Week 2 , 2 May 2010 : Loving like Jesus loves me

Week 2 , 2 May 2010

SERMON TOPIC: Loving like Jesus loves me
Scripture Reference: John 13:12-17, John 13:34-35

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17

"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." John 13:34-35

LET US imagine this: If you were told by God today that you are only given just a few more days to live, what are you going to do with these last few days of your life?

Will you be spending all your time and resources, just trying to fulfill your last wish? Or will you be spending your time trying to contact and gather those people whom you love, so that you can get to spend your final days with them; showing how much you love and appreciate them?

1. Jesus: Supreme Example of God’s love

In his last days, Jesus knew that he was going to be arrested and crucified on the cross; he had already predicted his death to his disciples. In John 12:33, Jesus had already revealed to his disciples “the kind of death he was going to die.” In fact, Jesus spent most of his time with the disciples preparing them for his departure. On the same night that Jesus was about to be betrayed into the hands of those who wanted him dead, in particular Judas Iscariot his disciple, Jesus chose to wash his disciples’ feet.

In fact, the account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in John 13:1-5 tells us that Jesus knew that the devil had already prompted Judas to betray him that night. Yet, Jesus still chose to show the full extent of his love for Judas by washing his feet.

Here, we are reminded that Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet was an act of love and humble service to those whom he loved, including the one who was going to betray him.

After he had finished washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus asked them: “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (v12) When we reflect on Jesus’ words to his disciples, we need to be honest with ourselves and also ask if we truly comprehend what Jesus had done for the disciples on the night of his betrayal.

For the disciples, Jesus, their ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ took the form of a lowly servant to wash their feet; this was something that was beyond their wildest imagination. The act of washing of others’ feet was considered by the disciples a degrading job despised by many during the time of Jesus. In fact, it was pointed out in a Bible commentary that “humility was despised in the ancient world as a sign of weakness”.

This makes me ask the question: “What could be perceived as a sign of weakness in the context of our society today?” I suspect that it could well be humility. Yes, for many of us, humility is often being perceived as a sign of weakness!

For example, if I were to ask you now to sign up as a volunteer to help wash the church toilets for the next few Sundays, what would your response be? Most of us would think twice, isn’t it?

It is in our human nature that we see humility as a sign of weakness but, Jesus in John 13:13-17 says these words to us: You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Today, we are being reminded again that “Jesus regarded lowly service to others as an honorable act” and Jesus says that we will be blessed if we serve others!

Now, what is stopping us from serving and loving one another at home, at work, in school or even in church? Could it be we are all so pre-occupied with the need to fulfill our own agenda that we find it difficult to serve and love one another as Jesus had commanded us?

I believe the real challenge for us as Christians is to take the first step of removing our pride today and to clothe ourselves with the humility of Jesus to wash the feet of others; to serve and love those whom we may dislike at home, at work, in school or even in church.

Jesus’ commandment seems difficult and impossible. But let us claim the assurance that He gives us in Matthew 19:26: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Furthermore, Jesus in John 14:12-14 also declares: I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Here is an important truth. It is placing our faith in Jesus that helps us to do what Jesus did to serve and love others. Our faith in Jesus is the one that determines how much we would want to serve and love others. In other words, we cannot give to others what we do not have.

The greater faith we have in Jesus, the more effective we would want to be in our serving and loving of others. Likewise, the lesser faith we have in Jesus, the lesser we would desire to serve and love others.

In fact, James 2:14-17 warns us about this kind of lacking of faith in Christians. James wrote: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

When we start to compromise our faith in Jesus with the values of the world, which are very much centered on self, we will find it more difficult and painful to serve and love others.

2. Our Challenge

Today, the challenge for us as Christians is to love others like Jesus loves us.

After Jesus had finished washing the disciples’ feet, He said these words to them: 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. (John 13:34-35)

In this week’s study of the 40 Days of Love, you will be faced with many challenges regarding how you are to serve and love others.

For example:
• You will be challenged to trust Jesus more in your relationships with others;
• You will also be challenged to love those whom you do not feel like loving;
• You will be asked to renew and revive your love once more for God and for others;
• You will also be asked to search your heart and deal with some of your deepest emotions;
• You will be asked to make a deliberate choice to love others;
• You will have to come to a decision, whether you should reconcile and forgive those who have hurt you
before or are hurting you now;
• You will be asked to examine your own motives of loving and be challenged to choose to sacrifice for •
those whom you profess to love.

As you have discovered by now, the Christian life is about serving and loving God and others. It is about loving others with a pure heart, with the right motive and one that pleases God. It is not about how to satisfy our own needs and desires but rather, it is to learn how to put others before ourselves.

In fact, Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that the attitude of a Christian “should be the same as that of Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Just a few weeks ago, I was preaching at our church’s Mandarin service using this same Bible passage from Philippians 2:5-8. As a form of introduction to my sermon, I asked the congregation three questions.

The first question was: “If you were given a chance by God to live your life as a famous person today (dead or alive), who would you like to be?” Then the second question was: “What are the reasons that make you want to become like that famous person?” The third question was this: “Is there anyone of you who would like to be Jesus?” – Well, it was obvious that no one did, as everyone was silent and seemed to be a little bit taken aback by this question.

So, I asked them again: “Isn’t Jesus the greatest person in the world? Why is it that no one amongst you wants to be like Jesus?” – Then someone finally answered me: “Because I don’t want to be crucified on the cross!”

I hope you know that the meaning of the word “Christian” means “Little-Christ”. In fact, every Christian is called to become Christ-like or to be like Jesus.

In conclusion, to be able to love like Jesus, we need to be like Him - to be Christ-like! This means that we are to have faith in Jesus and to follow the example that He has set for us to serve and love one another.

Sometimes, we are fearful that when people realize that we are Christians, they would raise the bar and expect us to live a higher set of moral values based on the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.

We should not let this kind of fear stop us from letting people know that we are Christians. In fact, we should take it as an opportunity to be a witness of God’s goodness to these people who have yet to know and experience the love of Jesus.

Jesus says to us 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.

When we have truly loved one another as Jesus commanded us, we will also have the love for those who have yet to become a believer.

The Holy Communion

The sacrament of the Holy Communion is God’s proof to us of His love for all humanity. Just as God “causes (the) sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”, God had sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for all; for the forgiveness of our sins.

It is through the sacrament of the Holy Communion that we are reminded of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, in which He suffered and died as an innocent man.

And by coming forward to receive the element of the bread, which is the Body of Jesus Christ broken for you and the wine, which is the blood of Jesus shed for you, you are also receiving from the altar of God, His grace to live a new life that is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that transforms us from within.

As you prepare to come forward to partake of the Holy Communion and to meet God there, may the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord which “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from” (Romans 8:29) strengthen and enable you to joyfully serve and love one another just as Jesus our Lord has commanded.

By Pastor Joshua Loo
Bedok Methodist Church

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Week 2 , 2 May 2010 SERMON TOPIC: Loving like Jesus loves me Scripture Reference: John 13:12-17, John 13:34-35 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17 "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." John 13:34-35 LET US imagine this: If you were told by God today that you are only given just a few more days to live, what are you going to do with these last few days of your life? Will you be spending all your time and resources, just trying to fulfill your last wish? Or will you be spending your time trying to contact and gather those people whom you love, so that you can get to spend your final days with them; showing how much you love and appreciate them? 1. Jesus: Supreme Example of God’s love In his last days, Jesus knew that he was going to be arrested and crucified on the cross; he had already predicted his death to his disciples. In John 12:33, Jesus had already revealed to his disciples “the kind of death he was going to die.” In fact, Jesus spent most of his time with the disciples preparing them for his departure. On the same night that Jesus was about to be betrayed into the hands of those who wanted him dead, in particular Judas Iscariot his disciple, Jesus chose to wash his disciples’ feet. In fact, the account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in John 13:1-5 tells us that Jesus knew that the devil had already prompted Judas to betray him that night. Yet, Jesus still chose to show the full extent of his love for Judas by washing his feet. Here, we are reminded that Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet was an act of love and humble service to those whom he loved, including the one who was going to betray him. After he had finished washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus asked them: “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (v12) When we reflect on Jesus’ words to his disciples, we need to be honest with ourselves and also ask if we truly comprehend what Jesus had done for the disciples on the night of his betrayal. For the disciples, Jesus, their ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ took the form of a lowly servant to wash their feet; this was something that was beyond their wildest imagination. The act of washing of others’ feet was considered by the disciples a degrading job despised by many during the time of Jesus. In fact, it was pointed out in a Bible commentary that “humility was despised in the ancient world as a sign of weakness”. This makes me ask the question: “What could be perceived as a sign of weakness in the context of our society today?” I suspect that it could well be humility. Yes, for many of us, humility is often being perceived as a sign of weakness! For example, if I were to ask you now to sign up as a volunteer to help wash the church toilets for the next few Sundays, what would your response be? Most of us would think twice, isn’t it? It is in our human nature that we see humility as a sign of weakness but, Jesus in John 13:13-17 says these words to us: You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Today, we are being reminded again that “Jesus regarded lowly service to others as an honorable act” and Jesus says that we will be blessed if we serve others! Now, what is stopping us from serving and loving one another at home, at work, in school or even in church? Could it be we are all so pre-occupied with the need to fulfill our own agenda that we find it difficult to serve and love one another as Jesus had commanded us? I believe the real challenge for us as Christians is to take the first step of removing our pride today and to clothe ourselves with the humility of Jesus to wash the feet of others; to serve and love those whom we may dislike at home, at work, in school or even in church. Jesus’ commandment seems difficult and impossible. But let us claim the assurance that He gives us in Matthew 19:26: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Furthermore, Jesus in John 14:12-14 also declares: I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Here is an important truth. It is placing our faith in Jesus that helps us to do what Jesus did to serve and love others. Our faith in Jesus is the one that determines how much we would want to serve and love others. In other words, we cannot give to others what we do not have. The greater faith we have in Jesus, the more effective we would want to be in our serving and loving of others. Likewise, the lesser faith we have in Jesus, the lesser we would desire to serve and love others. In fact, James 2:14-17 warns us about this kind of lacking of faith in Christians. James wrote: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. When we start to compromise our faith in Jesus with the values of the world, which are very much centered on self, we will find it more difficult and painful to serve and love others. 2. Our Challenge Today, the challenge for us as Christians is to love others like Jesus loves us. After Jesus had finished washing the disciples’ feet, He said these words to them: 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. (John 13:34-35) In this week’s study of the 40 Days of Love, you will be faced with many challenges regarding how you are to serve and love others. For example: • You will be challenged to trust Jesus more in your relationships with others; • You will also be challenged to love those whom you do not feel like loving; • You will be asked to renew and revive your love once more for God and for others; • You will also be asked to search your heart and deal with some of your deepest emotions; • You will be asked to make a deliberate choice to love others; • You will have to come to a decision, whether you should reconcile and forgive those who have hurt you before or are hurting you now; • You will be asked to examine your own motives of loving and be challenged to choose to sacrifice for • those whom you profess to love. As you have discovered by now, the Christian life is about serving and loving God and others. It is about loving others with a pure heart, with the right motive and one that pleases God. It is not about how to satisfy our own needs and desires but rather, it is to learn how to put others before ourselves. In fact, Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that the attitude of a Christian “should be the same as that of Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Just a few weeks ago, I was preaching at our church’s Mandarin service using this same Bible passage from Philippians 2:5-8. As a form of introduction to my sermon, I asked the congregation three questions. The first question was: “If you were given a chance by God to live your life as a famous person today (dead or alive), who would you like to be?” Then the second question was: “What are the reasons that make you want to become like that famous person?” The third question was this: “Is there anyone of you who would like to be Jesus?” – Well, it was obvious that no one did, as everyone was silent and seemed to be a little bit taken aback by this question. So, I asked them again: “Isn’t Jesus the greatest person in the world? Why is it that no one amongst you wants to be like Jesus?” – Then someone finally answered me: “Because I don’t want to be crucified on the cross!” I hope you know that the meaning of the word “Christian” means “Little-Christ”. In fact, every Christian is called to become Christ-like or to be like Jesus. In conclusion, to be able to love like Jesus, we need to be like Him - to be Christ-like! This means that we are to have faith in Jesus and to follow the example that He has set for us to serve and love one another. Sometimes, we are fearful that when people realize that we are Christians, they would raise the bar and expect us to live a higher set of moral values based on the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. We should not let this kind of fear stop us from letting people know that we are Christians. In fact, we should take it as an opportunity to be a witness of God’s goodness to these people who have yet to know and experience the love of Jesus. Jesus says to us 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. When we have truly loved one another as Jesus commanded us, we will also have the love for those who have yet to become a believer. The Holy Communion The sacrament of the Holy Communion is God’s proof to us of His love for all humanity. Just as God “causes (the) sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”, God had sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for all; for the forgiveness of our sins. It is through the sacrament of the Holy Communion that we are reminded of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, in which He suffered and died as an innocent man. And by coming forward to receive the element of the bread, which is the Body of Jesus Christ broken for you and the wine, which is the blood of Jesus shed for you, you are also receiving from the altar of God, His grace to live a new life that is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that transforms us from within. As you prepare to come forward to partake of the Holy Communion and to meet God there, may the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord which “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from” (Romans 8:29) strengthen and enable you to joyfully serve and love one another just as Jesus our Lord has commanded. By Pastor Joshua Loo Bedok Methodist Church Click here to go back to 40DoL homepage.
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