God the Father said to the Jewish people in Deuteronomy chapter 7, said the Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples. Let's understand that because God has given us love, we can now give it to others.
Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. As we look deep into the love that God has for us, it frees us up to love others rightly. Find out how to love others today as Pastor David continues in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Before we join Pastor David, we want to let you know about an outreach opportunity that could bring hope to countless prisoners. This month, Cross the Bridge is teaming with men and women like yourself in order to provide Pastor David's devotional book, Cross the Bridge Every Day, to inmates. When you call today and help support the ministry with a gift of $25 or more, we'll send you a book and also provide one to a prisoner in need. To take part in this important outreach, call 877-458-5508. That's 877-458-5508.
Or go online to crossthebridge.com. Now here's David McGee with his teaching, I Want to Know What Love Is. We're going to 1 Corinthians 13. You know, everybody in the world, in one way or another, is looking for love. And we do some weird things when we're looking for love, don't we? We have, when we don't feel love, we have the tendency to lash out and push people away, which is the exact opposite of what we should be doing.
God understands and reaches out even through our cloudy days and our funkiness. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 4 tells us, it says, Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy.
Ooh. Love does not parade itself. Is not puffed up. Does not behave rudely. Does not seek its own.
Is not provoked. And thinks no evil. Again, we're talking about supernatural love, God's love, the agape love. That's a Greek word meaning God's unconditional transforming love.
We talked about the Greek versions. His, this love is, it's, well, it's one psalm and the casting crown say, his love is extravagant. It's unconditional. It's transforming.
It's without limits. As a matter of fact, in the New Living Translation, these verses, love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no wrong, no record of being wronged. And part of thinks no evil is, if you will, it's not suspicious.
It's not trying to dig up dirt on somebody. You know, when somebody says, oh, I knew there's something wrong with that woman. That's not love. I knew, I knew that guy had issues.
That's not love. Now, what's interesting is if I don't have a concept of God, I become suspicious of everybody. See, if I don't think God is in control, if I don't think Romans 8.28 is true that God is working somehow all things, even the bad things, all things out to my good for his purposes, then I'm suspicious of everybody.
Why? Because I'm not trusting God. But if I trust God, guess what?
I trust you. And obviously, as pastor, if you're trusting God, it's not necessarily that you're trusting me. You're trusting God with me. Because you're thinking, okay, well, God, you know, he's heard from God. He heard to start a home Bible study, God's blessing. God obviously talks to him. I'll just pray he keeps listening. Amen?
It's a whole lot simpler, isn't it? And it's not Christ-like to try to dig up dirt on somebody. You realize after you know somebody for five minutes, you got something on them? That's not a gift, friend. I was talking to them and I discerned that there's something wrong with them. I got discernment.
It's a gift. Oh, man, there's something wrong with all of us. See, the Bible talks about loving each other, not being so suspicious. We should be believing the best of each other and not being envious, meaning that when something good happens to you, I should rejoice.
When something good happens to me, you should rejoice. But love is being nice. Love is being kind. And as Christians, little Christ is what that means. Being Christ-like, we should be nice and kind. 1 John, which is another great little book to read while we're in this chapter, the epistle of John. There's the Gospel of John and there's John 1, John 2, John 3. John 1 in particular talks a lot about love. 1 John 4, 11 says, dear friend, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. God loves you more than you can ever love anybody else. In 1 John 4, 20, even stronger words, says if someone says I love God but hates a Christian brother or sister, or let me take the Greek a little, elaborate, but acts unloving toward your brother or sister.
That person is a liar. For we don't love people we can see. How can we love God whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command, those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. So you've got somebody who's always pointing out what's wrong with somebody else.
The simple question is, hey man, are you loving that person right now? The wise man once said, if when you speak about hell there's not a tear in your eye, don't speak about it. If you love somebody and they've done something wrong, go to them.
But love them. Because John says if you say that you love God and you don't love people, you're lying. As a matter of fact, you know what's interesting? I went through a few verses in 1 John 4, again, great chapter of that book. 1 John 4, verse 7, I went through and looked at how many times it used the word love and how many times it used the word God. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him and this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the perpetuation or the payment for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Here's the thing, if I came up to you after the service, and this is gonna sound a little bit bizarre, go with me.
I prepare, I study, spend a lot of time, never fails. Saturday night, I always wake up in the middle of the night with God kinda nudging me going, hey, here's something else. I woke up last night with a word on my, an elephant. I thought, elephants?
You know, when you're kinda half asleep, you know, what? But hear me out. If I came to you after the service and I said, I wanna give you an elephant, you would think, Pastor Dave, you don't have any elephants, right? I don't have any elephants, by the way. But if you were aware a month ago that I was given like a dozen different elephants and I had a dozen elephants in my backyard, that had made the paper. But I had a dozen elephants in my backyard and I came up and I said, hey, I wanna give you an elephant, you'd be like, sweet. Cause you knew I had elephants, right? Go with me, don't look at me like that.
If you're new, I'm sorry. It'll make sense in a minute. God is asking us to love. How does God know we have it? Because God gave it to us. And he says, now give it away.
I know you got it, cause I gave it to you. Now you might have had bad experiences, but you have love. Galatians chapter five verse 22 says, but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
There's no law against these things. As a matter of fact, it's kind of interesting because you could theologically discuss the fact that in that verse it says, but the fruit singular of the Holy Spirit is love. And all the other things are manifestation of love. So it doesn't say the fruits of the Spirit and then give you a list. It says the fruit of the Spirit is love and then it lists what love is.
Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You're listening to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. We'll be back to the teaching in just a moment. This month, we're focusing on prison ministry, and I have the chance to sit down with Pastor David. Pastor, every week we hear testimonies of people whose lives have been changed.
How are people's lives in prison being affected by Cross the Bridge? We hear of many salvations in the prison ministries on a daily and weekly basis. And then also, they're growing as disciples.
They're learning God's word and learning how to make good, solid decisions. With all that is going on in the world today, why are you so interested in prison ministry? You know, Paul was in prison, and he spent his time in prison writing letters to churches to encourage him.
Now, we know these letters as the epistles of the New Testament. We have those because Paul made good decisions about how to use this time while in prison. We want to help people who've made bad decisions and find themselves in prison to make the best decision they've ever made and to choose Jesus Christ, to ask Him to forgive them of their sins, and then to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, following Him, learning the Bible, allowing us to help teach them the Bible so they can follow Jesus.
Thank you for sharing, Pastor. If you're listening and agree with David about our need to help those in prison, we would love to hear from you. You can call 877-458-5508.
That's 877-458-5508. And when you give $25 or more, we'll send you a copy of Cross the Bridge every day. Not only that, but we'll match your gift by sending another copy of David's devotional to an inmate in need. Also, your gift of $200 or more will provide a case of 10 books that will be used to help change lives for eternity.
Again, that number is 877-458-5508, or go online to crossthebridge.com. Now let's return to Pastor David's teaching. Verse 6, love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. I want you to try something reading through this chapter.
When you read through it, insert your name where love is and see how it works. In other words, David suffers long in his kind. David does not envy. David does not parade himself.
He's not puffed up. David is never rude. Or you get to verse 8, David never fails. Man, it begins to fall apart in a hurry, doesn't it? Now don't do that to me. You put your name in there. Some of you are like, amen, it does, it falls apart, yes. It falls apart with your name too. But you know what's interesting? Put the name of Jesus in there.
Doesn't fall apart then, does it? Jesus never fails. Jesus suffers long in his kind. Jesus does not envy. Jesus does not parade himself. Try that.
Read it both ways. And you know what's interesting about the love of God? It calls. It calls. This kind of love is an active thing. It's not just a feeling.
It's an action. It's an act of the will. This community of faith expresses love in so many ways.
All these outreaches that we're talking about, the radio, the television, the internet, all these things, that's an expression of love. And then we could sit here and go, well, we can't do that because of this, and we can't do that because of this, and oh, we really shouldn't do that, and we really shouldn't do this. Life lesson here. Love will find a way. A lack of love will find an excuse. Love will find a way. A lack of love will find an excuse.
Notice this does not rejoice in inequity. I mentioned before, you know, if you hear about somebody, and I've been, you know, I was convicted last year because I heard something about somebody, and you know, and part of me is like, oh, yeah, that looks weird. God right after that, the Holy Spirit said, what are you doing?
Anytime somebody's like, oh, I knew there was something. That's not love. Why? You're rejoicing in inequity. Proverbs chapter 10 verse 12 says, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
Do you realize when you're talking about how somebody else is messing up, you're walking in what? Hatred stirring up strife. Why? Because love protects. The Bible says to love your enemies.
There's guys who, they have declared that I'm their enemy, and you know what? I could stand up here or go on Facebook or whatever and tell you some really horrible things. I won't do that. I could. Obviously, as a pastor, I'm aware of things. I've never done that, never will.
Why? It's love, and love protects. You know what's interesting, and we're back to the 10 commandments for just a minute. Exodus chapter 20 verse 3 says, you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work. You, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord bless the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God has given you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery. Incidentally, in the Hebrew, it is thou shalt not murder. It's not thou shalt not kill. I've heard people say, well the Bible says thou shalt not kill, and then God declares war on some people.
How does that work? Thou shalt not murder is the difference between murder and killing. You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything else that is your neighbor's. I kind of want to refresh you on the 10 commandments, because Jesus does something that very few people catch. He changes the 10 commandments. There's a guy that comes to him.
We call him the rich, young ruler. I don't have time to go into why I believe this, but it very possibly could have been Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark. But in this exchange, Matthew 19, and again, remember four are love God, six are love people. Jesus says, Matthew chapter 19 verse 16, he says, now behold, one man came and said to him, good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? So he said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but one, that is God.
Now people that say Jesus never said he was God, if you really read this text, just said he was God. He didn't say he wasn't good. He said, there's only one that's good, that's God. Why are you calling me good?
You're close, man. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. And he asked a very human question, verse 18. He said to him, which ones? There's 10 of them.
Can I keep part of them? Can I be a Christian? And Jesus said, watch this, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love your neighbor as yourself. That's not in Exodus 20. Why'd Jesus do that? Well, first of all, let's understand, he's God, he's the word, he can do it.
He wrote them the first time, he can rewrite them. Okay? I don't have any theological issues with Jesus doing this, and you shouldn't either. But if you love your neighbor as yourself, guess what?
You knocked out the six. Why? Because you won't do those things. Oh, that's an oversimplification.
No, it's not. If you love your neighbor, you won't kill him. You may talk about it, but you won't do it.
And you won't do these other things. Love. Now, I know in our minds, we try to say, well, no, no, no, it's got to be more complicated than that. But in your heart, right now you're going, it's really not, is it? It really is this simple. And this whole book is reduced down to that.
Love. That's how to know that we're following Jesus. That's why Jesus died for us. That's why even though we fell in the garden, God keeps chasing us.
And he won't give up on us. That's why when we are eternally separated by our sin from God, love crafted a plan. You cry out for love. Listen to heaven's answer.
I know that you've been through moments and times and relationships where you didn't experience love. I understand that. God understands that.
Welcome to the human race. I know you've been wounded. Maybe you've been wounded with your kids, with your parents, with your sisters, with your brothers, with your husband, with your wife. But God's not wounded yet. That's what reduces all down to John chapter three, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. When you come into contact with the love of God, you also come into contact with the God of love. And this book says God is love.
Now, if you're here and you know the love of God, you've asked God to forgive you of your sins. You've already received the love of God. Show it to somebody today and every day in some small way or maybe some big way.
Show it to somebody. If you don't know God as your savior, you've not yet received this incredible love I'm talking about. You can't give what you've not received yet. John chapter 15, verse 13 says there's no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.
There's no greater expression of love. You may have somebody do something for you. You may have somebody sacrifice for you. You're never going to have somebody love you like Jesus loves you.
Nobody's ever going to do for you what Jesus did for you. And that he loved you so much that knowing everything you've ever done wrong. See, nobody else knows that about you. Do you understand that?
I mean, you know, if you're married, maybe your spouse has 95%, maybe 98, maybe even 99, but not 100%. But God does. He knows everything about you. He knows everything wrong with you.
Every wrong that you've ever committed. But he still has an act of the will says, I love that person. As a matter of fact, it was interesting. And if you've been here very long, you know I love Disney. But they did an animated feature years ago, The Jungle Book. And it was actually the last one that Walt Disney produced.
He died during the production. And in that Jungle Book, you know, there's Mowgli, the boy, and he's raised by wolves. And it's an interesting story. But in the story, there's Baloo, the bear. And Baloo is trying to protect Mowgli. And in that, he fights for him.
And for the moment, you believe he's died. And as Vaigira and Mowgli walk away, in the middle of this Disney movie, he says, there is no greater love than who lays down his life for his friend. You're looking for love?
Here it is. Now if you don't receive this love, you're going to look in a lot of wrong places. And you're going to get hurt.
Because you're going to spend your life trying to put a square peg in a round hole. But here's God offering you his unconditional love. His unconditional forgiveness. Do you reject that?
Do you dismiss it because you didn't like the presentation or because of what the pastor wore or this or that? Friend, you won't receive any offer like this from anywhere else. Here it is right now. The love of God. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?
You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Now God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you.
Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life. And I've done wrong things. I have sinned.
And I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.
Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.
You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we would love to hear from you. You can call us toll free at 877-458-5508 to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. God is using Cross the Bridge to impact lives across our country, including the lives of those currently serving time in our nation's prisons. While materials provided by Muslim organizations continue to increase within our prisons, our distribution of Pastor David's book Cross the Bridge Every Day has been making a significant impact for Jesus with prisoners. And you can help continue that outreach by calling today. When you call today with a gift of $25 or more, we will send you David McGee's devotional book and then match your gift by sending a copy to a prisoner in need. And if you are able to give a gift of $200 or more, we will send a case of 10 books to inmates who are without hope. Help us reach those in prison. Call today at 877-458-5508.
That's 877-458-5508. Or go online to crossthebridge.com. Also, if you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday, why not join us for our live stream at 9 and 1130 Eastern. Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There you can watch Pastor David teach from his home church, The Bridge, in Kernersville, North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening. We hope you'll join us next time as we continue to cross the bridge.
