Well, I'm very, very, very tempted
to preach from that. But the message I have for tonight,
I've had it for two services and I really feel like I need
to preach it. I want to preach it. But let
me just say one thing about what Brother Art just read. When we
suffer in trials and we go through the things that the Lord sends
our way, when the wicked are raging and they're proud or having
their way around us. If it's just this one thing that
the Lord teaches us, it's worth every minute. When He teaches
us that unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt
in silence. And the margin reads quickly.
My soul would have quickly dwelt in silence. If that's all we
learn from the trial, it was worth every minute of it. We
have all these These fears and our foot begins to slip. But the Lord teaches us this,
when I said my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. We have all these thoughts in
us. We have all these thoughts run wild when we are going through
trouble. But we get no comfort from any of them. Where does
our comfort come from? In the multitude of my thoughts
within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Alright, let's turn
to 1 John chapter 4. Our text tonight begins in verse
7 and it begins with this word. Beloved, let us love one another. Beloved, that's who God's people
are, the beloved. Beloved, let us love one another. Back in 2007, when I made my
first moving trip up here, I brought some stuff in the back of my
truck and came up and I flew back and got Melinda in the moving
van and came. But when I made that trip, Brother
Henry was preaching at Fairmont and I stopped off to attend the
services and afterwards, the next morning actually, I went
over. I was staying at the same hotel and I went over to his
room and we talked a while and right before I went to leave,
he said, Clay loved them to Christ. And I'm certain that I did not
understand the importance of what he was teaching me. I know
I didn't. I came here, I was a newly called
pastor, full of starch, full of myself, ready to set the woods
on fire. I was ignorant of the magnitude
of the work and I was not fully aware of just how insufficient
I really am for the work. But God thankfully gave me some
really difficult trial. For a good five years or so,
it was tough. There were some problems from
opposition from many sides. There were some health problems.
There were some financial struggles. And to tell you the truth, God
just knocked my knees out from under me. Took the starch out,
some of it. Wish I could say all of it, but
took some of it out. And humbled me. And brought me
low. And He made me to understand
something of the value of the love of brethren that He puts
in the hearts of His people. And now, after this time that
we've been together, I think I understand a little bit better
what brother Henry was saying. And I hope, after we've been
together this much All this time longer, I hope I understand a
little more of what he said. Love them to Christ. Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God. Is love essential? Is love essential? Well, is faith essential? Scripture declares that without
faith it's impossible to please God. Is perseverance in faith
essential? The Lord said, He that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. So there, faith
is absolutely essential. Just like faith, love is essential. It's essential. Our Lord Jesus
said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that
you've been taught by me. Is it that I can speak so well
that men think I have the tongue of an angel? Is that how they're
going to know? Is it that I understand all the
deep doctrine of God? Is that how men are going to
know that I've been taught of Christ, that I'm His disciple?
Is it that I have faith so that I could remove mountains? Is
it that I'm so convinced of the truth that I'm willing to give
my body to be burned for the cause of truth? Is that how men
are going to know that I'm His disciple? He said, By this shall
all men know that you are My disciple, if you have love one
for another. If you have love one for another. Paul said, or rather Christ said
through Paul, though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels and have not love, I become as a sounding brass or a tinkling
cymbal. I'm just an irritating noise
if I don't have love. Though I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though
I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not
love, I'm nothing. Though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have
not love, it profiteth me nothing. If I unequally yoke myself with the
message that this world loves to promote, that's not the love
of God. Love of God didn't work that.
If I turn God's people from Christ, speaking lies, that's not the
love of God. If I divide my brethren, that's
not love, not the love of God. If I bring reproach on the gospel,
that's not the love of God. If I shut out those who do not
agree with me and make harsh demands, Telling them they have
to agree on some certain point. That's not the love of God. Those
are all things God says He hates. Those are things God says He
hates. You remember the woman who stole the other woman's baby? And Solomon said, bring the baby
here. And he had both those ladies there in front of him and he
said, let's just take a sword, let's just cut this baby in half
and you each can have a part of the baby. Which one said,
don't cut the baby in half? Which one said it? The one who
was the real mother. Why? She loved the baby. She
loved the baby. And that love is a natural love. That love is nothing compared
to the love that God puts in the heart that He's made new. That love will endeavor to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's what that
love will do. Endeavor to keep unity in the
bond of peace. Look at verse 7. He says, And
everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He's born of God and he knows
God. Look here with me. Look here.
What about somebody that... Look at chapter 5 verse 1. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone
that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of
him. If you have the love of God in
you so that you love God, you know God, you're going to love
your brethren who are begotten of God. Everyone that loveth
is born of God and knoweth God, that's why they love. He that
loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Now look at that
last phrase, God is love. We don't have this love by nature. We don't produce this love by
nature. We're not talking about a natural love here. This is
love that God gives. This is love we don't produce
in our flesh any more than we produce faith. This is the gift
of God we're talking about. Love's not a virtue that only
a few of God's people possess. No. Everybody born of God has
the love of God shed abroad in their heart. That's right. Everyone, look here. Look here
with me. He said there in verse 7. Look over at verse 16. We've
known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love. And he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God and God in him. God's people dwell in love. It's
their habitation. They never are without love to
God or to their brethren. We're not talking about our flesh.
We're talking about that new heart God's made, where God dwells. He that dwells in love, this
is why He does it, because He dwelleth in God and God in Him. This is love that's of God we're
talking about here. Galatians 5.22 says, The fruit
of the Spirit is love. We're talking about a God-given
love. No man hath seen God at any time. Look there at verse
12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another,
God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. It's His
love. The important word in that phrase
is not perfected. The important word there is,
it's His love that's dwelling in us. It's His love. Verse 7
says, for God is... I mean verse 8, for God is love. God's very being is love. God's very nature is love. God
is love. This is the love we're talking
about here. It's God. So wherever God's dwelling, what's
going to be there? Love is there. Because God is
love. If He dwells in your heart, and
He does every believer, If He dwells in mine, we dwell in love
because God is love. So, if you and I who are born
of God would grow in love, then it's going to be by God growing
us in the knowledge of Him who is love. That's how we started
to know God. It says there, everyone that
loveth is born of God and knoweth God. That's how this love came. It came through faith, through
knowing God. So we're going to know God and
grow in that love. We need to know more of God who
is love. What does it mean God is love?
I want us to go to 1 Corinthians 13. And I want to look at this
tonight a little differently than we looked at it when we
went through 1 Corinthians. I want us to look at this tonight
and consider that love here is a person. Love is God our Savior,
Christ Jesus, because God is love. That's the word. And I'm
going to use the word love instead of the word charity. Because
we are more accustomed to the word love. So I'm going to say
love. The scripture here says charity. That's the old English
word for love. But we're talking about love.
I want to go through all of these. I'm just going to briefly say
something about them. I'm not going to keep you long.
Verse 4. Love, God, suffereth long. For God is love, and He suffereth
long. Our Lord is long-suffering. It
means He's patient. It means He's not quick. He's patient. In Noah's day,
the world was full of wicked sinners. And Noah is the only
man in that whole place that Scripture says he found grace
in the eyes of God. And everybody we're talking about
there, Scripture says, every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually. That's who Noah dwelt amongst. And God was long-suffering. He didn't cause judgment to rain
down. For whose sake was he long-suffering?
Peter said, those folks were sometime disobedient when once
the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the
ark was preparing wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved
by water. Noah was the one for whom God
was long-suffering. Noah found grace in the eyes
of God and God waited till the ark was prepared. Saul of Tarsus. who we now know as the Apostle
Paul, he went years hating God and hating his people. He hated
Christ. He held the coats of the men
while they stoned Stephen. He had letters to kill God's
people on the road to Damascus. And that's when Christ arrested
him. But that whole time, he was longsuffering
to Him. Why? Paul said, for this cause
I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might show
forth all longsuffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter
believe on Him to life everlasting. He said, He was using me as a
pattern to show you just how long-suffering God is. And so,
the reason Christ hadn't returned yet, Peter says, the Lord's long-suffering
toward us. He's long-suffering to us-ward,
that is to His elect. Not willing. Just like he wasn't
willing that Noah perish, just like he wasn't willing that Paul
perish. Not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance. And he said, so you account that
the longsuffering of the Lord is salvation. That's what his
longsuffering is. It's salvation. So, if the love
of God is in our heart, we're not going to be quick to write
off brethren. Don't be quick to write them off. Rebuke if
necessary. But don't be quick to write them
off. Suffer long. Never close the door. Let them
close the door. Verse 4. Love is kind. God our
Savior is kind. That's who love is. God is love
and He is kind. He saved us by His kindness.
