If you all have 1 John marked,
you can just leave it marked. Bob just preached my whole outline. If you will, let's turn to Psalm
133. While you're turning there, we got
the flooring ordered. I took a picture, they had a
big sample. It's about the same color as what's there, a little
bit lighter. and hopefully this week we'll get the paint ordered.
Within the next month, in the next four weeks, we'll have walls
painted and floorboards done and flooring in and garbage removed. It'll be good. Psalm 133. I was told to tell you hello from
the brethren there in Kingsport and New Jersey and Rescue. Whoever
I taught Fairmont, West Virginia, Crow, West Virginia, Ashland,
Kentucky, all over. Psalm 133. You know, I don't know what the
title message is. I'm not good at that. Catchy
titles. Familiar love. A familiar love
or a common love. When I was growing up, we'd always
say, you know, six, one, half dozen, the other. Or we'd say
same, difference. Is it the same or is it different?
Is all the different ones the same? Because then they ain't
different, but they're different. You know, you start talking in
a circle and you can't make it out. I gave it, I typed it out.
I ain't gonna try to read it. We're all the same difference.
And to the world, the child of God, they say they ain't us.
Them people's different. They're peculiar, ain't they?
Paul told Titus, he said, "'Christ our Lord gave himself for us,
"'that he might redeem us from all iniquity "'and purify unto
himself a peculiar people.'" A peculiar people. Zealous of
good works. That's what it says, isn't it?
What kind of good works is Paul talking about? Peter said a little
bit differently. He said, you're a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. What's in good works Paul was
talking about? Same good works that Peter was talking about,
same thing we looked at this weekend, wasn't it? What's in the heart
comes out of the mouth. That's just all there is to it.
Peculiar people, and those peculiar people, their zealous good works
and what the Lord's done, his good works is what comes out
of their mouth. They're fulfilling the law. That perk you up? That get you
attention? Where's he going? You'll be all
right. Romans 3 says, to declare, I
say at this time, his Righteousness, the Lord righteous, that he might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where's boasting then? It's excluded by what law? Of
works? Nay, but of the law of faith. We fulfill that law of faith.
He said in Romans 331, do we then make void the law through
faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law. We establish the law
over Matthew, As a young lawyer, one of the scribes and the Pharisees
and their crew, he got a good handle on this. The Lord taught
him, told him plainly what this was. I don't know if he taught
him in the heart, but he told him plainly how we're going to fulfill all
these laws, how we're going to do good works, how we're going
to be different than everybody else, how we're going to be the
same difference. Same as everybody else, but we're different. That
lawyer asked him a question. He said, Master, what's the great
commandment of the law? Which one's the greatest? We
got him now. we got him now and he said thou shalt love the Lord
God thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy
mind that's every bit of you plum totally and he said this
is the first and great commandment there's the first one love him
with everything you got ever sell in your body at all times
I was thinking a pilot the other day when he said you know I have
the power to kill you If I had done perfect my whole life up
to that point, I'd have rolled my eyes. Lord didn't. He didn't roll my
eyes when I would have. Every jot and tittle, didn't
he? He said, this is the first great commandment. You love the
Father. You love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind. And
the second's just like that one. You love your neighbor as yourself.
And in these two commandments, that hangs all the laws and all
the prophets. Love God with everything in you. And just about the same thing.
Love your neighbor just like yourself, because you know who
he is. And you know he's going to save his people. And you don't
know who his people are. I hope the Lord teaches us that
this evening. Just what you prayed, Bob. What was that first law? The Lord says he's going to give
us a new commandment. That first law said in Leviticus
19, it said, you shall not avenge nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people. Don't you bear any grudges. But
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, I am the Lord. You
shalt love your neighbor as yourself. That's the old commandment. We're
gonna get the new commandment and why and how. It's all gonna
make sense to us. That prophet, that law is gonna
be fulfilled right in front of us, manifest in us. in these
scriptures 2,000 years ago and in 2023 right now in Hamo, California.
