Ken Styles - Class 6: A More Excellent Way

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Is the North Battleford November 2010 study weekend. Our speaker is our brother Ken Styles is topic being Godly love. This is our fifth class the title for this class being a more. Excellent way. Our reading was taken from first of Corinthians chapter 13 for the chem, please.

2. 0:27

   Thank you, brother. Nathan. I am delinquent brothers and sisters and failing to convey the love and greetings of your brother and sisters in the Royal Oak. Ecclesia back in Detroit and apologize for Waiting for the End to do so, but very much want to convey their eternal love. We were appreciative of the participation we had during the class this morning and going through the life of Abigail and that incident and hopefully you will see that is the purpose of that exercise was to help all of us. Begin to do a better job of identifying. The aspects of Godly love in the lives of these faithful Bible characters again because the word love doesn’t always appear in connection with the incident or with the individual sometimes we fail to miss it, but hopefully between Checklist, you have in between the notes will be, will be begin to do a better job of being able to identify it. Just one other point before we get into the class and brother Skip and mentioned to me during one of the breaks today, and I thought it was a good observation on his part that we’ve talked often times about one of the key characteristics of human lungs is it has this reciprocating expectation that if I do for you then you will do for me. But that isn’t to say that all love, that has a reciprocating expectation is human long because as he rightly pointed out, God loves us with a reciprocating expectation. That we will turn around and serve him. That’s why he gave us his son.

3. 2:10

   He forgives us as we saw in Luke 7, yesterday in the incident, with the woman who came to the meal, with Simon the Pharisee, and with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. One with the Divine expectation that we will, then go out and love God, even more and be obedient to him.

4. 2:27

   So, if we’ve left you with the wrong impression that every time there was a reciprocating expectation, it must be human love. We want to clarify that, that situation. God rightfully has an expectation from us out of the love that he shows to us. We’re going to look at a couple more characters. Very briefly in this afternoon session before turning our attention to First Corinthians 13 again just to reinforce this ability. Hopefully this newfound skill to identify what Godly love looks like in the life of faithful men and women and if you recall the incident of Joseph you don’t necessarily have to turn up his life but just now think through those incredible events in Genesis 37 because here is a young man at a very early age. So if there are any young people here, this received this afternoon, Joseph is only 17.

5. 3:24

   When he isn’t just learning about Godly love, he is already manifesting Godly love at a very high level. We know from the events of Genesis 37, that his Brethren hate him. The Jacob, then makes a special code for him to acknowledge his spirituality because Jacob can see the spirituality of his of his young son and the Brethren hate him even more Fort and can’t speak peaceably to him.

6. 3:49

   God gives then gives him a dream which reinforces Jacobs. So election of Joseph as the spiritual leader of the family and in response to brother and hate him even more. God, then gives Joseph a second dream to underscore the certainty of Joseph being the spiritual leader of this family. And of course, this only results in his brother and hating him even further. So life would have been miserable for Joseph in that household.

7. 4:20

   Surrounded by Brethren older Brethren, whose hatred was obvious, but of Greater concern to Joseph, was that he could see, they were ungodly and wicked men back in chapter 37, and they didn’t just hate Joseph. They hated God’s word. So when God’s word came in the form of these dreams, they hated the dreams and they hated God and they despise the promises. So, how does Godly love react to that kind of a situation? If you find yourself in the situation that Joseph was in, what does it do?

8. 5:01

   But what does Godly love look like in that situation and the answer of course is what we have seen this weekend. It does all it can even to the point of putting your life at risk and laying down your life out of a desire and doing it willingly to save those who are in need of Your Love.

9. 5:25

   That’s what Godly love looks like in that kind of a situation so that you can save them and help them to overcome sin. So that all that Joseph does in the various counts of his accounts of his interactions with the Brethren. It’s all motivated by Godly love, whether it’s chapter 37 in their, dealings with him. Whether it’s later on in the events, when they come down the Egypt, it is all Godly love that. Joseph is showing to them.

10. 5:54

    Because Godly love will bring an evil report to Jacob in the spirit of Matthew 18. When he sees his Brethren out in the field, doing whatever they were doing back in chapter 37, and it brings the evil report out of a desire to win them back to righteousness. It is Godly love, that will Faithfully relay the dream, the first dream that God gave him out of a desire to convey to the Brethren.

11. 6:22

    This is God speaking to us as a sir. As a family Godly love will Faithfully convey. The second dream, even though you’re, you know, for certainty that this second dream is not going to endear your brethren to you. It’s going to intensify their hatred. But Godly loves says, we convey the word of God because that is our responsibility Godly love goes out in search of one’s Brethren.

12. 6:46

    Even though you know they hate you, he’s not a naive 17 year old who goes out seeking his brother and chapter 37 and is surprised to find that, they hate him to the point where they’re thinking of killing him. But you see when Godly love is our motivation. You seek them out which are the words of Joseph in that chapter. I seek my brother.

