Teachings of Jesus (Part 41) Love One Another by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1997

Teachings of Jesus (Part 41) Love One 

Another

In 1976, Spokane Washington hosted a Special Olympics for contestants that were physically or mentally disabled. For the 100-yard dash there were a number of contestants assembled at the starting line.

At a gun shot, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who at the starting line stumbled on the asphalt and tumbled over.

Two of the other runners saw the boy fall and slowed down. They then turned around and went back, picked him up and encouraged him, and the three crossed the finish line together. At the sight of this act of compassion people in the stadium stood and cheered; and the cheering went on for several minutes.

Why? Because deep down we know one thing: What mattered to them was helping this boy get across the finish line, even if it means slowing down, and losing the race themselves.

What did the audience see that day? They had seen love in action.
And it had such a powerful effect on them that they stood and applauded.

In out text this morning in John 13, Jesus continues to instruct His closest disciples with some of the greatest teachings in the Bible. They were there all together, that last night, for that last supper and the last Passover meal they would share together. It was during this meal that Jesus instituted the memorial which we celebrate each week to remember His sacrifice, or the Lord’s Supper.

Last week we saw that He taught those who were the greatest would be the ones that would humble themselves and serve. He went on to reinforce this teaching with an object lesson. He got down on His hands and knees and washed their dirty feet, and then later told them that if He as their Lord and Master could serve them like this, then they should also do that for one another. They should follow His example of being a good servant.

In the following verses we read that Judas leaves the group to go out and betray Jesus and then Jesus tells Peter that that very night he would deny even knowing Him three times.

In light of these events Jesus continues on and tells His Disciples in John 13:34-35, 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In other words: if we show love by our actions others will notice; they may even stand and applaud.

SO WHAT ARE SOME REASONS WHY WE SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER:

LOVING ONE ANOTHER REFLECTS CHRIST: In John 13:35 He said “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS AN EVIDENCE OF GENUINE CHRISTIANITY: (1 John 3:10) says “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” Do the opposite and people with call you a Christian hypocrite (like man I don’t care attitude).

OUR LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS ALSO A PROPER RESPONSE TO GOD LOVING US: (1 John 4:7-11) “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” When we lovingly serve one another that’s when we are most like our Lord. He loved us so we should love others.

Jesus said that this was a new command. He did not tell them to love their neighbor like they love themselves. Rather the new command was to love others “as I have loved you.”

I thought it was worth noting just how Jesus loved others if we are going to do our best to love others in the same manner. Let me give you just a few examples of how Jesus loved others:

– One thing that comes to mind is when Jesus came down from one of the greatest sermon ever given…the sermon on the mount? What does He do? He visits, touches, and cures one of the most outcast people in His culture…a man with leprosy. Who are the lepers and untouchables in our society?

– Another example that comes to my mind is that on two occasions, Jesus fed the masses and made sure there were leftovers! He fed them all when there
was a need. He saw the need and met it. What needs do you see our there? Who is starved for love or those in need in our lives?

– Jesus also loved enough to teach people some tough lessons and tells them what they really needed to hear. A rich young man came to Him and basically asked Him what he needed to do to get into heaven. He claimed to have kept all the commandments and asked Jesus what else he needed to do. Do you remember what Jesus told him? He said, sell your possessions, give the money to the poor and follow me…but the guy walked away. Why, because the man had a real problem with materialism. Too tough, maybe, but Jesus wanted him to get rid of that one thing that stood between him and heaven.
Who needs to hear the tough truth about what stands between them and God in their lives?

– We also see that Jesus loved and reached out to people others did not like. No one was more unlikable than shrimpy, little Zaccheus. He was the Tax collector, someone who would profit from taking more money than was require by the Romans…and no one apparently liked him…but Jesus called him out of that tree and had dinner with him. And because of this we see that he repented.
How loving are you to people others don’t like?

– Jesus was even willing to extend His love to those who really messed up. Few accounts are as vivid as the woman caught in the act of adultery…Jesus standing by the woman and a crowd had gathered with fists full of rocks ready to stone her to death…Jesus says…”Look in the mirror…who is without faults throw the first one.”
How quick are we to judge others without inspecting our own lives first?

– Even cleaning those Stinky Feet of his disciples demonstrated His love for them. He humbled himself to serve them of all including the one who would betray Him.
When was the last time you humbly served someone?

When Jesus said, “In the same way I loved you, love one another” He meant things like this.

But His greatest act of love was yet to come…stretching out his arms on the cross he said, ‘I love you this much.’ Jesus willingly gave his life for all people of all time…even His enemies whom He blessed as they executed him. How do we treat those who persecute us?
Jesus said, “35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This is agape love – the kind that seek the highest good for others no matter what. It has less to do with our emotional state and more to do with seeing and filling the needs of others. And this kind of love usually costs us something; time, energy, money, things, maybe even winning a race.

But it is the kind of love that Jesus Himself demonstrated over and over and over. And it is the kind of love that moved Him to die on the cross for each of us. And it the kind of love He wants us to show to one another.

I love what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians about his need to show this kind of love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (We can all kinds of good deeds and services but if we do them for the wrong reason or without love, Paul said here that those works will be empty… He goes on to say…)
“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

The world is full of nasty, and mean, and self-centered people. The world needs more people like those to young athletes that stopped and turned around to help someone they saw on the ground hurting and sad. They were like the Good Samaritan.

Its so easy to fall into the me, me trap, and ignore the emotional and physical needs of others. But Jesus lets us know here just what we should be doing’ and that is love one another as He Himself love us. – He commands it!

Can you do that? I know that you can. Yes, you may have to humble yourself or get of you high horse… it’s all about the choices you choose to make. I say, do it for the Lord.
And if you choose to do so, you will glorify God, and people will see that you are one of His disciples.