Good morning, Veritas Church. How's everybody this morning? If we haven't met, my name is Jordan Howell. I get the privilege of pastoring at Veritas in Urbana. And if we haven't met, it's a joy to worship alongside you. And if we have met, it's good to be back. Sweet to be back. I served on staff here for five years, 2019 to 2024. And before we jump in this morning, excited for where we're going, but wanted to give you guys a brief update on my health. I know some of you have kind of been up to speed here, but it was around December 2023. Started to feel like my health was off. Went to the doctor, no answers, but kind of started this long journey of trying to figure out what's wrong with me. And in my head, I'm like, oh, maybe it's just I turned 30, and, you know, you have your first hemorrhoid kids. You can ask your parents what a hemorrhoid is. But I was like, okay, something's off. We've tried stuff for a long time. Eventually, fast forward. It's Holy Week this year, so we're talking about 15 months. But the Wednesday of Holy Week, I went in for a diagnostic colonoscopy. And I will say it was successful in the fact that they made a diagnosis. But the diagnosis that I got Thursday morning of Holy Week was I had stage three rectal adenocarcinoma, which is a fancy way of saying cancer. And as you might imagine, it's a pretty shocking diagnosis. And I just. I look back now and I'm like, praise God, you knew exactly what you were doing with the timing. Because where I was prone to maybe turn inward and feel sorry for myself and be like, this is. This makes no sense. This is injust. It's like, guess what? Turn around. The next day, it's Good Friday. What's real injustice? Is it that a sinner has cancer? Or is it that the sinless son of God had to be crucified on our behalf? Whoa. Boom. Preach that. Turn around. Two days later, it's like Easter Sunday. The power of the resurrection. Like, he's alive. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. The good news is, in the life of a believer, cancer never wins, Right? Never. And so I get to preach that. And then this is a preaching schedule that was set, like, a year before. The very next sermon is Paul's thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians. I'm like, lord, you know exactly what you're Doing that, your grace is sufficient. Your power is made perfect in my weakness. And Jake told me from the very beginning, like Jordan, I know he's quoting John Piper, but he's like, jordan, do not waste your cancer. And it has just been incredible to see what the Lord has done, most importantly in me, conforming me to the image of Christ, but also just so sweet to see how he has used the church to rally. And so I just wanted to say thank you, like, on behalf of me, my family, we covet your prayers. We're so grateful for all of the ways you have shown us love and encouragement, really, over the last several months. It means a ton. One specific prayer request. You guys can be praying. I have my first round of scans tomorrow evening. Actually, should get results on Thursday. But as you might be able to tell, I have energy, which is a huge praise because three weeks post diagnosis, I found out that I have a rare genetic defect that qualified me for what's called immunotherapy. It's a form of targeted therapy and able to, at least in this season, avoid chemotherapy and radiation. For that, I'm grateful. So all. Glory be to God. With that said, we're not here to talk about Jordan Howell. We're here to talk about Jesus. Sound great? You guys ready? All right, we're gonna do the awkward transition from cancer update to the Bible. So go ahead, open it up to Romans 12. And one of the hardest parts, really, post diagnosis, was figuring out how do I communicate with people. How do I tell people in the right time, the right way? Especially having four little kids. Like, our oldest is five. So it goes five, four, two, and almost one. And for the longest time, our kids knew that I wasn't healthy. And they would just say, daddy's sick, you know? But it finally got to the point where my 4 year old is like, what are you sick with? And I'm like, great, here we go. So I'm like, well, buddy, daddy has a sickness called cancer. And he goes, canceled. And I gotta admit, I laughed. And what I should have said, but I wasn't quick enough on my feet then, is say something along the lines of, I know, buddy. I thought I'd get canceled long before I got cancer. But I didn't say that maybe I should have. The reality is, this is the world we live in. We live in a world marked by cancer culture, highly individualistic, ego driven, and oftentimes, if we're honest, relationships are fragile or even fake. In fact, I read a study within this last week that says most men In America. And by most, I mean more than 90% of men in America say that they have zero real friendships. Whoa, that's shocking. But maybe it's not when you think about the way that we approach relationships today in the world. Three marks of relationships in the world. Convenience. Hey, let's engage in relationships when it's easy. Otherwise we can just go home and shut the garage door. Consumerism. We ask this question, what's in it for