I thought I needed to preach this Sunday. I was like, I want
everybody to hear this. How are we gonna get it to them?
And then I thought, no, I had something else ready. I said,
that ain't the message, this is. And you read that in 1 John.
I said, yep, this is it. You still got Psalm 133. That
loves what David's talking about here. Psalm 133, verse one, behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity, in love, in oneness. Now, is that talking about just
believers and set the world on fire? Whoever ain't. Oh, no,
no, no, no. It's a little deeper than that.
We got some understanding. We have some wisdom, don't we?
and love and togetherness. That's believers throughout the
world. You love Angus when they come?
Some of them brethrens probably will come to the United States
here this year or next. That'd be neat, wouldn't it? We love
them all around the world. What about in this nation? Yeah,
I love the brethren in this nation. What about this state? Do you
love the brethren in this state? You met a bunch of them. We love
them. What about in this house right here? That too, isn't it? In this assembly. It also means
in households. Husbands and wives. Have unity. Have love, have peace in the
home. And siblings, children, get along. Get along with your
siblings, son. It's good, it's pleasant. God
says so. Parents and children, we'll see
that towards the end. You got some accountability in this,
bear watch. I do too. I learned some things in this.
That's in our families, in our homes, our assemblies, with all
those brothers. But then the people we're just, our brothers
in arms in this nation too, isn't it? The people we work with.
People we bump into at the store over and over again. Enough to
where they comment if you got your hair cut. You got your hair
cut, who are you? Stalkers, I think. Get along
with them, that's good to get along with. Better than being
bad with them, isn't it? Is it better than being bad with them?
And little league groups, you take them children out to activities,
the people you're with, dwell peaceably with them in love and
unity. Be kind to one another. David says, behold, how good
it is and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity. How
precious is it? It's like the precious ointment
upon the head that ran down the beard, even Aaron's beard, that
went down to the skirts of his garments, the dew of Hermon,
and that dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there
the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore. What do you
got to be sad about? What do you got to be picky about?
to anybody. God saved you. We've been anointed
with some oil, ain't we? It runs head to toe. It come
from his holy mountain and he's commanded life. That roadblock
that's in front of us, I think it's going to be okay. We can
dwell in unity. We can dwell in love, ain't we?
Hmm, this whole law is love is what fulfills it. Turn back to
john 13. That's gonna be our text tonight, john 13. The whole law was fulfilled by Christ. Out of love, because of love
for knowledge. And that love shed abroad in
our hearts given to us. He loved us first and it's manifested,
comes to a head inside of his people. Not everybody's that
way, Kevin. That's right. It ain't everybody
ain't that way. But in God's people, that's what happens.
It says here in John 13, 31. Therefore, when he was gone out,
remember last week, he sent Judas out. to go do something. He said, what you got to do,
get done with it. Gave him sop, remember? And he said, go, and
Judas left. They all thought he was going
out to do something important. Therefore, when he was gone out, Judas had
left. It's just the 11 now. Jesus said, now is the Son of
Man glorified. and God is glorified in him.
If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself
and shall straightway glorify him. This hour that's been, we've
heard so much about, it's set in motion. The clock started
ticking, here we go. For the next several chapters,
our Lord's just teaching these 11. Till we get to John 17, end
of John 16. This is all one thing. This is precious sitting and
it's talking about his glory. And he says in verse 30, 33,
little children, little children, you know, I thought most of them
guys probably older than he was. Lord's 33 and some change. There are
no thirties and forties grown men, ain't they? He said, little
children, yet a little while I'm with you. He shall seek me,
you're gonna look for me, earnestly. And as I said unto the Jews,
whether I go, you cannot come. So now I say unto you, a new
commandment I give unto you. Remember that old commandment?
