0:00:00.718,0:00:04.406
Well, I won't review some of the things that I would normally review

0:00:04.406,0:00:08.508
if we were speaking with a day or two in between,

0:00:08.508,0:00:13.399
because everything is pretty fresh in our minds.

0:00:13.399,0:00:17.269
This series is about the law of Christ,

0:00:17.269,0:00:20.698
and we still haven't even talked about the law of Christ [Laughter].

0:00:20.698,0:00:24.780
We haven't talked about what it is.

0:00:24.780,0:00:32.625
But Paul says in Corinthians, there in this passage[br](we've been reading 1 Corinthians 9),

0:00:32.625,0:00:38.459
he says, "To those who are without law, I became as without law."

0:00:38.460,0:00:41.757
But then he wants us to realize, "not without the law of God,"

0:00:41.758,0:00:46.095
and then he identifies that with the law of Christ.

0:00:46.096,0:00:52.353
He says, as Christians we're in-lawed to Christ.

0:00:52.353,0:00:56.960
And he doesn't give us much of a hint here[br]as to what the law of Christ is.

0:00:56.960,0:01:03.640
He doesn't really say anything, which ought to be an indicator to us

0:01:03.640,0:01:10.875
that this was something so familiar to the early church[br]that they didn't need an explanation.

0:01:10.875,0:01:16.801
But what about it? Can you think of anywhere else in Scripture

0:01:16.801,0:01:27.582
where the phrase "the law of Christ" is specifically used?

0:01:27.583,0:01:30.090
Anyone?

0:01:30.090,0:01:34.694
I mean, you just can't come up with something right off.

0:01:34.694,0:01:50.709
But the fact is, it is used, Paul uses it in Galatians 6, so let's turn to that. (P)

0:01:50.709,0:01:59.517
Galatians 6:1, he says, "Brethren,[br]even if a man is caught in any trespass,

0:01:59.518,0:02:04.369
you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;

0:02:04.369,0:02:08.715
looking to yourselves lest you too be tempted.

0:02:08.716,0:02:16.235
Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ."

0:02:16.235,0:02:18.152
Now, there it is.

0:02:18.153,0:02:22.313
And that helps a lot more to give a hint of what is going on –

0:02:22.314,0:02:26.019
bearing one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

0:02:26.026,0:02:32.634
Look, the law of Christ has to do with loving one another.

0:02:32.634,0:02:35.067
Now, that brings up a further question:

0:02:35.067,0:02:44.669
Where would they get the idea that loving[br]one another would be called the law of Christ?

0:02:44.669,0:02:55.336
"Love one another" – what do you think? where does that come up?

0:02:55.336,0:02:58.681
[Audience answers] It's one of the great commandments.

0:02:58.682,0:03:03.215
Of course, you could say, "Well, that's the law of God."

0:03:03.215,0:03:07.739
Why would they come up with "the law of Christ"? (P)

0:03:07.740,0:03:15.249
Well, let's look at this in John 13.

0:03:17.815,0:03:26.261
John 13, here we are at the Last Supper,

0:03:26.262,0:03:31.979
and verse 34, "A new commandment I give to you,

0:03:31.986,0:03:38.978
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,[br]that you also love one another.

0:03:38.978,0:03:44.214
By this all men will know that you are My disciples,

0:03:44.214,0:03:46.934
if you have love for one another."

0:03:46.935,0:03:57.467
And then over in John 15:12, "This is My commandment," –

0:03:57.467,0:04:02.208
this is the law of Christ – "This is My commandment,

0:04:02.208,0:04:07.222
that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

0:04:07.222,0:04:13.632
Greater love has no one than this,[br]that one lay down his life for his friends."

0:04:13.632,0:04:21.825
And then in verse 17, "This I command you, that you love one another." (P)

0:04:21.825,0:04:30.010
Now this is the Lord, here in the upper room on the very last night,

0:04:30.011,0:04:34.259
and giving this new commandment to love one another.

0:04:34.260,0:04:36.420
Love is the new commandment.

0:04:36.420,0:04:43.241
Now the question is: Why does the Lord[br]refer to this as a new commandment?

0:04:43.241,0:04:46.581
Here they are, sitting around here at the Last Supper,

0:04:46.581,0:04:51.598
and He says, "I want to say something;[br]I've got a new commandment for you."

0:04:51.599,0:04:53.472
And they all perk up...

0:04:53.473,0:04:56.043
And He says, "Love one another." (P)

0:04:56.043,0:05:02.213
I mean, has the Bible ever said that before? Absolutely!

0:05:02.214,0:05:04.540
He is calling this a new commandment.

0:05:04.541,0:05:07.651
So the question is, Why? What's new about this?

0:05:07.652,0:05:10.543
God had told them to love one another before.

0:05:10.544,0:05:16.785
In fact, we saw that was one of the two great commandments.

0:05:16.785,0:05:22.487
So why was this a new commandment? (P)

0:05:22.487,0:05:33.725
Well, let me ask you a question,[br]was there anything else that was new that night?

0:05:33.725,0:05:35.830
There was a new covenant.

0:05:35.830,0:05:41.115
He holds the cup up, He says, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood."

0:05:41.116,0:05:43.904
Now He is giving a new covenant;

0:05:43.905,0:05:51.173
and in connection with the new covenant,[br]He's giving a new commandment.

0:05:51.173,0:05:53.987
You remember when the old covenant was given,

0:05:53.990,0:05:58.775
we better turn back there and look at this, Exodus 24.

0:05:58.775,0:06:07.727
We forget about the fact that when the old covenant was given,

0:06:07.727,0:06:16.114
there was the shedding of blood, and there was a covenant meal.

0:06:16.115,0:06:26.453
Exodus 24:7, "Then he took the book of the covenant[br]and read it in the hearing of the people;

0:06:26.453,0:06:31.173
and they said, 'All that the LORD has spoken[br]we will do, and we will be obedient.'

0:06:31.181,0:06:34.652
So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people,

0:06:34.653,0:06:38.076
and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant,

0:06:38.082,0:06:43.204
(think of Jesus' words: This cup is the blood of the new covenant.)

0:06:43.205,0:06:47.757
Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD[br]has made with you in accordance with all these words.'

0:06:47.758,0:06:53.282
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,[br]and seventy of the elders of Israel,

0:06:53.282,0:06:55.484
and they saw the God of Israel;

0:06:55.484,0:07:01.375
and under His feet there appeared to be a[br]pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.

0:07:01.375,0:07:05.604
Yet He did not stretch out His hand[br]against the nobles of the sons of Israel;

0:07:05.604,0:07:11.076
and they beheld God, and they ate and drank."

0:07:11.076,0:07:13.453
We don't even think about that.

0:07:13.453,0:07:20.509
There was a covenant meal, the shedding of blood, and the giving of law. (P)

0:07:20.509,0:07:23.182
Now what have we got in the upper room?

0:07:23.183,0:07:25.342
They're sitting there, they're having the covenant meal;

0:07:25.343,0:07:27.461
He says, "This is My blood of the new covenant."

0:07:27.462,0:07:30.322
Now He says, "I've got a commandment to give you along,"

0:07:30.323,0:07:34.990
not a book with 613 laws,

0:07:34.991,0:07:38.346
"I've got one thing I want you to remember."

