April 28, 2013 5th Sunday of Easter

John 13:31-35

   31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
    33 "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
    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."

“Love One Another”

Some times it takes a few words to say a lot.
“There is no free lunch.”
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
“Actions speak louder then words.”
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
To love one another is to model God’s love for all.  What we do in private becomes a strong influence on who we are in public.

These are private, intimate words spoken by Jesus to his disciples, and to us.
They cut through all the pretense and get to the heart of the matter - what really counts - love!
Love bears and endures all things.  It can live with and respect differences.  Love listens even when we don’t like what we are hearing.  Love hangs in there when there is little to be received in return.  Love endures all things!
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Love has the unquenchable capacity to believe the best in the midst of the worst.

We are being encouraged to hate rather then love; even in the church.
Yes, hate, and fear, and stay clear of those who are different from us.
All of which is contrary to one of the clearest commandments our Lord gave us.

We are to model Jesus love by how we treat each other in all aspects of life.
To love is not to demand ‘sameness’ but to affirm ‘differentness’, and to live together in harmony.

 “A New Commandment - Love”

The distinguishing mark of the OT is obedience to the law of God.
This developed formalism or rituals - keeping the law became an end in it self.

Jesus changed all this:  The summary of the law is love.
The command is to be obeyed within the context of love.

The distinguishing feature of faith in NT is love.
The old commandment is swallowed up by the new.

Love cannot be commanded unless it is first given.
Love cannot be commanded but love is commanding.  When we are loved, the one who loves us has commanding power in our lives.  We respond to love with obedient love.

Once loved, I have to love.  “The love of Christ controls us” and leads us into service in His name.

The code of Jesus is : love as we have been loved - by HIM!
Unconditionally, sacrificially, forgivingly.
The word above all other words which Christianity holds up to the world is LOVE!

“Love implies forgiveness.  It is hard for us to realize, but actually the only requirement the loving Father places on us, ...is that we forgive as we have been forgiven.”  Morton Kelsey

Movie “ - “Gandhi” - A Hindu has killed a Moslem boy because his boy has been killed.  Asks Gandhi what he should do.  He feels terrible about what he has done.  Gandhi tells him to adopt a Moslem son and raise him as a Moslem.That’s loving as we have been loved!