,170 All it means is this. 493 00:20:36,250 --> 00:20:39,290 To love someone completely, I must tell them the truth. 494 00:20:39,610 --> 00:20:40,170 And to. 495 00:20:40,250 --> 00:20:44,090 To mirror the love of God to those in the world that need him, 496 00:20:44,090 --> 00:20:45,450 we must tell them the truth. 497 00:20:45,450 --> 00:20:48,050 That to be a child of God, which we're going to talk about here 498 00:20:48,050 --> 00:20:52,210 in a moment, to be a child of God, you must trust in what he has 499 00:20:52,210 --> 00:20:53,210 done for you. 500 00:20:54,410 --> 00:20:57,290 He does not affirm our sinful lifestyle. 501 00:20:58,730 --> 00:21:01,210 God does not celebrate our sin. 502 00:21:02,530 --> 00:21:05,050 And then as Christians, we say, well, God loves me, so therefore 503 00:21:05,050 --> 00:21:06,290 he's okay with what I'm doing. 504 00:21:06,370 --> 00:21:07,970 No, go back to that analogy. 505 00:21:07,970 --> 00:21:10,970 If my son says, dad, I'm going to do all these bad things in my 506 00:21:10,970 --> 00:21:13,370 life, I don't sit there and go, well, son, I love you, so just 507 00:21:13,370 --> 00:21:13,850 have fun. 508 00:21:13,850 --> 00:21:14,610 Just go do it. 509 00:21:14,610 --> 00:21:15,490 Just ruin your life. 510 00:21:16,130 --> 00:21:17,809 No, that's not love. 511 00:21:17,810 --> 00:21:18,930 That's not true love. 512 00:21:20,050 --> 00:21:23,010 And so God's love for the world that we are supposed to be 513 00:21:23,010 --> 00:21:24,450 showing to the world means this. 514 00:21:24,610 --> 00:21:27,330 We need to say, I don't condone your sin. 515 00:21:27,330 --> 00:21:28,610 And that goes within the church. 516 00:21:29,020 --> 00:21:31,100 We don't just look at the church and go, well, now that you're 517 00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:33,140 saved and now that we know that nothing can separate you from 518 00:21:33,140 --> 00:21:34,780 the love of God, just do what you want. 519 00:21:34,780 --> 00:21:36,620 No, Paul's going to address that in Romans 6. 520 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:38,460 He says, don't continue to sin. 521 00:21:38,460 --> 00:21:39,780 That grace just abounds. 522 00:21:39,780 --> 00:21:40,700 God forbid that. 523 00:21:41,180 --> 00:21:42,860 So what we look at here this morning is this. 524 00:21:42,860 --> 00:21:45,820 We have to properly understand that type of love. 525 00:21:45,820 --> 00:21:46,780 And it means this. 526 00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:50,780 To love somebody that is saved, we point them back to their 527 00:21:50,780 --> 00:21:51,420 salvation. 528 00:21:52,060 --> 00:21:52,460 Right? 529 00:21:52,460 --> 00:21:52,780 So. 530 00:21:52,780 --> 00:21:55,780 So if someone's struggling with something in their life, sin, 531 00:21:56,340 --> 00:22:01,220 doubt, concern, loss, anxiety, list the struggle. 532 00:22:01,220 --> 00:22:02,420 It could be any struggle. 533 00:22:02,660 --> 00:22:04,580 What do we do in love? 534 00:22:04,580 --> 00:22:08,500 We point them back to what they have in Christ, what they have 535 00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:08,980 in Christ. 536 00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:11,259 We say, no, you know what? 537 00:22:11,259 --> 00:22:12,900 Yeah, the situation is pretty bleak. 538 00:22:13,940 --> 00:22:16,020 But if you have Jesus, he's going to get you through it. 539 00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:18,300 I can't. 540 00:22:18,300 --> 00:22:20,620 I can't promise you that everything is going to go smoothly 541 00:22:20,620 --> 00:22:20,980 in this. 542 00:22:20,980 --> 00:22:22,500 But Jesus is with you. 543 00:22:23,830 --> 00:22:23,990 So. 544 00:22:23,990 --> 00:22:26,870 So we point the believer who is struggling. 545 00:22:27,030 --> 00:22:27,990 Maybe it's sin. 546 00:22:27,990 --> 00:22:29,110 Maybe, maybe it's a. 547 00:22:29,190 --> 00:22:30,990 It's a sin that they're struggling within a life. 548 00:22:30,990 --> 00:22:32,190 We don't say, well, just keep doing it. 549 00:22:32,190 --> 00:22:34,790 We say, go back to what Jesus has saved you from. 550 00:22:35,110 --> 00:22:37,430 How can you live in what you've been saved from? 551 00:22:39,030 --> 00:22:42,070 So then how do we share that type of love to someone who's not 552 00:22:42,070 --> 00:22:42,790 a believer? 553 00:22:42,790 --> 00:22:44,230 Well, it's the same thing. 554 00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:48,070 Instead of pointing to somebody who is saved, we point to 555 00:22:48,070 --> 00:22:50,350 the person who is unsaved and say, hey, you need the same thing 556 00:22:50,350 --> 00:22:51,760 that that person has that is saved. 557 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,520 Or we always point people back to what the gospel, the same person. 558 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,000 We point to the gospel to give them assurance and peace and strength. 559 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,840 And we point the unsaved person to the gospel so that they 560 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,640 can know deliverance, so that they can know forgiveness, so that 561 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,120 they can know confidence and hope in Jesus Christ. 562 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,520 So that's what he says here in verse number nine. 563 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,720 So, so we have the definition of this type of love. 564 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,520 We have the demonstration of this type of love. 565 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,480 And here we're going to see the deliverance of this type of love. 566 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,040 What does this type of love bring to the person who is in sin? 567 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,360 Who is the ungodly? 568 00:23:24,610 --> 00:23:25,130 Verse 9. 569 00:23:25,130 --> 00:23:26,290 Much more than. 570 00:23:27,490 --> 00:23:28,570 I love that phrase. 571 00:23:28,570 --> 00:23:29,330 Much more than. 572 00:23:29,330 --> 00:23:30,690 That's the idea that there's. 573 00:23:30,770 --> 00:23:31,970 There's so much more. 574 00:23:32,850 --> 00:23:41,170 There's so much more to this being now justified by his blood, 575 00:23:42,290 --> 00:23:46,930 saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, we shall be saved from wrath 576 00:23:47,170 --> 00:23:47,890 through him. 577 00:23:48,290 --> 00:23:49,570 The deliverance is this. 578 00:23:49,930 --> 00:23:51,210 Are saved from God's wrath. 579 00:23:51,450 --> 00:23:56,330 And as we are saved to salvation, we are saved from judgment. 580 00:23:57,210 --> 00:23:59,890 And so therefore I, I know that a lot of people have a problem 581 00:23:59,890 --> 00:24:04,090 with this concept, but we have to teach people that there is a problem 582 00:24:04,490 --> 00:24:08,410 of sin, there's a payment for sin. 583 00:24:09,770 --> 00:24:12,290 And therefore there is that idea that, hey, you know what? 584 00:24:12,290 --> 00:24:14,530 The payment for sin is either something that you're going to have 585 00:24:14,530 --> 00:24:16,570 to pay, which none of us want to have to pay. 586 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:17,800 The wages of sin. 587 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,520 Because the Bible says in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is 588 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:20,800 death. 589 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,800 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 590 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,520 So who do we want to pay for our sin? 591 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:27,880 Well, I can't pay for my sin. 592 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,880 All I can do is bring forth my works. 593 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,720 And my works are like filthy rags, therefore I'm going to be punished, 594 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:34,720 I'm going to be judged. 595 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:35,960 But what does the Bible say? 596 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:39,120 That there is someone who paid that payment, and that's Jesus Christ. 597 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,160 The only one who could pay that payment is Jesus Christ. 598 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,840 And therefore we have deliverance through that. 599 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,000 We have deliverance through his sacrifice. 600 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,960 And so much More than being now justified by his blood, we shall 601 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,640 be saved from wrath through Him. 602 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:54,840 The idea is this. 603 00:24:55,080 --> 00:25:00,960 We must explain, we must demonstrate, we must live that there 604 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:03,440 is a desperation for salvation in this world. 605 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,600 If we teach everyone that it's okay, you're going to be okay, you're 606 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:07,640 going to find your way. 607 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:09,240 We're misleading people. 608 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:10,920 We're misleading people. 609 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,200 What we must do is say there is only one way through Jesus Christ. 610 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,280 You can believe it or not believe it, but the truth in Scripture 611 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:18,680 is that there is one way. 612 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,640 There is one way to salvation, and that is through Jesus Christ 613 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:22,680 and him alone. 614 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:25,000 Verse 10. 615 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:31,960 For if when we were enemies, Ephesians 4 says we were enemies 616 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:33,640 of God before we came to Christ. 617 00:25:35,410 --> 00:25:38,730 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the 618 00:25:38,730 --> 00:25:42,970 death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved 619 00:25:42,970 --> 00:25:48,610 by his life, meaning this just as much as we were enemies before 620 00:25:48,610 --> 00:25:52,610 we came to Christ, we are now so much more reconciled and saved 621 00:25:52,610 --> 00:25:53,250 by Him. 622 00:25:55,090 --> 00:26:01,070 The decision point, the point in which is the foundation is the 623 00:26:01,070 --> 00:26:02,790 work of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. 624 00:26:03,270 --> 00:26:07,630 The gospel either condemns those who are not believers or affirms 625 00:26:07,630 --> 00:26:10,390 those who are believers that you have Jesus Christ and you are. 626 00:26:10,390 --> 00:26:11,430 You are secure. 627 00:26:11,910 --> 00:26:12,830 What is he saying here? 628 00:26:12,830 --> 00:26:15,910 He says, just as much as Jesus's perfection brings us to a 629 00:26:15,910 --> 00:26:19,590 place of judgment, so much so that his perfection and his sacrifice 630 00:26:19,590 --> 00:26:21,030 brings us to reconciliation. 631 00:26:21,590 --> 00:26:23,430 Reconciliation is a beautiful thing. 