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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to John's gospel, as we work our way through this 
fourth gospel. We're in John chapter 13. Our 
focus this morning will be verses 31 to 38, but I'll pick up reading 
at verse 18. John chapter 13, beginning in 
verse 18. I do not speak concerning all 
of you. I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be 
fulfilled. He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel 
against me. Now I tell you before it comes, 
that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am. Most 
assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives 
me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. When Jesus had 
said these things, he was troubled in spirit and testified and said, 
most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray me. Then 
the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. 
Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom, one of his disciples whom 
Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned 
to him to ask who it was of whom he spoke. Then leaning back on 
Jesus' breast, he said to him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, 
it is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have 
dipped it. And having dipped the bread, 
he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the 
piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, 
what you do, do quickly. But no one at the table knew 
for what reason he had said this to him. For some thought, because 
Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, buy those 
things we need for the feast, or that he should give something 
to the poor. Having received the piece of 
bread, he then went out immediately, and it was night. So then, or 
so when he had gone out, Jesus said, now the Son of Man is glorified, 
and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God 
will also glorify him in himself and glorify him immediately. 
"'Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. 
"'You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, "'where I am going, 
you cannot come. "'So now I say to you, "'a new 
commandment I give to you, "'that you love one another, "'as I 
have loved you, that you also love one another. "'By this, 
all will know that you are my disciples, "'if you have love 
for one another. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, 
where are you going? Jesus answered him, where I am 
going you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, why 
can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your 
sake. Jesus answered him, will you 
lay down your life for my sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, 
the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times. 
Amen. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that 
all scripture is given by inspiration of God. We know it's profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 
in righteousness. And we pray that even now you'd 
cause us to reflect upon this passage to see the glory of the 
Son, to see our need as disciples to express love for one another, 
and may we take heed to what is spoken here concerning the 
denial by Simon Peter. Help us to be a watchful and 
a prayerful people. As we sang, we are prone to wander, 
prone to leave the God that we love. So we pray that by the 
presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, you would keep us, 
you would cause us to press onward by your grace and for your glory. 
And as well, God, we pray for any and all who've come here 
this morning dead in their trespasses and sins. We pray that today 
would be the day of salvation, that you'd open their hearts 
to receive the truth. We know that faith comes by hearing 
and hearing by the word of God. So may this be a day of rejoicing 
in heaven over sinners who repent. Forgive us now for all sin and 
uncleanness and unrighteousness. Wash us in that precious blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ and send forth the Spirit to guide 
us as we consider your word. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, as I mentioned last time, 
we are in what's called the upper room discourse. So just prior 
to his death, this is taking place on the Thursday. And of 
course, Friday, he will go to the cross. We refer to that in 
history, at least as Good Friday. So Jesus wants to encourage the 
disciples. He wants to impart wisdom to 
the disciples. They have the task, after his 
ascension on high, to go therefore and to make disciples of all 
the nations, to baptize those that are made, and then to teach 
them. We see that in the book of Acts, in terms of proclamation, 
disciple-making, and then church planting. So the Lord wants to 
encourage his disciples. I've read the section where he 
gets rid of the betrayer. He identifies Judas Iscariot. 
There's a bit of a puzzle there. Why didn't they hear that? I 
think that Jesus spoke specifically to John. John was very close 
in terms of proximity. He said what he said in terms 
of dipping the bread. And so there was a bit of confusion 
when Judas got up. They didn't really know why it 
was. But in verse 30, we read that the traitor or the betrayer 
is now gone. And then if you notice the language 
used by our Lord in verse 33, he says, little children. So 
he speaks intimately now to the disciple group. The traitor is 
gone, the betrayer is gone, the unclean one is gone. So he wants 
to address his disciples. And he does so in three ways. First, he speaks of his own glory. 
So we see the glory of the son in verses 31 and 32. Secondly, 
the love of the disciples in verses 33 to 35. And then finally 
the denial by Peter in verses 36 to 38. So notice first with 
reference to the glory of the son in verses 31 and 32. So when he had gone out, Jesus 
said, now the son of man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself 
and glorify him immediately. So again, the context. The departure 
of Judas now sets the context for Jesus' disciples and them 
alone. And this declaration, now the 
Son of Man is glorified. We know as we've studied through 
John's gospel, there's been this emphasis on the hour. And the 
hour is the time of Christ's death and resurrection. In fact, 
if you go back to chapter 12, specifically at verse 23, Jesus 
answered them saying, the hour has come that the Son of Man 
should be glorified. Drop down to verse 27, now my 
soul is troubled and what shall I say? Father, save me from this 
hour. And then again in the immediate 
context in John 13 one, now before the feast of the Passover, when 
Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart. 
So the now points to the hour and the hour is that time of 
his death on the cross and his resurrection again. And it's 
at that point that Jesus speaks of his glory. And he speaks of 
it as already having been completed. He's not going to renege. He's 
not going to turn back. He has set his face like a flint, 
according to the prophecy of Isaiah. And he is steadfast in 
Jerusalem. He is going to die. He is going 
to be raised again the third day. So he can speak of it as 
a present reality when he says there in verse 31, now the son 
of man is glorified. Cyril says, but the perfection 
and fullness of glory was surely in the fact that he suffered 
for the life of the world, and that by his own resurrection 
he opened up a way for the resurrection of all. So what Jesus is saying 
here is that this event, the hour, is going to mean glory 
for himself. It is going to mean glory for 
his father, and the father is going to glorify him. And that's 
precisely what he says. Notice in verse 32, if God is 
glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify 
him immediately. Again, the proximity to the time. 
It's Thursday. It's going to be Friday when 
he goes to that cross. He speaks of it as having been 
accomplished, and he realizes that that glory is predicated 
upon the cross work. Prior to this, notice in John 
12, again, verses 27 and 28. Just read verse 27, Jesus didn't 
come first and foremost to set an example. He certainly is that, but that's 
not the primary emphasis that we find in the New Covenant, 
or in the Old Covenant, prophesied concerning the Messiah that would 
come to save His people from their sins. Not by just setting 
a good example on how to love one another, how to be kind to 
one another, We're not that. We're not loving. We're not kind. 
We are sinful people. The heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked. Christ came in order that we 
might be saved. The Apostle Paul says that the 
Jews, they request signs and the Greeks want wisdom, but Paul 
says we preach Christ and Him crucified. So the primary purpose 
for which our Lord came was not simply to set an example of how 
man is to love one another. In other words, it's not simply 
exemplary, but he says, for this purpose I came to this hour. 
He says this all throughout his ministry. To Zacchaeus, he says, 
the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 
He says that in Matthew 9, after the salvation of Matthew himself, 
and then the Pharisees start to complain and grumble because 
Jesus, along with Matthew, is with a bunch of other sinners. 
Jesus says it's not the healthy that need the physician, but 
rather it's the sick. He came to save his people from 
their sins, and that's what he highlights here. But for this 
purpose, I came to this hour. And then notice in verse 28, 
Father, glorify your name. So at the cross, our God Most 
High would be glorified. As well, God Most High would 
glorify His Son, who is God Most High. When we ask the question, 
how is Jesus glorified? It's not according to His divinity. In John 1, 1 we read, in the 
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word 
was God. There's no increase in His glory 
as God. There's no diminishment of His 
glory as God. It is essential to Him. What 
is unique here is that He now has, in the language of 114, 
assumed our flesh. The Son, or rather the Word of 
God, became flesh and dwelt among us. So the glory comes as a result 
of the assumption of our humanity by the Son of God. In other words, 
the Father is well-pleased with the Son and then confers upon 
Him this glory. Again, it's not because of God-ness. He is God. never ceases to be 
God, and you cannot strip Him or add to Him any degree of glory. 
It's according to His humanity. It's according to His God-man-ness 
that He assumed our humanity. He lays down His life for us. You see something similar in 
Matthew 28. Matthew 28, at the Great Commission, our Lord says, 
all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." 
Not as he's God. He never stopped being God. He never ceased being divine. He didn't substitute humanity 
for divinity. The glory of the incarnation 
is that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. That you through his poverty 
might be rich in him. So the glory of the Incarnation 
is in the assumption of our humanity. It's not in the laying aside 
of His divinity. It's not in the laying aside 
of His glory. So with the Father and the Spirit, 
they are glorified. So according to His humanity, 
when He assumes our flesh, when He lives for us, when He dies 
for us, when He's raised again for us, the Father is pleased 
with that. You see that in Philippians chapter 
2. Therefore, God has also highly exalted him and given him the 
name which is above every name. Again, not true as word. He always 
had that. But as the word became flesh, 
he has this authority, this majesty, this glory conferred upon him 
as a result of his mediatorial work on our behalf. So when the 
priest goes to the cross to lay down his life for the sheep, 
the father is glorified in the work that the son has done. And 
then the father reciprocally glorifies the son for the work 
that has been accomplished. So in all this, we ought to see 
practically that our salvation brings glory to God. In other 
words, it is a blessed thing. It is a wonderful thing. In the 
last hour, we went through the confession in chapter 10 on effectual 
calling. And our brother Kim led that 
study, and he pointed us to Ezekiel 36. And it's interesting, in 
Ezekiel 36, you have sort of the background to what we call 
regeneration of the new birth. In fact, Jesus chides Nicodemus 
in John 3. He says, are you the teacher 
in Israel and you don't understand these things? What's the point? 
You should have understood these things. Where God says, I will 
take out your old stony heart. I will put in a new fleshly heart. 
I will give you my spirit. I will give you my law. I will 
write those things on your heart. All the benefits promised by 
God in the Old Covenant are yea and amen in the New Covenant 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. But what is intriguing there 
in Ezekiel 36 is that a couple of times God says, I don't do 
this for you. Now, he does because we benefit 
and we are then enabled to go to heaven, but he does it for 
his name's sake. In other words, we proclaim the 
gospel such that sinners are saved so that God is glorified, 
so that God is magnified, so that God is exalted. Even in 
our soul winning, even in our missions, it is God who is uppermost. It is God who is foremost. It's 
for His honor and praise. Isn't this how Jesus taught us 
to pray in the Lord's Prayer? Before we get to our food, before 
we get to our protection, before we get to our forgiveness, what 
does God or what does Jesus teach us? Hallowed be thy name. There's 
a priority in the Lord's prayer, and we're secondary. It's God's 
name, it's God's kingdom, and God's will that comes first. 
So when you look at verses 31 and 32, and if you're ever having 
a sort of a bad day and you're wondering, oh, I don't always 
live as I ought, well, you don't. I need more of the Holy Spirit. 
Yeah, you do. But you are a conquered, blood-bought 
trophy of our Lord Jesus Christ that redounds to the praise and 
glory and honor of the Most High. Brethren, that is a good thing 
to contemplate. And I think that then serves 
as the impetus for us to engage in a life that is well-pleasing 
to God. In fact, turn to the book of 
Ephesians for something parallel in this connection. Ephesians 
chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. It's a beautiful 
statement that confirms what I'm trying to get across here. 
in a way that's much better because it's Paul. But notice in Ephesians 
3, specifically at verse 8, "...to me who am less than the least 
of all the saints, this grace was given." He's basically transitioned 
between the doctrinal section in chapters 1 and 2 and the practical 
section in chapters 4 to 6. He's placing himself or locating 
himself in redemptive history. how he has the unique privilege 
to be the apostle to the Gentiles, such that the mystery of God 
is now made known, specifically being that Gentiles are included 
in the covenant promises made to Israel. So notice in verse 
eight, to me who am less than the least of all the saints, 
this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the 
unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the 
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages 
has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. 
Now notice this language in verse 10. To the intent that now the 
manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to 
the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according 
to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus 
our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through 
faith in him. Get that! Verse 10, "...to the 
intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known 
by the church to these principalities." So I think what Paul is saying 
is that if angels have an occasion to look down upon a church gathering 
like ours, And, you know, you hope they do. There's also a 
reference to this in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. The angels aren't 
just sort of, you know, off in some distant place in eternity, 
strumming harps and floating on clouds. They're God's ministers 
and, as well, God's witnesses. Well, when the angels look down 
upon a group like this, do you think they say, boy, I'm so glad 
that guy exercised his free will to come to Jesus? I am so glad 
that that girl who was having these difficult problems in terms 
of her own life has overcome them and has now sealed her fate 
with Jesus Christ. That's not what they're doing. 
They're looking at us and praising God. They're looking at us and 
glorifying God. They're looking at us and praising 
the redemptive reality, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. In 
other words, the glory of God is manifest at the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what he speaks to 
here in the upper room. He wants the disciples to know 
that whatever the hour brings in terms of shame, ignominy, 
pain, suffering, blood, and ultimately death, He wants them to know 
that this is the hour of glory, the glory of the Son as the Word 
became flesh, the glory of the Father as He is pleased with 
the work of the Son. Your salvation means a lot to 
you, but it better mean as well the glory of God Most High. Isn't 
this the prophet Isaiah as well? He shall see the travail of his 
soul and be what? Be satisfied. In other words, 
Jesus endured the shame of the cross. Why? For the joy that 
was set before him. What was the joy set before him? 
The rescue of a miserable lot like you and I from every tribe, 
tongue, people, and nation. So the glory of God is calculated 
here to encourage the disciples that whatever the hour brings, 
it isn't a diminishment of his glory, but rather in terms of 
his role as mediator, it is the pinnacle of his glory. This is 
an encouragement to them, and I hope it is to us. Your salvation 
is not owing to your good choices, it's not owing to your good behavior, 
it's not owing to your lawfulness, it is owing to the glory of Jesus 
Christ and His death and resurrection. And then notice, secondly, he 
speaks specifically to the disciples with reference to love. He mentions 
his departure in verse 33, again, that term of endearment, little 
children. I shall be with you a little 
while longer. You will seek me. And as I said 
to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say 
to you. The nature of the following discourse, 
he is encouraging them, building them up, And certainly, when 
he gets to verses 34 and 35, this is something they're going 
to need to demonstrate. Now, if you've been coming to 
this church for any time at all, you'll know that we really love 
doctrine. We really love Scripture, and 
we make a lot of emphasis on that. But you know, Paul says, 
if we have all that, we have the gifts of tongues of angels, 
and we don't have love, then we're useless. were worthless. And so that's what Jesus commends 
to the disciples. The men that are armed with the 
truth, armed with the Spirit, must be clothed with love when 
they go out on that missionary endeavor to call sinners unto 
faith in Jesus Christ. But before he gets there, specifically 
in verses 34 and 35, listen to what he says. Little children, 
I shall be with you a little while longer. Again, the cross 
is coming. The hour has arrived. He knows 
its imminence. He knows his death is on tomorrow. And then as well, he says, I 
shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me. And 
as I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. 
So now I say to you, He had said this to the Jews on two occasions 
in John's gospel. Look at chapter 7, specifically 
at verses 32 to 36. Chapter 7, verse 32, the Pharisees 
heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him, and the 
Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then 
Jesus said to them, I shall be with you a little while longer, 
and then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and not 
find me, and where I am you cannot come. Then the Jews said among 
themselves, where does he intend to go that we shall not find 
him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks 
and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that he said? 
You will seek me and not find me. And where I am, you cannot 
come. So there was a lot of confusion about this statement. But in 
the disciple group, there's confusion as well. Because when we get 
to verse 36, Peter doesn't hear anything about the new commandment. 
Peter hears the little while. Peter hears that I'm going away 
from you. We'll get to Peter in a moment, 
but on this occasion, Jesus says, I'm leaving, I'm going away. 
