Well, let's take our Bibles and let's turn to the book of 1 John. I'm going to read other verses before we get to our text. I want to introduce some thoughts to you before we get to our text this evening. And we're going to trust the Lord will answer the prayer that Brother Rudy already prayed, and then no doubt the prayers that so many of you have been praying. And we're going to get into the message this evening. You know, we've been looking at the subject of what it means as a believer to be a partaker of the divine nature. And what a thought, what a privilege. And then Wednesday, we looked at a church has the responsibility and privilege of being partaker of the divine nature. We looked at unity, and then last night we looked at long-suffering, merciful, gracious, and then long-suffering. But specifically, we looked at one area in which a church can be long-suffering with itself, and that's to forgive one another. We looked at that last night. Tonight's topic is love. As we are partakers of the divine nature of love, Now there are several ways we could do that tonight. We could speak this evening about the importance of our love for God. The book of Jude commands us to keep ourselves in the love of God. You would think that that would not be necessary, right? That our love for God would always be what it should. That we would not need to be reminded through an ordinance of what our Lord did for us. But the Lord who knows us, He knows our frailties, He knows our fallibilities. He gave that ordinance on purpose and said, this do in remembrance of me. I want you to bring to mind what I've done for you. to keep ourselves in the love of God. And it's sad, but the love for God affects our perception. If it's not right, we don't value things like we should. We're not going to live our lives like we should. There's a story. We're not going to turn there. This is just some introductory thoughts. But you know the idea of a good purchase and a bad purchase, right? Someone looks at something someone bought and said, I cannot believe they spent that much money on that. Now, the person thinks they did a good job. This isn't a piece of junk. This isn't an old gun. Right, Matt Spangenberg? This is an investment. This is valuable. This is a 1918 Mauser, World War I, whatever. But he has it probably, but anyway. But yeah, people find value and so they do that. But somebody else looks at it and says, what a waste. I wouldn't waste my money on that as they hang an expensive camera around their neck. And someone else says, I would never waste my money on a camera while they sip a $15 coffee, right? I mean, you get the idea. We value things based on our perception. What does that have to do with the love of God? Well, tragically, we read about in the Gospels that there was a group of people that looked at something somebody spent, and they said, what a waste. Say, well, what did they spend it on? No, it was who she spent it on. It was on our Lord. And the disciples, beloved, listen, the disciples allowed the spirit of a worldly-minded Judas to affect them, and they said, to what was the purpose of this waste? Now, what should have their response been? It should have been this. When they saw her do that for the Lord Jesus Christ, their response should have gone something along these lines. Oh yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. To do that unto God, that's a reasonable service. But they didn't. Why? Because they actually saw the value in the material thing more than Christ himself. Now before we judge the disciples, we've been there. When we start looking around instead of looking up. it should be important to keep ourselves in the love of God. We could also look tonight, not just at the love for God, but we could look at the love for one another. Go through 1 Corinthians 13, all the things charity does, how a church loves itself. We looked last night, I think, at a way a church can love each other. John will tell us in his epistle that you show forth Christ's love, what he's done for you, by your love you have one for another. A good study, if you've never done it, is a study on the one another's in the scriptures. But tonight, we're not gonna look at the love of God, and we're not gonna look at the love for the church, or the love for each other. Last night, we did that a little bit, looking within. Tonight, we're gonna lift our eyes up, we're gonna look out into the world, and we're gonna look at a love for the world. Because to be a partaker of the divine nature goes beyond loving those just around you. If you wanna reflect the divine nature, you learn something about God's love. And this is seen in several different texts. I'm going to read them for you. You're welcome to turn there if you want to. You don't have to. But you know the first one. It's in John chapter 3 in verse 16. For God so loved the world. What did he do? He gave. God does not just declare his love. He demonstrates his love. Those who desire to be a partaker of His divine nature when it comes to His love do not only want to declare their love, they want to demonstrate their love. God, and I want you to kind of walk through this with me, this is important, God so loved the world. That's a pretty big group. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. We know who that is, that's Jesus. In Ephesians 5, in verse 1, the Apostle Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit, says, You have God's love in John 3, you have Christ's love in Ephesians 5, and both demonstrate their love by giving. And what do they give? God gave his son, Christ gave himself. Himself. Just 23 verses later, the Apostle Paul says, the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, he's the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be under their own husbands. And here it is, verse 25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the what? Church, and gave himself for it. There it is again. But the group is narrowing down a bit, isn't it? God loved the world. Christ loved the church. That's not the world. He said that in John 17. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. But he loved the church. How did he show that? He gave himself for the church. That's what it says. He loved the church and gave himself for it. Then Paul narrows it down a whole lot more in Galatians chapter 2. because he says, moved by the Holy Spirit, that he's crucified with Christ. He says, nevertheless I live, so there's no confusion. He says, yet not I, don't think this resurrection life is me. I'm crucified with Christ, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. God so loved the world, Christ loved the church. Paul said, he loved me. And he gave himself for me. The display of God's love every time is Christ. God loved the world, he gave his son. Christ loved us, he gave himself for us. Christ loved the church, he gave himself for it. And Paul says, Christ loved me and he gave himself for me. When someone sings, Jesus loves me, this I know, that's true. Aren't you glad Jesus doesn't love corporately, He loves personally? So this is divine nature, don't forget. This is God's love, it's Christ's love. That's God, that's divine. And so I believe that a partaker of the divine nature of love We can't give Christ himself, Christ gave himself. We can't give Christ like God gave Christ, but we can give the gospel of Christ. And so I believe a way a church shows they are a partaker of the divine love, not just the humanistic love, not just a secularly focused love, but a divine love, they give Christ. They give the gospel to those that need to hear it. You're in our text, 1 John chapter 4. I want you to join me, if you would, in verse 1. 1 John chapter 4, in verse 1. Beloved, this is a beautiful word for saved people, isn't it? Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God. Because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children." And incidentally, that's not an insult. John, they didn't read that and say, what's he calling us little kids for? In our minds, that might be insulting if someone called you a middle-aged man. Hey, you're a child. But it would be good for us as believers to remember that we are children of God. And what I mean by that is children need provided for. Children need protected. Children need provision. Children need cared for. And I only say that because sometimes as we go along through life, we think we're our own provider. We think we can take care of ourselves. No, without Christ, we can do nothing. And the Lord will remind us of that if we're not careful. So there's no insult here. It's a blessing to be a child of God. Year of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. There's cause and effect. You're victory in the world, you're overcoming them, that's the effect. The cause is because he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Verse five, they are of the world, therefore speak ye of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God, He that knoweth God, heareth us. He that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." And aren't you glad you can know the difference between right and wrong? Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. of God. It's a divine nature. Love is sourced, it's from God. Love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Talk about on the nose. He is love. That means everything that comes out of God is because of love. God is love. And then our text in these two verses, in this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us. and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. I think it's sad today that God's love is not understood as it should be by the world. Now, there's reasons for that. The Bible tells us that the love of God is hidden to them. The Bible tells us that Satan has blinded their eyes, lest the light of, and I love this adjective of the gospel, the glorious gospel. So, why is the gospel so glorious? Well, the gospel is glorious because it has the news that people's lives can be changed. that someone who falls short of the glory of God can be remade into a creation, a creature that can now bring God glory with their life. They can have real joy, real contentment, real victory over sin. This is a wonderful message, and no wonder Satan desires to blind the world with it, or blind the world from it. Excuse me. Where's Ethan? I made a mistake too. Alright. I'm in good company, my friend. So sadly, the love of God is hidden from many, but I think also sadly, it's the fact that false religion has hidden the love of God from the world. I say that because if you look at what churches so-called say about God's love, it's false. Last year I was driving in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, and I pass a religious building that calls itself a church, and they had the pride flag out. It's a rainbow flag and they're promoting the LGBTQIA community and all