Love

Now, if you have a Bible, you might want to turn back to Luke chapter 23 on page 1060,

Luke 23 · chapter mention

! And we're going to think for a few moments about the reality that Jesus died as He has told us to show His own love to us.

So, we're going to think about love for a few minutes.

We recognize, I think, as people that we have a capacity to love.

It is something that is basic.

It is something that is universal.

It cuts across all times and all cultures.

As Christians, we very much believe that part of being made in the image of God is the ability to love,

because God is love, the Bible tells us.

I think we also recognize the centrality of love.

If we think about it at the cultural level, it's so important to our stories and our songs and our movies.

So many religious and ethical movements are built around love for a particular idea or a particular set of values.

And think about just how central love is for ourselves, to the desires deep down within us, to love and to be loved.

At the same time, I think it's fair to say that there is some confusion about love.

Sometimes it's one of those words we hear so often, but it can be hard to define.

Maybe partly because we've emptied it of meaning.

We apply it across the board.

So, you know, we might love our job or our car.

We might love our coffee or a nice cafe.

But we also love our family and we love our God.

So, what do we mean when we talk about love?

And when we have conversations and when we're moving around, we recognize that not everybody shares the same understanding of what love is.

For many people, to hear the word love is to think of a mere emotion.

It's just about a feeling.

It's about how I feel about someone or something.

We talk about falling in love and falling out of love.

And I'm sure I'm not the only person to recognize the problem that comes with that.

If the feeling goes, often so the relationship goes and the commitment goes.

And when we lose our sense of love as a verb, as an active thing,

then we have the pain of broken marriages and families, a lack of trust and security.

So, there's confusion about love.

But something that we can all agree on, I think,

and this would be true, I think, if we went into the streets of Edinburgh today

and to ask people what they thought about costly love,

it's recognized as a positive thing.

Take as an example, if we were to go to the Belfast Titanic Museum,

or if you know anything about the Titanic,

if you've listened to any of the podcasts, if you've read up on it,

then you will probably know something of the story of the engineers on the Titanic.

So, when it became apparent that the ship was going down,

they didn't leave their posts.

They continued for as long as possible to keep the engines running,

to keep the lights on,

to allow the people on the upper decks as much chance as possible

to escape and to find a life raft.

The engineers went down with the ship.

But you won't hear anyone saying of them,

well, what a waste, what a foolish action.

Rather, even over a century on, it's still regarded as a heroic act.

We understand that sacrifice is good,

that it's noble.

So, when Jesus says,

greater love has no one than this,

to lay down one's life for one's friends,

that resonates.

We agree with that.

And remarkably, with Jesus,

that's not just a nice philosophical idea.

That's an easy thing to say, perhaps.

Jesus says it,

and Jesus shows it.

Jesus practices what he preached.

So, we're going to think this evening about what Jesus says about love

and how he shows that love.

We're going to think about Good Friday,

and just for a few moments together,

to give thanks for the goodness of Jesus' love,

to recognize that it was a costly,

self-giving, sacrificing everything love

for his own people.

Or we could put it another way,

a love so powerful that it would turn enemies into friends.

And we're going to think about why we call this day Good Friday.

It is good for all who look upon the cross of Jesus

as the supreme demonstration

of Jesus' own love for us.

It is a good day with good news

for all who receive Jesus

and his saving death

as our supreme treasure.

So, what we're going to do,

just really briefly,

is we're going to take a look at the events

that we've heard Luke record,

and we're going to ask,

how do we experience that love for ourselves?

So that we might together recognize

with the Apostle Paul

that the message of Jesus' death

matters only when it becomes

personal testimony in our lives.

that all of us might say with Paul

in Galatians 2,

the Son of God loved me

and gave himself

for me.

So let's turn first of all to the events

and to ask ourselves,

how does Luke's record

help us to see Jesus' love?

So we're saying that his death on the cross

is the ultimate demonstration of his love,

but Luke has so helpfully recorded for us

the hours leading up to his death.

And some of those events,

they really serve to magnify

the love of Jesus

as we see

that his movement towards the cross

is deliberate.

That the love he is going to put on display

is costly and gracious

and life-transforming.

So if you have a Bible,

you can scan these verses with me.

In Luke chapter 22 and verse 39,

Luke 22 · chapter mention

we were told

that Jesus went out as usual

to the Mount of Olives.

Now that's a significant truth

because Judas, the betrayer,

knows exactly where Jesus is going to be.

And so we're told

that Jesus will not avoid arrest,

but he goes

as was the plan.

Jesus is willing

to embrace the cross

to show us the love of God.

We move further

to verse 42

and we hear Jesus pray

and recognize Dr. Luke tells us

the agony that Jesus faces.

His face dropping sweats of blood

as he prays,

Father,

if you are willing,

take this cup from me,

yet not my will,

but yours be done.

Jesus faces up

to drinking the cup,

this image of the Father's wrath,

the wrath of God

against sin,

against sinners.

Jesus will stand

in the place of sinners

and will take that cup

and he knows

the horror and agony

he will experience

and yet he commits,

doesn't he,

to the Father's will.

And so we see

the love of Christ Jesus

that sees him

drink the cup

that you and I

ought to drink.

The story continues

as Jesus is arrested.

From verse 48 to 53,

we discover

that as Judas

and a host of men

armed come to him,

Jesus goes

with the betrayer.

Jesus doesn't fight arrest.

He could.

He could call down

legions of angels.

But as prophesied

in love,

Jesus walks silent

before his accusers.

And then in chapter 23,

as Jesus is walking

to the cross,

by now he has endured

the injustices

of false arrest

and false trial.

He has been abused.

He has been beaten.

He's experiencing

public mockery.

Mockery.

His body is weakening

due to blood loss

because of beatings.

And still,

he looks outside

of himself

to see those women.

Daughters of Jerusalem,

do not weep for me.

Weep for yourselves

and for your children.

Jesus understands

judgment that will come,

persecution that will face

his own followers.

And Jesus' love,

even walking to the cross,

is selfless,

concerned for the good

of others.

Verse 34,

Jesus is now

hanging,

nailed to the cross.

And as he is

taking to that place

of execution,

Jesus said,

Father,

Father,

forgive them,

for they do not know

what they are doing.

When the soldiers

treat him

as a common criminal,

as they gamble

at the foot of the cross

for his clothing,

Jesus prays

to seek their forgiveness

because he knows

they do not know

his true identity.

But in this prayer,

aren't we being brought

to see something

of the effect

that Jesus' love

produces

in his going

to the cross

to die?

There is in him

forgiveness.

And then in chapter 23,

and from verse 40 onwards,

we have that remarkable story

of the dying criminal

who recognizes

something unique

about Jesus.

Don't you fear God,

he says to the other criminals,

since you are under

the same sentence,

we are punished justly,

but this man

has done nothing wrong.

And not only that,

he turns to Jesus.

Jesus, remember me

when you come

into your kingdom.

He is dying

in apparent shame,

but this criminal

is able to see

the king

with eternal glory.

And in that moment,

Jesus' love

extends

grace

to the undeserving

who looks to him

with faith.

Jesus says,

today,

you will be with me

in paradise.

And even as Jesus dies,

we're reminded of his love,

his love for his father

and the father's love for him.

Jesus called out

with a loud voice,

Father,

into your hands,

I commit my spirit.

and we are reminded

of the eternal love of God

that established

this eternal plan

of salvation

that culminates

with Jesus,

the Son of God,

dying in our place,

offering us

an overflowing love

that we can be brought into.

So,

as Luke records

the historical events,

he is at the same time

shining a spotlight

on the cross

as the great demonstration

of Jesus'

self-giving love.

Well,

if those are the events,

we need to turn,

secondly,

to think about

our experience

of them,

or more particularly,

how can you and I

know

this love of Christ

for ourselves?

You and I,

we know the feeling

when we read

about those

titanic engineers,

or when we hear

the news reports

of a parent

who sacrifices

themselves

to save a child,

or we hear

of soldiers

acting with great

courage under fire

to protect soldiers

or civilians

at the cost

of their lives.

We admire them.

We honour them.

We recognise

their goodness.

But it's a story

that remains

outside of us.

It doesn't impact us

beyond that,

perhaps,

temporary emotional

response.

With a cross,

it's different,

and it needs to be

different.

The cross of Christ

is unique.

This supreme

demonstration of

Jesus'

self-giving love,

though it happened

in history

some 2,000 years ago,

it's a story

of the love of God

that can become

a vital part

of each of our stories,

and indeed,

it must become

a part of our story.

This love

that Jesus

puts on display

is a love

that must be received

personally.

It's not enough,

because lots of people

admire it from a distance,

but that's not enough.

We must embrace it

and enter

into it.

Let's just remind

ourselves

for a moment,

why does God say

we need this love?

Why does He put this love

on display

that Good Friday?

Let's make it personal.

It's because of my sin.

It's because of your sin.

That sin that separates me

from God.

That sin that robs

Christ Jesus

of His glory

and the worship

that He deserves.

As the hymn writer

put it,

it was my sin

that held Him there

until it was accomplished.

His dying breath

has brought me life.

I know

that it is finished.

It's my sin.

It's my guilt.

It's your guilt

that needs to be

atoned for.

It's the wrath of God

that must be satisfied

for my wrongdoing.

As the hymn writer

puts it,

Jesus paid it all.

All to Him I owe.

Sin had left

its crimson stain.

Christ washed me

white as snow.

We need this love

when we come to recognize

that without Jesus' death

on our behalf.

We have no righteousness

to claim.

We have no appeal

to God's justice.

Rather,

we stand in desperate need

of His mercy.

And as we recognize that,

we hear the good news for us

of God's love for us in Christ.

We hear Jesus say,

the Son of Man came

to give His life

as a ransom for many.

We hear Him say,

greater love has no one

than this,

that He lay down His life

for His friends.

Or we turn to

words of Paul

in Ephesians 5,

and we're reminded

that Christ loved the church

and gave Himself up

for her.

And that begs the question,

am I among the many?

Can I belong to the church?

Can I become

a friend of God?

The cross of Christ

is something that must

become profoundly personal

for each one of us.

And as we ask those questions,

the answer comes

in God's Word

again and again.

Believe in the Lord Jesus

and you will be saved.

The promise of John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

to all who did receive Him,

who believe in His name,

He gave the right

to become children of God.

Romans 10, 13,

everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord

will be saved.

At the cross,

we are led to recognize

that Jesus paid

the highest price possible

to give you and I

the greatest gift possible

by demonstrating

His great love

so that we can enjoy

the glorious love of God

for ourselves.

To know that love,

we need to call on Him.

We need to believe in Him.

And when we do,

we become His friends.

We become one of the many.

We become part of the church.

And we can say,

the Son of God,

He loved me.

And He gave Himself

for me.

To help us think some more

about the wonder of the cross,

we're going to sing

our closing hymn,

which is when I survey

the wondrous cross.

And after we sing,

well maybe stay standing

and I'll close in prayer.

Let's pray.

Thank you.