Marks of a Disciple (Part 3: Loving Believers)
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Introduction
Attention:
Q. What is your definition of the word “unique”?
When we say that something is ‘unique,’ we are saying that that thing is unlike anything else;
That it is “one of a kind”
Q. What is the most unique thing that you own?
Check this instrument out
It is called a kalimba!
It is an African thumb piano
I own a lot of instruments (mainly guitars), but this is the only one that I have that is like that
Similarly, the world is full of all sorts of different examples of what it means to “love” something
We say things like, “I love hamburgers!”
We say that we love to do certain things, like I “love to play guitar”
But when it comes to using the word more seriously, we tell our family members that we love them;
And of course, the second greatest commandment is to “love our neighbor as ourself
Q. Who is our neighbor?
Everybody!
But what should Christians’ love for each other look like?
Should it look any different?
Is it any more special somehow?
We will be answering these questions today as we continue in our Marks of a Disciple series, where we are taking a look at what Jesus said it means to be one of his disciples
Today, we’ll look at John 13:34-35, where Jesus gives His a disciples a very important command at the last supper, shortly before his arrest and death.
Need:
Did you know that Christians are supposed to love each other differently than they love everyone else?
We talk so much about loving our neighbor that we sometimes forget that we need to love our brothers and sisters in a special way
In fact, if we can’t even love our brothers and sisters in Christ, how are we supposed to be able to love those outside the church well?
In a world driven by division, hatred, and violence, Christians need to show that there is another way
You need to hear this message so that you can love people in a way that builds up the body of Christ
Body
The Big Idea:
Christians love each other uniquely
Christians should love each other in a way that is distinct from the way that they love everybody else
The Big Question:
What makes Christians’ love for each other unique?
It builds authentic community
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Explanation:
Jesus is talking to his disciples during the last supper
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this was during one of Jesus’ most important conversations that he ever had with His followers, as the time of His crucifixion drew very near
Shortly before this verse, he had finished washing His disciples feet, showing them an example with how they are to love others through acts of service
The feet-washing wasn’t the first time that Jesus told them about the importance of loving others, but this is the first time that Jesus has focused in on the love that His followers should have for each other specifically
That is what makes this command “new”
And this “new” type of love that the disciples were to love each other with is the love through which they would build a “new” type of community the church
The church is built upon the foundation of believers collectively loving God and each other.
In other words, Jesus didn’t just want his disciples to sit idly by with their love for each other; we wanted them to use their love to build something new; something that is bigger than themselves.
The unique love that Christians have for each other builds authentic Christian community.
Illustration:
I am sure that we’ve all been a part of social circles that felt superficial at some point
I remember, when i was in youth group, there was a period where I hung out with two separate friend groups
And I’ll just say that, one of them was not like the other
One of them has stood the test of time, and one of them has not
One reflected the love that believers should have for each other, and one of them didn’t
Authentic Christian community is built upon the foundation of the unique brotherly and sisterly love that we share together in Christ.
Application:
The truth is, we are all building up the community around us
We make unique contributions that make our groups what they are.
What type of Christian community have you been building around you?
Are you showing special concern for those who bear the name of Christ?
Are you using your love to build up the body of Christ?
Here is one way to know this; do you give people the benefit of the doubt?
We tend to be overly suspicious of people, don’t we?
And we are even suspicious of each other as Christians!
Listen to the way that one commentator shared this:
“Too often we view others with greater suspicion than a hypochondriac views a sore throat.”
When it comes to our relationships with each other within the church, we should always assume the best.
Christ wants us to be a part of a vibrant Christian community that meets our social and relational needs
So build something bigger through mutual Christian love
Transition Statement:
This unique Christian love doesn’t come directly from us; it has a source.
The Big Idea:
Christians love each other uniquely
The Big Question:
What makes Christians’ love for each other unique?
It builds authentic community
It reflects Jesus
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Explanation:
The new commandment for the church to build a community through unique love doesn’t exist in a vacuum
It has an origin
It has something to be based upon
And that is Christ’s love for us
Christ sure does love us, doesn’t He?
He came down to this earth, both fully God and fully man, to walk amongst us and to be present in our lives
He sacrificed everything on account of His love for us
Check this verse out:
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The ultimate proof of Christ’s love for us is His death on the cross
He died the penalty for our sins that we deserved
And he didn’t stop proving His love for us there!
Three days after He died, He rose again, conquering over the main thing that humanity fears; death
Now, because of Jesus, the question, “what happens to me after I die?” doesn’t have to be scary anymore
For those of us who have trusted in Christ as our Lord and savior, we can rest assured that when we die, we will go to be with our Lord and Savior forever.
THAT’S that type of love that Jesus has shown us!
And guess what? He wants us to show that same type of love to other Christians.
We should love each other so much that we’re willing to die for each other
Look at this:
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
What Jesus did for us, we are to do for each other
Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t want us to show sacrificial love towards non-believers? Of course not!
He died for them too, by the way
But what makes our sacrificial love for each other unique is that we share in the experience of having received the love of God through salvation, by grace, through faith
We share a love that we have experienced in a unique way to those who have experienced it, too
Christian brotherly love is reciprocal in a way that loving non-Christians could never be.
Jesus loves us so much
We should share that love with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Illustration:
Q. Have people ever told you that you remind them of one of your family members, or that you look like one of them?
I know for me, people have always said that I look like my mom, and my brother looks like my dad
That was always a bit of a strange thing for me to wrap my brain around, especially considering the whole “opposite gender” thing and what not
When you love other Christians the way that Jesus loves us, people can see the family resemblance.
You look like Jesus when you love your brothers and sisters.
Application:
Does the way that you treat other Christians reflect that way that Christ has treated you?
We spend so much time reaching outward with the love of Christ.… When was the last time you reached inward?
Look around at everybody in the room:
God has commanded you to love the people you just looked at with the love of Christ
Have you been doing that?
Take extra effort to love your fellow brothers and sisters in a Christ-like way
Go the extra mile to give them the benefit of the doubt; because Jesus would do the same.
Transition Statement:
Loving fellow Christians uniquely doesn’t just reflect someone. It proves something.”
The Big Idea:
Christians love each other uniquely
The Big Question:
What makes Christians’ love for each other unique?
It builds authentic community
It reflects Jesus
It proves discipleship
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Explanation:
Q. So what does loving each other prove?
That we are His disciples.
Don’t sleep on this
Jesus doesn’t say that the main way people will know that we are His disciples is by reading our Bibles
Its not in the way that we do acts of service in our community
It’s not even in the way that we share the Gospel
It is in the way that we love other Christians.
Why is THAT what the world is paying attention to?
Infighting is a mark of inauthentic love.
Because, if we should be able to love anybody, we should be able to love each other
If we are not able to effectively love each other, we will never be able to love our neighbor!
This is why disunity in the body of Christ is such a big deal
When the world looks in at the disunity that is happening in the church, we are not showing the world what it looks like to live as a Disciple of Jesus Christ
A mark of discipleship is uniquely loving other Christians.
Illustration:
I have witnessed massive disunity in the body of Christ a couple of times.
My two examples are both so extreme that I wasn’t sure which one to pick
But I decided I would go with my most recent example; the church that I was at before I came here
After causing a lot of damage, the pastor told me and some others that he was going to resign
This is what needed to happen
In fact, to get out of the situation, I was already on my way out and had began conversations with Ebenezer
Anyways, the day for him to resign came, and he did it in a way that stirred up a lot of emotions
Following this, he asked people to “stand” if they would commit to support him
That caused a church split right there between those standing up and those standing down
I really didn’t like the way that he handled it
The next day, I got into my office, he called me and asked how I thought everything went
I told him the truth, and then he asked if I could support him 100%, I said, “no,” and then he told me to pack up my office and leave, so then I did
Doesn’t that just give a such a fraudulent version of what the love between Christians is supposed to look like?
The trust is, when people looked at that church at that time, they did not see what it looked like to be a disciple
Thankfully, the pastor was eventually removed, and the church is headed in a much better direction today.
But the principle remains; it is so important that Christians give special attention and care to our brothers and sisters in Christ, because when we don’t, we are giving the enemy a win.
Application:
Where are you at in your discipleship?
When other people look at you, do they see a disciple of Christ by the way that you love other Christians?
Or do they just see someone who is grumpy and refuses to give the benefit of the doubt?
Insomuch as you can help it, commit to assuming the best of your fellow Christians
Show the world what true brotherly and sisterly love looks like
Conclusion
Visualization
Picture the bond that you have with each other
Imagine that you see it growing and growing, until it becomes something that the whole world knows about
Reiteration
Love each other in a unique way that builds authentic community, reflects Jesus, and proves your discipleship.
If there is anything between you and anyone else in our group, go and make it right.
As we sing, commit to doing what it takes to live out a vibrant faith that proves itself in deep care and concern for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
PRAY
