The Badge of Discipleship Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Badge of Discipleship Part 1. He will be in John 13:1-11.

And when Jesus becomes your motivation and you want to love people like Jesus loved them then even when you are wounded and even when there are walls in your heart towards others you are going to find a way that you can demonstrate servanthood to them.

Hello this is Pastor Mike Sanders from The Open Door Church with Hope Worth Having. We’re excited that you can be with us and today we’re in the Gospel of John chapter 13. We’re starting a new series entitled The Badge of Discipleship.

Matthew Henry said brotherly love is still the distinguishing badge of every true Christian. And you know we live in times where there isn’t a lot of people showing a lot of love and God is calling us as believers to have that badge upon our hearts and our minds and our actions so that we can be distinct in a world that is so divided and so full of hate and so much fear -mongering.

We need to be a different type. We need to stand out in that we show love even with those we disagree with even those we don’t see eye to eye with. So today I want us to get into the book of John chapter 13 and learn more about the badge of discipleship.

Well if you have your Bible this morning I want you to join me in John chapter 13 verse 1 through 14 will be our text this morning in his book entitled The Mark of a Christian written by Francis Schaeffer.

He wrote these words and I quote through the centuries people have displayed many different symbols to show that they are Christians. They have worn marks in the lapels of their coats hung chains about their necks and even had special haircuts.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of this, but there is a much better sign, a mark that has not been thought up just as a matter of expediency for use on some special occasion or in some specific era.

It is a universal mark that is to last through the ages of the church till Jesus comes back, and that mark is love. The badge of discipleship is love. To put on this badge of discipleship, each of us must learn to love as Jesus taught his disciples to love during their Last Supper together in our text this morning.

The great commentator, Matthew Henry, said brotherly love is still. the distinguishing badge of every true Christian. That is so true today that how do we know that you are a Christian, that I am a Christian?

It is love. It is that we are called to love. If you’re a student of the Bible, you know that 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is often referred to as the love chapter in the Bible. But other scholars believe that John chapter 13 is really the love chapter because love is here established as a theme from chapter 13 all the way through chapter 17.

The word love occurs 31 times. In chapters 1 through 12, John only mentions love six times. But in chapter 13 through 17, he mentions it 31 times. Jesus genuinely loved his disciples. These 12 men, given to him by God the Father, including Judas, Jesus showed love to them.

And I want you to know that he loves you and that he loves me and that he loves every person on this planet. There was never a more truer song that you and I have sung as little boys and girls than when we sang the beautiful song, Jesus loves me.

This I know for the Bible tells me so. In verse one of John chapter 13, the Bible says now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come. and that he should depart out of this world unto the Father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end if you like to mark your Bible underscore that phrase he loved them unto the end and supper being ended the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon’s son to betray him Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself and after that he pours water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded Then cometh he to Simon Peter,

and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.

Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said unto him, He that is washed needeth not to save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, and you are clean, but not all.

For he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, You’re not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you.

You call me master and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am. If I, then your Lord and master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. Love is the badge of discipleship. And from chapter 13 to 17, you and I will focus on this theme of love.

And we will learn how to practically display the badge of discipleship in our lives each and every day. This sermon will be tough. It’ll be tough for every one of us. You say, Pastor, how do you know it’s gonna be tough?

Because it was tough for me. Because I’m like you. I have flesh and bones, and I have a human nature. But God is calling us. to love as we ought to love as he has loved us we are called to love so how do we display that badge of discipleship if you’re taking notes follow with me number one through enjoying God’s love through enjoying God’s love I think many Christians don’t really enjoy the love of God and what I’m saying is that you cannot give what you do not have and you cannot share and display what you’re not enjoying and receiving on a daily basis in your life and what is amazing is that as John begins this chapter and he makes this transition into the theme of love he starts out and tells us that Jesus knew his hour was coming He knew his time on this earth was limited.

He knew it wouldn’t be long that he would be crucified, that he would resurrect, and that he would ascend into the right hand of the Father. He knew this. And John states that having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

A more literal translation would be this. He loved them to perfection. He loved them to completion. Jesus loved, to the fullest degree, to the foolish measure, his disciples. What I want you to get this morning is that you are loved by God, and that you are loved to the max by God.

I know in our hearts that many of us wrestle with this desire to not only love, but to be loved. And that in every heart there is a yearning that you would be the recipient of love. And many of you have felt in your heart that you are not loved by certain people in your life.

You may not have felt loved by your parents. You may not have felt loved by your spouse. You may not feel loved by your own church community. You may struggle with the fact that you don’t sense love in your life, but there is one thing you should never doubt.

That is that Jesus Christ loves you. And remember this, that whatever you lack in the world, and whatever you lack in the earthly relationships of this world, can all be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And as a young man growing up without a father, the greatest advice my pastor ever gave me was simply this.

