All right. Good morning. Let's get after it. Grab your Bibles. Open them up first. John, we've been in there. While you're turning there, let me give you one announcement. Uh, we made this announcement, uh, online. Uh, but we haven't said anything on a Sunday because nothing was available, but now they're available. But I wrote a kids book. Uh, I know that's shocking. Uh, it's more my reading level. Uh, but it's meant to be a blessing to you guys, uh, read aloud with your kids and point and hopefully stir up good conversation and just, uh, a passion to know and pursue God. So if you're interested in that, uh, that's now that we do have some available. Alright, enough of that. Let's go first. John. Uh, go ahead and turn there. We'll be in chapter three. We got, uh, five verses today, three verses next week, and kind of looking into a little bit of a love test. So let's just get right to it. Um, how's your love life? Is that a little awkward to ask that question? Sure. Let's just go there. Like, how's, how's your love life? Now, when you hear that, you tend to think that I'm thinking about your romantic life. But we know love is not just confined to romantic relationships. As Christians, we're called to love our enemies, to love our neighbors, to love one another in the household of God. Like love is a call upon all Christians. It doesn't matter what your personality is. Um. If you're a Christian, you're called to a life of love. Um, and there's, there's no, no getting around that. In fact, what we'll see in our text this week and next week as well. Um, that it is an identifying marker of a genuine Christian, um, like this is just should be in the life of a Christian that if you've been made new in Christ, that love, um, specifically love for one another is something that, uh, is, is, is part of that. It's produced by that. Um, it's obvious, it's evident. In fact, do you remember how we ended last week? Just say yes for an encouragement. Okay. Uh. Verse ten. So if, uh, verse ten was our last verse we looked at last week. So guess what? Our first verse is this week. You guys are great. Alright. By this it is evident. Or you could translate that word obvious. Who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil? Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. Now, uh, we need to see the verses that we're looking at today in light of the verses that we read before. There's a continuous argument going on and John is saying, hey, it's obvious, um, who's, who's a child of God and who's a child of the devil. Uh, now, now when you think, okay, a child of the devil, don't think of like, boy, you just wear black all the time. You're really into Dracula and you're like, right, I don't know, whatever. Like just kind of weird stuff like that. It just means like, you just love the world. Um, you're a product of this world. You're in love with the things of this world. You, you have the same values of this world? Like, is that the camp you're in or are you in the household of God? And he's saying it's going to be obvious. It's going to be evident. And he looks to the practice of righteousness and love for one another. So what does your love life communicate about your spiritual condition? What does it say which family you're a part of? Now let's let's take a love test. It's going to be this weekend and next week. And I want you to lean, lean in because it might be a little different than what you might expect, because the world has a lot to say about love. But we're going to look at it like, uh, how's the Bible direct us when it comes to how love should be such a prevalent part of our life? Um, so first John chapter three, starting in verse eleven. Here we go for now. This is a good reminder that we're picking up in the middle of an argument because for because so what was said last week matters for what we're going to look at this week for. This is the message that you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another, right? I don't think anybody's against that. If you're against that, raise your hand. Okay. We're we're together. That was awkward. I shouldn't have done that because somebody's like, maybe I really am. This is a clear call, is it not? Like we should love one another that the should like it ought to be like, this is how we should function as, as Christians, as a part of the household of God, we should display a love for one another. It's a family trait. Like if you're part of the family of God, it's a family trait. And the should here is not just a command, it's also a test. So the command is you ought to live this way, right? And we would all be like, yeah, yeah, that makes sense. But it's also a test, as in genuine Christians do live this way. So are you a genuine Christian? Like do you do you see the fruit of God's work in your life coming out in the way that you love one another, and he kind of further makes it obvious that this is a test of genuineness. If you look over at verse fourteen, he says this, we know that we have passed out of death into life. Let me stop there. I'll answer the question we asked in just a bit, but I don't want to fly over that. We know that we have passed out of death into life. Isn't that good news? Like the good news of the gospel? Like this is something that God has done. Like we were dead and we're alive. We're lost and we're found. We were blind. We can see like this spiritual transformation that he's referring to, which is pointing to the supernatural work of salvation. Like he, he, he gave us eyes to see. He gave us life. He gave us a new heart. He took out a heart of stone, put it in a heart of flesh. Like he's talking about this miracle of salvation that God does. And it's awesome. Has it happened to you like that? How do we know that we've passed out of death into life? Let's keep reading. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Or another way of saying is like, you haven't passed out of life, of death into life, you're still in death. Like if if you don't love the brothers, that's a sign that you don't have new spiritual life. Like that makes it evident you're not a child of God. So he's saying, we know. We know that we pass from death to life because we love the brothers now. Um, do you have the article The Before Brothers? There's a bit of a debate. I don't think it's a strong debate, but there's a bit of a debate. Like, whenever John is referring to love one another, love the brothers. Like it's just talking about humankind like your fellow human being. Now, as Christians, we are called to love our enemies. We're called to love our neighbors no matter if they believe what we believe or not. Amen. All right. But I don't think that's what John is emphasizing here. You got the brothers and he's talking about fellowship with one another. He's talking about in the household of God. So even Paul, he says we're to do good to everyone, especially those in the household of God. And John is often quoting Jesus like, you've heard this from the beginning, but Jesus says, you'll know. People will know you're my disciples by the way you love one another, like the type of love you have for one another in your community. So John is talking about love for other believers. Other Christians. Now let me let me press in on a perhaps an attitude. I heard a sermon by John Piper a long time ago and it really just stuck with me. It wasn't this text, but it was this idea when when we're called to love one another, fellow Christians, there's an attitude that sometimes arises or you hear from from people in the church that say, I don't really like other Christians. I would rather spend time with my own unbelieving friends than my believing friends. Has anybody ever heard something like that? Like you have this attitude of like, I enjoy non-Christians more than I enjoy Christians. And he posed two questions that if that's kind of your disposition, that he's like, ah, you should think about this then, because the first question would be like, well, do you know any like genuine real Christians? If you're going to say you don't really like him, do you? Do you actually know any not not just church attenders, but like people who love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind? Like, do you actually know any real Christians? So, so check that out. And then the other question he would say is like, are you actually a Christian if you feel that way? Because if you find more joy in people who find no joy in what you say is your highest joy, that doesn't make sense. So, so this disposition of like, I enjoy non-Christians more than Christians. It's like, that may be because you are one. And now John, not John Piper. John the Apostle is calling us like. Examine love for one another as a validating expression of genuine conversion. Like it's it's just something to look for. Love for one another is a validation of spiritual life. Like, oh God, God's done something in you. He's put in a heart of flesh and that heart of flesh loves God and loves the people of God. So is that evident in you? And then he says this, verse fifteen, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Wait a second. What do you mean? I don't think he's saying that murder is the unforgivable sin. But that doesn't jive with just the rest of Scripture. Here. This is about hatred. And he's connecting it. Murder and hatred because Jesus connected it like you're angry at your brother. You've committed murder in your heart. So he's like, I'm getting at an emotion. Not not necessarily the action, although the action points to an emotion, but I'm addressing people who hate their brother. And the brother here. Is like, if you if you hate your fellow Christian, what does that say about you? Or I hate what a brother is all about. If a brother's all about God and his glory, that's just annoying to me. Okay, if that's the case, what does that say about your heart? Like, if somebody's trying to genuinely honor God in their life tangibly, practically, and you hate them for that, That doesn't make sense for you being in the household of God, if that's your emotion, if that's your reaction to somebody trying to pursue holiness in their life. Because remember what the dynamic was in this church with Gnosticism, like it doesn't really matter what you do in the body as long as you have this spiritual enlightenment. So basically, you have permission to live however you want. Christ didn't have a body. He was just kind of a spirit floating around. So Christianity doesn't take a physical form either. Live however you want, but then you got a group in the church. It's like, no, it does matter how you live. It does matter what we do in the body. And it's like John saying, oh, does that annoy you when other people actually want to be practically holy? Because if it does, that may say something about your spiritual condition. That's what he's getting at. You track it with me on this. So it's a test. It's like, do you do you love the brothers? Do you love God and the people of God. But John has a particular murder in mind and a particular murderer in mind that helps us better understand what he's saying. Go back to verse twelve. I'll read eleven just to get a running start into it. He says, for this is the message that you've heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like, who? Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. So he's got a particular murderer in mind, and he's got a particular murder in mind that he's talking to us about. That's going to help us better understand it. He makes this contrast. We should love one another. That's how we should act. And we shouldn't be like Cain. We shouldn't have. Who has hatred and and acts on that hatred towards the brother. So there's this clear contrast, but he brings up Cain and he brings up Cain for a reason. You guys know who Cain is? The first murder in the Bible. Uh, I think it's the third death. uh, so so def you had the God killed the animals to clothe Adam and Eve. Uh, Abel kills a sheep, uh, to offer as a sacrifice. We'll read that a little bit. Uh, and then Cain killed Abel. So before this death has always been an act of kind of worship and mercy, and he turns it into an act of vengeance. Um, so, Cain, let me just read it. We'll go to Genesis. Uh, for now. Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. And again she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. Now it's really hard not to preach this text, but. So we gotta get to another text. But I want you to see something here, because it's getting pointed out when it addresses Cain's offering to the Lord. It's just he offered the fruit of the ground. That's it. That would make sense. He's a worker of the ground, and he offered some fruit of the ground. But then when it gets to Abel's offering, we get a little bit more detail. That creates a contrast to Cain's offering. Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions, so he gave the best of his flock and the best part of the best of his flock. So there's a difference. Well, that upset Cain, and the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry and his face fell. He was mad, and you could tell. Then jump down to verse eight. This is what happened. Cain spoke to Abel, his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Now go back to first John. John's bringing up this well known famous account in their history and saying, don't, don't be like Cain, but notice the words he uses. He said, we should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one. Do you notice he doesn't say that Cain was evil? The the words he uses that he was of the evil one. Now why does that make sense in our context? Because you go back to verse ten. Uh, he says, but this by this is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil? So he's saying he was of the devil. Like it was obvious that he's in that camp. He's in that family. So, um, John is basically saying, hey, you got two families here, give me a child of God, or you can be a child of the devil. And both families have family traits. Like if you're a part of the family of God, the love of righteousness and the love of people who love righteousness, that makes sense. That's a family trait. But if you're in this family, lies. Murder, anger, hatred like that makes sense. You got two families, two family traits. And even though Cain and Abel had the same earthly family, they had different spiritual families. Evidently right to use John's language. Obviously they're coming from two different groups. And how why is it so obvious? Why is it so evident? Because of their actions. So you got a group of people that are saying like, it doesn't matter how you live in the body. And John saying, yeah, it does. It does matter how you live in the body because your actions speak to deeper spiritual realities. And John saying there was a deeper spiritual reality in Cain that his actions spoke to, and it does matter how you how you live. But why did Cain kill him? Like what? What was behind the murder? Like the the level of his anger that that came out in in murdering him. Look back at verse twelve. We should not be like Cain, who is of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do you see it? It is important to see. Did you see it? It's not just that Cain was evil, but it was because Cain's deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. Creates this contrast. See, the way that Abel lived created a contrast with the way that Cain lived. That's why Cain wanted to kill him. Like Abel's righteousness kind of further shone a spotlight on Cain's wickedness. Like it made this contrast and this contrast kind of stirred Cain up a little bit. So how did Abel live? Well, from what we know of him, live for God or the way the writer of Hebrews puts it, he lived by faith. This is what Hebrews eleven four says. By faith abled offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous. God commending him by accepting his gift and through his faith. Though he died, he still speaks. He was still there was still a message here. Well, faith, how like he says, he lived by faith. But but here's what's interesting. It wasn't like Cain's an atheist. Cain believes in God that we'll see a little bit. God speaks to Cain like he's very aware of God. He doesn't deny the existence of God at all. Cain offers an offering to God. So why does Abel have faith? But. But Kane is not represented as somebody having faith, because biblical faith is not just about believing that God exists. It's about believing he's worthy of the fat portions and the firstborn like that. It's such a faith that he exists. It's faith that he's worthy. Remember when Jesus talks about, here's what the Kingdom of God looks like, or here's what faith coming alive looks like. It's like a man who finds a treasure in a field and in his joy sells everything he has to buy that treasure. That's what it looks like. And that's what it looked like for Abel. It's not what it looked like for Cain. And Abel had faith. And when somebody really believes that God is worthy of it all. Well, that affects how they live, doesn't it? Okay, well, then here's where this goes. And when somebody lives by faith that God is worthy of it all, it creates a contrast with those who don't and contrast often creates conflict. That's why John says this next. Look at verse thirteen. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. Why would he need to say that when he's just telling them to be more loving? That seems unnecessary, but he follows up this command to love one another with a warning. Hey, love one another. And by the way, when you do, don't be surprised when the world hates you. Or it could be read. Stop being surprised. Like why? Why are you so shocked that you don't fit in? In this world, we follow somebody who is publicly murdered. Like, don't stop being so alarmed that you're not invited and included and, and, and thought, well, of like, you know who our leader is, right? So, so stop being surprised. But again, it's like, why, why would John say this when he's just calling people to love. Who's against love? How's love going to get you in trouble? I remember, uh, just graduated high school. Uh, my parents driving me to Arizona for my freshman year of college. I don't know anybody. Kind of a scary situation. Like there's a new start. Um, and my dad gave me some piece of advice that was really wise and really helpful. He said, Jake, it's really hard to be mean to a nice person, right? Meet new people. Like, is this really hard to be mean to a nice person? Just be a nice person. And some of you need to hear that. Just be a nicer person. Okay? Um, if he's like, everybody hates me. Well, it's like, it's really hard to be mean to a nice person. But here's what I also learned. It's really easy to be mean to a holy person. When someone's like, I don't want to do that. I don't want to go there. We're not going to engage in that. I don't think we should do that. And And you start to create a contrast. That contrast often creates conflict. And John is not talking about love in some general sense of just be nice people. Just be kind to one another. That creates no contrast. You don't need to give a warning when that's your command. That's not going to make anybody upset. Like, think about it. Do you think Cain would have killed his brother Abel if Abel offered a less acceptable sacrifice as well? If Abel just brought a sheep, it's an old one. I think his leg's broken. It'll work. Do you think Cain would have killed his brother then? No. Because Lukewarmness loves company. But he didn't do that. Instead, he created a contrast. Like I don't I don't feel bad about my half hearted devotion when everyone else around me has half hearted devotion. Isn't that isn't that true of all of us? And if that's true, do you see the scary consequences of a lukewarm culture? And you begin to just to feel okay because everyone is lukewarm. Like I'm not bothered that I watch that show, that I kind of felt like I shouldn't have watched. But then I found out everybody watches that show and I'm not bothered that I don't really I didn't sign up for that thing that church wanted us to do, because I kind of found out everybody did sign up for that, like, and we just take comfort in company. But if that company is lukewarm company, like that's not going to serve us well. Lukewarmness loves company. But what happens when somebody comes along who truly wants to live for God and they're passionate about it and they engage in sacrificial worship and devotion and all of their life and really tangible, practical ways. Let me ask you, would you love that person or would you find them a bit annoying? You know what I'm saying? Like, man, why do you always gotta be like that? Like, chill out, relax. Like just, you know, it's that that guy that's always going one hundred percent during conditioning and you're just like, dude, chill out. You're making us look bad. It's Jesus. He didn't die because he fed people and healed people and gave sight to the blind. He didn't get murdered, crucified for being a compassionate person. In fact, even when his disciples, after Jesus died and rose again, were performing miracles, helping people, and the religious leaders came to them. And it's like, we don't have a problem. You can keep healing people. That's awesome. Just don't talk about Jesus anymore. That's going to get you in trouble. Like when you press in to the only way of salvation and call people like you're making us uncomfortable because there is a type of love that will not cause you any problems in this world. There is a type of love that will will earn you points in this world. And here's the tricky thing. It's a type of love we're called to. We're called to have compassion on the hurting. We're we're called to feed the hungry. We're called to, you know, care for people. We'll get into that more next week. Like that's something as Christians, we're called to. That's just not what John's talking about right here. Like that kind of love doesn't come with a warning that people are going to hate you. We're called to love in a way A that that call is followed up with. Oh, and by the way, don't be surprised when people hate you for loving the way that I'm calling you to love, because John is calling us to love the things of God and the people of God practically and tangible in our life, that our love for the things of God and the people of God are evident. Go back to verse ten. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. So there is a call to righteousness and a call to love, and they both go together. So, so John saying, here's the love I'm calling you to, that you love the things of God and you love the people of God. I want you to be all about God, and I want you to be all about people who are all about God. But here's the ticker. I'm calling you to be all about God and all about people who are all about God. In a world that's not all about God. So keep your head on a swivel. That's that's what he's saying. Like you need to be all in for God, and you need to be all in for the people who are all in for God. And that's going to bother some people. So heads up. Because if we live like that, it's going to make people uncomfortable. It's going to make people uncomfortable. Basically, John is saying, hey, Abel is a good example who loved God, and Cain is a bad example who just hated his brother for loving God. So love like Abel and watch out for Cain's. Or here's here's the way you can put it. Rightly ordered love validates spiritual life in us and exposes idolatry in others. Rightly ordered love. And here's what I mean by that. Seek first the kingdom of God. What's the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, right? That's what I'm calling like a God. First I care for the glory of God. I'm passionate for God. Like rightly ordered love. Like that's number one, that's going to validate spiritual life in us and expose idolatry in others, which is loving, which is loving. But but it validates spiritual life in us because it's like, where did you get that? Where did you get a heart for God? Because he took on a heart of stone and put it in a heart of flesh, like the supernatural saving work that God does in your life leads to or expresses itself in love for God. Is that in you? Because that validates the work of God in you, and it also exposes idolatry in others. Because when you live for God, it makes a contrast with people who don't, or people who live for themselves That contrast is needed. Guys, this isn't just a text calling us to be nicer. This is a text calling us to be obvious children of God. Obvious in how we love and what we love and who we love. It's tangible. It's seen. Let's think about it. We're getting commanded to love. And we're. We're getting warned of the consequences if we do. That's odd. So what does that mean for us? Practically? Let me give you two, I would say, implications of this truth in our lives, but particularly drawing from Cain and Abel situation that he points us to. Here's number one. Don't judge the success of your love by the comfort of others. You know what I mean by that? Like, like, don't judge the success of your love by the comfort of others, which which happens a lot in our society. Here's what I mean by that. Like you, you're trying to love somebody, you're being obedient to God. But, but that person that you're trying to love, they don't feel loved. They feel judged, they feel overlooked. They feel degraded. So what happens? Whoever is the hurting person, whoever feels that way, steps back. Like, what'd you do? Why'd you do that? Why'd you make him feel that way? I didn't, I'm just trying to love him. I'm not in control of his feelings. But, like, these feelings have the highest level of authority. It's like, well, you must have done something wrong because they feel bad. Well, the way able loved God made Cain really uncomfortable. But John is not critiquing Abel. He's critiquing Cain. So don't twist it. Don't. Don't twist it. This isn't about Abel making Cain feel bad, right? Can you imagine the mom coming along and Eve gets Abel in the field instead of Cain? It's like, y you got to go do that, Abel. Don't you know how you made your brother feel? He's over angry in the other field. Why you got to do that? Why couldn't you just offered a lame sheep, right? Where are you going to be all self righteous, Abel, right? You're making your brother feel bad. Maybe he should. Maybe he should. Is this. This is about how Cain responded to his brother's righteous righteousness, and it could have gone better. Let's look back at Genesis four, because we skipped some verses before, and some of you are like, why did we skip verses? Here we go back to it. But for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. And the Lord said to Cain, why are you so angry? Or why are you angry? And why is your face fallen? Why are you pouting? Why are you. Why is it obvious that you're upset? If you do well, will it not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It's desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. The Lord goes to Cain. It's like Cain. Why are you so mad? Just repent. Like if you offer what's acceptable, it'll be accepted. Like just. Just change. You're okay. But. But you got this anger growing in you, and that anger is going to take over. It's going to get the best of you. And it did. It did. But Abel's life exposed Cain. Abel's devotion to God exposed Cain. But it also was very exemplary for Cain. Cain, this is the way. This is the way you go. This is what you do. He's worthy of the best. So? So don't judge the success of your love by the comfort or the feelings of others. That's that's number one. Number two, let's, let's look at it from the other perspective. Don't see other people's godliness as a threat to you. See it as a help to you. Let me say that again. Don't see other people's godliness as a threat to you. See it as a help to you. So. So let me ask you. Does someone else's passion for holiness ever bother you? Does he ever get a little annoyed by it? We were watching, um, one of those singing contest shows on TV. Um, and there was a particular contestant that I found very annoying. Uh, he wore way too much makeup for a man. Which is any, in my opinion. We always wore like these fluffy scarves and stuff and he was just crying all the time, like, get Ahold of yourself. Like. So I'm adding commentary to this show and it's making it funny. And, uh, as I'm talking to myself during the show and my comments are getting a little bit more funny. Rudy, my, my youngest child just said, well, his eyes aren't open yet. And I wanted to say, go to bed. But it was like, yeah. His eyes aren't open yet. He doesn't know He's lost. He's believing lies like. And instead of just like throwing jabs, how about throwing some prayers? Amen. Have you ever been around somebody who's more godly than you? If you haven't, you need to get more friends. And maybe it's just for that moment. Like they're just being more godly in that moment and it makes you feel convicted or exposed. Let me ask you, is that a bad thing or a helpful thing? And the way that we answer that question is so telling, because if I just want like to not feel uncomfortable and to not be exposed and to be thought well of and, and to kind of be right all the time, then that kind of that's going to really bother me. But if I genuinely and authentically want closeness with God, then it's like, thank you. Thank you for that correction. Thank you for helping me pursue God. Thank you for helping me get back on track. Because guys, the children of God are motivated in their godliness by other people's godliness. It's not a threat. It's a help along the way. A fool hates correction, but if you love God like I'm not trying to be the best. I just want to be as close to God as possible. And there's plenty of room at the cross. The child of God loves godliness wherever they see it and in whom they, whoever they see it in. It's a fan of godliness, and I want it. So how's your love life? How are you doing? In. In what you love and who you love and how you love. The search love. I mean like rightly ordered love, passionate devotion for the glory of God in all of life. That kind of love. That's a dangerous thing. That's a dangerous thing. And it's going to upset people. When you start creating a contrast, like you got to be the Holy One. You got to be the one that's you taking this Christianity thing way too serious. Yes, I am right, and I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it's not loving to to help people avoid these crossroads, you bring them to the crossroad. Who are you going to be? Are you going to repent, Cain, and offer a better offering? Or is this emotion going to take the best of you and expose what family you're really a part of? But we got to bring people to the crossroads with how we live and how we love. It's dangerous because not everybody's going to like it. When you create a contrast, you create conflict. The church. Our world needs to see a conflict. Do you see a conflict of good and evil? Light and darkness. We need to create this contrast. I mean, what good is it to have a light if you put a bowl over it? What good is it to be salt if it loses its saltiness? But it's dangerous and it comes with a warning. Don't be surprised if people hate you. But we're not here to play it safe. For this little bit of time that we have on this earth until we die, or the Lord's return, our goal is not to just. How do we blend in as much as possible? It's like, how do we magnify Christ as much as possible? We implore people be reconciled to God. We show him something different. But heads up, it's not. Everybody will like that. And I so hope that we are a very dangerous church. That when people come here, they see how serious we take the glory of God, how passionate we are for the spreading of the gospel. And if anybody comes here that doesn't know the love of Christ, I hope they see it. I hope they see it in us. And anybody that stays here that just wants to live lukewarm, I hope they get really uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. It'd be a dangerous church. And what better reminder of what we've been called to than when we come to the Lord's Supper? Don't domesticate the Lord's Supper. We are remembering a crucifixion. It is his body and blood. Why is that so important to remember? It's just a reminder of what we're called. To pick up your cross and follow me. Right. You want to find your life. Lose your life for my sake. Like, don't be surprised if Christianity is difficult. Remember the cross. Like, what a great reminder of what we're called to. And what's the best motivational speech to actually embrace that call? The cross of Jesus Christ. Because in the same message we're getting like, do you know what you're getting yourself into? We also hear the world may hate you, but I love you, and the world may be against you, but I've forgiven you and the world may alienate you, but you belong to me. So when we turn to the cross and be motivated into a type of love in our life that might upset the world. Amen. Okay, so here's what I want to direct you to do. This is the way we're going to take communion this morning. I'm going to I'm going to ask you to take communion on your own, and the band's going to come up and lead a song. And the first song is new. You don't even know it anyway. So just stay with me. Right? I want you to not rush this. I want you to remember the cross of Jesus Christ. Bow your heads and reflect on the call to follow him. To follow somebody the world crucified. And to know. That it's worth it. What does Jesus say? Hey, count the cost. Count the cost. It would be foolish to get in here and feel like you don't really want to do this. Count the cost. But you also hear Paul saying that these this present affliction, it doesn't compare to a weight of glory that's waiting for us. So count the cost and it is worth it. It is worth it to give your life wholeheartedly to somebody who gave their life for you. Amen. Let's pray. Father, I pray. That you do in this room what only you can do. Give spiritual life, spiritual vitality, spiritual passion that you breathe your life in us. And that is a life that sees your worth, that praises you, that celebrates you, that lives for you. We need you to want you. And we plead that you would wake us up to who you are. Pray this in your name. Amen.