Love Steps In - Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts

0:00 My subject is love steps in. And I am in John 21, verses 15 through 18. I am reading from the New King James Version. And my text says, so when they had eaten, let me give you context. Jesus has been crucified, resurrected, and now he is walking the earth. And as he's walking the earth for 40 days, he does a number of things. Some of them we know, some of them we don't. But in this particular moment, he goes out by the sea while his disciples are fishing. And there's one disciple in particular, Peter, who was out on the boat fishing. Now, for those of you who may still be learning different aspects of the Bible and the story, Peter was like, Peter, I liked Peter as a disciple because he was a gangster, I'll be honest. Peter had a cutting spirit on him and though I've been delivered every now and then I remind myself I've been delivered from the cutting spirit I don't know if that's been anybody else's okay y'all churchy now y'all sitting over here by the deacons and ministers y'all don't want to admit y'all had a cutting spirit a cussing spirit a cutting spirit but God I trust in God he didn't fail me delivered me but we know Peter did because when it was time to to take Jesus Peter cut off one of the soldiers ears it just sometimes that spirit just jump up on you you saved but you forget you saved and he didn't consult with God he let that cutting spirit get ahead of him and Jesus said no no no no no no he thinks he's loyal he's down for the cause and yet when it's time for Jesus to be crucified and they asked Peter Peter do you know him don't you know him? Wasn't you with him? You would think that the one who was loyal enough to cut off someone's ears would have been like, yes, that's my God. Peter said, never knew that man. Sorry to this man. I don't know this man. He didn't just say that once. He said it three times.

2:07 Jesus is crucified. He's resurrected. And Peter's having to live with the reality that he didn't show up the way he thought he would, that he wasn't the person that he thought he was. I thought I had more integrity than that, thought I had more morality than that, that my ethics were stronger than that. But I couldn't be who I thought I was in God. And before Jesus ascends to sit on the right hand of the Father, he makes it a point to go and have this exchange with Peter. They've eaten, and you know the best conversation is after everyone's full. after they've eaten, Jesus turns to him and he says to Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? He said to him, do you love me more than these? And he says, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. So Jesus says, if you love me, feed my lambs.

3:07 Jesus says to him again, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter says to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He says, well, tend my sheep. You went back fishing, but I gave you an assignment before you messed up. And if you love me, you'll go back to doing that thing that I asked you to do. He says to him a third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him for the third time, do you love me? feels like his love is being questioned. And Peter says to Jesus, Lord, you know all things. You know I love you. Even when I didn't show up the way that I wanted to show up, I still loved you. And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you were girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. I'm going to add verse 19. This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when Jesus had spoken this, he says to him, he says to Peter, follow me. Man, back to the beginning. That's how it started.

4:36 Follow me. Lord, I want to follow you in this message. You gave me a word. I felt it in my spirit. I feel it so strong. And yet I don't know how you're going to release it, but I'm just grateful that you are allowing me to partner with you in this moment. So God, I pray that you would remove any doubt, any fear, any anxiety, any nerves that would prohibit me from partnering effectively with you. May I decrease that you would increase to the extent that the people in this room and those who will hear this message later know that they heard from you. Let there be none of me and only you. And God, I'm praying that you would fill me with love for your people, that they would experience your love through me, that that love would settle them, change them, and transform them, and then that they would multiply that love in all that they do. Let your love step in and take over. In Jesus' name I pray.

5:38 Amen. Amen. Let it rip. Let it rip. Oh, Jesus. I am, you know, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I am, I remember when years old. You know, there's this time when you're like one of the younger people and you're like, you know, everything was, everything was just new. But then life starts to change and transform enough that you start saying things like, I remember when. I remember when online shopping first became a thing. And when online shopping became a thing, you wouldn't know it now by all of the Amazon packages that are sitting outside of folks' doors.

6:28 But I remember when online shopping came in and people would say, there is no way I am putting my credit card into a computer and letting whoever's on the other side have all of that. They act like online shopping was auto-draft, Like somebody could just reach down into your account at any given moment and take your money. And there was so much trepidation that it took a while for it to even pick up pace. And now we're living in a day and era where you don't even need your physical credit card for most transactions. That you can leave your card at home and still be able to spend money whether or not you have it or not because we have built an inherent trust in technology that says, that thing that I was once suspicious of, I have now normalized. And I feel like AI is different than when we first experienced the technology required for online shopping.

7:24 In my estimation, AI has become normalized and the suspicions are coming after the normalization. AI has become so normalized that no one took the time to think about some of the concerns, the inherent concerns connected with this type of technology. And the concerns connected with AI are endless. It is an incredible tool that is literally reorienting our workforce. But the concerns are environmental. The concerns are ethical. The concerns are economic in nature. The computers are placed in underserved communities where we have to worry about the pollutants connected to using this technology. and which communities are going to be impacted by the pollutants that are placed in the air. It takes so much water to cool these machines down that there are concerns about whether or not we will be able to maintain the resources necessary to use AI at the pace and rate in which we are using it.

8:28 There are some real environmental concerns as it relates to AI, but I do think that one of the concerns that we have underestimated is the reality that people do not necessarily have enough literacy to utilize AI properly. When we use the word literacy growing up, it was about reading and writing. Child, now it's literacy forever. You need to be financially literate. You need to know how to read and write for sure, but you have to be media literate. You need to be informational literate because we do not know how to parse about what parsed apart what is high quality information and what's not. We can't tell what's real or what's fake. And the issue with us not recognizing that this is a reality in AI is that we are beginning to take as facts information that is actually false. Because AI is not, it doesn't tell us what's truth. It just tells us what it knows. It aggregates information. And sometimes that information has biases. And sometimes that information has prejudice. And so when we engage with AI, we are engaging with all of these different thoughts and opinions that have not been qualified. And then we take that information and we use it as if it is fact. And sometimes we're multiplying false information.

