Gospel of John - The Full Extent of His Love

        

The Full Extent of His Love - Part 1

John 13:1-5

In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he alluded to the full extent of Christ’s love for those who believe in Christ.  “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17b-19) 

Let’s begin with the first part of the text, “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and he showed them the full extent of his love.”

Jesus knows that he has a matter of a few days before he would face death in this world and return to the Father. He had lived with his disciples for nearly three years now, and he had shown his disciples the love, will, and purpose of God the Father with words, signs, and miracles. Now, Jesus wants his disciples to know how much he loves them and to abide in his love. For Jesus was rooted and established in love, for the Father and he are love, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 Jn. 4:16) and Jesus wanted the disciples to remain (abide) in the love of God as well. 

Jesus knew to grasp the total understanding of his love, he would demonstrate it in an act of obedience to the will of the Father. For them to understand the depth, width, length, and height of His love for them, and all who would believe and trust him, they must be rooted and established in love for God and one another. For there were many people there for the feast, but in their hearts they didn’t comprehend or grasp the love of the Father or the Son. They weren’t looking for a loving, compassionate, and merciful Messiah, but a victorious ruler to stop the oppression against them.

Application - We speak of loving one another, but many times our actions speak otherwise. Sometimes the sharpest words cut the ones closest to us. Jesus takes people from all social stratum of life. For like the Father, Jesus looked at the hearts of all, and he knows that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus, being love, knows the imperative of loving God and one another. We will be known by our love for God and mankind. Love must be the deepest root, the highest limb, the widest and longest trunk in the forest of man’s being and values. Jesus desires to live in us, and to show us the full extent of his love. He is committed, dedicated, faithful, and devoted to the Father and to all that believe in him, and he asks us to do the same. He wants us established in love, so that we may be filled to full measure in the fullness of God.

Next, Peter and John had been told to secure a room for the Passover meal so that they can eat of this meal together, “Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.” “Where do you want us to prepare it?” they asked him. He replied, “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” (Lk. 22:8-12) Let’s look at the next part of the text, “It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

Jesus, already forewarned by God of the prophetic satanic-prompted betrayal of one of his own disciples, entered the upper room prepared for the passover meal with his disciples. Jesus knows the full authority of God in his life, and now the Father has placed all authority over everything to him. In the full extent of his love for his disciples, even Judas, Jesus had prepared his disciples for the Father’s service after he had returned back to the Father. They still had much to understand about the fullness of God’s love. For Jesus had already taught them and reinforced the two greatest commandments, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Application - Jesus sits at the right-hand of the Father, interceding for his disciples. He knows and sees all that they face in life. He knows what we need in order to fulfill the work of the Father. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10) 

We are equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6) and “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Just as Jesus looked at the disciples around the table, he knew their greatest need. In his church today, Jesus knows our greatest need as well, love. He commands us to love one another, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (vv.34-35) Jesus' authority knows no limit. His authority is surrounded in love, and he wants to show us the full extent of his love, so that we can show others.

Last, Jesus surprises them all, for as they all had entered the room, no one had washed their feet with the water and towel provided by the host of the upper room. It was customary to have a slave do the washing, but no slaves were at this meal, and the disciples had already seated themselves around the table. Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”

Jesus, seizing the moment to again teach his disciples, he took one the role of servant slave. Jesus took off his outer robe. In only his tunic he wrapped the towel around his waist. He took the prepared basin for cleansing and filled it with water, then He brought the basin to the table and began to wash the disciples' feet. 

    Application - Has Jesus surprised you this week? Has our Lord done something that was totally unexpected but sorely needed in our lives? The role of servant is not desired by most people, we would rather be served. Have you ever wondered why the creator of all the universe would choose to meet your need, to heal your disease, to support and comfort you when it seems the world is falling around you? Now, we are to emulate Jesus' service to God and to others. No matter how dirty the job, Jesus in humility shows us it is the work of God that we are to do and see others better than ourselves, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil.2:3)

Are we showing the full extent of God’s love to everyone?

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com