The True Expression of Love Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The True Expression of Love Part 1. He will be in John 13:11-11.

Loving people always faces opposition and that as God is calling you to step out there will always be the work of the devil that wants to destroy this concept and this truth that Jesus loves people hello this is pastor Mike Sanders we’re delighted that you can tune in with us today and to be a part of hope worth having radio broadcasts you know our radio broadcast continues to expand out and we’re thankful for all of our listeners and I want you to know I appreciate so many of you that write and let us know what it means to you I just recently received a little thank -you card from one of our listeners and she was telling me what a delight it is for her to learn the Word of God together and one thing that we want you to know is that we’re committed to teaching the Bible verse by verse chapter by chapter book by book and we really are not big storytellers we’re not comical or big comedians we just want to teach the Bible so God’s people can be enriched and they can be strengthened in their walk for the Lord and these are unique in different times but with the strength of the Lord we can move forward with him so today we’re going to be in John chapter 13 continuing our study in verse 11 through 38 and we’re talking about the true expression of love the true expression of love you know no one loved us like Christ did and as we look at the life of Christ and we see his great dedication to his disciples and how he lavished love on them and how he continued to love them even when they were unlovely you know we got to remember that there are times you and I are unlovely and yet God still loves us and this is what we have the opportunity to learn about today so I want you to get your Bible and join me in the gospel of John chapter 13 If you have your Bibles this morning,

I want you to join me in the Gospel of John, chapter 13. We continue our study in this great chapter. And I remind you that last week I taught you that truly John chapter 13 is the love chapter of the Bible.

That is the whole theme that John is emphasizing to us as we read through John chapter 13. And this morning I want to talk to you about the vulnerability of love. Last week we looked at the love of Jesus for His disciples and we looked at how much He was willing to humble Himself and to wash the feet of His disciples.

To take on Himself as a servant, one who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, took on Himself to be a servant and He served His disciples. Pastor Craig Larson, in his sermon about Judas, and he entitled it, Finishing Strong, said these words, and I quote, he said, Think of Judas.

Judas decided to follow Jesus. Judas heard Jesus teach. He went out two by two with the others, healing the sick. Judas did a lot of disciple kinds of things, yet he is remembered solely for how his relationship with Jesus ended.

How a life, how a ministry, or a relationship ends is absolutely crucial to everything that goes before it, end of quote. Today, we are going to look at the love that Jesus Christ showed to an enemy, to someone who betrayed him.

Judas, for all his privileges that he enjoyed as a close disciple to the Savior, had nonetheless forsaken Jesus within his heart. And as we come to our text, we are reminded that Jesus’ heart is full of humility, love, and compassion.

And we see that demonstrated in that he was willing to wash, and so did wash the disciples’ feet. We continue to see his mammoth love for others in his willingness to sit at the same table with his betrayer.

I want you to follow along with me in verse 18, and notice what the text says. Jesus himself says, I speak not of all of you all. I know whom I have chosen, the scripture may be fulfilled he that eateth bread with me has lifted up his heel against me now I tell you before it come that when it is come to pass you may believe that I am he verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me when Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit and testified and said verily verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me then the disciples looked one on another doubting of whom he spake now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who should it be of whom he spake He then lying on Jesus’ breast said unto him,

Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it. When he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop, Satan entered into him.

Then said Jesus unto him, that thou doest do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, or he was the treasure, that Jesus had said unto him, by those things that we have need of against the feast, or that we should give something to the poor.

He then, having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night. I want us to learn four lessons this morning from this particular passage of Scripture relating to the vulnerability of love.

Because as John is unfolding for us this chapter, he wants us to see the example of the love of Jesus Christ. And then it’s going to culminate in verse 35 of John chapter 13, in which Jesus said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have what?

Love one to another. The badge of discipleship is love. And love is not easy. And that’s what I want you to learn this morning. The first point is that loving people is risky business in your life. Loving people is risky business.

When we talk about the vulnerability. of love this morning, we’re saying this, that when you love people, you are vulnerable. You are vulnerable, open to attack, capable of being wounded. If I was to talk to a young man who was going to enter into the ministry, I would tell him to keep a tender heart and tough skin.

And the reason that I would tell him is that no one told me, and I wish they had. I wish they had said to me, Mike, loving people is risking business. That when you open your heart and pour your life into others, know that you are vulnerable.

And that there is the potential and the possibility of being wounded in your heart. But it’s no different, just, It’s not just something exclusive to the pastor. It’s in all of our lives. Think about this.

Jesus said in verse 18, whom I have chosen. Jesus chose 12 men, 12 disciples, 12 apostles, men who would become foundational stones in the early church as Paul taught us in Ephesians, chapter two, men who would be great leaders in the church, men who would go out and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and plant churches in the known world, men who would see great miracles and mighty acts of God.

These men Jesus poured into for three and a half years. He poured his life into them, 12 men selected by him. He knew each one. He knew each one perfectly and that included Judas. Jesus knew. Jesus was not surprised that Judas betrayed him because he is God and he knows all.

But he chose Judas. And what is interesting is when you look at this text in verse 18, he says that the scripture may be fulfilled. What is that scripture? It is the scripture of the Psalm, Psalm 41 .9 in which the Psalmist said, even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.

This is the verse that Jesus quotes in verse 18. He that eateth bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. The Psalmist knew what it was like to even have his own son Absalon betray him. He understood what it was to have a friend betray him.

He understood what it was to have to. experience the betrayal of a close friend but really it was a prophetic teaching to all of us and to all that one day Jesus Christ would he would be betrayed by Judas Jesus took a risk when he loved Judas Jesus took a risk when he selected Judas to be among the 12 disciples but that is how love is it is risky business church and that’s what I want you to know is that loving people is risky business and I know that your reaction immediately in your flesh is because you don’t want to be wounded again and you don’t want to be hurt again and you don’t want to be let down again But God keeps commanding us to love one another.

And He keeps telling us that our calling is love. And how does the world know that we’re truly disciples? Because of our love for one another. Listen to what the psalmist said in Psalm 55, verse 12 and 13.

For it is not an enemy who taunts me. Then I could bear it. It is not an adversary who deals insolently with me. Then I could hide from Him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.

What I want you to understand is that when I teach you that loving people is risky business, I’m not telling you to quit loving. I’m telling you to keep loving. To keep loving, but be wide open in your understanding.

And that you know that there are going to be people in your life. That as you love them, they will turn on you. They will betray you. They’ll walk out of your life. And some of you understand what I’m saying this morning, because you have been there.

And what I want to encourage you is to know is that the worst reaction you can have is to isolate yourself, close the blinds and build walls in your heart and say, I’m never going to love again. Because that is not the badge of a disciple.

And yes, when we love, it is vulnerable. Our hearts are vulnerable. But just be knowing that loving people is risky business. The second thing that I want you to note in this text is that love always faces opposition.

Now, I want you to back up with me in verse 11. chapter 13. The Bible says this, for he knew who should betray him, meaning Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. Therefore said he, you’re not all clean.

You remember when Jesus was washing the feet as he was symbolically teaching about how we’re all in need to be cleaned? That we all need to be saved and cleansed from God? And then as I taught you when we went through this, that we need a daily cleansing in our life.

That’s why we spend time with Christ every day of our life. That’s why we come to the fountain for his forgiveness. That’s why that as we go through the dusty roads of this world, that we need a spiritual cleansing every day.

It doesn’t mean I have to be saved again, but I need my feet washed symbolically. I need to experience God’s grace continually in my heart. And I need the impurities of my life to be washed away at the feet of the servant, Jesus Christ Himself.

But Jesus, in the midst of this, recognized that you’re not all clean. He’s referring to Judas, verse 18. I speak not of you all, I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.

Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, you may believe that I am he. Verse 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

And when Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit and testified, and said, verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. Jump down to verse 27. And after the sop, Satan entered into him.

Then said Jesus unto him, that thou doest do quickly. What you got to do, go do it. Jesus knew he was going to go and betray him to the enemies of Christ. What I want you to know is that even though Jesus Christ loved Judas, and was continually extending forgiveness to Judas, by not only just keeping him in the fold, but that he would be a part, that he would come and sit at the table.

But even as we love others, we must remember that God’s purpose is always going to face opposition. The most startling thing that’ll happen in your heart is that as you are out there loving people and trying to do…

the right thing and trying to serve God and obey God and follow his will is that there will be those who undoubtedly will become the instruments of Satan to resist and challenge the work that God has put in your heart.

And what is most stunning is that that can even happen within the family of God and it can happen within your own family and you must be alert to this that loving people always faces opposition and that as God is calling you to step out as he’s calling you to reach out as he is calling you to extend your ministry and your love to other people that they may know Christ that there will always be the work of the devil that wants to destroy this concept and this truth that Jesus loves people.

and you and I are the extension, we are His hands, we are His feet on this earth, and we are the extension of the body of Christ on this earth, and therefore we are to go out into this world, and we are to love people all week, every day.

But as you love people, the devil will work tirelessly to resist that work, that he’ll do everything to discourage you from loving people. As Jesus is showing this love, He knows there’s gonna be opposition.

He knows Judas is going to avail himself to the Satan himself entering into Judas and to betray the Lord. What made Judas betray Jesus? Scripture makes it very clear that Judas was the treasurer of the ministry, and that in that position as treasurer, Judas had embezzled money, that he was hoarding the money, keeping it for himself.

Matthew records that Judas was seeking out, by his own volitional will, he was seeking out the chief priests on how he might offer to betray Jesus to them. And finally, Judas does agree to betray his master for 30 pieces of silver.

What led him to that dreadful action? Simply this, the love of money and power. You see, when Judas chose to follow God, even though Jesus selected Judas, chose Judas, and brought him in to be a disciple, Judas’s heart was never in tune with Jesus from day one.

He was always pursuing money. always pursuing power and he was hoping that Jesus would bring about a political revolution that would allow him to serve in some great cabinet seat of this new political regime that would take over the Roman Empire and Judas was obsessed with this from day one.

And time unfolded in Jesus’ ministry, Judas began to realize that the heart of Christ was never to be a political king but to be a personal king of every heart. And that Jesus came to die for the church and he came to bring sinners to salvation, that they might have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as Judas begins to acknowledge this, he starts scheming out of disappointment. to betray Jesus, and we are warned here by the life of Judas that one single obsession, one obsessive sin can enwrap and possess and enchain and degrade the character of a man or a woman, and you have to be careful that even as a follower of Christ that you don’t become so obsessed with what you want, that you resist the will of God,

that you resist the work of Christ, that you’re so obsessed the way you think it should be and how it should unfold and what should happen relating to the church and the work of Christ and all that God is doing within this world, that you become disappointed.

You and I must come to that point where we recognize that God’s ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and we do not want to be a part of the company who is opposing the love of Jesus Christ spreading throughout this world.

The story of Judas reminds us of the depth of evil the human heart can go even in the best of circumstances. This is why I remind parents, make sure you don’t raise pagan religious kids. More important than all the religion and all the church attendance is their heart and that they have truly repented and believed in Jesus Christ and that their life is fully surrendered to God almighty.

speaking to a young man this week he was 18 years old and he told me that he was tired of his parents telling him what to do and I asked him what his future plans were and he told me he was gonna join the army in July and I thought the same reaction just like you and as I talked to him I said you know what really is your problem is your heart and I said are you all in for Christ have you fully surrendered everything to Jesus and that’s what’s important in all of our lives and that is God is going to work he is church is going to march forward he is going to continue to make a difference and call people to salvation.

The question is, are we going to join God where He is working? Are we going to be a part of what God is doing? Or are we going to find ourselves opposing the advancement of the love of Jesus Christ in our family, in our community, in our church, and literally the world?

The third thing I want you to learn this morning is that loving, difficult people is part of the plan of God. And to help us understand that in depth, I want to jump back to John chapter 6. Just go back there if you will.

Don’t worry, there’s nowhere to go. There’s nothing to do today. You got plenty of time with Pastor Mike. And since we didn’t have Sunday school, I thought we could have a two -hour sermon. John chapter 6, verse 70.

Thank you. Jesus says this in verse 70 of John chapter 6, Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve? And one of you is a devil. Early in the ministry of Christ he knew, he knew of Judas’s diabolical schemes.

He knew that the devil was working in Judas’s life. We jump back to chapter 13 and we go to verse 10 and the Bible says, 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. And now verse 26. Jesus answered he it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it and when he had dipped the sop he gave it to Judas Iscariot the son of Simon it was the plan of God for Jesus to love his betrayer it was the sovereign will of God that Jesus would love difficult people not just people he got along with not just people who cooperated with him but even those who had devilish plans Jesus knows that Judas will betray him the Bible says that even in the fact that he knew this and I just gave it to you in the scriptures that the Bible says in verse 26 that he gave the bread to Judas Now understand this,

that whenever a host would have a feast, a meal, that it was tradition that they would dip the bread in a common bowl, and they would pass it to a guest to show honor and to show friendship and gratefulness for their presence at their place.

Jesus took the bread and He gave it to Judas, showing honor, showing that friendship, showing care, and most importantly showing forgiveness. In that moment, and I want you to imagine with me in your mind, at the moment that Jesus took that bread and He dipped it into that little bowl, and then He offered it to Judas.

How momentous, how powerful, and amazing. Well I hope this message has really impacted your life. Now whenever you read the Bible, study the Bible, it’s important to ask good questions. And so as you’ve been listening to this message today, I want you to think about, is there a sin that God wants you to confess in your life?

Is there a promise that He wants you to claim? Is there an attitude He wants you to change? These are important questions because you don’t want to just hear the word, you want to be a doer of the word, and asking yourself good questions as you listen and read the Bible, well that’s going to help you to take it from just hearing it to doing it.

And so if there’s anything God has brought to your attention that you feel like you need to confess to Him right now in this moment, do not hesitate and bring that before God. And remember every time we come to the throne of God, it is a throne of grace, and we are going to find mercy and help in the time of need so you don’t have to be afraid you don’t have to be on a guilt trip you can simply come to God confess that sin and through the work of Christ on the cross your sins are forgiven so rejoice my friend and know that God is with you and he is working in you now we want to remind you that you need to check out our website hopeworthhaving .com and on that website there are different articles that we put up there there are opportunities to catch up with our latest newsletter you can sign up for our newsletter you can also contact us there are videos you can watch so use the website as a tool to help you to continue to grow in your faith in your spiritual formation you want to make sure the Word of God is shaping your heart for Christ you don’t want to be shaped by the world but by Jesus Christ in his truth that’s our goal that’s why we want to get that information out to you as much as we can.

So take advantage of that. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.

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