 1 Corinthians chapter 16. We'll begin with verses 13 and 14, and then we'll move into verses 15 to the conclusion at verse 24. 1 Corinthians chapter 16, beginning with verses 13 and 14. Paul is giving his last directions to the church of Corinth, and he begins his conclusion by saying this. He says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love. Throughout this book, Paul has needed to bring both rebuke and correction to the church in Corinth, Greece. As we began this particular study all the way back in chapter one, let me remind you how that Paul had received a report from the household of Chloe, and they had said that things were not going well in the church there in Corinth. The church was experiencing things that were threatening to undermine the effectiveness of that church. And as we have gone through 1 Corinthians, we've seen that the church was developing real discord over a variety of things. There were things that were happening that were undermining its effectiveness. There was division, comparison of teachers. There was an issue of sexual immorality. The church had questions concerning marriage, idolatry, the rule of women, communion, spiritual gifts, the resurrection, personal stewardship, and all of these questions had to be answered. Now interestingly enough, the church considered itself to be tolerant and culturally sensitive. And so Paul corrected them by pointing out that they didn't even know what love is. And that's why he gave to us 1 Corinthians chapter 13, because love had to be defined for the church, because the church didn't even know that very basic thing. And so as the church's founding pastor, Paul had a great love and a great concern for them. As we saw, they had come to faith through his ministry, and Paul made it very clear that he loved them and he loved them very deeply. He planted the church, but there were those who were claiming equal authority in their lives. And because of this, Paul had to write a reminder to remind them who he was. We saw that in chapter four, verse 15, when he said, though you might have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. You may have many people who add to your understanding of Jesus Christ, teachers who influence you, teachers that you listen to. We could bring that to the 21st century and same kind of thing could be said. A pastor could say to somebody, you may have access to a lot of teaching and a lot of ministers who can bring valuable things and insights into your life. You can turn a radio on and listen to radio ministry. You can turn a television on and you can watch a televised program. You can go on the net and you can watch various church services live. There are people that you perhaps know who will watch a service for the worship and they'll worship along with the singing over the net. Then they will turn off when the last worship song is concluded, then they turn on another program to watch the teaching and they basically what they're doing is they're creating a custom church for their own pleasure and they do that and there are people who do that. Perhaps you know people who do that or maybe you've done that yourself. You watch one program because it has a certain thing you like. You watch something else from something else and you kind of blend them together. Well, teachers today, pastors today could say a similar thing. They could say, you may have 10,000 fathers, 10,000 instructors rather, 10,000 people who are breathing into your life things of the spirit but you only have one father. And that's what Paul was saying. I begot you in the gospel. And as a person, Paul would be saying who has been the one whom God used to bring you to faith in Jesus Christ then even though you have others who are adding to that which I have given to you yet I have a father's love for you even what could be called a father's jealousy because fathers do have a jealousy for the children, don't they? They wanna make sure that whomever it is that is influencing their child is the right person and there's a fatherly jealousy that you have a protective instinct that you have because that's my child, that's my baby. Well, Paul was saying that though you may have 10,000 instructors yet you have but one father, I begot you in the gospel. And I have a pastor's love for you he is saying and I want you to grow in your faith. Well, he wrote an entire book of corrections but now he's concluding with five commands. And each one of these commands can be seen as the logical conclusion of this letter. Now I want you to notice how we begin here in verse 13. He begins with a single word. Verse 13 begins with the word watch. Now this command to watch is a word watch is a word that is used some 22 times in the New Testament. The word that we translate watch can also be translated vigilant or be awake, be on guard, even be on fire. It's a word that is used that is opposed to being indifferent and being asleep. Now as we studied first Corinthians we saw how they seem to be spiritually asleep in the church. Again, they were divisive. They were substituting human wisdom for spiritual wisdom. They were immoral. They were unconcerned for the spiritual welfare of other people. They were misusing their gifts. They were simply unloving. They seemed to be completely oblivious to the spiritual climate that was around them. And because of this, Paul begins to command them. And he's saying to them, be on the alert. He's saying to the church, his first word is wake up. Wake up. Now that seems to be common. This need to wake up seems to be something common in the body of Christ. Paul writes in Romans 1311 and says, do this knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is near than when we first believed. Wake up out of sleep. Now wake thou that sleepest and Christ will shine on you, he told the Ephesians. There is a need to be on the alert. There's a need to be awake. There's a need to be on guard. There's a need to be on fire. And so he's closing his letter by beginning with that word. Watch, be on guard, be on fire, be on the alert. What am I to be on the alert for? Well, one, you are to be constantly on the alert against Satan. The Bible tells us in first Peter chapter five verse eight, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Now this is where they were making a tremendous mistake. They really didn't believe that the devil was there to bring them harm. But that idea is very basic in scripture. There are believers even to this day who don't believe, and I've heard the interviews and I've read the statements where they really don't believe that there's a personal devil that is actually intending to do them harm. Or do anybody else harm for that matter? They look at him as being a metaphor. They look at him in a different sense than the real thing. It's the real deal. But Paul and all the writers of the scripture from the old to the new, when speaking of one who would be referred to as Satan or the devil indicates that that's a real being. Now you see an example of the enemy and action in the book of Job in chapter one verses six through 11. In that particular portion of scripture, we read now, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it. Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? That there's none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man when who fears God and shuns evil. So Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side who have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. Now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has and he will surely curse you to your face. Be on the alert against the enemy. He walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You may be thinking of yourself as being insignificant and nothing he would even care to bother with. But I have to tell you something, he doesn't see you the way you see yourself. He sees you as an enemy. He sees you as somebody he once held captive to do his will. He sees you as an individual who has escaped from him and he's not happy about it. Oh, it's true, he's probably not chasing you around right now personally. He is aware of you. And a third of the angels fell with him. They became the demonic hordes that show their allegiance to him in rebellion to God. And they are very aware of you. And they are aware of your habits. They are aware of your friendships. They are aware of the things that you like. When you think you're by yourself, they see what you're looking on on TV or the net or whatever. They watch you. And now I'm on TV. Or the net or whatever. They watch you. And now I'm not trying to teach you paranoia. You're gonna be walking out of here looking over your shoulder, driving with your mirror, looking at yourself. He's very real. I was, our church was maybe two years old at the most at the time. I was teaching a Bible study in the Gospel of Mark. It was a Wednesday night. And I climbed into my van and I pulled out of my driveway and I was driving to do the Wednesday night study. I was teaching on demons and demon possession that night. And so my mind is on the activities of the enemy, the kinds of things devils do. And I'm thinking through the message and I'm thinking through some of the points that I want to make and the warning that I want to give to people. Be on the alert the enemies after you. And I notice that I'm almost out of a gas so I pull into a gas station. When I pulled into the gas station and it started to slide off the seat so I could go and fill up my tank, suddenly I felt claws on my back. And I screamed like a girl. I yelled, Jesus! It was a cat. The neighbor's cat had gotten into the van and I was taking it bye-bye. It was going for a ride with me. And when I opened the door, he saw that as his chance to get out of my van and jumped on my back and dug its claws into my back and then bolted out the door and ran down the street. But I have to tell you, man, I had my mind on the devil and he showed up. I thought, oh, poor wretched sinner that I am. No, I don't want you to be that way. I'm not asking you to drive home, looking over your shoulder, waiting for something to grab you, some claw. But we do need to be aware of the fact that he is alert and aware. He never sleeps and he always means harm. Don't forget that. Don't forget that. One big problem we have is we give him too much credit. The other problem we have is we pretend that he doesn't even exist. We need to have balance and moderation, but we need an awareness beyond the alert. The enemy is after you. He wants to destroy you. He has a way of destroying you through other people because when he attempts to take you out, well, because you're wearing your armor, so very often he may cause some damage, but he doesn't do that much. So what does he do? Well, he'll go after your family. He'll go after your marriage. He'll go after your children. He'll go after something that matters to you, and he tries to do damage that way. That's one of the reasons we have to remain alert. We have to be prayerful because the enemy is wanting to destroy. A second thing is we need to be alert against temptation. Now, Paul had made it very clear that they were to be on guard against a false confidence. In chapter 10, verse 12, he had said, therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. As someone once said, an unguarded strength is a double weakness. Pride always will result in failure. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, we know that Jesus went into a garden and we know that he went to pray. And as he was laboring there in prayer, his men became sorrowful and they fell asleep. And Jesus and Matthew 26, 40 and 41, well, it's recorded concerning him that he came to the disciples and he found them asleep and he said to Peter, what could you not watch with me one hour? And then he said this, watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. So watch for the temptations of the flesh. And sometimes you can be tempted to do something evil by something that appears to be good. You may have been an individual who had a drinking problem, but God delivered you. But your friends still remain with drinking problems and you want them to be saved. And so you go to visit them. And as you go to visit them by yourself, they invite you to have a beer or two or three. And you think that as you're there sharing the gospel with them, that you're getting through to them. And in reality, they're just giving you beers just to watch you make a fool of yourself trying to be a witness. How do I know that? Because it happened to me. Because I wanted to win my friends to the Lord. Why don't you just have a beer with us, Dave? It's no big deal. You can drink a beer, can't you? I mean, does God not want you to have a beer? Well, before you know it, there's one glass and then there's another glass and there goes my testimony and there goes my witness. Even though I wanted to bring the gospel to them as a young believer, I fell pray to simple temptation. And so watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. You have to be on watch against it. A third thing is to be on the watch against lukewarm indifference. Lukewarm indifference. There's the old illustration of the frog in the kettle. You get that frog, you put it into water because the frog doesn't have the ability to monitor the change of temperature. You can put a frog in a kettle, you can put them on the burner. You can turn the heat on very low and the frog will remain in that kettle, not noticing the temperature of the water and the water begins to rise in its temperature and boils the frog to death. Frog never even noticed it was in danger. It was incapable of doing that. And there are a lot of believers whom I would say are kind of like that frog. They're saturated by the culture that is all around us. And they begin to accept it as being normal. And then instead of remaining alert, they become calloused. They begin to accept it as it is. And they stop seeing the value of encouraging people to come to faith in Christ because they become dull themselves. In Ephesians 5, verses 15 through 17, Paul said, see then that you walk circumspectly. Not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time. Because he said, the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Walk circumspectly, walk carefully. Walk as if you're in a spiritual mind field and the wrong step can set off a mind. Be aware of the fact that the days are in evil opposition to you. The cultural climate, the spiritual climate is of such nature that it resists the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be aware of that and do not become indifferent. When Paul was in Athens, he revealed what righteousness does when surrounded by godlessness. It's found in Acts 17 in verses 16 and 17. And there we read, while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. And therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Paul was in a city that was known for its intelligentsia, for its philosophy, its higher learning. Paul was a premier intellectual and intellectuals have a tendency of being attracted to intellectualism. They are the type who like to learn and like to be around people who also like to learn. And the Athenians were known for hearing some new thing and discussing it constantly. Paul was there in this center of intellectualism, but the Bible says that he wasn't taken captive by it, but rather his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that they were given completely over to idolatry and as a result of that because he was on the alert, he was there to share with them the good news of what God can do and what God had already done. So be on the alert against apathy because it leads to acceptance instead of resistance. Be careful because the church is asleep in the light. Right now the body of Christ is asleep in the light and I see it clearly and it grieves me to be honest with you that there are so many people and this is not a judgment against those whom I love is just a fact. There are so many people who have given up the fight. They seem to think it's just not worth it anymore that there's just, we've lost this entire generation that's coming up and I don't believe that. I believe that God wants to do a revival. I believe that. I believe that God wants to wake up young people, but I believe that also that the older people have got to wake up to our own indifference and our lack of hope that we have and we need to pour ourselves into the young people who are willing to receive from us. Now there are some young that we encounter who have never taught a Bible study but can instruct me at any given moment because they know everything there is to know. All you need to do is ask them and they'll let you know. They know how everything should be done and sometimes that kind of youthful arrogance is off-putting to say the least and then all you need to do is remember yourself at the same age and how you knew so much more than everybody else. I know nobody in this room I'll speak into myself, I realize it. I knew so much more than my dad. You know, my dad just didn't know it. My dad, you know, what could he really know? Come on. You know, it's like what Mark Twain said, paraphrasing where he said when I was 17, my father was completely ignorant, but I was amazed when I turned 21 how much that old man had learned in four years. And when we're young, we know everything. We know things that nobody even wants to know that we know and we will end the tell them in any given moment. But the fact is there is so much untapped energy, so much untapped potential, so much untapped ministry in young people. My great desire is to see revival amongst those who are younger because let's face it, you know, we're getting older, I'm getting older, I know none of you are, I'm getting older. And as I'm getting older, I'm also aware of the fact should the Lord tarry that one day I'll hand the baton of this ministry to somebody else. And I wanna hand it to a younger man, somebody who's gonna be able to take this church until Jesus comes and to lead them in the way of the Lord. I want them to be awake and I want them to be alert and I want them to have energy and I want them to have vision and I want them to change things. I want them to do things. You wanna change the interior of the sanctuary, go for it, you wanna change colors and carpets and whatever, I'm good with that. You wanna bring a different style of music in, fine with me, whatever's current, whatever's right, whatever reaches, I'm good with that. I don't have a problem with that at all. You know, sometimes I get letters from people here. Sometimes they filter through to me. Most of the time there are people who are reading letters and then they distribute ones that I can personally respond to and I do that every week. I answer several letters a week and some are handed to staff who handle some of the things and on occasion you'll get the letter, it's cold in here. I mean, it's a prayer request and yet the prayer, that's cold in here. Well, I'll pray for you. I mean, you know, music's too loud. You know, the music before the service is bar music. That's true, I'm telling you. Where's the tip jar? And I can tell you it's a guy my age writing that. It's gotta be some old goat. Cut it out, cut it out. I mean, come on. I don't wanna be in the way of the young people. I don't wanna get in their way. I want them to lead. I want them to take us into the future. I don't think my way is the best way. I believe that God's way is the best way and if God has a new work he wants to do, then God do your work. We've gotta remain flexible and we've gotta be open to what the spirit wants to do because we are pushing young people out the doors with our old stupid attitudes. We have to watch out. And I'm not gonna do that. I will not be guilty of that. And if anybody ever thinks that I don't like young people, they don't know me at all. I love the young people. I love 18 to 35 especially. If it's 36, I love you too. But I love that group. It's a messy group. They're messy. Got all kinds of drama and issues. But I love them. I do because that's the future of the church. I was 20 when I got saved. What a mess I was. And God did something in me. Why can't he do it in everybody, right? So be careful that you do not become indifferent and apathetic and just oh, same, oh, same, oh, I'm just tearing to the Lord comes. Get out of the way. Let God move. Does that sound harsh? Forgive me. Get out of the way. Let God move. He wants to do a new and fresh work. He does. I want to be part of that. I want to be part of that. And I really believe that God wants to do something fresh right now in these days. A fourth thing to be alert against. Beyond the alert against false teachers. I stand alert against that. Before the service I had somebody I was speaking to was telling me they received a rabbinic ordination seven years ago that Yahweh himself gave. And that I was ignorant because I didn't understand that. See, I'm aware of those things. I keep my eyes on those things because Jesus told us when asked a question concerning the signs of the times and how do we know when you're about to return? You see this in Matthew 24 specifically but other passages, Mark 13 and others. And Jesus said take heed that no one deceives you. The primary sign that you're living in the last days is deception is rampant. Deception is rampant. Jesus said that. He did speak about earthquakes and wars, rumors of wars, famines, plagues and things of that nature. You see that in Matthew 24 but the question was what is the sign and the answer is be careful that no one deceives you. That was the answer. The answer is deception. And so the infiltration of the church by false teachers is the preeminent sign of the last days. In 1st Timothy chapter four verse one Paul said the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith. They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. In 2nd Timothy 4, 3 and 4 he said the time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2nd Peter chapter two verse one there were false prophets among the people just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. And so beyond the alert against false teaching just because he is so cool or she is so sensitive when they say it does not make it true. In our generation today that I've been observing if it feels true it is true. If I feel good when I walk out then I must have been given truth. How many of you realize of course that sometimes when the Lord speaks to our heart it doesn't feel that good. Everybody know that? You all know that? Yeah, I know that. I hear that almost every day from the Lord in one way or another. It doesn't always feel good. It doesn't. It doesn't. When I went in and I had some cancer removed from my face it didn't feel good. It doesn't feel good when they put needles in your face. It doesn't feel good when they start burning your skin and you smell your own flesh. That doesn't feel good and it doesn't smell good. Smells like a chicharron but that's something else. It made me hungry, burning pig flesh. Doesn't feel