Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Welcome to our services today here at Faithful Word Baptist
Church.
A pleasure to have you here on this beautiful Sunday morning.
Find your seats, please.
Grab a song book.
Go to hymn 210 and we'll get started this morning.
Hymn 210.
Wonderful grace of Jesus.
Hymn 210.
Once you find your place, let's sing it out nice and strong on
that first verse now.
Hymn 210.
Sing it out now.
Number 210.
One of your holy matches, praise the magic, praise the
colors I see.
Remember my holy spirit.
Wire and doubt, all my mighty spouse.
Give those ambitious praise.
Bring me peace.
God, I thank you so much for my confession.
Bring your heart and all my sin and shame.
Oh, magnify the precious name of Jesus.
Praise his name.
Before you continue singing, if you look at the chorus with me,
see how there's two lines of lyrics.
There's a top and a bottom line.
So top line, that's for you ladies.
So I'll help you sing that top line.
Men, don't change anything, what you're doing.
So ladies, does everybody understand what I'm saying?
So you ladies, I'll help you sing that top line.
So let's go back and do that first verse, all right?
So I'll end that verse now.
Jesus.
Reaches me.
Over the masses, praise the magic.
I'll bend the mighty rolling sea.
Wire and doubt, all my mighty spouse.
Give those ambitious praise.
For you believe in me.
Farther than the scope of my confession.
Bring your heart and all my sin and shame.
Oh magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost.
By it I have been farted, saved to the utter lost.
Chains have been torn asunder.
Giving me liberty for the wonderful grace of Jesus,
which is me.
Wonderful the natural grace of Jesus,
to keep her dead, the mighty Lord, and see the whole is he.
Fire at the fountain, sparkling like a fountain,
falls the mission ready for me, for me, for me, for me.
Rather than the scope of life's transgressions,
greater more than all my sin and shame.
Oh magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most divine.
By its transforming power, making him God's dear child.
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity.
And the wonderful grace of Jesus, reaches me.
Wonderful the natural grace of Jesus,
to keep her dead, the mighty Lord, and see the whole is he.
Fire at the fountain, sparkling like a fountain,
falls the mission ready for me, for me, for me, for me.
Rather than the scope of life's transgressions,
greater more than all my sin and shame.
Oh magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name.
And a good start to our singing this morning.
How many of you ladies caught up at all?
All right.
So this won't be the last time we'll sing this song,
so we'll have more rest on that.
All right.
We want to go before the Lord and ask his blessing
on the service.
So I've asked for the fidel.
And as always, give you a blessing for everybody.
Father in heaven, we want to thank you for Jesus Christ
and another beautiful Sunday morning.
We ask you, Father, to please bless our voices
as we lift them up to you in praise.
And please fill Pastor Anderson with your Holy Spirit
and bless every aspect of his sermon.
It's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
208, hymn number 208.
Back just a few pages.
Grace greater than our sin.
Hymn number 208.
208 begins, marvelous grace of our loving Lord.
Hymn number 208.
Let's sing it out together now.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord.
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt.
Yonder on Calvary's mount aboard.
Wherever the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Sin and despair like the sea waves pull.
Threaten the soul within heaven's boss.
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold.
To the refuge, the mighty cross.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Lord, there is flow in the crimson tide.
Whiter than snow you may be today.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Moral, infinite, matchless praise.
Freely bestowed on all who believe.
You that are longing to see His face.
Will be this moment, His grace we see.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Man, good singing.
All right, this time we'll go through our announcements together.
If you don't have a bulletin, slip up your hand nice and high.
We'll get to you with one.
On the inside we have our service times.
Sunday mornings at 10.30 is our preaching service.
Sunday nights at 6.
Wednesday nights at 7 is our Bible study.
This week we will be in 2 Chronicles chapter 36.
We've got the soul winning times listed there below as well as
salvations and baptisms.
And then I believe that that is an error there.
I think that we did have a couple of baptisms in February so far.
So we'll check on that.
And then across the page we've got the donuts coming up on March 2nd,
10 a.m. before the service in honor of all the birthdays and anniversaries.
We had another successful cruise missions trip in the Bahamas.
Three people had 24 salvations.
And so thank you for the prayers and support on that.
And then below that, ladies, mark your calendars now for the mother-daughter tea party.
This is one of the favorite events that we do each year for the ladies and teenage girls.
Actually, sorry, it's for all the girls of all ages.
It's mother-daughter tea party.
And it's not just for mothers and daughters,
meaning that you don't have to have your daughter with you or your mother with you.
It's really just for all ladies and girls to enjoy in whatever configuration,
sisters, friends, by yourself, whatever you want to do.
And so you definitely want to sign up for this
because these dates do ultimately end up filling up.
Usually we have three dates.
This year we only have two dates because of availability of the venue.
So we really need to make sure that if you're planning on going,
that you RSVP and get signed up.
It's not open yet. Registration's not open yet.
But when it does open, make sure that you sign up following the instructions.
All right, and then on the back we've got donations of free food over there.
All that stuff on the table is free, so be sure to check that out.
Keep praying for our expectant ladies
that they will have a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery.
Other upcoming events.
We've got Pastor Corbin Russell preaching on Wednesday, March the 12th.
So mark the calendar for that.
There's a Bahamas cruise mission strip coming up
that I believe we have about 20, 22 people
somewhere around that neighborhood in the low 20s of people signed up for.
And that is March 23rd through 28th
going to a really receptive place
because I'm telling you, the Bahamas is super receptive.
I personally, the couple of times that I've gone to the Bahamas,
have had more people saved in one day in the Bahamas
than I've had anywhere else in my entire life.
So I think probably two of my all-time best days of soul winning
were in Nassau, Bahamas.
We go soul winning there and talk to a lot of young adults there
and they're super receptive and it's a great time.
And so if you're interested, reach out to us
and we can give you more details about that trip.
But I'm super excited about 20 some people signed up
because I know that 20 some people going to a place like that,
you know, I believe God's really going to bless.
We're going to see a lot of great results there.
And so that's something that you should think about
either getting involved in or at least be praying for the people who go
that they'll be successful.
And then the KJV Conference in Vancouver, Washington
is an event that I highly recommend
because it's just going to be a great lineup of preachers.
Pastor Mejia, Pastor Shelley, Pastor Thompson, myself.
And it's a great subject.
I mean, who doesn't love preaching on the King James?
You know, I remember when I first started going to a fundamental Baptist church again
when I was 17 years old because we grew up fundamental Baptist
but we'd gone to some liberal churches when I was a teenager.
When I was 17, my family got back into, you know, an independent fundamental
King James soul winning kind of church.
And every November was King James Bible month.
And so there'd be like four Sunday night sermons
about why the church is King James only.
And my whole family really looked forward to it.
It was something that everybody was stoked about.
