Living the Life - Love

Overview

Living the Life: Love

Everything in the Christian life comes back to love—and far from being a simplistic or sentimental idea, love is the very life of God spilling into ours. Within the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell in eternal relationship; each Person exists in love toward the others. Through Jesus, we are invited into that same communion. As 1 John 4:19 puts it, "We love because he first loved us." Our capacity to love is not self-generated; it is the love of Christ already abiding in us, given away to others.

A Love That Cannot Be Broken

Sin tainted the love God intended for creation, but God's response was not condemnation. John 3:16-17 reminds us that the Son was sent not to condemn the world but to save it. And Romans 8:35-39 assures us that nothing—neither tribulation nor death, neither powers nor anything in all creation—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Place that promise next to the Ten Commandments, which every one of us has broken, and the wonder deepens: not even our own failures can sever us from his love. As Luther's Small Catechism reminds us, every commandment flows from "we should fear and love God," so that obedience is no longer a burden but a response of love.

Love as a Command—and a Gift

Jesus gives a new commandment in John 13:34: "Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." This is the radical, sacrificial love demonstrated at the cross. We are not called to redeem the world as Jesus did, but we are called to love sacrificially—through parenting, through service, through the daily inconvenience of considering our neighbor. 1 John 3:16-18 sharpens the question: if we have the world's goods and close our hearts against a brother in need, how does God's love abide in us? Love must show itself "in deed and in truth." And in John 15:16-17, Jesus reminds us that he chose us and appointed us to bear fruit that abides—fruit that looks like love for one another.

Living It Out

Loving our neighbor is hard when love is not returned, when we feel threatened, or when the "neighbor" is the stranger who cut us off in traffic. But the love we extend is not drummed up from our own reserves—it is Christ's love already in us, seeking instead of being sought, affirming, restoring, forgiving. Think of an ordinary teacher who took a chance on a difficult student named Jimmy, or a grieving neighbor who nursed another mother's baby through a wartime famine. These are ordinary saints through whom the Spirit heals and restores the world. Pray that God would open your eyes this week to see where love is needed—because the opportunities are everywhere, and the love to meet them is already abiding in you.

