United in Building

I want you to go with me again to the book of Ephesians. We dealt with Ephesians chapter 2 last week but we're going to go to Ephesians chapter 4 and it's an extension and a carry-on of last week as all these messages tend to be. But Ephesians chapter 4, I want you to turn there quickly this morning.

My message this morning, united in building on the foundation, united in building. My message here this morning is united in this building process. We have dealt with 16 previous messages on this spiritual foundation that our salvation is built upon and also that the church gets built upon.

But we started last week looking practically at this relationship. What are we building upon this solid foundation? But my message, part 17, united in building on the foundation. Reading from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you.

And that's an important word to beseech. I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. Notice this so very carefully.

With all loneliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit. Even as you are called in the hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all.

But unto everyone is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Now, let me just jump down. I don't want to read this entire chapter, but most of it.

In fact, I'm missing out bits I've often preached on, but I want to read these scriptures very specifically. Verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, make an increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

This I therefore say, in fact, just jump down to verse 25. Wherefore putting away, lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not.

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the things which is good, that ye may have to give to them that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, have forgiven you.

Can we pray together, saints of God? We need the grace and the love and the mercy and kindness to be here, to be minister to each one of us this morning. Father, we do love you. We thank you when we consider Calvary, what Christ done in laying down his life.

When we look at his forgiveness, when we look at his love, when we look at his kindness, when we look at his exhortations, when we look at that ministry. Lord God, that through pain and suffering and death and the laying up of his body unto the shame of man. Lord God, when we look what he went through, when we look at him in Gethsemane, when we look at him in his agony, oh God, to avail and prevail and in prayer, fear in the cup, oh God.

Father, we ask of you, Lord God, help us to enter into the very life of Christ, oh God, that he, the chief cornerstone, might align every single member of this body. Father, I pray that his love will be the marker of our love. His forgiveness, Lord God, will dominate and mark out what true forgiveness is.

Lord God, that his virtues made manifest in the body are going to so impact lives and marriages and friendships in this room. Lord God, that such a fervency of the love of Christ would be made manifest. Lord God, that we're going to see the reality and the vitality and the practical function of the body of Christ.

We want to be rightly related to the head. Lord God, we want to be built on a solid foundation. We want to be aligned and rightly related to that chief cornerstone.

We want to be in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, ministering to one another what is needed, Lord God, in season and out of season. Will you bless this word in Jesus' mighty name? Amen. Amen.

Last week's message was of such vital importance. I want to ask you something. I want to ask everyone that was here, that heard it, that was online, go back and listen to it again.

It is too important to miss. It is of vital importance. I'm not just casually saying that.

I'm begging you. I'm instructing you. I'm asking you as a shepherd of the sheep.

I'm asking you to go back. You know why already some have not heard what I preached last week. I mean the ones that were here have not heard what I said last week.

They definitely haven't. And I'll tell you what, those that didn't hear it, there's an importance for you to also understand what I'm saying this morning. It dovetails.

And really what I'm giving you again is only a snippet of much more that I would like to communicate to you, but time forbids that. Last week we dealt from Ephesians chapter two and three statements. Come back together.

Groweth. And what was the third? I've missed it. Habitation.

Those three statements. Biblical terms. And you know what? When you begin to understand them, you realize your salvation is not selfish or unto yourself.

Your salvation is on to grow on as a body. If you merely see yourself as an individual in this church, you pop in, you pop out. You've got no clue what the new testament teaches.

You don't even have a basic understanding of the epistles of Paul. Because as we relayed last week, there is a vision of us together growing up into a holy temple to be a habitation for God. We dealt with that last week.

I should have changed the title message last week. I should have said the vision of growing into a holy temple. Because saints, I don't believe most people coming in and out of church catch the reality of this.

That by obeying scripture, the teaching of scripture, we are functioning together. We are growing up, becoming something so God's holy spirit can come down and fill and inhabit in a dynamic way. When you begin to read and study the book of Ephesians, you see the church is depicted as a body that is united together by the word of God.

You also see the church depicted as a bride that is being sanctified or prepared by the word of God. And you also see that the church is a building founded on the word of God being built together by the teaching and the word of God. And so if you're going to build on an apostolic foundation, I'm in a solid ancient foundation, a biblical foundation, a foundation that is Christ-centered.

If you're going to do that as an individual, as an entire church, then you need to catch this vision. We as a church here, LCC, need to catch this vision. We're not merely spending some time together.

We're not merely gathering on a Sunday so that you individually can go and live your life. Absolutely not. There's a greater vision here.

If you're an isolationist, if you just by nature hate people, you're going to get very uncomfortable here, I want to assure you, because it is against the spirit of God. And I want to convey some of this here this morning. There is actually a calling in Matthew chapter 16 when Peter has his incident with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the Lord's asking the disciples, who do you say I am? And Peter had that revelation from the Father. You're the son of the Most High God. You're the Messiah of Scripture.

You're the Lord Jesus Christ. You're the rock of my salvation. You know what he says? Flesh and blood didn't reveal this unto you, but my Father in heaven revealed it.

You can't even know Jesus. You can't learn Jesus by education or hard work or merely being present. The Father has to open up a revelation of who Jesus is, or you could not come to him.

You would not know who he is here this morning. But listen to Matthew 16. After Jesus said that to Peter, do you know what he's saying? You're really born again.

You've been taught by my Father in heaven. And then he says unto them concerning building, building on a solid foundation, Christ, the revelation of Christ is the foundation. I will build my church.

I will build. That's God's purpose. Did you think it was merely to save you? Absolutely not.