13. 7:12

    Because it perseveres even when it would appear, there is no hope for their salvation. It doesn’t matter what their past mistreatment of you, is Ben That doesn’t diminish your efforts in the slightest, it continues to return, good for evil because the power of Godly love is greater than the power of sin, and the power of evil, it continues to love ones neighbor, as oneself. Even when The Neighbor 10, not speak peaceably about you Godly, knob Godly love is not confined to those people that really love you.

14. 7:49

    It speaks highly of you Godly love extends to all All even our neighbors. Who may treat us in the, in the vein of how Jacob Joseph was treated by his brother. Joseph put himself in their position and realized they were men going in the wrong direction. And he said, what would I need? If I was in their situation and I was as ungodly in my Outlook as I as they were and they certainly wouldn’t need Joseph to turn on them.

15. 8:22

    They certainly wouldn’t need Joseph to shun them and say I’ll have nothing to do with them, they would need Joseph to do. All he could to win them back to righteousness to save them from sin. It wouldn’t matter if Joseph will be successful or not, that is not what God asks us to, determine we don’t love. Because we think our efforts will be successful in whatever it is.

16. 8:46

    We’re trying to achieve we love because that’s how God loves There won’t be a single person at the Judgment seat. Who is rejected not a single one. That can ever with any justification, say God, if you had done more in my life I might have turned out differently. Because God will have done everything possible in his power to win over those. He is called that’s the god that we worship. And that’s the love that he shows. Even when he knows those to whom he shows, love will not all respond the way they should.

17. 9:24

    Because Godly love doesn’t try and figure out the end. and then only extend itself to those who we are certain will be on the right side and the final day of judgement His suffering of a bare hands, did not stop. Joseph from loving his brother, the wonderful outcome. In this case, as we all know as it in the end. 22 years later, it was Joseph.

18. 9:52

    Love for his Brethren back in chapter 37, that helped win them back to righteousness by causing them to forsake, their former ways. The key point, and we have found this helpful personally, especially in working within the Brotherhood, and within the occlusal world, Joseph never saw his Brethren as false Brethren even in the darkest of days.

19. 10:18

    He saw them as lost Brethren and there is a world of difference scripturally between those two terms. God gave him a dream right up front that said one day you will be their spiritual head and they will bow down to you willingly. Not because they’re forced to do so but because they choose to do so and God gave Joseph, the Assurance upfront that one day, this situation will come to pass.

20. 10:49

    And that would have steeled in Joseph’s mind that these Brethren is evil as they are, are lost Brethren. Because God has now revealed to me that one day and we see it come to fruition in chapter 50 when they come and willingly bow down to him. It doesn’t happen when they come to Egypt and they don’t even know who he is.

21. 11:08

    That is not the Fulfillment of the dream, but when they come and they know who he is, and they willingly give themselves over to him and in chapter 50 recognized, he is the spiritual leader of this family, and rightfully. So, God’s promise God’s prophecy. So to speak, comes to fulfillment. For Godly love, continues to love, lost brethren in order to try and win them back to righteousness.

22. 11:38

    And if Joseph could continue to show Godly, love to his brother who hated him and who could not speak peaceably to him and who sold him into slavery and deceive their father into leading him to grieve. Joseph’s death for so long. What does that teach us? About the level of mistreatment, we might receive in a cliche life.

23. 12:02

    And what we shouldn’t be willing to endure. No one in the Ecclesia will ever mistreat us, never mistreat us like Joseph was mistreated by his brother and if he could maintain his Godly love in those circumstances That’s The Power of what this love can do for us. Is there ever a situation in?

24. 12:24

    Which a brother can Soul? Mistreat me to justify my ceasing to love him with Godly love and according to the story and the example of Joseph, he would teach me that there is never never a situation in my life where I can ever turn to any of my brothers and sisters. And say your mistreatment of me.

25. 12:47

    You’re shaming of me at the last meeting. Your publicly exposing of me in the last exhortation. You get whatever it is. The email you sent about me, doesn’t matter. There is never a situation when I can turn to that brother or sister and say, I can turn off my Godly love for you. That’s the power brothers and sisters. There is no situation.

26. 13:09

    Probably love keeps loving. You see the same example in the situation of Judah, again will try to go through this briefly, remember the setting, the ten Brothers have waited a long time before returning to Egypt a second time Joseph, Jacob was extremely reluctant to send Benjamin and it’s not until Judah offered himself as personal Surety to Jacob.

27. 13:33

    The Jacob agrees to send Jake to, to allow Benjamin to, to go down to Egypt. And when the ten Brethren arrived in Egypt, the events of the next 24 hours leaves them ecstatic. They have come to Egypt concerned over the fact that when they went the home, the last time they still had their money.

28. 13:52

    So they’re going to have to explain how it is. We came down, we paid for the money and we got home. It was in our sacks. We don’t know how it happened but we we brought that money we’re going to make do and they don’t know what’s become of Simeon. They don’t know how they’ll be treated, but almost from the moment they arrived, Let me see one good piece of news.