Notice in chapter 8 as well. Chapter 8, specifically at verse 
21, then Jesus said to them again, I am going away and you will 
seek me and will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. So back to John 13, he makes 
this statement to the disciples. Little children, I shall be with 
you a little while longer. You will seek me. And as I said 
to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say 
to you. So the words that he speaks here 
are the same on the one hand, as he spoke to the unbelieving 
Jews. But on the other hand, notice what he does say to Peter 
in verse 36. So to the Jews, there's a closed 
door. The reprobate, there is no access. But to the elect of God, to the 
disciple of Jesus Christ, you're not going to go with them to 
the cross because that's not your purpose. You can't atone 
for the sins of your people. But you will eventually go to 
where he is. You won't undergo the hour, but 
you'll receive the glory and the crown in that age to come. So the unbelieving Jews, he condemns 
them. Basically, he says to them, you're 
going off to everlasting punishment. You're going off to hell. But 
for the disciples, you're going to seek me, but you can't come, 
because you can't endure the cross. This is not your hour, 
but rather it is mine. But because of that hour, I'm 
going to receive you to myself, and that's precisely what he 
addresses in John 14. I go to prepare a place for you. Not for those reprobate Jews, 
not for the heathen that don't believe, not for the false religionists 
that chooses an alternate way. Jesus is the way, the truth, 
and the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through Him. He prepares mansions. He prepares 
an abode. He prepares through His own crosswork 
for us blessedness and wonderfulness and goodness and glory. If we're 
justified freely by His grace, we will be sanctified by the 
power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we will one 
day be glorified and enter in to Emmanuel's land. So he lays 
that down for them to consider, and then on the heels of that, 
he gives them this new commandment. Notice in verse 34, a new commandment 
I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, 
that you also love one another. There's three contexts I think 
we need to appreciate here. First, the immediate. Notice 
in John 13, 1. Now, before the feast of the 
Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should 
depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own 
who were in the world, he loved them to the end. So because Jesus 
loves his own, I know this is going to sound revolutionary, 
his own must love each other. I know it's a tough one, but 
that's what he says. Because he loves us, because 
he lays down his life for us, because he cleanses us in his 
blood and clothes us in his righteousness, it's not because we love one 
another that we're saved, that's the consequence of us having 
been saved. So the immediate context is his 
love for the disciples, therefore encourages the disciples to love 
one another. But as well, secondly, the Old 
Covenant context. Didn't the Old Testament tell 
people to love each other? Yeah. It sure did. In fact, in our studies in the 
book of Leviticus on Wednesday night, I think I pointed out 
Leviticus 19 is the old covenant equivalent to 1 Corinthians 13. It's the great love chapter. 
How should love be manifest within the covenant community of Israel? 
And specifically in Leviticus 19 verse 18 at the second part, 
it says, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the 
Lord. So when we look at verse 34, 
we say a new commandment, that's not new necessarily. We've never 
been told to hate each other. We're to love each other as ourselves. I think the newness of the commandment 
is seen in the standard that is given. So notice what we see 
in verse 34, a new commandment I give to you that you love one 
another as I have loved you. That's the standard. The newness 
of the new commandment here is the standard by which we're to 
love one another. So love your neighbor as yourself. What's Jesus saying here? Love 
your neighbor the way that I have loved you. Brethren, we don't 
love him as we ought. We don't love each other as we 
ought. Even on the best of days, when 
we're trying to be Leviticus 19.18b sorts of guys and girls, 
and we love our neighbor as ourselves, we still fall woefully short. 
The standard in this new covenant arena is love as Christ loved 
the church and gave himself for her. John Gill says, as brethren 
in the same family, children of the same father, and fellow 
disciples with each other, by keeping and agreeing together, 
praying for one another, or praying one for another, bearing one 
another's burdens, forbearing and forgiving one another, admonishing 
each other, and building up one another in faith and holiness. 
And this he calls a new commandment that is a very excellent one. 
as a new name and a new song denote excellent ones. Or it 
is so called because it is set forth by Christ in a new edition 
of it and newly and more clearly explained than before and being 
enforced with a new argument and pattern never used before. So yeah, love your neighbor as 
yourself to be sure. but love one another just as 
I have loved you. Now, when we reflect upon the 
love of Jesus, we know first and foremost that it is constant. It's constant. Look at verse 
one again in chapter 13. He says, having loved his own 
who were in the world, he loved them to the end. So that means 
our love for one another must be constant. We can be fair weather 
fans, can't we? We can be those sorts of people 
that say, well, as long as you're lovely, then I'll love you back. 
You see, that's not what you find in the exposition in the 
New Covenant. What does Paul say in Ephesians 
chapter five? Husbands, love your wives just 
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. and you're 
gonna raise your hand and you say, well, she's not really lovely 
today. That doesn't matter. That's not the predicate. Our 
obedience is never conditioned upon the object loved. Our obedience 
is conditioned upon the fact that God commands us to love. Wouldn't it be nice? Well, she's 
not lovely today, so I'm not going to love her as I ought. 
Or conversely, you know, he's being kind of an ogre today, 
or a tyrant, so I'm not going to submit to him as I ought. 
There's no if-then conditionalness in terms of our obedience to 
God's holy word. As the blood-bought children 
of God, we will learn later in this discourse that if you love 
me, You'll keep my commandments." Again, not unto salvation, but 
because we have been saved, and this is the consequent, the fruit 
or the effect of God's justifying grace. So Jesus' love in the 
first place is constant. As well, I've already alluded 
to this, Jesus' love is self-sacrificial. Love your neighbor as yourself. 