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Well, here's the
motive, here's the reason, here's the way, here's the example of
being fulfilled. A new commandment I give unto
you, that ye love one another. as I have loved you. He gave
the commandment, you shall love your neighbor. That means you're
going to, because he did. And this is the way, this is
the reason and the way that you love one another as I have loved
you. After this manner, that you also
love one another. Here's the result of Christ in
you. Our hope of glory, that new creation, something new. We were beasts before. Now there's
something new in us. Loving our brethren. While I have your attention,
I'm going to ask you a serious question. Who's your brethren? I don't know. I look at y'all
and I know you all. There's probably some more out
there, ain't there? Verse 35. Here's the result of
Christ in you. his love dwelling in his people.
By this shall all know that you are my disciples. He said, go
in the world, make disciples. That means teach them. God's
going to have to teach them. The Lord's going to know that you're
taught of God if you have love one to another. We have a common
love. It's the same, same with them,
same with the prophets of old, same with these disciples, these
apostles, and same as 50 years ago, same as today. Nothing's
changed, nothing's changed. That love's been shed abroad
in our hearts, isn't it? Does that come out of just good
times? Fun stuff, no, uh-uh. We're gonna
see a couple things we normally quote this evening. Paul said,
glory in tribulations, don't we? Because they make patience,
and patience brings experience, and experience brings hope, and
hope maketh not ashamed, because, on bad times, because the love
of God is shed abroad in your hearts. We ain't gonna see it. And that
shed abroad means every corner, however big it is, it's it's
just plump. Your cups gonna overflow gonna
run up. This show me know you're my disciples.
If you have love one to another, if you have love in common, love
to mankind love for how would it all mean to be saved? This
was pressed on me this two years ago. before I came here, those
two men that were professing believers, and they spent a decade
or two together, long time, long time. They labored together,
went to church together, and they had great times together,
and great conversations together, and they wept together, and as
the years went on, something came up. Something drove a wedge
in them. There was a seed of doubt sown.
There was resentment that began to grow. And through that trial
of one, time went on, they didn't talk as much, and that one had
been a great trial of affliction. So down and out, and somebody
encouraged him. They said, lean on your brother. Y'all been buddies
for a long time. Long time. Go lean on him. You've called him brother for
so many years. Both these guys are professing believers. And his reply was
this. We don't have anything in common anymore. If they didn't have anything
in common anymore, they never had anything in common to begin
with. If they didn't have anything in common right then, they never
did have anything in common. Throw 1 John chapter 2. The Lord
does these things on purpose to teach his children. 1 John 2 verse 18. John had learned a lot in those
three and a half years. And then the Lord applied it
to his heart for many more years after. And then he speaks with
some wisdom here for us in 1 John 2 verse 18. It says, little children,
this is the last time. And as you have heard, the Antichrist
shall come. Even now, are there many Antichrists? A whole lot of people against
Christ. whereby we know that this is the last time. They went
out from us. They left. They went away. They
stopped having something in common with us. There wasn't nothing
in common enough for them to stick around. And they had more
in common with something that's not here, that's away, and so
they went to that. They left. They went out from
us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, we
had something in common. At common love, they would no
doubt have continued with us, but they went out. That they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But you,
you that still have something in common, you that's left here,
you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things. You know this. You don't want
to say it out loud. Doesn't that terrify you? I pray
the Lord bring them back. I've seen people leave over 43
years. I've seen a bunch come and go.
And boy, I pray the Lord breaks their heart and brings them back.
I pray they're His. But I know these things. I have
not written unto you because you know not the truth. I'm not
telling you this because you don't know it, and I've got to
establish these things, but because you do know it, and that no lies
are the truth. I'm writing these things because
you know this. We need to be reminded of that, don't we? Because
we walk in this world, and there's people that we live next to,
and the people we care about. I really think, as we get to
the end of this message, I really think the Lord's going to use
us in this community. It'd tickle me to death. There's some people,
I like them. I like them enough to pray for
them. There's people I don't like, and I don't like them enough
to pray for them. That'd mend that relationship,
wouldn't it? Turn over John 4. Or 1 John, 1 John 4, I'm sorry,
just a page over, 1 John 4. Verse 6. Those that have that common love,
we are of God. 1 John 4, 6, we are of God. That's
a strong statement, isn't it? it in every place with a cross
out front saying that we're of God. We're God's people. And most time they mean that
as if we are and you ain't. That's a strong statement for
us to establish why I know the church in San Diego County. That's
making a strong statement that there's none worth going to.