632 00:26:23,430 --> 00:26:26,790 As, as hard as it is, some of you that have gone through aspects 633 00:26:26,790 --> 00:26:30,240 of reconciliation in your life, when that moment of reconciliation 634 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,160 comes, when that restoration comes, it's a beautiful moment. 635 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:33,480 Why? 636 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,360 Because it's a restoration of what was what was originally supposed 637 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:37,840 to be. 638 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,520 And that's what salvation is. 639 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,560 Salvation is this that God did ordain at the very beginning us to 640 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,920 be aligned with him, to be united with Him. 641 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,440 But because of our rebellion, which we're going to see in verse 642 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:52,800 12 eventually, that because of man's rebellion we have separated 643 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,830 ourselves from him and therefore live in a sin curse world. 644 00:26:55,830 --> 00:26:59,270 And we have disease and we have suffering and we have pain, 645 00:26:59,350 --> 00:27:00,790 and we have all these things. 646 00:27:00,870 --> 00:27:04,350 But he says at the moment of salvation, we are reconciled back 647 00:27:04,350 --> 00:27:09,350 to how we were supposed to be united with him, saved by his life, 648 00:27:09,430 --> 00:27:10,470 not our own. 649 00:27:10,470 --> 00:27:14,870 And so that reconciliation is a beautiful moment of uniting with 650 00:27:14,870 --> 00:27:15,830 God once again. 651 00:27:16,310 --> 00:27:17,670 That's what salvation is. 652 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:20,240 Verse 11. 653 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:21,600 And not only so. 654 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:28,080 More than that, he says more than reconciliation, more than justification. 655 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:29,720 He says, there's more, there's more, there's more. 656 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:29,960 That's. 657 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,960 That's Paul's theme in salvation, Folks, there's more. 658 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:34,880 There's more than what we believe. 659 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:36,640 There's more than what we do. 660 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:36,960 It's. 661 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,720 It's so much more and so much. 662 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:39,800 I. I believe. 663 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:44,400 This is my personal Pastor Josh opinion, not Bible opinion. 664 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:46,200 My personal, personal opinion. 665 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,120 So many people in this world today sell short the beauty of salvation 666 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:55,080 and therefore live a life of bitterness and emptiness and hopelessness 667 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:56,760 within salvation. 668 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,120 Some of you maybe have witnessed that in your life. 669 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:03,200 You've seen a Christian who doesn't seem to have joy, doesn't 670 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,080 seem to have hope, doesn't seem to have any security in their 671 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:07,600 salvation. 672 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:08,320 Why is that? 673 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:09,240 He's about to say. 674 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:10,920 He's about to say why? 675 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:14,380 And the reality is for many of us as Christians is we say, yeah, 676 00:28:14,940 --> 00:28:19,980 I go to church, I pray to prayer, I'm going to heaven, but 677 00:28:20,780 --> 00:28:22,380 everything else is just pretty miserable. 678 00:28:23,420 --> 00:28:26,460 And that's actually the opposite of what Paul says about 679 00:28:26,460 --> 00:28:26,980 salvation. 680 00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:28,780 He says, now there's so much more. 681 00:28:28,860 --> 00:28:31,100 You had this, you've got this, you've got this. 682 00:28:31,180 --> 00:28:32,940 And so he says here in verse number 11. 683 00:28:33,020 --> 00:28:38,940 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus 684 00:28:38,940 --> 00:28:39,260 Christ. 685 00:28:40,860 --> 00:28:45,420 How can you joy in God in a world that's pretty broken? 686 00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:50,260 How can you joy in God in the midst of a struggle, in the midst 687 00:28:50,260 --> 00:28:53,819 of a trial, in the midst of a world where we say, man, nothing 688 00:28:53,819 --> 00:28:56,620 seems right, he tells us there in verse number 11. 689 00:28:57,180 --> 00:29:00,860 It's so simple, he says, and not only so, but we also joy in God 690 00:29:00,860 --> 00:29:03,820 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 691 00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:11,700 He's our sufficiency, he's our hope, he's our peace, he's our love, 692 00:29:12,260 --> 00:29:12,980 he's everything. 693 00:29:13,220 --> 00:29:15,300 That's where we find the sufficiency. 694 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:18,260 If you're looking in your life today and you say, you know what? 695 00:29:18,260 --> 00:29:22,100 I can't find any substance, I can't find any sufficiency. 696 00:29:22,100 --> 00:29:23,300 I feel like I need more. 697 00:29:23,380 --> 00:29:24,820 I'm never satisfied. 