Our text this morning will come
from John chapter 13. John chapter 13, and the title
of the message is this, as I have loved you, as I have loved you. Now typically, we give More credence,
I think sometimes we pay closer attention to a man's dying words. In Genesis chapter 47, verse
25, we read that the time drew nigh that Israel must die. And he called his son Joseph
to him. And if you read on, you'll see he called all of his sons
together, and he spoke to them, and he blessed them. And he gave
them some words of instruction in his dying words. And in the
last chapter of Genesis, Joseph, he spoke his dying words to his
brother. Joseph said this, he said, I
die and God will surely visit you. And not only is he going
to visit you, he's going to bring you out of this land, which he
swore to Abraham, to Isaac, And to Jacob, what's he saying? God is going to deliver you. Joseph, could there be any more
comforting words? God is going to deliver you.
And then David's last words are recorded in 2 Samuel 23. In fact,
it says these are the last words of David. David the son of Jacob,
he said, and the man who raised him up on high, the anointing
of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel. This is what
he said. The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was
in my tongue. The God of Israel, the Rock of
Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light
of the morning, When the sun rises, even a morning without
clouds is the tender grass springing out of the earth by a clear and
shining rain. And then David went on to say
this. He said, although my house be not so with God, yet hath
he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
ensure David said, this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. David's
last words provided assurance, hope. He said, think about it,
God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
and sure, this is all my salvation. He is all my salvation. He is
all my desire. Last words. I know of a man that
did this, a man who knew he was near death. He set his sons down
and he gave them clear instruction. concerning his desires with them. His desire for his family. Words spoken in love. Words spoken
in concern, not for the whole world, but for his family. And I believe that's what's going
on here in this text. that we're looking at this morning,
here in John 13. Do you still have it? Look at
verse 1 of John 13. John 13, verse 1. Now before
the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew He knew all things,
didn't He? He orders all things. He directs
all things. When Jesus knew, knew what? His hour was come
that He should depart out of this world to His Father. Having loved His own when we
were in the world, He loved Him until the end. This is the Lord Jesus Christ,
His death. crucifixion is near. He's about
to depart out of this world, this world in which he came. God was made a man. He was made a man. He came into
this world. He dwelt among men. Can you imagine how low he had
come? to be made, to be made a man. Almighty God robed himself in
human flesh and became a man. He came in to this world. But
oh, aren't we thankful that he came into this world. In 1 Timothy
1.15, we read why he came into this world. This is a faithful
say and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the
world. Why'd he do it? To save sinners. He lived a sinless life. He was
obedient to the law in all things. He was obedient unto death. even the death of the cross. And knowing His hour was come,
He knew that. He knew that there was a set
time, a fixed time in which He would depart this earth. Scripture
declares it's the fullness, in the fullness of time. And He
spoke to His disciples. And you know there was, I don't
believe there was any uneasiness. He knew what was happening. He knew what was about to take
place. In his love and affection for them, he spoke to them. We
read that, was it love and affection? Having loved them, he loved them
to the end. And as he spoke, I wonder, I
wonder if they knew the significance of his words. Do we ever know
the significance of his words? How closely did they listen? As I was preparing this message, I thought, these are my first
words to you as your pastor. But you know they could just
as easily be my last words? This could be the last time.
This could be the last time I speak to you. This could be the last
time you hear, have an opportunity to hear the gospel. I wish we could understand the,
I wish I could understand the urgency of God's word, the necessity
to hear God's word and that Every time we have an opportunity to
hear it, we'd not take it for granted. That takes a new meaning, doesn't
it? If we could truly enter into
that, listen to the words of our Lord here in John 13. Brother
Jason read these. Look at verse 34. He says, a
new commandment I give unto you. What is that commandment? That
you love one another. As I have loved you, that you
also love one another. You know, this isn't a new commandment
in the sense that it was just recently revealed. We find it,
if we go back in the Old Testament, back there in the Law of Moses
in Leviticus 19, we read, thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any
grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. I'm the Lord. John said, we had it from the
beginning. There in 2 John 5, he said, now
I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment
unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning. What's the command? That we love
one another, that we have a love one for another. You know, it's
called new and it's always new in its excellence. and it's more clearly explained than before,
being set forth in the gospel in light of God's word, in light
of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for his people. Love one another as I have loved
you. It's one thing to say love one
another. We have our ideas of what that is. But he says, you're
to love one another. And this is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. Love one another, how? As I have
loved you. Love is brethren. We're in the same family, aren't
we? We have the same Lord, don't we? Love one another. Forgiving one another. Forbearing
one another. Preferring one another. I can promise you, I will offend
you at some point. And I don't mean with the words
of the gospel. I can promise you I'm gonna do
something that will offend you. I pray the Lord will give us
all a spirit of forgiveness, a spirit of love one for another. To love freely despite weakness,
Despite imperfection, you know the Lord Jesus Christ loves all
of his people, all of his brethren, rich, poor, young, old, weak,
strong, greater, lesser in this world, and not just in word. Sometimes we say that, oh, I
love you, right? Sometimes people, we don't even
know, I love you. Not just in word, but in deed. In deed and in truth. Look again
at our text. John 13, look at verse 35. He says, by this shall all men know that you're
my disciples. How are they gonna know if we're
His disciples? Is it because we got a big sign out in the
front yard or that we dress in a certain way? How are men gonna
know we're His disciples? By this one thing, that you love
one another. Not only by God's grace and love
shed abroad in our hearts, but by a new heart. He gives
his people a new heart, a new nature, a new attitude, a new
want to, a new conduct toward others. And by this, he said, shall all
men know that you're my disciples. You know what sets a man or a
woman or a young person apart As a believer, again, it's not
outward appearance. It's not what we wear. It's not
how we talk, not a peculiar talk. It's not a holier-than-thou attitude,
walking around with our head up high. But it's wrapped up
in this one word, love, love. First John 4.20 says, if a man
say that I love God and he hates his brother, what's the rest of it? He's a
liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hasn't seen? First Peter 4.8 says this,
above all things, have fervent charity. Fervent love, that's
love without ceasing. That's what that word, I had
to look it up, fervent, that's a pretty big word. Love without
ceasing. For love shall cover a multitude
of sins. Brotherly love. Love for Christ
and a genuine love for his people. Those are the distinguishing
characteristics of Yeshua. Ephesians 4, verse 31, listen,
let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil
speaking be put away from you with all balance, and be ye kind
one to another. In the heart, forgiving one another,
as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Well, that's my
first point. We're commanded to love one another. Chapter 13, verse 34. A new command
I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. Here's the second point. Love
one another as I have loved you. Again, this is Christ speaking.
These are the words of our Lord and Savior. How does he love his people?
How does he love his people? Ephesians 5.25 would read that
Christ loved the church and he gave himself for it. What do we read in the scriptures
about his love for his church? Well, I know this, it's a particular,
it's a particular love. We're to love as Christ loved
the church and who did he give himself for? For it. He gave
himself for the church, his bride, his elect. Turn with me to John
chapter 10. Is that who he loves? John chapter
10, just turn a couple pages there, John 10, look at verse
15. As the Father knoweth me, even
so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for who? The sheep. His love is particular. It's for his sheep, it's for
his bride, it's for his church. We read this in Romans 9, 13,
as it is written, Jacob have a loved, but Esau have a hated. It's particular, particular. God's, his love for his church
is, it's eternal. It's eternal. Turn with me to
the book of Jeremiah, right after Isaiah, Jeremiah chapter 31. Look at verse three of Jeremiah
31. He says, the Lord hath appeared
of old unto me, saying, yea, have I loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. When did this love begin? He's always, always loved his
people. Always loved his church. He beheld
and loved his church from all eternity. In Ephesians 1, 4 we
read that he, God, chose us in Christ from before the foundation
of the world. that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. In love. What else do we know
about his love for his people? Well, he loves his people with
a love that can never be lost. Never be lost. Paul wrote in
1 Corinthians 13, he said charity, and that word means love. Love
never fails. It never fails. I hear people
say this about maybe a spouse. I just don't love him anymore.
Or I just don't love her anymore. And then they part ways. But God's love for His bride,
His love for His church, it never ceases. It never fails. Turn with me to Romans 8. Romans
8. Look again in verse 38 of Romans chapter 8. Verse 38, for I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, NOR PRINCIPALITIES,
NOR POWERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT, NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR HEIGHT,
NOR DEBT, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US
FROM THE LOVE OF GOD WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD." Nothing. Nothing in this world. Nothing. No matter what, whether
it's good, what we consider good, or what we consider bad, nothing
can or ever will separate us from the love of God, which is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Afflictions, weakness, pride,
enemies, enemies within, enemies without, to make us reason to hold, get
reason to rejoice, and know that we are eternally secure, not in ourselves, in Him, Christ,
in His love. Love from all eternity, eternally
saved. We know this about His love.
God's Word declares this. I ask you, are we deserving of
His love? Have we done something to merit
His love? Can we earn it? Romans 3, beginning with verse
10. Won't you turn there with me?
If you're still in Romans, Romans chapter 3, verse 10. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They're all going out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Their throat, it's an open sepulcher. That's an open grave. With their
tongues, they've used deceit. The poison of asps under their
lips. Mouth full of bitterness and cursing. Feet swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways. Way of peace. They have not enough. There is no fear of God, no fear
of God before their eyes. And yet, in spite of who and what we are,
Paul, writing to the Ephesians, he said he's going to present
to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing. but rather it should be holy without blemish. The Lord Jesus Christ found us
guilty and sinful and full of fault, yet he loved us and cleansed
us in his own blood that he might present us to himself holy and
without spot. We read that earlier. Who did
he come to save? He came into the world to save
sinners. And what's the evidence of it?
Ephesians 5, 25. What's the evidence of his love?
He says, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church
and did what? Gave himself for it. He gave himself. Think of what
he could have given. You know, Christmas time comes
around, I start thinking about gifts to give. A lot of times
I think about what gifts I want, but gifts to give. And you know,
there's a limit. There's a limit on what I could
give. There's a limit on what any of
us could give. But the Lord Jesus Christ, he could have given anything. It's all His. The earth is the
Lord's in the fullness thereof. He could have given anything. But what did He give? He gave Himself. He gave Himself. Scripture declares that He made
His very soul an offering for sin. Husbands, love your wives. as
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. That's love, isn't it? You know,
we can give of things, right? Sometimes, you see, somebody's
asking for something, you reach in your pocket and you grab a
$20 bill or a $5 bill or whatever. Easy to give things. He gave
himself. He made his soul an offering
for sin. Greater love. Greater love hath no man than
this. He lay down his life for his
friends. Well, back to our text, John
13. New commandment, I give unto you, that you love one another as
I loved you, that you also love one another, a particular love.
an eternal love, a love that cannot be lost, a love that is
undeserved, a love for which He gave Himself. And let me say
this in close, it's a sovereign love. Look at Ephesians 2.4,
let me just read it to you, Ephesians 2.4, who is rich in mercy for his
great love. Where was he loved? Who? Us. He loved us even when we were
dead in trespasses and sins. Hath quickened us, hath given
us life together with Christ. For by grace are you saved. love one another as I have loved
you. I pray the Lord at mercy would
teach us that, that he would reveal that to us, and that he
would bless us with a love one for another,
and bless us, though, the love of Christ for his people. He had enabled us to see that,
that he would let me see one of his. And that he loved me,
and that he gave himself for me. All right. I'm going to come with this in
a close in here.