dining@different.com
Rev Dr Mark Porizky
John
17
4/5/05
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.
"I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."
One of the characteristics of religious cults is their tendency to preach
what C.S. Lewis called "Christianity And." Christians lose their
effectiveness, he asserts, when they "substitute for the faith itself some
fashionable supplement.” As long
as people's attention is focused on the supplement, they lose sight of basic
Christianity. This is how some cults get so far off the mark.
However, it is not just religious cults that do this. Many Christians who
call themselves "orthodox" or "Bible-believing" have allowed
themselves to become so involved in secondary issues that they neglect the most
basic principles of the faith. And it's not just individuals who do this; entire
churches and even entire denominations can succumb to this unbalanced approach
to Christian living.
How do we see this expressed in our society? There are those who preach
Christianity and Capitalism, Christianity and Socialism, Christianity and Social
Action, Christianity and Prophecy, Christianity and Prosperity, Christianity and
Pro-Life Movement, Christianity and Gun-Control, Christianity and the Republican
Platform, Christianity and the 12 Step Movement...the list goes on and on. Not
all of these are bad, but when any "cause" replaces our commitment to
the gospel, we become ineffective in fulfilling the Great Commission.
I remember a letter in a Christian periodical criticizing Billy Graham
for his lack of "allegiance" to the Pro-Life Movement. Billy Graham
is, of course, pro-life—but the writer of the letter questioned Graham's
integrity and his sincerity because he was not, in that writer's opinion,
sufficiently outspoken on the subject. This illustrates the danger of
"Christianity And." The measure of someone’s ministry cannot be
determined by their solidarity to any single cause.
So what is the mark of the Christian? Jesus told us. It is not political, it's not sociological, and it's not theological. It crosses doctrinal and denominational boundaries. It is a principle as fundamentally sound as the virgin birth, and even more radical than liberation theology. The mark of the Christian is, according Jesus, love.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love
for one another. (John 13:35)
It is this that makes Christianity unique. Think about it. What other
religion is based on the founder's infinite love for his followers—a love so
extreme that he would give his life for them? Can this be said about Islam, or
any of the eastern religions? And Jesus didn't die for his followers only—he
died for the whole world, including those who never heard of him, those who
ignored him, those who were apathetic, those who rejected him, those who
despised him, and those who killed him.
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Love is the most basic tenet of the Christian faith. In John 13:34-35
Jesus told us emphatically that we are to love one another. The problem with
passages like this one is they require no interpretation—only application. You
can't argue about "Love one another." Denominations differ in their
opinions about baptism, communion, eternal security, music, whether or not
ministers should wear robes, whether or not we should go to confession, whether
or not church members can vote, and on and on—but this is one subject on which
we cannot disagree.
Jesus didn't give us an opportunity to. He told us in plain, simple
language that we are to love one another. Today we're going to look at three
characteristics of this love that Jesus commands that we should have for one
another. First of all...
1.
Love is not an option, it is a requirement.
(v. 34) A new command I give you: Love one another.
Jesus didn't talk vague, idealistic pie-in-the-sky nonsense. He taught
practical Christian living. And not only did Jesus tell us how to live, he
showed us how to live, and he challenged us to follow the example of his love
for us. How does Jesus love us?
a. His love is sacrificial. Jesus
was willing to lay down his life for us. In the same way, we must be willing to
lay down our lives, not only for him, but for his people.
b. His love is merciful. Even though he is
perfect, he knows that we are not. When we fail he is faithful to forgive us our
sins, even though we don't deserve his mercy. Therefore, we must be willing to
forgive others even when we don't think they deserve it.
C.S. Lewis said, "He loved us not because we were lovable, but
because he is love."
c. His love is unconditional. Jesus never put
conditions of his love for us. He said unequivocally, "As the Father has
loved me, so have I loved you." (John 15:9) There is nothing we can do to
change that love. We are commanded to love others in the very same way.
My friends, love is not only the entry-level requirement for the
Christian life, it is also the foundation for spiritual growth. Paul said (in
1Corinthians 13), "Love never fails...prophecies will cease...tongues will
be stilled ...knowledge will pass away...but love remains forever."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who was executed by Hitler
during World War II. Years after his death, one of his theology students
recalled the last classroom session with his teacher. Bonhoeffer, knowing his
arrest was imminent, asked his students a question that took them by surprise:
He asked them if they loved Jesus.
The student said he was surprised at the question because religious
academicians traditionally don't place much emphasis on personal devotion. They
love to discuss abstract philosophical concepts; they love to split
ecclesiastical hairs over the nature of the Trinity; they love to debate the
fine points of systematic theology—but seldom do they talk about personal
devotion.
Bonhoeffer, in his final classroom session, broke through that barrier
with his students, reminding them that Christian discipleship is really love in
action.
The next thing Jesus tells us about love is...
2. Love is not invisible; it tells the world who we are.
(v. 35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.
It was said of the early Christians that their impact on society was due
to their profound love for one another. Jesus said that this is how the world
will recognize us as belonging to him—because of our love for one another.
A pastor once told me that he loved the people in his congregation, he
just wasn't very good at expressing it. We make the mistake of thinking that
love is an emotion. The truth is, love is an action. It does us no good to
"feel" lovingly towards anyone—our children, our spouse, our
neighbor, our enemy—if we don't follow through with loving actions.
One evening just before the actress Mary Martin was to go on stage in
South Pacific, she was handed a note. It was from Oscar Hamerstein, who at that
moment was on his deathbed. The note said, "Dear Mary, A bell's not a bell
till you ring it. A song's not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart is
not put there to stay. Love isn't love till you give it away."
Mary Martin gave one of the greatest performances of her career that
evening, telling friends, "Tonight I gave my love away." When Oscar
Hamerstein wrote those words, he probably didn't realize how scripturally sound
they are, yet this is exactly what Jesus is telling us today.
Love is God's method of winning the world to Christ.
And tonight you are invited to participate in that method, just as Jesus
invited the first disciples. It’s
starts with the body and the blood. Tonight
we’re dining@different.com.
Love one another, says Jesus. Even
as I have loved you.
Will you pray with me now?
St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church, Groton,
Web Site: WWW.SAPC-CT.ORG
Office Email: OFFICE@SAPC-CT.ORG
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