Introduction.
ANZAC Day Illus
Many Aussies died
Serving their country
Saving their mates
Simpson & His donkey
Another story from WWII
Boarding the SS Dorchester on a dreary winter day in 1943 were 903 troops and four chaplains, including Moody alumnus Lt. George Fox. World War II was in full swing, and the ship was headed across the icy North Atlantic where German U-boats lurked. At 12:00 on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. "She’s going down!" the men cried, scrambling for lifeboats.
A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains. "I’ve lost my life jacket," he said. "Take this," the chaplain said, handing the soldier his jacket. Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down. Lt. Fox and his fellow pastors were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.
There are many stories of sacrifice that have come out of all conflicts
There is one conflict however that has a sacrifice that has and can benefit all of mankind
I Love because of Christ’s example of sacrificial love 12-13
A The command to love
1 Love is the essence of the command
i Jesus did not come to destroy the law or
the prophets but to fulfill (Mt 5:17).
ii the greatest of these commandments
is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, (and) thy neighbor as thyself. On these
two commandments the whole law hangeth,
and the prophets”
(Mt 22:34-40;Mk 12:28-34;
2 Love is the principle behind the law
i When love is the principle the law is no
longer a command
ii Love becomes the inertia to respond to
the love of God in our hearts
a Love is the motive of obedience
b It is what harmonies our will
with the will of God
B The example of love
1 Christ loved us so much that he died
i In the death of Christ the love of God
was exemplified and made known
ii The sacrificial love of Christ is the
basis and principle of all spiritual
life (Jn 13:34).
2 It is an example that Christ wants us to follow
i Christianity is one generation away
ii The future of Christianity our church
depends
a Our attitude towards one another
b If love is our attitude then
there will be
- Unity instead of rivalry
- trust instead of
suspicion
- obedience instead of
self-assertion
3 John catches the whole idea of love in
1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).
II Love because of His friendship and what we know of Him 14 – 15
A If we say we are Christians then
1 We are followers of Him
2 We are obedient to Him
B Christ through His grace call us His friends
1 We are no longer
i Students
ii Servants
2 We are His friends
i Close friends
ii We know His will
Illus Dale – Washing
iii When we know Him we know His will
C We are partners with Jesus in love
1 Jesus loved His disciples because he
communicated His fathers will to them
i As servants they were given specific
tasks
ii As friends they were given the Fathers
plan for His church
2 We have been given God’s plan for the world
i We have been given the gospel of love
ii So that we may be able to share it with
others
3 If we are His partners then we will be obedient
and love each other
i Christian friendship is more than a
casual acquaintance
ii it is a partnership of mutual esteem and
affection (14:21).
iii Jesus elevated the disciples above mere
tools and made them partners in his
work.
a A slave is never given a reason
for the work assigned to him;
- he must perform it
- He has no other choice.
b A friend is a confidant who
shares the knowledge of his
superior’s purpose
- They voluntarily adopts
it as their own.
- Jesus declared that he
had revealed to the
disciples all that the Father had given to
him.
4 We are to love
i This is not new
ii It is embedded in the O.T. and the N.T.
iii Jesus gives us a new focus with the
command to love
a We are still to love our
neighbor,
b There is now a more intense love
is to be directed toward “one another.”
iv Jesus gives us a new standard of love.
a We are no longer to love
others “as you love yourself,”
b We are to love others as jesus
has loved us
- Self sacrificial
- Limitless
III Love because as Christians it is our destiny 16-17
A As Christians we are chosen to bear fruit
1 Not talking about predestination
i We have free will
ii through the grace of God we can make a
choice to accept Christ
2 As we accept Christ then we become chosen to
bear fruit
i Galatians 5:22 tells us some of the
fruit of the Spirit
a Joy
b Peace
c Patience
d kindness
e Goodness
f Faithfulness
ii The main one is love
B As Christians it is our prime directive to love
1 Love should be our operating system
2 It is what should control all our actions and
behaviors
C Love for Christ
1 Because He has loved us
2 He tells us to continue in His love v9
i place our lives in His love
ii Show our love to him in our love for
others
D Love for others
1 Our love for others shows our love for Christ
2 Love for others as he has loved us
Conclusion
William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Momma, kiss me!" Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost. The Bible says, "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it."