0:07:38.346,0:07:41.056
Isn't it something?

0:07:41.056,0:07:45.995
And it's the one thing we forget really quickly.

0:07:45.995,0:07:48.800
I have seen situations as a pastor,

0:07:48.800,0:07:52.137
"I've got this hard problem with so and so,[br]what am I going to say to them?

0:07:52.137,0:07:54.924
This is a mess, what am I going to say?

0:07:54.925,0:08:00.804
And as soon as I got to the point where my[br]heart was filled with love for that person,

0:08:00.805,0:08:04.797
I knew immediately what to say to them."

0:08:04.797,0:08:09.785
But when you are angry or frustrated or whatever, you don't know what to do. (P)

0:08:09.785,0:08:18.811
You see, it is not the idea, beloved,[br]that in the Law of Moses we've got 613,

0:08:18.811,0:08:23.201
now in the New Covenant you go through[br]and list all the commandments in the New Testament,

0:08:23.201,0:08:25.823
and you've got this new code of law.

0:08:25.823,0:08:28.345
That's not what it is.

0:08:28.345,0:08:30.115
You don't have that. You don't need that.

0:08:30.116,0:08:37.308
What you've got in the New Covenant[br]is signposts pointing you to the life in the Spirit.

0:08:37.308,0:08:40.328
And this is the big one: He says, Love one another.

0:08:40.328,0:08:44.063
That's the big one. That's going to be the hardest thing.

0:08:44.063,0:08:46.660
I mean, to truly love one another,

0:08:46.661,0:08:49.317
He said that's going to be the hardest possible thing.

0:08:49.317,0:08:55.113
And it's also the thing that He puts in your heart.

0:08:55.114,0:08:58.163
There's nothing more demanding than this,

0:08:58.164,0:09:01.286
there's nothing more exacting, there's nothing more difficult.

0:09:01.287,0:09:07.393
But there's nothing more liberating, is there? Just love one another. (P)

0:09:07.394,0:09:13.057
So, why does He call it a new commandment?

0:09:13.058,0:09:16.557
Because it's associated with a new covenant.

0:09:16.557,0:09:18.892
It's part of this whole thing.

0:09:18.892,0:09:23.619
He's saying, "In the new covenant," as He is getting ready to leave,

0:09:23.620,0:09:30.613
He says, "This is what I want you to keep foremost in your minds: Love one another."

0:09:30.614,0:09:34.557
And so, Paul later, he knows what this means,

0:09:34.558,0:09:39.510
he says, "Bear one another's burdens,[br]and thus fulfill this commandment, this law of Christ,

0:09:39.511,0:09:43.586
this new commandment that He gives to you. Love one another." (P)

0:09:43.586,0:09:46.339
So it was new in that it was part of a new covenant.

0:09:46.339,0:09:54.556
What else? Well, it's new because it has a whole new depth of meaning.

0:09:54.556,0:09:59.345
It's one thing to say, "Love one another," but He didn't say that, did He?

0:09:59.345,0:10:02.925
He said, "Love one another, as I have loved you."

0:10:02.925,0:10:07.776
Now, that just raised the bar out of sight.

0:10:07.777,0:10:09.895
It's new. That's a new commandment.

0:10:09.896,0:10:18.908
Never, in all of human history, has there[br]ever been a revelation of duty like this.

0:10:18.909,0:10:24.393
Love as Christ loved – that's the highest revelation.

0:10:24.394,0:10:26.762
It's the most wonderful - the most exacting -

0:10:26.762,0:10:32.969
but the most wonderful revelation of man's duty that has ever been given.

0:10:32.969,0:10:40.224
And so, to love others as much as Christ loved us by His actions,

0:10:40.224,0:10:42.276
we'll talk about that more in a minute.

0:10:42.276,0:10:47.153
But that was a new commandment. That's something new. (P)

0:10:47.154,0:10:49.359
And so, why is this a new commandment?

0:10:49.359,0:10:52.173
Well, it's associated with a new covenant;

0:10:52.174,0:10:56.384
it gives an entirely new depth of meaning to the word "love" –

0:10:56.384,0:11:02.290
we know love by this, that He did such and such, you see.

0:11:02.290,0:11:03.223
All right.

0:11:03.223,0:11:08.007
But what else? Well, there's a third reason that it's new.

0:11:08.008,0:11:28.023
Let's just turn to this in 1 John 2:7, John brings this up,

0:11:28.023,0:11:33.784
"Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you,

0:11:33.784,0:11:37.363
but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning;

0:11:37.363,0:11:40.599
the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

0:11:40.599,0:11:44.807
On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you,

0:11:44.807,0:11:49.573
which is true in Him and in you,

0:11:49.573,0:11:57.671
because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining."

0:11:57.672,0:12:01.405
What's new about this? Well, the thing that makes it new

0:12:01.406,0:12:06.944
is that there's something that has happened in you, if you're a Christian.

0:12:06.944,0:12:12.170
He says, in a way this is just the same old thing,[br]it was all through the Old Testament.

0:12:12.170,0:12:14.953
But he says, it's new now because the true light is shining,

0:12:14.954,0:12:17.127
the day is already starting to dawn.

0:12:17.127,0:12:22.378
Something has happened in you. It's true in Him and in you.

0:12:22.378,0:12:25.961
And the true light is already shining, the darkness is passing away. (P)

0:12:25.961,0:12:31.300
You can feel a little bit of what this means to love.

0:12:31.300,0:12:36.092
In fact, we know that we've passed from death to life because we love.

0:12:36.093,0:12:39.209
It begins at conversion.

0:12:39.209,0:12:45.692
This is what God meant whenever He said, "I'll write My laws on your heart."

0:12:45.692,0:12:47.694
Remember that, in the New Covenant?

0:12:47.694,0:12:52.103
"I'll write My laws on your heart."[br]What does He write on your heart?

0:12:52.104,0:12:54.556
I remember I was a brand new Christian,

0:12:54.556,0:12:57.968
and first thing I think when I get up in the morning,

0:12:57.968,0:13:01.150
"Wow, I don't want to light a fire in my dwelling

0:13:01.150,0:13:04.791
from 6:00pm Friday night to 6:00pm Saturday night."

0:13:04.791,0:13:08.117
No, that's not the law that He writes on your heart.

0:13:08.118,0:13:09.760
Or, "I really don't wanna...

0:13:09.760,0:13:14.525
No longer do I want to wear garments[br]that are cotton and polyester."

0:13:14.525,0:13:18.212
That's not the law that He writes on your heart.

0:13:18.212,0:13:23.049
But what He does write on your heart is:[br]"Love for God and love for your fellow man." (P)

0:13:23.049,0:13:27.223
I remember I walked to work, and there was a guy at that filling station

0:13:27.223,0:13:31.375
(I used to work for 50 cents an hour, that tells you how old I am),

0:13:31.375,0:13:34.378
and I despised that guy.

0:13:34.378,0:13:38.171
And I walked in there, I'm a new creation, I love.

0:13:38.171,0:13:44.211
Isn't that amazing? He has written His law on your heart.

0:13:44.211,0:13:46.779
It's the big stuff.

0:13:46.779,0:13:50.946
Paul says, "Concerning love for another, I have no need to write you,

0:13:50.946,0:13:56.212
because you yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9).

0:13:56.212,0:14:02.002
So that's something that happens: every Christian loves God.

0:14:02.002,0:14:03.422
Every Christian.

0:14:03.422,0:14:05.347
Paul calls Christians by that,

0:14:05.348,0:14:13.692
he says, "We know that God causes all things[br]to work together for good to them that love God."

0:14:13.692,0:14:16.295
That's another name for a Christian.

0:14:16.295,0:14:20.890
"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,[br]let him be accursed" (1 Corinth. 16:22).

0:14:20.890,0:14:25.640
And all Christians love their fellow man.

0:14:25.640,0:14:29.001
"We know that we have passed from death[br]to life, because we love the brethren.

0:14:29.001,0:14:31.548
If anybody hates his brother, he is a murderer;

0:14:31.548,0:14:34.854
and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:14-15). (P)

0:14:34.854,0:14:39.241
So this is in you when you become a Christian.

0:14:39.241,0:14:44.391
God writes it on your heart. He writes the law of love on your heart.

0:14:44.391,0:14:48.810
And one of the brothers mentioned, Jesus brings this up,

0:14:48.811,0:14:54.395
Matthew 22:36, "A certain man came to Him,

0:14:54.395,0:15:00.884
and he said, 'Rabbi, what's the great commandment in the Law?'

0:15:00.884,0:15:04.613
And He said, the greatest thing of anything there is in the Law is,

0:15:04.613,0:15:10.833
'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.' "

0:15:10.833,0:15:13.286
Now, why didn't He just stop with that?

0:15:13.286,0:15:16.139
The guy didn't ask Him, "What's the second greatest commandment?"

0:15:16.139,0:15:18.793
Jesus volunteered it.

0:15:18.793,0:15:20.827
He said, "The second is like it."

0:15:20.827,0:15:24.032
How is it like it? It has to do with love. "

0:15:24.032,0:15:27.187
The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

0:15:27.187,0:15:30.051
Now why did He bring that up? why did He volunteer the second one?

0:15:30.051,0:15:35.727
Because He wanted to lay the foundation for an important teaching.

0:15:35.727,0:15:44.525
He says, "On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets."

0:15:44.525,0:15:48.069
What Jesus is saying is, "These are the big ones;

0:15:48.069,0:15:55.060
and everything else hangs on that, it depends on that."

0:15:55.060,0:15:58.647
Love is the big thing. (P)

0:15:58.647,0:16:06.946
A Brother and I were talking about: adultery is not a big thing to God;

0:16:06.946,0:16:10.380
now listen to me, stealing is not a big thing to God;

0:16:10.380,0:16:13.031
murder is not a big thing to God;

0:16:13.031,0:16:16.369
except as it relates to breaking the law of love.

0:16:16.369,0:16:21.322
Now let me say it another way: adultery is a really big thing to God.

0:16:21.322,0:16:22.939
He hates it.

0:16:22.939,0:16:26.935
Why? Because it's breaking the law of love.

0:16:26.935,0:16:29.428
But you see, what Jesus is saying is,

0:16:29.428,0:16:35.096
all these commandments hang on the Love commandments.

0:16:35.096,0:16:39.147
Murder hangs on the Love commandment.

0:16:39.147,0:16:45.466
It's not something in itself, it has to do with the fact[br]that it is breaking the Love commandments.

0:16:45.467,0:16:47.245
Why are the Love commandments so big?

0:16:47.245,0:16:50.637
Because God is love.

0:16:50.637,0:16:53.061
The Bible never says God is justice.

0:16:53.062,0:16:56.013
It says He is just, but it doesn't say He is justice.

0:16:56.013,0:16:58.624
But it does say He is love.

0:16:58.624,0:17:02.773
Isn't it amazing, we have a God who is love.

0:17:02.773,0:17:08.667
And that law that everybody hates so much[br]is just an expression of who He is. (P)

0:17:08.669,0:17:10.998
So, here you have a God who is perfect love;

0:17:10.998,0:17:17.260
and He gives you a law, He says, "Look, don't curse a deaf man."

0:17:17.261,0:17:22.944
Now what kind of a God would give a law like that?[br]Well, a God of love.

0:17:22.944,0:17:27.395
"You shall not place a stumbling block in front of a blind man."

0:17:27.395,0:17:28.932
Here comes this blind man along,

0:17:28.932,0:17:32.435
you say, "Let's have a little fun with him. Let's stick something there."

0:17:32.435,0:17:38.971
Do you realize if you love that man, you'll keep that law automatically.

0:17:38.971,0:17:44.991
God makes a law, He says, "Look, there's an open pitch, you've got to cover that."

0:17:44.991,0:17:47.881
Why? Because it relates to love.

0:17:47.881,0:17:51.283
"You've got an ox, it gores people, you've got to confine it."

0:17:51.283,0:17:54.625
You go through those list of laws, what are they?

0:17:54.625,0:17:58.522
They're hanging on love. (P)

0:17:58.522,0:18:01.041
Now this is amazing.

0:18:01.041,0:18:03.874
One of those men came to Jesus, he said,

0:18:03.874,0:18:06.127
"Rabbi, what must I do to have eternal life?"

0:18:06.127,0:18:09.601
He said, "Read in the Law, what does it say to you?

0:18:09.601,0:18:11.561
What does the Law say?"

0:18:11.561,0:18:13.301
And he says, "Well, you shall love..."

0:18:13.301,0:18:17.072
This guy must have been a pretty amazing Bible scholar actually.

0:18:17.073,0:18:21.035
He says, "It says you shall love the Lord your God[br]with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength;

0:18:21.035,0:18:23.010
and your neighbor as yourself."

0:18:23.010,0:18:28.150
Jesus didn't say, "Well yeah, but there's 611 other commandments you gotta keep."

0:18:28.150,0:18:32.540
He says, "You've answered correctly; do this and you will live."

0:18:32.540,0:18:34.383
He says if you'll do those two things,

0:18:34.383,0:18:38.325
you will fulfill everything, you'll have eternal life.

0:18:38.333,0:18:41.824
The problem is, nobody has ever done any of them for five minutes,

0:18:41.824,0:18:46.394
except for one Person - the Lord Jesus. (P)

0:18:46.394,0:18:48.841
But think of this:

0:18:48.841,0:18:53.425
When He said there's a first commandment and a second commandment,

0:18:53.426,0:18:56.970
He wasn't saying there's a long list -[br]there's the third, and the fourth, and so on.

0:18:56.970,0:19:03.749
He said, "These two take in everything. They really do."

0:19:03.750,0:19:07.650
If you love your neighbor you're going to tell him about the Lord;

0:19:07.650,0:19:10.216
it doesn't take some commandments about sharing the Gospel.

0:19:10.217,0:19:12.068
I mean, you can just go down through the list -

0:19:12.069,0:19:15.344
if I love my neighbor, I don't want to steal his wife,

0:19:15.344,0:19:20.455
I don't want to steal his car.

0:19:20.455,0:19:25.405
And as you go through the New Testament you'll find this.

