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Well, I won't review some of the things that I would normally review

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if we were speaking with a day or two in between,

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because everything is pretty fresh in our minds.

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This series is about the law of Christ,

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and we still haven't even talked about the law of Christ [Laughter].

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We haven't talked about what it is.

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But Paul says in Corinthians, there in this passage
(we've been reading 1 Corinthians 9),

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he says, "To those who are without law, I became as without law."

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But then he wants us to realize, "not without the law of God,"

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and then he identifies that with the law of Christ.

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He says, as Christians we're in-lawed to Christ.

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And he doesn't give us much of a hint here
as to what the law of Christ is.

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He doesn't really say anything, which ought to be an indicator to us

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that this was something so familiar to the early church
that they didn't need an explanation.

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But what about it? Can you think of anywhere else in Scripture

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where the phrase "the law of Christ" is specifically used?

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Anyone?

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I mean, you just can't come up with something right off.

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But the fact is, it is used, Paul uses it in Galatians 6, so let's turn to that. (P)

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Galatians 6:1, he says, "Brethren,
even if a man is caught in any trespass,

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you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;

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looking to yourselves lest you too be tempted.

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Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ."

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Now, there it is.

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And that helps a lot more to give a hint of what is going on –

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bearing one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

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Look, the law of Christ has to do with loving one another.

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Now, that brings up a further question:

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Where would they get the idea that loving
one another would be called the law of Christ?

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"Love one another" – what do you think? where does that come up?

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[Audience answers] It's one of the great commandments.

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Of course, you could say, "Well, that's the law of God."

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Why would they come up with "the law of Christ"? (P)

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Well, let's look at this in John 13.

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John 13, here we are at the Last Supper,

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and verse 34, "A new commandment I give to you,

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that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.

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By this all men will know that you are My disciples,

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if you have love for one another."

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And then over in John 15:12, "This is My commandment," –

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this is the law of Christ – "This is My commandment,

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that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

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Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends."

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And then in verse 17, "This I command you, that you love one another." (P)

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Now this is the Lord, here in the upper room on the very last night,

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and giving this new commandment to love one another.

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Love is the new commandment.

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Now the question is: Why does the Lord
refer to this as a new commandment?

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Here they are, sitting around here at the Last Supper,

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and He says, "I want to say something;
I've got a new commandment for you."

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And they all perk up...

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And He says, "Love one another." (P)

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I mean, has the Bible ever said that before? Absolutely!

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He is calling this a new commandment.

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So the question is, Why? What's new about this?

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God had told them to love one another before.

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In fact, we saw that was one of the two great commandments.

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So why was this a new commandment? (P)

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Well, let me ask you a question,
was there anything else that was new that night?

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There was a new covenant.

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He holds the cup up, He says, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood."

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Now He is giving a new covenant;

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and in connection with the new covenant,
He's giving a new commandment.

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You remember when the old covenant was given,

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we better turn back there and look at this, Exodus 24.

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We forget about the fact that when the old covenant was given,

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there was the shedding of blood, and there was a covenant meal.

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Exodus 24:7, "Then he took the book of the covenant
and read it in the hearing of the people;

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and they said, 'All that the LORD has spoken
we will do, and we will be obedient.'

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So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people,

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and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant,

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(think of Jesus' words: This cup is the blood of the new covenant.)

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Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD
has made with you in accordance with all these words.'

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Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel,

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and they saw the God of Israel;

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and under His feet there appeared to be a
pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.

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Yet He did not stretch out His hand
against the nobles of the sons of Israel;

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and they beheld God, and they ate and drank."

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We don't even think about that.

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There was a covenant meal, the shedding of blood, and the giving of law. (P)

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Now what have we got in the upper room?

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They're sitting there, they're having the covenant meal;

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He says, "This is My blood of the new covenant."

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Now He says, "I've got a commandment to give you along,"

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not a book with 613 laws,

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"I've got one thing I want you to remember."

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Isn't it something?

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And it's the one thing we forget really quickly.

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I have seen situations as a pastor,

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"I've got this hard problem with so and so,
what am I going to say to them?

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This is a mess, what am I going to say?

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And as soon as I got to the point where my
heart was filled with love for that person,

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I knew immediately what to say to them."

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But when you are angry or frustrated or whatever, you don't know what to do. (P)

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You see, it is not the idea, beloved,
that in the Law of Moses we've got 613,

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now in the New Covenant you go through
and list all the commandments in the New Testament,

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and you've got this new code of law.

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That's not what it is.

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You don't have that. You don't need that.

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What you've got in the New Covenant
is signposts pointing you to the life in the Spirit.

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And this is the big one: He says, Love one another.

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That's the big one. That's going to be the hardest thing.

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I mean, to truly love one another,

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He said that's going to be the hardest possible thing.

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And it's also the thing that He puts in your heart.

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There's nothing more demanding than this,

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there's nothing more exacting, there's nothing more difficult.

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But there's nothing more liberating, is there? Just love one another. (P)

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So, why does He call it a new commandment?

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Because it's associated with a new covenant.

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It's part of this whole thing.

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He's saying, "In the new covenant," as He is getting ready to leave,

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He says, "This is what I want you to keep foremost in your minds: Love one another."

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And so, Paul later, he knows what this means,

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he says, "Bear one another's burdens,
and thus fulfill this commandment, this law of Christ,

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this new commandment that He gives to you. Love one another." (P)

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So it was new in that it was part of a new covenant.

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What else? Well, it's new because it has a whole new depth of meaning.

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It's one thing to say, "Love one another," but He didn't say that, did He?

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He said, "Love one another, as I have loved you."

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Now, that just raised the bar out of sight.

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It's new. That's a new commandment.

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Never, in all of human history, has there
ever been a revelation of duty like this.

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Love as Christ loved – that's the highest revelation.

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It's the most wonderful - the most exacting -

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but the most wonderful revelation of man's duty that has ever been given.

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And so, to love others as much as Christ loved us by His actions,

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we'll talk about that more in a minute.

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But that was a new commandment. That's something new. (P)

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And so, why is this a new commandment?

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Well, it's associated with a new covenant;

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it gives an entirely new depth of meaning to the word "love" –

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we know love by this, that He did such and such, you see.

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All right.

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But what else? Well, there's a third reason that it's new.

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Let's just turn to this in 1 John 2:7, John brings this up,

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"Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you,

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but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning;

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the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

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On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you,

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which is true in Him and in you,

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because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining."

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What's new about this? Well, the thing that makes it new

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is that there's something that has happened in you, if you're a Christian.

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He says, in a way this is just the same old thing,
it was all through the Old Testament.

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But he says, it's new now because the true light is shining,

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the day is already starting to dawn.

