Love that Changed the World

John 1:14, Matthew 5:44, Luke 23:3,

Romans 5:8, John 14:19, John 13:35

When we talk about love, we’re not just talking about an emotion or a nice idea—we’re talking about the single most powerful force in the universe. It was love that moved God to action, and it is love that continues to move Him today. Love is what brought Jesus to earth. Love is what led Him to the cross. And love is what raised Him from the dead. The world was lost—broken by sin, separated from God—but Jesus came to redeem, restore, and reconcile. His life, death, and resurrection didn’t just demonstrate love; they redefined it. And because of that, love has been changing the world ever since.

THE COMING OF LOVE

Before Jesus came, humanity was stuck. Sin had created a divide between God and man that no amount of human effort, religion, or good intentions could fix. But God had a plan. He was unwilling to leave us in our brokenness. Instead, He sent His Son—not as a mighty warrior, not as a political leader, but as a baby, born in the humblest of settings. Why? Because His kingdom would not be built on power and force but on love and grace.

John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." Think about that: God took on human flesh, walked among us, and experienced life as we do—all because He loved us enough to come close.

From the beginning, Jesus’ mission was clear. He came to glorify the Father by redeeming mankind. He came to bring light into darkness. He came to show us what God’s love looks like—not a love based on what we deserve, but a love that gives freely, expecting nothing in return.

His love was radical. It turned the world’s values upside down. He taught that the greatest in His kingdom were the servants. He told His followers to forgive, not just once, but every time. He even commanded them to love their enemies. Matthew 5:44 says, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." That kind of love can’t materialize naturally. It’s supernatural. It’s the kind of love that only comes from knowing Jesus.

The Death of Love

The ultimate test of love happened on a hill outside Jerusalem. Jesus, innocent and blameless, was betrayed, beaten, and nailed to a cross. He could have stopped it. He could have called down angels to rescue Him. But He didn’t. Why? Love; love kept Him there.

Even as He hung there, suffering, He spoke words of forgiveness: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). That’s the mixture of love and grace; the heart of God on full display.

Romans 5:8 reminds us, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up, to get our act together, or to prove we were worthy. He died for us while we were sinners. That’s the kind of love that changes everything. For a moment, it looked like love had lost. Jesus was buried. Hope seemed gone. Darkness ruled. But love wasn’t finished.

The Resurrection of Love

Three days later, everything changed permanently. The grave couldn’t hold Him. Death couldn’t defeat Him. Jesus rose, proving once and for all that love changes everything.

His resurrection wasn’t just a victory for Him—it was a victory for us. Because He lives, we can have new life. Because He conquered death, we can have eternal life. Because love walked out of that tomb, sin no longer has the final say.

Jesus declared, "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). That’s the hope we have in Him. His love isn’t just something we read about in history books—it’s alive, active, and still transforming lives today.

The Power of Love to Change the World

His love transforms us so that we can go in His love and dispel darkness. That’s exactly what the early church did.

The result of this type of love is evidenced through the book of Acts. The first Christians didn’t just talk about love—they lived it. They cared for the poor, they shared everything they had, and they boldly proclaimed the gospel, even when it cost them everything. Why? Because they had encountered a love that had changed everything.

Jesus told His disciples, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Love is what sets us apart. It’s what draws people to Jesus.

And that’s still true today. The world is hurting. People are searching for something real. They don’t need more empty promises or temporary fixes. They need the love of Christ—the love that mends families, heals wounds, breaks addictions, and gives hope to the hopeless; a love that changes everything.

Conclusion

Jesus came so that love could change the world. He lived love. He died for love. And He rose again in love. His mission was never just about words—it was about action. He didn’t just talk about love; He demonstrated and proved it.

Now, the question is—what will we do with this love? Will we let it change us? Does it? Will we share it? Are we? Will we live it out in a world that desperately needs to see it? Is His love through us changing everything?

Because here’s the truth: When we embrace the love of Christ and let it flow through us, the world around us will never be the same. One life at a time, love is still changing the world.