9:56 One of the first things that they taught us when I started my coursework when I went back to college is how to qualify accurate information. And they tell students over and over again, do not use AI, do not use AI. Not just because there is integrity issues with using AI, but because you may be using information that is not true. And you're building your doctorate in dissertations on research that has not been founded or credible. So in order to combat the reality of AI and quite literally the artificial intelligence that it can possess, there are people who are teaching classes on how to prompt AI accurately. Because your output from AI is only as good as your input. So if you ask a question to AI that is subjective in nature, it's going to give you a reality response that assumes that your subjectivity is true. I wish I could say that real good.

10:58 So if you ask why are politicians corrupt, it's going to tell you why politicians are corrupt, but it's not going to add the nuance that not all politicians are corrupt and exactly what area of politician are you talking about? When you ask a subjective question, you get a subjective answer and now there's not room for us to have expansive thoughts. There's not room for us to have balanced conversations or balanced information. And so your input is critical in order to trust your output. When I understand the way that AI works, that its output is only as good as its input, it reminds me of how we learn as humans. Our ability to learn, our ability to take in information determines our output. In human development, they tell you that as early as you can to start reading to your children, to start communicating with your children like they're adults, not necessarily like baby talk, because their output is only as good as their input.

12:02 So if you begin to speak with them, if you begin to read books to them, then their vocabulary becomes more expansive, but this only happens because you made sure that they had the adequate amount of input to put out that level of output. That's why we got to read. That's why we got to make sure that we're modeling behaviors that we want to see again. Because your input, your output is only as good as your input. Observational learning, that's what this is. What you model is what you're going to see again. You don't realize it, but as you're going through life, the way that you determine what you believe, what you feel, how you celebrate, is a direct result of what was input inside of you. There are some people, when they get ready to celebrate, they go, oh my gosh, I'm going to grab my tennis shoes, I'm going to go on a hike. Because they learned in their family and in their culture that celebration looks like going outside and having some fresh air.

13:01 You do that at my house for a celebration, you're going to have to get out. Baby, when it's time to celebrate, where's the chicken at? Do you understand what I'm saying? And I don't mean roasted. When it's time to celebrate, I'm asking about seven-up pound cake. You know what I mean? But that's cultural. That's what's been input in me, so that's my output. That's why we have such a difficult time understanding one another's love languages because love has a different definition for everyone. my love is based off of what I was surrounded by my environment has programmed me to love in a certain way and so I am showing love in a way that you don't understand my output looks different because my input was different but it doesn't mean that my love wasn't there nonetheless your input is only as good as your output so we're reflecting what we have observed we are products of our environment and this is critical to understanding the relationship required for transformation if my output is only as good as my input then I can't just exclusively focus on changing my output I got to be willing to examine my input that produces the output you may want to change your output but if you don't change your input you cannot change your output when the enemy wanted to change the outcome of humanity he deceived Eve and then she ate from the fruit he put a thought inside of her mind that then changed her output oh that's real good. Your output could be contaminated by an input that was broken when it got to you. Oh, God, help me to say it real good. If you are not qualifying the input, you cannot trust your outcomes. How did I become this way? Why do I think this way? Why do I believe this way?

15:12 Sometimes we want to change the, I want to be a different person. But we're not asking what type of input is going to be required for me to be that person. And so we're trying to have behavior modification instead of heart transformation. If I change my behavior, then I'll be a different person. No, you got to change what got in your heart. If you change what got in your heart, then we can change what's coming out of your mouth. Then we can change what's coming out in your behavior. Then we can change what's coming out in your actions. I got to change my input, not my output.

15:47 That's what I thought was wrong with me. I thought I need to change my output. I need to get married. I had a baby, I had a wedlock. I'm like, oh, I got, if I'm going to change the output, I just got to get married. And if I change it and get married, then I'll fix everything. Then I got married. That didn't fix anything. Because I still had the insecurity and the brokenness. And I still had the shame. So my brokenness picked a spouse for me. Uh-oh. Because if I don't qualify my input, I can't trust my output. You want to build faith, but you have a steady diet of doubt. You can't build faith and continue to consume doubt.

16:38 You can't produce health if you're still taking in brokenness. You have to change your input. be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove put romans 12 that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect if you want to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect you want that to be your output then i gotta be transformed by the renewing of my mind that means i gotta change what's coming into my mind so that what my output looks like looks like God. God help me. God told me that some of us in this room, we have an input problem. That we don't have an outcome problem. That we're beating ourselves up for the outcome.

17:34 But what we really need to be focused on is what type of input do I need to have? What type of environment do I need to create in order to produce the outcome connected to my life? I feel my help coming. So in Scripture, when we talk about taking every thought captivity in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5 through 6, can I read you the message version of it? I like the message version. The message version says, we use our powerful God tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. That's where we get that taking every thought into captivity and into the obedience of who Christ is. That means that my weapons are used to help me make sure that my input aligns with who God is. Oh, gosh. If you were letting just any thought run rampant in your mind, you're not using your weapons properly.

