Today, folks, we’re finishing up an eight-part late-summer series called ‘Christian’. We’ve been talking about a problem with the branding of ‘Christian’. If you’re a ‘Christian’, what does that mean biblically speaking? The truth is we don’t really know … as the word’s only used 3 times in the New Testament and never clearly defined. The word Jesus actually used to describe his followers, however, is very clearly defined—disciple. And in its simplest form, it means a people who love one another—first and foremost, then love others with the love of God, too. We began talking about this even in the first week together.
In Week #2, I told the story of author Anne Rice and her summary of Christianity, after she decided to quit the whole thing: Do you remember? Quarrelsome, hostile, and then … disputatious! And this, unfortunately, is the way many view Christians today…
In Jesus’ day, the term ‘Christian’ was a derogatory term used by those outside the faith … to describe those inside the faith. So, it wasn’t altogether wonderful then either. But again, it’s not the word Jesus used to describe his followers … or the word they used to describe themselves. That word was disciple … which is very narrowly defined. And Jesus boiled it all down to this: He said (John 13:35, NIV)…
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples [there’s our word—disciples, which means followers, learners, those who’ve signed on with me, by this one thing everyone will know that you’re my disciples], if you love one another.”
In other words, Jesus is telling us that he wants people to take notice and say, ‘Oh, they must be Jesus’ followers. Just look at how they love one another!’ I want people to identify you and describe you and confuse you as a follower of mine based on only one thing: the way you treat each other and ultimately the way you treat other people! And then some began to question Jesus’ teaching…
One day as Jesus was teaching, some people came to him and tossed him a trick question—always trying to trick Jesus with questions. But, Jesus was pretty smart in this environment. Sometimes Jesus wouldn’t even answer their questions, because he knew the intent of the question. BUT, on this particular occasion, they said, Jesus, what, of all the laws and all the commandments, is the greatest commandment? And they had an answer in their minds, but what would Jesus say? Would he stay true to the tradition of the elders and the teachers of the law? They wanted to know how Jesus would answer this question, what is the greatest commandment? Now, I’ve mentioned this before, but there were over 600 different laws from the Old Testament at this time … and they were asking Jesus to narrow it down to just one … and here’s what he said (Matt. 22:37-39, NIV):
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is…
And they’re saying, Wait, wait, wait … we just asked for one! And Jesus says, Yeah, but I can’t give you just one. I’ve got to give you two … because the second one is just like it, which means the second one is just as important as the first. Or the second one goes with the first one; don’t try to accomplish the first, without doing the second too…
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
And before they could raise their hands and ask another question, Jesus said something of such extraordinary significance … that I don’t know how anyone could miss it! In fact, 25 years later, the Apostle Paul would come back to this idea and write specifically about what Jesus said here. Then, 30-40 years later, the Apostle John would bring it back and write about it. But some of us have lost sight of what Jesus said here. Listen to this (Matt. 22:40, NIV):
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
All the law, folks—all 613, all the Ten Commandments—thou shalt not … steal … commit adultery … all those things that thou shalt not do … or the shalts—obey your parents, etc. Do you know what this means? It means every time we pick up our Bibles, or teach a lesson, or scramble around for what should I do in this situation—what does it say about this? Love God … and love people. Jesus said to look at all that comes up in our lives through this filter. And that brings us right back to last week’s question: What does love require of me? This is primary to our way of life…
So, what does love require of me? In the next few moments … and to the best of my ability, I want to try and explain to you how extraordinarily brilliant this is—for Jesus, who had but a handful of followers, no cultural influence, no leverage, living in the armpit of the Roman Empire—most don’t care, most aren’t paying attention, he could have said anything he wanted to say, and yet this was the message God gave to him as began what would eventually be called the Jesus Movement, which eventually became the Church. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if… And the brilliance of his statement is actually found in our own experience. Let me put it this way…
There are two categories of people who’ve made a significant difference in your life—have influenced your life profoundly. There are two kinds of people who’ve made you the father you are today, or the wife you are today, or have made you successful today, etc. There are two categories of people who’ve set you up to be able to relate to others successfully or set you up to struggle with relationships. And these two categories of people didn’t influence you deeply because of what they believed. It wasn’t what they believed; it wasn’t even if they were a Christian or not; it wasn’t if they were religious or church people. The two categories of people that have had more to do with who you are today are: Those who’ve hurt you … and those who’ve loved you—those who’ve hurt you deeply … and those who’ve loved you profoundly! And if you ever find yourself in counseling because of something you bump up against—something you can’t get through on your own, a good counselor will take you right to this…
We’ve been hurt by people who looked just fine on the outside, upstanding citizens and so forth … BUT, behind the scenes they just took the life right out of you! They destroyed your soul and set you up for an adult experience that’s been so painful and so difficult that you might say, I feel like I kind of have to limp through life. I’m constantly trying to compensate—not for someone’s theology, not for whether or not my parents were Christians or believed in the Bible, but because I was hurt so deeply. Folks, let’s get real honest today: There are pastors and priests (those who should be some of the most upstanding citizens in our society) in prison today with impeccable theology … but they’ve hurt people—people not impacted by what these church leaders believed, but by how they were treated…
On the flip-side, if some of you’ve moved into adulthood with extraordinary self-esteem, a great outlook on life, or incredible potential … it’s more than likely because someone loved you deeply! And you know what? Their theology probably wasn’t all that sophisticated, and they may not have been able to find all the chapters and verses in scripture, and they couldn’t tell you all the stories found there, and they may not have even been that consistent in church … but they loved you—deeply! It may have been a parent, or a coach, or a principal, or a teacher, or a youth group leader … who just came alongside you and just poured God’s love into you. And for the first time in your life, you experienced unconditional love!
So, when we tell our stories, they’re usually either stories of hurt … or stories of love. They’re not about theology, or Christianity, or church attendance. It was about something that spoke directly to your soul, for better or for worse. So, folks, let me be very clear about this…
Jesus came to make a difference—not so much a point! Let me put it this way: The way you’ve been treated in life has more to do with who you are … than what you believe … and Jesus knew that! This is why what Jesus said was so extraordinarily profound … and why it’s so important that those of us who are Jesus’ followers get this…
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, there was a shift from behave … to believe. When the Church first started out as a Jesus movement, it was all about … how you love. But over time it became all about … what you believe. And I know this is really simplifying things, but let me say this: If we would simply do what Jesus said do … instead of arguing about what Jesus said, the world would be changed! Believe is easy; that requires almost nothing from us. But behave requires, in some cases, a brand new worldview—a whole different way of thinking!
Folks, here’s what Jesus didn’t say: A new command I give you: believe correctly! By this all men will know that you’re my disciples, if you believe correctly! He didn’t say that; I’ll guarantee you…
Jesus knew peoples’ hearts, and he always interacted with people—different people and different situations—with the same attitude: What does love require of me? He always interacted with them based on their story (which is why Jesus seems inconsistent to some, because everyone’s story is different). … But he was consistent in this: In every conversation, he answered the question: What does love require of me? Folks, believing is much easier than behaving! But, that’s not what Jesus calls us to…
I want to give you 3 statements as I finish up this series, kind of taking the ‘what does love require of me’ to the next level. So, how do we live this out? Well, you’ve been waiting long enough, so here it is; this is what…
Love requires … that I don’t do anything that will intentionally hurt me…
What does love require of you? Love requires that you don’t do anything that hurts YOU! Do you know why? Because your Heavenly Father loves you, and you can’t do anything harmful to you that won’t hurt him, any more than my kids can do anything to themselves that’s harmful and not have it hurt me! My children cannot hurt themselves without it hurting me. It’s the same with God…
Love requires that you never make a single decision in your life—whether moral, or sexual, or ethical, or relational, or professional … that will bring harm to you, because you hurt you … and the ones who love you the most. You can say, Well, that’s just between me & me … but is it? NO! It’s not just between you & you, because … you’re loved. And when you hurt you, you hurt those who love you! Here’s the second thing… LOVE REQUIRES…
Love requires … that I don’t do anything to intentionally hurt others…
Now, I’m not talking about those who serve in the military or serve in law enforcement; the New Testament is so clear about that! I’m talking about your interpersonal relationships. I’m talking about … regardless of how you understand the world, how you see the world, how you view Christianity, or even your level of maturity … you should not intentionally do anything to hurt others. Let me remind you of why: because every person you ever come eyeball to eyeball with … is someone God sent Jesus to die for! Even your worst enemies … and I know that one is hard to swallow sometimes, but even your worst enemies—those who’ve hurt you the most, you shouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt them or hurt them back…
Do you know what love requires of you? That you decide once and for all—the filter through which my words will come … and the filter through which my actions will come … is this: What does love require of me? I’m not going to do anything to intentionally hurt (or get back at) others. I’m not going to betray, deceive, groom, tempt, abuse, or hurt another person. That’s tough, isn’t it? And then finally: LOVE REQUIRES…
Love requires … that I not be mastered by anything!
Do you know why? Because whenever we’re mastered by anything, it will keep us from loving someone. Whenever you’re mastered by something, it will keep you from loving someone. No one should have to compete (and remember, I’m talking about being mastered by something) … with the likes of alcohol, or pornography, or prescription drug addiction, or anger (temper) … or anything that masters YOU! Refuse to be mastered by anything … because God is your only Master! Do you know what love requires of you? Love requires that you get rid of—let go of—anything in your life that competes with his (point up) Lordship in your life—anything… You cannot love as long as you’re mastered!
So, don’t do anything that hurts YOU. Don’t do anything that hurts someone else. And be mastered by nothing … except God!
Folks, let me wrap this series up right here. Here’s the deal, here’s what I think Jesus was getting at, and what we’ve lost sight of. When Jesus’ followers, or the Church, leverage anything other than love, we ultimately lose our leverage. And my friends, we’ve lost our leverage in culture; we’ve lost and are losing our leverage in the world. And it’s not because of anything we point our finger at … other than … we’ve abandoned love.
Love is how our culture was once influenced. Love is what made the Church explode on the world scene in the first place. Love was the message and mission of Jesus from the beginning. But, when we leverage anything other than love, we lose our leverage! One thing I’ve learned is that you cannot preach people to love Jesus. You can’t preach people to love one another. You can’t preach people out of habits or addictions. You can’t legislate a husband to love his wife like Christ loved the Church. But LOVE can show the way. And when it’s seen, it’s contagious. So maybe we’ll be the generation that asks in every situation: What does love require of me? And maybe it could be said of us, just like those 1st century Christians, by this everyone will know that we belong to Jesus—because we love one another … and beyond. Maybe we will be a part of the rebranding of ‘Christian’…