Affection - The Peculiarity of Disciplemaking

Father, we thank you once again that as we gather together this evening, we have the wonderful, glorious opportunity to study your word. We are so richly blessed to be able to open the Bible and to understand the words of our Lord. Tonight, Lord, we pray that our hearts would be once again drawn to the depthness of this text that we're going to study, and that, Lord, we would see the great nature of our God. And understand what you've called us to do. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. One of my favorite stories, and I'm not much of a storyteller, but I do have a few every once in a while.

Is told of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a remarkable charismatic man who, after those sometimes tedious and long receiving lines at the White House became very, very wearied. He complained that no one really ever paid attention to what he said to them when they walked by. So one evening he decided to exper with those who were in the receiving line during a reception. And as each person would come down the line, he would shake their hand and he would say the exact same phrase to each of them. He would say, I murdered my mother this morning.

And each and every one of the people who shook his hand would say, isn't that nice, Mr. President? We're so glad you had that opportunity, Mr. President. Marvelous. Keep up the good work, Mr. Roosevelt. We're so proud of you, sir. God bless you. Until the ambassador from Bolivia, who happened to be the last individual in line. heard exactly what Mr. Roosevelt said and responded with a whisper, I'm sure she had it coming to her. I tell you that story because it's very familiar to all of us. We don't listen to what is being said.

So many times we come to church and we think we know what's going to be said, so we kind of tune out. And usually it centers around a very familiar passage of Scripture. Oh, we've studied that passage before. Oh, we know what he's going to say about that topic. We've heard that before. And so we don't listen.

We don't listen with a willing mind and an open he and don't take ser what is said. Tonight, we have one of those chapters that is very familiar to all of us. And if we're not careful, we can be like those guests in that reception line. Saying all kinds of things without ever really listening to what is being said, as the Spirit of God is speaking to us through the Word of God. And so tonight, my prayer is that all of us would come to grips with the reality of John chapter 13 and realize that there is something very significant about the disciple-making process.

And that is the affection that is shown to those people that God has entrusted to us, that we might demonstrate them the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. We talk a lot about the love of Christ, the love of God, and how He would demonstrate His love for us at the cross. And while that is the apex of His demonstrating that love, We realize that there are many things that happened throughout his life where he would over and over again emphasize his care, his concern, his affection for those people that he chose to invest his life into.

And so affection becomes that very peculiar part of disciple making. It becomes that part that is so significant that for the most part we miss it. And tonight, as we look at John chapter 13, I want to help you understand basically three simple points.

We'll look at the introduction. To this affection. We'll look at the instruction about this affection, and then we will look at some implications concerning This affection that Jesus Christ would show to his men.

We're almost finished with our study. We have two more weeks. We'll finish and be completed with our study on disciple making, and then we'll begin our study in the first epistle of Peter.

John chapter 13, we'll pick up the narrative in verse number 1, and then we'll stop after the first verse.

It says, Now, before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come, That he should depart out of this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. By way of an introduction, I want you to notice three things with me.

First of all, I want you to notice that this was a very sorrowful n. A very sorrowful night. It was the eve of the crucifixion. It was the time that Christ, the last time he would have with his men. In John chapter 13 through John chapter 17, give us the intimate details as to all that took place on that evening of the crucifixion. And John goes into great detail to help us understand the life of our Lord as it relates to the life. of his men. But this begins the the farewell message of our Lord.

And we've said it many times, and you know it, that last words are lasting words. And these are the last words of our Lord to To his men. If they're in the upper room, if you've ever been to the land of Israel and had a chance to go to this location, you can begin to picture in your mind the scene of this room. And those of you who will be going with us in the new year will understand the significance of this room, where it was. And how they would leave this room and then cross over the Kid Brook and go to the Mount of Olives, and our Lord would be able to continue his time with His men.

But in this room, he would begin his farewell message. And the impact of this night would be so profound that his men, especially the Apostle Peter, would never be able to forget the impact that Christ would have. on their lives. It was a night before his ultimate separation. It was sorrowful because he would be separated from his his friends, those whom he loved. But more importantly, it was sorrowful because he knew that on the next day, he would experience something that none of us would ever really truly understand this side of eternity, and that's where God The Son would be separated from God the Father for those three hours on the cross of Calvary.