698 00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:27,220 I would tell you today, come back to Jesus Christ. 699 00:29:27,220 --> 00:29:28,740 He can fulfill all of that. 700 00:29:28,980 --> 00:29:32,270 He can fill every single, single need that you've ever had 701 00:29:32,270 --> 00:29:32,950 in your life. 702 00:29:33,990 --> 00:29:35,830 Every other path will fail. 703 00:29:36,470 --> 00:29:39,670 Every other direction will eventually lead to destruction. 704 00:29:39,750 --> 00:29:42,590 But we see here that he says, you have so much more. 705 00:29:42,590 --> 00:29:44,950 You have the joy of God through Jesus Christ. 706 00:29:46,630 --> 00:29:50,830 How dare we as Christians live a life that lacks joy when he says, 707 00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:57,440 this is what you have in him, by whom we have now received the 708 00:29:57,440 --> 00:29:58,080 atonement. 709 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,360 Another way you could say that is the reconciliation. 710 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,960 He says, the reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ is 711 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:06,800 all you need. 712 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:07,160 It's. 713 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,280 It's it's the epitome of joy. 714 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,280 It's the epitome of satisfaction. 715 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,040 It's the epitome of confidence. 716 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,640 And so he says here, hey, understand the love of God. 717 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:18,960 Why? 718 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:24,330 Because over and over again in Scripture, it tells us to love God. 719 00:30:24,570 --> 00:30:26,410 From the Old Testament to the New. 720 00:30:27,050 --> 00:30:30,170 The greatest commandment that we could ever have is to love God. 721 00:30:30,170 --> 00:30:33,170 Now, how can we love God unless we understand his love for 722 00:30:33,170 --> 00:30:33,450 us? 723 00:30:33,530 --> 00:30:35,130 Because we even know I quoted it before. 724 00:30:35,290 --> 00:30:37,450 We love him because he first loved us. 725 00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:40,770 You cannot love God properly if you don't understand that he loves 726 00:30:40,770 --> 00:30:41,050 you. 727 00:30:43,850 --> 00:30:45,210 Then he goes on to say this. 728 00:30:45,930 --> 00:30:48,010 There's this new commandment that I give to you. 729 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,200 To love your neighbor. 730 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:52,600 To love your neighbor as yourself. 731 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,920 To prove your love for God by loving other people. 732 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:00,600 So he says, if you understand my love, you can love me. 733 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,720 And if you love me, it will look like loving my neighbor, loving 734 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:10,120 my fellow brother and sister in Christ, loving my enemy, loving 735 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:11,680 that person that frustrates me. 736 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:14,040 Loving that person that cuts me off in traffic. 737 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,520 Loving that person at work that gets on my last nerve. 738 00:31:16,590 --> 00:31:17,780 And he says, you love them. 739 00:31:17,780 --> 00:31:20,100 Not some people say, what does that mean for me to love them? 740 00:31:21,860 --> 00:31:23,100 I gotta be with them all the time. 741 00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:24,300 I gotta spend all my time with them. 742 00:31:24,300 --> 00:31:25,700 No, what does it just mean? 743 00:31:25,940 --> 00:31:26,980 What we've talked about. 744 00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:30,740 Telling them the truth of their hope in Jesus Christ. 745 00:31:31,220 --> 00:31:34,900 Sacrificing, putting their needs before our own. 746 00:31:35,300 --> 00:31:36,740 That's what love looks like. 747 00:31:37,380 --> 00:31:39,140 And so I'm gonna challenge you here today. 748 00:31:39,220 --> 00:31:43,380 We can't leave today thinking, well, man, I'm so blessed that God 749 00:31:43,380 --> 00:31:43,860 loves me. 750 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,360 Now let me just go make everything crazy in my life by getting 751 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:48,160 mad at these people. 752 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:48,720 No. 753 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:54,080 The way that we personify the love of God in our life is be the 754 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:55,600 light to those around us. 755 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,960 Matthew 5:16 talks about being the light. 756 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,480 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works 757 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,160 and think you're a good person. 758 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:07,040 No. 759 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,080 And glorify your Father, which is in heaven. 760 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:12,600 You say, why should I love that person? 761 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,880 So that people can see Jesus through me, not because they deserve 762 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:16,120 it. 763 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:18,920 Let me tell you the answer to this. 764 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:21,800 The answer to why we do what we do. 765 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:23,160 It's an easy answer. 