Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Love One Another
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Love One Another
Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
In Jesus we love one another and bear fruit that remains.
“12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
— John 15:12-17
Sermon OutlineI. The Command to Love One Another v 12a
“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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:34-35
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
— James 4:1-2
II. The Characteristics of Loving One Another vv 12b-16a
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ”
— Romans 5:8
“ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
— Matthew 5:44
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
— Ephesians 2:8
“28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
III. The Call to Love One Another vv 16b-17
Loving one another as pruning (15:2)
Loving one another as peace (14:1)
Loving one another as prayer (answers) (14:13-14; 15:16)
Loving one another as persevering toward fruit (that lasts) (15:5;17)
“My happiest hours are spent with three or four old friends and old clothes tramping together and putting up in small pubs – or else sitting up till the small hours in someone’s college room talking nonsense, poetry, theology, metaphysics over beer, tea and pipes.”
— C.S. Lewis
There are few who would not recognise the names of authors C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. It is hard to imagine our world without these two literary greats and their beloved books The chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) and The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) which have been translated into more than 39 languages, printed in more than 300 million copies and were optioned into films earning more than 6 billion euro combined. While the individual talent of these authors is undeniable to readers today, many may not realise that Tolkien and Lewis enjoyed an unshakable friendship—a relationship directly responsible for the creation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Colin Duriez observes this in his book C.S. Lewis a Biography of Friendship:
“Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkien and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkien would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis’ fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkien’s influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds.”
— Colin Duriez
Lewis and Tolkien were part of a circle of close friends who called themselves The Inklings who met regularly to share their work but more than that to share of themselves. The intimacy of the friendship is well seen in the following quote by C.S. Lewis following the death of one of his dear Inklings:
“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have.”
— C.S. Lewis
Is Jesus Your Homeboy?
D. A. Carson cautions (The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 522), we need to be careful about being too chummy in calling Jesus our friend. In the Bible, God and the Lord Jesus call certain ones their friends, but no human ever refers to God or Jesus as their friend. It’s not a mutual, reciprocal friendship. The Bible refers to both Abraham and Moses (as friends of God. Jesus here calls the disciples His friends. But He is still their Lord and Teacher (John 13:13-14) Although at the last supper, the apostle John laid his head on Jesus’ breast, years later when John saw Jesus in His glory, he fell at His feet as a dead man (Revelation 1:17). So as we consider whether or not we are friends of Jesus, we need to maintain John’s reverence.
SMALL GROUP STUDYIntroduction (5 min)What is the greatest act of love or sacrifice that you have witnessed first-hand? Did that act of love or sacrifice change you and your relationship with others in any way? If so, how?
Understand the Text (25 min)1. As Jesus prepares his disciples for his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, what does he command them to do? What is their love supposed to look like? Has Jesus told them to love one another before? Read John 13:34-35.
Why is loving one another so important in the life of a Christian? Read 1 John 3:11-16.
What happens in the life of a Christian when they love the way that Jesus loved? What does the world conclude when they see Christians loving one another?
What are some ways you can love your family as Jesus has loved you this week? What are some ways you can love your co-workers, classmates, and even strangers with the love of Christ this week?
2. How does Jesus define the greatest demonstration of love? What has Jesus said about “laying down his life” in the Gospel of John? Read John 10:11, 15, and 17- 18.
When Jesus talks about laying down his life for his friends, what specifically is he referring to? Read Romans 5:6-8.
How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus has laid down his life for you? Do you feel loved, cherished, and valued?
How does understanding your vertical identity help you love others in a horizontal relationship?
How does the fact that Jesus laid down his life for you help you follow his commands?
3. What is the difference between a servant and a friend? What does Jesus call his disciples?
What does our status as friends give us the right to know? Read John 15:15. Does this help you appreciate the friendship you have with God? Why or why not?
Is our friendship with God conditional? What does Jesus say our friendship with him is based on? Read John 15:14.
Can we be friends with God/Jesus and hate our brothers? Read 1 John 4:21-5:3.
4. Who initiated the relationship between the disciples and Jesus? Read John 15:16. How is this different than the typical disciple and Rabbi relationship of the first century?
Application (10min)Jesus wants his disciples to live as a reflection of him as they live their lives. He calls them to love as he has loved them (by laying down his life). He calls them friends who understand the reason for obeying the command to love. And he calls them to live as chosen people who bear fruit that abides. Jesus is calling you to follow him and surrender your way of life to his way of life as chosen friends who love one another.
How can you cultivate sacrificial love for people? What would need to change for you to really love people that you dislike as well as people who dislike you?
Back to Bulletin
View all episodes
By United Community ChurchShaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
In Jesus we love one another and bear fruit that remains.
“12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
— John 15:12-17
Sermon OutlineI. The Command to Love One Another v 12a
“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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:34-35
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
— James 4:1-2
II. The Characteristics of Loving One Another vv 12b-16a
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ”
— Romans 5:8
“ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
— Matthew 5:44
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
— Ephesians 2:8
“28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
III. The Call to Love One Another vv 16b-17
Loving one another as pruning (15:2)
Loving one another as peace (14:1)
Loving one another as prayer (answers) (14:13-14; 15:16)
Loving one another as persevering toward fruit (that lasts) (15:5;17)
“My happiest hours are spent with three or four old friends and old clothes tramping together and putting up in small pubs – or else sitting up till the small hours in someone’s college room talking nonsense, poetry, theology, metaphysics over beer, tea and pipes.”
— C.S. Lewis
There are few who would not recognise the names of authors C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. It is hard to imagine our world without these two literary greats and their beloved books The chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) and The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) which have been translated into more than 39 languages, printed in more than 300 million copies and were optioned into films earning more than 6 billion euro combined. While the individual talent of these authors is undeniable to readers today, many may not realise that Tolkien and Lewis enjoyed an unshakable friendship—a relationship directly responsible for the creation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Colin Duriez observes this in his book C.S. Lewis a Biography of Friendship:
“Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkien and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkien would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis’ fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkien’s influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds.”
— Colin Duriez
Lewis and Tolkien were part of a circle of close friends who called themselves The Inklings who met regularly to share their work but more than that to share of themselves. The intimacy of the friendship is well seen in the following quote by C.S. Lewis following the death of one of his dear Inklings:
“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have.”
— C.S. Lewis
Is Jesus Your Homeboy?
D. A. Carson cautions (The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 522), we need to be careful about being too chummy in calling Jesus our friend. In the Bible, God and the Lord Jesus call certain ones their friends, but no human ever refers to God or Jesus as their friend. It’s not a mutual, reciprocal friendship. The Bible refers to both Abraham and Moses (as friends of God. Jesus here calls the disciples His friends. But He is still their Lord and Teacher (John 13:13-14) Although at the last supper, the apostle John laid his head on Jesus’ breast, years later when John saw Jesus in His glory, he fell at His feet as a dead man (Revelation 1:17). So as we consider whether or not we are friends of Jesus, we need to maintain John’s reverence.
SMALL GROUP STUDYIntroduction (5 min)What is the greatest act of love or sacrifice that you have witnessed first-hand? Did that act of love or sacrifice change you and your relationship with others in any way? If so, how?
Understand the Text (25 min)1. As Jesus prepares his disciples for his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, what does he command them to do? What is their love supposed to look like? Has Jesus told them to love one another before? Read John 13:34-35.
Why is loving one another so important in the life of a Christian? Read 1 John 3:11-16.
What happens in the life of a Christian when they love the way that Jesus loved? What does the world conclude when they see Christians loving one another?
What are some ways you can love your family as Jesus has loved you this week? What are some ways you can love your co-workers, classmates, and even strangers with the love of Christ this week?
2. How does Jesus define the greatest demonstration of love? What has Jesus said about “laying down his life” in the Gospel of John? Read John 10:11, 15, and 17- 18.
When Jesus talks about laying down his life for his friends, what specifically is he referring to? Read Romans 5:6-8.
How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus has laid down his life for you? Do you feel loved, cherished, and valued?
How does understanding your vertical identity help you love others in a horizontal relationship?
How does the fact that Jesus laid down his life for you help you follow his commands?
3. What is the difference between a servant and a friend? What does Jesus call his disciples?
What does our status as friends give us the right to know? Read John 15:15. Does this help you appreciate the friendship you have with God? Why or why not?
Is our friendship with God conditional? What does Jesus say our friendship with him is based on? Read John 15:14.
Can we be friends with God/Jesus and hate our brothers? Read 1 John 4:21-5:3.
4. Who initiated the relationship between the disciples and Jesus? Read John 15:16. How is this different than the typical disciple and Rabbi relationship of the first century?
Application (10min)Jesus wants his disciples to live as a reflection of him as they live their lives. He calls them to love as he has loved them (by laying down his life). He calls them friends who understand the reason for obeying the command to love. And he calls them to live as chosen people who bear fruit that abides. Jesus is calling you to follow him and surrender your way of life to his way of life as chosen friends who love one another.
How can you cultivate sacrificial love for people? What would need to change for you to really love people that you dislike as well as people who dislike you?
Back to Bulletin