Like Sunday nights in November all preaching about the different versions and stuff.
We loved it. I think it's a great subject.
So it's a great lineup of preachers, great subject.
And also the Pacific Northwest is just a beautiful place.
So it's kind of nice to just have an excuse to go to the Pacific Northwest
and enjoy some of the natural beauty up around Oregon and Washington.
So that is about it for announcements.
Let's go ahead and sing our next song. Come lead us.
All right, you should find the insert in front of your hymnal with song 15.
If you don't have an insert, please raise your hand and you'll receive one.
We'll sing it on that verse together.
Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle.
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle.
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh up rightly and worketh righteousness.
And speaketh the truth in his heart.
He that walketh up rightly and worketh righteousness.
And speaketh the truth in his heart.
He that backlighteth not with his tongue.
Come, Lord, do with evil to his favour.
Lord, take him up a reproach against his neighbour.
He that backlighteth not with his tongue.
Whose eyes of my own person is content.
But he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
Whose eyes of my own person is content.
But he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
He that swearth to his own word and change it not.
He that putteth not out his money to his dream.
He that swearth to his own word and change it not.
He that putteth not out his money to his dream.
Lord, take him reborn against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be proved.
Lord, take him reborn against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be proved.
Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hymn?
Amen. Good singing, everybody.
Take your hymnals now and go to hymn number 401, hymn number 401.
Set my soul afire, hymn number 401.
Sing this out to the Lord this morning, hymn number 401.
Set my soul afire, Lord, for thy holy word.
Sing it out together now.
Set my soul afire, Lord, for thy holy word.
Burn and keep within me.
Let your voice be heard.
Fill this world with darkness.
Make this day and hour.
I will be your witness.
Fill here in my heart.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Make my life a witness.
All my saving power.
Fill this world with darkness.
Waiting for thy word.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Set my soul afire, Lord, for the lost in sin.
Give to me a passion as I seek to win.
Help me not to falter.
Never let me fail.
Fill me with thy spirit.
Let my will prevail.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Give my life a witness.
All my saving power.
Fill this world with darkness.
Waiting for thy word.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Give my daily life.
Far too long I've wandered in this day of strife.
Nothing else will matter but to live for thee.
Thy will be your witness as you live in me.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Make my life a witness.
All my saving power.
Fill this world with darkness.
Waiting for thy word.
Set my soul afire, Lord.
Set my soul afire.
Alright, this time we'll pass our offering plates around.
The plates go around.
Let's turn our Bibles to Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians chapter number 5, as we always do.
We'll read the entire chapter, beginning in verse number 1.
Follow along silently with Brother Corbin Brock as he reads Galatians 5, beginning in verse number 1.
Galatians chapter 5.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.
And be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you.
Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.
For we, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,
but faith which worketh by love.
Ye did run well, who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth.
This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded.
But he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?
Then is the offense of the cross ceased.
I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty.
Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh,
and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like,
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Father in heaven, thank you for your son Jesus Christ, who died for all our sins and rose again from the dead.
I also thank you, Father, that the Holy Spirit dwells in those that have believed in your son Jesus Christ.
I pray that you please bless Pastor Anderson with the fullness and the power of the Holy Spirit as he preaches your word,
so that we your children with every passing day would become better and better servants of yours,
to give you all praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Amen. The part of the chapter I want to focus on is beginning there in verse number 22 where the Bible reads,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.
And if you look at this list of attributes that are the fruit of the Spirit,
if you stop and think about it, these are attributes that everyone wants to have in their life.
Even non-Christians, right, even unsaved people would be pursuing these things in life,
would love to have these things in their life, even if they're not even a Christian.
This is what people want out of life. I mean, think about how many people would say,
more than anything, I just want to find true love in my life, right?
And that's not always necessarily just romantic love, right?
It could be love between siblings, it could be love between friends, it could be love between parents and children,
it could be love between all manner of relationships, right?
People want love. People are seeking love. They're pursuing love.
So many books and films and magazine articles, what's the subject? Love.
And then stop and think about joy. Everybody wants to be happy, right?
All kinds of people out there are on that pursuit for happiness,
searching for what's going to bring them real true joy in their life, peace, right?
People are stressed out, they're anxious, they're worried,
and they would love to just have peace and tranquility in their life.
If you stop and think about it, these fruits of the Spirit are wonderful things
that virtually everyone on this planet would love to have as a part of their life.
And I'm here to tell you this morning that God is the one who can give you these things,
and this is the person that you can become.
You can become a person who is characterized by love.
You can become a person who has real joy in your life, who has real peace in your heart,
who has the patience to be long-suffering.
And again, virtually everyone wants this.
God offers it to his children through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so the fruit of the Spirit is something that we as Christians all want to have, right?
We all want to have these things in our life.
How do we have the fruit of the Spirit in our life?
Well, the first thing I want to say this morning,
and the sermon this morning is going to really focus just on one fruit of the Spirit, which is love.
But first, by way of introduction, I want to say that being a saved Christian
does not automatically guarantee that you will have these attributes.
You could be a saved Christian and not have love, not have joy, not have peace.
Being saved is not enough to guarantee that you will have these things,
because although every single saved Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit,
it is possible for us to quench the Spirit.
And just because we are indwelled by the Spirit, it doesn't mean that we're walking in the Spirit.
And in order to have these attributes, in order to be a person with love, joy, peace, etc.,
you've got to walk in the Spirit.
And that's found right in the context of this passage itself.
Look at verse 16. It says,
This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
He's saying, look, if you don't walk in the Spirit, you're going to have all these bad attributes
that are listed under the works of the flesh.
If you walk in the Spirit, you're going to have the fruit of the Spirit coming through in your life.
Then look at verse 25. It says,
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
And so, everybody is not automatically walking in the Spirit,
and filled with the Spirit, and characterized by these attributes.
Look, we all want it. We all want love. We all want joy.
How do we get it?
By walking in the Spirit, by walking with God, by being filled with the Spirit.
This is available. You can become the person that you want to become.
That everybody really wants to become.
Here are a few other verses on this subject.
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 22 says,
That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So once we're saved, we need to put on the new man.
We need to walk in the Spirit if we want to have the fruit of the Spirit coming through in our lives.
Ephesians 5 18,
Be not drunk with wine, we're in his excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
There wouldn't be a command to be filled with the Spirit if it were automatic for believers, okay?
Most Christians are not walking in the Spirit.
They're walking in the flesh.
Therefore, they're not taking advantage of this wonderful resource that God has given us, the Holy Spirit, in our lives.
So let's turn to 1 John chapter 4 and get into the sermon itself this morning about love.
The fruit of the Spirit is love.
And again, everybody's looking for love, aren't they?
True love is something that everybody would want.
And a lot of people, if you ask them,
What do you want most out of life? I bet that would top a lot of people's list.
