[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. This is the next message in our series on the book of John entitled, Jesus is God.
[0:15] All right, take your Bible and turn with me, if you would, to John chapter 13. John chapter 13. You should have a sheet of paper in your hands, don't worry. I will not cover it all or attempt to.
[0:25] We'll just go a little ways and save it for some other day. But look, if you would, at John chapter 13. And let's read from verse 33 down to verse 35. This is a very special time in the life of the church.
[0:39] It's a very special time in the life of the apostles. In just a few minutes, Jesus will be on the cross. In just a few minutes, they will come and get him. His trials will start. The disciples are going to scurry and run.
[0:51] And it's going to be a very scary time. And he's telling them about that. And so in John chapter 13 and verse 33, he said, Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
[1:02] You shall seek me. And as I said unto the Jews, whether I go, you cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
[1:16] By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. Father, I pray that you might help us bring home to our hearts this idea of loving each other and of growing in love one for another.
[1:30] And give us grace to do that. And I'll give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen. I think I'll only take a few minutes and then we'll save the fill in the blanks until you don't have to get to that.
[1:41] But I want you to think about it in just a second. Jesus is leaving. He's been with them all this time. He spent three and a half years. He spent almost all the time with them. They've traveled together.
[1:51] They've eaten together. They've been in every position that you can imagine in life. They've enjoyed that together. And in just a few minutes, he's about to leave them. That's got to be a very troublesome time.
[2:03] The idea that they're going to be under attack. The idea they're going to be persecuted. The idea that they're coming against him and they're going to capture Jesus. The mob will be there. And he knows that.
[2:14] And so he gets them together and he says, Listen, guys, I'm not going to be around a lot longer and I'm leaving. And sorry, I can't take you on this trip. You're not going to be this time. So let me tell you what I need you to work on doing.
[2:25] You need to love each other. You're going to need each other. You need to love each other. So if you would, read with me verse 33 again. Let's go with it one more time. Little children, just a little while, I'm with you.
[2:38] And you'll look for me. And as I said unto the Jews, Whether I go, you cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment. New instructions. Got something you want to be working on now.
[2:49] I want you to love one another. And this is how I want you to love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know you're my disciples.
[3:00] So Jesus said, I want y'all to love. So look if you would, on the sheet of paper, and I'll just briefly hit this. But look at this. Number one, we're commanded to love. We are commanded to love. You know, did you know that if you were to go through the Bible, much more than he talks about any of the separation issues, and much more than he talks about a lot of other things, he is constantly talking to us about unity, about loving each other in a local church, about loving each other and caring for each other.
[3:26] He's about to leave, and he says, guys, I want you to love. Look at the verses that are mentioned there on your sheet of paper. If you would, in Romans 13, 8, the Bible says, Owe no man anything, and owe no man anything but to love one another.
[3:39] For he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. You know what he said? The only debt I got is I owe you love. That's the only debt I ought to have is I owe you love. In Galatians 5, verse 14, he said, The law is fulfilled in one word.
[3:53] Love your neighbor as yourself. When you really want to talk about serving God, and you really want to talk about living for God, it's not about don't do, do this. It's about love.
[4:04] Love Jesus. Love others. Ephesians 5, verses 1 and 2, the Bible says, Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself to us for an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
[4:26] Would you look at that verse and see what it says, the one that's right in front of you? He said, I want you guys to walk in love. I want you to go around, live your lives in an atmosphere of loving each other.
[4:37] Most people live all alone. Most people are every man for himself. Most people are thinking like that. But not us. And he says, hey, as you, God gave himself for us, and as you give yourself for each other, you're loving like that.
[4:51] Look at what he said in 1 Thessalonians 4, 9. But as touching brotherly love, you do not need that I write to you. For you yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
[5:02] He said, I don't really need to tell you that y'all love each other. I don't really need to tell you y'all love each other. God has already taught you that in 1 Thessalonians 4, 9.
[5:13] 1 Peter 1, 22. He said this, seeing you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.
[5:29] There ought to be a love here that's unfeigned, not faked. There ought to be a not faked love, a sincere love, a love that's genuine that we have for each other.
[5:39] It ought to be an earnest, on fire, pure love that we have for each other. Love one another with a pure heart fervently. 1 John 4, verse 7.
[5:51] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
[6:05] I just want to challenge you. I'm going to stop there. We'll give you some homework right now so that you can be ready for this. It'll be a couple of Thursday nights before I bring this back. Because next Thursday night you'll have the Men and Women's Fellowship, and I guess it'll be the next Thursday night.
[6:16] But I would like to challenge you to think on this. He wants me to love you, and He wants you to love me, and He wants you to love each other. He wants us to love. He commanded us.
[6:26] So a new commandment He gave the guys when He was talking to the apostles. A new commandment He gave the guys. And then He said, this is how I want you to love. I want you to love. I want you to love like I've loved you.
[6:38] That ought to set a stage for love like we can't imagine. I don't want you to love like regular people love each other. I want you to love like I love you. I want you to love like I love you.
[6:49] Last thought. And then the third thing that's in your notes right there is this. You know how people are going to know who we are? You know how they're going to know who you are? You know how they're going to want to be a part of us? Because when they are around this place, they ought to pull up to an environment of love.
[7:03] When we see each other at Walmart, they ought to pull up to an environment of love. Whenever they see Christians together, they ought to be like, that's my brother. That's my family. You know, if you were to run into a family member, you haven't seen in a long time somebody you love, you know, they would be like, I'm excited to see my brother or my sister.
[7:20] And here's what Jesus said. There are three things in there. We'll get them next time. Number one, I'm telling you I want you to love each other. Number two, I'm telling you how to love each other. You love each other like I've loved you. And number three, the way everybody's going to know who y'all are is the way you love.
[7:35] The Romans weren't like that. The Jews weren't like that. No other society was like that. The church was going to be like that. They were known for being in love. You know what's wrong with churches today?
[7:47] We don't seem to show much love. We come together, we don't love each other. And we may even carry the right Bible. We may walk the right way and talk the right way and do all that stuff. But love is not a part of our environment.
[7:59] Here, Jesus wanted to be a part of their environment. Father, I love you. And I thank you very much for the opportunity to meet with your people. I pray that your name would be honored and glorified. And I pray, God, that you would work in our church to help us love each other and help us to have a testimony around our community of being people that love each other.
[8:18] And I'll give you great honor, glory, and praise. In Jesus' name, amen. You have been listening to Austin Gardner, pastor of Vision Baptist Church. For contact information, location, service times, or more audio and video recordings, log on to www.visionbaptist.com.