The ultimate separation. He realizes now that everything has come to a climax, it's at the end of his ministry. And now, as he has just a few short hours to spend with his men, he wants to make them the most significant hours possible. Think of it this way. You know that the next day you're going to go into surgery. You don't know if you're going to make it out of surgery or not. And in the last few hours you have with your family, you want to be able to explain to them the significance of their life.

Your life with them. And you want to give them words that, in case you don't make it out of surgery, will stick with them. They become your last words. But not only was it a sorrowful night, it was a significant night. A very significant night. That's point number two under the introduction.

He says these words: the text says, He loved them to the end. Now, this past week, as I was looking at this phrase, you got to understand something here. This is a very signific phrase. The text says the hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Who is the own? The own, listen carefully, is the twelve. Not ele of the twelve. This is very important. He says he loved them to the end. The word that's used, S tele, is a word that means he loved them.

Perfectly. He loved them completely, mean Listen carefully, that Jesus would love Judas, who is the son of perdition, who is an unbeliever. Perfectly, completely. That is so important for you to understand because Jesus Christ loves the whole world. And on this evening, this phrase is used to help us understand the completion of the love of Christ, the perfection of the love of Christ for all men. even the ones who would disown him, even the ones who would deny him, and to the very one who would betray him.

And he would then go into a long ordeal of demonstrating to all 12. How much he loved them when he washed their feet. So important to understand the extent. Of his love is set in cont to the extent of Judas' hate for his Lord. Now the significant thing about this is that the other disciples had no idea about Judas and his betrayal. They had no idea about Judas and his unbelief. They had seen Judas perform miracles. They had heard Judas preach the gospel. And yet, Judas was an unsaved man. He had never given his life to Christ completely.

And yet he was the most trusted of all the twelve because he was the treasurer of the group. He's the guy you entrust the money to. You had to trust him to let him collect the money, to hold on to the money, to distribute the money. And Judas was that man. And Christ would not only imp truth, he would invest his life. You see, the love of Christ was not some concept that he would speak of, it was a compulsion that would drive him. The love of Christ was not some cold theological abstraction, it was a warm, practical affection.

Toward all twelve men in that room that evening. And yet, as he teaches them, he realizes they have missed. The life of love. They've missed it. They didn't get a hold of it. They didn't grasp it. How do we know that? Because number three, not only was it a sorrowful night, not only was it a significant night, it was a shocking night.

How do we know that? Because the parallel text in Luke 22 says this. Same room, same night. And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be great. He said to them, The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. But let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as a servant. For who is greater? The one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?

Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. Now, if you read Luke 22, between verse number 24 and verse number 25, there's a break. Not in the text, but in the scenario that evening. You see, they're sitting in this room. It's the night before the crucifixion. It's because a very shocking night because their egos were enraged. Self had become the center of their attention. And there arose a dispute among the twelve men about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom.

No thought about Jesus in his suffering. No thought about the pain that he was going to encounter. No thought about the very fact that tomorrow would be the day that the Son of Man would die for the sins of the world. No thought about that. The only thought was about them. And this is how they dealt with their pain. Now, think about this. Because how do we deal with our pain? We deal with our pain by looking inwardly, right? Not outwardly, and let alone. Upwardly, we look inwardly, and that's how these men would deal with the pain.

They were going to shut out the fact that the very next day, Jesus would die for them. They didn't want to think about that. In fact, every time he brought it up, they changed the subject. They didn't like to hear about the death thing, the crucifixion thing, the beating thing. Didn't like to hear that stuff. A lot like us, right? We don't like to talk about the realities of life. That's why we got so many sitcoms on TV. They help us tune out the realities of life and get us to laugh at things that are absolutely ridiculous.

And so these men would tune out reality by focusing inward and saying, okay, I'm going to be the greatest. They have the guys saying, no, I'm greater than you. Are because you know, I do this for Jesus, and the other guy says, No, no, I'm going to be greater in the kingdom because this is what I have done for Jesus, and everything was about them, and that's why the night was so shocking. And yet, when you think about Jesus Christ, you think about how he as the Master would give his life away. He very quietly and very powerfully, am their dispute, would get up, gird himself with a towel, without saying a word.

Because he would give the example before he gave the instruction. And he would do something very significant on that night. As he would demonstrate to them his affection for their lives. Now, remember last week I taught you about Epaphroditis? And how he lived his life in such a way that even though he was sick, he was willing to give his life for those of Philippi and for the Apostle Paul. I read to you that last week before those verses. Listen to what Paul says about this, young Timothy, in 2 Timothy, excuse me, Philippi chapter 2, verse number 19.