Turn to Titus 3. He saved us by His kindness. Look here. Titus 3.3, for we ourselves also
were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving different lusts
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating
one another. But after that, the kindness
and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. not by works of
righteousness which we've done, but according to His mercy. He
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost
which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
And so when men judge others and put them away from them,
this is what God says, to such legalists. This is what he said.
Thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things,
and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of
God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness? You know what
that word goodness is? It's the same word as translated
in our text, kindness. and kindness, and forbearance,
and longsuffering. Do you not know that the goodness,
the kindness of God leadeth thee to repentance? That's how He led us to repentance,
by His kindness. And so He says to us, to every
believer, be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in Christ forgave you. And it says there
in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4, he says, Love envieth not. Love envieth not. It's not covetous
and it's not jealous. God does not covet what others
have. We can't give God anything. Why
would He covet anything we have? He gave us everything we have.
And He's not jealous toward us so as not to give us what we
need. We see it in how the love of God is manifested. Back in
1 John 4, 9 it says, "...and this was manifested, the love
of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into
the world, that we might live through Him." Herein is love,
not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son
to propitiation for our sins. That's love. You see, He wasn't
envious of us. So as not to give us what we
needed, He sent His only begotten Son. That's what love did. That's
how we see the love of God. And Christ is God in the flesh.
Was He envious of us? He gave us free righteousness,
free justification, free acceptance with God. That's not something
somebody does who's envious. And we didn't love God, and Christ
did that for us. And by shedding His blood on
behalf of His people, the Scripture says, He who spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with
Him? How shall God not with Christ
Himself freely give us all things? See, God doesn't envy. He's not
covetous, He's not jealous, He doesn't envy. Where the love
of God dwells, there will not be envy and jealousy. I won't
be covetous for what others have. We'll give them what they need.
If the love of God is working in me, I'll give sinners what
they need, especially this gospel. But any lesser thing they need,
I'll give them what they need. I won't envy them. Do you envy
the wicked? God taught David not to. Don't
envy the wicked. Love doesn't envy. Verse 4, Love
vaunteth not itself. Love vaunteth not itself. God doesn't put on a show. That's
what it means. God doesn't parade Himself. God
doesn't speak to us in such a way that just with a rash spirit. and a hardness and a pride, proudness. He doesn't speak that way. He
doesn't deal that way because love doneth not itself. When
He came in human flesh, did He come with a show? He made Himself of no reputation.
Love doesn't put on a show. Love doesn't parade itself. He
made Himself of no reputation. He took the form of a servant. You know, a problem I think young preachers
have is not understanding what it is to take the form of a servant. You pick out whoever is a servant
in whatever job or occupation that you can think of that is
the most menial servant of men that you can think of. God's
preacher should be serving More than that. Lower than that. Christ made Himself the least. He that is least is greatest
in heaven. Who is that? That's Christ. He made Himself the least. The
least. Being found in fashion as a man,
He humbled Himself and became obedient unto the death of the
cross. That's how He made Himself the
least. That's what love does. Will his preacher try to show
off his gifts when it's Christ who gave me all those gifts?
Will the preacher try to make a reputation of himself when
the one he sent to preach made himself of no reputation? That
ought to be an indication to us that maybe he didn't send that
preacher. Because the one that came made himself of no reputation
and his spirit is in those he sent. This spirit of love that
makes you humble yourself and make yourself of no reputation.
God's preacher tries to stay as unobserved and as much in
the background as he can as he presents Christ to his people.
