Jesus’ Legacy of Love

John 13:34-35 ; 15:9-17

Today we turn to the very practical outworking of obedience; because we go to what Jesus said is His new commandment to us. In other words, above every other command in the Bible, this is the blanket command that Jesus gives to every single believer. Love one another as I have loved you.

As a framework I want to use John 15:9-17 in which I observe what I would like to call the “Blessed Cycle of Love.” And I’ll explain that Cycle by means of three stages:

Stage 1: Remain in My love

v.9 “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in My love.”

The Christian life begins with this realization – God loves me.

1 John 4:10 says: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 3:16 says: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”

John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

So you can see that the Christian life begins when we realise and accept that we are loved by God.

But it is not only that we are generally loved by God … it is that Jesus has brought this love in to the world. Jesus has made the love of God visible for all people. Let me show you what I mean.

The greatest passage on love in the Bible is probably 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

 “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (RSV)

Now lets look at Jesus:

Jesus is patient: He took time with people – even answering the questions of those who were only trying to trip Him up and destroy Him.

Jesus is kind: He treated all people with respect, dignity and care – including lepers, immoral sinners and the demon-possessed.

Jesus is not proud: He gave up the glory of heaven and the right to be worshipped and adored and became a humble human being – even taking a bowl and towel and washing the feet of others.

Jesus does not demand His own way: He chose what was best for others, even to the point of dying on a Cross – in order to save us.

Jesus does not keep a record of wrongs: On the Cross, facing the torture and ridicule of pathetic, hate-filled human beings, Jesus said: “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”

We could go on and on. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God revealed to us.

But it is even more than that. It is not just that God loves us … and that Jesus made that love visible … it is also that Jesus brings that love to me.

As Romans 5:8 puts it. “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” And as Galatians 2:20 says: “The Son of God loved ME and gave Himself for ME!” In other words, Jesus came to pour His love out into me … you! In fact Romans 5:5 says exactly that when it says: “God has poured His love out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.” The moment we accept the love of God that comes to us in Jesus, God pours His love out into us. We become recipients of His love.

So now Jesus is instructing us in John 15 … because God loves you … and because I have shown you the amazing extent of that love … and because you have realised and accepted that love … and because that love has been poured into your hearts by the Holy Spirit … REMAIN IN THAT LOVE.

You and I have a role to play. We have to remain in the love of the Lord. We have to remind ourselves that He loves us … we have to accept that He loves us … and we have to nurture the loving relationship that the Lord has given us through Jesus.

Stage 2: Love by Faith

Having been a recipient of Jesus’ love, Jesus now says to us as His followers: My commandment is this: Love one another as I have loved you. It is not right that we should receive love, and not give it. If we realise how undeservedly we have been loved, then we need to pass that love on to others.

But how can I get myself to love like this?

Everything about the abundant life is based on faith. Hebrews 11:6 says: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” So just as we received Christ and His love by faith … so we also need to love by faith.

We need to look around us in our family, circle of friends, colleagues, acquaintances or fellow Church members and ask the Lord to reveal to us someone to love. In other words someone towards whom we can be patient and kind … someone we can serve in humility by meeting some need of theirs … someone we can protect … someone we can encourage or comfort or strengthen in some way.

Then, difficult as it may be, we need to remember that Jesus said: “Love as I have loved,” and to step out in faith. Maybe the Lord shows us someone we need to treat with kindness when they are rude to us. That will be difficult … but have faith that the Lord will give us the strength to obey everything He commands us to do. He will never command us to do something and then, when we step out in faith to do it, NOT give us the power to do it. The key is just to step out in faith. As we do so, the love of God will empower us to love the unlovable. Remember 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love … for love comes from God.” Love comes from where? Does the power to love have to come from me? Do I have to enable myself to love the unlovable? NO. Love comes from God. And when we step out in faith to love in obedience … that love will flow to us from the Lord.

Experiment

Let’s just do a quick experiment. Let’s get quiet before the Lord. Now ask the Lord to show you someone who you can love through something like:

§       Do something helpful for them

§       Forgive them a wrong

§       Meet some need of theirs

§       Give them something precious to you

§       Speak a word of encouragement to them

Let the Lord show you a person … and something to do.

Now let Him give you a time-frame … when must I do it by?

Okay, now maybe that has scared you or challenged you. Can I encourage you to step out in faith and take the first step. Phone them up … make the appointment to go and see them … start writing that letter … go and buy them that gift … whatever it is. Take that step in faith. Remember that as you begin to love in action, so the Lord’s love will flow through you. You don’t have to manufacture the love … just be a conduit for it.

And if you are struggling to love … ask for more. Remember Jesus said: “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name.” What is fruit that will last? Love. Remember: “Love endures forever.” So if you are trying to bear the fruit of love and you need help … ask … the Father will provide.

Stage 3: More Love for you

V. 10 – “If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love.

And here’s the blessing. When we step out in faith and DO acts of love towards people … more love flows to us. We shovel love out … Jesus shovels love in … but He is using a bigger shovel.

The more we love others, the more capacity we have to experience the love of God for ourselves. Remain in My love is a command … but then it returns as a blessing, “you WILL remain in My love.”

What a wonderful promise to be able to hold onto. If we remain in His love … and out of that position of being the beloved of the Lord, we love others sacrificially … then regardless of how much it costs us to love like that … His love will be more than enough compensation for us.