Jesus is saying, no. Not that that's bad. Again, I'm 
not suggesting that you shouldn't love your neighbor as yourself, 
but this love as I have loved you suggests self-sacrifice. Again, we appreciate it in the 
husband-wife relationship. I mean, that's one flesh with 
you, right? That's Paul's argument in Ephesians chapter 5. Of course 
a husband's gonna take a bullet for his wife. Of course, I mean 
you better, of course a husband's gonna jump on the grenade for 
his wife. Of course the husband's gonna 
stand up against the thugs for his wife because he's supposed 
to love her as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. 
Do you see what Jesus is saying? It's not just your wives. I mean, 
if anybody ever lobs a grenade into this building, it'll be 
curious to see what happens. Everybody flees and runs. Ah, 
I gotta get out of here. And I'm not suggesting that's 
the worst response, but is there gonna be the one that jumps on 
it? Is there gonna be the one that loves self sacrificially? What does Jesus say in Matthew 
20? The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and 
to give his life a ransom for many. So the love of Jesus is 
constant. The love of Jesus is self-sacrificing. And as well, the love of Jesus 
in this context and elsewhere is towards sinners. I've already 
mentioned this, brethren. Your love for fellow sinners 
is not predicated on their behavior. Insofar as you do good today, 
then I'll love you. Insofar as you do what I think 
you should do, I'm going to love you. Kind of like the golden 
rule in Matthew 7, 12. Do unto others as you would have 
them do unto you. It doesn't say do unto others 
in so far as they do unto you. Do unto others what you would 
like for them to do. So you can't argue, well, they 
don't treat me that way, so I'm not, that's not the nature of 
the command. The nature of the command is 
to treat them the way that you want to be treated. It's a bit 
of a different spin, isn't it? We like conditional love. We 
like to, you know, filter everything through what we approve of, and 
insofar as you're performing, then I will love you. The love 
for Jesus in this context that is constant, that is self-sacrificial, 
is directed to sinners. It's not directed to them as, 
you know, they ought to be. It is directed to them as they 
are. Now, through the sanctifying 
power of His Holy Spirit, they get better, they grow in the 
grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But just listen 
to what He says. You love one another as I have 
loved you. That's the calling that we have 
as God's people relative to this love. But then notice what He 
says. This is what identifies you as 
Jesus' disciples. Notice in verse 35, he says, 
by this all will know that you are my disciples if you subscribe 
to the Second London Confession of Faith. By this all will know 
that you are my disciples if you've read Birkhoff cover to 
cover. By this all will know that you are my disciples if 
you've got Turretin, if you've even read him. That's not what 
he says, brethren. And I don't want to negate truth 
because it's not an either or. Sometimes you get this in Christianity. 
Well, we just need to be about loving Jesus. It doesn't really 
matter what we believe. Yes, it does. But as well, we 
only need to believe. Yes, we do. We need theological 
accuracy. We need doctrinal content. We 
need confessions like our confession. But we need to bathe it in love. 
or our response to others in love. That's what he's saying 
here. By this, all men will know that 
you are my disciples if you have love for one another. That is 
an intriguing thing for us to consider. The love of the brethren, 
you can turn to 1 John 3. The love of the brethren is self-confirming 
to the brethren. In other words, we know that 
we have passed from death to life because we love people we 
didn't formerly love. Have you ever looked around on 
a Sunday morning and said, you know, all things being equal, 
if I wasn't saved, I wouldn't ever be with these people. And 
I don't mean like these people. I'm not saying it probably sounded 
like that, but that's not what I meant. But seriously, would 
you have hung out with me if you weren't a believer? I wouldn't 
want to hang out with me, and I am a believer. So what brings 
us to this place where the principalities look down and they give glory 
to God Most High? What is it? It's God's grace. Notice in 1 John 3, specifically 
at verse 13. Do not marvel, my brethren, if 
the world hates you. We know that we have passed from 
death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not 
love his brother abides in death. Now, John's not saying everybody 
in the church is your best friend forever. Everybody in the church 
is as possibly close to you as anybody could ever be. No, but 
there is this litmus test in terms of understanding whether 
or not we're in a state of grace. And one of those tests is we 
love each other. Sure, we need to grow in our 
love. Sure, we need to be more constant. We need to be more 
self-sacrificial. We need to understand that they're 
sinners, and even as redeemed sinners, they still got blemishes, 
they still got spots, they still got wrinkles. But we love each 
other, right? Yes, that's true. Well, why is 
that? Because we've passed from death 
to life. There's that internal testimony 
of the Holy Spirit working by and with the Word of God to convince 
us that, yeah, this is a good sign. Heathens and pagans don't 
love Christians. Heathen and pagans like to burn 
Christians. Heathen and pagans like to ostracize 
or ostracate Christians. Heathen and pagans, when they 
rule, they rule with an iron hand over the Christians. But 
we love the Christians. Why is that? Because by God's 
grace, you've passed from death to life. And it is unique to 
the people of God that they love one another based on God's grace. 
But as we learn here in John 13 at verse 35, this as well 
is others confirming of grace in the heart. In other words, 
by this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have 
love for one another. Thomas made the observation, 
one who is in the army of a king should wear his emblem, right? You've probably seen that in 
battle scenes. You've got somebody carrying 
the flag. In a battle, I'd rather carry a gun, but I know that 
somebody has to carry the flag, because the flag represents whose 
side you're on, right? Even worse than the flag is the 
drummer. Yeah, that's a target all over you. There is this representation 
involved. There is an emblem of the king 
stamped upon us. He says, one who is in the army 
of a king should wear this emblem. The emblem of Christ is the emblem 
of charity. So anyone who wants to be in 
the army of Christ should be stamped with the emblem of charity. And again, brethren, it's not 
an either-or proposition. Well, all they do at their church 
is study the Bible, as if that's bad. But we ought to do it with 
love. Love for God, love for one another. 
Or those churches, well, you know, we don't really put a premium 
on doctrine here. We just, you know, gush love 
all over each other. It's not an either-or, it must 
be both-and. 1 Corinthians 13.6 tells us that 
love rejoices in truth. As well, there's this bit in 
an early Christian epistle to Dionysus, probably dated around 
somewhere between AD 150 to 225. And I think this is very instructive 
in a whole lot of sort of applications, but specifically for this one. 
In this epistle to Dionysus, we read, for Christians are not 
distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, 
or custom. They don't, you know, just build 
houses on the top of Mount Shem and have their enclave there 
and nobody gets up and nobody comes out. No, we live amongst 
the heathen. We live amongst the pagans. We 
live amongst the god-haters. We live amongst the rabble, right? The hoi polloi. We're in it. 
We're in the world. We're not of it, but we're in 
it. We don't try to escape it. I mean, sometimes flying to the 
moon or going to Northern Idaho seems pretty tempting, especially 
here in Canada, but we're not different that way. See, brethren, 
when you look at history and the Christian movement, you didn't 
say, well, those ones are Christians because look at their uniform. 
Those ones are Christians because look at what they do this particular 
way. Now certainly if they see you 
going to church, that's something particular in terms of Sabbath 
and all that sort of thing. But back to Dionysus. For Christians 
are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, 
language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities 
of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do 
they practice an eccentric way of life. In other words, they 
look like everybody else, but when you start to boil them down, 
and I hope this doesn't happen, what will you find? Love to God 
and love to one another. The kind of love that's constant. 
The kind of love that's self-sacrificing. The kind of love that sees persons 
as sinners who nevertheless are to be loved because God commands 
it. So what differentiates the people of God isn't custom, language, 
dialect, or any sort of a thing like that, some eccentricity. But what distinguishes Christ's 
people, according to Christ himself in 1335, is that you love one 
another. By this all men will know. It 
has a self-confirming influence according to 1 John, but it has 
an others-confirming influence as well from John 13.35. And 
we ask the question, I already mentioned, Peter just skips over 
this. He gets right to the little while. We'll get to that in just 
a little while in verse 36. But did they internalize this? Was this something paramount 
in the minds of the men that were present with our Lord in 
this upper room? Well, Paul wasn't present in 
the upper room. I'm just going to call out a 
couple of texts in Paul. Romans 13 and 1 Corinthians 13. Did Paul think it was necessary 
for the people of God to love one another? Yes, absolutely, 
positively, he thought that. But what about Peter? Turn to 
1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, another passage we looked 
at in our study this morning, but a bit of a different connection 
there. But in 1 Peter 1, notice specifically what Peter says 
in verse 22. Since you have purified your 
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of 
the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. 
Not just love each other kind of, Love each other once in a 
while. Love each other when they present 
as lovely, but love one another fervently with a pure heart. 
Look at 1 Peter 3 at verse 8. And then notice in 4.8, well, 
verse 7, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious 
and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent 
love for one another. And I love the rationale given 
here in the middle. For love will cover a multitude 
of sins. How do we facilitate remaining 
corruption and this demand to love? Love, that's how we facilitate 
it. In other words, when we love 
each other the way we're supposed to, God enables us to overlook 
some things that really bug us. I mean, I don't want to say husbands 
and wives. I know my beloved has to look 
over, look past a few things that bug her. She's probably 
in her mind saying, a few. What happens when we love each 
other? Love covers a multitude of sins. 
We're not fault-finding. We're not checklist-keeping. We're not always right there 
to pounce. Love facilitates the dwelling 
together in families, in churches, amongst the people of God. And 
Peter says, above all things have this. What about John? Turn 
back to 1 John. 1 John 3, verses 10 to 15. In this, the children of God 
and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not 
practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not 
love his brother. For this is the message that 
you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 
Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. 
And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and 
his brothers righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if 
the world hates you. And we've already read that. 
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love 
the brethren. Notice in verses 16 to 18. By 
this we know love because he laid down his life for us. There's 
that self-sacrificial element. And we also ought to lay down 
our lives to the brethren. This is the new commandment of 
John 13, 35. He's expounding it for us in this passage. But 
whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need 
and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide 
in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, 
but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are 
of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. Notice 
in chapter 4, specifically at verses 20 and 21. If someone 
says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he 
who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he 
love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have 
from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also. A 
brother and I should try and condition or qualify that must 
there. It's not, I'm going to love you because I have to. No, 
you're loving them because it flows out of a heart justified 
freely by God's grace. You've been cleansed in his blood 
and clothed in his righteousness. And what's the reflex? Well, 
it's to love him and to love one another. Of course, we need 
to grow, we need to get better, we need to be more mindful, more 
self-sacrificial, all that to be sure. But for those in Christ, 
loving brethren is not the chore that it is for the world. And 
then that brings us finally to the denial by Peter in verses 
36 to 38. There's parallels in each of 
the synoptics here. Each of the synoptics has this 
incident where Peter denies the Savior. Notice the question in 
verse 36. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, 
where are you going? And he doesn't say, what do you 
mean by this love thing? We got it in the Old Covenant. 
