"Brotherly Love" - 08/21/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Turn there please and then he'll pray ask the Lord to help us to know him and know his word.

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Romans 13 let every person be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what

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God has appointed and those who resist will incur judgment for rulers are not a tear to good conduct but to bad would you have no fear of the one who is in authority then do what is good and you will receive his approval for he is

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God's servant for your good but if you do wrong be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain for he is the servant of God an avenger who carries out

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God's wrath on the wrongdoer therefore one must be in subjection not only to avoid

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God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience for because of this you also pay taxes for the authorities are ministers of God attending to this very thing pay to all what is owed to them taxes to whom taxes are owed revenue to whom revenue is owed respect to whom respect is owed honor to whom honor is owed oh no one anything except to love one another for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments you shall not commit adultery you shall not murder you shall not steal you shall not covet and any other commandment are summed up in this word you shall love your neighbor as yourself love does no wrong to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfilling of the law besides this you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep for salvation is near to us now than when we first believed the night is far gone the day is at hand so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light let us walk properly as in the daytime not in orgies and drunkenness not in sexual immorality and sensuality not in quarreling and jealousy but put on the

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Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires let's pray our

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Heavenly Father we thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for his life for his death for his resurrection for his ascension that he is now ruling that he is

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King and we pray Lord that as we reflect upon who we are in Christ that we would make no provision for the flesh we pray

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Lord that we would put to death the members the sinful flesh that we have we pray that we would pursue you we pray that we would remember that in Christ we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of our great calling and we thank you for this calling

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Lord we pray that as we continue our worship service and as we proclaim your word we ask

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Lord that that we would understand the word help us Lord to review our own lives in light of the word we pray that you would change us help us to understand help us to perceive where we are off and we pray

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Lord that we would be conformed to the image of your son through the power of your spirit thank you

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Lord in Jesus name amen well let's turn to Paul's epistle to the church at Thessalonica 1st

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Thessalonians and later we'll give attention also to Philippians chapter 1 both these passages really speak to the same matter last

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Lord's Day we addressed how God would have us regard one another as Christians we're not to view

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Christians according to the flesh as Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and what he meant by that is we're not to use the same standards with the same motives that sinful people of this fallen world employ in evaluating and classifying people rather we are to view

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Christians to be in union with Jesus Christ those who have new identities and new destinies because they are in him they are in Christ really we are to regard fellow believers as we regard

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Christ because we are in him which is a wonderful privilege and position that God has freely given us to grace and so this is what the

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Apostle Paul had taught to be the manner that Christians are to regard their brothers and sisters in the

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Lord again as we had read last week from now on therefore we regard no one according to the flesh that's not how we see people the world even though we once regarded

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Christ according to the flesh we regard him thus no longer therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old has passed away and behold the new has come that's how we are to regard those that are in Christ and so this is how we are to evaluate and esteem one another in Christ now today

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I would like us to take a step further to consider not how we regard one another we dealt with that last week but how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ I suspect that we will not say anything that you've not heard before that you already know

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I hope that is the case frankly but given our proclivities and failures in these matters it would do us well to rehearse these things before us and so we begin by reading the paragraph of 1st

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Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 9 through 12 now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another for that indeed is what you're doing to all the brothers throughout

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Macedonia but we urge you brothers to do this more and more and to aspire to live quietly to mind your own affairs to work with your hands as we instructed you so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one contrary to what some think and assume living the

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Christian life rightly is not easily done in fact we could say that to live the

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Christian life rightly is impossible apart from the enabling grace of the

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Holy Spirit who indwells Christ's people how we are to live as Christians is not natural that is it does not come readily or easily for fallen people be perfect as your

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Heavenly Father is perfect try and live up to that standard as the Lord Jesus taught living the

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Christian life is a supernatural matter not a natural matter the Lord Jesus taught his disciples

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I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me I in him bears much fruit for without me you can do nothing you cannot live the

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Christian life apart from the enabling power that Christ gives his people the grace of God through the

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Holy Spirit and so we have a narrow and difficult life of faith to complete with many obstacles and with much opposition we have a hostile and fallen world that would allure and entice us to drift away from our

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Lord we have the devil and his minions to confront and withstand us and then we have our own inherent weakness ignorance and proneness to waver and be diverted that may move us astray from the way the

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Lord would have us walk before him and so there's much to deter and discourage us confuse us trip us up for some however the greatest trial they seem to encounter as Christians is with their relationship with other

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Christians much pastoral work is involved with relationships between Christians it's as though these people can say

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I love God and delight in his ways but it's getting along with his people that causes me the most difficulty in the

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Christian life and I imagine you know there's some people who say amen to that maybe many people that can say amen to that the truth is that Christians can be very unkind even nasty to other

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Christians you're fortunate we don't believe everything they say about you

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I mean we're here at all sometimes directly and indirectly and I'm thankful for that passage in 2nd

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Corinthians 5 we regard you in Christ and treat you that you're a new creation we have the highest regard for you but it is true

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Christians can be very nasty very unkind and as we attempt to live for Christ in this fallen world in which we're to regard other

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Christians as our brothers and sisters in Christ the family of God it can be very disheartening when observing or witnessing the attitudes and actions of some

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Christians in their relations with other Christians this is especially true if you're personally the recipient of unkind or cruel treatment

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Charles Spurgeon he had a way once put forth a great difficulty in relating with other

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Christians when he said I would sooner be attacked by wolves than sheep he had a way of expressing the truth in short terms now there are a number of passages that speak of the need and the importance of Christians to get along with one another in the church

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Paul gave instruction in one of his letters for two ladies to settle their differences he named them in order to restore peace between them he even appealed to the church they helped them in their reconciliation and so Paul wrote to the church of Philippi and treat

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Iodia and I treat Syntyche to agree in the Lord here are the two

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Christian women who apparently had worked together true companions but we're having some real difficulty they've labored side by side with me

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Paul says in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life and yet he had to appeal to them and appeal to the church help these two women get along settle their differences be at peace and then there are occasions when entire churches are beset with dissension and division that's a sad thing to have to witness live through Paul confronted the church at Corinth with their schisms 1st

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Corinthians 110 now I plead with you brethren you see the note of Paul's great concern perhaps frustration with him

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I plead with you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you speak all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment now he wouldn't say they have to be an agreement of everything in fact he he later wrote that differences of opinions gives them were necessary so the truth might be seen in contrast well given these incidents and many others in the biblical record and due to our own personal observances and experiences in churches we might ask ourselves how it is

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Paul's words of our passage can be said of us again he wrote now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another for that indeed is what you're doing to all the brothers throughout

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Macedonia we urge you brothers to do this more and more and to aspire to live quietly to mind your own affairs to work with your hands as we instructed you so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one and so may the

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Blessed Holy Spirit illuminate the truth of these words and may he enable us not to be characterized by words attitudes or actions that would be inconsistent or in violation of the will of God expressed here now let's consider more precisely what

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Paul was stating Paul commanded this church for its love for the and for the manner that the members of this church showed forth their love for Christian throughout the region of Macedonia that region which is on the northern portion of the

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Greek Peninsula their love for the brethren encompassed all Christian brethren not just their own local church that happens sometimes people can get pretty ingrown in their local church and that's not good that's not healthy verse 10 reads for that indeed is what you're doing to all the brothers through Macedonia that would have included

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Philippi, Berea and there are other churches in that region even up into what is now

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Albania they did evangelistic work and so their love was for the people of God throughout their region now it's not stated here how they manifested their love to these brethren in that region but it had been known to others even the

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Apostle Paul had knowledge of it everybody seemed to be the object of the church's concern and love the fact is we're to have love for all the

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Christian brethren wherever they are we have much in common with them

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Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus regarding the church's relationship with all Christians everywhere

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I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called with all loneliness and gentleness with long -suffering bearing with one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the

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Spirit and the bond of peace there's one body and one spirit just as you were called in one hope and you're calling one

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Lord one faith one baptism one God and Father of all who's above all and through all and in you all again it's a pretty common for people to develop a party spirit and that's not good now this doesn't mean that we're to compromise truth for the sake of unity not at all we have our convictions and you know just ask us we'll tell you what they are as a church we have strong convictions as to what truth is what error is and we don't apologize for and we are very bold in asserting it but in no way do we use that as a standard by which we accept or discredit other

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Christians we accept them in Christ and regard them and treat them as such even though they might not run with us in every way that we run and I think that's an important attitude to maintain

