By Rev.
Brian Wilkie
Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario
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Broadcast Notes:
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‘A New Commandment’
(From Archives)
Welcome to
Good News In the Morning a program of words and music bringing a Christian
message of hope and encouragement to those who are looking for intelligent
meaningful and spirited approach to faith and to life.
This program
is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries PO Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario
K0G 1W0. I'm your host today, Brian Wilkie of St. Andrew's Christian church in
Rockland. As always I want to start by thanking you our listeners. We are so
grateful for your encouragement and support. Please remember that you can
always visit our website for materials to encourage and support you in your
Christian walk.
If you miss an
episode of the show you can go to our website and download the podcast or the
MP3 of our broadcast. I also want to invite you to come and join us for an
evening of worship and encouragement as Dr. Rick Reed, president of Heritage
College comes to Ottawa to speak at Parkdale United Church on Friday May 9,
2014. Details can be found on our website.
Scripture: John 13: 31-38
31 When he was
gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will
glorify him at once.
33 “My children,
I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I
told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new
command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another.”
36 Simon Peter
asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked,
“Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus
answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth,
before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Song: At
the Cross, sung by an Ottawa Ensemble, Destiny
Intro to
message
Simplifications and reduction People
like to simplify, and look at the most basic commands for example:
·
The 10 commandments,
o
Unfortunately many who focus on the “big 10”
really only pay attention to the last few. The first of the 10 all focus on the
worship and honour of God.
·
2 commands,
o
Love God
o
Love others as you love yourself.
o
Again, sometimes the “Big 2“ are reduced to just the second
o
And in recent days many expositions of the second
command is reduced to loving oneself. This ‘gospel’ of self esteem declares that you can’t really love others til
you love yourself, and turns this outward directed command into narcissism and
self care.
§
Note that the biblical authors do not seem to have
much interest in our modern fixation with loving ourselves. Paul declares that
“no one hates his own body but clothes and feeds himself.” The command assumes
that we love ourselves, not that our first work is to build up our self love.
·
1 command. Toward the end of his ministry Jesus
reveals a new command, to love others as I have loved you. This command contains both tablets of the ten
commandments, and both of the two greatest commandments.
o
Contains the love of God – for it sets the example
of God’s love as the example, standard
and foundation of our love.
o
Requires love for mankind.
Song : A shelter in the time of
storm, by a capella group, This Hope
Conclusion of
Message
The Love of
God: the cross is the measure of God’s
love. To accept this new commandment is to confess that the greatest gift and
the greatest giver is God the Father, in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to
himself.
John, in his
letters to the church declares “this is love, not that we have loved God, but
that while we were still sinners, God sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for
our sins.”
This new
command really could not be revealed until this point in Jesus ministry, for
the measure of his love is shown in laying down his life on the cross. “No
greater love than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends.” We would not know the meaning of this command
apart from the crucifixion of
Jesus. But now, the standard for
loving one another is clear, universal and absolute. No longer is our love to
be measured by how much we love ourselves, but by how much we have been loved
by God.
Love for
humanity: the brother who is my brother?
Salvation
comes from Christ in love laying down his life.
As we lay down
our lives for our brothers and sisters, in loving action, we make known the
reality of this salvation
Would you join
with me in prayer?
Almighty God,
Thank you so much for the great gift of your love. Now, help us in your grace
to follow the example you’ve set by the power of your Holy Spirit for the glory
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Once again I
want to thank you listeners for your encouragement and support. We do thank you
because you keep us on the air week by week. We want to encourage you to
support our ministry financially. Did you know the good news ministries has
only one major cost? The four hosts Brent Russett, George Sinclair, Juliet
Schimpf and myself are volunteers. So are the people who manage our website,
organize our events and operate our board. Your gift can help us to continue to
meet that one vital expense, the cost of broadcasting, which enables us to
reach you and over 7000 listeners in the Ottawa River Valley. If you can please
make a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries and send it to 96 Pheasant Run Drive, Ottawa, ON K2J 2R5, Canada, (new address), we will be happy to send you a receipt at
income tax time. I also want to encourage you to tell others about this program.
Be sure to
worship in a church where the gospel is soundly proclaimed and lived out with
compassion, integrity and resolve. Now to conclude our program I would like to
have you listen to a song Children Keep
In The Middle Of The Road, King’s Heralds
I do pray that
the Lord will hold your heart and you would know Jesus personally and
profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart, may the heavenly
Father surround you with his constant and abiding and accompanying love.
Good News In
The Morning is produced in the Studios of News Talk Radio 580 CFRA.
- Rev. Brian Wilkie
Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario
http://www.rocklandchurch.ca/
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