The Last Supper Non-Negotiable
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The Last Supper Non-Negotiable..
The Last Supper Non-Negotiable..
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
John the Apostle’s Gospel Background
John the Apostle’s Gospel Background
When was the New Commandment given?
matthew 22: 37:
Why was the New Commandment given?
We are privileged to have the Apostle John writ about John’s Gospel message is unique among the Gospels. The other writers wrote in the AD 60 to 68 era. John wrote his Gospel probably from what is now Turkey, in the late 80 or early 90’s AD. They wrote about Jesus’ tours of ministry, miracles, parables, Sermon on the Mount as He walked in Northern Galilee with the twelve. John wrote about the ministry of Jesus in and around Jerusalem, and some of Jesus’ longest teaching sessions in John’s Gospel are actually taken from public debate with angry and persecuting religious leaders from the Sanhedrin.
How Seriously did the early Church take the New Commandment?
The Apostle John write about John’s Gospel message is unique among the 4 Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote in the AD 60 to 68 era. John wrote his Gospel probably from what is now Turkey, in the late 80 or early 90’s AD. some 50 years after the Ressurrection The other three, wrote about Jesus’ tours of ministry, miracles, parables, Sermon on the Mount as He walked in Northern Galilee with the twelve disciples. John wrote about the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem, and surrounding areas. Some of Jesus’ longest teaching sessions in John’s Gospel are actually taken from public debate with angry and persecuting religious leaders from the Sanhedrin.
What really grabs our attention is What John says about Why he wrote his Gospel message. He wanted people everywhere, both Jewish people and Greek people to have the opportunity to examine the story of the life, the message, and the work of Jesus Christ, the unique, One and Only Son of God. Let's look at John's reason for writing down this Gospel message.
John goes so far as to tell us Why he wrote his Gospel message. He wanted all people, both both Jewish and Greek to look at the life and message of Jesus and conclude and believer that he was the Son of God .
,
It is found in , : "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
With that backdrop lets delve into the Johns carefully drawn picture of Jesue with his disciples at the Last Supper where he talks with his father and his disciples.
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
,
1.) This Gospel tells us Who Jesus Is. He is the Christ, the Son of God, the central figure in all of human history and the effective agent through whom God Almighty has done His work on behalf of human beings. To bring out the meaning for believers in Jesus John uses many titles: Logos, God, Life, Light, Son, Messiah, Lord, Son of God, Lamb of God, 2
: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Rabbi, King of Israel, and Son of Man. All of these titles for Jesus are found in the first chapter of John!
2.) This Gospel tells us what Jesus Offers to men and women. It sums it all up in one rich word: Life. Many times it uses the phrase eternal life to express the completeness of the gift Jesus brings to our hearts and souls. The idea behind the word "eternal" aion, in the Greek is, "belonging to an age." The life we receive in Jesus means that we belong to an age that is yet to come, while we live here on earth. This life Jesus gives is a present gift with a future promise!
3.) This Gospel tells us how, through the work of Jesus, People may Receive this eternal life. The way is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This believing must be a real faith. It is more than verbal confession or mental assent to a series of facts. It is a deep, complete, steady, and loyal trust in Jesus. It leads us to radical lifestyle implications, to obedience, reverence, worship, and surrender. Believing calls for two clear-cut decisions that must be made and remade again and again: Trusting Him with all of my life and Abiding In Him each day.
Instead of retelling the same stories the Synoptic Gospel writers told John took another approach and I for one am so thankful that he did. John focuses our attention on who Jesus really is, in his identity as God’s Son. He asks us to see Jesus from the perspective of eternity. Then John asks us to respond well to Jesus' message and work. Its John who says Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him!
Son, draws us to see Him from eternity. Then John asks us to respond well to Jesus' message and work. John says Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him!
On the evening before He died, Jesus was aware of the shame and agony that awaited him. This night on which Jesus shared Passover with His friends, has come to be marked by the Christian world as ‘Mandatum/Mandate’, or ‘Maundy Thursday’ because Jesus commanded his followers to remember Him and continue His teachings. In total love, Jesus wrapped a slave's towel around his waist, dropped to his knees and began one of the most menial tasks of the culture at that time: washing the dirty feet of his friends. It was the humiliating work of a slave, not the dignified work of a Master, let alone the Son of God.
