WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:04.639 Good morning! Good morning, church. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:06.959 Hey, you guys look great today. 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:09.039 It's great to be here with you all. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:10.320 I sound funny. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:11.359 Just a little bit. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:12.080 Alright. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:14.800 So I'm glad to be here with you today. 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:16.960 I'm excited to bring a message. 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:22.879 Um, but before we get into any of that, we're about to start the Family Matters series next week. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:30.719 And I want to let you guys know that there is a family here who just celebrated 54 years. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:39.359 And I want to celebrate Harry and Miss Niva on 54 years of marriage in the back right here. 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:41.759 Give them a yeah, stand up. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:50.320 These guys are wonderful people, wonderful servants of the Lord. 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:51.359 I love them dearly. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:55.600 What an example that they have set for us on family matters. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:10.480 So next week, Pastor Rick is gonna come and talk to us about family matters, but today I want to talk a little bit about maybe a precursor, and the idea and concept that we have is I want I wanted you to leave here knowing how to love well. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:17.120 Harry and Niva have their anniversary, and I want to tell you guys I'm celebrating July 27th. 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.760 I celebrated a big anniversary myself. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:21.519 I can still remember the day. 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:24.319 It was July 27th of 2013. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:27.200 A hot, steamy July morning. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.560 One of those days where you don't really want to get out of the air conditioner. 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.920 And I had to go out. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:38.400 Amanda and Ella had a thing to do with the girl, some kind of girl event. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:46.319 And at this time, July 27th of 2013, I was driving an old red Toyota Camry that had leaky seals. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:53.519 And when it rained, the rain got in the car, and when the heat came down on that, it stunked something awful. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:02:00.000 And we had been having showers, and the rain came in, and my car was stinking bad. 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.719 Luke was two, almost three years old. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:13.039 I had been watching and waiting and saving and thinking, and I had a relationship at this point with Toyota Tundra pickup trucks. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:17.840 I saw them on the internet, I knew how much they cost, I knew what features they had. 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:22.479 And on July 27, 2013, that was my day. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:26.400 I asked Luke, I said, Luke, do you want to go get a big truck? 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:29.439 And he said, Yes, and that was all that it took. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:41.039 We went 50 miles from the house, and I took his car seat out of that old red Toyota Camry, and I put it in the big truck, and everybody knew that it wasn't gonna come out again. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.000 And oh, how my truck shined. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:45.840 I loved her so well. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.000 We took her to see the family. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:52.240 We let people drive it if they got clearance, okay? 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.680 I got every spot off every window, everything I picked up out of the carpet. 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:05.280 I read the manual, I swore to myself, there's nothing ever gonna happen to this truck. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:14.800 But as time goes on, things come up that take more priority than all those promises you make. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:28.159 And one day I went out and my truck, which was supposed to start when I wanted it to start, and was supposed to go where I wanted it to go, and wasn't supposed to give me any trouble, had no power. 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:36.560 And I opened the hood, and under the hood there was a battery that was dead. 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:38.319 But that wasn't the only problem. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:44.080 The terminals and the posts were so corroded I couldn't even get it separated. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:52.159 Now I'm just hard-headed enough to believe that I could fix anything, so I took a hammer and I got my wrench. 00:03:52.400 --> 00:04:04.960 I had a ratchet, everything short of a reciprocating saw I used before I finally cut the battery cables, replaced all of that stuff, put a new battery in, and swore it would never, ever happen again. 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:18.480 And then about a month ago, in Tennessee, we pulled into the gas station, and when we went back out, my truck that was supposed to start and do the purpose that I had for it to do would not start. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:23.680 And so we called a mechanic and we found a glorious mechanic in Tennessee. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:27.360 They brought a battery to the gas station for these people from Alabama. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:34.319 And when the man came up, I remember saying this, I said, I'm ashamed to open this hood up and let you see what's going on in here. 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:42.160 What I want to tell you guys is that your family can be like a vehicle. 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:53.680 It starts off beautiful, you're so in love, and then seems like things take priority over your family. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.360 And you don't do the preventive maintenance that you need. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:04.399 What I did to my truck on a good day was neglect, and on a bad day might be outright abuse. 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:13.920 And if you don't do the preventive maintenance that you need, you may end up with an emergency repair. 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:23.920 Keep that in mind about your relationship with your spouse, with your children, as we talk about today how to love well. 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:25.920 Let's pray and then we'll get started. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:27.600 Dear Lord, thank you for today. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:33.040 God, I thank you for giving us the opportunity to gather here in your house. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:37.279 God, I thank you for the example that Jesus gave us about how to love. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:54.240 And I pray that you will just open our minds and hearts, that we may be receptive to your message, that we might find out something we need to do to be just a little bit better, a little more like you, and to love our family a little better than maybe we came in here doing. 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:56.079 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:08.959 John 15, 12, on the top of your outline, says this it says, This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:12.639 Jesus said that right before he went to be crucified. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:16.800 This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:24.959 Now he said this before his death, so I think he has to be referring to the time he walked on the earth and the way that he loved people while he was on earth. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:36.399 So today I want to look at this statement and I want to look at different ways that Jesus loved in the concept now, with no secrets, of the five love languages. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.800 We're going to be talking about those today. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:40.399 This is not new stuff. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:41.680 This is not my stuff. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:47.839 If you know the love languages, which I'm sure many of you do, consider this preventive maintenance. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.240 If you've never heard the love languages at all, man, I'm glad you're here. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:56.800 I hope that you leave here at least knowing what you think one of yours might be. 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.160 So, love one another as I have loved you. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:06.879 The first thing that I see when I look in the Bible that Jesus did is he spent quality time with people. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:09.120 Point one is quality time. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:18.959 If you want to love people well, there are some people who are only going to know that you love them if you give them your most valuable resource. 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:20.959 And let me tell you, it's time. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.560 It's the great leveler. 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:24.079 We can't get any more of it. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:25.519 You can go make more money. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:27.519 Sometimes you can get more energy. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:31.439 I've started taking a new vitamin this week, so energy is coming up. 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.959 But time, everybody has the same amount of time. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.560 You need to spend quality time with the people that you love. 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:44.639 Jesus and his disciples, they walked around together, they ate together, they worked together. 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:50.959 I'm thinking they probably fished together, some, they lived together, they served together, they were always together. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:58.319 And after Jesus ascended into heaven, Acts 1.14 tells us that the disciples stayed together in the upper room in one accord. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:03.199 On the day of Pentecost, which is 50 days out, they were still together in one accord. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.879 They were together, spending time together. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:16.639 One of my favorite stories that illustrates the principle of quality time in the Bible comes from Luke chapter 10, verse 38. 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:24.319 In Luke 10, 38, we find Jesus in a house. 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:31.920 Now it happened as they went, he entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:37.919 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.200 But Martha was distracted with much serving. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.960 And she approached him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.039 Therefore tell her to help me. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:58.080 And Jesus said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:02.960 And Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.759 We could spend days dissecting this. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:13.519 We see many different love languages at play here, but what Mary is doing is spending quality time with Jesus. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:18.799 And Jesus defends her spending quality time with him to Martha. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:25.120 So my question is to myself and to everyone here: do you spend quality time with Jesus? 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.919 If we're saved, and I hope that you are, if not, we'll talk about that later. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.679 You can be saved today by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:38.080 We've signed up and said we want to spend eternity with Jesus. 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.200 How do we show that today? 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.799 Are we doing a five or ten minute devotion in the morning? 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:47.919 Or are we with him all day long? 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:51.759 Jesus told us to abide in him. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.840 That means we're supposed to live in him all the time. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:57.519 And he said he wants to abide in us. 00:09:57.600 --> 00:09:59.679 And when that happens, there will be fruit. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.519 Abide, abide. 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.600 We're supposed to abide in Christ and spend quality time with him. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:10.720 I don't know about you, but for me, I don't have the strength to do it at the end of the day. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:17.039 I have to get up and start early, and then all the rest of the day seems to go better. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:21.039 I'm more in tune with Jesus if I have an appointment with him in the morning. 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:23.360 Not everyone's like that, I understand. 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:33.840 But time is our most valuable, our most sacred resource, and it is amazing to me how much we have done to give ourselves more time. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:39.919 When you think about it, we have so much more time than we had back in the 80s. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.679 You may not believe that. 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:42.960 We have the picture. 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.240 I want to show you this picture. 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:46.320 This is a great picture if it's coming up. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:48.399 Oh, look at this guy. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.399 Now, let me tell you guys what this is. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:54.639 This is a picture of little Dave Roper. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:01.440 And that item that I am sitting on is what we called a phone stand in Inslee, Alabama. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.519 And that was at Nana's house. 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:07.759 And that thing that I am holding is a, believe it or not, telephone. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:09.120 Big black telephone. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:12.879 And the number to that telephone is 7880251. 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:15.440 I know that because I dialed it so many times. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:19.919 And the number I'm probably dialing from that phone is 787-1544. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:22.799 I know that because I dialed it so many times back to mama's house. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:24.320 And here's the way you did it, kids. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.080 It had this dial on it. 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:32.799 And you went seven eight seven one. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:36.639 Three. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:38.399 Oh no, I gotta start all over. 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.679 It was supposed to be a four. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:41.840 You had to hang up and start seven. 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:43.519 I'm not gonna make y'all go through all that again. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:47.200 Sometimes it could take a minute, minute and a half to get a call out. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:57.600 Now, what we were doing there a lot of times on that phone, though, you couldn't pick it up if Nana was waiting on a call. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:01.919 When you're waiting on a call, nobody can be on the phone. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:07.360 And if anyone calls, she would say hello, and if it's not the call she's waiting on, she would say, I'm waiting on a call, I have to let you go. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:08.320 And then it was over. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:09.600 Because you couldn't miss the call. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.279 There were no answering machines. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:13.679 There was no beep in call waiting. 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:14.559 I remember when that started. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:15.440 That was amazing. 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:18.240 We didn't have to, we could talk on the phone while we were waiting on a call. 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:24.879 We had all of our papers in order right there by the phone, and we would spend hours waiting on a call. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:27.519 We don't have to wait on a call anymore. 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:29.519 We take the call with us. 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:32.399 We don't have to sit on a little stand, we do whatever we want. 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:35.440 So much time has been freed up just by that. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.000 Hey, but what about tape recorders? 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.000 Anybody remember these things? 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:41.200 About this big? 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:49.279 And you would wait for your song to come on the radio, and then you would punch record, and you might miss the first couple of words because you didn't know it was coming on. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:58.159 We spent hours trying to wait on that song to come on so that we could have the song on our tape and play it whenever we wanted it, as long as we rewind it. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:00.720 Now, how long do we spend rewinding? 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:03.279 Be kind, please rewind. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:04.879 You guys remember that at the video store? 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:06.720 What even is a video store? 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:07.440 We got it right here. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:09.360 We don't have to go to the video store. 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.559 In 1986, I was kind of the nerdy kid. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:14.399 I got an encyclopedia. 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:17.759 And that kept me from having to go to the library. 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:21.360 Hours and days I spent at the library as a kid. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:25.840 We've got all of that right here. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:30.159 But distraction rules the day. 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:39.759 This, you get your calls, you get your music, you get your Wikipedia, encyclopedia, but at what cost? 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.519 I get a screen time report on Sunday morning during Sunday school. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:50.000 A couple weeks ago, it said I've spent six hours a day on my screen. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.879 And that's not a lot compared to some of you guys. 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:55.440 Six hours a day. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:11.440 If I can be connected with everything going on in New York, everything that's going on in China, my friend Charlie from high school who lives in Colorado, all right here, I've got to make a choice about whether or not that's more important than the people in the room with me. 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:16.320 And a lot of times I think I miss, I may, I make the wrong choice. 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:22.960 And what I think I may be doing when I make that wrong choice is missing out on the good part. 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:27.200 Jesus told Martha, don't miss out on the good part. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:31.039 And I'm gonna tell you guys, don't miss out on the good part. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.000 Believe it or not, you have control over this thing. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:37.519 You can put it across the room, I think. 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:39.919 You can give it a bedtime. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:41.840 There are people who build little beds for them. 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:42.960 You put it in there and charge it. 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.320 It goes in the kitchen. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:47.679 You can make it stay in bed a little longer in the morning. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.480 You don't have to be run by the phone. 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.240 Martha in our story is so distracted by doing good things. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:15:04.159 Now she's serving, she's demonstrating what we're gonna get to later, the acts of service, love language, but she misses out on the good part, which is quality time with Jesus. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.759 And the fact of the matter is, there is a trade-off for everything. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:14.159 If I'm spending 42 hours a week looking at my screen, that's 42 hours a week. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:16.240 I'm not doing something else. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:20.240 And these didn't even exist 30 years ago. 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:32.879 There's a 2018 survey of a thousand elementary school students, and the results were the kids said during a school day, weekday, they spent an average of 37 minutes of family time. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:35.360 37 minutes. 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:39.200 We have, I think, 1,400 something in the day. 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.360 I get six hours on my phone. 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.000 Am I missing the good part? 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:52.159 There's a fella named Tim Urban, and he wrote an article called The Tail End. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:16:00.080 The principle of this article is that you may be on the tail end of opportunity that you have to do certain things. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.519 This may be the last few chances you have. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:06.960 Let me give you a, my, my wife Amanda, as an example. 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:16.960 She grew up in a house with her father, they were divorced, and she spent probably on average 300 days a year with her dad for 19 years. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:25.759 I'm not gonna die, kill you with math, but that's about 5,700 days Amanda spent with her dad from the time she was born until 19. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:27.759 He's 65 now. 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:31.120 If he lives to be 90, that's 25 years. 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:35.919 We see him about once a month, 12 times a year times 25 years. 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:39.759 We have maybe 300 more chances to see her dad. 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.879 Versus 5,700. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.639 When she was a kid before she turned 19. 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:52.879 I tell you that to tell you this, parents, if you've got kids in the house, you're not gonna get this time back. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:59.519 When they leave, a lot of times they don't come back, and they're gonna be on the tail end of when you're gonna see them. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:07.839 Kids, if you've left the house and you've got parents at home, realize you may not have that many more chances to see them on this earth. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:20.240 Embrace quality time and show your people that you love them by spending quality, undistracted, completely attentive time with them. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:22.799 It's a great way to show love. 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:25.599 And Jesus praised Mary for it here. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.480 She's not missing the good part. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:31.039 It's not going to be taken away from her. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:32.880 You don't either. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.240 Number two. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:50.000 I'm sure you guys may have heard the story of an old couple who had been married maybe some 40 years, went to marital counseling, and the lady told the counselor he never even tells me he loves me. 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:55.519 And the husband said, I told you that the day we married, and if anything changes, I'll let you know. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:02.640 Hey, you laugh, but do you tell your people that you love them enough? 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:12.240 The people in your house need you to tell them that with your words, and they also need you to tell them good things about themselves. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:15.920 Good things that they can do, good things that they have done. 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:17.599 How beautiful they are. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.039 You need to tell them. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:20.160 And it can be hard. 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:31.599 If you're anything like me, I can go home and 99% of everything is 100% in place and right, and I will notice the one thing wrong. 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:34.240 And that's what I choose to comment on. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.559 What does that do to the people in the house who've been working all day? 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.319 We need to give words of affirmation. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:50.240 Jesus affirmed Mary to Martha in Luke chapter 10, but there's another example that I like even better in Mark chapter 14. 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:53.039 Verse 3. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:10.160 It says this being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of costly oil of spikenark, and she broke the flask and poured it on his head. 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:16.079 But there were some who were indignant among themselves and said, Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:20.240 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:22.799 And they criticized the woman sharply. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:25.759 But Jesus said, Let her alone. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:27.279 Why do you trouble her? 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.960 She's done a good work for me. 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:33.200 For you had the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good. 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:36.400 But me you do not have always. 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.000 She's done what she could. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:40.960 She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:44.960 Assuredly, I say to you, this is it right here. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:53.200 Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told as a memorial to her. 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:55.839 John identifies this lady as Mary. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:02.720 Jesus said, Anytime that this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she's doing right now, we're going to talk about it. 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:03.599 And you know what? 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:05.440 Today we're talking about it. 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:09.119 Think about what that did for Mary. 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:13.039 Think about what that would do for your kids. 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.839 Think about what that would do for your brothers and sisters and your spouse. 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:20.640 I'm going to talk about the good things. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:25.200 Usually, when I talk, I want to talk about the bad things. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:29.920 It's just something I can't get over. 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.279 We're not supposed to talk about the bad things. 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.279 We're supposed to lift people up. 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:39.519 And the Bible is full of affirmations that God gives us. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:51.920 1 Peter 2 9 tells us this: You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people who have been called out of darkness into God's marvelous light. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:53.519 Listen to that again. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:56.319 You are chosen, royal. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.079 You're holy, you're special, you're called. 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:02.000 You are. 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:09.279 The Bible also tells us in Romans 8, 16, and 17, you're children of God. 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.599 And if children, then you're heirs of God. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.400 And if you're heirs, then you're joint heirs with Christ. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:20.960 This is God looking at us and saying, Hey, hey, you're my kid. 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:29.759 I can say a lot of things to my kids, but when I just say, hey, you're my kid, it means so much. 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:31.200 It means I've got this. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:32.799 I don't want to do you any harm. 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:33.359 I love you. 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:34.559 I'm going to take care of you. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:35.440 You're special. 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:36.960 It would kill me if I lost you. 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:40.319 God is saying all that by saying that we're his children. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:42.000 We're his kids. 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:46.480 What a wonderful word of affirmation that he gives us. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:52.079 Not only does the Bible affirm us, it also tells us that we should affirm others. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:56.000 Ephesians 4 29 is one of Pastor Danny's favorite verses. 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.759 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth except what is good and necessary. 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.160 For the edification that it may impart grace to the hearers. 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:09.039 That gives you four levels you're supposed to go through before you say anything. 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:11.599 And I just hope that my sermon meets that. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:15.599 It's got to be good, necessary, edifying. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:18.480 That means it has to feed and give value. 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:21.119 And then it has to be gracious. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:27.200 There would be a whole lot less talking if we went through those steps every time before we said something. 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:36.240 Psalm 19, 14, let the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord. 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:42.720 And finally, Proverbs 18, 21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:47.200 Does your tongue bring death or life to your family? 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:49.279 You have that power. 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:52.720 How do I fix it though? 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:58.480 It's so hard to get good things to come out of my mouth sometimes. 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:06.400 What I think the Bible tells us, Jesus says in Matthew 12, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:09.759 Whatever your heart's full of, that's what you're gonna speak. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:19.359 And if you're full of negativity and stress and worry and fear and concern, if you're a perfectionist and that's in your heart, it's gonna come out. 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:35.039 But if we will do what Philippians 4.8 says, and whatever is true, noble, pure, lovely, of good report, anything that has any virtue and anything that's praiseworthy, meditate on these things. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.079 Let me say that again. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:43.200 Whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, anything of any virtue and anything that's praiseworthy. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:52.319 If you will meditate on that, about the people around you, starting by the people under your roof and then expanding outward, you will have good things to say. 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:56.319 Because you'll be thinking good things about them all the time. 00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:00.720 We need to tell our people good things to show them that we love them. 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:06.160 There's some people who aren't gonna believe that you love them unless you tell them good stuff about themselves. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:10.319 My wife is one, and I struggle. 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:20.000 I asked her the other day, I said, I could work five hours busting my tail, doing stuff for you, because I'm an acts of service guy. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:21.200 We'll talk about that later. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.119 I said, would that show me? 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:28.160 Would you believe that those five hours were more important than one compliment? 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:30.640 And she said, give me the compliment. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:34.000 Because that's what she hears. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:35.440 Very important. 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:40.000 Third, receiving gifts. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:46.160 Jesus gave a lot of gifts while he was on the earth. 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:52.960 There's a lot of passages that we have that we're going to talk about, but a gift is a physical symbol of love. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:55.359 Physical symbol of love. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:58.559 Some people need to get a gift to believe that you love them. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:07.920 And that way they can sit it on the counter and they can look at it and say, my baby went out and spent his time and money and effort and energy and was thinking about me while he wasn't here. 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:10.160 That's my gift of how much he loves me. 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.920 Jesus gave gifts all the time, but he didn't really go to the store. 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:18.319 Let me just tell you, there's a lot of good gifts that don't come from the store. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:21.759 You can give a lot of gifts that don't come from the store. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:26.480 In Matthew 14, Jesus gave the gift of food to 5,000 people. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:30.880 In Matthew 15, Jesus gave the gift of food to another 4,000 people. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:32.559 He didn't have to go to the store. 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:36.319 He healed many people all the time, giving gifts. 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:40.160 John 2 is one of my favorites. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:43.279 Just a good, interesting story. 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:56.960 It's where they're at the marriage, and they run out of wine, and Jesus' mother, in John 2, verse 3, when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:02.720 And Jesus said to her, Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:04.799 My hour has not yet come. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:09.599 Now that's a strange thing for Jesus to say, but I love what Mary does even more in the next verse. 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:12.319 She doesn't even acknowledge the comment. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:17.279 She tells the servants, servants, whatever he says, you do it. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:20.160 Like it's gonna happen. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:27.279 Just read that sometime this week and think about this interaction of Jesus and his mom. 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:33.200 But what happens is they fill up water pots, and then when they pull it out, it's wine. 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:34.079 The servants do. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:38.720 They take it to the chief of the feast, and he doesn't know how it happened. 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:42.960 But he calls the bridegroom in and says, Why did you save the good stuff for the end? 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:44.960 You're supposed to pull us out at the beginning. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:49.519 The bridegroom and the chief of the feast, they didn't know how it happened. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:58.960 But if you read in your Bible in verse 9, in parentheses, it says, But the servants who had drawn the water out knew. 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:09.839 If I'm a servant and I see this, I'm gonna have to get a little bottle of that to set on my counter to say, This is how much love Jesus showed the people at that wedding. 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:12.000 This is how powerful Jesus is. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:18.240 The servants are the people that I love to see in this story about Jesus giving that gift. 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:22.160 My favorite gift that Jesus gave was the gift of an ear. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:25.359 You see this in all four accounts of the Gospels. 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:29.039 You see it in Matthew 26, you see it in Mark 14. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:35.440 It says that Jesus was going to be arrested, and one of the people who was arresting him's ear got cut off. 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:35.839 Okay? 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:42.079 If you read in John, John names names and says it was Simon Peter, and Malchus is the one who cut the ear off. 00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:49.039 And if you read in Luke, the doctor, Luke tells us that Jesus healed Malchus's ear. 00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:51.519 He gave him the gift of an ear. 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.799 Malchus is an intriguing guy to me. 00:27:55.039 --> 00:28:04.000 Because when I think about all the rest of his life, he touched his ear and was like, this was gone, and now it's back, and Jesus did it, and then we arrested him and killed him. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:13.440 I would like to think that if Jesus healed my ear, there would be nothing that stood in my way. 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.279 But you know what? 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:18.640 He's healed a lot more than an ear for me. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:28.000 And is there anything that stands in my way from this gift of eternal life of salvation that he's given me at no cost to me? 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:33.599 Do I take a stand for Jesus, or am I gonna keep going on and getting along? 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:37.759 He shows he loves us by gifts. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:41.759 A gift is something that's given without payment. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.559 A gift is something that you cannot earn. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:49.680 My boy Luke tells me this: a gift is not a reward or a prize that you win. 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:52.799 To have a gift, there must be a giver. 00:28:53.920 --> 00:29:02.799 So when you people, when your people need to receive gifts, you give them something with no ties, no strings attached, no anything. 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.680 It's just a gift. 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:04.640 It's theirs. 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:09.759 And they're gonna look at it and think about how much you love them and how much you care about them. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:15.359 Because people who speak the receiving gifts love language, it's the thought that counts. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:23.039 But there's limits about how much the thought can count. 00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:27.920 I'll tell you guys a story about one day when the thought didn't count. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:31.920 Take you back to December of 2010. 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:39.200 I was a young man, we had a two-month-old, we had a two-year-old, so we had more time than we could shake a stick at. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:44.240 And I had what I now believe is the flu. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.880 I had a fever of 102 or so degrees, depending on when we measured it. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:30:00.880 And I had this for like 10 days, and I had a lot of things I was working hard to get finished, so I didn't have to carry it over through Christmas, so I wouldn't have to think about it. 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:02.960 So I would not go to the doctor. 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:08.240 And I just kept eating the vitamins and the Nyquil and the whatever, and I didn't get well. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:11.839 And what a fever of 102 or three will do, untreated over a week. 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:14.400 It will eat away at your brain capacity. 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:17.200 That's what I say. 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:29.039 Now we throw in on top of the stress of Christmas and the stress of work that my beautiful wife, the mother of my children, had a milestone birthday coming up on December the 10th. 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:36.000 And I went to all of the places in my insanity where you go to look for a great 30th birthday present. 00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:38.559 I went to Walmart and Target. 00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:49.599 I went to Pennies, and I may have gone to the thrift store, and I could not come up with the perfect gift for my lady. 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:53.519 Her birthday came and went, and I didn't have a present. 00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:55.839 And the stress mounted even more. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.839 I had nothing but a promise that I was going to get her a present. 00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:19.279