The Eleventh Commandment - Part B

Jesus doesn't just love people who deserve to be love God's love is not just poured out to people who perform to a certain standard or meet a certain mark or worthy of a certain kind of affection is love the sacrificial's love is unconditional.

His love is never-ending.

His love is nonreciprocal so how should a husband love his wife and a sacrificial unconditional never-ending nonreciprocal way, what kind of love should parents after their children sacrificial, unconditional, never-ending, nonreciprocal, how should a Christian brother love another Christian brother, sacrificial, unconditional, never-ending, nonreciprocal revolver of the 10 Commandments and most of us have seen some sort was that you were back with them written on skintight figures reminded us that the 10 Commandments are more than Walmart. There vital to living the lives, the Lord meant for us to live today will be finishing up her series titled God stop for but before we begin, we will let you know what we have for you this month in the connect was Skip resource Center. Sincerely, the great missionary to China said it is possible to move men through God by prayer alone and down to other nine books on prayer said God shapes the world by prayer, the more training there is in the world, the better the world will be in. Billy Graham said to get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees. Dear Skip, I think you know the Bible says that we will experience God's peace.

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I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I can't argue measure love by a kiss the world's longest kiss happened two years ago, two Londoners broke the record.

They locked lips for 31 hours and 30 minutes and they could not separate.

That was the ruler that they have rules to these things. That's gross is that you measure love I kissed you longer than anyone ever I've written. I love you I love you I love you more than anyone ever what is the standard. What is the benchmark our Lord gives that benchmark to us, right here. Love one another. Here is as I have loved you, I would say he raises the mark he raises the standard he raises the bar higher than writing. I love you were kissing for a long time love people like I love you. Jesus is not love people in your own way love people as you see fit. Love the one you're with receipt if if we didn't have this standard of comparison, then love would be nebulous to us we wouldn't be able to know exactly what Jesus means in our society is already confused as to what love means. Listen to how we use it to say I love sports I love my wife. I love God I love chocolate cake same word for all of those things, like a little girl five years old. She was punished by her parents set up to her bedroom without dinner and she wrote this note dear mom and dad I hate you, and she signed it.

Love Nicole will turn with me to John chapter 15. This is elaborated on its the same night.

It's the same upper room. It's the same message to the same disciples Jesus elaborates on this new standard of love modeled after his own love. Chapter 15 verse 12 this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you, that's past tense. Now he turns in the next verse to the future, anticipating his sacrificial death on the cross.

Verse 13.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what ever I command you.

So there's this standard of comparison. Here's the renewed commandment hears the unprecedented fresh commandment. It's greater than all of the other commandment love whoa how love people like I love you. That's the standard.

What is that me well how did Jesus love his disciples with the sacrificial love number one sacrificial love greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I love you guys so much. I'm willing not only to live and impart my words and spend time with you. I'm about to go to the cross and sacrifice my life for you. That's how I want you to love people with that kind of sacrificial second thing about his love is not just sacrificial. It's unconditional there's no strings attached.

It's not the kind of love that just treats people who treat us nicely in a kind fashion is unconditional. When Jesus was put upon that cross was the first thing he said father forgive them. They do not know what they're doing. 1/3 aspect is love is not that it's just sacrificial that weren't enough, that that is just unconditional.

It is never ending non-reciprocal love, that is, Jesus will often love the very worst people who don't always love him back. In any capacity and its ongoing and Romans chapter 5, Paul writes while we were still sinners, Christ died for us and he describes in that paragraph is love. There's a point Jesus doesn't just love people who deserve to be loved.

God's love is not just poured out to people who perform to a certain standard or meet a certain mark or are worthy of a certain kind of affection is love is sacrificial's love is unconditional.

His love is never ending. His love is nonreciprocal so how should a husband love his wife in her sacrificial unconditional never-ending nonreciprocal way, what kind of love should parents after their children sacrificial, unconditional, never-ending, nonreciprocal, how should a Christian brother love another Christian brother sacrificial unconditional never-ending nonreciprocal. Okay, I've got your attention and right about now you're thinking that's impossible. I'm not God I can't do that and you would be absolutely right in thinking that you can't do that commandment in your own power. It requires a power greater than yourself, for you to pull off the command. That's why we've been given the greatest power to do it. The Holy Spirit living in us, which means every one of us can do it again. Romans chapter 5, the fifth verse, God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

So we have the capacity to do it. That's why John writes in first John, beloved of God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. You've heard the old saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I don't of the greatest things for God to hear or see is one of his children, saying, Lord, I choose to love that person because I want to be like you, I don't feel like it even like that person. But I'm going to visibly cognitively demonstrate love toward that person because I want to be related. Do you not that you earn anything by it but it simply shows that as will see which takes us to our fourth and final look at this 11th commandment as I call it. It is a substantive commandment given by Jesus himself. It is these superlatives greatest command. It's a comparative commander were not just a love.

Anyway, we see fit, but as Jesus loved us. Finally, it demonstrates something about us. It indicates something about who we are when we choose to love this way and what is that indicate well to ourselves. It's an indication of new life we prove to ourselves that were saved, if you ever have any doubts of your salvation. I believe when your Savior and Christ are kept by Christ, but a lot of people have doubts.

I knew I said yesterday I think I'm safe today you love God's people. John writes this we know that we have passed from death into life, because we love our brothers so you have a visible, tangible evidence that you can look at yes I love God's people. I love them indicates new life that funny though sometimes it's easier to let people you never see them those you see every day and we can have this nebulous I love everybody but this person I live with.

I still really love that person. But I love everybody's like Linus in the Peanuts cartoon is that I love the world, it's the people I can't stand ladies and gentlemen. If a Christian cannot love another Christian, how in the world is that Christian to love the lost or love his or her enemies as Jesus tells us to. If we can love our brother so it indicates that we passed from death into life. Second, it indicates something to the unbelieving world who is watching it indicates that were following the new direction.

It shows the unbeliever that were real look at that last verse in chapter 13 that we look at verse 35 Jesus says by this that is by love. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another there, looking there watching their scrutinizing their examining and if they don't see us loving one another. They go it's not real, but if they see us loving one another. They know what is. By the way, this is in a one time deal in the original language it's in a tense called the present active subjunctive which means I'll translate by this the world or all will know that you are my disciples, if you keep on having love one for another, so that love is the constant billboard that we keep holding up keep holding up keep holding up to the world so they know were real, how else are they going to know how else are they going to know Jesus didn't say by this shall all men know you're my disciples by the bumper stickers you have in your car honk if you love Jesus. That'll tell everybody not by this shall all men know you're my disciples by the cool Christian T-shirt that you where I'm not opposed to Christian T-shirts, but I am oppose anybody wearing a Christian T-shirt or having a bumper sticker who doesn't show love so we show love to one another. We show the world that we are real. There was a little boy in front of the store.

He was pressed up against the store window issues were afraid his toes were showing it was very cold. Huddled looking through the window and a woman walked by and said what are you doing.

He said I was just standing here asking God for a pair of shoes while she quickly took the young boy into the store washed his feet bought six pairs of socks two pairs of shoes was paying for it at the register and she was turning ready to leave, she felt a tug on her coat.

She looked down. It was a little boy with innocent eyes said are you God's wife in a what you just did reminded me of something God would have done. We we give away our relationship. When as an act of our own will.

Apart from how we may feel we choose to give sacrificial unconditional never-ending nonreciprocal love notes something is very very important were not speaking nebulous Lee here about love. In fact, Jesus doesn't even say the world will know you're my disciples, if you love the world, if you love them. If you show your love to people.

Strangers even say that doesn't it. Specifically, the world will know you're my disciples, if you as my followers love my followers you love one another, it's Christian to Christian love. That's how they'll know you know that in the early church in the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was suspicious of the church. They were gathering in these groups, the Roman Empire did know why they were gathering. They thought this new group might be subversive to the Roman government, so they sent spies into the assemblies that are truly in one of the church father says that a spy came in to early Christian assembly and gave this report back to his supervisors. These Christians he writes are very strange people.

They meet together in an empty room to worship. They do not have an image they speak of one by the name of Jesus, whose absent, but whom they seem to be expecting at any time and mine.

How they love him and my, how they love one another that be a great report from unbelieving spy coming into the assembly watching how we walk in how we park our cars how we greet one another how we prefer one another and they go. My how they love one another so love is not 1,875,000. Love you, love your love your love you love you love you is not a 31 hour and 30 minute kiss. It is the love of the will and the will drives the train of the emotions I want to close this story. It's a story that I read some time ago and it always impacted me every time I did. It's written by a surgeon, a facial surgeon who had to operate on a woman in he accidentally not accidentally. He had to buy the nature of the surgery.

Sever a facial nerve. His name is Dr. Richard Selzer and after the operation he said, I stand by the bed where young woman lies her face postoperative. Her mouth twisted in palsy clownish. A tiny twig of the facial nerve one to the muscles of her mouth has been severed. She will be this way from now on this surgeon, meaning himself, had followed with religious fervor, the curve of her flesh. I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek. I had to cut the little nerve, her young husband is also in the room he stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight isolated from me very private. Who are they, I ask myself tea and this wry little mouth that I have made who gaze at and touch each other so generously so greedily. The young woman speaks, Dr. will my mouth always be like this. She asks yes I say it will.

It's because the nerve has been cut, she nods, but is silent and then the young man smiles. I like it.

He says it's kinda cute all at once. I know who he is. I understand and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with the God unmindful. He bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I am so close that I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers to show her that there kiss still works now. Which would you rather have them call love 31 hour and 30 minute kiss in London or this kind of a kiss of a husband who sacrificially and unconditionally loves a wife who will forever have a palsy one side of her mouth, but he will accommodate his kiss to show her there kiss still works well. Jesus said love like that. That's the new commandment. That's the icing on the commandment cake that sums it all up. Of course the ultimate demonstration of love would come several chapters later when Jesus would go to the cross and for the entire world provide a way that every man woman and child.

Throughout history could have a relationship with God as an innocent victim is a sinless victim giving his blood to pay for our sins. As John said in the beginning of his book. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life with. That means to you is that God knows everything about you and he loves you anyway and will give you life and forgiveness.

If you let them.

I love that him that we sang at the closing of our time of worship, musical worship this morning. The love of God, I love that verse was the last one we sang. Listen to it again.

Could we with ink the ocean's fill and were the skies of parchment made where every stock on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade to write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry. Nor could the scroll contained the whole though, stretched from sky to sky. It's unfathomable how much God loves us but I didn't get a new car and I prayed for one, but I didn't get healed and I ask him to buy all of that aside, you can spend for ever in heaven, redeemed that's the greatest miracle greater than any healing greater than any new car heaven, forgiveness, eternal life. Do you have that if you experience God's love. Are you living in God's love is it daily part of who you are experiencing it. You know in order to do that you have to receive it. God never forces himself on people. He always waits till he's invited everyone to God never hangs around these parts of your ask him in Jesus, and behold, I stand at the door and he won't kick the door and go. I'm here taken over to wait for you to open the door to invite him and then his love will flood your life. God's love is ready and waiting for all of your believer in Jesus you've already experienced the Skip reminded us if you haven't received that gift today, you won't force it upon which you can learn about a relationship with Jesus. When you visit connectwithskip.com and click the no God like teaching you just heard was part two the 11th commandment.

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