True love. And what does it mean to be seeking love or seeking true love?
Does it just mean seeking for someone else to love you?
Or is it about you actually loving someone else?
Right? And so we want to have love.
We want to be loving. People want to love our wives.
We want to love our children. We want to love our friends.
We want to love our church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, right?
We want to have love in our life. Well, point number one this morning from the Word of God is this,
because obviously we go a lot of different directions because love is a pretty big subject.
But the first point I want to make is that, number one, Christians who are walking with God are loving people.
Christians who are actually filled with the Spirit, Christians who are walking with God are loving people
because love comes from God.
Now, are you there in 1 John chapter 4 verse 7?
The Bible reads in 1 John 4 verse 7,
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
So the real true love, the real powerful love that comes from God alone comes from,
number one, being born of God.
Obviously it starts with you being saved because in order to even have the Holy Spirit living inside of you,
you've got to be saved, but not just being born of God, also knowing God, right?
And knowing God is different than just being saved because once you're saved,
it doesn't mean that you necessarily know God well.
We spend the rest of our lives knowing God, learning about God, reading the Bible, walking with God, communing with God.
And what did the Apostle Paul say?
He said that the pursuit of his life actively was that I may know him.
And he said, I'm not there yet. I haven't arrived yet.
I'm still trying to know God on a deeper level.
I'm paraphrasing Philippians chapter 3.
And so he says here that everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love.
So here's what I take away from this.
If you have a godly Christian who's walking with God, they're going to be a loving person.
That tells me if someone is unloving, if someone doesn't have love, you know, this person is not filled with the Spirit.
Because the fruit of the Spirit is love.
So if you're filled with the Spirit, you will be a loving person.
And then it also tells me this, people that are not filled with the Spirit are not loving.
They can claim to be loving, they can talk about love, they can give lip service to love,
but the Bible says everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
So the real, true, loving people in this world are the people who are walking with God and living for the Lord.
It says in verse 9, 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.
Here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us.
You see, loving one another is the evidence that God dwelleth in us and that his love is perfected in us, right?
We are a mature Christian, we are walking with God, we are filled with the Spirit when we have love one for another.
That's what the Bible is saying.
Jump down to verse 20, it says this, if a man say, I love God and hateth his brother, he's a liar.
For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath seen or whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also.
And so the Bible is saying here that you can't have a person who just really loves God, really loves the word of God,
really loves serving God, but oh, he just doesn't love his brother and sister in Christ.
No, that doesn't exist. Because the Bible says if a man says he loves God and he doesn't love his brother, he's a liar.
He's lying. It's not true. It's impossible. It can't happen.
And these are pretty strong words. You know, John really puts this very bluntly.
He says, you're lying if you say that you love God when you don't love your brother and sister in Christ.
And you know what's funny is I've heard people say, oh, that preacher, you know, yeah, he really serves God, he really loves God, he does a lot for God,
he loves the word of God, he's doing great work for God, but he just doesn't love his brothers and sisters in Christ.
That's not even possible. That's not even humanly possible.
Either you're wrong about him loving God or you're wrong about him not loving his brothers and sisters.
Because the bottom line is that everyone who loves God also loves those that are begotten of God, those that are saved.
That's what the Bible actually says here.
And so it's impossible to be a great Christian who loves God and not to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Right?
Walking with God, knowing God, and being filled with the Spirit will make you a loving person. Guaranteed.
And if you're not a loving person, it's because you're not doing those things.
Okay? If you're a loving person, it's because you are doing those things.
So number one, Christians who are walking with God are loving people because love comes from God.
Number two, keeping God's commandments is the test of real love, according to the Bible. Right?
Keeping God's commandments is the test of real love.
Now, we have a chapter break between chapter four and chapter five, but honestly the thought just continues.
And so you've got to be careful not to separate, like, 4.21 from 5.1 because it really flows in very well.
Because we just finished saying, this commandment have we from him that he who loveth God loveth his brother also.
And then in verse one it says, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loveth him that begat, right?
Loveth him also that is begotten of him.
And so what that's saying is, everyone that loveth him that begat, meaning God, loveth him also that is begotten of him, meaning our fellow Christians.
Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
And that's exactly what he just finished saying.
If you say you love God and hate your brother in Christ, you're a liar.
Everyone that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him.
And so it says in verse two, this is the key thing, because what did I say?
Number two, keeping God's commandments is the test of real love.
By this we know that we love the children of God.
So how do you figure out, do I love the children of God?
How do you test your love for the children of God?
By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.
Now stop and think about this.
Well we know that we love the children of God when we love God.
Because it's impossible to love God without loving the children of God.
So we know we love the children of God when we love God because these two things go together.
It's impossible to do the one without the other.
You can't really love your brothers and sisters in Christ like you should when you don't love God.
And you can't love God if you're not loving your brothers and sisters in Christ.
So how do we know if we love the children of God?
If we love God and keep his commandments.
Okay and that's a key point right there.
It says for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous.
And you know what I've noticed in my life is that people tend to label liberal worldly churches as loving.
And then they tend to label preachers who preach against sin as hateful.
And it's just automatic.
You take a stand against sin.
You preach hard against sin.
You preach on the commandments of God.
You're not loving.
You're hateful.
You're a hate preacher.
That's hate speech.
But then some just liberal, watered down, super worldly, super sinful, never preach about sin.
That's a loving church.
People are so much more loving there.
Is that consistent with the word of God?
Is that what the Bible teaches?
No, not at all.
And look we just read it before the service in Galatians chapter 5 where it said all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
So all the law, you can just kind of sum up the law of God in the Old Testament under these two commandments.
Love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as yourself.
You can sum up the whole thing.
And so the Bible says this is the love of God that we give his commandments.
So we have a church that they're fine with drinking.
They're fine with fornication.
They're fine with all the worldliness.
They're fine with you cross-dressing.
They're fine with all these things.
And oh they're just such a loving church.
They don't love anybody.
You know they love money.
They love money.
They love popularity.
They love fame.
They love success.
They don't love God because if they love God they'd be keeping his commandments.
And they don't love their members because if they love their members then they would preach the word of God because they would know that that's what people need to hear.
Because stop and think about it.
If you love someone you're not necessarily just going to tell them what they want to hear.
You're going to tell them what they need to hear.
Right?
And so telling someone what they want to hear is because you love yourself and you want that person to like you because you want to get something from that person.
You want to get a benefit from that person.
And it's not love because love and keeping the commandments of God are intertwined.
You show me a worldly Christian.
I'll show you an unloving Christian.
Show me a sinful Christian.
It's an unloving person.
You know, the person who's out there partying, drinking, taking drugs, fornicating, committing adultery, having an abortion, doing these things.
You know, that's not a loving person.
That's not what love means.
Okay?
And then you have a church that will get up and preach hard against all of the above.