Do you know what God's vision is? Not merely to save individuals and rescue them for sin. Oh no, that's a part of it, of course. That's a miracle.

That's why the Son of God came. But don't stop there. Why did he save a Peter? I will build my church.

And church isn't an individual word. It is a co-operative body. It is a gathering of the people of God.

The church is like a body, a many-membered body. The church is like a building, many parts to that building forming the entire building. It's all of these things and so much more.

But I want you to hear, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. It's on this revelation of Christ, of who he is, of what he done on the cross, that Jesus, Jesus is building a church. Saints of God, we need to be gripped by this.

We know that statement. We pray that statement. Do you practice that statement? Do you realize you're caught up in something as a saved Christian of being built together? You can't be built together as an individual.

No brick by itself is a building. A brick merely left to the side isn't a part of that building. You may be a brick.

You may be a Christian this morning. But are you part, vitally, of the church, the body of Christ, functioning? Here in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 1, Paul the apostle writing, and he asks a certain question, or he instructs him, he says, walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. He is saying walk worthy of this vocation.

It means to walk appropriately or to walk in a certain manner, to live your life in a certain way. You have been called with a great calling. In chapter 2, he gives the revelation of this building.

Here in chapter 4, he is talking about unity, the unity of the faith, what we are growing into. It's a continual letter. Chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, 5, 6. It's all one complete revelation of him instructing us.

Walk worthy. Walk in a certain manner. Walk appropriately concerning the vocation.

You know what a vocation is? A calling, a holy calling. A vocation is what you dedicate yourself to. It affects your entire life.

You say, this is what I want. This is what I'm giving myself to. People who are casual with church don't know what the vocation is.

They drop in. They drop out. They don't identify.

They're isolated. They're not part of the functioning of the body. Saints of God, there's a great calling in this city of Limerick for a functioning body of believers, for a church that actually grows onto a holy temple, that the power of God can come down and the presence of God, that God can reveal himself.

It says in Philippians chapter 127, only let your conversation be. And conversation means your lifestyle, how you walk, how you think, how you act, how you treat one another. Only let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ.

There's an entire calling here concerning what God wants you to do. Here this morning, I've got a word for you. I've got a Greek word for you.

I'm actually here standing going, I want to go in a hundred different directions. I'm sorely tempted to do that and to keep you to midnight. But I want to give you one singular Greek word.

Then I'm going to give you three points concerning it. It's a very important Greek word. I'm not being smart or funny talking about Greek words.

I'm not doing that. But what I want you to do, I want you to understand this vocation, this calling as the body of Christ. You see, what does the building look like? Christ said, I will build my church.

What does that look like? What does it look like for you to be compacted together? What does that look like for you and I to be part of the building growing up onto a holy temple, a holy of holies for God, for Christ to dwell in by the power of the Holy Spirit. But what does the building work look like? Do you understand what building looks like? Do you understand what you have to do to be a part of this building process? Because it's not only Christ who builds, it's actually us that are builders in the house of God. As a preacher, I'm a builder.

Peter was a builder. The Pharisees were also builders. We read that in the book of Acts.

Peter called the Pharisees builders. But what are they building? They could be building an organization, a system, or as a Peter, you're building a church. You are a laborer in the house of God.

But do you know what? All of you are either building something or destroying something. You're not passive in this church. You can't say, well, I'm not doing them.

I'm not a bad influence, but I'm not involved. That's utterly impossible. You cannot be here and not have some influence on this church.

Let me give you the one Greek word, and then we're going to go into not a deep dive, but just a light paddle in the shallows. Because you know what? It would take me a hundred mornings to go through what I'm really going to share with you. But I want you to be enraptured.

I want you to be inquisitive. I want you to be inquiring. I want you to understand and have knowledge this morning concerning one Greek word.

And it's the word in the English. It's one another, another. You say you're going to preach a sermon out of that.

Yes, I am. Just wait till you hear. You need to understand the word another.

You can't be a builder in LCC. You can't be involved in this construction work we are involved in unless you understand the word another. I actually don't believe you fully understand the importance of this word.

It's a bit like the word and, or the, in the Bible. You're reading your verse and you just jump over certain words. You don't stop and think.

You're getting the gist, or you pick out some word like redemption or forgiveness, and you miss the little words in But I want you to stop for a second and I want to minister. This is a word inspired of the Holy Ghost. Words are important.

If you don't understand them, you're ignorant. You'll miss something important. So, I'm giving you this word another.

In the Greek, it is the word Elihon. It's used 100 times in the New Testament. 100 times this word is used.

About 47 of those times, in connection with this word another, there is a clear command given to a real believer in Christ in the church. A command of something you're to do. An attitude of heart you're to have.

An action that you're to perform. A thought that you're to think. A message you're to communicate.

Words that are to be spoken. So, this word another, half of the time, some say 57 times. Others say 47.

Okay, and I'm not going to debate that. All I know is that of the 100 times it's used in the Greek. Half of those times have a command for you in this room.

A clear, precise, important command. It's not an option. It's not a choice.

It's not a suggestion. If you obey it, there's blessing. If you disobey it, there's terrible consequence.

So, we want to look at this another for a moment. Sixty percent of the times this word another is used, it's used by the apostle Paul. One-third of the times it is used, it is in reference to unity in the body of Christ.

And again, one-third of the times it's used, it is connected to the word love or the heart or the action of loving one another. Do you see the importance of this little word that you ignore so casually? About 15% of the time it's used in our New Testament, it's connected to humility. So, as you begin to stop and consider the simple word another, you suddenly realize its importance.

