Love is from God

Consider these two scenarios. A man's older car begins having serious trouble. So he takes it into the mechanic they run assessments on it and the news is it's it's basically going to cost a lot more to fix it than it's worth. And so the man decides I'm not going to put good money after bad and what does he do? The limited money that I have them going to put toward a new car, we can relate to that cuz we had to do that with a van couple months ago and that makes sense, right? That sounds reasonable. We did it. That's that's a reasonable thing to do. Is it it you agree. Now consider this other scenario, just in the area. Always wear another man, an engineer accidentally catches his arm and pan and crushes. It in a piece of machinery and he rushes to the hospital, he has an x-ray and a sassy and there's multiple fractures and breaks and it's going to require some surgery and they repair an inexpensive rehab and even though he doesn't we rather not spend the money, reluctantly he. He gives years of his life savings and everything that he has to pay for the surgery. He's in order to get that hand doctor and repaired and rehabilitated, even though it will take months, but that still makes sense, doesn't it? Because, I mean, that the hand is, is valuable to you. In our culture today relationships, especially the marriage relationship are often viewed, like the first scenario. Well, when things aren't working for you anymore, they get old and think things aren't just just, you know, running. Well what do you do? You cash in the old one and then you get a new one? And that's exactly the way people view marriage today. In our throwaway Society again, and mixed it with a car or piece of equipment, because we realize that's just the way the equipment is, it gets old, it's going to stay all you, you break it breaks, you get new stuff. But marriage is like the second scenario and our relationship to another its members of one. Another God says, we're more part of one another and therefore just like you wouldn't say well it was a good hand. It did serve this day but I'll just cut it off and do it that you realize. No, you don't. You don't treat a member of your body. That way God says that were to have that mentality to because it is, it's, it's Priceless to us, right? Ephesians 5 28 through 30 says, this husband also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies, he who loves his own, wife loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh. But what But nourishes it ain't rehabilitated takes care of it. Men's him and cherish is it just as Christ also does the church because we are parts of his body were members of his his body until because Tuesday is Valentine's Day and love is something that we never grow out of and never get to the point where we say. Yeah, we love perfectly all the time and every situation, I find it's a great, great reminder to understand love, love is something that's been more, perverted and twisted, and misunderstood in our culture, then probably anything else. Love is been defined as accepting an approving of any wicked evil thing. And any say, it is almost like an evil thing now is defended because it's an active. Love. And if you don't support it, then what are you? On loving. So we need to understand love and Valentine's Day. It's always an interesting time to talk about that. And so I wanted to give a little bit of history behind Valentine's Day. Saint Valentine was a courageous Roman Christian who championed marriage Valentine was a priest of the third Century Ag. And like us, he lives at a time when the institution of marriage was under attack during the rule of Emperor, Claudius the second, the Roman military was involved in a number of bloody and unpopular campaigns Claudius was having a difficult time recruiting soldiers and he believed the reason was that the Roman men did not want to leave their lovers or families behind So that's reasonable not unreasonably. He theorize that unmarried soldiers would fight better than Mary soldiers because they had no reason to worry about what might happen to their wives and children. If they were killed in battle. So he issued an edict hard to believe but he issued an edict prohibiting any further marriages or engagements in rum. Just like that, marriage became illegal. It's happened before just like in our country just like that. All of a sudden marriage has been redefined into being, you know, 22 men or women can do it. We can get married. And wait, once you go down that road, what basis do you have for discriminating against anything else? Why not three women? Why not polygamy? That's a little biased. Why do you think you're better? Why do you think marriage is Between Two? Lovers is better than three or four? That's a little prejudiced, isn't it? So, we've opened up a can of worms in redefining marriage because again, it will say that God is the one who is a Creator and designer and Define her. And we like to try to play God Is So, you know what, God, we're going to do it our way, but we realize that we have no Authority, a right to do that and when you when you try to change it, you ruin it. You don't, you don't bring God. Yes. And Design. So just like that marriage became legal Valentine and his associate another priest named Marius. Just obey the king's eating just like the midwives and Sarah's day did and Daniel's free sends three friends had to disobey Nebuchadnezzar. They, they disobeyed. And they came to the aid of young, couple by performing secret marriages in. Defiance of the emperor has decreed Nor was that all in many cases, their actions had the effect of leading young Romans to Christ is balance Valentine and Marius consistently. Encourage them to marry within the walls of the church. Her safety. Another reason as a result Valentine was found out, he was apprehended and dragged before the prefect of Rome who's summarily, condemned him to death for performing marriages, but illegally because the state hasn't sanctioned it and they condemned him to death, he was imprisoned and not condemned to death. He was tortured and beheaded You know what day he was beheaded? 14th of February. That's why we have February 14th, this Valentine's Day and it was about the year 270 that's the origin of our Modern Day celebration at the Valentine. So just kind of an interesting background, isn't, it? Always learning different things. Not uplifting, but courageous. So just realized our founding fathers understood that our rights, don't come from government because it went government can decide to do that. And if governments becomes God, like, in the Soviet Union, they can Outlaw got this activist government wants to become God. The first thing they always try to do is displaced God because they don't want competition between who gets to Define things and whose authority. Do we have to realize our our rights come from God, they're unalienable rights because we're creating image of God, not because government gives mankind certain rights if Government gives them government can take them away and redefined different rice. So, we need to understand that love is from God. It's its source is from God, loving is is an essential part of God's nature. His Essence, just being, it's who he is, and what he does. And so God is the source of love. And also, the example of love, we want to know what love is. We need to know God and what is he like? And how does he love? Because he's the source, he is the one that that's a Nollie invented it, but it is part of another, with this is part of his essential nature. God is love and love is from God. When we raided 1st, John, 4:7, if you'd like to turn your Bibles with me, we'll be in this passage for a little bit and then we're going to go over to 1st Corinthians 13. So 1st John 4, you already know seven and eight. You have that memory. I bet you can't quote it without singing. The tune though. 1st John 4 7 through 11 year, but it starts off this way to his beloved. Let us love one. Another why

Because love is from God, love is of God and living love is from God. God is the source. Love originates from God. Mankind, did not invent love. We didn't come up with the term, we didn't create the experience, or the idea or the emotions of feeling. It's not originating from us. God is the one who is love. He's the one that is the source of love. We experienced love because we are Made In His Image but that image has been marred for the fall of sin. So We crave love, we long for love. We we always we love love, why? Because we're creating the image of God but does not originate in us. It's a source mankind didn't invent love and therefore mankind does not have the right to redefine it. Love exists outside of us. We didn't create it. We're not the origin of it and we don't have the authority or the right to redefined what it is. Cuz we didn't create it. That make sense? Know what I just said is very countercultural because we get to the world gets to redefine all the terms and it wants it gets to set its own identity. And just, if that's a, that's a usurping of God's role. You realize that, what's going on or culture, fundamentally is a usurping of God's role in society, we'll do it our way. We'll decide God. Thank you very much. Leave us alone. Will decide gender will, decide. Love will decide right? And wrong wheel decide. We don't need an outside absolute Authority. That is the designer and creator of it. We want to do that. Traitor, we want to be God. You probably heard the slogan. Maybe I seen the bumper sticker. Love Is Love with a little Rainbow or something behind it. Right? Love is slow. Sounds pretty obvious. Sounds pretty good. Doesn't look love is love. All of his love. No, that's an attempt to justify homosexuality pedophilia and every other kind of perversion of love. To say all love is love and get. It says nothing other than it sounds like he. It's all it's all good, whatever. Whatever it is, no for an attitude or action to be loving. It must reflect God's character who is love is the source of Love. Otherwise it's something else where Rita and if we're not doing that and we're calling it, love it, we're doing something else. We're just doing something such as lust, or as a selfishness, or codependency or number of other things are a better, a better description of what we're doing. But it's not love, because love is an objective standard that's based upon God's nature. And if we're doing something that's in conflict with God's nature, by definition, we are not Loving, if we're doing something contrary to what love is. Do he is. So notice that Believers here in 1st John 4:7 or call Beloved beloved, which is a way of saying we are Gods. Loved ones. Were loved ones of God is his children. The Ivy has dear friends that misses the Mark. It's just not, it's nice but it's not good enough. It's your loved ones as God's children. Your guys, beloved who have to have been loved by God. You've experienced God's love as his beloved. It's precisely because we've experienced God's love that. We are too, then show that reflect that to others because we've experienced God's love. Nursery says lettuce. Love one another that's in the peel. And why does he have to do that? What if it was automatic? Would you have to ask Amanda torpey deal to first people, to do it? Because Believers have experienced God's love. Even though they've been born again, they have God's love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. We have a new nature and yet we still have an old sin nature and we have to be appealed to that to let love rule in our lives. We have to be told and reminded commit love one. Another right? Just as Christ has loved us because we're, we are Sinners by Nature, it goes on. It says and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Now, I need at least. What is that? That sounds like universalism or get him. Doesn't everybody love you? What, what do we mean? Hear God's love? Which is the definition of love, which is untainted by sin. No selfishness or mixed motives requires possessing. A new nature of the word. We have to be born again. We need a spiritual birth from above. Love, doesn't save us, but what does it do? It it reveals the family traits of being children of God. God is love and as we express his love, We reveal that, we're not, we're depending upon God. It's this is not just our own, love that selfish and tainted by our, our attitudes and motives and imperfections, but that this is truly God's love sacrificial. Love. And we're experiencing it by depending upon him. So it's not. So everybody's love. Even if it's just a puppy dog. I don't care. The most mass murderer in this world has experienced. Love sometime, he's not saying, hey, a buddy who's ever showed. Love is is at knowing god, he said when you are revealing Love God's love untainted love. There's only one source from that, that's it. That's a family character trait of being a child of God. That's his point there. So, it doesn't say, but it displays the family trait, he says, and the one who doesn't love right or is it isn't loving? Does not know God because God is love those. It doesn't say is not born again.

It's his not knowing god, it's an experiential fellowship with God. It's about knowing god in your daily experience. In other words, we all know that even as Believers we can do things that are not Love not love, not the loving thing to do. How many of you have done that already today? Right? Done things that aren't maybe we're impatient. We're weren't weren't hurt your love. I have right, especially when the technology starts going on me, right? Then we can Rick not feeling very loving. Wrathful, angry frustrated, but not. But the Eddie way we, we see that. We need to love as those who are born of God because God is love. We are not knowing god and our day by day, it moment-by-moment experience. If we are not a walking in love, that's, that's the idea there. Since we went to kids, basketball game yesterday, I can use a basketball example, to help illustrate this. Okay? Somebody can go and they can read all about the rules of the MVA. They can learn all about the purpose of basketball, to get the ball in the hoop. They can know all about tip-offs and jump balls and a three-point shots and if somebody were to ask them hate you. No basketball. Oh yeah. I know all about how great, why don't you come play with us and then he gets out there and you can't, you can't dribble. He's never done that before. So we could do it some ways, he knows that's people, but he doesn't, they say, you don't know, basketball. What he doesn't have the experience or knowledge of living that you can't dribble a ball, I don't care how many rules, you know, you don't know the game. You don't know, basketball very well, right? So there's a difference between knowing a concept and knowing it experientially. Some people, I mean, they don't know about basketball, they know it the way they play the game, you realize what that got? That person? They know the game, they know it. They know how to move. They don't they know how to apply it in their lives. That's that's the idea on there. So everybody knows about love because we're all created in the image of God. We all crave it needed but you don't really know the love of God until you've lived in his power and allowed. His love is a source of love to work that love for you and we'll see what does that look like? God's love self-sacrificial. Love verse 9 continues by this. The love of God was revealed in us. That God has sent his only son into the world so that we may live. Who him? And this is love not that, we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation or atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God. So loved us. We also. Art or should get an automatic God loved us. This way. We also ought I love one another again. Perfect love is God, love a sacrificial giving unselfish it. Always seeks what's best? It's not love motivated because I'll get love in return. It's not. Well, if I do this I'll be loved. You know, and said he's good with prayed for some of the teenagers that are having problems getting in and school. They want to be accepted it which is almost another way of saying I want to be loved. I want to be appreciated for who I am and what winds and what lot of people do will. If I do this, maybe I'll be loved. Maybe I'll be accepted maybe if I have sex with my boyfriend, then he'll love me. Read that Rachel are Leah. The unloved wife of Jacob? Maybe if God gives me more children, then right? Maybe my husband will love me. Then it doesn't work out that way. People trying to find it. If I, if I do this, if I give this kind of love than I'll get the kind of love. I want back. That's self-motivated love. That's not sacrificial. Love, it's not saying I will do the right thing. Even if you spit in my face, Jesus loved us. How did we love him back? Recharge YouTube and put them on a cross, right?

He cried out, father, forgive them. Not because we were very loving are forgivable to him. Jesus wept over druse and say, how I longed to gather you. Oh Jerusalem, like a mother hen gathers, her chicks, but you are not willing. And so instead of love, you're going to suffer the consequences from your wickedness that he loved them, even when he was being rejected and literally spit in the face and Pierce For them and for us. So perfect. Love is a sacrificial. Unselfish always seeking what's best and we'll look at what that looks like, more a minute. Okay, so we need to take a little break here to and say, all right, when is love between a man and woman look like love between a man and woman is from God. And unfortunately, I put this up here, some Christians grew up in homes were talking about human sexuality was yeah, boo. Yeah I know parents. Sometimes it's hard. We've been going through sex education with our boys, you know? It's cool and you're bringing all those things and, you know, some of those things you just assume I'll be really good at because, you know, my dad was and make going through all James, Dobson preparing for adolescents, and all those things in and out. But every generation is a little bit different. You do an our Generation if we turned on the TV and we seem to women kissing each other, it would have been shocking and gross. I have to realize that my boys are going to grow up where they see two men or two women kissing on a on a Covergirl commercial for makeup. There does not shocking anymore they seen that since childhood your generation. You see that and do you want it? Yeah, I dick you said I get sick to my stomach and I turned the TV off. That was that's Unthinkable. It's not Unthinkable anymore. It's put in our faces all the time. So we had the point is if we don't talk about it in the church and art Christian homes, it will be talked about folks. The question is, who do, who do you want to talk to you about it to your kids, their friends, who think, they know a lot and don't the school yet? Do you want? Kate Brown and Tina kotek to lesbian Governor's, riding education system? How they're going to teach you about sexuality? I don't think so. You pick a tan again? Our children are confused. Why, why are there so many people? All the sudden having the same problem? Look at what's being taught and what's being encourage and promote confusion is on purpose. If you can confuse somebody and keep them bewildered there more, suggestible and open the things they never would have even struggle with the thought of that before. So the point is, we need to understand God's view of love and that acute physical love, sexual, love, within marriage. Sexual love is good and blessed by God in marriage. Does it was very good in Genesis 1 through 2 created in Adam and Eve were both naked and not a shame. It was very good part of God's creation. Do we need to understand that, but it's awesome to be within marriage. God is against like love. He is the one he existed Fellowship. All members of the the godhead, father son, Holy Spirit, operate in love with one another and marriage has certain down to why? Because God isn't definer of it. He's the Creator Adam and Eve didn't get together to say, hey, let's do this. How was the creation? How did that occur? Who was created first, Adam. And God let Adam be alone and God had Adam name. All the animals and all the animals had mates that correspond to them. There was a female lion and a male lion male, elephant female, elephant Adams gone through all the animals in the end of it. There's, there's no one that's comparable to him. Again, showing that Youmans are not animals. We are a distinct Kingdom

And God let him realize that he was alone and in need he wasn't complete without the counterpart suitable corresponding to him. And so Adam didn't invent Eve didn't evolve over time just so that we'd be able to reproduce the race who invented marriage, who created Adam and Eve male and female just to God did. And as a result of what we have, the union between, man and woman that the two to go to my bones flushing mice, like the two shall become one and living community in as result. Be able to produce new life through that amazing. God's idea, not man's therefore we don't have the right and authority to Define what it is or redefine it. It's already been created and designed by God. So, they're just part of that design is to be held in the Covenant of marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says, marriage has to be held in honor among Christians. No, I'm on Western Civilization those in America that we're civilized. And no marriage is to be held in honor among all people because we all go back to Adam, the same reserve a couple and then Noah And the marriage bed is to be undefiled. Perform Decatur's and adulterers God will judge that judge isn't sending people to help cuz of that. But God had to judge and discipline discipline, King David and God forgave to David when he confessed to Sandy sent Nathan, The Prophet by David had to read terrible consequences for that. But he's forgiven, he's in heaven, but there are consequences for things that that aren't that aren't Pleasant. So let's live and gods will. So that will have success and blessing and not have to have a lot of the unfortunate consequences we want God to bless her lies in marriage, Joey, And yet, aren't you glad that we're all imperfect? And we've all that many of you here. We have a lot of people have, we've all struggled relationships to one degree or another and maybe that degree means a lot of a marriage, aren't you? Glad for God's faithfulness and forgiveness and that, hey, even our mistakes do our sins be as Scarlet. He makes them white as snow and it's never too late to start doing God's Will and reaping the positive benefits from now. So God's love again, why is Mara should be exclusive because love always seeks with best. How does marriage work best? By having a special between the way that between a husband and wife and marriage. The Bible contains, well-known love stories, like the Song of Solomon, story of Ruth, Ann Ruth, and Boaz and how God LED them together for that and became part of the Divine line through which Jesus would come. But the problem is because we're Sinners. Our love is imperfect. Everybody agree with that. Our love is imperfect, it does not always reflect what it ought to be God's love, we become lovers of self rather than lovers of God. So the question is what it what do we do with that? Well, Thoroughly. We must be born of God and abide in fellowship with God, to have the love of God to have love God's love, being the source of our. Our lives. In 1st John, 4:12 says, no one has seen God at any time. If we love one. Another God abides in us and his love is Perfected in a man-made. Perfect mother was brought to maturity and completion. Just like we talked about fruit like an apple when it when it's it's you we've all tasted immature fruit. How does it taste when you when you get it is it soft and delicious? Or is it hard as a rock? Is it sweet or sour? When you, when you get when you pick fruit too early, not perfect. Yet is it? We talked about that, that piece of fruit is perfect. We mean, it's fully matured, it's ripen to full completion and it's at its very best for enjoyment. And I love becomes at its very best perfected and brought to brought to its mature design and us when we are abiding in Christ and speaking of fruit What is the first fruit of the spirit? The first aspect of the fruit of the spirit, Galatians 5, 22. The fruit of the spirit is love, mentioned first as that. And so God's character the fruit of spirit is produced in us, when were submissive to God's word into his spirit that those are the kinds of character qualities, he's going to produce in us as helping. Go ahead and turn your bibles if you'd like to the 1st Corinthians 13:1 through 8 and we'll just review these these

Descriptions of love that. Paul gives us to help Define, what is, what is God's love? That is love. He is what is true love really look like Some things we get really easy, other things, we don't, everybody likes to feel loved everybody likes, certain love, you talk about love languages. Do people have different things that they're good at or prefer it really makes him feel special. But what does Love. True love is based upon God's nature look like in all of our Lives. Whether were married or unmarried, no matter what stage of Life were in this applies to everybody. So again, 1st Corinthians 13 1 through 8 spells out what the fruit of the spirit looks like in these 15 qualities. And you know, the first one right love is Patient. Now, it's now we've already run into a problem. I would have to do it so well on this message and the first thing Paul says, I already slept, right? I mean, I have to preach through these things. I have read marriage books, with Holly and Alright man, by the way, I recommend that, I gave it to the Man. We've gone through it again. We need to keep going through that again. The Love Dare that they came out with the movie, Fireproof. Excellent, Bible study book and I think we've got more copies. But everybody needs to go through that every year with the on February 14th with their marriage partner, and whether you're married or not, you still need to go through it and I'll prepare you for marriage or it'll make it. Prepare you for life and relationship. It doesn't matter. It's God's truth, but near just that we are the closest brothel was challenging relationships than. So we really need the love that oil. Those relationships to love is patient. It means showing self restraint in the face of being provoked, not retaliating, went