From and forward John is focused on the last twenty four hours of Jesus’ life on earth. John tells us what He taught His disciples and His death on the Cross at 3:00 PM on the Friday before Passover began. These chapters are written by an eye-witness account, by a man who loved Jesus deeply and who reclined next to Him at the table at the last supper. Jesus was telling them He is going to die. We get the sense that John is capturing every word that came from the lips of Jesus.
Jesus said, then recorded them for us so we could read the words today!
With that backdrop lets delve into the Johns carefully drawn picture of Jesue with his disciples at the Last Supper where he talks with his father and his disciples. For the message this morning we pick up the narrative in .
With that backdrop lets delve into the Johns carefully sketched picture of Jesueswith his disciples at the Last Supper where he talks with his father and his disciples. For the setting of Jesus Non-negotiable New Commandment given to his disciples......
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
For the message this morning we pick up the narrative in .
To get a deeper perspective on this New Commandment, this twist, this intentional expectation imparted to the disciples with not wiggle room lets look at some of the bigger portriate being painted by Jesus. .
: 35message to us todaymessage this morning we pick up the narrative in .
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Jesus knew that he was dining with Judas, who would betray him, and Peter, who would deny him three times. Yet he knelt before them and gently washed their feet anyway, modeling for them and for us a radical love that goes far beyond one’s worthiness. In this kind of love there is not only a willingness, but a plea for reconciliation - for broken relationships to be made whole again. The creator of the universe, through Jesus, willingly humbled Himself to reach out to the hearts of those who have fallen away and become lost, who would deny and kill Him.This is the sacrificial love of service..
This is the sacrificial love of service..
1. Jesus Knew His Identity
1. Jesus Knew His Identity
By Oswald Chambers
By Oswald Chambers
He knew who he was in relation to the Father(security)
” Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” ().
BEING GOD-LIKE
I have a problem when I try to be good…and on that dimention. I tend to fail after awhile. I may look OK to the casual observer and for a short sprint. But when its a marathon where I’m expected to endure “trying to do good” it is easy to be exposed . A cop out allowing God to work on our heart under the guise of humility sounds like this. “ Well I”m just not that good a person, I am the lowlist of lows, I not been given much life and so I just try my best but its really not much in comparison to other people who excell. Woe is me. This is my station in life. “ On its face this may look like humility, but I belive this is a cop out and an insult to the God of creation who doesnt make junk. Its the heart of the one receiving a talent who burrined it. The fear of success of responsibility. Its genesis my be found in someone putting this person down in life…forcing one to perform for accceptance in a way that was compelly unattainable. If thats you or one you know they need deep healing and a fresh encounter with God.
. The exception unless one has made a habit of religiousty and explaing away failure to be like God. It may sound like this. f I’m not that good I just
The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.
The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. One who has asked for the Spirit of God to come in and fill. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. We’ve traded our life for God’s life
God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.
William Gladstone, a member of the British parliament in the mid-1800s, announced the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons. With the announcement, he told this story. The little daughter of Princess Alice was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter because that would endanger her own life by breathing in the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Gasping and struggling for her life, the child said, “Mumma, kiss me!” Only thinking about her dying child and without a thought for herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and soon after Princess Alice died.
Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love does not count the cost. (Pastor Vince Gerhardy, “To Love as Jesus Loves Us”, SermonWriter.com)
The gospel text today is about this kind of love:
Take note that love is not an option for the followers of Jesus. He says,
“A new commandment I give to you”. ()
Not a suggestion, not a recommendation. A COMMANDMENT! This is not just a command to love our families or those who love us, not to try to love others, but to love everyone the same way that Jesus loves us.
“Love one another, just like I have loved you;” ()
There is no way around this commandment of Jesus,
“Love one another.” ()
Why does Jesus command us to love? He gives this commandment because there is a part of every one of us that rebels against the idea of pure, unconditional love. Despite the example that we have in Jesus’ total and unconditional love for us – there is a part of us that says such love is out of place in the world in which we live.
He knew his calling (life journey)
The disciples were not pauns . or actors in a play. He knew them. He invested (not for the reward). He acutally invested in a betrayer. He oved the btrayer
Are we holding back anything from God (denying his imprint on us. Holding back love . Or have we placed conditions on it. The disciples were really pretty petty.
** We can never keep this commandment of loving one another with out it being actionable . Jesus deomonstrated it in all ways and in left nothing undone. ---
There is a part of us that says – “sure, loving others is great – up to a point….”
Isn’t that what we do all the time?
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
We draw a line and say, “That’s how much we are prepared to love the next person”. We draw a line and say, “That’s how far we are prepared to do a kind deed for someone else”. We draw a line and say, “Those are the people we are willing to love”.
We are happy to love a selective way. We are comfortable with love that doesn’t make us extend ourselves to strangers, unpleasant or funny-looking people, unkind or uncouth people, mean or vengeful people, people who make us feel uncomfortable.
But that is not the commandment! What Jesus says is quite plain. We should love others in the same way that Jesus loves us.
Jesus knew whoJohn emphasizes twice what Jesus knows. In 13:1, Jesus knows that He is going to die and return to His Father. In 13:3, Jesus knows that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He has come forth from God, and is going back to God. These statements reveal that Jesus knows His origin and His destiny.
He loved the unclean, the demented, the socially outcast; He loved the righteous and powerful who would kill Him, and the weak and fearful who could not even defend Him. His love is a complete giving of Himself as friend, teacher, Son, healer, yes and finally in His death. but when Jesus gives this command he was not yet crucified. So his appeal to love one another as he had loved thus far. So the very ones he loved were just like us, any of us …from us to the person unlike us. We were all estranged, going our own way, and while we were yet in sin and separated from
so
e see that on the cross.
He had no thought for His own safety, but put his own life at risk. He was prepared to risk pain and suffering, even death, because in His love for us, He would not deny the truth or the way to eternity He was showing us.
His love is a genuine, honest, compassionate love for everyone, all the time. His love is not turned off and on by fleeting passions, or emotional highs.
He drew no line and knew no limits, even as he condidered
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
And that is how he commanded us to love – totally and sacrificially.
Do you know why it is that we find it so difficult to love as Jesus commanded? This kind of love goes against our human nature; it goes against all human reasoning and logic. It is unreasonable to love those who are cruel, mean, arrogant and spiteful, murders and thieves, those who in no way deserve it. We may pity the poor, the lonely, the deranged, the unclean, but LOVE them. That is too much to ask!
To love totally and unconditionally requires us to become involved in other people’s live, to be bound up in the their needs and sorrows. It takes time, it takes commitment, it takes listening, it interrupts our schedules. Oh, we might manage it on the odd occasions but loving everyone unconditionally and sacrificially all the time, that is a tall order. But that is what we are commanded to do.
There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew tired of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until the ugly stone became a beautiful running deer. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking.
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A neighbour asked, “How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of a deer?”
It seems to me that hen you know that your needs are met in Christ, when you know who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going, you’ll be able to freely serve others. BY CONTRAST: If you don’t know who you are, where you came from and where you’re going, you’ll will lack the courage and security to serve....truly serve as God wants. Instead, you’ll be tempted to serve as you decide is best and fits your skill set....you’ll be tempted to manipulate people to get your needs met. But as a follower of Jesus we shouls approach relationships out of a sense of fullness. You know who you are and you have nothing to prove. You no longer have to manipulate people or be paranoid about other people’s expectations and opinions. As we meditate on biblical truths that emphasize our security in Christ and our significance in Christ, we will be more prone to serve rather than seek to be served.1
The man answered, “I just chipped away everything that didn’t look like a deer!” (Pastor Vince Gerhardy, “To Love as Jesus Loves Us”, SermonWriter.com)
Before we come to the Eucharist table tonight and every time, we are urged to go and resolve any bad feelings and arguments we may have with others. If you have anything in your life right now that doesn’t look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away!
Jesus knew whoJohn emphasizes twice what Jesus knows. In 13:1, Jesus knows that He is going to die and return to His Father. In 13:3, Jesus knows that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He has come forth from God, and is going back to God. These statements reveal that Jesus knows His origin and His destiny. It is my conviction that true humility grows out of our relationship with God the Father. When you know that your needs are met in Christ, when you know who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going, you’ll be able to freely serve others. If you don’t know who you are, where you came from and where you’re going, you’ll not be secure enough to serve. Instead, you’ll be tempted to manipulate people to get your needs met. But as a follower of Jesus you ought to approach relationships out of a sense of fullness. You know who you are and you have nothing to prove. You no longer have to manipulate people or be paranoid about other people’s expectations and opinions. As you meditate on biblical truths that emphasize your security and significance in Christ, you’ll be more prone to serve rather than seek to be served.1
If you have anything in your life that doesn’t look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with the help of God, chip it away!
If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or envy in your heart, for God’s sake, and the for the other person’s sake, and for your sake, get rid of it!
Ask God to chip everything out of your life that doesn’t look like tender heartedness and love.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ()
Do people see the light of Jesus shining through you?
To love as Jesus loves us seems way out of our reach. To let love rule everything we say and do, may seem impossible. We fail again and again, but we MUST never give up. Our failures mean that we need the love of Christ more than ever before. We need His unconditional, never-failing love to forgive us for our lack of love and create the potential for us to love unconditionally and totally – all the time – as we are loved totally and for eternity.
So, on this “Mandate” Thursday, let us re-dedicate ourselves to love – to loving one another, those near and far, friends and perceived enemies, as Christ has loved us – to love in sacrifice and service, in joy and thanksgiving that Jesus came to this Easter to show us Truth, Beauty, and Eternal Love.
Delivered at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Worthington and Parts Adjacent, 13 April 2017
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1.Jesus Identity. He knew who he was in relation to the Father(security)
and he knew his calling in relation to the disciples.
He knew his calling (life journey)
is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (
2. He knew his calling (life journey)
), even those toward whom we have no affection.
, it is critical to observe that John emphasizes twice what Jesus knows. In 13:1, Jesus knows that He is going to die and return to His Father. In 13:3, Jesus knows that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He has come forth from God, and is going back to God. These statements reveal that Jesus knows His origin and His destiny. It is my conviction that true humility grows out of our relationship with God the Father. When you know that your needs are met in Christ, when you know who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going, you’ll be able to freely serve others. If you don’t know who you are, where you came from and where you’re going, you’ll not be secure enough to serve. Instead, you’ll be tempted to manipulate people to get your needs met. But as a follower of Jesus you ought to approach relationships out of a sense of fullness. You know who you are and you have nothing to prove. You no longer have to manipulate people or be paranoid about other people’s expectations and opinions. As you meditate on biblical truths that emphasize your security and significance in Christ, you’ll be more prone to serve rather than seek to be served.1
2. Jesus Knew His Calling ( his life Journey)
2. Jesus Knew His Calling ( his life Journey)
Twice John emphasizes Jesus’ great love for His disciples. His life and ministry were characterized by a commitment to 13:1 “having loved9 His own10.” During His earthly ministry, Jesus invested all His time, energy, and teaching into His disciples. But John also makes the strong point that Jesus “loved them to the end.” There is a double meaning here: Jesus persisted in faithful love toward His disciples in going to the cross and He persevered in unconditional love for them.11 Despite their ignorance, unbelief, disobedience, Jesus persevered in His love for His disciples.
(life journey)
(life journey)
” The theme of this section is service founded and grounded in love. Twice John emphasizes Jesus’ great love for His disciples. His life and ministry were characterized by a commitment to “having loved9 His own10.” During His earthly ministry, Jesus invested all His time, energy, and teaching into His disciples. But John also makes the startling point that Jesus “loved them to the end.” There is a double meaning here: Jesus persisted in faithful love toward His disciples in going to the cross and He persevered in unconditional love for them.11 Despite their ignorance, unbelief, disobedience, and eventual apostasy, Jesus persevered in His love for His disciples. One of the greatest incentives to serve others is to recognize that Jesus Christ has a vast, unconditional love for you. If you begin to grasp this love, it will motivate you to want to serve others as an expression of gratitude to Jesus.12
The disciples were not pauns . or actors in a play. He knew them. He invested (not for the reward). He acutally invested in a betrayer. He loved the btrayer
One of the greatest incentives to serve others is to recognize that Jesus Christ has a vast, unconditional love for you. If you begin to grasp this love, it will motivate you to want to serve others as an expression of gratitude to Jesus.12
Today, you may struggle loving unlovely and unlovable Christians. We all struggle here dont we. However, there is hope: When you feel you cannot love a brother or sister, immediately call out to God and acknowledge, “I can’t love this person, but I know you can. Will you love this believer through me?”
You may have to pray this prayer (silently) several times whenever you see this person. But since this is God’s will for you (cf. 13:34-35), He will give you the supernatural strength to love your brother or sister.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
The is Christ-like love will also take your live and ministry to the next level.The disciples were not pauns . or actors in a play. He knew them. He invested (not for the reward). He acutally invested in a betrayer. He loved the btrayer
This Christ-like love will also take your live and ministry to the next level.The disciples were not pauns . or actors in a play. He knew them. He invested (not for the reward). He acutally invested in a betrayer. He loved the betrayer.
.....AND THESE ARE HIS OWN DISCIPLES. He took so much risk! but Jesus words “ as I have loved you” to have authenticty meant that he lived in “realationship with them” loving them as they were…having patience . Loving them despite who they were.
1.He had declared in the synagoge and read from Isaiah that he was in fact the fufillment of that prophesy of the Messiah..in fact anointed by God to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the incarceated, healing blindness and freedom for this oppreseed from all sources.
He had lived with them...........
2. He just washed there feet and called them to serve!
He had And....teaching and demonstrating that this love goes further and deeper than a reciprocal love those who love me back. No love those outside and even enemies.
3. His love would take him to the cross.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”
“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Jesue calling and ministry was to all ....even on the cross. Thats good news to we who were serial sinners. If Paul could claim chief among sinners then I was surely as serial sinner.
3. Our Identity and Non-Negotiable Calling is to Love
3. Our Identity and Non-Negotiable Calling is to Love
Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Now that is not natural in our flesh. But what will we do with this command, this edict, its not negotiable. If we want to be his disciples.
To be a Christian I believe is to be a follower of Christ. Anything else is a fraudulent claim. So it comes down to our id. Am I Keith Graybill ; or am I Christs disciple Keith Graybill.? Its that big and simple k. Where will we draw our identity from. Hey thats a bit personal lets back away from the personal life and look at the life of a fellow ship or group.
Excerpt from a Churches Vision Statement
Loving. Jesus summarized all of God’s Commandments in two: Love God and love People. By God’s grace, we strive to love God an love people by being a caring community, putting other’s needs above our own our own. We believe it its important to have a healthy relationship both with God and each other. We draw closer to God and one another by participating in meaningful fellowship with Him and each other on a frequent basis. ( know which church that is from?)
The footnote for this Vision Statement is Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.” ().
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.” and then Jesue goes on to say in verse 35. By this shall all men know that you are my disciple
by what-35(). by loving each other as I Loved you.
Not a suggestion, not a recommendation. A COMMANDMENT! This is not just a command to love our families or those who love us, not to try to love others, but to love everyone the same way that Jesus loves us.
“A new commandment I give to you”. ()
Not a suggestion, not a recommendation. A COMMANDMENT! This is not just a command to love our families or those who love us, not to try to love others, but to love everyone the same way that Jesus loves us.
Where will we draw our identity from
“Love one another, just like I have loved you;” ()
There is no way around this commandment of Jesus, “Love one another.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“Love one another.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus exhortation to us is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
God exotation to us is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
God exortation to us is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life.
If we walk in the light..........
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
....and Jesus says here that we can never be a disciple of his as a lone ranger as a journey unto ourselves
And may I add we will never live out this commandment if we live in isolation. Or we segment who in this congregation we will love as christ calls us to and ignore others in another pew .....or ignore someone who God wants here among us but you dont because you would have to face something in yourself you would just as soon not. Ia there anyone here who might harbor the attitude toward someone who left this fellowship that good I’m glad I dont have to deal with that person or that family. Maybe its a heart that says Lord please dont bring a person who is _____ or is in a _____ relationship to our doorstep for love. I’m just not sure i can love them. Of course we cant if we are operating on our own affection. That is not us…not our identity.
Do you know why it is that we find it so difficult to love as Jesus commanded? This kind of love goes against our human nature; it goes against all human reasoning and logic. It is unreasonable to love those who are cruel, mean, arrogant and spiteful, murders and thieves, those who in no way deserve it. We may pity the poor, the lonely, the deranged, the unclean, but LOVE them. That is too much to ask!
To love totally and unconditionally requires us to first repent, of selfserving lives and turn to thw only one how can givus and sustain life. We loose our life for him and others. When we do this we become involved in other people’s live, to be bound up in the their needs and sorrows. It takes time, it takes commitment, it takes listening, it interrupts our schedules. Oh, we might manage it on the odd occasions but loving everyone unconditionally and sacrificially all the time, that is a tall order. But that is what we are commanded to do.
Conclusion
Conclusion
KG” the evidence of whether whether we love each other as Christ loved us is not dependent on the degree as to how the Pastor does or does not live this out.
Do people see the light of Jesus shining through you? By people Im asking “all people” do all people see the light of Jesus shining throuh you.
To love as Jesus loves us seems way out of our reach. To let love rule everything we say and do, may seem impossible. We may fail again and again, but we MUST never give up. Our failures mean that we need the love of Christ more than ever before. We need His unconditional, never-failing love to forgive us for our lack of love and create a self-denying, other oriented, unconditional love for others.
So, today.......let us re-dedicate ourselves to love – to loving one another, those near and far, friends and perceived enemies, as Christ has loved us – to love in sacrifice and service, in joy and thanksgiving that Jesus came to this Easter to show us Truth, Beauty, and Eternal Love.KG” the evidence of whether whether we love each other as Christ loved us is not dependent on the degree as to how the Pastor does or does not live this out.
.....2 ILlustrations from the Grocery Line.. JMS Banquet last week: Ryan Kiser former football player spoke about living as a christian and being in a grocery line. God put on him that clerk had pain in Hand? He actually asked if he could pray for her right there. She agreed /found out later she had been healed. JMS development director shared of an aquaintence of his who had an encounter with a walmart clerk who was a former jms alum. This person witnessed the clerk inereacting with a patron who had just shown alot of patience towwar another customer and clerk said you must be a christian...... no said the person...... This clerk belives that he is reaching more people for christ as a clerk than he would had he gone into ministry which had been a desire of his earlier.
Are we holding back anything from God (denying his imprint on us. Holding back love . Or have we placed conditions on it. The disciples were really pretty petty.
** We can never keep this commandment of loving one another with out it being actionable . Jesus deomonstrated it in all ways and in left nothing undone. ---
Today, will you pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you a single person He wants you to serve? Don’t think about a list of twenty, just one single person that the Lord will lay upon your heart. Ask Him for the grace to love this person unconditionally and to serve him or her with your whole being. This is a prayer i believe that God wants to answer in your life and the life of the one receiving. Remember, love is actionable.....more than words and sentences. May you and I follow in the sandals of Jesus and become foot washers.
1Ken Boa, “The Gospel of John – Chapter 13”: www.bible.org.
Supplement.
Some Stories about Jesus Unique to John’s Gospel calling of Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael (1:35–51)
calling of Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael (1:35–51)
calling of Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael (1:35–51)
changing of water into wine at Cana (2:1–12)
changing of water into wine at Cana (2:1–12)
conversation with Nicodemus (3:1–21)
conversation with Nicodemus (3:1–21)
encounter with Samaritan woman at a well (4:1–42)
encounter with Samaritan woman at a well (4:1–42)
healing of a crippled man at Pool of Bethzatha (5:1–18)
healing of a crippled man at Pool of Bethzatha (5:1–18)
rescue of an adulterous woman from stoning (7:53–8:11)
rescue of an adulterous woman from stoning (7:53–8:11)
healing of a man born blind (9:1–41)
healing of a man born blind (9:1–41)
raising of Lazarus (11:1–44)
raising of Lazarus (11:1–44)
washing of disciples’ feet (13:1–20)
washing of disciples’ feet (13:1–20)
prayer for believers to be united (17:1–26)
resurrection appearance to Thomas (20:24–29)