We Must Love One Another

I'd ask you to take your Bibles this morning and turn to the Gospel of John, Chapter 13. John, Chapter 13. I'm going to read the entire chapter this morning, but just center our thoughts on a couple of verses, so you follow along as I read John chapter 13. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of the world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments and, taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered him, What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand. Peter said to him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Jesus said to him, The one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not every one of you. For he knew who was to betray him. that was why he said not all of you are clean when he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place he said to them do you understand what i've done to you you call me teacher and lord and you are right for so i am if i then your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for i've given you an example that you also should do just as I've done to you. Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him If you know these things blessed are you if you do them I not speaking of all of you I know whom I chosen But the scripture will be fulfilled he who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.

I'm telling you this now before it takes place that when it does take place, you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the ones I send receives me and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at a table close to Jesus. So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered it is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it so when he had dipped the morsel he gave it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot then after he had taken the morsel Satan entered into him Jesus said to him what you are going to do do quickly now no not the table knew why he said this to him some thought that because Judas had the money bag Jesus was telling him buy what we need for the feast or that he should give something to the poor so after receiving the morsel of bread he immediately went out and it was night when he'd gone out Jesus said now is the son of man glorified and God is 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 also I say to you where I'm 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. Simon Peter said to him Lord where are you going? Jesus answered him where I'm going you cannot follow me now but you will follow afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now?

I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered will you lay down your life for me Truly truly I say to you the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times Let pray O God, our Father, open our eyes to the truth of your word. We claim to be disciples of Jesus. We pray that you would help us now to hear our Lord and our Master. I pray Father that you would not just open our ears and our understanding to what is said here not just an intellectual grasp of the structure of this passage but that you will indeed bring about repentance where necessary that you will cause us to look to you for change and to cry out to be what the Lord Jesus has called us to be.

We pray this now in Jesus' name. Amen. If you've been around church for any period of time, you no doubt have experienced a church being split apart. churches and congregations today are just torn apart in unprecedented numbers I've been involved in a few churches where there have been factions and they have gone to war against one another and and have about destroyed themselves yet there are many congregations who aren't splitting apart, but there is simmering resentment in the congregation.

There is a person angry with someone else across the way sitting on the other side of the auditorium. There are people who are holding grudges against others within the congregation. And Jesus essentially says, we're not to be that way at all. his church is not to ever be characterized by typical human behavior of grudges and hatred and resentment and bitterness and war.

Jesus clearly says to us that his church, his congregation is to be characterized by love We see that in verses 34 and 35 That what we going to spend our time this morning Now in the next few weeks this week and the weeks following before I leave for Romania, we're going to talk about the unity of the church. We're going to talk about what God says about his congregation and how it ought to be. And then Lord willing, after I get back, we'll start a study in the book of Genesis.

From Revelation to Genesis. But until then, we want to look at what God says about His congregation and the unity of His people. So let's look then again at verses 34 and 35. 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 now Jesus says a new command I give you love one another and you might say now wait a minute Jesus wait a minute a new command how can you call this a new command several times in your ministry when people come to you and ask you what the greatest commandments are you've always responded this way Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

And then you would also say in response to that question, love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. So how can you say that you're giving us a new command when you clearly rely on the Old Testament? How is that a new command? Besides, you again say to Jesus, I was just reading in the book of Leviticus.

In the book of Leviticus, chapter 19, verses 17 and 18, right? It says that we're not to hold a grudge, we're not to hold a grudge or anything like that. We're to rebuke our brother. In fact, it says there clearly, you're to love your neighbor, I am the Lord. So this command does not seem new at all. Why are you calling this a new command?

It's all the way through the Bible. Well, in reply to that, the whole New Testament cries out. When Jesus came, a whole new era arrived with him. Something entirely different among God's people came with Jesus. with continuity to the past, and yet there's something new, there's something different. There's something new and distinct and even radical. We're in a different era than God's people in the old era.

Jesus appeared, the Word became flesh, and he brought entirely new commandments from God with him. One of the most, to me, one of the most important passages in the New Testament that makes this clear is the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapters 5 through 7. And all the way through that sermon, Jesus says this over and over and over again. You have heard that it was said, but I say to you.

Now that's very, very important words that Jesus uses there. He said at one point, you've heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery, but I tell you. that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now, you can search the Old Testament up and down, and you won't find that. You will not find that that causes adultery.

