LOVE ONE ANOTHER A COMMAND
Jesus said told us to love one another. why would he bother to tell us that? this should come naturally to us? Apparently it doesn’t. What we need to understand in order to obey Jesus command that he gave us?
Let me tell you a story. there was an Olympics held in Seattle Washington. 1976 And the special event that was talked about for years afterward was the 100 yard dash. 9 contestants, were Lined up on the starting line waiting for the gun to go off. When the gun went off, they started their run… kind of. This was the Special Olympics a competition for physically or mentally handicapped people. The nine young men and women as they ran and laughed and raced to the finish line. Were filled with excitement.
But one little boy fell and stumbled on the asphalt.
He tumbled over a couple of times and fell on his face and lay there crying. Now I want you to take notice to something,
The other eight heard him and slowed down and looked back. Every one of them turned around and went back -
One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.
And everyone in the stadium stood, and the applause went on for what seemed like forever.
What do you think the people saw that day?
They had seen love in action.
That love had such a powerful effect on them that they stood and applauded.
Jesus told His disciples: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
What Jesus is telling us is, if we show love by our actions and attitudes the world will notice,.
Let me tell you “loving one another” was not just a passing comment by Jesus. It was a command. James 2:8 tells us “But if ye fulfill the royal Law according to the Scripture, which saith, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thy self, ye do well. In fact, love was to become such a crucial part of who we are as Christians , Galatians 5 tells us it is THE MARK of the Spirit bearing fruit in our lives.
Galatians 5:22-23 declares “… the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
I want you to Notice… LOVE was the very first item on the list.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
That was because children of God are known for their love for each other. We won’t always agree, but that does not mean you can’t still be friends.
Believe it or not .The phrase “Love one another” shows up 13 times in the New Testament. Each one of us have to ask ourselves a big question , how do I know if I’m A truly a loving Christian? We need to look at some of the other passages and see what it say about loving.
Did you know The phrase "one another" is used 100 times in the New Testament.
"Greet one another," "Bear with one another," and "Be devoted to one another" are a few examples. It's the "one another's" in the Bible that pull us together to make us the family of God.
Let’s look at some of these “one another's”
Galatians 6:2 (for example) declares “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”.
We can carry another’s burdens by praying for them. Don’t just say “I’ll pray for you” ask them if “they want a prayer right now.” In saying that ,you’re declaring that you going to pray for them NOW and that you going to carry their burden to the very throne of God.
We can carry other’s burdens by helping them when they’re in need. Or you can carry other’s burdens by making food for them when they’re shut-in ,or making a phone call letting them know you care.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says we can show love in another way: “… encourage one another and build each other up...”
Encouragement is telling someone that they’re doing a great job. Are telling them that they’re doing good and they’re learning, and you are proud of them.
Or tell someone how their faith or their actions have impressed you.
You can send them a letter telling them how much they mean to you. Or tell them I love you. You do not know how those three words can affect someone's life, letting them know that someone loves and cares for them.
Hebrews 10:24 tells us another way we can love each other - “… let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
If you teach, or visit the nursing home or some other form of ministry, you could find a way for others to come along side and share that ministry. Give them a chance to talk or visit with you.
It was once said "Whoever loves much, does much."
This can be summed up by what we read in Romans 12:10 where we’re told: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
You have to remember ,It’s about them not about you.
I am going to tell you a little story I read Ken Green shared and it is defiantly love. It was the closing night of a VBS. The teacher of one of the classes had missed one night and hadn’t got to meet a boy who had come that night, but who was there that Friday. The little boy only had one hand. It shook her a little… and she began to be afraid that the others might make fun of him. In fact, she was so distracted by this that when time came for the closing program she Automatically led the children onto the stage and told them "Now, let's all build our churches. Put your hands together now, here is the church, here is the steeple . . . .”
Then suddenly, she was aware what she had done. The little boy couldn’t build a “church” because he had only one hand.
After a moment of awkward silence, a little girl seated next to the boy with one hand held her hand up to his and said, "Here, let's build the church together."
Let me tell you that little girl understood the truth of Christian love. Christian love is when we reach out to another believer to build Christ’s church. God calls us to be devoted to one another… to honor one another above ourselves.
Now, that truth leads me to question: why did God’s word put such an emphasis on this? Why did God make it a point that we should “love one another?” Wouldn’t you think Christians ought to ALWAYS love one another. Isn’t that was a church suppose to do?
Well…sadly they don’t .
One individual said that Church is often like a bunch of porcupines getting together to get warm.
They might get warm… but they can also get hurt.
