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On inside for living were privileged to hear messages originally presented to the congregation in Texas where Chuck Swindoll serves as senior pastor in those worship services is customary to read the biblical passage for hearing Chuck sermon and often while standing up, giving due reference to God's word. We don't skip that step on the broadcast believing it's important to have the scriptural context for receiving Chuck's presentation today is no exception as we hear Chuck Swindoll's opening remarks which followed a favorite song of worship will be reading from first John how easy it is to sing words and go over familiar melodies without really all focusing and training ourselves to think about what we are singing I can't speak for you, but when we earlier saying that chorus of worship, speak, old Lord, I thought the one who wrote this Keith Gedeon Stuart Townsend really did understand really got it may help to hear the words rather than sing them once again listen speak on Lord as we come to you to receive the food of your holy Word. Take your truth planted deep in us shape and fashion us in your likeness that the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith speak Lord and fulfilled in us all your purposes for your glory.
Interesting how these things tie together that is exactly what today's message is about, especially that part that says that the light of Christ may be seen today in our acts of love and the old saying for that 18 inch journey to occur between the mind and the heart is just a is that it is called the challenge of the Christian life.
I never expect those without Christ to live any differently from all the others I never expect active right acts of righteousness. Frankly I am surprised that marriages work. Some of them do. I am amazed that they aren't all on the absolute edge of the life wondering they can make it all the way to death.
I'm honest I don't know how a person makes it without the Savior, and you may be one of those today want you to know what treasure it is to have you visiting your always welcome here. It may take you a while to to make up your mind and you have you have the freedom to do that but I cannot promise you a lot of time. As I've said recently. It seems like I'm burying them a lot younger. This time in my life tragically. Anyway, the message of first John chapter 4 is penetrating and we acknowledge that some of it will sound familiar, though its message is always fresh and relevant as we talk about the supreme significance of love defined in your worship folder and outline of the message today.
It it's been carefully thought through printed for your use. Even three whole stamp in it for you to make a notebook out of these studies, you may someday be teaching first John, you may want to refer back to these lines, I realize that we minister to many who are disabled as well as those of us who are able to be around and some of you are unable to stand.
We understand that, but if you are able to do so may we together stand today in acknowledgment of our allegiance to the Scriptures and to the authority of Christ.
As I read for you. First John chapter 4 beginning in verse seven, than selectively down through verse 21 beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. But this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. The word means satisfaction for our sins for 16 we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God for an God abides in him by this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
We love because he first loved us. If someone says I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen in this commandment we have from him that the one who loves God should love his brother's. Please be seated to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to inside world.org/studies and other message called the supreme significance of love or something almost childlike in this first letter John is written when you look at it and all of the black-and-white terms that are used. You think like your almost listening to a child child sees things as right or wrong, good or bad. The child sees God or the devil. And if there little older though the spirit of Christ or Antichrist sin or righteousness. Loving others are hating other in the it's no surprise that John would have as one of his favorite words of address through this letter, little children, little children, friend of mine number of years ago gave me a book written by little children literally has their handwriting and it they'd even signed the letters they've written. It's titled letters to God, and children of all ages have written God.
There requests and you will hear the black-and-white that I referred to in the letters.
For example, Joyce writes dear God, thank you for the baby brother but when I prayed for was a puppy.
I did lease writes dear God, if we come back as something please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate Jennifer Peter writes dear God, please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this summer.
Dear God, writes Larry. Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had their own rooms. It's where it works with my brother and Nan writes dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There were only four people in our family and I can never do it. Nancy writes dear God, I love you. How are you fine I'm fine to my mother has five girls and one boy. I am one of them. Nancy 86 and Darla one of my favorite Darla writes, did you really mean do onto others as they do unto you, because if you did, I'm gonna fix my brother you know it's interesting if I were to read this to a room full of children there wouldn't be a laugh that it isn't meant to be funny. They they really mean it. I mean let's face it, kids are kids. She hates Jennifer Horton that you not afraid to say so. He wrote a lot about he doesn't want Dennis at the same summer camp goodies that an Darla's gonna fix her brother.