766 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:24,440 To glorify God. 767 00:32:26,279 --> 00:32:26,760 Why do. 768 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:28,360 Why do I need to love someone that's not lovable? 769 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:29,320 To glorify God? 770 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:30,840 Why do I need to love God? 771 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:31,640 To glorify God? 772 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,320 Why do we need to worship to glorify God? 773 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,000 The answer should be to glorify God. 774 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,890 Human beings have achieved purpose. 775 00:32:39,290 --> 00:32:42,250 To praise and to please our Savior. 776 00:32:43,450 --> 00:32:45,130 The Christian life is not about us. 777 00:32:46,650 --> 00:32:49,730 By definition, the Christian life is not about us. 778 00:32:49,730 --> 00:32:51,690 Think about what the word Christian even means. 779 00:32:52,410 --> 00:32:53,130 Little Christ. 780 00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:57,210 It was started there in the church at Antioch because they were 781 00:32:57,210 --> 00:32:58,610 modeling their life after Christ. 782 00:32:58,610 --> 00:32:59,170 And they say. 783 00:32:59,170 --> 00:33:01,690 And it was actually a derogatory term, like a negative 784 00:33:01,690 --> 00:33:02,650 term towards these people. 785 00:33:02,650 --> 00:33:05,210 They said, you guys are just a bunch of little Christ out there 786 00:33:05,210 --> 00:33:06,330 following Jesus. 787 00:33:07,990 --> 00:33:10,910 Would the world actually say that about us today if that term 788 00:33:10,910 --> 00:33:11,510 wasn't around? 789 00:33:11,750 --> 00:33:14,230 Would they say that we are like the Christ that's written in 790 00:33:14,230 --> 00:33:17,190 scripture, not the Jesus that we've created in this world? 791 00:33:18,310 --> 00:33:21,070 Well, love and sing Kumbaya to everybody because we're all just. 792 00:33:21,070 --> 00:33:21,270 All. 793 00:33:21,270 --> 00:33:22,070 We're all right. 794 00:33:23,030 --> 00:33:24,950 How in the world does that make any sense? 795 00:33:25,190 --> 00:33:27,990 How can everyone be right when we're all contradicting each other? 796 00:33:29,590 --> 00:33:31,750 Well, the person who's the strongest is the. 797 00:33:31,750 --> 00:33:32,390 Is the right. 798 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:34,880 The person who's the loudest is the rightest. 799 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,680 No, there's one absolute truth. 800 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:41,600 The Bible says in John 17:17, Sanctify them by thy truth. 801 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:42,720 Thy word is truth. 802 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:45,280 This word of God is the truth. 803 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:48,000 Unapologetically, we must stand upon that. 804 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,880 Because at the moment that crumbles, I can say my way's right, 805 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:53,840 and you can say your ways right, and we all go, hey, everyone's 806 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:54,120 all right. 807 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:54,560 That's good. 808 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:58,480 But what if my way completely contradicts your way? 809 00:33:59,690 --> 00:34:01,530 Well, we all can get to heaven the same way. 810 00:34:02,970 --> 00:34:04,650 The Bible says that is not the case. 811 00:34:05,770 --> 00:34:06,570 So what do we do? 812 00:34:07,450 --> 00:34:09,930 We love people because God has told us to love them. 813 00:34:10,650 --> 00:34:14,010 We sacrifice for people because God has sacrificed for us. 814 00:34:15,530 --> 00:34:18,290 Now we're going to talk more as we continue in the Book of Romans 815 00:34:18,290 --> 00:34:20,010 about this concept of grace. 816 00:34:21,530 --> 00:34:25,010 Because by the way, the reason why God loves us is because he gives 817 00:34:25,010 --> 00:34:25,610 us grace. 818 00:34:26,870 --> 00:34:29,110 I don't deserve his love, but he gives me that gift anyway. 819 00:34:31,030 --> 00:34:36,270 Grace just literally means something given to somebody that 820 00:34:36,270 --> 00:34:37,270 they don't deserve. 821 00:34:38,950 --> 00:34:42,670 And so therefore, the love that God gave us is something that 822 00:34:42,670 --> 00:34:43,470 we don't deserve. 823 00:34:43,470 --> 00:34:46,790 And then by definition, the love that we are to give other people 824 00:34:46,790 --> 00:34:48,630 is love that they don't deserve. 825 00:34:50,070 --> 00:34:53,040 And so that's what we're talking about when we're talking 826 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,040 about this idea of the love of God. 827 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,000 Now I need to park on just a few more things, and then we're done. 828 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:02,160 Okay, we have this idea of the definition of love. 829 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:03,440 Then. 830 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:07,280 Then we have the demonstration of love, and then we have the deliverance 831 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:07,679 of love. 832 00:35:07,679 --> 00:35:09,640 But then I want you to just think about this with me. 833 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,520 The the daily, the daily occurrence of the love of God. 834 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,840 Okay, so the daily occurrence of the love of God means this God, 835 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:22,400 yes, he demonstrated his love towards us 2000 plus years ago or 836 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:23,560 around 2000 years ago. 837 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,480 Okay, the idea would be this. 838 00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:31,000 Yes, Jesus demonstrated His love towards us that long ago. 839 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:34,440 But every day Jesus demonstrates His love towards us 840 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,960 by sending us grace and peace and blessings. 