The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 13 verses 31 through 38.

Tony Clark: All right. Turn with me in your Bible to John chapter 13 as we continue to study the word of God. We're studying the Gospel of John chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and book by book. And we find ourselves in chapter 13 looking forward to hearing what God has for us this morning. We're going to be looking at verses 31 to 38. And Father, thank you so much for this time in your word. We pray, God, that you will speak a timely word to us today and and Lord, you know what we need to hear.

So God, speak into our hearts in Jesus' name. Amen. John 13 looking at verses 31 to 38. The title of this message is love is the answer. Love is the answer. So if love is the answer, what is the question? The question is what is wrong with this world today? It is missing the love that Jesus is describing in these verses. I say this because there's a lot of talk about love today, but as we will see, it's not the love that is described in these particular verses that we're studying today. Look what it says there in verses 31 and 32.

It says, so when he had gone out, Jesus said, now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him immediately. What I would like to draw your attention to the phrase in verse 31, so when he had gone out. This refers to Judas leaving the upper room to carry out his betrayal of Jesus. So when he had gone out, Jesus said, now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. Jesus was saying, now that Judas the betrayer is gone, I can be glorified and the Father can be glorified in me.

So often the same is true in our lives when the traitors and betrayers are gone out of our lives, we can be glorified and the Father can be glorified in us. In other words, God is clearly seen in our lives when the Judas has gone out of it. Oh, it reminds me of the story of Jairus's daughter in Matthew uh Mark should I say Mark 5 verses 21 to 43. When Jesus came to the house of Jairus where his daughter had died and the people there were weeping and wailing and Jesus said in in Mark 5:39, he says, why make this commotion and weep?

The child is not dead. It's just sleeping. And when they ridiculed Jesus for saying this because they knew that the child was dead. Mark 5 verse 40 says, but when he had put them all outside. Sometimes there are people in our lives that mock and ridicule the things of God that are keeping us from seeing God do the miraculous in us. And maybe like Jairus's daughter, you have a teen or young adult or maybe even a spouse that is dead spiritually and you have people in your life mocking and ridiculing you for believing that God can raise them up spiritually.

Like Jesus, you must put them all outside of your life. Just like in these verses when Judas had gone out is when Jesus said that he is glorified and the Father is glorified in him. And you know who it is that you may need to put out of your life. It could be some friend or a coworker or or some partner. It is not until they are put outside of your life is when you will see God do the miraculous. As I said first service, now if you married to them, you just you just you stuck.

You stuck. I'm talking about a friend or a coworker or something like that. Sometime you have to put people outside of your life and you know who it is that I 'm speaking about. Whenever you trying to talk about the things of God, whenever you trying to believe God to do the miraculous in your life, they always are right there to mock or to make fun or to ridicule and that sometime you have to put them outside of your life in order for you to see God do the miraculous. It wasn't until Judas had gone out is when Jesus said, now the Son of Man is being glorified.

And sometime there is a Judas and I believe this you know who I'm talking about. There's a Judas in your life that needs to be put outside in order for God to be clearly seen in your life. And you know who it is I 'm talking about. Something else I would like to bring to your attention in this verse. It says the Son Jesus is glorified is a reference to his death on the cross that took place the very next day. And God is glorified in him is a reference to how the death of Jesus on the cross satisfied the demands of God's justice.

See Romans 6:23 says, for the wages of sin is death. So because we were all born into sin, we all should die and go to hell. But because Jesus went to the cross in our place and died for us, it satisfied the demands of God's justice because according to God's justice, somebody had to die. His holiness demands punishment for sin. And his justice demands for death to take place for the wages of sin is death. And so we are forgiven because Jesus going to the cross for us. Jesus is glorified by going to the cross and taking our place.

This is what is called in theological circles the substitutionary death of Christ. He took our place and died in our place. And the Father is glorified because the death of Jesus satisfied his justice because his justice says somebody got to die. Somebody got to die. And Jesus took our place. It's called the substitutionary death of Christ which satisfied the demands of the Father's justice. Now the same is true in our lives. Sometime we will not be glorified until we die on our cross. See the Father is clearly seen in us when we are willing to die on our cross like Jesus died on his.

We have to say what Jesus said in Matthew 26 in verse 39, Father, not my will, but your will be done. Dying on the cross means that we're willing to lay down our wills, our way, our wants in order for people in our lives to clearly see the Father in us. Oh, let me ask you this question. Who is it in your life that really needs to see the Father in you in order for them to be saved? Oh, they will see the Father when we're willing to go to our cross as Jesus was willing to go to his.

There's somebody in your life right now that really needs to see God, really needs to see the Father in you. In order for that to take place, you have to be willing to die to your way, die to your well see and they need to do this for me and that. In order for the Father to clearly be seen in us, we have to be willing to go to our cross and then die to our plans, our will, our way in order for them to see the Father in us. This is what happened with Jesus.