Love that’s Humble

Matthew 21:1-11

Imagine a man, newly chosen to be the leader of his country, entering the capital city for the first time as supreme leader. The streets are lined with cheering people waving flags and holding up signs. The motorcade is surrounded by men in black suits, occasionally talking into their wrists. The rows of black SUVs roll slowly down the road so people can get a glimpse of the man they have all come to see, riding in the middle of this procession on a motor scooter built for a child.

The thought is comical and not far from the almost silly sight of Jesus riding to Jerusalem. There he is, surrounded by crowds of people shouting praises and calling him the King, covering the road with their coats and leafy branches. And he is riding on…a little donkey. No stallion with a royal crest on its forehead, not even a respectably sized beast of burden—no, Jesus was on a ride fit for a neighborhood child.

Surely it would have seemed even more ridiculous if many of the people had not known their Bible. “Surely, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” –Zechariah 9:9

As it was, many people could accept that their King could enter the capital in a humble way. That had a certain appeal to it. They could get behind a “people’s king” who would throw out the brutal, oppressive Roman regime and rule for the good of the Jewish people.

The problem was, nothing could prepare them for just HOW humble Jesus was, nor how powerful of a king. They were looking for a “Son of David,” a king of the Jews, to restore their national sovereignty, dignity, and prosperity. Jesus was about to greatly disappoint them. He didn’t seem interested in attacking the Romans. If he was attacking anyone, it was their own religious leaders and the system they had created and held sacred. He spoke with authority, but not the authority of a king. He spoke like he had the authority of God. It was offensive. More than that—it was blasphemous. No wonder some of the people who shouted “Hosanna” on the road were probably shouting “Crucify him” a few days later. A king like David they could accept. God himself, naked and bleeding on a Roman cross, they could not. Jesus simply did not fit into their ideas of what the Savior should be.

If they had only known, if they only had the advantage of hindsight, we do. If they could have seen that the God of the universe was humbling himself in this seemingly scandalous way because of his love for them. He spoke with divine authority because he cared enough about them to show them what was real. He humbled himself and served the despised and those who despised him because he was laying his life down for them. How do we make sense of a powerful King who humbly serves and allows himself to be treated in the most humiliating of ways? Only the love of God can explain it.

We do have the blessing of hindsight to see things about Jesus that were very difficult for the first-century Jews to see with their preconceived ideas. But can we, with our own preconceived ideas, accept Jesus for who he really is?

Do you believe in the One who both speaks with the authority of God and lays down his life for his enemies? Are you willing to submit to and follow whatever he tells you, whether it fits the prevailing wisdom of your culture and your own wisdom or not? Are you willing to lay down your pride and join him in serving and caring for those who care nothing for you? Are you willing to look, well, silly to some people so your life can show how amazing God is? Just how humble, and just how powerful of a king, are you willing to accept Jesus to be?

It depends, at least in part, on how much you trust his love. If you recognize his unimaginable love for you, his almost silly humility seems quite natural. And it doesn’t seem odd that he would call you to the same kind of humility. If you experience his constant, faithful love for you, his call to serve and lay your own life down for others seems both reasonable and inviting. Jesus’ humility and authority come together in your life when you begin to really trust his love.

So, are you ready to follow the King on the little donkey? Are you ready to devote yourself to the One who calls you to real life through dying? Let him show you how it’s done.

Love that Serves

John 13:12-17

We, as Christians, cannot hope to change the world with our love unless we are willing to serve others the way that Jesus did. This type of love through service is one that can be radical, dirty, and even uncomfortable at times. It is important to note that what can be found in this passage in John is that humility and respect are key components to not only properly serve one another and those around us, but they are also foundational for serving by Christ's example. Jesus not only saw those he served as his equal, but he also had enough respect for them to understand them in the fullness of their humanity and not simply a project to complete in order to make himself feel accomplished or important.

Humbling ourselves to serve those around us many times will require us to serve people who are difficult to love. This could include people we do not get along with, people who are ungrateful, or even people that the rest of the world may see as beyond help. What we learn from Jesus in this passage is that he humbled himself enough to crouch down and wash the feet of a traitor. Even though Jesus knew that Judas had made plans in his heart to betray him to his death, he still chose to stoop down, wash the feet of man full of hatred and greed, and serve him in a personal way. Throughout his entire ministry, we can observe Jesus being humble in the way that he served humanity.