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Something has happened in you. It's true in Him and in you.

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And the true light is already shining, the darkness is passing away. (P)

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You can feel a little bit of what this means to love.

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In fact, we know that we've passed from death to life because we love.

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It begins at conversion.

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This is what God meant whenever He said, "I'll write My laws on your heart."

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Remember that, in the New Covenant?

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"I'll write My laws on your heart."
What does He write on your heart?

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I remember I was a brand new Christian,

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and first thing I think when I get up in the morning,

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"Wow, I don't want to light a fire in my dwelling

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from 6:00pm Friday night to 6:00pm Saturday night."

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No, that's not the law that He writes on your heart.

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Or, "I really don't wanna...

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No longer do I want to wear garments
that are cotton and polyester."

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That's not the law that He writes on your heart.

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But what He does write on your heart is:
"Love for God and love for your fellow man." (P)

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I remember I walked to work, and there was a guy at that filling station

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(I used to work for 50 cents an hour, that tells you how old I am),

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and I despised that guy.

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And I walked in there, I'm a new creation, I love.

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Isn't that amazing? He has written His law on your heart.

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It's the big stuff.

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Paul says, "Concerning love for another, I have no need to write you,

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because you yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9).

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So that's something that happens: every Christian loves God.

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Every Christian.

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Paul calls Christians by that,

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he says, "We know that God causes all things
to work together for good to them that love God."

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That's another name for a Christian.

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"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,
let him be accursed" (1 Corinth. 16:22).

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And all Christians love their fellow man.

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"We know that we have passed from death
to life, because we love the brethren.

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If anybody hates his brother, he is a murderer;

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and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:14-15). (P)

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So this is in you when you become a Christian.

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God writes it on your heart. He writes the law of love on your heart.

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And one of the brothers mentioned, Jesus brings this up,

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Matthew 22:36, "A certain man came to Him,

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and he said, 'Rabbi, what's the great commandment in the Law?'

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And He said, the greatest thing of anything there is in the Law is,

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'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.' "

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Now, why didn't He just stop with that?

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The guy didn't ask Him, "What's the second greatest commandment?"

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Jesus volunteered it.

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He said, "The second is like it."

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How is it like it? It has to do with love. "

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The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

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Now why did He bring that up? why did He volunteer the second one?

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Because He wanted to lay the foundation for an important teaching.

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He says, "On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets."

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What Jesus is saying is, "These are the big ones;

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and everything else hangs on that, it depends on that."

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Love is the big thing. (P)

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A Brother and I were talking about: adultery is not a big thing to God;

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now listen to me, stealing is not a big thing to God;

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murder is not a big thing to God;

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except as it relates to breaking the law of love.

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Now let me say it another way: adultery is a really big thing to God.

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He hates it.

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Why? Because it's breaking the law of love.

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But you see, what Jesus is saying is,

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all these commandments hang on the Love commandments.

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Murder hangs on the Love commandment.

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It's not something in itself, it has to do with the fact
that it is breaking the Love commandments.

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Why are the Love commandments so big?

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Because God is love.

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The Bible never says God is justice.

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It says He is just, but it doesn't say He is justice.

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But it does say He is love.

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Isn't it amazing, we have a God who is love.

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And that law that everybody hates so much
is just an expression of who He is. (P)

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So, here you have a God who is perfect love;

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and He gives you a law, He says, "Look, don't curse a deaf man."

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Now what kind of a God would give a law like that?
Well, a God of love.

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"You shall not place a stumbling block in front of a blind man."

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Here comes this blind man along,

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00:17:28,932 --> 00:17:32,435
you say, "Let's have a little fun with him. Let's stick something there."

226
00:17:32,435 --> 00:17:38,971
Do you realize if you love that man, you'll keep that law automatically.

227
00:17:38,971 --> 00:17:44,991
God makes a law, He says, "Look, there's an open pitch, you've got to cover that."

228
00:17:44,991 --> 00:17:47,881
Why? Because it relates to love.

229
00:17:47,881 --> 00:17:51,283
"You've got an ox, it gores people, you've got to confine it."

230
00:17:51,283 --> 00:17:54,625
You go through those list of laws, what are they?

231
00:17:54,625 --> 00:17:58,522
They're hanging on love. (P)

232
00:17:58,522 --> 00:18:01,041
Now this is amazing.

233
00:18:01,041 --> 00:18:03,874
One of those men came to Jesus, he said,

234
00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:06,127
"Rabbi, what must I do to have eternal life?"

235
00:18:06,127 --> 00:18:09,601
He said, "Read in the Law, what does it say to you?

236
00:18:09,601 --> 00:18:11,561
What does the Law say?"

237
00:18:11,561 --> 00:18:13,301
And he says, "Well, you shall love..."

238
00:18:13,301 --> 00:18:17,072
This guy must have been a pretty amazing Bible scholar actually.

239
00:18:17,073 --> 00:18:21,035
He says, "It says you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength;

240
00:18:21,035 --> 00:18:23,010
and your neighbor as yourself."

241
00:18:23,010 --> 00:18:28,150
Jesus didn't say, "Well yeah, but there's 611 other commandments you gotta keep."

242
00:18:28,150 --> 00:18:32,540
He says, "You've answered correctly; do this and you will live."

243
00:18:32,540 --> 00:18:34,383
He says if you'll do those two things,

244
00:18:34,383 --> 00:18:38,325
you will fulfill everything, you'll have eternal life.

245
00:18:38,333 --> 00:18:41,824
The problem is, nobody has ever done any of them for five minutes,

246
00:18:41,824 --> 00:18:46,394
except for one Person - the Lord Jesus. (P)

247
00:18:46,394 --> 00:18:48,841
But think of this:

248
00:18:48,841 --> 00:18:53,425
When He said there's a first commandment and a second commandment,

249
00:18:53,426 --> 00:18:56,970
He wasn't saying there's a long list -
there's the third, and the fourth, and so on.

250
00:18:56,970 --> 00:19:03,749
He said, "These two take in everything. They really do."

251
00:19:03,750 --> 00:19:07,650
If you love your neighbor you're going to tell him about the Lord;

252
00:19:07,650 --> 00:19:10,216
it doesn't take some commandments about sharing the Gospel.

253
00:19:10,217 --> 00:19:12,068
I mean, you can just go down through the list -

254
00:19:12,069 --> 00:19:15,344
if I love my neighbor, I don't want to steal his wife,

255
00:19:15,344 --> 00:19:20,455
I don't want to steal his car.

256
00:19:20,455 --> 00:19:25,405
And as you go through the New Testament you'll find this.

257
00:19:25,405 --> 00:19:36,089
I won't look up all the verses because
we just had lunch, but they are so many.

