A New Kind of Love

How many of you are familiar with the old country music singer Tom T. Hall? Raise your hand. You know, you're giving away your age, probably, but old guy.

Well, many years ago, he had a song that was popular. I don't know if you'd call it a hit or not. It was called I Love. It started off like this. I love little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, slow moving trains, and rain.

I love little country streams, sleep without dreams, Sunday school in May, and hay. And after every stanza like that, he had this little chorus, and I love you too.

Lisa dared me to do that.

And one member of this church told me, I would give good money if you would sing in church.

Good money is a hundred dollar bill right here when I walk out today. Okay?

That's a silly song, isn't it? It really is.

But there's a lot of truth in it.

Haven't you said things like he sings about, I love the mountains.

I love the beach.

I love this and that.

I love dogs.

I love whatever.

And then, as we talk about loving this and that, we look at our spouse, we look at someone special in our life,

and we gaze into their eyes and say, I love you.

We use that word love in a very trite, trivial way a lot of times, don't we?

And I guess that's okay most of the time.

When we hear someone, because of that, when we hear someone talk about love,

we don't really sit up and take notice, do we?

Because the word's just thrown about, talked about, sung about all the time in ways that are not really meaningful.

So it's okay not to pay attention when people are just talking about love in general,

but it's not okay when Jesus is the one talking about love.

When Jesus spoke about love, he was always serious.

Never in a trivial way do you find in the New Testament, in the Gospels,

where Jesus talked about love in a flippant way.

He was usually, or always, talking about it in the context of relationships.

Relationship with God.

And relationships with people.

A good example comes when Jesus answered a question on one occasion.

It's found in Matthew chapter 22.

Matthew 22 · chapter mention

It'll be on the screen.

He was asked, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

And he said to him,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

This is the great and first commandment.

And a second is like it.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.

Well, the Apostle John heard Jesus say that.

In fact, most likely Jesus said that on more than one occasion,

talking about the essence of the law is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,

and love your neighbor as yourself.

John took it to heart.

John wrote about the importance of love in his gospel, the gospel of John that we have in our New Testament.

He really talked a lot about our love for God, but especially our love for one another as Christians,

in his first letter, what we call 1 John in the New Testament.

And then John is the one, he's the only gospel writer,

that tells us about the new commandment to love

that Jesus gave them just before he was arrested and crucified.

It's in John chapter 13.

John 13 · chapter mention

And if you would, turn in your Bible there.

It'll be on the screen, but it'll be something to mark in your Bible if it's not already marked.

The new commandment that Jesus gave, a new kind of love he's given to his followers.

John 13, beginning in verse 34.

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.

It may seem a little strange if you're just reading through the gospel of John, you come across this.

Jesus says,

The new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.

When you've probably read, you know,

Jesus talked about the importance of loving God and loving your neighbor.

But really, if you look at the context, it's not strange.

Jesus is about to wind up his earthly ministry.

Later on that night, he's going to be arrested, tried, the next day crucified.

What Jesus is doing is preparing his disciples for his departure.

And he's telling them how important it is that they, his followers, his disciples,

that they love one another, that they stay united.

They stay together.

You know, this is the new commandment that Jesus issued, not just to them,

but Jesus knew it would be recorded.

It's the new commandment for us as followers of Jesus to love one another.

And we're talking this morning about our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus issued a new commandment about the importance of us loving one another in the church.

Being united to one another like a real family in our church.

I want us to look at these two verses at the new way Jesus calls us to love one another.

And as we go through this, you think, am I loving my brothers and sisters in Christ in this church?

Family.

Like Jesus did.

Just look first.

Jesus gives us a new focus for our love.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ.

That's the first phrase.

Love one another.

And he's talking to his disciples.

The focus of that Old Testament commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.

The focus was on your neighbor.

Now, when Jesus issued that or reminded them of that commandment,

as they heard it, read it from their Old Testament, from the law of Moses,

the Jews understood that very simply.

