Foundations: Love (John 13:34-35)

A sermon preached on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain.

Sermon Series: Foundations, Lessons on Christian Living
Message: Love
Focal Passage: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Love’s Flow: “Love comes from God” (1 Jn. 4:7) because “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:16), and “We love because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19).

Love’s Fruit: Jn. 13:35; 1 Cor. 13:1-13

Love flows down from God to us. Only when we know God’s love are we able to “love one another.” The power of love is seen in the fact that “All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” As important as our doctrine is, as important as our ministry is, all of it is nothing apart from love (See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Preaching and teaching, having great knowledge, even sacrificial works without love will be empty and have little effect.
What the world needs to see in us is a demonstration of God’s love.

The best way to understand love is to see love in action. What does this “love one another” love look like? Today, we will see “love in action” through the life of a man in Scripture named Barnabas. We find his story in the book of Acts.

1. Love Responds to Urgent Needs
Our introduction to Barnabas is in Acts 4:32-36. Here we find the early church gathering together and the Bible says that they “shared everything they had” (v.32). Most of these believers had little in a the way of this world’s goods, yet “There was no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need” (vv.34-35). Here was the first Christian social ministry, believers coming together to help one another in a very tangible way.

One person is given special notice here. Barnabas, his formal name was Joseph and he was a Levite from Cyprus. He sold a field that he owned and brought the money to the apostles to meet needs. His name, Barnabas is fitting because it means “Son of Encouragement.” Barnabas did not have to do this, he was under no order or compulsion to do this. He simply saw the great needs of others and had it in his power to make a difference and he did so. Barnabas demonstrated love in action. He lived out the command of Jesus. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

God’s love in us compels us to put love in action. John said, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:17-18). Where does this inner compelling to meet urgent needs come from? It comes from the love of God within us. “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 Jn. 4:7).

The Holy Spirit within us compels us to love because the God who lives within us is love. This change of heart brought about by God’s love shows that we belong to God. When needs are presented, do we respond? Or hope someone else does? Do we respond to needs as the Good Samaritan? Or as the Priest and the Levite? “All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

1. Love responds to urgent needs.
2. Love Receives Those Whom God Accepts
The next time we see Barnabas he has befriended Saul, a recent convert to Christianity. We know him better as the Apostle Paul. But the believers who reside in Jerusalem are not too sure about Saul’s conversion. As far as they know, he’s still an ardent zealot for the Jewish cause. But Saul has met the Lord and had his theology straightened out, as well as his sins forgiven. Who will befriend Saul? Who will receive the one who tried with every fiber of his being to destroy the church of God? Enter Barnabas (Acts 9:26-27).

When no one would touch Saul with a ten foot pole, Barnabas received him and agreed to introduce him to the other apostles. Barnabas was the mouthpiece of Saul telling the apostles of Paul’s conversion and how he had “preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus” (v.27). Love is compelled to respond to urgent needs and love receives those whom God accepts.

How could Barnabas not receive Saul if God had accepted him? If we are to love a lost world, we first must receive and love one another. Why are we sometimes hesitant to embrace one another? To receive one another? Why do we not love one another? (1) It may be that we have misunderstood the nature of love. Love does not mean that you have to always agree with one another, but we do have to love one another. I don’t have to agree or like everything that some brother or sister in Christ does, but if they are “in Christ,” I do have to receive those whom God accepts.

When God has done so much for me, when He has accepted me, how could I dare not accept people that God accepts? (2) Another reason we don’t love one another is that we doubt the power of God to change people. The church in Jerusalem could not believe that Saul could change. They were so focused on Saul’s past that they could not believe Saul could be different in the present. But love looks beyond the past and sees the beautiful change that God brings to people in the present.

At the very heart of the Gospel is that people can change because of the power of God. People are powerless to change their nature, but what man cannot do, God can do through the new birth. Just look at Saul, he is exhibit A. He once was a rabid extremist, yet God transformed him. There are no impossible cases with God. If we believe that God is all-powerful, then we will have no problem receiving those whom God accepts.

What about you? Will you receive others? What about people right here in this church? People who may not be like you? People who do things differently? People who have different preferences?

Barnabas was able to receive Paul because God had accepted him. Because Barnabas had a servants heart we find him busy ministering in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). Antioch was Gentile (Non-Jewish) territory. Among these Greeks the growing group of believers found a ready mission field and the Bible says “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (11:21).

Barnabas had been sent by the Jerusalem church to see what was occurring in Antioch. He was a good choice to send since he himself was from Cyprus and some of these believers in Antioch were from Cyprus as well. What he saw in Antioch was “evidence of the grace of God” (v.23). This greatly encouraged Barnabas and he in turn admonished the believers “to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts” (v.23). Verse 24 is a good summary of the character of Barnabas. (1) He was a good man, (2) Full of the Holy Spirit, (3) Full of faith, and (4) A soul winner.

Seeing the great need for discipleship among the new believers at Antioch, Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Saul who joined him in Antioch and together they “taught great numbers of people” (v.26). One of the great things about Barnabas was that he could share the ministry, there was not a competitive bone in his body. He had no qualms with getting Paul involved in this growing ministry. Just think what could be accomplished in the church today if we did not have to receive the credit and the glory! No wonder Luke tells us that “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (v.26).
Barnabas was able to rejoice in the grace of God that was evident in Antioch. God had accepted them and so Barnabas did too.

1. Love responds to urgent needs
2. Love receives those whom God receives
3. Love Reaches out to the Lost
The ability to receive others opened Barnabas up to a whole new world of ministry. We see the growing ministry and influence of Barnabas in Acts 13:1-3 where he along with Paul was sent on the very first missionary journey to extend the Gospel in non-Jewish places where the Gospel had not been preached before. Why did Barnabas leave a good and growing church, a great church? Because love calls us to leave the comfortable, love calls us to get outside of ourselves, love reaches out to the lost.

Barnabas crossed cultural boundaries, he had a “no limits” God! Where there is love, there is an open door to ministry. The church is always looking for a new program, a new way, but it is love that will grow God’s kingdom. Love is the key to reaching more people. And the more that we love as Jesus loved, the wider our ministry influence will extend. The issue for many of us is, “will we get outside of ourselves?” Will we leave our comfort zone in order to reach out to the lost around us? We will if we love as God loves.

God’s love reaches out to the lost because true love flows from the heart of a God who loves the lost! If you want to know what God thinks about the lost in Denham Springs, simply take a cursory look at your Bible! For example, Jn. 3:16, 17; Lk. 15; 19:10; 2 Pe. 3:9. The entire Bible is God’s love letter, God’s plan to redeem His creation from sin, to restore our relationship with Him, to reconcile us. Are you looking for ways to increase your ministry? To expand your circle of influence? To reach more people in your class? Or are you content with downsizing your ministry, your influence? Sad to say, while the lost population in Livingston Parish is increasing dramatically, the churches are decreasing! Now is not the time to circle the wagons, now is not the time to become complacent and comfortable. Now is the time that we should be advancing the kingdom by extending the grace of God to the lost in our area. So, “What will you personally do about it?” If you love God you will be involved in some tangible way in reaching the lost.

1. Love responds to urgent needs. 2. Love receives those whom God accepts. 3. Love reaches out to the lost.
4. Love Restores the Fallen
After the first missionary journey, a sharp disagreement arose between Barnabas and Paul (15:36-41). Just because we’re Christians does not mean that we will not have disagreements. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark but Paul did not since Mark had left them on the first missionary journey, for reasons we do not know. But Barnabas was willing to give Mark a second chance. He not only reached out to the friendless, like Paul, but he reached out to the fallen, like Mark. Neither man would budge in their position so Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus and Paul took Silas and went through Syria visiting the churches.

Love gave Mark a second chance. Love restores the fallen. The church is full of hurting and broken people. Some have been ensnared by sin, some apathy, some were hurt along the way and have rolled off in a dark corner somewhere (Lk. 15). They once were useful and joyful but have now fallen away. Do we care? Will you care? David said, “No one cared for my soul.” Some of these our brothers and sisters in the Lord can be restored. But they will need a Barnabas to step in. Will you be that man? That woman? You will if you love – love restores the fallen. See Galatians 6:1-2 on the process of restoration.

Love responds to urgent needs, love receives those whom God accepts, love reaches out to the lost, and love restores the fallen. “A new commandment I give you [Jesus said]: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34-35). Do people know we belong to Jesus? They will if we love as He loves.

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe