Get Along

Jn 15:9-12

During the Bolshevik Revolution, another revolution was going on in Russia. While people were killing each other in a political coup, the Russian Orthodox Church was sanctioning killing each other over another issue. This issue was quite an issue. Some of the Russian people crossed themselves with two fingers, and another group crossed themselves with two fingers and the thumb.

We laugh about that, but they were serious about this, to the point of wiping out whole villages of 2 finger or 3 finger crossers. Another issue they were killing each other over was what color robes the priests should be wearing. Is it any surprise that the Russian church was absolutely irrelevant during the larger political turmoil when it came to healing and reconciliation?

Are we any better today? I am pretty sure I have told you this story, but it fits too well with this lesson not to tell. One of my Bible professors held a meeting in North Carolina. The preacher drove him past several churches of Christ in the small town they were in. That one was the non-institutional congregation that split off our congregation. That one is the one cup church that split off the non-institutional church. And, that one was the one cup that split off the other because they couldn’t agree on whether or not the one cup should have one handle or two handles. I doubt the church there is any more relevant than the Russian Orthodox.

What does it mean to get along? Do we have to agree on everything? Jesus gives us some advice on this issue as he talks to the disciples. In just a few short words, he gives us one of the most difficult commands we have ever had to follow. “Love each other as I have loved you.” Wow! That’s a tough one isn’t it?

PRAYER

I. Jesus’ Love Comes From Another World

A. Jesus didn’t use the word love lightly

1. He modified it to tell us to love as HE loved.

2. What does that mean?

3. He goes back to the beginning of love in vs. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.”

B. Deeper than parental love

1. This love is even deeper than a parent’s love for their child.

a) I love my children more than I ever imagined I could love another human being besides my wife.

b) Many a night I just stand in the doorway and look at them and me heart just about bursts with feelings of love.

c) Bill Cosby has a whole routine about babies being born and how they look just like purple lizards. On the whole they are the ugliest creatures alive. Except for my two lizards. They happened to be the most beautiful ever born and no one can tell me differently.

d) Probably no one can tell you differently about your children either.

e) That’s parental love.

2. But this is divine love. A love so deep we can’t begin to fathom it.

a) Even though parental love gives us a glimpse of that divine love, it is only a smidgen of what God’s love is like.

b) God’s love is so strong that he allowed his son to die for us with all of our sins weighing him down.

c) God, who can’t stand sin, loved his son so much he raised him from the dead even with all our sins on him.

d) He wouldn’t abandon his son

3. That’s the out of this world kind of love Jesus calls Christians to practice with one another.

a) We love each other even more than a parent loves their child, we love each other as God loves his Son.

b) That is the example we are to follow.

II. Jesus Loves With a Savior’s Love

A. Painting a picture

1. This is the kind of love Jesus just got done showing them.

2. Imagine a picture of Jesus washing the feet of Judas

a) How would you paint the look on the face of Judas?

(1) A grimace of disgust

(2) A smug grin of a stone cold heart?

b) What about Jesus?

(1) Was he staring a Judas when he spoke of his betrayer?

(2) Probably?

(3) Was he angry or crying?

(4) I think he was crying.

(5) He knew what Judas was about to do and was already hurting FOR Judas’ sake.

B. The Savior’s love

1. That’s the kind of love that drove Jesus.

2. He was about to die on the cross for men and women exactly like Judas.

3. Paul tells us that while we were YET STILL sinners, Jesus died for us.

4. He went to the cross for people who wouldn’t give a rip for him.

5. He did it because he loves us this much! (stretch arms like cross)

III. Jesus Wants us to Share His Love

A. Jesus passes the baton to us

1. What God started long ago, what Jesus continued in his earthly life, he has passed on to us.

2. God expects us to share His love.

3. Paul makes that clear in 1 Cor 13. He tells us we can do all kinds of good things, preach great sermons and so on, but if we don’t have love it doesn’t mean anything more than a clanging cymbal.

B. Love is as important as anything else.

1. We have been real good about pushing Biblical understanding of so many areas.

2. We stress repentance and baptism

3. We stress following God’s will

4. We stress Biblical accuracy in worship

5. All of these things are important and need to be stressed, but according to Jesus, we need to stress loving of one another just as much!

C. Love in our world

1. I was reading a story this week of a minister who was sitting in his office one day when a young woman and man entered his office. The girl was the daughter of his best friend and the young man was her boyfriend. One look at her face told him bad news was about to follow. He was right. She told him how she had gotten pregnant and the only way they could figure out how to deal with it was to run off and elope. She then pushed a note over to the minister and asked him to give it to her father. He read the note and then said no. “But why not?” she demanded. “Because you need to tell your father. As a parent, even though he’ll be hurt and angry, he loves you.” About that time the boyfriend’s courage melted away and left. The preacher drove the girl to her father’s office and had the secretary hold all the man’s calls and entered his office. After a quick hello, the preacher said the girl needed to talk to him. Through tears and weeping she told her father the story. He came around his desk, grabbed her by the shoulders, and said, “I am so hurt and angry right now… but I love you and you are my daughter. We’ll figure out a way to get through this.” They hugged each other and she begged her father to forgive her and the both repeatedly told each other that they loved each other.

2. That’s the kind of love God wants us to have with each other.

3. Because we are brothers and sisters we will love each other no matter what the other has done.

4. Because we are brothers and sisters we will ask for forgiveness of each other with a sincere heart.

5. Does the world see that kind of commitment to love in you?

6. It needs to.