Loving Each Other

Living for Jesus

“Loving Each Other”

,

May 5, 2013

Introduction

Illustration: Facebook Pictures

That’s our current sermon series: Living for Jesus. Our theme verse for the series is found in .

For to me, living means living for Christ …

So, our current sermon series is “Living for Jesus.” This morning, we are back in . we will be studying v. 12-13. Our focus today will be on this command by Jesus to love each other. Think of the importance of this teaching like this.

I can’t stress enough the importance of this teaching to love each other. This teaching is set in the context of the Last Supper. Jesus is about to be arrested, put on trial, and crucified. Thing are about to be very different for the disciples of Christ. So, Jesus is having the Passover Meal with his disciples. In every Gospel, we get a little different perspective on the Passover Meal. Part of Passover in Jesus’ day centered on questions that children would ask about the Passover. The father would then answer the questions on the Passover and in so doing would teaching his children about the Passover. That’s the perspective that John is taking with his version of the Lord’s Supper.

All through out John’s account of the Lord’s Supper, the disciples are asking Jesus questions. Why are you washing my feet? How can we get where you are going? Jesus, show us the Father?

In the process of answering these questions, Jesus teaches his disciples about a life of things including their need to love each other. I can not stress enough the importance of this teaching. Let me show you another reason why it’s so important.

Illustration: Teacher repeating themselves

is really the great teacher repeating himself. Look over at .

1. Love is the mark of a Christ follower.

How do people know you belong to Christ? Is by the Christian t-shirt that you occasionally wear? Is the Christian bumper sticker that you have on your car? How do people know you belong to Christ? Is it by the big white family Bible that sits on your coffee table or bookshelf? Is by the scripture verses that you post on twitter or facebook? How do people know that you belong to Christ? Maybe, people know you belong to Christ by what you do: I got to church. I teach Sunday School. I am on a committee at church.

How do people know that you belong to God? Do you know what the Bible teaches about this? The Bible teaches that people will know if we belong to Christ by our love for each other?

Illustration: Josh Hewitt writing Randy “Macho Man” Savage on name tag when visiting church in Hattiesburg area

Name tags serve a purpose. Most of the time they identify us. Love is the name tag that identifies us as followers of Christ.

Dedrich Bonnheifer: Love is the badge of Christian discipleship, it is not knowledge, it’s not orthodoxy, it’s not fleshly activity, But supremely, it is love that identifies a follower of Jesus Christ.

Love is the mark that we are Christ followers. Over in , Paul says you can sing with the angels, you can preach till the stars fall down, you can prophecy the future, you can have faith that moves mountains, but if you do not have love then you are nothing.

— Love is the mark that identifies us as followers of Christ.

Illustration: MSU Crawfish table, Ole Miss tent over it

Sometimes, we send mixed messages to the world. Instead of being known for our love for each other, sometimes people know us for our disputes, our arguments, our knockdown drag out fights in church business meetings.

Sometimes we send mixed messages to the world. Instead of being known for our love for each other, we are known for our bitterness, anger, hatred, jealousies that we have will fellow believers in Christ.

Let’s not be like this picture. Let’s not send mixed messages to the world. Let’s love each other as Jesus commanded in and in .

2. Jesus' love for us is the model of our love for each other.

V. 34 — Jesus’ love for us is the model of our love for each other.

15:12 — Jesus’ love for us is the model of our love for each other.

Illustration: Modeling after something

We are to model our love for each after Jesus’ love for us. Let me share with you six words that describe how Jesus loves us.

A. Sacrificial

Jesus loved us sacrificially. He gave up his very life for us. In our relationships with each other, the question should not be what can I get, but what can I give in this relationship.

B. Selfless

Love is not self seeking ()

Love has no personal agenda. Love is about putting others ahead of ourselves. That is how Jesus loved. It was a selfless love that put Jesus on the cross.

C. Patient

Love is patient ()

We are quick to point out each others faults. We are quick to nitpick each other’s spiritual life. Instead of pointing out each other’s faults and nitpicking, we need to be patient with each other. We are all at different places in our spiritual journey. We all have some growing do to spiritually. We need to patient with each other.

Jesus is patient with us. Jesus was patient with his disciples. I think of Peter in particular. It always seems that Peter was doing the wrong thing, saying the wrong thing. Did Jesus kick Peter out of the disciples? Did Jesus threaten to call fire from Heaven to consume Peter the next time he did or said something wrong. No. Jesus was patient Peter. Peter eventually matured into a great leader in the early church.

We need to be patient with each other.

D. Forgiving

Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do ()

In love, Christ forgave our sins. We must forgive others.

I wish I could tell you that the church was made of perfect relationships. I wish I could tell you that nobody was going to hurt you in the church. But the church is not a perfect society. Chances are at some point, somebody in the church is going to hurt feelings. Chances are at some point, someone is going to say something about you or do something to you.

When it happens, instead of getting bad, bitter, or revenge. We need to show love, grace. We need to practice forgiveness.

E. Unconditional

We love Him because He first loved us. ()

Christ didn’t make demands on his love. Love me first then I will love. Bible says that God first love us. His love for his unconditional.

Christ didn’t make demands on his love. Live a perfect life then I will love you. says that while we were still sinners Jesus showed his love for us.

To often, we make demands on our live for others. I will love you as long as you do this and that. I will love you as long as fit in this particular mold. But the moment you don’t do this and this, and fit into a particular mold. Love is gone. That is not how Jesus loved. That is not how we are to love.

F. Constant

Love endured all things. ()

Love without end — that is how Jesus loved us.

Started at creation, demonstrated on the cross, will continue for eternity.

That is how we are to love others.

This command in the Greek is in the durative which means that it is ongoing. It is present ongoing reality. You are to love now and you are to keep loving from now on. Jesus is not talking about a love that is temporary or a love that does something then quits. Jesus is describing a constant love, a love does not end.

Conclusion

At the beginning of the message, I talked about the importance of this teaching. It was an important teaching in the life and ministry of the disciples John. John would later write a letter to a community of believers. This letter to us is known in our Bibles as 1 John. If you read through the letter of 1 John, you will find the phrase love each other over and over again.

For John, the hallmark of a Christian community has to be love.

Superior Avenue is very loving church. But I believe Jesus is calling us to have a deeper and stronger love for each other.