Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the transformative power of love in his sermon 'Building the House of God - the Many Wounds of Love - Part 2.' He illustrates how true love often comes with wounds and scars, drawing parallels to the suffering of Jesus Christ, who endured pain out of love for humanity. Beach encourages believers to embrace the wounds that come from loving others selflessly, reminding them that love requires vulnerability and forgiveness, even towards those who hurt us. He challenges the congregation to reflect on their responses to love and the scars they bear, urging them to seek God's grace to overcome selfishness and resentment. Ultimately, he calls for a commitment to follow Christ's example of perfect love, despite the inevitable pain it may bring.

We ask that you would speak a living word to us today, Lord. We know, Lord, that. You want to change our hearts today. You want to give us faith, you want to empower us to come to you. And so we look to you, father, to accomplish this. We look to you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Last week. We spoke, began to speak on. The many wounds. Of love. If you can remember. The many wounds of love. And we learned that. Of. An integral part of the building of the house of God. Is experiencing. The many wounds. That come. With love. Very briefly. You remember the illustration that. We gave last week. A lady many years had taken in crack babies. A couple crack babies and children who came from dysfunctional homes. And please listen. This is where the warfare is going on in our lives this morning right now. And the way we respond to this word from God's word will determine whether we're going on with God, whether we're going to pursue after him. Or whether or not we're going to become stagnant. And begin to go backwards. And dry up spiritually. This whole issue. Where we're going hangs on. Our response. In our heart to this word of the many wounds of God's love. The wounds of love. This is part two of the wounds of love. I was a little note for our tape man. But. She brought in over over the past 30 years, many, many, many children, some of them just newborns, other a little older. And she would bring them into her home. And she would love the babies, she would get up at night with them, she would change their diapers, she would bond with them. And time after time after time, after having bonded for six months or five months or a year. An enraged mother. Would come into her house. You have my baby. Yes, we do. I want my baby back. And suddenly. The child that. This couple had bonded with was. Thrust away from him. And while being interviewed, this dear lady was asked, how do you feel? Having gone through that emotional crisis over and over and over again, and there was silence and you could tell she was weeping. And she said, I have. Many, many scars and wounds. In my heart, she said, because the nature of divine love, listen carefully, the nature of love, it gives and gives and gives and keeps giving. And doesn't demand or expect anything in return, and she went on to say that we're called to love like that when we look at the Lord Jesus Christ, we see one who eventually went to the cross, does anybody here know what held him to the cross? Someone might think, well, they were huge stakes and they were huge stakes. They were nailed into his hands and into the size of his feet. But did you know that that is not what held Jesus to the cross? It wasn't the nails. It was his love. For you and his love for me, but what did that love do for the Lord Jesus Christ? It resulted in a crown of thorns upon his brow. It resulted. In scars within both of his hands, a huge hole in his side, it resulted in scars in his feet, bleeding welts on his back from having been beaten, bruises on his jaw from having been slapped and punched. We're not talking about it, just an ordinary man. We're talking about the creator of the universe, the one who created all things. And here he is being kicked and beaten. What what could possibly drive a person to endure such pain and such affliction? What could possibly do it? One thing, John 3, 16, for God so loved. Put your name in there. Steve, Dan, Melinda. Pam, Clara. Kristen. What did Christ love for you result for him? What did it result for him? I'll tell you what it resulted. He was the king of glory. He was in heaven. Angels were his servants. His word, anything he said, angels responded to. But the love that he had for you and I, the love brought him to the place of ultimate humility and vulnerability. He was born as a little baby. He came as a helpless babe. And there he grew up and he was rejected of men. Why? Because of love, he was misunderstood. Why? Because of love, love for you. Look what Jesus endured for you. Not only did he become a man. Philippians chapter 2, he humbled himself and became a servant, but he humbled himself more and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. What is energizing the Lord Jesus Christ? What is motivating him? What is empowering him to lay his life down? Love, love. He said, no man takes my life. I lay it down freely. He was wounded. For your transgressions, he was bruised for your and my iniquities, he was punished and beaten. For our peace, for our healing, and now listen carefully, we are called. To follow. In his footsteps everywhere, Christ, listen carefully everywhere, Christ shows up. Every time a man, woman, boy or girl says yes to his call and follows Jesus, that person will suffer. The afflicting wounds. Of love, and here's where the devil. Comes in, here's where the enemy comes in. He whispers to us and he says. You don't have to put up with this, you don't have to put up with this, you don't have to keep giving of yourself to people. To your husband, to your wife, to your children, to your brothers, to your sisters, you don't have to keep doing it. I mean, after all, enough is enough. Look what's going to happen if you keep giving. Look what's going to happen if you keep giving of yourself. You're going to be misunderstood, you're going to be betrayed, you're going to be taken advantage of. You're going to get the scar of rejection. You're going to get the wound of being taken advantage of. Don't do it. Give up, close your heart, don't become vulnerable anymore. After all, you've got to take care of yourself, beloved. We want to look into God's word right now and see. Where the many wounds of love will come from, and I encourage you. To listen carefully to God's word, listen carefully to the Holy Spirit and ask yourself this question. Have I resisted and hardened my heart against following Jesus? Because I became weary and resentful over the wounds and the pains and the scars. That I'm getting following him. First Corinthians. Chapter 13. If you go here to First Corinthians, chapter 13, beloved. And you believe it with all your heart. You're going to discover the life. That will result in you experiencing pain after pain, after pain, scar after scar, after scar. Affliction after affliction, after affliction, but in doing so, you will be sharing in the very suffering and affliction and scars that your Lord and master himself possesses. Verse four. Chapter 13, First Corinthians, charity suffers long. Charity suffers long, charity gives and gives and gives and gives and gives and doesn't give up giving. Charity forgives and forgives and forgives and forgives. The idea here with charity suffering long is the notion of confronting someone who has sinned against you and saying, I forgive you and then saying, I forgive you again. Charity suffereth long, but if you receive the word of God this morning and if you receive the Holy Spirit, if you receive the revelation that we are called to walk in the fullness of God's love and that that will result in affliction and pain and scars. Then if if you receive that, then in believing just that one word, charity suffereth long, you are going to become vulnerable and you're going to suffer pain, you're going to suffer, suffer scars because to forgive and to forgive and to forgive means that you become vulnerable to the pain of being taken advantage of. Our Lord himself, Father, forgive them, Father, forgive them. How many times do we go to God and say, Father, forgive me, and he forgives us and then we go do it again and he said, we come, Father, forgive. And he says, I'm not going to forgive you anymore. I'm tired of you taking advantage of me. I'm tired of the pain. I'm tired of the scars that I'm getting by you telling me that he doesn't do that. He comes and he says, I forgive you. I love you. And now we're called to walk in that same kind of forgiveness, the scars of love, the scars, the wounds of love. If you have any any intention this morning of saving your life, saving your selfish ambitions. If you have any intention on doing your own thing, living your own way, looking out for yourself, you will never hear the word of the Lord. It will be a stumbling block to your heart. But if you hear the words of Jesus, he that seeks to save his life shall lose it, but he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. If you are willing to lose your life, lose your pride, lose your sense of I'm not going to be hurt anymore, I'm not going to be vulnerable anymore. I'm sick and tired of this Christian life. Every time I open up my heart, every time I become vulnerable, I get stepped on. I'm not going to do it. God's word is speaking to us. We've all fallen into that trap, haven't we? If God is saying to us this morning by his word and by his Holy Spirit that if we want to continue to go on with God, we will have to find in the person of Jesus Christ multiplied grace, multiplied grace to conquer that tendency within our own human nature that says enough is enough and draw from the depths of Christ's grace so that we can live and move in love. Charity suffers long. Charity is kind. Charity is not only kind to those who are kind to it, but charity is kind to the unkind. Employers, employees, fellow workers. They're kind to you. You're kind to them. But what do you do when they're unkind to you? What do you do when they're unkind? What do you do when they don't treat you right? The crisis that every Christian is going through in this late hour is the crisis of whether or not we're going to follow the Lord unto spiritual perfection and maturity, which is perfect love. Perfect love. And not act like the world acts. Not walk like the world walks. Not talk like the world talks. But when people are unkind to us by the power of love, by the power of the Spirit of God, what do we do? We be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good. Be kind to the unkind. Invite your enemy over for dinner and feed him and clothe him. Don't write him off. Don't gossip about him. The many wounds of love. What did Jesus do when He was smitten? He turned His cheek so they could smite His other side. We are called to follow in the steps of our Savior. But we don't have the goods. We don't have the wherewithal in ourself. We're going to be found out. Listen, when you meet an unkind person and they're unkind to you, you're going to be found out. You're going to realize the depths of depravity in your heart You're going to realize the depths of wanting retaliation. You're going to realize that you've got the venom of a viper in your heart. And you'll lash back at that person or you'll think evil thoughts about that person so naturally you won't believe it. And then that's when we're placed in a crisis. Are we going to acknowledge our depravity and beg God to change our heart and fill us with His Spirit and fill us with His Word and fill us with His grace so that we can function out of love and not out of hate? Or are we going to be held captive to that depravity and walk as other men walk who don't know the Lord? What are you doing this morning with the many wounds of love? Are you saying, I don't want them anymore. I don't want to be wounded anymore. Charity doesn't envy. Charity doesn't brag. It's not boastful. It's not puffed up. It doesn't behave itself unseemly. That means it's not indecent. Seeketh not her own. Love is not selfish. Love does not seek its own interests. Most all the problems that Christian families are having can be traced to this one word right here. Selfishness. You want your own way. You're selfish. And your selfishness is causing all kinds of problems. The wounds of love. Do you know how many wounds will come upon you if you walk in love and become a selfless human being? The wounds, the pain, are we greater than our Master? Do we expect to walk differently than He did? Can we expect ourself to be treated better than He did? Oh, I know. I know. This is a hard word. Love is not easily provoked. It doesn't lose its temper. Love thinketh no evil. That word think means to occupy one's mind. You know what that means? Love thinketh no evil. Love does not remember the wrongs that have been committed against it. Love suffers from amnesia. Do you know the pain that you will experience in your humanity when God calls you to love and to serve the One who has hurt you, lied about you, betrayed you? Oh, it's so easy to love someone who's been faithful. Someone who is nice to you and speaks highly of you. Oh my, it's so easy to love that kind of person, isn't it? You almost want to be around that kind of person because you know they're going to say something good about you. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Not one of us had a nice word to say. Not one of us had a kind word to say. Not one of us. We cursed Him. We crucified Him. We dishonored Him. And He still died for us. And He forgave us. What are you doing with those who have hurt you? Every single wife here, listen. Every one, listen. Your husband has failed you. Past tense. Your husband will fail you. Present tense. And your husband shall fail you. Future tense. What are you doing with it? What are you doing with it? Husbands, same thing. Parents, your children, they're going to fail you. They're going to hurt you. They're going to wound you. They're going to break your trust. They're going to lie to you. Not my child. You ever meet young parents? They're dedicated. They love the Lord. They've got little children. My kids are going to be different. Yes, they will lie to you. They'll deceive you. They'll look at you right in your eyes and they'll say, no, Daddy, I didn't do it. When they did. But you were persuaded that they were telling the truth. How many parents who have older children have found that to be true? Every one of us, huh? Every one of us. What are you going to do? You're going to hold it against them. You're going to build up a grudge against them. You're going to get resentful. You're going to start getting harsh toward them. You're going to close your heart to them. You're going to punish them emotionally. Or you're going to be vulnerable and say, I forgive you. It hurt me, but I forgive you. I forgive you because I see Christ hanging on a cross, looking at me and saying, I forgive you. Oh, this love thing will get you in trouble. This will get you in trouble, beloved, if you believe it. This is what Christianity is all about. Love thinketh no evil. Rejoices not iniquity. That means love is not entertained by lawlessness. Love is not entertained by lawlessness. Love hates what God hates. And love honors what God honors. And love respects what God respects. You see, love rejoices in truth. It bears all things. That word, bear, means to roof over. It's a covering love. It's like the bark on a tree. With silence. There's a quality in love if we push in by the grace of God where God will require us to endure ill treatment, silently, without saying a word, and continue to reach out without saying a word, silently. All these are depths and heights and widths and lengths of love that the Lord wants to lead us into. Love believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. The many wounds of love. Turn your Bible to Matthew chapter 5. Don't you love the Word of God this morning? The Word of God is so pure, it's so true, it's so honest, it's so heart-penetrating, but yet it's life-giving. I love God's Word. Matthew chapter 5, beginning in verse 38. You have heard that it has been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that you resist not evil. Don't seek vengeance. Don't seek retaliation. How often we are guilty of seeking retaliation. We try and punish people, don't we? How many of you tried to punish someone that you loved because they were unkind to you? You give them the silent treatment. You're unkind to them. You ignore them. Hello? Whoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. That's insane! That's insane, isn't it? I'm not going to do that. What do you mean if someone smites you on your right cheek, turn, and let him smite you on the other cheek? That's insane! The wounds of love are insane. The wounds of love are crazy. The wounds of love are a stumbling block and a rock of offense to those whose eyes are blinded by sin and pride and selfish ambition and ego. If you are bound by ego and selfish ambition and pride today, if the most important thing in your life is you doing your own thing, getting ahead, then these words that are being read this morning from the very heart of God are foolishness to you. You might even be smiling, but inside you're raging. You're saying, this is insane! This is insane! But if your heart has been touched by grace and you're willing to become a fool for the sake of Christ and you realize that Christ is lovely and that you are called to be like Him, these words are sweet as honey to you. Where are you at? And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two miles. Give to him that would ask and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away. The insanity of love! The wounds of love! Do you realize that if I would obey these things and I would press in and do these, you realize I would be hurt, I would be wounded, I would be taken advantage of. People would think I'm a fool. What do you think following Jesus is? What is following Jesus? I'm not sure I want this. What do you want? Let's just keep reading here, chapter 43. The wounds of love. Listen, this is what God's house is going to be built by. Everyone who truly presses in and becomes a part of that precious bride of Christ, they're all going to be displaying for all eternity the wounds and the scars that they possess because they said yes to the Lamb and followed Him. These scars are nothing to be ashamed of, beloved. They're something that makes us weep that God would count us worthy to suffer, to share in the rejection of Christ. Oh, how Christ longs for this kind of fellowship. He longs that we would be able to see these things and long after them and desire them and be counted worthy and all to know the suffering and the wounds of Christ, to weep with Christ, the joy of being able to love your enemy. You have heard verse 43. It has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies. Love your enemies. What do you do with your enemies? How do you define enemy? Someone who doesn't like you? Someone who has betrayed you? Someone who has taken advantage of you? God says to love them. But that's insane, Phil. I can't love those people. I can't love my enemies. You don't know what they've done while we were yet enemies. Christ died for us. And now, having an example in Christ, we are called to what? Follow that example. Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. You know the word curse means to wish evil. To wish harm. What do you do with people who wish you harm? Who wish you evil? Who don't always have your best interests at mind? Do you bless them? Or do you curse them? Do good to them that hate you. And pray for them which despitefully use you. Pray for them which despitefully use you. And persecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For He maketh His Son to rise on the evil and on the good. And sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Now watch this. If you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? In other words, Jesus is saying, listen, if you only love the ones that love you, if you only respect the ones that respect you, what reward is it? Don't even the sinners do that? People who don't even know Christ do that. That doesn't prove that we are living by the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the love of God. Any sinner without God can love his own. But the rubber meets the road. The truth comes out. When God and His sovereign dealings in our life allows us to be hurt, allows us to be cursed, allows us to be taken advantage of, allows us to be hated, allows us to be persecuted, and then we hear His precious melodious voice say, Walk in My steps, Son, Daughter, Love. And if you salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans. Be ye therefore perfect. That word perfect means full-grown. Even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. The perfection that Jesus is talking about, and we're going to be bringing this to a close now because we're running out of time. Listen, please listen closely. The perfection that Jesus is looking at here is the perfect love. Perfect love. Be ye perfect. In other words, be striving to live and walk in the perfect love of God. Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. This is exactly what Paul prayed. Listen to this. Verse 16, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. We need to be strengthened by might in our spirit in the inner man when we hear the call of God to walk in perfect love. We're not able to do it in ourself. We need the strength and power of God. Watch what he says. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. That word dwell means a permanent home. A permanent house. That Christ might permanently, once and for all, have a fixed and established place in your life where He can demonstrate His perfect love. But if you say yes to this call, you're saying yes to the wounds and the scars and the pain of love. Look around. Just look around right in this room. Just look around at one another. Who has hurt you? Who has betrayed you? Who has disappointed you? Are you still reaching out? Do you still love? Brothers and sisters, hear the Word of the Lord. Hear the Holy Spirit. The devil is destroying the testimony of Christ over this issue in the body right now. In the body of Christ. He's destroying it. But this morning, there is the power of God present to bring healing. There's power to bring healing. Here we go. We're going to close. Verse 18, that we may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, length, depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. Do you want the power of the Holy Spirit right now to destroy the lie that the devil has put in your mind and heart? Causing you to draw back from living the life of perfect love. Right now, he's present. Close your eyes. Open your hearts. Listen, listen, listen. We're going to pray now. We want to give the children time to sing. Everyone here is invited after the concert to a two-hour fellowship right here. We're going to have snacks and food and drinks. It doesn't matter if you brought anything. You don't have to. We'll have enough for everyone. But now, now listen to the Holy Spirit. God's Word just went forth, and every one of us have been exposed. Every one. But God wants to bring healing. He wants to bring faith into our heart and revive our desire to follow perfect love and endure the scars and not turn back because of the scars. Let's bow our hearts. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for its power. Lord, I sense this morning that You are here to heal. I sense Your heal to drive the powers of the devil back and to revive our hearts with faith to want to embrace perfect love and the scars that come with it. Every single person here that wants the performing of this Word to be raw in your heart, and you want special prayer, stand up and come forward and we'll all pray together. We only have a few minutes, so let's go ahead. We can sing this song. Anyone who wants this love to be perfected in your life, you want to be healed, you want to be restored, you want God to touch you today. You've seen the devil, how he has caused you to draw back because you didn't want to get wounded, you didn't want to get hurt, but now you've seen the healing presence of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus, let's sing this song and then we're going to close. Everyone, everyone.