He says, but I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interest, not those of Christ. Paul says, I need to send Timothy to you because Timothy is very unique. You see, he doesn't look to his own interests, he looks to Christ's interest. And everybody else is different than that. They're all consumed with self.

And then he goes in to talk about Epaphroditus and how he would risk his life and how he didn't think anything about his life. In fact, he was so upset that you thought he was sick. That somehow his ministry to you would be hindered. How did Epaphroditus and how did Timothy learn that kind of life? They learned it from the Apostle Paul. For over in the book of Acts, the 20th chapter, Paul says these words. He says, Behold, bound in the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that.

The Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, seeing that bonds and affliction await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly. The gospel of the grace of God. Paul says, you know what? I know that when I go to Jerusalem, I'm going to be in for a very rough time. But you know what? My life is insignificant. Do you think I care about my life? Not on your life do I care about my life.

I'm going to go because I have a mission to accomplish for my Lord. Timothy would see this, he'd hear it, he'd pick up on it and live it. Ep would see it, he'd hear it, he'd pick up on it and live And folks, that's what we need to have happen in our lives. And Christ wanted His men to see it, to hear it, to pick up on it, and then to ultimately live the sacrificial life on behalf of other people. Because up to this point, they hadn't gotten it yet. They were still arguing about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom.

The Bible is so practical. The Bible is so relevant to our lives. Because if you're honest with yourself and I'm honest with myself, we're going to say, you know what? We look out for our own interests, don't we? We live life for us. We live life for what we can get out of it. And Christ says, I have come not to live that way, but to see what I can give into it or put into life.

And that's the way we need to live our lives. And until we learn that lesson, the lesson of affection will not be a part of our disciple-making process. And those that we invest our life in will lose out. And that example, they need to see and follow. Point number two: the illustration.

I'm going to read to you verses 2 down through verse number 17, and then I'm going to make three comments. Three, I'm going to give you three. I'm going to comment about three principles. Okay? And during supper, the devil having already put Into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come forth from God and was going back to God. Rose from supper and laid aside his garments, and taking And taking the towel, he girded himself about.

Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. So he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I do, you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter. Peter said to him, Never shall you wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with me. And Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

And Jesus said to him, He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you. For he knew the one who was betraying him. For this reason, he said, Not all of you are clean. And so when he had washed their feet and taken his garments and reclined at the table again, he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right. For so I am. If I, then the Lord, and the teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

For I gave you an example that you should do. As I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave was not greater than his master, neither is one who was sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. We'll stop right there. Now this is not designed to be an exegetical study of these verses in John chapter 17. I just want to draw three simple principles for you tonight. That will help you understand what Christ was doing by way of illustration before we get to his instruction in verses 34 and 35 and then the implications for our lives.

Three things. One personally, one relationally, and one finally. First of all, personally. Here's the principle. When pain is pres, be humble. When pain is present Be humble. That's the first principle.

This is the personal principle. When pain is present, Be humble. Christ had demonstrated humility to his men throughout his life. In fact, the very fact that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, that he would come unto his own, and his own would not receive him, that he would. He would become a man was the greatest demonstration of his humiliation. That he would leave his throne above to come and be among his people. He walked with his men. He talked with his men. He lived with his men. And to associate him or associate with him on a regular basis would seem to have caused in their mind And understand of our Lord.

But the principle you need to get here is that Christ Himself was in a great amount of pain emotionally. From the human standpoint, in which Jesus Christ was 100% God and 100% man, you've got to realize that as the high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, he was an all-point tempted as we are, yet without sin. So here he is, 100% man, going through the Great emotions that ultimately would culminate in the garden when he would pray and sweat great drops of blood. There was great pain in his life.

And pain was present that very evening. And the point being is that when pain is present in your life, you need to demonstrate humility. Toward others. You need to be humble toward other people. You need to minister to other people. And that's what Jesus did. Here they are arguing about who's the greatest in the kingdom. And he quietly gets up, girds himself, fills the basin full of water, and sits down as they're arguing about who's the greatest and begins to wash their feet. And all of a sudden, the whole place goes.