Throughout his entire ministry, we can observe Jesus being humble in the way that he served humanity. The way he chose to serve was so profound because it often went against the norms of culture and religion. He was willing to touch lepers and heal people on the Sabbath, and in this passage in John, he washes the feet of those that were following him as a form of Rabbi or teacher.

In verses 13 through 16, Jesus says, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." After washing his disciples' feet, Jesus chooses to emphasize the concept of humility by explaining to them that serving someone does not make you greater or better than them. By choosing to follow the example of Jesus, we as Christians need to prepare ourselves to walk in humility, and we must understand that serving others is the way we show Christ's love and not a way to try and point others to our own greatness or kindness.

The other main aspect we find in Jesus' example of loving humanity through his service is the concept of respect. Although it is a simple statement, verse 12 holds a profound idea. It says, "When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer garments, He reclined with them again." What a beautiful thing it must have been to commune with Christ while he was on earth. The most incredible thing about this picture is that he chooses to recline with those he served and use that moment to set an example of what it looked like to live in God's kingdom.

It is quite a disservice to people when we, as Christians and the church, operate in a way that makes service to others more of a project and less of a way to show the love of our Savior. The characteristic that Jesus loves most about his creation is its humanity. It is what his service toward us hinges on. As we walk in love, we must serve those around us with respect for the humanity they were created in because our humanness is what brought Christ to us, and that same humanity is why he chose to die for us.

A quote from Expositor's commentary on the feet washing says this, "His love had made Him wholly theirs, and though standing on the brink of death He was disengaged to do them the slightest service. His love was love, devoted, enduring, constant. He had loved them, and He loved them still. It was their condition which had brought Hin into the world, and His love for them was that which would carry Him through all that was before Him." The love and respect Jesus had for his disciples is what led him to serve them. He served them by washing their feet, and just a few hours later he served them by dying on the cross. We mustn't forget the humanity of those that we are serving. Instead, we must build relationships and choose to commune and recline at the table with those we serve.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus gave many examples of how and why to serve others. But, in this passage in John, we find that it was his love for his disciples that led him to kneel down before them and wash their feet. He humbled himself, showed respect to those who would have been considered beneath him, and carried out an act of service that made them equal. Following this, he charged them with the responsibility to follow his example and love others by serving them. We, the Church, who harbor the kingdom of God, must now follow that same example. We must humble ourselves, respect those we serve as equals, and operate daily in a way that our service will point them to Jesus. A Savior who, in the most astonishing of events, served his creation by willingly stepping down out of glory and joining us within the very form that he had helped create.

Jesus's decision to enter humanity to die for us is the very act of service that changed the world. We cannot change the world with our love if we do not serve the world the way that Jesus does.

Love that Suffers

Isaiah 53:4-5

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53: 4-5

Suffering. Nobody's exempt. We all face trials at some point in our lives. Suffering can be categorized and ranked with some sort of value per crisis and frequency. On a scale of 1-10, 1 would be a hangnail or bug bite, 10 would be the loss of a loved one, or a high-level crisis begins as one ends and wears you down. We can't set the cost of someone else's suffering; it's theirs. When my toddler had a meltdown because his banana broke, he was suffering. When my best friend buried her husband, she was suffering.

I'm honestly annoyed with passages of promise that there will be suffering followed by a clear admonition to face it in the strength and power of the Lord. I don't particularly like those verses. I want to weep and wail and mope. I'll take anyone I can capture for a ride on my pity party train so I can bring them as low as me. I want to squeeze out their last scrap of sympathy. When I'm suffering, I want everyone to know except when I don't… except for those times of awakening and realigned perspective. Those are the times that I am nudged by the Holy Spirit, who gently walks me through my journey, helping me to understand that it's Him, only Him.

