The Distinguishing Mark of a Christian (13:31-38)

JOHN 13:31-38 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.‘…

JOHN 13:31-38 …A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.“…

JOHN 13:31-38 …Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

A Closer Look At Sin… The BLINDING Nature of Sin The BETRAYAL of Sin The COVERT Nature of Sin The CUMULATIVE Nature of Sin

JOHN 13:26-27 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."

JOHN 13:27 ……after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him

Colossians 3:5-6 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming

JOHN 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

1 John 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness

James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding

Galatians 5:14-15 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other

Nature of Biblical Love It is NOT Primarily a FEELING It is ROOTED in JESUS’ LOVE It INITIATES It is Not Based on the WORTH OF THE OBJECT It is UNCONDITIONAL It is SACRIFICIAL & SELF-GIVING

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others

Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Our Speech (Eph. 4:29) – Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.. (James 5:9) – Do not grumble against one another, brothers… (Col. 3:9) – Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (James 4:11) – Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.

Francis Schaeffer I have observed one thing among true Christians in their differences in many countries: What divides and severs true Christian groups and Christians — what leaves a bitterness that can last for 20, 30 or 40 years…is not the issue of doctrine or belief which caused the differences in the first place. Invariably it is lack of love — and the bitter things that are said by true Christians in the midst of differences…

Francis Schaeffer …These stick in the mind like glue. And after time passes and the differences between the Christians or the groups appear less than they did, there are still those bitter, bitter things we said in the midst of what we thought was a good and sufficient objective discussion. It is these things — these unloving attitudes and words — that cause the stench that the world can smell in the church of Jesus Christ among those who are really true Christians.

JOHN 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another…

Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD

1 JOHN 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Francis Schaeffer The church is to be a loving church in a dying culture. How, then, is the dying culture going to consider us?...Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon his authority he gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians

2 Things at Stake… (Jn 13:35) – By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.“ (Jn 17:21) – that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me

1 JOHN 3:18 Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” It is when we love sacrificially and by deeds that we show ourselves truly to be Christ’s disciples