What Does it Mean to Love your Neighbor? (Eph 4:25-5:2)

Hey, Manuel, good afternoon everyone. It's so great to be with you today. When I moved out a little bit so I can make eye contact with everybody here.

Kids are dismissed. Looks like they've got it figured out and they're headed out back their excellence.

I want to start by asking a question this afternoon. Why is it? That we all want to be loved. Why is it that we all want to be loved? I think when we turn the scripture we see that the reason we want to be loved is because we're made in the image of God who is love. So God is love and he's demonstrated that love. And when it says he's demonstrated that love and 1st, John 4 example, chapter 4, he reveals it by sending his son and what we get to see is we get to see the intra trinitarian love of the father, to the Son, and the son to the father in the spirit. We could, we could see this and because were made in the image of God, who has been existing in love From all eternity past, it shouldn't surprise us. Then that we desire to be loved that we want to be loved, and it's actually a really good desire. It's a good one. Now, I have been greatly loved in my own life. I've Been Loved by my parents. I've Been Loved by my siblings. I've Been Loved by my wife. I've Been Loved by my children and because I've been so greatly loved. It has shaped how I love others. it is not only that I was saved at nine years old which means it's been 40 years ago now, which makes me Feel my age a little bit. I've been a Christian for 40 years. In fact, it was 40 years ago, July, when I was 9 years old, I was at Silver Spur and a deer woman name Luella, Ross from Valley, Bible Church, shared the gospel with me in Romans. 10:9 at this summer camp, and I climbed up into my bunk that night. And I read through, Romans 10. And by the end of reading through that in praying I'd given my life to Jesus and for these forty years now of my 49, I have experienced the love of God. And I have been greatly shaped almost all of my Life by the love of God for me. And in our passage this morning, what the gospel teaches us, what Paul has been teaching Us in the book of Ephesians is that because we have been dearly loved by the father. In Christ through the spirit, we now are to love one another. So let me read the passage that we're going to go through this afternoon starting in. Verse 25. They're for having put away falsehood. Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor for. We are members of one. Another be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let that he's no longer steal but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no uncorrupted, let no, corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give Grace. To those who hear and do not grieve the holy spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption, little bitterness and wrath and anger, and clamor, and slander be put away from you along with all malice be kind to one another tenderhearted. Forgiving one, another as God in Christ, forgave you therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ. Loved us and gave himself up for us. A fragrant offering and sacrifice. To God. We see so far in the book of Ephesians, that we have been dearly loved by God. You remember, Paul's prayer and Chapter 30 that you would know how high and wide and deep and long, the love of Christ is that you would be filled with all the fullness of God. We've learned that we have been forgiven in Jesus, that we've been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and that not of ourselves. It's a gift of God, not of Works lest anyone should boast. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. For good works and that we've been greatly forgiven, all of our sins. Not just some of them. We've learned that the holy spirit is living inside of us. In chapter one that he's the down payment and pledge of our inheritance that we're going to receive We've learned that we have a future with God, that we've been seated in the heavenlies with Christ, Jesus above all principalities and powers and rulers and authorities. We've learned that we have been joined to one another in the body of Christ that were members of one another. And so that the passage before SI I think what Paul is getting that he's pulling from the second table of the Ten Commandments here in alluding to some of those sins. And he's what he saying is, he's answering the question. What does it mean to love your neighbor? What does it mean to love your neighbor? Paul has been going from the foundational in the first three chapters to talking about. Yes, you've been loved greatly and you need to love God and love your neighbor. But now he's getting into the details. What is this look like in our day today? What is this look like? Well, it begins in verses 25 to 30 to really the rest of chapter 4. Paul says, it's an active love, it's actions. He gives five commands that reflect the truth of what he had. We had looked at last 2 weeks ago that we've put off the old man and put on the new. And what Paul does yours is very fascinating as he doesn't just give the command, but he gives the motivation that's rooted in the gospel for each command. We're going to see this. So, five commands that give us an example of what love looks like. Love is an action. It's a verb. It's not merely feelings though. It does include feelings, but it is something we do as an act of service and kindness and demonstration of love to others. First verse 25, put offline and speak truthfully. So the negative he says is verse 25 put away falsehood. And in John and his got his epistle 1st John 2, he says that lying falsehood is the spirit of antichrist. which is strong Language by John Paul here, says put off falsehood And instead positively speak the truth. To one another with his neighbor and he uses the word neighbor, I think to give us the hint that he's talking about. What does it mean to love our neighbor? He's appealing to the second half of the Ten Commandments with your primarily week. We could summarize the 10 commandments by first-half love God second-half, love your neighbor.

