Spiritual Cannibals Galatians 5:13-15

back, I had gotten a a rendering of that from All right. Hey, babe, the album the church Works media. That's who is done that Chris Anderson wrote that he wrote it as the anniversary for the church that he pastors or password at the time there in Georgia Atlanta and he wrote that for them and wrote that for their Church what's really fascinating is whatever reason he wrote this I believe was in 2009. So it wasn't that he wrote this last year or anything like that and I have seen their website since 2009 and I've never come across these words never had jumped out to me, whatever reason this Arrangement. They he done called attention to the words to the song this song. Listening to it a number of times the kids if you probably a month and a half ago, they were looking at something to see the kids adjustable. Why not this one Daddy really loves this song and it's the the words to this text makes me think about from the standpoint of our body you think about the moment especially that second verse the Lord would build this church and he would raise up a pure and holy church and that's something we're supposed to do a temple made of Living Stones United as your spirits home and then it really gets me is that third verse and the chorus. We thank you Lord that you have worked you found a gospel preaching shirt and yet our task on Earth remains undone or build your church Until You Come the Lords built, we built the church Universal that the church bigger than ours. And yes, it was part of building our church and yet our task is not done yet. We have a job to do we have something is called us to be about and sorry our task is I'm done and then to the chorus. And so we pray Lord build your church deploy your Saints across the Earth destroy Hills feeble falling Gates and glory in your church is praised and that's the great thing for us that the Lord will glory in us singing his Praises giving him the glory that he deserves as he sends his workers around the world right about the key first we read about others God's deployed them to other countries and he's deployed us here. And our job or task remains I'm done and for us to continue to pray the Lord builds your church at the continue to do that. That's a wonderful song. You can actually if you like this you going to church Works media's website. You can actually find this song and you can download it for free just the congregational songs like this these Cunningham's day. Actually you can down all of them print them off yourself The Only Name I ever asked is that they get credit they don't ask for monetary things unless you want to donate to them, but that's just a beautiful song and a reminder for the Lord has called us today. Thank you Dave goodstein the girls were singing that. Read again, my reading glasses chapter 5 when I read just 3 versus these three versus one of them is actually the reason that we went to Galatians in some respects. I intended to make if you did if you've not noticed first 15 is actually a verse that I picked for this year as a theme for us and my initial plan was to preach on that Sunday of the annual meeting to preach those verses and then kind of broaden out we talked about it and then someone suggested why don't we go up and do a little more with the Steam and it made me go through the entire book of Galatians. And I'm really thankful because the full force of Galatians hit you when you get here. When you get to these verses this is really where he's been driving them as an application. He's been laying out massive amounts of Theology and he's been correcting mistakes in their theology. But here's what he wants them to see. What does theology do in our lives. It's a boring topic for many it seems dry. But the reality is the ology drives us to certain actions and that's exactly what's happening here. He's explicit as to okay with what do you do as a church that is living not under the law but under God's grace and what does that look like? So this week and next week? We're only going to do three forces and I just wait until you when we get to the works of the Flesh and the fruit of the spirit was going to slow down there. We're going to actually spend some time. What did those mean? How do those work for us to understand what we should look like. So getting ready here with 13 verse 15 For Brethren you have been called in to Liberty only use not Liberty for an occasion to the flesh. But by love serve one another with all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this. Shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if you bite and devour one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another let's pray father. We thank you for our time this morning. We thank you for giving us your word and we pray that your word would change us. That we would be different that we would reflect your character. In our day-to-day lives help us Lord to be the kind of people. Who live the way you tell us the live?