wrong, but patiently bearing, seal treatment for mothers. Patiently bearing, fuel treatment for mother's 1, commentary notes, are modern throwaway Society encourages us to get rid of people in our lives. Even talk to people in your life and there is something to say. All right, we got to be wise, Paul says avoid a factious person in the church right there. There certain people you don't give a platform to that, doesn't mean you don't love them. And treat him with respect and sometimes love means you review and correct him and you don't just say what we know. I ignore you. You you know, you oppose them to their face and you confront him with the truth and at least give him an opportunity. Sometimes it sometimes love means a Tatian but the fact is you love me. Some in our throwaway Society, difficult people get along with whether their friends family or acquaintances. Are just to be gotten rid of yet. This attitude runs in complete contrast to God's love. True. Love puts up with people who would be easier to give up on. That puts up doesn't mean we just we let them run over us and set the agenda. No, no you have to be able to say sorry, I can't do this. Sorry. You're going to have to. I'm willing to love you but it's got to be on proper terms. Can't get you. You're not the one that gets a dictate those things. I've got to obey, God, rather than man of you. But again, sometimes 11 thing to do is to stand up and tell him what they don't want to hear, they need to hear it. When you choose to be patient, you choose to respond in a positive way. The negative circumstances I like that. Love is patient when negative things happen. You make the choice to respond in a positive way. Proverbs 15, 18 says a hot-tempered person stirs up Strife but the slow to anger actually call them to dispute Keep your cool love is kind. That means responding graciously and gently went wrong not being overcome by evil but overcome evil with good prop. 51 says, a gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word to stir up, anger. When the patient's goes kindness goes to notice that when your patience goes all of a sudden you don't have time for kindness patience, doesn't have it on kind of attitude and there was no one ever Kinder than Jesus. Think about how he handled the woman caught in adultery or the woman at the well, or just don't know. No one was ever kind of then Jesus, did ya. Did Jesus drive people out of the temple? Yeah, that was out of love and Zeal for the father's house, which is righteousness, but when we get, when people are willing to take it, we're kind to them. Love isn't jealous that we've got a gel to the proper jealousy. What do we mean by gelatin is better translate? An envious is being envious of others or displeased at their recognition or success being willing to share the spotlight. James 3:16 puts it this way. Says, for, where jealousy and selfish ambition. That's what we mean by jealousy. Not the proper jealousy of a husband jealousy for his wife, not having an affair or something like that, but but the proper mess. Proper jealousy. What's rightly yours with Kenzie? Says it's about my selfish ambition where jealousy and selfish ambition is just there is there is disorder. And every evil thing, James 3:16. I thought that's interesting disorder where there is jealousy and selfish ambition because you're not willing to be a team player and go long. So a competitive price for Spirit That a marriage will ruin a marriage. It's always about winning instead of what what's doing. What's right? And what's best love is not jealous. Love doesn't brag him, he's not thirsty about your own abilities, possessions or achievement. The new King James has a dozen parade itself. It's the idea that that that show up Proverbs 27 to says let another praise you and not your own mouth. Love is not focused on just serving self a serving God and others. The idea that we can be proud and a right way of pleasing God and things. But we can also appeal to all of our self and As if we're the ones that were are responsible for everything and that was King Nebuchadnezzar's downfall, not recognizing God. And again self braggarts and people that you noticed, they're usually very very little of other people. So is this the humility there that God's after serving others? Love is not arrogant. It means being humble rather than a show-off was puffed up with pride. Positively love is humble, it's an honest accurate. Not too low and accurate opinion of your self in your weaknesses and strengths. James says, James 4:6. As opposed to the proud, but who does he give Grace to His power, his strength. To the humble to know. They need it from God, we can't love without knowing we need God to help us love. Doesn't act disgraceful. I like that interpretation Unbecoming leaves and disgraceful. It means not acting in an inappropriate