841 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,560 Folks, this is an amazing thing that we're going to see later 842 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:44,830 on in Romans chapter 12, that every believer is gifted a gift of, 843 00:35:44,980 --> 00:35:47,980 of grace for service for the cause of the kingdom. 844 00:35:47,980 --> 00:35:49,300 We get to be on his team. 845 00:35:50,180 --> 00:35:50,660 He's. 846 00:35:50,660 --> 00:35:51,540 We're not the captain. 847 00:35:51,620 --> 00:35:54,700 He's the captain of the team, but we get an opportunity to be a 848 00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:55,300 part of it. 849 00:35:55,540 --> 00:35:56,740 That's the love of Christ. 850 00:35:57,620 --> 00:35:59,540 He doesn't just say, hey, you're on my team now. 851 00:35:59,540 --> 00:36:01,420 Sit back there and be out of this. 852 00:36:01,420 --> 00:36:02,260 You can just live your. 853 00:36:02,260 --> 00:36:05,860 No, he says, I'm with you, Jesus. 854 00:36:05,860 --> 00:36:09,060 Jesus says in the book of Hebrews that He will never leave 855 00:36:09,060 --> 00:36:11,140 us nor forsake us. 856 00:36:12,260 --> 00:36:15,700 Folks, it's not just, oh yeah, 2,000 years ago, Jesus showed me 857 00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:16,020 his love. 858 00:36:16,020 --> 00:36:19,340 But yeah, no, Jesus demonstrated His love then and continues 859 00:36:19,340 --> 00:36:22,180 to demonstrate his love towards us throughout our lives by 860 00:36:22,180 --> 00:36:26,740 giving us opportunities of grace to serve and to be a blessing 861 00:36:26,740 --> 00:36:31,420 and ultimately to understand that daily he is with us, his presence 862 00:36:31,420 --> 00:36:32,180 and his power. 863 00:36:32,820 --> 00:36:33,780 Matthew chap. 864 00:36:33,940 --> 00:36:35,140 Yeah, Matthew, chapter 28. 865 00:36:35,140 --> 00:36:37,460 The very end, at the very end, it's called the Great Commission, 866 00:36:37,910 --> 00:36:42,070 is Jesus's last words to his followers before he ascends into 867 00:36:42,070 --> 00:36:42,550 heaven. 868 00:36:42,630 --> 00:36:45,510 He says, all power is given unto me. 869 00:36:46,070 --> 00:36:47,630 And then he gives them a command. 870 00:36:47,630 --> 00:36:51,990 The command would be this, to go and make disciples, to teach them, 871 00:36:51,990 --> 00:36:55,150 to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy 872 00:36:55,150 --> 00:36:55,510 Ghost. 873 00:36:55,670 --> 00:36:58,590 And then he, he, he goes on to say something and he says, and lo, 874 00:36:58,590 --> 00:37:02,230 I will be with you always, even to the end of the world. 875 00:37:02,230 --> 00:37:03,670 So, so here's what we're going to say. 876 00:37:05,510 --> 00:37:08,950 His command for us are marching orders, so to speak. 877 00:37:09,110 --> 00:37:13,590 It starts with his power and ends with his presence. 878 00:37:14,150 --> 00:37:14,750 You see that? 879 00:37:14,750 --> 00:37:16,310 He says, all power is given unto me. 880 00:37:16,310 --> 00:37:19,749 So he says, what I'm asking you to do, I am the one giving you 881 00:37:19,749 --> 00:37:20,710 the power to do it. 882 00:37:20,710 --> 00:37:22,710 And then he says, this is what you do. 883 00:37:23,030 --> 00:37:25,350 Sounds impossible to do it right? 884 00:37:25,590 --> 00:37:28,190 And then he says, but don't worry, I've given you my power and 885 00:37:28,190 --> 00:37:29,270 I'm going to be with you through it. 886 00:37:30,470 --> 00:37:33,430 That there is a demonstration of his love. 887 00:37:33,510 --> 00:37:38,230 And so if God is with us, who can be against us? 888 00:37:38,310 --> 00:37:40,630 We're going to read that in Romans, chapter five or eight. 889 00:37:40,950 --> 00:37:42,710 You know, the idea would be this, folks. 890 00:37:42,950 --> 00:37:44,230 We have hope. 891 00:37:44,390 --> 00:37:45,870 We have the love of God. 892 00:37:45,870 --> 00:37:46,750 But what does that mean? 893 00:37:46,750 --> 00:37:51,990 The love of God is not just this passive thing that we just casually, 894 00:37:52,310 --> 00:37:56,310 you know, butterflies and rainbows and say everything's okay 895 00:37:56,310 --> 00:37:57,510 in this world because God's love. 896 00:37:57,510 --> 00:37:59,750 No, the reality is, is that we have a mission. 897 00:38:01,150 --> 00:38:01,630 We are. 898 00:38:02,190 --> 00:38:03,470 We are in battle. 899 00:38:04,510 --> 00:38:08,270 And the battle is this over good and evil, over truth and lies, 900 00:38:08,270 --> 00:38:11,470 over salvation and judgment. 901 00:38:12,830 --> 00:38:16,349 And there's only one institution that God has set up to 902 00:38:16,349 --> 00:38:18,030 further that gospel message. 903 00:38:18,670 --> 00:38:21,230 And it's not the government, it's not Hollywood. 904 00:38:21,870 --> 00:38:24,750 It is the church, the pillar and ground of truth. 905 00:38:25,230 --> 00:38:29,150 And if you are a believer and you are attending Middletown Baptist 906 00:38:29,150 --> 00:38:31,990 Church, the Bible says that the church is not the building. 907 00:38:31,990 --> 00:38:34,750 The church is the people. 908 00:38:36,750 --> 00:38:39,230 We are not just like the body of Christ. 