Transcript

It's so good to be back. 2s

It was awesome being with the women last weekend. 3s

Really great, but it's really good to be back here 8s

with all of you that aren't women. 11s

And or that could not. 15s

Yeah. 19s

Or that couldn't be there for the weekend. 20s

So for the next two weeks, we will be kind of delving 23s

into some of the stuff that we do in small groups. 29s

So not all of you have participated as of yet 32s

with a small group. 36s

If you'd like to, please talk to me. 37s

I will plug you in appropriately. 40s

And we can always add more small groups. 43s

But the small groups, it's about living the life. 46s

It's about how we live in faith. 51s

You know, we read all these amazing things in Scripture. 54s

And then we kind of go out into the real world. 57s

And we don't always remember or don't know how necessarily 60s

to bring what we've read into our daily lives. 66s

And so the small groups are really 70s

built to look at how this all works together. 73s

We're really created in a holistic way with the word, 76s

with our faith, with our lives. 81s

And so we will, over the next couple of weeks, 83s

we'll kind of look at how this all works. 87s

And today, our topic is going to be, 91s

we're going to take one of the small group sessions 93s

that we had. 96s

So if you've done small groups and you've done these, 97s

talk it up, participate. 101s

That's what I need here. 103s

And I'm going to just apologize right now. 105s

I'm still going to cough a little bit. 106s

And for anyone that is in service or will be in service, 110s

I do have hand sanitizer up there, 113s

so I'm not giving out communion without being aware of that. 115s

So just letting you know so you're not worried and concerned. 120s

So we're going to look at one of the fruits of the Spirit today. 126s

And this one is love. 130s

And I decided to do this one because really everything 132s

comes back to love. 135s

And I remember, sadly, not that long ago, 137s

where everything kept coming back to love. 143s

And I would just go, that's so cheesy. 146s

That's so cheesy. 148s

And I was really down on the idea that everything came back 149s

to that one basic concept, that one basic word, love. 153s

Because it seemed so simplistic. 158s

And I thought that I wanted something bigger, 161s

something grander than, oh, yeah, love. 163s

Love, you know, then you get into what love is 167s

and you realize this is a huge concept. 171s

Love is constantly coming up in the Bible. 175s

And because the expanse of love that's in Scripture, 179s

we're going to actually narrow our scope. 183s

We're going to bring it a little tighter 186s

to see how Christ's love for us is reflected in our love 188s

for our neighbors. 193s

And that's where that fruit of the Spirit, 194s

how does love play out in our lives? 195s

Because it's not always easy. 200s

So we're first going to play a really fast game. 202s

And this is a participation thing. 205s

So, see, we wouldn't need to play the game, 209s

but I really want to draw. 212s

Okay. 214s

So, we have one minute. 217s

Can someone be my timer? 218s

I'll even, well, I'll give you my phone. 220s

I can't promise it's not infected, 222s

but you've got to watch, okay, good. 223s

So we want one minute on the watch, one minute. 226s

And we are going to call out, 229s

we're going to call out anything to you 232s

that exemplifies love. 236s

Okay. 239s

You ready? 241s

All right, go. 242s

Kindness, children. 245s

What? 248s

Care, service, sacrifice. 249s

Compassion. 254s

Empathy. 257s

I'm not fully writing these words. 259s

What else? 262s

Wait, I hurt commitment? 264s

Commitment, okay, not committed. 266s

Okay. 269s

Okay, commitment. 272s

God. 274s

Okay, God. 277s

Sharing. 279s

Okay, caring. 283s

Okay, caring. 285s

In, okay. 287s

Unconditional. 291s

What'd you say feeding? 293s

Feeding, okay. 294s

Patience. 298s

How much time have we got? 299s

Okay, ding. 301s

I was going to say, this is going on a long time here. 302s

Okay, awesome. 305s

Right, so all of these things really exemplify love for us. 306s

So who picked sacrifice? 312s

Who said sacrifice? 317s

You did? 318s

You did. 319s

Okay, so why does that exemplify love 320s

or how does that exemplify love to you? 323s

Being willing to give something up, absolutely. 329s

Okay, what about children? 334s

Money. 343s

We love to give them money. 347s

They love to receive money. 349s

They cost money. 352s

They cost money. 354s

We're willing to pay for our children. 355s

Well, they're made in love, right? 358s

They're raised in love. 360s

Excuse me. 362s

You sacrifice for your children, absolutely. 366s

So these are all just kind of tangible, well, God, okay, 369s

so Janna, does she have to say anything? 373s

God is love, right? 379s

God is love. 381s

So we have some theme verses, John 13, 34b, 383s

and I'm going to zip through these. 389s

Just as I have loved you, 391s

you also are to love one another. 393s

First John 419, we love because he first loved us. 395s

I think that is so key to understand 399s

that it's not how we are able to love. 403s

It is that he first loved us, 406s

and that is how we are able to love. 409s

Not only God, but love our neighbor. 411s

John 17, what, lots of John? 414s

Lots of John. 416s

I made known to them your name, 417s

and I will continue to make it known 419s