Of course, He uses others to speak valid words to me, but it's those alone times when I agonize over the current storm, and I wrestle with receiving His strength and encouragement. It's in those times that I approach my trial ferociously as an attack from the enemy. That's when I finally do what I should have done before the pity party train left the station. I pray. I pray fervently, and I tell myself (and others), "So many are enduring much worse. It's just my cross to bear."

"Bearing your cross". We use that phrase for any number of difficulties or sufferings. Horrible health problems, critical family situations, intolerable work environments. Sometimes, even minor annoyances are referred to as a cross to bear.

After Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate, He was sentenced to death by crucifixion, one of the most brutal and gruesome forms of execution in history. He was exhausted and silent and, by the way, innocent. He was mocked and crowned with thorns. He was beaten until there was nothing but torn flesh on his back. He was then taken out to the street and given His cross. With gaping wounds on His back and thorns digging into His scalp, He was charged with carrying His own cross. The very cross He would be nailed to.

The astounding part, the part that I can't wrap my mind around, is that Jesus knew what was going to happen. He, like all of Israel, knew the prophecies of the Old Testament. As part of the Trinity, He wrote the prophecy! He knew exactly what "with his wounds we are healed" meant. He foresaw every single blow, the false accusation, the mob demanding his execution, the flogging, the thorns, the abandonment, the nails, the mocking. Stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, wounded, He could have stopped it at any time. He could have smitten THEM with just a word. But He didn't. It was His choice, and He chose suffering out of love for us.

We arrogantly say, "nobody knows how I feel." It really does feel that way. I've been there. But it's not true. Jesus knows. Jesus experienced every kind of pain and suffering, and He knows how we feel. We aren't alone.

Of course, there are times when I feel like I've taken a beating and been kicked while I'm down. I've wallowed in misery. I've lost control in the pit of my exhaustion. I've screamed in exasperation. But taken up a cross? Bearing the weight of my execution on a bloody back in the middle of the street? No. I haven't done that, and I'm mortified and ashamed that I've ever referred to my suffering, be it minor or overwhelming, as a cross to bear.

Why was the heavy, crude wooden cross something Jesus had to bear? He was perfect, innocent, all-powerful, God's Son. He didn't deserve torture, humiliation, and death. So why did He have to bear the cross? Because He was perfect, innocent, all-powerful, God's Son. Nothing short of perfect could satisfy the debt for our sin, and God's plan was to provide a perfect sacrifice for our redemption. He sent His Son. Jesus didn't have to bear the cross. He chose pain and suffering because He loves us. He chose death so He could defeat death. God help us to fathom the depth of Jesus' love that He would bear the cross for us. God help us to fathom the intensity of Jesus' power that He would defeat death for us. His is a love that suffers, a love that changed the world.

Love that’s Patient

Matthew 26:14-35

There is an old saying that says patience is a virtue. When listing the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists patience as one of the fruits that the Holy Spirit produces in those who follow Christ. You have probably been warned about praying for patience because God will place circumstances in your life requiring you to practice being patient. Of all the traits you can list about our current culture and society, you probably wouldn’t ascribe patience to it. We want everything as quickly as possible. However, when applied to relationships, patience becomes both more difficult and complicated. Patience with someone who is uninformed or unequipped may be easier, but to have patience with someone who has been given all of the information, tools, and opportunities and has been equipped to succeed yet chooses not to do so is much more difficult.

Jesus embodied patience. In this passage, we see that He was sitting with His disciples— the men who had followed Him everywhere, witnessed His miracles, heard His teachings, and had unfettered access to Him during His ministry. To go further, Peter, James, and John had even more access to the Messiah than the other 9! They had been on the mountain during the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13), when Jesus’ face shown like the sun and He spoke with Moses and Elijah. Yet here they are, celebrating the Passover with the Lamb of God, and the mood changes in the room when Jesus says that not only will He be betrayed by one of the disciples, but He will also be abandoned by the rest of them.

