The Mark of God's People

For one another.

This is why Jesus will give a new commandment to his disciples in which they will begin to live out after the resurrection and the empowering gift of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost.

Now remember, John 13, it places us in the upper room.

It's the night before the crucifixion.

Judas has gone out into the darkness.

The hour of suffering has arrived.

And Jesus speaks to his disciples with this tender authority.

Now, at the moment when betrayal and abandonment and death is near, Jesus speaks of glory and he commands his people to love one another.

This passage is not primarily about human effort or moral reform or religious traditions, but it's about the glory of God in the finished work of Christ and the grace that formed the redeemed community.

That's what's happening here, right?

The love of Christ, the glory of God, and it reformed or formed the community of believers.

And so the love Jesus commands, it's not self-generated, right?

It flows from our union with Christ.

This is the only way.

The love that Jesus commands can only come from Christ.

And so when this union happens, we are able to have this visible evidence to the community or the people around us, and they will know and see that we belong to Christ.

John unpacks this for us in his first letter to the church in 1 John chapter 4, he says this in verse 7.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

He says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

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

And in this love, and the love of God was manifested among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.

In this love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The love we experience in this world apart from God is a love that at its core is self-centered.

So apart from God, the love that you've experienced or the love that you've tried to shown, show people, at its core, it's self-centered.

It's self-centered.

But the love we are given by God in Christ, at its core, is self-dying.

It's self-dying.

And so the first type of love, the world love, exposes our need to do more to gain the approval of one's love.

In the world, we have to do more.

We have to show that we love them.

We try and try and try.

And in every effort, whether it's money, finding help, whatever we can do, we're trying to show them that we love them and that we care for them.

But the second type of love, a godly love, it actually awakens us to our need for the one who can love.

Who the one is able to love, the one who has served us, and the one who can allow us to love and serve those who hate us.

The world hates us.

The world hates Christians.

But in Christ, we are able, we are awakened to this need that we need someone who can help us love this world that hates us.

And so by the power of Christ and Christ alone, we are able to forgive.

We are able to serve.

We are able to love those who will hate you for standing firm on the truth of God's word.

And so the idea here is this the Father, in this text, as we approach this text, the Father glorifies the Son through the cross, and Christ marks his redeemed people by grace-formed love for one another.

And so the truth is that God's sovereign grace in Christ creates a covenant people.

He creates a covenant people whose love is the fruit and evidence of saving faith.

Understand this.

It marks us as the fruit and the evidence of saving faith, not the grounds to which we are saved.

Understand that.

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

So the first thing we see here in verse 31 is that the cross reveals the sovereign glory of God.

The cross reveals the sovereign glory of God.

Like though it was intended for evil, the cross reveals God's glory, his power, his victory, his love, his sovereign rule over all creation.

And so we see, this is why Jesus says here in the beginning of one, he says, Now the Son of Man be glorified.

Now is the Son of Man glorified.

Meaning the hour has come.

The cross is approaching.

It's becoming near.

But let's be clear, the cross was not an accident, right?

We learned this last week.

It's not an accident.

It wasn't an interruption in God's plan.

He's not being defeated.

He's not like, all of a sudden, what's going on?

This is not an interruption.

Instead, it's ordained.

It's ordained by God.

It's part of his redemptive plan for mankind.

And so what does he mean here in verse 31 when he says, now?

What does he mean in context?

Well, now Judas has departed, right?

Judas has left.

This marks the beginning of the final events leading to the cross.

And so from this moment on, the crucifixion was certain.

It's going to happen.

This is part of God's plan.

It's been ordained.

And so we're moving towards the cross where God would soon be glorified through the Son's redemptive work, through his death and his resurrection and his ascension.

And so at Calvary, the Father glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father through his perfect obedience.

Through his perfect obedience.

Now notice the word glorify here.

It's in the past tense, meaning Jesus knew, right?

He knew this was going to happen.

He knew that it was going to be fulfilled.

Judas leaving did not surprise him.

Judas betraying him did not surprise him.

And now Jesus can share with his disciples those who are there, the loving who are remaining.

He can now share with them the great truth, right?

These great truths, what they need to know as he's beginning to go to the cross, to die and to leave and depart from them.

He begins to teach them.

He begins to teach them.

And so you probably notice that the word glorify or glorify or glorified is used five times in these two verses.

If you didn't notice that, notice it, circle it if you want to.

It's a good way that we learn.

We learn scripture.

We see words that are being repeated.

If you see that, circle them, highlight them, and ask yourself, what in the world?

Why?

Like, why is this happening?

And so we see this.

John is giving us a picture, a wonderful picture of the Father's role and the Son's role that are separate in duty, but perfectly united in person and purpose.

This is the Godhead.

This is the Godhead.

It's a beautiful union that's happening here with the Father and the Son and the deity that Jesus is God and that the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God.

This is a beautiful picture that we see.

And so, first, the Father glorifies the Son by ordaining everything.

You ask yourself, well, how is the Father glorifying the Son?

He's ordained every step of the way, every miracle, every sign, every teaching, even the mission, the cross, everything has been ordained along the way.

And so this is him accepting his final sacrifice, the death on the cross, the atonement for the sin.

God, the Father, is accepting it.

And so he's glorifying the Son.

This act of obedience, death on a cross, vindicates Jesus and reveals his divinity, his nature, his ultimate authority.

And so this mutual glorification invites a divine exchange.

A divine exchange.

By dying, the Son revealed God's righteousness, right?

His perfect justice, his perfect love, right?

God being perfectly justed, he had to punish the sin that was against him.

But in his perfect love, he punishes his son on behalf of us.

What a picture.

What a picture of God's love and grace and mercy and this divine exchange that's happening between the Father and the Son for the glory of the Father and the glory of the Son.

And so the cross displays God's holiness against sin, his justice and judgment, mercy towards sinner and the covenant faithfulness to save his people.

God is faithful and he will save us.

Ligonier wrote an article and it says this.

I love what it says about this passage.

It says the crucifixion was a moment of glory, not only for the Son, but also for the Father, because the Father and Son are fully united in providing atonement for our sins.

The glory that occurs to the Son also occurs to the Father, and the glory that occurs to the Father also occurs to the Son.

And in death of Jesus, the triune God is glorified.

God is glorified.

And so God's glory is the highest end of redemption.

The crucifixion reveals that mankind, or reveals to mankind that salvation is not centered on our human worthiness, our human achievement, but it's focused on the sovereign grace and Christ's accomplished work on the cross.

This has nothing to do with us.

So if the cross reveals the glory of God, then we must stop measuring God's love by our circumstances.

This is the problem.

That we don't we don't measure it by our circumstances and learn, but instead we learn to measure it by every circumstance by the cross.

That's what we're measuring it by.

The glory of God, not us.

It's that God is molding us and shaping us to be more like his son.

Remember, James says this?

He's perfecting us in love in James chapter one.

He's molding us, he's bringing in temptation and pain and suffering to shape us and mold us to conform us to the image of his son.

And so this is a beautiful picture that this is how we measure our circumstances.

It's upon the cross, not upon what we feel, how we feel in our circumstances.

So listen, church, because the darkest hour in history became the clearest display of his glory, those who believe this can trust him even when his providence feels hidden.

He is working for his glory and for your good.

That's the truth, and that's a promise.

No matter how it feels, if it feels distance, it feels hidden.

God is working for his glory and for your good.

Second thing we see here in verse 33 is that Christ's departure establishes his redeemed covenant people.

Jesus must leave to fulfill God's will according to scripture and to raise up his people, which is the church.

It's us, it's the believers, it's those who believe.

You are the church, not these walls, not this building, not this foundation, but you, the people, are the church.

And so Christ had to leave to fulfill the scriptures so that we would rise up and what 2 Corinthians 5 says that we would become the glory of God.

We would become the witness of his goodness, that we would testify to his goodness.

And so we are the church.

So we see in verse 33, he says, this little children, little children.

So Jesus is compassionately calling his disciples, little children, showing this strong pastoral care for those he has chosen and loved.

And in this term, it's a deep affection.

It has this deep affection for his disciples.

Jesus is speaking with this tenderness of a father's care for his children who need his help and his protection.

We need God's help and protection.

This is the first and only time in the four gospels that he actually addresses his disciples this way.

Why is this?

Well, because Judas is gone.

Remember?

The betrayer was in the room, the one who didn't fully love and trust and believe that Jesus was who he was.

He was there for the conquering king.

He was there for the power, the political reign of Christ.

And when he realized this is not what it is, he departs.

He betrays Jesus.

And so now Jesus, in this opportunity, as Judas has left, it's fitting now that he says to them, Little children, he's never said this before.

He's calling them his all.

And this word actually means to be born of one, that they're one body, they're one group under the headship of Christ.

And so we see this beautiful picture here, and it reminds me of the words in John 10 when he says this.

He says, The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, but I came that I may have life and have life abundantly.

I am the good shepherd.

Right?

This is what Jesus is saying to them as the little children who need what?

Help and protection.

They need guidance.

We're sheep.

We're all dumb sheep.

We're dumb sheep.

In and of ourselves, we will we will find ourselves in trouble and lost.

And so we need the help of the good shepherd, the one who lays down his life for his sheep, in John chapter 10, verse 11.

John 10:11

And so, continuing in verse 33, Jesus says this.

He says, Yet a little while I am with you.

He's saying to them that the hour has come, my time with you is short.

But here, the good news, they won't fully understand yet.

They don't fully understand, they're not fully comprehending it yet.

But through his death, resurrection, ascension, they will understand what Jesus came to do and accomplish.

They will look back.

This is what John's doing.

He's writing the letter to us.

He's accounting for all the things that have happened, and he's going, Yes, he is the one.

He is the Messiah.

He is truly the Son of God.

And so in time they will fully understand.

Not yet.

But now look at what Jesus tells his disciples compared to what he told the Jews, because he mentions this, right?

He mentions the Jews.

In John chapter 8, verse 21, he says this to the Jews.

John 8:21

If you want to make a note there, he says this.

And so he said to them again, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins.

Where I am going, you cannot come.

He's revealing to them the payment for their unbelief.

Did you notice that?

Listen to verse 21 again, or look at the end.

He says, Where I'm going away, you will seek me.

And he says this, you will die in your sins.

This is the difference between the Jews.

The Jews didn't believe.

He's saying, You can't come with me because you don't believe.

The penalty, the payment for your unbelief is eternal punishment, is death, is separation.

But for those who believe, those who are my children, those who are he calling here his disciples who are his children, their reward is eternal life.

It's heaven.

It's not separation from God Himself.

And so we see this in the disciples that in their belief that He is, Jesus is the Son of God, there won't be this penalty that's being paid towards the Jews in chapter 8 when he speaks to them and says, You cannot come where I'm going.

And now we, as believers, at the time we can't go, right?

We're waiting for the glorification when the Son returns to gather his people and to go with him.

And so currently we can't, right?

The disciples can't follow him in his atoning work because we can't atone for sin.

If we could, we wouldn't need Christ.

And so Christ alone bears the sin and security of redemption for all who will believe.

And it's all who will believe.

We know this by John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

We're not there yet, but when we get to his high priestly prayer, what John says to his disciples, I'm praying for my disciples, those who have believed, but also for all who will believe in all eternity.

And so is for all those who will believe.

So his people, the church, the body of Christ are left in the world as a covenant community called to embody the life of their risen Savior.

And so the church does not create its identity by its activity.

That's not what's happening here.

We don't create the identity of who we are by the activity, it receives its identity from Christ.

And so the church, we receive our identity from Christ, the one who dwells in us.

We believe this, right?

In Galatians 2.20, it's no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives within me.

We have a new identity.

We're being transformed, conformed in Romans 12 into the image of God.

And so believers are gathered, they're preserved, they're sanctified by the grace of God, meaning we long to be a part of the body of Christ.

Those who believe you long to be a part of the body of Christ through the study of God's word, through the prayer, through fellowship, through the breaking of bread.

Because of our gratitude for Christ doing what we can never do.

This is why we do it.

It's because of our great gratitude for what he did that we can never do.

And so because Christ has established his people by his finished work on the cross, we should resist temptation to build our identity on performance, on preference, on programs, on personal usefulness, right?

This is not what we're identifying.

You're not identifying because you're on the security team or whatever it may be.

That's a great gift and that serves the church well.

But your identity is in Christ and Christ alone.

The church belonged to Christ before it ever belonged before it ever acts for Christ.

You understand that?

We belong to Christ before we act for Christ.

And we have to make that our identity, not where we serve in the children's men or on the worship team or in security, whatever it may be.

That's not your identity.

That's a gift and a blessing to the church.

But your identity is in Christ.

You belong to Christ before you started serving Christ.

That means we gather with humility, we serve with gratitude, and we remain faithful in weakness because our place amongst God's people rests on grace and not on achievement.

The third thing we see here is this.

Christ's command flows from union with him, verse 34.

Jesus commands all who believe to love one another as he has loved them, bringing glory to God and joy to his people.

It's a joyful thing to serve the Lord.

It's good.

We should be the most joyous people in the world.

We should be.

We should be.

And so in verse 34, he says this A new covenant I give to you, that you have loved one another just as I have loved you.

You also are to love one another.

And so Jesus gives a new commandment that you love one another.

One another here, let me just clarify this for you.

Here is not speaking of our love for all people, but instead for God's people.

Now, this is important.

It's kind of a pet peeve of mine, but we oftentimes, often churches teach when it talks about loving one another, teaching about loving the world.

Now, of course, we are to love the world.

This is not, this is not what John is getting at.

We are to love the world, but we are to love the world for their redemption.

We're supposed to love them for their redemption.

We're supposed to seek the healing of their brokenness to hold God's truth, right, and in a tight grip so that they will see the truth and their eyes will be open to the truth and they will come to the truth.

This is how we love those outside of the church, that we stand for that.

And only that, we love one another.

This is the beautiful picture.

How do they see the love of God in us is how we love one another.

Do we do it hypocritical?

If we do, a lot of people say that, right?

You've heard it.

If you've been a part of the church at any time or not, you've heard it.

They're a bunch of hypocrites.

Why do I want to live like them?

Why do I want to go into a place that looks like the culture?

Why do I want to do that?

And so, how do we love them?

How do we love them in a way or love one another?

We, I mean, love them as we love one another.

We show them how to love one another.

And so John Piper says that.

This way.

It's a beautiful quote, you probably all know, but it says, God is most glorified in us, so God is most glorified to the world.

He's seen to be beautiful to the world when what?

When he uh when we are most satisfied in him.

That's the picture.

Are we satisfied in God?

Are you satisfied in God?

If you truly are, the world sees a beautiful picture of his goodness.

And so God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

Now, to properly understand this new covenant, we must first understand the old one.

So Leviticus 19, 18, if you want to make a note there, it reads this it says, you shall take, I'm sorry, you shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord.

And so loving each other is not a new commandment, per se, right?

It's not, this isn't a new idea right here.

So what's going on?

What so the question is what's new about this, or what's different about what is being said in the Old Testament versus what's being now said in the New Testament by Jesus?

Well, Jesus is now the standard.

He is the pattern to which we live by.

Notice, right?

Notice the old pattern in chapter 19.

It says this, it was yourself.

I'll read it to you.

It says, Love, it says, uh, it says, do not bear grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbors as yourself.

Yourself.

Jesus here in 13, what does he say here?

He says, just as I have loved you.

The standard's Jesus, right?

The perfect standard, the perfect pattern to which we see on how to love someone is now Jesus.

He's elevated it.

He's elevated it from that which you could not do to show you the perfect way to love someone.

How do we love one another?

Well, now we look at Jesus, right?

Here's the key word here is as.

So in verse 13, the word as is the, it's the it's the it's the crutch, right?

It's what Jesus is saying that we, that the disciples, that all who love Jesus, you should love them like Jesus.

Jesus love is the pattern, it's the highest pattern to which we can achieve.

And that the disciples should imitate him.

And not only the disciples, but we too should imitate the love of Christ.

So now note the qualifying phrase here.

So it says, just as I have loved you, this is in the past tense, which means what?

He's already loved them, right?

Think about what he's already done in the past, right?

Let's just go one little step back to Judas.

Remember Judas, the one who's about to betray him?

What did he do?

He washed his feet, he served him, and so he loved them, right?

Even though he knew he was a betrayer, Jesus still loved him.

He's demonstrating this perfect love towards him.

He's saying, Just as I have loved you in the past and I will continue to love you, this is how you should love one another.

One another.

And so the fullest expression of his love was shown, well, partially was shown in the washing of the feet, but will be fully shown in the cross, when he lays down his life, when he dies for his people.

And so both the foot washing and the cross, it calls us to die to self.

It calls us to love as Jesus loved selfishly and sacrificially.

And so even at this moment when they are with the Spirit, the disciples, after Pentecost, the Spirit will dwell with them.

And so they will be able to always have access to the love that God had through Christ.

It will be with them.

It will be possible because of the supernatural power in us, which is the Holy Spirit.

Apart from the Spirit, we can't love one another.

We don't know how to love one another.

And there are many people who have tried to love one another.

And the truth is they do it selfishly.

Because without the power of Christ in us, the final result of one's love is self-centered.

That's what it is.

It's self-centered.

You can rework it a thousand different ways, but ultimately it's about you.

It's about how you feel about the situation, how you evaluate it, how you think love should be given out.

And so without the power of Christ, we're self-centered.

And this command is a new one because it's grounded in the redemptive love of Christ.

He says, just as I have loved you, Christ's love is electing, it's covenantial, it's sacrificial, it's cleansing, it's patient, it's preserving, it's all these things.

And so believers, right, we love because we've first been loved by Christ and are united in him by grace through faith.

So our obedience is never rooted in justification.

It's never rooted in our justification.

We're not trying to be obedient so that God will love us, right?

That's what it means.

But it is the fruit of our justification.

It's the fruit.

How do we love one another?

Christians' love is it does not earn salvation, but it certainly grows from the grace that saves.

It will always grow.

So because Christ's command is rooted in his love for us, we must not treat love as optional or emotional or natural affection.

We love one another by moving forward towards the difficult brother and sister in the room, right?

That's what we do.

We try to love one another and hear.

We move towards them, bearing with their weaknesses, forgiving their offenses, speaking truth and gentleness and serving when there is no applause.

So the question is whether others have earned our love.

It's not whether others have learned earned our love, I'm sorry, but whether Christ has loved us first.

The last point we see here in verse 35 is this love is the evidence of true discipleship.

Love is the evidence of true discipleship.

The world will recognize Christ's people by their love for one another, pattern after his love for us.

This is what we're seeking for.

We're not trying to understand how we should love one another by the way that our neighbor loves their neighbor.

We're not trying to do that.

We're trying to look into the life of Jesus and say, how did he love?

How did he serve?

How did he forgive?

And this is what we want to pattern our life by.

And so verse 35 says this by this, by this, by the way you love.

That's what by this means.

It's referring to all those.

By this, all people will know that you are my disciples.

They will know that you are a true disciple of God.

The evidence, the fruit will bear that of Christ, the way he lived, the way he loved.

And so by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

How do you love one another?

Jesus says the world will know his disciples by their love for one another.

This love is not the cause of election, justification, or adoption.

It is the visible evidence of God's saving work.

A church shaped by grace should display humility.

We should be repentive.

We should be forgiving.

We should be patient.

We should bear one another's burdens.

And ultimately, we should be united in truth.

So where Christ has truly loved and transformed his people, his love will become visible in their life together.

You hear that?

That's how it's going to be visible.

It's by how we do life together.

Sanctification is inseparable from salvation.

If we are saved, if we are God's redeemed people, we will be sanctified, meaning we're going to look more like Christ.

Going back to James, we're going to work into maturity.

We're being perfected.

That word means maturity.

We're maturing in our faith.

How are we doing that?

How are we, which through God's word is through fellowship with Him, it's knowing Him and then it's loving His people.

It's transferring that into the love for His people.

And so this grace that justifies, it also trains us, it reforms us, it empowers believers to love as Christ loves.

And so I want to give you the main idea.

Here's the main idea.

If love is the evidence of true discipleship, then our life together matters deeply.

It matters deeply.

We don't just come together.

This isn't another club or a hangout.

It matters.

It matters for the glory of God.

And I hope that our hearts see that.

I hope God has transformed you in a way that it truly matters that we want to do life together.

We want to love one another.

That doesn't mean we have to hang out every weekend and that we're always best friends, but the common thread is the gospel and that we're going to serve and love one another so that God will be magnified, that he'll be glorified.

And guess what?

It's for your good and your enjoyment.

It's what's best for you.

You want to live the best life, right?

This Joel Olstein mindset, it's not his mindset.

Your best life is to seek to glorify God through obedience to his word.

This is your best life.

And it will seem hard and difficult at times, but it is the best thing for you.

And so the world should see more than just correct doctrine on paper.

It should see doctrine producing patience, repentance, reconciliation, generosity, united in truth.

These are the things it should see.

Not this is just what we believe, but they're seeing this in action.

And so we should ask ourselves honestly, there's a question to consider.

Does your love for one another make Christ visible?

Or do you do our divisions, our pride, and bitterness hide the very Savior we profess?

Think about that question.

We evaluate our heart and our motives.

Why do we gather?

Why do we come?

Is it because we want Christ to be visible wherever we go?

Or are we so prideful and we want certain things?

We want worship to be this way, we want this to be that way, we want we have so many preferences that it clouds and it causes division within the body.

Or if it's all about Christ and his gracious act of love towards us by taking on the wrath we deserve, it'll be much more visible in the world than when we would put our own preferences in the forefront.

And so, does life matter together?

I hope it does.

As the band comes back up, here's some practical reasons to consider.

Rest in Christ's finished work before trying to obey his command.

Look, church, rest.

Knowing that God is sovereign, he's finished it.

Death has been defeated.

Rest in that victory, that he's able to keep you and love you.

And so rest in that.

Not only rest in that, but love fellow believers as member of the same covenant family.

We're family.

Love one another as we your family, like you would love your family.

But elevate it a little higher or a lot higher to the way that Christ loved his family, his disciples.

Forgive others as one has been freely forgiven in Christ.

Serve without boasting.

Remember that all grace is received and not achieved.

Pursue unity and truth, refusing both pride and compromise.

Examine whether your life gives visible evidence of grace.

And so John chapter 13, verse 31 through 35 calls us to behold the glory of Christ and the cross and to see Christian love as the fruit of sovereign grace.

John 13:31–35

The Father glorifies the Son in redemption, and the Son gathers and preserves his people, and the Spirit forms them into the community marked by love.

Marked by love.

The command is to love one another, is not a call for self-salvation.

It is the gracious evidence that Christ has loved us, redeemed us, and has made us his own.

And so come to Christ by faith, rest in his finished work, and ask him to make his covenant love visible through your love for one another.

Where do you need to rely more deeply on grace in order to love one another faithfully?

Where do you need to rely?

Once you have prayed and sought through that question, I'm gonna ask you to come as the church and participate and partake in that which unites us together, that which bonds our fellowship, and to remember the sacrifice, the atoning work that Christ did for us on the cross for his glory and for our good.

And so consider that question where do I need to more deeply rely on the grace in order to love one another more faithfully?