way. Not bad mannered or rude. Arrogant. People often feel entitled to be sorry to be bad mannered and root. Have you noticed that? And rude Behavior, may seem insignificant to the one doing it but it's unpleasant to live with. Even if you didn't mean anything by it is rude to them. And so your love thinks about not just myself and what I think about it. It's concerned about how others are impacted by it and therefore love is not rude and bad mannered. It doesn't act and disgraceful ways. Love, doesn't seek its own benefit. Not self-seeking, it means acting in the interest of others, rather than seeking to fulfill your own interest boy, if there's anything, our society has gotten off on now, well as well, it whatever makes me happy, okay? So, has anybody, by the way, has anybody you've ever heard of her known ever gotten Happy by being selfish and self-absorbed? It doesn't work, but that's what everybody promotes is. All it's all about your happiness. If you try to make yourself happy and just do it, everybody else's needs out and just focus on making yourself. Happy. Give it 3 months and you'll be the most miserable person. This world doesn't work that way. It's a byproduct of doing the right thing, it's not something you can just get by being selfish selfish. This does it work?

Amerijet at home. We can especially feel entitled to have things are away because this is our house, right? But positively, put love puts others. First. This is what Jesus did in the great passage the kenosis patches in Philippians 2:5 to 7. Since I'm reading the NIV here, it says, in your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ. Jesus, who being in the very nature, God did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own Advantage being held on at all costs, rather. He made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. You didn't seek his own. You saw what we needed. Love is not provoked. It means not being sensitive or touchy was ready to take offense, not being easily angered or hurt cuz I was offended. It's love. Love is hard to offend am I at? Here's a good question. I like this. Am I a calming Breeze or a storm waiting to happen?

We can all be there at times, right? But what characterizes our life, Amaya calming Breeze in situations or am I a storm just waiting to happen? Tick me off the wrong way and all of a sudden I'm at 100%. I'm angry right now. I'm ready to go off when you're in with all these other things aren't working. By the way, your quit your quickness, to get to it to level 10, begins to happen real fast and everything starts. Sending you off, you ever been in a bad mood like that all of a sudden, you're just 88th and gets in your way and you're right. It's like it. You know, positively if it is easily hurt, are you notice someone who's touchy or irritable or easily hurt? You need to grow in price like love because love is secure secure in God, and therefore, secure and self, not depend upon how other people feel about me. Just as long as I know, God is approving of me, I can close my eyes and peace at the end of the night. I love doesn't keep an account of wrong suffered. It means not harboring a sense of injury when it wrong to be willing to overlook it and work through it, you'll sing don't have the memory of an elephant, but a dog. Your dogs always. Happy to see. You don't keep score, but be quick to forgive positively. Put Proverbs 19:11 says, it is to your glory to overlook a transgression against you. Just you know what I forgive him. I'm not I can handle it. I'm over being depressed with one of my problems, Bob Moore Bob's Red Mill. And I said some things I said that I don't know if I'll be able to be here, I'm going to the ministry and I don't want to leave you hanging for a job. I appreciate the promotion offer I not take any so don't worry. I've got a busy. I've been in business for a long. Many years. I've got broad shoulders, I can handle it. You won't let me down. I want I want to work for a guy like that and he promoted me and then I did end up trying to go to the ministry's. But that was at, those are great year-and-a-half where God use that in my life. For hand soap, be those that are quick to overlook a transgression love doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness. Don't find joy in things that violate God's standards but again the world has it. They're not just after tolerance or acceptance. Are they if you don't rejoice and celebrate what they celebrate your bad. Not sorry I can't there's certain things I can't rejoice in the hardest thing is when something is popular and others are supporting it. Like same-sex marriage and you say I sorry I can't I can't support that. You will be accused of being unloving. But just realize it, it's not the case positively. It means love rejoices with the truth. It means rejoicing, when truth is victorious in wins what love can't rejoin. Cannot rejoice when the truth is denied, or disobey another word, love is not pragmatic, love depends upon the truth. And what's right? And good because that's what love is, right? And good. So the next four mentioned, all these things. Emphasizing ones, basic Outlook, not there are exceptions, but the basic outlook here in these things, it love bears all things. Give me willingly bearing up under the hardships, impose them on us by others and and unreasonable demands, negatively, it love does not, quit, and give up. But interesting way, you'll know that the New American Standard and the NIV and the other translations, bring bring up a little more specific aspect out of this idea. It says, it keeps everything, it keeps every confidence, it always protects and that's because that the Stay at the worst day ago and it was used frequently and other Greek writings in the sense of covering or enclosing in such a way as to keep something undesirable from coming in like water into a ship and the standard Greek Lexicon, the Dee dag. Says number one to keep confidential to cover to pass over in silence and it lists 1st Corinthians 13:7 of love that throws. A cloak of Silence over, what is displeasing in another person. So I like and it has like a very nice thing to protecting. It doesn't just bear them up but it it has the idea also of your ear. When you bear with somebody, you're You're protecting them. And in your also sometimes that means things that if it were there certain secrets you don't keep but other things you realize this doesn't need to get out if I'm going to protect them and their things up for them, I need to be somebody that can keep my word. When something is confidential, we talked and sometimes it Some people don't go back to church cuz they went to a meeting and they thought they were talking to their Pastor or somebody else in confidence. And next thing, you know, Somebody's coming up to you and say I'll be praying for you, Pastor, you know, my husband has the same problem. All the sudden. I can't trust. That person will write you. Yeah, we don't want to be that way. So we have to is willing to keep things confidential to protect the good of others, that that's appropriate. Love, love believes all things. It means always being eager to believe the best about others, not believe God's word. But in relationships with others, to give them the benefit of the doubt, we all love. Being given the benefit. Don't know what you want people to see if they're not sure this is. Well, you know, love is willing to give you a chance negatively. It doesn't assume the worst another's. How many of you like being with somebody who I just assumed the worst about you? Beds that feel loving know, it feels like an enemy loving want wants you to succeed and wants to bless you wants to bless you rather curse. You I read a testimony from a, an accomplished doctor and then who then became a Bible, study, guide precept, Austin. Calm, and he talked about how his stepfather. The second man is like to reject him. Told him. He said that boy will never amount to anything good. Did Kirsten rather than blasting and encouraged him that wasn't love and because of that, he spent his whole life trying to prove his stepfather. Wrong eventually, he found Christ and that he was accepted in Christ and flourish from there. But again, love is for others in the end because we, we can be for others. Even people, we don't see a lot of potential in because, you know, why with them, it may be impossible. But With God, all things are possible. If we, if we if we keep our focus on God, encourage them, you don't know what God can do with somebody's life the week. We have every reason to encourage him, the things of the Lord, my love hopes, all things being confident in the ultimate Triumph of God's grace and refusing to take failure. As a vital example, other words with dis Redemptive, it doesn't pessimistically. Leave God out of the equation. And finally love endures. All things being remaining. Bass in the face of unpleasant circumstances without losing hard. Encourage it perseveres because Love Takes a long-term View. add it it says, you know, even in my weakness, I find strength in God's strength even when I am weak then I can be strong. So in conclusion beloved 1st, John 4:7 says beloved, let us love one another. Why? Why? Because love is from God. And then I have my father, we need your help to love. Truly love as you love. Wait, we thank you for giving us. How much help in spelling it out in your word? But again, we see love lived out. when you came took on flesh and walked on this Earth, the person of your son, Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Lord help us to love like him as we depend upon your power to produce that wonderful fruit in US. We thank you in Jesus name. Amen.