Oh, so unloving, so hateful.
This is the lie of the devil in 2025 that so many people are falling for that being nice means you're a loving person.
Nice mom is a loving mom.
Nice dad is a loving dad.
Nice pastor is a loving pastor.
But in reality, the nice person isn't necessarily a loving person because there are all kinds of reasons to be nice besides actually loving people and actually caring about people.
And again, we got to go by what the Bible says.
By this we know that we love the children of God.
How can we do a self-check?
Do I love the children of God?
Well, do you love God?
Because if you're not interested in church, if you're not interested in the Bible, if you're not interested in soul winning, if you're not interested in the hymns, if you are not interested in the things of God and your love is all in this world, you know what the Bible says?
If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
So if you're sitting here and being dragged to church, you don't want to be in church, you don't want to hear the preaching of God's word, you don't want to read your Bible, you don't want to pray, you don't want to go soul winning, but you're just such a loving person.
I don't believe it for one second.
Because this is how you know you love the children of God when you love God.
And so somebody's like, man, I love God.
Man, I love church.
Man, I love the things of God.
You know, that's the person I would take to the bank.
Well, I bet this guy loves his brothers and sisters in Christ too.
Because he loves God.
Well, then he must love the children of God.
But when I see somebody who doesn't delight in God, doesn't love God, doesn't take pleasure in God, isn't interested in the things of God, super worldly, not into church, not into religion, you know, it just tells me, well, this guy, he clearly doesn't love God.
Well, you know what?
He probably doesn't love the children of God either.
And by the way, you young ladies, you think your boyfriend loves you so much.
Does your boyfriend love God?
Because if your boyfriend doesn't love God, then it makes me wonder if he loves the children of God, namely you.
Because guess what?
He might just like the way that you look.
He might just like your physical body.
He might just like how you make him feel.
He might like just hanging out with someone who's a fun person to hang around.
But what you want is somebody who actually loves you and cares about you and is going to do good unto you in the long run.
And so, how do I know, you know, this could be like a little teen romance column in a magazine.
Like, how do I know if my boyfriend loves me?
Here's a little tin check quiz.
How do I know if my boyfriend really loves me?
Isn't that the kind of stuff they have in these kind of magazines?
Alright, so if anybody out there is an editor for one of these magazines, I'm giving you an idea here for your magazine.
You know, take this quiz to figure out if your boyfriend really loves you.
Does he love going to church?
Does he love reading the Bible?
Does he love singing hymns?
Does he love going soul winning, right?
And it's like, what does that have to do with him loving me?
Because those that love God love the children of God.
He said, well, it's a totally different kind of love.
Yeah, but here's the thing, though, is that there's a little bit of a connection there, though, isn't there?
Because you know what? Yeah, you're right.
I don't romantically love everybody.
I romantically love one person, which is my wife.
But here's the thing.
If I didn't love God, if I didn't love the things of God, I would not have the capacity to love my wife the way that only a born-again, saved, God-fearing, spirit-filled Christian can love my wife.
It's another level, my friend, that this world knows nothing about because love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
So don't buy into this thing of just, oh, liberal, watered-down, worldly, sinful preachers, oh, they're loving.
Oh, the guy who's, you know, preaching hard on sin, he's not loving.
That's just the world brainwashing you.
And this is not an isolated scripture.
Flip just one page to the right in your Bible to 2 John.
So we were just in the first epistle of John.
Look at 2 John and look at verse 5.
It says, Now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
And this is love that we walk after his commandments.
Now, look, you say, oh, Pastor Anderson, you know, he gets up to preach a love sermon and just all of a sudden it's just about commandments.
I knew he wasn't a loving guy.
Folks, this isn't me.
This is the word of God.
This wasn't my idea.
I didn't go around and change all your Bibles before the service.
This was already there.
You know, my job as a preacher is to get up and preach what's already here.
And here I am, opening the Bible, and the Bible's just like, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments.
Then we turn one page, 2 John, and this is love that we walk after his commandments, verse 6.
This is the commandment that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Go, if you would, to Romans chapter 13, Romans chapter number 13.
And while you're turning there, let me say this.
Sinful people are not loving people.
The less sin you have in your life, you're probably a more loving person.
And the more sin you have in your life is probably because you're not loving.
Because what does the Bible say in Matthew 24?
In Matthew 24 it says, because iniquity shall abound.
And iniquity is another word for sin, doing wrong.
Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
The enemy to you being a loving person is you living a life of sin.
You want to find true love? Well then, start getting sin out of your life.
And watch your love increase.
And then if you start delving into sin and backsliding and getting involved in things you shouldn't be getting involved in,
watch your love grow cold, according to the word of God.
Look at Romans 13 verse 8.
O no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
For this thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet.
And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
So if you want to get the Cliffs Notes version of the law of God, it would basically be, love thy neighbor as thyself.
Right, that's the summary, that's the overview.
If you want to just briefly comprehend it in one saying, it's, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
And then here's the key explanation in verse 10.
And this is something that you, I mean you should memorize this verse, you should think about this verse, you should meditate on this verse,
because this is the test, this is the check.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbor.
You get that?
When you're hurting other people, that's not love.
Harming other people, hurting other people, seeking to destroy other people, those are not people that you love.
Because love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
You see, if your love is right, are you going to be out there killing?
Are you going to be out there committing adultery? No, of course not.
I mean, look, if you love your wife, are you going to commit adultery?
If you love your husband, are you going to commit adultery?
No, obviously not.
If you knew about a woman who is committing adultery, wouldn't you just say, well she doesn't love her husband?
No, I do, I just love my husband, I just also love this other strange man.
No, you're a liar, you're wicked, and you don't love your husband, because women who love their husbands remain faithful to their husbands.
And men who love their wives remain faithful to their wives.
Okay?
You know, mom and dad love each other very much, but we're just going to separate for a while.
Bull crap.
Right?
Oh, mom and dad, we love each other, but we're just not going to stay married.
Quit lying.
You don't love each other, because if you loved each other, you would do what's right and you would stay married like you vowed to do till death do us part.
Love is often fake in this world.
There's a lot of people out there that talk a lot about love, and they say a lot about it, they give a lot of lip service love, but there is a lot of fake love in this world.
And here's a really key word I want to home in on in verse 10, because we're going to see this a lot in the next few verses.
Love, and here's the key word, worketh no ill to his neighbor.
You see, what does love do is a question that we should be asking ourselves.
And look, I get it.
Love is an emotion.
Yes, it is.
Of course love is an emotion.
Of course love is a feeling of delight and so forth.
I get all that.
But love also works.
Love does something.
It does certain things, and it doesn't do other things.
And one of the things that love doesn't do is love does not work ill toward its neighbor.
And so the test for love really has to do with actions, and actions end up speaking a lot louder than words when it comes to love.
