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ONE ANOTHER: Christians
LOVE One Another Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN Main Theme: Christians are different. Not just because we worship Jesus Christ (that's the easy part) but because of the way we are to treat one another (not so easy). We are to love (agape) one another. But what does that mean? And why is it so hard to do? Perhaps it's because we forget what AGAPE love really means according to the scriptures. Today, in part one of our sermon on AGAPE love, we will study just that. Though broken people are hard to love, Jesus declares that it is our Christ-like love for one another that helps them to become attracted to and accept Him! Back then, and today, true love was in short supply. While it is easier for sinner to find each others faults, AGAPE love is a choice to care for broken people! But, we get confused because we think love is all about feelings and emotions. No, AGAPE love is a choice! AGAPE love is a step above romantic, family, or deep friendship love, because it is given without asking anything in return. It is given to one another because it is the way of God! 1) RELATIONSHIPS! Relationships!We were designed for them, long for them, and our "true happiness" is based on our ability to nurture and grow healthy relationships. But sometimes starting, developing, and maintaining relationships is the greatest struggle in our life! Am I the only Christian who sometimes wishes Jesus would have ended the Great Commandment (Matt 22) with "Love the Lord your God " and not added that second part "Love your neighbor as yourself"? Because He meant everyone! And that ain't easy! Sometimes people I meet ask me what it is like to work in a church. And I will occasionally reply, "Ah, working in the church would be great if weren't for all these people!" They smile knowingly, because after all the church IS people! Broken, struggling, often hurting people. As members, you know; loving broken people who live in a broken world is not as easy as loving a perfect God who perfectly loves you! People are sometimes difficult! And having relationships good relationships, healthy relationships, loving relationships well, it's the hardest work we Christians are faced with. 2) NEW COMMAND! This new sermon series is based around the words of Jesus found in John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV) So far in His teachings, Jesus has taught His disciples to love their enemies. He has told them to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. He has told them to love their neighbors as themselves. This is the first time, however, Jesus has given them this new command to love one another. In fact, you will not find the command to love one another in the Old Testament. You will find commands to love your neighbor as yourself. You will find a command to love those who are aliens (Deut. 10:19). But the command, "Love one another," is not recorded in the Bible until you come to John 13:34. So it truly is a new command 3) BACK TO BASICS: LOVE! But why is this new command needed when God's people already had the command to 'love their neighbors as themselves'? Well, if you look at Jewish life in the first century you will find there was not a whole lot of love being shared. The people were divided into Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots, and on and on. Jesus gave this new command because God's people were not loving the aliens in their land, and in fact - most hated the Romans. Most Jews despised their neighbors to the norththe Samaritans. They were greatly divided over doctrinal matters such as whether or not there would be a resurrection and what the Law taught concerning divorce and remarriage. They did not even love one another. So Jesus calls his disciples back to the basics, because if we cannot love one another, then we certainly cannot love God, our neighbors, foreigners, and our enemies as we should. As a church, if we do not love one another, we can forget trying to share Christ's love with the lost in this community. 4) WE! Friends, all around us are folks, surrounded by millions of other people yet lonely. More than half of all our marriages fall apart. Counselor's offices are packed! Wars rage on all around the world. The news on television gives endless examples of hate and broken relationships - 24/7. And into this brokenness Christ puts His church with messages of love and hope and grace. And yet, the church is not growing, and is in fact, declining. Is it because the world does not need what we are called to offer? Hardly! Then what? Could it be that we, like the 1st century Christians, need to be called back to the basics? Could it be that before we can love those outside the church, we need to take a hard revealing look at the way we treat one another first? Is it possible that somehow the words "love one another" have been watered down or misinterpreted to mean something other than what Christ meant by them? Over the next few weeks we will explore the passages in the scriptures that are aimed specifically at Christians in terms of how we are to act towards one another. I call them the " one another passages." 