You turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 13. John 13, 34. We read two portions. First is chapter 13, starting from verse 34. I gave a new commandment I gave unto you, that ye love one another. As I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whether Whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterward. Peter said unto him, Lord, why can't I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crawl till thou hast denied me thrice. Then to the chapter 15, verse nine. 15, verse nine. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandment and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that the man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servants knowest not what his Lord doeth, and I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye ask, you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. Let's come before the throne of God to ask for his help. Our loving, kind God, most merciful and righteous, Lord, today I dare to talk about love. God is love. Who can say about this? Lord, help us to grasp something that our mind cannot contain. Beyond our imagination, Lord, help us today to have a glimpse of Thy love towards us and Thy great commandment for us to love one another. Lord, it's a so vast task as ocean that we need thy divine help. Lord, may thy Holy Spirit lead us into truth and may truth set us free. May thy name be hallowed, thy kingdom come, and thy will be done in earth as it's in heaven. Make this moment a precious moment to see we love thee and love each other. We ask for your, for the help. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. As this is a family living class, I'll try to put more focus on application, but before that, we need to go to doctrines first. First, do you love each of true Christians around you? Do you feel you dislike someone, although you admit that that person is a true Christian? Have you loved a Christian very much for a while, but have stopped having love for him or her because of this reason or that? Do you have hard feelings towards some of our church members? Or do you have hard feelings against another church, a true Christian church, or another true Christian denomination? Love one another is not okay that you love for some of the true Christians around you and dislike others. Jesus said to his 11 disciples of this commandment, ye love one another. It is not okay for Peter to love Andrew and John and dislike others. Peter needs to love each one of the other 10. disciples. So if you are not loving each one of the true Christians around you, your distinguishing mark of Christianity is at stake. If you are really serious about this, it's a very good time for now for us to repent and turn. If you still have some hard feelings against one or two or some Christians or another church, have that person in your mind for this time. Have that person, he or she, in your mind. And let's listen to the word of Jesus Christ and also watch Jesus Christ. for how he explained this great commandment and how he showed this great commandment. As I have loved you, this you is 11 disciples. It's exactly after Judas has gone out. So this is right after Judas went out, Jesus told this great commandment. So this you means true Christians. This is also can be seen that I lay down my life. He does not lay down his life for Judah. So each one, 11 disciples, is true Christians and this love another is to the true Christians. This, how would Jesus explain about this great commandment? Love is so big, so Jesus has a short discourse on this and we go through this self-explanation by Jesus and we know that how we should love another. This is by John 15 from verse 12 to 17. We just go briefly the doctrines Jesus taught about this. Jesus said in verse 9, 15 verse 9, Jesus said, as the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue in my love. Just pause for a moment. Jesus loved us just as Father loved the Son. This love of triune God, among triune God, this love is poured towards us and towards you. and the person you may not love. And Jesus called his disciples friends. And by friends, Jesus said two things. One is that these friends are so, so dear to Jesus Christ that he is willing to give his life. And these friends are so close to Jesus' friend that he tells them everything he heard from the father. This is what John 15 says. Very, very close friend and very, very dear friends. And Jesus called these disciples chosen ones, very special chosen ones to bear fruit. and this fruit, as in the metaphor of wine, this fruit to glorify God. And these friends, these disciples, have the name of Jesus Christ, can use that name to ask Father, and ask Father, and Father will give everything or anything that these disciples will ask in the name of Jesus. So when Jesus explained about love, as I have loved you, Jesus used these things to explain. And what does this mean to us? Just think that. of that person that you may not love anymore, or you dislike in one way or another. Just think about that. That person, Jesus loved with a triune, triune God's love. As Father has loved me, I have loved you, and you include every true Christians, including you and that person. How unbelievable. What kind of love could that be? And that relationship between you and that person really matters to God. Not only is there a horizontal relationship between you and that person. Jesus said, as I have loved you, you love one another. And as Father has loved me, I have loved you. So relationship between you and that person involves Jesus Christ and involves Father. Think back to the vine metaphor. If two branches of the true vine does not get along with each other, this hurts or bothers Jesus. and bothers the husband man. If Jesus calls that person a very dear friend, he laid down his life for that person, and he told that person everything he heard from his father, and he called that person a chosen one to bear fruit, And if Jesus treated that person like this, how can you treat that person like what you are thinking? Or on the other way around, think of yourself. If Jesus loved me so much, with