How to Love One Another

Music According to the UN, every year in the world As you can see in this world, there's an estimated 40 to 50 million women who decide to end their pregnancies with abortions. If you can imagine, 40 to 50 million. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions every day taking place. In the U.S., where nearly half of the pregnancies are unintended, and four in ten of those are terminated by abortion, there are over 3,000 abortions per day in the United States. 22% of all pregnancies in the United States, excluding miscarriages, end in abortion. So that means about one out of five pregnancies end in abortion. So far this year, this was at 8.30 this morning, based upon the world clock. I don't know how many of you have that set aside. I've got a number of places I can go to do research where they give you the up-to-date facts. At 8.30, there were 32,482,209 abortions that had already taken place worldwide this year. In 1996, the number of abortions in the United States was 1.37 million, and again, approximately 3,000 plus every day. Why women have abortions? The same article says 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest. So that only includes 1%. 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or the child. 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons. The child is unwanted or inconvenient. Therefore, the abortion is the one way to take care of it.

We lead the civilized world, talking about the United States, when it comes to murder. Between 2001 and 2008, the average number of murders annually in the United States were 16,500. What do all of these stats that I mentioned to you have in common? I think there's something in common they have. It's how indifferent it seems people are to human life. That you can just terminate your child, or you can kill an individual. That doesn't say how many attempted murders have taken place and weren't successful. Let's notice in 2 Timothy chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, a description here of the end time in which we live. 2 Timothy chapter 3, beginning in verse 1.

But this know that in the last days perilous times will come, or dangerous times are going to come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, and then it goes on enumerating a number of things. But I want you to notice in verse 3, it talks about being unloving. In verse 3, New King James Version, it also states, unforgiving, unloving, unforgiving. If you'll notice the margin for unforgiving here, the margin gives an alternate translation of irreconcilable. It's words that people are not able to reconcile. Actually, the word, the Loniada Greek lexicon, says this. The word means pertaining to or being unwilling to reconcile to others. That there are those, and there would be people today who would not be willing to reconcile with others. They were reconcilable, unwilling to be at peace with others. Unkind, unreconcilable, and slanderers. Notice how the ESV translates verse 3. Heartless, unappeasable, slanderers without self-control, brutal, not loving good. King James version says without natural affection, not having normal, natural affection. New Revised Standard version says inhuman, implacable, slanderers, and so on. Now, brethren, the reason why I refer to this is because we're not careful. This is describing the age that we live in. And I think it especially describes the Western world. If we're not careful, this age, this society, this world around us can rub off on all of us. Its approach, its philosophies, its attitude can have a profound effect upon us. In Romans chapter 1, Romans 1, beginning in verse 24, Romans 1, verse 24, I want you to notice what happens when Biblical standards are thrown out the window. It says, therefore God also gave them up, talking about those who rejected God. We live in an age in a society of skepticism, agnosticism, an age when people do not believe in God. It says, therefore God gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. And we find people today actually, even though they don't refer to it this way, but they almost worship Mother Earth, as they call it. And then they worship nature. Verse 26, for this reason, God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use of what is against nature, likewise men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lusts for one another. Verse 28, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, I want you to notice what happens to a society, to a people, to education, when they do not retain God in their knowledge, when they throw Bible standards out the window. Now you might say, well, how are Bible standards thrown out the window? All you've got to do is go to college today, and you know, under the guise of understanding, acceptance, and not judging others, it's called tolerance today. People are tolerant. They're tolerant of everything except Christians. So, you know, they throw biblical standards out, and God says, as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not fitting. So the mind can change. The mind can be influenced and misdirected. It shows that our minds can be affected. When you reject God's law, His way, His standards, it affects the mind. God shows that our minds can be affected, can be given over to debased minds.

What happens to many people who have left the church over the years? You bump into them 10-15 years down the road, and what do you find? Well, they've lost all knowledge. The Sabbath, the Holy Days, they're keeping Christmas. Oh, yeah, I remember I used to keep that day, and it's just like it's gone from their minds. We have kept these days and observed and obeyed God's laws for so many years. You wonder how somebody can go a few years, and all at once, they in a sense have no knowledge.

