From February Sermon Series XO

What are you known for?

Maybe you’re known for being a savvy businessperson. Maybe you’ve been a great athlete. Maybe you are known for having the gift of gab. You might be someone known for being good with numbers You might be known as a person with a great sense of humor. Or maybe you’re known for not having any sense of humor. Some people are known as hard workers. Others are known for being frugal.

Think about it for a moment. If your family and friends were to offer a description of you, what do you suppose would come to their minds?

I hope they all have good things to say. But here’s the truth. There are a lot of the things people are known for that will not endure into eternity.

What are you known for?

What does Jesus want us to be known for?

 It was Thursday evening. Jesus and his closest disciples gathered in the upper room of a home to eat the annual Passover meal together. That meal has become known as The Last Supper.  Some of you probably know a lot about that night from reading the Gospel accounts. 

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He predicted that Judas would betray Him. He predicted that Peter would deny Him. Then in his conversation with them, He told them what they needed to be known for. He also told them how to do it. Here’s what He said.

 John 13:34-35  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

 LOVE AS AN IDENTITY.

Jesus said this is what I want you to be known for. He wanted other people to know them as His disciples.

The word Disciple means Learner, Pupil, Follower.  The concept of a disciple that grips me the most and has given me the best understanding is the phrase “to come alongside”. The disciple comes alongside the teacher and learns to imitate the attributes and lifestyle of that leader. The leader invites followers to come alongside him or her and then models Christ for them. 

Jesus wanted those eating the Passover with Him to be known as His followers. When people encountered them, He wanted those people to know these guys were His representatives.

Then Jesus tells them how to show others they are his representatives. By loving one another. In other words, Jesus is saying to us that people outside of the church watch our lives and our actions. By our love for one another, they will know we are Christ-followers.

Church attendance has declined and is declining in America. It has declined even more in Europe. Reports, I’m seeing, show that approximately 3% of the population of the United Kingdom is in regular church attendance. I don’t know the exact numbers in America. But the studies I’ve found put regular church attendance at somewhere around 7.5% in the USA. 

What is causing church attendance to decline? This is the question that has continued to be asked through the decades-long slump. Without a doubt, there are a variety of reasons. But let me cut to the chase. I believe one of the biggest problems the church has is the representatives.

 We could talk about the prosperity preachers who have their private jets and keep asking their followers for more money. We could talk about those preachers who make outlandish predictions that we know, and non-Christians know, will not come true. We could talk about those church leaders who are caught in some kind of immoral activity.  They all hurt church attendance.  They hurt every church because people, in general, put all churches in one heap. If one church is all about money, then the general population believes every church is all about money. If there’s sexual sin in one church, then people are certain they can’t trust the people in any church.

But let’s not talk about those preachers and churches that are obviously doing a lot of damage.  Let’s talk about you and I. Let’s think about us. Let’s ask the question: How are we doing at being humble, honest representatives of Jesus Christ?

On Sunday, February 18, 2024, Anthony Rodriguez delivered the sermon at our church (New River Church, Wesley Chapel, Florida). Afterward, I told him one word came to my mind - Genuine. I could tell that Anthony believed everything he said. That his relationship with Christ is real. I think his message was one that motivates others to desire that same kind of relationship. He came across as an honest, authentic representative of Jesus Christ.  That’s what people desire - Authenticity.

I have some friends who are atheists. One of them sometimes shares his displeasure with Christianity on social media by pointing out some of the prosperity preachers.

He did that recently and I read the comments that followed from non-Christians. First of all, it is sad that these people are not believers. But what I found even more sad was that I had to agree with most of their comments. They were simply pointing out bad representations of Jesus. 

I really don’t think most people have a problem with Jesus. It’s His representatives they don’t like. Too many come across as phony. Too many come across as self-serving.

 Jesus said others are going to know if we are the real deal by observing our love for one another. And I don’t think it’s just our love for those in the church family, but also for those who are not a part of the family.

Jesus had said previous to this that Loving God and Loving Your Neighbor As Yourself were the most important commandments. Now Jesus is in His final hours. He knew He was about to die. It seems to me that He wants to get the most important message across to followers in these final moments. So now, just before being arrested and crucified, He said, “A new command I give you. Love one another.”

 We have to ask the question: What was “new” about this command? Loving your neighbor as yourself is something Jesus had already said. In fact, that command goes all the way to the Old Testament Law of Moses. Leviticus 19:18 …you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

But, notice, in this new command Jesus doesn’t say: Love each other as you love yourself. He takes love to a whole new level. He says, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Do you love yourself? I know you do. You feed yourself. You bathe yourself. You clothe yourself. As Christ-followers, Jesus expects us to go above and beyond loving each other the way we love ourselves.  We are to love the way He has loved us.

So how did Jesus love others?  He set "self" aside. If we will keep this phrase in mind as we think about how Jesus loved it will help us practice His kind of love.  He set "self" aside.  Jesus put Himself on the back burner.

Think about it. He left His source of income behind. He ceased being a carpenter to fulfill the mission He was sent to complete.

He left the comforts of His home in Nazareth. Prior to doing that He left the comforts of his Heavenly Home to come into this broken world.

He left the joy of family in Nazareth to do ministry.

He gave up His time for the cause of God’s Eternal Kingdom.

He gave up His will to fulfill the will of His Heavenly Father.

 Ultimately, He gave His life on the Cross to open a way to Heaven for you and me.

 To love others like Jesus loved us, we have to totally surrender ourselves. Our egos and our plans fall by the wayside, as we put Christ first in all things.

 For some of us, that means moving away from family and friends. For some, that means quitting a job and stepping out in faith to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For others, it means leaving the comforts of America. It might mean leaving a quiet rural setting to minister in an urban setting. God might want you in NYC, or Chicago, or LA.

 Loving like Jesus means the willingness to go and do as He leads us.

 Loving each other as Jesus loved us certainly means praying for each other. We need to be praying about one another’s walk with the Lord.  Pray for each other to remain faithful and produce spiritual fruit. 

Loving each other as Jesus loves us means we will encourage each other in the ways of the Lord. Respect each other and truly want the very best for each other.

 Groups of people are identified by various things. It might be by the type of clothing they wear. We know certain religious groups by their clothing. We know motorcycle groups by their colors. Some people form into groups through shared interests…such as a sports team, or special cause, or a type of animal. There are dog people and horse people.  There are even crazy cat people. People identify into groups by skin color, behavior, or education.

 We need to see that for the very first time in history, Jesus created a group identified by one thing: HIS LOVE. Followers of Christ are to be recognized by their love for each other. And their love for one another is to be the same kind of love that Jesus has for us.

 Let me ask you again. What are you known for?  What am I known for?  What identifies us?

 I'll leave you with this verse. Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.