122 - The Sign of Christians is to Love One Another#
122 - The Sign of Christians is to Love One Another
(JP Text Group - Grace Grass Compilation)
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!
What does "Amen" mean? Yes, I believe. When I say peace, it is a greeting, like when we meet,
I say, "Hello!"
You say, "Hello!"
You can't say, "Yes," or "I believe."
Many people may not have paid much attention when I say, "Peace in the Lord!" Everyone should say "Peace." This is a greeting, just like I say, "Hello!"
You say, "Hello."
It would be a bit impolite if I say, "Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!"
And you say, "Yes."
Let's adjust this; when someone asks you, "Peace in the Lord," how should you respond? "Peace" or you say, "Peace in the Lord." This is a greeting among us in the Lord. Up to now, Jews greet each other with "Peace," using God's peace to greet one another. Shall we do it again?
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord.
Peace.
Thank God, it sounds good. It’s not just saying, "Hello!"
"Um! Good."
That's how you speak to leaders. Just a little aside.
The topic of sharing is: The Sign of Christians is to Love One Another.
John 13:33-35
33 Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you! Lord, you let us love one another as brothers and sisters. When we love one another, the world will see that we are your disciples, your love fills our hearts, and we can love others. We respectfully place this time in the hands of the Holy Spirit, to guide each brother and sister to gain something. Thank you and praise you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
In Christ, when we love one another, it is a very beautiful thing. Let me ask everyone a question: Is it easier to love God or to love people? It is easier to love God. Why? I can say I love God; who can know that I do not love Him? Loving people is visible; when you love others, others can see it. Loving God is a bit easier; loving people is relatively difficult.
What is the sign of Christ? In the early church, there was a sign of a fish. Now there are versions of the Bible that also depict a fish. Do you know how this fish came about? At that time, Christians faced great persecution for gathering; it was very secretive because one could be killed if not careful, risking their lives. To avoid being discovered by the Romans, they used a Greek word: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." Taking the first letters spells "fish." Later, Christians made the fish their sign.
Why did they declare this? It was actually a confession of their faith: "Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior, my Savior." When they saw this fish, they knew it was the sign of Christ. Later, when Christianity became the state religion of Rome, faith became public, and everyone could believe in the Lord; the cross became the sign.
To this day, when there is a cross on a roof with "God loves the world" written underneath, that is a church, and it has become a sign of Christians. Some people even carry bags with crosses, and some wear cross necklaces. Seeing these signs can only prove that this person has heard the word, but it absolutely cannot prove that they are a Christian.
What does it mean to be a Christian? It means to be a disciple of Christ. It must be a group of people who believe in Jesus. Amen! We become Christians, disciples of Christ, and we must have the sign of Christ. Amen! The sign of Christians is definitely not hanging a cross in your car or having a cross on your bag; the sign of Christians is — loving one another.
The scripture we just read says that Jesus said, "I am with you a little while longer. Later, you will seek me, but you cannot come where I am going, just as I have said to the Jews, I now say to you." Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another."
In the New Testament, are there things we need to do? Yes. As Christians, we not only receive from God. This is what we need to do at the beginning; after receiving, what should we do? We need to give it out. It mentions, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another." Love is to be acted upon, not just to stay on the tongue. Jesus said to His disciples, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another."
Brothers and sisters, when we love one another, the Bible says that everyone will know that you are Christians. Amen! This is the sign of Christians. What can we bring to the world? It is not to say: "Come to church with me; look, I also carry a cross bag." It is that you love this person from your heart, and this person can see that you have the likeness of Christ. Amen!
Some time ago, a sister in our church was moving, and I went to help her. Her landlord was not a believer, and this sister told her landlord many things about Jesus. The old lady said, "Hearing you talk, believing in Jesus seems quite good." But she still did not have a clear concept of God in her heart. The sister had a lot of things to move.
At that time, I went, got all her things ready, found a car for her, and moved the things onto the car. The alley was too narrow for the car to enter, so we had to move things out one by one. The old lady was watching from the side, and after I sent the sister off, the old lady asked me a question: "You must have a very good relationship with her, right?"
I said: "Well, she is from our church; we haven't known each other for long."
Then she said: "Is church about believing in Jesus?"
I said: "Yes."
She said: "Believing in Jesus is really good!"
Although I was helping her move, it seemed to the landlord that we had only known each other for a short time. Why would you help her like this? I told her, "Because we believe in Jesus, it's that simple." This is an action of loving one another.
When the world sees this, they say, "It's different." Especially when we go to visit people in the hospital, what do the people in the hospital think? They will say, "Who are they?" The brothers and sisters will say, "They are from our church," with pride. What do the people over there think? They see a group of people coming to visit them. In the hospital, sick people especially hope someone will come to see them. But children are too busy, relatives have no time to come, and when they see church people visiting, they have a longing in their hearts, hoping to receive love like Christ. Amen!
When we do something, we show the sign of Christians in front of the world. They will say, "Look, the church people can come to see him," and there is a kind of envy in their hearts. So brothers and sisters, the sign of Christians should be to love one another, Amen! No matter which church it is, when you see someone carrying an Emmanuel bag on the street, take the initiative to greet them, "Sister, hello." This is loving one another. True believers in Jesus are one family globally; we should love one another in the Lord. This is our sign. Amen! Thank the Lord.
What I least want to hear is when someone asks me, "Which church are you from?" as if there is hostility. Don't do that. Just greet them. Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another." Where does love come from? It comes from the heart. In the Old Testament, was there love?
Matthew 22:34-40
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
When they asked this question, they were actually trying to trap Him. Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about this? When the Sadducees went to trouble Jesus and found nothing, the Pharisees, who were well-versed in the law, asked Jesus, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Which law in our country is the greatest? I tell you, they are all equally important; otherwise, try it. If you violate the law, you will be punished. So which of the Ten Commandments is the least important?
There is no least important. If you violate any of them, you are a sinner. Therefore, in the law, there is no concept of which commandment is the greatest or the least. But when they asked this question, they were trying to trap Him. They wanted Him to specify which one was the greatest. In fact, Jesus did not directly tell him that every commandment is the greatest. Does God give you commandments and differentiate between big and small? As long as you violate one, you are a sinner, and you cannot violate even one in your lifetime.
In the law, there is no distinction between big and small, just as there is no distinction between great sinners and small sinners; the outcome is the same before God. Jesus is Jesus, full of wisdom, full of the Holy Spirit, full of power. When they asked Him, Jesus explained the essence of the law to him, saying: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first commandment. The Ten Commandments consist of two parts: the first five are about loving God, and the latter five are about loving people. In fact, it boils down to these two: love God and love people.
How should we love God?
What does it mean to love with all your heart, soul, and mind? Use your spirit, your soul, and your whole body to love God with your utmost effort! The second is the second is like it; Jesus did not say the first is greater and the second is lesser. The second is like it means these two are the same; you cannot say that the latter part about loving people is less than the former. They are the same. The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself; this is the law.
Jesus indeed summarized the law, which is not something an ordinary person could come up with. There are more than six hundred laws, and they can all be summarized into two: the first is to love God; the second is to love people. If we were to simplify it further, it is love. If the Bible were to express it in one word, it would be love.
If you have love in your heart, any law before you becomes ineffective. You love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; the second is like it. When you love God in this way, you can love people in this way. There is an order to it. Why not put people first and say, "You should strive to love people, and then you can love God"? First, love the invisible God. Even if you love the invisible God, is it not from the heart? It is because there is no hypocrisy, and no one can see your relationship with God; that is real.
Some time ago, someone tested moral levels by opening a supermarket with no management, clearly marked prices, and after taking something, you just pay without a cashier or surveillance. How much can a person put in based on their conscience? Testing people's morality is an absolutely terrible thing; do not do this because after Adam sinned, everyone has greed and selfish desires. Testing people will definitely fail.
God hopes we are a group of people who love one another. Amen! This is the sign of Christians. The Old Testament law also speaks of love. Why did God give the law to people? People boast before God. God wants to give all blessings freely to people, but the Israelites said, "No, you let us do something." God said, "Alright, since you insist on doing something, I will give you my standard." The Ten Commandments are God's standard. Amen! What does God mean? Do you really want to know my standard? What do you want to give back to me?
If you think I love you, you should love me. Alright, I will tell you how to love me. Love me with all your heart, soul, and mind! How many can do this? Not even one. The second is like it; God said, "Since you cannot do this, let’s see if you can do the latter: love your neighbor as yourself." Can you do that?
God gives us the standard: love others to the extent that you love yourself. God has lowered the standard significantly; loving others to the extent that you love yourself is sufficient. Can people do this? They still cannot. Why can’t they? Because although the Old Testament law is a summary of love, all these principles are a summary of love, and the Ten Commandments come from within people.
This point is very important. Because it comes from within people, Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." What you think in your heart, you can express with your mouth. Therefore, when people often complain, it is because they first have complaints in their hearts, bitterness arises from their hearts, and then it comes out. It is impossible to be joyful in your heart and curse others with your mouth; that situation does not exist; it first starts in the heart.
So God said: "You shall love me with all your heart, soul, and mind." People cannot do this because there is the problem of sin within them. Since Adam, at the beginning, Adam had a very good relationship with God, but after they believed the devil's lies and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they gained the ability to discern good and evil. There is a problem with discerning good and evil; we do not need to discern evil; we only need to discern good. Amen!
After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, people have a conscience as a standard. The standard shifted from God to people, to themselves. After Adam sinned, when God pursued them about their problem, He said: "Adam, did you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that I commanded you not to eat?" How did Adam respond? "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." At this point, were they loving one another? In the beginning, when God brought Eve to Adam, how did Adam say? "You are bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!" Were they loving one another? It was beautiful! You are just like me.
Isn't loving your neighbor as yourself already realized? Adam would love God with all his heart, soul, and mind because everything was given to him by God. When did this break? It was when they both ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the standard suddenly changed from God to themselves, and everything changed. They no longer loved one another and began to shift responsibility.
Eve saw that Adam was shifting the problem onto her. Eve should have said: "Lord, it is my fault!" Is that how it was? No. After people sin, it is too difficult for them to admit their mistakes before God. She said, "The serpent deceived me." What did the serpent say? The serpent had nothing to say. God did not even ask the serpent; He went straight to judgment. The first couple in human history had discord, and it has continued to this day.
Where is the problem? The standard has become problematic. They all sinned, and sin has occupied their hearts, making it conditional for them to love one another. They want to see, "I cannot take responsibility; it is clearly your fault." In this situation, the problem escalates continuously, leading to wars between people, families, and nations. Everyone thinks others are wrong and unforgivable, as if they have no problems at all.
God does not want us to live like this in Christ. In the book of James, it tells us that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. God did not say, "You are right, and you are wrong." What did God say? "Confess your sins to one another!" God actually knows that the problem cannot be caused by just one person; both must have issues.
But the principle of love has never changed. It is just that under the Old Testament law, it requires you to do your utmost to love God and to love people in the same way. You must do your utmost, just as you love yourself, to love others. The result is that we still cannot love God and achieve loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Despite this, has God abandoned us?
He knows our weaknesses, so He does not hold it against us. Therefore, some people complain when it rains too much, and they curse the heavens. When it does not rain, they curse too. When they are happy, they might curse God a few times, but God does not hold it against them. If God were to hold it against us, there would be no one left in the world.
Under the Old Testament, it says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind." It is impossible to do so, so the law is meant to show you yourself, to use your own strength to love God, but your own strength is very limited. You cannot do this, so what about loving others? You still cannot love because you always see their problems. So you cannot love.
It is the same in families. If you always see your husband has many faults, how can you love him? The husband sees the wife the same way; if you do not take care of the children properly, the two will definitely argue. This is the problem, brothers and sisters. Even though it is under the law, God says, "You should strive to love him with all your strength." We cannot do this. This is the function of the law, to let you know that you cannot do it. God says, "Let me help you."
How can we love one another?
First, we need to hear God's word. The disciples followed Jesus for three and a half years, and every day they were with Him, listening to His teachings. Over three years, did the disciples change? Love must be acted upon; just listening to the word is not enough. They also need the Holy Spirit. You have returned to the law; it is not just "doing"; you still need the Holy Spirit to help you.
Jesus' teaching is different from our teaching. Jesus' teaching is very special; today we call it "situational teaching." He could preach on the mountain, by the river, or in the fields. We can only do it here; we do not have such opportunities. If we had such opportunities, it would be practical. We hope our country can reform, and teachers can take students to the mountains to teach. That is Menglianggu, that is Taishan; students will remember it immediately. It is not in textbooks, "Oh, look, this is Taishan, this is what...," and after going home, they forget.
What is Jesus' teaching method? It is immersive; He would say, "Do you see the birds in the sky?" So, do not worry. Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? When the disciples heard this, they thought, "Yes!" Every time they saw birds flying by, what would they think? They would remember what Jesus said, "Do not worry." What do you think when you see birds flying by? Please do not pull my hair.
God's word is already in the hearts of the disciples, but can the disciples really act on it? They cannot. At that time, they were under the law. Jesus was telling them, "You need to rely on me; see how I love you!" Peter did not understand. While listening to Jesus preach, he said: "Teacher, my brother has sinned against me; I have already forgiven him seven times. Is that enough?" Peter's forgiveness was already quite generous; is this love? Absolutely it is love.
Love includes forgiveness. Peter said, "My brother has sinned against me." Who sinned against whom? Peter's brother sinned against Peter. Who forgives whom? Isn't that quite unfair? He sinned against me, and I have already forgiven him seven times, yet he seems to not give up. Peter was a bit overwhelmed. He came to Jesus and said: "Teacher, look, I have already forgiven him seven times."
He sinned against me, and I have forgiven him seven times. According to the law, isn't that already quite good? "The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." What did Peter mean? This is already my limit; Jesus, I have already forgiven him seven times. Is that enough? But Jesus said: "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." Seven, how far is that from seventy times seven? Even if it is four hundred ninety times, Peter has not counted it yet!
This is human love. Under the law, the love that people express is always limited. What Peter said is exactly our current state; the limit of human love is only seven times. You forgive others, but if someone bothers you seven times, many people probably cannot even reach seven times. I used to say, "If you offend me, fine, but do not exceed three times; otherwise, I will not let you go." There is no "third time" or "fourth time." At most, it is up to four; there is no "third time" or "fourth time." Generally, people reach the third time, and slightly more people reach the fourth. But Peter is stronger than us; after all, he has listened to Jesus for three and a half years, which is different. Seeing birds is different from what we think! But he is still under the law, still using his own standards and efforts to forgive and love.
He finds it conditional and cannot love. Because this love still comes from within people. What comes from within people must be limited. Amen! Because the focal point is still on us. If you say, "Lord, I have done so much for you," this must come from within you, and there must be a problem. Or you say, "I have done so much in church." It must still come from within you. Such service, such love is limited; once it erupts, it can be very frightening.
Jesus said, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." Did Peter learn humility? Did he say, "Since it is like this, I am still far from it, so I will not speak recklessly in the future"? Did Peter learn? No, in the scripture we just read, Jesus said: "Look, the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in the Son of Man. I am with you a little while longer. Later, you will seek me, but you cannot come where I am going."
When Peter heard this, he said: "Lord, where are you going?" He immediately jumped out with something from within himself. Jesus said: "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow me later." Hasn't Jesus repeated this twice? What did Peter say? The words that come from within us are mostly like this.
Peter said: "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I am willing to lay down my life for you." Can you say that Peter's words are false? Is it not a heartfelt statement? Absolutely it is. At that moment, we absolutely believe that Peter is willing to lay down his life for Jesus. But do not forget, where does the standard come from? It comes from within himself; he has not stood in the place of laying down his life, so he can say this.
When can we see that we love one another? When trials come, many couples, when a disaster strikes, for example, if the man gets sick, the woman says goodbye! Why? They see no hope; the second half of their life will be spent taking care of you! If I follow you, how can I live? Can we say that when they got married, they loved each other to death, loved each other until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble? Were those words false? Absolutely true! But when circumstances arise, it reveals how much real love is in their hearts.
Many people always say, "I have faith." When can your faith be tested? When trials come, when temptations come, that is when you can see how much faith you truly have. Amen! Or to say, do you know whether the love within us is Jesus' love or our own love? When circumstances arise, when problems come, your performance will reveal whether this love is Jesus' or your own, whether it is under the law or under grace. So there is still a distinction between the two.
Peter said: "Lord, why can't I go with you now? I am willing to lay down my life for you!" In fact, previously, what did Jesus say to them? Jesus said: "The Son of Man will be humiliated, will be bound, will suffer humiliation, will be whipped, and then will die, and on the third day will rise from the dead." Jesus repeated this three times, and the disciples all heard it. What is the purpose of explaining this scripture to you?
Under the law, God's meaning is: you must do your utmost to love God, and you must do your utmost to love people; this is under the law. We cannot do it. Unbelievers live in such an environment, striving to rely on themselves to love, and problems continue. Under grace, does Jesus know we cannot love? He knows too well; Jesus understands us too well, so He fulfilled the law. Under the Old Testament, it says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind."
After Jesus came, He said: "I will love you with all my heart, soul, and mind." We are the receivers, not the givers. Later, Jesus also said to people, "I will love you." But Jesus did not say, "I love you as I love myself." To what extent did Jesus love us? He loved us and died for us. We find it hard to achieve that.
Jesus also said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Did Jesus do it? Yes, some people are willing to lay down their lives for another person, but they are indeed a minority. Only God loves everyone, even enemies, and is willing to lay down His life for us.
People say, "That person is so famous; I am willing to save him; I am willing to die for him." But what about enemies? Are you willing to die for your enemies? No one is. But Jesus did this. Jesus loves us with all His heart, soul, and mind; He laid down His life for us. This is the love of Jesus under the New Testament.
The scriptures we just read, Peter did not understand this point, saying, "I am willing to lay down my life for you." In fact, this statement is what Jesus wants to give us. Jesus said, "I will lay down my life for you." Peter did not understand, "No, I will lay down my life for you." No one can love one another like Jesus. The Jesus we believe in is such a God. He is willing to lay down His life for you, willing to love us with His greatest love. Hallelujah! I just mentioned this matter.
John 15:12 says: "You shall love one another as I have loved you; this is my command."
What Jesus means is: do not love with your own efforts anymore, and do not love one another with your own efforts anymore. Because everyone's standards are different, people say, "It is too painful for him to live; since I love him, I might as well kill him." But Jesus is not like this. Jesus said, "You shall love one another as I have loved you." From now on, we have the standard of love, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Loving one another among Christians is to carry out Jesus' command. And when the world sees us, they will see that we are not the same group of people; we are Christians! Because Jesus loves us in this way. Amen! We receive His love from Jesus and love our brothers and love our families. Thank God!
Romans 5:6-8,
Let’s take a look at what Jesus' love is like.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When Jesus loved us, we were still sinners, and we were still enemies with Him. But in this situation, Jesus already loved us. Amen! What do we do when we are weak? Isn't it just to sin? When people are strong, they can love God and overcome. When they are weak, they start to say foolish things and can do all sorts of things. But in this situation, Jesus still died for us. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us; this is God's love. Amen!
God's love is absolutely not an empty word. Meditating on God's love gives us the power of love. Knowing that Jesus loves you with all His heart, soul, and mind, you only need to say, "Lord! Actually, I am unworthy, but with your greatest ability to love me, what can I do? To receive your love." Amen!
This is the first thing Christians need to recognize. Many times, when we sin in our weakness, God does not want us to sin. He hopes we love one another and live in victory. Very few Christians intentionally want to sin. David sinned when he was weak. Originally, the warriors were all on the battlefield, fighting at the front lines. David fell asleep until the sun set in the west. You say, "Get up!" But he had to wander on the roof. Wandering led him to see things he should not see. Did seeing mean he had already sinned? Just stop. Instead, he deliberately did this. He tried every means to have the man's husband killed. After he became weak, the devil led him step by step, and in the end, he fell deeper and deeper.
Brothers and sisters, this is something we need to understand. When we are weak, what should we do? We should think about how much Jesus loves you, so you can stand up again from your weakness. It is absolutely not that when you are weak, you just casually remain weak and do not listen to others. David's mistake was that God always loved him. After he made a mistake, the prophet had already reminded him, but he did not listen. He was stubborn, which led to a series of bad things happening to David.
When we talk about grace, when we are stubborn and unwilling to stay in the love of Christ, letting Him love us and help us, we will definitely sin like David and encounter many bad things. These things are not what God wants to give him. Amen!
Nor was it that David planned to do these things in advance; it was just because he was weak. If David had been a very vigilant person, knowing that the warriors were all on the battlefield, since he could not go, he should have prayed for those warriors at home. It is impossible to sleep until the sun sets in the west, proving that there was already a problem in his spirit. He did not know how much God loved him. So when he became weak, problems arose.
If we forget how much God loves us, we will also become weak, and many bad things will come from repeated problems. But remember, brothers and sisters, none of this comes from God. Amen! God wants us to live in His love and receive His love.
1 John 4:9-12:
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
This is how God loves us. How does God love us? He tells us that it is not that we love God. Under the Old Testament, it was about you loving God. You are under the grace of the New Testament, so God says, "It is not you who love me, but I love you."
What action does God take to love us? He sent His only begotten Son to be the propitiation for our sins. When we are still sinning, we need to remember that God loves us and has already made propitiation for our sins. What is propitiation? Knowing how serious the consequences of your sins are, God did not let you bear them; He let His Son bear them. Do you understand how much God loves you? This is God's love for you, not your love for God, not how good your behavior is. It is God's, and Jesus' behavior is indeed excellent. Amen!
Thinking about how Jesus loves us, we can love one another! It is mentioned that "if we love one another, God abides in us." This is not a condition; it is not that when you love one another, God will abide in you. In fact, God has always loved us to the end. When we love one another, it is actually God working in our hearts. Amen!
You cannot do it by yourself, "His love has been perfected in us." Using Jesus' love to love one another, the standard returns to God. Using Jesus' love to love one another, even though this person is unlovable, when Jesus loves me, I am also unlovable. Even though this person has sinned, when Jesus loves me, I have also sinned. With this love, we can love outward, and His love will be perfected in us. When you love your brother, you are actually loving God.
In the Old Testament, you had to strive to love me and then love others. In the New Testament, Jesus said that when you love your brother, you are actually loving me. Isn't that reversed? It is a wonderful thing because when Jesus accomplished all the work of redemption, He placed His love in us. You cannot strive to love God; let God love you, and then use this love to love others!
1 John 4:19-21 also mentions this matter again.
19 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (Some ancient manuscripts say, "How can he love God whom he has not seen?") 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
In the New Testament, there are commands, which are things we need to do. It is not that under the New Testament, we can do whatever we want; even under the New Testament, Jesus gives us commands and things we should do, and these things are beneficial to us. Amen!
Especially here, it mentions a command: you must love one another. Why can we love one another? It mentions, "We love because He first loved us." You can love this sister because you first think that God loved you first. That is the reason you can love outward. Amen! Otherwise, when you look at this person, you say you cannot love him; he is too terrifying, and what kind of things has he done to me in the past? Yes. But how did Jesus love us? We have also done many things against God, yet God still loves us. Amen!
Thinking about Jesus' love, we can express Jesus' love. It is particularly mentioned that "if you cannot love the brother you can see," this includes what kind of people? Those who have offended you, slandered you, or those who are unlovable. The ancient manuscript says, "How can you love God whom you have not seen?" Isn't it a wonderful thing? If you cannot love the living, walking person, do not say you can love God; this is absolutely a lie. Those who love God must also love their brothers. Amen!
Jesus has told us very practical things. If you feel your husband is unlovable, your child is unlovable, but you still love them with Jesus' love, where does this power come from? It is from meditating on how Jesus loves you, and then you can love outward. Amen! Your family must be a family filled with the love of Christ. If you want that person to change, first understand from God how much He loves you, and then you can change. Amen!
It is not like the world tells you, "You want others to treat you how you want to treat others." This is the law, brothers and sisters. No matter how we do it, we still cannot do it like Jesus. If you want others to love you, first think about how much Jesus loves you, and your behavior will change. Hallelujah!
So 1 John 3 particularly tells us, "Brothers, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."
I hope our church is a fellowship that loves one another. We are willing to be a group of people who love one another. Is there a perfect person coming to church? Not a single perfect one can be found. Everyone has problems. This is indeed the case; if we had no problems, we would not need Jesus. It is precisely because we all have problems that these problematic people gather together, and the church is indeed a very complex place.
Some people say they did not expect the church to be so complicated. In a company, there is a standard for who can enter; those who do not meet the criteria are filtered out. Can the church filter? There are educated and uneducated, old and young, those with good upbringing and those without. They all mix together, looking at others' problems; it is completely impossible to stay here.
Every church is like this, but despite this, what should we do? Just as mentioned earlier, "We love because God first loved us." Hallelujah! Looking at so many people in the church, so many problems, we love them because God first loved us. Thank the Lord, this point is too important.
Colossians 3:12-14;
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Here it mentions many things: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and long-suffering, but all these are bound together by love. Without love, all of this is meaningless. Therefore, God wants us to love one another. Amen! God does not want us to hate one another because when we hate one another, we fall into the devil's trap. God hopes we set an example for the world, which is the example of loving one another. Hallelujah!
So thank the Lord, as read in John 15,
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."
God said, "I send you to bear fruit, the fruit of loving one another." Amen! When we ask God for anything in the name of Jesus Christ, it says, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give you." Because of the love of the Heavenly Father for us. When a child asks us for something, if we feel it does not harm him, we give it to him because we love him. When we ask the Father for something, we should also remember, it is not we who chose God, but God who chose us; it is not we who love God, but God who loves us.
With this thought, when we pray to God, He is willing to give us. What is the purpose of God giving us? To let us love one another. Why does God give us various gifts? He hopes you will love one another. Why does God make us prosperous? So that we can love one another. You see, there are many wealthy and many poor people in the church; how do you show your love? The wealthy help the poor in terms of money and material; this is the sign of love, practical action. Amen!
So brothers and sisters, may our church be able to carry out Christ's command — to love one another. You say, "What if I cannot do it?" Start by meditating on how Jesus loves us, and then use this love to love those around you. Hallelujah! The love Jesus has for us is a love that loves us to the end. Even when the disciples did not understand, Jesus still loved them to the end.
In John 13, it tells us, Before the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Jesus loved the disciples, and what did He do? As the King of Kings in the kingdom of heaven, He loved this group of disciples. What was His action of loving them to the end? He washed the feet of the disciples.
Then He bent down, humbly serving this group of disciples, and finally told the disciples, "You also should love one another." As your teacher, I am willing to love you this way; you should also love one another. Our model of learning is our Lord Jesus Christ, and it must not be me.
Brothers and sisters, remember, if you place your model and goal on me, you may stumble. Because I also have problems, and you cannot place your focus on any one person in the church. If you focus on a certain person in the church, and that person stumbles, we all stumble. You must place your focus on Jesus; let Jesus be our goal. Think about how much Jesus loves us, or say, "How did Jesus love me?" Only then can I love others. The church is a place of giving love; we receive from God. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank you. When we were still sinners, when we were still sinning, you did not abandon us because of our sins, nor did you ignore us because of our bad behavior. Instead, because the Heavenly Father loves us, you sent your only begotten Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for my sins. This is the sign of your love for me.
When there is no strength to love others, when there is no way to forgive others, think about how much Jesus loves me. Therefore, you tell us that our sign in this world is to love one another. When we have the heart to love one another, everyone will recognize that we are Christians. We are willing to be your beautiful example before the world. Let your love fill me! In this week, I am willing to be your beautiful witness. Jesus, help me, Holy Spirit, help me. I receive your words; I need the Holy Spirit to help me, to give me strength so that I can love outward. All glory be to you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!