The Leaven of Selfishness and Jesus Extravagant Love

This is online, and greetings to everyone as well. So it's nice to hear that update. Glad the surgery went well. Question for you all. I guess it's a little bit of a hard transition to what we just said because it's not connected in this way. I want you to think through this question as I... What would you do if you knew you only had three months to live? What would you do if you only... if you knew you only had three months to live? Would you eat your favorite meals? Would you spend extra time with family? Would you travel internationally? What would you do? Please turn to John 13 and verse 1. John 13 and verse 1. When people face their last days, it's interesting where they put their priorities, where they put their focus. Have you ever looked at how Jesus lived the last few days of his life? Because you know he was very clear that he only had days to live. So everything he did was extremely intentional. John 13 and verse 1. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that the hour had come, that he should depart from this world to his Father, having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end. So Passover, Feast on Love and Bread, these are times when we examine ourselves. We examine how can we be more God-like? And there is this area where if we study the perfection of Jesus Christ, I think we have the ideal mirror, right, to look and identify areas that we have loving, that needs to be removed. We have character traits that need to be refined. And Jesus' last days provides a perfect example for how we should care for each other with the agape love that he exemplified. You probably know the word paradigm, right? You've heard the phrase paradigm shift. A paradigm is a frame of reference. And so you could argue that in the Garden of Eden, God taught Adam and Eve that correct paradigm to reference for life, to put everything into perspective. And he showed them the purpose, why we are in this universe, the place we have in the plans of God. Well, when Satan entered the scene, his primary goal, you could argue, was to change that paradigm from God's away from God and toward his own paradigm. And he's been pretty successful. He's shifted focus from spiritual wealth as being success to physical wealth. He's changed it from the way of love and give to the way of self and get from Saturday to Sunday, feast of tabernacles to Christmas, from Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread to Lent, Good Friday and Easter. Satan's desire is to distract us with lusts, with self-contentment, with challenges, with anger. The key is to have us focus more on ourselves than on Jesus Christ. So that's the love and we focus on removing this time of year. And I would argue that all of Jesus' actions over the last few days of his life were to help his disciples, both at that time and throughout time, us, to help his disciples understand the right frame of reference for life. He wanted them to see the world from the proper paradigm. And from there, his ultimate example of how to love is where to learn. And it's summed up in verse 34, well-known verse, A new commandment I give to you that you love one another, as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. So those who like sermon titles, I've named this, The Love and of Selfishness and Jesus Extravagant Love. The love and of selfishness and Jesus extravagant love. So let's start with the most foundational, the most critical lesson about God's love. And that is this. Godly love is outgoing, focused away from self. Godly love is outgoing, focused away from self.

Jesus' last days are this ultimate example of outgoing concern. Do one to others. And he knew everything that was in store for him. Yet, if you look at his actions, they were outward, they were giving, they were concerned for others. Think about what he did in his last 24 hours. He washed his disciples' feet. He told them not to be troubled. He showed them the Father. He prayed for them. He expressed his love for them. He encouraged them. What you don't see is signs of stress or self-concern, which, you know, we would do if we were about to go through an excruciating death. It wasn't until after his long discussion with them, with his disciples, after praying for them, when he was alone in prayer with God, that he prayed to have the cup removed. And after his prayer for a plan B, he immediately returned and again focused on others. Let's look at a couple examples along the way. A good place is turn to John 13, verses 3 through 5. And, of course, what we're looking at there is the foot washing. Have you ever examined how selflessly Jesus lived his last days? I hope you see that as we go forward. John 13, verse 3. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towels with which he was girded. So, here was the Son of God, who knew he was about to be whipped, falsely accused, denied, beaten, ultimately crucified, being grateful because God had given all things into his hands. The Creator of the universe spent the evening of his accusation the day before his death as a servant washing his disciples' feet. It's one of the humbling things that we recognize every Passover, isn't it? To see the hands of God massaging the toes of other men, it's just not right. If you think about it, because these were good men, but they weren't perfect men. If you think about it, none of the disciples deserved to have their feet washed. Just prior to washing their feet, what were they doing? They were fighting over which of them was to be number one.

And Jesus could have asked himself, okay, how many of these people are going to stand with me in Pilate's court?

How many will share in the Romans whipping him? I'll help you with another zero. Who will pick up the weight of the cross when it falls?

And that's the paradigm of the world and what it would say.

Why? Because we're focused on things being fair. The world's paradigm of right and wrong doesn't want to see our king behaving as a servant. That's not the way it thinks. But Jesus didn't see it that way. Christ, who was the greatest, think of their argument just beforehand, knew what he was about to suffer and thought only of others. Did we do that? He thought of them. And it's hard to fully comprehend how Jesus could be so kind to us, but that's basically saying it's hard to comprehend godly love. But it's why we're here on earth to learn from and to grow from. And after the foot washing, Jesus' total focus was outward on preparing his disciples for what was coming. If you think of his words, none of them were self-absorbed.