258
00:19:36,089 --> 00:19:41,357
1 Timothy 1:5, he says, "The goal of our instruction..." -

259
00:19:41,357 --> 00:19:43,115
why, why are we spending this time,

260
00:19:43,115 --> 00:19:45,656
why are the preachers up front there?

261
00:19:45,657 --> 00:19:50,308
Is the goal of our instruction that we might know what the symbolic meaning

262
00:19:50,309 --> 00:19:55,639
of the tenth toe of Daniel's image is for prophecy? No!

263
00:19:55,639 --> 00:20:04,837
"The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart,
an undefiled conscience, and a sincere faith."

264
00:20:04,837 --> 00:20:06,308
That's the goal of everything.

265
00:20:06,308 --> 00:20:09,739
Paul says, "Owe no man anything, but to love one another."

266
00:20:09,740 --> 00:20:16,577
He used "love" in order to fulfill the Law.

267
00:20:16,578 --> 00:20:19,182
He is writing to Gentiles in Galatians,

268
00:20:19,182 --> 00:20:24,955
he says, "The whole Law is fulfilled in one word, 'Love one another' " (Gal. 5:14).

269
00:20:24,955 --> 00:20:28,490
The whole thing.

270
00:20:28,490 --> 00:20:32,297
They didn't know all the ins and outs of all those commandments,

271
00:20:32,297 --> 00:20:37,713
but he just tells them, "If you just love, you'll fulfill the Law." (P)

272
00:20:37,713 --> 00:20:40,330
Maybe I ought to give you the references anyway.

273
00:20:40,330 --> 00:20:45,048
We've got time, we'll look at some of these.

274
00:20:45,049 --> 00:20:55,057
1 Timothy 1:5. I mentioned 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, he says,

275
00:20:55,058 --> 00:21:00,082
"May our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;

276
00:21:00,082 --> 00:21:05,152
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another,

277
00:21:05,152 --> 00:21:08,811
and for all men, just as we also do for you;

278
00:21:08,811 --> 00:21:12,425
so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness."

279
00:21:12,425 --> 00:21:18,604
That's how you grow in holiness - growing in love.

280
00:21:18,604 --> 00:21:42,217
In Galatians 5:13, he says, "For you were called to freedom, brethren;

281
00:21:42,217 --> 00:21:46,024
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,

282
00:21:46,024 --> 00:21:49,737
but through love serve one another.

283
00:21:49,737 --> 00:21:52,352
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word,

284
00:21:52,353 --> 00:21:55,032
in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

285
00:21:55,032 --> 00:21:57,643
Amazing statement!

286
00:21:57,643 --> 00:22:02,727
And then in verse 6 of the same chapter:

287
00:22:02,727 --> 00:22:07,727
"In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,

288
00:22:07,727 --> 00:22:12,479
but faith working through love." (P)

289
00:22:12,479 --> 00:22:17,781
Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love" - first thing.

290
00:22:17,781 --> 00:22:23,058
Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ." - love again.

291
00:22:23,058 --> 00:22:32,301
1 Peter 4:8, he says, "Above all (above all - most important thing),

292
00:22:32,301 --> 00:22:39,397
keep fervent in your love for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sins."

293
00:22:39,397 --> 00:22:53,007
Colossians 3:14, he says, "Beyond all these things put on love,"

294
00:22:53,007 --> 00:22:55,807
after he has gone through this whole list,

295
00:22:55,808 --> 00:22:59,678
"which is the perfect bond of unity."

296
00:22:59,678 --> 00:23:13,727
And Ephesians 4:31 and on, "Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and clamor and slander

297
00:23:13,727 --> 00:23:17,201
be put away from you, along with all malice.

298
00:23:17,201 --> 00:23:20,617
And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,

299
00:23:20,618 --> 00:23:23,054
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

300
00:23:23,054 --> 00:23:26,459
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

301
00:23:26,459 --> 00:23:30,427
and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you

302
00:23:30,427 --> 00:23:35,367
(you see, that's a new commandment,
Love one another as I have loved you)

303
00:23:35,367 --> 00:23:38,121
and gave Himself up for us,

304
00:23:38,121 --> 00:23:42,014
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

305
00:23:42,014 --> 00:23:56,949
One more, Romans 13:8, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;

306
00:23:56,949 --> 00:24:01,924
for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

307
00:24:01,924 --> 00:24:05,264
For this, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder,

308
00:24:05,264 --> 00:24:07,272
You shall not steal, You shall not covet,'

309
00:24:07,272 --> 00:24:10,261
and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,

310
00:24:10,261 --> 00:24:16,188
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

311
00:24:16,189 --> 00:24:23,316
Love does no wrong to a neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (P)

312
00:24:23,316 --> 00:24:26,607
So this is a central thing.

313
00:24:26,607 --> 00:24:31,266
Now think of how much more wonderful the law of
Christ is, than going back to the Law of Moses.

314
00:24:31,266 --> 00:24:35,244
Just think of this in some areas.

315
00:24:35,244 --> 00:24:47,985
Suppose some brother receives a gift, somebody gives Chad a new car,

316
00:24:47,985 --> 00:24:54,511
and he already had a car that was better than mine.

317
00:24:54,511 --> 00:24:59,553
And so, you know, I think back to what Moses said, "Thou shall not covet."

318
00:24:59,554 --> 00:25:03,612
And I try not to covet, you know,

319
00:25:03,613 --> 00:25:11,688
and I do fairly well as long as I don't look at his car.

320
00:25:11,688 --> 00:25:12,629
Think of that.

321
00:25:12,630 --> 00:25:20,123
But suppose that I love him as Christ loved,
and somebody gives him something,

322
00:25:20,123 --> 00:25:22,000
what's your immediate response?

323
00:25:22,001 --> 00:25:26,948
You praise God, because you love the person.

324
00:25:26,948 --> 00:25:30,992
Your attitude is not this attitude of "I've got to try..."

325
00:25:30,992 --> 00:25:39,402
It's one that fulfills it automatically. You're delighted. (P)

326
00:25:39,403 --> 00:25:45,557
Here you're going down the street,
you meet some woman that's immodestly dressed,

327
00:25:45,557 --> 00:25:52,897
and you have the thought, you know,
"The Law said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' "

328
00:25:52,897 --> 00:25:56,636
Now how does that compare to, if you've just come out of a prayer meeting

329
00:25:56,636 --> 00:26:01,356
(your heart is full of love), or you're out on the street witnessing,

330
00:26:01,356 --> 00:26:05,793
and you see that same person totally different?

331
00:26:05,793 --> 00:26:12,272
You fulfill the law in a much higher level,

332
00:26:12,272 --> 00:26:16,516
because you're concerned for the soul, you love the person.

