One Single Mark

In 1970, Christian author Frances Schaffer wrote a book entitled, “The Mark of a Christian.”  What do you think that book was about?

 

Do you think he wrote about baptism or taking the Lord’s Supper?  Do you think he wrote about wearing a Christian t-shirt or a cross necklace or having a Christian bumper sticker or fish symbol on our cars?

 

No, I don’t think he mentioned any of those things.  Instead, he pointed to John 13 and the words of Christ. 

 

Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover.  That is the celebration of the angel of the Lord passing over the Israelites in Egypt while killing the first born of Egyptian males and animals. 

 

It was Thursday night, and Jesus was with the entire twelve (12) disciples in the upper room.  This was the Thursday night before the Jesus’ Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection.

 

Earlier in chapter 13, Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, and He prophesied about Judas’ betrayal.  As a result, Judas then left them in the room and put into action his plan to sell out Jesus for thirty (30) pieces of silver. 

 

Now, we pick up the story in John 13:31.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “One Single Mark.”

 

 

Exposition

In verse 31, again, we see that Judas had left, and this now got the ball rolling or started the dominoes falling in Jesus’ betrayal, murder, and resurrection.  The end of verse 31 and 32 speak to Jesus’ ultimate mission in coming to earth. 

 

Jesus was glorified because He would be perfectly obedient to the Father’s will.  Consequently, God would be glorified because Jesus is God’s Son and was the incarnation of God on earth.  Glorified is simply another way of saying praised or exalted. 

 

Jesus would be praised and then God would be praised and then Jesus and then God.  Jesus would be glorified immediately as He was obedient to the point of death and then resurrected on the 3^rd day.

 

In verse 33, Jesus spoke tenderly and affectionately to His disciples in calling them “little children.”  He again told them that He would not be with them much longer. 

 

Consequently, they would not be able to go with Him yet.  He would need to die first, and then they would eventually die and join Him in heaven, but His mission must be completed first. 

 

What was that mission?  See Mark 10:45.

 

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

 

Verses 34 and 35 are our focus verses for today.  By the way, I wish I was smart enough to plan this stuff on my own.  However, you know better.

 

Today is the Sunday before Valentine’s Day.  Our entire culture is thinking about love, but they are thinking about eros.  In verses 34 and 35, Jesus spoke of agape.

Jesus told His disciples of a new commandment, but was it really new?  It wasn’t new in the sense of never having been taught previously.  See Leviticus 19:18. 

 

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

 

However, it was new in relation to the New Testament.  Whereas Leviticus 19:18 was given under the Old Covenant, John 13:34 was given under the New Covenant. 

 

His disciples were to love one another as He had loved them, and that would be the Church’s defining characteristic for centuries to come. It is and should be the one single defining mark of every Christian.

 

 

Big Idea

1. We are to love, 13:34a!

You and I as followers of Christ are given a commandment from the mouth of the Lord Jesus, and it is to love one another.  It is not an option or a suggestion, but a commandment coming from our highest authority. 

 

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus called loving our neighbors one of the two greatest commandments. 

 

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”  37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

 

Paul repeated it in Romans 13:8-9 and Galatians 5:14. 

 

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

James quoted it in James 2:8, and lest you wonder about who is your neighbor, remember that your neighbors are those who are close by and those that God brings across your path on a daily basis.  We are to love our neighbors!

 

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;

 

 

2. We are to love like Jesus, 13:34b!

The love that we are commanded to love our neighbor with is the love that Jesus loves us with.  Here are three characteristics of His love for us. 

 

First, He loves us unconditionally, and we are to do the same.  He loves us and all of our weaknesses and shortcomings and warts and deficiencies. 

 

That is the way that we are to love one another.  We don’t have to love everything about one another, but we can love unconditionally.

 

Second, we can love sacrificially.  Jesus gave his life on the cross for our sins.  He sacrificed for us, and we can sacrifice for others. 

 

Don’t let it be about you.  Consider your spouse.  Consider your children.  Consider your parents or your friend.  Consider your fellow church member and what they like and what they want and what they need. 

 

Sacrifice your time and your money and your energy and your desires for someone else.  Love sacrificially as Jesus sacrificed for you.

 

Third, we can love righteously.  Jesus died to save us from our sins.  He died because sin would kill us if there wasn’t another option. 

 

Our love for one another ought to be righteous in wanting God’s best for that person.  Sometimes that means holding one another accountable. 

 

It may mean calling into question certain behaviors or lifestyle choices.  If you see that a friend is making some bad choices, out of love be willing to ask them about it and encourage them to do God’s will.  Love righteously.

 

 

3. Our love should be visible, 13:35.

Notice verse 35.  Our love for one another will be how the entire world knows that you are a follow of Christ. 

 

Therefore, it is not enough to simply say you love your neighbor.  We must show we love our neighbor.  We must demonstrate we love our neighbor.  We must prove we love our neighbor. 

 

It should be evident to the world, and it should be evident to the church.  See 1 John 3:14.

 

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

 

 

Conclusion

36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”  Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”  37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”  38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

 

This visible nature of Jesus’ unconditional and sacrificial and righteous love was already demonstrated with Judas and is illustrated again with Peter in verses 36-38. 

 

Even though Peter pledged his love to Jesus, Jesus told Peter that talking about it wasn’t enough.  He must demonstrate it when given the opportunity, and Jesus knew that Peter wasn’t ready for that. 

 

Consequently, He prophesied about Peter’s failure that would occur soon enough.  However, even though Judas would betray Him and Peter would deny Him, the Lord Jesus loved them and us unconditionally and sacrificially and righteously as He went forward with God’s plan of Him dying on the cross in our place and for our sin.

 

Brothers and Sisters, are you loving this morning?  If yes, are you loving like Jesus?  If yes, does it show?  If no to any of these questions, then start today by loving and the loving like Jesus and then loving like Jesus in a way that is obvious to all of those around you.

 

If you’ve never accepted Jesus’ love for you, would you do that this morning?