We're hearing it again in the New Covenant. No, his mind is 
fixated, and not wrongly so. He loves Jesus. I don't want 
Jesus to go. If you were there, you wouldn't 
want Jesus to go either. He's Jesus, right? Being with 
him, having a part in him is everything. Being close in proximity 
to Jesus is the best thing ever. But Peter asked the question, 
Lord, where are you going? Jesus answers, verse 36b, where 
I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow 
me afterward. You're not gonna go to the hour, 
you're not gonna go to the cross, but you're gonna eventually go 
to the fruit of the hour and the fruit of the cross. As Edward 
Klink says, for as Jesus will shortly explain in chapter 14, 
Peter and the disciples will go where Jesus is going, but 
not at the same time, the hour, or in the same manner, the cross. 
Many are the children of God, but there is only one unique 
son. So he says to them, and that 
doesn't diminish the suffering of a Peter, the suffering of 
a James and a John. If you've read any of the early 
church history, how did Peter die? According to history, he 
was crucified upside down. Jesus is not saying, oh, you're 
going to just have this easy passageway into life eternal. 
But when he says, you're not going to follow me, he means 
in the hour on the cross to make satisfaction to divine justice 
for the sins of all those whom the Father had given Him. You're 
not participating in that. That's not your purview. That's 
not your responsibility. But as a result of that hour, 
you will follow me afterwards. You will enter into Emmanuel's 
land if you are justified freely by His grace. If you're being 
sanctified by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, 
you can count as sure as anything one day living in eternity with 
our blessed God and Savior. That's the reality for Christ's 
people. That's the blessedness that we 
have. We may indeed engage in a veil of tears in this present 
evil age. We get persecuted, just like others. We get cancer, 
just like others. We have hardship, just like others. 
We have bankruptcy, just like others. We have oppression from 
the state, just like others. Do you know what we have that 
isn't just like others? We have the promise of glory 
and eternity with Jesus Christ our Lord. That's where we're 
heading. And that's what he says to these 
disciples. You're not gonna not have problems, but you're gonna 
have a crown of glory when you exit from this present evil age. 
Now, notice on the heels of this, Peter's assertion. Peter says 
in verse 37, Lord, why can I not follow you now? Again, brethren, 
you understand it. We're not mocking Peter at this 
point. Oh, Peter, how dare you? But 
do remember that on three occasions, Jesus has announced that he must 
go to Jerusalem. He must be tried at the hands 
of wicked men. He must die and he must be raised again. Peter's 
not getting it. Peter's not following. Peter's 
not tracking here. And so Peter asks the simple 
question, Lord, why can I not follow you now? But then he makes 
this declaration that reveals something about his own heart 
that's not altogether good. I will lay down my life for your 
sake. Thomas says the same sort of 
thing in John chapter 11. As well, Peter does this, and 
what does it express? It expresses what we all have, 
self-confidence. It expresses a determination 
and a zeal that we don't necessarily have. On Wednesday night, we 
finish the book of Leviticus, and in chapter 27, after the 
chapter 26, you'd kind of think that's where it would end, blessings 
and curses for life in the land. Chapter 27 comes along. I think 
the connection is, chapter 26, God vows, or God promises, or 
God makes oaths as to what He's going to do for the people. If 
they're faithful in the land, they'll be blessed. If they're 
unfaithful in the land, they'll be cursed. So chapter 27 now deals 
with our vows before God. And there are improper vows that 
people make. Now, I know that Peter's not 
saying, I solemnly affirm here by way of a vow that I'm going 
to do that. But it has the nature of vowing something. It has the 
nature of a resolution with something behind it. And I think it reveals 
to us his zeal, which is good and commendable, but zeal must 
always be according to knowledge. As well, it shows something of 
his self-confidence. I'm ready to die for you. I'm 
ready to go to the end with you. I'm ready to be there for you 
at the 11th hour, onto the close of your eyelids in death. The 
tendency toward pride, the tendency toward self-confidence, the tendency 
toward a lofty self-assessment, and this hastiness. Listen to 
Pink. He says outwardly, Judas, don't 
forget we just got rid of the betrayer. Just got rid of the 
apostate, a reprobate. What does this little sort of 
short section tell us? You may not be an apostate. You 
may not be a reprobate. And in that, rejoice and thank 
God, But that doesn't mean you don't have a proneness to wander 
and a proneness to leave the God that you love. You better 
take heed. You better watch and pray. You 
better seek the Spirit's presence and power. You better understand 
that the best of men are men at best. So Pink says, outwardly, 
Judas posed as a disciple of Christ. Inwardly, Simon was a 
believer in him. The one exhibits the sin and 
madness of hypocrisy. The other, the danger and sad 
results of self-confidence. Look at it again. I will lay 
down my life for your sake. That provokes from our Lord the 
question of verse 38a. Will you lay down your life for 
my sake? John Gill, I think, gets at this 
well. He says, Christ speaks these words not as questioning, 
or as questioning rather, not Peter's sincerity, but his strength. It's not the sincerity that he 
expresses here, it's his strength and his ability to execute and 
carry through with it. See, we can all be filled with 
zeal and earnestness, and I'm gonna go out and die for the 
Lord Jesus. What's Peter do when he's pressed 
by a servant girl? No, I don't know him. But your 
dialect betrays you. You're from the same... No, no, 
I don't know him. I don't know him. And you know what the irony 
is? And this is bringing to a close. 