that. Here's what it said with their pride flag and their pride message. God loves you just the way you are and so do we. Well, that's a misrepresentation of God's love. God does love the world, But God does not accept us as we are. He accepts us in the Beloved. He accepts us in Christ. But the good news of the gospel is not that you stay the way you are. It's that God changes you from what you are. But for them to attach that kind of mentality with God's love, it's a false gospel. It's not true. It's a lie. Of course, the opposite is true. It's in false religion. One goes to complete and utter, you know, allowing anything and just, you know, do whatever you want and you'll still be welcomed into heaven. God loves you no matter what. Then you go to the other extreme and you have, like Islam, the harsh religion that makes you follow a set of rules and you live in fear that if you have to do everything just right and if you don't, you're going to miss paradise. If you want to be guaranteed paradise, kill yourself. That's no way to live or die, dying out of fear, not love. But I think there's another tragedy, and it's not in the world, and it's not in false religion. I believe it's in churches like ours. It's not that the love of God is hidden, and it's not even that the love of God is misunderstood or misinterpreted. It's that the love of God is neglected. It's neglected. Sometimes we forget it was God's love that started all of this. Everything about this ministry all began with the love of God. We have no problem pointing at the world and telling a sinful person, you need to repent, and that's true. We have no problem raising a holy finger at others and saying, they need to be born again, looking with passion and saying, if you don't repent, you're gonna burn in hell. And while those statements may be true, let's not forget that while it is true the law shows you must be born again, the gospel says you can be. While the law says you're blind, the gospel says, but you can have sight. What I'm saying tonight is that, yes, we should talk about sin, and yes, we should preach about the wrath of God and the holiness of God, but we should not preach blindness to those that are blind. We should not preach captivity to the captive. Here's why you're captive. You're lost. Here's why you're blind. Get to the good part, amen? Get to the good news, and the good news is that they can be delivered from it. Because here's the reality, the person who responds to our message, you must repent or you'll go to hell. When they do repent, there's somebody waiting for them. And the reason that he's there is because of his love. I love the story of Naaman, the leper. who walked away when he first heard what he had to do. Go to the Jordan River. I'm not going to that. Are you kidding me? Muddy river. We got cleaner waters back there. I came all the way down here to hear this quack tell me I got to go to the river. Dipped seven times. His servant says, hey, come on. If it was some great thing, God worked in his heart and Naaman went back to the Jordan. Now, did he go right away? No. He went away in anger, the Bible says. But guess what happened when he went down and obeyed? He was healed. Do you know why? Because God is faithful. He was still right where he said he'd be. He obeyed and he was healed. Beloved, let's not forget that when a person repents, it is the love of God they find when they do. The gospel itself is sourced from the love of God, because God is love. In our text, we see in verse nine, in this was manifested. This means it was made known. It means it was made apparent. Aren't you glad God didn't keep it to himself? Aren't you glad he didn't just declare how much he loves us, but that he displayed, he manifested how much he loved us? In this was manifested the love of God. Great two words right here, toward us. Amen. It wasn't some sort of cosmic exercise God did. He just cast out love somewhere and wherever it settled, then well, he'll be. No, he manifested his love toward us. What a privilege, what a blessing. He continues on and he says, because that God sent his only begotten son, this doesn't mean born. You're a well-taught church, you know this means unique one. You can reference Hebrews for this. Isaac is considered the begotten son of Abraham, and we know Abraham had more than one son, but he had a unique son that was the son of promise. And while we are all, praise His name, sons of God, there's only one Son of God who is God the Son, and that's Jesus. He is the unique one, He is the begotten one, and He sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love. And I love how simple the Holy Spirit makes this, amen? Herein is love. Let me just make it bottom shelf for you. Herein is love. Not that we love God. It isn't your effort. It isn't your commitment. It isn't your trying. No, no, that's not the greatest display of love is you loving God. It's not that we love God. It's that he loved us. And if we understand or remember where we were when God found us and saved us, this should amaze us that he loves us. knowing who we are, knowing what we've done, it should amaze us that he loves us. But it says it, it's true, here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Praise the Lord. So this constant attachment of the love of God is Christ coming to the world, Christ being given to the world. And I want to say to you tonight that I believe that the best way Lehigh Valley Baptist Church can