Sermon Notes: April 18, 2010

Sermon Notes

April 18, 2009

A New Commandment

PASSING OF THE PEACE

Scripture: Luke 10 (Good Samaritan)

Question: Which one are you? Being helped onto the donkey? Or helping?

CALL TO WORSHIP (John 13:34 & 35)

Jesus Gave us a New Commandment

Love One Another

Question: How well do you “love one another”?

LAST WEEK, Greg preached on “love our enemies”?

How well do WE, as a church, “love one another”?

INTRO TO JOHN 13

Beginning of a new section in John (2nd half of the gospel). The first half, Book of Signs (regarding Jewish institutions/festivals) (public ministry); the second half Book of Glory (the cross) (public ministry). Thus the Book of Glory is focused on one sign, one event; the cross. The cross is not a tragedy, but New Wine. CROSS is a new paradigm

SCRIPTURE: JOHN 13:1

1It was just before the Passover Feast.

PASSOVER

A new feast for Jesus to reinterpret or fulfill (old wine to new wine).

LAST SUPPER/Holy Communion

Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.

TIME HAD COME (hour had come)

prior to this moment (“my hour had not come” (john 2? etc.?) (1st half: book of signs)

But now, it’s time!

The focus is now on the disciples (as before it was beyond the disciples)

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

FULL EXTENT OF HIS LOVE - you ever hold back your love?

There are many good reasons to hold back your love (full extent of his love)

1. risk

2. vulnerability

REMEMBER: Call to worship

how wel do you love one another

how well do WE love one another

However, if love is unconditional, does that impact the issue of risk?

Jesus is preparing the disciples for his “full extent of his love”

First Act of “full extent of his love” - Foot Washing

SCRIPTURE: John 13: 2 - 17

Foot washing is a menial task.

According to some Jewish sources,

Jewish slaves were exempt (only Gentiles)

Jesus washes the feet of his disciples,

by first wrapping a towel around himself(13:4)the posture of a slave

serve:

Jesus is to serve us as a ransom (CROSS)

A NEW COMMANDMENT: LOVE

SCRIPTURE: John 13: 34 & 35

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

POINT: We are to love as Jesus loved. Jesus is the model (WWJD)

And, as Jesus was about to show his “full extent of his love”

we are to show the extent of our love

In other words, don’t hold back: RISK

35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

POINT: The Litmus Test for Church & Us as followers: LOVE

In other words, what is a christian? someone who loves like Jesus

What should Christians do better than non christians: love

The reputation of each church should be love (above anything else)

GREG Preached on this last week: Love Your Enemies

POINT: Followers of Jesus are to show a quality of love unparalleled in the world

IN OTHER WORDS: The full extent of our love

INTRO TO LUKE 10

Let’s go back to the bulletin cover and look at the story

and ask these two questions:

is this a model for us to live our lives?

Is it also a model for us as a church?

OBSERVE THE RISK in this act of love

SCRIPTURE: Luke 10: 25 - 37

QUESTION: DID THEY SHOW THE FULL EXTENT OF THEIR LOVE?

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[d]"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." (Love thy neighbor) Greg: Love our enemies

FINAL QUESTION: WHAT DOES FUL EXTENT OF LOVE LOOK LIKE?

Jesus talked about it and the Jesus did it.

SCRIPTURE: John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

POINT: The full extent of his love, is to lay down his life for us.

Why? Because the purpose of life is RELATIONSHIP (God and others)