Love As I Have Loved You

Sis Melinda Song

CNY Eve Combined Service

How wonderful to see you in the house of the Lord on the eve of Chinese New Year. You have made time to come to the house of the Lord and you will be blessed because Psalm 84:10 (NIV) tells us that “better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”

Tonight is a very special night for most of us. The Reunion Dinner is a very important feature of the CNY celebrations.

I have already attended 2 Reunion Dinners. The first was with my sister-in-law from Singapore, the second with my brother and sister and our families. Tonight Hubby and I will be having reunion at my brother-in-law’s home.

As we prepare to gather with family and loved ones around the table for Reunion Dinner tonight I would like to share some thoughts with you from the passage in John 13:34-35

TEXT: John 13:34-35, NKJV

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The scene in John 13 is the Last Supper. Judas has left and Jesus tells His diciples that the hour of His departure and glorification is at hand (13:31-33) and He gives them a new commandment, to love one another as He has loved them (13:34-35).

In verses 34 and 35, we find a number of elements:

1.  Love is a command.

2.  Love is a new commandment.

3.  Love finds its source in God.

4.  Love is the hallmark of a disciple.

1. Love Is A Command (v. 34a)

A new command I give you: Love one another. 

What is a command? In the army, when your commander gives an order you don’t hesitate or negotiate. You just do it! He says, “Jump!”, you say”Yes, sir!”

Love is the characteristic command in the New Testatment. Jesus used love to summarise the commandments of God.

Matthew 22: 37-40, NIV

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The question we have to answer is: Can love be commanded? Can we do it? The answer is No if we strive to do it on our own. But since God has commanded us to love, it stands to reason that it must be within our power, in Christ, to love.

Love will often be accompanied by feelings, but emotion is not the only basis of love. It involves “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “your strength” (Mark 12:30) too.

By the grace of God, in Christ, we can choose to love whether it is accompanied by feelings or not.

A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY : HOW TO POISON YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW

Once upon a time in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law’ s habits.

In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly. Days and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation worse was that according to Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress.

Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law any longer so she decided to do something about it. Li-Li went to see Mr. Huang who sold herbs. She told him about the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve her problem once and for all. The wise Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, “Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.” Li-Li said, “Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to.”

Mr. Huang gave Li-Li a package of herbs. He said, “Li-Li, you cannot use a quick-acting poison to kill your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving.

Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you the day she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. “Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.” Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her murder plot against her mother-in-law.

Weeks and months went by and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang said about avoiding suspicion so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had learned to control her temper and she hadn’t had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months. The mother-in-law now seemed a lot kinder and easier to get along. Her attitude toward Li-Li has changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in- law one could ever find. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what was happening.

So now Li-Li has a problem. The situation has changed but what about the poison inside her mother-in-law that would eventually kill her.

Li-Li rushed to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help. She said, “Mr. Huang, please help me to keep off the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.”

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there’s nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.”

Love is a command, not an option, but the choice is ours. We can choose to obey or not to obey. But when we choose to obey it pleases God and He strengthens and enables us (Phil. 4:13, 2 Cor. 12:9).

2. Love Is a NEW Commandment (v. 34b)

In what sense is this commandment new? The command to “love one another” is an old commandment found in Leviticus 19:18 that states, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

It is new in the sense that we should not love others just as we love ourselves, but as Christ loves us. Jesus raise the bar. He set a new standard for love.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

Jesus Christ demonstrated this new standard of love by willingly paying the price for our sins (John 3:16). Truly “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). 

ILLUSTRATION: Hubby and I have been following a TV series entitled The 100.

When nuclear war destroys civilization on Earth, the only survivors are the 4,000 living on a space ark of linked stations orbiting above the earth. They were supposed to be on the Ark for 200 years to allow for the earth to decontaminate. However, after 97 years the oxygen level was depleting faster than expected. Desperately looking for a solution, the ark’s leaders send 100 juvenile prisoners back to the planet to test its habitability.

When those on the ark began to show signs of oxygen deprivation, a population control plan was initiated. It was supposed to look like an accident as if a section of the ship malfunctioned and cut off the oxygen. Everyone killed will be asleep when it happens and won’t feel any pain.

However, news that 300 people are to be sacrificed was leaked and the people were called on to band together to figure something out. Only 300 needed to die but the number who volunteered to be sacrificed were more than those who had to die in order for the rest to find a solution to the problem.

The 300 volunteers died knowing that their deaths would give those they love a chance to survive.

Truly “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).  But what is more amazing is that we were not friends of God in the first place. The Bible tells us that while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8), while we were His enemies (Rom. 5:10), Jesus died for us.

This is a total redefinition of love – one that is unconditional, unlimited, and unmerited.

That is the kind of love that Christ has for His Church and, through His new commandment, it is the love He expects Christians to have for one another and for others.

We are to follow Christ’s example and walk in the way of love (Eph. 5:1-2).

3. Love Finds Its Source in God (v. 34b)

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

In John chapter 15, instead of giving an example for us to follow, Jesus describes a connection that gives the power to love. We are connected to this vital power by being connected to Him.

John 15:9-11, NKJV

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

The key to Jesus’s love was His relationship with God the Father: “I abide in his love” (verse 10). Jesus lives in constant and perfect union with the Father and the Father’s love flows into Jesus and remains there as a divine power to love.

In verse 9, Jesus says, “Abide in my love.” As He abides in His Father's love, so we are to abide in His love.

John 15:5, NKJV

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

This is the secret of loving each other “as he loves us.” God is love and Jesus loves us by abiding in the love of the Father. We love each other by abiding in the love of the Son—which is the love of the Father.  We cannot love each other as as Jesus has loved us if we do not abide in Him as He abides in His Father. We must be connected to the source.

4. Love Is The Hallmark Of A Disciple (v. 35)

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Gold and silver have been mixed with other metals for centuries, as they are much too soft in their original form to make jewellery. It is not possible to recognize at a glance the quantity of cheaper metals used during manufacture. Most competent jewellers and chemists also cannot tell how much of the noble metal is present in an alloy.

In the UK, a hallmark is an ​official ​mark put on ​objects made of ​gold or ​silver that ​shows ​their ​place and ​year of ​origin and how ​pure the ​metal is that is used to make them. A hallmark protects you against fraud, and protects merchants against unfair competition.

Hallmark also refers to a distinctive characteristic, trait, or feature, e.g. some musicians have certain styles just like our worship leaders have different distinguishing styles.

The love of Christians for one another should be the distinguishing mark by which a watching world recognizes them as followers of Jesus.

a. We love because we are recipients of God’s love.

Romans 5:5b, NIV

…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,who has been given to us.

b. We love because we are channels of God’s love.

1 John 4:19-21, NIV

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

We see this love being demonstrated time and time again in the way the Cell Groups respond to their members in times of crisis. They become channels of God’s love by coming alongside to stand with us, and for us.

c. We love because we are compelled by God’s love.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Jesus has given the entire world the permission to judge whether or not one is His follower simply on the basis of their love for their brothers and sisters and fellow human beings.

F. A. Schaeffer has referred to this kind of sacrficial love as “the final apologetic”, especially when it overflows and touches the world outside of the church.

ILLUSTRATION: When Ira Gillett, missionary to East Africa, returned home to report on his activities overseas, he related an interesting phenomenon. Repeatedly, Gillett had noticed how groups of Africans would walk past government hospitals and travel many extra miles to receive medical treatment at the missionary compound. He finally asked a particular group why they walked the extra distance when the same treatments were available at the government clinics. The reply: "The medicines may be the same but the hands are different.”

Love makes a difference. Christ has no hands, but our hands; no feet, but our feet. We are his ambassadors, representing him to the world. And when we love as He has loved us, it will make the difference. People will notice.

CONCLUSION

Next Sunday is Valentine’s Day. Many believe love is a just a nice, heart-warming feeling, as Christians, we are called for it to be more than that - we are called to take action.

1 Corinthians chapter 13 shows us how this love in action looks like.

Verse 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Love is tolerant and not easily annoyed. It is caring and considerate, noticing the unnoticed, loving the unlovely, or even by extending grace to those who are not so easy to be around. It does not want what it doesn’t have. It doesn’t show off not and is not swollen headed.

Verse 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love considers the feelings of others and doesn’t have a “me first” mentality. It not easily offended but seeks first to understand and then to be understood. It doesn't always bring things up from the past in the midst of conflict.

Verse 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices when truth prevails. It speaks positively about people and always thinks and believes the best of people.

Verse 8 Love never fails. Love never gives up.

Let’s make it our prayer today to ask God to help us actively love others. Let us ask Him to lead us to places where He wants us to shine His light and ask Him for the courage and strength to share His love with all who surround us in our daily lives.

May you be instruments of God’s love this Chinese New Year! 

Many thanks to Sis Melinda for her sermon notes.