good. It really doesn't. When they sliced my nose from my eyebrow down to my nostril that was not something I wanted done. I promise you though when the surgeon was operating I didn't move. I was as still as you can be. I didn't move. When the Holy Spirit is operating don't move. Let him remove that which is gonna end up killing you. Let him remove it. Let him take it out. Sometimes truth when it's spoken even with a smile can come in a painful way and it can hurt. It can hurt your feelings. It can make you feel bad inside but I've learned something. Sometimes I need to feel bad inside. As a matter of fact that's a sign that I still have a conscience and I'm still aware of God when I can be grief for something I've done. Don't get apathetic. Just because somebody is saying something you like does not make it true. Just because you walk out with a little bit of a some spring in your step and you had a great time today doesn't mean that you were really worshiping God. Just because the guy up there is so cool. He's got those skinny jeans on and his hair's all spiked so cool and he uses those cool neat profanities to kind of show you that he's with it and he knows what's happening because he's the hipster preacher. Just because all of that's taking place doesn't mean you're being led in the right direction. Do you know that? Do you understand that? Because some of the better known preachers that I'm aware of today that people flock to here are taking people down the wrong path. And when people like me stand up and say, you know this is not right then their devotees, their followers the ones who are their cheerleaders the ones who are behind them oh you're just jealous because you don't have thousands showing up to hear you. I don't want to be accountable for such error. I don't want to have to stand before the Lord and say I led 20,000 people in the wrong direction. I don't want to be accountable for that. I want to teach the truth and you have to be careful. And I realize it, you know because people used to say well Calvary Chapel's the cool. You know it was the cool movement and we were maybe you have to look back we were 20 years old, 22 years old, 23 years old. We're starting to do ministry starting pastor churches some of the largest churches in the United States today are pastored by Calvary guys. And we were looked at as being cool and our music was cool and cutting edge you know but guess what? Times change people are looking for different things. It could sound like sour grapes when I as a pastor stand up and say watch out. Somebody say oh you're just jealous because your church isn't big as if a size of the church has ever really mattered. And it doesn't. God gives the increase. One sows one waters God brings the increase. That's never been our goal anyway. But because people are always looking on the outside they're always looking to see what the outer appearance is. Oh that's successful because it's big and so many people show up and they have to have a stadium for this and that must be true they're on TV they write books. Jesus would be looked at as being a terrible failure because he only had 12 real close guys and one of them was Judas. You have to be careful that you don't look and see and say oh numbers mean everything or exposure means everything very famous. So they must be true. No be very careful deception comes in a variety of ways. Be very careful. And then finally on a more encouraging note believers should be alert on the alert for the return of Jesus Christ. In Mark 13 verses 34 through 37 we read the coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. You too must keep watch for you don't know when the master of the household will return in the evening at midnight before dawn or at daybreak. Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone watch for him. That's what motivates us by the way is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is coming at any moment. We ought to be living as if he is. And so we're watching for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so that's the first word we better move into the rest of the verse. Then he goes on and he says stand fast in the faith be brave be strong. So secondly stand fast in the faith. When he says stand fast in the faith be firmly planted in proper doctrine. The faith is another way of expressing the counsel of God. Hold firmly to revealed doctrinal truth. It's not a matter of opinion only. You see in a time when people preach that all faiths are the same what are believers to do? Well we're to hold firmly to the truth of scripture. The Corinthians were being moved by various teachings that had infiltrated the church. This was a common occurrence in the early church and Paul warned believers constantly about it. Colossians 2.8 says beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ. Ephesians 4.14 says that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. So instead of swallowing everything that is fed to us exercise discernment. Stand fast in the faith. I've shared this before. It always comes to mind for some reason. Babies swallow anything. We're constantly having to watch our granddaughter Stella because if you hand her something she's eight months, nine months old now she will put it right in her mouth. Babies are not discerning, right? Those of you who've had babies they're not discerning. If they see something, that must taste good. And they try it, they put it in and out. They swallow anything. Like my nephew Patrick when he was less than two years old and he was playing in the backyard at his mama's house. And my sister Madeline said, you know what Patrick did? And I said, what? Patrick was playing in the flowers. With the flowers? You know, and I looked at him and I said Patrick what do you have in your mouth? And he had something on the side. You could see it. And she said, what is that? And he wouldn't open his mouth. So every mama knows you have to sometimes put your finger and push it in. And she did that and she found something that he had in his cheek and she pulled it out. She said, it was a snail. He had found a snail. That's when we found out we're French. We did not know that. We now know it. That's how we found out. A snail. Babies put anything in their mouth. And you know what new believers do too? If somebody opened the Bible in Redferment, must be true. Be discerning. Don't swallow everything that is coming down the pike. Acts 17, 10 through 12 says it like this. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed. And also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. They received the word with readiness but searched the scriptures and therefore they came to faith in Christ. Be like a Berean. A third thing, be brave. The term be brave can also be translated be a man. But it speaks of being mature in your faith. You're saying you need to grow up. And you need to be willing to pay the price for courageous faith. Like it said in 1 Corinthians 14, 20, stop thinking like children in regard to evil, be infants in your thinking, be adults. So grow up and mature. Then he says be strong. When he says be strong, this speaks of an inner moral strength. You have an inner strength, not by trying to have inner strength, but you have an inner strength by yielding to the Lord who gives inner strength to us. And our inner strength is really a confidence that we have in God. That's why Ephesians 6-10 says be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. That's why 2 Timothy 2-1 says you then my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. So be strong. And then he goes on and he says be loving. Verse 14, let all that you do be done with love. Above all, 1 Peter 4-8 says love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. If you were to ask me what was it that got me interested in God, the answer is very simple. Someone says well, it was the power of the preaching. Not really, I can't honestly look back and say oh yeah, I've never heard such articulate speakers. That's really not true. Some would say well, it's just your lost condition in and of itself. Not really because they didn't even realize I was lost. You can be lost without knowing it. We men call that an adventure. My dad was a truck driver and there were times that he made the wrong turn. And my dad was one of these proud men. I mean he was a truck driver. He knew all the routes and he knew all the streets and every once in a while my dad would take the wrong turn and he'd get lost. But I'll never forget what my dad would say. When my mom would say Frank, we're going in the wrong direction. My dad would look at her and say you know, I just have always wanted to see this part of town. It's always been curious what's over here. He was lost, you know. You can be lost and not even know it. You know what got me? I don't know what it is that God used to get you but what got me was love. That's what got me. Love. Because the background I had, I didn't know what that word meant. I didn't know how to define it. I didn't know what it was. As a little boy, there was a time when I heard, I hate you a lot more than I ever heard I love you. That was just my upbringing. So I didn't know what love was. I didn't know what it meant, right? So love means that you use a word that other people appreciate to get basically what it is that you want from them. So if they need to hear love as part of the bargain, then I'm fine with that. You want to hear love? I'll give you an exchange. I'll say love and we'll exchange favors. That's kind of how I was. I didn't really think of love as being something that I just didn't understand it. But I was around believers. And they started showing me something I'd never seen before. It was so thick and so real. It was so different. It was so winsome. There was something about it that was very attractive. I didn't even know what it was until I got saved. It was love. It was the love of God. It was the love of God. That somebody, it still gets me, that somebody could actually, just because they do. Not because he'd do something for them. Or you offer them money, but just because they do. That's what won me to Christ, the love of Christ, that I saw in the body of Christ. That's why Jesus said, by this shall all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another. You know, church, I know that some of you don't call this your home. I understand that we have people who come on Sunday nights, sometimes regularly, sometimes not. Some of them are members of this fellowship. But if you're a believer, we need to love one another. We really do. We need to love one another. We need to care sincerely and deeply. And that's what he's saying. And he's saying, let all that you do be done with love. May we love one another in the Lord Jesus Christ. May that be the mark of this fellowship. That we have people here who actually really love. And by the way, I will say it this way and I boast in you, I've had more than one friend who's come and done ministry here who told me that they have felt great love from this church. I have a lot of people who've told me that almost all of them have, except for Raul, he hates you. But that makes him feel comfortable hating. He goes on and I'll close because these last verses can be just an upsized. I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Staphanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaia and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints, that you also submit to such and to everyone who works and labors with us. I'm glad about the coming of Staphanus Fortinatus and Achaicus for what was lacking on your part, they supplied, for they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord with the church that is in the house. All the brethren, greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The salutation, salutation with my own hand, Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let them be accursed. O Lord, come. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus, amen. Very briefly, closing. Verses 15 through 18, just a synopsis. Paul is speaking of Staphanus. This is a man who was very dear to him. And when you look into chapter one verse 16, he was one of the first converts from this area. And he and his household had been personally baptized by Paul. So Paul uses him as an example and he refers to the household of Staphanus. And he's basically saying, even as I have said in verse 14, that all that you do be done with love, he's basically saying, let me give you an example of somebody who does that. And this is Staphanus. And these are the ones who serve. These are the ones, he says in verse 15, who have devoted himself to the ministry of the saints. So they serve. And because they serve the people and the love of Jesus, it has earned them both respect as well as place them in a position of authority. Now, in verses 19 to the end, he simply speaks of the churches of Asia. He mentions Aquila and Priscilla. They were friends of Paul. He stayed in their home in Corinth, according to Acts 18. They were very mature believers and they were a great support to his ministry. Now he says something in verse 22 that's interesting. If anyone doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. That's a very strong word. It's a word against those who should not be allowed to be seen as believers. He's saying if a person does not have affection for Jesus Christ, they cannot be genuine Christians. They cannot be the real thing. And therefore, they're gonna reap what they're sowing. Now, one last or two last thoughts. One, when he says, all the brethren, greet you, greet one another with a holy kiss. When I first read that, I sure liked that verse. Greet one another with a holy kiss. And so, I thought that's, let's be biblical. And so if there's a beautiful little hippie Christian, and I don't mean hippie Christian, I mean a hippie Christian. Let's be biblical. Let's greet one another. But you know what that's speaking of obviously is the common thing during that day was the salutation. It was speaking not of simply kissing one another because many cultures contain within it outward demonstration of affection. We know that. We have people in this church who are from certain cultural backgrounds where kissing me is something they don't mind doing. And I had to grow used to that. You know, I'll give you an example. Years ago, I was speaking to somebody after a service this was about 30 years ago. And this fella was a man's man. I don't know how else to put it. Just a real kind of rugged guy. He was a sky diver and he was a very macho kind of guy. And he had been brought to church and he was trying to check out Christianity and to see what you guys are all about. And he was giving me the third degree after church. And I'm telling you, this guy was a real rugged, rough guy. And he was standing as straight as a board as he was speaking to me and was just kind of a rough guy. And I'm trying to minister to him. Well, I have a friend in our church who's very dear to me. And he's still, you know, I still see him. Well, anyway, he's still with us. And for many years, he's not here tonight because he's backsliding. But a very good friend of mine. I love him very much, but he's very affectionate with me. Has been all these years. So he comes walking by and as he's walking by, he stops and he says, David, I said, how you doing? He says, fine. And I'm trying to minister to Mr. Macho here when my friend walks up and says, I haven't kissed you in a long time. And he kisses me in the face right in front of this guy. He still kisses me. I had to get used to that. It's a sign of affection. And there are a lot of cultures, you know that. Some of you come from cultures that do that. It's just part of your culture. You just do that. Kiss on the cheek, kiss on either cheek, kiss on three. I mean, there's people that do, I mean, I don't know. What's he talking about? He's saying have a real affection and make sure you actually greet one another. See, the church family is supposed to be that. It's not supposed to be where we just kind of get together and then let's run to the door to see who gets into the parking lot first. It's not supposed to be that way. Is it? It's not supposed to be that way. If we have that mentality, I promise you, in your time of struggle and trouble, when you need prayer, you're gonna look around and there's gonna be nobody around you. Then you're gonna blame everybody for abandoning you. But in reality, sad thing is sometimes we don't make the effort to even have relationships and then we're mad at others for not being close to us. The church is to greet one another. It's more than simply showing up and leaving. It's being willing to invest into one another's lives and care about them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Well, the men actually kissed the men and the women kissed the women. And they basically were just showing affection to one another because that is again the mark of a believer. And finally, what we are to do is we are to love one another and look forward to Jesus' return. And that's why he says, finally, my love be with you all in Christ Jesus, amen. What a sweet way to close a letter telling everybody how much he loves them. And isn't that what Christianity is? In the end, love in Christ is all that matters.