WEBVTT 00:00:00.001 --> 00:00:19.000 When I was young, I loved basketball and I thought I was good at it, but I wanted to be great at it. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:25.000 I wanted to be the best player on the team. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:32.000 I wanted to be, I remember thinking to myself, I didn't just want to be the best player on my team, I wanted to be the best player on the other person's team. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:39.000 I wanted to be the star of the game, and that motivated me. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:43.000 The drive to be the best motivated me as a young man. 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.000 I played basketball constantly. 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:52.000 I looked back, I wasn't as good as I thought I was at the time, but at the time I thought it was pretty good. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 I used to daydream playing. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:11.000 The commercials were like, "Mike, that was a great commercial because I wanted to be like Michael Jordan." I would daydream about scenarios of winning the game, winning shot, hitting the game, winning shot at the end of the game. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:16.000 I had this little nerf goal in my room and I would play it by myself. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:22.000 Every basketball player knows what I'm talking about. We've all done this. We're going 2, 3, 1, then we shoot. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:26.000 The crowd goes nuts and we're the star of the show. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:37.000 You dream of that, playing in the NBA or playing at some amazing championship game and being the star player. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:42.000 I would work hard to be a great player. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:56.000 Well, after the Lord converted me and called me to the ministry, it's easy to take that same mindset of being a great whatever you're pursuing as a child, whatever you want to be known for. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.000 Everybody has something they're aspiring after. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.000 It's easy to transfer that to, "I want to be a great Christian. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:23.000 I want to be a superstar Christian. I want to be one of these Christians that people write biographies about one day, the Charles Spurgeon's of the world." If you're a young preacher, you know what I'm talking about. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:35.000 It's something in us that thinks maybe I could be the next superstar or pastor, superstar or preacher. I could be a missionary that someone writes a book about one day. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.000 So we aspire for greatness. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:47.000 And think about the ministry or in Christianity, it's four areas that we may want to aspire after. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:53.000 Maybe we want to aspire to be a preacher, so we want great preaching skills. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:58.000 Or maybe it's not so much we want to be a preacher. Sometimes maybe it's a theologian. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:09.000 I want to be known to be a great scholar, a notable scholar, so we aspire after knowledge and become really, really studious. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:15.000 And if it's not a preacher, if it's not scholarship, maybe it's practical Christianity. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:23.000 Maybe that we could be someone that has a lot of faith and that we live out our Christianity in such a way that is exemplary for others to follow. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:33.000 And if it's not that, maybe we could be a man of service, someone that sacrifices and gives and depletes himself. 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:45.000 Now, as we're about to enter into this text, but as we do, think about some of the great men in Christianity, because I'm going to preach on how to be great, how to become great, how to become a great Christian. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:53.000 But as these four areas, think about some of the greatest preachers who's ever lived. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:56.000 And who knows who is the greatest preacher? 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:59.000 But I think up at the top would be Charles Spurgeon. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.000 He's called the Prince of Preacher. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:08.000 He was so famous in his day that there would be crowds lining up to hear him preach. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.000 He preached to 5,000 people every Sunday, but his congregation couldn't hold the crowds. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:25.000 One time he had to ask people, his regular people, "Don't come next week so people can show up and have seats." It's estimated that he preached over to 10 million people in his life. 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:30.000 And what was amazing about his preaching was his oratory skills. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.000 He had the gift of words. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:39.000 You could read a sermon today and go, "Who could write like this? Who could preach like this?" He had just a gift of eloquence. 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:43.000 He knew how to craft his words in such an amazing way. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:44.000 He had a photographic memory. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:49.000 He would read six books a week, and then he would just come and preach. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.000 And it would be amazing. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:59.000 If I could hear one preacher in history, I probably would choose Spurgeon to listen to. 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:04.000 Well, if it's not trying to be a great preacher, maybe it's a great theologian. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:10.000 In my mind, the greatest theologians ever lived besides the apostle Paul or the Lord Jesus is John Calvin. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:15.000 And the reason I say that is because Calvin lived before a lot of things were settled. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.000 And he wrote a book. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:20.000 By the time he was 26, he wrote the systematic theology. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.000 He put them on the map. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:25.000 And he continued to build out that systematic theology the rest of his life. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.000 And to this day, every major scholar deals with Calvin. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:34.000 Every scholar works through Calvin. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:41.000 He's kind of the standard, if you would, when it comes to theology as a great theologian. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:47.000 When it comes to maybe, well, I don't want to be a great preacher or a great theologian. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.000 Maybe you don't aspire for that. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:58.000 Maybe you aspire to be someone like George Mueller, a man of faith, someone that could move mountains, if you would. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:05.000 One time, George Mueller, he took care of thousands of orphans over his life. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:11.000 But one time was a famous story that he was sitting at the table and they had no food in the pantry, had no food to feed. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:13.000 It was breakfast time. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:18.000 So he called all the children to the table and he knew he had nothing to feed them. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:21.000 But he prayed and what he prayed was amazing. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.000 He thanked the Lord for breakfast. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:28.000 He thanked the Lord for the food that God had provided. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:39.000 Well, he didn't know, but the night before when he was sleeping and the children were sleeping, there was a baker who couldn't sleep at night and he tossed to and fro thinking about those orphans. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:43.000 So he got up in the middle of the night and baked a bunch of bread. 00:06:43.000 --> 00:07:05.000 And as Mueller finished his prayer saying, "Amen," the baker knocked on the door and says,"Listen, I have all this bread I want to give to your children." And soon as the bread was delivered, there was a milkman that his trailer, his cart that he pushed the milk on broke down right in front of the orphanage. 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:08.000 And he knew that the milk would spool. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:20.000 So he knocked on the orphanage and said, "Hey, you need some milk." And there the Lord provided breakfast because of George Mueller's prayer and great faith. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:30.000 During George Mueller's life, he provided millions of dollars in today's currency for orphans, and he never took a salary or never asked for money himself. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:35.000 More than 16,000 people were taught in the various schools that he funded. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:38.000 Almost 50,000 copies of the Bible were circulated. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:42.000 Thirty million tracts were given out that he paid for. 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:49.000 And he supported 120 missionaries during his life and over 2,000 orphans. 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:57.000 He died broke, but millions of dollars went through his hands, and it was by faith. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.000 He said, "Maybe that is a great man. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.000 I want to preach like Spurgeon. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:03.000 I want to think like Calvin. 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:08.000 I want to have faith like Mueller." But maybe you say, "Well, to be a great man, maybe it's not preaching. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:10.000 Maybe it's not being a theologian. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.000 Maybe it's not being someone like George Mueller who's a man of faith. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:23.000 Maybe I just need to be one who's sacrificial and give myself." Maybe you want to be someone like the missionary Adirnon Judson. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.000 Judson says, "There is no success without sacrifice. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:31.000 If you succeed without sacrifices because someone has sacrificed for you. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:44.000 If you sacrifice without success, it's because someone has succeeded on your behalf." See, Judson was a young man, and he left England, left all that he had. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:56.000 And he went to India, but couldn't get into India, and ended up going into Burma, having no contacts and no place to go, and settled into Burma as a missionary. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.000 And for six long years, there was no converts. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:07.000 He's working, providing a living, him and his wife, and for six long years, nothing. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.000 He only came to Furlough back to England once. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:16.000 He ended up being arrested and put into prison for 17 months where they tortured him. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:19.000 They would hang him up by his ankles and shackles. 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:24.000 And even after he was released, he could no longer walk correctly. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:31.000 He lost two wives in the process through death. 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:44.000 And at one point, he dug his own grave, so discouraged and worn out, he went into the jungles hoping a lion would kill him, and he would just die and fall into the gravy dog. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:58.000 He gave everything, but today they say there's around six million believers in Burma, and all six million can trace their heritage back to Judson. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:00.000 So he'd say, "Hey, this is what greatness is. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:15.000 Maybe it's being a great preacher, maybe it's being a great theologian, maybe it's being a man of faith like Miller, maybe it's being someone like Adonai and Judson." The problem with the Corinthians, they wanted to be great as well. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:18.000 They wanted to be the greatest. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.000 The apostles also had this syndrome. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:22.000 They fought among themselves. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.000 They'd argue among themselves who's the greatest. 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:29.000 And they wanted to be at the right and left hand of Christ. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.000 When he came to his kingdom, they fought over this. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:36.000 Well, the Corinthians seemed to have the same problem, and they aspired for oratory skills. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:43.000 Remember, in 1 Corinthians 1, 2, and 3, they loved Apollos because he was a polished speaker. 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.000 And they looked down on Paul because his speaking was not all that great. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:55.000 And so they aspired for the showy gifts so that they could get some recognition and praise. 00:10:55.000 --> 00:11:05.000 And this is why they seemed to enjoy the showy gifts like prophecies and tongues, because it brought a lot of attention to the one who has the gifts. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:10.000 And they coveted this, and they were zealous for these spiritual gifts. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:14.000 Now read with me starting at verse 28. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.000 And we're going to read to the first three verses of chapter 13. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 And this is what the apostle Paul is doing. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:24.000 He's going to tell us how to aspire to greatness. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:30.000 But he's going to tell us what not to aspire to and then give us the correct way of greatness. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.000 Starting at verse 28. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:47.000 And God has appointed these in the church, first apostles, second prophets and teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping administrating various kinds of tongues, or all apostles, or all prophets, or all teachers. 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.000 Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.000 Do all speak in other tongues? Do all interpret? 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:57.000 But desire the greatest gifts. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:02.000 That is, don't not desire gifts, but desire the greatest ones. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:08.000 I will show you an even better way, or a more excellent, or surpassing way. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:16.000 He goes on to say, "If I speak human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I'm a noisy gong and a clingy cymbal. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:26.000 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all faith so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:41.000 And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." In this we see the true path to greatness. 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:46.000 How we're to aspire, all of us, should just aspire to be a great Christian. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:50.000 It's not that we shouldn't aspire to glory and to greatness. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:55.000 It's just which way are we aspiring, and how are we aspiring to be great? 00:12:55.000 --> 00:13:07.000 If you're aspiring after true greatness, then don't aspire after the greatest gifts, or at least what we would think to be the more showy gifts. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:11.000 We see this in verses 28 through 30. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:16.000 First of all, in verse 28 we notice that there are greater and lesser gifts. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.000 Not all the gifts are on the same plane. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:23.000 There are some that are more useful, some that are greater. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:28.000 We see that there's a list that the Apostle Paul has. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.000 Read verse 28 with me. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:48.000 "And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues." So here's a order. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:53.000 First apostles, apostles were greater than prophets, but prophets were greater than teachers. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:14:00.000 They had more authority, and they had a greater purpose to play. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:05.000 But then after that, then there's gifts of healing and helping and administration. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:08.000 The last gift he put in is tongues. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.000 Like, listen, tongues are on the list, but it's not at the top. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:15.000 You may be thinking, "I want to speak in tongues. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:16.000 I want that gift. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:28.000 I want to be able to speak well or preach well." Or maybe this is speaking about the gift of tongues, which is being able to speak another language without studying it. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:31.000 This would be amazing. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:35.000 This is what they were spired after, but he's not denying. 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:41.000 Paul is not denying that there's an order or a ring of the gifts. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:48.000 But we're not to aspire after these things because we're not in charge of the gifts that we have. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.000 Look at verse 29. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.000 "Are all apostles?" I mean, you may aspire to be apostles. 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.000 I'm going to tell you, you can't do it. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:56.000 None of us can. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.000 None of us can be apostles today. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.000 That office and that gift has ceased. 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:05.000 "Are all prophets?" I mean, is it rhetorical question? 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.000 The answer is no. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:09.000 "Are all teachers?" No. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.000 "Do all work miracles?" No. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.000 "Do all possess the gift of healing?" No. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.000 "Do all speak in tongues or with tongues?" No. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.000 "Do all interpret?" No. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.000 Obviously, not all of us have these gifts. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.000 Only a few have these gifts. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:34.000 And you being a great Christian is not dependent upon you having one of these gifts. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:39.000 See, not all have the greatest gifts, not all speak in tongues. 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:49.000 But we're not necessarily to evaluate our greatness based upon the type of gift that we've been given. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:54.000 You see, there's a better way to strive for greatness. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:56.000 There is a more excellent way. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:58.000 We see this in verse 31. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:02.000 There is a more excellent gift to pursue after. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.000 Look at verse 31. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:11.000 "But earnestly desired the higher gifts." And I will show you a more excellent way. 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:14.000 So here's an exhortation for all of us. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:19.000 All of us Christians, we should expire after greatness. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.000 We should expire after the highest gifts. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:31.000 It's not that we shouldn't want these things or aspire after them, or crave them, or ask for them, or seek to grow in them. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:37.000 In fact, we're told not just to want them, but to earnestly desire them. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:41.000 This word earnestly desire comes from the Greek word, it means jealous. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.000 We should be jealous after this. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.000 We should want this deeply. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:52.000 The word speaks of water that's coming to a bowl, a water that's bubbling because it's fervently hot. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:58.000 In fact, this word jealous here in the Greek is where we get the English word zil. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.000 We should be zealous after this. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.000 We should be dedicated to this. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.000 We should seek this. 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:08.000 We should work hard to obtain this. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:14.000 In fact, that's why it's translated earnestly desire, or eagerly seek after. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:19.000 I mean, I don't know if you woke up today and say, "Dear God, I want this today. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:23.000 I really want to become a great Christian today, and I know this is the means to do it. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:35.000 I want this badly." I think the problem we have, and I know I have this, is we become lazy because we're content. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:40.000 We settle in where we're at, and we're no longer really pursuing after this. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000 We're no longer eagerly desiring this. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:56.000 In fact, he goes on to say, "This is a more excellent way." He's telling the Corinthians, "You're seeking greatness through the showy gifts. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:08.000 This is what you think someone is a great is that they're a great preacher, or they have great faith, or they're sacrificially loving others, or they're sacrificially giving of themselves. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:13.000 They're a Jureus Mueller, Adonai Judson, or they're Spurgeon, or they're a Calvin. 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:15.000 This is what we think is great. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.000 But let me show you a better way to greatness. 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:29.000 Let me show you a more surpassing way." And obviously, he's telling us the way is love. 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:33.000 This is what you should all aspire to. 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.000 Not all of you are going to be apostles. 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.000 In fact, none of us are apostles, but all of us can love. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:45.000 Not all of us are going to be pastors and teachers and missionaries, but all of us can love. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.000 It doesn't matter your status. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.000 It doesn't matter your age. 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:51.000 It doesn't matter your location. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:59.000 It doesn't matter your physical condition. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:01.000 It doesn't matter where you stand. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:05.000 You all can be great if you have love. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:08.000 Love is something to spar after. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:14.000 You see, I'm going to talk about this next week, but verse 4 through 7 says,"Love is patient and kind. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:15.000 Love does not envy or boast. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:17.000 It does not arrogant or rude. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:19.000 It does not insist on its own way. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:21.000 It's not irritable or resentful. 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:25.000 It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:32.000 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." You see, the key about love is not self-focused. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:36.000 It's not ambitious towards self-greatness. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.000 It's not look at me greatness. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:39.000 It's not I want to be great. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:43.000 I want to be a great preacher so people can applaud me and write biographies about me. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:46.000 It's not that type of greatness, is it? 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:49.000 Love doesn't do things for attention's sake. 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.000 Love doesn't do something for applause. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:20:04.000 Love doesn't do something in order for some secondary benefit or some press release. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:10.000 Love doesn't seek self. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.000 You see, love is humble. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.000 Love is ready to be forgotten. 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.000 Love is God-centered and other people-centered. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:24.000 Love is hoping that others are blessed at your own expense. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:29.000 Love is rejoicing at the betterment of other people. 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:32.000 Love rejoices with the glory of God. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:44.000 Love will cause you, if you really love God and love your neighbor, it causes you to give of yourself happily and joyfully without seeking attention, without seeking to be noticed. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:49.000 The greatest joy of love is seeing someone blessed. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:57.000 And seeing someone blessed, if it's God's name being glorified or someone else being blessed, you're loving that. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:59.000 Think of a mother's love for her child. 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:02.000 She's not hoping for a payday one day. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:11.000 She's not hoping that he or she becomes rich and can pay her back for waking up in the middle of the night and all the sacrifices mother gives to their children. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.000 That's not what mothers want. 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:18.000 They just want their kids to be healthy and happy. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:23.000 And ultimately, all parents want their children to know the Lord. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:29.000 And we'll do whatever we can in order for them to be blessed. 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:32.000 And that's the reward of love. 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:37.000 See, love is not self-focus at all. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:43.000 This is the better way for greatness. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:48.000 The Lord was trying to teach his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:52.000 He's coming down and he's saying all the things that he's going to suffer for, suffer. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:56.000 And he's talking about humility and dying to self. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:02.000 And after that conversation, the apostles were talking to themselves. 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:05.000 And they got an argument among themselves. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:10.000 The Lord must have been ahead of them because he could barely overhear them. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:13.000 But they got an argument who's the greatest. 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:14.000 And the Lord overheard it. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:24.000 And when they got home back to Capernaum, he goes, "What are we all talking about on the way?" We were traveling back from the Mount of Transfiguration, some accessory Philippi. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:26.000 What were we all talking about? 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.000 And they were embarrassed. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.000 They didn't want to talk about it. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:35.000 They didn't want to let them know what they were arguing about because they were arguing about who among them was the greatest. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.000 And Jesus knew what they were talking about. 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:39.000 Then he saw a little child in the room. 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:57.000 I think they were at Peter's house and he put the child and he says,"If you want to be great in the kingdom of God, you must become like this little child." He says, "Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." What's so great about children? 00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:01.000 They know to sit down at the least seat. 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:09.000 They're not yet self-entitled, if you would. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:11.000 They're not great in their own minds. 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:13.000 They understand their position. 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:21.000 If you're going to be great, you must see yourself like a child. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:24.000 One other time, they got an argument about the same thing. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.000 This is a few months later. 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:31.000 And this is when James and John, they got their mother involved in this. 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:35.000 And they came to Jesus and they wanted to ask Jesus for a request. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.000 And Jesus said, "What do you want?" And the mother asked on their behalf. 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:47.000 "What would you, when you get your kingdom, put my two boys, James and John, at your right and left hand." And what did the Lord say? 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.000 He said, "You don't know what you're asking for. 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:57.000 If you want to be great, you're going to have to drink this cup.""Oh, we can drink that cup. Yeah, we'll drink it." No, this cup is bitter. 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.000 This cup is not the greatness that you think it is. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.000 This is not where people applaud you and put you on a stage and think high of you. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.000 This is where they despise you. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.000 This is where they ridicule you. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:10.000 This is what true greatness is. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:12.000 It's not in pride. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.000 It's in humility. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:21.000 And remember when he had the Lord's table, the disciples got an argument for the third time over who's the greatest. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:27.000 After Jesus had already put a towel around his waist and cleaned their feet. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.000 After that, they're arguing about who's the greatest. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:32.000 This is right before his death. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.000 Can you imagine? 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:34.000 This is what Christians do. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:36.000 I mean, this is in all of us. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:45.000 They do one another in getting praise and attention, wanting to be the greatest. 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:52.000 And Jesus says, "You know that the rulers and the Gentiles, Lord, it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:25:14.000 It should not be so among you, but Huber would be great among you, must be your servant, and Huber would be first among you, must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." See, the way to greatness is the way of humility. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:16.000 It's the way of love. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:18.000 It's not self-centered. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.000 It's not self-focused. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:28.000 Whatever we're doing out of motivation for self-exaltation is the opposite of love. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:31.000 The greatness is when you're willing to go down. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.000 You must become least to be the greatest. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:35.000 You must be last to be first. 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:42.000 This is the method and the pathway to spiritual greatness. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:45.000 Four reasons why we should seek to be great through love. 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.000 Four reasons why we should seek to be great through love. 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:52.000 Starting with verse 1. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:59.000 1. Because possessing the gift of love is more important than being the greatest preacher who's ever lived. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:02.000 Look at verse 1. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:12.000 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I'm a noisy gong and a cleaning cymbal." Let's just say that you had the gift. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.000 I mean, you're the greatest orator ever lived. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:21.000 You're greater than the Apollos, or you were greater than the Prince of Preacher himself, Spurgeon. 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:24.000 Let's say everybody wanted to hear you preach. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:31.000 You preach with such skill, with such craftedness of your words, and you never mispronounced a word. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:33.000 That'd be great. I'd love that. 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:39.000 And everybody just clamored to come hear you. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:45.000 What a wonderful gift that you would have. 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:48.000 To have the natural ability to speak well. 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.000 To have chrisma. 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:55.000 But let's say you had all that, but you lacked loves. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:58.000 What would happen? 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:00.000 You would become proudful. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.000 You would speak as a self-promoter. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.000 You would be seeking a platform. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:07.000 Seeking attention. 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:09.000 You were seeking to show off your gift. 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:14.000 To exercise your gift for attention's sake. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:24.000 And no matter how theologically precise you may be, your speech would be as a noisy gong and a cleaning symbol. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.000 I mean, think about a noisy gong. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:32.000 I thought about maybe getting written up here with a gong as I go after it, you know. 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:37.000 And it would be cute for a few seconds, but if he just continued on, it would drive us all nuts. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:39.000 We would go quit, stop it. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:46.000 I mean, we all heard crazy noises in our home where the kids are going nuts, or they're banging on something. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.000 You know, someone gives you, your enemies, buy your children's gifts with batteries. 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:55.000 And you're going, oh, thanks. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:02.000 I mean, have you ever, you know, like think about preachers that get up and preach, and they may be smooth speakers. 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:15.000 And you may win a lot of affections and attention by the world, but in the eyes of God, it's clean, gonging, disorderly. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:20.000 It's the complete opposite of what you're trying to accomplish. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.000 It's not smooth and elegant. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.000 It's noisy and unprofitable. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.000 You know, it is true. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:32.000 People don't care what you know or how well you preach until they know you care. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:35.000 And I've seen this. 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.000 I know this to be true. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:37.000 I know it to be true. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:47.000 I know you can win an audience for one or two sermons by your skill, but you can't keep a people by your skill. 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:56.000 You can't maintain it until people know you love them and you care for them. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.000 And this is what Paul is saying. 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:01.000 The greatness is not in your giftedness. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.000 It's in your love. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:06.000 Well, what about being a theologian? 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:13.000 The second reason we should seek greatness through love is because it's more important than being the greatest theologian. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:17.000 I mean, I this is something I aspire after. 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:18.000 I want to be a great theologian. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:22.000 I mean, I'm doing honest, but look what it says in verse two. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:32.000 If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, I mean, every seminary student either aspires to become a great preacher or a great theologian. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.000 It's either one. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:36.000 Sometimes you could be like Spurgeon and be both, but that's very rare. 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:44.000 Usually you're a nerd that knows everything but have no speaking ability or you got great speakability, but you don't know anything. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:48.000 But very rarely can you have ball. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:52.000 But let's just say, hey, I want to be, you know, you're one that say, hey, I know I can't speak very well. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:53.000 I don't have that. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:56.000 Maybe I can compensate it by being a great scholar. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:06.000 I'll just keep reading and reading and reading until people respect me and want to hear me and listen to me and maybe read my books. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:12.000 But let's say you become such a scholar, such a theologian. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.000 You become the next John Calvin. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:22.000 You know, you have understanding where you can you can explain every mystery of the Bible. 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:31.000 I mean, it can go through the Trinity and break it down where everybody can comprehend it and understand it and everybody's impressed with how much you know. 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:37.000 But how many great theologians out there lack love? 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:45.000 I understood this in college when one of my professors, I thought, had become very arrogant and broadful. 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:50.000 Often knowledge is accompanied by pride. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:57.000 And once we're seeking to become a theologian for the sake of knowledge itself, then it does lead to pride. 00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:00.000 And then we just want to display what we know. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:03.000 It's not that we want to help people with what we know. 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:07.000 It's about getting people to admire and respect what we know. 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:11.000 But this is not real greatness. 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:20.000 James 3 13 says, who is wise and understanding among you by his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:30.000 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts and do not do not boast and be false to the truth, this is not the wisdom that comes from down from above. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:33.000 This type of wisdom is earthly and spiritual demonic. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:38.000 That is, if you're seeking self attention and praise, this is not the wisdom of God. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:47.000 This is not becoming a great theologian in the eyes of God for where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there will be disorder in every vowel practice. 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:55.000 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, good for its impartial and sincere. 00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:02.000 In other words, true wisdom is seen in love, humble love. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:05.000 And so we can all have that. 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:07.000 You can all aspire after that. 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:10.000 Lord, I do want to know the Word of God. 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.000 I do want to understand the Scriptures. 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:15.000 I don't want to be ignorant when it comes to your word. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:24.000 You should seek to be a theologian, but you should seek it in love so that you can love better. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:29.000 The motivation behind the pursuit should be God's glory and the good of others. 