I have read this passage of scripture
many times, and I don't think I have read this, although I
have read it. A new commandment I give unto
you, that you love one another as I have loved you. Not simply that you love one
another, but you love one another as I have loved you. I've entitled this message, The
Mark of True Discipleship. Verse 35, By this shall all men
know that you are my disciples. If you have love, one to another. Now this ought
to get our careful attention. The mark of true discipleship.
This is what the Lord Jesus gives as the mark of true and genuine
discipleship. Now, if you think, there's a lot of people that
need to hear this. There's so many people that seem to have
such little love in their hearts and they fail to hear this. You've not heard. I want to remind you, the Bible
doesn't tell other people what to do. It tells you what to do. It tells me what to do. If I'm thinking, well, other
people don't measure up very well here. I've missed the point. The Bible does not tell other
people what to do. It tells me what to do. It tells you what to do. Now there are many things that
we may think would be the mark of true discipleship. And these things are good. Doctrinal
correctness. How important is that? I hate
it when people speak of doctrine in a negative way, old, dry doctrine. The only one who says that is
someone with an old, dry heart. This is the doctrine of God. It's not dry. Well, he's doctrinally
correct. Listen, that's a very commendable
thing. I'm thankful for doctrinal correctness. That's the teaching
of the Holy Spirit. If we said humility is the great
mark of a disciple. That'd be a good thing, wouldn't
it? Humility is so beautiful. Pride and arrogance is so ugly.
Humility is so beautiful. If we said faithfulness was the
mark of true discipleship, how encouraging faithfulness is. If we said courage in the Face
of conflict is a mark of a real disciple. Well, I admire courage
in the face of conflict. You do too. Generosity. Oh, every believer ought to be
defined by generosity. That's such a beautiful mark.
But what does the Lord say when he says this is the true Mark
of discipleship verse 35 by this shall all men know that you're
my disciples if you have love one to Another that's the Lord's
true mark of discipleship now back back to verse 33 Little children Yet a little
while I'm with you now the Lord knows that he's going to the
cross in 24 hours and And he says, I'm just with you for a
little while longer. You shall seek me. And as I said
unto the Jews, whether I go, you cannot come. So say I now
to you. Now he meant two different things.
When he says to the Jews, you can't come with me. He's saying,
you can't come with me to heaven. You're going to be in hell. And
when he says this to his disciples, he's saying, you can't come with
me because I'm getting ready to suffer the full equivalent
of eternal hell. You're not going to come with
me in that, I do that by myself. He by himself purged our sins. So he says to the Jews, you're
not gonna be able to follow me into heaven. He says to the disciples,
you can't come where I'm going. Verse 34, a new commandment.
I give unto you. The word new means recent, unprecedented,
a new kind. What is this new commandment?
A new commandment I've given to you that you love one another
as I have loved you. Now I want you to think about
the awesomeness of that statement. You love one another as I have
loved you. This is infinitely above and
beyond the power of human nature. You love one another as I have
loved you. Look in chapter 15, verse nine. And here's how he loved. As the
Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. You love one another
like that. As the Father hath loved me,
so have I loved you. I've heard this statement so
many times, God's love is unconditional. I even heard that on a commercial
this week, a church saying, we're trying to promote the unconditional
love of God. That is a false and misleading
statement to call God's love unconditional. That is a false
It's a misleading statement with regard to the love of God. Was God's love to his son unconditional? Absolutely not. He loves his
son because his son is altogether lovely. He loves his son because
he cannot not love his son. He's the beloved son. Oh, the
father looks at the son and he says, my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased." Is
there anything unconditional about that love? No. The Son
merits the love of the Father. The Father cannot help but love
His Son because His Son is altogether lovely. There's nothing unconditional
about God's love. The Son merits His love. He must love him. Now, people talk about the unconditional
love of God. If God could love a man unconditionally,
he could quit loving that man unconditionally. Wouldn't be a problem. You see, to speak of God's unconditional
love is taking Christ out of the equation of the love of God.