It's obedient, apparent. A very classic description of society around us. It's the natural result, the natural outcome of rejecting God's law, and it shows what happens to people. But let's notice verse 31, what this can lead to. Undiscerning, untrustworthy, and then notice, unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful. Unloving, the word is the same word that we read back in 2 Timothy 3, verse 3. The word means without natural affection. The people, we will live in an age in a society when people just do not have just normal affection, natural affection. The word, again, L'onita, Greek lexicon, says, pertaining to a lack of love or affection for close associates or family.

Where people don't have love for their family without normal human affection, without love for others. Or they will be people who lack human affection. So it shows you what is taking place. Again, we see unloving and unforgiving tied together. When people become unloving in this way, where they don't have normal affection for their families, then what chance is there if there are marital problems of reconciling, of working out those differences?

But I want you to notice there's another element added, and it says, Unmerciful. Unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful. It certainly describes a society around this which reflects Satan's attitude and Satan's approach. Rather than could this describe us, are we unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful? Notice what the new Revised Standard Version, how it translates to verse 31. Foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Not having a heart and being ruthless. So all of those are part of what happens. Matthew 24 verse 9. When Christ gave the Olivet prophecy, He explained why some of these ideas, some of these philosophies, some of these approaches would be extent. Let's notice beginning in verse 9. It says, Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, they'll kill you. And you will be hated of all nations, for my name's sake. And then many will be offended. There's going to come a time when many people will stumble. That's what the word offended means.

They will stumble, they'll fall, and will betray one another. So your enemies will be those who will betray you and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And why? Well, it says, And because lawlessness will abound. Because we live in an age and a society where standards are thrown out the window. Where lawlessness abounds, the love of many will grow cold. So the love of many grows cold when there's this type of lawlessness. We live in an age where there's a complete disrespect for the laws of society.

Lawless ways in thinking, that's basically what the word lawless means. And the Greek it means a complete disrespect for the laws of society. Where people don't have respect for laws. Lawless way of thinking, lawless ideas, these can rub off on all of us. How we treat one another is also affected by this. You might remember in John 13, Jesus Christ clearly told his disciples.

John 13, beginning in verse 34, How everyone would be able to know who his true disciples are. A new commandment I give you, John 13, 34, That you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. And by this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love, one for another. Rather than this means that you and I are to care for one another. That we are to treat one another properly. We are to respond to each other in a loving way. We need to be aware of the influence of this age and not just say, Well, that won't have any effect upon me.

I know the truth, so it won't bother me. Because I'll guarantee you this age does affect us. I've noticed over the last 20 years that as standards go down in society, standards go down in the church. And what used to be something that we thought, Why, I would never do that. As standards are lower, we continue to compare ourselves to the lower standards. And as such, we think, Well, I'm still way up here above these standards. But yet at one time, the lower standards might be what we're trying to adhere to today.

We have to be careful. This is one reason why God says, Love not the world or the things in the world. It's standards are the opposite of God's standards in God's way of life. We need to be reminded, I need to be reminded, we all need to be reminded, of how we need to love one another, care for each other, look after each other. A Christian is supposed to be different. When I say different, I don't mean odd.

I don't mean strange. But we are to live by God's standard, to be motivated by His love, which will automatically make us different from this world. So we need to focus our concerns on other people, and not on ourselves. The hardest thing to do is to get our minds off of ourselves.

How do I know that? Because I'm a self. I know where my mind goes. We all tend to think about ourselves. Let's notice in 2 Timothy chapter 3 again.

I want you to notice what it mentions here. The list of attributes of the society around us.

