Becoming Lovers

0:00 You know, when I, I was kind of ignorant to human trafficking. I didn't even understand the term like years ago. And I remember speaking at a thing and the guy, you know, I was at dinner with a guy. I'm like, well, what do you do here? And he explained it. And it just was a shock. And so I remember going back to my hotel room that night. And I just started imagining what if at that time was just Rachel and Mercy. I was like, what if someone took Rachel or Mercy? okay, and they enslave them somewhere in the world. And I'm just going through, I'm just laying in bed thinking about this. Like, I just, you know how you just start daydreaming, or you're falling asleep, and you're imagining this scenario, and I start thinking, man, what if someone took Rachel or Mercy, what would I do? And I just started picturing myself going back to the church, and I thought, would I really get up and just preach a nice little sermon?

0:55 or would I just start screaming at everyone like we've got to do something like I I there's no way I just pictured myself like throwing the you know the pulpit and just yelling like come on man some of you guys have resources some of you have a bill we're gonna find them we're gonna get to them and and how I would devote my life to that and and now I wouldn't just kind of go hmm I think the right thing to do is to search for my daughters. You see what I'm saying? It's like, it's natural when you love to go, well, this is my only natural response. What else would I do? And so when we talk about, you know, human trafficking, last week, we were talking about the kids in Africa and everything that Jen is doing out there. I don't want us to ever be like, hey, let's give some money toward that. I think the right thing to do is to celebrate freedom sunday i think it's this i think it's that but somehow that our hearts would be ignited and it would just become natural because i remember laying in that bed thinking about my daughters and imagining the things that were being done to them if they were taken and just what i would do and i remember the lord just saying friends that's how i want you to love all of my kids. You know, I want you to care about this, to feel for this, not just go, okay, here's my Christian duty, but in my heart to love because the Bible says, look, if you give your whole body and everything you own, it's going to profit you nothing without that love. He wants us to be lovers. Okay, that's what this book is about. And what's crazy to me is, I mean, I grew up in church.

2:38 I went to churches and it just felt like a list of do's and don'ts, right? Don't do this or you're going to feel guilty. You know, do this and you're going to feel good about yourself. But is that the language that we've been reading this week in the book of John? I mean, the language has been insane. This passage that I want to read to you, like I'm obsessed with it right now. I just I don't know if I've ever been obsessed with a passage like I am with this one. Like it's it's in John 15. And I don't know, even this morning, I believe the Lord revealed some things about this passage that I never got. Even though I've read it so many times in John 15. Listen to the words. I mean, does this sound like do's and don'ts?

3:30 In John 15, verse 7, If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you'll abide in my love, just as I've kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I've spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

4:26 You are my friends. If you do what I command you, no longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. I've called you friends for all that I've heard from my father. I've made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name, he may give it to you. Okay. I love this passage. I love it more than I've ever loved it. Just the words that he uses. It feels nothing like do and don't. It's like the natural response. That's why he says, if you love me, you'll obey what I command. So it's just like when I think about if my daughters are taken away, my natural response is to go after them. Why? Because there's love there.

5:25 And that's what Jesus is saying is our obedience should be like this natural response to his love. He's like, I'm not calling you slaves. I'm calling you friends. But this first phrase when he says, abide in me, remain in me. You know that word abide means to live. And this morning I thought, gosh, what does this mean like abide in you? I know he's talking about the vine and the branches, but I'm not really a vine or a branch. I don't really get that. And this picture just came to me. Oh, my gosh, that's exactly what he's saying. Karima, can you stand up? Rachel, can you stand up?

6:15 How about all the pregnant ladies? All the pregnant ladies? All the pregnant ladies? Can you just stand up if you're pregnant? Okay. No. Think about the wording. Okay? Look at a pregnant woman close to you. Okay. All right, you guys can sit down. But, you guys, that's the picture. I mean, think about the intimate picture he's saying, because I want you to live inside of me. I want you to live inside of me. He goes, abide, actually live, remain in me. And I was thinking about that cord. You guys know you have a cord in there, Rachel? OK, and and it's like that is all that's keeping them alive. I mean, that's the picture he gives of the vine and the branches. He goes, you're like a branch. You've got to stay attached to me. But then he uses this word like remain live inside of me.

7:12 And I thought, man, have I ever had that picture of God as I'm just this helpless infant inside of him? But that's what he wants of me. He doesn't want me going. I'm cutting the cord. I'm on my own. I'll call you every once in a while. No, it's just constant. Like, I'm just praying, God, help me to see myself right now. Like, that's all I am. I'm just this infant just living inside of you, protected by you. You nourish me. You keep me alive. Everything, I'm enveloped inside of you. That's what God wants of us. That's what Jesus said. You remember, he says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, I try to gather you together like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. I wanted you just to live under my protection. And that picture just came to my mind today of like abiding in him. Completely connected to him.

8:09 And he says, you do that and you'll bear much fruit. He's if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. It's going to be given to you. But if you're going to go off acting independently, doing your own thing, dreaming your own dreams, good luck with that. He says, you'll accomplish nothing, but you abide in me. He goes, in fact, it's not that God, it's not like I'm on my knees saying, God, please, please, please. I know you don't want to do great things through me, but please do it anyways, because I'm asking. That's not what he says. In verse eight, he says, by this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. this is what brings glory to God is when he can take a loser like me who finally gets it and says man I'm gonna abide in you I can't do it on my own he goes well when you do that I actually want to show off my power in fact this is what brings glory to God is I want to do something amazing through your life that's God's desire for you okay you're not here saying oh God I know you don't want to use me, but would you please anyways?

9:26 Now he's saying, no, this is how I bring glory to myself. I take ordinary people who will actually abide in me, who will get over themselves, who say, no, I don't want to cut the cord and live on my own and be independent and make my own choices. I want to come into you. I want to live with you. I don't want to leave your side. OK, I don't need glory. I don't need anything else. I just want to tell people I'm attached to you. And now God says, OK, I want to use you and I want you to bear much fruit because that brings me glory. And then he says one of the most unbelievable verses in the Bible. Verse nine, when he says, as Jesus says, as the father has loved me, so have I loved you. man, do we believe this? Jesus, the eternal son of God going, you know how much the father loves me? You talk about abiding. We're one. I am the father. You've seen me. You've seen the father. Like we are one for all of eternity. And he goes, and as the father has loved me, that's what I feel for you. That's the love I have for you. It's equal. Even as in the Greek, even as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. And all I'm asking is just stay in that love.

10:55 Does this sound like do's or don'ts? No. He's saying, just abide in me. Just love me. Just accept this love. Just know that as much as the Father loves me, that's what I feel about you. Now, all I want is for you to stay in my love. But he says the commands are of overflow. I mean, if you love me, you'll obey what I command. The two go together. So it's not just this, oh, we have these feelings for each other. No, this feeling causes us, drives us to action. It's like, I love him so much, I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want to do the things that he hates. It's just like the natural response. If my daughter's out on the streets and my daughter's abducted somewhere, my natural response is not just, oh, I still have feelings for her. No, that feeling drives me to action.

11:48 And you start believing what he says. If you keep my commandments, you abide in my life. And why does he give these commands? Look at verse 11. These things I've spoken to you. Why? That my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. Why does he give you these commands? He goes, because I want the joy of Jesus. Jesus, who is freaked out about nothing. Jesus, who is the most joyful being in existence. He says, I want that type of joy in you. I want you to be in me. And I'm giving you these commands. Why? Because I want joy in your life. Man, many of us are parents. Why do we give commands to our kids? It's not to ruin their lives.

12:43 It's joy. It's like, no, it's better if you don't play on the freeway. It's it's just it's just wise, you know, every one of these things. And I know as kids, sometimes you think, oh, that's so fun. I can see the cars close up. And he's like, no, it's not fun. It's not good. I love you. And I and there's so many things in the world that we just go, I just want it close to that. That'll bring me pleasure. That'll bring me pleasure. He goes, man, don't you get this? I just want you back in my womb. I just want to protect you. I just want you to be under me. I'm trying to gather you under me like a hen gathers his chicks. And I want you to listen to me because that's what's going to make your joy full. I don't want you insecure. I don't want you coming here lacking. I don't want you depressed. That's why I give you these commands.

13:37 It's that your joy may be full in these words. Verse 13, greater love. Greater love has no one than this. God saying to you, you're not going to be loved this much. Greater love has no one than this. Again, what are these words about? Greater love is no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. God said, I want to be your friends. I hope these words don't just go, oh, yeah, God is my friend. Like, I hope you're just stunned by this. He's going, I want you to live in me. I call you friends. Verse 15, is it? No longer do I call you servants because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing. I've called you my friends.

14:30 For all that I've heard from my father, I've made known to you. He goes, this is what I see you as. Here's what I want to get at his point. You know, he says, just as the father has loved me, so I loved you. And he's look, I want you to abide in my love. And he says, you abide in me when you obey my commands. But then he says, what is my command? Verse 12, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Okay, why do we do everything we do as churches and try to get to know each other and really pour into each other's lives? Because it's commanded. He goes, look, you can abide in my love, just obey my commands. And he goes, what's my command? Here's my command.

15:23 Love one another as I have loved you. Remember earlier he says, even as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now I want you to do that to one another. I want you to love each other as much as I love you. I know we come here and it's not like we don't love each other, you know, or have some sort of feeling for each other. But what God wants is he wants this miracle to take place where I so accept the love of God that I am just beaming and I'm overflowing and it becomes natural For me to see you and go, OK, there's John and it is natural to love him. As Jesus has loved me.

16:17 As for me to see see Angel and go, OK, God, I want to love him as much as Jesus loved me. And this is the stuff that most of us weren't brought up with in church. It was do's and don'ts. And usually a church service was pretty, it was consumerism. Like you didn't come thinking, I'm going to show up to this group of people and I just want to serve them. I want to love them like Jesus has loved me. Is that your thought when you, quote unquote, go to church, whatever that means? Like you head to a church service and you're, are you in your mind thinking, God, just as you've loved me, Let me love them. You know, Jesus' mindset, he says, I didn't come to be served. I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. And then we call ourselves Christians. That means we are little Christ. So we should gather together. Okay, I don't come here to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. Just like Jesus loved me as much as the father loved him.