And this is going to grow over the next moments as I begin to share this. It's a very important thing for you to get. What does the Greek word another mean? It means this, of one another, of one another, we together.

It means to one another. Just think on this. Just bear with me for a moment.

It means mutuality, if that is actually an English word. I'm sure it is. Mutuality, but it expresses what I want to say.

Or to reciprocate. In other words, I'm giving to you, you are giving to me. So, of one another, given to one another, I give to you, you give to me.

That's what the word another means. It starts to take on, as you study this word, it has a real meaning. It's not talking about two individuals or two people.

I don't want you to think of anything I'm about to say of two individuals, because that's where your mind will go. I'm not talking about you and me as two individuals. Oh no, it doesn't mean that.

This word another, the Greek word, actually is talking about something far, far bigger than that. It's talking about an entire group of people. The Greek word means that.

It never just means two people or their interactions are them given to one another. It never means that. What it actually means is an entire group who are dwelling together.

What they give to one another, what they receive from one another. And so, the Holy Spirit uses this word to begin to show you how a church functions. What it looks like to function as an entire church.

So, it's a group of people functioning together. What they give, what they receive, what they're not to give, what they're not to receive from one another. Let me give you an example.

We have people in the body of Christ. They walk into church or they're here and they say, I do not feel loved. I'm here in a church service.

I walk into your church and I don't feel loved. I don't feel noticed. I don't feel friendship.

I don't feel accepted. I don't feel, I don't think, I don't see, I don't hear. Do you realize when you understand what I'm about to share? That is seriously wrong and dangerous.

Will you get someone coming in saying, I don't feel loved? Well then, love someone, will you? God help you. Wake up and stir yourself. No one in this church has the right to say, I don't feel loved.

Will you go and love someone then? You can never walk off hurt, offended, touchy, strained, criticizing, talking, backbiting, and a hundred other things that the Bible talks about personally unless you have laid down your life and given what is lacking in that body. If you think something's lacking here, then you be the embodiment of it. And if you come criticizing someone, I'm going to study and watch your life to see, are you matching up to that? Because you know what? I get tired of this shallowness.

It's easy to judge a brother. It is very hard to live out the word of God. You know what? It'll cost you prayer and tears and sweat.

Here, I'm just dealing with one incidental Greek word here. I haven't even got onto my message yet. I'm just letting you know.

There is an answer for this another. Oh, I'm here. I'm not receiving.

Well, then begin to give. Begin to give. Remember, like I said about friendship, do you want friends? The word of God says, then be friendly.

Oh, there's no friends here. Begin to be friendly. I promise you, you can't begin to be friends with others without winning friends.

You will win friends. You'll raise them up around you. Oh, no one associate, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Stop here this morning. You need to be very careful where that sort of thing carries you. And so this word, it's a clear command concerning interactions in a whole group of people.

It's all about giving and receiving. It's a community of activity. This word, another, puts a group of people together, and it speaks of their activity, their thoughts, their words, their actions, their interactions together.

It's talking about the governing principle of our interaction. Do you know what's the governing principle? This word of God, not your thoughts, not your experience, not your past, not your expectations. This word of God governs every interaction, your attitudes towards each other, your words spoken to one another, your prayers for each other.

This word of God is the mind of God. Do you know what the word of God is? It's God's thinking and everything in written form to you. You want to know what God thinks.

You know, I like to answer questions. You know that everywhere I go in the world, I end up at a table. Do you mind if we ask question, question after question, everywhere, Germany, America, Ireland, it doesn't matter where.

Question, I love it. You know why? My entire life, I've studied to find answers from the word of God. I soaked myself in this book.

I'm a man who asks a lot of questions. Therefore, I went and found the questions or the answers to these. You know, this one single word is talking about our entire gathering together is connected.

You cannot be in this and in isolation. You can't just keep yourself. You can't just attend service and go.

I don't need to know anyone, pray for anyone, or have any interaction. You are disobeying the word of God. If you're not close enough to be heard, you're not obeying the word of God.

If you're not known or if you're not knowing, and let me just tell you what the word of God says. You know what the Bible says? It says to all of you here, know them that labor amongst you. The preacher hasn't come and sat with me, hasn't phoned me, hasn't sent me an email, hasn't talked to me, hasn't had a five-hour chat with me, hasn't taken me to a meal, hasn't invited me to his house.

You didn't invite me to your house, okay? I'm waiting. I might shock you and come. Some of you will be scared out of your wits.

Okay, I'm coming Monday night. But saints of God, there's this interaction that we have. I went and forgot where I was going there.

But these are commands concerning hard attitudes, words, and actions. And if you come this morning, if you learn what this word another means, it's going to come as a revelation. It'll change your reading of Scripture, that you're actually ministering into the body of Christ.

Oh, I'm just me. I don't know much. I'm not a preacher.

I'm a young believer. I don't have anything to give. That is not true.

You've got an awful lot to give into this body. You're a part of the building process. This is not only a singular word.

There's a hundred times to choose. At least 50% of them are telling you something clear you've got to be doing in this church. Yeah, come back to that Scripture.

I remembered where I was. It says know those that labor amongst you. That's your responsibility.

It's not my job. I know the sheep. I look out for your spiritual care.

But you have a command in Scripture that says you've got to know me. You ought to study me, saints of God. You ought to listen to my testimony.

You ought to watch me. You ought to ask questions. It's your job.

If you don't know me, then it's your responsibility to set yourself that you understand this preacher. Many of you have watched my marriage. Many of you have watched my lifestyle in good seasons, bad seasons.

