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[0:00] Well, the reading this morning is from the first epistle of John, chapter 1, and we're going to read chapter 1 and through to chapter 2, verse 6.

[0:21] So, first epistle of John, chapter 1 through to chapter 2, verse 6. That which was from the beginning, which we've heard, which we've seen with our eyes, which we've looked at, and our hands have touched, this we proclaim concerning the word of life.

[0:53] The life appeared. We have seen it and testified to it. And we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

[1:04] We proclaim to you what we've seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

[1:16] We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message that we've heard from him and declare to you. God is light. In him there is no darkness at all.

[1:28] If we claim to have fellowship with him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin.

[1:46] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.

[2:01] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.

[2:15] But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence. Jesus Christ, the righteous one, he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.

[2:30] We know that we've come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

[2:43] But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

[2:57] Amen, and may the Lord bless his word. We're going to sing another hymn now, which is going to come up on the projector, and while that's happening, the youngsters can go down to Sunday school.

[3:08] Amen. Okay, he, Philip.

[3:31] Google hi, Philip. Family祭り The Lord has begun today, to receive the birth of the Lord we've heard.

[3:47] Take your dream, mountain deep with us, share and passion us with your likeness.

[3:58] And the light of Christ, I will sing today, in our acts of love, that will teach our faith.

[4:10] Sing, O Lord, and forgive us, all your purposes, all your glory.

[4:28] Sorry, got the order wrong, but I'm going to pray now. Lord, once again, we come before you.

[4:40] We have many concerns as we look around us at this world. We've heard about Nepal and the situation there. And Lord, we do pray indeed for not just Nepal, but all those areas of the world where they're experiencing difficulties at the moment.

[4:59] But particularly there, as this earthquake has taken its toll. We do pray, Lord, that you'll continue to be with the people there, especially those who belong to you.

[5:10] And Lord, we pray that these monies that we've collected might be of some use in relieving the suffering there. But Lord, we know there are so many parts of the world where they're going through troubled times at the moment.

[5:23] Sometimes by natural disasters, but sometimes because of wars and situations with other countries. We pray particularly for Syria and Iraq and Nigeria and so many other places, Lord, that we know of where your people are being persecuted.

[5:43] And not just your people, but anyone who stands in the way of those who've got particular views. Lord, we ask that in each situation, you will give strength and courage to those who have to suffer.

[5:57] And Lord, that if it's your will, these wars will soon come to an end, that peace might reign in those areas. And Lord, as we think of home, we find ourselves here at peace.

[6:10] And Lord, we thank you for that. But Lord, even here we have concerns. We have concerns about the corruption that there is in government and even other organisations, as we just heard this week.

[6:24] And we pray, Lord, that once again the nation might be touched by yourself. That they might see that they need to follow the truth.

[6:34] And that they must be just people. Those who would rule wisely. And Lord, we're asked to pray for our leaders. And so we do bring them before you now.

[6:45] And ask, Lord, that you'll give them not just worldly wisdom. But Lord, you'll give them a real sense of what is right according to your laws. And that you might turn them to you.

[6:56] Lord, we think too of those who are ill. Or we think of Heather Pearson and the family. And we just pray for the family that you'll be with them at this difficult time.

[7:09] And we ask, Lord, that all the arrangements for the funeral will take place. And that you'll be with Richard as he takes part in that. And Lord, we pray too for the heaps.

[7:21] We know that they too are going through a difficult time. And we know, Lord, how they need your support. We do pray that you'll comfort them and be with them. And Lord, so many people we know who are going through these difficult times.

[7:36] And Lord, we know that all of these things can happen to any one of us. But we also know that you are a God who loves us and cares for us. And you'll help us to get through these times.

[7:47] That you'll comfort us and keep us close to you. So we pray now, Lord, as we come to your word that you'll take these prayers. And Lord, that in your own time and in your way that you'll answer them.

[8:01] Lord, help us to be encouraged as we look on and see what you have done. Because Lord, when you speak, things happen. So Lord, be in this nation.

[8:12] Be in this world. And make your right arm clear in its majesty as people see it at work in all these situations. For we ask all these things and ask you to be with us now.

[8:25] In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we come now to that passage that we read earlier in 1 John.

[8:39] And it would be useful to have that open in front of you. We know that speech can be a very powerful tool.

[8:52] I'm just going to introduce this by reading just three quotations from this book I got on Winston Churchill. I should really have asked Paul to do this. But I didn't warn him in advance.