And that you would receive the honor and Glory from what you do in our lives. May we not simply gloss over the truth in your word this morning. basic deep in our hearts

They did not just simply be for a moment. And we might be able to get away from the truth. It made change all of us. for your honor and Glory what's in your name? We pray these things. amen name Francis Schaeffer is probably quite well known by many people something I had not realized until recently is something about shaffer's life Schaefer grew up in a church. That was bite his estimation a liberal Church. He grew up and is he got to be young man? He actually got saved and he began to look at the church. That was a part of any realize that it wasn't preaching the truth. So we left and joined another church a few years later. There were problems in that church not theologically being liberal. This was a very conservative Church. But there were problems and so we ended up parting ways. Before long you ended up leaving two more institutions went to Seminary and wanted to nomination. And what shape for begin to realize that dude has been burned by a group of people who are theologically accurate solid. But they were missing something. Schaefer many ways looked at the church has he been a part of and said but you're missing something vital. You're missing something that really makes you. a true church in the gospel sends and they were missing being able to live out their lives as a gracefield church.

And they missed treating each other a certain way. up to this point In Galatians, we've been hammering away at Freedom. We've been hammering away at the law not providing what we needed in the Temptation that we all feel as well. I can do whatever I want and the Apostle Paul is about to rain that in but he's not going to give us a list of rules. He's not going to give us a list of things and say just follow the rules. What is about to do is about to tell us how to live? What does a a church what does a group of individuals look like in which the grace of God really is at work is really working on them. Is it simply a church this got theological accuracy? And what Paul is about to do is to say no. Paul was a guy that when you read his letters you find a guy was ready at the drop of a hat to defend the truth. Every letter he write is a problem in a church, but the book of Romans. I mean how many of us look at the Corinthian Church and say boy, let's be like them. We all take it as you don't be like the Corinthian Church. They had problems a lot of them. We're ice in church in Ephesus. They had a problem when he writes to the church and Philip. I was one of the best churches he wrote to and yet they had a problem. We write to Timothy and Titus the churches that they are their leaders in many ways that a problem. Paul throughout all of his books dealing with false teachers and false prophets throughout What is truly remarkable, however is there is a theme with in Paul's writings that we often miss? The guy who was the staunch defender of the truth. You had to live a life filled with grace. And you see it throughout the pages of his letters. Remark that he wants broke with Barnabas over. Barnabas himself who shows up in his letter after they have their separation. Any prizes in? Reality behind what we as a church need to understand it. Sometimes what we often find the hardest is this you must live free. to be a gracefield church and the reality behind it is well, how do you live free? He's talked about living by freedom for the first thing here. And this is what he does with the first 13 a church a group of people who are living a life that is free to be gray spelled. They first avoid living selfish life.

How many of us genuinely operate on the belief that we are the center of the universe if I asked you that most of you would tell me what done that way?

But really how many of us live that way. How many of us live for ourselves? Everything revolves around what we want what we desire. The weight of that shows up in this passage is decimate. This is letter 100 number one you reject giving a base to The Flash. He says number 13. This idea Brethren you have been called in to Liberty only use not your Liberty that word for occasion is actually the word for base of operations. The idea is that the devil gets a place within a base of operations were our flesh gets to live at what it wants to do. He's going to Define that by the time we get a few verses later is going to Define what the flesh is going to find one that looks like we're just for the moment. We refuse to let the devil get a hint handle. Hold on us. We reject giving an opportunity for us to act in our flesh. The thing that we all struggle with we don't want it to get a handle on us.

I'm already to reject acting that way.

How many of us use our Liberty in Christ as the opportunity to engage in the things he's going to tell us or the works of the flesh? By the way, the works of the flesh should shock you cuz when you read them their things that you should sit there and go. Oh, oh, I didn't realize that was part of it. I knew what the one thing we talked about that all the time. You mean these other things. Yeah the other things too. And the reality is we don't want the devil to get an opportunity where our flesh gets to operate the way it wants to.

Our flash wants to run our lives.

Once you get the opportunity to launch into things and he wants to do the same thing within the body of Christ the opportunity for our flesh to operate. However, it feels like operating and as a body we were saying you knew that the flesh cannot do that. It cannot happen. what my flesh wants Must Die

At its core it's a life. That is very much selfish. Looking at its own things. When you read that list of the works of The Flash you will realize that at its core is me getting what I want.

But the second thing is even bigger in many ways. Is you search for opportunities to serve others in love? at the end of verse 13 He says this

but that word by she probably the way there through through the means of love. Be slaving for one another.

Interesting thought of you like being a Slave how many light people treating you like a slave how many parents like when your kids say things like will you do this for me? But I can't and I guess you can. I'm not your slave. None of us like being treated that way yet. This passage says to be a Slave. for the benefit of others There's nothing in return you get. Never met parents who do things for the kids cuz one day they going to take care of them. And so they're only looking to the care that they get down the road. So they act in such a way that you got to take care of me cuz I take care of you. That's not doing something for their benefit.

Never met somebody in a job just does enough and they're not looking out for the needs of other people. They're just in it for themselves.

Apostle says that we act as slaves. one another's benefit And that is done not just through Duty. one thing for us to do something because we have to I mean you've ever done something because you had to and you didn't really want to you're in a job and they tell you to do something you like. And you go do it anyway, but boy you don't love doing it and you didn't do it in love for the person who asked you you did because that's what you had to do. So your grand and you and you bore it. I don't even have been a kid in the nest or you have kids and they do this you tell him to do something in them. And they stomp away they do what you tell him to do, but they weren't really happy and they didn't do it because they loved you. They did it because there were consequences waiting for them.

So many times is Believers. That's exactly the way we look at our service to each other.

We do it because we have to not because we're doing it through love three loving manner with each other.

How many be this morning when you got here? Who haven't participated in in taking up the offering a reading scripture or singing or playing music or doing other things in the service? Just think your job when you walk through those doors is just to sit here in a few. That's an easy thing for all of us to do. Ever thought about and I actually was reading something in as I was reading the passage. It reminded me of this. It was a book written two years ago by a by a group from Australia basically telling people how to walk into church and I saw the time and I thought that's weird. How do you walk into church? Well, but was fascinating about the book. Is it brought out this very thing and the idea was when you walk into church you're praying for one opportunity Lord. Help me to serve someone else this morning. You ever walked through those doors thinking that? How can I brew love serve somebody else? Who's going to be there this Sunday? How many of you look and think there's a visitor this morning. I'm going to love them. That's my person to serve today. How many view of change what are you sad because you saw someone who probably needed someone to sit next to them. And so you did.

How many of us walk through those doors and our first thought is how can I be a blessing to others for their benefit when they leave this morning? They've had a blessing for me from no one else. Imagine for a moment if our church was everybody did that.

For the moment, we hit the parking lot. We were saying Lord. I don't know who's going to be here this morning, but let me serve somebody today for their benefit and we did it with joy we did it cuz we wanted to we did it because we look forward to it not well better do it as preaching that last week. So I guess I do it this week. Well people will be upset with me. If I don't set it going Lord help me to serve somebody this morning a church filled with grace as a church that when we walk through those doors. It is not about us. It is about serving others to demonstrate the grace of God that's been shown to us to other people. the reason why as a body we take note of when someone struggling and we look for that opportunity to help them. By the way. This doesn't just apply to church the way he's framing. This is a broad floral the word. He uses throughout this passage is plural. So it's you all the fun expression the southerners use y'all. Y'all do this. But it applies in our families. It applies to other believers who aren't part of this body. That we look to serve them through love. That's what a graceful Church looks like. That's what a church. That's what individual Believers look like. When the grace of God is really operating in the when it's not just a nice phrase.

Not just part of the doctrinal statement is part of our lives. We look to be just like the Lord in the way we treat each other. The question for us to ask this morning is due. Do we really think that way

are we a people? Who avoid living a selfish life which leads me to the second main point is this? You demonstrate love to others. I get it. It says well and that Versi said that the idea of serving each other through love what he does here. Is he brings it out as an action? And you quote a verse I don't you do as I want you to hold your finger here. I'm going to go back to a passage in Leviticus when he says here. Right after telling them. For all the loss of field in one word, by the way, it's not one word. It's a sentence with interesting is where he takes them Leviticus 19:19.

