Relationship - to Each Other
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ILLUST - Who are you nicest to? Who are you often the meanest to?
Those closest to you - can be easy to love them
Can be difficult to love them
Maybe need reminder?
How can people tell we love Yahweh?
Like knowing what sports team you follow - people can tell
How should people be able to tell of our love for Him
How we love each other
Maybe we need a reminder…
Yahweh is HOLY
One huge way He shows His HOLINESS (being set apart) is LOVE
Selfless, friendly, mutual interest
His love is governed by His holiness
READ JOHN 15:12-17
Jesus in John 15 repeats what He stated in ch. 13 - to “love each other”
Repeated because we are easy and quick forgetters
Not an option, but it IS a choice
Where else does Scripture inform us about loving each other?
NT beyond Gospels - similar concept
Particular focus on the church, believers, loving each other
The world watches, how we treat each other
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Jesus said HE did this
How do WE do this?
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Written to the CHURCH
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
OK, got it - Now…ever think of Love, our love for each other, as gift-related?
Gifts Related to Yahweh’s Love
Gifts Related to Yahweh’s Love
1) Knowledge
1) Knowledge
What we know of Yahweh, what we know of Jesus
Not from any special capabilities we have
His disciples were chosen, appointed to share the Gospel, bear fruit
They could only do so because they were friends of Jesus
(Not good ol’ pals, but friends)
What is a friend?
Think about a person hard to be friends with
Jesus could have seen sinners, and decided to not do what He did
He offered salvation to the worst of sinners - you and me
Friendship: A partnership - mutual respect, affection
Slaves - obey with no choice
Master does not explain the “why”
?? Bondservants - willing slavery
Friends - fully aware of the purpose of the friend
Understand the “why”
Jesus is the superior friend - and He taught, and teaches, what His purpose is
Glory of Yahweh
We, if we are friends, adopt that same purpose in life
Glory of Yahweh
This is how they gained knowledge, the gift of knowledge by virtue of salvation and friendship with Jesus
They knew Jesus, the Word, knowledge like no other knowledge
Our faith is not blind, but eyes wide open, rational and logical decision to trust and follow
2) Prayer
2) Prayer
An incredible resource to believers
Direct access to the Father
Boldly approach the throne of grace, in Hebrews 4:16
Individually - important
As a church family - CRUCIAL
If we are to accomplish God’s will, we need each other praying
For us, with us
Prayer brings us close to the Father
And as we each grow closer to the Father
We grow closer to each other
Jesus (you know this) paid the price for you to be right with the Father
This is important to Him when it comes to prayer
It’s OK to mention Jesus when you pray
REM: He saved us to bear fruit, which includes close relationship, prayer with Him, in His name
“Pray in Jesus name”
He tells us to ask in His name
No other name allows access to the Father:
“Hello, I’d like to talk to You, Father”
“Yeah, who are you to be asking that? Who said you could pray to Me?”
“I know Jesus, He’s my Friend”
“I know, let’s talk”
Prayer is a crucial gift related to His love for us, and a vehicle for us to come together due to our love for each other
“Love one another, as I have loved You”
Not optional
Not easy
(third gift related to love)
3) The Church
3) The Church
Each other
I am a gift to you
You are a gift to me
We are gifts to each other
No re-gifting or returns! :)
Believers - we have the MOST important thing in common
REM: Jesus laid down His life for His friends
They, like all of us, were enemies of yahweh
All sinners - in common
And He died so we could be friends
All who are believers - saved - have that in common
But how do we lay down our lives?
Jesus showed that His life was worth sacrificing for us
He does NOT ask us to physically die for others
But to die to self - die to old spiritual sin nature
For the good of the Church and glory of Yahweh
Let each regard others - Phil 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
For me to lay down my life for you is to be selfless, for your benefit
To be selfless - not motivated by personal gain
Loving each other can be difficult, uncomfortable, not “fun”
A community of disciples living for God’s will
An incredible gift
Loving each other is easier when we do that together
It needs to become more and more prevalent
Especially today
Thank Yahweh for the gift of this church
Pray for those who choose to not be a regular part of our church family, the body of Christ
Let’s be an easily visible gift to them
And let’s strongly encourage and love on those who are a regular part of our mission here
CLOSE
Need a reminder to love those who love Jesus? Those closest to us?
Look around. Who’s missing? They need our love.
How could we forget?
Why reminder?
What could happen to cause us to not love each other well?
2 Commandments
Love God
Love each other
If you take your first and primary focus off God, you will forget to love others
You will love YOU more than you love anyone else!
Case in point? Ephesus - see Eph 1:15
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
30+ years later - lost first love, lost focus on Jesus, stopped “doing the deeds” of loving each other
Cornerstone - 33 years - what is the focus?
Love Jesus
Love others
Then we are prepared for what follows - we can properly face the world
Praise Yahweh for His great gifts
Knowledge
Prayer
Each other
And ask Him for wisdom to love each other better
The world will see, and see Christ