show they are a partaker, one of the best ways I should say, that you can show you're a partaker of the divine nature of love is to get the gospel out. Now, I'm not going to preach tonight on that you need to. I think that you likely might know that. What I do want to do is give you three words tonight that if you can remember these three words, it will help you in every opportunity you have to witness and get the gospel out. I'm not going to say anything you don't know. I'm going to say things that you already do know, but that's part of what preaching is, is to stir up your pure minds by way of what? Remembrance. I want to call to your mind what happened when Christ came. Allow that to work some gratitude in your heart and then motivate you to get out and tell other people the gospel. And there are three words that I think, if you can just remember these three words, it'll help you walk through the truths of the gospel. The first word is reconciliation. Reconciliation. You're already in 1st John. If you would go back to chapter 3 with me. 1st John chapter 3. Look with me at verse 4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law. You crossed the line. Four, sin is the transgression of the law. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sin, and in Him is no sin. Now, I'm not trying to correct the Bible, that's in no way, nor am I trying to change the Bible, that would be worse, okay? Well, both would be bad. Just forget I said both those things, let's move on, all right? The point is this, if we take John's definition that sin is the transgression of God's law, let's reread verse five, and you know that he was manifested to take away our transgression of the law, and in him is no transgression of the law. In him is no sin, he's perfect, but we're not. You see, the word reconciliation implies there is a break in the relationship. that there are two people that are separated. This word is actually not used often in the scriptures, the idea of reconciliation. It's used once in Paul's letter to the church at Corinth, and it is exactly what we have with a sinner in God. It's not a financial term. We have to reconcile things. It's not a financial term. It's a relationship term. Paul uses this when he talks about a wife that is separated from her husband and the need to reconcile with her husband. This is the idea of reconciliation we're talking about. Why does one need to be reconciled? Well, because one has been separated. And the gospel starts with the fact that we've been separated from God because of sin. But how do we look at this separation? I think we look at it from the very beginning. And we ask ourselves, okay, this divine nature of love, how did God react when man separated himself from God by disobeying Him, by transgressing God's law, by crossing the line? He disobeyed God. What happened? But the Bible tells us what happened. And I believe what happened as recorded in Genesis is one of the reasons Peter tells us that the angels desire to look into the things of salvation. Isn't that an interesting statement? That angels, created beings, desire to look into things of salvation. And I wonder if it's not connected to what we read about in Genesis. Because angels are not omniscient. And angels are not omnipotent. They don't have divine attributes. They're not omnipresent. They're not everywhere. They don't know everything. But you know what angels are? Observant. They see things. And you know what they saw? They saw Lucifer. They saw Lucifer rebel, disobey, and fall. And then they see, here we go again. Another created being rebels against God, disobeys God. This creature that God went down himself to this thing formed in the ground and breathed to him in his nostrils the breath of life, and that man became a living soul. Remember that, you're not a body with a soul, you're a soul that's living in a body. You're gonna live forever. Your body won't, but you will, somewhere. And they watch this creation man disobey God. And now they see something they haven't seen before. Because God didn't go looking for Lucifer, but he went looking for Adam. Now he knew where Adam was, but he's teaching us something about his nature. He's teaching us that God loves mankind. Adam, where are you? Where art thou? He knew where Adam was. but he's showing us his, and this is above me, I don't have adequate words to explain it, but his desire to have a relationship with man. So God initiates the reconciliation. He didn't wait in heaven and say, well, I hope they figure it out and come up here somehow. No. He came down to man. This is seen in our Lord's life in Philippians chapter 2. He humbled himself. Christ wasn't the one that caused the problem. We are. And what did he do? He came down where we are. Praise the Lord for that. Why did God do that? He did it for one reason. So sinful Adam could have a relationship with holy God. So sinful Adam could have a relationship restored with holy God. And he did. He made a way. He made coats for them. Now we know this and we could look at the types in the tabernacle and all that, but the good news is that we don't have to dwell on the types in shadows. Amen? We live in the New Testament, as it's called, or the New Promise, the New Covenant. So I want you to take your Bible internally to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and I want you to see something about this idea of reconciliation as it applies to you manifesting this particular divine