First Baptist Church, Dumas, TX
Sunday Morning, July 26, 2026
"The Gospel in the Church"
John 13:31-35 with other selected passages
We all need reminders... when the 'new' fades away into 'old', reminders serve to refresh and reinvigorate.
[31] When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. [33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ [34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Christ is with His eleven disciples (Judas Iscariot having just gone out). It is the last supper in celebration of the Passover.
The final events are set into motion...
[27] Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
The betrayal of one disciple is contrasted with the love that true disciples of Christ ought to have for one another and for Christ.
v. 31-32 humiliation versus Glory
Versions of the word 'glory' appear five times in these two verses, which can be easily summed up with '...to God be the Glory', just like the old hymn.
John, recording the words of Christ, places focus on the revelation of God's glory through Christ, highlighting the glory of God in the work of the cross.
Paul fully understand that Jesus is fully and finally glorified for His obedience to the Father.
[13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
v. 33 'little children' is a strong term of endearment not demeaning in any way. It demonstrates the love and concern that Christ has for His disciples, as He is soon going away, just has He had told the Jews (John 8:21)
v. 34 "A new commandment"... The call to love is not new, but the call for disciples of Christ to Love one another Sacrificially, modeling the LOVE of CHRIST is a new standard
[5] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
[18] You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
[12] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Obeying the command for disciples to love one another sacrificially as Christ loved in turn demonstrates a disciple's love for Christ.
The disciple's sacrificial love for one another should flow outwards to all people or 'neighbors'.
- LOVE sacrificed everything!
- LOVE gave us the Gospel
[8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
[12] What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? [13] And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. [14] So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2) In light of the Gospel, what does LOVE compel us as disciples to do now?
-Be obedient to Christ, following His commands and living a Christ centered life
-Abide in Christ in order to bear fruit.
"Love is to serve as the distinguishing characteristic of discipleship."-John MacArthur
[15] “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
[3] Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
3) What do disciples do with the Gospel within the church?
[16] For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
[3] Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— [7] not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
[23] And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
[5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
[8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
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