Y'all start that in 2019. Ain't that right? If there's
people in this state, if we back him, that means we're not backing
others. It's a strong statement. We're of God. He that knoweth
God, heareth us. Lord's people hear the gospel.
And he that's not of God, heareth not us. Hereby we know the spirit
of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another.
Now we know these things. We get it. We know who's coming,
who's going. We know why they go. There was a division because
of him. I don't like the layout of the
chairs, or it's too hot, or it's too cold, or I don't like that
floor color I just picked out this week. Hogwash, it's because
of him. It's the gospel, it's Christ, it's why there's a division.
We know those things, don't we? Now, knowing those things, we're
gonna pick our sides and stick to them. No. Beloved, let us
love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth
is born of God and knoweth God. We know him. That means we know
something of ourselves, and we know what he's done for us, and
how we acted as rebels, as sinners, as people that hated God, Maybe
while we was playing religion or maybe while we was playing
in the gutter. I don't know. I know what I was when the Lord came
to me. Are they different? Let's love them. Let's love them.
And that's how people's going to know you're his. How can we
do that? Well, he's got to love us first
and show us that love and then we'll act on that love. We will. For the children of God. There's
some things we have in common with this love. We have our sinfulness
in common, don't we? The blood of Christ being the
only thing that can wash away the sin that this man has, that's
common. Is that common with you? Is there
something you can do to get rid of what little bit of sin you
got? Are you just not, oh, I ain't perfect, nobody's perfect. I
was at war with God. And the only thing that's going
to give me life is Him dying and shedding His blood for me
and covering me in His blood. That's it. Nothing else will
do. Bulls and goats won't do. Me doing good things won't do.
It's going to have to be Him. Salvation is going to have to
be of the Lord. Do you have that in common? You gonna take your toys home
and get out? No, I'm gonna hug you. Love draws near, don't it? Jude said, beloved, when I have
gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation.
Not that that's common like you can buy it at a dime store. Not
that it's common like, well, you know, it's run of the mill.
It's the same with Jude. It's the same with them 11 apostles. It's the same with you, Bob.
There's no difference. This is the same. Salvation's
of the Lord. It's Christ and Him crucified.
It's who He is and what that one that's the Holy One of Israel
did for a people that He loved. And it's plumbed done. It can't
be changed. It can't be undone. Nothing can be added to it. Nothing
can be taken away from it. It's finished. It's finished. Like I said, Sonny, now we got
40 years left. You gonna go hide in a closet
somewhere? No? No, huh? Believers agree on the
truth of the gospel. They don't debate it. You get that? If two believers
are sat down and they're talking about the truth of the gospel,
they agree about the gospel. They don't sit and argue about
it and debate it and go back and forth. They agree with one
voice, with one accord. They have a common agreement,
a common statement with the contentment with the truth. They're satisfied
with the truth. Christ is all. That's good. But
yes, he is. Amen. I'll have it. Turn over to Mark
chapter 12. Mark chapter 12. There's a common contentment
between the Lord's people with the gospel, with the truth. Here,
Mark 12, verse 35. Mark 12, 35. Jesus answered and said while
he taught in the temple, how say the scribes that Christ is
the son of David? We know that, don't we? He's
going to be of the lineage of David, the house of David. Christ
is the son of David. For David himself said by the
Holy Ghost, because he wrote it, right? The Lord hath said
to my Lord, Set thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies
thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth
him the Christ Lord. And whence is he then his son?
There was a hierarchy. There's elders. My dad ain't
gonna call me Lord or boss. You know what I mean? Hey, you're
my son. How's David's great-great-great-great-great-grandbaby? Is he gonna say, that's the Lord?
