God's Unspeakable Gift of Love

Good morning. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Yeah. We did. We had we had a very good Thanksgiving.

Went up to Ohio. It was a little bit cooler up there than it was down here but actually wasn't too bad. Had a good time up there with Kate's family and then came back down to Virginia and it was amazingly warm. We didn't necessarily intend to but we had Thanksgiving dinner outside on my parents porch. They just moved into a new house and they have a big carport that wraps around the back and it worked really good because it seated our our crowd better out there than inside and anyway, we had a we had a really good Thanksgiving and now we're back.

I appreciate those who filled in while I was gone for the votes and the inner lines brother and John Poe who spoke last Sunday morning. I also very appreciate brother Al for helping out with music and announcements. I I listened to the I didn't listen to last Sunday's message but I listened to David's through the week before and it was a blessing as I'm sure it was to you and so appreciate all those who who had a part in helping out while we were gone and I appreciate you that showed up while I was gone and I'm I'm I'm didn't see the crowd. So, hopefully somebody showed up. So, brother Vogt was preaching to someone.

So, that's good. Alright, we're going to start out in our hymn books with Oh come, all you faithful or you can look up here on the screen. The hymn books are back in the racks if you wish to use them. Stand with me please to sing. Oh Come All You Faithful.

Amen. Amen. Brother Ron Van Horn, would you open our service for the word of prayer? Amen. You may be seated take a moment to mention some announcements this morning.

Do keep the Spites in your prayers. John and Hannah Spites, our missionaries of the month down in Brazil. Particularly, if you could keep John, John's health their daughters, health in your prayers. The John fell down a flight of steps few weeks ago and and banged up his shoulder quite badly. That is a problem for him because his ministry is to the deaf and he speaks with his hands and so pray that I believe the last communicate communication I got from him said that they think that they will not have to do surgery, that it will heal.

Pray that it heals quickly and without a lot of discomfort as he ministered the daughter, their daughter had a tumor removed and benign tumor, a large one back several months ago and she's still having some problems as a result of that. So, please keep the spikes in your prayers for those health needs and also for their ministry and the salvation of lost souls. They started this new ministry on North Of Sao Paulo when they returned back on the field a couple years ago and it is already growing. They have a pretty good group there and they have seen many saved. So, continue to pray for their ministry.

This morning, God's unspeakable gift of love. We're going to look at second Chronicles nine fifteen in Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five, I'll be reading from in just a few minutes. If you want to find Romans five now. First, second Corinthians nine fifteen and fifteen.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable, indes cribable gift. And that is the gift of his son, Jesus Christ, and of eternal life in him. This coming week, we just finished up the battle of Armageddon in Sunday school. You say, oh I missed, I missed the battle of Armageddon, the tribulation. That's okay.

We're not done yet because after the tribulation comes, the millennial kingdom. That's the good part. So, if you haven't been here for Sunday school, come for the good part. The millennial kingdom coming up in Sunday school. There is a music meeting following the AM service at the front of the auditorium.

At the close this morning. Looks like I was being a bit redundant with my announcement there. Anyway, if you are have in the past sang in a choir or with a group, if you play an instrument, if you would like to do a solo, any of those things, if you have any interest, please come see me up here on the front right side after the service this morning. We are gathering some organizing for a Christmas concert on the twentieth which is only two weeks away, okay? So, we have a song picked out for choir to sing.

I think for the ladies to sing. We're going to have a men's group. Lord willing and then have a bunch of other specials on the night of December 20 and we will also be meeting after the service tonight as well to practice with the choir group also. So, please plan to be back to this evening for that practice as well. If you might be singing in the choir or with the group.

So, after the service, just meet me up here. I probably will forget to announce it at the end of the service. So, please you remember to meet me. There goes the amber alert. So, I got it a few minutes ago.

Last time it rang on my phone, let's see if it's going to do it this time. No? Guess not. Alright. So, that's okay.

It happened. Mine went off during Sunday school. So, don't feel bad. So, and it may still go off again. I'm waiting to see.