Imagine the tension that was in the room. Jesus had never been wrong, not once, but the disciples must have thought that surely, this time, He was. As if the pain and anxiety that Jesus felt wasn’t already enough, Peter characteristically opens his mouth to tell Jesus that He may be right about the other 11, but not him. Not Peter. Even after being corrected, Peter doubles down again, even unto death! Peter believed it! In John 18, we see where he attempted to thwart Jesus’ arrest by drawing a sword and attacking the High Priest’s servant. However, Jesus knew what would happen after that. Not only did Jesus know that it would happen, He knew how. Peter would not only fall away but would outright deny knowing his Rabbi three times.

And yet, this didn’t stop Jesus from continuing to teach Peter and the rest of the disciples. Despite being no longer ignorant of their falling away, Jesus celebrated the Passover with them, broke bread and drank with them, sang songs with them, and continued to minister to them even after leaving the upper room. Why? Why, if Jesus was feeling all of the pressure of His own crucifixion that was quickly approaching, did He continue to teach and model for His disciples? It’s simple: He loved them. Jesus didn’t find out about their abandonment moments before He told them about it. He had known it even before He had called each of them as His disciples.

Put yourself in Jesus’s sandals. If you knew that your best friend would eventually run away during your greatest time of need, would you continue to invest in that relationship? Would you be motivated to share meals with them, live life with them, or be around them at all? Better yet, would you be willing to trust them after their abandonment? Most of us would at least be standoffish and, at most, abandon them first. Yet here we see that Jesus changed the world by loving and being patient with them.

He modeled what it looks like to patiently love others. Romans 5:7-8 says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us.”

The disciples thought what they were saying was true, but as often happens, when the moment came for them to put their faith where their mouth was, they scattered. It’s easy to say that we love others, but when loving someone requires being patient with them, we must depend on the Holy Spirit to produce patience in us. To truly love someone means that we run the risk of being hurt. C.S. Lewis said, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.” The question is what do we do when our heart is wrung and broken? Do we cut ties, leaving behind the person who has left us disappointed? Or do we practice the world-changing love that Jesus practiced, being patient with others and caring about them the way that Jesus does?

And if we are honest, can’t we identify with the disciples? We have all made promises that we can’t keep. We have all gotten caught up in an emotional moment and said something we shouldn’t have. We have all sinned and, in a moment of brokenness, promised that we would never do it again…only to slowly slip back to it when our emotions came back down. However, the same patient love that Jesus had for the disciples is the same patient love that he has for us. Other than Judas, who betrayed Him, every disciple who had scattered would later on suffer for their faith. Church history tells us that eleven of them (Matthias replaced Judas) died as martyrs. John alone is said to have died of old age, yet he suffered all the same. Jesus knew His disciples would abandon Him, but He also knew what awaited them after His resurrection and ascension. He loved them through their moments of pridefulness, arrogance, and cowardice.

So, in this time of living in an impatient culture, how do we learn to love others patiently? As often with God’s Word, when we meditate on how God loves us through our worst moments, we learn more and more about the patience He has with us. Further, when we trust the Holy Spirit to produce Christ-likeness in us, we are able to patiently practice the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39). When we let the Lord shape us, we can come to love, forgive, and be patient with others, because we begin to see and feel the patient love that the Lord has for us.

Love that Sacrifices

Luke 23:26-49

There is such irony to the title of Good Friday. The death of an innocent man is hardly a cause for celebration, and the death of the Son of God even less so. There is also irony to the fact that the very ones who were mocking, beating, taunting, and crucifying the Messiah were included in the ones He came to save. It’s not only unfair, it’s unjust! If you were to read a story or watch a movie about an innocent man replacing the guilty man in his punishment, you would be unsettled. If the guilty man then mocked the innocent man, you would become angry! How dare he?! And yet, Jesus’ death was not a 1-for-1 exchange but rather a 1-for-all. Once again, the irony is that the one person to ever walk on the earth who was truly sinless and innocent was the only proper sacrifice for the sin of all. When we see someone get what they deserve, we call it justice, but Jesus dying because He was SINLESS on behalf of those who are SINFUL is completely unfair. It can hardly be understood by us.