I remember as a kid thinking that it isn't funny. It it's amazing when were little.
There's no veneer is just all out there is when we get sophisticated and and grown up in an phony and hypocritical that we bring in the veneer.
Even though we still hate Jennifer Horton. We still don't want Dennis around. We still haven't got things figured out with our brother. Problem is, as we grow older like it's all about us. Big circle around the word us all about me, my longtime friend Ruth harms Culkin has written a wonderful little book which we could call adult letters to God, she called to tell me again Lord, I forget.
One piece was especially penetrating. I spoke to her at the bus stop, but she turned the other way. My immediate reaction. A rush of resentment she's ignoring me, she doesn't really like me. I've always suspected that now I know. Suddenly she looked toward me, startled.
But sincere of forgive me. I didn't see you until then, I have not noticed the agony lining her face, hesitant Paul a catch in her voice. I just came from the doctor's office are a little boy is leukemia. It's all a terrible nightmare Lord, Lord, what loathsome selfishness about her stricken with grief. Her heart soaked with pain an hour of black catastrophe, and I thought only of me, cleanse me Lord sensitize me until my first concern is for others and my last concern is for me before I can plug my atonement. Ruth, I openly confess I have been there a dozen times. So if you, the lack of love toward one another is nothing short of appalling men and women how quick we are to criticize rapidly. We look for the wrong how rarely we use the words as an adult to someone either in or outside our family. I love you I love you have rarely, we show it broke John's heart. And here he is an older man soon to die and surprising as it is for those of you who were very young. As one grows older, we often see things better more clearly. John sees very clearly the lack of love in the body of Christ writes a letter we've almost find ourselves saying to John what you already sent this does not issue the issue is that you Artie done it or what would you ever start doing it really regularly, consistently without expecting something in return, without realizing that her boys leukemia. If you only knew if I only knew the pain in the lives of others are patience and love would know no bounds. So John brings it up again. He's brought it up in chapter 2 brings in chapter 3, and now chapter 4 belief. He says it 3×3 times verse 711. Let us love one another and before the ink is dry. Verse 11 beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another at the stroke of a pen just before he's finished with that thought, he thinks it one more time. In verse 12. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected over and over and over. He repeats the command love one another love one another love one another. You love her, you love him. Be sure you don't overlook loving her loving that little one loving the older one. Loving the person you know very little about letting the love go, letting it show let it go. In fact, the way you writes it, it's keep on loving one another.
Now, what would he bring it up here will remember the last time we were together. Remember I can tell already who's here. Some of you are going verses 1 to 6. Talk about discernment. We also ourselves as Dobermans, we hear a noise, we see a light we hear heresy test the spirits test the spirit test the spirit. But that's all you do, you'll be all Dobermans in the Lord wants us to have a mind of a Doberman, but the heart of the land so he balances it out.
You need both. Just as you need to arms to hands, you need both discernment and you need love and both need to be in action at work so that you don't love gullible here. You don't just cynically go through life suspicious of everyone.
John says we look closely at testing the spirits and being alert to error and heresy. Melanie come back to the balance we all need to hear.
Love each other. See when you're testing all the time you become testing so he says let's love each other. What's how it unfolds. He gives us three reason's why we should do this first of the theological reason. Second is a reciprocal reason for it as a practical reason the theological reason is verses 7 to 10. The reciprocal reason is in verse 11, and the practical is in verse 12. The theological why should I love you are why should you love me. Verse seven because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God is God's love, that is nature that's the essence of his person. That's one of its attributes. One of his characteristic, and when you are in God and God is in you than the same life and God pours out through you. You're like a string on his instrument like a sound from his trumpet your lack of a photograph from his camera's love flows out through you and that love of God is revealed. It's in his nature, and since that's true it's to be lived out through us look verse nine. By this, the love of God was manifested in us, God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love. Now that we love God that wasn't first we were born telling God how much we love him we were born as rebels we grew up as rebels we got to the teenage years and our rebellion turned to craziness and in our craziness. We distanced ourselves further and further and finally in our adulthood needs God unless, of course.