that the love with which you have loved me 420s

may be in them, and I in them. 423s

There, John is, or Jesus is praying, 425s

and he's praying to the Father 428s

that he is showing us the love, right? 430s

And that that love would be in his disciples, 437s

and that he would be in his disciples. 440s

So Jesus commands that we love one another. 444s

It's the love of Jesus in us 448s

that makes it possible for us to love our neighbor. 451s

Right there, we had him saying, 455s

I will be in them, the love will be in them. 458s

That is what makes it possible for us to love our neighbor. 462s

So the goal of this lesson was to, 465s

or is to live a life filled with the transforming love of God 467s

so that we may love our neighbor 472s

with the same radical love shown to us through Jesus Christ. 473s

So let's open up to John 9, verse 34. 479s

It's the fourth gospel. 486s

So if you open to the New Testament, 488s

and you go over a few gospels, you'll find John. 490s

It says, and this is Jesus speaking to his disciples, 498s

a new commandment I give to you 503s

that you love one another. 506s

Just as I have loved you, 507s

you also are to love one another. 510s

By this, all people will know that you are my disciples 512s

if you have love for one another. 515s

So we're given a command from Jesus to love one another 519s

as he loved us. 521s

His love is shown how. 523s

Comes. 528s

Yeah, it comes back to that sacrifice 530s

by laying his life down for each and every one of us. 532s

We are not called to be Jesus, right? 537s

Redeming the entire world 541s

through our own act of sacrifice, 543s

but we are given the ability to love 546s

sacrificially, think of parenting, right? 552s

We sacrifice a lot in parenting 556s

and we're given that ability to love through God in us. 559s

Flip over to 1 John chapter four. 563s

1 John chapter four, it's past the Paul letters, 574s

the Paulian epistles. 580s

Verse 11 says, beloved, if God so loved us, 586s

we also ought to love one another. 592s

No one has ever seen God. 594s

If we love one another, God abides in us 597s

and his love is perfected in us. 600s

So we're gonna look at how we have love from Christ 604s

and how that translates into love in our everyday life. 608s

So to begin, we actually are gonna start at the Trinity 613s

and it comes back down to that, oh, the answer is love 616s

and it's not a cheesy thing, it's really amazing. 619s

When we think about that triune God, 621s

we see that each person of the Trinity, 624s

Father, Son, Holy Spirit is only in relation 627s

to the other persons of the Trinity. 632s

So we have an eternal Father, 634s

but we can't have an eternal Father 637s

without an eternal Son, right? 639s

And it is the eternal Father is so 642s

because he has the eternal Son, 644s

this relationship is together in the existence of love. 646s

So the three, the Father, Son and Spirit, 651s

dwell in one another in eternal love. 654s

We are invited into this love with the Trinity 659s

into that love through Jesus Christ. 665s

Excuse me. 669s

The love that God intends for us in life is a lot 672s

or not a lot, it is period, tainted and destroyed by sin. 675s

But it's through love that God rescued us from that sin. 682s

John 3.16, who knows it? 687s

Oh yeah, yeah, let's all say it for God's so loved, 691s

that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him 694s

should not perish, but have eternal life. 698s

What's next? 702s

Verse 17, what's next? 704s

What's next? 706s

Huh? 707s

Not quite, almost. 711s

Right, God did not send his Son into the world 715s

to condemn the world, but in order that the world 718s

might be saved in him through him. 720s

So the love that the Triune God offered for creation 724s

or gave to creation, it caused that Son, 727s

it caused Jesus to enter into creation, 731s

giving salvation to all who believe, 735s

and nothing separates us from this love. 738s

Open up to Romans, so you're going to go back, 743s

it's right after the Book of Acts, 745s

which you should all be very familiar with by now, 747s

where that is in your New Testament. 750s

So we're going to Romans chapter 8, 754s

verse 35, it'll be Romans chapter 8, 761s

verses 35 through 39, who shall separate us from the love of God? 764s

Shall tribulation or distress or persecution 771s

or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 776s

As it is written for your sake, 780s

we are being killed all the day long. 783s

We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 785s

No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors 789s

through him who loved us. 791s

For I am sure that neither death nor life, 794s

nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, 797s

nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, 800s

nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, 803s

will be able to separate us from the love of God 806s

in Christ Jesus our Lord. 811s

Don't lose that. 815s

Hold on to that, nothing is to separate us 817s

from the love that we have in Christ Jesus. 820s

So we're going to just set that right here, 823s

not leaving it. 825s

We're going to think about the 10 commandments, okay? 826s

You shall have no other gods. 830s

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 832s

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 835s

Honor your father and mother. 838s

You shall not kill. 840s