It says, this know that in the last days, perilous times will come. Perilous, and again the margin says here, means stressful times. Do we live in a stressful age, stressful time? Well, notice what it says. Let me just enumerate these for you. Lovers of self. People would be lovers of self. The word self comes first, not willing to sacrifice for others. Tear other people down. So ask yourself, are we selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed? Do we focus on ourselves, our needs, our desires, and not on others? Is that the way we are? Then it says, lovers of money. Lovers of money means desires are for physical things. Well, physical accumulation is more important than family, friends, and marriage to many people in our societies. Boasters. What is a boaster? Well, a boaster is one who has his mind on himself, what the self has done, not on the needs of other people, but look at me, look at what I've done, look at what I've accomplished. And so people boast. See, all of these are traits where people are thinking of themselves. Proud. What is proud? What's exalting the self? Where one exalts the self, puts other people down. Whatever happened to what the Bible says to think better of others than yourself? The people don't do that. Disobedient to parents. Well, there's little respect today in society for authority, figures. Anyone with standards or put down made fun of, children feel they know best, are more concerned about what their peers and friends think than what their parents think. There was an article last week in Chattanooga Times that talked about how children run the families and how that a four-year-old should not be in charge of the family. And yet, that's exactly what you find happening today. People don't want a four-year-old to get upset. They'll do anything to placate them, instead of saying, this is what you need to do. Do it. And be in charge. And guide and direct their families. Then it mentions, unthankful. Unthankful is an end-grade. We live in an affluent age, in an affluent society. It's hard for us to appreciate what we have because we constantly compare ourselves. People envy the rich. What about all the sit-ins going on? Down with the banks. Down with the economy. Basically, what they want, they want the rich. We've worked hard to give them what they've earned. So that it can be shared with everyone. So, we find this going on. And then it mentions unholy. Anyone who stands up today and publicly says that something is evil, something is wrong, we should not be doing such and such, which is made fun of, is ridiculed. And you find that that is a very descriptive list that shows self-centeredness in the end time. Now, Matthew 22, beginning in verse 36, Jesus Christ gave the two great commandments. But let's drop down to verse 39. It says, the second is like it. The first is that you are to love the Lord your God for all your heart, soul, mind, strength. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now, the word here means to have love for someone or something based on sincere appreciation and a high regard. To love, to regard with affection, loving concern. So you and I are to love our neighbor, to be fond of our neighbor, to love them dearly as we would love ourselves. Do we do that, brethren?

When you look around this room, do we love one another, as the Bible says, and do we love everyone in that way? Well, in 1 Peter 5 and verse 7, we find that we are to emulate God in 1 Peter 5 and verse 7. It says, we are to cast all our cares upon Him, talking about God, for He cares for you. God says, whatever our cares are, whatever our worries are, we are to cast those upon Him because He cares for us. Yes, ESB translates this, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. Do you ever have any anxieties, any worries, stress, frustration, things that wake you up in the middle of the night, concerns?

Anxiety here in the Greek means a feeling of apprehension or distress, anxiety, worry, or anxious concerns. So the Bible says that we are to go to God with all of our anxieties, our stresses, our concerns. We are to cast them all upon God, all of your cares, for He cares for you. Now, in this particular case, the Greek word is the only impersonal in the New Testament. And it means to think about something in such a way as to make an appropriate response, to think about, to be concerned about. So when it says that God cares about us, it means that God thinks about us. You go to God in prayer. You say, I'm having this problem. God thinks about that. He considers it. He thinks about it. He's concerned for you. What's the best way of dealing with this situation, with this problem that you may have? Maybe a financial problem, maybe a health problem, maybe a marital problem, maybe any kind of problem.

It is God's divine nature to be caring for His creation. And caring is a God-playing relationship. It's an attribute of God. Caring is how God operates. It's how He feels, His way His mind thinks. He cares for us. He thinks about us. He works with us.

So what can we do, brethren, to help us focus on others and care for them, and to get our minds off of ourselves so much? What is it that you and I can do to help others? Well, let me give you very quickly here a few things that the Bible very clearly tells us to do.

Number one, we need to pray for one another. James, chapter 5, the book of James, chapter 5, verse 14.

