Today I’m going to preach about the most important of the commandments and the most important weapon in transforming our lives and the world.
Question: How excited would you be if you knew that together we could have a real impact on our neighbourhood, we could impact Monaghan, we could impact Ireland, we could impact nations! Would you be excited?
I’m now going to show you how that can be done through the scriptures. I’m not saying every single person will get saved but I am talking about a way for all these people being touched by the testimony of Jesus in a real and powerful way.
I’m going to show you that Jesus himself explained how we could do it.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. BY THIS ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, if you have love for one another.””
John 13:34-35 NKJV
It’s very simple: ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES.
You can confront anyone and everyone with the testimony of Jesus. I’m not saying that they will all be saved, but everybody can be confronted with the testimony of Jesus.
Jesus said: By This all will know that you are my disciples. Wherever you go, wherever you are, all will know that you are my disciples. They will be confronted by the reality of Jesus. But how and by what will everybody know that you are Jesus disciples?
The answer is simple, Jesus said : “BY THIS ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, if you have love for one another.”
Here is the reality that the people around you will be confronted by: the fact that you are believers of the Lord Jesus.
It doesn’t say that all will be converted but all will be confronted. I believe that we have an obligation to confront the whole world with the testimony of Jesus. Jesus said: Go into all of the World and proclaim the Gospel.
How will everyone know that you’re my disciples? If you love one another!
I want to start by saying something very simple: Love is not a choice, love is a commandment.
Jesus said : I’m not giving you a recommendation, I’m not making a suggestion, I’m giving you a COMMANDMENT : LOVE ONE ANOTHER
How are we to love one another? The same way that Jesus loved us, that is, in a selfless, giving manner, seeking first the good of others.
Jesus said: If you would only have that kind of love the whole world will sit up and take notice because they don’t ever see it.
All they see is self-seeking, self-interest, egotistic people all around, but you can reverse the whole scenario by demonstrating the love of God and bearing in mind that it’s not an option, it’s not an recommendation, it’s not a suggestion, it is a commandment.
If we don’t do it, we are disobedient. We have two options: We can either love one another the way Jesus loved us and obey his commandments or we can fail to love one another and be disobedient.
But remember: This is not a suggestion, it’s not a recommendation, Jesus said it very clearly: it is a commandment. He said that it was the new commandment.
People from the Old Testament knew the 10 commandments but I believe this new commandment it encompasses all the other 10 commandments, if we do this one thing, we are keeping all the other commandments.
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Jesus said : “Love one another; as I have loved you” There is no option as to the kind of love ! It’s not self-seeking, not a self-gratifying love, it’s a self giving love, a love that lays down its life for others.
It may seem very simple, very basic but it is not practiced by many Christians. If you were to ask most people in Ireland what their impression of Christian churches today, they will not speak in terms of love. That is not the way the world sees us today. They see us as religious people, people with a set of rules, people who meet inside old buildings where they’ll never want to set foot because they’ve never been confronted with the real testimony.
I think history proves this, because the primitive Christian church was a strong church that grew under persecution by loving one another. They were from different backgrounds, different races, very different social levels, some of them were slaves and some of them were rich but they loved one another and they impacted the whole Roman Empire.
By this all will know that you’re my disciples if you have love one for another.
It is not something impossible, it’s something that we can all do. If we don’t do it we are failing as the body of Christ.
This is the most important commandment and are we doing it? Are we confronting the world with this testimony?
Can people from Ireland say the same about us as they said about the first century church, how they loved one another!
By this, by love all will know that you’re my disciples, if you have love for one another.
The kind of love I’m speaking about is really not an emotion. People get excited about emotions. But the love the Bible talks is not any emotional, it’s a decision.
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength.”
Psalms 18:1 NKJV
This is David words. It’s not an emotional, it’s a decision ! I will love you Lord, my strength. David made a decision! Have you ever made that decision? Have you ever decided you will love the Lord with everything that you have? Everything I have is His, I will hold nothing back. Whatever He asks me to, I will do it.
I have decided to love the Lord, I made that decision. It’s not an emotion, it’s a decision and I have made it. I’m not boasting, I’m speaking the truth, I have decided I will love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. He is worthy, He has done everything for me and the least I can do is love Him! And it’s not painful, it may be costly at times but it’s not painful.
Love is a decision and it is much deeper than superficial emotions and sweet words. It’s a personal and individual decision: I will love You!
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
I John 4:7-8 NKJV
The kind of love that John is speaking about is also a decision but it’s a corporate decision.
LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Could you imagine what would happen if this whole congregation made the decision to love one another?
The scripture says : EVERYONE WHO LOVES IS BORN OF GOD
It’s very simple, it means that there is a kind of love that can only come through being born again.
If you ever encounter that kind of love in anybody you know that person is born again.
It also means that if you don’t have that kind of love, it’s questionable whether you are really born again.
You’re born again not because you’re baptised or you’re part of a church, it’s because you love one another. Who loves is born of God. You cannot have that kind of love unless you’re born of God.
But if you are born of God, the evidence should be that kind of love.
EVERYONE WHO LOVES IS BORN OF GOD
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,”
I Peter 1:22-23 NKJV
Do you want to be pure? Obey the truth! Your soul is purified by obeying the truth continually.
How many of you agree that we need to be purified? This is the way to do it, by obeying the truth! Not by knowing the truth but by obeying it.
“Love one another fervently with a pure heart” Do you love your fellow believers fervently and passionately? How much passion is in your faith? Because Faith is something passionating.
“Love one another fervently” and now I’ll tell you how you can do that: By being born again !
How is it possible to have that kind of love? The Only way is by being born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God.
I have seen people who say they are born again but they are not part of a church, they don’t love others, so I have no reason to believe that they have really been born again! Where is the evidence?
“But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
James 1:25 NKJV
“If you really fulfil The Royal Law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well;”
James 2:8 NKJV
This law: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”, it has two names: it’s called The Perfect Law of Liberty and The Royal Law.
It’s the perfect law because it includes all other laws in one. When you follow it, you’re obeying all other laws.
And it’s the Royal Law , the kingly law, because in it there is freedom. NO ONE CAN STOP YOU FROM LOVING. If you have made your mind up to love, nobody can stop you. They can say all sorts of hard things about you, they can treat you in a very miserable way but they can not stop you loving. Isn’t that right ?
It’s the perfect law of liberty, because it contains all the other laws. When you really love your neighbour fervently, with a pure heart, you will keep all other commandments.
Who is totally free ? The person who loves! Nobody can stop you!
The perfect example is Jesus. They did everything to Him, they beat him, they pierced his hands and feet, they put a crown of thorns on His head, they gave Him vinegar to drink, they abused Him, but one thing they could not do; what was it?
They could not stop Him from loving ! He loved them to the end.
If you love with that kind of love nobody can stop you. It’s the perfect law of liberty ! You’re the only real free person on earth. Because no one can stop you doing what you want to do. Isn’t that wonderful?
No one can stop you ! That’s why is called the perfect Law of Liberty.
“Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.”
Mark 1:40-42 NKJV
Jesus was moved by compassion.
What moves me? What prompts my actions? Am I really moved by compassion? Or am I moved by personal ambition, self-seeking desires to get my own way, wish to be applauded by others? The will to be on the top or to be recognised by others?
I have come to the conclusion that the greatest single problem in the church today is personal ambition.
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,”
Philippians 2:1 NKJV
Those are powerful words, they are not superficial feelings.
“fulfil my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
Philippians 2:2, 3 NKJV
I see so much personal ambition in the church. Paul says: Cut it out. That nothing may be done through personal ambition.
What are we to be moved by?
We should be moved by love and compassion. So I’m going to ask you again: By what are you moved? What motivates you? What prompts you to do the things you do? To speak the words you speak, to relate to people the way you do?
Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Is that really what is motivating you? Is it the love of God? Is it compassion?
Do you know why am I here today? Because I was once loved ! I was lost and then someone who had once been born again loved me. I knew Christ not by words but by love. They became my friends, they listened me, they helped me, I was unemployed, I had no money and they invited me to eat and payed my bills, prayed for me, and I was confronted by Jesus’ love and I saw the power of love !
I met people who were moved by compassion and love.
Jesus was moved by compassion. If we are moved by compassion we are going to attract people to Jesus.
We can change this town and this nation through the love of God. There are many churches that talk a lot about faith and righteousness but they are doing anything to the people that really need it. They only use empty words.
There are many people around you who are desperately in need of love , they are lonely, they are not cared for, they have no answers, they have no hope; you don’t have to walk too far from where you live to find people like that.
This is the purpose of God, it’s what God is waiting for!
We need God’s compassion for this people!
Would you like to have God’s compassion for the lost?
There is a price to pay! I know because I’m paying this price.
We cannot have empty religion , empty confessions; I believe God sent me here today to confront His people with a decision. We need to repent of our selfishness, our personal ambition and we need to be motivated by love and compassion.
Would like to make a commitment? Would you like to share the love of God?
“Lord no matter what it takes, fill my heart with your love and compassion. I don’t want to be superficial, I don’t want to be just a churchgoer, Lord I want to bring joy to your heart. I want you to be satisfied with me. Not with what I do, but with me. I want to have real fellowship with you and go into deeper places.”