The Old Testament clearly says, if you have sexual relationships with a woman while you're married, or a man while you're married, that's adultery. It says nothing about lust. But Jesus comes along and says, but I say to you, almost setting himself up, because that's what God said, but this is what I say. at one point he says you've heard that it was said eye for eye and tooth for tooth but i tell you do not resist an evil person if someone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him the other also here jesus actually changes what the old testament law says he changes it and says no no more of this eye for eye tooth for tooth no more of that any longer now you turn the cheek Now you do not resist.

This is new. In that same sermon, Jesus asserts that he will be the one sitting on the throne of God's judgment on the last day, passing that judgment. He says in Matthew 7, then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. Now, we're so used to the Sermon on the Mount. Do you understand what Jesus is saying? they all understood God was going to have a day of judgment They all understood that But all of a sudden here this rabbi saying to them oh yeah I be doing the judging Now again I say to you either Jesus is God or he's a blasphemer and he was crucified for the right reasons.

You don't have any other choice. When he sets himself up in the place of God as he does in the Sermon on the Mount, he is claiming authority. So you see, Jesus brings something entirely new because he stands as God's new lawgiver, as God's judge. Now, Jesus can say this is a new command because he takes the old and makes something entirely new out of it.

Now back home on the farm in Iowa, there is Grandpa's truck. Now all my kids know what Grandpa's truck is. It's a 1956 Chevy. Okay? It's never been repainted. It's just this kind of a rusty brown looking thing.

All right? I wouldn't be surprised if it still has the original tires. I know it's got under 40,000 miles on it. But it's, you know, you sit in there and the upholstery is all torn up. You can see the springs and everything. and the gear shift on the column has been broken one time. It's been rewelded.

It's an old truck. It's, if you will, that's the family's truck. That's it. And there hasn't been any yet, at least any kind of say who gets that truck eventually. Grandpa's been gone for a while. although we kind of think it was promised to yachts. But we're not going to make an issue out of that.

We're not going to make an issue out of that. But suppose we did get that truck, and suppose we did bring it home and paint it up so it had a bright red shining paint job, and we redid the upholstery, and did a little bit more on the gear shift, and put new tires on it. Would that be an old truck? Or would that be a new truck? Well it both isn it You see Jesus comes along and revolutionized revamps reforms and rebuilds the old commandments so that they become entirely new The command I give you, love one another.

Now let's think about that together this morning. Jesus tells us in this congregation that we are to love one another and he calls this a new command now Jesus calls this a new command because you have a new model it's Jesus you have a new model it's Jesus he's the one who models this commandment he's the one that takes this commandment and puts flesh and bones and blood on it. He makes it real.

A new command I give you, he says, 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. Here's the new model who models it for us, who makes it real. Jesus models love, first of all, what? By serving. How had Jesus just loved His disciples? He had washed their feet.

It says in verse 1 that He loved them to the end. Or Jesus showed the full extent of His love in verse 1 by humbling Himself and washing their feet. Now, even the servants of the richest households of that day did not wash people's feet. You did not wash someone else's feet. Now, in that culture where you wore sandals and walked along dusty roads, you would come to a house, and when you would eat, you would recline, like on a couch.

Well, what does that do? I mean, there are rains, so there are rains a certain way, but your house guests or your dinner guests' feet are close to your face, kind of. So you've got to wash your feet. but no one washed your feet. What happened was when you got to the house, you were given a basin to wash your own feet. The servant would bring you a basin to wash your own feet.

You washed your own feet Jesus does something radically different He washes their feet He doesn give them a basin and tell them to wash their own feet He washes their feet He put himself in a position that's actually lower than any servant would have put himself. Jesus models love by serving. How have you served your brothers and sisters in Christ? How have you served one another? we've got to ask that question.

How have you served one another? Do you serve at your convenience? Which really isn't serving, is it? Have you sacrificed for one another? It's interesting, Jesus washed feet even though He knew of His impending death. He already anticipated.

He already knew that God was about to pour out His wrath on Him. You know, when we're hurting, with a load of care on our backs, do we really notice whose feet need to be washed? Even with the horrors of Calvary in His consciousness, Jesus yet took time to serve His disciples. The badge of love is a towel in a wash basin. What really strikes me though is Jesus models love by loving the undeserving.

Jesus saw them all, one betrayer, one denier, all forsakers, and he washed their feet. One of those sets of feet was dirty and sore from an errand that had just arranged for his torture and his death. And what does Jesus do? he washes the feet of Judas. Jesus models love by loving the undeserving. Who do you see as undeserving? Now I know what you're going to say.

You're going to say, there's no one undes... We're all undeserving, Pastor. We're all undeserving here. Okay? And yet, and yet in our attitudes, oftentimes there's someone here that's undeserving maybe of your love. You avoid that person.

You might talk about that person behind your back. behind his back. When you do that, you're saying, you don't deserve my love. You're avoiding them. They may be different than you. Maybe a little eccentric. Maybe a little bit weird.

So you avoid them. Maybe it's a Christian who's troubled and seems to always need help and you just want to stay away from him because you just don't have the time. Maybe it's someone who's at a different level economically or socially. Maybe it's someone that you've had a difference with. And now you just stay away. You essentially are saying, you don't deserve my love.

I'm going to stay away from you. Jesus loved the undeserving. You need to love all the brothers, right? Can I say to you right now, if there is someone here that you have a disagreement with and you are at odds you need to deal with that you're not loving someone when you let barriers come between you it is sin and it violates this commandment now if you say but pastor i don't know what to do in order to handle that.

Well then, look me up. Look Larry up. Look up an elder. Look up a deacon. Look up a mature Christian who can tell you how to do it. But whatever you do, you do not withhold your love from anyone.

Love all the brothers. Jesus said what? You're to love one another like I loved you. Jesus models love by dying for us. That's the greatest expression of love. He dies for us.

Look over at 1 John. 1 John chapter 3. Alright. If we want to know what measure of love God expects from us, here's what it is. 1 John 3 verse 16 by this we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers but if someone has the world goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him how does God love abide in him little children let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth wow you know what he says here if someone's in need you meet that need that shows love okay let's take it up a notch verse 16.

We ought to be willing to die for one another. Think about it. Are you willing to die for the person sitting right next to you right now? Are you willing to die for that person? Not spouses here, okay? Some of you are going, yeah, I would.

Right? Would you die for that person? Jesus Jesus died for us and do you know what he expects us to do it as well now most of us here aren't going to be put in a position of dying for somebody and that's why the apostle John goes on to say but if your brother has a need don't close your heart you go out and meet that need dying at a different level right so here we have this commandment how how do i know how to love pastor how do i know how to love people in this congregation then look at jesus look at jesus and love like him jesus calls us a new command because you have a new motive god's love for you expressed in jesus what could possibly move you to love others like Jesus loved you only God's love invading your heart as you look at the cross and you see Jesus dying for you now you know what we say around here we say none of us deserve the love of God we're all very good sound doctrinal Calvinists if we want to put it that way and we all know none of us deserve the love of God but does it reach your heart?

Do you really believe that? Do you really believe that you're undeserving, but for the mere grace of God reaching you, you would be lost? Does it mean anything to you when it says that God, Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners? That whole text in Romans chapter 5 where he says, you know for a righteous man some will die For a good man some will dare to die But Jesus died for you when you were sinners Right Does it reach your heart The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 for Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died.

And He died for all. That those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. you will love this way if you see Jesus and you see what God has done on your behalf dear people of God we have to look more at Jesus if we're going to be unified if we're going to be one if we're going to love one another then we need to know Jesus more and the love that he has for us. Jesus calls this a new command because you have a new mission.

You have a new mission. Verse 35, by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. What is that mission? It's to reveal Jesus. It's to reveal the reality of Jesus Christ. That's the mission.

That's why He gave us this commandment. So the world would see Him. And they would say, yes, your disciples. Look back at this commandment in its old setting. Back at Leviticus chapter 19. Leviticus 19 we'll pick it up at verse 11 Micah read this for us earlier you shall not steal you shall not deal falsely you shall not lie to one another you shall not swear by my name falsely and so profane the name of your God I am the Lord you shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him the wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning you shall not curse the deaf or put stumbling block before the blind but you shall fear your God I am the Lord you shall do no injustice in court you shall not be partial to the poor defer to the great but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor you shall not go around as a slanderer among your people and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor I am the Lord You shall not hate your brother in your heart but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. In effect, the command to love one's neighbor was a summary statement of all those commands that preceded it provided security for others protection of rights and seeing that needs were met to love your neighbor meant security for them protection of their rights and seeing that their needs were met but Jesus commandment the new commandment has a greater mission than that to show the world the reality of the change that Jesus Christ brings in your life.

A greater mission is to show the watching world that Jesus is indeed Lord. When we love one another, the world then knows we're disciples of Jesus. When we love one another, guess what? Needs are still going to be met. Security will still be there. Protection of rights.

But, something greater will happen. They will see Jesus. The reason why, I believe, one of the reasons why Christians are so ineffective in their witness today is that they don't love one another. They talk about their brothers and sisters in the congregation as if they were no different than non-believers in the world around them. and so when they do speak of the love of jesus it sounds hollow to the ears of those who are listening now it's interesting to me that this is one of the greatest evangelistic tools that we have that we love one another now loving one another is not is not the same as proclaiming the gospel Notice, he doesn't say they're going to know that they're saved by just living this way.

He doesn't say that. He says they're going to know that you're Jesus' disciples if you live this way. I've yet to meet an unbeliever who says, okay, are you really a disciple of Jesus? What are your doctrinal views? about Jesus. That's not registering with them. It's whether we love one another.

That's what registers with them. Look at Titus for a moment. To me, this is the most succinct description of the world of unbelievers. And again, I was taught this passage by a brand new Christian. in 1993. His name was Greg Field. He was a brand new Christian then.

Some of you are here long enough to remember when Greg and Beth were like baby Christians. They were a lot of fun back then too. But I remember a conversation with Greg that he had with me. And this is like the first time I ever saw this passage because Greg had described, said, This is what it's like in the darkness. Here's what it is. Titus chapter 3, verse 3.

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. That's the world out there. You live in it, don't you? it's a world where of being hated and hating others that's just i mean it's unbelievable isn't it you you leave here on sunday you go out into your jobs on monday and man you're awash in hatred it's just all over the place what a difference when there is a group of people in this ocean of hatred who just love one another.

Right? They just love one another. The world will know that we are Christians when we love one another. They'll know we're disciples of Jesus. They see a change One of the main reasons the Gospel spread in the early years of its existence was that Christians loved one another The pagans would stand back and say look how they love one another See how they love one another.

Tertullian, who was one of the early church fathers, from about the, I think around the 200s, tells us that the pagans used to marvel at the love shown in the Christian fellowship, especially during times of Christian. Here's a quote from Tertullian. The pagans would say, see how they love one another, how they are ready even to die for one another. The world, the pagan world of that day stood back and said, look at those people, they love one another.

Do you want your unbelieving friends and your loved ones to see Jesus? Then let them see Christ's love exhibited in loving your brothers and sisters. Isn't it interesting that Jesus gives the world the right to judge us on this one thing? He gives the world the right to judge us. on this one thing. Do they love one another? Jesus expects you to obey this command.

This is not one among several options Christians may choose. You must love one another. That's interesting, isn't it? That tells me something. Some of you old-timers, you've heard this before. Love is not an emotion first.

It's an act of the will. Love is not an emotion first. It's an act of the will. Oftentimes when I sitting and counseling with a married couple that not getting along Every once in a while I say something like this to them Do you know why you don love one another They say why You're letting your feelings get in the way. I'm only going to treat you kindly and I'm only going to serve you when I feel like it.

When I feel a certain way towards you, otherwise the deal's off. True love says, you know, even though I'm irritated with you, I'm still going to do the dishes. and even though right now we're going through a rough spot, I'm still going to speak kindly to you. That's love. That's love. You can obey it, whether you feel like it or not. Now, I would say to you that if you don't feel like it, there's something lacking.

You ought to confess, God, I'm going to love this person in action. I'm going to serve them, but I don't feel a certain way to them. Oh God, forgive me for that. Move with my emotions. But don't let your feelings get in the way. Obey this command.

You serve. You die for in certain ways. But you obey this command. One theologian wrote, So, right doctrine without principal obedience to this characteristic command of the new covenant is merely so much humbug. You're just a clanging cymbal. You're just an irritating noise if you're not loving one another.

So look, as we think about the unity of this congregation, it has to start here. It has to start with the people who cry out to God and say, Lord God, help me to love my brothers and sisters here. Lord God help us to settle our differences Show us how to do that Give us the grace to do it Lord God help us to serve one another Show us how to do it Give us the grace to do it.

Father, if necessary, help us to die for one another. Lord God, help us to love one another. Father, Your Son, our Master, has clearly, absolutely clearly said to us, command us to love one another. And to love not just in the way as the world defines it, or as we would define it, but Father, to love one another as Christ loved us. Father, help us first to grasp the depth of the love that Jesus had for us.

A love. A love that caused him in the torment of Gethsemane to say, not my will be yours, and to die for us. Then help us, Father, having grasped the depth of Jesus' love for us, to love one another like that. God we ask that you would do that for the sake of the name of Jesus so that the world can look at us and say they are disciples of Christ grant it we pray in Jesus name Amen