So we're told to pray for one another, that you may be healed. Why? Well, the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man or a righteous woman avails much with God. Or, as some other translation says, carries clout with God. Our prayers, if they're fervent, if they're effective, of a righteous person, one who is doing what is right in God's eyes, carry weight with God. God hears those prayers. So sometimes a person can be going through a problem in a trial, and they get so burdened down that they really need somebody praying for them on their behalf to God. It says, He prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brother, you and I, when we pray for other people, what does that automatically do? Doesn't it make us focus our attention on others? We're concerned about them?

Now, we're not to be selfish in our prayers. It doesn't mean we know we can pray about ourselves, but we need to also pray for others. I would suggest, if you don't have it, to put together a notebook of people to pray for. You might start just by listing everybody in the congregation here.

Have you ever, over a month's period of time, taken one or two people a day in the congregation, prayed for them? If you know them, if you know what their needs are, if you know they're having difficulty, if they're out of work, whatever the problems might be, it doesn't have to be problems. You can just pray for them and for their well-being. If you come up and have a blank, well, here's a name, I don't know this person, how about Nick Sabat getting to know that person? Meeting them, find a little bit out about them. Again, what this does is it begins to make you think about them. Maybe once a month you go through the whole church list, or you can do it more often. When you hear names mentioned, you write down Marilyn Scriber, Cancer Liver, and you pray for her until you hear something different. I know after a while it just becomes a name, but it doesn't mean you have to pray for that person every day, but you can pray for them. So you begin to put together a list, and you begin to focus your attention on other people, and not just on yourself. You think of their needs and have concerns for them. Secondarily, we need to spend more time with one another. Spend more time with each other. When you spend time with other people, it's giving of your life. Your time is your life. You give of your life to help other people. Let's go over to Matthew chapter 25, verse 34. Matthew 25, verse 34. You find where Christ will come and judge His people. I want you to notice all of the action words that Christ describes here.

Action words are doing things. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Why? Why is God going to give the kingdom to us? For I was hungry, and you gave me food. That's an action word. There are two steps here. One, you know somebody is hungry. Then two, you give them food. It shows an interest in that person. You give them food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. Again, an action word. I was a stranger. You took me in.

Here's a person who is a stranger. You take them in. You're hospitable. You look after them. I was naked, and you clothed me. That one might be obvious. Somebody is running around naked. You need some clothes. You give them clothes. Again, the point is action. Clothed.

I was sick, and you visited me. So you have to take time to go by and see somebody who is sick. Maybe somebody is not able to be at services. I was in prison, and you came to me. You'll notice here, you gave, you gave, you took me in, you clothed me, you visited, you came. I think the word visit here is very important. Again, the low night of Greek lexicon says this. The word visit here means to care for or to look after. To care for or to look after with the implication of continuous responsibility. To look after, to take care of, to see to. You see to it. If somebody has a need, you see to it. You look after them. You care for them. Brother, is that something that we do on a regular basis? That if there's somebody sick in the church, that we visit them, we care for them, we take care of them, we find out what their needs are, and if we're able, we're near, we do what we can to help them.

In verse 36, notice the new Revised Standard Version. It says, I was naked, you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me. So those who are in prison, you visited me. And then in verse 37, then the righteous answered and said, Lord, when did we see you hungry? And so on, and so on, and so on. And Christ, in verse 41, said this. Well, verse 40, He said, And the king will answer and say to them, As surely I say to you, and as much as you did it, One to the least of these, my brethren. You did it to me. So the least of the brethren, when you serve them in this way, it's the same as doing it to Jesus Christ, because are we not all part of the same body?

We're part of the body, and when you take care of the body, you're doing it for Christ.

Now in Ephesians chapter 5, Ephesians 5 and verse 25, we have instructions here on husband and wife, how they relate to one another.

But it's obviously also a description of Christ in the Church.

Husbands, love your wife, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her.

So notice, Christ gave Himself for her. Did you hear about this incident here recently where this big jet came in, this nose gear wasn't working, and it slid in on the belly, and they had everybody come out the emergency exit.

The first person out of the plane was this man and his girlfriend. He shoves the girlfriend aside and he jumps out to be the first one out of the plane exit.

So at first they thought it was his wife, but apparently it turned out to be his girlfriend.

So was he willing to give himself for her?

No, you're my girlfriend, out you go.

Then I'll follow you. Get out of the way and let me go. He wanted to make sure he got out of the plane. He thought maybe he was going to catch fire.

Verse 26, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the Word. That he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.

And he who loves his wife loves himself.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but he nourishes it and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

So we're to love each other, really, as our own body.

We love our body. We're part of the body. We're to love those in the body.

You'll notice in verse 29, For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it. And verse 30, For we are members of his body, of his flesh, of his bone.

So Christ, when he was on the earth, he walked around in a physical body. We are the body of Christ today. We are the church.

The word cherish here is very interesting.

A man is to cherish his wife.

He is to nourish her, which means he's to provide for her, take care of her physical needs. The word cherish primarily means to heat.

Keep her heated.

Now that means to soften by heat, then to keep warm as of birds covering their young with their feathers.

So the analogy is of a bird that has chicks, a chicken with chicks, or a bird with birdies.

It's cold, so they hover over them, they sit on them, they gather them under their wings. They keep them warm. So it shows the care, the concern, the love that the bird has for the young. Metaphorically, it means to cherish with tender love to foster with tender care.

Christ and the church. In other words, we are to have this tender love and care for Christ and the church. In 1 Thessalonians 2.7, the care of the saints in Thessalonica by the apostles and his associates as of a nurse for her children.

Now, we'll come back to this, but let me just read 1 Thessalonians 2.7.

Paul said, We were gentle among you, even as a nurse warmly cherishes her children.

Just like a mother cherishes her children, nurses those children, takes care of them. New Revised Standard Version translates Ephesians 5.29 this way, For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church.

Now, brethren, do we emulate Christ in that regard? Do we tenderly care for our wives, for our children, and for those in the church? New International Translation says, After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and he cares for it, just as Christ does the church.

Curse in our society today is how people treat one another, how they treat their mates. The Bible says we should be tender with them, care for them, just as we would care for ourselves. That goes both directions. A wife for the husband, a husband for the wife. Brethren, we're a small church. We're not a great congregation. We don't number in the tens of thousands. We're not a mega-church sitting here today. We are a mini-church.

We have a lot of elderly. We have a lot of health problems. We have people who are out of work. We have different ones that we need to care for. We need to have that love and that tender care for the sick, for those who are hurting, those who are going through trials, those who have needs. How do you do that? Well, we need to call them. We need to visit them.

We need to write them. We need to be concerned for them. We need to demonstrate our concern. Love, unexpressed, is no love at all. We can say, well, I'm sitting at home and loving the person, but love is action. The opposite of love is indifference, to be indifferent. Just not concerned at all for someone. Notice in 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 12, beginning in verse 18, how it describes the care and the concern that we should have for the body, for one another.

1 Corinthians 12, 18. But God has set the members, every one of them, and the body as just as he pleased. God has placed us in the church and the body as he wants us. If there were all one member, where would the body be?

We can't all be a mouth, we can't all be an eye, we can't all be an ear. There'd be no body. But now, indeed, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I've no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I've no need of you. So we can't look around this room and say, well, there's no need. This person is not needed. That person is not needed. That's not true. We're all needed. We've all been handpicked by God and put in the body.

No much rather those members of the body, which seem to be weaker, are necessary. Those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our presentable parts have greater modesty.

But our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body. Now notice, what helps to prevent schism in the body? Care for one another. Concern for one another. That there should be no schism in the body. But the members should have the same care for one another. That's what God is looking for. We have the same care, the same love for one another.