Alright. Okay. Tonight, 06:00. Every fifth Sunday service, we have a song and testimony service and we celebrate the Lord's supper. Well, fifth Sunday was last Sunday.

Last Sunday was the fifth Sunday in November. I was not here. We did not have an evening service. So, guess what? We're going to do that tonight.

So, song and testimony service and celebrate the Lord's supper in the service this evening. So, I hope you didn't get too comfortable with staying home the last two weeks and you'll come out and join us tonight for our song and testimony service and to celebrate the Lord's supper with us as the Lord commanded. So, that is at 06:00 this evening. Midweek prayer service as usual at 06:45. Joy Club meets at six.

Deacons meeting Thursday at seven. And then our Thursday discipleship Bible study 11AM on Thursday. Mark your calendar. We have a missionary will be with us next Sunday evening. Lord willing named David White.

He's missionary with his family to to Chile and they're on furlough. So, pray the Lord will work out the details. So, that will come to pass. Ladies boating outing was scheduled for this past Saturday. However, the weather was not particularly cooperative.

It's supposed to be hopefully a little warmer on the nineteenth. So, we will give it another try. So, there's a new sign up list. Please sign up. Ladies, if you can go, it's from 09:30 to noon.

It bumped up the time just a little bit. 09:30 to noon on the nineteenth. Please sign up on the sign up sheet so you can take part in that. We're not having the cookie exchange this year. So, this is your opportunity for an outing in December.

So, take advantage of it. Christmas concert again on the twentieth as I already mentioned. So, have one special prayer request this morning. Miss Jesse Clark who has been coming to our church for several years now. Her and her husband Bill came for a while and he passed away a few several years back and then last night, I got a call from Barbara, miss Jesse's daughter that she had gone to be with the Lord also.

You don't know who miss Jesse was. She usually sat on the back row back here right beside the pools on the aisle and she was a a a blessing wonderful lady, wonderful Christian lady. Clearly, she knew the Lord and she was looking forward to going home to be with him and to see her husband and other believers in Christ that have gone before. So, please pray for her family, her daughters, three daughters, Barbara, Mary Beth, and Nancy are going to miss her. As are some of you.

So, we will keep you in our prayers. Please keep her family in your prayers. I haven't heard anything about arrangements. Things are a little bit up in the air right now with COVID. So, they'll let me know something when they have that but please remember them if you would this week and they would appreciate that and have appreciated a few visits and that they have received this past week.

Alright. Turn in your hymn books one more time. Or you can look up here on the screen. Hymn one hundred and three and one hundred and three. We'll skip the third verse.

We'll sing first, second, fourth, and fifth. Amen. Amen. That that is one of my favorite Christmas songs. You say, pastor, that's not a Christmas song.

Well, it is. It starts out with one day was heaven, was filled with his praises. One day when sin was as black as could be. Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin, dwelt among men, my example is he. So, yes, it is a Christmas song.

And it tells the whole story. It's not just about a baby in a manger. Jesus isn't a baby in a manger anymore, is he? Praise the Lord. No.

He's ascended up on high where he is my advocate and yours in heaven. Jesus Christ, the righteous. Alright, let's sing another song. Go Tell It On The Man. Now, this is, you probably recognize this is a Christmas song.

It's not in the hymn book. So, you all have to look up here and say, let's go ahead and stand. You've been sitting for Amen. You may be seated. I'm going to read a passage from Romans chapter five that we'll be turning back to here in just a few minutes but Romans chapter five I'll give you a minute to find it.

We're going to be looking specifically at verses six through eight And the messages today in just a few minutes but I want you to get the context in which we find these verses. So, we are going to read verses one through 11 or I'll I'll read and you can follow in your scriptures there. Romans five and beginning in verse one. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into his grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God and not only so but we glory in tribulations also Knowing the tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience, experience, hope, and hope make it not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy ghost which is given unto us.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet per adventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if we, when we were enemies, were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being reconciled with reconciled, we shall be saved by his life and not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received thee atonement.

Again, the message this morning, God's unspeakable gift of love. And we'll come back to those verses in just a few minutes. What great privilege and grace hath God bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. Now, one more song, you may remain seated. It's four seventy nine in your hymn book.