How do we? Practice falsehood. I think we know this. Well, some of us can even become experts at this. Falsely representing our work. Plagiarizing falsely representing ourselves. Speaking of what we don't know twisting what we do know misrepresenting facts Paul says, this is not in keeping with the God who is truth, who has given us truth and revealed truth to us. Not only that this command to speak truthfully, is characteristic of being born again, that we speak truthfully. This truth comes from God himself. Look at one verse prior verse 24, we've been taught to put on the new cell created after the likeness of God in true, righteousness and Holiness. It's found in Jesus, back in verse 21, assuming you've heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. And so he says this is this is what it means to be a new creation as you speak. Like God speaks and when he speaks, he speaks truth. Now, the motivation he says, we are members of one, another were members of one another. And if we look from chapter 1 to chapter 4, so far in the book of Ephesians, the fact that were members of one another year to use the illustration back in Chapter 2 of being a temple that were being built in to 2:22 a dwelling place for God by the spirit. He says, in chapter 3 that we are brought together that we are coaers of the grace of life that we we would be that Christ is the head of the body and so he's saying that the motivation to put off. Also, then speak truthfully is we are now members of one another the body of Christ, the temple of God, the place where God's glory dwells. And you remember that the Old Testament Temple, this was the place where if people wanted to go into the presence of God and Me, God, they would go to Jerusalem to the temple. Now, if people want to meet God and see the presence of God, they come to the church, they come to us and they see God in us Welling in us as the temple. So, think of the implications of speaking truth, do we want to represent? God truly at a body Absolutely. We do we want to be in line with what God is doing to speak the truth through us to others. And this is a manifestation of what it means to love one another to speak truth and stop speaking falsehood. He moves on to the second, one verses 26 and 27. Be angry and do not send in these versus the positive and negative commands are are reversed positively. He says, be angry. It's fascinating use of a command, isn't it?

Not all anger is sin. In fact, Jesus, exhibited A righteous anger when he cleanse the temple in Matthew 21, and we can get angry at Injustice and cruelty. Some of you who are parents out there, you might have a son or daughter who's wired to get angry. Now, you would exasperate him or her if you told him or her don't ever get angry

That's actually not biblical instead, teaching them to guard their heart to not let their anger be uncontrolled, in its expression and sin in that anger is the proper instruction.

The negative is do not sin, of course, and he's quoting Psalm 44. And if we were to turn back to song for we would see, the psalmist was unjustly accused of a crime or sin but he knows he's innocent, so he becomes angry. But what God does in the storm is replaces a righteous anger with joy and peace in the sovereignty of God. And so, Paul is eluding, the song for is instruction on what it means to be angry and not sin. And when we go back and look at that, we would say, oh, here's an innocent man, unjustly accused who has every right to be angry, and he doesn't send it. Because what he does, is he goes to God with his anger, in God, replaces that emotion with joy and peace because of God's sovereignty over the circumstances. God is on his throne. Remember what James Todd and James chapter ones. Be slow to anger don't ever get angry. He says be slow to anger. Why? Because the anger of man does not produce the righteous life that God desires. Wow. Have you ever have you ever done that? I can say I have been there, right? I have thought in my anger, I was going to produce a righteous life maybe in my kids, maybe if my spouse maybe with a co-worker maybe with a church member as a pastor To think that just because I get upset at what I'm seeing in them, and I express it in Anger. I'm going to try to produce righteousness in them. James says will be slow to anger because that's not what happens. Being angry and your anger doesn't produce the righteous life that God desires. Why? Because we know the spirit of God produces the righteous life that God desires. Now, we are to speak the truth in love. Look at what Paul here says, though is he says be angry and do not send, do not let the sun go down on your anger getting at here. Well, in other words, anger must be dealt with quickly and Reconciliation must be chased as soon as possible. And the word for anger here is is a more rare word in the Greek. It's a response to an event that causes exasperation indignation or rage. Now, this doesn't mean that every dispute has to be solved before you go to bed, he doesn't say, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on your dispute. He says don't let the sun go down on your anger, why it means we need to replace the emotion of anger with a loving desire for reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness.

