00:00Hello everyone, this is William Chambers. It is good to be here with you all.
00:04Today we're doing a continuation of what we did a couple of days ago
00:07on How to Love Deeply Without Becoming Naive, Part 2.
00:13Just in recapping last week, I said some of our deepest wounds have been caused
00:17not by our enemies, but has been caused by people who loved us,
00:23that have betrayed us, that have hurt us.
00:26And Jesus is teaching us how not to grow cold when that happens,
00:30but how to continue to love them and love them wisely.
00:34Help us be wise. So I'm coming out of the text today and it reads like this.
00:39Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day,
00:43many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did.
00:48But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men
00:52and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
00:59So Jesus did not commit himself to people because he understood the reality of human nature.
01:07It'd be the same mouth that was praising Jesus when he did the miracles.
01:12It'd be the same mouth that would turn around and accuse Jesus later.
01:16Oh, people will change on you.
01:19It'd be the same hands that are clapping for you and giving you applause
01:23that'll turn that hand into a fist.
01:25People will change on you.
01:27And Jesus knew that, therefore he committed himself not to these people.
01:32Jesus knew this about men.
01:34He knew how men could be, yet he did not stop loving men.
01:38He just started to love men wisely.
01:42What do I mean by loving men wisely?
01:46Jesus kept in mind human nature.
01:50Jesus was not surprised that people would turn on him.
01:54So he factored that into his love and still went to the cross.
02:00You got to factor in human nature when you're making plans.
02:04Many people make plans but don't factor in human nature.
02:08So that's why, and what we're talking about today is how to love deeply without being naive.
02:12You can't be naive and make plans without thinking about human nature.
02:15I'm still going to go to the cross for you, even though I know you can change on me.
02:19We should love people with wisdom.
02:22We should love people in truth and anchored in hope.
02:25Oh, I'm anchored in Christ Jesus.
02:27I'm not doing this for you.
02:28I'm not doing this for your plots.
02:30I'm not anchored in you.
02:31If you anchor in people, you will always be disappointed.
02:35You will quit things that you were supposed to do because you were,
02:37I didn't get the applause anymore.
02:39Y'all didn't return unto me the favor that I thought you was going to give me.
02:42You didn't turn unto me the affirmation I was needing.
02:45So I quit.
02:46But Jesus kept on loving, though he knew human nature could betray him.
02:52Naivety ignores human nature.
02:54But wisdom accounts for human nature when it makes plans.
02:58Jesus looked at man and kept on loving him.
03:01Jesus did not expect fallen humanity to do something it could not sustain.
03:05Jesus knew that eventually men could turn on him.
03:09But he loved anyway.
03:10But what he did was he adjusted his expectations.
03:14I just don't expect you to return back to love.
03:17I'm still going to the cross.
03:18When we have foreknowledge of people, it keeps us from being undone by people.
03:22Meaning it won't ruin you.
03:24It won't so shake you that you stop.
03:26Oh, when you have foreknowledge.
03:27When you make plans with foreknowledge of human nature.
03:31Foreknowledge will keep you from being disillusioned by people.
03:33You won't be caught off guard when they betray you.
03:36And when they abandon you.
03:38And when they desert you.
03:39Jesus expected instability from people.
03:43That's why he committed not himself unto them.
03:46Because it said that he knew what was in man.
03:50He expected men to be unstable.
03:52And he was not at all hardened by that.
03:56He expected men to leave him.
03:58He was not at all hardened by that.
04:01But he had his heart anchored elsewhere.
04:03He was anchored in the Father's love.
04:06He was anchored in obedience.
04:08He had committed himself to the Father.
04:10He had committed himself to truth.
04:12Oh, Lord help us.
04:14Loving deeply.
04:15Without being naive.
04:17Requires that we anchor our identity in God.
04:21And anchor our words in God.
04:24Whether people accept me or not.
04:26Whether people appreciate me or not.
04:28It's not anchored in what they do.
04:30It is anchored in God.
04:31This will keep us steady.
04:33And loving people deeply.
04:36Without being naive.
04:38Lord help us.
04:39We are in such need of you.
04:40In Jesus name I pray and say.
04:42Amen.
04:44Amen.
04:50Amen.
04:52Amen.
04:52Amen.
04:53Amen.
04:53Amen.
04:55Amen.
04:56Amen.
05:00Amen.
05:01Amen.
05:03Amen.
05:07Amen.
05:09Amen.
