Open Hearts:

“Love One Another!”

Sermon Notes

September 9, 2007

Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church

9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248

(480) 895-8766

John 13:31-35 NRSV

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.  ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.  ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer.  You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’  ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A.  Introduction

    1.  Alexander Dumas      [ d(y)u ‘ma ]

        a.  French novelist, Alexander Dumas, the author of “The Count of Monte Christo”, once got into an argument with a friend.  It grew hot and bitter.  They challenged each other to a duel the next morning.  That evening they began to drink and reflect what a pity it was that both were such great marksmen.  “It will be a shame,” they both cried out, “because in all likelihood we will both die!”  “We are that equally matched,” they lamented.  Both men were too proud to back down.  Finally, they agreed upon a plan.  They would draw straws, and the man with the short straw would shoot himself.

        b.  They awoke the next morning.  Alexander drew the short straw.  He loaded his pistol and went into the library.  A shot rang out.  The people present rushed inside.  A smiling Dumas, holding his pistol replied, “An amazing thing just happened, I missed!”

    2.  Today’s Scripture Lesson:  John 13:34

        a.  It’s amazing how some folks have been in the Church all their lives and still miss the Gospel.  They live by an Old Testament credo, bound by legalism, “Thou shall Nots”, and guilt.  Some are experts at the Ten Commandments and absolute failures with the Eleventh Commandment; the New Commandment that Jesus gave us.  Some folks are experts at finding sins and judging others, and fail to grasp that first and foremost Jesus wants us to love one another!  The Lord calls us to be the people of the “Open Heart”.

        b.  The words of Jesus are quite clear in whatever translation you read it:  “A New Commandment I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV)

B.  First and foremost, Jesus wants us to love one another!

    1.  Peanuts Comic Strip

        a.  In the Peanuts Comic Strip, Charlie Brown is speaking to Lucy and trying to get through to her.  She has turned her back to him and crossed her arms.  Charlie says, “Lucy, you must be more loving.  This world really needs love.  You have to let yourself love to make this world a better place in which to live!”  Lucy screams, “Look Blockhead… the world I love.  It’s people I can’t stand!”

        b.  Some of us resemble that remark.  “Love who?” we ask the Lord.  “Everybody,” He says.

    2.  Good Samaritan Story

        a.  Isn’t that what Jesus tried to tell us in the Good Samaritan Story?  Most of the Jews of Jesus day disliked and distrusted the Samaritans.  To them they were half-breed Jews, who did not worship God in the right way.  The Samaritans were interlopers in the Promise Land, and a good Jew wouldn’t even walk through their vile territory.

        b.  Today, it would be like Jesus making a Palestinian the good fellow who stopped to help a beaten Jewish man lying by the road.  Imagine Him asking us today, “So who then loved his neighbor?”  “Yes,” Jesus would say, “It was the Good Palestinian, now go and do likewise. 

        c.  If then a Palestinian can love a Jew and vice versa, then clearly there is no limit to love!  You are to love the neighbor across the back fence, the cashier at the grocery store, the police officer who gave you a ticket, and the obnoxious person at work who makes your life miserable every day.  You are, also, called to love the homeless man on the street, the foreigner in our midst, the people of that nation you think of as evil, and even the murderer on death row.  The Lord calls our hearts to be open:  As open as His loving heart when He died for our sins on the cross.

C.  For love to be in our actions, love must be in our hearts!

    1.  Monkeys

        a.  Years ago a psychologist named Harlow did an experiment with monkeys.  He used real live baby monkeys and artificial mother monkeys constructed of wire and cloth.  The babies could receive all the milk they wanted from these mannequin monkey moms.  But the artificial mothers never hugged or held them.  These baby monkeys deprived of love were not able to love either.

        b.  We learn to love by being loved.  An abused child learns abuse.  A loved child learns love.  We must teach our children love.  Love needs to be demonstrated by people of faith.  It’s not always easy.  For this to happen love must be inside.

    2.  Tom Chambers

        a.  Remember basketball player Tom Chambers?  Some years back he played for the Phoenix Suns.  Before that he played for the Seattle Supersonics.  His play for Seattle was at first superb.  Then his play began to slip in quality.  Tom seemed angry and unhappy, and that’s when he was traded to the Suns.  His play began to improve again and the Suns got a number of productive years out of Chambers.  What was the difference?  A Sports Illustrated article, while he was at Seattle, shed some light on the situation.  The article was entitled: “Hey, Tom Can Smile”.  It was a sad article.  Tom had a very critical father.  Tom never felt like he could please his dad.  No matter how good he played or how many points he scored, dad found something to criticize.  Probably dad just wanted Tom to be the best and felt his criticism was to help his son get better.  However, in the article you could feel the pain this approach caused.  Chambers is quoted saying this:  “My father was always critical of my play.  There were times, I guess, I played just to impress him.  He could be very, very critical, even after wins.”

        b.  Now the Seattle coach was much like Tom’s father.  And finally the criticism got to Tom.  His play faltered.  Why?  His play faltered, because his motivation was an external thing.  It was a matter of duty to dad or coach.  As a kid he was playing to please a critical dad.  Now as an adult he was playing to please a critical coach.  Then Tom came to Phoenix.  Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons had a different approach.  Cotton certainly expected a player to do his best.  However, Cotton was not shy at praise and he had a way of affirming his players.  Chambers knew that Cotton cared.  Now he still wanted to please his coach.  But this time the decision was his own.  The motivation was on the inside in his heart, and this made all the difference in the world.

        c.  The Lord Jesus is not a critical dad or a stern coach you have to impress to win His love.  He just loves you.  His heart is always open toward you.  He loves you so much that He died on the cross to save you.  Yes, he would like you to be a loving person and to do good things.  However, it has to be an inside job or it will not last.  The Lord wants you and me to freely respond to His love.  He hopes that we will be so grateful that we ask Him to come and live in our hearts.  And when that happens my friends, love truly becomes our natural response.  We truly become the people of the “open Heart!”

D.  Love is our primary witness to the world!

    1.  Today’s Scripture:  John 13:35

a.  This is what Jesus tells us:  “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NRSV)

        b.  First and foremost, the Christian witness is love.  It is not first of all setting every body straight on the truth.  It is not pointing out others faults.  It is not condemning them.  First, we are to love as Jesus loves us.

    2.  Ann Terrell and Rachel

        a.  Ann Terrell was a dedicated Kindergarten teacher who took a job in the inner city.  In time her enthusiasm waned.  She thought, “Was it her or was something wrong with today’s kids?”  Then her mother died.  Ann took several weeks off.  She had been very close to her mother.  Following the funeral she just stayed at home to deal with her feelings.  Her frustration with teaching weighed heavier than her grief over mom.  She knew that her mother was in heaven and that her experience teaching this year was not.  Finally, she went back to school.  She felt more like a soldier going into combat than a Kindergarten teacher.  The first day of class was about what she expected.  The children were quite irritating as they pushed on the boundaries and just plain misbehaved.  However, Ann felt that she was dealing with all of this like the competent professional she was.  All the hurt, despair and resentment she kept carefully hidden inside.  She smiled at the right times, gave words of encouragement, and indeed had the patience of a Saint even when the children put her nerves on edge.

        b.  But then it happened.  A kindergartner named Rachel was standing in the middle of the planter and ripping out the last chrysanthemum of the season!  Rachel was the most distant and disruptive child in the class.  In a stern, trembling voice Ann Terrell said, “Rachel, what are you doing?” Rachel held the flowers out to Ann.  Ann stared at the gift of two flowers, a stalk, roots and mud.  Rachel said, “Mrs. Terrell you used to be like a mother.  Would these flowers help you to be like a mother again?  I know you are fussed in your mind.  Wouldn’t you like some flowers?”  Ann thought, “Fussed in my mind, and it shows.”  Then she said, “Rachel, what is a mother like?”  Rachel responded, “A mother is like you used to be.  A mother likes being with children.”  Ann protested, “But Rachel, I like being with children.  I’ve just…. Well I’ve been… well, Rachel, my mother passed away and….”  Rachel quietly said, “You mean she died?”  “Yes, Rachel, she died,” Mrs. Terrell replied.  Rachel then asked, “Did she live until she died?”  Ann responded, “Well, honey, or course, all people live until they die.”  Rachel quickly replied, “Oh, no they don’t, Mrs. Terrell.  Some people seem to die while they are still walking around.  They stop being what they used to be.  Mrs. Terrell don’t die just because your mother did.  Be alive while you are alive.”

        c.  Too many of us, who call Christ our Lord, seem to have already died.  “Thanks,” we say, “for eternal life.”  And then we just seem to be waiting around for the Lord to take us away.  When what Jesus calls us to do is to live abundantly now, no matter what our age is, and to make the “open heart” our primary witness.  We are to love and care about others, to witness the love of Jesus to a hurting world.

E.  Conclusion

    1.  Dumas missed!

        a.  For the sake of literature, it was a good thing that Alexander Dumas missed when he attempted to shoot himself.

        b.  For your sake and the sake of the world, I hope that you have not missed the main point of the Gospel:  “LOVE!”  We are called to be the “People of the Open Hearts!”

    2.  Recap

        a.  First and foremost, Jesus wants us to love one another!

        b.  For love to be in our actions, love must be in our hearts!

        c.  Love is our primary witness to the world!

Open Hearts:

“Love One Another!”

1.  First and foremost, Jesus wants us to love one another!

2.  For love to be in our actions, love must be in our hearts!

3.  Love is our primary witness to the world!

John 13:31-35 NRSV

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.  ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.  ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer.  You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’  ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”