What is the motivation in this verse 27? Give no opportunity for the devil, do not give the devil a foothold. Satan can use anger in our lives for his own ends, given the opportunity. Now, Satan doesn't produce the anger. He will use it to cause Division and strife. Have you ever seen that happen? I have that's Church division 101. Why are there fights and quarrels among you James for because you want and you don't get there for you, commit murder.

We don't commit murder. At least not physically. Just Bloodless Lee. We decide you're dead to me. Cancel culture. The early church invented it. Unmet, expectations lead to retaliation is what? James is teaching. And what we have to do is we have to work through those expectations to either change them to align with scripture or to clearly articulate. That the expectation was on met so that we can lead to reconciliation instead of retaliation.

So what Paul is getting at here in a Fusion Sport is our use of words and how much are words can be used as weapons.

Third, stop, stealing and work. So you can give verse 28. The negative is very clear that the thief no longer steal. This wasn't just a problem in Ephesus. We see organized crime, groups stealing from our California stores, Target shutting down. I saw this week numerous locations in the Bay Area, for that reason corporate scandals or a regular occurrence, Government taxes on the assumption that we will hide our resources, we can lie to our landlords are employers. We can rationalize personal work on company time. We can steal in so many different ways and listen to what Paul saying. Here's the thing. Let the thief no longer steal instead. He says let him labor doing honest work with his own hands. Now this is reflecting so far. The you put off these things and you put on Christ so he's using this put off put on imagery but he's giving us the motivations. What are you saying is, hey, the Ingenuity in the efforts that you used to give to theft. Now, must be devoted to honest labor. Laboring the word tapas is to the point of exhaustion working hard with the motivation. This is what I love so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. It goes back to the fusions to 10 words workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we would walk in them. And so one tangible way that we love others as we do good to others by giving to those in need Instead of seeing people as resources to be used, we see them as opportunities to do good through giving and serving. And the gospel is ultimately the motivation. This is what Paul is getting at is that we are now in a new kingdom, we have new new motives, we have new principles, we have new guiding. You guiding law of the love of Christ, that teaches us that this is the way it ought to be. In the spirit, writes this law on our hearts. He had told the Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians, 8 7 as you excel in everything, in your faith, in your speech, in your knowledge, in your earnestness and in our love for you see that you excel in this act of Grace. Also. What you was talking about was giving in to this they were taking up a collection for the churches that were in poverty in need any says I don't say this as a command but you're approved by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine and then he gives the motive For, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor. So that you buy his poverty, might become rich. So the motive for giving of any of our resources is never to earn God's favor after all. He owns everything. Anyway. He created us. We don't give to receive the approval of men giving oughta be done out of an overflow of joy in what God has given us in Christ. So that we'd gladly meet the needs of others. This is the heart of giving rooted in The Gospel. Four as he says versus 29 and 30 let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give Grace to those who hear he speaks in terms of Good and Evil here, rather than truth and lies. He says, negatively, don't let evil speech come out of your mouth. Corrupting talk verse 29. The word here is used elsewhere of decaying trees. That produce rotten fruit. Matthew 7 or rotten fish in Matthew 12. Any contrast, he says, used good or helpful speech, that builds up that that benefits. That heals rather than decays and the motivation. He says that it may give Grace to those who hear That our motive is we have received so much grace from the father in Christ that we want to be dispensers of Grace into the lives of others. By speaking good words, healthy words, words of life rather than words of Destruction and words of decay.

But he doesn't give. That is the only motive. What does he say? In verse 30, don't grieve. The holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

