Love: The Mark of a Disciple

John 13:31–35 ESV

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The New Commandment

John 13:34 ESV

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.

Command from Jesus - not a request but an order Jesus demands that you love one another.

John 14:15 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

So then the order is this God loves us we in turn begin to love God and in turn we love others because God loves them.

Thus to say we love God and do not love his church is a lie for either we love God and therefore love his church or we hate the church and therefore show our true feelings towards God. They are inseparable. One might be angry and upset about something someone has done but that does not mean we stop loving them. This is a command from God love one another.

What is this new commandment

Why is this new

two greatest commandments sum up all the old testament

not love your neighbor as your self but love as I have loved you

The kind of love is what is new.

Secondly is this is the new mark or way to identify a Christian a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Old Mark following the physical person of Jesus

New mark loving one another as Jesus loves you

What kind of love

John 13:34 ESV

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.

God’s love. Agape love

What is Agape love.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God gave up all the worship of the angels the glory of heaven to come down here and live and die for our sins.

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Full of grace and mercy He is willing to forgive us again and again and again. Always showing grace and mercy to those who believe. Even more so he gives us the life of Christ in exchange for the death we deserve for our sins.

Jeremiah 31:3 ESV

the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

His love is an everlasting love it does not quit or give up it never surrenders or fails. He will always love us nothing we do or say or think will ever change that.

1 John 4:8 ESV

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Love is who he is it is not a one time action or even a choice that he makes to occasionally show love but rather love is a core part of who he is.

Thus the command here is a heavy one we are to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as Christ loves us with a self-sacrificing, merciful and gracious, everlasting, love stemming from our very core. This then is what is meant by Agape love.

The litmus test of the disciple.

John 13:35 ESV

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus then says that this kind of love will be the identifing mark the litmus test of my disciples your love one for another.

The world will know your love for me your level of discipleship how closely you follow me by your love for each other.

This is not the only mark of the christian but it is the number one way that the world identifies who we are. You want this church to be recognized by the community as the bride of Christ display to them your love one for another. Let them see your love.

Grow in love

Love is like rose bushes

Rose bushes left unattended often produce fewer roses

Have more dead branches large empty spots

Yet careful fertilizing pruning and guiding of branches around trellises etc and that same bush becomes a work of art.

Love also can grow unattended but when one purposely seeks to grow in love it produces many more blooms than left alone.

Two stages upward and outward

upward is our love to God

As our love for God grows we naturally desire to love others more.

Pray and read his word and seek to follow him and obey his commands and live in accordance with his will.

outward is our love for others

Fellowship, helping each other, listening to each other, living life together.

Invitation

How do you perform on the litmus test as a disciple of Christ. Are you a 1 do you hate God a 14 completely devoted to him a 7 neutral. Would God agree with your score. Are you happy with your score. If not what do you need to change. Do you need to prune something away or maybe you need to apply the word God’s fertilizer whatever it is will you decide today to seek growth in love. To love God more to love others more.