Love your neighbor means love your fellow Jews and love them only.

Love people who are just like us, they thought.

But that was never what God intended by the commandment.

The way we know that is because Jesus told the story about the good Samaritan.

And the bottom line of the story of the good Samaritan is we, as Jesus' followers, as his people,

we are to be a neighbor to anybody who comes across our path that has a need that we can meet.

Jesus told his disciples, told everybody who heard that day,

your neighbor is anybody in your life that has a need that you can meet.

And we should demonstrate neighbor love by helping them, trying to meet their need if possible.

But you know, it's not just Jews in the first century who thought in terms of just loving their own kind.

Don't we just naturally think the same way?

Think about it.

We may not say it.

We may not have really just dwelled on it so much.

But we tend, don't we, to love people who look like us, who think like us,

who live life the way that we live.

But Jesus issues a new commandment that has a new focus.

Love one another, meaning all you brothers and sisters in Christ.

Think about this.

When we became Christians, we became a part of the family of God.

That's how the church is referred to in several places throughout the New Testament.

We're part of the family of God.

And the family of God is made up of all kinds of people.

Male and female.

Rich and poor.

Black and white.

Northerners and southerners.

Tigers and Gamecocks.

Gamecocks.

Just look around this room.

We're all different, aren't we?

We have different opinions.

Different personalities.

Different interests.

Just look around.

Everybody's different.

Some people are just playing off.

I mean, there's some weird people in this room.

I know some.

But that's the way it is in your family, isn't it?

You've got to.

You have a big family gathering.

You've got some people there.

They're your blood kin.

Deep down, you love them.

But some of them are just as weird and odd as they can possibly be.

If you think, I don't know who that is in my family, you're it.

Because everybody has it.

And if you don't think anybody in this church is sort of odd, weird, or strange, then that means you are the one who is odd, weird, or strange.

Now, how do we develop loving relationships with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ and really be a united church family?

Well, we start by not focusing on our differences.

We don't focus on our differences.

We don't think about the oddness and weirdness of other people.

Because that will always keep us apart.

If you just always think about someone, about how different they are, how different they talk, where they're from, it's totally opposite of you.

If that's all you think about, you'll never really draw close to them, be able to.

What we need to do, first and foremost, is to focus on our most basic, common denominator as Christians.

And that should be, must be, really, our love for Jesus and our desire to please Him.

I mean, if you're a Christian, you love Jesus.

You want to please Jesus.

You know, I know that I don't love Him as much as I should.

I certainly don't please Him as I should.

But I do love Jesus.

I want to be a faithful follower of His.

I do want to please Him.

And as Christians, that is a common thing that we have.

That kind of love for Jesus.

So, in spite of our differences, if we'll first focus on that, this common love for Jesus and desire to please Him,

we can find some unity.

We can find some unity.

We can find that common ground.

And we can live together and work together and enjoy life together as one church family.

Let me ask you, as an individual, don't think about other people.

Think about you.

Are you enjoying that kind of love with your church family?

Are you as a church enjoying that kind of unity because you're bound together by your common love for Jesus?

Now, let's think about what this love that Jesus is talking about does not mean as well as what it does mean.

Loving one another does not mean that you cease to be different.

Loving one another does not mean that you cease to notice how you're different.

You can't do that.

There will always be, in any kind of gathering, even in your extended family, in all seriousness,

there's always going to be different kinds of personalities, different kinds of interests,

different kinds of opinions and so forth.

That's true of the church.

If we talk about loving one another, I want you to be clear.

Everybody in this church will not be best friends.

Think about this.

Even Jesus had an inner circle.

Peter, James, and John.

Think some of the others sort of presented that.

Jesus told Peter, James, and John, I want you to come with me and left the rest of them behind.

I mean, wouldn't you?

It's natural.

It's normal.

We're not going to all see everything eye to die, and that's okay.

Everybody's not going to be best friends.

Put it more bluntly, you won't have warm feelings for everyone in this church.

