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[0:00] Well, good morning, Providence Baptist Church. Excited to be with you again this morning.Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and open to the book of 1 John.

[0:10] We're going to be finishing out chapter 4 this morning. Chapter 5, verse 13. Before we do that, I want to open with a question. How? How do Iknow I am a Christian.

[0:33] That is a question that every person in here has probably asked at least a few times, if not many times, throughout their life.

[0:47] It's a very common question and a common fear that true Christians do experience. How can I be certain that I will inherit eternal life on the day of judgment?

[1:04] And that I won't be one of the ones who hears, depart from me, I never knew you. And I will submit to you that one way to answer this question, in one word, is love.

[1:22] And love is bound up with a number of assurances for the believer to have here and now.

[1:37] 1 John 4, 13-21, continues from where we left off last week. And it's debatable whether or not it begins a new section or not.

[1:49] But regardless, you'll see one way or another, however you want to break the text down, it is deeply connected to the prior week's text.

[2:02] And in that text from last week, we saw that love is from God. God is love, the necessity for us to love one another in the way of Christ, and the results or benefits of abiding in God and in love.

[2:23] And so it's here that our text picks up. And with these things in mind, please read with me. 1 John 4, 13-21.

[2:34] John writes, In these things, or excuse me, by these things we know that we abide in him, for he has sent his spirit, or given us his spirit.

[2:49] And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son, the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.

[3:04] And we have come to know and we believe the love which God has for us. God is love. And the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

[3:17] Love is perfected in this way with us. So that we may have confidence on the day of judgment.

[3:33] For just as that one is, so also we are in this world. There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear.

[3:45] For love has to do with punishment. But the one who fears has not been perfected in love. We love for he first loved us.

[3:56] If someone says, I love God, but hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, is not able to love God whom he has not seen.

[4:11] And this command we have from him. The one who loves God must love his brother. As we consider our text today, the first assurance that John offers his readers is the gift of the spirit.

[4:29] If you're taking notes, this is our first heading. Assurance from the gift of his spirit. In verse 13. Read that with me once more. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us.

[4:43] That he has given of his spirit to us. This is the first assurance. The simple fact that God has given of his spirit.

[4:55] The wording is unusual in our text today. I normally think of being given the Holy Spirit or something like that. But it says he has given of his spirit.

[5:06] And it's debatable why this unique wording in the New Testament. But regardless, John seems to be connecting the giving of the spirit to love.

[5:19] And this wouldn't be unique to him. Paul does this explicitly in Romans 5.5. He says God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

[5:34] So as we receive the spirit, we receive love. There's a deep connection between the receiving of the spirit and love. And so verse 13 of 1 John 4 calls back to last week's text.

[5:50] 1 John 4, 7 through 8. Where we saw that love is from God and God is love. Love. So thus to have of God's spirit is to have of love.

[6:06] The spirit provides a certain subjective assurance to the believer. While producing the objective assurance of a life marked by love.

[6:19] You'll recall I said love is not merely a mark of the true Christian. But it is ultimately the mark of the true Christian. It is the irrefutable evidence.

[6:34] And so when we love properly and in Christian community. This is a sign of the spirit at work in us. Which means God must therefore necessarily abide in us.

[6:53] And so that is assurance number one. The spirit is our seal and sanctifies us. Resulting in love. In verse 14 we see assurance number two.

[7:04] Which is the apostolic witness. Assurance from the apostolic witness. Heading number two. Read with me again. John writes verse 14. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son.

[7:19] The Savior of the world. John is one of the apostles who walked with Christ during his three year ministry.

[7:31] He saw the many miracles of Christ. He saw Christ crucified. He saw Jesus' tomb empty. He saw Jesus resurrected and walking around. Speaking with people.

[7:42] Holes in his hands. All these things. He saw him ascended into heaven. And he was not alone when he saw these things. The other apostles and some other disciples were with him in each of these instances.

[8:00] This is why John opens his epistle with these famous words. First John 1. One through two. That which was from the beginning. Referring to Jesus.

[8:11] That which was from the beginning. Which we have heard. Which we have seen with our eyes. Which we looked upon and have touched with our hands. Concerning the word of life.

[8:25] The life was made manifest. And we have seen it. And testified to it. And proclaimed to you the eternal life. Which was with the Father.

[8:35] And was made manifest. To us. That is a long, repetitive, very clear way of saying over and over again. I saw what I saw. I know it. And there were people there with me.

[8:47] To back it up. I'm not crazy. He saw this. It's real. And so in our text today. John reminds his readers. What a power play.

[8:58] Right? We have seen. And we testify. I'm a witness. We're all witnesses. That the Father sent the Son. The Savior. Of the world.

[9:10] And so brothers and sisters. You can have confidence. That the Gospels portray accurately. And truthfully. The reality.

[9:21] Of the person and work. Of the God-man. Jesus Christ. Our Savior. These are not. Just merely religious texts. It's history.

[9:32] And true history. Not the stuff you find on. The history channel. Or YouTube. They wrote these stories down. They taught the earliest churches.

[9:44] Which they planted. And they practiced the way of love. Incarnate. Handing down this great deposit. From generation. To generation.

[9:55] All the way. To us. Today. And so we have. An incredible lineup. Of witnesses. Testimony.

[10:05] That should bolster. Our assurance. John offers this. He was there. Assurance number three. Those who confess. Jesus. As the Son of God.

[10:17] Have God. Abiding. In them. Assurance. From confessing. Jesus. Verse 15. John says.

[10:28] Whoever. Confesses. That Jesus. Is the Son of God. God abides in him. And he. And God. Whoever. Doesn't matter.

[10:39] Your sin. Your nationality. Your gender. Your background. What you're known for. Whatever. Whatever. Whoever. Confesses. That Jesus.

[10:49] Is the Son of God. God abides. In that. Person. And so we have. This. Assurance. From the Spirit. A clear mark.

[10:59] Of the Christian. Is one who. Verbally. And publicly. Professes. That Jesus. Is the Son. Of God. You could. Rightly. Label this.

[11:10] As a theological. Or a. Doctrinal test. To know. If you're a Christian. However. I do fear. Those words. Don't sound. Personal. Enough. To some.

[11:21] Ears. But understand. John is making. A very. Personal. Point. If you know. Jesus. The real. True. Jesus.

[11:32] Then you know. He is. The Son. Of God. And if you don't. Know him. You don't. Know. That he's. The Son. Of God. Imagine.

[11:43] If I said. I really love. Nathan Rainer. We enjoy. Watching football. Together. With autumn. Treats. Well.

[11:54] Clearly. My claim. To know him. Loses. All credibility. Because he's. A loud mouth. About how much. He hates football. And everything. Good and right. About fall. Treats.

[12:04] Right. I'm already. Gearing up. For the anti-sugar talk. Here we go. I don't know where he is. But I do love him. I would lose all credibility.

[12:18] If I said that. It's so obvious. I do not know Nathan Rainer. If I say that. And you can't. Chalk that up. To simple. Misunderstanding. He talks about it. All the time.

[12:29] You should know this. Likewise. Likewise. Anyone who claims. To follow Christ. And know him. But does not recognize him.

[12:39] As the son of God. Is just. Painfully. Sadly. Clearly. Mistaken. They have not. Encountered. The Jesus of the Bible.

[12:50] That's when you and I. Confess with our mouths. That Jesus. Is the son of God. We can be assured. That that confession.

[13:00] Is of the spirit. And therefore. We are born. Again. Likewise. Paul speaks. In first Corinthians. Twelve. Verse three. He says.

[13:11] Therefore. I want you to understand. That no one. Speaking. In the spirit of God. Ever says. Jesus. Is accursed. First. And he goes on.

[13:22] And no one. Can say. Jesus. Is Lord. Except. In the Holy. Spirit. And so.

[13:32] It is of utmost importance. Therefore. That we publicly. Profess. As a church. Together. With one another. And to the world. That. Jesus. Is the son of God.

[13:44] For evangelism's sake. Yes. But also. And I think we so often. Forget this. Also. For the sake of building. One another's faith. In love.

[13:55] And growing. In personal. Assurance. Confessing Jesus. To one another. In the world. Strengthens our faith.

[14:05] In our assurance. And yet. We have. Even greater assurance. Still. In knowing. And believing. In God's. Love. That is. Where John goes.

[14:15] After reflecting on. All these things. And that is assurance. Number. Four. From our text. Assurance. From knowing. And believing. In God's.

[14:27] Love. Love. This is the first half. Of verse 16. John writes. And we have come. To know. And to believe. The love. Which God. Has.