me? We start to look at the relationships around us and we say, hey, cost benefit analysis. Let's treat people like products and say, oh, so long as they scratch my back, I scratch theirs. Or lastly, this word clout. And if you don't know what clout means, you need to watch sandlot and learn about babeirout, the colossus of clout. This word that means power. We form relationships and ask this question, how does this relationship make me look or make me feel, especially in today's day and age, to say, man, I want to be around people who will reinforce my passions, make me feel better about myself and make me look good? And as you might imagine, convenience, consumerism and clout all lead to this fractured foundation of relationships. The second things get hard, the second people don't meet your expectations, or the second somebody makes you look bad or feel bad, here's what you just can do. Cancel. Cancel. Move on, right? Unfriend them on Facebook, whatever, block their phone number, move on. And when I look out at the world, I'm like, yeah, it kind of makes sense how people can get there if everybody out there is saying, hey, let's just build our own mini kingdoms. It's like, why wouldn't we treat each other like rungs on a ladder? And so I'm not shocked when that happens out there. Where I am shocked is when that happens in here. And I think the sad reality is that cancel culture exists far too often in the church. We show up when it's easy. We kind of throw out those verses about like carrying crosses and bearing burdens. We form relationships and even church shop based on our personal preferences. And when I say church shop, I'm not saying like biblical convictions, like we should care about that, but what does their worship sound like? What's their kids programming look like? Is it cute? Do they have good coffee? Fill in the blank. Church shopping is a thing. And if we're brutally honest, you don't have to be this morning, but I will be. We're prone to self promote. Like even this morning you can walk in the doors of this church. And silently or subtly do things like, oh, my gosh, can you believe she's wearing that? Can you believe his kids act like that? Did you hear her voice? People would say that about me. Did you hear his voice? Or, oh, my gosh, can you believe that guy's not singing? He must not love the Lord. Oh, they're raising their arms in worship. They must think this is all about them. Or he's crossing his arms in worship. He must be really disengaged. It's like, what are we doing? We're supposed to be worshiping God, and yet we're caught up in, like, how do we put other people down so we can, for whatever reason, feel better about ourselves? It's disgusting. And you think, man, what kind of culture does that breed in the church? The moment something becomes inconvenient, we're just like, not this week. The minute that church doesn't match our desires or makes us uncomfortable, second, someone sins against us, which, by the way, happens all the time, it's far too easy for us to leave, hit cancel, look elsewhere, find a new friend group, find a new church. And the question I'm asking is, is this really how the church should relate to each other? Like, don't get me wrong, people are hard. Church is messy. Amen. Like you've heard it said from this stage before, Veritas is not a perfect church. And if it was perfect, you showed up, right? It's like, that's the problem. There's a lot of sinful people in this room trying to follow the sinless son of God. It's messy. But hear me, if Jesus calls the church a city on a hill, what I'm left thinking is our relationships have to look a lot different than the world's. We cannot match the cancel culture. We must stand in opposition to it. So the question we're asking is, how should our relationships look different than the world around us? We're going to land in the book of Romans this morning. Chapter 12, if you would go ahead and flip your Bible there. We're going to look at two commands and two marks of Christian relationships inside the church. And because I'm a rule follower, unlike Jake, each I'm going to teach one verse. Sound good? You guys all right with that? Love you, Jake. All right. I'm going to lay the foundation for the book of Romans for you. Many of you are probably familiar, but if you're not, this is a church in Rome that is no stranger to difficulties. These churches feel a lot of tension and are at risk of division because in AD 49, the Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome, kicked them out, and he eventually dies. A.D. 54, five years later. And Nero rises to power, and he's smart enough to say, wait a second, more people means more money. Jewish people can come back in. And the Jewish Christians return to their churches that they once led that are now largely led by Gentiles. And you're left thinking, wait a second, how's this gonna work? Jews and Gentiles together under one roof. You might imagine they're wrestling with what do we do with the law? What do we do with our religious customs and practices? What do we do with salvation by grace through faith? What about that? And Paul is like, listen up, church. Here's what we need to do. We need to unite under the banner of the gospel. And he spends the first 11 chapters just drilling into their head. Gospel doctrine. Here's what you need to know. Universal sinfulness. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The playing field is level. We all miss the mark. How do we get right with God? Justification by faith. We are justified. Made right with God by faith. In the finished work of Jesus, his perfection, not ours, he goes on to talk about our union with Christ, life in the Spirit. Kind of closes this section. Very interesting couple chapters on God's sovereignty and mercy and salvation. Recommend you read it for yourself. That's Romans 1 through 11. And by the time you hit Romans 12, he flips a switch, says, all right, now that we know gospel doctrine, now that we know what to believe, we need to know how to behave. It's kind of the, so what? Like, if the gospel is true, if we're all sinners in need of a savior, if Jesus is a sufficient sacrifice that we just sang about, if we're all indwelled with the Holy Spirit, if we've all been met by mercy, how do we respond? And the verse I want to look at is in a section of verses, chapter 12, verses 9 through 13, where Paul is specifically speaking to how we are to love one another. He does go on to talk about how should we relate to the world. But verses 9 through 13, he's specifically saying, how do we love one another? And I want to unpack Romans 12:10 this morning. And with that, again, see two marks of Christian relationships. We're going to tackle them one sentence and one mark at a time. You guys ready? All right, Romans 12, chapter 10, first sentence. Here's what the word of God says. Love one another with brotherly Affection. Love one another with brotherly affection. The literal translation of that first phrase, love one another, is to be devoted to one another. Anybody's Bible say that. Be devoted to one another. Okay. Be devoted to one another. Here's the first mark in the church. Our relationships should be marked by commitment, not convenience or. Or comfort. Commitment, devotion. Now, I don't know what comes to mind for you when you hear the word devotion, but in prepping, I couldn't help but think of an Olympic athlete. And God was really kind in his timing. My ESPN app buzzed just this week, and it said, michael Phelps is gonna start training the Baltimore Ravens how to swim. And I'm like, oh, my goodness, Michael Phelps. He's the most decorated Olympian ever. I'm. I wonder what his devotion looked like. Get this. Six days a week, six hours a day. And that's primarily talking about his time spent in a pool. We're not talking diet, sleep, recovery, all of that. Six hours a day, six days a week. That's devotion. And I'm asking this about Michael Phelps. Like, man, you think he ever wanted to hit snooze? Yeah. Guarantee it. Do you think he ever didn't feel like it? Do you think he ever faced adversity or setbacks? Whether it be a nagging injury or an annoying trainer? Guarantee it. But did that mean that he didn't train? No. He was devoted to. And when you think about his devotion, this is what it looked like. First and foremost, discipline. He understood, if I'm an Olympic athlete, here's what I do. I train. It's what Olympic athletes do. I'm gonna prioritize what's important over what's easy. Secondly, devotion looked like sacrifice. And most of us, when we hear the sacrifice, we're like, oh, no. Like blood, sweat, tears. This is awful. The word sacrifice simply means to give up something good for the sake of something better. And so he's like, I'm gonna trade in something good for the sake of something better. I'm gonna train. And lastly, it goes with saying, perseverance flies in the face of convenience and comfort. Perseverance. It's gonna be hard. You're not always going to want to feel like it. You're going to endure hardship in training. So why would he continue to train? His eyes are set on the prize. And when I think about Michael Phelps, it's like, for what, a gold medal? Like, Jesus tells us what's going to happen to that gold medal. Moth and rust are going to destroy that. But Michael Phelps is given six hours a Day, six days a week to that for races in a swimming pool that lasts anywhere from like 57 seconds to four minutes. And I'm left thinking, man, how much more devoted should we be to things that are eternal, like our relationships with one another? Because guess what? If you look to your left and your right, you're sitting alongside people. That majority are showing up today saying, hey, I stand not in a standing of my own, but in the finished work of Jesus. And I'm like, amen. Guess what? You're gonna see a lot of these brothers and sisters in heaven. Are we investing in them? Are we devoted to them? Or are we devoted to lesser things? And it's worth noting, in an individualistic culture, one of the primary reasons we're called to be devoted to one another is because holiness is a community project. You can't follow Jesus by yourself. And the good news is you don't have to follow Jesus by yourself because he created this thing called the church. And it actually goes on to speak. Paul speaks of this is what your devotion should