Love One Another - A New Commandment for the New Community, Part 1

If Jesus appeared to you today and you ask him, what one thing do you really want me to do, what do you think he would tell you?

To find the answer to that, stay with me. Love one another. He's digging into God's word to help us learn how to build relationships with Christian brothers and sisters that encourage and stand the test of time. For starters, he takes a look at what Jesus meant when he gave us his last instructions to love one another.

So let's join Chip now for his message from John chapter 13, a new commandment for the new community. I'll never forget the first day I walked in to Mr. Hall's Algebra I class, ninth grade. Now you need to understand that Brad Star and I always sat together.

I got my growth in life very late and so in ninth grade, in the junior high, seventh, eighth, and ninth, of several hundred students, Brad Star was the only boy shorter than me. And when you, I don't know what this is, why this is, but he was class clown number two and I was his assistant. And so we would get to classes early, Brad can make everybody laugh, and I was sort of his stage hand and I would just stoke the fires.

That's until Mr. Hall's class. Lights are off, Brad has got everyone going, and I am just ready, you know, it's my time to really soup it up and get it going because Brad was the funniest guy I ever met. And I mean the lights came on, Mr. Star. And here our introduction to Mr. Hall came.

Flat top, black glasses, tape on the right, you got it, pocket protector, chalk dust on the corner, and he sat over that overhead so that the light always reflected off his forehead. This was math as we had never known it. Mr. Star, you are now excused, and I mean, they had a brief conversation, he was gone. And so being second in command in the clowning activity, I started to whisper to Mr. Ingram, would you like to join Mr. Hall? No sir, no sir, Mr. Hall. That was my introduction to Algebra I. We learned that you will be there one minute early, the lights will be off, he will walk in at exactly on the hour the lights will come on. You will sit quietly, you will not talk in the minute before he arrives, you will have a number two pencil, you will have nothing on your desk but your homework, that is completed, if it's not completed you will not stay there, and you will learn math.

My name is Mr. Hall, and you can call me Mr. Hall. I was scared to death of that guy, and I should have been. From that day on, I arrived early, I brought a number two pencil, I cleared my desk, I always did my homework, and then something happened. Math was a dreaded subject for me up until ninth grade.

I hated it. You ever find how much you hate things you're no good at? But day after day, week after week, he began to put X's into the second power and over Y minus Y, and all of a sudden I realized for the first time in my life someone helped me understand what it was. I sheepishly started coming in a little early and asking a few questions. My academic career turned in ninth grade largely because Mr. Hall took me where I'd never been before. I actually learned and now love math.

You know why? Because from day number one, we all took Mr. Hall very seriously. And as we start, here's the question I have. How seriously do you take Jesus? On a scale of one to ten, and you do it privately, ten being totally sold out, you take him very very seriously, he's the center of your life, your actions, your thoughts, your dreams, your time, your finances. One, I think about him now and then, mostly on weekends.

Some weekends. How seriously do you take Jesus? Go ahead, I mean go ahead, rate yourself. You don't have to tell anybody. Give yourself a number. Now I know some of you are not going to do this and you're saying, wait a second, you can't really do that. How can anyone really know how seriously they take Jesus? Come on, this is one of those introduction communication deals where they sort of trick you and give you these numbers and no one can ever know what number.

Often that's true but this isn't the case. According to Jesus, you can know here in about 30 seconds exactly how serious you take Jesus. Because by his own words, from his own lips, he gave a litmus test of who takes him seriously and who doesn't. Notice there's a teaching handout. You might want to go ahead and pull this out. Here in front of the teaching handout, let me read just a few, I could give you dozens, but let me read just a few selected passages from the lips of Christ.

And as I read these, see if you can't evaluate how to know how seriously you take him. From John 8, 31 and 32, a group of people, Jews, had just come to believe in Christ. Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed him, if you abide in my word, the word abide means to take in the scripture for the purpose of putting it into practice on a regular basis. If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Next passage, John 14, 21, Jesus on the last night speaking to his closest followers, he that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved of my father and I will love him and I will disclose or reveal myself to him. Do you see the pattern yet? Well, it gets obvious in the last one. Matthew 7, 24 and 26, he's closing out the Sermon on the Mount. He's just talked about kingdom living and he makes a summary statement. Matthew 7, verse 24, therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. Contrast, verse 26, but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. You inductive thinkers have got it, don't you? There's a thread that goes through all three passages and I can give you dozens more. You know how you know how seriously you take Jesus?