You shall not commit adultery. 841s

You shall not steal. 842s

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 844s

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. 846s

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife 848s

or his man servant or his maid servant 850s

or his cattle or anything that is your neighbors. 852s

So if nothing separates us from God's love, 856s

these are the 10 commandments. 860s

It doesn't matter who you are, 863s

we have all broken those. 865s

We have all broken those so can our own actions 868s

separate us from God's love. 872s

This is Paul's list, 877s

tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, 880s

nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, 885s

angels, rulers, things present, things to come, 890s

powers, height, death, anything in all of creation. 893s

Those are all potential deal-breakers 900s

that would separate us from the Lord. 903s

But the Holy Spirit assures us through Paul 906s

that nothing 912s

will separate us from Jesus. 915s

Verse 37 says that we are more than conquerors 919s

through him who loved us. 922s

So what does that mean to you? 927s

Even if we're as stinky as we can be, 936s

he still says, come to me, come to me, come to me. 939s

And I'll take it a step further than that 945s

because we've seen him with the stinkiest of the stinkies, 948s

right? 951s

And what does he do? 952s

He touches them. 953s

He holds them. 956s

He heals them. 958s

That is his love. 959s

And nothing separates us even when we're stinky. 962s

Paul was using this to assure his fellow believers 968s

of God's love amidst the suffering they endured 971s

but we know that Jesus loved for us conquered our sin, 975s

which is the promise that even our own actions 980s

or our inactions cannot separate us 983s

from the love of Jesus. 988s

So we have this telling us nothing can separate us 990s

from the love of Jesus. 992s

Then we read these 10 commandments and we go, 993s

oh my gosh, I have done all of these. 995s

I have separated myself from God. 999s

But nothing separates us from the love of God. 1003s

So what does that mean? 1010s

How does that make you feel that there's nothing 1012s

you can do or not do to separate yourself 1014s

from the love of God? 1017s

Pretty special. 1024s

Good. 1026s

Good, yes, you are pretty special. 1027s

First John chapter three says by this we know love 1033s

that he laid down his life for us 1037s

and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1040s

But if anyone has the world's goods 1043s

and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, 1045s

how does God's love abide in him? 1048s

Little children, let us not love in word or talk 1050s

but indeed and in truth. 1054s

Jesus laid down his life in love for us. 1056s

That is an absolute radical showing of love. 1059s

He paid the ultimate price for us 1064s

without an expectation of return of payment. 1067s

In this text that I just read, 1073s

we're given that same responsibility 1075s

to show the same love to our neighbor. 1077s

Can you show love to your neighbor? 1082s

Can you love your neighbor to the point of inconvenience? 1085s

Do you love your neighbor to the point of inconvenience? 1091s

I do not like to be inconvenienced. 1098s

It is a tough one. 1103s

It is a tough one. 1105s

Ooh, if it's sorry, gosh darn it. 1109s

If it's someone we already love, sure. 1112s

It's not an inconvenience anymore. 1116s

But to love our neighbor with neighbor being anyone, everyone. 1120s

The person who cut you off don't even get me started. 1127s

That's where we're called. 1134s

Yes, absolutely. 1135s

Hold on, where did I lost myself here? 1137s

Oh, there we are. 1142s

A lot of times we don't think of that person cutting us off as our neighbor. 1148s

Sometimes I wonder, there was one time where I was driving 1152s

and I cut it a little close and the car looked familiar 1155s

and it was a girl that Keith worked with. 1160s

And I texted her and I said, 1162s

I'm sorry if I cut you off. 1164s

I didn't mean to. 1167s

It wasn't her which was good. 1168s

You know, our neighbors are everywhere. 1172s

Whether they're cutting us off or we're cutting them off, yes. 1176s

Can you love your neighbor to the point of laying down your life for him and her? 1179s

Him or her? 1183s

Inconvenience is bad enough. 1186s

But laying down your life, think of the servicemen and women. 1188s

Think of policemen and women and firefighters. 1191s

They're laying down their lives for their neighbors. 1195s

Right? 1200s

It's an amazing calling. 1202s

We're all called in some form or fashion to do that. 1205s

And it's really easy to say, oh my goodness, if my kids were in danger, 1209s

if my spouse was in danger, I am there. 1212s

I'm going to fight to the death if I have to. 1215s

But when it's just my neighbor. 1219s

It's harder. 1225s

It's harder. 1226s

It's a radical, radical love that we are called to. 1227s

We are not Jesus. 1232s

But the love in our lives is patterned on the love Jesus showed us. 1235s

And it's his love, remember, that abides in us. 1241s

It's a love that seeks instead of being sought. 1245s

It's an affirming and restoring and forgiving love. 1250s

Knowing that we can't pay the price that Jesus did. 1256s

And most likely, we won't be put in a situation where we're asked to die in love for our neighbor. 1260s