nature. God has already shown He loves mankind. He initiated the reconciliation. He designed the gospel. He designed Christ's death, resurrection, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, join me in verse 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath, what? Reconciled us to where? Oh, see that? It's not to a where, it's to a who. Listen, when you die as a believer, you say, I get to go to heaven. That's all good and things. But Jesus said this to the father, I want them to be where I am. The best part about dying as a believer isn't going to heaven. It's going to Jesus. I mean, praise the Lord. So he says here, we've been reconciled to, excuse me, all things are past, all things become new, and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself. So we're reconciled to God, personal relationship, by Jesus Christ, not by church, not by relationships with church, not by baptism, we're reconciled to God by Jesus Christ and, there's no period, there's a continuing thought now, to you as a Christian, as a church, and hath given to us the what? Ministry of what? Reconciliation. You know what ministry is. Ministry is something you serve in. So there is some part in your life, you say, well, I'm a plumber, I'm a carpenter, I'm on staff, I'm a wife, I'm a father, whatever the career is, all of us have this ministry if we're saved. If we're not saved, then I hope that you will be soon. But we have this ministry of reconciliation. It's a powerful word. to wit, verse 19, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us, the what? The word of reconciliation. Well, now we have two things. You have the ministry of reconciliation, but you also have the message of reconciliation. Now, what do you suppose the message or the word of reconciliation is? It's the gospel. It isn't come to church with me on Sunday, although that's a good thing to tell people, but that won't reconcile people to God by Jesus Christ. But the good news of the gospel will. Now let's keep reading. And by the way, this is written as fact. Amen? There is an assumption here that the reader understands this to be true. We are ambassadors. It doesn't say, we pray that you will be, we hope that you will be, we hope that you look. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, and then this whole sentence, it blows my mind. Look at what it says. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead. be reconciled to God." Wow! We, in Christ's stead, tell the world, be reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. This is the word of reconciliation. This is the ministry of reconciliation. This is yours. So reconciliation implies there's a break in the relationship. The Bible teaches clearly why there's a separation in the relationship. It's because of sin. But we have the good news to tell people that you don't have to stay that way. You can be reconciled to God by Jesus Christ. And here's how. The second word is substitution. Substitution. We already know that Christ didn't sin, but we also know we did. Right? Romans chapter 5 verse 8, some of you know this by heart. But God commended his love, and here's those words again, towards us. Don't let that excite you. God commended his what? Love toward us, and that while we were... Isn't he good? While we were yet sinners, Christ died. Now this is very important. Christ died for us. Now I want you to understand that for us doesn't mean he was doing you a favor. Hey, did you hear that so-and-so got so-and-so a gift? That was a nice thing for them to do for them. This goes way beyond that. If you would take your Bible and turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2, I don't want you to think that I'm overstating this, so I want you to show it to you from a couple other texts. 1 Timothy chapter 2. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, in verse 6, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. Turn a few pages to the right to Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2, verse 14, This word is translated another time And it's right across the page from you, maybe. It's in Philemon, verse 13. Philemon, verse 13. Whom I would have retained with me that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. You know what that means? It means in your place. Philemon, in your place, he's done this. Listen, when the Bible tells you in those verses that Christ died for you, it's not saying he just did you a favor, it's saying he died in your place, in your stead. You want proof of that? Just look where they hung him, right between two thieves. And I'll tell you, and this is not meant to be dramatic, exaggeration, this is the truth, I'm gonna give an account for it one day, it is the truth. In order for Christ to take my place, that's exactly where he should have been, is between a couple thieves. Me, born into this world, breathing God's air, living the life in his world, under his sun, in his days, his nights, my life, and using them for myself. Oh, I was my own God. All about myself, me, my pleasures, my desires, what makes me happy, me, me, me. Nothing about God, it was all about me. I robbed God of days and years that should have been given to Him for His glory. Listen, when Christ died between two thieves, He had to if He's gonna take our place. That's what we are, that's what we were, thieves, criminals. A writer named Hugh Martin said this, it's not original with me, but I like the illustration. He said, if