None of them were feeling sorry for himself. None of them were asking for him to be comforted. He never spoke negatively about those he knew would treat him wrongly or betray him. He never spoke against his father, who had called him to make that ultimate sacrifice. Instead, a being self-absorbed. I'll just read you a couple verses. You can follow along, but if not, you can write them in your notes. Just listen. John 14, verse 13. Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do for you. John 14, 16. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper, that it may abide with you forever. Verse 18. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Verse 27. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Chapter 15, verse 11. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. That verse always blows me away. Jesus is talking about his joy at the very time he's about to face an awful death. Perspective. Beautiful perspective that Christ shared with us. Please do turn to Luke 22, and verse 60. Luke 22, and verse 60. Context I want you to get in this one. Even when Jesus was being condemned and having false accusations flung at him, his focus was on preparing and caring for his disciples. And what we're looking at is a situation when Peter denied Christ. But think of it from that lens. Luke 22, and verse 60. But Peter, after being accused of knowing Jesus, said, Man, I do not know what you are saying. Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the words of the Lord, how he had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. But then, perspective, Jesus is being surrounded by accusations to justify a death sentence.

But he doesn't hear them.

He hears only the denial of his friend. And if Peter ever thought that he could keep his denial a secret, he knew then that he couldn't. But he also knew that Jesus loved and cared more about him than his own life.

Throughout the crucifixion, Jesus asked God not to hold the people accountable who did it to him. He even encouraged the other prisoners who were being executed, hanging on the cross beside him. And at the point of death, hanging on the cross, he handed his mother to John to take care of. So the lesson is clear. Godly love is outgoing. It's focused on others. Passover time. Passover time. Do you and I love each other in that way?

That's a good passover reflection question. A second lesson about love from Jesus' last days is Godly love must be chosen. Godly love must be chosen.

Have you ever thought about the dangerous liberty that God gave humans? He gave us the liberty to choose.

The greatest mind in the universe granted Adam a choice.

And sadly, God the Father and Jesus knew from the beginning that Adam would choose wrongly.

Play that forward. That didn't affect their love for Adam and all humans who followed. It would have been a whole lot safer if God would have scripted every option, right?

Every option that Adam faced, every option that you and I face in this story of our lives. But it wouldn't have been love.

Love is only love if it's chosen. Think about it in your relationships. Love is only love if it's chosen. And what makes the understanding of Adam's failure even more overwhelming is that it meant Jesus knowingly chose to give up his own Godhead, become a servant, allow himself to be wrongly accused, painfully killed. God created the universe. He shaped Adam's out of clay, knowing the implications. That's powerful. He knowingly committed himself to endure this from before creation, all the way until he was hanging on the cross. Please turn to Matthew 1 in verse 23. As we prepare for the Passover, it's important that we recognize it wasn't only Jesus who set an example by choosing love from before creation, because remember God the Father had a role in this, too. God the Father made the same choice. He selflessly gave up his only son to be this human baby, to face all the testing, the trials over a lifetime for you and me by being a human. Matthew 1 in verse 23. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel, which means God with us. God with us. It was the ultimate outgoing concern of love that helped God the Father choose to give us Immanuel. That's a gift from God the Father. God with us was allowed to be in the flesh. And so both members of the Godhead, they chose life, though it meant death, with the hope that we, his children, would do the same. And the Bible says that God is love. It's such a powerful concept. God is love. How can love not love? And we often talk about love, but we fight showing it as humans, right? We fight it when living a way of love is confronted by challenges daily. If we have a daily choice that's tough, eh, I love you, but I'm going to be selfish this moment. Jesus chose love to the end. How about us? Do you and I? Do we have opportunities there? Please turn to a well-known verse, Deuteronomy 30 in verse 19. Deuteronomy 30 in 19 verse, we finish up this point. Jesus thanked God for the disciples, though he knew they would sin. He knew they would make wrong choices and denounce him when he was gone. So this overwhelming example of Jesus' love, they're there to help us make the right choices when tough times come our way. That's why these examples are in the Bible. Deuteronomy 30 in verse 19, I call heaven and earth as witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursings. Therefore, choose life that you and your descendants may live. I submit to you that choosing life means choosing love. All right, let's go on to the third lesson. The third lesson is this. Godly love forgives regardless of the evil shown it. Godly love forgives regardless of the evil shown it. If you think about it, God has every reason to abandon us. Every reason. We pollute the world he gave us. We ignore the words he sent us. We killed his son.

In all these evil actions, they're the ultimate byproduct of the liberty he allowed us with the ability to choose. Kind of ironic. And God knew mankind would do all these wrong things once given the chance to choose. So does that make sense? Yes, it does. Let me share a concept that's hard to fully understand. God's love never ceases.

God's love never ceases. Okay, you get that. Now let me give you ways of playing that through to just rather your brain a little bit. Though we spurn, ignore, or disobey him, God's love isn't going to change. Our evil cannot diminish God's love. God is love. Our goodness can't increase it. Our faith doesn't earn it any more than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn't love us less if we fail, and he doesn't love us more if we succeed. Now let me frame this. He may be more proud of us. He might have more confidence in us. He will ultimately reward those who obey by being part of his spiritual family for eternity.

But God's love never ceases. Does ours?

Another out question that we all will fall short of. Please turn to Luke 23 and verse 34. Luke 23 and verse 34. The night before Jesus was killed, the hours before he was betrayed, think about what Jesus did. He washed Judah's feet. That's an amazing example of love and forgiveness. Luke 23 and verse 34. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Again, forgiving those who crucify you is this ultimate example of godly love. Forgiving regardless of the evil shown. And Jesus continually loved and forgave to the end. All right, again, you know this is a mirror sermon. Do we? Do we do the same? Do we consistently do the same? Are there times we find it hard to forgive others? Are there things that are just too heavy for us to let go of? Oh, I forgave them, but grrr! Did we really forgive? The Bible never says living godly is going to be easy, but the key is we will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven us. Think on that one, because there's a lot to that. We will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven us. That's love.

And as I thought of God's love never ceasing, what I realized is that we have human examples of it here today. See an example right back there, but the room is full of them, and that's mothers. All right, mothers, let me give you a perspective over here. Why do you love your newborns? For months, they brought you pain. They made you go through wild mood swings and waddle like a duck.

The baby occupied space that wasn't there, so it punched you in the stomach. They ate food they didn't prepare. You kept the baby warm and safe, but did that baby come out and say thank you? No, no. You went through all that pain at childbirth. Okay, so ladies, were you angry when that baby was born? Were you angry right then? No.

You were thrilled when it was born, even though you knew it was going to wake you up every night for months to come. Why? You love your newborn because the baby is you. The baby is you. Your blood, your flesh, your legacy.

You knew the newborn was helpless. You knew it was weak, and it didn't ask to come into the world. Okay, now flip it. Similarly, we are God's idea and legacy.

God looks at us that way. We are God's idea and legacy. Please turn to Isaiah 62 and verse 5. Isaiah 62 and verse 5. I read a fun quote that said, God has no cousins, only children. Interesting one to think on. But even as your children get older and they do stupid things, your love doesn't cease. Right? You forgive and go on. And that's the example that Jesus set for us at the end of his physical life. And he continues to interact that way in our lives. It hasn't stopped. A touching reason God offered salvation to you and I is because he is fond of us. Jesus likes you. God likes us. Isaiah 62 and verse 5. As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. Max Lucado is a great writer. Some of the ideas came from him and some of these points along the way. But he framed it this way. God's love is not human. His love is not normal. His love sees our sins and loves us still. Does he approve of our errors? No. Do we need to repent? Of course. But do I repent for his sake or mine? Mine. His ego needs no apology. His love needs no bolstering. And he couldn't love you and I more than he does right now. You know, there's something to treasure. As we approach the Passover, that's something that hopefully inspires you to try to remove spiritual loving and be even more grateful as you take the symbols. The fourth lesson from the last days of Jesus' life is this. Love focuses on what the loved one can be, not what they currently are. Love focuses on what the loved one can be, not what they currently are. I was thinking this morning as I was reviewing my notes, that probably an addendum should be, and certainly not revisiting their mistakes of the past. That's not love. It takes time to grow. Is the parents in the delivery room ashamed of the baby because it can't speak, it can't spell, it can't walk?

Of course not. The parents aren't ashamed. They're proud. Because they know that growth will come with time.

God's looking at us in that same way. Jesus was patient with his disciples even as he was being killed. And God continues to be patient with you and me. Please turn to Philippians 1 and verse 6. Philippians 1 and verse 6. I think, if we think about it realistically, God is often more patient with us than we are with ourselves. God is more patient with us than we are with ourselves. We assume that if we sin, then God is no longer our Abba or our Daddy. If we stumble and have our old desires, then we must not truly be converted. Well, here's a verse to remember if you start struggling with that as you're doing your Passover analysis along the way. Philippians 1 and verse 6. And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. That understanding is why we celebrate the Passover, why we celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Every year we identify old leaven and new leaven that we still need to be removed from our hearts, from our minds, that we do what's wrong. But that awareness is intended to lead us toward action and not just awareness. And that's where our part comes in, right? But despite being carnal sinners, which we're going to be until the day we die, we have the pleasure of celebrating the Passover annually knowing that Jesus died for us because he loves us. That's a wonderful perspective. We have a forgiving Creator Father and his Son. And knowing that should help us view in a different light why Jesus was so focused on the development of his disciples, preparing others. We have that opportunity in how we live and treat others. But let's turn to John 17, verses 20 through 23. John 17, 20 through 23. Jesus knew his death was just the start of the good work that he was going to do in people.

And I think that's why he talked of his joy, why he talked of his peace and the perspective. He knew what all of his disciples can be. He knows what you can be. And you can see that in the prayer that we're about to read. John 17, verse 20. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their words over thousands of years, all of us here, that they all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect. That's a progressive thing. Made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. If you think of the motto I didn't, I think there's a church logo here, but motto on the church seal says preaching the gospel, preparing a people. And that was truly Jesus Christ's focus, preparing a people as well as preaching the gospel, but he wasn't just preparing his disciples for the moment of his death, right? He was preparing you and me all future as well as current disciples that had in front of him at that time. And he loved the disciples even though he knew that they would run in fear when the soldiers came to apprehend him. Now again, let's put the human side to all of that because you and I go through this. I am sure the disciples felt guilt over their actions during Jesus' last hour. Let it out.

We often feel guilt as well, don't we? Is that bad? Is that bad?

Let me give you a different point of view on guilt. Guilt should be a healthy regret for telling God one thing and for doing another. It should pull on your hearts and yank us back. Turn to John 15 in verse 1, please. John 15 in verse 1. Godly sorrow, you've heard that word. That's guilt. Godly sorrow is good when it makes people change their hearts and lives.

That ultimately leads to salvation. So, is it good to feel guilt is no tragedy? To feel no guilt or only shame is? So what do we do with guilt spiritually, physically? How many lives would have gone untouched, epistles, unwritten, had Peter not dealt with his guilt for denying Jesus three times? You see the example of what somebody did with that. Two, have godly sorrow. Two, change their hearts and lives. God loves us for what we can be, and he's not blinded by what we currently are or what we did wrong in the past. John 15 verse 1. I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. So we've read this. The verses we're going to read in a week and a half. God is the gardener. Jesus is the vine. We are the grapes. So what does this have to do with love? Well, gardeners trim vines, and vines are abundant throughout Palestine.

Why? They trim vines so they can bear more fruit. God trims us. Why? For the exact same reason. Look at verse 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 remain or last. So Jesus chose us, you and I, and loves us so much that he wants us to bear fruit. Love, joy, peace, long suffering. You don't need to go through all of them. You know them.

God's...Godly love cares about our development, and that's why God as the gardener prunes us. Now there's an interesting use of words here which you may or may not have ever had brought to your attention. What the verse says in verse 2, it says, He takes away every branch of mine that does not produce fruit.

Alright. That verb for take away, or cut off, your translation might say, is from the Greek word arrow, and it has at least two meanings. So one meaning is to cut off. The other is to pick up or lift up. And I think they both are intended. God repositions the fruitless branch so it gets more sun and space if you think about your own gardens, right? You've seen a gardener realign a plant, and I would argue you've seen God realign your lives. He's realigned my life on numerous occasions, and they're both examples of love. We can't force spiritual fruit. That's another thing of this lesson. And that's why Jesus nowhere tells us to go out and to bear our own fruit. You're not going to see that, right? You can look at John 15, it says, Abide or Remain in the vine. Remain in Him in verses 4, 5, 6, and 7. Abide in love in verses 9 and 10. So our task is to stay close to the vine. That's our task. We need God's Spirit removing our carnality so that we can work and bear fruits, or He can work and bear fruits through us. And so the lesson is God's love cares for the development of others, and if we're looking at life in a godly perspective, then we should care for others in that same way. How do you look at the people around you? Do you have that level of care? We all have so much to grow there. Because if we're looking at life in a godly perspective, then we will care in a different way. We will be less judgmental. We'd be much more forgiving, if that's our focus. These are spiritual brothers, right? Alright, let's finish this lesson by reading the last sentence of John 15 in verse 5. It says, for without Me, or a part from Me, you can do nothing. Nothing. So what that means is Jesus wants us to bear fruit, and He will help us do it. Alright, let's go on to the next point. But while we're doing that, you can turn to John 18 in verse 1. The fifth lesson about godly love is this. God's love protects us. God's love protects us. John 18, starting in verse 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the brook-kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then, Jesus, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? Alright, let's go back to that word. Verse 3 refers to a detachment, or a band of soldiers. The Greek word here is spirra, and the word has three possible meanings. It could signify a Roman cohort of 300 men, a cavalry and infantry totally 1900 men, or a detachment known as a maniple, which contained 200 men. So, either way, we're talking about a large group of soldiers. Let's keep reading. They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am He. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now, when He said to them, I am He, they drew back and fell to the ground. Okay, context. These were the best soldiers in the world, implementing Satan's finest plan. And one word from Jesus made them all fall down. You can get a picture like the Roman guards became the keystone cops, if you want to go back to that analogy.

At least 200 fighting men collapsed in a noisy pile of weapons. And if you ever thought that analogy when you read that verse. And the basic lesson is that when Jesus speaks, Satan falls. So read verse 8. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way. These are bad analogy from the movies these days. These are not the droids you're looking for. These are not the droids I'm looking for. Think about what happened. Jesus commanded the very group of soldiers who came to seize Him. Why? To protect those He loved. Friends, Satan is powerless against Christ, and Satan will have to get through Him to get to us.

And as verse 9 says, of those you gave Me, I have lost none. So the lesson is that God's love protects us.

When Jesus says that He will keep you safe, Jesus means He will keep you safe.

He loves us that much. Alright, let's look at a couple other words of encouragement regarding God's protection. You don't need to turn there, but John 16 in verse 33, These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. Right? In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. Again, those are different ways of our perspective. Paradigm. Jesus is candid that the world will bring tribulation on those who are obedient to Him. So we have to be realistic of where the promises are at. He won't prevent that from happening, but He does give us peace because our calling is for much more than this physical life. John 17, 15, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but you should keep them, you should protect them, is what the word means, from the evil one. In John 13, 1, Jesus loved His own to the end. I love that. And that means He's still loving and still protecting us. Let's go on to the next point.

Turn to John 14, 1, as I give you this next one. Unfortunately, I'm keeping you pretty much in one book, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to get into a lot of these. The next lesson is God's love looks past physical death. God's love looks past physical death. John 14, verse 1, Don't let your heart be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. I'll tell you, that's an odd statement from a person facing the grave.

When you face death, don't be troubled. Trust God.

That's an interesting way to look at things. And you get the impression that to God the grave is this no-brainer. He speaks as casually as like if your car had problems, you went into a mechanic, just as frightened client, and he goes, Yeah, that engine's going to need an overhaul. Don't worry, I got it.

That's the way God looks at it, because for God, death is no big tragedy. The termination of the body is the beginning of life. We struggle with that concept. Jesus loved us so much that he's preparing a future home for us.

Okay, perspective. I don't know if you ever thought about this one. In the Gospels, we read that Jesus healed at least hundreds of people. He fed thousands of people, but we know of only three people that he resurrected from the dead. Have you ever thought about that one? You have the daughter of Jarrus with the boy near Nahn and Lazarus. Why so few? Could it be he knew he wasn't doing them any favors?

Perspective. A Core Spring Holy Day lesson is that we need to trust God does the best for us in our long-term best interest. We focus a lot on what we want in our short term. Now, I want to have it, God. That's where we focus.

And as much as we'd like to think we're exempt from the grave, we aren't. So the lesson God's love tells us when facing death is rather than avoid it, welcome it. Don't get me wrong. I'm not telling us to run out in front of a school bus out there. As soon as church is over, woohoo! No. But we can't embrace the death of a faithful Christian as a mile marker to remind us we aren't home yet. But we're closer than we've ever been.

John mentioned that Jesus was carrying his own cross as he walked up the hill. But you know what? He was actually carrying ours. The only reason he carried a cross in the first place was for us. It was for our sins. And God's love allowed Jesus to look past his physical death. And as a result, it allowed us to look past ours. Let's read verse 2, John 14, too. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Again, this isn't our home. This isn't our home. And we're not supposed to be at home here. Our true body, our true home is being prepared for us. It's not finished yet. But when it is, Christ will invite us there because he loves us that much. All right. For the rest of today's message, I would like us to consider what Jesus taught about the three ways that we express Christian love. There are three ways that we're told to express Christian love. Love toward God, love toward neighbor, and love toward self. So let's try to tie some of these concepts back together. We'll start by analyzing our love toward God.

As we prepare for the Passover, question for you. Can you honestly claim God comes first in your life? Can you honestly claim God comes first in your life? Now, of course, he is in most things we do. But I think when we look at our lives, we realize there's priority 1b that comes in every now and then. Because something else in the short term trumps it. And oftentimes we focus on doing right for small, intense bursts. I don't know if you're that way. You get all fired up, it gives a little burst. You just feel this excitement and passion and zeal that can take over. The problem is we don't sustain that effort. And I read an interesting quote that said, Our life is not a short story. Our life is a long, long, long book, and there are many, many chapters. Okay, what does that mean? When we see life as a long book with many chapters, it lets us see beyond relying on short sprints, you know, internal adrenaline. Ah, I can do it! But rather to grow in a step-by-step manner. And that's why God gave us things to help us reflect on. Ten commandments, guides to help us avoid rough places in life. God said to the people of Israel, Here are ten rules for a way of life that works, and it begins with, You shall have no other gods before me.

Love toward God. We know physical laws, right? We know physical laws around us all the time, such as, You shouldn't jump off a building. Eh, law of gravity. That's gonna hurt. Well, in the same way, we aren't supposed to disregard God, kill another, steal without, you know, go down your ten commandments. All of those are spiritual laws. And ultimately, they will hurt us as well. And the commandments represent this covenant between God and us, and they all begin with our relationship with God. Commandment one. Love toward God. And that makes the first commandment the most important. I am the God, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me. Now, at first glance, I think we could look at that and say, That's probably the easiest of the commandments. We don't believe in any other gods, though, right?

I think the question isn't whether we'll have a different God. It's what will be our gods. In whom or in what will we believe? That's the tough part, if you think about how we live our lives, because that shows what we really prioritize. Martin Luther once asked, What does it mean to have a God? Whatever your heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly your God. What do you lean on? What do you rely on when times get tough? Turn to John 14, verse 15 through 23. John 14, 15 through 23. God is ultimately selecting a family for eternity. That's the beautiful thing that just definitely gives peace and joy to life. And in this next verse, Jesus is telling us what it looks like to love God and to have no other gods before Him. And then it ends with this tremendous promise. John 14, verse 15. If you love me, keep my commandments. Short and succinct. Go to verse 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. There's a basic math formula. What does it mean to love God? He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him. Judas, not ascariot, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Those verses give a very tangible measurement, don't they, of loving God. Loving God means keeping his commandments. Loving God means obeying all the word bias to do in the Bible.

And it also means that when we look inside, we find what we treasure most is what's most important to God. We should be able to see consistency there. And that's what we solemnly reflect on at the Passover. As we prepare, do our priorities reflect God's? And if not, we grow closer. That's what we're shaping ourselves to reflect on. God's plan is to bring many sons to glory, to expand his spiritual family. Again, perspective. So if we share that priority, then shouldn't God's work be our top priority?

Interesting thing to think on. A good test question for us is, how much do we pray for the work of the church the church is doing and participate in and enable it? Now, I'll say that to my own fault. I don't always focus on that. But again, do we contribute our talents and our blessings to this cause as much as we should if that's what God's priority is on earth at this time? Please turn to Matthew 10, verses 37 through 38. Matthew 10, 37 through 38.

We all have so much room to love God more than we do. It's just endless, but that's part of our growth. The more we understand the depths of the first commandment, the more room we realize we have to grow in that beautiful relationship that we have. And Jesus presents this contrast next to emphasize how important our love for God should be. Matthew 10, verse 37. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. So discipleship is about emulating and imitating the teacher. And Jesus put his love for God the Father first.

Think about how he lives, how he lived, how he gave his life, how he always deferred and showed himself to be in honor and trying to do exactly what God the Father would have him do. And our love for God as disciples must be above everything else. Again, something to examine yourself on in this pre-pass over time. How much is our goal for eternity the same as God's? The more we put God in his work first, the more we'll grow and be blessed.

Alright, another question for you. What is your greatest hope for eternity? What is your greatest hope for eternity? Is it salvation? Because if so, I'd argue we're loving our own life more than we love God. Remember, we're not called to be saved. We are called to do a job. Salvation is a byproduct of us being selected for the job. Yes, we're human.

We'd love to have salvation and live for eternity. But if we have a pure, godly perspective, our goals should be helping God expand his family, remove evil from the world. Oh, by the way, eternal salvation comes with it. Do you see the contrast? Do you see the point? I find David's Psalms really humbling, because you see how much he loved God's law, how much he loved God's way, how much he loved how God thought.

Just a great example. It's the same true for us. Alright, let's go on to the next one. The second aspect is love toward neighbor. Love toward neighbor. Turn to 1 John 4 and verse 19. 1 John 4 and verse 19. Some people pretend to love God. The truth is, they can't stand their fellow man. You know, I just... I love God. 1 John 4 and verse 19. We love him because he first loved us.

If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also. I think we commonly think of our neighbor. You know, people right around us who live near us as neighbors. But Jesus means it to include all mankind, including our enemies. Again, consider the example that Jesus set.

Turn to John 13 verses 34 through 35. John 13, 34 through 35. Jesus died for every living human. He even died for those who whipped him, who spit on him, who falsely accused him. His actions showed that he loved everyone. Again, reflect on us. Do we show that same type of compassion? If we really love someone, then we express it by our actions. John 13 and verse 34. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. So how well do we love our neighbors? It's a growth area. Do we display that affection within the church? It doesn't stop there. Do we show God's Spirit and have it shine through us with those we just partially know, like our co-workers?

What about strangers? So many areas to grow in, isn't there? That's the reason that the cycle of the Holy Days comes up, and each spring Holy Day we realize, Ah! I've got so much more to climb. Turn next to Matthew 25 verses 41 through 46. Matthew 25, 41 through 46. So we're stepping into the parable of Jesus, where He told how He would judge when He returns as kings. As king. And this is the story of the sheep and the goats.

We're going to jump into the middle of it. But you'll see it all relates to how people showed love to neighbor. John 25 in verse 41. I'm sorry, Matthew 25 in verse 41. I apologize. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you did not take me in, naked, and you did not clothe me, Sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, Or a stranger or naked, or sick and or in prison, and did not minister to you?

Then He will answer them, saying, Assuredly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life. How often do we really help people in all those examples? Again, all of us could do more.

And I argue that's why God has us repeat His plan each year, walking through the Holy Days. It keeps us humble, and it makes us retain, again, that perspective, that focus, Lose the perspective and focus that Satan is surrounding us with. Where can we have a better attitude?

Where can we show love toward our neighbor better? Is it maybe our family? Is it our church? Is it a stranger? And it all starts with loving God. Never lose that part, because that's the foremost to everything. Have no other gods before Him, because that makes His plan the ultimate desire for our lives. And when that's the case, and we look at neighbors, everybody around us, because they're our future spiritual brothers and sisters. Can you get frustrated with the radio too loud next door to you? He's your future brother and sister. That's the way God looks at them.

Turn to Romans 12, verses 9, and we'll jump a little bit, but we'll get to verse 21. Romans 12, starting in verse 9. In this next verse, Paul gives us these very specific, these very tangible examples of how we're to love our neighbor. Each one is its own little sermon, its own little ouch point in here. Romans 12, in verse 9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, clinging to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another, with brotherly love, in honor, giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing the needs of the saints, giving to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Whoo! There's so much. Each one of those is self-examination. You're like, ah, fall short. Eh, not there yet. Eh, gotta work on that one. And understand, we're all there. We're all falling short.

This season is where we are to evaluate how we're making progress, where we're to evaluate things to focus on, and more importantly, things to let God work through us with, because it's not about our strength. Do we lose patience, or do we become selfish? We can't really love our neighbors if we speak evil about them, or if we're spreading rumors, or, you know, fill in any of the areas from that. Now, you may say, wait, my neighbor is just so different from me. My fellow church member is just so different than me. Don't forget, God intentionally made us different to fill in needed parts in his future perfect family.

That's the next set of sermons I'll do is on the body of Christ, but it's... Yeah, God did this intentionally. He put us all into the place He wanted us. All of our differences test us and help us grow, and working with different people is hard, but the Bible tells us a converted mind seeks peace and pursues it. Something to think about when you're being triggered. If we love our neighbor, we will live peacefully with him. Let's continue in verse 17. Repay no one evil for evil.

Have regards for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourself, but rather give peace to wrath. I'm sorry, give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Go and find the person that you have misunderstandings with. Work out your relationship. If you're struggling with somebody, talk to him. Reach out. To finish loving our neighbor, turn to Galatians 6, verses 2-5. Galatians 6, verses 2-5. And I'm going to read a story to you while you're turning there. There was a big valley where an observer noticed many pilgrims walking. Most people entered it weeping and crying, and left it feeling the same woes.

It didn't matter their color, their age, size, or description. In view of all over the entrance of the valley, there was written in great letters the following words, Bear one another's burdens. Bear one another's burdens. The observers noticed that many of the travelers hurried on without stopping to read it. Others read the inscription, but paid little or no attention.

Others thought it good advice for other people. But very seldom applied it to themselves. In short, he saw that too many of these people were of the opinion that they had burdens enough of their own, and that there was therefore no occasion to take upon them those of others. God, it's not for me to do. So each tried to make his own load as light and his own journey as pleasant as he could, without so much as once casting a thought on other poor overloaded neighbors. It was so ordained and contrived by the lord of this valley that if anyone stretched out his hand to lighten a neighbor's burden, he at the same moment would also lighten his own.

The obligation to help each other and the benefits of doing so were mutual. If a man helped his neighbor, it commonly happened that some other neighbor came by and helped him in his turn. For there was no such thing as what we call independence in this whole valley. No traveler, however stout and strong, could move on comfortably without assistance.

For so the lord of the valley, whose laws were all kind and good, had expressly ordained. It's beautiful. Galatians 6, verse 2, Friends, we all know the importance of bearing one another's burdens, but how often do we put it into practice? Reflect on where the opportunities are. Make it a daily attitude. And it's especially important around the Passover. Love toward our neighbor can't be separated from love toward God.

Alright, let's go to the third one. The third way Christian love should be expressed is love toward ourselves. Alright. Now wait, Dan. That sounds like psycho-babble. That sounds like self-love. Okay. First, for starters, there is no danger of us not loving ourselves enough.

We all have plenty of human nature. We're selfish. But I do agree that self-love can be selfish. That's not where I'm going. What's the godly way to have love toward ourselves? Some people have a tendency to torture themselves, reliving past sins which are forgiven. Passover is a time of self-reflection and Christian growth. It is not the time to dig up and mourn past wrongs over and over and over, which God has forgiven us for long ago. Turn to Romans 6, verses 3 through 4. Romans 6, 3 through 4.

Most of this sermon has focused on what Jesus did in his last days. And it's critical that we remember why Jesus suffered and gave his life. Why did Jesus call you and I? It was because he believes in you and I. He believes in us. We have to share that same confidence. Romans 6, verse 3. For do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.

Walk in newness of life. The question about whether God has forgiven us, that's ultimately an issue of discussion of conversion. Friends, we must not only learn to forgive others, we also need to forgive ourselves. We need to forgive ourselves. Matthew 6, 12 says, And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And you can see the word forgive, but I see that we must love others as ourselves. If we don't love others as ourselves, then we'll never be able to forgive others as we want God to forgive us.

So there are so many biblical examples of that being exemplified. I mean, you could think about Joseph's example, right, where his brother sold him into slavery, and he suffered tremendously, but he held no grudges. He learned to trust and love God, and as a result, he was able to love and forgive his brothers.

And the same could be seen with David, with Saul, with Moses and the Israelites. Jonah. Jonah had to realize God wants to forgive. Right? Stop forgiving them. Stop being that kind. And that helps us understand that he wants us to forgive others as well as ourselves.

If you want to be God-like, forgive yourself. God is absolutely willing to overlook our terrible mistakes and to allow us to repent, and he's excited and passionate about forgiving. God's forgiveness is one of the most inspiring displays of love that he shows towards us, and we need to be forgiving toward others and toward ourselves. Do you struggle with that this time of year or throughout life? Think about that one. Passover is about becoming prepared for the spiritual job that God has created us to have, and that's why the standard is so high. That's why the room for growth, it's never ending. Don't beat yourself up that you're not perfect.

There's only one perfect, and he's the one who's our Savior. Turn to Luke 23 verses 33 through 34. Luke 23, 33 through 34. God's plan for humanity is what allowed Jesus to not only give his life, but to also have that singular focus. Our best interests were in mind. He had the best interests of us until the very end. What's our attitude when we've been wronged?

What would have been our attitude if we were Jesus, if someone was in the process of wrongly killing us? Think about where you would be with that. Let's read Luke 23 and verse 33. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left, then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

That, that's truly loving neighbor and self, because Jesus knew the very people who killed him could be his spiritual brothers and sisters in the future. That's the perspective he had, and he deeply hopes that happens. If he has that much forgiveness and that much hope for us, we need to show it to ourselves as well. Once our sins are buried, don't mull over them anymore.

Don't bring them back as his anchor we carry everywhere we go. Stop looking back and condemning ourselves. Let's conclude by reading two passages from Paul. Turn to Philippians 3 and verse 13. Philippians 3 and verse 13. As you know, Paul played this really active role fighting against the church. He had people killed, put in prison, and I could only imagine that he continually was challenged about his involvement in this throughout his whole life.

People came up and just threw that in his face all the time because it'd be hard not to recognize and connect with him. Even more ironic is that Paul is going to be a spiritual family member to the very people he killed. Talk about the need to forgive others and yourself. Philippians 3 and verse 13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, for getting them, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

That's why if you're in Christ, if you're doing your best, there's not anything we're supposed to fear. That's the perspective that we're supposed to have. And for our final scripture about forgiving others, I'm sorry, forgiving ourselves, turn to Romans 8 and verse 1. Romans 8 and verse 1. I'd like you to look at this verse for assurance that there is no condemnation following us for our past wrongs. Once we've repented. Once we've been forgiven. There's no condemnation. Romans 8 and verse 1.

There is, therefore, now, no, zero, whatever word you want to use. No condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. So I hope today has helped you learn more about what Godly love is. By looking at how Jesus spent his last days, because Jesus exemplified a love that was outgoing, that was chosen, that was forgiving, that was focused on our future development, you know, what we can be.

That was protective, that looked beyond this physical life and death. He taught us how we're supposed to love God, love neighbor, love ourselves. And as a passover approaches, I really hope that we can examine ourselves. Make sure you're taking time to examine yourselves. And a lot of it is what you do with your partners, with your friends, with your daily lives, where you reflect. The lesson from Jesus' last days is that we should always show all three types of Christian love with a forgiving attitude.

The disciples showed they learned from Jesus by how they lived. Look at how they lived after his death, because their lives matched his words. That's the goal we should be aiming for. When a person's ways and words are the same, then there's this fusion.

It's explosive. And of course, in contrast, the things that they say they don't live by, that's destructive. Do our actions exemplify godly love? Christ showed he was our Passover lamb by how he lived. And I feel most importantly, by how he loved. And people will know we are Christians, not because we bear the name, but because we live the life, because we love.