You see, he loves his people in Christ. God's love cannot be separated
from being in Christ. He loves his son. If you're in
him, he loves you. Paul says clearly in Romans chapter
eight that nothing can separate us. from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. If God loves a sinner, it's because
he's in Christ Jesus, our Lord. There's nothing unconditional
about that, is there? The condition is being in Christ. He hath made us accepted in the
beloved. There's the condition in Christ. We use the term unconditional
election. Listen real carefully. Unconditional
election. That's an adjective we put before
election to describe God's electing grace. Now, listen real carefully. Election's true. God chose who he would save before
the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. Now, if a man does not believe
in election, he doesn't believe in grace. Now that's just so. Somebody doesn't preach election,
he doesn't preach grace. If you don't believe in election,
you believe in salvation by words. If you don't believe in election,
you don't believe the gospel. I want to be as clear as I can.
This is, this is a part of the gospel. God's love of his people
and Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. Let me repeat myself. I want somebody to hear if somebody
doesn't preach election, they don't preach the gospel. They
don't preach grace. Now, people use the term unconditional
election to combat the free will heresy that they can't deny that
the Bible teaches election, but they say it's conditioned upon
God forcing your faith. God foresaw who would believe
and therefore he elected them. No, no. Election's unconditional
in the sense that God's not looking for any condition. You must first
meet before he can elect you. In that sense, God's election
is unconditional, but it's not unconditional according as He
has chosen us. How? In Him. In Him. Before the foundation of the
world that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love having predestinated us. unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved." No, God's love is not unconditional. God's love is in Jesus Christ. You know, recently I read where
a preacher spoke of unconditional reprobation. God's reprobation is unconditional. It's him sovereignly choosing
to reprobate a man and sending that man to hell. Meaning reprobation is not an
act of God's judgment against sin, but simply a sovereign decree.
That doesn't come out of the Bible. That comes from flawed
human logic and nothing more. The Bible doesn't state it that
way. And really, the only thing we can believe is exactly how
the Bible states something. No, reprobation is not a sovereign
act of God. If I'm reprobated, it's because
of my sin. If I go to hell, it's because of my sin. It's because
I'm guilty before God. Turn to Romans nine for a moment. Verse 11, to the children, speaking
of Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil. that the purpose of God according
to election might stand. Not of works, but of him that
calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger.
As it's written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Does that mean his hatred of
Esau had nothing to do with his personal works, good or bad?
No. Doesn't mean that at all, but it does mean his love for
Jacob had nothing to do with Jacob's personal works. He had
no works to be commended for or disqualified for because this
took place before he was born. It had nothing to do with his
works. Now he's given us the great truth that salvation is
not of works, but of him to call with. That's the point. Salvation's
not my works, but of him that calleth it was said unto her,
the elder shall serve the younger, as it's written, Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated. Now, I've seen versions, translations
that said, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I loved less. Can
God love less? What kind of God would that be?
God loved less. If God loves Jacob and Esau the
same, his love is meaningless if Jacob is saved and Esau is
lost. But God's love is saving love. And there's no such thing,
as I said, as unconditional love. His love is a saving love. Ephesians
5.25. says husbands love your wives
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that should
be holy and without blame before him You see, Jesus Christ has
made it to where I'm without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing,
but I'm holy and without blame before him. He says, thou art
all fair, my love, there's no spot in thee. Nothing unconditional
about that. Now your works didn't achieve
it. For sure, but this is how he made his bride, his love,
his saving love to where he makes me holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. His love is eternal love. Now remember, he says, you love
them as I've loved you. His love's eternal love. Jeremiah
31, three, behold, I've loved you with an everlasting love,
a love that had no beginning. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Everybody he loves eternally,
he draws his love as a giving love. Galatians 2, 20, Paul said, The life that I now live in the
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. He didn't say, I live by faith
in the Son of God. He said, I live by the faith of the Son of God. Can you live off your faith?
I can't. I can live off his faith though. Who loved me and gave
himself. That's what he gave. What a giving
love he gave himself for me. His love is always a forgiving
love. All he loves, he forgives. There
won't be anybody in hell that he loved. All he loves, he forgives. First Peter 4.8, love covereth
a multitude of sins. Proverbs 10.12, hatred stirreth
up strife, but love covereth all sins. Proverbs 17.9, he that
covereth a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth the
matter separateth very friends. Everybody he loves, he covers
their sins. Now here's my new commandment
to you, and whatever he commands, he gives the grace to obey that
command. As I have loved you, you love one another. First John chapter five, would
you turn there please? Verse one. 1 John chapter 5 verse
1. Whosoever, before we go on, that's
one of my favorite words in the Bible. I'm one of them. I can fit myself in that demographic.
I'm a whosoever. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Now take that. If you believe
that Jesus is God's Christ, if you believe that he's the eternal
son of God, God's prophet, God's priest, God's king, do you believe
that? Are you relying on him being
the Christ? You have no hope of being saved
if he's not the sent one, the Messiah, God's Christ. Whosoever believeth, Jesus is
the Christ, is born of God. You've been birthed of God. You've
been born again. There was a time when you didn't
believe that. You believe it now. Why do you believe it? Because
you've been born of God. And everyone that loveth him that
begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him. The person who's begotten of
God and loves and believes on Christ, it's now his nature to
love. All he loves, he loves because
of who he is, and you do the same because of who you are in
Christ. You've been born of God. You love as well. I love the scripture, we love
him because he first loved us. By the grace of God, make sure
your love's like that too. You first love. You don't wait
for them to do anything. You first love them. As His love forgives all sins,
make sure your love forgives all the sins of those you love,
all of them. As His love never ends, Make
sure your love never ends. As his love is a sacrificial
love, he gave himself. May our love be a sacrificial
love where we give ourselves. He loves his people because they're
lovely in Christ. And how he sees is how it really
is. When he says to me, thou art
all fair, my love. There's no spot in me. There
isn't any spot in him because of what Christ did. He sees his
bride as perfectly beautiful without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing. You look at God's people the
same way he does because that's how they really are. Whether
they don't look that way on the outside right now, that's still
how they are. And you love them the way he loves them. This is
the new commandment. This is the a mark of the evidence
of discipleship, the love that believers have one to another. You love one another as I have
loved you. Would you turn with me to 1 Corinthians
chapter 13. This is what this looks like.
This is the new commandment. This is the unprecedented commandment
that you want to love one another as I have loved you. First Corinthians
chapter 13. When verse 31 in chapter 12, he said,
covet earnestly the best gifts. Don't you want to be able to
communicate the gospel? I covet that. I want to be able
to communicate the gospel boldly, clearly, lovingly. I covet the best gift. But let me show you something
that's better than that, more excellent than that. Now, this 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians
that's read at weddings and the chapter about love, let me first
point this out about this. You put Christ everywhere where
you put charity, and you get the meaning. Look what he says
in chapter 13. Though I speak with the tongues
of men of angels and have not Christ, I'm become as a sounding brass
or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge so that I have
all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not Christ, I'm nothing. And though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to
be burned and have not Christ, It profits me nothing. Christ suffers long and is kind. Christ envies not. Christ vaunts
not himself, is not puffed up, does not behave himself unseemly,
seeks not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoices
not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Christ
never fails. Now you can see where you put
his name, you get somewhat of the meaning
of it, don't you? But that is being true, it's not the word
God the Holy Spirit used, it's charity. He's talking about this
love I'm calling upon you to demonstrate to one another, charity. Now, let's read the chapter. Though I speak, with the tongues
of men and even of angels. And have not charity? Oh, I'm
nothing more than a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, the
strike of a gong, offensive. And though I have the gift of
prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though
I have all faith so as that I can remove mountains, and have not
charity? I'm nothing. And though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to
be burned as a martyr for the cause of God and truth and have
not charity, it profits me nothing. And this is the love he says
we're to have toward one another that is the evidence that we're
true disciples. This thing of charity. Charity
is long suffering. and kind. It's not mean-spirited,
it's kind. Charity envieth not. You know, if you envy somebody,
you don't really love them. Charity envies not. It vaunteth not itself. It's not trying to give you all
kinds of reasons as why you ought to love me. A braggart, a boastful
person. Here's why you ought to love
me. Charity doesn't do that. It's not a braggart. Verse four,
it's not puffed up, swollen with pride. Love is always humble. Verse five, It doesn't behave itself unseemly.
It's not rude and inconsiderate. It seeketh not her own. It's not manipulative. It's not
self-seeking. Not this kind of charity, the
gift of God's grace. It seeks not its own. It's not
easily provoked. You don't have to walk on eggshells
around true charity. Always afraid you're gonna offend.
It's not easily provoked. It's not irritable. It thinketh
no evil. That's the last phrase of verse
five. Literally, it keeps no records
of wrongs. I wish I'd learned that. It keeps
no records of wrongs. Verse six, it rejoices not in
iniquity, it doesn't rejoice in the fall of somebody, but
it rejoices in the truth. Verse seven, it bears all things,
and that is literally, it covers with silence all things. That's what we do with somebody
we love. We're not trying to expose them and make them look
bad and let everybody know all their problems. It covers with
silence all things. That's the way the Lord does
with us. Everything is covered, put away. It believes all things. It thinks the best. It hopes
all things what it can't see, it hopes for. It endures all
things, it never stops. Now this is the charity every
believer is called upon to have one toward another, to love one
another as I have loved you. This is the way the Lord's love
does. Charity, verse eight, never fails. It's never reduced to
inactivity. It never quits. But whether they
be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether they be tongues, they
shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away
for we know in part and we prophesy in part. Isn't that so? Don't
you know that so? But when that which is perfect
is come, let's talk about the full canon of scripture. It hadn't,
as a matter of fact, this was one of the first epistles ever
written. The full canon of scripture would not come for a long time
after this. When that which is perfect is come, and you have
in your lap, if you got a Bible in your lap, that which is perfect,
that which reveals who God is, reveals his true character, reveals
your true character, reveals the gospel message. I'm so thankful
for the scriptures. I've got to have this written
revelation because I don't trust my thoughts. I don't trust your
thoughts. I've got to have this written revelation. When that
which is perfect is come, That which is in part shall be done
away with. That's talking about all these
gifts, speaking in tongues, healing, and so on, that the charismatics
claim. Now, if somebody had the ability
to heal, and they're not going to the Markey Cancer Center and
start healing people, they're phonies. You know anybody who
can do that? All that's been done away with.
When I was a child, I speak as a child, I understood as a child,
I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish
things. For now we see through a glass
darkly. You know, it's interesting. I
was thinking about myself in light of this verse of scripture.
When I was a young man, I could see so clearly. I could see what
was wrong with you so clearly. You know, as I've gotten older,
things are so blurred. I don't know near as much as
I thought I did. All the things I was so sure
about, I'm not so sure about anymore. There's a lot of gray
areas. I'm not so quick to, here's the
way it ought to be. Now I know this, I believe God's
word. and there's no negotiation there. I believe the gospel,
but with regard to all these other opinions that I used to
be so quick to give my knowledge about, I know in part, I see
in part. For now we see through a glass
darkly, an enigma, but then, face to face, Face to face with
Christ my Savior, face to face what will it be? When with rapture
I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me. Then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. Not now, but then. Verse 13, now abideth faith,
hope, charity. This is the love that the Lord
is talking about we're to have with each other. Love one another
as I've loved you. Now abideth faith, hope, charity,
these three, but the greatest of these is charity. Why? There won't be any faith in heaven. It's all going to be sight. There won't be any hope in heaven.
It's all going to be experience. I have a hope that I'm going
to be without sin. Then I'm going to experience
it. But you know what's still in
heaven? Charity. Love for the Lord Jesus Christ
and love for all of those in him. Back to our text, John chapter
13. Little children, verse 33. Yet a little while I'm with you.
He knew he was going to the cross. put away their sins to glorify
His Father. You'll seek me. And as I said
unto the Jews, whether I go, you can't come. So now I say
to you, you can't come with me to the cross in the sense of
bearing hell. I'm doing it for you. You're
with me. You're in me. But I'm doing this by myself.
He by himself purged our sins. A new commandment I give unto
you. that you love one another as
I have loved you. That forgiving, enduring love that I can't even express
how glorious it is. He says, you love one another
as I have loved you, that you love one another By this shall
all men know you're my disciples, if you have love one to another. May the Lord give me and you
the love he's speaking of here. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that the same love with your son has
toward you, he has toward us. And the same love you have for
him, you have for us. How glorious. Lord, deliver us
from thinking only of other people ought to love me that way. But
give us this love, born of your spirit. Enable us to love each other
the way you have loved us. Lord, we can't do this except
you give us the heart to do it. And Lord, we know that this is
the heart you give every believer. We ask that you would give this
to us. And Lord, enable us to look even now to thy son only
as everything in our salvation. In his blessed name we pray. story.