17:29 now, God, let me show up with this mindset to love these people. And Jesus says, look, I'm not doing this to ruin your joy. Go, man, I just want to go to plays with the short service. It's, you know, and get back to the football game and this and that, you know, I even wore my jersey. You know, I, I'm kidding. I just, I already said earlier, I loved him. So then I could do that. And, and, but it's like, I just want this. I just want this. I mean, that's what church has been traditionally. It's about us. And then we leave critical going, well, they didn't do this for me. They didn't do this for me. No one talked to me. No one shook my. It's like, man, but if the love of Christ is in you, it's like it's supposed to be your joy. Like this is what the reason why I'm bringing this up and the reason why Jesus commanded it wasn't to just shame us. But he's saying, look, You're never going to be joyful.

18:24 You'll never have enough people shake your hand and hug you and give you money or whatever else if that's your mindset. Joy comes from being a giver. Joy comes from God delivering me from being this selfish, self-centered, everywhere I go, what about me? What about me? No one's taking care about me. And when God changes you and you're overwhelmed by the love of God And you can just abide in him and go, man, I'm good. I'm like inside of God right now. He calls me his friend. I'm attached to him. He says, no one will ever love you more, Francis. Just stay right here under me. I'll protect you. I'll give you life. Just abide in me. That's it. And he goes, and I'm telling you, obey my commands. Why?

19:16 Because that's how my joy will be in you. He goes, what's my command? Love one another. As I've loved you. See, our desire as a church. It's not just, oh, let's get in smaller groups because it's cheaper that way. Although the Asians kind of he's like, this is a great deal.

19:40 It's it's this command, Jesus, this is how I want them to know you're my disciples. It's by the way that you love one another in John 13. Man, as we do these readings, man, my desire is that you're alone with God reading this stuff and going, no way, no way, no way. It's you and him. And you're so filled up thinking I abide in him right now. I'm loved by him. No love that you come here so full that you just give. And it's the craziest thing because the more you expend yourself and give yourself, those of you who are givers and lovers of others, it's like it brings you this insane joy that you go, I don't get this anywhere else. You know, when we started giving more financially, it's different places. I mean, it brought such a joy in our lives. And then the church I used to pastor down there, when we as a church started giving more, I mean, you should have seen, like, times like, we're going to give away a million dollars, you know, and we wrote that check, like a quarter million dollars every quarter.

20:45 The whole place would just erupt. Like, there was so much. Look what we did. Look at this orphanage. Look at this school. Look at this. I mean, it was like, no way. Let's do more. Let's do more. Let's do more. It wasn't like, oh, okay, we got to reach deeper in our pockets. It was just this joy. And that's what God wants. Man, I hope you get what I'm saying. But it's not something where you just muster up this love or this joy. I believe it is a miracle from God. I believe it's the power of God. So here's what I want to do. I'm done talking. Here's what I want to do. Jesus says at the end of that, I guess I'm not done talking. At the end of that passage, though, he says, you didn't choose me, but I chose you and appointed you. They should go and bear fruit, that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give you. He's whatever you ask me in the father's name, in my name, the father will give you.

21:46 Wherever you ask the father in my name, the father will give you. He'll give it to you like there's power in this prayer. And here's what I want to do. I want to get some of the leaders down here. So if some of the pastors and maybe women's leadership, if you would just just kind of line up, maybe a group over there behind that speaker and a group behind this speaker. So like stand up and walk down. There you go. Like some of the women's leadership to, you know, here's what I want to do. So I didn't prep you guys for this, but hopefully you know how to pray. Um, and here's what I want to do. Seriously. I want to have a time of just. Prayer and deliverance. From self-centeredness.

22:40 Like some of you guys are hearing me and you're going, man, I wake up thinking about me. I just do. I wake up and I think about myself and I don't want to do that anymore. Maybe I don't get the love of God. Maybe I don't understand. Maybe I'm not abiding in him, but I want that to change. I'm tired of being selfish. I'm not a giver, but I want to be. That doesn't just happen. It's about the power of prayer to believe these words. Jesus, look, if you ask for this in my name, I'll give it to you. God wants to do this today. And so rather, you know, in church, we always just think, okay, give me a message and that'll change me. No, there's something about the power of prayer. And so I'm asking you guys that are up here not just to close your eyes and go, okay, give them, you know, selflessness. No, but really like work. Love the people that are coming forward and going, okay, I'm going to get my mind clear and come into the presence of God and say, God, help this person be a lover of people.

23:43 but don't make it about works. God, make them really understand your love. There's no greater love than God himself coming down, taking the form of a man dying on a cross to pay for your crimes. And he goes, and I want to make you like me, like a giver, a sacrificer, like to pray that way. And like to do battle, like now is your time, your opportunity to love the people. Everything that we say go just forget about you you know what you feel or whatever is in god you've got to do this