Do you Remember the passage out of Galatians we read earlier… about the fruit of the Spirit? Everybody likes those verses because it make us feel good. These are the things we’re to be known for. These things make us feel warm and fuzzy inside.
But few realize that set of verses was actually the end of something far less comforting. Paul began his conversation with the Galatians just a few verses earlier:
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Galatians 5:14-15
What do you think that tell us about the Christians in Galatia?
It tells us that they were NOT loving to one another. No, they were biting and devouring each other.
Paul goes on to talk about how they were doing the exact opposite of the fruit of the Spirit - something Paul calls “the works of the flesh”. He warns the Galatians not to get involved with “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
Galatians 5:19-21
Then Paul says: “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:21
This wasn’t the first time Paul had warned them! That they should not do this! You will not inherit the kingdom. Y’all gonna go to hell!
Another question. why as so-called Christians would they do this? Why do church people end up biting and devouring one another like they did in Galatia? Why would they get into fights that end up with hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,.
Well, there is one reason.
It’s described in Galatians 5:15-17 “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
You see, the reason some church goers do back biting and “devouring” each other is summed up in a three letter word: SIN! Just because things do not go as they planned & lots of times they don’t. Because people have other things they are doing. Do not take it as a negative. Tell them its ok and your understand. It is not worth losing family and friends. Over something like that. We our to love. And things do not always go our way. Why do we get upset ,it is the big P word pride. Pride goeth before a far.
It’s the desire to pass judgment on others. And It’s the desire to play God. And let me tell you that’s never a good idea.
Romans 14:4 says “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” And who is our master, the our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, he is the only one we have to worry what he thinks.
The Pharisees were good at this. They loved to judge. They loved to play God. And the mark of a judgmental person who wants to sub for God is anger and hatred. In their mind, God relies heavily upon them to fix problems in the church (in fact,. They believe they know better than everyone else what needs to be done to correct the wrongness in other’s lives… just like the Pharisees of old.
Well, we all know how the Pharisees ended up don’t we.
So, how do we avoid becoming like them? Well, there are three principles that will guard us against the plague of Phariseeism that Jesus condemned:
1st – if we’re going to love one another, we need to start by realizing “we all are sinners to.”
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
In other words: “we’re kind of like that little boy who stumbled in that Special Olympics in Seattle in 1976. Everybody stumbles. Everyone falls short. Everyone can be criticized. Everyone can be condemned if we decide to play God.
The person we would criticize is the servant of God. And only God has the right to pass an anger filled judgment upon them. And frankly, God is known for His ability to wait on the fallen to get up again.
“Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? In the same way, can the sinner condemn the sinner? Absolutely not!”
“Be very careful! Peter who denies Jesus at the campfire 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.”
My point is Christians who are struggling and falling short may need time to change. And you and I cannot always tell what God is planning. Thus, it’s never good to play God and condemn others.
As one person pointed out: “Only God is in a position to look down on anyone.”
2ndly – we need to come to grips with the fact that God demands that we love one another.
What does that mean?
Well, what is the “love chapter” in Scripture? (I Corinthians 13)
That’s right!
Now, was Corinth known as a loving church? No. They were notorious for their selfish, self-righteous, judgmental spirit. It was to a congregation riddled with wannabe imitators of God that Paul had to tell what love was like – because obviously they didn’t know.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4-8
Peter put it this way: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
Proverbs 10:12 said it this way: “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”
Have you ever went to the supermarket and seen a little kid in a shopping cart? Have you ever heard that little child scream and yell and throw a little hissy fit? I Think we all have. What did you think when you observed this little Tantrum?
Exactly. “Shut that kid up!” I don’t want to hear your child assault my ears with their offensive cries.
When Karen & I would take our girls to the store if they’d throw a hissy fit. Granted, we would discipline them, but do you think we still loved them? Of course. we did spare not the rod and spoil the child.
God is essentially telling us: when people in church throw a hissy fit… they are in YOUR shopping cart. They belong to you. They’re your family. Let your love for them cover the multitude of their wrongs.
Hatred stirs up dissension. Hatred is the source of the backbiting and anger and self-righteousness that God condemns. But true love doesn’t hate, it isn’t angry and it doesn’t back bite. Showing Gods love covers all wrongs because that kind of love wants to fix what’s broken… it has a love for the fallen.
Kind of like the simple childlike love those eight Special Olympic kids had when they turned back and picked up their fallen friend.
The whole objective in Christianity is pick up the fallen brothers and sisters in Christ
It’s to love our sisters and brothers even when they’re not so loving.