How does the responsibility of love play out in our lives? 1267s

Offering that same love, that sacrificial love, that inconvenient love, 1272s

the radical love, it feels difficult at best. 1278s

Why? 1284s

Why is that? 1285s

What situations do you find yourself in that causes you to be reluctant to give love that affirms for gives or restores? 1286s

When people don't love you back, when you don't feel loved back, it's really hard. 1299s

Really hard to give love when you're not getting it. 1304s

Absolutely. 1308s

Who says that takes time? 1311s

It's not something that's at all the video. 1314s

I find myself in situations where I'm not going to get you in the conversation. 1318s

It's taking a long time to come and play. 1322s

What's up with me says that we have to have a deal with it. 1325s

So it was made by me and you go on and face it off and you do it. 1327s

Right. 1332s

How are you doing? 1333s

I ask with no... 1335s

Yeah? 1337s

Absolutely. 1340s

But aren't we called to ask how are you doing and really want to know? 1342s

Yeah, Neil, you had your hand up. 1348s

When you're threatened, absolutely. 1353s

It was a really funny, scary story, but a funny story when it was all said and done. 1355s

I was at a conference and this man was sharing a testimony. 1361s

He said every day he wakes up and he says, Jesus, just point me to one person I can share you with. 1365s

And so he is in Africa. 1371s

I think Sierra Leone, but I'm not sure. 1375s

Don't quote me on that. 1378s

Anyway, he's in Africa and the Christian Church is under fire and he is, you know, 1379s

brought before a captain of some sort of guard and the captain has him, you know, bound and he's ready to have this man executed this preacher. 1384s

And the preacher said, okay, well, can I have five minutes to talk to you? 1393s

And the captain of the guard said, okay, this... 1399s

All right. 1404s

I don't know. 1405s

And so this man said, he said, okay, I know I'm going to die. 1405s

I know you're going to kill me and that's okay because I absolutely know where I'm going. 1410s

I know I'm going to be with Jesus tonight and that is no problem at all. 1414s

I welcome that. 1417s

If you died today, which I do not recommend this as an evangelism tool, if you died today, where are you going to be? 1420s

And the captain of the guard got very flustered and frustrated and they talked for a little bit. 1428s

And the captain called his people in and he said, release this guy. 1434s

He's crazy. He's too crazy to die. 1438s

And so this pastor, this preacher, was sent off. His life was spared because he was insane. 1440s

And then a year later, he ran across this captain of the guard again and the captain said, I met your Jesus. 1447s

I want of you now. 1456s

And it was awesome. 1458s

So this man was in a threatening situation. 1459s

He was going to be killed and he turned that love of Christ right back to his family. 1462s

He was a threatener right back to the man who captured him and was going to kill him. 1470s

And it transformed and it restored and it affirmed the life that he could have. 1475s

Which is an incredible, incredible story. 1481s

All done. 1488s

Sorry. 1490s

So when we come back to those commandments, if you look in the small catechism where Martin Luther has 1492s

explanations, he starts every single commandment with you shall have no other gods. 1500s

What does this mean? 1508s

We should fear love and trust God in God above all things. 1509s

So then every single commandment after that, every single one, we should fear and love God so that we don't hurt our neighbor, 1512s

so that we don't hurt our loved ones. 1521s

Everything begins with that love of God. 1524s

We don't intentionally break these commands. 1528s

They're not separating us from God anymore. 1532s

Through the love of God, we have been brought back together. 1536s

We are not separated, but we still break these commands at times. 1539s

A lot. 1546s

But each one out of the love for God, I'm not going to murder my neighbor. 1548s

Out of love for God, I'm not going to cheat on my spouse. 1555s

Out of love for God, I am not going to whatever. 1558s

Right? 1562s

Does that make sense? 1563s

It just puts a different perspective, different perspective, so that the burden of loving our neighbor is no longer a burden on us. 1564s

It's a pleasure because it's in the love of God that we get to serve our neighbor. 1577s

God loved us first so that we would be able to love him, and then we'd be able to love our neighbor, bearing fruit through his spirit. 1584s

John 15, another one that's fabulous, Jesus is saying, 1595s

you did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 1600s

These things I command you so that you will love one another. 1613s

It is Christ's love in us, and the love of Jesus is ours to give away, so we're able to live out the love of Jesus in our everyday life. 1618s

I have a fun story here. 1630s

So this is a story about an art teacher that was confronted with a problem student who was basically dumped into her class for want of anything else to do with him. 1635s

So no one knew what to do with him, so they dumped Jimmy into her class. 1648s

He flunked the art class without handing in any work all the term. 1653s

In the process he wreaked havoc in the class the next year, so he was just a problem kid from day one in this class. 1657s

The next year Jimmy approached the teacher about taking art again. 1664s

The teacher continues, 1667s

I said no way, he had caused me enough grief the previous year, and I certainly didn't need another year of him disrupting class. 1668s

I was teaching in the main building in my planning period coincided with Jimmy's study hall. 1678s

The study halls were large and noisy. 1683s

Jimmy came by my rooms one day and asked if he could come in there to study rather than go to his normal study hall class. 1685s

I told him as long as he planned to study and got permission from his teacher, it was okay with me. 1692s

Before long a few more students had joined Jimmy and we had our own smaller study hall in my room. 1698s

As time passed Jimmy began to talk to me and ask if there was anything he could do to help me. 1704s

I knew enough about him to be hesitant to say yes, but then decided maybe he needed someone to trust him and to give him some responsibilities. 1709s

I began by giving him small things to do and as the year progressed gave him more and more, 1718s

not once did he ever make a mistake or refuse to do what I had asked him. 1722s

He did his work and was a tremendous help to me. 1727s

The last week of school we always had an assembly program at which the seniors read the last will and testament. 1730s

When Jimmy got up which is kind of bizarre. 1736s

When Jimmy got up to read his he looked straight at me and left me his undying friendship. 1739s

Needless to say I was shocked and know there must have been tears in my eyes. 1746s

Here was a student I had refused to let take art, but who in the past year had come to consider me his friend. 1749s

That made all the heartache worthwhile and I've often wondered what happened to Jimmy and what he's doing now. 1756s

True to life this story has no triumphant end with Jimmy going on to be president of IBM, 1762s

but his chances of making a decent way in the world were enhanced by that ordinary saint, by that woman living out her faith. 1767s

It seems that all the qualities of love are present in that Christian teachers action toward Jimmy. 1776s

At the same time she took the requirements and standards of her job seriously. 1782s

She was not sentimental or permissive, she stuck to her guns. 1786s

If she did only what her job required however, Jimmy's life would have been distinctly impoverished. 1790s

Instead she stretched her role. 1796s

She showed love, her action was the leaven that leavened the lump of Jimmy's life and helped to heal a wounded part of God's creation. 1798s

Christian love is like a silken scarlet thread that binds together the fabric of God's tapestry, which is constantly under threat of tearing apart because of sin and evil. 1807s

In such an example which can be duplicated by the thousands among the ordinary saints of God, 1818s

the spirit works through Christians to heal and restore the world through this service to all. 1823s

The world is moved a bit closer toward the intentions of God. 1828s

So what ways in your everyday life do you find yourself driven to give the love of Jesus such as this teacher did? 1836s

She didn't stop being who she was. She didn't stop being a teacher. She didn't bend the rules for him. 1844s

She just extended that Christian love for him in her everyday life. 1855s

So how do you find yourself driven to give that same love in your life? You can answer. 1861s

You know there are many people who give that love not only to sing, but God loves me so I can understand. 1868s

For instance, when there is a car accident, you will always find people screaming through that car and trying to help. 1878s

When people leave the beginning and they do that with questions, there are always people who are begging. 1886s

When I had been with my mother and my mother had nothing to feed him. 1893s

My mother was born and I had just lost her baby, the more violent. 1897s

Although she had no baby, she came to my mom's house every year to nurse my brother. 1905s

I did not remember this woman long for church maybe she did have some 10 years old. 1911s