you were somehow given the ability to drop into Jerusalem, having no idea who Jesus of Nazareth was, and the first time you saw him was in Gethsemane when there was a ruckus going on, all of a sudden you see a man being arrested. From the time you see him arrested till the time that he is crucified, there would be nothing that he would do if you didn't see the soldiers fall, that would tell you he was the son of God. He was treated like a common criminal. But he was taking our place. He was taking our place. To take my place, Jesus didn't have to climb some ascended place. To take my place, he had to get down in the miry clay. He speaks here that Christ died in your place. He died for you. If you would, go back to Galatians chapter 3. I want you to see the wonderful blessing of this. Galatians chapter 3. Look with me please at verse 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the law. That's not what it says. It doesn't say Christ hath redeemed us from the authority of the law. It doesn't say that. Jesus never made a mistake, don't forget that. When he said, on this hang all the law and the prophets, he didn't go back to his disciples and say, oh, I should not have said that. They're going to think the law is still important. The law is still important. God's standard morally for what we are to be still matters. But what it does say is we have been redeemed from the curse of the law, being made a curse, there it is again, for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Now I already explained to you the other night, we're not gonna repeat it, why it was just for God to condemn perfect Jesus to death. Why he allowed him to die, it's because he really, this isn't an Aesop fable by the way. Amen? This really happened. There was really a man walked this earth named Jesus of Nazareth and he had no sin. And what really happened was he who knew no sin became sin for me and became sin for you. That really happened. And because that really happened, we've been redeemed from the curse of the law. I remember when Jesus was arrested, you read about that, and they're looking for Jesus of Nazareth, and he says, I am he, what happened? They all fell down. You know what, that's power right there, amen? Listen, understand this. If Jesus didn't want to go to the cross, he wouldn't have gone to the cross. He had the power to not go to the cross, but he went to the cross, why? Because he wanted to, for us. Don't forget the value of the word substitution. Reconciliation, substitution, third, resurrection. Resurrection. If you would, take your Bible, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I wanna bring out the significance of the resurrection, make a closing thought, and then we'll be done. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Verse one, moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. Well, how do you believe in vain? Well, you don't believe the gospel. Like, you believe that church attendance or baptism or something like that will help you, but that the gospel is the gospel. All right, so you believe the gospel, And then he's gonna explain it, so there's no confusion. For I delivered unto you, first of all, which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Do you know why it says according to the Scriptures? Because it was God's idea. Why was it God's idea? Because he loves the world. It all goes back to the love of God. And he didn't just die, and he was buried. And, we're not done yet, that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Aren't you glad it was a well-made plan? Amen? I mean, praise the Lord for that. And if you want to know why prophecy can be believed, look at the precedent, amen? God planned this. Trust me, we're okay in the future. You don't have to worry. That's why it's a wonderful thing to think about, not just our Lord's return, but eternity. So he was, verse four, he was buried, he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Go down with me to verse 13. If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Go to verse 17 please. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, ye are yet in your what? Sins. Good news, he did raise. Amen? He did raise. And we are no longer in our sins, those of us that have turned to Christ, those of us that believe Christ. The reason the resurrection is important is because we do not preach this preaching that's not in vain, this message of reconciliation, the ministry of reconciliation. It isn't ideology. We don't preach ideology. We don't preach the teachings of Jesus. We preach Jesus. You know why we don't preach ideologies? Because our Savior lives. We don't have to preach historical accounts about it. He's living now. He's active now. He's raised from the dead. Now that ought to encourage you as a Christian, because to raise from the dead, that requires some real power. And that kind of power should weigh more in your heart and mind. Listen, I'm not trying to offend anybody, but that kind of power, what Jesus did, that kind of power should weigh more on your heart and mind than what Fox News tells you to weigh on your mind. Or CNN, or MSNBC, or Daily Wire, you get the idea. Listen, we get too distracted by the world. And when we get distracted, we get discouraged. we start looking at how bad the world is, and how carnal the world is, and how ungodly the world is, they're lost. They're lost. But there's good news. Christ rose from the dead. What possibly could we face as believers that we would have to be intimidated with or intimidated by? We serve a risen Savior. He's in us. That's real, by the way. This isn't something just preachers just say to sound good. He really lives, and He really is with those that are gathered in His name, and His Spirit really does live inside us. And we really do preach His message with power and conviction because of its truth. And the best news is, it really does change lives. We forget the love of God too easily. The cares of this world rob us too often of remembering the love of God. Not just love for Him or love for each other, but the love for the world. We get annoyed by the world, we get frustrated by the world. We get sickened by the world, and we should be upset with sin. We shouldn't be okay with sin. But there was a resurrection that took place. That's some real power. And you're worried about Democrats? You're worried about Republicans? You're worried about God? Listen, I know it sounds cliche, but it needs to be said over and over. God still reigns. And you look at revivals down through the centuries, some of them, greatest revivals, came under great persecution. And here's a question we need to ask ourselves. To be a partaker of the divine nature means to give Christ, to give the gospel. And our desire to see people give Christ the glory He deserves with their lives. It's not just about the sinner being saved. Don't forget that. We're not notching things on belts. This isn't just about seeing sinners say a prayer. This is about Christ getting glory from people's lives and us having a part in giving them the message that tells them they can. This is as much about our Lord as it is about the sinners. And we have this privilege to give it to them. And what I was saying, we get distracted too easily with this. And we get down. Beloved, If we really believe that we want to show forth this divine nature, we're not going to get caught up with the cares of this world. We're not going to get intimidated with the cares of this world. We're not going to think that the world's sin is greater than the Savior who came to save them from their sin. That's power. In short, the gospel tells people, it promises people, it doesn't just tell people, it promises people on the authority of God's Word that you don't need reformed, you need remade. And because God loves you, you can be. One of the saddest things I've experienced in ministry was when I was counseling a young man who had a broken relationship with his father. Just thinking about it, it bothers me, it gets me. And to see the hurt in this young man when he said, no, no, I can't go back, my dad doesn't want me back. My dad thinks I'm a loser. He's kind of just written me off and I'm just writing him off. There wasn't even a glimmer of hope in this young man that he could be reconciled to his father. And I saw the hopelessness, and it, man, that just, oh, it got me. Because I said, I'm looking at the hopelessness of a young man who thinks he's lost the opportunity to be reconciled with his earthly father. I can't even begin to imagine the hopelessness of people out there in the world who think that they have no hope. that God's done with them, that they've gone too far, that God won't take me, God won't love me, look at my life, look at what I'm going through. You know what they need to know? They need to know, listen, the love of God is real, and it's not for religious people. It's for sinners. It's still for us, and I thank the Lord for that, but the gospel is for sinners. And if you would turn to Christ This is what He promises. I'm not promising you this. This is what He promises you. He will in no wise cast you out. There's no way. There's no way He would cast you out. Hope is part of the word of reconciliation. We've looked this week at holiness, to be a partaker of the divine nature, to be holy, for your God is holy, to be faithful, to walk in faith, nothing wavering, for He is faithful, to be in unity, to be as one, even as the son is one with the father, to be long-suffering, to be merciful and gracious, to be forgiving, forgiven, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. And I believe tonight, prayerfully, we've seen the importance of love. If I could say it this way, without being cheesy in any sort of way, but just to try to reiterate the point, the love of God is displayed most clearly and powerfully for this world, by Christ's sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. That's power that this world needs. We need to remember that, by the way. What kind of hope do we have if we don't really believe resurrection power still exists? If I could just give them the right poem, poems, they may be nice, but that's not gonna change their life. Well, I just want to be relatable to them, because I want them to know, you know, Jesus loves them, and so I just want to, you know, kind of, listen, if you love, if you want them to see the love of Jesus, give them the gospel. Tell them they're a sinner. Tell them they don't have to stay that way. Tell them they can be born again, and then disciple them to the glory of God. That's how Jesus would love them. For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. And I think it should be said, for Lehigh Valley Baptist Church so loves the world, they give them the gospel. That's one of the best ways you can declare that you're a partaker of the divine nature of love, is to give them Jesus. It's to give them Jesus.