Loving Like Jesus: Mark of a True Christian

April 27 2014

Loving Like Jesus

Mark of a True Christian

John 13:34-35

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Introduction

We all remember the sports clip from 2008.

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• With two runners on base and a strike against her Sara Tucholsky, of Western Oregon Univ.,  unleashed a homerun.
• Was her first since high school!
• When she tagged first base she injured her knee and collapsed.
• She could not go around...she had to touch all bases and homeplate for her three run homer to count.
• The opposing team first baseman and shortstop asked picked her up and carried her around the bases...even though it meant they were eliminated from the playoffs.

The crowd went wild! Everyone rose to their feet and applauded!

What did they see that day?

• They saw sportsmanship, but they also saw love in action.
• And it affected others!

To love like Jesus let’s consider...what is the true mark of a true Christian?

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Text

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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Jesus told His disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• Show love and other will notice!

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“love one another” - this is not just a passing comment from Jesus.

• These three words became a royal law of the Kingdom.
• These words were to be a crucial part of the Christian’s life!

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• In Galatians 5 we find that it is a mark of the Spirit being alive in a Christian.
• In fact, in vs. 22-23 we find that it is first on the list...something that we are known for.

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This phrase is used 14-15 times in the NT.

• Gal 6:2 - “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
• 1 Thess 5:11 - “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
• Heb. 10:24 - “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

“Whoever loves much does much” - Thomas a’ Kempis

Go back to those FoS in Galatians 5.

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• We know the FoS, we love the FoS!...they make us all warm and fuzzy!
• They are actually an end to something less than comfortable.
• vs. 14 begins with, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Then it makes a turn or shift in vs. 15, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
• Then Paul discusses the opposite of the FoS...the “works of the flesh” in vs. 19-21
• NOTICE the warning in vs. 21, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

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Why do people act this way?

• Only one reason...SIN!
• Sin drives our desire to judge!
• Sin makes us want to play God.
• This is who the Pharisees acted!

Lesson - How can we avoid being like the Pharisees?

Realize and come to an understanding that “all are sinners”

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Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

• Everyone stumbles, everyone falls short, everyone can be criticized, everyone can be condemned!
• ONLY God can pass judgement!

ILLUS - Max Lucado wrote:

• “Be careful! The Peter who denies Jesus at tonight’s fire may proclaim him with fire at tomorrow’s Pentecost.
• The Samson who is blind and weak today may use his final strength to level the pillars of godlessness.
• A stuttering shepherd in this generation may be the mighty Moses of the next.
• Don’t call Noah a fool, you may be asking him for a lift.”

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My point is this...we all fall but God can use us all.

• 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

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Accept that God demands that we love one another

What is the love chapter? 1 Cor. 13

• Were the Corinthians known for love?
• NO...far from it!
• They were selfish, self righteous, had a judgement spirit, and didn’t know love!
• Contrast that with 1 Cor. 13:48, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

According to Peter, “ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

According to Proverbs, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” Prov. 10:12

ACTION STEP

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What is the objective of being a Christian?

• To show the love of Christ, and pick up our bro. and sis. when they fall!
• How can I win them?
• By loving them!
• “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Conclusion

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This entire lesson series had had this purpose...for us to love like Jesus.

• When we had nothing to give, Jesus stepped in and said, “I’ve got this covered.”
• “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8

What will your response to this love be?

• Everyone will respond today.
• Some will reject and other will accept.
• Will you accept Him today?

What do I have to do?

Loving Like Jesus: A Picture of Love

April 20, 2014

Loving Like Jesus

A Picture of Love

John 3:1-21

(Advance Slide #1)

Introduction

A soldier was serving overseas received a ‘Dear John’ letter.

• Not only did the girl want to cut off the relationship, she also asked for her picture back.
• She said that she needed it for her new engagement photo for the local paper.
• He was upset but his fellow soldiers came to his rescue.
• They went around and collect all pictures of girlfriends and sent them to her with this note.
• “Find your picture and return the rest. For the life of me I can’t remember which one you were.”

There is a lot of power in a picture.

• They can say a lot, they are expressions of how much someone is loved.
• We have them on our walls, desks, and even in our wallets.

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John 3:16 is a picture or a snapshot of God’s love towards us.

• Think about it: it’s short, it’s simple, it’s to the point.

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• What does it mean for us?
• In Ephesians 2:1-13 we read of our life of transgression before Christ.
• Because of Christ mercy, loved us when we were dead, and saved us!
• So, what does it mean for us?
• We can build our life on Jesus!
• We now have hope!

Once we were at a distance from God, but Christ’s blood brings us near the Father.

This is how we learn how much God loves us!

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Text

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:14-16

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Not only does this passage tell us how much God loved us, it also tells us why we need this love.

• But it doesn’t seem to make sense.
• A snake; being lifted up!
• What is Jesus talking about here.

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This can be found in Numbers 21:5-9

• Israel was rebelling against God.
• They were bickering and complaining, and their rebellion angered God.

• God had to get the attention of the Israelites.

5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:5-9

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What was Jesus telling Nicodemus?

• They had sinned against God...their sin poisoned them and destroyed their lives.
• We see the same things still today.

If that is the problem is there a solution?

• Yes, and it involved Jesus being ‘lifted up’ on the cross.
• Notice how Israel was healed?
• “And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” vs. 9
• They had to look upon the serpent.
• There would also need to be faith that they would be healed.

Lesson

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What is Jesus saying?

• Ok, let’s go back here...Israel’s sin had poisoned/destroyed them.
• Sin does the same thing today!
• They only way for them to be healed was for this bronze serpent to be lifted up.

• The only way for there to be healing from our sin is for Him to be lifted up on the cross.
• This is an AWESOME picture of God’s love!

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In fact, this is the only way that we can love Jesus the way that He loved.

• We lift Him up in our lives, so that those who are healing can see Him in us!

Why stress this?

• People don’t lift Jesus up!
• We all know friends/family/coworkers who are struggling with something Drugs/alcohol, sexual sins, marriage problems, pride, doubt, greed…
• What do we do?
• There are wonderful programs that help people with these things.

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• When are we going to make Jesus a part of the conversation?

I can stand up here all day long and try to convince you that Jesus should be a part of the solution.

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• I (we) have to be convinced of it!
• Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69
• We have to be convinced...of what?
• ONLY Jesus, ONLY His words, ONLY His way, and ONLY His blood can make us whole!
• Only through baptism and the blood of Jesus (John 3:5) can the poison of sin be removed and our destroyed lives be rebuilt.

This is the message we need to be telling people!

(Advance Slide #12)

• “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”
• We cannot make people moral, but we can get people to see the love of God in Jesus so that they want to be moral.

Conclusion

God left us with this beautiful picture.

(Advance Slide #13)

• A picture of His love on the cross.

The message for this picture is as follows:

• “What every you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter...come to me”