5) IDENTIFIED BY JESUS' LOVE! You see, if the Holy Spirit can help us learn to truly love one another, then loving our neighbor and being the true church of Christ to a broken world will naturally come. Here is the truth as Jesus declares it: JESUS' PEOPLE ARE IDENTIFIED BY JESUS' LOVE! Yet, Jesus' own 12 disciples sat around and argued over who was the greatest! After 3 years of concentrated spiritual education, they still didn't get it and with Jesus leaving soon it was imperative He teach them what it meant to love one another as He had loved them! Some things never change: it is still imperative (if the gospel is to be spread, and healthy churches are to develop and grow), that we Christians love each other like Jesus has loved us! Why? A recent survey of 8,600 people from congregations in 39 different denominations proves the need to love one another! The survey measured the 'love quotient' of each congregation. Their conclusion was obvious: growing churches are more loving to each other and to visitors than declining churches. Loving churches attract more people regardless of their theology, denomination or location. So if we as a church are more loving, then we are more likely to be a growing, vibrant church that is reaching sinners or the lost for Christ. JESUS PEOPLE ARE IDENTIFIED BY JESUS' LOVE! 6) SINFUL NATURE! The problem? It is so hard for us as humans to love as God has loved us! He shows us what is called as Agape Love. Perfect Love. A love without flaw. Pure and never ending. Is that what we are good at? Sharing that kind of love? Naw, what we're really good at, sad to say, is finding the things that are wrong with each other. We delight in pointing out each other's faults maybe not out loud, but in our minds. And that causes us to pull away from each other. Focusing on each other's weaknesses and quirks makes us feel better about ourselves. And that is exactly what our sinful nature likes, because we are more interested in loving ourselves, serving ourselves, and thinking of ourselves, than we are in anything else. If putting others down, helps us raise ourselves up then "What's wrong with that?" we ask. And when that basic sinful nature walks into the church and dominates we look no different than the world around us. Our basic sinful nature can make any thought of loving, giving, or making sacrifices for fellow Christians the furthest thing from our minds. Jesus wants just the opposite: He wants to help us to overcome the sinful nature! He wants our love for each other to stand out so much that unbelievers will take notice. 7) PEOPLE WILL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE! But most of the time, to outsiders, churches look no different from anyone else. I recently went to consult with a Lutheran church up north. As I walked in, my radar sensed conflict and tension. They tried to cover it, work around it, ignore it but outsiders are not dumb! You can sense the difference between polite smiles and real love. One turns you off after all, the world is full of 'plastic smiles'. But real love attracts you! The warmth of real love intrigues those on the outside. Makes them want to stick around. True love, Christ-like love, is like suddenly finding a candle that burns brightly in the darkness, using itself up to bring light to others around it! That self-less, sacrificial kind of love, that's rare and wonderful! It's life-giving! Jesus knew! People will know we are Christians by our love! Let me ask you this: when a visitor walks in these doors, are you convinced that they will find themselves immersed in life-giving, sacrificial, Christ-like love? Will they look at us and say, "Wow, look at how they love one another?" Like the 12 disciples Jesus knows we all need time to reflect upon the basics of Agape love. People will know we are Christians by our love! 8) AGAPE!But not any kind of love: AGAPE love! In the past I have spoken about the four different kinds of love used in the Greek language so I won't go into details. But first, there was "Eros" that's the love that rises from infatuation or sexual desire. Secondly there's "Storge" which is a natural family love. It's what parents have for their children. Thirdly, there's "phileo", which rises out of a deep friendship. It's brotherly love. And finally, there's "Agape" a love that rises from God! Sadly, many Christians want to claim Jesus as our Lord without loving one another. And the reason is, they don't understand what agape love is. They have looked at the broken people around them, those different from themselves at church, and concluded they will never have the same kind of loving feelings for them as their spouse, families, and closest friends, and so they give up even trying. They have confused eros, storge, and phileo love with AGAPE love. The first three are filled with emotions and feelings! But Jesus isn't saying that the world will know we're Christians because we're always going around kissing and hugging each other! Others aren't to know we are His disciples because we always "feel" warm fuzzies toward one another! Agape love is a complete love that includes the mind, reason and will of a person. This type of love is primarily a product of choice not feeling and emotions. Agape the kind of love that says, I want to help, I choose to care no strings attached. 9) FEELINGS? EMOTIONS? WARM FUZZIES? What can happen though, is that we run into someone in the church who is well, different, even difficult. We all know people in the church who can brighten up a whole room just by leaving. fellow Christians who are so exasperating the could give an Aspirin a headache! And when we can't force ourselves to get warm fuzzies about the person we will incorrectly conclude one of two things: first, 1) I am a failure I cannot love as Jesus wants me to love, or 2) these people are impossible to love, it's not my fault! Animosity towards ourselves or others is often the result. BLAMING becomes a way of self-defense. But friends, grasp these words PLEASE Agape love is not about emotions or feelings! Romantic, family, or deep friendship love may be filled with those but AGAPE love is a step above that! It's caring for people even when those emotions and feelings are not there! It's respecting, encouraging, building up, serving, and pouring yourself out for people when no warm fuzzies exist. It's reaching out to work together, or give a helping hand because you CHOOSE to! And you CHOOSE to because Christ asked you to! 10) A CHOICE AN ACTION! Now that may be a revelation to some of you that feelings, emotions, and warm fuzzies are NOT what Agape love is about. In fact, you may rightly ask, "Pastor, are you sure about that?" Well, let me ask you: What did Jesus offer His disciples? A new COMMANDMENT! How can anyone command us to suddenly have deep positive emotions or warm fuzzies towards someone! If you were too go up to a stranger and demand they love you I suspect they would be running for the hills, or calling 911 to come get the loony off the streets! No, but Jesus can demand you to make a choice! To act on their behalf! You see Agape love is an action not a feeling! Love is a choice, even when the warm, fuzzy feelings are not there. Agape love is claiming one another as brother and sisters even if we don't particularly understand or like someone! Agape is a choice an action! And that is something Jesus can command! It is something He has a right to ask of us considering that we, as broken sinners, rebellious self-centered children, gave Him nothing to have warm fuzzy feeling and emotions over. I believe the people of God yelled the words "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" and yet He gave Himself gladly for us! Agape love is a choice! It is an action! It is selfless sacrifice and a conscious decision to care for undeserving, frustrating, smelly, weird, hurtful, self-centered people because that is the way of God! 11) GOD TESTS US! But friends, the way of God is NOT the easy way! Agape love, is the hard choice! And God regularly tests us in order to see if we have chosen His way. So as His world changes, as our neighborhood changes, He may send a relatively comfortable church a young passionate pastor tuned into His desire 'to do a new thing'. Change, of course, is not easy. Change as 'a choice' requires sacrifice. Change requires we place the needs of others ABOVE ourselves in order to bring them Christ. Change emphasizes our diversity. Change creates tension. Change creates the uncomfortable spiritual fires that burns away the chaff and purifies our faith and creates unrest within us! Yes, God tests us! As the Holy Spirit sweeps in and disrupts the status quote we discover whether a church defines AGAPE love using worldly definitions or whether it is a conscious choice! We discover whether 'Christian love' is defined as comfortable warm fuzzies among a selected group of homogenous like-minded people, or whether is it a sacrificial action that cares for and brings life to a changing world that differs greatly from ourselves. If it's all about feelings and emotions there will be divisiveness, blaming, and some people may eventually leave. But the question is this: If loving others is a command from God, if it is a choice, if it is a Christ-like sacrifical action not based on what we get from it then what makes 'transferring Christians' think we can better make that choice somewhere else? At some other church? A choice to love is a choice to love! God tests us because He will not allow other forms of worldly love to dominate His church we are to love one another and others different from ourselves with AGAPE love! 12) ONE ANOTHER! Friends, scripture calls us to treat one another with AGAPE love; it calls us to * SERVE one another (GAL 5.13) * PRAY for one another (JAS 5.16) 13) THE WAY OF GOD! We will unpack some of these "one another" passages in future sermons. But what I want you to focus on right now is this: Not one of these is commands is based on whether or not you get some warm fuzzies or have pleasant feelings as a result of them! Each is a conscious selfless action! It is done regardless of whether the other person appreciates it, wants it, or responds back to it! It pleases God! It's done faithfully, because it is the way of God! Agape love is the way of the Creator of the Universe who longs to live in your heart! Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, demonstrated it, and now asks you and I, (recipients of that amazing love), to duplicate it with His help! He asks us to look at one another and in the face of our differences, despite our weaknesses and faults, regardless of our feelings and emotions Jesus calls us to go beyond eros, storge, or philio love and embrace AGAPE love for one another. AGAPE is a choice AGAPE is an action. asking for nothing in return! It is the way of God! 14) JESUS JUST
LOVES YOU! Yes, sometimes it's a little depressing to
think of our lack of love for each other, even in the
church. But it is comforting, and it makes our hearts
rejoice, to think of Jesus' love for us. "I
have loved you," Jesus says in John chapter 13.