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:44.000 The third reason we should not seek glory and selfish ambition, but seek it in love is because possessing the gift of love is more important than even having all faith or being the greatest man of faith. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:59.000 It goes on to say in verse two, "And if I have all faith, so to remove mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing." You know, maybe the best way to become great is not being a preacher or a theologian, but maybe I need to be someone like George Mueller. 00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:24.000 And Paul is alluding to Jesus' teaching when the apostles came to him, "Hey, increase our faith." And Jesus says, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains." As far as I know, no one has ever moved mountains by faith, but Jesus says, "If you had enough faith, you could." And Paul is alluding to that even if you did have that type of faith, that you could move mountains. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:34.000 Literally, you say, "Mountain, get up and be moved in the sea." If that was you, you had more faith than George Mueller, but you had no faith. 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:36.000 I mean, we had no love. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:39.000 The Bible says you would be nothing. 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.000 You would be nothing. 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:44.000 You would not be great, not in the eyes of God. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:53.000 Rather than being great, you would become nothing without it. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:56.000 See, what's God saying to us? 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:57.000 Greatness is in love. 00:33:57.000 --> 00:34:00.000 Without it, there is no greatness at all. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:09.000 Fourth, possessing the gifts of love is more important than being even the greatest man of service. 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:11.000 Look at verse 3. 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:26.000 You know, Peter Waldo, when he was converted, he was a rich merchant in the 12th century. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:36.000 He was very wealthy, but once he was converted, he sold everything he had, gave everything away, and then became a missionary. 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:41.000 Or maybe we give up all of our time. 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:52.000 You know, Adderdon Judson went to Burma and gave every bit of his time in translating the Bible and the Burmese language. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:57.000 He had to write dictionaries and grammar books, and he just gave his life for the translation of the Bible. 00:34:57.000 --> 00:34:58.000 He gave his time. 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:00.000 I remember waking an hour to this. 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.000 He worked on it even when he was in prison. 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:10.000 Or what if we even gave our lives to the English reformers? 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:15.000 Lattimore and Ridley, in the 1554, remember Bloody Mary? 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:22.000 She had them two preachers put to death for their faith. 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:29.000 And Lattimore said to Ridley, "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:38.000 We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England that it shall never be put out." They gave their lives for the gospel. 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.000 But Paul says, "Hey, this is great. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:43.000 Being a martyr is great. 00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:58.000 But if you have no love, if you're being a martyr just to be great in the eyes of the world, or getting your name written in some biography, or to be remembered for who you are, and you don't have love, then you're nothing. 00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:07.000 It doesn't matter how well you preach, or what a great theologian you may be, or how much faith you have, or how much service you have. 00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:14.000 You're nothing without love." He says, "I've gained nothing. 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:37.000 You wasted your life if you didn't give your life to love, loving God and loving your neighbor." Is that not the essence of the law, to love God with all your heart, minus "oh, love your neighbor," as yourself? Is not this the kind of the chief end of man that we love God and enjoy God and glorify God and live for God out of love, and then to love others as God has loved us? 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.000 Is this not the great charge that we have? 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:43.000 Is this not the measure of greatness in the eyes of God? 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:48.000 See, this is wonderful news for us because we don't have to be a Spurgeon. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:50.000 We don't have to be George Bueller. 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:52.000 We don't have to be someone like that. 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:54.000 We don't have to have all these gifts. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:57.000 We don't have to be prophets or apostles or evangelists. 00:36:57.000 --> 00:37:00.000 We don't have to be teachers. 00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:09.000 You can excel and you can be a great Christian if you have love. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:14.000 You see, love is the power behind all the gifts. 00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:21.000 I mean, if you're a preacher, you should seek to be a good preacher, but what makes a good preacher is love. 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:24.000 Love is the essence of all theology. 00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:26.000 Love is how faith works. 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:30.000 Faith works through love, Galatians 5, 16 tells us. 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:36.000 Love is the end of all things. 00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:39.000 I mean, this is what love rejoices in the truth. 00:37:39.000 --> 00:37:43.000 This is what would push us to be a great theologian. 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:47.000 Love is what leads us to sacrifice. 00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:52.000 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:56.000 I mean, if you love, you will sacrifice. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:00.000 You will have faith. 00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:03.000 You see, our gifts are not for our own self-consumption. 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:06.000 I've said that like three weeks in a row. 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:11.000 God didn't give us these things for ourselves or for self-attention. 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:19.000 He's given us to give them out, to serve others, to see His name, God's name, magnified in this world. 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:22.000 Just assist the body of Christ. 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:24.000 You see, love is patient, is kind. 00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:28.000 Love does not envy or boast. 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:29.000 It's not arrogant or rude. 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.000 It does not insist on its own way. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:34.000 And love is not saying, hey, look at me. 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:37.000 Love is saying, look at Christ. 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:42.000 How can I help you? 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:54.000 We may not become a Spurgeon, a Calvin, a Mueller, or a Judson, but we still can become something great. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:57.000 It's not that we shouldn't seek greatness. 00:38:57.000 --> 00:39:00.000 You should. 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:03.000 But there's a more perfect way. 00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:06.000 There's a more surpassing way. 00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:09.000 We should earnestly desire this. 00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:12.000 We should be zealous after this. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:19.000 The problem is we become too content when we could all grow in love. 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:22.000 We can all love more. 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:31.000 I mean, one of the best things that could be said about you and your memorial service is, this woman loved God. 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.000 This man loved the church. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:38.000 This man was a man of love. 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:42.000 Now that's great. 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:46.000 You know, why love is so surpassing is the better way. 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:51.000 It's because it's seeking greatness, but it's not seeking it selfishly. 00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:56.000 It's seeking glory, but it's not self-focused. 00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:59.000 It's truly humble. 00:39:59.000 --> 00:40:02.000 It is truly magnificent. 00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:07.000 Who was the greatest preacher, theologian, man of faith? 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:11.000 And who sacrificed more than any other man ever lived? 00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:14.000 Jesus Christ. 00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:16.000 He was the greatest. 00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:19.000 But who loved more than him? 00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:22.000 Who loved more than Jesus Christ? 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:26.000 Now, I want to end by giving you a way to grow in love. 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:28.000 How to grow in love? 00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:30.000 I've thought long and hard about this. 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:31.000 I want more love. 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:36.000 In fact, preparing the sermon brought me to tears in the sense that I said, Lord, I'm not living up to this. 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:39.000 Who knows all the bad motives I've ever had in my life? 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:42.000 Lord, I'm sorry, but I'd see the goodness of this. 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:44.000 I see how wonderful this is. 00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:46.000 Please give me this love and I'm praying for it. 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:48.000 And so, like, how do you have more love? 00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:50.000 How do you kind of instill it? 00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:51.000 How do you grow in it? 00:40:51.000 --> 00:41:00.000 And I don't think there's any other way to grow in love than just to look at the love of Christ. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:06.000 You see, you have to see love and experience love to know love and to have love. 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:13.000 And Christ has loved you not just unconditionally, but to the greatest and the furthest extent he possibly could. 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:15.000 There's no greater love. 00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:20.000 I mean, literally, he poured out everything he had, and there wasn't a little bit of reservation that he kept himself. 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:22.000 He gave you everything. 00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:23.000 He gave you his life. 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:24.000 He gave you his dignity. 00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:26.000 He gave you his reputation. 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:28.000 He gave you his time. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.000 I mean, and he did it with joy. 00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:32.000 He wasn't even begrudging of it. 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:42.000 He was happy to do it because he cared about you, and he's affectionate for you, and he served you and died for you. 00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:44.000 Just meditate on that. 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:46.000 Keep that on your mind. 00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:49.000 Think of his love for you, and how can you not love him back? 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:55.000 How can you not fall in love and grow in love and your love not swell up within you? 00:41:55.000 --> 00:42:01.000 And it's that love that you have for Christ that's going to give you the strength to love people that don't love you back. 00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:03.000 How are you going to bless those who curse you? 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:05.000 How are you going to forgive those who despise you? 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:07.000 How are you going to not have bitterness in your heart? 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:09.000 How are you going to walk in love? 00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:11.000 You've got to abide in his love. 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:20.000 If you abide in me and my words abide in you and another place is abide in my love, and then you'll love others as I have loved you. 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:22.000 So this is a path of greatness. 00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:27.000 Christ walked it for us and showed us his love for us. 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:35.000 May we love him return and give our lives and faith and service and speaking and studying God's Word. 00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:37.000 May we do all these other things. 00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:47.000 Not that we should despise preachers and theologians and men of faith and those who sacrifice, but it's going to be love that pushes us in that direction. 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:50.000 It's going to be love that's going to make these things great. 00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:52.000 Let's pray. 00:42:52.000 --> 00:43:04.000 Lord, we're overwhelmed by your love for us, and we are underwhelmed by our lack of love. 00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:07.000 Give us more love to you. 00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:10.000 This we pray. Amen.