Dead silence. And all you hear is the trickling of the water running off the feet of his men. As he humbles himself to do the task of a slave. Remember, it was the slaves who would wash the feet of their masters. And here is Jesus, the king of the world, bending over and washing the feet of his men. Why? Because they had to get a lesson that they had not yet received. They had to understand the principle of sacrificial giving. They had to see love demonstrated in a very practical way, in the nitty-gritty of life, in the things that stink the most, your feet.

He would demonstrate to them his great affection for their lives. And the principle is very simple. When pain is present in your life, stop think about you. And start think about others. That 's the principle. You see, if you haven't learned that principle yet, John 13 is as far from you as the East Coast is from the West Coast. That's the principle of John 13. That's the personal principle for you and me to grasp. We need to realize that ministry needs to be the focal point of our lives. And whenever we are in pain, instead of sitting back and saying, hey guys, wait a minute, wait.

You're arguing about yourselves. What about me? Oh, please pray for me. Oh, please meet my needs. Oh, please hold me as I think about the pain of tomorrow. Isn't that what we would do? How selfish, selfish we are. And these disciples were so selfish. And Jesus, realizing that his men had not yet grasped. The magnitude of his ministry. He humbled himself and began to wash their feet. And silence would surround the room. It was almost like the silence was deafening. It was so loud. As men would begin to see the significance of his ministry.

He gave them a ministry. He gave them an illustration they would never, ever forget. Because Peter would say in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse number 5, you younger men, humble yourselves. Humble yourselves. He says it in a very unique kind of way. He says it this way: Be sub. To your elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. What's Peter thinking about? He's writing 1 Peter:, and what's he thinking about? He's thinking about John 13.

You likewise clothe yourself with a word that means to tie in a knot. That's what it means. It's a slave's apron term. So here's Peter. Thinking about what Jesus did. And says, This is what you need to do. Because the opposite of that, you know what the opposite of that is? When pain is present and you don't humble yourself to minister to somebody else, the opposite of that is arrogance and pride, and God hates that. He hates it. So the next time you're having a little pity party for yourself, you know, and you're wondering why nobody calls you, or nobody's written you a note of encouragement, or no one's pat you on the back, or no one's giving you a hug, or no one's giving you words of affirmation, just think.

About the arrogance that you are demonstrating. And God resists the proud. But what's he do to the humble? He gives grace to the humble. Those who really humble themselves and minister to other people will find what? Grace from God. The strength to sustain them. You see, the reason you're having a pity party for yourself is because your arrogance has so encompassed your thoughts and life that you can't even begin to think of someone else. And because of that, you have no grace to be able to be sustained in your difficult period.

See that? See how simple that is? Oh, it's so hard to learn, isn't it? I can see that's too convicting. We better move on to the second principle.

And that is relational. Now it gets really good. When rejection is real. Be honorable. When rejection is real, be honorable. Jesus would honor his men. Think about it. In humbling him, he would honor them. He would show preference to them. He would wash all the feet. By calculation, that's twenty-four of them. Twelve men, I assume each had two feet. That leaves us with 2 fe. Those who would deny him, which all of them did, the one who would betray him, even Judas's feet he would wash. He would honor Judas.

When rejection is real, and it was, and although they didn't grasp it, and although they didn't realize how much they would reject their Lord, just some 12 hours from that point, maybe even shorter than that, Jesus knew. He knew ejection was coming. He knew, as Mark would say in his last chapter, they all forsook him and fl, every last one of them. And he knew they would reject him. He knew the reality of that rejection. That's why in John 16, he says, he says, You're all going to leave me alone.

Oh, but I'm not alone. Because my father is with me. Now, folks, that's something all of us need to get. Right? Because he had a communion with his father that we need to have. A relationship with his father that we l. And when rejection is real, what do you do? You honor the rejector. Think about that. Think about it. You honor that person. The Bible says in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse number 17.

Peter says, talking about submission to those in authority over you. Listen to what he says, verse number 17: honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Who's the king when Peter's writing to those scattered abroad? You're going to find this out in a few weeks. Nero. He's the king. And Peter says, Honor Nero. Wait a minute. He's killing Christians. Honor all men, even the king. Love the brotherhood. In fact, he talks about loving the brothers in every chapter. Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, and chapter 5.

Peter speaks specifically about loving the brethren. Why? Because when those people in Peter's epistle were going through great Stressful times, and they were, and we'll talk about this in a few weeks. They were suffering severe persecution. He wanted to emphasize: listen, get your eyes off of yourself and put them onto somebody else. Minister to them, love them, care for them. Show affection to them, and you will watch and see the work of God in your life as never before. And Peter says, I've been there, I know.