Very simple. Taking Jesus seriously means we take his words seriously. According to Jesus, you can know. You can know how seriously you take him because according to Jesus, to whatever extent you take his words seriously, to that extent, you take him seriously. According to Jesus, if you hear what he says and put it into practice, you take him seriously. If you honor his word, you take him seriously. You remember the very first parable, Mark chapter 4?

It's an amazing little line. I don't know if you've missed it or not. Mark chapter 4, the parable of the seed and the soil, there's four responses to how people respond to God's word, the words of Jesus.

Remember, three of them are not so good and one is very good. Do you remember privately what he told his disciples? He says, if you don't understand this parable about response to my words, you can't understand any of the parables.

Did you get that? The most axiomatic reflection of your relationship and my relationship to Christ is how you respond to God's word. There's lots of other things, but the most important, according to Christ, about taking God seriously is how do you respond, how do I respond to him, his word? So, what's the $64 question today? Well, what did he say? I mean, you know, you're looking at me like it's going to be profound. Turn the page.

Will you on the teaching handout? So, what did Jesus say? Once we find out what he said, how seriously we take that word will tell you and will tell me how seriously we actually take our relationship with Jesus. Not how seriously we think we take it. Not how seriously other people may think we take it.

Not how we feel, but when we see what Jesus says and how we are or are not responding to what he says, we can know. Now, the next question that ought to come to your mind is, Chip, he said a lot. I mean, where do you begin? He said so many things.

I mean, this could take us down a trail that could take years. Well, that's true. But on the very last night he lived on the earth, he took all that he said and he pulled it all together and he went to kind of the top and said, if you don't remember anything else, closest followers, if you don't get anything else I've ever said, here's a new commandment.

He never said that any other time. Here's a new commandment. Here's something that goes to the very top. All the teaching, all the miracles. You've seen me raise people from the dead. You've seen me walk on water. You heard the Sermon on the Mount.

We've had late night discussions. But, hey, guys, push all that to the side. Here is a new commandment. If you don't do anything else, this is what I want you to do. John 13, 34 and 35, it says a new commandment I give to you. Now, what is that? That you love one another. How? Even as I have loved you. Now, repetition for emphasis, that you also love one another.

Why? Why is this so important? Verse 35, by this.

By what? By how we love one another the way that he loved us. By this all men, the whole world, by this all men will know that you are my disciples.

Condition, if you have love for one another. Now, that's not a very long passage, is it? I don't think there's anything in all the Bible more important of what Jesus said.

I mean, this is what, on the last night, he said here's a new commandment. So let's do a little Bible study, okay? I put some questions underneath that passage.

Let's just together kind of get a pencil out if you've got it. And let's just do some Bible study and ask some penetrating questions of this passage so we really understand what's going on here. The first question that's most obvious to me is what is the new commandment? I mean, what does he mean by new? You might take a little pencil and circle the word new. There's two words in the New Testament at least for new.

One has the idea of chronology. You know, something is old chronologically and now it's new. That's not this word. This is a word for new as in not worn out. New as in unused. The word is used, remember when Jesus went into a tomb? It was a tomb that was carved out of a rock but it was called a new tomb.

Why? Not because it hadn't been there a long time, but it was unused. This is new.

This is fresh. This is something that's going to bring about refreshment and impact and it's going to be a new paradigm, if you will. And you've got to ask yourself, okay, well what is that command? It's to love one another. Now you Bible students, especially some of you that have been in the Old Testament for a while, your mind clicked back I'm sure immediately to Leviticus 19, 18 and it says what? That we're to love our neighbor as ourself. So what's new about this? Jesus is saying we're to love one another. The Old Testament said we're to love one another. What's new about this?

Here's what's new. The how, the measure. Before we were to love one another in the way that we wanted them to love us and to love one another, how?

The way we would want to be loved. The new part of the commandment is Jesus takes the ante and he puts it all the way up here. He said, no, this new commandment is not about loving people the way that you want to be loved.

That's not the litmus test anymore. What is it? What's the text say? Love one another as I have loved you. Wait a minute. You mean Jesus actually wants us to love one another the way he loved them?

You bet. Well, what's that look like? Open to John chapter 13. Let's get a little context here. John chapter 13 verses 1 to 5, he begins to give them a little idea. It says it was just before the Passover, last night of his life, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, get this not line, he now showed them the full extent of his love. What he's going to do this night with his closest followers, knowing this time the next day, he will have been crucified. He's now going to show them the full extent of his love. Verse 2, the evening meal was being served and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.

Get this. The next line is critical, why Jesus could love in such a radical way. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his control and that he had come from God and that he was returning to God.

Notice the purpose clause. So, he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and after that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Now, we don't understand, you can't quite get what's going on here. He's the Lord, he's the rabbi, he's the teacher, right? He's now going to show them the full extent of his love. He was secure. He knew God was sovereign in control, nothing to lose, nothing to gain, no one to impress. He knew where he came from, he knew where he was going. Out of that security, he's going to show them the full extent of his love, and he's going to do what not even a regular servant did, but only a bond servant did, and the bond servant was at the bottom of the heap.

These guys had all walked in and because there wasn't a servant at the door where the big canister type thing was where you would wash your feet, and the way they ate in the Middle East you would kind of lounge on these little couches, and so you know when you're lounging here someone's feet are pretty close to your face. They were all so proud because someone else was on the pecking order, in fact we learned what? They were arguing on the way to the Lord's Supper tonight about who was the greatest. So what's it mean to love like Jesus loves?

It means to willfully not regard position or status or how people perceive you and to lay aside ego and security issues and to give to other people what they don't deserve to meet their greatest need even when their hearts may not be open to it. And he says that's how I want you to love one another. In fact, flip over to chapter 15. Chapter 15 verse 12, you need to understand chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, all this is happening one evening. It's God giving us an inside picture.

It's like there was a camera. We were there that last night with the disciples and we're getting to see and hear what was going on and what Jesus is thinking and their fears and their struggles and then they let us know what's going on. Verse 12 of chapter 15, my commandment is this, love each other, how? As I have loved you.

And then he defines, well what's that mean? Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friend. You my disciples are my friends. If you keep my commandments, if you do what I command. So what's this new commandment?

Well first, it's not new as in something that's never been heard of. It's new in terms of our love for one another is to be at the level of sacrifice, of dying to our own self, of putting other people's agenda. It's a crucifixion of the me first mindset and it is a commitment to other centered, grace giving, spirit empowered, I'm going to do for you what you don't deserve if it cost me my life. The early church believed that there had to be a willingness to literally, physically die for one another. That's how literally they took this passage. The call for us, the mark, the signature, the litmus test of all followers of Jesus for all time is this, it's not how much they know, it's not what church they go to, it's not how well they can teach, the mark of a Christian, the signature of the body of Christ, the litmus test for your life, my life and every believer of all time is very simple. The degree to which you love other believers with the radical self-sacrificing, putting them first and death to the me first mindset that you put into practice on a daily basis. That's the mark of a Christian.

That's what the new commandment is. Now we've alluded to the second question, well when was this given? Why did He say this? When was this given adds some real octane to what's going on in the passage.

This is the last night He's going to live. This is the Lord's Supper and as I referred to, the disciples, they were walking ahead of Christ according to one of the other gospels and Jesus came in a little bit later and they had this argument and He asked them, what were you guys arguing about? And you know they got kind of sheepish as they are in their dirty feet. And what were they arguing about?

Who's the greatest among us? One guy was sticking his chest out, hey man, I went to the Transfiguration, you guys didn't see that, yeah but I get to hold the money, yeah well so what, I was chosen before you, I'll tell you what, they didn't get it. Now to get some context here about why He gave this command, think of this, the God of the universe took on human flesh and He did a lot of things with a lot of people but these twelve got more of Him than anyone. These twelve saw things that no one has ever seen.

They walked together, when they had a struggle they had late night talks. Three of them have seen at least two or three people raised from the dead. They've heard sermons like no one has ever heard. They've seen miracles, they've been a part of miracles as they passed out the loaves. Now imagine being Jesus and thinking you're going to entrust the mission, the revolution to these twelve. In fact you know it's only eleven, you know one's going to bail out.

He's going to betray you. Can you imagine on the very last night that you're on the earth and you're thinking this is the group that's going to take the message, we're going to entrust and the number one point on their agenda is who's the greatest? Is this how to get discouraged before you go to the cross?

I mean is this like, I mean are they ever going to get it? See the context is important because it came on the last night. It came around the Lord's Supper. It came at a time here where they were arguing and it came after He had washed their feet. This command came after Jesus said let me show you what it looks like.

You guys are arguing about who's hot stuff? See don't forget, we get these passages in our little Bible story mode and this is John 13. No this isn't John 13, this is reality. They know who He is.

Peter said you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. They knew He was the Messiah. They knew He was God. They knew God was in their midst and that day the God of the universe washed their feet. I think that picture burned into their heart like few experiences ever.

And afterwards when He said I want you to love one another the way I've loved you, you know what went in their mind? This means washing feet. This doesn't mean ooey gooey feelings. This means obeying when you don't feel like it. This means giving up rights and privileges and time and finances.

This means doing what is totally unnatural to me. What did Jesus deserve? Absolute worship and homage and He willfully became a servant. That's the new commandment.

You know it's easy to hear truth, believe it, even be moved by it and then drift along to whatever comes next. If you've been moved today to love the people around you a little better than you have been, this series Love One Another provides biblical direction to help you pursue that goal. Love One Another will give you insight into issues like how to love difficult people, how to restore someone who's fallen into sin, and how to lovingly hold one another accountable. It's filled with practical truth to help you deepen relationships on every level. To take a look at our resource options for Love One Another, check it out online at LivingOnTheEdge.org or tap Special Offers on the app.

For more information, just give us a call at 888-333-6003. Well Chip, as we get this series rolling, what's kind of an overarching thought you have about why it's so important? When I began doing some thinking about this series, I realized that most people don't know the most important things that Jesus said and worse.

Most of us don't take seriously what He said. This whole series is aimed about getting our arms around as a church and, me personally, the radical nature of what our Lord said. His life, His death, His resurrection, His miracles, imagine all that, it's all boiled down to one singular command. After He fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies, after He revealed the Father, after He showed us what grace and truth look like in human flesh, then the last thing He did is He pulled His closest followers next to Him and He said, I've got one new commandment. And He talked about one word, a shift, a new way of thinking, and He said to His followers, This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. Let me ask you, how are you doing on that? What would it look like if you and me and your church and your Bible study, if we begin to really love one another in that radical, unconditional, lavish way that God has loved us?

Can you imagine the impact? I hope you will make it a point to make Living on the Edge a priority for you as we learn how to love one another. Well, I'll definitely be here, and I hope you'll make plans to be with us, too. And if you happen to miss a program, you can always pick it up on the Chip Ingram app or anytime on our website, livingontheedge.org.

Well now here's Chip with a final word. Well, as we wrap up today's message, I hope you can tell I am really excited about this series. We'll find some really practical ways from these little phrases that we find all throughout the New Testament. And it's interesting, the Bible calls us to do a number of things in community or with one another. We're to encourage one another, we're to love one another, we're to bear with one another. And it's so exciting that when you begin to see where that one another word pops up and the context in which it comes and you begin to practice it, you know that heart of loneliness, you know that need for connection, you know that part of us as human beings that feels so great when you're connected to someone from the heart? That's behind this word, one another. And in this one, it's at the very end of Jesus' ministry, and we start with the one that's the most important, where He says to them, a new commandment I've given to you, that you love one another, how? In the same way that I loved you.

To be a real follower of Jesus isn't keeping rules, it's not about being religious. The most important thing He ever asked us to do is to love each other. And that's not just a good feeling.

He's saying to you, I want you to begin in your family, I want you to begin with your husband or your wife, with your closest friend, with your roommate. I want you to love people in your small group or your Sunday school class or your church. I want you to love the ones that you connect with and you like, and it's just so fun to be around. And I want you to love the ones that are sort of extra grace required and tend to be a little bit negative. And you don't really like to be around them, but the power and the love of God will shine through because you're going to treat them the way Jesus treated you.

So let me just encourage you just today, just as we get rolling on this, is to ask yourself when you think about other people, when you talk to others, and in the way that you're currently reacting, if you would just even lean back and say your relational network, start at the very core in the center, who's closest to you and the next concentric ring and maybe neighbors and work, and I wouldn't get discouraged if you find yourself falling a bit short like me. But I think God would be very pleased if you and I today said, Lord, would you help me take very specific steps to love, to choose, to care, to be kind, to give a word of affirmation, to meet a need today, and let's see what He does through us. Don't miss our next program as we dig into this together. You know, a great way to get more out of every message is to use Chip's message notes while you listen. You'll get his outline, all of his scripture references, and lots of fill-ins to help you remember what you're learning. Use them personally or even with your small group. Chip's message notes are a quick download at livingontheedge.org under the broadcast tab. App listeners tap fill-in notes and you're set. We'll be sure to join us next time. Until then, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.