0:19:25.405,0:19:36.089
I won't look up all the verses because[br]we just had lunch, but they are so many.

0:19:36.089,0:19:41.357
1 Timothy 1:5, he says, "The goal of our instruction..." -

0:19:41.357,0:19:43.115
why, why are we spending this time,

0:19:43.115,0:19:45.656
why are the preachers up front there?

0:19:45.657,0:19:50.308
Is the goal of our instruction that we might know what the symbolic meaning

0:19:50.309,0:19:55.639
of the tenth toe of Daniel's image is for prophecy? No!

0:19:55.639,0:20:04.837
"The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart,[br]an undefiled conscience, and a sincere faith."

0:20:04.837,0:20:06.308
That's the goal of everything.

0:20:06.308,0:20:09.739
Paul says, "Owe no man anything, but to love one another."

0:20:09.740,0:20:16.577
He used "love" in order to fulfill the Law.

0:20:16.578,0:20:19.182
He is writing to Gentiles in Galatians,

0:20:19.182,0:20:24.955
he says, "The whole Law is fulfilled in one word, 'Love one another' " (Gal. 5:14).

0:20:24.955,0:20:28.490
The whole thing.

0:20:28.490,0:20:32.297
They didn't know all the ins and outs of all those commandments,

0:20:32.297,0:20:37.713
but he just tells them, "If you just love, you'll fulfill the Law." (P)

0:20:37.713,0:20:40.330
Maybe I ought to give you the references anyway.

0:20:40.330,0:20:45.048
We've got time, we'll look at some of these.

0:20:45.049,0:20:55.057
1 Timothy 1:5. I mentioned 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, he says,

0:20:55.058,0:21:00.082
"May our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;

0:21:00.082,0:21:05.152
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another,

0:21:05.152,0:21:08.811
and for all men, just as we also do for you;

0:21:08.811,0:21:12.425
so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness."

0:21:12.425,0:21:18.604
That's how you grow in holiness - growing in love.

0:21:18.604,0:21:42.217
In Galatians 5:13, he says, "For you were called to freedom, brethren;

0:21:42.217,0:21:46.024
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,

0:21:46.024,0:21:49.737
but through love serve one another.

0:21:49.737,0:21:52.352
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word,

0:21:52.353,0:21:55.032
in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

0:21:55.032,0:21:57.643
Amazing statement!

0:21:57.643,0:22:02.727
And then in verse 6 of the same chapter:

0:22:02.727,0:22:07.727
"In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,

0:22:07.727,0:22:12.479
but faith working through love." (P)

0:22:12.479,0:22:17.781
Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love" - first thing.

0:22:17.781,0:22:23.058
Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens,[br]and so fulfill the law of Christ." - love again.

0:22:23.058,0:22:32.301
1 Peter 4:8, he says, "Above all (above all - most important thing),

0:22:32.301,0:22:39.397
keep fervent in your love for one another,[br]because love covers a multitude of sins."

0:22:39.397,0:22:53.007
Colossians 3:14, he says, "Beyond all these things put on love,"

0:22:53.007,0:22:55.807
after he has gone through this whole list,

0:22:55.808,0:22:59.678
"which is the perfect bond of unity."

0:22:59.678,0:23:13.727
And Ephesians 4:31 and on, "Let all bitterness[br]and wrath and anger and clamor and slander

0:23:13.727,0:23:17.201
be put away from you, along with all malice.

0:23:17.201,0:23:20.617
And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,

0:23:20.618,0:23:23.054
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

0:23:23.054,0:23:26.459
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

0:23:26.459,0:23:30.427
and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you

0:23:30.427,0:23:35.367
(you see, that's a new commandment,[br]Love one another as I have loved you)

0:23:35.367,0:23:38.121
and gave Himself up for us,

0:23:38.121,0:23:42.014
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

0:23:42.014,0:23:56.949
One more, Romans 13:8, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;

0:23:56.949,0:24:01.924
for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

0:24:01.924,0:24:05.264
For this, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder,

0:24:05.264,0:24:07.272
You shall not steal, You shall not covet,'

0:24:07.272,0:24:10.261
and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,

0:24:10.261,0:24:16.188
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

0:24:16.189,0:24:23.316
Love does no wrong to a neighbor;[br]therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (P)

0:24:23.316,0:24:26.607
So this is a central thing.

0:24:26.607,0:24:31.266
Now think of how much more wonderful the law of[br]Christ is, than going back to the Law of Moses.

0:24:31.266,0:24:35.244
Just think of this in some areas.

0:24:35.244,0:24:47.985
Suppose some brother receives a gift, somebody gives Chad a new car,

0:24:47.985,0:24:54.511
and he already had a car that was better than mine.

0:24:54.511,0:24:59.553
And so, you know, I think back to what Moses said, "Thou shall not covet."

0:24:59.554,0:25:03.612
And I try not to covet, you know,

0:25:03.613,0:25:11.688
and I do fairly well as long as I don't look at his car.

0:25:11.688,0:25:12.629
Think of that.

0:25:12.630,0:25:20.123
But suppose that I love him as Christ loved,[br]and somebody gives him something,

0:25:20.123,0:25:22.000
what's your immediate response?

0:25:22.001,0:25:26.948
You praise God, because you love the person.

0:25:26.948,0:25:30.992
Your attitude is not this attitude of "I've got to try..."

0:25:30.992,0:25:39.402
It's one that fulfills it automatically. You're delighted. (P)

0:25:39.403,0:25:45.557
Here you're going down the street,[br]you meet some woman that's immodestly dressed,

0:25:45.557,0:25:52.897
and you have the thought, you know,[br]"The Law said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' "

0:25:52.897,0:25:56.636
Now how does that compare to, if you've just come out of a prayer meeting

0:25:56.636,0:26:01.356
(your heart is full of love), or you're out on the street witnessing,

0:26:01.356,0:26:05.793
and you see that same person totally different?

0:26:05.793,0:26:12.272
You fulfill the law in a much higher level,

0:26:12.272,0:26:16.516
because you're concerned for the soul, you love the person.

0:26:16.516,0:26:19.126
You love them. (P)

0:26:19.126,0:26:23.587
There was an evangelist a couple hundred years ago,

0:26:23.587,0:26:28.516
I think maybe he was in Boston, he had just been converted.

0:26:28.516,0:26:31.311
Maybe it was a little less than two hundred years ago.

0:26:31.311,0:26:37.493
Anyway, he was a new Christian full of love for God,

0:26:37.494,0:26:42.689
and this woman came up and propositioned him.

0:26:42.697,0:26:46.039
Now he didn't realize what she was asking at first,

0:26:46.039,0:26:50.513
and then he finally thought, "She's a prostitute."

0:26:50.513,0:26:55.775
He burst into tears. And then she burst into tears.

0:26:55.775,0:27:00.381
What is that? He was full of love for her.

0:27:00.381,0:27:05.437
She never had anybody love her. You see the difference?

0:27:05.437,0:27:10.288
Instead of saying, "You wicked woman, what are you doing?"

0:27:10.288,0:27:15.578
It's the law of Christ, and it's such a higher level. (P)

0:27:15.578,0:27:24.194
Giving: you know, "Well, I paid my tithe, and I've got it taken care of."