Even when a church has to disciple a member who’s sinful and unrepentant it should do so reluctantly and in love.
Sometimes we judge others , but like it has been said ,don’t judge them to you walk a mile in there shoes .
But most people do exactly that. They talk to as many people as possible to get them on their side and build up their own little army of haters. That’s not the action of a “love one another” type of Christian. That’s what the Pharisees would have done.
Jesus says we need to forgive, and if you forgive you have done your part , if the other person doesn’t that’s on them, you can not carry a grudge, it will eat you alive. And there are times things don’t work work out , because there is people that want things there way or else, not everyone believes the same, there is know perfect church, and you wont always agree,
1. We need to realize we all fall We all fail. We all sin.
2. We need to realize that love means we must pray for our fallen brothers/sisters and And we have to remember we are fighting principalities and Powers not the people. Satan is working over time.
And lastly, we need to trust God. If I’m going to love others and not judge them in self-righteousness then we have to wait on God to work on that person. We have to realize that God wants them to change, and that He is working on them in ways I cannot see. But there are times people are so filled with hate and vengeance . all we can do is pray for them ,
To illustrate this I want to tell you a story. A man told about his father. I get the impression that his dad had been hurt by someone in the church years before. For years the church reached out to him to come back, but he always rejected their offers to go to church with one statement: "All they want is another name and another pledge" (meaning: they didn't care about him, all they wanted was his body and his money).
Year after year, an evangelist would visit the man during the Revival meetings trying to get him to come and he would repeat the same phrase as he dismissed them: "all they want is another name and another pledge."
That's what his father always said... all except one time.
His father got cancer and finally had to go to the VA Hospital to receive proper care. Over a period of time, the once burly man wasted away to a mere 78 pounds, and when he made it home and visited him in his hospital room he was shocked by his father's frail appearance.
He was also shocked by the appearance of the room.
It was filled with flowers and cards.
As his son went about the room looking at the flowers and reading their cards he was struck by the fact that for the most part they came from the very members of the church that his father had for so long rejected.
His father motioned him to the bed, and because he could not speak due to the cancer, he weakly wrote these words on his notepad. Words from Hamlet: "Draw your breath in pain as you tell my story..."
"What's your story, dad?"
Then his father with joy in his heart said "I Was Wrong."
the church loved his father. And because they loved him they gave God the room and the time to change the man’s heart. All because they were committed to loving one another. Even though they did not see eye to eye.
But you cannot truly show that kind of love until you really know the love that Jesus has for you.
When we die, don't worry about your body...the EMT and
the funeral staff will do it. I know this first hand.
They will take you out of the house and deliver you to the funeral home of your family’s choice.
They will take off your clothes
They will wash you
They will dress you up
They will even apply makeup to make you look presentable
Many will come to the funeral to honor you.
Some will even cancel their plans and ask for leave to go to the funeral.
Your things--things you hate to be borrowed will be sold, donated or burned.
Your keys
Your tools
Your books
Your collections
Your clothes...
And be sure the world won't stop and cry for you.
The economy will continue.
You will be replaced in work. Someone with the same or even better ability will take your place.
Your property will switch to heirs.
And don't doubt the small and big things you have done in your life will be spoken of, judged, doubted and criticized.
People who only knew your face will say, don’t he look good.
Your friends will cry for a few hours or several days, but you know what . they will laugh again.
Your pets will get used to the new owner.
the pictures you had hanging on the walls, then they will be put on furniture and finally stored away.
Someone else will sit on your couch and eat from it.
Deep pain in your home will last a year, two, maybe ten... Then you will join the memories and then your story will end. You die the second time when the stories stop,
But your story begins in a new reality... in your life after death.
The things you once had will have no meaning. You cannot take your earthly possessions with you.
In your new life, you will only have your soul.
The only property that will last is the soul.
The big question is: Do you know where your soul is going after this life is over?
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
The Bible is clear that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again (John 3:3).
John 3:18 explains it in simple terms who will go to heaven and who will go to hell: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." So, those who go to hell are specifically those who do not believe in Jesus’.
if you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, by grace alone, through faith alone, you will spend eternity in heaven. If you do not receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be eternally separated from God (Matthew 25:46).
The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
We can choose to trust in Jesus’ dying for our sins, or we can choose to pay for our sins ourselves ,which never will work, but we must remember that the payment for our sin Jesus Christ dying on the cross So we do not have to spend eternity in hell.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31) we are going to stand and sing Amazing grace and the alter is open
John 13:34-35, John 13:34-35:34, John 13:31-34, Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:11-35