look like. He uses two incredible words here. Brotherly affection. Brotherly affection. This word for brotherly. I'm gonna bore you a little bit. Philadelphos. It was a word that before used in the local church was only to be used for blood related relatives. And when you think about Rome, a very communal culture. So they hear philadelphos and they're thinking, wait a second, he's talking about how I should, as a Jew, relate to a gentile, or how I, as a gentile, should relate to a Jewish. These are people who were previously considered like enemies of each other. The difference between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. And now Paul is saying, hey, let me use a term. You guys know your family, whoa, that hit different back then. And I'm afraid maybe it just doesn't hit us the way it should, because the late Hulk Hogan made this term brother a little too familiar, right? And now where they would only use it to talk about their relatives, we use it on Sunday mornings for people that we don't remember their name, let's be honest. And it's like, have we lost the meaning of brotherly affection? A familial love? And I know when I say family, you're gonna get a wide variety of reactions. Some of you, like me, had a great family growing up, Praise God for that. And guess what? I had a great family. They were still messy. Some of you were dealt a significantly harder hand. I'll be honest. And when you hear love like family. You're like, yeah, right, what kind of love is that? And I'm here to tell you the only reason that you can have that type of gut level reaction and be like, yeah, right, my family was awful is because deep down inside of you, deep within you, God knows that you were made for a family. And the fact that you know that something is wrong means that you long for a family that does it wrong. Right? That's just proof. And this is what we're created for, this familial relationship. Again, I think Jews and Gentiles coming under the banner of family, they're thinking, what? And I look at a room like this and maybe we should be saying, what? Wait, Jesus, you're telling me that like, white collar and blue collar are called to be family? You're telling me that like, public schoolers and homeschoolers are called to be family? Rich and poor, white and black, like, fill in the blank. And it's like, wait, we're called to be family? Are you sure? Yes, we're sure. And one of the things that I fear is that when we think of a text like Ephesians 2, I just say Ephesians 2. If you love your Bible, which I trust you do, you come to Ephesians 2 and you're like, I am saved by grace through faith. It's not of my own doing. It's a gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one may boast. And guess what? I am God's workmanship. I'm created anew in Christ for good works which he prepared beforehand that I would walk in them. And you're like, yes, Jesus saved me. We love us. Some us, don't we? I'm saying, keep reading, keep reading. Look what Ephesians 2 says next. For He Himself. This is talking about Jesus. He himself is our peace. This is a communal letter here who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in and ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in the place of two. So making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body. You'll also see that language In Romans 12, one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off Gentiles, and peace to those who were near the Jews. For through him, through Christ, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God family. But you would note the word that follows brotherly is this word affection, which you can't fake, by the way. Romans 12:10 calls us to something that's not just familial in nature, it's emotional in nature. It's not just a fact, it's a feeling. We're actually called to feel a deep in our bones connection with and commitment to one another. The feeling of like, but they're my brother. They're my sister. I remember as a freshman in college, I watched the movie Brothers. It's like one of Jade Gyllenhaal's, like, five war movies. But I remember watching that and literally weeping because I'm like, I haven't called my brother in a long time. And I felt this real brotherly affection that I should have felt all along to be like, I love him because we are united. And though he and I are very different, what we share in common is more important than what we have. That's different. This brotherly affection that we look at one another and say, not only are you made in the image of God, that should be enough. That God would call every single human being in this room an image bearer. Whether you trust in Jesus Christ or not. But if you have received Christ through faith alone, here's what's true. You have been bought not with things like gold or silver. You've been bought with the precious blood of Jesus. And your brothers and sisters have too. That should make us think, wow, I really love them. Jesus treasures them, so I treasure them. How many of you have heard this phrase, family first before? That's encouraging. Actually, I was afraid, like, first service. I said, how many of you have heard of family first? Maybe they just don't like raising their hands. Very fair. But I think that this is a phrase that may begin to be lost on an individualistic world, an individualistic culture that it's like we need each other and we get each other right? And you don't have to be a Christian to understand family first. My wife and I live in Vinton. We have new neighbors who just recently moved in. We've been forming a relationship with them. They're not believers, but one thing has come up recently through talking about my diagnosis and faith and everything like that. This man says this, yeah, my cousin actually has cancer. I was like, I'm so sorry to hear that. He's like, but you know what? Family first, right? He's like, we drive just over an hour every Monday, take care of him. Prep meals for him. And that's what family's there for. We get to serve him. And I'm like, whoa, this dude doesn't know Jesus, but he knows family. He's like, we get to serve him. This isn't out of duty. This is out of delight. I'm gonna show up for him. I'm gonna sacrifice for him because he's my cousin. And I'm like, y', all, we're brothers and sisters. We get to show up for each other. We get to serve each other. And in the face of cancel culture, when it comes to family, we should be people that stand arm in arm with our brothers and sisters. And no matter what happens, we should be able to say things like, she's still my sister. He's still my brother. I mean, those of you with wayward children, you don't love the lifestyle they're living. What do you say? They're still my son, still my daughter. Like, you can't change that. And that's the invitation we're given here. Let's think about this like a family. Let's call each other brothers and sisters, not just as a formality, but from the feelings deep within our hearts to long for each other. Where Romans 12:10. Heads. Next gives me a lot of comfort because I have one older brother. He and I used to butt heads quite a bit. And one thing that I love, that the Bible knows is that we don't have to be blind or numb to this experience called sibling competition. Anybody with me on that? Okay, you're afraid to admit it. My brother and I competed in everything. And I think that's part of just, like, maybe being the baby of the family or being the older brother is like, man, we're called to compete. And when I get the opportunity to stand up and be like, man, teach on. One Bible verse, sweeter than honey. Something flipped a switch with me when I came across this second mark of the church. Because I've always been a competitive person. Any competitive people out there in general, okay? I don't know how to turn it off. Like, I was the kid in PE where people are like, dude, chill out. It's just peace. And I'm like, I don't care. Or people have said this to me before. Jordan, we're just playing for fun. I'm like, I agree. Winning's fun, right? And the longer I started to follow Jesus, I started to think, is something wrong with me? And the answer is yes, there's a lot wrong with me. But what I actually wanted to do Let you guys peel back the curtain of my heart. I. I wanted to, like, shut off this competitive side of me. I started to almost hate it because I'm like, why am I wired like this? This is insane. And then I came across this verse, and I came to realize that my competitive nature did not need to be removed. It needed to be redeemed. That God actually designed me as a competitor. I'm like, this is awesome. Sin had distorted it, but this is a part of God's design. We're called to compete. Look at this. Outdo one another. Outdo one another in showing honor. You see, the problem was not that I was competitive. The problem was that I wanted the glory. And Romans 12:10 actually calls us to compete when we're commanded to compete. In fact, this is the only passage in the entire Bible where there is a one another command where we are explicitly told to compete. But what you need to know is this is the type of competition when everybody takes it seriously. Everybody wins. Cause it's not about puffing us up. It's about putting the glory of God on display. This is incredible that we would compete in showing honor. And again, if you just kind of like, throw yourself back in this original audience, they lived in Rome, this powerhouse in an honor shame culture where, like, the thought of getting honor was really appealing. Build your reputation, build your status. Do not ever take the lowest place, because if you do, you lose it, right? You become the social outcast. But Jesus in the New Testament church, we look at statements like that and we say, that's just not us. It's not about getting honor, but giving it. We are called to compete in giving honor. And maybe we need help with what this even means. Cause I think sometimes it's like, how do I honor somebody? I'll tell you this. Most of us do it after people are dead. That's the unfortunate part. We do a lot of honoring at funerals or once obituaries are posted, that we say, man, they were a great person. They taught me XYZ in life. It's like, did you ever tell them that? In most cases, it's like, no. Why? Because it's awkward. Because we're not used to it. Because we think too much of