Look at what it says there in verse 33. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me and as I've said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say to you. Now in this verse, Jesus is now telling the disciples that he will be leaving them. Oh, I love it how Jesus addresses them uh by the affectionate term of little children. Or that Greek word is technia and it refers to an infant just born. And this term is very appropriate because it was during this time at Passover that the parents will explain to their children how God delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

And Jesus goes on to tell them that he will only be with them a little longer which speaks of the shortness of time that he had to be with them before his crucifixion. He says that there is going to come a time that you will seek me and as I've said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. Oh, this is a reference to John chapter 7 verse 34 uh when Jesus told the Jews referring to the religious leaders, you will seek me and not find me and where I am going, you cannot come.

Oh, the difference between these two statements are what he said to the religious leaders that they would not come to heaven where he was about to go. And what he said to his disciples is where I am going, which is heaven, you cannot come. Watch this at this present time because it is not your time to come. Oh, let me just share this here. I shared it first service. This is something that I believe that Jesus is telling to many of you who are here today because Jesus is saying to you what he said to his disciples.

You cannot come to heaven at this time because it's not your time to come. And I say this because someone has experienced a loss recently. A loss of a loved one or this is the anniversary of a loss. And yes, you missed them so much that you want to be with them, but it's not your time. It's not your time yet. It's not your time to go. When it's your time, you will go. And it's not your time. Just like he told the disciples, you cannot come with me at this time. You'll come later, but not at this time.

It's not your time yet. You got to go on and and live if for the Lord, but it right now it's not your time. Oh, it's nothing wrong with being sorrowful. The Bible says we we we don't sorrow as those who have no hope. It didn't say we don't sorrow. It just said we just don't sorrow as those who have no hope. We have a hope. But it's not your time. Somebody needs to hear that today because there are people that can be so caught up in grief that they think about doing something to themselves so they can go be with that loved one and I'm here to tell you it's not your time.

It's not your time. It's not your time. It's not your time. You will go, but it's not right now. It's not your time right now. Look what it says there in verses 34 and 35. He says a new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. And by this all will know that you're my disciples if you have love for one another. These are some of the most powerful verses in all of the Bible. Some of the most powerful. In all of the Bible, Jesus said in verse 34, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another.

What's so new about this? Loving one another? Well, Leviticus 19 verse 18 tells us that we need to love one another. What's so new about this? Matthew 22 verse 39 says the same thing that we should love one another. So what's so new about this statement? Jesus said, a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another. Watch this. What makes it new is the very next phrase as I have loved you. Jesus loved this so much that he died for us. Ephesians 5:25 says, husbands, love your wives. How? As Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

Christ loved us in two ways. Number one, he loved us unconditionally and number two, he loved us sacrificially. He was willing to lay down his life for us which he ultimately did. So with this in mind, we are called to love in the same way in a way that it will cost our lives. That is what's new about this commandment, not just loving generally or definitely not loving sexually which our world is obsessed with. Our world is upset. It's unfortunate that the English language only have one word for love when there are many different types of love.

The Greek language is more expressive. They have various words to describe the different kinds of love we have in the in in our world. And the everybody's talking about love. We just love. We love. We together. We love one another. We just love and we just love and can we just love? Isn't God is love and just love? And they mixing all these loves together. And they talking about Eros love. The Greek word Eros is where we get exotic a sensual. It speaks of sexual love and that's the love they mostly talk about that we're obsessed with, that we're inundated with.

They take a commercial with a battery and turn it sexual. It's just it's it's just what the world does and they're all about sexual love and they constantly are pushing it in our face sexual kind of love. But the love that God's talks talks about, the love we have one for another is agape. Is agape is God's love is the highest form of love. It's a love that that's loved with no strings attached. That that's what makes it unconditional. It's a love that's willing to die. That's what make it sacrificial. So this is the love that we're called to love with love sacrificially to the point of death.

And maybe there is someone in your life that you're at odds with today. Just realize that there cannot be reconciliation until there is a death. In other words, someone has to die before there's reconciliation. Isn't that what happened with Jesus before we were reconciled which means to be brought back into a right relationship with God, Jesus had to die in order for that to take place. Oh, the same is true for us. Wherever it is that you're at odds with someone has to die in order for there to be reconciliation. Die to selfishness, die to self-centeredness before there can be reconciliation.

The question is will it be you? Oh, you protest, I am innocent. Well, so with Jesus. So was Jesus. He was innocent. So am I saying that everyone will be reconciled to us when we die? No, because Jesus died and not everyone will be reconciled to him. But when we love sacrificially like Jesus did, he said in verse 35, all men will know that you're my disciples when we love one another like this sacrificially to the point of death. Oh, I love what the third century apologist Tertullian who's also called a church father. Tertullian said that this was what the unbelievers had to say about the Christians in their day.

I quote, see how they loved one another. Or they went on to say how ready they are to die for one another. The the the love the believers have for one another had such an impact on the world in the third century that the Christian faith spread rapidly. Oh, I wonder what the world is saying about Christianity today. Oh, it is not see how they love one another. But see how they fight, how they can get along with each other. I all the time I'm pulling up some kind of story. The church put the pastor out and there was a fight in the parking lot.