[14:38] For. Us. Incredible. John's wording here. Rightly. We. So often. Think about. Knowing. And believing. In God.

[14:49] Or Jesus. Or the gospel. But John. Calls attention. Specifically. To God's. Love. To believe. In the love. Of God. And so. Every Christian.

[14:59] Here. Must ask. Themselves. Do I believe. God. Loves me. Because. John. Certainly. Does. As do. His.

[15:11] Associates. And. He is not. Describing. Some. Passing. Momentary. Warm. Hallmark. Card. Feeling. While writing. This letter. He's describing.

[15:21] A. A resolved. Knowledge. A. A settled. Belief. Or trust. That doesn't go. Up or down. With. The good. And the bad. Of life. It is a fixed. Singular.

[15:32] Hope. Trust. We have. Come to know. And believe. We did this. In the past. With continuing. Present. And ongoing. Results.

[15:42] We have. Come to know. And to believe. The love. Which God. Has for us. What is this love? Well John. Defined this for us.

[15:53] Last week. He showed us. In first. John. Four. Nine. That God. Showed his love. For us. In the sending. Of his only. Begotten.

[16:04] Son. Verse 10. God showed his love. For us. By loving us. Before we loved him. And God showed his love. For us. Verse 10. As well. By sending his son.

[16:16] As a propitiation. For our. Sins. It is this. Defined. And articulated. Expression. This love of God. Embodied.

[16:26] In the person. And work. Of Jesus Christ. To which. John. Has a resolved. Knowledge. And a. Sure. Trust. Trust. And therefore.

[16:41] Friends. If we want to be sure. Of God's love. For us. Then we need to be. Very. Familiar. With the person. And work.

[16:51] Of Jesus. As shown. In the fourfold. Gospel accounts. As prefigured. And anticipated. In the Old Testament. And further. Explained.

[17:02] And extrapolated. In the epistles. And awaited. In Revelation. Show me a Christian. Who can't remember. Simple details.

[17:12] From the gospel accounts. And I'll show you. A Christian. Who lacks. Assurance. A Christian. Who questions. God's love. For them. Because they've not.

[17:23] Spent. The needed. And constant. Time. Reflecting. On God's love. Christ incarnate. His life. His works. God's love.

[17:34] Is made. Clear. In Jesus. And John's. Confidence. Comes from walking. With him. From knowing him. From meditating. On his word. From writing. Some of his word. Right.

[17:45] John. Knows these. Things. Immerse yourself. In his life. His works. His teaching. Do not. Let these things. Become distant. Memories.

[17:57] Due to lack. Of study. Meditation. And discipline. Fixate. Your eye. On Christ. John continues.

[18:12] As we store up truths. And understanding. Of the person. And work. Of Christ. We. Grow. In assurance. Of God's love. For us. But this love.

[18:23] Then. Branches out. And this. Leads to John's. Fifth. Assurance. Offered. Assurance. From God's. Abiding. And perfected.

[18:34] Love. Second half. Of verse 16. John says. God. Is. Love. The one. Who abides.

[18:45] In love. Abides. In God. And God. Abides. In him. In this. Love. Is perfected. With us. So that. We may have. Confidence. On the day. Of judgment.

[18:56] For just. As that. One. Is. So also. We are. In this. World. There is. No. Fear. In love.

[19:08] But perfect. Love. Casts out. Fear. For fear. Has to do. With punishment. But the one. Who fears. Has not. Been perfected. In love.

[19:22] So John. Repeats. Himself. From last. Week's. Text. He says. God. Is. Love. He then.

[19:32] Uses. The word. Abide. Three times. In verse 16. Alone. To describe. The. The tightness. Of the presence. Between a person. Who loves.

[19:43] And love. And God. Because God. Is. Love. John. Is being. Overly. Emphatic. But now. He adds. This line.

[19:54] Of thinking. In a similar fashion. From last week. In verse. 17. He says. By this. Love. Is. Perfected. Or you could say. Made complete. Or made whole.

[20:05] With us. So. God's abiding. In us. And our abiding. In him. Progressively. Completes. His love. In the church.

[20:15] The. The with us. Of verse 17. Again. That is not. To say. That God's. Love. Is somehow. Deficient. As if God.