Whatever you don’t have here, Mike, you have in a relationship with Jesus Christ. And so I want you to know that even though people have failed us and disappointed us, and we have come up short in our relationship with them, there is one person who has never failed you, who has never disappointed you, who has never let you down, and his name is Jesus Christ.

Your spouse will never be able to love you like Jesus. And sometimes I think that the division and the sense of hurt is because we create expectations in our heart that are not realistic. And what you’re desiring.

is not going to be found in this world and it’s not going to be found in the person of this world but only be found in Jesus and Jesus alone. And I invite you this morning to first and foremost to turn your heart towards Christ and to receive his love into your life and to know that you are loved by God and that he demonstrated that love on the cross and that he gave his life for you.

And I invite you that if you are already a recipient of the grace and the forgiveness and the love of Jesus Christ this morning that you revel and rejoice and enjoy the love that God has for you. Rather than focusing on what you lack and what you miss I want you to focus on what you have.

For all that you desire is fulfilled and complete in Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God loves us. He loved his disciples to the end to the fullest measure. Many a believer is out there trying to earn points with God.

And they are trying to live their life so that they can somehow receive more of God’s love. You are loved to the max my friend. There’s not any more love. There’s not any more love because God has already demonstrated all his love to you.

There is not any more to pursue in the sense that I want God’s approval. Your approval in God is rooted in your relationship with Jesus. And you may have grown up in a home where you had to merit love and you may be in a relationship now that you have to merit love but in Jesus Christ you just have to enjoy the love because you have it all his love is poured out into your heart every day Romans 5 5 you are experiencing the max of God’s love and he loves you to the end he loves you to perfection he loves you to completion he loves you to the fullest degree do not do not strive for something you already have enjoy it the Bible says he having loved his own isn’t that wonderful we are Christ’s own you belong to Jesus I belong to Jesus for all who believe in Christ belong to him we belong to him because he purchased us We are redeemed by His blood.

We are forgiven by His blood. We are saved by His blood. We were bought with the price, the Scripture says. Jesus gave His life for you. The Bible teaches us that God loves us and He gave His life for us.

And therefore, we are His own. God loves His own. Now get this. Get this. You may struggle and you may disagree and it’s okay. I tell people it’s America and you have the freedom to be wrong. Amen? See, I’m already feeling better, right?

You can tell. Mike’s back to Mike, all right? Anyways, that God has a general love for all people, but He has a particular love for His own. You say, I don’t believe that. Oh, listen to me, friends. Even in your humanity, you are very much similar.

You love people, but you really love those kids and you really, really love those grandkids. Amen? You have a particular love and you will get up and say, I love you, but I don’t like to spend time with you.

I love you, but I’m not taking you to Cracker Barrel. I mean, I’m not buying you breakfast. I love you from a distance. But you know what? When those grandkids come, you really love. You would sell everything you have for those kids.

What’s wrong with you, grandparents? What’s wrong with you? You lose your mind. You start acting like someone I’ve never known before, right? You start talking, baby talk. You start acting in ways that are weird and embarrassing to all of us.

And as if we needed to. to see more pictures, now your phone can be uploaded to the iCloud and to Google Photos, and now you have so many pictures that we could never escape if you wanted to show us your pictures.

Which only manifests that you have a particular love. God loves his own. It doesn’t mean that he does not love others. It means that he has a particular special love for his own, having loved his own, and they are his by purchase.

They are his by gift. What? Yes. We are given, every believer, hear me? Every believer is given to Christ by the Father. You do not believe me? Jump back to John chapter six. Take your Bible, go backwards, and let’s remember what the scripture teaches us.

In John chapter six. Verse 37 through 40, you did not know you were a gift, but you are a gift. You are a gift from the father to the son. Verse 37 of John chapter six, all that the father giveth me, all that the father gives me shall what?

Come to me and him that comes to me, I will no wise cast out for I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the father’s will which has sent me that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeeth the son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Unless you struggle and say, what is this gift?

Jesus clarified it in verse 40. The gift is you. You are a gift from the father to the son. And therefore you are his own. You belong to him. The Bible says that he loved them to the end. Christ loved us, he gave his life for us, and the Bible teaches us greater love has no man than to lay down his life.

Christ loves, he particularly loves his believing disciples. He loves us with delight, his heart is set upon us, his words, his smiles, his communication to us are all evidences of his love towards us.

We are his flock. We are his bride. We are his children. We are His building, He is merciful to us, He bears with us, He is patient with us, He keeps us, He blesses us, He sustains us. You are loved by Jesus Christ.

His love is unchangeable. It is unto the end. Some of you say, man Mike, I have messed up. Mike, I have made some really bad decisions. I have fumbled the ball in life. Let me tell you something. Whether you live this perfect life, which no one does, or you lived a messed up life, the love that Jesus has for you never changes.

And you gotta remember that. Because in our human relationships, there are many relationships we have. As long as you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. And as long as you take care of me, I’ll take care of you.

But this is not true with God. that even in our failures, we are loved by God. It does not excuse. Now listen, God is not always happy with Mike. And this is true because you’re not always happy with your children, right?

But you always love them, God always loves us. And sometimes he has to deal with us and sometimes he has to correct us and sometimes he is changing us and he’s allowing things in our lives. But I want you to know that whatever and all that God is doing in your life is simply a manifestation of his grace and love towards you and he will not and has not given up in you.

He loves you until the end. He loves you in life. He loves you in health. He loves you in sickness. He loves you in death. He loves you forever and ever. His love is abiding in your heart. His love is everlasting throughout your life.

How privileged are we to experience the particular love of God? Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter three that the people of God would know and understand the depth, the breadth, the height of the love of God.

And I pray that when you leave today that you have a greater sense, knowledge, and understanding that you are loved by Jesus Christ. And I don’t want you to ever walk away from that. Many times adult children will say to me, I don’t think my parents love me.

And I know their parents and I know they love them. But I want you to know that sometimes the way we sense love and feel love can be different for all of us. And that’s why it’s important for us to not only teach our children that they are loved by us no matter what they do, no matter what they say, not always happy, not always agreeing, but they.

will be loved by us. That’s important because it impacts their relationship with God. For as they understand that they are loved by their parents, no matter what the circumstances are, then they begin to understand and perceive that they are loved by God in an everlasting, unchangeable way.

That’s foundational in the heart of every believer. A lot of Christians are out of church today because they think God is up there ready to whack them over the head. Because they think every move they make could be a mistake.

And they live in this constant fear that somehow they are not loved. And so why go where they’re not loved? Or at least they don’t sense to be loved. That’s why it’s essential for us church that if we’re going to display the love of God…

that each of us first enjoy the love of God for you cannot give what you have not and are not receiving. And so in your life I want you to enjoy the privilege of being loved by God and to know this extent of it and to grow in it and to revel in it and to learn it and to rejoice that you are loved by God.

Number two, how do I demonstrate this badge of discipleship which is love through modeling humility in my life? Now verse 14, if I then your Lord and master the synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke that the disciples had been arguing.

They were squabbling among themselves. They were jockeying for position. Luke tells us that as they were in the upper room they were arguing about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And so Jesus Christ in the midst of all of these men who were trying to claim superiority or arguing who is the greatest.

Luke tells us in Luke 22 verse 24 that there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest. And in the midst of that argument Jesus stands up and he begins to wash their feet.

The disciples were only thinking of themselves. Jesus was thinking about others. We are reminded in Philippians 2 3 as believers let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.

At the heart of humility, God is not asking you to have a low opinion of yourselves, but He is asking you to have a high opinion of others. And the problem in Christianity is that we’re not displaying love through humility because we just think a little too highly of ourselves, and we deserve that position at the job.

We deserve this position in the church when the truth is we should be humbled by any opportunity and any privilege to do anything for the Lord Jesus Christ. God is calling us to show our love for others through humility towards them, the job of washing people’s dirty feet.

was always to the lowest slave. Even in this system of slavery in the Roman Empire, there were tears, and there were slaves that managed great assets and households. There were slaves who had different tasks and responsibilities, and then there were the lowest slaves who every person that came into their home was responsible to wash the feet of the guests and to wash the feet of the homeowner.

And you would think that when Jesus entered into this upper room, that his disciples would have immediately washed his feet, recognizing and understanding the intimacy of this moment as they are getting ready for the Lord’s Supper, the Passover, to transition into the new covenant, you would think that there would be a sense of humility among the disciples, God’s people, but there was a sense of pride when they gathered.

And Jesus got up, and he began to wash feet. Well, how privileged are we to be loved of God? Think about that, that God would show love to us, and that he would pour that love upon us, and that the Bible teaches us that he loves us to the end, and that his love is everlasting.

And so he’s not going to give up on us, he’s going to continue to show his love towards us, and that it’s our responsibility to live and enjoy that love and rejoice in that love so we can continue to show that love.

You can’t give what you don’t have. And if you’re not receiving the love of God regularly and daily in your life, then you’re going to be limited in your ability to love others. Listen, this world’s complicated, and people are complicated and difficult, and the only way that you can…

truly show love is to be filled with the love of God every day in your life. So we encourage you to look at the life of Christ in John chapter 13, learn from Him and pray that God would help those character traits to be more evident in your life on a daily basis.

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And you help us as we continue to spread His message by sharing what we’re posting and help us to continue to lift up Christ to every heart and every home. And we’re excited about that. So help us out and do that.

Remember, this is Pastor Mike Sanders. reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.