On what we call Good Friday, Jesus was unjustly abandoned, accused, mocked, beaten, and humiliated. Pilate himself said that he found no fault in Jesus (Luke 23:13-16, 22). He knew Jesus was innocent, and he didn’t want Him to die, but the moment he saw that standing up for the Savior was risky, he relented. Pilate wasn’t willing to sacrifice his position or reputation on behalf of Jesus. He did what he knew was unjust because that was easier, and it benefited him.

Compare that with Jesus. Jesus didn’t shout at the crowds, “Don’t you know what Who I am?! I’m doing this for you! I don’t deserve this; you do!” Instead, Jesus, in His beaten and humiliated state, chose to warn the weeping daughters of Jerusalem of the coming struggles. While he was being crucified, Jesus pleaded with God to forgive His executioners. While hanging next to a criminal, Jesus chose to reassure the man of his salvation. Oh, what sacrificial love to think of the suffering of others during His own suffering and death.

Jesus loved sacrificially, not just in this moment but throughout His life. The fact is, in a world that is fair, Pilate, His accusers, the Roman soldiers, the disciples, the criminals on either side of Him, you, me, and anyone who has ever breathed in this world deserve to take the punishment for our sins. Paul makes it clear in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”—we are OWED death because of the sins that we have committed. It is our rightful payment. It is not reserved for the “worst of us” but rather deserved by all of us. Because Jesus committed no sin, He wasn’t owed wages from it. He was the only person Who could stand before the Judgment seat as truly innocent. Yet, willfully, He stepped in as the sacrifice. Willfully, He took on the burden of all sins. Willfully, He broke the connection with His Heavenly Father. As terrible and horrific as the crucifixion was, that wasn’t the worst part. Separation for the first and only time in all eternity for God was the ultimate price paid.

Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Catholic priest during World War II. While in the Auschwitz concentration camp, after a prisoner escaped, the guards decided to randomly pick 10 prisoners to be starved to death as an example. When one of the men selected cried out, “My wife! My children!”, Kolbe volunteered to take his place. While being starved in a cell with nine others, he would lead those in the cell in prayer. After two weeks, with no food and water, only Kolbe and three others remained. They were given injections to hurry their deaths. He died on August 14th, 1941. Kolbe exchanged his innocent life for the life of another innocent man.

The killing of either man would be unjust, but Kolbe’s sacrifice moves us to sadness. Yet, imagine if Kolbe agreed to exchange his own life for the life of the guard who ordered his death. We would probably try to talk him out of it! The very act would move us to sadness, anger, confusion, and frustration with just how unjust it is! However, Romans 5:7-8 says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Sacrificial love is a costly love. In Deuteronomy 17:1, we learn the expectations for a blood sacrifice, “You shall not sacrifice to the LORD an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.” Why would God demand the best from His people? It’s simple: it pointed to the perfect sacrifice that God Himself would provide for our sins through His own Son, Jesus. In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God stopped Abraham right before the falling of the knife, and yet, God did not hold back when sacrificing His own Son on our behalf. Jesus didn’t almost reach the point of death and then come back. God’s wrath fell on His only Son because of your sin and mine. Os Guinness said, “Christianity is the only religion whose God bears the scars of evil.” God ultimately does not ask us to do anything that He has not done for us, and when comparing what we are called to “sacrifice” to Him, it pales in comparison to what He has done for us.

So, what keeps you from loving sacrificially? Why is it so easy for us to become selfish with our love? If we aren’t mindful, our love can become transactional- only given to those who can return something to us. Yet, for those who love and follow Christ, we can’t help but love others truly and purely. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” If we want to love with a love that changes the world, we must love like the One Whose love changed the world.

Love that Hopes

Luke 23:50-56

Have you ever lost hope? Have you ever been robbed of hope? Have you been betrayed? Diagnosed? Attacked, unemployed, drowning in a critical situation?

In the days leading to my dad's death, he was fighting a serious illness and was repeatedly hospitalized. We had what every family holds onto when a loved one is suffering; we had hope. We were riding the typical roller-coaster of good news and bad news. When things took a turn for the worse, the doctor would examine and evaluate and choose a treatment plan and restore what we had; we had hope. When my dad had a "good day," we had hope. When he was down, we rallied around him, and we had hope. And when he died… so did our hope. My thoughts of, "I hope he has a good day" and, "I hope he can come home soon," were replaced with, "I want him back." The difference between what I hoped and what I wanted was no greater than my dad's last breath.