29. 14:10

    After another, the money from the first trip, the servant says your God. Must have put it back in the stacks. It’s a non-issue here is Simeon. In good health. They were extended the rare privilege of being invited to dine with the governor in his house and the governor sits with them. And he puts them in order of birth order, they sit here and eat and he sits in his own place.

30. 14:32

    When they went to sleep, that night, you have to put yourself in these situations to see what God is teaching us. The Brethren couldn’t have, had felt any better about the situation than they did. They had had a great day. If they had called home to Jacob that night, they were to said, you would not believe what happened.

31. 14:54

    It’s been a tremendous day and he would have recounted all the wonderful things and we’re heading home tomorrow morning, God willing. And they get up the next day and they would leave to return home with great joy in their heart. And the governor’s servants catches up with him and he drops a bombshell. One of you has the Governor’s Cup and they are so convinced that that is an impossibility that they declare that all of them will become slaves of the governor. They are so sure of their innocence. The servant changes the focus to be solely on the individual with whom the cup is found, he is to be a lifelong slave. He searches their bags and there’s to come with Benjamin’s possessions and the Brethren immediately unite as one without hesitation and they returned to sort out the matter. And when the evidence is weighed Benjamin is overwhelmingly guilty, and the sentence is pronounced. And Judah steps forward to talk to the governor. And chapter 44 is all about The Godly love of Judah. It, it shows what happens when Godly Love Takes Over the life of an individual.

32. 16:21

    He willingly lays down his life. So that another, his brother in his dad, will be able to benefit. He loves Benjamin in deed and in truth, not in word, or in tongue. His, his love has sprung from his faith. He doesn’t know what chapter 45 is about. All he knows, is he is about to become a lifelong slave of this Governor because he is not going to allow his younger brother. Whom his father loves Pretty kept in prison when he has given himself as Surety to his dad.

33. 16:57

    When he said to his father that I will become Surety for the lad, these were not throw away words. Judah had reached that point in his life where he gave Jacob, the absolute Assurance. If it comes to the point where it’s Benjamin’s life or my life, you see that becomes his Declaration of Godly lungs. You don’t see the word love in his declaration, but that’s what it is.

34. 17:23

    I will become Surety for Benjamin and then God puts him into that position where he has to test whether or not. Judah’s declaration will be followed by his action and sure enough to If it isn’t. And you notice he doesn’t just love God. This is Judah when everything is going fine, he shall fall. He shows forth his Godly love when everything is falling apart because he is trusting that God will see him through. He loved Benjamin and himself.

35. 17:57

    He puts himself in the pit because that’s where Joseph had watched. It brought the Brethren back to the pit of chapter 37. Now, becomes the pit of chapter 44 and Judah looks down at Benjamin, proverbially or symbolically in the pit. And he says if I was in the pits and I am now facing a lifetime of servitude and slavery in Egypt, never to return home. What would I need?

36. 18:27

    And Benjamin in that pit has Judah, reach down and lift him out. And he takes his place. That’s what loving our neighbor as ourself is all about. There’s that kind of power in this principle, if we will allow it to take. Hold of our life.

37. 18:49

    Judith certainly wasn’t born with his Godly love without doubt. He had to learn his Godly love, and it took a long time to teach him, we need to forbear with one another brother and sisters. It took Judah a long time to learn his Godly love, but once he had it, and once he understood the power of it, God was able to work.

38. 19:15

    Marvelous things in his life. And it is so marvelous, that God wants this incident in chapter 44 recorded. So for every subsequent generation They can see how most of us don’t start out of Joseph. Most of us start out as Judah. But if we will observe The Godly love of Jacob and become sympathetic to it and realize that is really a better way to live. The power and principles of Godly love can take over in our life.

39. 19:49

    And Rule our thoughts and actions and decisions, just like they did in the case of Judah. So that Godly love transformed. Judah’s character. He really was a new person as a result of the power of Godly love in his life.

40. 20:05

    And it’s obvious. It goes without saying almost that the power of Godly love in his life was greater than the power of sin. It would have been so easy from a natural standpoint. To Simply leave Benjamin so to speak in the pit and return home and tell. Jacob, you’ll never believe what happened.

41. 20:25

    There was the cup in the sack, who would have ever thought of Benjamin. We can’t believe it. But what will we to do the cup? Was there the servant found it?

42. 20:38

    It would have been so easy to be a hireling and to flee temptation. For Judah had become a Good Shepherd. His love was to Love Of Christ. You couldn’t have loved Benjamin Moore. Then Judah love Benjamin that day. Judah’s love was a greater love hath. No, man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. His love United, the two key principles of crucifying the Flesh, on the one hand and serving others in order to save them on the other.

43. 21:14

    And judah’s life, his Godly love had produced in him a power that enabled him to become a hyper or a super conquer as Paul speaks of in Romans 8. Because he added his love to the Divine love and that created a power in judah’s life. It is not a mystical power, it is not a magical power.

44. 21:42

    It is the power of principles that come to an understanding in our mind and we say I am going to stand behind and live by those principles because they are a better way to live and that power that we see evidence in judah’s life. Was not going to prevent him. It was not going to separate him from the love of God. Sin had been overcome in judah’s life by love, so that chapter 44 is a wonderful Declaration of the love of Judah, and it shows us if we will believe it.

45. 22:20

    It shows us how far love will take us in the development of our discipleship. Not to our glory and credits. But God is saying, look, I need you to embrace my lungs and if you will, there are great things I can do in your life, for the sake of others, not to your own Glory.

46. 22:40

    That’s not what this is about. We can become his workmanship for good works to his glory, but until we Embrace his love, we severely restrict God’s ability to work in our life. Esther is another example of the power of Godly love and how it changes her life. She begins chapter 4 and she does not have Godly love if you turn to the events, you don’t need to. If you’re familiar with them, she is not prepared to lay down her life for her Brethren.

47. 23:14

    You see we’re not born with gobbly loved as we’ve pointed out. It doesn’t happen naturally, it’s a love that must be learned and it’s not an easy love to learn to put into practice. Has been has been echoed in the prayers and no down in the conversations among us. This is a love that we have to work at it.

48. 23:34

    It is not easy to crucify the flesh. It’s easy to understand how it is to be done, but to actually put it in practice. I think one of the reasons the story of Esther it is recorded for us and especially the events of chapter 4 is to show us, it isn’t easy, but once it’s embraced, God can do great things.

49. 23:55

    The setting, of course is haman’s, life-ending sentence. Of death has been signed deceitfully. The Kings approval, was secured. Third deceitfully. And that sentence of death will wipe out the Jews in a single day. All because mortar Ki is refusal to Bow Down and Worship this. Wicked man Heyman. The Persian law published throughout the Empire calls for all Jews to die and the Jews in every city in every Province.

50. 24:24

    As the decree comes forth are Weeping and wailing in sackcloth and Ashes. And Esther does not know what’s happened. She’s not aware of the deadly decree, she learns of the decree because she learns. That Mordecai is openly sitting in the square in sackcloth and Ashes grieving and wailing publicly. So see she says, Hey Tech to find out what the reason is mordecai. Sends hate to act right back and he’s got two things in his hand. One is a copy of haman’s decree.

51. 24:57

    One thing in his hand, actually in the second is the instructions for Esther to go to the king and appeal to the king. On behalf of her people and Esther sends word back to Mordecai. I won’t go.

52. 25:11

    I am not going to go before they came because every Persian knows that. If you go before the king, the Royal law says that you are to be slain. Unless he extends the scepter verse 11 of chapter for all the king’s Servants of the people of the king’s provinces do know that whosoever whether man or woman shall come unto the king into the inner Court who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king, shall lay, hold shall Hold out the golden scepter that he may live, but I have not been called to come in under the king.

53. 25:45

    These 30 days at the outset, she is unwilling to risk her life for her people. The love she has. At the outset of these events is not godly loved. It is Human lungs. How do we know that? Because who does she love in this chapter at the beginning of these events? She loves her family.

54. 26:10

    And Mordecai exposes her human love. He goes on to say, don’t think that your love for your family and your desire to protect them is going to keep them. From coming under the deadly curse of this law of Haman. You are not going to protect your family by remaining silent. He doesn’t use the words but he might as well have said.

55. 26:33

    Esther, you have human lung and he challenges her human love. This is not what the situation calls for. Esther, you need to be willing to lay down your life. For your people. But he won’t force her. You cannot force Godly love on anyone. Because the death to sin that we must die has got to be done willingly. The Marvel of all of this is Esther and Mordecai. As we know, never talked person to person. It’s all done through Messengers, but Mordecai sends word back to Esther.

56. 27:14

    You need to go before the king and let me remind you as stir that God is going to save Israel of that. I have no doubt. But the way to overcome Heyman is not the approach. You use it. You see back in chapter 3, more Decay, I had already stood up to Haven. And he laid down his life when he told Heyman. I am not going to bow down to you and he did it in a very public setting because you don’t Bow Down and Worship men like Heyman.

57. 27:47

    Mordecai was not just disrespecting royalty payment wanted to be worshipped if you trace the words through both in chapter 3 and chapter 5, And Mordecai said, I am not going to bow down to this man. But Esther is not yet where Mordecai was, she is still loving with a human love. The way you stand up to Haman the way, you overcome Haman, the way you overcome sin, and recall that Haman.

58. 28:14

    And Esther in the Book of Esther represents, all the manifestations of sin, whether they are political, whether it’s the human nature, whatever it is. That’s what Heyman represents for us in the Book of Esther and Mordecai is encouraging her to stand up to him, by being willing to lay down her life. And the question in chapter 4 for Esther to decide is which Of will govern your life.

59. 28:40

    Is it human love? And which we put our family above all else, which can be deadly in an occlusal setting. And I know from personal experience, I haven’t a clue what’s going on out here? Will it be human love? Or will it be Godly love? and when Mordecai sends back that second time and challenges, Esther, Her Love Changes.

60. 29:08

    Because her response to Mordecai is I will go before the king. I will lay down my life for my people. It doesn’t say it. But we know she did it by faith. Because her love sprung from her faith.

61. 29:30

    What changes between the beginning of chapter 4? In the end of chapter 4? Has the decree that if you go before the king, and he doesn’t extend the scepter. You die. Has that changed? No has haman’s decree that the Jews are to die. Change know what has changed between the beginning of chapter 4 and the end of chapter 4. Is that Esther has embraced Godly love? When she says, if I perish, I perish that is not a statement of her fatalism that is a statement of her Godly love. Take another look later on.

62. 30:09

    If you’ve read it before, as I did for many years that she was just being fatalistic. Oh, well, if I die, I die. We sell her. So short. We are not to read the chapter. That is a declaration of her Godly love. You don’t ask people to fast for you. And you don’t declare that you will Fast for three days and asked the entire community in shushan to get behind you. So to speak spiritually.

63. 30:40

    If your view is, well, if I die, I die. This is a remarkably faithful young woman, who has embraced Godly love, and The Wonder of Godly love brother and sisters in young people is that she stands up to Haman in her commitment to go before him. And she Embraces, Godly love. And within four days, the Redemption of her people will begin because Heyman will be dead.

64. 31:10

    God can do marvelous things working through us when we embrace the principles and the power of Godly laws in our life. That’s what we’re being instructed. That’s what movie were being taught. One of the many lovely things were being taught by the example of this young woman. the moral power of the doctrine of the atonement is to encourage us to embrace love, is our way of life and she Embraces that love And it becomes a powerful influence and a power and her life. Just briefly we’ve given you a couple examples because things can work the other way.

65. 31:54

    We won’t take the time to go through it. Sorry, we’ve included the example of Eli Sad situation. What love. Dominated Eli’s life was it Godly love or was it human love? He is the high priest.

66. 32:16

    Who did he Love More? God, or his family. he is cursed in terms of when the man of God comes to him and says You have placed your love for your son’s above God. He is condemned in chapter 3, Samuel has to relate to him. That there is no kafar. There is no covering.

67. 32:42

    There is no atonement for you rely and your household because your love has been a human love. Now he doesn’t use those words. You won’t find the words, human love and Eli in the same chapter but that’s what he exhibited. His love for his sons was greater than his love for God and brother and sisters moms and dads. If our love for our children is greater than our love for God. And somehow we have that mixed up Eli becomes a warning to us that we can place the love of our children above our love, for God, and we can so want them to enjoy themselves in the truth that we turn a blind eye, to whatever it is, they’re doing. Because at least they’re still in the truth as hophni and phinehas were so to speak.

68. 33:42

    We stopped, requiring our children to obey God’s commands when we stopped practicing Godly love and raising them. The warning of Eli is that we Face the same Danger. He didn’t leave the community of Believers. He stayed right there in the Ecclesia, so to speak. So we don’t have to leave the troops to turn a blind eye to the iniquity in our kids. but we can’t raise our kids on human love and then somehow expect them when they grow up to all of a sudden, understand and embrace Godly love Now, I speak as a parent who struggles. With all of the aspects of raising a Godly seed. We don’t have all the answers.

69. 34:31

    We have struggled like the rest of you but one of the lessons we see in this is that the solution When our children challenge us in their behavior in conduct is not to say, well, we’ll just let that go. Now, I’m not saying we have to nitpick our kids because this the same Godly love that says we should stand up to wrongdoing. Also condemns us the same Godly love if we provoke them to anger.

70. 34:59

    So if we are ruling them with a rod of iron, we are equally condemned as if we are turning a blind eye to sin. We want to exclude both of those extremes but there are examples in scripture of those who followed Godly love and the raising of our children and those that didn’t We’ve included, I think one or two comments from 2nd Chronicles 18.

71. 35:21

    We won’t go further there, but Josh attack with all his good intentions to unite the North and the South and they were good intentions and he was sincere in his efforts. But he didn’t have Godly love because if you take the time later to read in chapter 19 and verse two, that ghg who visits him and he says you love yahweh’s enemy and you disobey Yahweh Your Love Jehoshaphat is upside down.

72. 35:53

    So it isn’t just sincerity that God is looking for. We have got to remain consistent. And we have to remain within the parameters of what God defines as righteousness. If we don’t, we may be practicing love, but it is not godly love.

73. 36:12

    Come with me. If you would the First Corinthians 13, again, we’ve left many of the notes for many of our thoughts in the notes, but we see at the end of chapter 12, all of the difficulties that the Ecclesia was suffering through. Some would say you could say it was a dysfunctional Ecclesia in some respects because they needed to learn how to get along.

74. 36:40

    They had these Spirit gifts and one was this, and one was that, and they had all these gifts, but it wasn’t bringing about a cohesion in the Ecclesia, they weren’t functioning as an Ecclesia should function as one body with arms, and the legs, and the hands, and the feet, and the ears, and the eyes, and everybody working together. And Paul says, I’m going to show you how To work together. Because in chapter 12, he’s exposed to things one. This is how the Ecclesia should work. And secondly, this isn’t how you’re working. And now he says, I’m going to show you how the Ecclesia can work together. and we won’t take the time to develop all the points, but the answer he says, The answer is through Godly love.

75. 37:29

    It’s learning to put into practice the principles of Godly love. And that’s why he says, it really is a better way to live. It’s a better way to build a marriage and behave as a husband. It is a better way to behave as a wife. It’s a better way to raise our family and to teach our kids, how to live, and how to act, and how to learn to love with Godly love. It’s a better way to behave in the occasion with each member being personally devoted to love in a building the household in Godly love.

76. 38:08

    It’s a better way to conduct ourselves in our employment regardless of how Others May treat us. But there’s always the danger that we can know about it and failed to live it and Paul Menses. No words as we know in First Corinthians 13, if we know it and we’re not living it, he says we are nothing.

77. 38:32

    Nothing. He says. Chapter 13 describes just how important it is to learn to develop Godly love is Hebrews. 11 is a chapter that describes what faith will lead to in the lives of Believers. First Corinthians 13 as a description of what love will lead to in the lives of the Believers and verse one, he goes right at the problem in Corinth, those with the spirit gifts were using them, not for the edification of the body.

78. 39:04

    But in ways that were unhelpful though, I speak with the tongues of men and angels, He says, and have not love charity love. It’s the same word. I am becoming a sounding as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, to have a spirit gift without practicing Godly love. He says, is worse than being meaningless. And the only thing that is worse than being meaningless is to be obnoxious.

79. 39:34

    And that’s how he describes those with a spirit gift who were not practicing Godly love in our day. It’s akin to a brother being an eloquent speaker, but using his talent for his own edification call says, it’s like a person standing in the corner continuously banging a symbol or blowing a horn. And his point is, if you do not have love, don’t try to use your talent.

80. 39:58

    If you do not have love, don’t try to use your talent because you won’t be helpful to the body. It’s better to remain. Silent in verse 2, we exposes the danger of having knowledge without Godly lung and though I have the gift of Prophecy and prophecy, there is the ability to expound God’s word and understand all Mysteries and all knowledge. And though I have all Faith so that I could remove mountains and have not love.

81. 40:24

    I am nothing and he paints an extreme position. But a brother who knows everything he has a you understands all Mysteries and all knowledge and he has unlimited Faith. Paul says, this brother knows everything. He understands everything he believes everything, But he doesn’t have love despite all his knowledge, all his understanding, all his faith.

82. 40:50

    Paul says, he is nothing because knowledge and understanding is not the aim of discipleship. Faith is not the aim of discipleship. They are all intended to bring us to love. Until we have love. We are nothing. And you see how Paul is now lining up with God. Who said his expectation is that we will learn to love with his lung and his love will dwell in us and he lines up with the Lord.

83. 41:20

    Jesus Christ who says you are my friends. Only only if you learn to love is I love. And Paul says, if we don’t have this love we are nothing We can spend an entire life and the Ecclesia. We can learn great deal about the scriptures. But if we don’t learn to develop this love, we are nothing.

84. 41:45

    So, in verse 13, either verse 3, rather, he goes on to paint another extreme position and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not love it. Profiteth me, nothing. You see, he again sites to extreme situations. We can give away all that we have and then we can turn around and allow our body to be burned. We can give away our very life.

85. 42:11

    And we can have nothing else to give. but if we haven’t given it out of love, Rand Paul says it profiteth us. Nothing the thinking of the flesh is so deceitful that we can do what appears to be spiritual fees. But Paul said it is all for nothing. It’s worth circling. The all in verse two and three all Mysteries, all knowledge, all Faith, all my goods.

86. 42:40

    And it’s worth underlying in verse 2. I am nothing. It profiteth me nothing. So how do we know if we have Godly love or human love? How do we know it? Godly love is what governs, our actions and the simple answer is Verses 4 to 7.

87. 43:03

    It’s not difficult. To assess what our love is and whether or not we have it, this is what Godly love. Looks like it’s how it acts and how it looks how it refrains from acting, regardless of the situation that we find ourselves in. He’s not just describing in these verses what Godly love is. He’s also citing eight things.

88. 43:24

    That Godly love is not godly. Love does not envy. It does not bond to itself or boast. It is not proud. It is not puffed up. He says it does not behave itself on Ryu unseemly or rudely. It doesn’t seek its own Advantage. It isn’t easily provoked or an irritable. It doesn’t think evil of others.