I didn't know how to fight the fight. 1917s

This is the love of God. 1918s

We can see it. 1920s

My brother at the moment is 74 years old. 1921s

Wow. 1924s

You know there is a lot of love that people give. 1925s

You just need to keep your eyes open to see it. 1930s

And I think that's key. 1933s

When we have the love of Christ in us, we don't stop and examine and say, 1934s

is this a situation that I need to show love in? 1938s

It just happens. 1942s

It happens. 1943s

She shared a story when her baby brother was born. 1944s

Her mother had nothing to feed him. 1948s

And their neighbor, her mom's friend, her baby had died in the bombardment in 1941. 1952s

You said 44. 1958s

I'm sorry, in 1944. 1960s

And while she had no baby, she would come to my mother's house and feed my mother's brother. 1962s

Because she had something to give that baby in love. 1968s

And it was a loving, loving service. 1974s

And now her brother is 74. 1975s

Still kicking? 1978s

That's good. 1978s

Actually this is for the love of Christ's baby. 1979s

The first fall of 1940, when you were in baby, the next fall. 1982s

So it'd be really easy losing two babies to close yourself off from the world, 1989s

to close yourself off from the love that we have. 1995s

But the love of God is greater than anything, period. 1998s

And that's not cheesy. 2003s

It is greater than anything, period. 2004s

In the above verse, in that verse that we read where Jesus says that we should bear fruit, 2007s

he appointed his disciples, which we are his disciples, to bear fruit, 2012s

and that we will be given what we ask in the Father in his name. 2017s

So this then comes back to opening our eyes, asking the Father to open our eyes to let us see where love is needed. 2020s

And it's needed everywhere. 2031s

And that is in our daily lives. 2033s

There are so many opportunities to share the love of Christ. 2035s

So, wow, we are getting all this done. 2039s

This is amazing. 2041s

I was worried about that. 2042s

So, in summary, the community of love between the Father, oh, there is a community of love between the Father's son and Holy Spirit. 2043s

Because God loves you so much, he's invited you into this same love through Jesus. 2053s

Hold on, I lost my second half of the summary. 2060s

It's a good day. 2065s

There we go. 2067s

He's invited you into this love through Jesus as we experience this love from the Lord. 2069s

We're given the opportunity to spread that same love to all we meet. 2075s

This takes the form in our everyday existence as shown in the story of Jimmy and the teacher or in Mette's mother and brother and their neighbor. 2079s

Loving our neighbor is not always easy. 2090s

But it is never a burden because we love with the love of Jesus that is already in us. 2093s

We are not drumming up the love for ourselves. 2100s

It is the love that abides in us through Christ. 2103s

That is how we love our neighbors. 2106s

So, questions. 2109s

How does knowing you have the love of Jesus in you change how you approach or how you will approach your neighbor? 2111s

This includes family friends and the person cutting you off in traffic. 2118s

It is in there. 2121s

So, how does it change? 2124s

Knowing that you have the love of Jesus in you, how does that change how you approach your neighbors? 2125s

You defer your agenda. 2134s

Okay, very good. 2141s

So, Rebecca says, when you have the love of Jesus in you, it doesn't change you. 2142s

It doesn't change how you go about your daily life because you are already bearing that fruit of love. 2146s

Good. 2152s

That is good. 2152s

Yes, we are not agendas anymore. 2154s

It is not what can I do for me in this but what Christ has already done. 2155s

So, then there is a follow-up question. 2161s

Are there any verses today that speak particularly loudly to you if you want to answer that you can if you don't have to? 2163s

You are okay. 2172s

I take that as a nun. 2172s

No, I am just kidding. 2174s

All right, let us pray. 2175s

Heavenly Lord, we thank You so much that we don't rely on ourselves for figuring out how to love our neighbor but that we can rely on You. 2177s

That You abide in us so that we can love our neighbors with a radical love. 2185s

We thank You so much that You loved us first with that radical love laying down Your life for us. 2191s

We ask that as we go out this week, we would see the opportunities to show our love, to show your love with all that we meet. 2197s

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. 2205s

Amen. 2208s

All right, thank You all. 2209s