John 10:14-18; 15:12-15 “No Greater Love”
This is indeed a very well-known passage of Scripture. On the day before HIS arrest, trial, and crucifixion; Jesus gathered HIS disciples together on the evening of Passover to transform this ancient religious ritual into a living memorial to our living LORD that we now call The Lord’s Supper!
In the process of this first, “LORD’s Supper” Jesus demonstrates by washing their feet what true humility looks like and tells them the price of really loving one another.
After “portraying” what real love looks like, Jesus “proclaims” to them that really loving one another means that they must be willing to lay down their life.
HE tells them that HE is, HIMSELF, going to lay down HIS life for them (and for all who will HIS chosen people) and that this ultimate selfless act is the greatest love a person can have and the greatest love a person can demonstrate.
These verses are Holy Scripture. Therefore, they are true. Therefore, laying down one’s life truly is the greatest act of love that one human being can demonstrate for another.
In context, this passage is about Jesus – and only about Jesus – Who laid down HIS physical life for the salvation of HIS people. But, the statement is true in any context. The greatest act of love that ANY HUMAN can offer is to lay down one’s life for another.
You and I are here today to publicly worship God. We are perfectly free to do this; and, we are under no threat because we have chosen to do this. This is America; and, in America we are (at least for now) free to worship in any way we choose.
Hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of our brothers and sisters in Christ are not free to worship Jesus today. Thousands have been killed; thousands have been enslaved, and hundreds of thousands are homeless and running for their very life today because they do not share in our good fortune.
What is our good fortune?
Why are we free to worship while millions of others are not?
The answer is as simple as it is profound:
Since early Wednesday morning, April 19th, 1775, when a handful of American Patriots on the village green of Lexington, Massachusetts and at a small bridge at nearby Concord; “fired the shot heard around the world” * 580,413 Men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States have “laid down their life” because of their love for this Country and their fellow Americans!
*US Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Revolutionary War: 4,435
War of 1812: 2,260
Civil War: (Union) 140,414
Spanish American War: 385
WW1: 53,402
WW2: 291,557
Korea: 33,739
Viet Nam: 47,434
Desert Storm: 148
Global War on Terror: (Since September 11th, 2001) 6,639
TOTAL AMERICANS KILLED: 580,413
We are here today to worship Jesus Christ – and we are perfectly safe while we are doing so – because of the selfless sacrifice of these nearly 600,000 American Servicemen and Women.
May we never forget!
We will not gather together next Sunday to worship America or those Americans who have given up their life for our safety and freedom. We will gather to worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who gave up HIS life for our salvation.
There is one thing more important than our freedom. That one thing is our salvation from the guilt (and the penalty) of our sins that we have sinned against a thrice-Holy, perfectly righteous and justifiably angry God!
Here are some key questions to think about over the next three days that I believe I can answer from our text for Sunday…
First, why would Jesus lay down HIS life for HIS people?
Second, how could Jesus lay down HIS life and by doing so bring about the salvation of HIS people?
Third, how can we know for sure that Jesus actually did lay down HIS life for HIS people?
Fourth and finally, how can Jesus, while being dead, will HIMSELF back to life; and, why did that matter?
As I attempt to answer biblically these four questions, I want to you to think about ONE question that ONLY YOU can answer…
Since Jesus was willing to die for you, are you willing to live for HIM?
I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!
LANNYFAULKNER.COM 