Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: John 15.8-13

As Jesus has finished his last supper.

He pushed himself away from the table.

It is here that he demonstrates for the men at the table His great message.

God’s kingdom is marked not by force or might but by a willingness to demonstrate his love and mercy to the world around us.

Here he demosntrates what he has done with his life.

Consider the metaphor of the foot washing...

Here is the demonstration if you love God then like the clothing Jesus wore we will lay our lives and all that makes them up to demonstrate love for others.

In fact John lets us in on the thoughts in Jesus mind as he put the towel around his waist.

“having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”

When you I read the text concerning the washing of the disciples feet we think rightfully of humility and sacrifice.

Jesus thought of love.

He was not showing them how to be humble.

He was modeling the love of God.

He was putting on for them a play which the main character did not fight and scrimmage for the pinnacle.

Rather he willingly gave it up.

To demonstrate what it means to be great in the kingdom.

The text tells us that Jesus would continue his thought as he finished the washing and then in a private moment we hear some of Jesus last teachings on the kingdom of God, his departure, and the commission of a church bound to reach a lost world.

Jesus teaches something valuable to any who claim to be his disciple and that is.

Discipleship is about the intended purpose of bearing fruit.

Discipleship is about continuing Christ’s love.

Discipleship is about keeping the rules.

“ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

HA - read the next verse.

“This is my commandment...”

Living without love is not discipleship.

Some of you learned in church discipleship years ago to be in church and you do it every week.

But you still fight like cats and dogs with your spouse.

You know to read your bible, but you hate your neighbor.

You know you should pray, but you have thought about changing churches so that you don’t have to see someone here at the church.

Discipleship is not about knowing how to follow a check list of detailed items better than anyone else it is about laying down this life for what is best for someone else.

Then it happens Jesus gives the explanation for all of this...

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

What is this kind of love?

Some of you have read I Corinthians 13 and seen the high demands of love for others.

Jesus describes it as laying down your life.

The same way that Jesus laid down his garment.

You lay down your life.

I. Love is willing to Risk its own plan, comfort, and happiness.

Some of you may remember John 10.37-42

This was due to the fact that things had become difficult for Jesus to stay in the heated situations close to Jerusalem.

Yet Jesus does return from the edge of the wilderness.

It was not a triumphant entry that drew him back.

But rather one man who Jesus loved a man who in John 11 dies, and Jesus brings him back to life.

It is this act that brings Jesus firmly within the cross hairs of those that would kill him.

Jesus put all that makes his life, life to the side when choosing what is best.

He was not trying to keep up the status quo.

People were being saved and healed out by the Jordan and he wasn’t being hunted.

But it is better for Jesus to lead his life the same way he expects his disciples.

Loving others first.

II.

Love is willing to Give up the things that make life, life.

Obviously the best example the extent this can go to is the Cross.

You and I would have no life apart from the Cross.

I don’t want to make light of this for the Cross is our all.

The problem with defaulting to the cross is that we have sunday schooled the cross to a place of no application.

Well CHristians aren’t being hung on crosses in 2022.

So no application for you and me.

This isn’t true.

The understanding of the Cross is that love apart from sacrifice is no love at all.

You do not love because you use the words.

LOVE DOES

LOVE LIVES

LOVE GIVES

LOVE WORKS

Love takes the things that give this life value and meaning and shares them generously so that others can have the same life found in Christ.

Oh if following Christ costs you the american dream Jesus promises that the reward of heaven is of much greater worth.

But make no mistake about it

Love is a sacrifice of

Time

Money

Attention

You say this is the primary things always preach about.

Right because these are the elements of life.

Time is the only way to measure out your mortality.

You will invest tomorrow in the pursuit of something.

Whatever that thing is determines whether you are wasting your life or not.

Attention is the focus of your time in the measure of thought.

What you spend your life considering and contemplating is setting hte course of your life.

Money is simply the indicator of your measure of time.

A man sells hours of his life for somewhere between $7/$30 an hour.

What he places that money on has his life.

Some of are squandering our lives because our money is wasted.

III.

Love must depend on a Love bigger than itself.

Jesus illsutrated the grace of real love.

This is not a love to be drawn up from within our own heart.

It is a love born out of the grace of God that chose to demonstrate love to us.

Jesus said of his own love...

This is not a do your best kind of thing.

He has given you love give that love away.

When you think of how undeserving you are we can willingly love the undeserving

When you acknowledge how sinful you are you can give that love to the sinner.

When you see how weak you were to earn His love you can love without the needed reciprocation.