909 00:38:39,230 --> 00:38:39,590 We. 910 00:38:39,590 --> 00:38:43,070 The Bible says we are the body of Christ in the world today. 911 00:38:43,870 --> 00:38:47,150 And so therefore, we don't just say, well, who am I? 912 00:38:47,150 --> 00:38:47,390 Who? 913 00:38:47,390 --> 00:38:48,270 That's not my job. 914 00:38:48,830 --> 00:38:50,390 My job's not to speak the truth. 915 00:38:50,390 --> 00:38:51,710 That's someone else's job. 916 00:38:52,670 --> 00:38:55,190 When the Great Commission came down, Jesus didn't say, it's just 917 00:38:55,190 --> 00:38:57,020 for the pastors and preachers and. 918 00:38:57,260 --> 00:38:59,660 And teachers and deacons and people that are. 919 00:38:59,740 --> 00:39:04,100 No, it's for every believer to be a witness at how God has called 920 00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:04,940 you to be a witness. 921 00:39:04,940 --> 00:39:08,700 Not everyone's called to be a preacher, at least a formal preacher 922 00:39:08,700 --> 00:39:09,500 behind a pulpit. 923 00:39:09,500 --> 00:39:13,380 But all of us are called to be presenters or proclaimers of the 924 00:39:13,380 --> 00:39:15,660 love of Christ in truth to the world. 925 00:39:16,300 --> 00:39:19,500 So I would ask you here this morning, what does the love of God 926 00:39:19,820 --> 00:39:20,700 mean to you? 927 00:39:20,940 --> 00:39:25,810 Is it a point in which you can go back to as a place of reference 928 00:39:25,810 --> 00:39:28,810 for your hope and your confidence and your strength? 929 00:39:29,050 --> 00:39:32,050 Or is the love of God seem foreign to you that you must have 930 00:39:32,050 --> 00:39:36,690 to come to in repentance and faith and believe in so that you 931 00:39:36,690 --> 00:39:39,770 can know what it means to be a child of God here this morning. 932 00:39:39,850 --> 00:39:41,450 The gift has been extended. 933 00:39:41,690 --> 00:39:42,890 It's been demonstrated. 934 00:39:42,890 --> 00:39:45,410 I don't need to go through and explain to you all the aspects of 935 00:39:45,410 --> 00:39:46,810 Jesus's death on the cross. 936 00:39:48,010 --> 00:39:53,440 It was the most gruesome display of human execution. 937 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:57,040 It was not a symbol of fashion. 938 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:58,880 The cross was not a symbol of fashion. 939 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:00,400 The cross is a symbol of death. 940 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:04,240 And Jesus says, I'm willing to die for the ungodly. 941 00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:06,640 I'm willing to die for those who are without strength. 942 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:06,960 Why? 943 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:08,560 Because I love them. 944 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:09,840 He did that for you. 945 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:12,920 And this morning, what is your reaction to that? 946 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:16,280 Because all of us, no matter where we are at in our spiritual 947 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:18,720 walk, must respond to the love of Christ. 948 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:22,440 If we are believers, we must go back to that and as the well for 949 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:25,240 our strength and for our hope and for our purpose. 950 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,560 And if we are not believers here this morning, that gift of grace 951 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,080 must be the only hope for our salvation. 952 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:33,640 That is the truth. 953 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:35,560 Because the truth is this. 954 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:41,680 When we take our last breath, there's only one of two places that 955 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:42,280 we will be. 956 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:46,400 And the Bible says two things for the wages of sin. 957 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,620 If I die in my sin, I find my place. 958 00:40:49,620 --> 00:40:53,220 I find myself in a place of death and separation from God in 959 00:40:53,220 --> 00:40:54,140 a place called hell. 960 00:40:54,700 --> 00:40:58,420 But then, if I'm a believer, the Bible says absent with the body 961 00:40:58,420 --> 00:41:02,900 is present with the Lord here this morning, the challenge is this. 962 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:03,220 What. 963 00:41:03,220 --> 00:41:05,780 What are you, believer or non believer? 964 00:41:05,780 --> 00:41:09,660 What are you going to do when it comes to the truth of the reconciliation 965 00:41:10,220 --> 00:41:12,220 of Jesus Christ and his love for you? 966 00:41:12,220 --> 00:41:13,900 Are you going to trust in that today? 967 00:41:14,660 --> 00:41:17,500 Are you going to trust in that for your strength and your hope and 968 00:41:17,500 --> 00:41:18,100 your confidence? 969 00:41:18,180 --> 00:41:19,980 Are you going to trust in that for your salvation? 970 00:41:19,980 --> 00:41:22,340 Here through this service today, I'm going to ask everyone 971 00:41:22,340 --> 00:41:24,260 to stand with me, every head bowed, every head closed. 972 00:41:24,260 --> 00:41:25,620 We're going to have a time of invitation. 973 00:41:26,340 --> 00:41:31,260 This isn't a time in which we want to put any pressure on you at 974 00:41:31,260 --> 00:41:31,540 all. 975 00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:35,700 But what we want to do is just simply tell you the truth of Jesus 976 00:41:35,700 --> 00:41:36,020 Christ. 