[20:25] Is growing. Or changing. No. Absolutely not. That would be. Heresy. Rather. As I said. Last week. This word. Perfect. Or make. Complete.

[20:36] Or whole. In this. Context. I said. God's expression. Of love. For. Thank you. God's expression. Of love. For us. Is not. Complete.

[20:46] Or whole. Apart. From the church. Being faithful. To love. One another. God's love. Does not. Return. To him. Void. It accomplishes.

[20:57] Something. And so. In that sense. It's made. Complete. As it accomplishes. His will. Making us. As loving. As he. Loves. As he. Is. Love.

[21:10] Now. We saw. How God's love. Results. In. Communal. Love. Among. The saints. Peace. But now. John. Makes clear. It also. Results. In confidence.

[21:20] On the day. Of. Judgment. Sadly. The world's. Character. Of an angry. God. Who's just. He's just. Got to thump. Somebody. He's so mad.

[21:32] Has infected. The church. To the point. That. We fear him. In a. Faithless. Way. I'm not. Talking about. Proverbs. And that kind of.

[21:43] Fear. Right. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Note. That is a good fear. We should have that fear. Is a. A fear of respect and understanding of creator versus creature. Of sinner versus holy God.

[21:54] That is a good fear. What I'm talking about is a skeptical or unbelieving fear. From a professing Christian.

[22:06] In which you question. Is God. Going to surprise me somehow. Is this all just some game. Am I going to get bamboozled in the end. Right. Am I just finished no matter what. Is he actually. Merciful.

[22:18] Or will I be condemned. On the day of judgment. That is the kind of fear that John. Is addressing this. This doubting of God's.

[22:29] Character and promises. As revealed. In scriptures. God really. Who he says. He is. That kind of fear.

[22:40] But when we understand the love. Of God. When we understand the love he has. For us. As shown in his son. And then abide in that love.

[22:51] And God abides. In us. And we in him. Then love is made complete. To the point of demolishing. Such fear. The doubts.

[23:02] The questions. The. The. Introspective. Loop of misery. It goes away. And so this kind of love.

[23:16] As John makes. Excuse me. This kind of fear. As John makes clear. In verse 18. Has nothing. To do. With perfect.

[23:27] Love. Love. And so. The. Assessment. Self-assessment. That you have to give yourself. In light of this text. Is this. Am I more afraid.

[23:40] Of condemnation. On the day of judgment. Or am I more confident. Of God's love for me. Right. Which side. Do you fall on.

[23:50] Because. It's the latter. Mark. That sets out. A mature. Christian. This confidence. That is maturity.

[24:01] That is. A strong. Faith. Now. A quick word. Of clarification. On that. Right. Do not.

[24:11] Be discouraged. About your salvation. Or faith. If you still. Experience. This kind of fear. From time. To time. It's common.

[24:23] And if that is you. I would encourage you. To share that. With a brother. Or sister. In the church. Who can walk through that. With you. But again.

[24:33] I'll just tell you. From experience. Not. Uncommon. It's one of the most. Common questions. Pastors get. I've heard that. From so many. Of my. Pastor friends. Or just even the.

[24:44] The big name guys. You can YouTube. And whatever. This is such. A common. Thing. For Christians. Nothing strange. Is overcoming you.

[24:56] Myself. I have dealt with this. Many times. For several years. Especially. As an early. Christian. Struggled with such. Fears. And doubts. But in light of our text.

[25:09] The more you fixate. Your mind. On Jesus Christ. All that he is. All that he's done. All that he is doing. Truly. The more silly.

[25:19] You will feel. For doubting him. And I don't say silly. To disparage you. I say that from my own. Personal experience. The more I really. Began to see this.

[25:30] To understand it. To trust it. I just felt. Ridiculous. Why? Why? Did I doubt? God. His son. Died for you. And so friends.

[25:42] Look. To Christ. He is your. Ultimate assurance. Of God's love. For you. That is an assurance. By the way. That your own spouse.

[25:54] Your own children. Your own parents. Your own friends. Whoever you think. Loves you. However much. They may truly love you. They have never. And could never. Offer you.

[26:05] Such an assurance. Of their love. Friends. This is a. Sure. Love. Love. And this is why.

[26:16] John repeats. His words. From last week's text. In verse. Nineteen. He says. We love. Because he first. Loved. Us.

[26:27] He is both. Encouraging. The reader. That they can be. Confident. Of God's love. For them. Because it originates. With God. Despite us. While also.

[26:37] Transitioning. To a. Familiar. Hypothetical. And this is our final. Heading. A familiar. Hypothetical.

[26:48] Verse 19. Read with me. We love. Because he first. Loved. Us. If anyone. Says. I love God.

[26:59] But he hates his brother. He is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother. Whom he has seen. Is not. Able. To love God. Whom he has not seen.

[27:10] In this commandment. We have. From him. Whoever loves God. Must. Love. His brother. Because love.

[27:26] Is from God. God. Is love. And God. First. Loved us. Anyone who claims. To love God. But hates his brother. Is a. Liar. John makes this point.

[27:37] Clear. Over. Over. And over. Again. And this time. He wraps a. A nice bow. Around it. With the. Idea. Of. Seeing God.

[27:48] As we discussed. Last week. You'll. Recall. That I said. Of first. John. Four. Verse. Twelve. That. There is a. Sense. In which we.

[27:59] See God. Even now. In this community. As we love. One another. As he. As Christ. Has loved. Us. We get. A glimpse. Of God. So to speak. Insofar.

[28:10] As we are. Faithful. To love. Because God. Is. Love. Well. This time. John spells out. Further. The logic. Of that idea. He says. In verse 20.

[28:20] That. Anyone who does not. Love his brother. Is not able. To love God. Why? Because. You can see. Your brother. I'm looking at. All of you right now. I can see you. You can see me.

[28:32] But none of us. Can see God. And so this is a lesser. To greater. Argument. Why? Do you think you're. Self-capable. A loving God.

[28:44] Whom you can't see. When the brother. Right in front of you. Who you're looking at. You hate. That is what John. Is showing us.

[28:57] And by the way. Connecting this to last week. Part of this problem. For the unloving one. Is that by not loving. His brother. He is. Blinded to even that.

[29:08] Glimpse of God. So to speak. And so he is just. Blind. Blind. Blind. He's missing it. He does not. Love. Verse 21.

[29:20] John reminds his readers. Of the old. Yet new. Command. To love one another. As Christ. Has loved us. We discussed this. Old yet new. Command. Two weeks ago.

[29:31] In first. John 2. Seven. And following. But recall. The newness. Of this new. Covenant. Command. It is. The degree. Of love. To which we are now.

[29:42] Called. In the old. Testament. God's people. Were called. To love their neighbors. As themselves. Because no. But you don't love. Anything. Or anyone. More than yourself.

[29:53] So that was. The standard. Leviticus. Nineteen. Eighteen. One. But in the new covenant. Jesus makes. Plain. That we now. Are commanded. To love one another.

[30:05] As Christ has loved us. John 13. 34. 35. That is a massive. Change. Is so heightening. And elevating. The degree.

[30:16] To which we are now. Called. To love. Love. And so let me say. In addition. To your own. Personal interest. In removing fear.

[30:26] And gaining assurance. That if you want. To love fully. And rightly. If. If I can say it this way. If you want to have. True love for others. Right. I don't mean that. In any kind of Disney way.

[30:37] You know how I feel about Disney. But. If you want to have. True love for others. Right. Look to Christ. If you are to keep. This commandment.

[30:47] There is no. Other way. To do it. He himself. Is. The plumb line. And so this is not merely. A comment on.

[30:59] Hermeneutics. Or what the Bible is all about. Right. It is also a common. A much more important comment. Describing a way. Of life. And that way.

[31:10] Is love. It is the way. Of Christ. So friends. Let's do this together. As we have been. And I pray. Continue to do more. Of.

[31:22] Let us know. The joy. Of this life. Forever. By loving one another. As Christ. Has loved us. And he will be. All the more magnified.

[31:33] And glorified. And we will be. All the more. Blessed. Praise God. God. So in closing.

[31:43] I just want to offer. Some additional. Application. And reflection. And light. Of our text. This morning. Additional. Application.

[31:55] Number one. Think of. Core groups. Or your. Discipleship. Relationship. Whatever that is. Whatever you call it. You know. DNA group.

[32:05] Or. You know. Whatever the new name is. I don't know. Think of. Core groups. Less. As accountability. Groups. In more.

[32:16] As. Encouragement. Or. Assurance. Groups. Last week. I encouraged you all. To practice. Affirmation. In the life.

[32:27] Of the body. And you can think of. Today's. Application. This one. As. An expansion. On that. A very specific. Way. Of doing this. That I think would be good. And right.

[32:37] I first heard this from. Michael Lawrence. He's a pastor out in. Oregon. And he said this at a most. At the most recent. Feed my sheep.

[32:49] Conference. And as I've reflected on this. In light of scripture. Since February. I just think it is so. True. So. It's true that yes.

[33:00] We need to confess sins. To one another. That's James 5. 16. We need to share one another's burdens. Galatians. Galatians. 6. 2. And we need to. Do this kind of hard work.

[33:10] Of accountability. Yes. I'm not saying. Don't do that. I'm just saying. Maybe. Perhaps. Less of that. In more of this encouragement. Because. It.

[33:21] It. Seems. That. The. The trap. So often. The temptation. In a core group type environment. Is to treat it as a problem solving time.

[33:33] Right. Hey. I've got an issue with X. Will you meet up with me about it? That's often why we form four groups. I'm trying to get over some sin habit. Or. Whatever. And again.

[33:44] Please don't mishear me. That is a good and wonderful thing. Don't stop that. Right. If anything. Do more. Of that. But my concern. However. And I think Michael Lawrence's. Is that we do this so much.

[33:57] That it becomes the singular focus. And we lose sight of the constant. New Testament thrust. Of encouragement. Assurance.

[34:08] Affirmation. That is just littered in Paul's letters. Alone. That we see between brothers and sisters. In Christ. It's so.

[34:19] Easy to come to core groups. In discipleship environments. Whatever those look like. However. One on one. Or. Fifteen people. Whatever it is. It's so easy to come to that. Assuming.

[34:30] Everybody is steeped in the gospel. Knows it well. It's treasured by them. In that moment. And that things are just kind of going well. In that regard. And so.

[34:41] What we need to do. Is just. Offer them solutions. To whatever present problem. They're facing. And we think of that. As if it's divorced. Or separate. From these gospel truths.

[34:53] When they are just not. Notice John. Though writing to people. He clearly identifies. As Christians. He never stops.

[35:04] Talking. About. Basic facts. If you will. Of Jesus. And how those. Basic facts. Give shape. And meaning.

[35:15] And encouragement. To Christians. With the ultimate aim. To glorify God. And assure. His beloved. I can tell you.

[35:26] From personal experience. I have been. In a core group. Type. Set up. With Alex Kohler. For. Ten years. Or so. And. For me.

[35:37] Personally. I haven't. Talked with him. About this. Be interesting. To know. I. I can just say. That. The most memorable. Conversations. We've had. Are you nervous?

[35:48] The most memorable. Ones. By far. Have been. The ones. In which. We're. Reminding each other.

[35:59] Of these. Basic truths. Of Christ. And what they mean. For him. And I. In this. Very moment. We don't do it. Every week. We don't even do it. Majority of the time. Sorry. If I'm exposing you. But every time.

[36:10] We have. It's been. So great. I can recall. Even as I say. This now. From last. Fall. I was in Atlanta. At the time. So we're having to do.

[36:21] Our core group time. Over zoom. We never really. Stopped meeting. But I can recall. Being in tears. And you guys know me. Not a crier. Unless I'm preaching. Apparently. But. Normally not a crier.

[36:33] And I'm in tears. Talking with him. About. Just the reality. That our names. Are written. In heaven. That our sins. Were nailed. To a cross.

[36:46] And I'll just. I'll never. Forget that. Never. And it's precisely. Because. Of such. Conversations. And brotherhood.

[36:57] The encouragement. Happening. The basic facts. Being shared. And I don't mean that. To belittle it. I just know. We so often do. We think we've outgrown it. But. We haven't. I'll just.

[37:08] I'll never forget that. I'm so. Thankful. So friends. Don't miss out. Right. Don't squander. The opportunities. You have. In your.

[37:20] Discipleship. Times. To simply. Consider. Christ. Together. To revel. At his person. His work. And ironically. That is actually.

[37:32] The very. Root. From which. You will begin. To truly solve. Whatever problems. You're trying to solve. So these things. Are not divorced. They're together. It is.

[37:43] From the gospel. That we are saved. That is the. The. The. The good news. The message. Of salvation. But it's also the gospel. That sanctifies.

