Loving God’s people – Part VII

In our current series of blogs, we will look together at John 13.1-30 and see what a church that loves God’s people looks like.

What will heeding the command to love God’s people look like?

This is a place filled with countless opportunities to practically serve each other.  We will need to work hard at seeing and seizing these opportunities to demonstrate this love to each other week in week out.

But there is more to this.  The call to other person centred love in this new church is more radical that practical responses.  Jesus is not simply calling for some sort of repetition of this foot washing scene – a token practical expressions of love, that might mask a superficial concern for others.

The model Jesus gives us here and most decisively on the hill of Calvary is a servant-hearted love that is committed to the long-term joy and blessing of others.

Jesus says, unless I wash you, you have no part in me.  Our job is to promote each others share in Christ.  To see those around us, grow to treasure him more, to rejoice in the blessing of knowing him and being known by him, to enjoy the blessing that such a person then becomes.

So we come before each other…knees bent…towel in hand…able to say (as our Lord does)…I come among you as one who serves.

We long to be a church that serves the immediate needs of one another.  But we alos long to be a church that goes way beyond this.  We long to promote each others long term joy in Christ – loving each other by being committed to one another’s passion for Jesus…hope…and godliness…by keeping each other accountable…by spurring one another to even more love…

What will that look like on Sundays?

It will mean a wholehearted commitment to Sundays, not coming as a customer, nor as a passenger…

It will mean seeing Sunday as an opportunity to increase each others’ long term joy in Christ…

• Be here every Sunday
• Come with joy and expectation:
• Opportunities to serve each other…by increasing each others long term joy in Jesus…
• Come early:
• Opportunities to serve
• Opportunities to meet new people
• Pray before you come…about serving when you get there
• Treat church…not as a club…but a family…
• Commitment…forbearance…no cliques…not giving up on people
• Stick around…
• Receive the word…
• Thankfully…for you and others…
• Expectantly…for you and others…
• Purposefully…for you and others…
• Look for new people…and people in need

What will that look like in Small Groups?

I want to suggest that Small Groups are where we most deliberately and most realistically seek to obey the command of John 13.34, where we serve each other’s growth in long term joy in Jesus.

Here is again the radical testimony that a church obeying this command is.  Consider the miracle that a Small group is…yes even warts and all small groups!  Consider the miracle of a group gathered in a lounge room or a foyer or a pub.  A group gathered, as God, by his spirit does a deep work in a few, by his word dwelling richly.  A word we speak to each other in that context to grow each other’s joy in Jesus (there is not greater commitment to the good of your brother or sister than that!)

A group that can be there with practical love when needs come, when suffering comes.  They can be there when you need someone to pull you back from sin.  Or when you need someone to spur you on to love and glorify God – at work…in your family…a small group is where we do that!

Now this might seem overstated…small groups are not the silver bullet…but then…of course they are!  Jesus tells us to gather like that…to love one another deeply and from the heart.  Here in a world where Judas’ heart reigns…is a group of brothers and sisters committed to each others good…loving each other… teaching…rebuking… praying…comforting… carrying…pushing each other to treasure Christ more! 

As we head out on this project together remember why Jesus calls you to this life…if we do this…we will be blessed…each one and together…we will be at work presenting this church…not only when we’re gathered…but also when scattered throughout the city…a church radiant in Christ…the more we bend the knee and serve…serving each other with the gospel…serving each other with lives shaped by that gospel…the more this church will shine like he does

If you do these things…You will be blessed!

Loving God’s people – Part VI

In our current series of blogs, we will look together at John 13.1-30 and see what a church that loves God’s people looks like.

How can we have a heart that loves like Jesus…not Judas?

To live this way takes a miracle.  We need something or someone to break in and take the poisonous heart of Judas out of us and give us a new heart.

Behold the gospel!  What we need, God has done.  In Ezekiel 36 we read of God’s glorious response to a betrayers heart is to say, my heart beats stronger than yours.  And the world was about to see the full extent of his hearts powerful love – on the cross he would wash us clean by his blood and gift us with a new heart by his Spirit…

And it is his Spirit that says to us, his children, with his heart, this then is how to live, v.34… A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Our hearts have a new authority

If you are a Christian, now set apart from Judas, your heart is shaped by the will of another…Jesus!

He walks into your life and says, I’m you’re your king and here is my command, a new command – not a new suggestion…or life-style option… a command – love

Our hearts have a new object

The new heart is radically re-directed, from self to other.  Jesus commands you to love one another.  It was command given in an era of massive division, huge fault lines in society – master/slave…Jew/Gentile…man/woman…As the first disciples obeyed this command, the world was turned upside down.  It was this new command that saw the Christian community bring the gospel to the whole world.  It was not with some grand strategy…some clever 5 point 5 year plan…but loving one another as they had been loved.  Nothing has changed…this is how we will win Wahroonga…

Left to ourselves, we seek our own.  But when Christ comes, everything changes.  As we beging this church we will gather with people we may well not choose to gather with, if left to ourselves.  But here’s the difference Jesus love!  This is a miraculous community, a place for all comers.  Here is aa community curved out to love the other, rather than ourselves.

The more our hearts submit to his authority, the more the object of our love is one another, the more diverse this community will be and the more fully extended our love.  The more this is true…the more Wahroonga …Sydney…will marvel at this community…and know we are his!

Don’t underestimate the power of obedience to this command…

Loving God’s people – Part V

In our current series of blogs, we will look together at John 13.1-30 and see what a church that loves God’s people looks like.

When Jesus finished washing the disciples feet in the upper room, he puts on his clothes and returns to his place, and asks, (v.12), ‘do you know what I’ve done for you?’.  I’ve shown you what life is about…humanity 101…here it is.  This is who you are – a creature made in my image, you are a servant, committed to the good of others.

Those cleansed by Jesus blood are called to serve each other.  That is his nature.  And we, now covered in his blood, are to look the same.

Back to our question from the second blog in this series, what do you live for?  Jesus answer – I live to serve, I’m calling you to join me.  Here is where blessing is found.  And any presumptions that such a life is beneath my station fades when I realise that the one before whom every knee will bow, is bent before me to wash me.  I have every reason to join him and none to refuse.

Jesus says, you are to do likewise.  Bend the knee, take off your dress-up king outfit that you parade through this world in, grab a towel and wash each others feet.

But, here is the danger for us.  To hear these calls of discipleship and offer a hearty ‘Yes’ to them – a servant…absolutely…of course…count me in!

But, in the muck of life as a church, surrounded by people who are prone to sin (like us), people prone to let others down, as we are, people that are hard to serve, hard to love, we find our heart to follow…to go do likewise…is weak.

And beyond the church, in the relentless pattern of normal life, how on earth can I go an do likewise?  I barely manage to care for myself, let alone others…

And in this weakness and in this self absorption, we start to see that our heart is not like Jesus.  Our heart is more like the other heart revealed in these verses – Judas…

Here are three things about Judas’ heart, that we find in our own, that make it hard to follow Jesus here:

• His heart is committed to betraying Jesus – self-rule, which of course leads to self-serving
• His heart is a selfish heart – John 12
• His heart is an ignorant heart – destructive…miscalculating self-love.  Jesus is worth more than the whole universe He created and yet Judas sells Him for a 30 pieces of silver.  It is a breathtakingly foolish exchange.  Only someone who has no idea what they are giving up would do that. 

It is the same for those who rather than heed his word to ‘come follow’ here in John 13…would hold back…play it safe…and cling to to the cheaper prize of self-protection…self-love.

How can we have a heart that loves like Jesus…not Judas?

Loving God’s people – Part IV

In our current series of blogs, we will look together at John 13.1-30 and see what a church that loves God’s people looks like.

As Jesus walks about the upper room, bending one by one before the disciples they are stunned into silence, as the king washes them.  It is a silence not just of embarrassment at not being unwilling to do the job themselves, but the awkward silence of finding the guest of honour doing it.  Jesus shakes all their presuppositions about themselves and their God.  it is just a warning tremor of the shaking that is about to happen on the cross.

They are silenced, except Peter of course – the master of speaking when no word is required.  Oh but you should be glad he does speak up, for it shows us even more about our God and ourselves.  Jesus bends before Peter, Peter blurts out, v 6 "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

None of this makes sense to Peter.  He sees no point to his Lord serving him.  He can’t see the depth of his own problem.  Nor can he grasp the full extent of Jesus love for him.  But he will…the next 24 hours will show him –  as he watches the one who washed his feet, the one he will deny even knowing, stagger up that hill and die for him.

Jesus says…unless I wash you…you can have no part with me.  The washing of the feet is but a symbol of the washing that the cross will bring.  That’s why he sheds his blood, so that through his blood, Peter can come to Jesus to be washed clean…pure…spotless…forgiven!  Jesus serves Peter…because only he can serve in this way…

Do you see the promise in verse 8…‘part’ with Jesus.  It is a word used in the OT to describe the gift that God gave his people of the land – his blessing to his people.  Now Jesus tells Peter, the blessing God offers us is much more than land.  It is a share in Jesus – he is our inheritance.  And only if he washes us, can we claim him – relationship with he who made and loves us.

This is the great news of the gospel.  It is not just that Jesus washes us so we are clean (I’m clean…not guilty…I am free to go…)  NO YOU ARE FREE TO STAY! With me…in my place…with your Father! (Jn 14.1-3).

Peter doesn’t fully grasp all of this yet, but he grasps enough to know he wants in.  He wants to be where Jesus is.  He says, wash me Lord…all of me…hands…head…feet…the lot…THE SUPERWASH!

I love Peter.  I love his passion.  He’s always 100%.  There is no half-heartedness here.  I want to be that way with Jesus – desperate to be a part of what he’s a part of.  So I’d say with Peter, wash me Lord… wash me clean…I want in!

But of course the danger of that is we can live the Christian life…never quite sure if I’m clean enough…what if he finds some dirt under my nails…what if I disappoint him…what’s your week been like? Clean?

That’s what is so comforting about Jesus answer to Peter’s call for the super wash…v.10…you are clean…your whole body is clean!

This basin and towel, this is nothing.  What I’ll do tomorrow on the cross, as I shed my blood  is going to make you whiter than snow (Isaiah 1.18).