Just Three Words - "I Love You"
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Grace Church By John Demo

Just Three Words - "I Love You"

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Grace Church holds a Meet & Greet for those who are newer to Grace Church on the 4th Sunday of each month following the service in CJ's coffee shop. It is a great opportunity to meet the staff and leadership of Grace Church and learn a little more about the church. It also gives us an opportunity to learn a little about you! Contact Leslie Booher if you have any questions ([email protected]).
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Sunday, November 2nd - Adam Simons
Tuesday, November 4th - Brian & Jenny Krauss
Friday, November 7th - Allison Kerby
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We are starting a new five week series called "Just three words."
I Love You; God Bless You; How's it Going; Thanks So Much; Come On In
Scripture says we are to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
I Love You...what does it really mean?
Our English word "Love" means all kinds of things.
There are three types of love:
Agape - sacrificial & committed
Phileo - brotherly
Eros - sensual or sexual
You and I were created so that God could express His love to us and we could respond to Him with love.

With just seven words, John summarizes this important topic of love in 1 John 4:19.
We are called to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5
1 John 4:19
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19 We love because He first loved us.
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Deuteronomy 6:5
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5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
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How do we work this into our daily lives? Obedience!
We see three times in John chapter 14 that love equals obedience.
John 14:15
John 14:21
John 14:23
John 14:15
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15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
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John 14:21
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21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
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John 14:23
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23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
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Why did Jesus, who created the universe, choose to become human and live here? To reveal to us what God is like. To live as a man so we could know God, know His character, and know His love. To make it possible for us to choose eternal life with Him.
John 1:14 [NLT]
John 1:14
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14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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While here on earth Jesus was laughed at, accused of being demon-possessed, was insulted, despised and rejected by men. Even His own followers didn't understand Him. How did He endure this treatment? He could have said that's enough, I can't take it anymore. What kept Him from giving up? Jesus didn't quit because the love for His children (you and I) was greater than the pain of the journey. He loves you!
Love a verb (what you do) more than a noun (what you feel). Many marriages fail because people value feelings over actions. Love is a commitment and love is a choice.
Feelings are one of the shallowest and most unreliable of all human emotions. Love is a choice more than a feeling because feelings are subjective while love is objectively displayed in our actions. When we love with our actions we are proving our love to be more than just words.
Matthew 22:37-40
Matthew 22:37-40
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37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
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People are irritating, difficult, messy, hard to love. God doesn't ask us to love only those who are easy to love, He also commands us to love our enemies.
God's plan from the beginning was to develop a people that reflected His character...and His character is love. Love is not a gray area in Scripture, Jesus gave love priority over all other Christian virtues.
Demonstrating Christ's love sets us apart from the rest of the world.
John 13:35
John 13:35
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35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
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1. Love VALUES the other person.
John 3:16

Everyone has incredible value to God. So much so that He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us.
People matter to God and they should matter to us as well.
John 3:16
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16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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2. Love is VULNERABLE.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

This kind of love opens its life to another person. It will expose your heart and you will become vulnerable.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
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4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.
6 Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.
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3. Love INVOLVES a cost.
1 John 3:16

Love is costly. It's doing what is best for another no matter what it costs you. It involves sacrifice and service and is often very painful and difficult.
1 John 3:16
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16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
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We cannot love others like Christ, without Christ. It is impossible!
In 105 verses in 1 John, love is mentioned more than 40 times.
1 John 3:18
Love is an action, not a feeling...love is doing.
1 John 3:18
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18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
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Unbeliever: John 3:16
For God so loved _____ that He gave His one and only Son so that if _____ believes in Me _____ will not perish but _____ will have eternal life.
John 3:16
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16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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Believer: John 13:34
We are commanded by God to “Love one another” in the same way God loves us. We must then be willing to lay down our lives and sacrificially give up what we want for the benefit of someone else.
John 13:34
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34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
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Grace Church Website
link https://gc3.org/
Giving at Grace
link https://gc3.org/pages/give
Find us on YouTube
link https://www.youtube.com/@GraceChurchMI
Breeze Directory
At Grace we use a secure directory/giving service called Breeze Church Management.  Creating your personal account allows you to contact others in the church family, keep your contact information updated, and keep track of your giving if that is important to you, and/or create an online giving account. Use the link below to get started or to login if you already have an account.
link https://gc3.breezechms.com/r/dashboard
CJ's Coffee Shop Pre-Order
Skip the line and order your latte ahead of time!
link https://gc3.org/pages/cjs-order
Grace Church has an App!
Access messages, prayer posts, news & events, Breeze login, and more! Use the link below to download the Grace Church app through Tithely. This is an easy way to access all of the most important things found on our website or even get to the website itself. Once you download the app it will ask what topics you would like notifications for so that you won't miss out on any information that is shared. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Lisa Sterkenburg ([email protected]) or Leslie Booher ([email protected]).
link https://tithely.app.link/gc3
Join a H.O.M.E. Group
Life is better lived in community with one another. As Christ followers, we know that being in community helps us tremendously as we learn and grow in our faith. Grace Church offers H.O.M.E. Groups that help us do just that! These groups meet from September to May in homes throughout our 4 county region. H.O.M.E. Groups guide us in four key areas: Hospitality, Obedience, Ministry, and Evangelism. It is our hope that everyone be able to experience life lived in community through a H.O.M.E. Group!  If you have questions or want help finding a group that is right for you, contact the church office ([email protected]).  You can learn more and sign-up using the link below.
link https://gc3.org/pages/h-o-m-e-groups
Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection
Drop off your boxes any Sunday in October Operation Christmas Child is an outreach that Grace Church participates in each October. These gift-filled shoeboxes are packed and sent to children in need around the world together with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Shoeboxes will be available at the Operation Christmas Child table each week. Please return your filled boxes to the church no later than October 26th. Learn how to pack a shoebox gift at the link below. Contact Leslie Booher ([email protected]) if you have questions.
link https://gc3.org/events/operation-christmas-child-shoebox-collection/2025-10-05
Annual Pie Fundraiser
This is an annual pie fundraiser and all funds generated go directly to the Samaritan Fund to help people in the church and in the community. Pies are $18 each and all orders should be placed on or before November 16th. Use this LINK to order. Pies will be available for pick-up on November 16th or 23rd depending on when you order. Please be very specific about the quantity you are ordering along with which type of pie (cherry, apple, or blueberry) and whether you want it frozen or baked. You may pay in person with check (to Grace Church) or cash in CJ's coffee shop or pay online now. Contact Susie Butler with any questions regarding your pies ([email protected]). A big THANK YOU to Susie for using your time, talent, and treasure to help people in need through this fundraiser!
link https://gc3.breezechms.com/form/pies25
Concealed Pistol Class (CPL)
with Jake Wedge Shooting LLC Saturday, November 8th 8:00 am - 4:00 pm $105 per person The church tries to offer a concealed pistol carry class each year. You can learn about the class, sign-up and pay, and ask any questions you may have at the link below. There are 14 spots in the class so don't wait to sign-up.
link https://jakewedgeshootingllc.company.site/
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