If you would like to look, it's entitled Jesus Loves Me. Sometimes, we have song and testimony service. This we sing this. Usually, Jack wanted us to sing Jesus Loves Me. The last couple times, he's tricked me and chose something else but but you know Jesus loves me as a children's song but it it isn't just a children's song.

It's it's a it's a wonderful song. It's a wonderful hymn about the love of Jesus Christ and and what he did for us. So, Jesus loves me. This I know. Amen.

Amen. So, now, we'll move from one of Jack's favorites hymns into one of my favorite hymns and it's not in your hymn book either and we're not going to sing it but David is going to play it for us on the trombone but I will put up the words up here for you to follow along. The love of God. Amen. Lord.

Thank you, David. It is good to have him back. And so, he they fortunately are not going to have to go back. This usually they go back after Thanksgiving to college but this year, they changed it up. So, they're home.

He's home for about five weeks. So, it's good to have the trombone back with us also. Alright, back to Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five. And we'll take a few minutes to look at God's unspeakable gift of love.

The children can be dismissed for children's church. So, I forgot to mention it so they know. So, Romans chapter five again and verse six. We're just going to read six through eight. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet for adventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to fellowship around it, to learn from it, to allow the sword of the spirit to reach into our hearts today and we pray that it would that it would reveal an area that we have yet to give surrender fully to you.

An area of sin in our life that needs to be confessed. An area in which we need to be challenged in our service to you and to one another. Lord, we thank you most of all as we will read about this morning and about the great gift that you gave us in your son, Jesus Christ. And what this passage tells us about that gift and our desperate need of it and we pray if there be one here today that's never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior that today would be their day of salvation. In Jesus name, we do pray.

Amen. This is a two point sermon. Now, there are a few sub points under the two points but just two points this morning. The two points are this. First of all, we see our plight and look this way.

Don't look over there at them. Look at me. Our plight and God's acts of love. Our plight and God's act of love. We're going to start out with our plight, our condition this morning.

What is this passage tell us about our condition? We are born as what? We are born as sinners. We are born on which way? The Broadway or the narrow way?

We're born on the Broadway that leads to death and if we don't get off the Broadway that leads to death, our life will end in death. Physical death and spiritual death and eternal death in the lake of fire. That is the condition in which we find ourselves. That is our plight as we are reminded of here. For when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We're reminded in verse six of our weakness. It says in verse six, for when we were yet without what? You with me? Strength. For when we were yet without strength.

If somebody is without strength, what do we say about that person? We say they're weak. They're weak because they are without strength. Now, is it talking about the fact that I have an exercise as much as I should and that my son, Joshua, can lift about twice as much as I can and I am weak physically. No, that's not what this verse is talking about.

It's not talking about physical weakness. It's talking about spiritual weakness. We are without any spiritual strength apart from who? Apart from Jesus Christ. For without him, we can do nothing.

For without him, we can do nothing. That is the condition in which we are born. That's the condition in which we find ourselves personally without strength, weak, sickly with sin. That is the plight of the sinner without strength. Reminds me of a little baby.

When a little baby is born and you have the little little infant in your hands and and and you is so cute or well, there there was this one baby that that that friends of ours, they they showed us the picture of the baby after being born and and everybody said, oh, it's so cute and I'm thinking, I I don't know but anyway, so anyway, he's a little nicer looking now. He's about David's age than he was at the pit. David probably knows what I'm talking about now but you don't. So, I'm okay. Hopefully, they won't watch this video.

Off the internet. So, but you look at that little, is it so cute? But it's it's helpless. It's helpless. It can't do anything for itself, can it?

No, it it's it's weak. It can't feed itself. It can't bathe itself. It can't even burp itself. I mean, the the baby can't walk.

He can't do anything. That's us in regards to God. Before we meet Christ. In ourselves, we are spiritually like that baby. We are like an an invalid, incapable of taking care of ourselves and when it's that little baby and and you know the little baby is going to grow and get stronger, that's one thing when it's when someone who has a handicap of some type or and or is an accident and and they don't have that hope of of getting better, then, that's sad.