89. 43:48

    Other words, it’s not resentful. It does not rejoice in Senate is not happy to see a brother who continues to malign Us in the Ecclesia, be overcome by sin. That is not loved pulses. He also provides 7 positive ways in which Godly love manifests itself. This is what love is. This is what Godly love. Does It suffers long?

90. 44:11

    It’s kind rejoices in truth. There’s all things believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. And it never fails. It never fails it. Never fails because the spicket is never turned off. It keeps going and going and going and going. That’s what Godly love does. When we reflect these qualities in our life this is what Godly Love The Godly love.

91. 44:41

    God is bringing us to one brother has suggested that you can reinsert the word Christ and Verses 4 to 7 and you have a condensed picture of his character. Because this is what he reflected in his love, just a couple of quick comments about some of these aspects that Paul brings to light. When he says, love suffers long and is patient, it’s patient because God is long-suffering and patient with us. We haven’t taken a time this weekend, but if you go back to Exodus 34 when God reveals the glory of his character to Moses, those characteristics are all about the character of Godly loves.

92. 45:22

    In this case, God is long-suffering to us. So he asks us to, for bear, with each other for bear with each other. It takes God a very, very, very, very long time to get angry with us. Because that’s what forbearance means. A very, very, very long time. And sometimes we can have such a short fuse with each other. That is not for bearings.

93. 45:52

    That is not godly love. Why does God for bear with us? Because he’s got other things to do. And he can’t attend to our situation though because he’s giving us broad scope and lots of room to repent and the change. All of us, I guarantee without having had these conversations with you, all of us have characteristics in our life that we are.

94. 46:14

    So thankful that God for for was for bearing towards us. As he worked patiently with me to get rid of this aspect of the old man, in some cases, it has taken years in my life. And some cases, I am still a work in progress and he is for bearing with me and brother and sisters, and young people.

95. 46:38

    We need the treat each. Other equally Ephesians 4 says, with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love. Why? Because he goes on to say in verse 3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of Peace, you want to blow up in Ecclesia and divide it tomorrow, just eliminate forbearance.

96. 47:00

    You want to preserve the unity of an Ecclesia. When it’s going through difficulties, which all of our closures are in these. This Is Us days. Then insist upon forbearance with one another. These are these are God’s principles. This is Paul’s wisdom. The wisdom of God that he’s sharing with us. Love is kind.

97. 47:19

    Paul says the Greek means to be useful to be helpful to others. So he’s not saying love, is simply restricted to a warm smile for a great, big handshake or a hug on a Sunday morning. Morning or to bible class and Ephesians 4 verse 32. Paul connects this same, kindness with forgiveness and be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another. Even as God for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you, if you want to show this, kindness to someone. The kindness that Paul speaks of as being part of Godly love than forgive them.

98. 47:57

    Regardless of what they have done to you regardless of what they have done to you. Forgive them and forgive them today. If you haven’t already. and if you’re not sure why go back and look at the parable of the ten dollars, which is the value of the sins of others committed against me and that 10 million dollars.

99. 48:24

    Which is the value that God places on my sins against him. Be kind to one another, forgive one, another, that’s not possible with human lungs. But with Godly love, forgiveness is possible. And first Peter for he says above all things. And verse 8, have fervent Love For Love covers, a multitude of sins.

100. 48:46

     It’s a nun, it’s an evil spirit that is Unleashed. There’s no other way to describe it. When a brother sins against another brother. It’s an evil spirit that is Unleashed. We’re not talking about some Demon or Some mystical power but it is an evil spirit that is Unleashed.

101. 49:07

     You had Godly love to that situation as the brother against whom the sin was committed. And you will prove that the power of Godly love is greater than the power of the evil. That was Unleashed when the sin was committed against you. I’m not talking about the sin when somebody stepped on your toes. I’m talking about the kind of sin where natural mind would want to hang on to that, for a long, long, long time, until the brother does this.

102. 49:39

     This, this and this. And let’s have a little public shame in there, too. That is not godly love. Paul says, love is not puffed up. It means it’s not arrogant. There’s no room for Pride with Godly love. Godly love cannot exist, alongside Pride. If we have decided, we’re just going to have a measure of pride in our life for whatever reason.

103. 50:03

     We decide we’re going to have that. Godly love will not be able to take hold it doesn’t behave itself unseemly. Another one of those good authorized version words. It means it doesn’t behave itself. Rudely and we’re not disparaging, the AV It’s just, sometimes we have to do an extra step of understanding. What does it mean here?

104. 50:24

     Jot down the reference, if you don’t have it in 7:36, where it talks about a young man will not put a young woman. In a dangerous situation, he won’t risk compromising her reputation. He won’t allow her to be disgrace because Godly love will never put a brother or sister in a situation in which they may send.