You've watched me casually relax as well as stand in this pulpit. My life is an entire open book. But there's a responsibility.

Do you see the danger? When you don't know the word of God, you're there saying, why doesn't he talk to me? Why doesn't he come and shake my hand? He didn't communicate with me. Why don't you do it? Do you see everything that I'm saying here? And I'm only giving you the set and the platform of this message. I'm showing you that there is something that you're to give to minister into the body of Christ.

And this is one Greek word. I'm not even telling you all the words that are connected with it. Then I'm not telling you about all the other words that relate to the subject that aren't even this word.

But I'm going to stick with this one word. Another this morning. Can I give you just three simple and others because I'm only shallow one in the shallows of the ocean, because this entire subject is an entire ocean for us to swim in.

And we as a church, we need to study the word of God, understand the word of God, and then embark on this. I'm telling you what God expects of you as a member of the body of Christ. You cannot decide what your function is in this church.

You cannot decide how your membership looks like in this church and here membership in this church. We don't have an official membership. If you're here, you're a member.

If you're faithful. If I know about you, that you're here, a member, then you're a member. If I don't know who you are.

Oh, I'm a member. Sure. I don't know you.

I never see you. You never come to prayer. How am I meant to define that? But saints of God, I want to give you three and others love one another, forgive one another, and exhort one another.

And that isn't even beginning. If you begin to understand, this is a calling. Do you know why? Why would I worry about these things? Because we're building something.

We're building on a solid foundation. We have spent several months dealing with this solid foundation. Do you have a solid foundation of salvation? Do we have a solid foundation as a church? Then if so, let's build something.

But you need to know how to do that. A man stand there with a hammer at the sideline. I'm telling you, a good boss is going to say, what are you doing? Oh, I don't know what to do.

I'll give you something to do. Oh, there's nothing for me to do. Stand there.

Come with me, son. I've got a thousand jobs you can do. I've got a thousand nails need to go into a bit of wood.

He's standing there saying, I don't know what to do. I'm not important. I've got none to convey.

You've got an awful lot to convey. I see it. I see the great need here.

Let's be gripped with this this morning. But when you come to this word, one another, listen to what it says in Romans chapter 12 and verse four. For as we have many members in one body, talk about your physical body, many members, one body.

As in other words, it's an example. Look at the physical body. And all members have not one office.

Do you see that? All members of your physical body don't look the same, act the same or have the same function. So we, in other words, the church being many are one body in Christ. This is one church, one body, but many different members and every one members.

Listen carefully. One of another. That's the first one I want to give you.

It lays out the principle that when you look at the church as a body, you are governed as a member of this church by one another. We are members one of another. If you're here, a part of this church, you are a member of this body, one church, one body of Christ, one building, but many members.

What governs that? One another. In other words, you need to communicate something and you need to receive something. And we as an entire body, we're given, we're receiving, we're participating.

We have an intimate connection. Remember what I said about the word of one another, to one another, mutuality, alike, similar. The word means one another means to be like one another.

There's a different Greek word. It means two different people who are dissimilar, but the Greek here means two people interacting who have similarities. They're born again.

They're birthed the same. There's a similarity of heart of desire of what the spirit of God has done. It says in Ephesians chapter four, where we read this morning, where for putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor.

Why I'm telling you, listen to me for a second. Why obey the word of God? Oh, because God says that no, listen, do not lie one to another. Why does he say that? Put away lying and every man speak the truth with his neighbor.

Why it tells you verse 25 for we are members. One of another. Why are you not telling lies and speaking the truth to one another? Why are you obeying this command of speaking the truth and not lying, not being deceptive or manipulating because we're members one of another.

We are dwelling together. You see scripture begins to build this vision of a body. It says in one Corinthians chapter 12, 13 for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body.

That's not the baptism in the Holy ghost. It is the Holy spirit baptizing you into a body. When you get born again, remember what we said last week, the Lord added those that were getting saved.

He added them to the church. This is a work of the Holy spirit to baptize you, to immerse you in the church. I've seen few that are baptized into the body of Christ, but the Bible talks about it.

This is the normal church. Listen again. What it says by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body.

Yes, I'm in the church. Why aren't you functioning then? Why aren't you being lost in the body of Christ? The word baptism means to be submerged, to be drenched into, to, to, to be literally soaked in the midst of. It's like water baptism, but look what the Holy spirit's doing.

He's taken you and he's immersing you in the body of Christ. Why? To be one another, to be members, one of another, to have this common identity, to have a responsibility where I'm in a minister to you and you're a minister to me. Be careful what you say around these tables.

When we eat together, be careful of your interactions, one with the other. My first point here. Oh, I'm only getting going way to 12 tonight.

Number one, love one another. Listen to what Jesus says in John chapter 1334, a new commandment. I give unto you that you love one another.

See, you haven't noticed that word before you go. Yes, love one another. No, I'm explaining what this means.

Jesus gives it as a command to all his children, to the church that's gathered together. Love one another. You're actually in a common civilization.

We have a citizenship. We are the household of God. We are one body.

We are one bride. We are a church gathered together. And you know, this first one, another love one another.

In other words, you're on the responsibility to love. Oh, no one's loving me here. Then for God's sake, love someone.

Why not pray into it? Why not fast? Why not come to church this morning? God help me. I'm going to love someone. I'm going to love them by my words.