You may recognize this because several months ago. We went to this very same Passage. And the reason I want to go to this passage and look at it is because we need to be reminded. Play Slight Leviticus that's all about these laws and all about all these different things the Apostle Paul goes back to it and he has a reason for taking them back to something like this. You look around this particular passage. You'll find a lot of laws that seem strange to us and he begins the chat for this isn't where we're going to end up but gives a child by saying to tell this to all the congregation and God is Holy for I the Lord hymn. Holy we're going to go is for 16. This is actually a backing up from where he gets into it. Is this at the end of this section where he actually what he says here is exactly what Paul says back in Galatians 4:16 of lettuce 19 not go up and down as a talebearer Monday people neither shalt thou stand against the blood of our neighbor. I am the Lord Thou shalt not hate thy brother and then heart. Thou shalt Thou shalt in any wise rebuke like neighbor and not suffer sin upon him that shall not have been any grudge against the children of thy people but Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord.

Interesting, by the way that context because there is something going on there when he quotes that verse that if you look at some people there was a guy many of you may remember this Robert Schuller. He looked at this person said it's a sin not to love yourself. Well, let's be honest how many of you really love yourself?

The E-ZPass drive home today and let somebody cut you off in traffic. And I'll know how much you love yourself because you applied the same response. I have what an idiot what you do that for? That made no sense in going to get somebody killed. What I really care about you cut me off.

In this passage, by the way the context which is why I think fascinating is talking about bearing a grudge something by the way we often do I've done it. when I was in high school I was thinking I was going to be the woodwind captain in the band. I I love being in the marching band in the concert band the marching band there were people were only in the marching band, but I did all of it. My junior year the would win Captain wasn't there for a game and so the drum major goes. Hey. You're going to be acting would win captain for the day to go with the other band on the other side. I thought your team. And hadn't heard anything hadn't heard anything and then found out she weighed another friend that she had been in the whooping captain. I had supported the band. Right right. I didn't gripe and complain about him in the same way. Everybody else had. And he gave it to her and I remember being mad.

For the rest of that. You're I bore a grudge. In fact, I wasn't real happy with her what her fault. She didn't make that choice he did. and I went home that night. And my parents are the basketball goal and are planted a driveway and I went out there and play basketball. Just take out my frustrations on something. Right after that I found out the Bob Jones had something that they were doing and I never missed. I'm like I'll do it sure sounds good to me what I was doing, but they were doing all this but I left and went and did what I wanted to do cuz band director deserved it. I was going to be back just in time so I can play in the Friday night game cuz I wanted to play in the game. And I spent most of that year holding a grudge against the band director. You're the only person I've ever held a grudge against. And the reality is for us as Believers, there's opportunities for all of us to hold a grudge.

And yet the end of that passage, it's condemned in the law and Paul quotes the end of it by saying love your neighbor as yourself going to go back to Galatians 5.

What I gave is the first point that reminds us of this if you love your neighbor you love as you love yourself. Honestly, we all love ourselves pretty pretty nicely. We all defend ourselves. We need to love each other that way. How many of us love our spouses like we love ourselves lover kids like we love ourselves love our family like we love ourselves and love the people who are around us each and every week as ourselves.

Let me try it this way. Yeah. Someone treated you like you're treating someone else. Would you be happy? And if you wouldn't. Don't treat them that way.

The hardest part about our lives as we treat other people as we want to treat them not like we treat ourselves.

Those of us were married for your spouse. Like we think they deserve to be treated rather than like ourselves. We want them to sacrifice. We won't not in the same way.

We do that sometimes as Believers to each other. We expect the people around us to love us.

We don't shower them with the Same Love.

Grace Hill Church is one that says I'm going to love you like I love myself. That's not a selfish love that's using the greatest standard. We have the way we love ourselves. That's the way we're going to love other people. big by the way about the sacrifices that requires in US

This leads me to the second Point underneath that. You love. without harming others

This is the verse that I was reading something about it and and the guy made a connection that I never made the verses that follow this or connected a 15. And what comes right before it? This verse is actually a set up. If you ever want an interesting thing go look at the words. If and In this passage, there isn't the word then. but the way that the King James has it ever, in exactly the right spot probably the translation you have stayed in front of me will do the same. But if he's setting up a hypothetical situation the way to set up agree he knows this is happening. He assumes that it's happening. It must have been something where the Apostle Paul knew that the galatian shirt was acting like this. You were wondering why the picture that's on the front of the bulletin is there it's because of this first you want to know why the title the message is spiritual cannibals. It's this verse Because look at what he says if you bite and the word for devours the word eat. If you're going to treat each other in such a way that was harmful to them is the way you're going to treat them.

If you're going to do that. There are expectations.

Could we look at this person say well if we know that's happening people are biting and devouring each other. We as many ways as believer some can sometimes act like wild animals. Our world thinks we have all from an animal. We say no we were created yet. We can act and a fashion that can only be thought of as an animal. Animals act on Instinct and their instinct is to go after prey.

to attack and kill

and the churches in galatia were doing that to each other.

They were attacking and consuming each other.

I almost use this at the closing song. This is a song from Isaac W lot of people think it's a really awful song. I Love It. It fits beautifully this passage. children's song about quarreling and fighting and he uses the same image Let Dogs Delights to bark and bite for God has made them. So but Bears and Lions growl and fight for tis their nature to The children you should never let such angry passions rise. Your little hand were never made to tear each other's eyes. Does he like kids and you watch them have a fight one of them was interesting pictures, by the way, my parents have is my brother and I need those cowboy outfit outfit and my mom points out that if you look you can see scratches on her face as we got in a fight right before the picture. So it's memorialize the two of us fought like that trying to scratch each other's eyes out, I guess. Let love through all your actions run and all your words be mild live like the Blessed Virgin son. That's sweet and lovely child. His soul was gentle as a lamb and as his stature grew he grew in favor both with man and God his father to now Lord of all he reigns above promise Heavenly Throne he sees what children do well in love and marks them for his own. The reality is that verse here and what w wrote fit each other perfectly. We as Believers sometimes treat each other. So horribly. We are willing to destroy each other and the amazing thing is we do it not by raising arms. but by our words expression sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me is garbage. You know, why how many of you've been more hurt by something. Someone said then actually getting beat up.

How many of you have ever remembered not so much the fight you got into that fight with my brother. I don't know it. I don't remember anything about it. And to be honest. I don't remember any fight I ever got in with my brother. I do remember things people said to me. decades later

and the reality behind this verses it's telling us if you're going to do that. What he says right after that and 4:15 take heed that were for take heed is actually work look.

And I should point out by the way, they would look in the other two words are actually an ongoing event. This is something we just do.

Then don't be shocked.

When you consume each other.

It is amazing how easy we all fall into that trap. Grace doesn't Phyllis we don't have people over for a meal we have them for the meal.

many of us go home on a Sunday talking about someone here.

Not in a good way. but in a bad way how many of us are snacking on the way home on someone that's sitting in front of us or around us something that was said that morning.

consuming each other with regularity

don't be shocked. If a lack of Grace on our part for others doesn't end up turning on us. When I was tracing that when commentator uses of us to snakes or attack each other at the tail and began swallowing until they were no more they were swallowing themselves. How often do we do that to each other?

How often do we say things we know we shouldn't have said about somebody else. And tore them down.

How many of us find ourselves consumed with the opportunity to ruin people? And the amazing thing is we often do it because we're right.

You should be shot. When it has bad effects.

How many we know the date April 14th 2004, is that date mean anything to anybody? Honestly before this week, it would have meant that much to me either. Except for the fact that in 2004 that was when Ashley was born. We were coming home from the hospital on that day, but that's not the reason I bring that date up. that date 2004 hear it all this Bible Church Pastor Schneider on that Wednesday night read his resignation letter to the church.

I for various reasons was going back and looking at church history. Hey, if you haven't read going back here and read in the library Shirley puts together the church history year after year after year it or volume after volume pictures and end stories about things cuz I was looking through it and something struck me and I just could not I wanted to check something else with it and that this is true throughout I wanted to read actually something that happened a few years later in 2013 in May of that year. It's in the church history. I'm going to go back to something that's written in the church history in 2004 to 2013 in May of that year Pastor Wright had told everyone not something I'm going to read actually the way it works here Pastor announced to the congregation Tusa 2013 that he was offered a position as assistant pastor by 8 patch of Gordon Dixon at Heritage Bible Church Baptist Church in send a heartfelt as we have come to love them so much and hate the thought of losing them. It is understandable. However, since Dan teaches at the school when their children attend, there is a daily trip to Finley and it could be saved if the saved if you took the job as a matter of prayer for all may God may God's will be done. For he sees the bigger picture than we what's interesting about that that thought the reason I read that is because that was Pastor right after he had been here seven years. And by the way that continues for the neck. The reason I read you that is cuz I want you to put it in context with vests. For those of you who have been here for any length of time. You may have heard the stories of Pastor Snyder and that's the reason I bring him up. I became the pastor here. I heard about him. I heard stories about sermons. And he had been gone here almost a decade. So when I read this, this is just quite amazing what Shirley put in the book? I don't know surely remember this. but what I find remarkable is Shirley's response here is not what he says the f you're doing this. It's the exact opposite. And reason I read that from pastor about Pastor Wright was to show you that this and if you read to the church history you say this every time this is consistent with it. Surely writes this I want to read what she wrote about April 14th 2004. Wednesday evening, April 14th 2004 was a Saturday evening. It's Pastor Snyder decided to resign. He asked us all to pray for him and his family as well as the church you felt it was in the best interest of the church for him to leave. They were tears and mixed emotional feelings several the folks stayed some time discussing the situation. And by the way, the the next sentence is about his last service is the pastor and it fits the same thing. We surely wrote this by this point in time Pastor Schneider is no longer the pastor. He has no control over what's written there. But what's amazing is what Shirley Road was not a story of anything in the past and fact was really amazing. From the time he was became the pastor in August of 2002 in this moment. You find nothing if I were to read the church history, and nobody said anything to me. I b shot to read that he resigned. Reality is we surely wrote that she could have destroyed his character could have written a whole bunch of stuff could have bought them fighting and consuming for everyone to know.

But in the typical fashion of the way surely has written our church history. She didn't

at first that's the way we as a body ought to act. consistently any of you know that our church is lost in families in the last year-and-a-half. The tempting thing is to talk about them.

That would be a violation of what Paul is going for here.

As Believers our job live by grace and grace means we don't go after each other. We don't need her own. We don't act like the wild animals on the front of the bulletin. the big question for us as do we and have we It may be people in the past have been apart of Alves Bible Church. That you've been tempted to run them down. You remember the bad stuff they did. Until you tell other people. It's not right for us to do that.

It's right for us to look at my pastor Snyder. Not suggesting that I know Pastor Shania was a great Pastor. I might here to tell you to change your opinion of Pastor Snyder if you were here back in 2004. It made me for us as Believers that we start looking at each other and saying Lord. Maybe I need to go back and say sorry. Shouldn't have done it that way. You know what I was having you for a meal and I should have we forgive me. Russ's Believers, I think it starts with asking the Lord to forgive us. if you think of someone that you treated that way take it to the Lord. And ask the Lord to forgive you for doing that. Not acting like Grace acting completely in the flesh.

And biting and consuming another believer. May require that you send them some kind of communication to say. Hey, I did this there may be people who never knew that you did that. You don't have to necessarily go bring it up to them. Fast forward to forgive you for what you did?