333
00:26:16,516 --> 00:26:19,126
You love them. (P)

334
00:26:19,126 --> 00:26:23,587
There was an evangelist a couple hundred years ago,

335
00:26:23,587 --> 00:26:28,516
I think maybe he was in Boston, he had just been converted.

336
00:26:28,516 --> 00:26:31,311
Maybe it was a little less than two hundred years ago.

337
00:26:31,311 --> 00:26:37,493
Anyway, he was a new Christian full of love for God,

338
00:26:37,494 --> 00:26:42,689
and this woman came up and propositioned him.

339
00:26:42,697 --> 00:26:46,039
Now he didn't realize what she was asking at first,

340
00:26:46,039 --> 00:26:50,513
and then he finally thought, "She's a prostitute."

341
00:26:50,513 --> 00:26:55,775
He burst into tears. And then she burst into tears.

342
00:26:55,775 --> 00:27:00,381
What is that? He was full of love for her.

343
00:27:00,381 --> 00:27:05,437
She never had anybody love her. You see the difference?

344
00:27:05,437 --> 00:27:10,288
Instead of saying, "You wicked woman, what are you doing?"

345
00:27:10,288 --> 00:27:15,578
It's the law of Christ, and it's such a higher level. (P)

346
00:27:15,578 --> 00:27:24,194
Giving: you know, "Well, I paid my tithe, and I've got it taken care of."

347
00:27:24,194 --> 00:27:29,061
How different is that than loving as Jesus loved – He gave everything.

348
00:27:29,061 --> 00:27:33,310
You know, you might have to give away, not one dollar, but all ten of them,

349
00:27:33,310 --> 00:27:36,734
and you might have to give away your billfold.

350
00:27:36,734 --> 00:27:40,754
Or, you might not give away anything.

351
00:27:40,754 --> 00:27:46,200
Why? Because you're led by the Spirit of God, teaching us, you see, teaching us.

352
00:27:46,207 --> 00:27:50,457
It's the law of Christ, it's not a list of rules and dos and don'ts.

353
00:27:50,458 --> 00:27:58,917
It cannot be codified, it's too incisive to be codified. (P)

354
00:28:03,102 --> 00:28:07,346
Let me give you an example.

355
00:28:07,346 --> 00:28:13,643
Some of you have read this and you're aware of it.

356
00:28:13,644 --> 00:28:22,578
This is Evangeline Booth,

357
00:28:22,578 --> 00:28:29,485
who was a daughter of William Booth, founder of Salvation Army.

358
00:28:29,485 --> 00:28:40,971
Evangeline Booth: "As one who ministered often to the dregs of society,

359
00:28:40,971 --> 00:28:45,113
she found herself one morning outside the large iron gates

360
00:28:45,113 --> 00:28:49,015
of a local police court and temporary prison.

361
00:28:49,015 --> 00:28:54,211
Waiting for the gates to open she heard the
shuffling of heavy feet and loud, agitated voices.

362
00:28:54,211 --> 00:28:57,183
In her own words (and I'm quoting from her),

363
00:28:57,183 --> 00:29:02,158
she says, 'The gates opened wide, and I witnessed a sight

364
00:29:02,158 --> 00:29:06,060
which, if eternity could wash away from my mind, time never can.

365
00:29:06,060 --> 00:29:08,550
It was a woman.

366
00:29:08,558 --> 00:29:11,195
Two policemen walked in front and two behind.

367
00:29:11,195 --> 00:29:13,201
(Now the Salvation Army, in the early days,

368
00:29:13,202 --> 00:29:18,864
they reached out to the lowest of the low and they were full of life).

369
00:29:18,865 --> 00:29:21,922
Two policemen walked in front and two behind.

370
00:29:21,922 --> 00:29:26,076
One stalwart man firmly held the right arm and the other the left.

371
00:29:26,076 --> 00:29:32,455
(You got six guys escorting this woman out).

372
00:29:32,455 --> 00:29:36,132
Her hair was uncombed and matted and disheveled.

373
00:29:36,132 --> 00:29:38,964
Her right temple was blackened with bruises.

374
00:29:38,964 --> 00:29:43,077
Clots of dry blood stood upon her left temple.

375
00:29:43,077 --> 00:29:46,488
Her clothes were torn and bloodstained.

376
00:29:46,489 --> 00:29:49,528
She tried to wrench her arms from the grasp of the policemen.

377
00:29:49,528 --> 00:29:54,555
The very atmosphere of the morning
was laden with her curses and oaths.

378
00:29:54,555 --> 00:30:00,757
She tossed her head wildly as the six policemen
dragged her down the passageway.

379
00:30:00,757 --> 00:30:02,733
What could I do?

380
00:30:02,733 --> 00:30:06,924
One more moment and the golden opportunity to be of help would be gone.

381
00:30:06,924 --> 00:30:09,567
Could I offer a prayer? No, there was not time.

382
00:30:09,567 --> 00:30:11,950
Could I sing? It would be absurd.

383
00:30:11,950 --> 00:30:14,797
Could I give her money? She could not take it.

384
00:30:14,797 --> 00:30:19,386
Could I quote a verse of Scripture? She would not heed it. (P)

385
00:30:19,386 --> 00:30:25,517
"Whether it was a divine suggestion or not, I did not stop to think,

386
00:30:25,517 --> 00:30:30,275
but the impulse of a burning desire which filled my heart as she passed

387
00:30:30,275 --> 00:30:35,778
made me step forward and kiss her on the cheek.

388
00:30:35,778 --> 00:30:39,592
Whether the police were taken off their
guard by my extraordinary action,

389
00:30:39,592 --> 00:30:42,487
relaxed their grasp, I do not know.

390
00:30:42,487 --> 00:30:46,876
But with one wrench she freed her arms and clasped her hands

391
00:30:46,876 --> 00:30:49,335
as the wind spread her matted, disheveled hair,

392
00:30:49,335 --> 00:30:55,027
and she looked toward the grey skies and said, 'My God.'

393
00:30:55,027 --> 00:31:00,227
She looked around wildly for a moment
and then said, 'My God, who kissed me?

394
00:31:00,228 --> 00:31:02,632
My God, who kissed me?

395
00:31:02,632 --> 00:31:06,397
Nobody has kissed me since my mother died.' (P)

396
00:31:06,397 --> 00:31:10,940
"Lifting her tattered apron she buried her face in her hands

397
00:31:10,940 --> 00:31:16,393
and, like a little lamb, she was led to the vehicle which took her to prison.

398
00:31:16,393 --> 00:31:18,915
Later I went to the prison in the hope of seeing her,

399
00:31:18,915 --> 00:31:20,386
and at the door stood the warden.

400
00:31:20,386 --> 00:31:25,371
When I approached the warden,
she said, 'We think her mind is gone.

401
00:31:25,371 --> 00:31:28,139
She does nothing but pace up and down her cell,

402
00:31:28,140 --> 00:31:34,008
asking me every time I go in if I know who kissed her.'

403
00:31:34,008 --> 00:31:39,799
'Would you let me go in and speak to her?' I asked,

404
00:31:39,799 --> 00:31:45,124
'I am her only and best friend.'

405
00:31:45,124 --> 00:31:46,917
The door was opened and I slipped in.

406
00:31:46,923 --> 00:31:49,890
Her face was clean. Her eyes were large and beautiful.

407
00:31:49,891 --> 00:31:52,634
And she said, 'Do you know who kissed me?'

408
00:31:52,634 --> 00:31:54,950
Then she told me her story.

409
00:31:54,950 --> 00:31:59,372
'When I was a little girl of seven years old, my widowed mother died.

410
00:31:59,372 --> 00:32:02,355
She died very poor, although she was of genteel birth.

411
00:32:02,355 --> 00:32:05,989
She died in a back basement in the dark.

412
00:32:05,989 --> 00:32:09,417
When she was dying she called me to her,
took my little face in her hands,

413
00:32:09,417 --> 00:32:12,832
and kissed and said to me, 'My poor, little girl.

414
00:32:12,833 --> 00:32:14,324
My defenceless, little girl.

415
00:32:14,324 --> 00:32:16,173
O God, have pity on my little girl;

416
00:32:16,173 --> 00:32:19,293
and when I'm gone, protect her and take care of her.'

417
00:32:19,293 --> 00:32:25,558
From that day to this, nobody ever put a kiss upon my face until recently.

418
00:32:25,558 --> 00:32:27,811
Then again she asked me, 'Do you know who kissed me?'

419
00:32:27,812 --> 00:32:30,654
I said, 'It was I who kissed you.' (P)

420
00:32:30,654 --> 00:32:36,500
"Then I told her of Him whose life was so
much more tender than mine could ever be,

421
00:32:36,500 --> 00:32:40,033
and how He went to the cross and bore our sins upon Himself

422
00:32:40,033 --> 00:32:41,898
and was wounded for our transgressions,

423
00:32:41,899 --> 00:32:46,235
that He might put the kiss of pardon upon our brow.

424
00:32:46,235 --> 00:32:49,787
In Him she found light, and joy, and comfort,

425
00:32:49,788 --> 00:32:53,368
and salvation, and healing, and love.

426
00:32:53,368 --> 00:32:55,582
Before she was released from the prison,

427
00:32:55,582 --> 00:33:00,900
the warden testified not only to the
change in her life, but to its beauty.

428
00:33:00,901 --> 00:33:04,410
She was made, through Christ, the means of salvation

429
00:33:04,410 --> 00:33:08,419
to numbers of others who were down as low as she had been,

430
00:33:08,419 --> 00:33:14,832
and who were bound with fetters as heavy as those
with which she herself had been bound." (P)

431
00:33:14,832 --> 00:33:16,162
Now what is that?

432
00:33:16,162 --> 00:33:21,121
What law are you going to say, "Kiss this woman now"?

433
00:33:21,121 --> 00:33:22,891
You see how different it is?

434
00:33:22,891 --> 00:33:28,185
The New Testament is not the idea God gave us a new list of laws.

435
00:33:28,185 --> 00:33:30,938
He didn't do that. He gave us the life of Christ,

436
00:33:30,938 --> 00:33:34,578
and He gave us some signposts saying, "Look fellows, this is radical.

437
00:33:34,579 --> 00:33:37,132
This is what it's going to look like."

438
00:33:37,132 --> 00:33:41,025
That's what He is doing in the Sermon on the Mount.

439
00:33:41,025 --> 00:33:46,284
And these things are things that God has given when we desperately need...

440
00:33:46,285 --> 00:33:49,543
How did she know to do that?

441
00:33:49,543 --> 00:33:53,655
She knew it because she loved people like that,

442
00:33:53,655 --> 00:33:56,692
and the Holy Spirit prompted her to do it right then;

443
00:33:56,693 --> 00:34:00,643
and she just did it, without thinking.

444
00:34:00,643 --> 00:34:04,487
That's what we need. That's what we're talking about.

445
00:34:04,487 --> 00:34:06,447
And beloved, I'm speaking for myself,

446
00:34:06,447 --> 00:34:11,995
we are so quick to become acting atheists
and forget about the Lord Jesus,

447
00:34:11,995 --> 00:34:18,851
and read our Bible verses and do our thing, our Christian thing.

448
00:34:18,851 --> 00:34:26,167
But if you're full of Christ and full of love, it's totally different, isn't it?

449
00:34:26,168 --> 00:34:28,976
Totally different. And it's a living relationship.

450
00:34:28,976 --> 00:34:31,739
We have to be brought back to that over and over and over.

451
00:34:31,739 --> 00:34:34,364
It's not your list of rules. (P)

452
00:34:34,364 --> 00:34:42,897
Sometimes I go on trips overseas, come back,
my wife's standing at the door,

453
00:34:42,897 --> 00:34:47,531
she's got a list: "Kiss husband. Hug husband."

454
00:34:47,531 --> 00:34:51,199
Do you realize how insulting that is?

455
00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:56,629
If you've got love in your heart you're going to do the right things.

456
00:34:56,629 --> 00:35:01,459
But a lot of times, that's the way we are treating the Lord.

457
00:35:01,460 --> 00:35:03,742
"I didn't do this, I didn't do this..."

458
00:35:03,743 --> 00:35:10,128
He's looking at something a lot bigger than that. (P)

459
00:35:12,159 --> 00:35:16,321
Now which of these things do you think will most convict of sin:

460
00:35:16,321 --> 00:35:21,570
the Law of Moses or the law of Christ?

461
00:35:21,570 --> 00:35:25,136
Here's an example - what I just read.

462
00:35:25,137 --> 00:35:26,399
I mean, it's convicting.

463
00:35:26,399 --> 00:35:29,008
I remember when I was a college student,

464
00:35:29,008 --> 00:35:35,263
I was staying with a family that was full of the Spirit of God.

465
00:35:35,263 --> 00:35:40,708
And there were always a lot of people coming there for meals,

466
00:35:40,708 --> 00:35:43,617
and the kitchen was just a beehive of activity -

467
00:35:43,618 --> 00:35:45,275
women fixing stuff and what have you.

468
00:35:45,275 --> 00:35:49,985
And one of the kids came in, right in the middle of all that,

469
00:35:49,985 --> 00:35:53,486
and had to get a glass of milk out of the refrigerator.