This is parallel to do not give the devil a foothold earlier. The spirit is the Divine agent of reconciliation and unity in the body of Christ, and he is grieved. When the evil speech is used from one Christian to another. You know that goes Isaiah 63 10 worth Yahweh, place the spirit in Israelite, Smits to deliver them, and to give them rest in the wilderness, yet they still rebelled and grieved the spirit, we must not grieve. The spirit. We've been sealed for the day of redemption in the day of redemption is that final day of salvation and judgment and the goal of all of history. What a motive? What a motive bet. It's not merely doing what's proper and cultured Society to not use corrupting talk is not merely to sound good to our co-workers and employees because it's it's the, you know, the proper language to use in Good Company. It it's it's not merely that work. We're speaking good words because the people who are hearing it, don't want to hear bad words. It's the idea that rather than tearing others down. With our words, we're building them up with our words. And it's rooted in the gospel. Think about what? The spirit does in his ministry. So far in the book of Ephesians, he seals us as a down payment and pledge of our inheritance. He Reveals His dwelling inside of us as the temple of God. He is revealing God's mystery to us the mystery of the Gospel, we know else where he writes God's law on our hearts so that we obey the spirit is the spirit, who is the example, par exsalonce of what it means to speak. Good words, he's the one who inspired the scriptures, all of this word that we received that we hold on to that. We cling to as promises that are yes. And amen in Jesus, are given to us by the spirit. Think about his ministry to us. He's speaking words of life to us through the word and on our hearts and indwelling us and it Illuminating the scriptures to us. And so why would Paul say that when you use your words to tear down, your grieving, the spirit? Because this is contrary to the new life you have in Christ. you've been taught when you learned Christ to put off these things and to put on Jesus,

You've been taught that you've been loved so greatly. And you've been given the example of what it means to love. And to live in a way. Contrary Paul says, is to not live in line with with the Triune God in whose image your created in whose image is being renewed and and the image that one day you will bear in Redemption when Christ returns, you'll be like him.

Another words. It's, it's a contradictory life. To do so. Anthony says. instead of grieving the spirit, Kindly forgive out of love, verses 31 and 32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice and be kind to one another tenderhearted. Forgiving one another as God in Christ. Forgave you he returns to this subjective anger. Tied to speaking words of life. and he says all the sins that can lead from unrighteous anger or these kinds of sins bitterness wrath anger, clamor slander, malice And Paul's list seems to go from inner resentful. Attitudes of the heart too indignant outbursts to seething, rage to public shouting in a abusive language and cursing. It's like a maggot that's allowed to spawn into an insect that then does Devastation to crops and people Left unchecked a destructive force. And he's summarizing sentence along with all malice, as the idea of ill-will intent to hurt people, using our Words As Weapons.

And I have to say in our day right now, this is the least integer the scent of the day, is our Words As Weapons isn't it? Social media is filled with it. Our conversations are filled with it politics is filled with it. It's all over the place. I'm were called instead to be countercultural and instead of using our Words As Weapons to use our words to build up, Tubi.

Demonstrations of love.

And he says, this is what it capstone's in. Be kind to one another tenderhearted, forgiving one another It's got in Christ has forgiven you. So the negative is getting rid of using our words as weapons and instead, positively being kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other Kindness is a quality that God demonstrates over and over. Again to his people, remember what Paul taught in Romans that it's his kindness that leads us to repentance and kindness is seen as weakness. It really is. It's seen, as you are just, you know, people just Trot all over you. You need to be more assertive. You need to be claiming your rights and responsibilities. You need to be fighting everything. but we speak the truth in Love, But Here Paul says, be kind to one another Tender hearted. Compassionate know, this doesn't come naturally. We also see from scripture in Galatians 5, it's a fruit of the spirit. Kindness. And compassionate and tender-hearted is used to both God, the father and the Lord Jesus Christ and their great Mercy towards Sinners Like Us. This is how we've been treated. Forgiving one another and it's in the present tense in the Greek, meaning is to be unceasing and unwavering, it's going to be the constant action of our life is that we're forgiving. They were forgiving one another, you know, forgiveness is one of those things that can be a bit elusive in our lives. Because forgiveness is, is a really a mindsets and are deciding that I'm not going to bring your sin up to me anymore. I'm not going to bring it up to you anymore, and I'm not going to bring it up to God anymore. I'm going to forget it. That's really hard. I would venture to say that very often, we say we forgive, but we we let it sit and fester and then when conflict comes again, we bring it up again. To our own hearts. To the other person. So true forgiveness is costly. It's very costly because true forgiveness means we have to absorb a wrong. What do I mean by that? Well, I can remember being very young moving to Vallejo and breaking the neighbor's window and they hadn't even moved in yet to their new home with a rock. And I remember getting in a lot of trouble for breaking the neighbor's window. Likewise I remember throwing rocks at cars driving by, on the street, on Regent's Park Drive. When I was a little bit older, I had this problem with rocks. Evidently I like to throw them.

now, we never hit any cars until one time when I hit a car, And the person stopped. And we ran into the house. But, you know, we're not sophisticated in our crime. They watched us run right from the front yard into our house and knocked on the door and talk to my dad and in both cases, how did. Raheem that sin. Be dealt with my dad, had to absorb the cost by paying for the window and paying for the repair to the car. Someone had to absorb the cost of that infraction. That's in that crime was the same with forgiveness. Forgiveness is costly. It means that we have decided. We are going to absorb Descendants been done to us by remembering it no more. Now, where do we see that exemplified? That's when he gets to the motive. Be kind to one another verse 32 tenderhearted. Forgiving one, another as God in Christ. Forgave you how can God forgive you? He doesn't just say, I'm going to sweep what you did under the rug know, he nailed your sin to the Cross. He punished Jesus in your place to the point of death. Even the death of a cross. It was costly. It cost God the son, his life, Jesus died and was buried course. The good news is he rose again and he conquered sin in the grave and he's seated at the right hand of the father is interceding for us as a high priest. And so we have forgiveness of sins. And because we've been forgiven so much at the cross because the father dealt with our sin, completely at the cross. The father says, I remember your sin no more. Scripture, it has tons of pictures of this, in the Psalms he's removed it. As far as the East is, from the West. In the Psalms, again, he's blotted out, our sin from his remembrance and Isaiah, he puts it behind his back.

and Isaiah again, he washes us whiter than snow In Micah, he Treads are sent Under Foot and he counted in the ocean floor to the depths of the ocean floor.

The God who cannot forget anything because he is omniscient determines to remember our said, no more. Meaning, he doesn't count it against us. Why? Because it was finished at the cross,

but it was costly. He absorbed the consequences.

The sin of the Rebellion.

So when Paul writes this, he understands that forgiveness is hard. But what does it mean to love our neighbor to forgive as God in Christ, has forgiven us He's going to get into marriages. She's going to get into parenting here in the next chapter. Do you see that the the natural outflowing of this is in the most? Intimate of your relationships, the places where the most Strife, occurs, the places, where our words are used as Weapons Bailey. Paul says, the gospel should reach in there and do something different, the gospel should cause transformation. The Gospel should cause you to love in such a way that Christ is glorified in the spirit is not grieved.

and our motive, in all of this,

Is what the father has done in the son on the cross.

So what's an active love? It works it if we see its results in our lives, it's it's not merely saying the words I love you, but it is actually doing things out of the proper motive.

And also it's a Godly love and other words it's not something we drum up in ourselves. That's why I've attached chapter 5, verses 1 and 2 to this particular message. He says, 5:1 be imitators of God as beloved children in Walk In Love. As Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. A fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And first one we see it's a, it's a life consuming love with our identity. Are the image of God that's in US is being renewed. We are now beloved children, who are resembling? Our Father in heaven. Where is in Chapter 2? We were children of Wrath who were resembling, the prince of the power of the air, who's at work in the sons of disobedience in Chapter 2. Paul says a part from Jesus. You were son's not of the father but of Disobedience. You, you resemble Disobedience. I resembled Disobedience dead in our trespasses and sins, but God. Who is rich in Mercy because of the great love with, which he loved us. Even when we were dead, made us alive together, with Christ by Grace. You been saved this not of ourselves. It's a gift of God. Not of Works lest. Anyone should boast? This is the good news. And Paul says, therefore be imitators of the father as beloved children as beloved as dearly loved children, you've been adopted into God's family. God has poured out his love into your hearts Romans 5:5 by the Holy Spirit and we now resemble Our Father in heaven. And we're to imitate him. This is the only place in the Bible, where it's commanded, by the way to be imitators of God, and what is amazing to me, is in the context of this, what he's talking about imitating is the kindness and mercy of God, as a model of our conduct, in loving one, another

It's not incredible. How have you been treated by the father in Christ? How have you been brought into the family of God? Oh, he showed you, kindness and mercy, he showed you Grace, he welcomes you and received you even when you didn't deserve it, then he proved it by giving his best. When you were at your worst, he gave his son

And he says you're welcome and you received you were once without hope and without God in Chapter 2. But now you've been brought in here. You've been brought near. And now you're the temple of God. You're the place where God's glory dwells and sew-in 2:18. He says, we draw near through Christ, by the spirit to the father.