ourselves. I don't know. Here's a good definition of honor. To recognize and celebrate evidence of God's grace in the lives of others. To recognize and celebrate evidence of God's grace in the life of others. And to compete in this means that we are constantly on the lookout for how God is on display in the lives of our brothers and sisters. It's like, we show up on Sunday mornings looking for opportunities to be like, man. What has God taught me through this person? How is God growing this person? How has he really sanctified them since the last time I saw them? How am I encouraged by their witness? Fill in the blank. Like, that's what it looks like to compete in honor. And it's not just flattery, right? Flattery is lying. We're talking about realities. Realities of Christ in you, the hope of glory in our brothers and sisters. And it's not just a general compliment. Like, the world can do that. Cute hair, girl. Love your shoes. Like, no, that's a general compliment. Let's be specific and let's talk about how Christ is at work so that they don't walk away and think, I guess I am a big deal. It's like, no, we walk away and say, jesus is at work. And I actually went to Philippians 2 in my study, because when I thought about this verse, outdo one another and showing honor, I was thought, you know, man, this gives me a lot of Philippians 2:3 vibes. Like, hey, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought. Consider others more significant than yourselves. Kind of sounds like Romans 12:10. And then it goes on to talk about the greatest example of humility, which is, when in doubt, say Jesus. Very good answer. Jesus, who, though he was God, did not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but he emptied himself. He took on human form. He died. And not just a normal death. He died a death on a cross. He took our sin, God's wrath that we rightfully deserved, on his head. And guess what? He didn't stay dead. He rose again victorious. He's seated at the right hand of the Father. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen. Okay? And if you keep reading, what's so cool is that you would think Paul is like, hey, I'm gonna talk to you about humility. I'm gonna prop up Jesus. And all of us are like, well, I'm not Jesus. It's like, you're right. You're not Jesus. But he goes on to talk about two guys. I'm just gonna fly through this quick. Timothy, tail end of Philippians 2. He talks to the church in Philippi. He says, I hope to send Timothy to you soon, that I too may be cheered of news for you, for I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own Interests, not those of Christ. But you know Timothy, right? You know Timothy. You know his proven worth. How? As a son with a father. Note the familial language there. He has served with me in the gospel. He's propping up Timothy. He's like, honor this man. Look how concerned he is for you and not himself. And then he goes on to talk about Epaphroditus. I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, familial language, fellow worker and fellow soldier and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Think about that. Epaphroditus is worried sick because the Philippians are worried that he's sick. Does that make sense? Okay, it's kind of crazy. Paul talks about Epaphroditus like this. Indeed, he was ill, near to death. He goes on to say, I'm eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice in seeing him and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor. Such men. For he nearly died for the work of Christ. He's propping up Epaphroditus, like, put some honor on this man's name. Do you see Jesus in him? He almost died to serve you. It's incredible. And maybe you're thinking, like, yeah, but that's still Timothy and Epaphroditus, so you can't even say his name. It's hard for me to, like, think about this church, this place, and not come up with, like 50 plus names of people who deserve to be honored. But I have a time limit in preaching, okay? I just want to honor a few for you so you guys can see this, like, lived out in real time, okay? A few men that I just personally and publicly want to honor this morning. Kerry Tranthem. Brother, you have taught me the gift of prayer. You have taught me what it means to truly believe that the Lord listens and that the power of prayer, it's the most powerful thing we can do. Thank you for showing me that. I honor you. Andy Petzold. This is going to be awkward. We're going to do this every service. I'm going to stare you in the eyes. But I honor you for showing me what it looks like to be a generous giver, to give with a cheerful spirit, and to show me what it looks like that money is simply an opportunity to worship. Brian Gradaville, Brother, you've taught me what it looks like and what it means to count it all. Joy when we face trials of various kinds. You've taught me what it looks like to suffer well, especially in this season. Woo. I'm going to try not to cry. Randy La Platte, I'm going to give you a hard time because you're probably the most like my brother. And that's what brothers do. We give each other a hard time. Thank you for showing me that we can be awkward early on in friendship. You're one of the few men who, from the first time I met you, cut to the heart and asked me about things that really matter. So thank you for loving my family and for loving me enough to care about my holiness. And lastly, Mitch Delameuth, brother, thank you for teaching me what it means to be a faithful presence. I feel like I'd always read about Jesus being effective, but never in a hurry. But you are the one who showed me what that actually looks like. Quick to listen and always on mission. For that, I honor you. And so, without me crying further, here's our big idea for today. Commit to familial love and compete in honoring one another. Commit to familial love and compete in honoring one another. And here's the bad news. Because that's what you came to church for, right? Bad news. Here's the bad news. You can't do this. You can't do this in your own strength. Because as the late Tim Keller said, a person who is merely moral or nice cannot do this. We cannot, in our own strength, love unlovely people. We will not do it. Amen. But here's what we can do. We can remember that this entire section comes in view of God's mercies. We can cast our mind back to Calvary and say what was true about us. How have we been loved? Here's what's true. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. As Jake taught you two weeks ago, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He loved you when you were unlovely. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent Christ to be our atoning sacrifice. Our application must start here. You can't muster up the strength and say, how do I try harder? How do I love people like family more? How can I honor people better? No. Consider the mercies of God and from the overflow, say, what does it look like to commit to the family, to commit to familial love? How can you prioritize unity in the Gospel, you might look at your connection, group, or people you sit next to in church, and you're like, we got nothing in common. But here's what's true. If they've been saved by Jesus, you have all you need in common. You have Christ. How can you prioritize unity in the Gospel? Number two, how can you grow in your devotion to the church? Like, I think we should probably ask that devotion definition more pointedly, and we shouldn't give ourselves a pass. Like, are we devoted to the family of God? Am I an attendee, or am I a participant? Do I show up, or am I a member of the body? How can we be committed to familial love? And lastly, how can we compete in honor? How can we be on the lookout for opportunities to just prop up Jesus and the life of our family and say, man, I want to do this with a competitive spirit? And let me just give you a quick reality here. I'm beating you guys, right? But it's because I have a microphone on my head. You guys can beat me, but it starts today. It starts now. Before you even leave this place, how can you spotlight the grace of God and a brother or sister to your left or to your right? And as we just begin to close our time, I want you to know that really our call to love one another is not just for us to feel better. It's not just for our good. You know what it's ultimately for? It's for God's glory. In John 13, Jesus stoops down like a slave. He washes his disciples dirty feet. And then he tells his disciples this. Do the same. And what he meant was not necessarily literally, like, oh, keep washing each other's feet. But what he meant was, as I have loved you, you are to love one another. Sacrificially messy. And then he goes on to say this. John 13:35, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Our familial love is not meant to just be a trait of our community, but a missional force. And here's what's true. When the church learns to love like family, Jesus gets the worship he deserves. Amen. Let's pray to that end together this morning. God, we come before you this morning and we pray. Jesus, like you told us. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. What a gift, this family prayer that we come before you as brothers and sisters broken in sin, beautifully redeemed by the blood of Jesus and united in the hope of the gospel. And Lord, we confess that we have sinned. We have fallen short of this command to love one another just as you have loved us, Jesus. We're quick to prioritize convenience or comfort. We lay that at your feet. And we say, lord, show us how to commit. Help us get our eyes off ourselves and to see your power, your grace on display in one another. But ultimately, God, I pray that each of us would be committed to fixing one another's eyes upward. That we would look to you, Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before you, you endured the cross and despised its shame. And you are now seated at the right hand of the Father. And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord. But we pray until that day comes that you would use our church, our family, the way that we love one another, to make your name great, Jesus, that you would be worshiped in Cedar Rapids, in the state of Iowa, in our nation, and to the ends of the earth, because you deserve to be worshiped. We love you. Pray this in your name. Amen.