0:27:24.194,0:27:29.061
How different is that than loving as Jesus loved – He gave everything.

0:27:29.061,0:27:33.310
You know, you might have to give away, not one dollar, but all ten of them,

0:27:33.310,0:27:36.734
and you might have to give away your billfold.

0:27:36.734,0:27:40.754
Or, you might not give away anything.

0:27:40.754,0:27:46.200
Why? Because you're led by the Spirit of God, teaching us, you see, teaching us.

0:27:46.207,0:27:50.457
It's the law of Christ, it's not a list of rules and dos and don'ts.

0:27:50.458,0:27:58.917
It cannot be codified, it's too incisive to be codified. (P)

0:28:03.102,0:28:07.346
Let me give you an example.

0:28:07.346,0:28:13.643
Some of you have read this and you're aware of it.

0:28:13.644,0:28:22.578
This is Evangeline Booth,

0:28:22.578,0:28:29.485
who was a daughter of William Booth, founder of Salvation Army.

0:28:29.485,0:28:40.971
Evangeline Booth: "As one who ministered often to the dregs of society,

0:28:40.971,0:28:45.113
she found herself one morning outside the large iron gates

0:28:45.113,0:28:49.015
of a local police court and temporary prison.

0:28:49.015,0:28:54.211
Waiting for the gates to open she heard the[br]shuffling of heavy feet and loud, agitated voices.

0:28:54.211,0:28:57.183
In her own words (and I'm quoting from her),

0:28:57.183,0:29:02.158
she says, 'The gates opened wide, and I witnessed a sight

0:29:02.158,0:29:06.060
which, if eternity could wash away from my mind, time never can.

0:29:06.060,0:29:08.550
It was a woman.

0:29:08.558,0:29:11.195
Two policemen walked in front and two behind.

0:29:11.195,0:29:13.201
(Now the Salvation Army, in the early days,

0:29:13.202,0:29:18.864
they reached out to the lowest of the low and they were full of life).

0:29:18.865,0:29:21.922
Two policemen walked in front and two behind.

0:29:21.922,0:29:26.076
One stalwart man firmly held the right arm and the other the left.

0:29:26.076,0:29:32.455
(You got six guys escorting this woman out).

0:29:32.455,0:29:36.132
Her hair was uncombed and matted and disheveled.

0:29:36.132,0:29:38.964
Her right temple was blackened with bruises.

0:29:38.964,0:29:43.077
Clots of dry blood stood upon her left temple.

0:29:43.077,0:29:46.488
Her clothes were torn and bloodstained.

0:29:46.489,0:29:49.528
She tried to wrench her arms from the grasp of the policemen.

0:29:49.528,0:29:54.555
The very atmosphere of the morning[br]was laden with her curses and oaths.

0:29:54.555,0:30:00.757
She tossed her head wildly as the six policemen[br]dragged her down the passageway.

0:30:00.757,0:30:02.733
What could I do?

0:30:02.733,0:30:06.924
One more moment and the golden opportunity to be of help would be gone.

0:30:06.924,0:30:09.567
Could I offer a prayer? No, there was not time.

0:30:09.567,0:30:11.950
Could I sing? It would be absurd.

0:30:11.950,0:30:14.797
Could I give her money? She could not take it.

0:30:14.797,0:30:19.386
Could I quote a verse of Scripture? She would not heed it. (P)

0:30:19.386,0:30:25.517
"Whether it was a divine suggestion or not, I did not stop to think,

0:30:25.517,0:30:30.275
but the impulse of a burning desire which filled my heart as she passed

0:30:30.275,0:30:35.778
made me step forward and kiss her on the cheek.

0:30:35.778,0:30:39.592
Whether the police were taken off their[br]guard by my extraordinary action,

0:30:39.592,0:30:42.487
relaxed their grasp, I do not know.

0:30:42.487,0:30:46.876
But with one wrench she freed her arms and clasped her hands

0:30:46.876,0:30:49.335
as the wind spread her matted, disheveled hair,

0:30:49.335,0:30:55.027
and she looked toward the grey skies and said, 'My God.'

0:30:55.027,0:31:00.227
She looked around wildly for a moment[br]and then said, 'My God, who kissed me?

0:31:00.228,0:31:02.632
My God, who kissed me?

0:31:02.632,0:31:06.397
Nobody has kissed me since my mother died.' (P)

0:31:06.397,0:31:10.940
"Lifting her tattered apron she buried her face in her hands

0:31:10.940,0:31:16.393
and, like a little lamb, she was led to the vehicle which took her to prison.

0:31:16.393,0:31:18.915
Later I went to the prison in the hope of seeing her,

0:31:18.915,0:31:20.386
and at the door stood the warden.

0:31:20.386,0:31:25.371
When I approached the warden,[br]she said, 'We think her mind is gone.

0:31:25.371,0:31:28.139
She does nothing but pace up and down her cell,

0:31:28.140,0:31:34.008
asking me every time I go in if I know who kissed her.'

0:31:34.008,0:31:39.799
'Would you let me go in and speak to her?' I asked,

0:31:39.799,0:31:45.124
'I am her only and best friend.'

0:31:45.124,0:31:46.917
The door was opened and I slipped in.

0:31:46.923,0:31:49.890
Her face was clean. Her eyes were large and beautiful.

0:31:49.891,0:31:52.634
And she said, 'Do you know who kissed me?'

0:31:52.634,0:31:54.950
Then she told me her story.

0:31:54.950,0:31:59.372
'When I was a little girl of seven years old, my widowed mother died.

0:31:59.372,0:32:02.355
She died very poor, although she was of genteel birth.

0:32:02.355,0:32:05.989
She died in a back basement in the dark.

0:32:05.989,0:32:09.417
When she was dying she called me to her,[br]took my little face in her hands,

0:32:09.417,0:32:12.832
and kissed and said to me, 'My poor, little girl.

0:32:12.833,0:32:14.324
My defenceless, little girl.

0:32:14.324,0:32:16.173
O God, have pity on my little girl;

0:32:16.173,0:32:19.293
and when I'm gone, protect her and take care of her.'

0:32:19.293,0:32:25.558
From that day to this, nobody ever put a kiss upon my face until recently.

0:32:25.558,0:32:27.811
Then again she asked me, 'Do you know who kissed me?'

0:32:27.812,0:32:30.654
I said, 'It was I who kissed you.' (P)

0:32:30.654,0:32:36.500
"Then I told her of Him whose life was so[br]much more tender than mine could ever be,

0:32:36.500,0:32:40.033
and how He went to the cross and bore our sins upon Himself

0:32:40.033,0:32:41.898
and was wounded for our transgressions,

0:32:41.899,0:32:46.235
that He might put the kiss of pardon upon our brow.

0:32:46.235,0:32:49.787
In Him she found light, and joy, and comfort,

0:32:49.788,0:32:53.368
and salvation, and healing, and love.

0:32:53.368,0:32:55.582
Before she was released from the prison,

0:32:55.582,0:33:00.900
the warden testified not only to the[br]change in her life, but to its beauty.

0:33:00.901,0:33:04.410
She was made, through Christ, the means of salvation

0:33:04.410,0:33:08.419
to numbers of others who were down as low as she had been,

0:33:08.419,0:33:14.832
and who were bound with fetters as heavy as those[br]with which she herself had been bound." (P)

0:33:14.832,0:33:16.162
Now what is that?

0:33:16.162,0:33:21.121
What law are you going to say, "Kiss this woman now"?

0:33:21.121,0:33:22.891
You see how different it is?

0:33:22.891,0:33:28.185
The New Testament is not the idea God gave us a new list of laws.

0:33:28.185,0:33:30.938
He didn't do that. He gave us the life of Christ,

0:33:30.938,0:33:34.578
and He gave us some signposts saying, "Look fellows, this is radical.

0:33:34.579,0:33:37.132
This is what it's going to look like."

0:33:37.132,0:33:41.025
That's what He is doing in the Sermon on the Mount.

0:33:41.025,0:33:46.284
And these things are things that God has given when we desperately need...

0:33:46.285,0:33:49.543
How did she know to do that?

0:33:49.543,0:33:53.655
She knew it because she loved people like that,

0:33:53.655,0:33:56.692
and the Holy Spirit prompted her to do it right then;

0:33:56.693,0:34:00.643
and she just did it, without thinking.

0:34:00.643,0:34:04.487
That's what we need. That's what we're talking about.

0:34:04.487,0:34:06.447
And beloved, I'm speaking for myself,

0:34:06.447,0:34:11.995
we are so quick to become acting atheists[br]and forget about the Lord Jesus,

0:34:11.995,0:34:18.851
and read our Bible verses and do our thing, our Christian thing.

0:34:18.851,0:34:26.167
But if you're full of Christ and full of love, it's totally different, isn't it?

0:34:26.168,0:34:28.976
Totally different. And it's a living relationship.

0:34:28.976,0:34:31.739
We have to be brought back to that over and over and over.

0:34:31.739,0:34:34.364
It's not your list of rules. (P)

0:34:34.364,0:34:42.897
Sometimes I go on trips overseas, come back,[br]my wife's standing at the door,

0:34:42.897,0:34:47.531
she's got a list: "Kiss husband. Hug husband."

0:34:47.531,0:34:51.199
Do you realize how insulting that is?

0:34:51.199,0:34:56.629
If you've got love in your heart you're going to do the right things.

0:34:56.629,0:35:01.459
But a lot of times, that's the way we are treating the Lord.

0:35:01.460,0:35:03.742
"I didn't do this, I didn't do this..."

0:35:03.743,0:35:10.128
He's looking at something a lot bigger than that. (P)

0:35:12.159,0:35:16.321
Now which of these things do you think will most convict of sin:

0:35:16.321,0:35:21.570
the Law of Moses or the law of Christ?

0:35:21.570,0:35:25.136
Here's an example - what I just read.

0:35:25.137,0:35:26.399
I mean, it's convicting.

0:35:26.399,0:35:29.008
I remember when I was a college student,

0:35:29.008,0:35:35.263
I was staying with a family that was full of the Spirit of God.

0:35:35.263,0:35:40.708
And there were always a lot of people coming there for meals,

0:35:40.708,0:35:43.617
and the kitchen was just a beehive of activity -

0:35:43.618,0:35:45.275
women fixing stuff and what have you.

0:35:45.275,0:35:49.985
And one of the kids came in, right in the middle of all that,

0:35:49.985,0:35:53.486
and had to get a glass of milk out of the refrigerator.

0:35:53.486,0:35:56.553
You know, it's like he was already an annoyance.

0:35:56.553,0:36:02.904
And then he opens the door up,[br]and breaks the glass of milk all over the floor,

0:36:02.904,0:36:07.113
right while they're preparing this big meal.

0:36:07.113,0:36:10.019
And his mother turned around like this,

0:36:10.019,0:36:15.065
she said, "Oh, Steven, I love you."

0:36:15.066,0:36:17.390
She took his face in her hand.

0:36:17.391,0:36:20.237
That did more to convict a self-centered college student.

0:36:20.237,0:36:23.354
I mean, we were talking last night about college students.

0:36:23.354,0:36:27.162
They'll come through your door, and they'll say, "Feed me, I'm yours.

0:36:27.162,0:36:31.742
What can you do to serve me?" [Laughter].

0:36:31.742,0:36:38.334
But to see that, you see, that's much more than the "thou shalt nots".

0:36:38.334,0:36:40.591
It's convicting. (P)

0:36:40.591,0:36:44.770
Watchman Nee tells a story, there was a Christian there in China

0:36:44.770,0:36:48.910
where they had these fields that they would paddle full of water - rice fields -

0:36:48.910,0:36:52.981
they would paddle them full of water using a bicycle-like contraption

0:36:52.981,0:36:55.987
that has a water wheel on it.

0:36:55.987,0:37:01.721
And this man paddled and paddled, filled his field full of water.

0:37:01.722,0:37:03.783
And the neighbor came in the night and opened the gate,

0:37:03.783,0:37:08.171
and let the water out, and it ran down to the neighbor's field.

0:37:08.171,0:37:11.412
So the Christian came the next day, he saw that;

0:37:11.413,0:37:18.996
he closed the gate, didn't say anything, filled his field up again.

0:37:18.996,0:37:21.225
Next night, same thing happened.

0:37:21.226,0:37:24.907
And it was time for prayer meeting, he came in and said,

0:37:24.907,0:37:26.937
"I haven't done anything against my neighbor,

0:37:26.937,0:37:29.921
I haven't said anything hurtful to him or anything.

0:37:29.921,0:37:36.555
But somehow I feel like this is just not measuring up to Christ."

0:37:36.555,0:37:38.482
And they prayed about it.

0:37:38.482,0:37:42.528
The next day he opened the gate and filled his neighbor's field first,

0:37:42.529,0:37:44.964
then closed the gate and filled his field.

0:37:44.964,0:37:49.746
The neighbor came to him, and he eventually became a Christian.

0:37:49.746,0:37:55.883
He said, "What, What, What is this?"

0:37:55.883,0:37:58.630
It's the law of Christ! (P)

0:37:58.630,0:38:03.824
When Jesus said, "If they compel you to go one mile, go with them two,"

0:38:03.824,0:38:09.741
you know, the Romans had the right to compel you[br]to carry their burden for one mile.

0:38:09.741,0:38:11.446
So they yell at you and call you over there,

0:38:11.446,0:38:12.933
you think, "Well, I'm doing pretty well.

0:38:12.934,0:38:16.959
I'm not complaining, I'm not really angry, I didn't curse the guy,

0:38:16.966,0:38:19.130
I'm not thinking bad things about him."

0:38:19.130,0:38:22.531
None of that measures up, does it?

0:38:22.531,0:38:25.478
So Jesus said, Go the second mile.

0:38:25.478,0:38:30.577
It's during that second mile the guy is wondering,[br]"What is different about this person?"

0:38:30.577,0:38:36.518
I mean, he starts talking to you,[br]and you have the opportunity to witness to him.

0:38:36.518,0:38:38.582
It all sounds so good, doesn't it brethren,

0:38:38.583,0:38:47.509
until you're carrying that burden the first half a mile [Laughter].