470
00:35:53,486 --> 00:35:56,553
You know, it's like he was already an annoyance.

471
00:35:56,553 --> 00:36:02,904
And then he opens the door up,
and breaks the glass of milk all over the floor,

472
00:36:02,904 --> 00:36:07,113
right while they're preparing this big meal.

473
00:36:07,113 --> 00:36:10,019
And his mother turned around like this,

474
00:36:10,019 --> 00:36:15,065
she said, "Oh, Steven, I love you."

475
00:36:15,066 --> 00:36:17,390
She took his face in her hand.

476
00:36:17,391 --> 00:36:20,237
That did more to convict a self-centered college student.

477
00:36:20,237 --> 00:36:23,354
I mean, we were talking last night about college students.

478
00:36:23,354 --> 00:36:27,162
They'll come through your door, and they'll say, "Feed me, I'm yours.

479
00:36:27,162 --> 00:36:31,742
What can you do to serve me?" [Laughter].

480
00:36:31,742 --> 00:36:38,334
But to see that, you see, that's much more than the "thou shalt nots".

481
00:36:38,334 --> 00:36:40,591
It's convicting. (P)

482
00:36:40,591 --> 00:36:44,770
Watchman Nee tells a story, there was a Christian there in China

483
00:36:44,770 --> 00:36:48,910
where they had these fields that they would paddle full of water - rice fields -

484
00:36:48,910 --> 00:36:52,981
they would paddle them full of water using a bicycle-like contraption

485
00:36:52,981 --> 00:36:55,987
that has a water wheel on it.

486
00:36:55,987 --> 00:37:01,721
And this man paddled and paddled, filled his field full of water.

487
00:37:01,722 --> 00:37:03,783
And the neighbor came in the night and opened the gate,

488
00:37:03,783 --> 00:37:08,171
and let the water out, and it ran down to the neighbor's field.

489
00:37:08,171 --> 00:37:11,412
So the Christian came the next day, he saw that;

490
00:37:11,413 --> 00:37:18,996
he closed the gate, didn't say anything, filled his field up again.

491
00:37:18,996 --> 00:37:21,225
Next night, same thing happened.

492
00:37:21,226 --> 00:37:24,907
And it was time for prayer meeting, he came in and said,

493
00:37:24,907 --> 00:37:26,937
"I haven't done anything against my neighbor,

494
00:37:26,937 --> 00:37:29,921
I haven't said anything hurtful to him or anything.

495
00:37:29,921 --> 00:37:36,555
But somehow I feel like this is just not measuring up to Christ."

496
00:37:36,555 --> 00:37:38,482
And they prayed about it.

497
00:37:38,482 --> 00:37:42,528
The next day he opened the gate and filled his neighbor's field first,

498
00:37:42,529 --> 00:37:44,964
then closed the gate and filled his field.

499
00:37:44,964 --> 00:37:49,746
The neighbor came to him, and he eventually became a Christian.

500
00:37:49,746 --> 00:37:55,883
He said, "What, What, What is this?"

501
00:37:55,883 --> 00:37:58,630
It's the law of Christ! (P)

502
00:37:58,630 --> 00:38:03,824
When Jesus said, "If they compel you to go one mile, go with them two,"

503
00:38:03,824 --> 00:38:09,741
you know, the Romans had the right to compel you
to carry their burden for one mile.

504
00:38:09,741 --> 00:38:11,446
So they yell at you and call you over there,

505
00:38:11,446 --> 00:38:12,933
you think, "Well, I'm doing pretty well.

506
00:38:12,934 --> 00:38:16,959
I'm not complaining, I'm not really angry, I didn't curse the guy,

507
00:38:16,966 --> 00:38:19,130
I'm not thinking bad things about him."

508
00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:22,531
None of that measures up, does it?

509
00:38:22,531 --> 00:38:25,478
So Jesus said, Go the second mile.

510
00:38:25,478 --> 00:38:30,577
It's during that second mile the guy is wondering,
"What is different about this person?"

511
00:38:30,577 --> 00:38:36,518
I mean, he starts talking to you,
and you have the opportunity to witness to him.

512
00:38:36,518 --> 00:38:38,582
It all sounds so good, doesn't it brethren,

513
00:38:38,583 --> 00:38:47,509
until you're carrying that burden the first half a mile [Laughter].

514
00:38:47,509 --> 00:38:51,842
It's a lot easier to preach about it than it is to do it,

515
00:38:51,842 --> 00:38:58,488
because in reality it's sweaty and it's heavy, and your back is hurting.

516
00:38:58,488 --> 00:39:03,658
It's the same way with our spouses.
It's the same way with our children.

517
00:39:03,658 --> 00:39:07,352
It's the same way in the body of Christ.

518
00:39:07,352 --> 00:39:10,805
There's nothing more costly than that.

519
00:39:10,805 --> 00:39:15,272
It's costly.

520
00:39:15,272 --> 00:39:22,430
But that's where it is. That's what we're talking about. (P)

521
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,133
Another question comes up, How can you tell what real love is?

522
00:39:28,134 --> 00:39:32,892
Two college students living in sin,
they say, "Well, we love one another."

523
00:39:32,892 --> 00:39:39,583
Jack Kevorkian, he loves his people so much he helps them commit suicide.

524
00:39:39,583 --> 00:39:44,359
Love is claimed to support abortion.

525
00:39:44,359 --> 00:39:49,929
So it sounds like Jesus left us a pretty flexible, mushy-type standard, doesn't it?

526
00:39:49,929 --> 00:39:52,474
But what did He say? He didn't say, "Love one another, "

527
00:39:52,474 --> 00:39:55,783
He said, "Love one another as I have loved you."

528
00:39:55,784 --> 00:40:00,376
In other words, all of His teaching, His holiness, His perfection, His life,

529
00:40:00,377 --> 00:40:05,630
everything about Him, His manner, all that, that's the standard.

530
00:40:05,630 --> 00:40:07,829
And that takes care of the problem.

531
00:40:07,830 --> 00:40:11,648
The conduct and life and person of the Lord Jesus Himself

532
00:40:11,648 --> 00:40:15,704
is the rule and duty of the Christian.

533
00:40:15,704 --> 00:40:19,078
We're called upon to be just as holy as He was. (P)

534
00:40:19,078 --> 00:40:21,853
In closing, what I want to draw your attention to here,

535
00:40:21,853 --> 00:40:25,193
is how the New Testament teaches ethics.

536
00:40:25,193 --> 00:40:34,879
You think about giving: how does the New Testament teach giving?

537
00:40:34,879 --> 00:40:39,146
"Well, you know, in the Law it says you're supposed to tithe,

538
00:40:39,147 --> 00:40:43,710
and I still believe that is still binding on us: we've got to tithe."

539
00:40:43,710 --> 00:40:46,085
Oh, the standard is a lot higher than that.

540
00:40:46,085 --> 00:40:50,691
That's a starting point. It tells you what is reasonable.

541
00:40:50,691 --> 00:40:54,173
For example, ten families ought to be able to support one.

542
00:40:54,173 --> 00:40:57,609
We know that's not too big of a burden, the Jews did that.

543
00:40:57,609 --> 00:41:01,292
You see, there's help from the Law;

544
00:41:01,292 --> 00:41:07,541
but it's not the standard for the Christian, it's just a starting point.

545
00:41:07,542 --> 00:41:11,172
It gives us a little thought of what they did then.

546
00:41:11,172 --> 00:41:13,085
But when you start looking at Christ...

547
00:41:13,085 --> 00:41:16,990
Well, let's look at it, how does Paul teach giving?

548
00:41:16,991 --> 00:41:27,432
II Corinthians 8:7, "Just as you abound in everything,

549
00:41:27,432 --> 00:41:36,271
in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness

550
00:41:36,271 --> 00:41:38,354
and in the love we inspired in you,

551
00:41:38,354 --> 00:41:41,770
see that you abound in this gracious work also.

552
00:41:41,770 --> 00:41:44,580
I am not speaking this as a command,

553
00:41:44,581 --> 00:41:48,687
but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

554
00:41:48,687 --> 00:41:50,762
(Love, love, love).

555
00:41:50,762 --> 00:41:54,659
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

556
00:41:54,659 --> 00:41:58,980
that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor,

557
00:41:58,980 --> 00:42:02,390
so that you through His poverty might become rich." (P)

558
00:42:02,391 --> 00:42:04,512
So, what is the example of giving?

559
00:42:04,512 --> 00:42:07,113
Well, here is one.

560
00:42:07,113 --> 00:42:09,237
He was richer than anyone has ever been,

561
00:42:09,238 --> 00:42:11,657
and He became poorer than anyone has ever been,

562
00:42:11,657 --> 00:42:13,999
that we might become rich.

563
00:42:13,999 --> 00:42:15,384
You see what a standard that is?

564
00:42:15,385 --> 00:42:18,105
It's so much higher than Moses, it's just unbelievable.

565
00:42:18,105 --> 00:42:20,417
You see what John was saying?

566
00:42:20,417 --> 00:42:22,651
"The Law came through Moses;

567
00:42:22,651 --> 00:42:27,555
grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

568
00:42:27,555 --> 00:42:31,174
Beloved, we are not diminishing in the least the Law of Moses.

569
00:42:31,174 --> 00:42:35,110
It was glorious, it was great, it was perfect.

570
00:42:35,110 --> 00:42:44,528
But you're talking about a candle in relation to the sun shining in its fullness. (P)

571
00:42:44,528 --> 00:42:47,600
The way we treat our wives: How should we treat our wives?

572
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:51,960
Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives,

573
00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:56,927
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

574
00:42:56,927 --> 00:43:01,224
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her
by the washing of water with the word." (P)

575
00:43:01,224 --> 00:43:04,149
Serving: What about serving?

576
00:43:04,150 --> 00:43:12,209
John 13:13-15 says, "You call Me Teacher and Lord;
and you are right, for so I am.

577
00:43:12,210 --> 00:43:15,353
If I then, the Teacher and Lord, washed your feet,

578
00:43:15,353 --> 00:43:17,593
you also ought to wash one another's feet.

579
00:43:17,593 --> 00:43:22,498
For I left you an example that you should also do as I did to you."

580
00:43:22,498 --> 00:43:25,265
There is Christ again, "Love as I love."

581
00:43:25,265 --> 00:43:28,347
You see how much is coming up? (P)

582
00:43:28,347 --> 00:43:30,958
Yielding our rights: Romans 15:1-3,

583
00:43:30,959 --> 00:43:34,243
"We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak

584
00:43:34,243 --> 00:43:36,650
and not just please ourselves ...

585
00:43:36,650 --> 00:43:41,351
For even Christ pleased not Himself;

586
00:43:41,351 --> 00:43:45,326
but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.' "

587
00:43:45,327 --> 00:43:52,136
So see, Paul says, Look, if you want to talk about ethics,

588
00:43:52,136 --> 00:43:56,230
there is nothing that you can use that's greater than the example of Christ. (P)

589
00:43:56,230 --> 00:44:00,157
Kindness: We read that in Ephesians 5:2, "Walk in love,

590
00:44:00,157 --> 00:44:07,123
just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us,

591
00:44:07,123 --> 00:44:09,884
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." (P)

592
00:44:09,884 --> 00:44:26,430
The way we treat the poor: James 2:8,

593
00:44:26,430 --> 00:44:30,377
he says, "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law

594
00:44:30,377 --> 00:44:35,735
(or, literally, the law of our King, that is, the law of Christ)

595
00:44:35,735 --> 00:44:39,098
according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,'

596
00:44:39,098 --> 00:44:41,874
you are doing well."

597
00:44:41,874 --> 00:44:47,087
Verse 12, "So speak and so act as those
who are to be judged by the law of liberty."

598
00:44:47,087 --> 00:44:50,860
That's what he calls this, the law of liberty.

599
00:44:50,860 --> 00:44:55,015
"For judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy;

600
00:44:55,015 --> 00:44:56,785
mercy triumphs over judgment."

601
00:44:56,785 --> 00:45:01,956
In other words, this law of our King - Love -

602
00:45:01,956 --> 00:45:07,704
if you're not in that category, judgment is going to be merciless to you. (P)

603
00:45:07,704 --> 00:45:10,128
How about laying down our lives for others:

604
00:45:10,128 --> 00:45:17,163
1 John 3:16, "We know love by this, that He loved us, He gave Himself,

605
00:45:17,163 --> 00:45:23,006
He laid down His life for us;
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (P)

606
00:45:23,007 --> 00:45:29,236
Not striking back: 1 Peter 2:20-23,

607
00:45:29,236 --> 00:45:34,519
he says, "What credit is there if, when you sin
and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?

608
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:39,660
But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it,

609
00:45:39,660 --> 00:45:41,194
this finds favor with God.

610
00:45:41,194 --> 00:45:46,969
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,

611
00:45:46,969 --> 00:45:51,942
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

612
00:45:51,942 --> 00:45:56,026
who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

613
00:45:56,026 --> 00:46:00,482
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return."

614
00:46:00,483 --> 00:46:06,041
It's like any area of duty and responsibility,

615
00:46:06,041 --> 00:46:10,802
you can never find a better example than Jesus. (P)

616
00:46:10,803 --> 00:46:13,438
Humility: that's the last one we'll look at.

617
00:46:13,438 --> 00:46:16,056
Think of humility.

618
00:46:16,056 --> 00:46:19,627
You could say, "Well, Moses in his day was the meekest man on earth.

619
00:46:19,627 --> 00:46:21,704
Look at how he fell down and prayed for them."

620
00:46:21,704 --> 00:46:24,484
He was an example, wasn't he?

621
00:46:24,484 --> 00:46:30,250
But the humility of Moses is nothing compared to the humilty of Christ.

622
00:46:30,251 --> 00:46:34,000
He says, "Let this mind be in you that also was in Christ Jesus,

623
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:38,688
who, although He existed in the form of God,

624
00:46:38,688 --> 00:46:43,836
did not regard equality with God a thing to be held onto, to be grasped,

625
00:46:43,836 --> 00:46:47,814
but He emptied Himself and came down, taking the form of a servant.

626
00:46:47,814 --> 00:46:50,187
Being made in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself

627
00:46:50,187 --> 00:46:55,029
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on the cross" (Phillipians 2:5-8).

628
00:46:55,029 --> 00:46:57,888
Now how can you have a better example of humility than that?

629
00:46:57,889 --> 00:47:01,931
There's nothing like it! (P)

630
00:47:02,655 --> 00:47:10,029
You see, all of this stuff just congeals together, it all fits together, perfectly.

631
00:47:10,029 --> 00:47:15,191
What's our example? Our example is the Lord Jesus.

632
00:47:15,191 --> 00:47:16,805
"Love one another as I have loved you."

633
00:47:16,805 --> 00:47:20,589
You could sum it up if you read 1 Corinthians 13,

634
00:47:20,589 --> 00:47:29,273
and instead of putting the word "love" in there, just put "Christ" in there.

635
00:47:29,273 --> 00:47:33,847
"Christ is patient, Christ is kind and is not jealous;

636
00:47:33,847 --> 00:47:38,539
did not brag, was not arrogant, never acted unbecomingly;

637
00:47:38,539 --> 00:47:40,803
did not seek His own, was never provoked,

638
00:47:40,803 --> 00:47:43,613
did not take into account the wrong suffered;

639
00:47:43,614 --> 00:47:46,892
did not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoiced with the truth.

640
00:47:46,892 --> 00:47:50,497
He bore all things, He believed all things, He hoped all things..."

641
00:47:50,497 --> 00:47:53,155
Why? Because He was love incarnate.

642
00:47:53,155 --> 00:47:56,425
What is God? God is love.

643
00:47:56,425 --> 00:48:05,044
What you see in Christ is, you see God walking around as a man,

644
00:48:05,044 --> 00:48:08,923
perfectly fulfilling love to God and to His fellow man. (P)

645
00:48:08,924 --> 00:48:11,968
Now look at where we've come.

646
00:48:11,968 --> 00:48:16,077
We're new creatures in a new realm;

647
00:48:16,077 --> 00:48:19,124
we have a new commandment that has been written on our hearts;

648
00:48:19,124 --> 00:48:22,139
we have new hearts.

649
00:48:22,139 --> 00:48:27,869
We have a new standard, and we obey, not by following external rules,

650
00:48:27,869 --> 00:48:31,051
but by the outworking of an inward power.

651
00:48:31,051 --> 00:48:32,592
And the standard is Christ.

652
00:48:32,592 --> 00:48:40,689
He is the ultimate and final revelation of the invisible God and His will for us.

653
00:48:40,689 --> 00:48:46,959
And He is at work in us right now to will and do of His good pleasure. (P)

654
00:48:46,959 --> 00:48:53,161
Now, these things that I have said to you have been criticized by some.

655
00:48:53,162 --> 00:48:57,003
They say, "Look, if you don't have the Ten Commandments,

656
00:48:57,003 --> 00:49:00,447
if you don't have the Law of Moses, you don't have any objective standard.

657
00:49:00,447 --> 00:49:04,227
You're just adrift on a sea of subjectivism."

658
00:49:04,227 --> 00:49:07,139
Well, beloved, we have the whole Bible.

659
00:49:07,140 --> 00:49:09,938
We have Christ's example.

660
00:49:09,938 --> 00:49:15,726
But like I said, this is too incisive to be codified in a list of rules.

661
00:49:15,727 --> 00:49:23,525
You cannot get a list of rules to plumb the depth of Christ's being!

662
00:49:23,525 --> 00:49:26,923
Only He can do that by His Spirit in various situations,

663
00:49:26,923 --> 00:49:30,059
like that example that we read.

664
00:49:30,060 --> 00:49:32,020
You could never possibly list them all.

665
00:49:32,020 --> 00:49:35,409
It's happened down through church history over and over and over,

666
00:49:35,409 --> 00:49:40,662
the Spirit of Christ working in His people
has caused them to say and do things...

667
00:49:40,662 --> 00:49:45,143
Haven't you experienced it yourself
when the Holy Spirit is with you and God is real?

668
00:49:45,143 --> 00:49:50,081
You say things that you would not have said otherwise. (P)

669
00:49:50,081 --> 00:49:55,541
I remember sitting out in my van years ago, reading my Bible in the morning.

670
00:49:55,541 --> 00:49:59,463
And it was one of those times where the
Lord just drew near to me in a measure,

671
00:49:59,463 --> 00:50:01,036
and He was real.

672
00:50:01,036 --> 00:50:04,025
First thing I thought of, "There's my neighbor over there,

673
00:50:04,025 --> 00:50:07,065
I want to talk to him about the Lord."

674
00:50:07,066 --> 00:50:12,170
I would not have done that, apart from the Holy Spirit prompting.

675
00:50:12,170 --> 00:50:14,184
That's all we need, beloved.

676
00:50:14,184 --> 00:50:17,146
All we need is to be in touch with our Lord,

677
00:50:17,146 --> 00:50:18,879
and to have the help of His Spirit.

678
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:23,922
That's all we need. That's all we need.

679
00:50:23,922 --> 00:50:29,329
That's what we're talking about when we talk about the law of Christ. (P)

680
00:50:29,329 --> 00:50:33,426
I had a pastor write to me from a different country.

681
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He was offended by my book, and he said,

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(Now think of this, I'm holding up Jesus as our standard),

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he said, "I can't believe that you would deny the moral law of God."

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Deny the moral law of God?? Jesus?

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But he wanted a list, you see.

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May God help us.

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These are wonderful things, like I said, to talk about.

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The Lord is worthy of our glorifying Him.

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But it's hard, come Monday morning, isn't it, when you're at work.

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We need help.

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We need the Lord's help. Amen.