[9:03] So I'm going to read it. These are just three quotes. Just to show the power of the tongue. In this case, Winston Churchill's tongue. In one of the many documents that came to Churchill's position, a civil servant had gone out of his way to be grammatically correct.

[9:21] And had clumsily avoided ending a sentence with a preposition. Churchill scribbled in the margin, This is the sort of English up with which I will not put. But sometimes when he was talking about other people, he could be really very cutting.

[9:41] And on one occasion he was asked about Arthur Balfour, who was a conservative politician and prime minister. And this is what Churchill said about him.

[9:51] If you wanted nothing done, Arthur Balfour was the best man for the task. There's no equal to him. And then a last one. This was about Clement Attlee.

[10:06] He said, He's a modest man who has a good deal to be modest about. And you can read many things that Churchill said. And he's very clever with words.

[10:18] And obviously, at a particular time during the war, his speeches were what made the people more confident. And lifted them up. But, we know that other things have been said about words.

[10:34] Let me read you something else, Churchill said. On a different sort of point. He said this. And it's a very famous phrase. He said, So on the serious side, he also had a turn of words.

[10:53] But perhaps the most famous phrase about the word is, In other words, the written word, and perhaps the spoken word, is more powerful, on some occasions, than the sword.

[11:09] And I won't ask you to tell me who originally said that. Because I don't think anybody will know. But if you do, you'll get a little sweet from me afterwards. Because I didn't know either.

[11:21] Well, that was about the word. But of course, in this passage, this is headed in the version that I'm using, the word of life. But in fact, I'm going beyond that.

[11:32] I'm going to consider three words this morning. The word of life, the word of light, and the word of love. Because all are mentioned in this passage.

[11:46] And what we need to remember as we read this particular epistle, is that the man who wrote it, was the one who was called the apostle of love.

[11:57] Because if you look at any picture that an artist painted, imagining the scene, either at the Last Supper or at some other point, John is always the one who was leaning against Jesus.

[12:12] And he had a special relationship with the Lord. And there's some discussion about whether the man who wrote one John, and the person who wrote John's Gospel, whether it's actually the same person.

[12:27] But I think we'll find, if we just read the first few verses of John, that the similarities are so great, that those who say it is, I think must be right. Because it says there, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was with God in the beginning.

[12:46] And then he goes on to talk about the point that is made in the first epistle of John. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made.

[12:57] In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. And if you look at both those passages, I think the inescapable conclusion is that this must be the same man.

[13:13] And John eventually ended up at Ephesus, and that's where he became, people believe, John the Elder, who also was given the attribution for these particular books, these epistles.

[13:33] One thing we know about John, is although he was pictured in all those paintings, to be a very mild man, and very meek, in these days' terms, a bit of a wimp, he was actually, as we know, a very strong character, because his other title, which he shared with James, his brother, was Sons of Thunder.

[13:55] So he had a bit of a fierce side as well. So if you're trying to summarise him, as many commentators have, they all come up with the same conclusion.

[14:05] Whatever you might call him, whether it's the Apostle of Love, or whether it's the Son of Thunder, they say that, in both cases, he was intense, in his belief, he was intense in his love, but he was also intense, in his support, of God's Word, and of the Lord Jesus Himself.

[14:26] And the first point, that we need to make, is that the words, that people speak in this world, might be powerful, and might sway people, one way or another.

[14:41] But we're not talking about words, we're talking about, the Word, the Word, the Word, that created the world, the Word, that was God's Son, the Word, that offered salvation to us, and still offers salvation, to this day.

[15:03] The Word, that is, as the Bible says itself, the truth, the absolute truth. People in this world, can say anything, in words, but we know that sometimes, it isn't the truth.

[15:20] Someone once said, of a famous politician, who I don't need to tell you, because you probably remember, who it was. And it was said, you know when he's lying, because his lips move. So, in this world, words, count for nothing.

[15:37] Words, have really, no power, other than, for that instant, when they may or may not, have an effect. But this word, the word that we read about, in this epistle of John, is the word.

[15:51] And right at the start, he tells us, that this word, as we know, is the word of life. So, I want to, take these three things, in order this morning, and just go through them, with you, just picking out, one or two things.

[16:09] He says at the beginning, that, that was from the beginning, which we've heard, which we've seen with our eyes, which we've looked at, and our hands have touched. This we proclaim, concerning the word of life. The life appeared, we've seen it, and testified to it.

[16:22] And we proclaim to you, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has appeared, to us. And, and so it goes on. So, this is what was said, at the outset.

[16:35] The word of life. But if I asked most people, what life is, what would they reply? Well, I'm going to again, give you a few quotes, of things that people have said.

[16:52] Robert Frost said this, in three words, I can sum up everything, I've learned about life. It goes on. Oscar Wilde said, to live, is the rarest thing in the world.

[17:09] Most people exist. That's all. And Alan Saunders said, life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans.

[17:21] Or maybe, if you remember that old Beatles record, which starts, like this. Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, found my way upstairs, and drank a cup, and looking up, I noticed I was late, found my coat, grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat, found my way upstairs, and so it goes on.

[17:42] Life is just mundane. It goes on. It happens. There's no time for anything. You just do life. I have to say this morning, that if that's your view of life, it's the wrong one.

[17:58] The scripture says, that there's more to life than that. This life, that comes from the word of life, yes, it includes our physical life, obviously, it has an impact on our physical life, as you will see, but it's a spiritual dimension, to our lives.

[18:16] It's that aspect, which, if we get our life right, as it were, we can have joy, we can have encouragement, we can look forward with hope. It's said that the suicide statistics, in the world, are going completely, out of hand, because people look forward, to the future, and for whatever reason, they see no hope.

[18:39] And so, they decide, that rather than go on with no hope, they will just end, their lives at that point. But, the Bible, offers, everyone, hope.

[18:56] But not just for this world, but for eternity. It says, this word, is eternal. This goes on. This word, which was Christ, was from eternity past, and will be to eternity, in the future.

[19:15] And this life, that is offered, by Christ, is something, which, is given, for eternity. It's true life. It's spiritual life.

[19:26] The Bible says, doesn't it, that we're dead, in our trespasses, and sins. But then, it also says, that Jesus came, to give life, and give it, in all its abundance.

[19:43] Now, could I suggest, that all of us, could say, that, we're living life, and sometimes, it might be better than others, but are we living life, in abundance?

[19:55] I suggest, there are very few people, who could claim, that that is true, for them. And wouldn't even know, what it was, even if you started, to talk about it.

[20:07] This passage, gives us, some explanation, of what it might be. But the fact is, if we're just going on, mundane, from day to day, with the cares, of this world, that, isn't life, that is death, ultimately.

[20:26] If that is the only, concern of many women, then the Bible says, that that will lead to death. There's more. And that more, is spoken to, by the Lord Jesus, himself, who is the giver, of life.

[20:42] It says, we proclaim to you, what we've seen and heard, so that you also, may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship, is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this, to make our joy complete.

[20:54] Here, is a disciple, here's an apostle, who knows what joy is. He's been with Christ. He's been converted.

[21:05] He's become a Christian. And he's living, with complete joy. He's living the abundant life, which the Lord, promised.

[21:16] And he makes a point, right at the start of this letter, of saying that he was an eyewitness. And he stresses it, three times in different ways. Yes, he heard, what Jesus said.

[21:27] But as we've just explained, from a worldly point of view, he might at that point, just have been a man, saying anything. Some might have believed, and some might not.

[21:40] But then, he says, we've seen with our eyes. They saw the miracles, that Jesus did. They saw, the fact that he raised Lazarus, from the dead.

[21:51] They saw, blind people being healed, and so on. And John, saying this is what he saw. But also, he says, he touched him. He's physically, held the Lord.

[22:06] And as we know, when the Lord Jesus, came back, when he'd been raised, from the dead, the whole point, of that resurrection, was so that men and women, would have the opportunity, to be saved, because he paid the penalty, for their sin.

[22:21] And what was his proof? Well, most of the disciples, didn't need any more proof, than the fact that he was there. But you remember, Thomas, wanted more. So what did Jesus do?

[22:32] He said, touch my hands, put your fingers, in the holes, where the nails were. Because he was physically, there.

[22:43] Here was the, incontrovertible proof, that he'd risen, from the dead. This was something, that John was saying.

[22:56] He was telling these people, that he was an eyewitness, to everything, that had happened, including, the resurrection. And why did these disciples, including John, go through, such persecution?

[23:11] Sometimes, even losing their lives, as martyrs. Would they do that? For someone, who'd just, given them some words? Or even, healed some people?

[23:25] No, because, they knew, the truth, of what they were saying, that the Lord Jesus, had come back again. As he promised, and that he appeared to them, and he told them, everything that was going to happen.

[23:42] So, he's, stressed, his authority, as it were, to say these things. But what effect, does this word of life, have on people?

[23:55] Well, we're given some examples, and there's one that's in, the Old Testament, in Ezekiel chapter 37. This is a description, of a valley, of dry bones. Then he said to me, prophesy to these bones, and say to them, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

[24:13] This is, the Lord speaking to Ezekiel. This is what the Sovereign Lord, says to these bones, I will make breath, enter you, and you will come to life.

[24:24] I will put my spirit in you, and you will live. And I will settle you, in your own land. That own land, I'm convinced. Though we're talking about, Old Testament there, he's pointing to, the heaven, that one day, we will be in.

[24:40] That is our homeland. He says, this world is not our home. Heaven is our home. Then you will know, that I the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

[24:55] When the Lord speaks, and he breathes life, into people, and his Holy Spirit, comes to dwell in them, they become a new creation. Well, that last hymn we sang, said, speak, O Lord.

[25:13] When the Lord speaks, there's no misunderstanding, there's nobody, who can misinterpret, there's nobody, who can say, nothing happened. When the Lord speaks, then things happen.

[25:27] We're having, Andy McIntosh, talking about, evolution, and creation, and the different things, which surround it. And of course, one of the things he said, which is scripturally there, is that, when the world was created, it says, God spoke, and it was.

[25:43] There was no time gap. It just was. God's word, was sufficient. And God's word, Christ, is still sufficient.

[25:55] Christian. And it may be, that there are people here today, who don't know, whether they're a Christian or not. You can't, miss it.

[26:09] You can't, misinterpret it. When, the Lord works, in an individual, and the Holy Spirit goes into them, the breath of God, goes into them, they have completely changed.

[26:24] Maybe you, think that hasn't happened to you, in which case, you need to pray earnestly, that that will happen, because, the Lord says, if you pray, for me, you will find me, and I will come to you.

[26:40] So, clearly, one of the things, which is true, obviously, the apostles, but must be true of us, is we, we're all called, if we're Christians, to be witnesses, just as John was.

[26:52] Not, a fiction, not of a story, but just of what's happened to us. The fact that we've been born again, the fact that we believe in Christ, the fact that Christ lives within us, and we're not to be ashamed.

[27:08] We can't say that we were there, when these things happened, but we can say what's happened to us. We can tell people, what happened to us. And of course, one of the things, it will affect, is our life in this world.

[27:25] It can't fail, but to have that effect. If we have this, spiritual life, now, what does that mean? Well, surely, it means, it affects, our reading of God's word.

[27:39] How many people have testified, that when they became a Christian, it was as if, the word came alive to them. And they couldn't put it down, they had to keep reading it, and reading it, and, and so on.

[27:51] And it, it got really important to them. What about our prayer life? If we're born again in this way, then surely, we should be praying more.

[28:03] We should be praying, believing that God is going to do things. We should be witnessing to others more, as John was, and as the other apostles were.

[28:15] And here's one, what about our relationship with other Christians? Surely, that should improve. Because, they're born again as well.

[28:26] They're part of the family. One day, we'll be with them, in heaven. The impact, of this new life, is, to say far reaching, is not making it strong enough.

[28:39] Because, the impact is, an eternal impact, into, that eternal glory. Well, that's, something that we could say about, the word of life.

[28:52] But he goes on, and he talks, about the light. This is the message we've heard from him, and declared to you, God, is light. In him there is no darkness at all.

[29:04] We were talking to the children about this. If we claim to have fellowship with him, yet walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with him, with one another.

[29:18] And the blood of Jesus' son, purifies us, from all sin. Well, I don't know whether, you know this fact, but I'll tell you anyway.

[29:30] Do you know, that if there's a candle, in a pitch black night, you can see it, from 30 miles away. Because light, as the Bible says, overcomes darkness.

[29:46] And, believe you me, if you're in a pitch black situation, and you saw light, it would give you encouragement. It would build you up.

[29:58] It would take away the fear. I remember taking, some of the grandchildren, to the mining museum, at Skinning Grove. And one of the nice things, they do to you, when you're there, is they lock you, in a darkened room, deep in the mine.

[30:13] And you can hold your hand there, and you can't even tell, it's there. It's so dark. It's literally, pitch black. And the door's shut.

[30:26] Now you're sitting in a chair, and the man who shut the door, is sitting opposite you. And you know the door's there, even though you can't see it. But I would say, that every single person, in that room, is a little bit afraid, at that point.

[30:41] In the complete darkness. Because, they start to believe all things, like I did, swimming across that lake. Imagining there was a shark. You start to think, that the door will be stuck, you won't be able to open it.

[30:54] The electricity will fail, the light won't actually come on, you won't be able to find the door. The man who you think, is sitting opposite you, has actually got up, and got out of the other entrance, and left you on your own. You start to worry about, all these things.

[31:08] Until, he opens the door, and the light goes on. But, this, is something that, doesn't happen, to the Christian, in the spiritual life, that the Lord's offering.

[31:22] Because, the Lord himself, is light. This is what, he says in John, chapter 8, verse 12. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk, in darkness, but will have, the light, of life.

[31:42] He's saying, for this spiritual life, you can't have this spiritual life, and walk in darkness. It doesn't make sense, because if you have spiritual life, you have Christ, and Christ, illuminates the darkness, and makes it, absolutely clear.

[31:59] you know, when I was a student, just near where, my digs were, I used to go to, this dance, that was held, in there, in the days, before I was a Christian, and they used to have, ultraviolet light, hands up, if you've ever been, to one of those dances.

[32:19] Right? Now, what happens, in ultraviolet light, is the first thing is, you never go, in a dark suit, if you can help it, because every single bit of fluff, glows, in the dark, in the ultraviolet.

[32:34] And the other thing is, if you go in something white, so that you glow, throughout the night, right, anything that's black, also, shows up. I've never ever, met any man, or boy, because we're really, scruffs at heart, who's ever been to one of those, without being really embarrassed, about the amount of fluff, and stuff that's on their clothes.

[32:59] The Lord Jesus says, if you're living, in a dark world, you might think, that all your sins are covered, and hidden, and nobody can see it. But when the Lord, shines his light, on your life, not only will you see, your own sins, but the whole world, might also, begin to see them.

[33:24] And so we need, this light. It says in Revelation, when the Lord comes again, it says, there will be no more night.

[33:36] They will not need, the light of the lamp, or the light of the sun, for the Lord God, will give them light, and they will reign, forever, and ever. One day, when we're in heaven, we won't need, to worry about darkness, because the Lord, will be our light.

[33:57] But what does it mean, to walk, as this passage tells us, in the light, of God's word? Surely, it must mean, something to us, in our day to day lives.

[34:11] Well, Psalm 119, verse 105, says, your word, is a lamp to my feet, and a light, for my path. The scriptures, are to be our guide, in this life.

[34:25] And also, we need to, exhibit, if we're living this life, and we're living in the light, and we're following Christ, as he's suggesting here, then surely, what should begin to happen, maybe not perfectly, maybe not fully, but we begin to exhibit, the fruits of the spirit.

[34:47] Because remember, when we become Christians, the Holy Spirit, comes to dwell with us. And Galatians says, the fruit of the spirit, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

[35:07] Somebody once, said to me, when somebody else was talking, somebody said to me, the other day, that you were gentle, I would call you anything, but gentle.

[35:18] Well, what a thing to say, to a Christian. They're probably right, but, these are things, these are things, which the Christian, should be exhibiting, in their lives, if we're to walk, in the light, of God's word.

[35:34] But he doesn't leave it there, because, fortunately, it goes on, and it talks about, Jesus, bringing this word, of love. He says that, he's writing to them, so that they won't sin, but assuring them, that if they do, that the Lord, will forgive them, if they repent.

[35:53] He says, we know that we come, to know him, if we obey his commands. The man who says, I know him, but doesn't do what he commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. This is harking back, to what he just said.

[36:05] But if anyone, obeys his word, God's love, is truly made, complete, in him. Now, we didn't read, the very last bit, of the passage, but if you read, from verse 7 onward, you'll see, that he then goes on, to talk about, loving, each other.

[36:24] Verse 11, but whoever hates his brother, is in the darkness, and walks around, in the darkness. He does not know, where he's going, because the darkness, has blinded him.

[36:35] Whoever loves his brother, I'm going back to verse 10 now, lives in the light, and there's nothing, in him, to make him, stumble. We're to love, each other.

[36:48] As Christians, we're to love, one another. How many churches, have had splits, and have broken up, and people have, fallen out with each other, because of petty things?

[37:01] You can't read this, and still feel, that that is right. If we accept, Jesus, is our life. If we accept, that we're going to be guided, in the light, by him, and his word, then surely, we must love, one another, and yet often, we can say hurtful things.

[37:25] I don't know, whether you've seen it, in the recent news, but apparently, if you go on YouTube, there's a bit, that's gone viral, because there were two, people getting married, one a soldier, this was in the, in the States, and it went viral, because before, they actually got married, they insisted, on praying together, both of them, they both shut their eyes, and they were led, to the place, where they were going to meet, they held hands, both keeping their eyes close, because they didn't want, to see each other, before the wedding, and they both prayed, about their marriage, and it's gone viral, you can understand why, because the world, looks around, and sees marriage, after marriage, breaking up, situations, which are very difficult, and to see two people, relying not on themselves, but on Jesus Christ, that was clearly, moving to a lot of people, because we know, that these things, do happen, but we also know, that Christ's love, for us, and therefore, our love, for our brothers, is demonstrated, in Jesus' case, because of his death, and resurrection, that's what it says, in this, first two verses, of, first John, now, there's another verse, which I'm rather glad about, because I was converted, major, sort of, conversion, by looking, at John 3, 16, as many people are, for God so loved the world, and there's another verse, which I could have used, but did you know, that 1 John 3, 16, is just as powerful, let me read it to you, 1 John 3, 16, says, this is how we know, what love is,

[39:19] Jesus Christ, laid down his life, for us, the implication, is, even in our worldly relationships, we cannot love, this is why, it's such a dark world, we cannot love truly, unless, we first know, what love is, and the fullness of it, and we can only know that, through knowing, Jesus Christ, as our saviour, so whoever doesn't love, doesn't know God, because God is love, which is another quote, this is how God, showed his love among us, he sent his one, and only son, into the world, that we might live, through him, that's in 1 John, chapter 4, verse 8, so here's a question, I'm not going to answer, because we've all got to answer it, individually, how are we demonstrating, our love, to our fellow Christians, how are we in this church, showing our care, and concern, and love, for our fellow Christians, and perhaps more important, what are we doing, that's spoiling that, what are we doing, that might get in the way, of this sort of love, this agape love, which Jesus showed, to all those, who came into contact with, and we're asked, to mirror, in our relationships, with others, when the pilgrim fathers, went across to America, they founded Philadelphia, and Philadelphia means, city of love, that's how they were known, that's how they were known, when they were in Antioch, they were known as Christians, yes, because of the things they did, but also, because of the love, they demonstrated, for one another,

[41:19] I'm just going to, close with, just one phrase, which I put together, to try and bring, all of these things, on the one heading, so remember, we've talked about, Jesus, as the word of life, he's also the word of light, but he's also, the word of love, and all of us, need all of those, to live, a true, godly, spiritual life, and even if, we don't accept, what the gospel says, I would say, that it's equally true, to say, even if you don't become, a Christian, you know, that it's right, that to live a really, abundant life, a fruitful life, a blessed life, we need, first of all, to have a life, we need, to be in the light, all the time, anything dark, takes us away, from the true joy of life, and we need to love, even if it's not loving God, we need love, everyone, needs these things, what I put down here, is this, to close, what I've tried to say, this morning,

[42:41] God's love to us, going back, from the bottom, and working backwards, God's love to us, in Christ, brings us light, in a dark world, and leads us, to abundant, and eternal life, through him, and eternal life, through him, to make sense, this passage, starts with, Jesus, the word of life, then it goes on, to Jesus, who brings a light, and then, onto the love, that he has for his people, which is reflected, by his people, but from our perspective, since we have to start, as it were, at the bottom, we have to go, the other way, first of all, we have to recognize, God's love to us, in Christ, we have to recognize, that that brings us, to light, and that this is, a dark world, and lastly, that will lead us, to abundant, and eternal life, through him, and when we sang, at the start, we were thinking about, the promises, of God, and the promises, of God, are always, yea, and amen, no promise, that God ever made, has failed to come, to pass, and he's promised, that for those, who come to him, he will hear them, and he will save them, through his son, and he's promised, that those, who are saved, will find, one day, that they have, eternal life, in his family, and be joint heirs, with Christ, what an awesome thing, the Christian has, to look forward to, amen.