Looking out for your own interest doesn't do you any good. It doesn't help. Because I saw the Lord and what He did. And that's how I want to live my life. That's how we need to live our lives. Romans 12, verse 10 says, be devoted to one another and brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. The word preference or preferring one another carries the idea of leading the way. Take the initiative to give honor to someone. As Jesus would give honor to his rejectors by was their feet. That's why Paul would say in Philippians 2: reg others more highly than yourselves.

That 's what it means: prefer one another. You see, what Christ did was hit at the heart of their selfishness. And that was their desire to dominate and to control one another. Oh, I am the greatest in the kingdom. I am the best disciple of Jesus. I am the most committed Christian in the room. And he would hit right, smack, dab in the middle of that domination of that willingness to control one another. And say, listen, when pain is present, be humble. When rejection is real, and it is. Be honorable.

I love what Meryl Tinney said. He says, they were ready to fight for a throne, but not for a towel. And they were. And Christ would willingly leave his throne and gird him with a towel. To show the affection to his men, the love they needed to demonstrate to one another. Principle number three.

Finally, person, when pain is present, be humble. Relationally, when rejection is real, be honorable. And finally, when your future is fragile.

Believe him belie him When your future is fragile. And in their minds, it was. In their minds, what was their future? Well, it was demonstrated by their actions. They all ran away. They all fled. They didn't know what to expect. They were scared, spitless, as to what was going to happen the next day. To them, their future was very fragile. Listen to what Jesus says in John 13, verse 17.

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Do you believe that? You see, for most part, we don't believe it. You want to experience great joy in your life? Great, incomparable joy in your life? The next time you feel sad, the next time you feel down and depressed, the next time you feel anxiety. Well up inside of you. The next time you feel like you're coming apart and you want some joy in your life, Jesus says, if you know what I have said to you, The only way you're going to be blessed is if you do what I said to you.

And what is that? Simply this. Humble yourself. Honor the brotherhood. And believe what I've said. It doesn't mean, as some have taught, that we are to go around washing one another's feet. People say, well, that's the example. He says, I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you. So now we've got to do is go around washing everybody's feet. Folks, listen, I'm going tell you why that can't be. Are you ready? If you are weak and feeble, old and crippled, you can't do what Jesus did. And Jesus isn't in to you going through the motions of religiosity.

Jesus is concerned about the spirit and the attitude of your heart. And he's concerned about your willingness to serve your fellow man, no matter what it is, and to honor your fellow man, no matter how you do it, and to humble yourself before him. On all occasions. You don't have to specifically look for an opportunity to wash somebody's feet. That's not the emphasis of the text. Jes wants you to understand something. He says, I want you to experience my blessing. I want you to experience my joy.

And remember, because of the joy set before him, he would be able to endure the cross. And so he says, if you want my kind of joy and my kind of blessing, that's what you've got to do. It's not enough to know what I've said, you've got to do what I've said. Hey, listen, folks. Satan knows what Jesus said. The demons know what Jesus said. Are they blessed? Do they have joy? No. Because they are unwilling to commit themselves to doing what Jesus said. And a lot of us know what Jesus says, we can read it.

But he says, you're blessed if you do it. That's why Paul would say in Acts 20:3: Jesus said, he says, it's more blessed to give than to receive. It's more joyous to give your life away than it is for you to receive all kinds of things into your life. Because the blessing comes through being Christ-like and Christ came to give his life away. That's the illustration. What's the instruction? Well, that's in verses 34 and 35. L me pick it up in verse number 33. Little phrase here: little children. Need to circle it.

Why do you need a circle it? It's the only time Jesus calls his men children. And notice, Judas is now gone.

Because Judas wasn't one of his children. That's important. Judas is now gone. You read that earlier in the chapter, down verse 21, down through verse number 30. Judas has betrayed him. Judas is gone. He's done what was. Put in his heart to do, and he has gone off to betray the Lord Jesus. And now he's able to call his men little children because all the other 11 were one of his. See? It's important. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You shall seek me. And as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also, where I am going, you cannot come.

Here it is. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. And by this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love. For one another. Now, here's the instruction. Christ has already illustrated his life. And the example comes before the instruction. Why? Because he had instructed them forever and ever and ever, those three years, day in and day out. He had instructed them so much. But now he saves the instruction for the end after he gives the example.

Illustrating his life and giving it away and honoring the rejector and humbling himself and paying his present. He says, now a new commandment I give to you. A new commandment? A new one? What was wrong with all the other ones? It's new in terms of its object, and it's new in terms of its measure. Remember, it was Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Remember that? That was a command. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Well, you see, there's a problem with that because the Jews had redefined who the neighbor was.

If you were with us in our parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke chapter 10. And the man asked, well, who is my neighbor? You see, because the Jews had redefined their neighbor. If your neighbor is someone that you like, it's easy to love them. But if my neighbor is someone that I don't like, it's not so easy to love them. And because they had set this line between the Jew and the Gentile, between the Jew and the Samaritan. Between the slave and the master. They had set these boundaries between them.

Christ changes the object. Excuse me. The object of their love. He says, Listen, no long are you to love your neighbor. As you love yourself, you are to love one another. That's what you're supposed to do. Even as I have loved you. A new standard, a new gauge for measuring love. No longer can you love your neighbor as you love yourself. Now you've got to love one another as I have loved you. Well, how have you loved me, Lord? By honoring those who reject me, by loving my enemy, Judas. That's how you do it.

See that? That's the new command. That 's the command he gives. You love when you don't feel like loving. That's what love is all about, right? See, we want to love when we feel like loving. That's not love. Listen, if it didn't cost you anything, guess what? It's not love. This is not. Because love costs. Because it's a giving away of my life for someone else. And Christ says, listen, this is the standard.

You love the unlovely. You love the ugly. You love those who reject you. You love your enemy. That's how I love. That's a standard now.

See, this makes a profound impact on these men. You see, the love that Christ had was not rooted in his emotion. It was rooted in his volition. His choosing to reach out and touch his enemy, to honor his enemy, to love those who would deny him. You see, if you knew what I was going to say about you tomorrow, you would treat me differently today. If you knew I was going to say something bad about you tomorrow, you would treat me differently today. Jesus knew what they were going to do tomorrow. And because he knew, it makes what he did just that much greater.

Because that's how he is. See that? That's the command. Here are the credentials. By this, by this act, by this doing what you know to do. Everybody else will know you are mine. They're all going to know how. Because you love the unlovely, you love the enemy, you love the ugly, you love those nobody else loves. That's how they're going to know. It's not that you're going to know all men are going to know you're my disciples because you've got a great doctrinal statement. It's not that all men are going to know because of what you believe.

All men are going to know your mind because of how you love one another. Listen to this. Christ is before Caiaphas the next day, the high priest. John 18. Listen to what he says. Verse 19. The high priest therefore questioned Jesus about what his dis And about his teaching. The order is very significant. He didn't question Christ about his doctrine and then his disciples. He questioned Christ about his disciples and then his doctrine. Because if his doctrine is true, it would be lived out and manifested in his disciples.

Don't tell me what you believe. Show me what you believe. That's the important thing, right? And Caiaphas knew that. So the first thing he would talk to Christ about would be those men: their lives, their commitment.

And then he would question them about his teaching. That's important. Joseph R would quote these words. He says, A true Christian is a sign of contradiction. A living symbol of the cross, belie the unbelievable, bears the unbearable, forgives the unforgivable, loves the unlovable, perfectly happy not to be perfect, willing to give up his will, becomes weak to be strong, finds love by giving love. Away. That's the Christian. Is that you? I wish I could say it's me. I want it to be me. That's what I want to do.

So, my preaching this evening is not so much for you, I guess, as it is for me. So I'm glad that you have come to hear me talk to myself. Let me give you the implications.

There are five of them. Number one, love and affection remains the singular credential of the true follower of Jesus Christ.

Love and affection remains the singular c of the true follower of Jesus Christ. How do I know that? John, who wrote the Gospel of John, also wrote 1 John, 2 John, 3rd John, and Revelation. And in 1 John:, he says, We know That we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. Love remain the singular credential of the true follower of Jesus Christ. He who does not love remain in death or remains separated from the God of love. 1 John 4, 7 says it simply, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

The one who does not love does not know God. For God is love. By this, the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one. Another principle number two: Love reject the secular standard.

of ascertaining a person's worth and value. True love and affection reject the secular standards of ascertaining one's personal worth and value. The Bible says in Second Corinthians chapter five Verse 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died.

And he died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. God's love is so controlling, so compelling, so constraining, that what it does is demonstrating itself in the fact that those who live for Christ live for Him and no longer live for themselves. This says, Therefore, from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh. From now on things have changed. From now on everything is different. We look at a man made in the image of God.

We look on a man on the inside not the outside. You see, when Christ was looking at his men, he looked at men who were desperate, who were in need of a savior. Who were in need for someone to take them from the bondage of Satan and to be set free by his sacrifice because he saw a fallen creation. And he wanted to recreate them in his image. You see, Christ didn't look. On the outside, he looks on the inside. Paul says, We no longer regard man according to the flesh, we no longer are going to value a man based on secular standards.

We're going to base a man's worth on what God says. Men and women are made in the image of God, and every man and every woman, every boy, and every girl needs to be recreated in that image. And we're going to love them, we're going to be honorable to them, we going to humble ourselves before our God and serve them with every ounce of energy that we have because that's what God has called us to do. That's why our Lord said in 1 Samuel 16, 7, that man looks on the outside, but I look on the inside.

We need to stop looking on the outside and look on the inside. There are people at church that, let's be honest. You want to ignore. Right? You don't want to meet him in the foyer. You don't want to share a Sunday school class with him. And you definitely don't want to go door to door with them on visitation. You do all you can to walk around them. That's because we regard them according to the flesh. We view society's standards to measure them by. But love rejects that standard. It looks at man as made in the image of God and says, this man, this woman, need a close walk with Jesus Christ.

How can God use me to help them? Fulfill that. Number three, true love request no scholarship, recognition, or reward.

If you're going to show affection toward other people and love for them, that makes your disciple-making so unique and so peculiar. It will request no scholarship, no recognition, no reward. 1 Corinthians 13, 5, love never see its own benefit. See how clear that is? I can't say anything better than that. God said it. Love never seeks its own benefit. Which means to tell you that if you're doing something for yourself, it's not love, right? It's manipulation. And true love is not going to look and seek and request that someone see me.

That someone admire me. That someone care for me. Now, granted, it would be nice if people noticed what you did. Would you not agree with that? Sure, we all want to be noticed. We all want someone to take notes and say, hey man, great job. Oh man, I'm all for you. I saw what you did. Oh, it was so tremendous. Praise be to God. We all kind of want those kudos. But the flip side of the coin is that love never seeks its own benefit. It's not in it for him, he's in it for the Lord. And knowing that one day, one day, God will say, Oh, great job.

Well done, good and faithful servant. I wonder if you could wait that long to receive your recognition. Number four. True love and affection rebukes the sinner in his unwillingness to love and to care. It rebukes the sinner in his unwillingness to love and his unwillingness to c. When you demonstrate love and affection toward other people, guess what it does? It rebukes them. It does. Do you think those men felt good about themselves? Sitting around on this floor in the master of the universe washing their feet.

Do you think they're thinking, oh man, this is great? You just keep washing, Jesus. No. They were rebuked profoundly. Romans 12 speaks of it. Verse number 20. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap burning coals upon his head, burning coals of shame upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And that's what Jesus did. See? It rebukes the sinner. Matthew 5, love. You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor.

Hate those who are your enemies. And Jesus says, But I say to you, you love your enemies. Pray for those that persecute you. And so, in doing so, you prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Last principle, true love reaches out to serve anybody and every. Reaches out to serve everybody and any. The Bible says in Romans 13:8, Owe no man any but love.

Because that's what you owe everybody. You say, how am I going to do that? You've got to be kidding me. I came tonight wanting to be encouraged, and I'm discouraged because I can't do any of this stuff. I don't want to do any of this stuff. You don't know what I've been through. You don know where I'm going. You're right, I don't. But I do know this. Paul said this, listen carefully: as concerning brother love. You need not that I write unto you. For you yourselves are taught of God. To love one another, he says, when it comes to love When it comes to brotherly love, Paul says, I don't say anything to you because you have been taught by God.

Tonight, I want to say to you, you've been taught by God. John chapter 13 teaches you, God has taught you through his life what he's done. He says, now listen: if you know these things, blessed are you if what? You do them. It's up to you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word and the chance to be together this evening. And pray, Lord, that our hearts would be Completely transform from selfish egotism from our own I don't even know what to say, Lord. Our own desire to please us. May we learn to please our God.

By demonstrating affection and love toward those that you have entrusted to us. In Jesus' name, amen.