And you're there in Romans 13.
Just go back one page to the left to Romans 12, verse 9.
Because like I said, there's a lot of fake love in this world, and actions speak louder than words when it comes to love.
Look what the Bible says in verse 9.
Let love be without dissimulation.
And dissimulation is a big word that we may not use very often, but we use the word simulation a lot, right?
Like if something is simulated, it's not real, is it?
So love should not be with dissimulation, meaning it shouldn't be fake or simulated.
It should be real.
Let love be without dissimulation.
That tells me that there's a lot of people out there with a lot of simulated love, a lot of fake love.
Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, and honor preferring one another.
So there's so much great stuff on love packed into these two verses, right?
Because he says, look, your love needs to be real.
Don't let it be simulated.
And then, isn't it interesting, he says, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.
You know, it sounds to me like living a righteous life, living a clean life, getting rid of bad things out of your life, bringing good things into your life, has something to do with you being a loving person.
Because in order to really have real love, you've got to abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good.
And then he says, be kindly affectioned one to another.
You know, another way of saying this is, you know, be kind one to another.
Act in a way that's loving.
Do things that are loving.
Be kindly affectioned one to another.
And also, affection, you should feel it.
Obviously, love is an emotion.
Love is a feeling.
We should feel love.
We should have that affection.
But it should also play out in our deeds, in our kindness, and not working ill to our neighbor.
And then he says, be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, and honor preferring one another.
And honor preferring one another.
Things that we love are also things that we prefer.
And I think this should be obvious to anyone who speaks English.
Right?
If I said, I love cheeseburgers.
And I do love cheeseburgers.
You know, but then let's say I'm given an opportunity to eat a really good cheeseburger or something else.
Or here's a steak dinner.
Or here's a hot dog.
Or here's pizza.
Or here's tacos.
You know, I can just say like, oh, I just love cheeseburgers so much.
But then you just constantly see me going for the taco.
I'm constantly going for the pizza.
I'm constantly going for the steak.
I'm constantly ordering a hot dog.
You know what you're going to start to say?
I don't think this guy loves cheeseburgers as much as he says he does.
Because if he really loved cheeseburgers so much, you'd see him eating one once in a while.
Because he would be preferring cheeseburgers.
Everybody understand what I'm saying?
And so you say, oh, I love God.
But you're always choosing an activity that has nothing to do with God.
Your time, your energy, your money, your resources, your affection is always on things other than God.
Oh, but you love God so much.
Why aren't you preferring God?
Oh, I love the Bible.
Always reading something else.
Rarely reading the Bible.
Why don't you prefer the Bible?
Oh, I love my brothers and sisters in Christ.
But yet I see you preferring unsaved, worldly friends.
And talking about, oh, church people.
You know, I'm just going to come right out and say it.
I prefer church people.
I prefer saved Christians.
Even when I'm in an environment outside of church, if I'm anywhere, if I'm in a job setting,
if I'm doing recreation, if I'm in an educational setting, you know who I prefer?
I prefer saved Christians.
Any day of the week and twice on Sunday, I prefer saved people of God.
Why? Because I love the children of God.
That's who I prefer.
Prefer one another.
And also another meaning of prefer here, when it says in honor, preferring one another,
it's also talking about preferring other people to yourself.
You know, putting other people first is also preferring one another.
But again, back to the cheeseburger illustration.
I'm sorry, I just don't believe that someone loves God when they prefer everything other than God.
And if they love the people of God, why do they always prefer other people?
You know, you're surrounded by worldly friends, unsaved friends, non-Christian friends.
It's like, what's your problem?
Why aren't you being a friend to the people of God?
What's the deal?
You know, your actions need to line up with your supposed heart of love for God and his people.
A similar thing is in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22.
You don't have to turn there, but it says,
seeing that you've purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren.
Unfeigned love of the brethren.
That tells me there's some feigned, fake love of the brethren out there.
We want to have the unfeigned love of the brethren.
See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.
And I love this word fervently, right?
Love one another with a pure heart fervently.
The root word here, the first three letters of fervent are fur, like fire.
Okay, and the idea here is passionately.
Love one another fervently.
Think about where the Bible talks about things melting with a fervent heat.
In case you don't believe me on the etymology of the word fervent being to do with fire.
Fervent heat.
Love one another fervently with a pure heart.
Meaning, you're sincere.
You're not fake.
You're not feigning your love.
You actually, in your heart, have a burning love for God and a burning love for other people.
So look, when I say that the love of God is keeping God's commandments,
I'm not trying to say, you know, love's not about a feeling.
Love's not about an emotion.
It's just about doing what you're supposed to do.
It's both.
It is a feeling.
It is an emotion.
It is fire.
It is passion.
But if it's not translating into action, then I don't think that the pilot light's on, buddy.
You can say whatever you want.
You can make a big noise about all your love, but I think you forgot to light the pilot light.
I don't think there's any fire there.
Oh, I just love my wife so much.
As you're out preferring everybody else, preferring everything else,
cheating on her, neglecting her, treating her bad, it doesn't add up.
Something's not right in this picture.
Okay, so that brings me to my third point.
Go to 1 John chapter 3.
My third point is this.
Love is demonstrated by actions, not just words.
So we said, number one, these are the main points of the sermon this morning.
We said that, number one, Christians who are walking with God are loving people.
You want to be a loving person?
You want to find true love?
Start walking with God, and God will transform you into a loving person.
You get filled with the Spirit, and you're going to find yourself being a loving person
because the fruit of the Spirit is love.
You know, you say, oh, man, I feel like my marriage is dead.
The fire's gone out of my marriage, and I just don't love my wife the way that I should.
You know what? You want to fix that?
Get right with God.
Walk with God, get filled with the Spirit, and you'll start loving your sister in Christ,
namely your wife, okay?
And here's the thing. I think that so many people in marriage are so focused on,
you know, they really want their spouse to love them,
and they really wish that their spouse loved them.
But, you know, maybe you should also work on loving your spouse more.
And I think that'll probably end up making you a lot happier
is when you actually love the person that you're married to.
How about that?
It's funny, and look, marriage is something that I feel very strongly about
and that I care very deeply about.
You know, I've been married now for this year. It'll be 25 years.
And my marriage has always been a very high priority in my life.
It's always been something that was really important to me,
and I've really cared a lot about my wife and having a good relationship with my wife
and having a good marriage.
And so over the years, I've probably read approximately—
I was trying to kind of do the math.
I would say I've read about 20 books on marriage in the last 25 years of being married.
I've probably read approximately 20 books on marriage just to try to just learn more,
try to be a better husband, try to learn how I could do a better job as a husband,
just try to gain information, wisdom, tips, whatever.
Obviously, at the end of the day, the Bible is the main source
as far as how to have a good marriage, and so those things trump everything else.