[37:53] Don't. Forget. The gospel. Second application. And relatedly. Lead.

[38:04] The gospels. Lead. The gospels. In other words. Know. The gospel accounts. Really. Well. Matthew. Mark. Luke. And John.

[38:16] Right. I don't mean. To imply. In saying this. That the old testament. Or the epistles. Are. Unimportant. Or less important. Or. Or anything. Like that. All of God's word.

[38:27] Is profitable. Yes. And amen. Yet. The gospels. As. Dr. Jonathan. Pennington. I think. Has helpfully. Said.

[38:38] They. They really. Do. Do. Just. Function. In the. Canon. Of. Scripture. As a. Sort. Of. Archway. Okay. Everything. Flows. To them. And.

[38:48] Out of. Them. Because. Everything. In. Scripture. Points. Forward. To Christ. Or. Backward. To Christ. And the gospels. Are. Of course. Four biographies. Of.

[39:00] Christ. And so. Therefore. Everything. You read. In the Bible. From Genesis. To Revelation. Is. Either. Anticipatory. Explanatory.

[39:11] Or. Some kind. Of. Extrapolation. From. The content. Of. The fourfold. Gospels. Christ. Has. Come. The veil. Has. Been. Removed. We see. Ever. More. Clearly.

[39:22] And that. Forever. Changes. How. We read. The old. And so. If these things are true. How. Difficult. Will it be. As a new covenant believer.

[39:34] To grasp the meaning of. Of any part of scripture. Apart from a firm. Understanding. Of the archway. To which all has come.

[39:44] Or gone. One. So again. Do not make the mistake. Of thinking you've outgrown. The gospels. And the gospel.

[39:57] Just to think of core group alone. Let a. Of course we could talk about all kinds of relationships. Your marriage. Your relationship with your kids. And so forth. Just core group alone. What good. Is iron sharpening iron.

[40:10] When one piece is rusted. Due to neglect. And lack of discipline. To study. And meditate. Upon the stories of Christ. Right. The good piece of iron.

[40:21] While being sharp. In these good truths. And storing them up. Will actually break. The rusted piece. And meanwhile. The rusted piece. Will offer nothing. In return.

[40:33] To the good piece. How good it is. When neither piece is rusted. The fruit. That is born. Of such. Relationships.

[40:46] And it's precisely. Because. Of John's. Depth. In the gospels. He has the advantage. Of having been there. And written one. Yes. Granted. But nonetheless.

[40:57] Because of John's. Depth. In the gospels. That he is so. Skillfully. Able to apply. The stories. And the teachings. Of Jesus. Into a very.

[41:08] Complicated church. Situation. Where false teachers. Have gone out. And divided the body. And caused people. Not to believe. Whether or not. They're Christians. It's because. John knows. These truths. Well. These basic truths.

[41:19] If I might add. That he is able. To skillfully. Encourage. An entire community. Of hurting. Doubting. Saints. So if you want.

[41:31] To be. A better. Encourager. A gift. That seems. To be. So lacking. In our. Digital. Social media. Cultural age. Then know.

[41:41] We're better. And remind. Yourself. Regularly. Of the Jesus. Of scripture. And obey him. Is this not. What it means.

[41:52] To abide in him. Is this not. Part of us. And so. I offer. This principle. The proportion to which you know and meditate upon the person and work of Christ.

[42:07]  Is proportionate to the potential you have to encourage your brothers and sisters. the proportion to which you know and meditate upon the person and work of christ is proportionate to the potential you have to encourage your brothers and sisters application number three and it is a simple and remember found thing know and remember that god is love i do not take that for granted god is love it's so easy to forget this especially if you're like me and you grew up in church hearing this your whole life but god is love not all religions claim that about their gods this is amazing god is love in preparation for this sermon this week i read from the bnh academic exegetical guide to the greek new testament which is not typically a very applicational or doxological resource it's exegetical as the title suggests and believe it or not it's even more nerdy than it sounds but even more in that book dr rob plumber and dr roderick ellidge the the authors they wisely stated these words without comment reflecting on this phrase god is love they just stopped and this i just it stands out because i'm telling you i know this series well they never do this they said pause ponder and praise so i invite you to do that at some point today on your own with your family with your friendspause ponder that God is love and praise Him let's do that now in prayer together