18:45 It's not a crime to have the thought. The crime is letting the thought stay in your mind. some of you are trying to figure out why do I keep thinking this way you're trying to figure out why you're thinking this way every thought is going to pop into your mind because you've been surrounded by so many different inputs that you got the thoughts of your mother you got the thoughts of the culture you got the thoughts from the enemy and you got the thoughts of God but God says our weapons are not carnal I don't need you to fight what's happening on the inside I need you to fight what's happening on the inside. You got to be willing to take that thought captive. You don't belong here. You can't run my life. You can't determine who I'm going to become. That thought has to come into captivity. I can remember moments where I felt anxious, moments where I felt like I didn't have any peace, and I would let those thoughts run rampant, but then I would remind myself that I have authority to push back the enemy. So I rebuke you Satan. In the name of Jesus, I see you playing games in my mind, but my mind is not a playground.

19:50 My mind is a weapon that shall be used to erect the plans of God. My mind is a strategy and my mind's got to work for me. And because my mind has to work for me, any thought that works against what God is doing in my life must be brought into captivity. I'm sorry, shame, but you can't stay here. I'm sorry, fear, but you got to go. I bind you in the name of Jesus. You so busy binding the devils outside of you that you can't bind the devils. You got a devil running loose in your mind. You got a devil running loose in your mouth. You got a devil running loose in your self-esteem. A devil running loose against what God said about you. So God says you're fearfully and wonderfully made and fear goes, no, you're not. Because if you were really fearfully and wonderfully made, that would have never happened to you. And I bind you in the name of Jesus. I am who God says I am.

20:42 I can do what God says I can do. You can't stay here. you don't need me to prophesy you need you to prophesy you can't let just every thought live in your mind i shall live and not die and declare the works of the lord i will not be afraid though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will not fear any evil i won't let the enemy trick me out of my position in god i won't let my mind work against what god is doing in my mind Excuse me, I got to transform my mind. Excuse me, I got to get my mind renewed.

21:22 That's why I worship. I worship because I got to change the input so I can change the output. I got to worship because worship creates an atmosphere for my mind. Worship creates an atmosphere for my thoughts. Some thoughts can't live in the presence of God. there are moments oh I'm thinking about Elijah who wanted to die as long as he was by himself he wanted to die but then when he got in the presence of God God says you just need something to eat cuz some thoughts can't live that thought of suicide can't live in the set that's why I beg of you if you're going through a hard time coming to the presence of God and the presence of God may not be at the church you may have to create the presence you don't have to create the presence you gotta awaken yourself to the presence of god i hear god saying stop going up against the suicide and start seeking the kingdom in your life start seeking the presence of god god says i'll take care of the suicide just get in the presence i'll take care of the anxiety just get in the presence i'll give you strategy on the doctor just get in the presence just get in the presence i gotta to get in the presence. You're waiting to get in the presence when you feel perfect, but the presence is for the imperfect. The presence is meant to make you perfect.

22:41 The presence is meant to complete you. Keep on coming into the presence. Just keep on coming into the presence. I know you're tired. I know you're grieving. I know you're doubtful. I know you're worried. But I hear God saying just keep on coming into the presence. My presence is going to make the difference. My presence is going to shift the output. My presence is going to shift your mentality. I know you're heartbroken but just keep coming into the presence. What a tragedy would be if you came into the house of God but never experienced the presence of God because you had walls built up because you let your pride talk you got 10 seconds in this moment to invite the presence into your life God I need your presence God tear my walls down God look past the anxiety look past the doubt look past the word I need I need I need I need I need your presence God if I don't get your presence I may end it all If I don't get your presence, I may give up.

23:42 I need, I need, I need, I need. I need your presence. Oh God, I've been feeding off of doubt too long. I need your presence. I've been feeding off of my achievements too long. I need your presence. The best gift you can give yourself is getting sick of yourself. Because when you get sick of yourself, I'm sick of the same thoughts. I'm sick of the same behaviors. I'm sick of showing up the same way in the end. And day out I'm sick of fear having the final say. I'm sick of doubt having the final say. I'm sick of it. I need your presence. I need your presence. I need your presence. I'm sorry, I'm knocking down somebody's wall. I need your presence.

24:38 I need your presence. I'm hungry for it. I'm thirsty for it. I don't think I can do this without you, God. I don't want to do it without you, God. I tried to do it my way, but I need your presence. I've been in the presence of my enemies. I've been in the presence of my dreams. I've been in the presence of my purpose. I don't even know who I am anymore. But if I can get into your presence. If I can get into your presence, then I can see myself again.

25:13 Oh, I don't know who you are, but you don't even know who you are anymore. Oh, this ain't in my notes. Somebody You don't know who you're supposed to be in this season.

25:38 I don't know how to show up in this moment. I don't feel like I can show up as the beast I was before. but I'm not ready to be this weak, vulnerable version of myself. I don't know what to do in the tension.

25:59 So we get in the presence because we're made in the image of God. And when I don't know who I am, if I can figure out who he is, he can show me who I am. Give me 2 Corinthians where we behold as in a mirror the hall the glory of God. We all with unveiled faces beholding us in a mirror. The glory of the Lord. You need to experience the glory of the Lord. You got to seek out the glory of the Lord. Because God's going to show you who you are in the glory.

26:56 There's a glorified version of who you are. You're willing to settle on this scarred, broken version of who you are. But God says there's a glorified version of who you are in this season. You want to be who you used to be. You don't know who you're becoming. God says there's a glorified version of you. The only version of you that will be effective in this season is the glorified version of who you are. So when I get in the presence, the presence becomes a mirror, and I'm transformed into what I see. You were created for glory, but you can't access it on your own. because your glory is his glory. God is so gracious in that he allows us access to his glory.

27:57 And when I get in an atmosphere of worship, when I get in an environment where his glory is evident, I get to behold, I get a new input. I get a new input and then I'm transformed into the same image. Isn't that the goal? because I was made in the image of God. So if I have taken on the image of the world and I've taken on the image of my trauma, I've taken on the image of my success, sometimes we get trapped in the image that the life created for us. and we miss out on the reality that the only image we should truly be reflecting is God's image and so I get into the presence to correct my image it's the best photoshop you'll ever have but you got to do it with unveiled faces.

28:58 In order to truly do this effectively, you got to be hungry to be like God. you have to respect and believe as truth that you were made in the image of God and that you came into a fallen world that misshaped your image, that sin changed my image, trauma changed my image, shame, it changed my image. So I need the presence to get back to that image that I was created in. God told me that there are not enough of us who want to be made in the image of God.

29:48 Not for real. But the only way that we can withstand the wiles of the devil is if we put on the full armor. I got to look just like God. Can I pray a prayer over you? my prayer is that you will live a life that requires you to look just like God oh that's a dangerous prayer because it's going to require a surrender from you and it's going to require a different level of worship from you and it's going to require a different level of humility from you and I already know that this will not be everyone's message this is a message for someone who was called to light up darkness. You got to look like God to light up darkness. This is a message for someone who is serious about establishing the kingdom of heaven. You can't look like you and do God's work. You got to look like God. When you wake up in the morning, demons ought to tremble because you look like God. When you step into the room, hell ought to get nervous because you look like God. What does it mean to look like God? It means I've got authority over sickness and disease. It means I can bring peace in the middle of the storm. You ought to not like me. I want to vex somebody's spirit because I look like God. I want you to walk away from me because I look like God. I only want to be connected with other people who want to bear his image.

31:10 I can't raise this family unless I look like God. I can't lead this church unless I look like God. Can I ask you an old school question? Does anybody want to be holy? Does anybody want to be righteous? Does anybody want to look like what you were created for? Does anybody want to be holy? I want to be holy. Be holy because I am holy. I want to be holy like God. Lord, fix me. Search my heart. Convict me. Correct me. I want to be holy. I want to be righteous. I want to break the generational curse with holiness. not with a job not with a business I want to break it with holiness I want to build the family on holiness I want to build the church on holiness on Christ the solid rock I stand I don't want to be afraid. I want to be holy. I don't want to be doubtful. I want to be holy, holy, holy, holy.

32:22 you don't have to make me successful just make me holy you don't have to make me popular God making me holy God you don't have to bring the relationship just make me holy so holy I don't need it so holy I don't hurt no more so holy I believe you'll restore so holy so holy that everything I do is home I want to be here. I just want to be holy. Oh, God. I know I said I wanted to be the first millionaire. I know I said I wanted to build the business.

33:17 And God, in a way, some of those things are true. But God, if you don't do any of those things, God, show me how to be holy. Show me how to make my yes my yes and my no my no. Show me how to be faithful Show me how to be merciful Show me how to be forgiving Show me God Matthew 5. Blessed are those, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Oh, God. I feel like somebody's got to repent. Maybe it's just me.

34:12 Because I've been hungry for some things. thirsty for some things for validation, for affirmation more hungry for it than I'm hungry for righteousness To look strong, to look like I don't need nobody. and I'm so hungry for it that I don't have capacity to be hungry for righteousness.

34:45 And you cannot be filled unless you're hungry and thirsty for it. And we have such an apathetic generation. Where it's dangerous to care about anything. dangerous to be hungry for anything that is translated in our relationship with God.

35:16 We long for his power. We long for his authority. But we don't want to do the work that allows us to have that. That work is holiness. it's righteousness it's to be serious not about just being a good church person but in my heart and my spirit whoo I want to look like God.

35:58 Whenever I find myself really going through it, I read Matthew 5. And when I get finished reading the Beatitudes, I realize that in order to look like God, I got to really, really, really, really decrease what I feel I am entitled to feel and entitled to do. that I can't have it my way and his way at the same time. I was, as I was studying for this message, I thought to myself, God, I think that if we want to change our output, that you will give us a different input. and yet as I was studying and maybe we could wrestle about this on Wednesday I don't think that when God wants a different output from us that he gives us a new input this is what I think I believe that God makes us hungry for a different output but the work on qualifying oh help me to say it. The work of us making space for that output comes down to us. When he comes to Abram, he says, Abram, get out of your father's house and out of your country to a land that I will show you.

37:33 He goes, and I will make you the father of many nations. I'll bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. He goes, that's the output that is available to you. But in order for you to lay hold of that output, you got to get out of your father's house. If we control the input, God says, I'll make you hungry for a different outcome. If I can make you hungry for a different outcome, you can control what things in my life align with that output. We got to be willing to ask ourselves that question. So when we talk about, I want to be holy, I want that to be my output. What is in my life that aligns with that output?

38:17 Does my input reflect what I believe God's calling my output to be? What does my language need to look like, my behavior need to look like, my thoughts look like? Isn't this what we are supposed to be doing? We're supposed to be being transformed. the process of sanctification is as rendering ourselves as living sacrifices that we may be transformed and God has sent a word to some of you that is meant to make you hungry for a different output My prayer is that God would make you hungry for a different output.

