(Programs airing before and after Speaking the Truth in Love
are not produced or endorsed by the Oak Ridge church of Christ.)

The Love Of Jesus

TV Program for Thursday, September 09, 2010

Notes written by Murray Wade

We are members of the Oak Ridge church of Christ. We call ourselves Christians (Acts 11:26) and we hold to the Bible as our one and only Truth. Church of Christ is a biblical description of Christians who work together for the cause of Christ (Romans 16:16). We are independent assemblies with no organization beyond our own number as described in Philippians 1:1. There are Christians across the world working with local congregations of God’s people such as described in Revelation 2-3. Christians are members of Christ’s body, which is also known as His Church (Acts 2:47, Ephesians 5:23). Our mission is to stand for God’s truth (the gospel) and teach it to all people (Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 1:16, 1 Timothy 3:15). We are accountable to our one and only Head Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18).

On our last TV Program we presented a lesson on “The Love of God” so tonight we would like to follow that program up with a lesson about “The Love of Jesus”. We want to take maybe a different approach to this topic than what you may have heard from other sermons. We want to look at four apostles of the Lord and then see how much the Lord loved them!

 

Peter: Peter showed much promise for Jesus (John 6:67-69). He vigorously denied Jesus, was reluctant to commit to Jesus, and then Jesus patiently, honestly, and lovingly encouraged him to be a leader in the Lord’s Kingdom! Notice John 21:15-25 and Acts 5:29-32. Do you think Peter was motivated because of the love of Jesus?

 

John: Along with all the other apostles, John forsook Jesus when he was arrested (Mark 14:50). He was referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:20). Imagine the betrayal Jesus felt, even though it seems the betrayal was for a short period of time! John did forsake Jesus, but then Jesus commends his mother Mary to his care, allows John to be a major writer of the New Testament (John, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John), and reveals the book of Revelation to him. Jesus truly loved John!

 

Thomas: Thomas was not afraid to be killed when Jesus wanted to return to the home of Lazarus and his sisters (John 11:16). Thomas asks a great question of Jesus in John 14:5-6. Yet after the resurrection Thomas doubted. Notice how Jesus patiently makes sure that he sees Thomas and encourages him (John 20:24-29). Do you think Thomas knew how much Jesus loved him?

 

Paul: A severe persecutor of the Lord’s people but Jesus had a plan for Paul (1 Timothy 1:12-15). Jesus tells him what to do to change his life and to be commissioned as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus lovingly guides Paul but also expects Paul to endure trials for the His cause. Even though Paul persecuted the cause of Christ, Jesus patiently had confidence in him (1 Corinthians 13:4, 8). Paul really understood the Love of Jesus (Galatians 2:20). Do you think Paul appreciated the love of Jesus every day of his life after he saw Him on the road to Damascus?

 

Applications

 

Jesus shows patience and true love for all of these men (Peter, John, Thomas, and Paul). Yet He also expected a lot of them. Peter was told how he would be carried where he would not want to go. John had the burdens of a prophet bringing heavy prophecies to the world. Thomas had to persevere as an apostle of the Lord through many trials and bear the burden of being the one who doubted. Paul had the memory of his atrocities against the Jesus and His people his entire life while fulfilling the mission the Lord designated for him. And yes, Jesus expected them to use their talents to spread the gospel while dealing with these hardships!

 

What can we learn? Can we all relate to the mistakes and sins of these four apostles?

 

• If we want love like Jesus we need to be patient, honest, and loving with one another! The word “love” occurs 183 times in the New Testament.

 

• If we want to love like Jesus we need to have high expectations for one another! We should expect each other to be faithful, grow in the Lord, and to use our talents for the Lord!

 

The Love of Jesus shows that He truly cares for all mankind. He gave up heaven for a time to endure as a man. He lived a perfect life so He could be the only perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins!

 

Why don’t you take advantage of the Love of Jesus this morning? If you are not a Christian, we can help you to become one. Believe in Him, Confess Him, Repent of your sins, and be baptized in His name to wash your sins away! We truly hope you will consider the Love of Jesus! We also hope to see you next time on Speaking the Truth in Love!