The Love of Christ: On the night before the cross, Jesus gave his disciples a new command that would change everything: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Despite all the things that threaten to divide us, the cross-shaped, costly love of Jesus was to be the defining marker of his church. Recorded on Feb 4, 2024, on John 13:18-38 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So, all year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. It wasn’t long ago that I was really having a hard time in my life. And I wasn’t handling it very well. And no one could see it more clearly than my wife, Holly. Now, Holly and I were married when we were pretty young. So we’ve had to do a lot of growing up together, and it hasn’t always been pretty. In fact, it never is. Immaturity is always painful. But when I was deep down in this dark valley and feeling pretty bad for myself, she could’ve responded to me with judgment and condemnation (or at least a cold shoulder). But instead, she told me, “It’s ok. I’m not going anywhere. And we’ll figure this out.” It was her grace; it was her love for me in that moment that made me want to run up out of the valley. Now, not everyone is called to be married, and I know that not everyone who gets married stays married for various reasons. But this kind of love is what every single one of us was created to enjoy with God and within the church. Today, we’re finishing John chapter 13, considering the love of Christ and his calling for us, his people, to love one another just as he has loved us. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 13:18. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.

John 13:18–21 (NIV), “18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, last week, we started a long section in John’s gospel focusing on the events and teachings of the night before the cross of Christ. This includes the story last week of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, demonstrating the humble service that Jesus called his disciples to do for one another. But this night also includes the Last Supper, one of the longest sections of the teaching of Jesus known as the Upper Room Discourse, and the sad story here of the betrayal of Jesus by one of his friends and followers. But Jesus knows this will happen. He isn’t surprised by this betrayal, but it still hurts. John says that he was troubled in spirit. If you knew one of your friends, someone you spent years of your life with, would sell you to your enemies, how would you feel? But Jesus says that this tragic choice was all part of the plan. He says this was to fulfill a verse from Psalm 41. This was a psalm of the ancient King David. And one where some sort of illness had threatened David’s life while his enemies prowled around him, celebrating his impending death. Even one of David’s close friends,