Have you ever pondered what that means? Jesus doesn't love you because you're so
lovable. Jesus loves you
because He is love. He doesn't focus on your
faults. He's not turned off by your sinful
tendencies. And he doesn't wait for you to
do something that would make Him love you. He just loves you. Even
though you never asked Him to, Jesus died on a cross, as
a sacrifice for your sins. "What's in
it for Him?" you might ask. The answer is nothing.
It's just the nature of agape love! The
giving, the sacrificing, the forgiving of all your
sins that's the kind of love that Jesus has shown to
you. And this morning, Jesus continues to bring you to
faith through the sacraments. He speaks to you through His
Word. He blesses you over and over again. He
forgives you. He answers your
prayers! "What's in it for him?" Once again, the
answer is nothing. Jesus
just loves you. Jesus just loves you! May our
prayer this week be, "Lord, make us such a
people!" PRAISE GOD! AMEN! Sermon/Confessional Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that our love is often selfish we care and we expect something in return. We look around us and realize that we have not loved one another as you have loved us! We have not selflessly poured ourselves out for one another, sacrificing, and giving, and forgiving one another in the agape way! Forgive us and come live in our hearts so fully that others around us will know we are Christians by our love, and be attracted to the warmth and light themselves! Lord, we too often look at the church and ask "What's in it for me?" We have mistaken the watered down worldly love for the Agape love we are called to express in your name. We have expected fellow Christians to be like us, think like us, act like us before we will pour ourselves out for them. We have not celebrated our diversity, or been willing to give up our comfort zones for the sake of those different from ourselves. We have not loved one another as you loved us! So forgive us, come live within us, and expand our hearts to give sacrificially, unconditionally, and without receiving anything in return as is your Holy and life-giving way! And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.) (Silence) Lord, it was not ergos, storge, or philio love that moved you to suffer and die upon the cross for us. It was a love far greater that set us free from sin, Satan, and death! Lord, we need you to come and do what we cannot; transform our hearts this morning, renew our love for other another, and make it so that the world around us will know we are Christians by our love! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN Assurance of Forgiveness: Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who empowers us to love one another, that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember:you have been called to love one another as Christ loves us! And when we do, the world around us will see that love, be attracted to that love, and come to know the divine source of that AGAPE love themselves! Praise God! AMEN Opening prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we stand before you this morning, not as individuals in crowd of strangers but as brothers and sisters in a divine unity. Because of your amazing love we have been adopted into a family that is called to love one another as you have loved us. We did not gain entrance because we earned it or deserved it we stand here because of your grace alone! And it is because of that amazing grace we dare to bring you our sins and burdens knowing it is your loving nature to remove them from us! As we uncover our wounds whether they are spiritual, emotional, or physical we are confident that you have the power and desire to heal us! Though we bring our fears, concerns, and the challenges a broken world has placed upon this week we stand assured that you will lead us in the right pathways and calm our hearts. Only you Lord can bring us the hope, faith, and love we need to walk fearlessly through the days ahead. So we praise you, and lift up you name this morning, with joyful and grateful hearts thankful for all the blessings you have poured down upon this Holy family. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us that others may know we are your children by that love and that they may be attracted to the source of our love! In Jesus Name we pray! AMEN!
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