When we receive what we want, it's a transaction. When we receive what we hope for, it's a testimony. A desire is seen as attainable. Hope is associated with the possibility of a positive outcome, even when things are uncertain. Jesus' followers knew the prophecies. They knew that hope would come with the promised Messiah. They had lived under a law that was twisted and misinterpreted by their own leaders. The restrictions that were created and amplified by the Jewish leaders eroded any hope of being acceptable to God. Even more hopeless was their own civilization. At the time of Jesus' ministry on Earth, the Jews were living under Roman rule. They wanted their king, the promised one of the prophecies. And He came. But not like they wanted.

Jesus was born in a stable. He was hidden away in Egypt. He was raised in Nazareth, a town that wasn't considered very sophisticated. When he began his ministry, he was humble and homeless. He chose simple men to follow him. He ate and slept at the mercy of those who would welcome him. There was nothing regal about the birth and ministry of the King of Kings. But He was the King of Kings, and he brought the power of the Almighty God to a desperate world. He miraculously healed the sick, calmed the seas, cast out demons, and brought the dead back to life! He taught with authority. Crowds came to Him with their desires to learn more, to be healed and restored. Jesus' interaction with the destitute often ended with forgiveness. Forgiveness gave the people not only what they wanted but what they needed. They needed hope.

Little by little, the followers began to understand that Jesus was the promised Messiah! Jesus truly was the Son of God, and absolutely nothing could prevent Him from taking the throne. Their hope was alive and strong. And suddenly, it was shattered. Their master, their hope, was arrested, beaten, and crucified. He died.

The Son of God's lifeless body hung from an angry cross, surrounded by exhaustion and devastation. There were soldiers waiting to go home after a bad day at work. There were loved ones completely emptied from grief. And there was Joseph of Arimathea. The Bible tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin. He had opposed the council's decision to have Jesus crucified. And he had a tomb.

With Pilate's permission and Nicodemus' help, Joseph took Jesus' body and prepared it for burial. I don't imagine they felt much hope. They, along with the disciples and followers of Christ, had expected Jesus to show his power over death on the cross. Instead, they prepared seventy-five pounds of spices and wrapped linen around Jesus' ripped flesh. They carried him to Joseph's tomb, laid him in it, rolled a stone across the entrance, and walked away reflecting on the day's turmoil.

Burying the promised Messiah left them empty and hopeless, but did Joseph and Nicodemus know that they had buried the Prince of Peace? Did they know that no amount of spices or tight linen binding would hold down the body of God's Son? Did they know that no stone, regardless of size, would confine our Redeemer? Did they realize that the emptiness in their hearts would soon be relieved by the emptiness in the tomb?

When my dad died, I felt empty. But nothing compares to the emptiness I had before I met Jesus. I sought happiness and fulfillment in relationships and lifestyles that held absolutely no value of hope or peace. The more I lost, the more I sought. The more I failed, the more I made excuses and determined to make something respectable of myself. The harder I tried, the harder I lied. Accolades and accomplishments could not fill the emptiness. Substances and possessions could not fill the emptiness. There was a God-shaped hole in my soul that could only be filled by the risen Lord. When I was at rock bottom, when I had exhausted every earthly resource, when I was overcome with regret and guilt, Jesus intimately called my name, and I surrendered to Him.

The empty tomb is pivotal. It is everything. It is the evidence of Christ's fulfillment of paying the price for our sins and defeating death for our eternal life. Because the tomb was empty, my heart is not empty. Because the tomb was empty, my life is not empty. Because the tomb was empty, I am redeemed. I am loved purely. I am empowered with His Spirit. By my testimony and His Spirit, I can confidently say that I have hope for eternity. Because of Christ's love, I have a love that hopes. Because of Christ's love, I have a love that changed the world.

Love that Triumphs

Matthew 28:1-10, Romans 8:37-39

Fear. Hopelessness. Emptiness. It seems these feelings surround us every day; the legacy media, social media, the political arena, in the breakroom at work… we are bombarded by uncertainties, with seemingly no answers. The iconic phrase from the 1986 movie “The Fly” seems to permeate our culture… “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Are there any answers? Can we find a way out of this mess, this tension, this… FEAR?

Sometimes, even framing the current situation in spiritual terms, we have a hard time believing that we can be victorious. Oh, we use the old cliches about the future. “When we all get to heaven…” or “When Jesus comes back…”. And while framing our lives with that hope for the future is positive and good practice, what about now? Will we be conquered by the upheaval and troubles of our time? Will our heart’s inner struggles dominate us and ruin our peace in the here and now?

It seems these days that even believers need a fresh reminder that the gospel, the “good news,” is not just to be spoken to the unbeliever. It is a fresh message for us who have surrendered to Christ as well! It is the “daily bread” of hope, joy, peace, and fullness that comes with Jesus. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) It is not just a future hope. It is a present reality! “For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6) Notice the past tense… HAS SHONE… it has already happened. We have been given the light… through Christ!

But it’s not easy. We always fight the battle with our eyes and our feelings. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we speak in the wrong “past tense.” When Jesus veiled Himself, walked the road with them, and quizzed them about all the happenings surrounding the crucifixion, He noticed and pointed out their sad faces. Their reply? “We HAD HOPED that Jesus was the one to deliver Israel. This past tense is even more stunning as they go on to reveal that they had heard reports of the resurrection…. But their eyes had seen reality. The execution. The burial.

But here’s some HOPE! Early in the morning, on the first day of the week, on that first resurrection day celebration, The heart of our Savior began to beat again. And as the angel rolled away the stone and took a seat there, good news awaited those who would come. And when the two Marys showed up to anoint the dead Savior’s body, He told them, “Do not be afraid.” He is not here. He has risen, just as He said!” Literally, the statement was “Stop being afraid.” And that is the message that still resonates to this day, for us to hear as well. STOP BEING AFRAID!

No matter what comes our way, no matter how Satan twists the truth in our ears, no matter how “fallen” the world becomes, No matter how overwhelming life seems, we can stop being afraid, for the rod and the staff of our risen Shepherd is comforting and leading us. As the Old hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock” says,

“His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay; On Christ the solid rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.

There are times in our lives when uncertainty about a current or future situation may give way to the beginnings of those earlier-mentioned feelings. But as believers and followers of Jesus, we need never give in to the lies of Satan that bombard us in times of weakness. Giving in to those lying whispers comes when we desire to control our own destinies.

Just as the disciples saw their future crushed at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, we, too, fear losing our grand plans and dreams when life’s hard realities hit us in the face. But the disciples’ hopelessness and fears were completely wiped away when Jesus defeated the foe that seemed to have conquered Him and them. As Jesus told those travelers to Emmaus, “Oh foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). So, too, when we let go of our false belief in the ability to control our lives and put them in the living Savior’s hands, we need never again fear, lose hope, or feel stripped of purpose. Our conquering Savior has defeated death, and fear, and emptiness, and hopelessness. As Paul said in Romans 16:20, “The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” And because of His triumph on the cross, He now Holds the keys of our biggest and real fears. “… He (Jesus) placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. “ (Revelation 1:17-18)

In 1974, Hiroo Onoda was officially relieved of duty by his former commanding officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. What is so unusual about this soldier is that He had fought in World War II and had been on duty in the Philippines when Japan officially surrendered in 1945. But Onoda and two other soldiers continued fighting a guerilla campaign for almost thirty years, not believing those who tried to tell them the war was over. Finally, only Onoda was left, fighting on in spite of letters from his family, which he thought was a trick to take him prisoner. Finally, when his former commanding officer found him and officially relieved him, Onoda quit fighting.

Such a sad story, but not as sad as those for whom the battle is still raging, although their Savior has defeated fear, hopelessness, and emptiness. Christ has conquered Satan, death, and the grave. He has given us His Spirit to crush our sinful natures. We no longer have to be bound by our old nature’s bent.