Whatever the Bible says is paramount.
But obviously the Bible doesn't necessarily give us a lot of information on marriage.
It's not exactly just a marriage manual from cover to cover.
It's got a few really powerful passages.
You know, obviously there's a lot of great stuff in Proverbs.
You've got Song of Solomon.
You've got some good stuff in Ecclesiastes.
You've got Ephesians 5.
You've got Colossians 3.
And obviously those things are absolute truth.
Whenever we're reading a book outside the Bible,
we've always got to take it with a grain of salt
because of the fact that man is fallible.
Man is human.
But, you know, I've read a lot of books on marriage
and just because I'm just always trying to learn more
about things that are important to me,
and marriage is one of those things.
And so many, many years ago, I read this one book on marriage.
You're going to laugh at this particular book that I read.
But it's so famous, I was like, oh, I've got to read this
because, you know, it's a big famous book.
You know, the love languages or the five love languages.
Who knows what I'm talking about, this book, right?
And so let me just give you a quick book review
on the love languages.
I'll say this.
I think that the concept in the book is legitimate.
The fact that different people express love in different ways
and you can't just, and I'm kind of just,
you literally do not need to read the book
because I'm literally giving you it all
in like two or three minutes.
Because this is my biggest critique about the book
is that the book just goes on and on and on about
and like you could have just kind of written
into like two pages and been done.
But the book is just kind of like an infomercial.
And the thing I didn't like about the book
is that the book just keeps telling you,
oh, if you do this, your marriage is going to be great.
Everything's going to be fixed.
This will fix every problem.
And I don't believe that for one second.
There's no silver bullet that will just fix every problem.
And I don't buy it.
And so it's kind of like an infomercial.
It just kept going on and on and on about the same thing.
I'm going to give you the whole book in a few minutes.
I'm saving you a little bit of time here.
But this is the idea is that you can't just say
that someone doesn't love you or think
that someone doesn't love you because they just
don't show love in the way that you're expecting
because different people show love in different ways.
And then on the flip side of that
is that different people feel loved in different ways.
So like you might be showing your spouse love
and it's the way that you would respond.
So you show them love in that way.
But they don't feel loved because they're looking
for this other love language.
And so the idea was there's five love languages
and different people identify with different love languages.
So if you're kind of speaking the wrong language,
your love's not getting through.
And maybe your spouse really loves you.
You're just not feeling loved because you're not
picking up what they're putting down
because it's a different language.
And then, you know, you're coming at them
with love and the wrong language.
So if you can just figure out what their love language is,
make them feel loved,
everybody's going to live happily ever after.
Now, look, I do think that there is a lot of truth
in this principle.
But what I don't believe is that this will just fix everything.
And especially because there's a Christian book
and yet in a big thick Christian book about marriage,
never one time is it brought up that the husband
is to be the head of the wife
and that the wife is supposed to submit and obey her husband.
Now, to me, that's disingenuous and wrong to tell you,
oh, you're going to have this great marriage
without bringing up the elephant in the room,
which is that you're never going to have a great marriage
unless you're following the principles of the Word of God.
And like I said, the Word of God trumps any self-help book.
And the Word of God says that the husband is the head,
the wife needs to obey and submit.
And so to sit there and say, oh, just do this
and it's all fixed, eh, wrong.
You got to also do what the Bible says.
First of all, you got to do what the Bible says.
And then these other things are going to be possibly helpful
with nuts and bolts and whatever.
And so when it comes to what were these different love languages,
you know, and again, I read this book like over a decade ago,
so this is just off the top of my head,
but basically, it's not in my notes or anything.
I'm just kind of shooting from the hip here.
But basically, one of the love languages
was words of affirmation, right,
like telling your spouse that they're doing a good job
or complimenting them,
saying things that are uplifting about them.
And look, I feel like for my wife,
this is probably one of her biggest love languages,
like she likes to be praised or she likes to be complimented.
And so, you know, one of them was acts of service
where you do, you know, it's not anything that you're saying,
but you're actually doing something for someone, right,
like, you know, cooking a nice, cooking a really nice meal,
giving a gift or something like that.
And gifts and acts of service,
I think those might have been two separate languages,
but am I right? Okay, good.
Okay, I'm going to look at you,
because you seem like you've read the book more recently,
so I got a helper over here. This is great.
So yeah, there's like gifts, giving gifts.
Some people show their love by giving gifts.
Others like acts of service, like doing something,
like, you know, cleaning their room for them
or, you know, cooking a meal for them or something.
And I feel like for my wife,
this is a big one how she shows affection a lot of the time.
I literally just got home yesterday.
It looked like my room had been organized.
I know that wasn't the kids who did that, you know.
And she's always making nice meals
and doing stuff for me and stuff like that, you know.
And so, you know, we're not necessarily
exchanging a lot of gifts all the time,
but, you know, doing acts of service is another way.
And then another one was physical touch, you know,
giving a hug, giving a kiss, something like that.
So I'm up to four.
So what's the fifth one again?
Quality time, yeah.
And you can see there's kind of a lot of overlap
with some of these.
So it's like giving gifts or the acts of service,
quality time, physical touch, and words of affirmation.
Those are the five languages.
And he said, yeah, you could claim
that there's six or seven or eight,
but, you know, you can kind of really boil it down
to these five and whatever.
And like I said, I think there's a lot of validity there
that sometimes your wife or your husband
is doing stuff for you and you're feeling like,
oh, my wife doesn't love me or whatever,
but then she's like doing all this stuff for you.
You're just not receiving the love.
Or, you know, you're basically showing love
in a way that your wife or husband
doesn't really connect with.
And so the message isn't getting through and whatever.
And so, you know, again, like I said,
I think that the principle is a good principle.
I think the book is a little bit long-winded
because you could really explain this
in like 10, 15, 20 minutes,
and it just goes on for hours and hours.
And I think they left out the elephant in the room
that you've got to follow God's principles
of structure and hierarchy in marriage
if you want to have a good marriage.
But I think that, you know, the principle of the book
is true and right in that sense.
Now, why am I bringing this up?
You know, why am I talking about this book?
Because of the fact that there's an emphasis on doing stuff.
If you love your wife, do stuff for your wife,
give stuff to your wife, spend quality time.
There's action involved in expressing love.
And it's the same thing, you know,
the wife showing that she loves her husband.
And so a lot of people's love is just all talk.
It's all talk.
And maybe they even put on a really public show,
like where they love to go on social media
and just talk about how much they love their spouse
and everything.
I'm not criticizing you if that's you.
I'm just saying that I guarantee you
that there are a lot of people who do that
that don't actually love their spouse,
that don't actually have a great relationship.
They're doing it for a public show.
And I'm not saying you are.
I'm sure that all that stuff on your Facebook feed
is 100% true.
But I'm just saying that talk is cheap is what I'm saying.
