Lesson 39

The Concerns Of A Committed Christian

John 13:31-38

Let's return to our study of the Gospel of John. In our journey through John, we have to 13:31-38. John, in his portrait of the Son of God, has taken us into the upper room with Jesus. In fact, about 20% of this gospel account takes place in the upper room, the night in which Jesus was betrayed and arrested, the night before His death on the cross.

The disciples have had their last meal with Jesus (v. 2). Jesus, as Host of the events of the evening, has knelt before each of the men and performed the duties of a servant, washing their feet, vividly illustrating lessons about humility and holiness and helpfulness. He has also spoken about hypocrisy, saying that there is a betrayer in their number and identifying to John and to us exactly who the betrayer is. Judas has been dismissed from the meeting and has disappeared into the darkness. It is at this point that we pick up the reading of the text (read 13:31-38).

It is not easy, at first glance, to see how the statements made in this passage are connected to each other. There seems to be more than one subject being addressed here. Jesus announces here that He will be leaving them in a little while, that He is going somewhere and they cannot accompany Him. Notice verses 33 and 36. It seems that His announcement of His departure is rather shocking. Have you ever been shocked by an announcement that someone is leaving? As a young man, on several occasions, I have been in church when the pastor has announced his resignation and imminent departure from the church. I have been shocked and have needed instruction and encouragement at such times. I have asked questions, like Peter. Why are you leaving? Where are you going? I have had to make that announcement twice in my ministry. And I know that I will probably have to make such an announcement at least once more in my life. I mean, unless I fall over dead, someday I will need to surrender my role and duties as the pastor of Dearborn Baptist Church.

If ever you have had such an experience, and can recall how you felt, you get just a glimpse of how the disciples must have felt when Jesus announced His departure. In chapter 14-16, Jesus is going to give them comfort, in chapter 17, He is going to pray for them, but first, Jesus calls them to commitment and speaks about the marks which a committed Christian will manifest. How shall we display our commitment to Jesus Christ? Men have always used little symbols to show their Christianity, whether it is wearing a cross necklace or a lapel pin or a witness-wear T-shirt or displaying a bumper-sticker or holding up JOHN 3:16 sign at the ballpark. The only problem is that such displays are superficial, completely external and unconvincing. But in this text, Jesus calls His men to commitment and speaks of three marks which a committed Christian will manifest, three concerns which a committed Christian will have. These are not superficial at all. They are internal, distinguishing marks of a Christian that show the commitment of his life. They are infinitely more definitive than any superficial button or sticker. Jesus shows them that the committed disciple is to be completely absorbed with these three things.

A committed Christian is concerned with ...

His Lord's Glory, 13:31-32.

Jesus speaks about glorifying God. In fact, in these two verses the word "glorify " is found in its various forms five times!

When Jesus speaks of the son of Man being glorified now and God being glorified, He is making reference to the cross. It may seem strange. It may seem like a paradox, but in the cross of Jesus Christ the glory of God is put on display. The cross looks like shame and disgrace and disaster and humiliation- accusations and insults and mockery but Jesus understood and taught His disciples that there is glory to God in the cross.

You see, you glorify God when you display to the world God's attributes. As you read the Psalms, for example, the Lord would be praised by recounting the great things that God had done in history. Psa 66:1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Come and see the works of God: ... He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: When the people of Israel praised God they displayed and recounted and rehearsed and recited the Lord's works and attributes. You glorify God by displaying His attributes to the world.

And in the cross, Jesus put the attributes of God on display. The cross displays the power of God, the justice of God to punish sin, the holiness of God, the faithfulness of God and the love of God for mankind. The works of God are displayed at the cross. The work of bringing salvation to sinners destined for hell, the work of destroying sin and defeating Satan and death. You see then that the cross displays the glory of God by putting on display His attributes and His great works. There is glory in the cross. Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

And on the night when Jesus announced His departure, Jesus sought to focus the attention of His disciples on importance of glorifying God. It is the concern of a committed Christian. If we want to manifest to our world our commitment to Christ, we must be concerned, absorbed with glorifying God. We must put God's works and attributes on display.

How do we glorify God?

By Confessing Our Sins - Joshua 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not ...

By Praise - Psa 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

By Good Works - Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

By Bearing Fruit - John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;

By Unity - Romans 15:5-6 "...be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By Holy Living - 1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

If we are going to be genuinely committed to Christ, we must be concerned about our Lord's glory. 1 Pet 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

A committed Christian is concerned with ...

His Love For God's People, 13:34-35.

Fourteen times in the New Testament, we are told to love one another and the first three are in verses 34 and 35.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

1 Th 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

1 Pet 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

We have a new commandment from Christ. If we are motivated by love, we don't need law with its rules and regulations (see Romans 13:8-10). The law knows no love while love needs no law. If I love you I will not break the commandments against you. I will not steal from you or kill you or commit adultery or covet what is yours or lie to you. In Christ, we have a new commandment to love each other. And in Christ, we have a new capacity to love. Romans 5:5 says that "the love of God is shed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which God has given unto us."

Consider the example of our love. Christ is our example in love. We are to love one another as Christ has loved us. It is deep, personal, sacrificial, abiding love.

Consider also the effect of our love. This is our cooperate testimony to the world. We must love one another and the effect will be that all men will know that we are Christ's disciples. That is a powerful testimony and witness to the world. Love means saying, "I'm sorry" when I am wrong and saying, "I forgive you" when I am wronged. It means that I will not talk about you behind your back. I will not gossip about you nor criticize you. It means that I will not through strife and vainglory seek to get my will accomplished in the church. We must love one another with Christ's love. It is one of the concerns of a genuinely committed Christian.

A committed Christian is concerned with ...

His Loyalty To Jesus Christ, 13:36-38.

There is a brief dialogue between Jesus and Peter that give great personal insight into our lives.

In verse 33, Jesus said, "I'm going away and you cannot come with me." Peter responds in verse 37 with, "Why can't I follow you now?" And he follows that up with a promise of great commitment. "I am willing to die for you."

Eventually, Peter did keep his promise. Jesus prophesied Peter's death in John 21:18 and history says that Peter was crucified upside down as a martyr for Christ. But before this, there would be a great failure in Peter's life. Jesus prophesied about this as well (v. 38). "Before morning, you will deny we three times." How could this happen?

Peter Boasted Too Much - Luke 22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. "Let him that standeth take heed, lest he fall."

Peter Prayed Too Little - Luke 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Peter Acted Too Fast - Luke 22:50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

Peter Followed Too Far - Luke 22:54-55 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

Genuine commitment is more than just promising loyalty, it is practicing it. I don't know about you, but I see myself with Peter here quite clearly. I go through life promising god things - witness more, reach out to others more, pray more, obey more and yet falling on my face again and again. I'm not as loyal to Christ as I'd like to be. What about you? Can you pass the loyalty test? What promises and commitments have you made to Christ? Are you practicing or are you just promising? Do you boast too much? Do you pray to little? Do you act too fast? Do you follow too far off?

These then are the concerns of a committed Christian. Here are the marks of someone who is genuinely committed to Christ. He is concerned with his Lord's glory, his love for God's people and his loyalty to Jesus Christ.

"He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church" "And be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves."