Greater Love

I originally planned this sermon series, this was actually the first sermon and it, but then when Julie, and I decide to go on vacation, it's switch places. So I actually like the place where it's ended up now and this series, and it works out quite well. you know, we've been talking over Easter about the greater love and how that has tied back into what we've been talking about so far this year with discipleship And you know, love is one of those words that the definition of it probably depends who you're talking to or what you're talkin about. But you know, we live in a world where love is so often defined simply by feelings and unfortunately those feelings are usually determined by the convenience or our own self-interest.

But Jesus, redefines love. The type of love that we saw demonstrated and what he did by dying on the cross. He know, he doesn't just talk about how much he loves each of us but he demonstrated it for us. First hand, he lived it out. you know, in our passage for today, Jesus makes the powerful proclamation of love. John chapter 15 verses 9 through 13.

As the father has loved me, so I so have I Loved You Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love. Just as I have kept my father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this love each other. As I have loved, you greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You know, this isn't just some poetic thought that he's sharing about love in the nature of God's love. It's a call to action a call to a way of life and ultimately

I think we will realize that it is the heart of Apple message that Jesus has sought to model the entire time. He had been on Earth the entire time, he was with his disciples.

You know, he's showing us that he isn't just telling us what love is. He has shown Us by his very actions The depth and extent of his love for us.

There's one thing we should learn from all this is that loving others deeply and genuinely always comes at a cost.

Yeah, I think we all know this to be true because we've experienced it in one way or another in our lives. Yeah, as parents, we give up sleep and personal time to care for our children to provide for their needs, you know? And as friends, we set aside our own need, sometimes to be there for friends and to support them, and to give them what they need. You know, it could be in times of Crisis or just times where they have a lot of things going on. As spouses as siblings, you know, we've all had those times when we've had to make sacrifices. And maybe, we've even had times in our life, we're total strangers have made sacrifices for us. In order to show us the love of our savior.

She on that last verse from our passage, I Think Jesus is speaking about that directly, when in John 15:13 he says greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends.

you know, the book, I read over vacation written by an army, chaplain, he talked about how many Funeral services. He had shared this at of it was a very common verse that he would share when doing services for fallen service members. And he said, you know, in that instance, it's pretty obvious the sacrifice that that person had made for his fellow soldiers or Countryman. but, you know, at the time Jesus said this, I doubt the disciples fully grasp what he was talking about You know, they probably thought he was making. Some sort of poetic thought about love or speaking in metaphor Parable like he often did and they didn't realize that he was pretty directly telling them. What he was going to do but they didn't fully grasp that. Now I don't know if it's because they were too slow or too dense or you know, we all have a tendency when we don't want to hear something. We don't hear it right, you know, we just told no that can't be what they met. They didn't want to hear that at this point, but they didn't fully understand the weight. Of his words. Because Jesus was foreshadowing, the greatest act of love the world would ever witness the offering of a life for a life. You know, we can't think of a greater thing that demonstrates love and that's what Jesus calls it here. But, you know, Jesus has sacrificed redefined love itself. It gave us a new standard. You know the world tells us that love should always be easy that love is intended just to make us feel good that it should serve us in our needs. That's all love is about. That's what it tells us.

But Jesus demonstrates. A different kind of love for his Jesus demonstrates love. That is costly. You know, Jesus gave up everything not just hit in his final moments on the cross, but in the way that he lived every day, he was always seeking to serve others. He was pouring himself out into those around him. Knowing that they could never repay him for what he was giving them or doing for them, but he was simply doing it because he loves them.

So if we're to love as Jesus loved then we must recognize that true deep love in a christ-like sense, always requires sacrifice of some sort. You know, it means setting aside our own desires, our own plans, our own Comfort at times, for the sake of someone else. It means choosing patience when we'd rather be frustrated, it means choosing forgiveness when it would be a whole lot easier, not to, because we've clearly been wronged. It means choosing generosity when really we'd rather not, we would rather hold back. You know it's easy to love when it's convenient or when we receive something in return but the love of Christ calls us to a higher standard. And that's what we have to see here that living like this, loving like this takes intention, intentionality, and practice. It's not something that's just going to happen, you know, christ-like love cuz it happened by accident. We aren't that good. We wish we were, but we are. It's something we have to be intentional about. You know, it's not the flipping feeling that comes and goes based on our current mood or circumstances like the world would Define love. Like I've said, true love christ-like, love the kind of love. Jesus calls us to requires intentionality. We have to be deliberate about what we're doing. Cuz we're really going to love people on that level and that sort of way, that's a deliberate choice. You know? It's an ongoing commitment that we have to make to put others first to put their needs ahead of ourselves. Even when that might be difficult, even when that is inconvenient, even when it's painful. Yo, we see this in the way that Jesus left. Jesus didn't just wait for opportunities to love people. He actively sought them out. He looked for opportunities that he could use to serve other people to show them, God's love. And he wasn't afraid to cross the normal lines in order to do that. Yeah, we see throughout scripture that he repeatedly crossed cultural barriers that were there.

Best example being when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well You know, he spoke to the Samaritan and he spoke to a woman, those things were not done in their society but he did it. Because he wanted to share the love of God with her. Or when he stops and heals the woman of her bleeding in the middle of a crowd. Or when he chose to wash the feet of his disciples, even the disciple, who would later betray him. He showed love. Even when it wasn't convenient, even when it wasn't easy. But those were opportunities, he had to make a deliberate choice about, he had to make the choice to love in those instances.