At the end of the day, talk is cheap.
Talk is cheap.
Because love ends up being demonstrated
ultimately by actions.
And these actions could take different forms of,
you know, gift giving, quality time,
words of affirmation, whatever.
You know, you could break it down
in all these different ways.
But at the end of the day,
like your behavior is gonna show
that you have love in your heart one way or the other.
One way or the other,
it's gonna come through in your behavior.
Now let's see what the Bible says,
see what the Word of God says.
It says in 1 John 3.16,
Hereby perceive we the love of God.
Now what does perceive mean?
Perceive is when you sort of grasp something
or understand something
that maybe you haven't heard explicitly,
maybe you have,
but you perceive something.
It's sort of like when Jesus
heals a man on the Sabbath,
he perceives their thoughts, it says.
He kind of knows what they're thinking
because he can see the look on their face
like I, like for example,
what about when the woman at the well said,
I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Why did she perceive he was a prophet?
Because he told her something
that people didn't know about.
He told her something secret about her personal life
and she says, okay, I've deduced from that,
I've figured out from that,
you must be a prophet
because you just knew something
that it was humanly impossible for you to know
and so I perceive Jesus that you're a prophet.
So hereby perceive we the love of God
because he laid down his life for us
and the idea here is
God didn't just say, I love you.
What God actually did
was he showed us his love, right?
And so we perceive the love of God
because he laid down his life for us
so we're like, yeah, God really does love us
because he laid down his life for us
and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.
So here's the thing,
love in God's case translated into an action.
God so loved the world
that he said, I love you so, so much.
No, God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son, right?
That's how he demonstrated or showed that love
and that's how we perceive that love, okay?
And then it says this,
but verse 17, who so hath this world's good
and seeth his brother have need
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,
how dwelleth the love of God in him.
He's saying, look,
if you say that you love someone
and then they need something
and then you're not meeting that need,
then apparently you don't really love that person.
You know, and again,
we could apply this to marriage
and say, you know, your husband has a certain need,
you're not filling that need,
you're not attempting to fill that need.
You know, do you really love your husband
or your wife has certain needs
and you're not meeting her needs?
Do you really love your wife then?
Because if you have this world's good,
and the idea here is like,
let's say there's a person who's starving,
they don't have food, they don't have clothes,
they don't have what they need
and you have extra, you have what,
and you're like, oh yeah, I love you so much,
while you let them starve,
while you let them be cold,
while you don't help them out,
how dwelleth the love of God in him.
Who so hath this world's good,
meaning like goods, like this world's stuff
and sees his brother have need
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,
like I'm not gonna help him out,
how dwelleth the love of God in him?
You know, why?
Because real love is going to translate into action
according to the Bible.
My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Remember, love worketh no ill to his neighbor.
Love is something that we show in our deeds
with what we do, not just saying I love you.
Because here's the thing, you know,
the five love languages, one of them isn't just
I love you, I love you, I love you,
love you so much, love ya, no.
There's more meat on the bone of these love languages
because, you know, it's spending quality time.
It's giving a gift.
It's doing an act of service, okay?
It's physical touch.
Or even if it's the words of affirmation,
it's not just these platitudes of I love you so much.
It's more like a specific, hey, and, you know,
something that takes thought and effort to say,
hey, here's what it is that I really like about you
because you did this and you're this and you're that,
and it's more meaningful than just love ya.
And I'm not saying that we shouldn't say I love you
because we do say I love you,
but, you know, at the end of the day, though,
it's not really the deepest expression of love, my friend.
And sometimes it almost just becomes
almost like a greeting or a salutation
than a real profession of love, you know?
And so, you know, we gotta go a little deeper
than that, my friends.
Go forward to Luke chapter six.
Luke chapter number six, the Bible says in Revelation
that the church at Ephesus had lost their first love,
and what does he tell them?
Do the first works.
Here's the thing.
How do we know you've lost the first love?
Because you're not doing the first works
because love translates into action.
Love translates into deeds and works.
The Bible says in Proverbs 17, 17,
a friend loveth at all times
and a brother is born for adversity.
What does that mean?
Does that mean that when you're going through adversity,
your friend is just having a warm feeling about you?
A friend loveth at all times
and a brother is born for adversity.
No, when it says a friend loveth at all times,
it means that they're actually doing something to help you.
It means they're getting you through the adversity.
They're actually doing something to help you,
not just feeling something
and you don't even know what they're feeling.
No, they're actually encouraging you.
They're helping you out.
They're getting involved in your situation.
And so, of course, love's an emotion,
but that emotion is meant to create righteous actions.
Okay, how about this verse?
He that spareth his rod hateth his son,
but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
So the Bible's saying if you love your kids,
you're gonna discipline them.
So the feeling of love translates into an action,
and it's a biblical action.
It's a godly action.
It's a righteous action.
Oh, I just love my kids so much.
I could never discipline them.
No, you're in love with yourself
because if you loved your kids,
you would chasten them for their own benefit.
You'd do what's best for them.
And the last place we'll look at briefly is Luke 6.
Verse 27 of Luke 6,
But I say unto you, which here love your enemies,
and look at the very next words,
Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.
Now again, what does it mean to love your enemies?
It's an action.
What does it mean to love your kids?
You take action.
What does it mean to love your wife?
Action.
Love your husband?
Action.
Love church.
Love God.
Love the brother.
Action.
A lack of bad action.
Working no ill to your neighbor, but doing something.
Loving in deed and in truth,
not just in word,
because talk is cheap.
See, love your enemies,
do good to them which hate you.
Do you see how loving and do good are right there?
Because we're talking about showing your love with your actions.
Bless them that curse you.
Pray for them which despitefully use you.
Those are all actions.
And unto them that,
unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek,
offer also the other.
Him that taketh away thy cloak,
forbid not to take thy coat also.
Give to everyone that asketh of thee,
and of him that taketh away thy goods,
ask them not again.
And as ye would that man should do to you,
so do ye also to them likewise.
Do you notice the action on deeds here?
What does this talk about love?
It's not just a feeling.
It translates into doing good,
blessing, praying, offering, giving.
Do, done.
I mean, it's all work.
And then he says,
for if you love them which love you,
what thank have ye?
For sinners also love those that love them.
Say, well, you know, I'd love my wife if she loved me.
Well, you know, the Bible says we love him
because he first loved us.
Right?
And, well, I'd love my husband if he was more loving.
No, why don't you just love your husband, period,
for Christ's sake?
You know?
And why don't you?
And you say, oh, I'm just looking for true love,
but my husband doesn't love me.
You know, why don't you just love him
and then you just found true love?
Here's the way you find true love,
in your own heart towards someone else.
And if they don't love you back,
that's like super true love.
I'm not telling you to be a stalker now.
I'm talking about, you know,
talking about somebody you're actually married to.
But I'm serious.
You know, say, oh, I've got to find true love.
You know what?
Here's the thing.
You know what?
It's great when people love you.
It's great to have parents that love you.
It's great to have friends that love you.
It's great to have a spouse that loves you.
It's great to have siblings that love you.
It's great to have your church buddies that love you.
Being loved is great.
I'm sorry, but I think that loving
is superior to being loved.
It just is.
Now, in a perfect world, ideally, yeah,
in a perfect marriage, you want to love her
and she loves you, right?
I mean, that's the perfect world.
You love her, she loves you.
That's great.
But would you really want to be in a marriage
where your spouse loves you very much
and you don't love them at all?
You think that that's a good situation?
You think that that feels good?
You think that's the meaning of life?
No, it really isn't.
Okay, and guess what?
The only thing you can control is what you feel.
You can't really make someone else love you.
You know, I wish I had the power to just
make people love me and make people love God
and make people love their spouse, but I can't do it.
The only person's love that I can control is myself.
So, you know what?
If I'm filled with the Spirit,
I can love my wife.
I can love you.
I can love other people the way that I should
on a level that the world can't even understand.
You know, I can just love people in a way
that unsaved people or backslidden Christians
can't even process the amount of love.
And look, I'm not just making it totally abstract.
I'm saying a burning love
and a love that translates into action.
Both.
Because we don't have to choose between those two things.
So, if you love them which love you, verse 32,
what thank have you?
For sinners also love those that love them.
Oh, so your wife is just madly in love with you
and adores you and you love her back.
So impressed.
Good job.
Your spouse that's madly in love with you
that's super lovable, you love her.
Wow.
Great job. I'm so impressed.
Not.
Okay?
Because you know what actually would be more impressive?
Is to love the unlovable.
Or when your wife is being a pain
and is not showing you love
and is not expressing love,
maybe not even feeling love,
and you say, you know what?
I'm gonna love my wife anyway.
I'm gonna love my wife anyway because I love God
and I just, if I love God,
I just can't help but love my brothers and sisters in Christ
because I'm just walking in the Spirit,
just filled with the Spirit.
Or vice versa.
A woman could be the same way.
Hey, maybe my husband doesn't love me,
but you know what?
I'm just gonna love him anyway
and I'm just gonna keep loving him
because I love God.
You know, you'll probably be a lot happier.
If you love them which love you, what thank have you?
For sinners also love those that love them.
And if you do good to them which do good to you,
what thank have you?
For sinners also do even the same.
And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive,
what thank have you?
For sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again.
You see, this world is filled with people
doing things for other people,
loving other people and everything,
but it's on a very shallow, low level.
We as Christians can go to a higher level
through the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
And we can love in a way that the world can't understand.
Love your enemies, verse 35.
Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again.
Your reward shall be great
and you shall be the children of the highest
for he is kind unto the unthankful, unto the evil.
Be therefore merciful as your father also is merciful.
And so all that to say this this morning
is that the world is filled with people
who love God.
And so all that to say this this morning
is that the fruit of the Spirit is something,
if you look at that list,
it's what this whole world's after.
This whole world wants true love.
They want to feel love.
They want to love.
They want to have that passion.
They want to have that feeling.
And they also want to be a good person
that actually lives out their love.
It's what people want.
Look, if I asked the people of this world
and they'd be honest with me,
I don't care if they're Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim,
Christian, atheist, whatever, Mormon, whatever.
If I said, hey, if you push this button,
you will have in your heart love, joy, peace,
long suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance.
Will you push that button?
Everybody would be like,
oh, I'd love to have those attributes.
No, I just kind of want to be an unhappy, bitter,
hateful, you know, bad person.
I'm sure there'd be some weirdo that would say that,
but I'm saying if people would be honest,
this is what people are after.
This is the pursuit of people's lives.
It's what they want.
And you know what?
It's on the table.
It's available.
How do you get there?
You get there by reading your Bible.
You get there by singing psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs.
You get there by going to church.
You get there by winning souls to Christ.
You get there by praying.
You get there by walking with God,
being filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
That's how you get there.
And the more that you love God,
the more that you invest in the kingdom of God,
the more that you put your energy into serving God,
loving God, walking with God.
You know what?
It'll be automatic that you will love
your brothers and sisters in Christ
and that you will love your spouse,
that you will love the people that God brings into your life
because you can't help it
because these things are so intertwined.
Do not fall for the fake love of this world.
Don't for one second fall for this little,
oh, I love you so much, you know, kind of love.
This is all platitudes.
It's all talk.
It's fake.
How do you test it?
Is it God's commandments?
Is it following the Bible?
Is it following the word of God?
Because if it's worldly and sinful and backslidden,
it's not love.
Because if any man loved the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
You know what?
The cleaner you live,
the more that you abhor that which is evil,
cleave that which is good,
you will become a more loving person.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank you so much for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We thank you that all of us as believers
are indwelled by the Holy Spirit
and that we have access to this wonderful attribute,
this wonderful feeling,
this wonderful emotion,
this wonderful impetus
to all these wonderful actions known as love.
Thank you for giving us love
as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Help us all to walk in the Spirit
so that we can take full advantage
of the Holy Spirit's power
and be the most loving people ever
and that all men would know that we're your disciples
by our love that we have one for another.
Lord, help us to love our spouses
and also just to love our friends,
love our church,
and in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen. All right, ladies and gentlemen,
take your hymnals, please.
Go to hymn number 46.
Hymn number 46.
My Savior, first of all,
hymn number 46.
Begin singing on that first verse together.
Forty-six.
When my life work has ended
and I cross the swelling tide.
Hymn number 46.
Sing it out together now.
When my life work has ended
and I cross the swelling tide,
When the rising floor is warning,
I shall see.
I shall know my Redeemer
when I reach the other side
and His smile will be the first to welcome me.
I shall know Him.
And redeemed by His side,
I shall stand.
I shall know Him.
By the rinse of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul-dwelling rapture
when I view His blessing face
and the bluster of His kind
we be denied.
How my full heart will praise Him
for the mercy, love, and grace
that prepared for me a mention in the sky.
I shall know Him.
And redeemed by His side,
I shall stand.
I shall know Him.
By the rinse of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the dear ones in glory
how they beckon me to come
and are parting at the river
I recall.
To the sweet
I shall know Him.
And redeemed by His side,
I shall stand.
I shall know Him.
By the rinse of the nails in His hand.
Through the gates to the city
in a rowless heartless fight
He will lead me where no tears
will ever fall.
In the glad song of ages
I shall be full with delight
but I long to be my Savior
first of all.
I shall know Him.
And redeemed by His side,
I shall stand.
I shall know Him.
By the rinse of the nails in His hand.
Amen. Good singing this morning.
We are dismissed.
Thank you.
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