So he says be imitators of God Walk In Love.

God's kindness and mercy. This is what it means to love our neighbor. This is why Paul says live a life of Love or or walk in love and so it's a giving sacrificial. Love is the summary of the motivations of the previous five commands. He's going to say it again. And 5:25 that Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Christ. Took the initiative, the Lord Jesus, our savior, he went to the Cross, as a willing sacrifice, as a willing substitute, he was The Fragrant offering and sacrifice. This is all language of Temple, sacrifices, his offering and sacrifice was well, pleasing to God.

And so disturb others with this giving sacrificial. Love it in this way. Is not only to please God. But it's to imitate both the father and the son and what they've given to us. So I'm going to close with this thought that change in the Christian Life.

Change is not only possible. Because of what the spirits doing but it's expected. It's expected. Why? Because we learned Christ in such a way. He says, in chapter 4, look back at verse 20. This is not the way you've learned Christ, assuming you've heard about him were taught in him. Is the truth is in Jesus to put off your old self and to be renewed verse 23 in to put on the new selfors 24. He says, when you learn Jesus, when you came to him, when you put faith in him, you'll learn to put off these things into put on Jesus to put on the new self. And so, living in a manner, consistent with the new self living in a way that loves your neighbor, is simply living, like your father in Heaven.

This is what the spirits at work doing this is what the sun purchased. This is what the father Desires in fact he had said back in chapter one that his goal is that you will be holy and blameless before him or in his presence. And so he predestined the plan for you to walk in this way and he even prepared good works for you to walk in them as His workmanship, is his work of art. What a hope. So change is not only possible, but it's expected, but it's expected. Not that you would be so great that you would change. The expectation, is that he's giving you all of the resources by his spirit, in the finished work of his son and Union with him, that change is a reality. And so now you're living out of who you are in Christ rather than who you were before Christ. So, I want you to see this cuz it's so important. It's so important. We can hear these commands and think I'm just going to check the boxes, and I'm going to be a better person.

No. You're going to fail just like I fail. And when we fail, guess what we have, we have the righteousness of Christ as our backstop. Who lived a perfect life on our behalf and die to substitutionary, death, for all of our sins, even our future failures, and sins. To bring us to God. And so that gives us. Great Freedom. Doesn't it to say that I have freedom to live in this way? Because I've learned Jesus, in such a way that I put these things off and I put on the new self. And I love people and though I may not do it perfectly. I'm doing it in the power of the spirit, whose at work in me. And working all of us to make us fit, Dwelling, Places for God. That's what Paul has been teaching in Ephesians changes, not only possible but expected and it's on the basis of our new identity in Christ, on the basis of our Union with Christ. So what I want you to see more than anything is tomorrow morning. When you wake up and you face all those people you want to fight with.

Maybe it's after you leave here. Maybe I'm speaking to my own heart.

What, what is our determination? Because of who we are in Jesus because of everything we have in him, we can love those people. Who are unlovely. We can forgive those people, we can even when we're angry knots in, but instead, Instead serve in love is incredible, this reality. And what would it look like in our midst? The conflicts for disagreements, for fights and quarrels to be resolved in this way to the glory of Christ.

let me close father, thank you for this time and this word By your spirit. Would you drive this down deep in our hearts?

It's very easy to to see here the implications of what it means to love people.

To not use our Words As Weapons against them to not steal from them to not take from them, but instead to give to them, to show kindness to them to forgive them.

It's easy to understand. It's hard to live.

It's very hard to live.

So, father and Powers by your spirit to do a supernatural work. I pray for those that have people in their lives, that that this seems like an impossibility to do this. That you would do such a work in relationships, you would give them such a love for those around them, their neighbor. That it would be to your glory because you would be the only you would get all the credit because you're the only one that can make a change. Internet. Amista friends. What you did with us in the gospel, we were your enemies. You made us your friends, you did more than that, you brought us into your family, you've made us your temple. The place where your glory dwells you, you made us the body of Christ. Where Christ is our head. Were members of one another. And so we want to live in unity and love.

Even as we turn to the table now, father, would you encourage us? courage, our hearts that When you command these things to be holy As You Are Holy, that you Empower Us by your spirit to do what we can never do on a room. And there's coming a day when you're going to make all things new, and even the send that remains in our life will be done away with We long for that day in Jesus name, amen.