Verse 4, love is not puffed up. Love is not puffed up. His appeal. You know, when you're
dead in your sins, one reason Christ doesn't appeal to you
is we're so haughty by nature that we don't care to... There's
no appeal to somebody who what we think of, looked at, is let
men run over him. That's how we look at it when
we're dead in our sins. He didn't let anybody run over him. He
gave permission to do what they did. He took His hand off of
men and let them do... He said, this is your hour. to
take me to the cross. Wicked men with wicked hands
did exactly what God purposed before to be done. He wouldn't
let people take advantage of Him. But the reason Christ has
no appeal to a natural man is because natural man is just constantly
trying to be all hearty and puffed up, arrogant, proud. But you know what Christ's appeal
is to the man whose heart's been broken and contrite? The appeal
of Christ is that He is not puffed up, He is not arrogant, He is
not haughty, He is lowly. What does He say? Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me because I am meek and lowly in heart. and you shall find rest unto
your souls. That's not what the world says. The world says, come
and learn of me because I'm a master. I'll teach you things. Christ
said, come and learn of me because I'm lowly and meek. You see,
the top shelf blessings of this world that this world has to
give you, you've got to struggle and climb and claw and crawl
over people to get up to where they are. The choice riches that
Christ gives are the bottom shelf riches. You've got to come way
down to get them. That's where He's at. Lowly and
meek. That's what love does. With God,
top shelf blessings are on the bottom shelf. And I'll tell you
this, knowledge puffeth up, but love edifies. That's why He said,
I'm meek and lowly. Love edifies. He wasn't puffed
up. He is wisdom. But true wisdom,
where love is, edifies. It's not puffed up. And I'll
tell you this too, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
of them that make peace. Those that He blesses, blesses
their word to make peace. That gospel is not sown in hardy
arrogance and being puffed up and trying to beat it into people. It's sown in peace. And that's
the word He blesses. Verse 5. Love does not behave
itself unseemly. The word is rudely. It's not
rude. God does nothing rudely. He never speaks or treats us
inappropriately. He never treats us indecent.
He never embarrasses His people. Because love doesn't do that.
Love doesn't shame His people. Those who believe on Christ shall
never be ashamed. Because love doesn't treat people
rudely, unseemly. God doesn't do that. If God abides
in me and His love abides in me, I won't treat my fellow man
unmannerly. I won't be ill-mannered toward
him. I won't be rude. I'm going to
treat him kindly. I'm going to... Remember this.
We're representing Christ to this world. So whatever we're
doing before this world, do it in a manner that becomes Christ,
that adorns the gospel we believe. I'm so prone to forget that.
My flesh puffs up just a minute, somebody crosses me and my first
thought is to just be rude. That's my flesh. God take over
and make us do that which is becoming the Gospel, adorning
the Gospel. Verse 5, Love seeketh not her
own. Is there anything self-seeking
about what Christ did when He came to this earth? Can you find
anything that was self-seeking, that was self-promotion, that
He did for sale? Anything? Nothing. Nothing. When he laid down his life, he
laid down his life for God and for his people. He made himself
nothing. He made himself the least. He
made himself to come under God's justice and bore that just wrath
of God's justice. He did that to glorify his Father. He did that to manifest how righteous
his Father is that he will not spare anybody where sin is found. He will demand justice. He did it to show that when He
executed Christ, He executed everybody that He is going to
save. Right there in Christ. Judgment was settled. Justice
was satisfied. Now He can show mercy and it
is not at the expense of His justice. That was for God. He
did that. That is the most selfless thing
ever done. Because He also was doing it for His people. So that
we would be justified from our sins and accepted of God. Love doesn't seek its own. That's
why we're told in the scripture, let no man seek his own, but
every man another's well-being. That's what heaven is going to
be. When everybody there is seeking the well-being of another instead
of their self. When do we ever really do anything
in this life that's not got some selfish motive to it? Because sin is with us always.
Sin is what we are. And sin is selfish. If there is ever a little glimpse
you see of somebody doing something that is selfless, one of your
breath and you just know this, that is God's love working that.
We can't boast in it. That is God's love working that.
Because God is selfless. Verse 6. Love is not easily provoked. I'm sorry, verse 5. Love is not
easily provoked. Scripture says God is slow to
anger. The Lord will take vengeance
on His adversaries, Nahum said, and He reserveth wrath for His
enemies. But it says the Lord is slow
to anger. He's great in power. He will not at all acquit the
wicked, but He's slow to anger. Since Christ entered covenant
in eternity, Since he entered covenant with God in eternity,
and then since he's come and he's laid down his life for his
people, God can never be provoked to anger towards one of his people.
From eternity he's looked at us in Christ, and he will chasten
his people, he will deal with his people, but when he's chastening
his people, he's not doing it in anger, he's doing it in love.
And you and I can't, we can't provoke God to anger. Not anybody
that's in Christ, that he put in Christ, because he sees us
in Christ. Can he be angry with Christ?
No. He's satisfied justice. He can't
be. God's love will make us not easily provoked. The more we
grow in the love of God, the more we will not be easily provoked
to anger. Verse 5, he says, Love thinketh
no evil. I like this right here now. You
know what that word means? Love thinketh no evil. It means
love takes no account of evil as in a ledger. Like an account
that keeps up with everything and it counts it. It accounts
for everything. That's what it means. Love doesn't
account evil. It doesn't tally up how much
bad somebody has done to you I'm going to get them back one
of these days. I'm going to show them. Not His people. Not His
people. God keeps no record of evil done
by His redeemed and He will not impute our sins to us because
Christ the Lord has made sin for us and bore our sins away.