0:38:47.509,0:38:51.842
It's a lot easier to preach about it than it is to do it,

0:38:51.842,0:38:58.488
because in reality it's sweaty and it's heavy, and your back is hurting.

0:38:58.488,0:39:03.658
It's the same way with our spouses.[br]It's the same way with our children.

0:39:03.658,0:39:07.352
It's the same way in the body of Christ.

0:39:07.352,0:39:10.805
There's nothing more costly than that.

0:39:10.805,0:39:15.272
It's costly.

0:39:15.272,0:39:22.430
But that's where it is. That's what we're talking about. (P)

0:39:24.000,0:39:28.133
Another question comes up, How can you tell what real love is?

0:39:28.134,0:39:32.892
Two college students living in sin,[br]they say, "Well, we love one another."

0:39:32.892,0:39:39.583
Jack Kevorkian, he loves his people so much he helps them commit suicide.

0:39:39.583,0:39:44.359
Love is claimed to support abortion.

0:39:44.359,0:39:49.929
So it sounds like Jesus left us a pretty flexible, mushy-type standard, doesn't it?

0:39:49.929,0:39:52.474
But what did He say? He didn't say, "Love one another, "

0:39:52.474,0:39:55.783
He said, "Love one another as I have loved you."

0:39:55.784,0:40:00.376
In other words, all of His teaching, His holiness, His perfection, His life,

0:40:00.377,0:40:05.630
everything about Him, His manner, all that, that's the standard.

0:40:05.630,0:40:07.829
And that takes care of the problem.

0:40:07.830,0:40:11.648
The conduct and life and person of the Lord Jesus Himself

0:40:11.648,0:40:15.704
is the rule and duty of the Christian.

0:40:15.704,0:40:19.078
We're called upon to be just as holy as He was. (P)

0:40:19.078,0:40:21.853
In closing, what I want to draw your attention to here,

0:40:21.853,0:40:25.193
is how the New Testament teaches ethics.

0:40:25.193,0:40:34.879
You think about giving: how does the New Testament teach giving?

0:40:34.879,0:40:39.146
"Well, you know, in the Law it says you're supposed to tithe,

0:40:39.147,0:40:43.710
and I still believe that is still binding on us: we've got to tithe."

0:40:43.710,0:40:46.085
Oh, the standard is a lot higher than that.

0:40:46.085,0:40:50.691
That's a starting point. It tells you what is reasonable.

0:40:50.691,0:40:54.173
For example, ten families ought to be able to support one.

0:40:54.173,0:40:57.609
We know that's not too big of a burden, the Jews did that.

0:40:57.609,0:41:01.292
You see, there's help from the Law;

0:41:01.292,0:41:07.541
but it's not the standard for the Christian, it's just a starting point.

0:41:07.542,0:41:11.172
It gives us a little thought of what they did then.

0:41:11.172,0:41:13.085
But when you start looking at Christ...

0:41:13.085,0:41:16.990
Well, let's look at it, how does Paul teach giving?

0:41:16.991,0:41:27.432
II Corinthians 8:7, "Just as you abound in everything,

0:41:27.432,0:41:36.271
in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness

0:41:36.271,0:41:38.354
and in the love we inspired in you,

0:41:38.354,0:41:41.770
see that you abound in this gracious work also.

0:41:41.770,0:41:44.580
I am not speaking this as a command,

0:41:44.581,0:41:48.687
but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

0:41:48.687,0:41:50.762
(Love, love, love).

0:41:50.762,0:41:54.659
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

0:41:54.659,0:41:58.980
that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor,

0:41:58.980,0:42:02.390
so that you through His poverty might become rich." (P)

0:42:02.391,0:42:04.512
So, what is the example of giving?

0:42:04.512,0:42:07.113
Well, here is one.

0:42:07.113,0:42:09.237
He was richer than anyone has ever been,

0:42:09.238,0:42:11.657
and He became poorer than anyone has ever been,

0:42:11.657,0:42:13.999
that we might become rich.

0:42:13.999,0:42:15.384
You see what a standard that is?

0:42:15.385,0:42:18.105
It's so much higher than Moses, it's just unbelievable.

0:42:18.105,0:42:20.417
You see what John was saying?

0:42:20.417,0:42:22.651
"The Law came through Moses;

0:42:22.651,0:42:27.555
grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

0:42:27.555,0:42:31.174
Beloved, we are not diminishing in the least the Law of Moses.

0:42:31.174,0:42:35.110
It was glorious, it was great, it was perfect.

0:42:35.110,0:42:44.528
But you're talking about a candle in relation to the sun shining in its fullness. (P)

0:42:44.528,0:42:47.600
The way we treat our wives: How should we treat our wives?

0:42:47.600,0:42:51.960
Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives,

0:42:51.960,0:42:56.927
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

0:42:56.927,0:43:01.224
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her[br]by the washing of water with the word." (P)

0:43:01.224,0:43:04.149
Serving: What about serving?

0:43:04.150,0:43:12.209
John 13:13-15 says, "You call Me Teacher and Lord;[br]and you are right, for so I am.

0:43:12.210,0:43:15.353
If I then, the Teacher and Lord, washed your feet,

0:43:15.353,0:43:17.593
you also ought to wash one another's feet.

0:43:17.593,0:43:22.498
For I left you an example that you should also do as I did to you."

0:43:22.498,0:43:25.265
There is Christ again, "Love as I love."

0:43:25.265,0:43:28.347
You see how much is coming up? (P)

0:43:28.347,0:43:30.958
Yielding our rights: Romans 15:1-3,

0:43:30.959,0:43:34.243
"We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak

0:43:34.243,0:43:36.650
and not just please ourselves ...

0:43:36.650,0:43:41.351
For even Christ pleased not Himself;

0:43:41.351,0:43:45.326
but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.' "

0:43:45.327,0:43:52.136
So see, Paul says, Look, if you want to talk about ethics,

0:43:52.136,0:43:56.230
there is nothing that you can use that's greater than the example of Christ. (P)

0:43:56.230,0:44:00.157
Kindness: We read that in Ephesians 5:2, "Walk in love,

0:44:00.157,0:44:07.123
just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us,

0:44:07.123,0:44:09.884
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." (P)

0:44:09.884,0:44:26.430
The way we treat the poor: James 2:8,

0:44:26.430,0:44:30.377
he says, "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law

0:44:30.377,0:44:35.735
(or, literally, the law of our King, that is, the law of Christ)

0:44:35.735,0:44:39.098
according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,'

0:44:39.098,0:44:41.874
you are doing well."

0:44:41.874,0:44:47.087
Verse 12, "So speak and so act as those[br]who are to be judged by the law of liberty."

0:44:47.087,0:44:50.860
That's what he calls this, the law of liberty.

0:44:50.860,0:44:55.015
"For judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy;

0:44:55.015,0:44:56.785
mercy triumphs over judgment."

0:44:56.785,0:45:01.956
In other words, this law of our King - Love -

0:45:01.956,0:45:07.704
if you're not in that category, judgment is going to be merciless to you. (P)

0:45:07.704,0:45:10.128
How about laying down our lives for others:

0:45:10.128,0:45:17.163
1 John 3:16, "We know love by this, that He loved us, He gave Himself,

0:45:17.163,0:45:23.006
He laid down His life for us;[br]and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (P)

0:45:23.007,0:45:29.236
Not striking back: 1 Peter 2:20-23,

0:45:29.236,0:45:34.519
he says, "What credit is there if, when you sin[br]and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?

0:45:34.520,0:45:39.660
But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it,

0:45:39.660,0:45:41.194
this finds favor with God.

0:45:41.194,0:45:46.969
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,

0:45:46.969,0:45:51.942
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

0:45:51.942,0:45:56.026
who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

0:45:56.026,0:46:00.482
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return."

0:46:00.483,0:46:06.041
It's like any area of duty and responsibility,

0:46:06.041,0:46:10.802
you can never find a better example than Jesus. (P)

0:46:10.803,0:46:13.438
Humility: that's the last one we'll look at.

0:46:13.438,0:46:16.056
Think of humility.

0:46:16.056,0:46:19.627
You could say, "Well, Moses in his day was the meekest man on earth.

0:46:19.627,0:46:21.704
Look at how he fell down and prayed for them."

0:46:21.704,0:46:24.484
He was an example, wasn't he?

0:46:24.484,0:46:30.250
But the humility of Moses is nothing compared to the humilty of Christ.

0:46:30.251,0:46:34.000
He says, "Let this mind be in you that also was in Christ Jesus,

0:46:34.000,0:46:38.688
who, although He existed in the form of God,

0:46:38.688,0:46:43.836
did not regard equality with God a thing to be held onto, to be grasped,

0:46:43.836,0:46:47.814
but He emptied Himself and came down, taking the form of a servant.

0:46:47.814,0:46:50.187
Being made in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself

0:46:50.187,0:46:55.029
by becoming obedient to the point of death,[br]even death on the cross" (Phillipians 2:5-8).

0:46:55.029,0:46:57.888
Now how can you have a better example of humility than that?

0:46:57.889,0:47:01.931
There's nothing like it! (P)

0:47:02.655,0:47:10.029
You see, all of this stuff just congeals together, it all fits together, perfectly.

0:47:10.029,0:47:15.191
What's our example? Our example is the Lord Jesus.

0:47:15.191,0:47:16.805
"Love one another as I have loved you."

0:47:16.805,0:47:20.589
You could sum it up if you read 1 Corinthians 13,

0:47:20.589,0:47:29.273
and instead of putting the word "love" in there, just put "Christ" in there.

0:47:29.273,0:47:33.847
"Christ is patient, Christ is kind and is not jealous;

0:47:33.847,0:47:38.539
did not brag, was not arrogant, never acted unbecomingly;

0:47:38.539,0:47:40.803
did not seek His own, was never provoked,

0:47:40.803,0:47:43.613
did not take into account the wrong suffered;

0:47:43.614,0:47:46.892
did not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoiced with the truth.

0:47:46.892,0:47:50.497
He bore all things, He believed all things, He hoped all things..."

0:47:50.497,0:47:53.155
Why? Because He was love incarnate.

0:47:53.155,0:47:56.425
What is God? God is love.

0:47:56.425,0:48:05.044
What you see in Christ is, you see God walking around as a man,

0:48:05.044,0:48:08.923
perfectly fulfilling love to God and to His fellow man. (P)

0:48:08.924,0:48:11.968
Now look at where we've come.

0:48:11.968,0:48:16.077
We're new creatures in a new realm;

0:48:16.077,0:48:19.124
we have a new commandment that has been written on our hearts;

0:48:19.124,0:48:22.139
we have new hearts.

0:48:22.139,0:48:27.869
We have a new standard, and we obey, not by following external rules,

0:48:27.869,0:48:31.051
but by the outworking of an inward power.

0:48:31.051,0:48:32.592
And the standard is Christ.

0:48:32.592,0:48:40.689
He is the ultimate and final revelation of the invisible God and His will for us.

0:48:40.689,0:48:46.959
And He is at work in us right now to will and do of His good pleasure. (P)

0:48:46.959,0:48:53.161
Now, these things that I have said to you have been criticized by some.

0:48:53.162,0:48:57.003
They say, "Look, if you don't have the Ten Commandments,

0:48:57.003,0:49:00.447
if you don't have the Law of Moses, you don't have any objective standard.

0:49:00.447,0:49:04.227
You're just adrift on a sea of subjectivism."

0:49:04.227,0:49:07.139
Well, beloved, we have the whole Bible.

0:49:07.140,0:49:09.938
We have Christ's example.

0:49:09.938,0:49:15.726
But like I said, this is too incisive to be codified in a list of rules.

0:49:15.727,0:49:23.525
You cannot get a list of rules to plumb the depth of Christ's being!

0:49:23.525,0:49:26.923
Only He can do that by His Spirit in various situations,

0:49:26.923,0:49:30.059
like that example that we read.

0:49:30.060,0:49:32.020
You could never possibly list them all.

0:49:32.020,0:49:35.409
It's happened down through church history over and over and over,

0:49:35.409,0:49:40.662
the Spirit of Christ working in His people[br]has caused them to say and do things...

0:49:40.662,0:49:45.143
Haven't you experienced it yourself[br]when the Holy Spirit is with you and God is real?

0:49:45.143,0:49:50.081
You say things that you would not have said otherwise. (P)

0:49:50.081,0:49:55.541
I remember sitting out in my van years ago, reading my Bible in the morning.

0:49:55.541,0:49:59.463
And it was one of those times where the[br]Lord just drew near to me in a measure,

0:49:59.463,0:50:01.036
and He was real.

0:50:01.036,0:50:04.025
First thing I thought of, "There's my neighbor over there,

0:50:04.025,0:50:07.065
I want to talk to him about the Lord."

0:50:07.066,0:50:12.170
I would not have done that, apart from the Holy Spirit prompting.

0:50:12.170,0:50:14.184
That's all we need, beloved.

0:50:14.184,0:50:17.146
All we need is to be in touch with our Lord,

0:50:17.146,0:50:18.879
and to have the help of His Spirit.

0:50:18.880,0:50:23.922
That's all we need. That's all we need.

0:50:23.922,0:50:29.329
That's what we're talking about when we talk about the law of Christ. (P)

0:50:29.329,0:50:33.426
I had a pastor write to me from a different country.

0:50:33.426,0:50:38.162
He was offended by my book, and he said,

0:50:38.169,0:50:41.265
(Now think of this, I'm holding up Jesus as our standard),

0:50:41.265,0:50:47.467
he said, "I can't believe that you would deny the moral law of God."

0:50:47.467,0:50:52.416
Deny the moral law of God?? Jesus?

0:50:52.417,0:50:58.316
But he wanted a list, you see.

0:50:58.316,0:51:01.782
May God help us.

0:51:01.782,0:51:05.135
These are wonderful things, like I said, to talk about.

0:51:05.135,0:51:10.029
The Lord is worthy of our glorifying Him.

0:51:10.029,0:51:14.197
But it's hard, come Monday morning, isn't it, when you're at work.

0:51:14.198,0:51:15.439
We need help.

0:51:15.439,0:51:18.313
We need the Lord's help. Amen.