The fact is, it is very sad. The condition that we are born in and without Christ, we have no hope of escaping that condition. Helpless, hopeless, hopeless. Ephesians two verse 12. That at the at that time, you were without Christ being aliens or strangers from the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no what?

Hope. Having no hope. No hope. And without God in the world. Without God, we are without hope.

There is no hope for that condition that we find ourselves in to change. We we can do nothing about it. You know, if if you want to to learn to do a a particular skill or take a certain job, you can go to school, you can learn, and you can get better at it. If you want to get physically stronger, you can go and pump iron and exercise and there's hope. You can get physically stronger.

But without Christ, spiritually, there's no hope. No hope without God. For us to become spiritually strong or to escape our helpless condition. There is only one way for that to happen and that is through Jesus. It says in Hebrews 11, without faith, it is impossible to please God.

It's impossible without faith. Faith is the only avenue that we have to tap into the grace and mercy and love and strength of God that he has to give to those who come to him in faith. Have you ever wanted something so bad but you knew it could never happen? How did that make you feel? Hopeless.

You know, there's a lot of people in the world out there today and that's exactly how they feel. You know, we look at the numbers online or whatever of the number of people that died today or yesterday or last week or last month from COVID. What you're not seeing is a number of people that die from suicide. Today and yesterday and last week and last month and the numbers are very very saddening. Of the people out there that are without hope.

They know there's something wrong. But they either do not know or have rejected or unwilling to come to the one who has the answer, Jesus Christ and so, they are without hope. I want to tell you if you're here this morning and you feel hopeless, you don't have to feel that way. You don't have to be that way. There is hope in Jesus Christ.

He is our hope and not just the hope as in, well, I think it might happen. It's a certain hope because just as certain as Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin and just as certainly as he rose again from the dead dead and just as certainly as he's he sits at the right hand of the father on high. He has certainly given me eternal life through faith in his son, by his grace, and he is certainly, as he has promised, reserved a place in heaven for me and though there are some things in my life I cannot change, there's some things I cannot go back and change. I know that I know that I know that my sins are forgiven and I have a home awaiting me in heaven. It was a blessing to talk to miss Jesse over the past few weeks and months.

She was had a kind of a roller coaster up and down and up and down. But she was looking forward really with joy to meeting her savior and seeing her husband again in heaven. She knew. She didn't just hope, she knew. That there was a place awaiting her.

And that should give us all hope. And if you know Christ, you can have that same hope. But in sin without him, we are helpless. We are hopeless. We are as an unclean thing, ungodly, wicked in the sight of God, unforgivable dirty, stained.

That's what kind of individual we were before we came to Christ. You think, I wasn't that bad. I'm not that bad. Well, you're stained with sin. Amen.

A stain you can't get out. Only Jesus cleanses us from all what? Iniquity, unrighteousness, or sin. The Bible says in Isaiah sixty four six, it says, but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness, our good works are as filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf in our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. Uh-huh.

Have you ever been out in a hurricane while the wind was blowing or maybe you saw those reporters on TV. You know, and the wind is blowing this way and they're trying to go that way or maybe they're just trying to hold their own and when the wind is blowing 80 miles an hour, you aren't going anywhere. A matter of fact, the wind is going to win. And it's going to push you back the other direction. That's what it means here when it says, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.

There is no moving forward without Christ. The wind that is in our face of sin will push us away further and further from God until the day that we end in the lake of fire. That is that is the destiny of those who reject God's offer of forgiveness, of cleansing from sin because there's nothing you can do. There's no work you can do. There there's no strength within you spiritually to eradicate the sin, to get rid of the stain.

Have you ever had a cloth or a dish rag and you washed it and you washed it and you washed it and the stain just won't come out and finally, you said, this thing just isn't worth it and what do you do? Throw it away. Well, well, that's us without who? That's us without Jesus. With with Jesus, we become the children of who?

The children of God. We are precious in his sight. But without Jesus, we're stained with sin, unusable by the creator who made us, to glory, bring any glory to him. We are this unclean thing. Needs cleansing.