the love of the Father to his son, and chose me to bear fruit, and he laid down his life for me, and he asked me, Can you love that person? And you said, oh no, that's a different story. He does not appreciate my love so much. He has such bad behavior to me. He's so arrogant. But Jesus said, I loved you with the Father, how Father loved me. And the late monk led my life to you. Are you obeying me? This is a word of Jesus Christ regarding about love of Jesus Christ and how these people should love one another. And Apostle John says in 1 John 3.18, my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and truth. So we turn to the deeds of Jesus towards his disciples. After Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he said, for I've given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. So when Jesus gave this great commandment, this is exactly right after Jesus washed his disciples' feet. And this is clearly linked with this commandment because in John 13, two, he says, he loved them unto the end. For I give unto you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. So when Jesus said, as I have loved you, so these disciples immediately know that Jesus has just done this action to them. So the first deed of Jesus is that Jesus washed the disciples' feet. This action of love, all manifestations of love, shows serving one another with humility. As Calvin said, rule of brotherly love is serving one another with humility. There is no brotherly love where there is no voluntary subjection in assisting a neighbor. So 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4b says, And another thing, Just we see the deeds just around this commandment. Another thing is that Jesus died for them. Just right after this night, Jesus died for them. And this Jesus dying for them is giving everything to them. And even life. And he is expecting nothing reward from these disciples. He just give everything. And it's interesting to see that Jesus did not say that, as I have loved you, ye love me. He said, ye love one another. The third very close action did by Jesus is that Jesus forgave Peter, although Peter denied three times. So by this action, Jesus told his disciple that ready to forgive offenses. And Matthew 18, 21, 22, then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times, Jesus says unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 times seven. These actions of Jesus Christ must impact our lives. So we should not be content with thoughts and words of love and seek opportunity to do or show our love. I no longer hate this person. I solved that problem in my heart. But Jesus did not just stop. Jesus does have love for every one of them. But Jesus showed the love by giving example and by actually doing the actions. and have that person in your mind, and do you, have you ever served that person? Even means, sometimes means it is a humiliation. Even means it is very small things to bring a cup of water or open a door for that person. Are you think high than that person? and pray and seek opportunities from God to serve that person with humility. And when you love another, or if you're loving, stop loving another, it's because that person does not appreciate your love. Just think about this. Jesus give everything, everything to his disciples. and wanted nothing. As 1 Corinthians 13 five says, love seeketh not her own. Do you expect something from the person that you may no longer love? And you are very disappointed with her. Do you expect to gain some love or reward from that person? and forgive that person from your heart. Think vertically. Whenever Jesus talked to disciples, he always talks about Father, me, and you. So Jesus is always have these three dimension with him. Just like David, when he looked at King Saul, he thought of the King Saul as anointed one of God. So when you think of something, relationship between you and another Christian, it's not very simple things. It involves all triune God. They really cares about it. They really hurt to see two Christians may not love another. This relationship is so important that love one another is one of the two primary responsibility of Christian. The first one is believe in Jesus. A second one is love one another. As in the first John says, So as this high level of commandment, y'all love one another and love each one another, not some of them. It's so fundamental that it is about whether you are a Christian or not. Love one another or not is something that matters. by Jesus and by the Father, and also severely matters to you, whether you are Christian or not. Spurgeon, when he talked about, gave a sermon about this text, he gave a good example, and I want to conclude with his example. a story of Reverend Whitefield and Reverend John Wesley. As you know, George Whitefield earnestly disagrees with Reverend John Wesley on some very important doctrines. So one day, Reverend Whitefield was asked by a partition, do you think that we, when we go to heaven, shall see John Wesley there? No, said George Whitefield. I do not think we shall. The questioners were very delighted with that answer, but Mr. Whitefield added, I believe that Mr. John Wesley will have a place so near the throne of God. and that such poor creatures as you and I will be so far off as to be hardly able to see him. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit, we dare not touch this vast, deep ocean of love. And thou hast said, as I have loved thee with the cost of thy son's life. It's so costly commandment that we tremble before thee and ask for thy divine help so that we can love each one around us. with thy help. Oh Lord, this is not a matter of whether we are Calvinistic or Armenians, or we are this or that. It is about we are Christian or not. Lord, help us. Help us to mark ourselves as a very distinguishing mark so that the world know that we are Christians and everyone near us know that this must be a Christian. There is no mistake. Lord, help us. Bless each one of us. Go with the abundance of love towards thee and towards each other and every one of us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.