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Paul had written in verse 9 now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another now

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Paul would instruct them about brotherly love but he first commended them that they were doing quite well in loving one another he began his exhortation by essentially saying they're not needed in need of his instruction right you have no need for anybody to write to you about this and then he proceeds to write to them about it and so Paul would instruct these

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Christians to grow and develop in love but he would do so only after commending them for the love that they had already exhibited to one another and to all the

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Christians in the region of Macedonia I think this would be a good practice for each of us to adopt in our dealings with others a word of commendation first may help another to receive the instruction that follows rather than just unloading on them what they're doing wrong and what they need to change interestingly

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Paul used a word here that is only found here in the New Testament it's the

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Greek word theodictotae or theodictoi rather which may be translated ones taught by God it indicates that God himself had taught them he wasn't referring to his teaching them or other teaching them

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God himself had taught them we might ask however in what way did God teach them certainly we can say that God taught them by his example in his dealings with us and that's commonly held forth in the scriptures in many ways

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God loves us and by looking at how he loves us and demonstrated his love for us it teaches us how to treat and regard one another as the

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Lord Jesus said but love your enemies do good land hoping for nothing in return and your reward will be great for you will be the sons of the

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Most High and then he gives the reason because God the Father's been your example for he is kind to the unthankful and evil and therefore be merciful just as your father also is merciful and so God instructs us by example on how to love others

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God teaches us by his example to love by the manner that he's been so merciful and gracious to us he bestows his great blessing upon us in providing for us surely we can say that God is

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Nehemiah said of his people here we are servants today in the land that you gave to our father to eat its fruit and bounty here we are servants in it well this is how

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God has dealt with us so wonderfully he loves us by faithfully bestowing his mercies upon us even as abundant mercies we read that the

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Lord's mercies were not consumed because his compassions fail not they're new every morning great is your faithfulness and so God teaches us in his dealings with us how we are to regard and treat others about us now with regard to God teaching these

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Christians in the church at Thessalonica to love one another to have brotherly love for Christian brethren we might ask a few questions first was

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Paul singly now this church uniquely as having been taught by God to love one another if you look at the text precisely he's just speaking about God taught this church at Thessalonica to love one another and so we need to answer the question is this true of all

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Christians or just some Christians like those in this church then a second question what was the manner that God taught the members of this church to love one another is

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Paul referring to God's clear and direct instruction to them about this matter teaching them objectively in the scriptures what to do and what not to do respecting one another is that what

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Paul is saying that God taught them or thirdly it was

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Paul speaking about an inward work of grace that is true of all Christians that God has shed abroad in the hearts of his people love for one another

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I think it's a proper and appropriate to answer these three questions first was

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Paul singling out this church uniquely as having been taught by God to love one another some might respond well he hadn't taught our church to love one another in other words is this true of all

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Christians or some Christians such as those in this church well although Paul expressed these were directly to this church in this city of Thessalonica there seems to be no good reason to limit this work of grace to this church only and that it's true of every legitimate church that the

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Lord has planted not only in the first century but throughout this

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Christian era the love that Christians have for one another is the trademark or the biblical visible sign of the new covenant that we enjoy in Jesus Christ other biblical covenants had signs visible signs outwardly signifying participation in a covenant with God the rainbow in the sky is a sign of the covenant

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God made with the human race through Noah every time you see a rainbow it's

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God reminding us of the promise that he would never again destroy the world by means of a great worldwide flood thankfully the rainbow is

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God reminding us of this and assuring us of his promise and commitment in his covenant physical circumcision of the male child was a sign of the

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Abrahamic covenant that the physical descendants of Abraham were to keep throughout their generations sign of the covenant

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Sabbath Day observance as stipulated in the Law of Moses was a sign of the

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Mosaic covenant that distinguished the nation of Israel and its people from Gentile nations of the world

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Sabbath keeping was the sign signifying and separating them from all others what is the sign of the new covenant in Christ some make the argument for baptism but a sign of a covenant was to be a perpetual sign not just a one -time event we would argue that true

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Christian love both for God and for the love of other Christians the love

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Christians have for one another is the sign of the new covenant our

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Lord Jesus told his disciples this very thing a new commandment

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I give to you that you love one another just as I have loved you you also are to love one another by this in other words by this sign by this indication all people in other words the world and say people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another and so the

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Lord declared that this love for one another is the visible perpetual sign that shows forth that we know

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Christ and that we belong to him Francis Schaeffer wrote a little book advocating this truth a generation ago he didn't use the term sign of the new covenant rather he wrote the mark of the

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Christian that was the title of the book it's not a long book about 65 pages or so here are his words through the centuries men had displayed many different symbols to show that they're

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Christians they've worn marks in the lapels of their coats hung chains about their necks and even had special haircuts of course there's nothing wrong with any of this if one feels it's his calling but there is much a much better side a mark that has not been thought up just as a matter of expediency for use on some special occasion or in some specific area it's a universal mark is to last throughout all the ages of the church until Jesus comes back what is this mark he quotes the passage that we already read at the close of his ministry

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Jesus looks forward to his death on the cross the open tomb and the ascension knowing that he's about to leave

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Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come it's here that he makes clear what will be the distinguishing mark of the

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Christian little children yet a little while I am with you you shall seek me as I said unto the

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Jews whither I go you cannot come so now I say to you a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you that you also love one another by this all men by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have loved one to another and then

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Schaefer said this passage reveals the mark that Jesus gives to label a Christian not just in one area or in one locality but at all times in all places until Jesus returns it should be that which characterizes all the

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Lord's people in every place at all times so we would argue the words of our text apply to all true

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Christians in their churches not just the church at Thessalonica quest second question we wish to answer is this what was the manner that God taught the members of this church to love one another is

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Paul referring to clear and direct instruction to them about this matter teaching them objectively from the

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Scriptures you know what and what not to do respecting one another well if we examine the

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Scriptures we can clearly see God's instruction in this I've cited a number of passages here 2nd

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John verse 5 there's only one chapter and now

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I ask you dear lady not as though I were writing you a new commandment probably lady here is a reference to a church local church it's not as though I were writing you a new commandment but the one we have had in the beginning that we love one another it's a commandment you're disobeying the

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Lord Jesus if you fail in this first John 318 my little children let us not love in word or in tongue but indeed and in truth love in the

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Scriptures is is an active word it's not a like we have since the age of romanticism in Western civilization a feeling of romantic affection love is what you do toward people you're loving to people and so you're merciful to them you're kind to them you're gracious to them it's not just a feeling you can be loving to someone and really have very little affection for them in your soul we're to love our enemies that doesn't mean you're supposed to have warm fuzzy feelings for your enemies you're to do loving things to them that's what love is an active work biblically speaking we have tended to romanticize it as an affection first John 3 it's evident who are the children of God who are the children of the devil some say you can't tell the difference as to who is

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Christian who's not you know the Apostle John inspired the Holy Spirit yes you can it's evident you can distinguish a true

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Christian from a child of the devil whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God if you're not living as a

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Christian you're not a Christian is what he's saying nor is the one who does not love his brother we loved if God so loved us we also ought to love one another first John 421 this commandment we have from him whoever loves

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God must also love his brother below let us love one another for love is of God everyone who loves is born of God and knows

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God loves as according to the Bible stipulations and there are other verses there we won't read them all and so when

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Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for yourselves been taught by God to love one another it certainly can be said that God has taught us repeatedly in his word that it's his will and it's our responsibility to love the brethren but was

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Paul referred to this object he objective teaching the Word of God when he said that God teaches us to love is it only the objective

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Word of God by which God has taught us and of course not and so the third question was

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Paul speaking about an inward work of grace it's true of all true Christians that God has shed abroad in the hearts of his people love for one another is it a work of grace in the soul of every true child of God and of course it is in other words

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God has taught his people to love one another not just through the instruction of his written word but even more so by doing an act of grace in the heart and the soul of every true

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Christian and so we would answer in the affirmative of this question the

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Word of God declares that our love for the brethren is an essential quality of every true Christian God has implanted in our souls love for one another look at the transition of Paul you seeking

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Christians to to bind and take back he murdered Christians he's converted and now he's preaching to them and loving them and wanting to meet with them how do you explain that change the

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Lord did a work of grace in his heart when we are converted the

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Lord causes us to love the things we once hated and hate the things we once loved before we loved our sin we hate our sin now we do it all too often to our shame and it's it's pleasurable obviously that's the appeal but we hate it as Christians we used to love it not anymore and very frankly some of us could testify before we were

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Christian we hated Christians too and we weren't too bashful about making that known but a change took place when we were brought to Christ in fact

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John wrote again John wrote about this in his epistle a lot we know we've passed from death into life because we love the brothers and so loving the brethren if you haven't a lot of love for Christian because they're

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Christian not because they like you know got the same hobbies as we do same political views and whatnot no no if we love other

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Christians because they're in Christ if we love the brethren that's a basis of assurance of salvation according to 1st

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John 3 14 we know we've passed from death into life spiritual death into spiritual life because we love the brother whosoever does not love abides in death 1st

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John 3 10 by this it's evident who are the children of God who are the children of the devil it's evident whoever does not practice righteousness is not have gotten or is the one who does not love his brother love if God so loved us we also ought to love one another no one has ever seen

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God if we love one another God abides in us and his love is perfected in us and again this is love as described and defined by the scriptures not a not the kind of love that the world has redefined we might touch on that anyone who does not love does not know

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God because God is love we love let us love one another for love is of God everyone who loves is born of God knows

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God it's a test of the true Christian it's a sign and so in God's sovereign act of grace in our regeneration that is when he calls it to be born again he not only put within our hearts a love for him but he also implanted within us love for one another as Christians so when

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Paul wrote now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourself have been taught by God to love one another he was referring to a supernatural work of grace in which he gave us a love for the people of God that is true

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Christians a love that had not been present before with our new birth the love of God had been poured out into our hearts by the

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Holy Spirit who's been given to us well let's continue the details of our passage

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Christians are to love one another more and more once again the passage now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another for that indeed is what you're doing to all the brothers throughout

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Macedonia but we urge you brothers to do this more and more none of us have arrived and to aspire to live quietly to mind your own affairs to work with your hands as we instructed you so that you may walk properly before outsiders and to be dependent on no one our whole society today our whole government wants you dependent on them and we should desire and try and strive to not fall into that it's almost an impossibility today

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Paul urges Christian to improve in the manner that they expressed and demonstrated their love for others none of us have arrived they were in need of growth in this grace love for one another of course this falls under the heading of sanctification that Paul had addressed directly in the first few verses of the chapter sanctification involves maturity in our love for the brethren but they were not only to manifest their love for one another as Christians were out of concern for but out of concern for non -christians described as outsiders they should live circumspectly before the world although our world is becoming increasingly anti -christian and anti -biblical and will continue to do so we're under the wrath of God the wrath of God has been revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness

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Romans 1 nevertheless the fallen people of the world still know how

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Christians are supposed to be living and they have an uncanny ability to identify discredit and dismiss a hypocrite quite readily it's important how we live we're not to act or live in an ostentatious manner

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Paul said drawing undue attention to ourselves we are to live quietly keeping to ourselves not being outspoken or demonstrable in ways that would call undue attention to ourselves we're to live ordered lives ones who are seen by outsiders as hard -working faithful and dependable that's old school isn't it and not only are we to manifest our love more and more but we're to grow in our understanding of what it is how we're to love what it is to love and how we show forth our love and this is where we want to shift gears in the time we have remaining and that is to Philippians chapter 1 because this is this passage is not unique to Paul's writing he really gave more detail about this matter in Philippians to the

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Church of Philippi and so let me read

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Philippians 1 3 through 11 I thank God my God and all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for your for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now he was thanking them they had financially supported him in the ministry and I am sure of this that he who began a good work and you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ it's right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart he loved them for you are all partakers with me of grace he explains why

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I love them we're all partakers of this grace both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel for God is my witness how

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I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in to the

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Church of Thessalonica that your love might increase more and more here that your love might abound more and more but here he qualifies it with knowledge and all discernment for what purpose first hand is a purpose clause so that you may approve what is excellent in other words make a determination test and recognize the best things and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ with view to the day of judgment filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God in verse 3 we read of Paul's prayer on behalf of these

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Christians we read first that Paul thanked God for these Christians obviously it's because he knew that they were

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Christian because of God's sovereign work of saving grace in their lives

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Paul knew assuredly they were Christians as a result of God's grace powerfully working in their lives people don't come to Christ of their of their own will yes they freely come to Christ but it's only because God fixed their willer you know he gave them a heart to desire and delight in Christ and that's why they willingly came freely nobody forces them to come the

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Lord gives you a new heart and and so again you desire what you didn't desire before you love what you didn't love before and and so you're drawn to Christ you freely embrace

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Christ we're not robots but Paul recognized this they wouldn't they would have never had the desire or willingness to come to Christ if it were not for God and so I thank

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God for these people and we too should thank God for each other we're the products of God's work of grace he alone receives the glory for what he has done for us and in us notice we see

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Paul thank God for these Christians with joy verse 4 some reluctantly acknowledge oh yeah there's a doctrine of election in the

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Bible I don't like it you know that's not how Paul regarded it he thanked

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God for these Christians with joy why every prayer of Paul for these Christians was with thanksgiving to God for them and every prayer for them was with joy by the way that wasn't the case with every church that he dealt with but it was with the church at Philippi he was a glorious church of believers who are always responsive to his leadership his instruction and they were constantly faithful to the

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Lord and they and so he prayed for these Christians with joy I hope that others when they pray for us do so with joy and not with grief because we've been burdensome or distressing to them we also read that Paul thank

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God for them a joy because of their share with him in his ministry verse 5 thank my

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God and all remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all make for you all making my mention with joy why and here's a causal clause because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until last when we you know contribute to a mission we're partners with them and what they were able to acquire or achieve for the kingdom we have a part in that and that's a wonderful privilege you give a glass of water to a prophet you get a prophet's reward

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I mean you know the Lord blesses abundantly and we should see it as a great privilege an opportunity to be able to further the kingdom through other people

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I think of that all the time last week we got an email from Pastor Prim in India he showed numerous pictures handing out money not much but money to church planters that he oversees and helps and he instructs and it was all through money that that our church sent to them it gets distributed to about 50 men and their families who were planting churches in villages where there's no church we have a part in that and it's a wonderful thing we can't

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I don't think we can even realize we won't realize until you know until the last day the kind of fruit that's going to be born that's going to be credited to you to this church it's a wonderful thing an opportunity and privilege and so Paul was thankful for them they financially contributed to his ministry they supported missions and because of their faithful partnership with him in the gospel ministry

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Paul was convinced God would be gracious to them you've been gracious to me God's going to be gracious to you and so Paul assured them

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God would continue in them the good work he'd already been doing in them Paul believed in the perseverance of the

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Saints. Number six that's what he said being confident in this very thing he who has begun a good work and you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ once the

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Lord starts on something he doesn't fail he completes it. Paul described the manner in which he prayed for these

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Christians he prayed with assurance regarding their continuance in faith and obedience God had begun this work of grace

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God would continue this work of grace even until the second coming of Christ and then in verses 7 and 8

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Paul expressed a great affection for these brethren now he would shortly include in his letter words respecting their love but he would first express his love for them just as it's right for me to think of this of you all because I have you in my heart and as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you're all partakers with me of grace see they were partners in this for God is my witness how greatly

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I long for you with all long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ see it's a due to grace that you love the brethren the grace of Jesus Christ it's not natural unbelievers don't love believers because they're believers in Christ they might love you in spite of it you know because they're family members or friends but they don't love you because of it if they're outside of Christ the fact is in the work of the gospel there's a comradeship a fellowship of its participants we're able to have a friendship with one another in the gospel ministry even a kinship with one another that we can only desire that our own families physical families according to the flesh could experience and all you know numbers of you and certainly

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I've expressed you know I'm closer to you folks and I am my own family it's just you know this is what the

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Lord did Paul knew that their heart was with him and all that he experienced and so too we know they were not alone in our trials our brothers and sister in Christ stand with us as the scriptures say there are friends who pretend to be friends but there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother for the

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Christian that will probably be found in his church or with that brother or sister in Christ with whom he is so closely connected in the gospel ministry why because we have common longings and goals and desires and delights we seek to help one another in achieving those spiritual aims this is what it is to be a true friend we partner together in bringing glory to God we desire the cause of Christ to be furthered in the world we desire to be used of him to help and strengthen his people to walk with him this knits our hearts together with others that we may have not met personally but we've learned of the work for the expansion and enhancement of the gospel in the world by them and therefore we're attracted to them our hearts are drawn to them notice that Paul had affection for them all just as it's right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart he practiced what he preached last week no longer do

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I regard any man after the flesh I regard them in Christ those that are Christians you're a new creation

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I love you all he says when God brings a person to know him in salvation

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God does his work of grace in his soul the Holy Spirit implants this principle of love

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Romans 5 5 the love of God had been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who's given to us you find this attraction this this affection wasn't there before where it has come from well it was from the

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Holy Spirit this capacity for love is directed towards God toward his people certainly everyone born of God loves

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God but it's true equally true everyone born of God loves others who are born of God now we read in verses 9 and following and Philippians 1 of Paul's desire for them to increase in true love this

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I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and in all discernment and then he gives the reason why again these words sound much like the words of 1st

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Thessalonians 4 10 love is the great need of every believer for every church much is said about love and Christian circles everyone recognized the importance of love for a

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Christian understanding about God how he relates to the world after all love is an attribute of God God is love every

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Christian knows too that love must be central to his or her own experience love must characterize the

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Christians relationships with God and other Christians as well as with non -christians and every

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Christian knows that a local church is to be characterized by love if that church hopes to be true to God and blessed by him now every true

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Christian has love for God and for Christian brethren but not all Christians have love to the degree that they should have or could have every one of us needs to be taught every one of us need to learn to abound more and more in this grace and we'll never arrive until we stand glorified in the presence of Jesus Christ and so not all

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Christians have love to the degree that they should have could have nor do they show forth their love to others in a biblical manner all the time this is true of us this was true of the

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Christians in Philippi this was also true the Christians in the church at Thessalonica and this is why

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Paul prayed for these Philippians that their love might increase to its development specifically in two ways in knowledge and discernment what does this mean first and this

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I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge true love is shaped by knowledge again it's not an affection so much as an activity and action and so you have to have an understand knowledge and understanding about the nature of love love needs to be informed by the

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Word of God there are some things that we're to love but there are many things we're not to love we need to be taught about this these things need to be taught to us from the

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Word of God and this is only going to happen if God blesses us in instructing us in knowledge

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Paul prayed that God would do this for them and this is why Paul continuously prayed for them that love may abound still more and more in knowledge it's interesting the

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Greek word translated for our English word knowledge it's a word gnosis pretty common word in the days in which

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Paul ministered there were many heretics running around deceiving Christians claiming they possess true gnosis true knowledge gotta come to us we'll tell you what what true knowledge is all about and later these heretics would develop their views into the religion of Gnosticism but Paul does not claim the need to develop love in the realm of that Greek word gnosis rather he used a heightened emphasized word there's a preposition at the beginning of gnosis epi gnosis or full knowledge or we might even say true knowledge love must be defined and fully informed by God if it's to be true love there are many today who claim to have love but it's not informed or shaped by the

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Word of God the love of the 60s was of that variety it was a love void of commitment self -control or sacrifice it was a love of indulgence no restraint no standards and I fear that much love love that's claimed by people today is rather uninformed as well the

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Bible teaches us that true love covers a multitude of sins but false love often falsely promotes and excuses a multitude of sin and sadly it's often the case that many who claim to be

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Christian are accepting and supportive of ungodly and unrighteous relationships in our society all in the name of love and now what you hear they believe that they are truly loving by welcoming accepting these things they regard us as unloving for we reject and repudiate such things we would argue that their love is null and void for it's not informed and shaped by the

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Word of God is not according to knowledge nowhere are we told in the

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Word of God that love is a toleration and acceptance of sinful behavior and relationships that God has forbidden rather true love is to make known to others that behavior and those institutions are wrong that endorse and promote such things and it would be unloving not to declare it make it known love has to be informed by the

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Word of God and that's why Paul wrote for this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge but Paul also said that he prayed for them to increase in love in another manner he wrote and this

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I pray that your love may abound still more and more in discernment this is similar to what we just covered but it's more specific regarding the application for a demonstration of love we must have wisdom on how to demonstrate love sometimes it's more loving not to give but rather to withhold we must have wisdom and to know how to demonstrate love even the world recognizes this is a problem they speak of the danger of being innate an enabler sometimes indulgent parents are that way toward their children or rather parents are toward their indulgent children there's much love so -called that's manifested by parents and other social institutions at void of discernment this is why