So now God will only impute righteousness to His people. I, even I am he
that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake. That's language
like of an accountant. That's language of our sins being
written in a ledger. And God said, I, even I, when
I beheld my son, when I beheld his blood, when I heard him cry,
it is finished. And he entered in with his blood
into the holy place and made propitiation for his people.
God said, I blotted them out myself. and I will not remember
your sins ever again." In this was manifested the love of God,
that He sent His only begotten Son, that He might put away our
sins and bring us into peace with God. That's what He did.
And God says, love says, I want to count evil towards my people.
Now if you meet God outside of Christ, you meet God outside
of Christ. You have nothing but sin. And that's all God will account
to you. That's all God will think of you is evil. But in Christ, not so. That's where the love of God
is. It's in Christ. It's not anywhere outside of
Christ. The love of God is in Christ. It's in Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. And again, there's more of that
emphatic language. He didn't say, therefore now
it's as if there's no condemnation. There is now no condemnation
for them that are in Christ Jesus. That's where God's love is. Alright,
look here at verse 6. Let me say this before I go to
that. If God doesn't remember my sins, for Christ's sake, Then
for Christ's sake, you know what I'm going to do towards the brother
that offends me? Not remember his sin. That's
what love does. Love, how could I sit in this
congregation with this brother here and a brother over here
and me won't speak to him because I can remember what he did. How
could I do that? This verse right here, you know
what this verse right here tells us? That ain't God's love. That
ain't God's love. God's love tells me if God doesn't
remember my sin, don't remember my brother's. How could I? If
I see the sin in me right now, how could I possibly count my
brother's sin against me? I see my sin being against God
and God alone. How could I dare count my brother's
sin against me? And to know God says, I don't
account your sin to you. For Christ's sake, how could
I? The love of God won't let me.
Verse 6. Love rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth. Love doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness
or anything that's unlovely. Love rejoices in the truth. God
is holy, so He doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness. He doesn't
rejoice in anything that's not perfectly, completely righteous. He rejoices in truth. That's
it. It's our flesh that rejoices in unrighteousness. It's our
flesh that wants to hear what some other brother did that was
wrong. I wouldn't dare repeat gossip,
but let me tell you what this brother did. What makes us want
to do that? Our flesh. Because love doesn't
rejoice in it. Love doesn't rejoice in iniquity.
Love rejoices in truth. But in the new man, where God
dwells in love, we hate unrighteousness and we love truth. In the new
man you do. That's what keeps you coming
back. It's God keeping you coming back because you love what's
truth. You don't love unrighteousness. If you loved unrighteousness,
if you could rejoice in unrighteousness, you could go to... the church
is closer to you. I think I've told you all this
before. My uncle, we used to... we drove... we've always driven...
my family always drove a long distance to get to the church
building. And my uncle, when he was young, he didn't know
the Lord. He was sitting in the back seat. He was like me. We
just didn't know why we drive this far to go to church. And
my uncle one day said, he asked my grandfather, he said, Daddy,
why do we drive all the way over here? We pass bigger and better
churches the whole way over here. And that's how you feel until
you rejoice in truth. Then your sheep will go a long
way to find a green pasture. Alright, look at the next thing
here, verse 7. Love beareth all things. God's love, so He covered the
sins of His people with the blood of Christ, and for Christ's sake,
He beareth all things. Verse 7. Love believeth all things. Love puts the best light on all
things. And with Christ as our advocate,
God can put the best light on anything that we do because He
knows that expected end that He's purpose and He's going to
bring us to. That's what love's looking towards
that expected end. Love puts the best construction
on things. Love hopeth all things. Hopeth
all things. And love endureth all things.
Now let me ask you if this is so, if those things are so. I'll
tell you who we are to ask. We are to ask Apostle Peter.
He denied the Lord three times. Think he can tell us these things
are true? Christ came to him, didn't he? He didn't cast him
out. What about David? David committed adultery and
murder. Think David can tell you these things are true? This
is so of God who is love? He can tell you. These are so.
So when it comes to our brethren's shortcomings, let us bear all
things, let us believe all things, let us hope all things, let us
endure all things. This is what Peter meant when
he said, Above all things have fervent love among yourselves
because love covers the multitude of sins. It did in us. Love came. Love laid down His
life. Love shed His blood. And love
covered the multitude of our sin. So He says above everything
else, you have fervent love one for another. Love will cover
the multitude of sin. Verse 8, look at this now. Love
never faileth. Love never faileth. Christ is love. Christ is love. And God said, He shall not fail
nor be discouraged until He has set judgment in the earth. He
shall not fail. God is love. God is love. He said, I have loved thee with
an everlasting love. God's love never fails. Never
fails to save everybody He purposed to save in Christ. And because
Christ has shed His blood, love never fails. Scripture says nothing
shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus. Nothing. Not his people, not one for whom
he died. Love shall not fail. Now let
me show you why he said that in the context here though. Let
me show you what he means by never fail. He says here, whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues,
they shall cease. You see, that's what he's talking
about, cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
See, he's saying love won't ever vanish, love won't ever cease.
Why would those other things fail? Now listen to this carefully. For we know in part, and we preach
in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. We are
not going to know in part when Christ comes. I love this illustration. When I was a child, I spoke as
a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when
I became a man, I put away childish things. What is he talking about?
He is saying right now, We're children. We see through a glass
darkly. The margin says, as in a riddle. We know very little. But then
we'll know face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I'm known. Now abideth faith. Now abideth hope. Now abideth
love. These three, but the greatest
of these. Faith will be no more. I won't
need faith when I see Christ. Hope will be no more. I won't
need hope with Christ. He's the one I'm hoping for.
I won't need hope with Him. But love will never cease. Do
you see why love's better? See why love's better? See, love,
the purpose of preaching, It's not to build up this big wall
between me and my brethren or me and sinners. That's not the
purpose of bearing witness of Christ. That's not the purpose.
The purpose is not to get angry with men when they don't see
it the way I see it. And so I'm going to demand you
see it the way I see it or you're going to have to get away from
me and you can't come around me because I'm holier than thou.
And God said, I hate that. It's a stench in my nostrils
because it's not love. If you could take everything
all God's preachers know and all God's people know right now,
it would be like filling up a thimble and putting it up next to all
this world's oceans. That's what it would be like.
Now am I going to get hearty and arrogant and proud because
I think I know something that somebody else don't know? Really? How could that ever be called
love? How could that ever be the love of God? That's why Paul
preached this. These folks there, they were
boasting in gifts, they were boasting in their knowledge,
they were boasting in their ability to speak in tongues, which we
don't even have that now. And they could speak in languages
they never learned then. Different things that all came
from God. And Paul said, take all this
stuff together and it's just children's toys. You got just
a little part and there is coming a day when none of this will
even be. We are going to know Him. But the greatest thing you
have right now over all of this is the love of God in your heart. And where you are going to find
that love is with your brethren. You can hold on to that preaching,
and you can hold on to that doctrine, and you can hold on to these
things that you know so much, till you're just by yourself
in a dungeon somewhere, and you're the only one there. Preach to
that one, but I've got a feeling that one that you have in the
audience is going to have a problem with you. Love covers all sin. Love waits on God, and trust
God to teach His people. and love delights and rejoices
in nothing but the truth of Christ. That's it. Amen. Father, we thank You for bringing
us together again. Thank You for feeding us and
nourishing us with Your Word. Thank You for comforting us with
your Holy Spirit, keeping our feet planted on Christ the Rock. Lord, we thank you for manifesting
your love to us in Christ. What sinners we were, what haughty,
arrogant, everything that love is, we were the opposite. And
you came. You came and loved an unlovable,
unworthy people. Thank you for manifesting that
great, great, perfect, righteous, holy love. Lord, grow your people
in love. Make us grow in love. Make us see Christ more and behold
that great love more and more and cause us to love one another
more. We're thankful, Lord, that you've
given us preachers. We're thankful you've given us
knowledge. We're thankful you've given us
doctrine and all these things. Lord, let us remember that a
brother and a sister bought by your precious blood, that's the
precious thing. Let us rejoice always in your
truth, rejoice in your gospel and never waver any on the word
of truth. And let us do so in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Lord,
work this in your people everywhere. Forgive us of our sins and our
not loving. And keep us, Lord, for the sake
of Your Son, our Redeemer. Hear Him, look to Him, behold
us in Him. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen.