The Road To Easter

You can tell a hurting well world how much we love Jesus and how much Jesus loves them. We can tell a wayward family member the same thing. We can tell them how much we care. We can tell them, well, you just fill in the blank. You can tell them anything. But without love and without loving unconditionally, without loving sacrificially, and without loving forgivingly, you know what? Nobody's ever gonna hear it. It doesn't mean anything unless you love unconditionally, sacrificially, and forgivingly. [01:22:01] (32 seconds)  #LoveMustBeUnconditional

We grow healthy. We grow roots that are that are intertwined. We grow roots that are strong and stable when we love forgivingly. And then lastly here, these three things all have to be rooted in love. First Corinthians thirteen one, Paul says this, if I speak in tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love. I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Think about that. It means you just make a noise. Doesn't mean anything. [01:21:19] (42 seconds)  #RootsGrowInLove

Healthy roots grow. We grow when we love one another unconditionally. Have you ever thought about what the word unconditionally truly means? So I did a little study on what does it truly mean to be unconditional in love? Alright? The definition of unconditional love is the following. Loving someone unconditionally means caring for them without any conditions or expectations. Love one another without conditions or expectations. This love is character characterized by acceptance, support, and regardless of what the person's behavior or circumstances. [01:04:50] (39 seconds)  #UnconditionalLoveDefined

Rather, he made himself nothing. Think about this first of all. Jesus made himself nothing. The creator of the universe made himself nothing by taking the very nature of what a servant. And that's what he told the disciples as well on the last supper. His he repeats himself. He's telling Paul is repeating what Jesus told the disciples here. By taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death and even death on a cross. [01:08:30] (49 seconds)  #JesusHumbledHimself

Somebody is there to support you. We've done the church has done that many times for many people in this church whether they are members or not. And most churches will do that. So the church is part of that support system and it's important to be part of that community. But that's only rooted if it's rooted in the love of Christ. We love one another when we grow unconditionally, and this love has to be unconditionally. [01:00:43] (30 seconds)  #ChurchSupportRootedInChrist

This love brings us life, it brings us health, it brings us healing, and it goes back to this inner winding of the roots. It brings us together. It strengthened us as a community of believers. We can stand together. When and we'll hear this in a moment. When you all of us have issues, we have we have needs, we have we need support, and what and when we reach out to folks, you get supported. [01:00:12] (31 seconds)  #LoveBringsHealingAndUnity

The first may say that, but if not, what else does could this mean? Well, we gonna need to read further. It says verse seventeen and eighteen, it says, if anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? That's the question you have to ask yourself. Remember, whenever you read biblical verses, you're trying to figure out what God is saying and you can read that, but then what does it mean? [01:17:54] (31 seconds)  #LoveShownByHelpingTheNeedy

But this is what happened. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that I just read here. He he sacrificed himself and he made himself nothing. But that sacrifice had to be for a reason. The very Jesus being the very nature of God made himself nothing. Think about that. He was born in a a manger. He was a helpless baby. He was relying on how many of us when we were new parents knew anything about being a parent? [01:11:32] (32 seconds)  #JesusUltimateSacrifice