Without Christ, there is none. Reminds me of the lepers back in Jesus' day. The lepers would put these robes sheets over em and they'd walk around and they would cry what? Unclean. Unclean.

Why? So, nobody would get too what? Too close to them. And they were without hope. In that day, there was no cure for leprosy.

If you were found to be a leper, it was over. It was just a matter of time. And in the meantime, you had to stay away. They they put people in leper colonies to keep them apart. So, other people wouldn't catch their uncleanness.

As they were unclean, we are unclean. Praise God. Jesus Christ healed leprosy. Did you know that? But even more so, Jesus heals sinners.

He saves sinners. As well. But without him, we are an unclean thing. Dead in trespasses and in sins. We're told in Ephesians chapter two that until we come to Christ, we are dead in trespasses and in sins.

We're made alive in Jesus Christ by God's grace but without him, we are dead. Dead in respect to physical life. God said to Adam, he said, the day you eat thereof, you shall what? Surely die. And when Adam ate of that fruit, guess what?

Off that forbidden tree, he began to physically what? Die. He was going to die. It it there was no escaping that physical death for Adam when he disobeyed the Lord and partook of that tree. We will die physically but also in Ephesians two, it's not talking so much about physical death.

It's talking about spiritual death. In our spirit towards God, the ungodly are dead. They are dead to him. The word in Ephesians two that's used is the word necros. There's two words in Greek for dead.

Thanatos and necros. The word Thanatos means to separate and so when you die physically, your soul is separated from your body. When you die eternally, your soul is separated in hell from God for all eternity. That's Thanatos but this is the word necros. The word necros means unresponsive.

If you have a dead body, the dead body doesn't respond. You can yell at it, scream at it, hug it, be nice to it, be kind to it, motivate it, whatever you do, you can kick it. What there's that body is not going to respond because it's what? It's dead. It's dead.

And before we meet Jesus Christ, before we are enlightened by his spirit, before the word of God reaches our soul, and before we trust Christ as the Lord and savior of our life, we are dead towards God. That means, we are un responsive, separated from God by our sin. And if we don't fix that, we'll be separated for all eternity in the lake of fire. So, here is the plight of mankind. I know it doesn't paint a very pretty picture but but it's the truth.

Mankind doesn't often want to hear the truth. We want to hear that everything's going to be fine. It's all going to work out. You're okay. It can work out in Jesus but without him, it won't.

Because we are helpless, hopeless, as an unclean thing and dead in trespasses and in sins. That is our plight. But now let's look at God's love. Let's look at God's love. His active love.

His unspeakable gift. Despite our condition, Christ died for who? For us. For us. When we were helpless, hopeless, ungodly, unlovable, unforgivable, it would seem, dirty, stained by sin, rebels, and unresponsive in every way to God.

Christ came from heaven and died for us. When we couldn't go to him, he came to us. He came down from heaven. We couldn't become holy. He became human.

And he took upon himself our unholiness, our sin, our uncleanness on the cross of Calvary. He became sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. We're reminded here in verse seven, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet, for adventure for a good man, someone even dare to die but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners. Excuse me.

Christ died for us. When you're unlovable, dirty, nasty, that's when God sent Jesus to die for you. He didn't wait for you to clean up your act. You couldn't clean up your act without him. He loved you anyway We're reminded here in these verses.

You know, if if you have a relative, a a wife, a husband, kids, parents, close friends you might would die for them You know, you would feel that they're worth taking that risk, your love for them, might lead you to to put your life on the line for them. There's people all around the world today that are putting their life on the line even for us as we sit here. Our military too easy to forget about them but you might you might consider dying for somebody that is a relative, somebody you love, that you're close to. You might would consider putting your life on the line for somebody who was good. You know, was a worthy, worthy.

Maybe it wasn't somebody that you were akin to or somebody that you were close to but somebody that was worthy of it. You you might consider putting your life on the line or dying for them. But would you die for a convict in jail? And I'm not talking about one who was put there by accident talking about one who maybe killed somebody Talking about one who was a thief, a liar, a cheat, an abuser of other people? Would you, would you volunteer to die for them?