39:03 And in the process of him making you hungry for that output, that you would be strengthened and empowered to change and qualify what you're allowing to be in your input. That's what discipleship is. It is us choosing to live each and every day with the desire to become more and more like Christ and to reproduce Christ-likeness in our lives. This is why Jesus comes and he gets the disciples. And he says to the disciples, follow me. I'm going to make you fishers of men. But before I just turn you loose, I want you to study how I do what I do. this kind this kind only comes out by prayer and fasting you got to have a different input for this kind of devil i'm gonna show you how i do what i do i'm gonna show you how to pray if you're gonna be who i am in the earth you got to have a different kind of input you want the power of god but no one wants the process of jesus and because you don't want the process of jesus you're trying to find the power without the process but i hear god saying if you surrender to the process you'll never run out of power because the process has in it so much input that you'll never run dry.

40:23 You'll never run out of authority. You'll never run out of language. You'll never run out of peace. You'll never run out of prayer because I got the right input. So Jesus has to teach them before he releases them. I'm going to make you fishers and men. That's going to be the outcome, but let's work on the inputs.

40:44 And he teaches them to pray. And he teaches them to fast and to serve and to exercise authority. And he teaches them how to forgive. And he teaches them how to multiply resources. He teaches them so many things. He models it for them. But the one thing that he models for them that Peter fails at is love. Wow. he fails at love.

41:16 Peter stepped out the boat and walked on water for a little bit, longer than I did. You know what I'm saying? And they cast out devils and they heal the sick. They know how to do the power part very well. I felt like I wasn't just talking about the disciples no more. There's somebody in this situation over here, maybe they're watching online, they know how to do the power part very well.

41:49 But there are moments where it feels like love fails. Can I, since we have an honest conversation, there are moments when our love, fails. we make a decision out of love. But then when it's time for us to live out the demonstration of that love, our love fails.

42:30 God help me. This was the whole part that got dropped in my spirit, is that there are many of us, and I was thinking about PT's message last week where he talked about the love of many growing cold. And I started asking God, what happens when our love grows cold?

42:52 And God showed me that it's not necessarily that we see it coming when our love grows cold. It's that our love fails in ways that we didn't expect it to fail. in Peter's instance his love for Jesus failed in the moment where he denied him but for some of us in this room love failed us oh God help me say it real good those who we thought would love us they failed us. This is why we can't really, some of us, maybe not all of us, struggle with mastering what it means to love God.

43:43 Because we have too many instances of when love fails. my love failed couldn't be the parent I wanted to be couldn't be the child I wanted my love failed I couldn't be the partner I wanted to be love failed me I didn't get what I needed and so how can I love God how can I trust God's love when I have a history of seeing how love fails and in this moment Peter's love has failed and he doesn't know how to catch his footing after love has failed he goes back to fishing but fishing isn't as fulfilling as it once was because once you've been expanded and increased you can't go back to what you I mean you can But it doesn't feel the same because I've been exposed to something different But I don't trust myself into something different because I couldn't show up the way that I knew I was supposed to show up So I don't feel worthy of trying again I don't feel worthy of that position.

44:59 And so I don't try again. And so now I'm living in this shell of a version of who I used to be because love failed. Love failed me. I could have been more. I could have been different, but love failed me. I could have been powerful, but love failed me. I could have been this. I could have been that, but love failed me. And now I'm supposed to love. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, and strength. but I don't know how to love well.

45:27 I don't know how to be loved well. We have a love crisis. We got a love crisis because we don't know if we can trust it. And yet everything we do for God, we're going to have to do it from the place of love.

45:51 The Bible tells us that the only way they'll even know that we are children of God is by our love. We cannot afford to have a love crisis. and so when Peter is pulled back because love failed him Jesus goes out of his way because love has this way of always stepping in just because your love failed doesn't mean that God's love didn't pass the test don't worry we about to go home but I want you to know that everywhere you experience a failure in love, that God's love still passed the test. And the greatest gift you can give your renewed mind is to not compare God's love with the love that you receive from others, nor the love that you give. Because your love has a history of failing. Human love has a history of falling short. But when our love falls short, his love steps in. If you don't believe me, ask the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.

46:55 When everyone else was getting ready to throw away, Jesus says, hold on, love is about to step in. I know you thought that you should have lost your mind, but you know why you didn't lose your mind? Because love stepped in. I know they couldn't raise you, but you had that one teacher. That one teacher was on assignment because God said, they're not going to get love where they need it from, but I'm going to make sure that love steps in. Love. Love steps in. Do you understand what I'm saying? I want you to start looking for where love is stepping in, where God's love is making sure that you don't run dry, where God's love is making sure that you're not without. And I want you to test the strength of that love.

47:37 Oh, God, help me. God says, I love you with an everlasting love. love. Romans 5 tells us that when you were still sinners, God demonstrates his own love towards us and that he died on the cross. You know what that tells me is that God's love didn't need for me to change, but God's love was so good that I wanted to change. God's love didn't need me to drop the drugs, but his love was so good I wanted to know, God, what is it that you see in me that would make you go out of your way to love this sinful version of me. God's love didn't fail when your love for yourself failed. I don't love myself. God says, I still love you. God, I don't love them. God says, I love them too. I can love the victim and I can love the villain because my love doesn't fail. I got perfect love. But you want to know how I know love steps in? Because 1 John 4 told me that perfect love casts out fear. Perfect love steps over into fear and casts it out.

48:40 Whoo! Love steps in it. The Bible tells us that if we want to be perfect like our Father in heaven is perfect, that we have to master love. and for some of you, that's giving love, and for others, that is receiving love. God told me, in order for you to receive love from others, you got to first recognize the way that my love has been absorbed in your identity. That I loved you, that's why I saved you. That yes, I am your provider, but you know why I provided for you? Because I loved you.

49:35 You know why I comfort you? Because I love you. You got to see everything that God does from a place of love. You think you have a problem receiving love, but you don't have a problem receiving that provision. God's love has been coming towards you all your life. And some of you are in a season where God's love is showing up in a way that is different than you have experienced in the past.

50:05 And you don't know how to trust it because you think that love always fails. and yet this love that God is offering you is a love that will meet you where you are and Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter's trying to figure out what do I do now that my love has failed and Jesus has this dialogue with him and Jesus says Peter do you love me and that word love that is translated in that first sentence is love that means agape. It's what we call unconditional love.

50:44 There's this trend going on on TikTok where they take these lyrics and it's like, if I got locked up, would you still love me? And people are like, no. because our love has conditions. Agape love doesn't have conditions. I don't need you to be whole. I don't need you to be perfect. My love is unconditional, says God. And I want to know, can you love me in the same way? Do you love me like that? And God showed me that what he's asking Peter in this moment is he's looking at Peter's condition. And Peter's ashamed. And Peter doesn't know what to do. And he's in a condition that is unlike the Peter that we saw in the previous chapters. And yet Jesus asked him, can you still love me in this condition? that's my question to you can you find a way to love God in this condition when life doesn't look the way you thought it would when you didn't show up the way that you wanted to show up can you give me that agape love where my love isn't predicated on my condition because I've been giving it to you.

52:14 I've been giving it to you. I loved you beyond your condition. He says, because what I have for you to do, it's going to require agape love. It's going to require unconditional love. You're going to have to do it from the place of love. I don't know who this message is for, But I hear God saying that if you don't master this love thing, that you're not going to have the endurance you need to build what God's calling you to build. It doesn't seem like they're connected. Like, why do I need love to build the business? Why do I need love to build? It seems like I need strategy. I need something logical. And yet the word tells us that what we really need is to master this thing called love. Because who we become when we are loved is bold.

53:13 Who we become when we are loved is confident. Who we become when we are loved is not fearful. And Peter's going to have to look beyond his condition and find a way to love God anyway so that he can be who God has called him to be. I need love for this. I bet you Peter would have taken power. Peter would have taken faith. Peter would have taken forgiving. Jesus says, the only thing that this is going to take is love. And what's funny about this text is that he goes back and forth with Jesus, do you love me? Do you love me? And Jesus says agape the first two times. And Peter always responds with phileo. Phileo is brotherly love. And then in that third question, Jesus asked him, do you love me? And that time, that love is phileo. And some of us believe that, oh, well, maybe Jesus lowered the standard. If he can't reach agape, then he lowered it and said, I'll just take phileo. But I believe when I was studying this text that what God is saying, I will take love as you understand it right now, if you will throw it in the direction of what I'm doing because that love can be transformed into agape love.

54:26 How do I know this? Why do I believe this? Because then it goes on to tell us that Jesus tells him sooner or later, you're having people walk you around, but eventually those are going to lead you around. It speaks to how Peter is going to be crucified, which means that he's going to be able to step into a level of love that he failed at before. God help me to say it real good. If he would have had it his way, Peter's love would have shown up the moment that Jesus was on the cross. But because it didn't show up when Jesus was on the cross in the way that he anticipated, God gives him another shot at showing love. And God says, I will take the phileo love that you can offer me right now. If it'll break you out of this stupor that you're in. that'll break you out of this trance, and if it'll get you out of the boat and back into tending to my sheep, if it'll get you back in position, I'll take the love that you can offer.

55:27 But expect for that love to grow. It's going to grow so much that you're going to end up being what you thought you could have been in the moment where love failed you. Why this message? Why now? Because I'm talking to you, period. Thank you, Jesus. That's all I want. If this message went for nobody but you, thank you, Jesus. God answered my prayers. Thank you, Jesus. God told me this message had to be called Love Steps In because that's what needs to happen in the world.

56:13 And if they're going to know us by our love, then we got to get our love crisis under control. Because outside of these walls, outside of the live stream, outside of this world that we have to function in, we need people who look like love. And if we as the church, not the building, we as the body, the people, don't look like love, then we can't cast out fear. Oh, help me. Romans 5, come on, stand with me. I'm closing. Romans 5 says that we have this hope. And we have this hope because we recognize that in this hope, that the Holy Spirit pours out his love, God's love to us, which means that when our love fails, that God's love steps in.

57:11 It talks about perseverance producing character. That's in Romans 1 through 4. But when we get down to verse 5, it says, Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. this is what I want you to understand about your love crisis I need you to understand that when your love fails that the Holy Spirit can pour out his love into your hearts so you don't have to have hope in your love and you don't have to have hope in someone else's love well you're hoping their love won't fail you the only thing you need to do is to trust that God's love, which has never failed, God's love, which has always stepped in, God's love, which has always made a way out of no way. Some of you shouldn't even be in this room, but God's love stepped in. God says, and now I want you to be the love that steps in. I want you to be the love that steps into your family. I want you to be the love that steps into your community.

58:20 when they see you they ought to see love stepping into the room and when you don't have the love to give I need you to offer yourself up to me so that my spirit can pour out my love into you oh God I don't want to give nobody my love my love's been broken it's been tainted my love has been abused and used but God if you would give me your love God says I want to give you my love on loan. I want you to give me your love. God says I want to give you my love in everything you do. I want to give you my love. You're going to raise my children not just with your love but with God's love. God's love is going to teach you. God's love is going to show you your job, your role ought to be how do I love my partner with God's love?

59:09 How do I raise these children with God's love? How do I build it with God's love? my love will fail but his love will never fail how do I write these songs with God's love how do I build this business with God's love I only trust God's love and so we got to practice love but first we got to remove the blockage of where love fails and so I want to ask you what Jesus asked Peter can you love God beyond your present condition Can you admit that because love failed you, that you don't trust love to sustain you?

1:00:18 God's love. Can you admit that because you failed at showing up in love the way that you wanted to, that you don't trust that your love is enough. Because God wants to meet you. God wants his love to meet you in the place where love fails you. I want to pick up where they left off. I want to pick up where you messed up. I want my love to meet you right there. If that's you, will you need us here at the altar?

1:01:17 And I want you to bring with you the place where love failed. Was it in your marriage? Was it in your childhood? Where did love fail you? Is it in the grief?

1:01:41 Oh, my, my, my. people ask God loves me why did this happen to me I was thinking about that when I saw, I look at the text where Jesus tells Peter, Satan has asked for you. And Jesus just handed him over.

1:02:07 And I'm like, Jesus, if you loved him, why didn't you push Satan back? Why did you let Satan ask for him? And Jesus says, because I loved him, I prepared him. I warned him. I told him what to hang on to in the midst of it. Sometimes we think love failed us because it didn't preserve us. But sometimes love supporting us is that it prepares us. Oh, God, I wish I said that real good. There are some things you've gone through that all love could do is prepare you for it. I couldn't keep it from happening.

1:02:53 I allowed it to happen. But even in the allowing it to happen, I preserved you. I tried to prepare you. I prayed for you. you're here at this altar and maybe you don't know Jesus and maybe what you've heard about him has intimidated you into thinking that you gotta be perfect, you gotta have it all together and you gotta know everything and that intimidates you and you feel like his love failed you before you even experienced it. I wanna apologize. Because the Jesus you heard about is not the Jesus that's in Scripture.

1:03:44 The Jesus that's in Scripture meets you in whatever condition you're in. The Jesus that's in Scripture doesn't care who you did it with or where you were when it happened. Loved you before you loved him. and I would love to pastor and introduce you to the Jesus that meets you right where you are and has a plan to prosper you and not to harm you and has a plan to show you how he was loving you even when you weren't even thinking about him. I want to invite you to this altar. You want to dedicate your life to a Jesus who has dedicated his life to you. gave his life that you may live again because I love you.

1:04:34 Gave his life that you may experience resurrection power again. You can come no matter where you're coming from. Okay, we're closing. This is a deeply personal altar call. to acknowledge that there are areas in your life where love failed. Human love, your love, their love failed.

1:05:07 And it's inhibited you from showing up in a space of love. And yet if you're going to be in relationship with Jesus, it needs to be deeply, deeply personal. Oh, I see a few more of you are coming. If anybody's not at this altar, because maybe you feel a little shame or embarrassment, I want to just give you another chance to come down here. We're getting ready to go. I'm going to pray for you. We're going to close. But there is something to be said about stepping out of your comfort zone and acknowledging, I would put it like this, changing your input.

1:05:52 If you want to see a different outcome in your life, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over again. I'm going to give you another chance. I'm going to change my input. Because I feel like God's making me hungry for a different output. That I'm supposed to walk in love in this season, not bitterness. That I'm supposed to walk in peace and not bitterness. I'm supposed to walk in love and not fear. I'm going to give you another chance to come down to this altar. And I feel like as you are walking down to this altar, that you're stepping into love, that you're stepping into the embrace of a father, that you're stepping into God's love that was waiting on you, stepping into a divine appointment where God knew that you would have a moment where you began to hunger and thirst for his holiness and righteousness, which is the byproduct of being loved well by God.

1:06:52 Okay. I'm going to pray you can keep coming. Oh, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Father, at this altar, all dressed up, some with tears streaming down their face, some with walls so thick they don't even know what it means to feel anymore. all of us here to acknowledge that in some ways what we thought love was supposed to look like failed us, hurt us, changed us. God I'm praying that as they bring that part of their heart to this altar that your love would begin to step that you would dispatch ministering angels to the place where they failed, to the place where they were dropped, to the place where they have fear and anxiety, that they would experience your perfect love.

1:08:17 Can you do me a favor? Just put your hand on the person beside you. Oh. Love. Love, love, love, love, love. Love, love, love, love. Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love. God, multiply your love at this altar. Love, love, love, love, love. God, help them to love you again in a fresh new way. Love, love, love, love. God, help them to love themselves in a way they were never able to love. God, they didn't receive this kind of love, but God, you're offering them a love that exceeds their experiences. God, help them to make space for love. Help them to have capacity for love. God, may they experience love touching them. May they experience love healing them.