Well, what a quandary that is, isn't it? That's deep thinking.
We're gonna have to get all of our books out from the shelves
and get the dust off of them and get to study and see what
a bunch of old people said about it. And see which one of them
old people we agree with. What about the common people?
Just normal folks that probably can't even read. What do they
handle with the truth? Well, that's God. That's who
it is. It's God and human flesh, ain't it, Bob? Look at there,
David said therefore, David therefore call him Lord, and whence is
he then his son? And the common people heard him
gladly. They said, that's right. You understand it? Not really.
I get it. He's coming from David, but he's
God, he ain't like us. He's holy, and he wanted to do
it that way, so we're just gonna hush and bow. Common folks, normal
folks, run-of-the-mill folks, they just, they heard him gladly. They heard him, they didn't disagree,
they didn't debate it. They didn't go and muddy up everything that
God just spoke. And they didn't go undo everything
he just said right after he got through saying it. We have many
differences. There's differences in this nation
and throughout the world, isn't there? Our brethren down in Mexico
or Papua New Guinea, there's differences in wealth. Big gap. What we pay in taxes, what they
don't make in a year. There's differences in wealth, there's
differences in education, there's differences in backgrounds, in
cultures, countries, sports, car manufacturers. We do a whole lot of differences.
But all the children of God are cleansed by the blood of Christ.
and we need cleansing. We were made clean, we are being
made clean daily, and we shall be clean. I kept washing the
feet. We were ever wet clean, but buddy, every day there's
some dirt that gets on me. How about you? That's what we
looked at him washing the feet. That was the lesson of justification
the Lord was teaching, and he sanctifies us. He sets us apart. Any different than them and us?
Any difference than you? We got a lot of difference but
we have something in common. Turn over to Acts 10. Acts 10. The Lord was going to teach Peter
a lesson. And the affliction he chose to teach that through
was physical hunger. He let Peter get real hungry
to teach him a lesson about the oneness with Christ. I'd have
never come up with that. He's all wise. He's gonna teach
Peter. There's neither Jew nor Greek,
male nor female, bond nor free. That'll make a difference. We're
one in Christ. And he let him get real hungry. Verse nine. On the morrow, as they went on
their journey and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon
the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. And he became very
hungry and would have eaten. I think I'm gonna get a sandwich.
It was to him. Rise, Peter, kill, and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord. I ain't gonna do it. For I have
never, he says never a lot. I have never eaten anything that's
common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him
again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. Don't you call
it common. If I said it's mine, it's clean,
don't you say it's common. Don't you say it's the run of
the mill. You understand? There's no separation between
you, Peter, and what this is. Peter thought this was about
diet. He really did. But he was gonna be shown that
Gentiles, that he thought he was just a peg above. Like, I
know the Lord saves them Gentiles, but we came first. We're a little bit older. We're
a little bit more mature. God said, don't you dare think
that way. If you're a child of God, don't matter if you're an
apostle or not, and they're a child of God, they're sinners saved
by grace, who made you to differ? Don't you call something unclean,
I said it's clean. Told him to kill and eat, didn't
he? How's he gonna kill and eat people? Oh no, come on now. That
two-edged sword's gonna slay somebody. That truth's gonna
go out of Peter's mouth, and those Gentiles are gonna say,
that's me. I heard that law, I can't keep, I died. It slew
me. And I'm gonna have to be in Christ.
And then eat, how would Peter eat that? Become one with? You
are what you eat, ain't ya? Would you eat with them? Would
you eat with them Gentiles, Peter? Don't get you a pulled pork sandwich.
Sit down with him. He'll be all right. Become one with him. One with him. Unity. I thought
of the body. I'm fearfully and wonderfully
made, ain't I? Just this physical body. This ain't a mistake. There's
a red blood cell that carries oxygen that floats through my
body, and that one may be used in my brain today, and it may
work its way down to my hand, to my pinky finger, and it may
go through my organs or something, and through my heart and oxygenate
that, and my large intestines, small intestines, and my knees.
What, knee, it's hurting? Well, I gotta have some blood
flow down there, get that thing healed back up, don't I? That's
amazing, the same blood runs through every part of my body.
This body's amazing, and we don't willfully harm it. Any self-inflicted
harm, universally that's accepted, no matter what country or culture
you're in. If you're harming yourself, you're mentally off.
Something's wrong, ain't there? How much more the body of Christ? Is this body fearfully and wonderfully
made? It's amazing. It's amazing. Paul said that in 1 Corinthians
12. For the body is not one member, but many members. Shall the foot
say, because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body? I'm
just no foot. And that hand's doing something
different. Maybe I'm not part of that body. Is it not there
for the body? If the ear shall say, because
I'm not the eye, am I not of the body? He goes on, he said,
but now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body,
as it hath pleased him. All those members of the body,
of his spiritual body, throughout time and in this generation,
it works together, doesn't it? The ear hears danger, and the
feet find out and it runs, moves the whole body, doesn't it? Hands
out by itself and gets cold. And the brain knows, and the
brain tells the arm, bring it close. Draw it near and warm
it up, doesn't it? And if they were all one member,
where's the body? If it was all hands, you'd just
be a big old hand walking around. That's a scarce of an idea. That
ain't a body. There's no head there. You can't
have all heads. Every part's needed. But now
there are many members, but yet one body. A whole lot of differences,
ain't there? It's all this love one to another. Is that just
good governance of this body, of the spiritual body? Does that
just make us good earthly citizens? That's what the world tells you,
isn't it? Is that just something that teaches us to be citizens
of a heavenly kingdom when we gotta just get so ripe we can
go to heaven? No, it's much more than that. All this instruction,
all this explanation of what we've been made, because we were
nothing, and brought into his body, made bone of his bone and
flesh of his flesh, It's gonna be used for something. It's gonna
be used for something. There's phrases we quote so often,
but I want us to see the context. Here's the use of that love.
Turn over to Acts chapter two. Back a few pages, Acts two. Here's how that love, that unity
plays out. We have in common now just as
much as that church 2,000 years ago did, don't we? How does he
use all those people knowing him and knowing that blood sacrifice,
knowing what we are, and we have love one towards another. We
have that common love. We have so many things in common. How does
the Lord use that, that way everybody else out in this town, either
then or now here in San Diego County, how are they going to
know that you're the Lord's disciples? What's he going to do with that?
They just know some stuff? Well, that ain't going to help
them out. Do something with it, ain't he? It's not just knowledge,
we have to have some understanding with it. The Lord don't make
a tool and don't use it. Look here in verse 42, Acts 2
42. It says, and they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking bread
and in prayers. Those that were the Lord's, they
worshiped together. Is that what the text says? That
they was together and they broke bread together, they observed
the Lord's table together, and they listened to the preaching
of the gospel together, and they prayed together? That's what the text
says, isn't it? And fear came upon every soul.
Respect did. honor and reverence, it was all
in all, the only one that's all some. They were in all of it. And many wonders and signs were
done by the apostles, and all that believed were together,
and they had all things in common. What if I'm a police officer
and you're a firefighter? No, we got all things in common. and
they sold their possessions and goods and parted with them to
all men as every man had need." Does that mean we ought to sell
everything we got and live in a commune? No, that's not. John told us
that in 1 John 3, it says, but whosoever hath this world's good,
this world's good, you just have physical benefit in this world,
and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelt the love of God in him. If I've
got 10 biscuits and you're starving to death and I don't give you
two biscuits, if I ain't got enough compassion inside of me,
the love of God's not shed upon my heart. I mean, that's just,
a child could tell you that. Something ain't right. Something
ain't right. They sold all their possessions
and goods and parted them to all men, as every man hath need.
