Christ has commanded us to love one another. ♪ Forever be one ♪ ♪ Then they shall come upon us ♪ ♪ In every row and step to that ♪ ♪ We shall see in time sweet and healthy ♪ ♪ And be loved with that ♪ ♪ We in every generation ♪ ♪ May our blessing on them shine ♪ ♪ Like God of all the earth ♪ Glory to God the Father. Glory to God the Savior. Glory to the Holy Spirit forevermore. Let's turn our Bibles to the Gospel of John. John chapter 13, we begin reading from verse 31 to verse 35. John chapter 13, I commence reading from verse 31. When he had gone out, Jesus said, Nile is the son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I'm with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say, I also say to you, where I am going, you cannot come. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you. You also are to love one another. By this, all the people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Our passage this morning, comes at a definite time in the lives of the disciples. They have just finished having their Passover meal, and soon the Lord Jesus Christ will be arrested, condemned, and be put to death. He will be crucified on the cross. The disciples will be scattered and afraid and doubtful. And they've been with the Lord Jesus Christ for some time. And as the Lord Jesus Christ is addressing them, he gives them the final charge. And the charge is that they are to love one another as he has loved them. And he wanted them to know that if their motive in following him was to obtain a high place in the messianic kingdom, then the spirit of competition would disrupt the fellowship they've enjoyed while the Lord Jesus Christ was with him. And if that spirit disrupt their fellowship, they would fail to accomplish that which he had commissioned them to do. And the Lord Jesus Christ, as he's speaking to them, as he speaks about his death, he gives them this command. that they were to love as He had loved them. And when you begin reading from John chapter 14 all the way to chapter 16, the fair address of the Lord Jesus Christ, the background to all that is that the Lord Jesus Christ was going back to His Father. And therefore it occasioned a moment where he addresses them on the issue of love. And he begins his address with a word of tender care towards them. And he begins, as we see in verse 33, little children, yet a little while I'm with you, you will seek me. And just as I said to the Jews, so now I also said to you, where I am going, you cannot come. And the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was not just going to disrupt the fellowship Christ had with his disciples in that sense, but it was also going to bring a new dimension to the fellowship they've had with Christ, but it's also going to bring in a new dimension to what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you must not forget that while Christ was with them, the disciples relied on Him, they depended on Him. His loving ministry was all over them. But now that love would be taken away from them. Jesus was going back to His Father and was not just going back to His Father, but He was leaving the disciples. He says, the example that you are to show the world that you are my disciples is by loving as I have loved you. The world is still in need of love. Our circumstances may be different today compared to that of the disciples. But the difficulties we face are similar. The world we live in is increasingly becoming hostile to the Christian faith. And if there's any time, or if there was a time we needed one another, is now. To show the world that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ by the way we love one another. Has the world become increasingly hostile to Christians? This is what will show the difference. not simply our testimony by word of mouth, but our testimony in action as we love one another. And as we open up those two verses, the question is, is this true of you and I? Are we loving one another as Christ has loved us? Or are we striving to show that love towards our fellow believers, but also towards the world that is dying in sin as Christ has loved us? And whatever excuses we may have, whatever reasons we may have, the question that must change all this is that the death of Christ, the love of Christ brings in a total change in our lives and causes us to see one another in a different light and strive by the grace of God in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, by the Spirit living in us, to show this same love to one another. The first thing we see is the expression of love. The expression of love, verse 34, a new command I give to you, that you love one another. A new command I give to you, that you love one another. The Lord Jesus Christ expects his disciples to express true godly love for one another. Be mindful that Jesus was soon to be crucified. His time with his disciples was coming to an end. He had spent three days, as the scriptures tell us, with this man, with these men, and they have experienced much together. There is much they could have talked about. But Jesus knows that he needs to give these final instructions. And he sees that this is not a time for small talk or idle talk. And Jesus is emphasizing to his disciples the matters of great importance. He is leaving final words. that will guide their lives in his absence. And he gives them this instruction that they are to express this love towards one another. And the Lord Jesus Christ is aware of the need for love among his disciples. He knows that this will be vital to their spiritual well-being and to the advancement of the gospel. And he admonishes them to love one another. And this was a matter of great importance. Remember, he had spent time with these men. He knew these men. He knew their temperaments. He knew their characters. He knew that there were those like John and James who were jostling for a position in the kingdom, that one should be on the right and the other on the left. He knew that there were the likes of Peter who were opinionated and frank, who spoke their mind. He knew there were the likes of Thomas who lived in doubt, and distrust. They were different. They had different personalities. They had different points of views. And he says to them that they are to lay aside their differences, their personalities, so that they could love one another. Their love for each other was to exceed any previous controversies or obstacles they had faced. And he says, the new command I give to you, that you love one another. And this stand as a great challenge to all of us this morning. We too are called to love one another. We have our own differences, our own unique personalities. We've got our own likes and dislikes, our own strengths and weaknesses. We've got different callings or different points of views. We process things differently. We look at things differently. We react differently. There are some of us that are strong-willed or opinionated. There are some of us that are calm. But the challenge is leveled before us. The expression of this love must be seen among God's people. And we must be willing to lay aside all those uniquenesses and to express this love among ourselves. Many churches are in confusion. and in a state of decline, because believers can't love one another. And this is a sad reality, that if we who claim to belong to the same God, the same family, have gone through the same baptism, and we serve the same Lord, fail to express love towards one another. And the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse one says, look, if you are to speak in the tongues of angels and you have not love, you are simply a noise maker. And here he writes that there must be this expression of love. among his disciples. But secondly, we see the expectation of love. There's the expression of love, but there's also the expectation of love. Verse 34, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you. You also are to love one another. The Lord Jesus Christ is not giving this as a suggestion or a good idea. The Lord Jesus Christ is not giving this as something to think about, something to entertain, or something that He hopes His disciples will engage in. He's not offering a suggestion for their consideration. He's showing to them that this is a commandment, and this is what He expects of them. And if you read the Gospel of John, this was the last charge that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to his disciples before being led away to the cross. It was imperative they love one another. Now this wasn't the first time, but the disciples were hearing the Lord Jesus Christ teaching on loving one another. They had been challenged before concerning loving one another. And on many occasions, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of loving your neighbor as you love yourself. And most likely the most memorable to the disciples was when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the great commandment in Matthew chapter 22 from verse 37 to 40. When he talks about these are the two great commandments that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength. And then he said you must love your neighbor as you have loved, as you love yourself. But now, before he's led to the cross, he's saying to them that my death will open the doors of salvation to the world. And as this death opens the doors of salvation to the world, He expects his disciples to show love to the world, and not just to their fellow Jews, not just to those who ate with Christ or followed Christ, that they should be willing to show love to the rest of the world. And the Lord Jesus Christ was not just talking of a particular race of people, a class of people, or a nationality. He's now saying that my death will bring in a different dimension to love. Because my death will open the doors of salvation. In my name, salvation will be offered to the world. And therefore, His expectation is that his disciples are to show love to the world, or to offer love to the world. Because the love of Christ is not exclusive to a particular race. And this is true of the Christian faith. Christianity is not exclusive to a privileged few. The Christian church is not an exclusive organization. Christians have not joined a club in which they are expected to love people they've chosen to associate with. They've not joined a club in which they have so many similarities and therefore they'll simply find it easy to get along with those individuals. Instead, we are a community of believers of all kinds. Of some we find it even more difficult to laugh or to get along. But this commandment that Christ gives us as a new object, as this broad scope, just as the offer of salvation is extended to the world, His love through us must be extended to the world. Our world today, is growing hostile, as I said, to the Christian faith. But not only that, our world today is separated by so many barriers. The fellowship of Christians is to display the love of God that transcends earthly boundaries or earthly differences. Christians of every kind, background, are bound together in the love of Christ. And as Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter two, verse 13 and 14, he says, Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. And we must always remind ourselves of this reality. We must remind ourselves that loving one another is not an option. Love among God's people must not be an optional abstract or when I feel like. The Lord Jesus Christ has this high expectation that we will love one another. And as we do so, as the world looks at us, they'll see this mark on us, the love of Christ that brings us together. And we know that our love for one another is essential in our relationship to Christ. And sadly, many of the times that we allow bitterness to hinder love for one another. personality clashes. And brethren, we cannot be right with God nor claim to love him if we do not love one another. This is the expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the third place, we see the example of love. The example of love. And the last part of verse 34. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. And the standard of this love is Christ. Christ's love for his disciples, Christ's love for the world, Christ's love for those who are his, And this is the standard to which we are called. And the Lord Jesus Christ says, this is the example that I'm giving before you. As I have loved you, therefore you are to love one another. The love Jesus Christ is speaking of here is no ordinary love. they were commanded to love one another according to the standard that he had laid for them. The disciples felt the love of Christ, knew the love of Christ, they experienced the love of Christ. Hanal is saying to them, the way I have loved you, is this example I'm giving you. And it is by that standard I expect you to love one another. The love of Christ was marked out by sacrifice for the disciples. He had shown them what it means to love them. Rarely will it be the case that any of us who literally or physically die in the place for others or the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rarely. But Christian love involves a series, a long series of daily deaths to self for the sake of others. It involves putting aside, putting to death our pride, our preferences, our sense of privilege for the sake of others. Because the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, the example we follow, was that he was a patient saviour. but he's also one who sacrificed a lot for the sake of those he loved. Him coming down to live in this world was a sacrifice on his part. He left the realms of heaven where a thousand upon thousand, 10,000 upon 10,000 of angels will bow down and worship him. The Beloved Son of God, the Creator of all things, came down from heaven and lived under the very creation He had created. He subjected Himself to the laws of nature that He Himself has created. That was a huge sacrifice. That the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Prince of peace would come into this world and took to himself a human body and gave himself to be taken care of as an infant by his own creation. As if this is not enough, while on earth, As he was about doing his father's business, his father's work, he would sacrifice his time, attending to the needs of others. He will go hours preaching, casting out demons, healing the sick. And then he would sacrifice even his own time while doing his father's time to commune with his father. And when he's about doing his father's work in the day, he would spend time communing with father into the night. And he laid aside his rights. in order to accomplish our salvation and to prove to you His love for you. And we know that the greatest sacrifice was Him giving His life for sinful human beings. He died in your place so that you could become the righteousness of God. And he says, this is the example of love I expect from you. And the Apostle Paul describes this new love that Christ has brought into this world in the famous words of 1 Corinthians chapter 13. And when you read from verse four to verse seven, where he talks about love is patient, love is kind, love does not boast, love is not arrogant or rude. Love bears all things. And oftentimes these words are usually read at weddings and applied in a romantic setting. But when the apostle Paul is writing these words, Paul's primary reference to these words was that the love of Christ was to be seen among God's people in this manner, not just in the marriage bond. This must be true of whatever God's people are, that they'll be patient with one another, that there will be no pride, they will not be boastful, they'll not be arrogant, they'll bear all things. with one another. It is as you save God, as you march to heaven together, these characteristics of love must be seen. Why? Because He who saved us from our sins has given us this example and He's not left us to ourselves. He's given us His Spirit that will help us to produce this kind of love. And he says, he has loved us enough that he took our place and our sins and he gave us his righteousness so that we may stand righteous before God. But this commandment is infused with a new power. through Christ's death and resurrection. And the key words is, just as I have loved you, love one another. And this is humbling because None of us loves as Christ has loved us. And yet, he says, this is what I expect from you. And this is my example to you. That as you follow me, as you strive to be more like me, by the new life that I've brought into you. The more you are like me, the more of this will be seen in you. the further you're away from me, the less of this love will be seen in you. And so, as God's children, as we strive to become like the Lord Jesus Christ, as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, this love of Christ will be true in us. It will be in a growing measure and more of this will be seen. Why? Because the example we are striving after is that of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by God, the Holy Spirit in us is causing us daily to become like Christ as we live daily by His guiding. and is leading. Just as I have loved you, love one another. And the fourth thing we see and quickly is the evidence through love. The evidence through love. Verse 35, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. That's, he's saying about the evidence through love. As the saying goes, action speaks louder than words. And the Lord Jesus Christ is saying He knew that a time is coming when the disciples will be scattered, when He's long ascended to His Father. People will question the authority of His disciples. Many will not believe the message of the cross. His disciples will be persecuted, but his work must continue. The preaching of the gospel must continue. And the Lord Jesus Christ knew that the opposition will only get fierce. And he says, love will be essential for the furtherance of the gospel. That will be the evidence that you are my disciples. And according to the Lord Jesus Christ, He's saying that the mark that will show to the world that you are mine is if you love one another. that will be the evidence that will be there to show that you are my followers, as you show the world the love for one another, the love that I've displayed while I've been with you. And this will be the mark on you. Throughout the history of human beings, People try to come up with symbols to signify something about them or to say something about a particular group of people. And the Lord Jesus Christ is saying to us that there is a far superior symbol that you expect from us. It's love for one another. And it is that mark that will be a true testimony to the world that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is as we think of the love of Christ, as we experience daily the love of Christ, as we live in full assurance of the love of Christ, we will extend that love to those who belong to Christ. And as we do so, together we will show this love to the world, so that the world can come to know our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. They're saying if we want to know, to show rather the world that we belong to Christ, love must be a characteristic, a living reality among God's people. By this, the world will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." And the Lord Jesus Christ saying these words to all of us, that His cross glorified the Father. It also glorified Him. and through His death on the cross, His love to us is infused by His power. It is infused by His love. It is infused by His presence in us, by the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. Love separates the followers of Christ from the world. By loving one another as Christ has loved us, the world will see that we are followers of Christ. And as we live in this fast-paced world where everyone is busy, many never even take time to notice others. as we are so busy and burdened with taking care of our own needs. We must not forget to show love to those who belong to the same faith with us. We must love one another so that the world can experience that love and recognize that the source of that love is Christ. There's no greater way to reveal the love of Christ than the world seeing how we are loving one another. There's no greater way to show that we belong to Christ than showing this love, so that as the world see and as they question what manner of love this is, they'll be pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Tertullian, one of the early leaders, wrote concerning the world. He says, when you look at the world, the people of the world, how they hate one another, and yet, to some extent, they are willing to fight for one another. They are willing to be there for one another. They are willing to cross miles of distances to be with one another. And yet their motivation is so low. But how much those who belong to the same God, who've experienced the same love, who've been transformed by the power of Christ, How much more we should be willing to cover distance, to sacrifice time, and whatever it is we can, to show love for one another, so that the world may see that we are the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, it would do us no good to recite doctrine if our hearts do not show love. By this, the world will know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. And if you are here this morning, and you struggle to love God's people, you really need to ask the question whether you've really come to experience God's love in Christ. If in God's church, you simply get along with those who are at your level, either your social status, your tribesmen. If those are the people you easily get along, you need to ask yourself whether you've really come to experience the love of God, which has broken down this wall of hostility and has brought us into one family and causes us to see that we belong to one another. Has there been a change in your life which has caused you to move from being self-centered to being people-centered, to be God's people-centered? Has there been this change that has caused you to see that we belong to one family? Those are my brothers and sisters and I must be willing to give up my rights, my privileges for their sake and for the glory of God. And in so doing, sending a testimony of God's amazing grace. If this is not true, It's because you don't know Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter how religious you are. If you don't love God's people as Christ has loved you, you are not a Christian. You may hide in your religious activities. You may have excuses upon excuses. No, I live on one corner of Lusaka. I don't have any means of transport. There are these issues. I'm dealing with school. Work is piling. If you cannot express your love towards your fellow believers, it's because you've not come to experience this love. You are still self-centered. It's all about you. There is nothing of the love of Christ, because the love of Christ, when it comes to you, it melts everything and causes you to see this love, but also causes you to see that He has given you this family, and you belong to one another. The love of Christ causes us to sing with the hymn writer. What a wonderful change. in my life has been brought since Jesus came into my heart. Floods of joy in my soul, I can tell since Jesus came into my heart. If this change is not true, you are not a Christian. Come to Christ today. His love for you, given to us on the cross, melts everything about you, causes you to cry in faith and in repentance. Jesus, lover of my soul, love divine, love excelling. It melts everything about you and brings you to your knees. And when you put your faith and trust in Christ, he now says, here is the family I've given you. Love them as I have loved you. Oh, that you may experience this love today. and there will be a wondrous change in your life. And it's all because of Christ Jesus. Amen.