105. 50:50

     So if I’m in a discussion with my brother and I know he has hot buttons and I remain nice and cool and calm. I’m getting ready to push it. And he blows up and everybody sees it. Who is responsible for his behavior. I am. Now, he has issues to deal with but I dare not walk away from that conversation. Thinking that I am not also guilty of having behaved unseemly to mourn my brother, because my actions have caused him to send.

106. 51:35

     Love will never push the hot button of another person. It doesn’t it’s not easily provoked. Paul says it’s not irritable, the Greek means literally to sharpen. Figuratively means it is to exasperate. What love isn’t easily exasperated is what Paul is saying. Love will not allow someone else to get in under our skin.

107. 52:00

     It will not be short-tempered. It’s thinketh no evil again. It’s not quite what it appears. What it means is, it is not resentful. If you haven’t taken a look at that word for thinketh, no evil, it means it will not take an inventory. At does not keep count. Love doesn’t. You know, and just this morning, brother Simon. We don’t have a brother Simon here, do we? That’s good brother.

108. 52:25

     Simon did something to me. It’s a fifth time. He’s done it in the last four weeks to normal fifth time. Love doesn’t keep count. It doesn’t take an inventory, it forgives when it’s sinned against, but if we are keeping count, see that stage, one of Grudge. I was okay with the third or fourth time, before we got to the fifth time. Now, now, it’s time to hold a grudge love, doesn’t act that way.

109. 52:50

     It doesn’t rejoice in iniquity, it doesn’t feel good when someone else has been overcome by sin, it believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Yesterday, we made the comment that there is no limit to Godly love. Today, we can add to that from First Corinthians 13. There is no situation in which we can find ourselves. That should prevent us from showing Godly Love in. This is why Paul says, it really is a better way to live, and it’s better than having a spirit gift. If I could give you one of the spirit gifts today and say look you can have this the rest of you life or you can develop Godly love.

110. 53:36

     Hopefully by the end of this weekend, you’re beginning to understand and see the wisdom of what Paul is saying. It is far better to have the power of Godly love at work in our life. Then it is to be able to speak in tongues or whatever else gifts they had in the first century. It really is a more powerful aspect of our discipleship to have in our life.

111. 53:59

     It really is Godly love versus speaking in tongues or healing or prophesying whatever they could do. It’s better for Ecclesia life. It’s better for marriage. The love of God. Really is a more excellent way. We’ve given you a couple examples in the handout, which we won’t look at that for lack of time.

112. 54:18

     That’s that directly identify how Godly love in a marriage and raising a family is a better way. We mentioned yesterday, we cannot Place upon our marriage. A human love aspect, in which we are waiting for each other to do for us before. We will do for the other. But we’ll leave that for your own consideration.

113. 54:38

     We will conclude in John 11. Sorry, John 15, we’ve been here. Many times this weekend. But Christ wants to make sure that we all know Godly love is not a burden. If you’re anything like me, when you begin to see these principles and how I’m living my life, it was like how in the world am I going to be able to do this?

114. 55:03

     And this and every time a new principle of Godly Love Comes forward. It’s another burden brother and sisters. We are if we have left you with that impression, it really is a better way to live, but notice what Jesus says, in John 15. This Godly love this laying down our life to save. Others was a joy to Christ.

115. 55:25

     It was, it was not a burden. He’s describing his love for the disciples in chapter 15, as we have seen. And in verse 10, he speaks of love. If you keep my Commandments, you shall abide in my love. Even as I have, kept my father’s Commandments and abide in his love and then in verse 11, he describes his love as being a joy. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. You see, this is what we have to remember when we devote ourselves to living with Godly love and making that a power in our life.

116. 56:07

     Yes, it’s difficult to do. But the joy associated with it is what we don’t want to lose fighter because when we devote ourselves to Godly love and to the saving of others, and being willing to tolerate, whatever it is, they may bring into our life and being willing to forgo, whatever it is in this life that we could have had without Godly. Love it all pales by comparison with The Joy of knowing That we will help people live forever.

117. 56:48

     And you see that’s the outcome of Godly love that. It doesn’t matter what we have to sacrifice in this life, it doesn’t matter what’s required of us. According to First Corinthians 13, the outcome, Of the joy of knowing that our brothers and sisters can live forever and that we can help overcome sin in a Brother’s Life by showing him, the love that he needs. That’s the joy that Christ speaks him when he laid down his life.

118. 57:24

     Sure it was painful and it was shameful and there were extreme difficulties to endure but the pain and the shame, and the suffering is not what he’s in. He’s drawing our attention to, he was drawing our attention to in verse 11 with the Joy or to the Joy associated with the love and knowing that not only would a multitude of sins be covered. But a multitude of Sinners would be saved, may we learn to love with Godly Joy.

119. 57:56

     Sorry, may we learn to love with Godly love and made the joy that is associated with that lung. Teach us all that it really is a more excellent way to live.