Living Out Christ's Command: Love One Another

Jesus, somehow you made things. It's really clear, really simple, like a rifle. A new commandment I give you. Add this one. Place all the others with this one. Make this part of your life. It's a commandment. It's not a suggestion, not a dictation. It's a commandment. It's imperative. Just as I am loved, you also are beloved. Father, as we... point our hearts and attention to this word from Jesus to see. Open our minds, please. Our hearts, our spirits. Give us understanding. [00:06:41]

So if he says, just as I have loved you and I have loved you with a sacrifice, then yours would be what? Love one another. What else? Same what? Same manner, same intensity, same motivation, same commitment, same quality? How about the same empowerment? How about the same... Where did the man, Jesus Christ, get the power to love like this? Specifically, from God, through the Holy Spirit. [00:12:56]

Therefore, if you are among those who by faith, in the Spirit, with all your hearts, are with Jesus, you're a disciple who is with him, you're not just a student, but you're accompanying him, you have a relationship with him, then here's the command. That you love one another in the way, the same empowerment, same quality, same manner, same intensity, same manner for the reasons, same commitment, equal sacrifice, just as Jesus has loved you. [00:14:54]

The disciples to whom Jesus gave this command were the disciples who were in relationship with them. And he gave that to the one another we already know who is ärigant. know we need to love him, that's how we get so love one another, Jesus is saying you need to be a part of each other. You need to have a relationship with one another. You need to be faithful to one another. You need to, what does this look like? What does love one another look like in real life? [00:20:15]

Because it is your local church that provides the context for fulfilling this command to love one another. Okay? Okay? And sometimes people read this, I know! I don't know who this is, everybody, oh yeah, we have to present in a genuine love of Jesus, love to the whole world, but as a matter of, to the degree of command, what does love one another look like? Well, it's empowered, it's quality, it's got some concrete methodology to it, the same manner, you said the same intensity. [00:21:06]

He loved them unconditionally, but notice, he loved them, and he was loved by them. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. So when Jesus says love one another, he's talking about loving, whatever that word means, in a mutually beneficial relationship. And you can't do that with my believers. They can't return to you the love that you give to them because they don't have to give. [00:22:24]

What does it mean to be a member of a church? According to Jesus, it means a commitment to love this group of people in a mutually beneficial relationship. So that mutually beneficial relationship has a larger name. from your experience and your observation and from what you would like to see but haven't seen in your life, what does this look like in real life? When it works, what does it look like? [00:23:19]

If we're going to love one another, Jesus, by definition of giving his command, is saying to us, you need each other. You need each other. You don't because you don't have to do it. I'll just tell you how hard it is. On those days when it seems like on Sunday mornings, everybody's got something to do somewhere, and there's it's 1030, and the service is starting, and there's five people. [00:39:13]

And those five people are very technical for them, but I was trying to think about preaching to this empty auditorium of five people. Because you're just sitting there, even if you sleep through a sermon, which I can fix. Even if you sleep through it, just being there encourages me. You know? This is not one side of you. That's why Jesus said love. That's why he gives us this part, one another. [00:39:45]

Sin and guilt are burdens that Jesus wants to relieve us of. And too many, too many people today who call themselves disciples are walking around burdened by sin and guilt because the people around them don't love them well enough to confront their sin. Did you hear what I said? Listen, we live in a small town. We know the stories. Mm -hmm. [00:41:23]

When Jesus called his people to be members of his body, members of one another, he called them to do that in love. The church membership should be the place where people who have relationships that we carry out, love, love one another. And it's when, you know, if you look at verse 35, Jesus says, when you do this, when you are members of each other and you do this, they will know you are my disciples. [00:44:07]

I grew up hearing people say, oh, it's so hard to tell people about Jesus, I just don't know what to say. And I want to tell you, if you loved one another the way Jesus said, you wouldn't have to say much. Or as much. Because people would be coming and saying, hell, tell me, how do you do that? And you would just say, Jesus, and go from there. [00:44:31]