Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Part of loving God is loving His people. We could have all the knowledge about Him and all the faith, all the works, but 1 Corinthians 13 says that without love, these all fall short. Today, as part of our series titled, Live as People Who Remember, Pastor Rich takes a deep dive into 1 Peter 1-7, focusing on how our awareness of who God is and all He has done will produce love for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let's listen in. This is part 4 of a message first preached on June 4, 2023 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Let's look at some very practical images of love. And this is from 1 Corinthians 13.
It's a chapter you know very well. Very quickly through this, what love is and does. Love is patient and kind.
Love rejoices with the truth. Love is forbearing and trusting. Love is helpful and enduring.
Listen, endurance is a declining virtue in our culture today. Love is hopeful and enduring. Love is not or does not. Love does not envy or boast. Love is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way.
This is a Selah moment. Whenever and to the degree that you insist on your own way, you are not practicing love. Love is not irritable or resentful. Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing. And right there is 1 Corinthians 13.
At least the middle part of the chapter anyway. The demonstration of love is encapsulated in John's pen, from John's pen. If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. That's why we love. Why should I be loving? Because the Bible says so.
I don't think that's accurate. Why should I be loving? Because God is love. And I'm made in His image and He loves me and He redeemed me.
He laid down His life for me. That's why I should love. Because God is love. I don't do it just because that's what a Christian is supposed to do.
That's lame and there's no grace in that. I love because God is love. And I remember how much He has loved me. That's love.
The demonstration of love. Consider the witness of love. John says if we love one another, God abides in us.
Isn't that awesome? No one has seen God at any time. But you know what? They might not have seen the very person of God, but they can sure see His character and His effects. When we love, when we love, people will see God. That's why I say all the time, bar none, the single most powerful apologetic is the Gospel lived. It's not about how much theology you know.
It's not about how skilled you are at apologetics. It's about, do you know God? Are you delighting in Him? Are you satisfied in Him?
Do you love Him? If so, that will manifest. This is why Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. This is why Peter ends this list, this stair step if you will.
He ends it with love because it's the apex. It's the crown. Hard truth, hard truth here. Are you ready for this? Because we have some pretty intelligent people in this room. Some of you are pretty intelligent. Some of you know your stuff.
Got a lot of good teachers in this room. Some of you have been Christians for a long time. I'm going to give you a hard truth now.
You ready? Put your seat belts on. You may have mastered biblical knowledge, Bible doctrine. You might be able to delineate sound theology. You might be skilled in communicating apologetics or Christian ethics. You can argue biblically Christian ethics. But if you can do all that and you are unloving, your faith is useless.
Paul says it is empty noise. That's hard, isn't it? Let's remember this.
Let's keep the main thing the main thing. It's not about how much you know. It's not about how much you're doing for God. Do you know God? Are you walking with Him?
Are you manifesting Him? As people watch us interact with each other, do they see God? It is a family commitment. And so here's what I want you to think about. It's a phrase I want you to incorporate into your into your communication with each other. It might not be verbalized in these words, but in your interpersonal relationships as the family of God.
When we come together, the next time we come together corporately or any two or three of you come together as the family, come with this disposition. As Jesus has been to me, so I will be to you. As Jesus has been to me, so I will be to you.
What does that require? It requires that I remember how Jesus has been to me. So live as people who remember. Let me just draw all this now to a conclusion in this little series that we've had here gets stirred up in verses five and five, six and seven. The New Testament assumes a growing walk of faith. The New Testament assumes a growing walk of faith, because if you're not growing, what are you doing?
You're drifting and you never drift in a positive direction. And so this is what verses five to seven look like. Faith is the foundation, right?
None of this can be true. None of this can happen unless, first of all, you are actually in the family of God, unless you have received the righteousness of Christ by faith, unless you have been reconciled to holy God. Only then can this happen. But if you do have the foundation of faith, as Paul says to the Colossians, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, therefore supplement your faith with virtue. He who loves me keeps my command. Supplement virtue with knowledge.
I will manifest myself to him. Supplement knowledge with self-control. Make no provision for the flesh. And supplement self-control with steadfastness. Run with endurance looking unto Jesus. Supplement steadfastness with godliness. Clear command in scripture, you shall be holy. Why? Because the Bible says so.
True or false? You shall be holy. Why? Because God is holy. And you belong to him. And to godliness, brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. And to brotherly affection, love.
Love as I have loved you. How did Jesus love me? He sacrificed himself for my Godward movement.
He emptied himself. This is how grace works, folks. And it starts with us remembering who we are and what is ours in Christ. Shall we commit now to the Lord Jesus Christ that we will commit ourselves to what Peter is writing in these three verses, 2 Peter 1, 5, 6, and 7. Shall we commit to the Lord this morning that we will resolve to remember who we are in Christ and the wealth that has been lavished, the riches of his grace lavished upon us in Jesus Christ.
Would you stand with me, please? Father, we are delighted to know you. That you have made yourself known to us so that we can know you. You have given yourself for us so that we can be reconciled to you. Thank you, Father, for the grace that has been lavished upon us.
The precious and very great promises by which we are made partakers of the divine nature. Father, that is not something that we take lightly or glibly. Father, we acknowledge this morning that that is something that we must know what it entails, what that means. We can't even forget what we don't know, Father. And so, Father, we pray first of all that you would guide us into the knowledge of the truth. And teach us to be a people and live as a people who remember. That we would be marked by brotherly affection and love.
Because that's who you are. Move in our hearts this morning, I pray, Father, that Christ would be magnified and you would be glorified in us. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