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. So if somebody is suffering, somebody is going through a trial, we suffer right along with them. Notice Romans 12. Paul very clearly brings us out in Romans 12, beginning in verse 9. Romans 12.9. We read, So we are to give preference to the other person, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Then notice verse 15. Summarizes what we're talking about here. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. So you and I are to rejoice when people are blessed. Somebody rejoices, somebody comes in here and tells you that they have a new car, they got their house paid off, or something happened, they got an inheritance. You and I shouldn't feel envious.

A lot of times people are envious when somebody is blessed instead of rejoicing. But we weep with those who weep. Those who are going through difficulties and problems. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not sit your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. So love is an action word. How can you rejoice? How can you weep? Unless you have a personal relationship with other people.

Unless you know what they're going through and you're concerned about them. The Bible very clearly shows that we need to encourage one another. This is another point. We need to encourage each other. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 11. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. We are to comfort and edify one another. The word comfort and edify, if you'll notice in the margin, means to encourage and to build up.

You and I are to encourage one another. We need to ask ourselves, am I an encourager? When you talk to others, is it always on the negative? Woe is me. We're always talking about the woes-mes. Are we encouraging people? Are we looking out after them? Are we trying to build them up?

Mark Twain once quipped, quote, I can live off one good compliment for a week. We need to compliment one another. We need to encourage one another. Encouragement is one of God's most effective antibodies to ward off infection in the family of God. To just, you know, keep it away, especially in the Church. When was the last time you complimented your wife? The wife complimented her husband? Or, you know, you complimented your children? Or you complimented one another?

Hebrews 3, verse 13, let's notice in Hebrews 3, 13. But exhort one another daily. So you and I are to encourage one another daily while it is called today. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. So we can always point out when somebody does something wrong, can we not? A wife can tell her husband to take the garbage out. He forgets. Or he doesn't want to do it. Or, I'll do it later, whatever.

Does she thank him when he does do it? Or when he does it and she hasn't asked it? Same thing. Do we encourage or discourage our children if we have children? They need correction. They need direction. But when they do things that are right, do we encourage them?

Do we appreciate it? 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 11, New American Standard Bible says this. Just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children. So you and I are to encourage one another. And a father is to encourage his children to build them up. There's a time to correct, there's a time to encourage and to strengthen.

Rather than the last point I have here is that we need to be emotionally involved with one another. We need to be emotionally involved with each other. When Jesus Christ was on the earth, we read back here in Colossians 3, the book of Colossians chapter 3, beginning in verse 12. Notice what it says here.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. So Jesus Christ had compassion and mercy on us. It's called grace. Forgiveness goes a long way, or goes along with showing love and caring for other people. God loved us. He loved us so much. He was willing to give us His Son, to forgive us of our sins. We should be willing to forgive one another. Overlook grudges and hatreds against each other. Show mercy. Love, forgiveness, and mercy are all qualities that we need to exercise. As 1 John chapter 3, verse 16, tells us, 1 John 3, verse 16, By this we know love, 1 John 3, verse 16, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. You and I, brethren, have to lay down our lives for each other. We are not to shut up our hearts to each other. We are to have a soft heart for one another. Remember the Good Samaritan, the example of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10? That even though he was a Samaritan, he was willing to take care of a Jew, carry him, take care of his wounds, pay for him staying in a hotel. Sometimes, to do good might mean we have to give up some of our goods, some of our money. We might have to help in that way. So, brethren, we live in an age, we live in a time where it's becoming cold, callous, people are turned off, but we need to become more like Jesus Christ every day. He's our perfect example. God cares for us. Christ cared for us. He was willing to die for us. God sent his Son to the world, and he gave us his Son. You and I need to grow in genuine love, genuine concern for each other. We need to pray that God will help us to truly love each other as ourselves.

What will sustain us is a congregation. Brethren, we will be sustained if we care for one another. If we overlook the faults of others, or willing to forgive one another, we show mercy to each other. This describes the very nature of God.

So, brethren, let's make sure that we care for one another. Let's set a goal this week of striving to be more like God, more like Christ, and loving and caring for each other.