I'm going to love them by my prayers. Do you realize that would radically change your Christian life? That would change the service this morning. You walk in there instead of being sensitive and hurt and offended all the time, instead of looking, why isn't he doing something? Why isn't he preaching? Why isn't he ministering to me? Why isn't she speaking to me? Why isn't she doing this for me? How about you just loving your brother and sister? Why don't you come in this door going? I don't care if I get nothing this morning.

I'm not a leech. A lot of people in the church, they're leeches. You know what leeches do? They suck the blood out of you.

They're takers. They're not givers. A leech latches onto the body.

It's actually there. It's an other taker. There's a lot of leeches going in and out of churches.

You know what? I don't like that. You know, there's a good way to get rid of a leech. Fire works very good.

Just light a fire. Stick a match in it. It'll just drop off that body.

See, a leech has come to take your very life source. It's destructive of the church and the body of Christ. Someone comes here.

You can always tell who they are. They come here when they don't get their way. When they don't get what they want, they leave.

They walk and they try to tear the door off the church on the way out. That's all they were here for. Why don't you come in to love? Jesus Christ said this, that you love one another.

But notice this, as I loved you. Oh, don't look to me as the marker. I am not the marker of this.

Love one another. Let us love each other. What's the marker? As Christ has loved you.

You remember what I said last week and the week before? In this building, what is Christ? He is the foundation, but he's something else. The chief cornerstone. The most important stone.

Every stone in that building has got to line up with this stone. It's the most important. It's the biggest.

What does it do? It creates strength. It joins walls. It rightly relates every single stone.

In other words, every stone in this building, every born again Christian in this church has got to be aligned with Jesus Christ. Love one another. How? As he has loved us.

The marker of our love is the chief cornerstone in this church. I've got to love you as he loved us. That's how I love you.

That's my marker. I don't come in here and say, they don't love me. They're not giving to me.

They're not thinking about me. They're not helping me. He said this, she said that.

I'm not coming. I'm coming saying, where's the chief cornerstone? I want to be in line with him. I want to love like he loved.

I want to speak like he speak. I want his heart. I want his thoughts.

I want to be his command. He says, love one another as I loved you. How did Christ love us? He laid down his life on Calvary.

Can you imagine Christ said, I'll love you as you love me. Oh boy. He didn't do that.

Do you know what? He's on a cross being crucified for your sin. Peter's denying him three times that night. Judas is betraying him.

All the rest of the disciples barge on, have run for their lives and are hiding. They're scared for their life. He's got a handful of women standing before him.

Men are walking past them. If you'd be the son of God, come down off the cross. They're laughing.

They're reviled. The two feasts are mocking him. What does love look like? This is real, authentic, genuine love.

This is the love of God. Saints of God, it doesn't depend on what others are doing to you. You go, I love you.

I don't care if you hate me. I don't care what you say to me. I don't care of your attitude.

I am going to love you. Do you realize that's why our hearts got conquered? Because someone came after us, who loved us, would say, I don't believe in you. I don't believe that.

I don't want that. I'm angry. I'm bitter.

I'm jealous. I hate everyone in this city. Do you know who you had come after you? Someone who said, I love you with unconditional love.

You don't love me, but I love you. Can you imagine how that changes a marriage? How that changes a friendship? How that changes a church? What that could do in a city if we got a hold of this as the body, as the church of Christ? Are you aligned this morning with the chief cornerstone? Oh, oh, I think I'm doing pretty good. What in comparison to Jesus? Do you love others like he loved? I wonder what a church would look like that fully walked in this.

I wonder if everyone loved in this church like you love, what this church would look like next week. I mean, exactly like you. If your love was the pattern, your words, your actions, your attitudes, your interactions.

If that was the marker for everyone else for the foreseeable future, how would this church look health-wise in the coming weeks? He then goes further by the show. All men know that you're my disciples. There's a key marker, love one another.

Did you think there was an option? I'm annoyed at them. You don't have an option. I've got an issue.

Who doesn't? Get on with us. Love one another. By this, I'm going to know you're a disciple, a follower of Christ, that you're being taught by Christ because love marks a gap love.

The God kind of love. Love that's inexplainable, unconditional, irrational, fervent, sacrificial. That's what I'm talking about.

Christ is the marker. Look to the cross. That's the sort of love I want here.

Not that wishy-washy thing that ignores sin. Oh no. Not that thing that accepts everything and everyone and it doesn't matter what we look like.

I want the real love of Christ to be shared abroad by the power of the Holy Spirit. It says, if we have love one for another, I know you're my disciple. In these two verses, Christ uses the another word three times.

It's an important word. Love one another. Don't separate love from one another.

You're in a church. You've got an obligation. I am laying a heavy responsibility on you here this morning.

Did you come in and think you're coming for a sermon? Do you think you're coming in for some fellowship afterwards or a sing song? Oh no. You have an obligation, every one of you. It's not that we expect too little of the church of this day.

Sorry. It's not that we expect too much of the church of this day. We expect too little.

Where's the challenge of the sins? Why don't we live this out? Loving one another as Christ loved us. He's the chief cornerstone. Number two.

So I'm not deep diving. I'm only taking you in for a paddle. Do you think this is heavy stuff? Intense stuff? Someone a few weeks ago said, you're very intense in the pulpit.

I said, oh no, I'm sitting there at this table. I'm very intense sitting at this table. I said, you think I'm intense because of the tone of voice? Because the style of preaching? You think that's intensity? You know nothing.

My love is fervent. My love is burning. You don't know what my heart feels like.

When I pray for you, when I see you go in the wrong direction, or I see sin come in, or coldness, or attitudes of heart, you can't imagine what my heart is like. I have a fervent, burning heart on a Saturday night as I pray for you and consider you. I am intense, I want to tell you.

But I can whisper and be as intense as anything. The second point, forgive one another. It says here in this chapter, Ephesians chapter 4, 32, be kind to one another.

Do you get that? Tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, have forgiven you. What does that sound like? Love one another like I have loved you. Now, what does he say? Forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, have forgiven you.

It's the same thing. Do you know what Christ is? He's the chief cornerstone. You want to know how to love? Look at the chief cornerstone in the building.

You want to know how to forgive? Look at the chief cornerstone in the building. That stone aligns everything. That's a Christ-centered church.

I've gone to churches, their doctrine is sound. It's Christ-centered. It's theologically right.

But the members in that body are not Christ-centered. Their love does not look like his love. Their forgiveness does not look like his forgiveness.

And so, again, the apostle Paul ministered in Ephesians 4. He's talking about this building. You want to know how to build this church? Love one another. You want to know how this building is going to become a temple? Forgive one another.

If you go to one of those religious churches where you come in, do the service, and escape before having to meet anyone over a cup of tea or an hour or a conversation, you don't get to talk, you don't get to stand in there too, or them to probe you, you don't have any of that. You go in, you smile, shake someone's hand, you smile on the way out, there's no interaction. That's not what we are as a church.

We are a vibrant, functioning body. We are caught up in each other's lives. At some point, I'm in danger of hurting you.

I'm so sorry about that. But you've hurt me as well, okay? So, let's get on with it. Let's forgive one another.

The word forgive, what does it mean? Let go of. The command here is forgiving one another. Let's create a functioning church, a community, a gathering of God's people where the overarching theme is forgive one another.

And all your interactions, how you speak, your attitudes, forgive one another. It says, if your brother sinned against you, go to him. What did it say? Sin.

It didn't say go to your brother every time something happens. It doesn't say that. It says sin.

You better be sure you're going to your brother when he sinned against you, something the Bible calls a sin. It's not irritations, not things you don't like. It is going over an actual sin that is wrong against the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's where you go. Listen to what he says here. He continues in the chapter 5 verse 1. Be ye followers of God as dear children.

Walk in love as Christ has also loved us and has given himself for an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. So in the previous chapter, he says, forgive one another. And it always leads back to the love of Christ.

Before talking about forgiving one another, he says, be kind to one another, tender hearted to one another. So do you see how complex this is? It's not just loving each other, not just forgiving each other. Oh, there's an awful lot more to this sense of God.

I want to tell you, it says in Colossians 3 verse 12, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved. Listen, bowels of mercy, never say anything, never do anything unless you put this on, put on, you're putting on Christ bowels of mercy. In other words, you're inside, your internals are filled with mercy.

Put on mercy where you feel it inside. Kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering. All these words are powerful words for bearing one another.

What's the word for bear one another? Oh, it's another one for bearing one another. We're not going to deal with that. Let me just say for bearing one another, it means to put up with a lot.

Do you put up with very little or are you noted for putting up with an awful lot for bearing one another and forgiving one another? If any man have a quarrel against any, forgive, I've got a quarrel. Yeah, it says that if you have a quarrel, forgiving one another. You know what a quarrel is? A fight, a cause, an issue, a problem.

I've got a quarrel. Yeah, well, forgive them from the heart. Doesn't mean go and tell every time.

If your brother sins, then go and talk to them, but you don't verbalize everything. I don't like this. I don't like that.

I disagree with the song this morning. I don't like the style. I think that was not what I preferred.

We're going to find out if you're living under another, loving one another, forgiven one another. Hey, I haven't even begun on this. We're paddling.

Okay, we're paddling. You're not swimming. You're not up to your knees here.

We are merely paddling in the basics of God. And it says, listen, if any has a quarrel, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. If Christ pursued after you like you pursue after others, or you hold things against others, God help us.

None of us would be saved here this morning. Not a one of us would be forgiven. When you go and say, forgive me.

And he forgave you. Down on the cross, he actually said, forgive them for they do not know what they're doing to me. He didn't need anyone to come ask him.

In his heart, he's forgiven. His heart is free. What does forgiveness mean? The word forgiveness, let go of.

It's to open the hand. You let go. It's gone.

Some people say they forgive. Oh, I'm walking in forgiveness. But what about this and this and this and this and this? I believe in dealing with issues.

We've done lots of messages of that. We, lots of teaching on that, but let's do the other side. Learn to be a forgiver.

Get over it. Don't be sensitive. Don't be hypersensitized.

Saints of God, the Bible says you ought not to be. You forgive one another from the heart. Kindness, grace, mercy, marking you.

These are repeated time and time again. There's some 12 times it talks about forgiving one another and loving one another. These things are repeated time after time after time.

It says in Matthew 6 verse 12, and forgive us our debts. It's a prayer, the Lord's prayer. What Jesus taught us, we're to pray daily.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive others. How would God's forgiveness look like towards you if it was gauged on your interactions with other believers? Christ actually says in teaching it, we're meant to pray this daily. Give me my daily bread, not as a recited prayer, but this ought to be a part of our life.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debts. This week, did you ask for God to forgive you? Yes, you're going very quiet on me. What about every day? Have you asked God frequently this week, forgive me? Let me ask you another question.

As you're praying that, think back over this week. Have you prayed as much concerning you forgiving those who owe you a debt? Do you see where I'm going with this? We don't even stop to think. We're going, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me.

We don't even spend time going, Lord, I want my heart clear. I want a free heart. Doesn't mean it's not an issue or doesn't need corrected or doesn't need to be under church discipline.

I'm not saying that. I'm talking about a heart that is absolutely free. It is free before God.

You know, there's no one as best as I know that I've got unforgiveness to in this heart, not a single soul in my entire life. But I want to tell you, there's a lot of issues that need dealt with. Someone walks in that door, say, I'm back.

Let's sit down and have a long talk. Now I've forgiven them, but that issue isn't over. Oh, but you should be forgiving me.

Yes, I do. I haven't had anything in my heart, but we are going to deal with this issue in a biblical way. So that's another part of scripture.

There's no contradiction here. And so the Lord Jesus teaches us, forgive us our debts. In other words, I've done things.

We want people to earn our forgiveness. And we're saying, Lord, will you forgive me? I so mean it. And we expect them to say, yes, but someone we're dealing with others.

I don't think they're sincere. Let's watch them six months or a year. Let's put them through the fire.

Let's go cold on them. You horrible person. Where did you learn that? Saints of God, Christ is the chief cornerstone for the building.

I want forgiveness here like I see it in Christ. I want love here like I see it in the Lord Jesus Christ. And straight after teaching us how to pray, listen to what he says in verse 14 of Matthew six.

For if you forgive men, their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not their trespasses, in other words, they've done something to you. They've hurt you.

Do you know that? Well, they never come and ask you forgiveness, but have you forgiven them? They trespassed against you. There are deaths. Since you're a Christian, you're born again.

What are you going to do? Walk around with all these sinners. I'm offended at him. I'm offended that them.

I'm annoyed at them. You need to let go of that. You need a, that's why you're so burdened down.

You need a walk in the same love as Christ. He's on the cross and they're guilty, but I forgive them certain. Lastly, let's finish Hebrews chapter 10, verse 27, exhorting one another, loving one another, forgiving one another, exhorting one another.

And I'm going to close in this Hebrews 10, 24. Let us consider one another. I can't get away from the, and others consider one another.

You know, the word consider means you stop. You think about it. How much time have you stopped and considered thinking about other people in this church or last night? Who prepared themselves last night for this morning? Coming in, going, I'm going to make that one and not one, not one.

I'm considering them. I won't say that because of this reason. I won't do that.

Or I'll go and help that person. Let us consider one another to provoke onto love and good works. Some people drop comments to provoke you, but my Bible says, consider one another to provoke, to love.

I ought to be thinking about you and going, what can I do to Inga to stir her to love and obedience in Christ? Is there a little word I can say? Is there something I could do? Is there a little book I could give to her next Sunday? Is there a sermon I could send to her? I want to provoke her to love and the good works. So I consider her, you can't get away from these one and others. When you begin seeing them, you'll see them everywhere.

And then listen, the next verse, don't separate this, keep it together. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Do not do that.

As the matter of some is, listen to the next command. This is one of the others. Exhorting one another.

Exhorting one another is in the context of not neglecting fellowship together. Don't do that as some do it. Some sit at home and say, Oh, I'm a, I'm a Christian.

I love the Lord. There's churches, but I'm just having a day off on a Sunday. Are you kidding me? You're neglect.

You're disobeying the word of God. Exhorting one another. This is the final one I'm going to deal with here.

Though there's many that we've already mentioned in person. We're commanded exhort one another. It's not my job to exhort though.

It is a core side sword. I do it every week, every meeting. I am exhorting you, but listen to what this word means because it's for you to do to one another.

You want to build this church up, love one another, forgive one another, exhort one another. It's not my job to exhort. Oh, I'm not a preacher.

I know that's fine. That's okay. I'm glad you're not.

I'd hate it if we're all preachers. Can you imagine a Sunday of soul preaching? Oh boy. No, I'm not sitting there.

We're all going to stand. We're all going to preach. What a chaos.

I'm tired. We'd have a mighty fight up here in this pulpit. There'd be bruises and blood and sweat and all sorts of things, but we're all called in this church.

Exhort one another. It is a ministry of the local body. One another.

Christ expects it of us, but listen to the Greek word. Parakaleo is the word. How do you exhort one another? Parakaleo.

Gather as a church. Be together. Don't neglect it.

Don't stay at home. Don't make excuses. I understand genuine things.

Understand those online who don't have a church in their city or their area or near them. I understand that. My heart breaks over that, but if you have a church, do not neglect it because when you come together, you're just, oh, I went there.

No one exhorted me. No one encouraged me. No one sat down beside me and had a conversation.

Do you have your eyes on the chief cornerstone? Are you aligned? Listen to what the word means. Parakaleo. To call to, to call near, or to go sit by someone's side or to stand beside them.

You stand there beside them or sit beside them or walk back beside them. And then as you do, you're speaking to them, beseeching them, comforting them. That's what the word means.

It is a ministry of exhortation, consolation, encouragement, urging. It is the action of motivating someone else to action. Stirring that person to keep walking.

Do you know what we're doing as a church with Shona and Ethan? They are in a great trial. They were suddenly plunged into a trial they never expected and losing their baby at such a late stage. Weeks within this.

Do you know what? They need a body around them. They need brothers and sisters. They need family members who actually exhort them.

Parakaleo. You come alongside. You're speaking to them.

You're ministering, sending a text, doing something else for them. What are you doing? Keep going. Keep walking.

Keep serving Christ. Keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus. It's not a small thing to tell your brother and sister.

Keep your eyes on Jesus. I'm struggling with temptation. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Maybe they just need to hear that one simple phrase. You go, oh I'm not a talker. I'm not a communicator.

Fine. Why not just sit down beside someone? Learn a scripture on a Saturday night. Sit down beside them.

