Let Us Love One Another
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One Another Series:
Perhaps the main duty and privilege of church membership that encapsulates all others is our obligation to love one another.
Significant Statement: We will walk together in love as brothers and sisters in Christ, a family of sinners saved by grace. (I John 4:7-12; Rom. 12:10)
Every other significant statement that we have made concerning church membership depends upon this one idea of loving one another.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
To really bring the weight of this one another command home to our minds and our hearts we are going to observe the Lord’s Supper together first and then we will ponder this command to love one another.
In the Lord’s Supper we find the ultimate reason and motivation for walking together in love.
This morning as we prepare our hearts to observe the Lord’s Supper I want us to meditate on the doctrine of propitiation.
There are several passages that deal with the doctrine of propitiation that I want to share before we remember our Lord’s death.
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Firstly, Jesus Christ our Lord partook of our nature. He became fully man and yet fully God. Why did he partake of our nature? Why did he not partake of the nature of angels? Because Jesus did not die for angels. He died to deliver humanity who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Therefore, Jesus partook in flesh and blood even as the elements of the Lord’s Table remind us of this morning.
Secondly, because Jesus was both fully God and fully man he was uniquely qualified to deliver us from our sin. In order for our sins to be forgiven we needed a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of Almighty God. Jesus Christ is that high priest. And in His high priestly duty Jesus Christ made propitiation for the sins of the people.
What does it mean that Jesus made propitiation for our sins?
That Jesus made propitiation for our sins means that He fully satisfied the justice of God for our sins.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
If you are to understand propitiation you must also understand justification.
What does it mean that God justifies us by his grace as a gift?
What is the doctrine of justification? A legal term- you are declared righteous.
In Romans 4:5-8 Paul defines justification in two ways. Firstly, when God justifies a sinner He counts the sinner righteous apart from works. When you are justified in God’s eyes, He declares you righteous- He counts you as righteous. Like a judge in a court room he declares you not guilty. He declares you as righteous as He is!
Secondly, in our justification God not only declares us righteous, He also no longer counts our sins against us. Even though I am sinful as the day is long, when I became justified God canceled the record of my sin debt. He just canceled it!
Illustrations: One of the major political controversies of recent years has been the idea by some parties to cancel all student loan debt. Now if you were a student up to your ears in debt that sounded pretty good. But, if you were an average American citizen you probably thought it was a terrible idea. Why? You can’t just cancel student loan debt. You can’t wave a magical wand and make it disappear. Someone has to pay the debt. The American taxpayer would have to pay the canceled school debt.
So why can God cancel the debt of my sin when He justifies me by his grace as a gift? Does God just wave his magic wand and make my sin debt disappear?
No! notice the end of v. 24- God can only justify us through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
What made it possible for God to cancel our sin debt? It took Jesus Christ…
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
When Jesus Christ died for our sins he became our propitiation. He satisfied the just demands of a holy God for our sins. Our sin debt had to be paid. It had to be dealt with. God couldn’t just wave his magic wand to remove our sin debt. It had to be paid. And how did Jesus pay for our sin debt?
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Why did Jesus have to pay for our sins with his blood on the cross?
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
To show God’s righteousness. In the past, before Christ came and died for the sins of the world, God in His divine forbearance passed over former sins.
In the OT, saints were saved by faith in the promise of a coming Messiah. The OT law was simply a shadow that pointed ahead to the true realities that was Christ. All of the OT sacrificial system, all of the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. So in God’s divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
But, now Jesus has come. Jesus died for our sins by shedding his blood on the cross. He became our propitiation. Why?
26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
To show God’s righteousness. And to satisfy God’s justice. Because Jesus paid for our sin debt by his blood it allowed God to be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
God can declare us righteous. He can no longer count our sins against us. And he can be perfectly just at the same time. Why? Because Jesus Christ was put forward as our propitiation. Jesus fully satisfied the justice of God for our sins!
Now why would God do something like that for us?
Why did Jesus endure the agony of the cross? Why did Jesus, the thrice holy God, willingly take upon himself the sin of the world?
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Do you realize the agony of the cross? Do you realize what Jesus endured? I don’t think any of us really do!
Jesus took upon himself all of the sins of all of the world and the paid all of sin’s penalty.
What do we justly deserve for even one sin against a holy God? What does true justice demand as penalty for even one sin? Eternity in the lake of fire.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Why does sin demand an eternal punishment? Why not a limited sentence? Sin demands an eternal punishment because when we sin we offend and eternal God.
That is why Jesus was the only one qualified to die for our sins. It took an eternal person to satisfy the justice of another eternal person.
How many eternal persons are there? Three eternal persons, one eternal being. God the eternal Son, the second person of the Godhead, was uniquely qualified to pay for our sins.
Can you imagine the agony of one eternal person satisfying the justice of another eternal person for the countless sins of the human race?
It is no wonder that Jesus sweat great drops of blood and prayed to the Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.
It is no wonder that upon the cross Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
It was no small cost for Jesus to become our propitiation. And our finite minds perhaps can never comprehend the price that was paid that day to secure our redemption.
Why would God do that for us?
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Why did God send his only Son into the world? Why did Jesus perfectly obey the Father and become the propitiation for our sins? One word- Love.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
Would you remember that with me as we observe the Lord’s supper? Would you remember Jesus your propitiation? Would you remember why Jesus went to the cross for your sake? Would you remember His love?
Let me ask you this, what is the proper response to the love of God? What is proper response to Jesus becoming your propitiation? When the elements are being passed out, would you bow your head in prayer and offer to the Lord the proper response for his love? Would you make this time of remembrance a time of worship?
Lord’s Supper:
Bread:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Song: #104 What Wondrous Love Is This
Juice:
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Song: #106 How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
Now we are ready to talk about our one another command.
Significant Statement: We will walk together in love as brothers and sisters in Christ, a family of sinners saved by grace. (I John 4:7-12; Rom. 12:10)
Everything we have done this morning in the Word and in the Lord’s table has been to prepare us for this verse:
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
What do we mean when we say- We ought to love one another? What does that look like? Does that mean we should always have warm and fuzzy feelings for each other? What does the Bible mean when it commands us to love one another?
The Greek word for love here is what word? Do you know?
Agape- What does the Bible mean when it uses this word for love?
Dr. Mclachlan-
Love the “the self” surrendering to God fully and completely by serving others sacrificially and redemptively.
Love is a radical change from self to unself.
Love is a selfless and sacrificial investment in the wellbeing of another.
Love is a conscious decision to act first in behalf of another rather than first in behalf of myself.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Everything we do as a church is dependent upon this one idea. We must love one another. And the only reason we can possibly love one another is because God has first loved us.
Church family- do you love one another?
Do you make conscious decisions to act first in behalf of another rather than first in behalf of your self?
What does that look like? How are you making selfless and sacrificial investments in the wellbeing of one another?
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
We will be proactive in maintaining and restoring unity with one another (Eph. 4:2-3).
We will be diligent in helping one another grow in every way in Christlikeness (Eph. 4:12-16).
We will forgive one another in the same way that God has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).
We will disciple one another, through participation with the Holy Spirit, to become like Jesus (Rom. 15:14; Col 3:16; I Thess. 4:18; I Thess 5:11)
We will welcome one another in the same way that Christ has welcomed us for the glory of God (Rom. 15:7).
We will avoid judging one another, taking care not to trip one another up (Rom. 14:13)
We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, to deny ungodliness and worldly passions, to bring holiness to completion in the fear of God, and to do all to the glory of God (Eph 5:15-17; Titus 2:11-12; 2 Cor 7:1; I Cor 10:31).
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