But you can love them.

You can accept them as your brother or sister in Christ.

Here's another thing.

When Jesus is talking about love, loving one another,

he's really talking more about actions than emotions.

Later on in this passage, this is Jesus in the upper room with the disciples.

John 13, 14, 15, and 16.

Jesus, as he talks with them, as he instructs them,

he's going to say things like,

if you love me, you'll obey me.

Because Jesus defined love more in terms of action than emotion.

There's no doubt that the disciples truly felt loving emotions toward Jesus.

But that was not sufficient for Jesus.

He said, if you love me, do what I say.

There's other passages he's talking about,

we truly love God, we'll obey him.

That's what God wants us to do.

That's how we live out our love.

Such love we're talking about now.

Action love.

That requires that we care about each other.

We're not best friends.

We're not just warm, fuzzy feelings for everybody in this room.

But we care.

And when we love out this,

we care enough to notice when people are going through a rough time.

Or people have certain needs.

And if we have the ability to step up and meet those needs,

love will compel us to do so.

Love will compel us to step in there,

that person that is your brother or sister in Christ.

You don't have a long relationship with them.

You don't have a very close relationship.

But they have a need.

They've got something going on in their life that you,

by God's grace,

you could help them if you would.

So let me just ask you this.

Are you allowing your differences

to keep you at a distance

from other members of this church?

Or

is your common love for Jesus

and your desire to please Him

by loving like this,

are you allowing that to draw you closer

to other people in this church?

Are you allowing it to draw you closer

as a church family?

Is it happening overall?

This passage also tells us

that Jesus gives us a new model for our love.

Love like He loves.

He says,

just as I have loved you.

Love one another just as I have loved you.

The Old Testament command

was to love your neighbor as yourself.

You were the model

for that love,

the way you love yourself.

By the way,

the Old Testament command,

love your neighbor as yourself,

is not a command to love yourself

because

we do that.

Normal people love themselves

and the idea of that,

we take care of ourselves.

We look out for ourselves.

We take relatively good care of our body.

We feed ourselves.

We go to work.

We have money.

We have things.

We buy things for ourselves.

What Jesus is talking about

or what the Old Testament law is talking about,

love your neighbor as yourself.

You care about yourself.

You meet yourself,

your own needs,

the best you can.

Do that for other people.

That was the idea of the Old Testament law.

But here,

Jesus says,

love one another

just as I have loved you.

He's the model for what our love should look like.

I want us to look at two ways

Jesus models how we can love one another

or should love one another.

Number one,

Jesus models a humble,

serving love.

John takes the first 20 verses

of chapter 13.

That's where we are right now.

The first 20 verses describe

Jesus' great example

of humble,

serving love.

He washed his disciples' feet.

Now notice what Jesus said

after he finished

in verse 14,

chapter 13.

If then,

your Lord and teacher,

if I then,

your Lord and teacher,

have washed your feet,

you also ought to wash

one another's feet.

For I have given you an example

that you also should do

just as I have done to you.

Jesus truly humbled himself

to do that, didn't he?

He was their Lord and teacher.

He was above them.

He was their superior,

yet he chose to get down

on his knees

and wash the nasty feet

of his disciples.

And keep in mind,

Jesus knew that within a few hours,

Judas would betray him.

Peter would deny him.

And all of them,

all of them,

would abandon him.

Jesus truly humbled himself

to do what he is for the disciples.

I mean, you think about it.

If Brian's nasty feet

really had to be washed today,

I would at least think about it.

But if I thought,

after this is over,

he's going to tell me,

I don't have any use for you.

Don't ever bother me again.

I ain't washing your feet.

That's why,

isn't that how you feel?

That's normal human nature.

But Jesus does not demonstrate

normal human nature.

He humbled himself

before these men

who were not going to stay with him.

These inferiors.

He washed their feet.

Now, if we're going to love

one another as Jesus loves,

we can't ever think of ourselves

as over superior to anyone

because we really aren't.

All of us,

all human beings

are created in the image of God.

That makes us all

of equal worth and value.

In the church,

we're brothers and sisters in Christ.

we're on the same level.

So we cannot ever consider ourselves

to be above

going out of our way,

being inconvenienced,

do some humble acts of service

for one another.

I want to encourage you this morning.

Think about beginning that

in your home.

to be in the church.

You know, home

is where we really should be

practicing what it means

to be a Christian person.

And I want to encourage you

as parents,

as children,

as brothers and sisters,

we're to love one another

as Jesus loves the church.

At first,

that means humble,

practical acts of service.

I want you to also know,

just real quick here,

Jesus met a real need.

He didn't just do this

out of the blue

for no reason.

I'm sure Brian

doesn't need his feet

washed this morning.

I'm sure he took a shower

at least two or three days ago

anyway,

if not this morning.

But Jesus,

Jesus and his disciples,

they wore sandals everywhere.

Roads were dirt.

At times,

they were dusty.

At times,

they were muddy.

So wherever you went,

when you got there,

your feet would be dirty.

Well,

the disciples should have

washed Jesus' feet

immediately.

They should have washed

their own feet.

They got ready

for the evening meal

as they were going

to do with Jesus.

But they didn't.

So Jesus did what needed

to be done.

He washed their feet.

Now,

if we're going to love

one another

as Jesus loves us,

we've got to get involved

in one another's lives

to the point

where we notice needs.

we can see

in someone's life

there's something

going on.

They need some help.

We've got to notice

the needs

and then we've got

to do what we need

to have to do

if we're able

to meet their needs.

So let me just ask you,

how observant are you

of the people

in your Sunday school class

or other small groups

you're in?

It's not going to happen

much in this kind of gathering.

This is a worship service.

We've come together

to praise God,

to pray together,

to study His Word,

but we don't really get

to know one another here.

It's going to be

in small groups.

It's going to be

away from the church

doing things together.

We've got to notice

we've got to care

and we've got to act

because we're going to love

what Jesus calls us to love.

Now,

Jesus doesn't just model

humble servant type love.

He models sacrificial love.

Jesus repeated

this new commandment

and gave the ultimate example

of sacrifice

in chapter 15 of John.

We're in 13.

Move over to chapter 15.

Look at this.

Jesus said,

This is my commandment

that you love one another

as I have loved you.

Greater love

has no one than this

than someone

to lay down his life

for his friends.

Jesus loved us

enough to lay down

his life

for us

when there was nothing

about us

that should compel him

to do that.

From motivation of love,

Jesus chose

in obedience to his heavenly Father,

but he chose

to die on the cross

as our substitute.

He suffered the wrath

of God

that we deserve

because of our sin.

Jesus died on the cross

as our substitute.

He paid the penalty

for our sins.

And by doing that,

Jesus satisfied

God's justice.

The penalty for sin

is death.

And Jesus died

for our sins.

He died so that we

wouldn't have to.

He satisfied God's justice

so that we

could experience

God's forgiveness

and know

the love of God

as our heavenly Father.

If you're not a Christian,

I want you to understand

that Jesus died

on that cross

to save you

to pay the penalty

for your sins.

And if you will

confess your sin,

repent of your sin,

turn from your sin,

and trust Jesus

that He died for you.

He paid the penalty

for your sins.

And commit your life

to Him

as your Lord.

He will save you,

forgive you,

make you a child of God.

Put the love of God

in your heart

so that you can

love other people

like Jesus loves.

If you are a Christian,

you have experienced

the benefits

of Jesus' death.

You've experienced

the benefits

of His sacrificial love.

Now Jesus calls you

demonstrated.

Do like I have done

for you.

You know,

most of us,

we're never ever

going to be called

to give our life

for another person.

Most of us.

The majority of us.

But,

we are called

to demonstrate

sacrificial love

for other people.

I want you to look

at something

that John also wrote

in his first letter

that talks about

self-sacrifice,

self-giving.

It's in 1 John chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

John writes,

But if anyone has

the world's goods

and sees his brother

in need,

yet closes his heart

against him,

how does God's love

abide in him?

Little children,

let us not love

in word or talk,

but in deed

and in truth.

We can't even think,

shouldn't even think

of ourselves

as loving people

if we just close our eyes

to what's going on

in their life

and refuse to get involved

when there's something

that we could do

to help them.

Following Jesus'

model of sacrificial love

will sometimes require us

to give of ourselves,

give of our money,

give of our talent,

some of the abilities

that we have

to meet the needs

of a brother or sister.

We can do that.

Are you in the habit

of demonstrating

sacrificial love

in your home,

first,

and in this church?

Are you living out

what Jesus said

when he told us

to love one another

as he loves us?

What you see next

in verse 35?

Jesus gives us

a new purpose

for our love.

He says,

and the idea

is to demonstrate

that we are Christians

and be a positive witness.

Jesus says it like this,

by this all people

will know

that you are my disciples

if you have love

for one another.

Jesus' commandment

for us to love

one another

is given

so that

if we'll do it,

it'll have

such a positive

impact on people,

it'll make a difference

in their life.

If we truly love

one another like Jesus,

people will know

that we are Christians

by our acts of love.

He's saying

that our love for him

should be attractive

to other people.

Attractive love

is used by God

to draw people

to himself,

to draw people

to churches.

You know,

when you people

come here to this church

and get involved

for a few months,

what will they observe

about how you relate

to one another

in the various

small groups

that are here?

You people come in,

they don't really know you,

but they're in your

Sunday school class,

they're in some small group.

What will they observe

over time

about your love

for one another?

Will they see evidence

tangible evidence

of what you're doing

in one another's lives,

how you're sharing

life together,

or that will they

just see a bunch

of different people

who come together

for superficial fellowship

and then just go

on their way

when they leave here

and forget about

one another?

Let's make this

more personal.

Do you,

as an individual,

try to help new people

feel loved

and accepted

in this church?

do you try?

Do you put forth

an effort

to help them

feel like they belong?

They're a part

of the family.

Lisa and I

have learned

what it's like

to join a new church

where you know

very few people

at all.

Prior,

for the last

40 years,

when we've gone

to a new church,

I was a pastor

and it's very easy

to get to know

people,

people want to

get to know you,

it just happens.

You don't have

to do anything.

It just happens.

But when you're

not the pastor

and you just go

into a church

where you don't

really know

anybody,

you know very few,

it's just

way hard.

You feel like

a stranger.

You are an outsider.

We know

what it feels like

to be that way.

Never really

knew

what that was like.

Being a part

of a church family

doesn't happen

quickly.

And it certainly

doesn't happen

automatically.

It takes time

and effort.

I want to say

to you,

if you're a visitor

or you're a relative

of a new member

here,

you've got to

do your part

to feel at home.

You've got to

get involved.

You will never

feel a part of

this church family

if all you come

to is the worship

service.

You've got to

get involved.

In small groups,

you've got to

even get involved

with people.

And then you've

got to be

patient

and give it

time.

Because relationships

don't just

birth and blossom

overnight.

Now, if you're

a long-time

member,

some of these

old members

I was referring

to a while ago,

I encourage you,

make a real

effort to get

to know

new members.

There's been

people at

Village Church

since we've

been there

that have come

up to us

and just

introduced

themselves,

tell us what

they do.

We've met

people who are

retired like us

and they want

to know,

you know,

where are you

from?

And they tell

us about

themselves.

They make

it a point.

And they've

helped us

to get to

know them,

break down

some barriers,

some fears.

I want to

encourage you,

long-time

members,

you have a

responsibility

before God

to welcome

new members

into this

church and

to help

them.

belong.

Feel like

this is my

church family.

Now,

loving one

another like

Jesus is

not something

that comes

naturally to

us and

it's not

easy.

The last

thing we're

going to

look at is

Jesus promises

that God

will give us

what we need

to do.

We can love

one another

as he loves

us.

Fourth,

Jesus promises

us new power

to love,

the power of

the Holy Spirit.

Jesus went

on that

same night,

John chapter

John 14 · chapter mention

14,

beginning in

verse 15,

he says

this,

if you

love me,

you will

keep my

commandments

and I

will ask

the Father

and he

will give

you another

helper to

be with you

forever.

Even the

spirit of

truth,

whom the

world cannot

receive,

because it

neither sees

him or

knows him,

you know

him for

he dwells

with you

and will

be in you.

ever since

the day

of Pentecost,

you read

about Acts

2,

when a

person becomes

a Christian,

the spirit

of God

comes to

live within

them.

The spirit

of God

lives in

you and

me if

we're

Christians.

Now Paul

explains how

we're empowered

by the Holy

Spirit.

He says this

in Romans 5,

he says,

God's love

has been poured

into our

hearts through

the Holy

Spirit who

has been

given to

us.

God's love

has been poured

into our

hearts through

the Holy

Spirit who

has been

given to

us.

If you're

a Christian,

you can love

others as

Jesus loves

you because

the Holy

Spirit,

the spirit

of God,

the spirit

of Christ

will enable

you.

I love

what Paul

says in

Philippians

2,

13 about

God giving

us the

desire and

the ability

to please

him.

I want you

to look at

this.

For it is

God who

works in

you both

to will,

to want,

to desire,

and to

work for

his good

pleasure.

We can

love one

another in

our church

family if

we want

to because

the Holy

Spirit living

within us

will help

us.

He'll give

us the

desire to

love.

He'll give

us the

ability to

do things

to demonstrate

our love

if we'll

obey him.

You know,

we're never

going to love

one another

perfectly like

Jesus loves

us.

No one can

love like

he loves

exactly.

But if we

make it our

goal, our

desire, we

pray, we

ask God to

help us, we

put forth

effort, we

can love

one another

by the

power of

the Holy

Spirit to

some degree.

All of

us.

And I

want to ask

you now,

will you make

that commitment

this morning?

Will you

ask God to

help you to

love your

brothers and

sisters in

Christ first

in this

church?

To love

that Jesus

has shown

you.

Will you

also ask God

to help you

to love

the people

in your

house, in

your home?

That same

kind of love,

a sacrificial

love, a

serving love.

I want to

close by

reading the

best description

of Christian

love ever

written.

It's in

1 Corinthians

13, beginning

in verse 4.

Paul writes,

love is

patient and

kind.

Love does

not envy

or boast.

It is not

arrogant or

rude.

It does not

insist on

its own

way.

It is not

irritable or

resentful.

It does not

rejoice at

wrongdoing,

but rejoices

with the

truth.

Love bears

all things,

believes all

things,

hopes all

things,

endures all

things.

Love never

ends.

That's how

Jesus loves

us.

I encourage

you now,

ask God to

help you

to show

that kind

of love

to your

family and

your church

family every

day.

let's pray

together.

Father,

we need

help to

love like

Jesus

loved.

But we

know from

the promise

of your

word that

you have

given us

all we

need in

the

indwelling

Holy Spirit.

You have

poured your

love into

us through

him.

So we

pray now,

Father,

convict us

of our

sin.

Help us

to be

truly

repentant of

indifference,

of unconcern,

of a lack

of love.

Help us,

Father, to

make the

commitment that

by your

grace, by

the power of

your Spirit,

we will put

forth the

effort to

love, to

meet needs,

and really

work on

doing what

we can to

make this

one church

family,

brothers and

sisters in

Christ.

Show us all

how we should

respond to

you.

Help us not

to put it

off, but

to respond

to you now

in obedience

and go all

and put it

into practice.

Put it into

practice in our

church family as

well.

It's in Jesus'

name that we

pray.

Amen.