The deacons pulling guns out, went back in and the pastor and his son fighting over the church. It's all kind of just mess every day. Mess. Is this what the world is is this what we're showing the world? And what does the world have to say about us? Oh, see how arrogant and judgmental they are. Jesus said by this shall all men know that you're my disciples by the way you protest and look down on everyone. No, he didn't say that. He said no, by the love you have for one another. Now don't get it twisted.

Now this doesn't mean that we don't confront sin, but we need to speak the truth in love like Ephesians 4:15 says. But and yes, no matter how lovingly we say things, there will be those who would think still think we're being judgmental. So they they just got to get over their feelings about that. We still do what we're called to do, speak the truth in love. It didn't say don't speak it. It says speak it and this is how you do it in love. And the Bible makes very clear that all you with all the world would know you're my disciples by the love you have for one another.

You know the problems in the world today? I don't blame the world. Did you know that? The world is just being the world. Satan is just being he's just being who he is doing his thing. I don't blame the world. I blame the church. That's who I blame because the the Bible is very clear on how things can get squared away in the world. And it's not from the White House. Please stop looking there. Please. I beg you. Stop looking to the next election. Please. It's not there. The word of God makes very clear. He says, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face, watch this, turn from their wicked ways, then I hear from heaven, I forgive their sins and watch this and heal their land.

To me, did you hear White House in there anywhere? Did you hear political kind of maneuvering? You didn't hear any of that. He said if my people, the problem is us. Or also in the in the in the Gospel of Luke, he said the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. He says, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Either we're not praying because he said when we pray to him, the Lord of the harvest, he will send out laborers into the harvest. He said the harvest is plenteous.

Are we seeing a plenteous harvest? No, we're not. I don't blame no one but the church. I blame us. The Bible says, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. We're naming the name of Christ, but we're not departing from iniquity. I saw a show last night, late last night and I was just I I I was I was blown away at what I was watching. People of my ilk in pulpits like this and what they're coming out and saying and and and and this is who I am right now and I'm still going to be pastoring.

Hey, let me tell you something. There are qualifications for those who stand behind podiums like this and there are qualifications for a reason. It's not just for any it's not just for just to fill up some pages in the Bible. There are some qualifications for a reason and the standard is high because the call is high. That's why. And I'm just I'm just amazed. I blame the church. I blame I blame the church. I I mean, you know, it's amazing how the church was birthed out of a prayer meeting as the 120 were in the upper room.

The church was birthed. And you can barely find a prayer meeting at the at the common church. We talking about we want prayer in schools. Can we get it back in the church? That's just a thought. And and so I I don't blame anyone else, but I I blame the church and we we got to get our act together. If we want to see God do a great work and we do, look at God can do more in a millisecond than we can do in years of our programming and planning and God can just do in a millisecond.

I was I was, you know, I was just you know, I was just didn't look kind of funny, you know, I was the weather and I was like the storm. Oh, Lord, not the storm, not on the Sunday. Oh, Lord. Oh, you know how your people are. They ain't going they ain't going to come out, but they'll be at work tomorrow. But Lord, they you know, but Lord, oh God, please. You know your people. They are mess. Oh, help us, Lord. And Lord said, you know, I can do more on a stormy day than you.

And I just said, Lord, you only have to finish. I got you. I got you. I got you. I understand. And sometime we just lose focus, but we have it's it's us. It's us. It's us who call ourselves believers. This is what the issue is. This is what the problem is. It says, all men will know you're my disciples by the love you have one for another. Look at verse 36. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered him, where I'm going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterwards.

Now Simon Peter said, Lord, where are you going? Peter Peter, did did you did you miss everything he just finished saying about love? He was still perplexed about how Jesus was leaving them that he mentioned verse 33. Peter didn't receive the truth about Jesus leaving them. He didn't receive that. He said, I can't get down with that. Even when Jesus told him that he had to go to the cross, you remember Peter was the one who protested. In Matthew 16 verse 22 it said, far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you.

Now it's really easy for us to get on Peter and say, Peter, aren't you paying attention? What's wrong with you? Jesus must go to the cross, Peter, and go back to heaven. Oh, Peter didn't want Jesus to ever leave them. How often do we accept Jesus not being with us? How often are we okay without sensing God's presence in our lives? How often are we like Mary and Joseph who in Luke 2:44 went a day's journey before they realized Jesus wasn't with them? Oh, we go a day's journey and more before we realize Jesus is not with us and most of the time we have grown accustomed to not having his presence with us.

Oh, at least Peter didn't ever want Jesus to leave them. And may we long for Jesus to be with us like Peter is demonstrating here. It blows me away that Mary and Joseph went a day's journey before they realized Jesus wasn't with them. I wonder how long do we go and we not sense the Lord's presence and we're okay with that.

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