And then do your best to restore a relationship with that person? Not consuming them. If they did know. To communicate with him, so I'm sorry. If you look over your pastor, maybe people who you've known from other churches and you've done this to them.

You may have to go back to the same. Sorry. If you were here in 2004, and that was your heart you may have to write a letter. Pastor Snyder and say Pastor Snyder. I'm so sorry for these actions.

It wasn't filled with grace.

And maybe people sitting here now. That you've done that to him.

Person filled with grace is a person says you know what? I know, you know this we forget me.

Prices of church to be the kind of church that never talks bad about each other. To the very best of our ability.

That we all take Shirley's lead and we talked of other people. by the way, I know she was quite embarrassed but It's neat when you talk to Shirley, she's just like that talking to her you ask her questions about the past. She's very vague. She won't just tell you all this person to dismiss this. Well, I was double the tough time, but the moves on. And that's the way we all should be as believers.

The people around us and I should point out Paul isn't saying that there aren't people being hurt. He's not conditioning this on. Well, they deserved it, LOL. They might have that doesn't guarantee that we shouldn't act with Grace.

And Grace means we don't bite and consume each other.

I picked this purse. It's my heart for our body. That we grab a hold of this and hold on tightly to it. When people see us. Lacey a church that loves each other operates by grace When we talk about each other, it's not that we ignore the differences or we ignore the differences of opinion of the frustrations.

But people get the impression that we so love each other that we're overlooking. Things that should have said it off.

We're demonstrating. Love to each other.

That sets us up for what he's about to talk about with the works of the flesh living in the spirit.

And if we miss this. Will never walk by the spirit. We'll keep walking by The Flash. My plea for our church is that we understand those three versus Anna versus by the way, there were about to follow that we react to each other in a way that demonstrates God's grace.

not our Flash We are the body don't dwell. On what the law says so much that we act in the Flash.

We're at church the axon the grace of God consistently.

That should be the same when people meet us in town when people see us interacting. They should see the grace of God. oozing from us not because it's easy and not because it's hard not our natural inclination.

Because that's what happens in a church that's filled with the grace of God. How we treat each other? Comes the barometer. Whether not you and I are living by grace.

You and I can't believe all the right things.

But if we don't have in our lives. Brace working. It's worthless.

Schaefer and leaving all these churches

because of the lack of love a lack of the grace of God. It wasn't a lack of doctrinal Truth.

Talking with someone yesterday about Revelation Chapter 2. We talked to the church in Ephesus and he says all these wonderful things you've you've eradicated all the Heretics you've gone after everybody and then he says this but you've lost your first love. That church lost Slough Christ, I think and it showed up and a lack of love for each other. We love the Lord and we know his grace. We should be using that looking to him. And treating each other that way anything less than that my friends. Is it true thing run by the Flash?

And not by the spirit.

Lord, you know our hearts this morning.

You know where thoughts?

You know. Will we act in the flesh and not in the spirit?

But you would forgive me when I have walked in the Flash. When I treated a fellow believer.

Not very lovingly.

What I've not been gracious.

Are people here this morning who can say that of themselves that yes there been moments different times. There's been characterizing in their life where they have not acted by grace.

But you forgive them.

Pray for us as a body.

May we operate by your grace? And not by our Flash. May we live with each other?

by grace alone because of what Christ has done

alone

challenge our hearts this morning Not just for the moment.

Burl Ives

Help us to treat each other. with Grace and love

by your grace be the thing everyone notices. As they see our lives.

May you help us where we struggle. people in the past that we've chewed up and spit out.

forgive us

those that we would presently do that to forgive us.

Give us a heart. of Grace

You would use this church for your honor and Glory.

I love how your grace is working out in US. Mary be kind of people we are to be horror.

In your name, we pray these things amen. The closing song is one that is a hand out. And the reason I chose this I was looking.