Somewhere along the line the message of the gospel invades us and impacts us and changes us and suddenly were under the shadow of the cross changes everything. Verse 10 in this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the satisfaction for sin is the theological reason it shows forth the nature of God. When you love one another. There's a reciprocal reason it so we would say turnabout is fair play. The cheap way to put it but he loved us so we love others. Look at verse 11. If God so loved us what we ought also to love one another, never Jesus words in the in the upper room when chapter 13 of John's Gospel, John records and were Jesus puts a towel around his waist and and gets a basin of water and and and he washes the disciples feet. Remember that scene course you do any gets all the way through washing their feet.
Any says to them using what I've done.
Obviously they saw what he had done. He said I do this so that would wash one another's feet. We would stand in line to wash his feet, but it's reciprocal when we do to others as he is done to us, and that's where the love fits one of many principles were gleaning from first John chapter 4 in a message Chuck Swindoll has titled the supreme significance of love. Please don't go away. We've set aside a few minutes at the close of today's Insight for living dear some final teaching points from Chuck to learn more about this ministry sure to visit us online@insideworld.org as a result of the global pandemic along with the social unrest taking over some parts of the world where feeling a renewed sense of urgency to spread the message of God's love, just as the apostle John did through his first century letter the languishing and distressing impact of the coronavirus has fueled our fire to take this message to your entire community and to 195 countries of the world and with boldness we're calling on you to join us. Together we can implement the great commission of Jesus by making disciples around the world we call the great commission strategy vision 195 to radio our website. The mobile app MP3 downloads, books, DVDs, the podcasts live streaming and more were seizing every opportunity to tell the world about the supreme significance of God's love whatever amount he prompt you to give is deeply valued. No gift is too small, and perhaps the best way to maximize your giving is to become a monthly giver. We call them monthly companions in this relationship with Insight for living ministries.
You agree to give an automated donation every month and the amount that suit you remember the first time you started listening to Chuck's teaching.
Well as a monthly companion you be doing for someone else. What someone once did for you. So to become a monthly companion today go to insight.org/monthly companion or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 again that's 1-800-772-8888 and if you'd like to give a one time donation would be pleased for you to do that it insight.org or by calling us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 and now these closing words from our teacher Chuck Swindoll to give you a tip anytime you encounter a person with a spirit of entitlement. You have met up with an individual you can be sure who is either never been to the cross or has forgotten the impact of the cross.
When the message of the cross finally comes through. You are not important. Christ is you question that Luke chapter 9 verse 23 if anyone would come after me. Jesus said if anyone would come after me, let him the very first, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. He talked about a theological reason. 17 stop about a reciprocal reason. Verse 11. Now he says, noticing God at any time. What would he say that. Keep reading. Noticing God in any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us brought to completion brought to full circle. Since no one has seen God at any time. The only evidence of God on this earth that's left is your love and mine. Most of us have been heartbroken to witness civil unrest in the public square, eclipsing the urgent medical needs imposed by the global pandemic at Insight for living ministries. We believe there's never been a better time to extend God's grace to those in need. In this emotionally charged era were shouting matches were commonplace for people feel voiceless and overlooked, and even then, would you be among those who give generously so that we can spread the fragrance of God's grace to those desperate for a second chance. We're looking to add more monthly companions to the team become a monthly companion today by calling us your listening in the United States. Call 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/monthly companion my friend more than ever insight for living ministries is determined to serve as a lavish garden for people all around the world long to smell the aroma of God's matchless grace, a safe place where imperfect, sinful people forget the truth and redeem to become a monthly companion, listening in the United States. Call 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/monthly.
Join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll study in first John continues to run insight for living. The preceding list, the supreme significance of love and the sound recording copyright in 2009 by Charles Arsenault. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited