How Can We Show The Lord We Love Him In ______ ? (New Year Sermon)

The disciples had the question of who was the greatest among them on their minds, but Jesus had something entirely different on His mind.

He was thinking of the one that would BETRAY HIM!

One of the most painful experiences in life is to be betrayed by someone we love.

• We all know the anguish of being betrayed by a friend

• Many know the devastation of being crushed by a mate in the betrayal of their marriage vows

• We, as citizens, know the disappointment of being betrayed by politicians, who will sell us out behind closed doors to special interest groups

• Many know the anger they feel when they know that their lawyer has sold them out for money underneath the table

• Every pastor knows the sleepless nights caused by someone in his “flock” who betrayed him and his church

Betrayal is as much a part of our lives as breathing and eating. We all have experienced it in many different ways.

It must have been a tremendous shock to the disciples, when the Lord told them that one of them was going to BETRAY HIM! He knew which one was going to do that evil deed, but they did not!

They did not doubt His words, but they could not help asking themselves, and the Lord, “Lord, who is it?” All of a sudden that was something they desperately wanted to know.

As we enter this NEW YEAR, there is a question to which we all should want to know the answer. That question is: “Lord, do I really love You?” Our first impulse is to answer that question with a big, “Of course I love you Lord!”

That seems like such a ridiculous question, why bother pondering about it? But listen! According to the Word of God, very few people really love the Lord.

Illus: Many have set the standard of the evidence of love, to be just SIMPLY SAYING THAT YOU LOVE HIM -- THAT IS ALL THE PROOF YOU NEED. NOT SO!

God’s standard is different than man’s standard. Many SAY they LOVE the LORD.

The words CHRIST and LOVE go together like two matching pieces of a puzzle. When many people hear the word LOVE, they immediately associate it with CHRIST.

However, many words that seem to IMPLY CERTAIN THINGS, DO NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK THEY DO.

For example, every year we speak of catching a COLD when winter comes. The word “cold” seems to imply that when the weather turns cold, it causes people to catch colds. How many of us have been told that we should put a coat on so we would not catch cold?

Listen, many people wear coats all winter, but still get sick with colds. Some people use the word “cold” to imply it has something to do with catching a virus.

If we had been paying attention, we would have known that people do not catch colds from cold weather. Doctors have been convinced of this for a long time.

Illus: During World War II, some extensive research was conducted concerning soldiers getting sick in the winter season. This was done to help keep our men in the best condition possible to fight that cruel war. Some soldiers were kept inside a warm building. Others were kept outside, in freezing cold, with very little clothes on. After a designated time, guess which group had the sicknesses. The soldiers who had been kept inside the warm building had the highest incidence of sickness. Why? Because cold weather does not cause “colds.” They concluded that we humans carry all kinds of germs, and that more people get sick in cold weather because the cold weather forces people to be in closer contact with each other. In summer, the sickness declines as people are able to be outside and be separated more.

We use the word “cold” to imply something, but what we are implying is completely incorrect. WE CAN CATCH A VIRUS, BUT WE CANNOT CATCH A COLD!

The word “love,” is a word that we use to imply something, but many times those who use it are implying something that is completely untrue.

Many use the word “LOVE” the same way a grammar-school child uses it.

Illus: One week a child might write, “I love Jenny.” The next week that same child might write, “I love Sally.” Children do not know what “love” means. Probably the reason the children do not know what it means, is because most adults do not know what it means.

However, it is critical that Christians learn what “love” means. If we do not know what it means, how can we express our love for the Lord in _________?

Obviously the Lord is not here physically, as He was with the disciples. We cannot do what John did.