Oh I can't talk. I can't. I'm really awkward.

I'm not good at this. I feel shy and then think what am I doing here? Why not learn a scripture? Sit down beside three different people. Turn to them and just recite the scripture.

Why not do it? I'm telling you the shock, the surprise. What if the Holy Spirit's leading you in that? Oh but I'm not good. I don't care.

Why not fight through and become an exhorter, an encourager of the body of Christ? The word elsewhere used in the New Testament for exhort is also the word beseech. Listen, Romans 12 1. I beseech you that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, wholly acceptable unto God. Do you see what Paul's doing? I'm exhorting you.

Present your body to God. I've just exhorted you. Or listen this, Romans 15 30.

Now I beseech you brethren that you strive together with me in your prayers. Come on guys join with me in prayers. Do you realize? Come on stand.

Let's praise God together. Don't do that just yet. Stand and let's praise God together.

Why doesn't someone pray? Why doesn't someone give a testimony? Do you see that exhortation is in this church? Paul says in Romans 16 17. Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions. Oh I'm still exhorting you.

Mark them. Point them out. Name them.

Coordinate them off. Make sure people in this church knows this person causes division. Make sure you know who they are.

You know what I'm doing? I'm exhorting the body of Christ. This is a ministry of exhortation. Do you know that's as important as loving someone or forgiving someone is to exhort you to mark out the divisive person.

Saints of God we've just gone for a little shallow. But we're, do you know what we're going to do in the weeks and the months and the years ahead? We're going to go further than paddling. We're paddling in this message for an hour.

But what we're going to do with our lives together under another, one another governed by the word of God. You know what we are doing? We're going to go out to the knees, then to the waist, and then we're going to swim. And we want to do this together.

I hate being alone. And you know what? What are you going to do in your hour of crisis, your hour of need when trouble comes? And there's no one there to love you, to forgive you, to help you, to encourage you, to exhort you. As we close, listen to these other another's briefly.

Receive one another. Admonish one another. Greet one another.

Preferring one another. Do not judge one another. We've taught entire series on how to judge one another.

But it says don't judge. Do you know when you're not meant to judge? We need some sermons on that. We've become experts because we've stood against the air of sin.

Don't judge. Don't judge. We go the other way.

You don't even know when not to judge because that becomes sin. Greet one another or kiss one another. Just let's be careful there.

Serve one another. Bear one another's burdens. Forbearing one another.

Comfort one another. Edify one another. And I could keep going, but there's also the negative.

Do not provoke one another. Do not envy one another. Do not devour one another.

Do not hate one another. Saints of God, let's stand here this morning. I want us as the body of Christ, one another.

I want that common fellowship. We are building something here. We have a solid foundation.

We've got apostolic doctrine. We've got biblical truth here. We want to be sound in the word of God.

We want to be Christ centered. We want to be old-fashioned. You young guys, you're looking for a new trendy church.

I'm so sorry. We are going back to the early church. We are going back to revival.

We're going back to the book of Acts. We want something that's cutting edge. I am tired with what's contemporary.

Contemporary style, contemporary worship, contemporary preaching absolutely stinks in the nostrils of God. I want what is ancient, biblical, real, solid. And you know in the midst of that, saints of God, we've got a solid foundation, but that's not sufficient.

Let's build a house together. We have a good foundation. We preach biblical truth of a real salvation.

But you and I together, not just two people, but entirety of our church community. You know what it's going to cost you something. It's easy to critique.

You could critique my sermon this morning. Too long, too short, too this, too that. Okay, you preach next week.

Not only next week, you preach for every week, week in, week out, when you lose your wife, when you have your troubles, when you don't feel anything, when the heavens seem like brass. And then we'll see, do you show more compassion and mercy? But why not love one another, your brother, your sister, that's in around you? You don't know the trials that are going on in this room. You don't know the trials going on in the room and around you, the people behind you, in front of you.

I know a few of them. I don't even presume to know a fraction of them. The battles, the struggles, the temptations.

I just pray, Lord, help me to exhort, help me to love, help me to forgive, help me to be patient. This man here keeps telling me, told me recently, says, you're the most patient man. I haven't seen you once in all of these years ever lose your head, your patience, whatever.

I went, well, you're being more gracious to me than I'd be in myself. But that's the witness of someone who's watched me at first time through so much. Saints of God, I want to tell you, we're pressing on.

I'm not the completed work. I wouldn't presume to say that, but I have a vision of what the church can look like. It's glorious.

I know what you can be. I know you're not there. I know you're a work in progress.

I know you'll fail along the way, but why don't we do this together? Father, we love you. We praise you this morning. Lord God, we lift our hearts and our faith unitedly.

Lord God, help us to love one another, care for one another, to exhort one another, to forgive one another. Lord God, we pray that we might walk in all of these one another's as the church of God, the body of Christ. Lord God, we know that so many issues arise, pressures and troubles and strife.

Lord God, but we're asking of you that you minister, that that chief cornerstone would align every single individual in this church, that you'd put us in straight lines. Lord God, that you'd fit every brick in its right place, one beside another. Lord God, that you'd drive us together, that you'd compact us, that you'd knit our hearts together, that it wouldn't be casual associations.

Lord God of indifference, but oh God, I pray as time passes, Lord God, that everyone would come to the house of God, not just to receive, but to give, to minister, to pour out of the love of God, to be a friend to someone, to exhort someone that's in trouble. My God, to show forgiveness where that's needed and patience on every hand in Jesus' mighty name. Hallelujah.