You need something? Can I borrow your truck? You want to borrow my car? Well,
yeah. You want my brother? You want my sister? Do what you
want. That's yours. Lord gave it to me. You reckon
he'll give me another one? I ain't worried about it. They
had need. I took care of it. And they continued
daily with one accord in the temple. Breaking of bread from
house to house. They had cookouts. They'd come
over from a crawfish bowl. That's family. That's what family
does. They eat together, don't they? And they'd eat their meal
with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. Out of
their mouth. That's terrible what happened.
No, it ain't God's in it. I hate that that's happened with
your body. God made me this way. I said, what? Why are you attributing
that to him? He does all things. They praise
God together. And having favor with all people. They didn't bring reproach on
the gospel because there was nothing in them. They attempted, there
was, but that was what they strove for. That there was nothing that
someone would know in them and say, I ain't worshiping with
that person. I can't go to church with them. They had favor, they
got along with people. As much as in them, life in them,
they got along with all people, didn't they? Now, what's done
with that love? That's having love one towards
another, isn't it? And love for people you don't even know. Just
be kind to people in the community. Because the Lord's been kind
to us. That's easy. Help those in need. Easy. He's gave me everything. Now,
what's that going to be used to do? Here's the context, right?
And the Lord added to the church daily, should such be saved.
The Lord's going to use that to add to this church. Come see
a man. Whoa, we always say it, don't
we? Well, the Lord just had this
church, like we're just gonna sit around and people are just gonna pop
in. Poof, well, we got 15 extra people, I don't know where they
came from. I guess the Lord could use that, whatever means he wanted.
But he's gonna have his people, all people's gonna know that
you're brethren and you're his disciples, because you have love
one towards another as you walk out here on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Church ain't something we just
go to. We need to get that through our heads, don't we? All this
whole world does. They say, oh yeah, man, I believe
the gospel. Oh, it's Monday, I got stuff to do. Well, if the
Lord goes in you and sheds that love abroad, that's gonna come
out on Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays.
Not three hours a week. How could something be so life-altering
and changed? There's a new creation in you.
You get that? He dwells in his people. He's
gonna poke out. That old man's still here, and
oh, what a battle we got now. Keep my tongue, I need calluses
on my tongue from bitin' it, that's what I need. If I can
just shut up and not think things, and I think I'm doin' so good,
and then somebody gets on my bumper, and I reach for that
windshield wiper fluid spray. What a wretch I am. Well, that
fella got mad at me and pulled over. I said, you wanna go to
church with me, son, dude? I said, no, I'm gonna bust out your headlights. What a fool I am. That's the common experience,
the common love. That's the instrument that the
Lord's pleased to use to add to his church daily. Kimberly's working with some
folks. She don't preach to them. She don't sit down and have five-point
theological discussions with them. God don't say people that
way. She just lives in the community. The community's better for her.
We'll see in a second, I'm getting ahead of myself. What do we have
in common? Our sin. You're a sinner. I'm
a sinner. Our salvation. We didn't do it.
He did it. Our desire for the glory of God. Do you want God
to be glorified? Our desire that all of God's
elect be drawn to him. Do you desire that? Our desire
to be made like Christ and live with him forever. Not like that'd
be handy to happen. Oh, it'd be handy if the Lord
saved half of California. What do we got to do to do it?
Maybe the Lord have it. Maybe he'll open up a door. Let's
get after it. We care about the furtherance
of the gospel. We preach Christ and him crucified. That's how
we do it. He will use your attitude, your conversation, your mouth,
what comes out of your mouth of praise to him to add to his
church. Verse 47 says, praising God and
having favor with all people and the Lord added to the church
daily as should be saved. What are we to do while we're
waiting on those in this community of San Diego County to be called
out? We're supposed to just chant stuff and just have all of our
verses, our versitis, right? We can just quote, and we're
just one continual quote, and you can't ever hear any words
about normal life, no. We comfort those that have the
same trials that we're going through. Paul said, there have
no temptation taken you, but as such is common to man. People
walking down the street go through the same stuff you go through,
you're human too. How'd you get through it? Well,
I didn't. Lord did. Oh, now the praises are coming
out of your mouth again. You see that? You see that? Peter
was a hothead of fishermen, wasn't he? He was grouped in there with
them Sons of Thunder. Boy, they're gonna get some stuff
done. And Matthew, he was a mafioso. He was in the mafia. Luke was
a physician. He was a doctor. Thomas was a
pessimist. Want proof on everything. Want
validation, didn't they? Someone there had been through
what someone else had went through. You see that? That body had a
whole lot of different parts. Well, I can't go down there because
I'm a ruffian. I used to be on drugs. Well, there's some of
those there, too. Well, I'm highly educated. Well, there's some
of those there, too. A little bit of everything, ain't there?
And that ain't hard. That ain't hard to do. There
was a little boy carrying his brother on his back through a
field one time and an old person popped off to a kid like we normally
do and we ought not. Teasing them, trying to make
conversation, it just makes kids feel awkward. You remember being
a kid? And that fellow said, is the boy heavy? You carry him
on his back, is he heavy? And that little boy said, he
ain't heavy, he's my brother. We can bear some burdens, can't
we? That ain't a burden, that's my family. Also, we have all
things in common. We have the privilege to mend
bridges, don't we, that we burnt in this life. Paul wrote to Titus,
and he said, Titus, my own son, after the common faith, not that
they had a bridge burned, but the elder spoke to the younger,
and he said, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior to you. We have this common faith,
we've been saved the same. Paul was the aged apostle and
Titus was his son in the faith. He spoke peace to him. Build
bridges, you older ones, you lay the blocks for those bridges
for the younger people. Reach out and do it. You strong, you
lay the path for the weak. Older in the faith, no matter
how old physically we are. Older in the faith, you be the
one that builds the bridge for those younger in the faith, no
matter how old they are. Parents and children. Sometimes
parents are mad at children, children are mad at parents,
ought not to be. But I'm the adult. It's my job to make the
bends and act like an adult. I'm not a child, I'm an adult.
Put that Band-Aid on, me and the bridge. How can our texts
are in John 13? John 13, verse 33. Says, little children, yet a
little while I'm with you. Ye shall seek me, and as I said
unto the Jews, whither I go, ye cannot come. So now I say
unto you a new commandment. I give unto you that ye love
one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all know that you are my disciples if you have
love one towards another. It'll benefit you. David said
that, our Lord said that, I'll say that. Don't be mean, love. It'll benefit you, it'll benefit
your family, it'll benefit your brethren. Having that love shed
abroad in their hearts and living in this community, it'll benefit
this county. I'm telling you, that's not a bold statement,
that's just the truth. It'll make this county a better place,
it really will. I'll tell you the proof of it.
There was a 20th century poet from an island nation where the
gospel was and where the gospel still is. Ain't many, ain't much. Gospels preached there though.
And there was a lasting effect of the gospel being in that city.
That fellow probably didn't know the Lord. I've read some of the
other things he's wrote and it ain't too good. That whole community,
that whole island nation was benefited by the gospel being
there. He wrote this. There's one question I'd really
love to ask. Is there a place for a hopeless
sinner who has hurt all of mankind just to save his own self? Would you hurt all of mankind
to put yourself ahead? Is there a place for a hopeless
sinner like that? What's the answer? He said, as
it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end, give thanks
and praise to the Lord. That man didn't know God. He
knew something, didn't he? Wouldn't that be better? Wouldn't
it be better? He said, have pity on those whose chances grow thinner. There's no hiding place from
the Father of creation. What benefit that had just in
a daily life growing up? And maybe the Lord might use
it to save somebody. Maybe the Lord save that fellow.
Wouldn't that be something? He ain't gonna save him with
a lie. He ain't gonna save him with something that's untrue. Gospel's in a place, and it's
in you. You get that? Christ is in you. And I want all men to know, not
me, and not that I'm a child of God, I want all men to know
Him. Don't you? That's my desire. Amen.