Probably not. But that's what Jesus did for you. That's what Jesus did for me. When we were yet sinners, we were that convict. We were that law breaker.

We were that dirty, trashy person, that rebel. God created us and we didn't listen. We didn't care. We did our own thing. And that's when Christ died for us.

God loved us even when we were in that unlovable state and Jesus Christ took our place. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. He being the just, we being the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened or made alive again by the spirit. Jesus died that we might what? Live.

Jesus Christ, the just, the righteous, the holy, the one who did not deserve to suffer and die, chose to suffer and die on the cross so that we might be forgiven, so that our we might be washed from our sins that we might be have hope in Jesus Christ that we might be made alive in him but he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to our own way, not God's way but the Lord hath laid on him that is Jesus, the iniquity of us all. That's what this passage is talking about.

That's what Jesus did. We were the sheep that went astray. We were the sheep that were obstinate and stubborn and wouldn't do what we were told to do or created to do. And it's when we were sinners and in that condition that Jesus came and gave his life and suffered what was ours to suffer on the cross of Calvary. What an unspeakable, indescribable, amazing gift is ours.

And how do we know that he loves us? Because he demonstrated. That's what the word commended here. It means demonstrated. You may say, I have a track back there.

I'm not sure if I have any out right now. It says, does God love you? And the answer is, yes. God loves you. Send his son to die for you.

The Bible says, for God so loved the world. Yes, God loves you. He wants you to be saved. He wants you to be forgiven. He wants you to spend eternal life with him.

Yes, he loves you. Says so. The Bible tells me so. And that's enough. But you know something?

The Bible tells me and I have personally experienced my experienced it myself. The love of Jesus Christ. Because you see, Jesus didn't just say I love you. Jesus did something about it. He demonstrated his love for us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We are often quick to say, I love you. We're not often quick to follow through and demonstrate that we love the one we say that to. Love is a verb and it requires action and demonstration. God demonstrated his love. Do our actions demonstrate our love toward our spouse?

Does our love demonstrate itself? Our, hour, day by day, that we indeed do love the one that we say those words to? Or are they empty? God's words to us are not empty. He died for us.

He lives for us. He lives within us who know him as savior. Our our actions demonstrate our love toward our spouse, toward our parents, or to our children? Do they know we love them not because we say we love them, but because we show we love them? You know one of the reasons for all those suicides today?

Children that grow up in homes with parents that say I love you but don't show that they love them. Or maybe don't even tell them. You have kids that grow up without hope because they don't feel what? They don't feel loved. God desires to be loved.

He created us with a desire to be loved. We feel very hopeless if we feel like we are not loved. Do our actions demonstrate our love towards our church family? Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples by your love for one another. Did he mean because you go around saying, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

Is that what he meant? Because you're always saying I love you. I love you. No, that's not what he meant. Now, it would probably be a good for us to say, I love you a little more than we do.

To each other. It wouldn't hurt, would it? Wouldn't hurt. But he's talking about your actions demonstrating, putting others before self, sacrificing for one another, thinking of one another, being considerate of one another, overlooking the frailties and failures of one another. As one family in Christ.

That's that's what Jesus said first of all. We'll show others that you are my children because you love one another. Different backgrounds and and our church is full of people from different backgrounds and and all of that but God has given us a what? A love for one another. Despite our failures and our personality issues and and we all got em.

Yeah, you do too. So do I. But you put up with me and I put up with you, and I hope we more than put up with each other, but we actually love one another. And how do we show that? By our actions.

How about toward God? God showed his love toward us. What are you doing to show your love towards God? How much time do you spend with God each day? How much do you think about him?

How much do you go out of your way to serve him, to worship him, to to to get on your knees and spend time in prayer with him? Praise the Lord. You're here today. You came out to worship the God, the Lord even when life's a little bit crazy. There's a lot of people that know God just isn't that important We sing, oh how I love Jesus but do we show it?

Or do we just sing it? We're often to tell quick to tell God in song, I love you but we're not often quick to demonstrate it. That's not true of Jesus Jesus loved us and I know he loves me not just because the Bible tells me so though that's important. But I know it because he demonstrated it. The Bible just doesn't tell me that Jesus says he loves me.

It tells me what he did for me. And when I came to Christ and received him as my savior, I know. I know that he saved me and he lives inside of me. And he shed his love abroad in my heart. There's the Jesus love me we sang just a few minutes ago.

There's another Jesus loved me I learned. When I took kids to camp, it goes like this, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, loves me, this I know, gave himself to die for me, because he loves me so. Jesus loves me. This I know. Because he gave his life to show me.

He gave his life for me but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How about you, Christian? How is your love for Christ? You know, Christmas is about who? Christ.

Been thinking much about Christ this Thanksgiving or is our love for Christ and our thoughts for Christ crowded out by other loves and allegiances. Other things are more important. They take precedence. We'll get back to God or Jesus will just have to wait. That just sounds terrible even to say it, doesn't it?

Oh, Jesus will just have to wait but sometimes that's the way we treat him. He should be. He must be first in our heart. This is the first and what? Greatest commandment.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Do you? Are we? What do our actions reveal? Watching what we do, praise God.

He knows my heart but if God was simply watching our actions, what would they tell him? Do you need to repent and return to your first love? As did the church of Ephesus. That's what God praised the church of Ephesus in Revelation. He said, you do this and you do that and you do this, you do this and and but I have one thing against you.

You've left your first what? You've left your first love. Other things have taken precedence in your life. You have taken precedence. God's been put on the back burner.

Maybe now would be a good time. Today, this Christmas, to return that gift to the Lord. Love him because he first loved us. To repent and do the first works. Show him that you love him again.

Maybe you're here today and you've never received God's gift of love. Maybe you are still helpless, hopeless, and unclean without Christ. That can change today. He can wash your sins away. He can give you hope.

He can save you. He can forgive you. He can give you the gift of eternal life if you will trust in him today. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for Jesus Christ, our savior, and for the gift that you gave us in him, for the gift he gave of his life on the cross, for the demonstration of his love for us filthy, hopeless sinners.

Lord, I thank you that I am now a child of the king and I thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve you and Lord, I pray that you'd forgive me of the times when I put you second and third in my life and not first. And Lord, I pray that those times would be fewer in number and I pray Lord that you would work in the hearts of your people and Lord that we might love you with all our heart and Lord that we might repent if need be of the things that have taken first place that we might become committed, faithful Christians who love our God and show it. Not only on what we do on Sunday but on Monday through Saturday as well. And Lord, may we show the love of Christ not only to you but to our other, to others, to our spouses, and to our children, and to our parents. May we not forget about them.

May we not put self first but put others needs. Ahead of our own. Lord, thank you for what you did for us, for the joy that it brought you. For the joy that it will bring us if we will follow in your steps today and we pray if there's one who's never trusted Christ, they come this morning as we sing this hymn of invitation. In Jesus name, amen.

You take your hymn book, turn to 243, 243. Please stand with me to sing and if you're here today, the Lord has spoke to your heart. You don't have to sing. You can just bow your head right there or if you want to come up in here and pray or if you want to pray with me, I'd be glad to meet you down here. But don't put, don't push God away.

Don't say, oh Jesus, I'll get to it later. Deal with him today if he is dealing with you if you've never trusted Christ, please come. I'll meet you down here. I'd love to introduce you to the savior. There's room at the cross for you.

243. And its grace of free is sufficient for me and deep as its fountain as wide as the sea there's roam at the cross for you roam at the cross for you millions have come there's still room yes there's room at the on the second the millions have found him a friend and have turned from the sins they have sinned savior still waits to open the gates and welcome a sinner before it's too late there's roam at the cross for you there's roam at the cross for you millions have there's still room for one yes there's room Amen. David, my David, it's good to have you back home for a little while. Would you close our service in prayer and remember, if you're interested in music, and being part of the concert, please meet me up here for just a few minutes. Amen.