John 15:12-13 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (13) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Christ's love was… • Extreme • Undeserved • Unmerited • Abundant 1. SUPERHUMAN LOVE 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God is Love. His love is: Undeserved Love, Radical Love. Love Divine - all loves excelling Joy of Heaven, to earth come down Fix in us Thy humble dwelling All Thy faithful mercies crown. God’s love is: 2. SUPREME LOVE John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Christ's Love is The Sweetest love, The Supreme love. There is no greater love. It's beyond compare • Absolute • Total • Complete • Astonishing • Matchless • Overwhelming • His Tender Love Christ laid down His life for His enemies, for His murderers, for them that hated Him. When they were mocking Him and deriding Him, what did he say? "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Amazing Love! How can it be? That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me! Superhuman, Supreme Divine, No Love Greater. His love is also: 3. SAVING LOVE …that a man lay down his life for his friends It was sacrificial. Romans 5:6 …Christ died for the ungodly. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 …Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And… he was buried, and… he rose again the third day… The One who left heaven's glory and became flesh for us bears in His compassionate hands the scars of His sacrifice on our behalf. His hands will be an eternal reminder of His love. I asked Jesus how much He loved me. He stretched out His arms and said, “This much”... and He died. The love of God So great So marvellous Measureless Boundless Infinite love His arms outstretched What’s more, His is a Love we can know… Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. The Breadth - God so loved the world The Length - gave Son The Depth - that… perish The Height - but shall have everlasting life. • Superhuman Love • Supreme Love - none greater • Saving Love - Of a Saviour's Love that took Him to death and beyond to save us from our sin, to secure for us a heaven and an eternal destiny. Everlasting Infinite Perfect The wonder of it. The greatness of it. By His Remarkable Love He adopts us. 1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Think of… • The drops of blood • The beating • The crown of thorns • The mockery • The loneliness • The pain • The spitting • The scorn Compelling love Constraining love 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us… 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. Note: I did not capture the video well enough, so this video has just the audio track, along with the a display of the relevant scriptures. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uy6a1wj7hY

Want to fly like an eagle? Get stronger in faith? Here’s some flying lessons. How to grow. How to be strong in the Lord. Isaiah 40:28-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Some practical pointers on how to be an effective Christian, living the intentional Christian life. The Lord promises His supernatural strength. It all hinges on this word, BUT. It changes everything. BUT they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength – like an eagle, soaring high in the clouds. He is the everlasting God. Power is promised. He is the source. Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Waiting can be a hard thing to do, BUT waiting is the right thing to do. God will bless you for it. It’s the Biblical pattern. Waiting is hard. But it works. David waited 12 years to become king Joseph waited 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit Jacob waited 20 years to get possession of his wives and property Abraham waited 25 years for a promised son Moses waited 40 years in the desert before God called him to deliver His people from Egypt Isaac and Rebekah waited twenty years to have children Noah waited 120 years for rain Boaz waited years for Ruth God’s plan meant they had to wait. But the wait was worth it. Wait on God. For His plan. Trust God for your future. Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. While you are waiting, persevere in prayer. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. We find His strength as we wait upon Him. Trust Him, where He has placed you. He has you where He can do a work in you. Isaiah 49:5 …my God shall be my strength. He revives our strength by His word. Abide in His Word. Be where the Word is. Lay hold of His Word, as serious students, led by God’s unchanging truth. Psalms 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. May we seek after God – and place His will above our own. Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him… We have to trust Him while we go through things. Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. He giveth power to the faint. He lifts up the weary. The Lord upholds us with His hand. He revives us. Some birds will eat any old thing. Eagles don’t eat dead things. They are not scavengers. They only eat fresh prey. An eagle can see something the size of a rabbit running at three miles away. They are made to fly higher, to soar. Eagles can achieve 30 mph using powerful wing-beats and even faster when diving after prey. Bald eagles can dive at up to 100 mph; golden eagles at up to 150 mph. Eagles can fly 125 miles in a day during migration depending on the weather conditions and wind currents. An eagle is a powerful bird - they fly high. God wants to renew a right spirit within us. An eagle will mount up with their powerful wings, and fly high above the storm clouds. You can rise above the storm. We can know God’s power supply. A spiritual transformation. There is no shortage of God’s power, of His might, and strength. There is no lack of ability on God’s part. As we strengthen our faith we can become more effective in the Lord's work. Believe in His promises. Recharge. As we gather together in fellowship we can grow and be strengthened together. Participate in church life. His strength is for you, for you to break destructive patterns in your life. God’s supply of strength never diminishes, and it is always available to us. Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. He clothes you with His might and power. Walk in the victory you have in Christ. Delight in God. We can know a spiritual refreshing. God’s grace is sufficient. Don’t you just love it that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Wait on Him. We will see His faithfulness. Keep waiting. It will be worth the wait. May we consecrate and reconsecrate ourselves to this end. He can rejuvenate us. Let’s determine for a life intent on setting… Spiritual goals. A life filled with God’s values. Wait upon the Lord – and you will soar - like an eagle. We can fly higher, and rise above… Above the wind, the storm… He will make you strong. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmv2PXfaCAQ

In Luke 16 we catch a glimpse of life after death. Two men – two destinies. A certain rich man lived like a king. He knew pride, selfishness, worldly ease, and also the neglect of God. No thought of God, or of his soul. He had made no preparation for eternity. A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores. Lazarus was powerless, and poverty stricken. Covered with sores. Yet, Lazarus was prepared for eternity. Death is CERTAIN. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Lazarus knew a place of blessing, refreshment, rest, and relationship. Of the other man it says: in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments… In Hell he had all his faculties: sight, feeling, conscience, and memory. He knew a longing that could not be satisfied. He himself was a beggar now. He was refused. Not even a drop of water. He said: I am tormented in this flame. For the believer death means to be “with Christ” – it is “far better” Philippians 1:23. To be “Absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). The rich man was told, Remember. The lost have a vivid memory. In Hell he had a conscience – he recalled memories. He knew regrets, remorse; lost opportunities. It tells, “there is a great gulf fixed”. There was no escape. Hell is a place of despair. Of concern. Hell should prompt us to care, to prayer, to share. In Hell they want people to go and testify. Hell is a reality: Psalm 9:17 —The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that forget God. Our life in this world will have consequences in the next. There is need of warning. The Lord spoke more about the woes and terrors of Hell than about the joy and bliss of Heaven. Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Jesus preached on Hell more than any other character in the Bible. Three times He said: "Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched". For every sermon He preached on Heaven, He preached two on Hell. John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Where is Hell located? Hell is at the end of a Christless life. Hell has no exit. There is no escape- ever. It is final and forever. Christ died to save you, but you refused His mercy and rejected His grace; it is forever and forever too late. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? (Matthew 16:26). The Bible describes Hell: A Place of... Eternal separation from God. Hell is a Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15). A place of everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). A furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42). A place of everlasting, unquenchable fire. "The fire shall never be quenched". A place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46). Of pitch blackness - unending blackness of darkness, forever (Jude 13). A place where they gnaw their tongues (Revelation 16:10). A place where they drink the wine of the wrath of God (Revelation 14:10). A place from which the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever- no rest day and night (Revelation 14:11). It is a place where they do not want their loved ones to come - a place of torment (Luke 16:28). A place where there are murderers, liars, the fearful and abominable (Revelation 21:8). Hell is a Place of Damnation (Matthew 23:33). It is a place of sorrows - of weeping. A place of torment (Luke 16:23) - of full consciousness - The rich man saw and spoke and felt, both physically ("being in torments") and emotionally (wanting to warn his brethren). Hell will be a place of unending memories and regret - people will recall the opportunities missed. One of the horrors of hell is the unending memory of a misspent life – Son, remember. Hell is a place of unanswered prayer. A place of God's Fury - God's Wrath. Place of Everlasting burnings and Devouring fire (Isaiah 33:14). Place of everlasting shame and contempt. Place of Groans, Wailing, of Gnashing of teeth. Place of Conscious pain, unsatisfied desires. A place of Everlasting chains. It is the place of the Second death. A place of Fire and Brimstone. A place of Extreme Suffering Forever and forever. A place of Judgment. A place of Misery, of Vile Companionship. A place of utter Hopelessness. In Hell there is no Hope. No chance of trusting Christ. Hell is Real. Perhaps we have not let the reality of hell grip our souls. Hell should Motivate Us. The eternity of Hell's sufferings should motivate us to be more zealous and eager to tell people of the only One who is able to rescue them. Christ saves from Hell: The Lord Jesus has paid the penalty of sin and there is no need for anyone to go to Hell. Flee from the wrath to come. Flee to the arms of Christ and be saved forever. Know His saving today! ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiZsEJTTCX4

What does the Bible say about the Passover? Exodus 12:3 …take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers a lamb for a house... 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt both man and beast and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment I am the Lord. 13 …and the blood shall be to you a token upon the houses where you are and when I see the blood I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. In 1 Corinthians 5 7-8, Paul writes: …Christ Our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast …with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Passover has been celebrated for thousands of years. God calls for a searching and a casting out of leaven from the home – leaven is a symbol in the Bible of sin. To prepare for Passover they had to get rid of any leaven. The Jews of today follow a cleansing process. The wife thoroughly cleans the house, but she deliberately leaves ten small pieces. Then the father and the children take a candle, and they search through the house to find every bit of leaven. God wants us to clean up our act - to get rid of any leaven. God's church is called a spiritual house; 2 Peter 2:5. We want to address sin, and deal with it in our life. We can take the candle – the word of God - Psalm 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Let us examine ourselves and keep that closer walk with him, asking him to daily help us with our daily cleansing and living. At the time of the Passover the children of Israel were in the bondage of Egypt. They were enslaved, in captivity. When God's judgment came they were sheltered – by the safety of the blood. Egypt represents the world. Passover recalls God's deliverance of His people from that slavery of Egypt. As the saved, we know Heaven as our new home, our new direction for life. God sent Moses to Pharaoh demanding the release of the Israelites, but Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let God's people go. God sent ten plagues – the last was that every firstborn of every household would be destroyed. But God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice the lamb, and mark their doorposts with its blood, and then the angel of death would “pass over” and not bring judgment to that household. Passover is a reminder of God's power – and promise - to deliver His people from bondage, and of His great faithfulness. The lamb is a sacrifice for sin – a symbol of Christ, the Lamb of God; John 1:29, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. We can be saved by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord our righteousness. We can be saved by God and made safe by God. Those who trusted in the blood of the lamb are delivered from Egypt, that picture of the world system. The ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh, is a type of satan. Sin is likened to slavery and bondage. Our salvation is truly in knowing the shed blood of Christ over our life. It is the blood of Jesus that redeems us – we can know His redemption power. We can find that great safety that is in Christ - under the shelter of His blood. The lamb was killed between the evenings - Exodus 12:6; it refers to the ninth hour of the day – that means 3pm. This was exactly the moment that Christ died. The believers had to smear the blood on the two door posts and on the lintel - the top part. Passover reminds us of sin’s enslavement - Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt. Passover tells of the freedom of redemption – it’s a powerful symbol of our salvation for us today. Christ Our Passover is sacrificed for us. The work of His cross is the fulfillment for you and me today. Passover declares Israel's passage from bondage to freedom. For you and me it's very fitting for us to remember the bondage of Egypt - we used to be a slave to sin. Now God has set us free; we're no longer slaves to sin, we're no longer a bondman in Egypt, we're a son, a child, of God, by faith. Passover celebrates your freedom. You've been set free. I once was under bondage, under the servitude to satan, and sin. But now I've been set free, I've been liberated, I've been redeemed. Galatians 5:1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. There had to be a death in every home that night - either a dead lamb or a dead son. God promises and extends to us His offer of great deliverance and victory. Have you taken shelter – by His saving grace and love – do you know and apply the shed blood of Jesus to your life? There's no other way that you can be saved – no other salvation, other than by the blood of Jesus. He willingly went to the cross - deliberately - Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. We can take shelter under His blood. No man-made righteousness of our own will do. It has to be the blood of Jesus. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRIagh9vvSI