Continuing on in John chapter 13 verses 34 and 35 we see Jesus tell his disciples, a new command. I give you love one another As I have loved you so you must love one another by this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

You'll notice here that Jesus does not present love as a mere suggestion or an occasional gesture that we should do. He commands

That's because love is meant to be the defining, mark. Of his followers. Yeah, that should be the first thing that the world notices, that the followers of Christ are different. not just because of what they believe, or even do because of how they live, but because of how they love in a sacrificial, what That is what Christ is calling us to that. It's not just a mere feeling. It's a very intentional feeling a very sacrificial way of life. But when we love others in this way, We are going to see change. Not just in ourselves, but also in them. Yeah, this is the type of Love. That is a transformational love because it's aligned with what Jesus tells us of how we need to love people. In what was the reason that Jesus loved people? He was loving on people because he knew that the only chance they had for a holistic Redemption. For True forgiveness. What's the love of God? And that is the only hope any of us ever have for lasting change.

Cuz no matter how you define love, love changes things, it doesn't leave. People the same at least. I think by a worldly definition or biblical. You could say that But when we experience true christ-like love. It has a power beyond any other for more flavor. Of emotion or love. No, it is the only love that truly has the power to heal wounds, and I don't just mean physical wounds. I'm talking about spiritual wounds, emotional, wounds.

Price. Like love is the only thing that has the power to restore broken. Relationships to fix those bonds that have been broken and to bring new life. In the case, where there's been only sadness and Brokenness.

And I think is we went through all these scriptures talking about discipleship. We've seen clearly that this is the way that Jesus loved his love actively transform the lives of those who are with him, not just the disciples, but everyone, they encounter.

You know, many of the disciples were people who were on the fringes of society not really considered the mainstream people.

I think that's why the early church grew so quickly because people saw that, Within this group, The outcasts was accept it. The Centre was forgiven. You know, the Hopeless was given a purpose, they were given a reason for being a part of the group. You don't it doesn't matter if you're talking about the woman caught in adultery to a tax collector who was hiding in a tree, no one experienced, the love of Jesus and walked away unchanged. Everyone who encountered Christ was changed in one way or another? Last week I shared 2nd Corinthians 5:17 where Paul says therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is come the old has gone. The new is here. That's what we're talking about. You know Jesus love is not just comforting, its transformative. It's going to change you. It's going to change anyone.

That encounters it.

You know, it does not simply affirm us where we are. I know a lot of times, if we Define love on human turns, it means, someone accepting us unconditionally for, who we are, where we are, how we are, which yes, that's a part of it, but Christ, love is deeper than that.

It calls us forward shaping us into who God created us to be, who God wants us to be who God knows we can be. And when we receive his love, it changes us. And we choose to love others in this way. It creates space for transformation in them as well and deeper transformation within us. As we love others with the love of Christ.

And if we are to love others, love as Jesus, loved than our love, must go beyond our words. I think that's something. We've talked a lot about as we've talked about discipleship. It's proven interactions. But even more than that, going beyond words, it must be the kind of Love That Forgives. when that forgiveness isn't deserved by anyone when nothing's been done to earn it, but we forgive them anyway, because we knew Christ has forgiven It has to be a love that persist and continues to seek to love on that person. Even when it's difficult, even when it's hard, when it's painful, we continue to love them because we know that on the days, we're difficult on the days that we are hard for God to pursue. He still loves us. He still comes after us.

You know, it has to be the type of love that believes in God's power to change lives. He even went by all human standards, it looks like it's going to be impossible.

God's love always brings change. Soon. We love others with the love of Christ. We have to extend Grace You knowing that love has the power to heal even the deepest wounds. When we love others, with the love of Christ, we see people through the lens of redemption.

You're believing that. No one is beyond the reach of God's transforming love.

When we love others, with the love of Christ, we love with expectation. now, that one might sound a little weird, but it's not that we Heap unrealistic expectations. on the one that were trying to love with the love of Christ know, our expectation comes from knowing what Christ can and will do for them.

But we have to have that attitude when we're loving them, you know, we are trusting that when Jesus is at work, change is inevitable.

Now it may not come as quickly as we want or in the form that we want it. But we know God, well enough to know that when his name is called upon, when he is at work, something's going to change.

And this kind of love is not always easy. It requires Faith. Sometimes a lot of it. It demands patience from us, which is probably one of the hardest things.

And it calls for us to trust in the one who makes all things new.

But the problem is there is that when we love like Jesus, we don't just show love, we become vessels of transformation in the lives of those around us.

You know, so my challenge to you as we continue through this. Ceres is, where is God calling you to love in a way that brings lasting change? You know where is God calling you to love others? Maybe God's calling you to love yourself, more to. Reach out to that person who has always seemed to be. Your Nemesis your arch-rival. The person that you just can't stand, At work. Maybe that's the one God wants you to show greater love to

and you know, sweet prepared to take communion today. You know, let's remember that greater love is not just something we receive from Jesus. It's something that we are called to reflect to others. His love is sacrificial. His loved his intentional. His love is transformational. And it should change the way that we lived.

And you know, this we celebrated Easter last week, we celebrated in baptism, which is a great way to demonstrate the death of our old self in our new life in him. But it should also remind us of the high price that Christ paid for all of us. The price that he paid to show his love. That christ-like love is costly.

that's one of the things that the sacrament of communion can remind us of as we take the communion and we remember what it cost, our Lord and savior

Suppose you come forward this morning and receive the communion elements. I want you to be thinking about that question. Where is God calling you to love in a way that brings lasting change?

Cuz the truth is, you might be a great and loving person, but I think we all still have a ways to go to be able to love people like Jesus did. We can all grow in this area. So if I can invite Julie, to come up and help me this morning, as you come to the table to receive the elements, be thinking about that. So, please come and join us.