977 00:41:36,740 --> 00:41:38,420 What does the word of God say? 978 00:41:39,220 --> 00:41:41,820 I know I've said some things that are pretty strong here this 979 00:41:41,820 --> 00:41:44,590 morning, but, folks, the reason why I say this is because 980 00:41:44,910 --> 00:41:47,910 I can tell you by way of testimony, I am convinced that this 981 00:41:47,910 --> 00:41:48,590 is the truth. 982 00:41:49,870 --> 00:41:53,910 And I know that many, most of you that are in this room today believe 983 00:41:53,910 --> 00:41:55,790 and are convinced that this is the truth. 984 00:41:55,870 --> 00:41:59,390 But the question would be, do I go back and think about the love 985 00:41:59,390 --> 00:41:59,870 of Christ? 986 00:42:00,110 --> 00:42:01,310 Is the love of Christ? 987 00:42:01,390 --> 00:42:06,070 Is the love of God in my life the fuel and the source for my love 988 00:42:06,070 --> 00:42:06,590 for others? 989 00:42:06,750 --> 00:42:10,950 Or as the world told me alive, that I believe that love is about 990 00:42:10,950 --> 00:42:14,740 me and about what I can get and not about the sacrifice that 991 00:42:14,740 --> 00:42:16,060 I can give to somebody else? 992 00:42:16,060 --> 00:42:21,820 Folks, being a Christian, if I can say this in a way that you understand 993 00:42:21,900 --> 00:42:22,940 is a messy business. 994 00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:24,620 Sometimes it gets difficult. 995 00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:27,020 Sometimes it doesn't all add up. 996 00:42:27,020 --> 00:42:30,940 But, folks, the love of God does not add up to our human concept 997 00:42:30,940 --> 00:42:32,380 because it doesn't make any sense. 998 00:42:32,380 --> 00:42:36,100 But what we do is we believe that God loves us and he calls us 999 00:42:36,100 --> 00:42:37,020 to love like him. 1000 00:42:37,670 --> 00:42:40,270 And so here this morning, maybe we've been challenged by the 1001 00:42:40,270 --> 00:42:46,190 message of love and maybe the message of the idea of showing that 1002 00:42:46,190 --> 00:42:46,470 love. 1003 00:42:47,830 --> 00:42:51,150 Maybe here this morning, maybe you've never trusted in the gospel 1004 00:42:51,150 --> 00:42:51,830 of Jesus Christ. 1005 00:42:51,830 --> 00:42:55,190 Maybe you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus alone for 1006 00:42:55,190 --> 00:42:57,350 that reconciliation, for that salvation. 1007 00:42:57,830 --> 00:43:00,630 So the Bible says it's very simple to put your faith and trust 1008 00:43:00,630 --> 00:43:04,270 in Jesus Christ, to recognize that you are a sinner, to recognize 1009 00:43:04,270 --> 00:43:07,590 that you have fallen short, to recognize that you are that one without 1010 00:43:07,590 --> 00:43:08,150 strength. 1011 00:43:08,790 --> 00:43:10,110 You are the one that is ungodly. 1012 00:43:10,110 --> 00:43:12,790 You are the one that's an enemy of God, whether you know it 1013 00:43:12,790 --> 00:43:13,070 or not. 1014 00:43:13,070 --> 00:43:15,230 The Bible says that if we are in rebellion, we are. 1015 00:43:15,230 --> 00:43:19,510 And therefore, do I come to him today to save me, or do I walk 1016 00:43:19,750 --> 00:43:22,310 in my own strength trying to save myself? 1017 00:43:22,630 --> 00:43:25,350 Folks, we've got some folks up here this morning that are standing 1018 00:43:25,350 --> 00:43:29,230 here that would be willing to show you in the Bible what it means 1019 00:43:29,230 --> 00:43:30,870 to know Jesus as Savior. 1020 00:43:30,870 --> 00:43:32,870 What does it mean to be saved? 1021 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:38,800 Ladies, if you need a lady to talk to you, we would love to point 1022 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:40,640 out somebody that you can talk to here today. 1023 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:43,560 But here, for the next few moments, after I'm done praying or 1024 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,280 even before I'm praying, you can come forward here, kneel the 1025 00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:48,280 steps and turn your life over to Christ. 1026 00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:50,840 Maybe you need to just go back to what he's done for you, to recharge 1027 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,920 you for that love that he has called you to show to this world. 1028 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:56,520 Lord, I pray that you'd be in this time of invitation, working 1029 00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:57,200 hearts and lives. 1030 00:43:57,680 --> 00:44:01,650 Lord, I pray that you can bring us all back to your love so 1031 00:44:01,650 --> 00:44:04,130 that we can rest in the truth of the gospel. 1032 00:44:04,130 --> 00:44:07,210 Lord, I thank you for your love for me, for your love for us. 1033 00:44:07,610 --> 00:44:11,290 Thank you for demonstrating that through the sacrifice of your 1034 00:44:11,290 --> 00:44:12,490 son Jesus name. 1035 00:44:12,490 --> 00:44:12,810 Amen. 1036 00:44:12,810 --> 00:44:15,450 As the music plays, follow as the Lord leads here this morning. 1037 00:45:43,410 --> 00:45:57,930 Foreign thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist 1038 00:45:57,930 --> 00:45:58,850 Church podcast. 1039 00:45:59,089 --> 00:46:01,410 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1040 00:46:02,050 --> 00:46:04,330 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1041 00:46:04,330 --> 00:46:07,810 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1042 00:46:08,130 --> 00:46:10,630 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1043 00:46:11,430 --> 00:46:15,990 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch. 1044 00:46:15,990 --> 00:46:16,390 Com. 1045 00:46:16,790 --> 00:46:20,270 If you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 1046 00:46:20,270 --> 00:46:23,190 along for future podcast and updates. 1047 00:46:23,830 --> 00:46:24,710 Thank you so much. 1048 00:46:24,950 --> 00:46:25,670 God bless. 1049 00:46:25,910 --> 00:46:27,190 Have a wonderful day.