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I'm of the political persuasion that everything ought to be localized where there's accountability within the church within the community rather than everything out there

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DC where it's just sent out with no accountability whatsoever and so much of it promotes just you know all kinds of licentiousness there needs to be accountability local accountability in my own view of things needs to be a discerning love churches always have to deal with this problem by the way there are people who make the rounds to churches not to pray in there but to pray upon them for an easy mark and we do tend to err on the side of charity and as we should but we do try and be discerning in the degree and manner in which we render assistance we don't just hand out money at times you know we'll give gift certificates to market basket and that kind of thing you know or or put goods into their hands rather than giving money we don't know how to use you have to be discerning and how you deal with these matters now notice in verse 10a why it was that Paul viewed an increase in love and knowledge and discernment was so needful

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Paul desired for them to increase in true love for three specific purposes this

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I pray that your love may abound still more and more and knowledge and all discernment that here's the purpose clause so that you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Christ Jesus to the glory and praise of God just take these quickly for what purpose are we to abound in love more and more and all knowledge and discernment that we may approve of the things that are excellent this is what it is to be discerning discernment is the ability and practice of distinguishing what things are excellent from what things are not discernment is distinguishing between truth and error good and evil right and wrong love must abound in knowledge and discernment so that which is excellent may be identified and supported there are many good causes to which we may give ourselves and give of ourselves but there are far fewer excellent things we use this principle in our in our missions there's a lot of good things going on but we try and find some excellent things let us do good and give to what is most excellent we have limited time limited resources so let's get the most achieve the most with what we have to give and what time and effort we have to give but further we need to abound in love still more and more knowledge and discernment in order secondly that we may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ one day the

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Lord will return and each of us will render an account of our stewardship as individuals as a church

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Paul wrote let a man so consider us as servants of Christ stewards of the mysteries of God the word of God it's been entrusted we're stewards of it and then he

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Paul stated moreover it's required and stewards that one be found faithful there's an accountability one day we're stewards of what

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God has entrusted to us he's invested in with you in time talent treasure in our church and one day he'll call us to give an accounting to determine whether or not we've done well with his investment that he's entrusted to us to you how will you do have you use that which he's given you to serve only yourself have you embezzled that which is really his squandering it upon yourself now he gives us a certain portion of course he gives us all things to richly enjoy you know we shouldn't take a vow of poverty which is not taught in the scriptures but we need to be good stewards as well and just not consume everything on our own lusts but seek to use what

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God has given us for the furtherance of his glory the help of his people the furtherance of the kingdom and again his motivation was so that we may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ when

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Paul wrote that we might be sincere to the day of Christ he used a word that was commonly employed in describing a pure unmixed perhaps refined metal a mixture of metals we should be pure sincere fully devoted to Christ our eyes should be fully focused on the cause of Christ in all aspects of our life if we're thinking rightly as one has said to have one eye on the world and one eye on Christ is to be spiritually cross -eyed we're to be as Paul therefore we make it our aim whether present or absent to be well -pleasing to him why from we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he's done whether good or bad and so Paul wrote that we're to be without offense today until the day of Christ the point is this we have a task in this life to purify ourselves of all uncleanness of thought and heart purge ourselves of all iniquity as as well as worthless pursuits and pursue that which is holy we are to desire holy allegiances as well as holy character in short we're to put on Christ being conformed to his image and this will occur to the degree that we pray and that God answers our prayer that we abound in love more and more in knowledge and discernment and then thirdly lastly so that we be filled with fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God that our lives truly rebound to bring credit and glory to him our

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Lord has said of his people that you were bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are

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God's if you're Christian you're God's he owns you remember the passage was it last week or two weeks ago you know he died so that we would die to ourselves and live on to him and that is a task that we always deal with we have to pick up our cross daily right die to ourselves daily and live for him this is how we live as Christians do you desire to walk worthy of the

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Lord fully pleasing him being fruitful in every good work and let's pray and work toward this end amen and God be merciful and forgive us for Christ's sake and there's so many ways we fail in doing so let's pray thank you father for your word help us our

01:02:06

Lord to grow and our understanding and Christian maturity we pray our God that you would help us you put love in our hearts for you and for one another but help us our

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God to abound more and more in this matter and help us to be informed from your word

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Lord as the true nature of love and how that's to be manifested that you would give us a discerning heart