1:09:10 May they experience love transforming them until all they want is to be in your presence, because when they're in your presence, they experience love. God, allow your love to invade those wounds, God. Allow your love to heal the areas that have been broken, to bring peace, to bring power, to bring discipline, to bring strategy. I hear God saying that you're going to do it by love. You're not going to do it by might nor by power, but you're going to do it by my spirit. My spirit is love. My spirit is kindness. My spirit is gentleness. God says, I'm not going to abuse you. I'm not going to whoop you. I'm not going to force you. I'm going to love you into transformation. I hear God saying that I made you hungry for a different version of you, but I'm going to love you into that next version of who you are. I hear God saying I'm going to love you into transformation. And so, Heavenly Father, we welcome your love into our hearts. We welcome your love into our wounds.

1:10:03 We welcome your love behind our walls, behind our masks. God, let your love invade this altar right now in the name of Jesus. Holy Spirit, pour out your love as only you can do. love that little boy that's inside of them love that little girl that's inside of them love them until they no longer long for who didn't love them because all they can see is the ways that you did love them God show them the way you protected them God show them the way you provided for them and God show them what the love is that you still have to give them I hear God saying I still got love I want to show you I still got love I want to reveal to you I still got love that's going to propel you. I still got love that's going to heal you. And Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Where there is fear, we cast it out. Right now in the name of Jesus, we cast it out with perfect love. And we decree and declare that they will not walk in fear. They will not walk in bondage. They will no longer walk with doubt, but they will walk in love. Strengthen their spirit, says God. Strengthen their mouth, says God, until love is their portion, until bitterness must let them go. I rebuke it in the name of Jesus. Every stronghold, every principality, every generational curse that made you feel unworthy of love, I rebuke it. It wasn't God. That was the enemy trying to make you believe that you could never walk in love, that you would never be worthy in love but I hear God saying the chain is broken I hear God say receive my anointing receive my love and let it change the way you see yourself let it change the thoughts that you think let it change the words that you speak God change their language convict them help them to receive it so that they can become it help them to receive it so that the world can be changed help them to receive it so the generational curse breaks with them help them to receive it so that they can cast out devils and the devil's not returned help them to

1:12:11 receive it so they can turn the industry right side up help them to receive it so they can walk away from what no longer serves them help them to receive it so they're no longer looking for an escape because they have been affirmed by your love and God as they step out of this place may love be with them everywhere they go may they walk with a new confidence a new boldness a new power and a new authority because they have been anchored and affirmed in the love of God and God whenever the enemy tries to come and take this word from them. God, I pray that they would remember the authority they have to bring every thought into captivity. God, I ask that you would unleash the weapons of their warfare. The weapons of their warfare have been bound, but I decree that as they came to this altar, that they stepped into new weapons. They got a new weapon to fight the enemy with, that they will not allow any thought to just run captive in their mind. God, release the weapons that they would talk back to the enemy, that they would rebuke the thoughts of inadequacy, that they would rebuke the thoughts of bondage, that they would rebuke the thoughts of fear and depression, that they would rebuke it in the name of Jesus, that they would call in support and call in help, that they would call in love when they need it.

1:13:45 Oh, I'm almost finished, but God, I pray one last thing. Help them to ask for love. to say, God, I need your love. and to be open to how it comes.

1:14:06 I feel like this word was you loving on them. Help them to receive it and to not just wait for love to knock on the door, but for them to seek it, to seek your love out so that their love doesn't fail and doesn't grow cold. God, for those who are making a decision as they're at this altar to encounter your love, I thank you, God, that when they were still sinners, that you demonstrated your love towards them by dying on the cross that they may live again. God, there are people in this altar and they are submitting their lives to you in a fresh way. They are making the decision to say that you are my Lord and Savior.

1:15:02 God, I pray that you would continue to root them in the knowledge of your love. That they would be able to comprehend what is the length and the height and the width and the depth of your love. God, help them to understand that you were never interested in their performance. It was always about their becoming. God I thank you that as they make the decision to receive you as their Lord and Savior That they are making this decision To walk in love and to receive your love God I thank you that their sin has been destroyed And as their sin has been destroyed that new life is available to them Not just when they go to heaven but right here in this moment new life is available to them help them to be hungry for that new life, thirsty for that new life, and determined to tap into it no matter what it costs.

1:16:03 God, I said what you told me to say. I did the best that I could. Take this word, multiply it. What's for them, may it stick. May it take root and produce fruit. May it make them hungry and hungrier for you. and God, I thank you for the opportunity to serve these, your great people. What a privilege it is to partner with you to love them. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Can you do me a favor and just love on the person beside you before you go? Just love on them in whatever way. They may only like a fist bump, but if they like a hug, I would squeeze a lot of love into them if they like a hug. If you're here and you're looking for a church home or you've been coming here for a little while but you haven't made a decision, we would love for the Potter's House to be your church home. Our pastors are down here to the left.

1:17:04 They're here to meet you and greet you if you like. I want this to be my church home, but I also got to go. You can scan the QR code on the screen. We're going to love you real good here at the Potter's House. it's a part of our core values scan the QR code we gotta oh the kids is back in school Lord bless the children our educators, our families God bless those who are showing up in their specific fields and industries we don't know what they're going to face but we know who holds their tomorrow and so God I pray a special blessing over our Potter's House family that they will experience your love your wisdom, your coverage throughout this week, that you would dispatch angels and place a hedge of protection around them. In Jesus' name I pray, may the Lord bless and keep you. May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious towards you. May he lift up his countenance over you and grant you shalom, shalom in Jesus' name. I love you, Potters.