Peter thinks that he's going to give his life for the Savior. But what's the point of the hour? 
The point of the hour is that the Savior gives his life for 
Peter. The Savior is the one in whom 
the covenant blessings of God are yea and amen. It's not Peter's 
fidelity. It's not Peter's perseverance. 
It's not Peter's enduring faith. It's Christ's blood and righteousness. Peter can't give his life for 
the Savior, but the Savior most certainly will give his life 
for Peter. And he'll give his life for all that the Father 
has given him. And the one who comes to him, 
he will certainly not cast out. From every tribe, every tongue, 
every people, every nation, we have the blessed promise of our 
Savior that he has come to give his life as a ransom for many. With reference to this denial, 
I want to end here. Two points. First, Peter's denial. Second, the glory of our Lord. The nature of this denial demonstrates 
the remaining corruption of God's people. Peter's not a non-believer 
here. Jesus doesn't say, I can't believe 
you asked that question. Obviously, you're reprobate. 
Get out. Follow Judas. Wherever he's at, you go with 
him. You betray me with Judas. Maybe share the 30 pieces of 
silver. He doesn't do that. But what does it show us? It 
shows us there is a proneness to wander and a proneness to 
leave the God that we love. It shows us what Paul will say 
in Romans chapter 7, 14 to 25, is true. The good we wish to 
do, we don't do. The evil that we don't want to 
do, we find ourselves doing. Or what Paul says in Galatians 
5, 17, the spirit lusts against the flesh, the flesh against 
the spirit. These two are contrary to one another so that you don't 
do the things you want. Brethren, remaining corruption 
is a reality. I'm not saying therefore go out 
and sin, but understand your state before a holy God and your 
absolute dependence upon that God and the resources purchased 
for you by our Savior King. As well, the nature of the denial 
highlights the graciousness of God in his dealing with his people. 
Because Jesus doesn't say, get out, follow Judas, be gone with 
you, what does it show us? It shows us what we see in the 
Garden of Gethsemane. Remember Peter, again, James and John? 
What do they do when they're called to watch and pray? They 
fall asleep. And Jesus says the flesh, or 
the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Now, I don't know 
what was in the mind of Jesus specifically there, but I can 
suggest that the psalmist reflects that kind of thinking in Psalm 
103, verses 13 and 14. As a father pities his children, 
so the Lord pities those who fear him. For he knows our frame, 
he remembers that we are dust. Brethren, that should be a world 
of comfort for all of us. Again, not so that we'll be emboldened 
to go out and sin, but that when we do sin, we have an advocate 
with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. And it underscores 
as well the carefulness that should be adopted by God's people. 
We're probably not as strong as we think we are. We're probably 
not as mighty as we think we are. Well, you know, it's been, 
it's like those, you know, those signs at work and a factory floor. It says, you know, 138 days with 
no incident. Do we live our lives like that? 
138 days with no incident. 139 is going to be a breeze, 
walking the park. Take heed lest you fall, brethren. 
That's what Paul says, not brethren, us, all of us together. Take 
heed lest you fall. Presumption, pride, arrogance, 
self-dependence, those are not commendable traits in Scripture. 
Those are not, you know, God saying, good, yeah, be independent, 
live without the spirit. Yeah, be bold and proud and arrogant. Read the Proverbs of Solomon. 
What happens to the pride or to the proud man? He falls, he 
stumbles, he ends up in dire straits. Matthew Henry says that 
those often fall soonest and foulest that are most confident 
of themselves. Those are least safe that are 
most secure. May God give us that. May God 
instill in each of our hearts a careful walking before Him, 
dependent upon the Spirit, with increased faith in the Son of 
God who loved us and gave Himself for us. And we end on that high 
note. It's not Peter that gives his 
life for the Savior. It's the Savior who gives his 
life for Peter and for us. Have you ever mused on the fact 
that our religion is completely different than everybody else's? 
In our religion, it's Him that seeks and saves. It's Him who 
sacrifices and dies. It's Him who performs obedience 
to the Father. In every other religion, it's 
the other way around. I've got to do this, I've got 
to do that, I've got to be good, I've got to engage in that, and 
then I get the reward. The beauty of the New Covenant 
is that was heaped upon the Savior. His life of perfect obedience, 
His death as a sacrifice and a substitute on the cross, His 
resurrection again the third day, so that Paul could say He 
was delivered up because of our offenses and He was raised for 
our justification. Our religion ain't like anybody 
else's. It's a redemptive religion. wherein 
the forgiveness of Christ cleanses, or the blood of Christ cleanses 
us and brings us forgiveness. And then that righteousness of 
Christ clothes us and fits us to be accepted in that age to 
come. So if you have not believed the 
gospel, may I encourage you to come to the one who laid down 
his life for the sheep. Nobody constrained him. There 
was no gun to his head. He laid it down willingly, as 
he says in John 10. And in that, he is glorified. 
In that, the Father is glorified. In that, the Father glorifies 
the Son. So may you, by grace, look to 
Him in faith and have everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for 
the clarity of this upper room discourse and the emphases that 
our Lord puts forth. We thank you for the glory of 
the Son of God. We thank you for this encouragement 
to love as we ought one another. And as well, may we take heed 
with reference to this denial by Peter. We know in the latter 
pages of this gospel that this prediction of our Lord certainly 
does come true. But even in that, you didn't 
cut him off. And we rejoice in your grace. We rejoice in your 
loving kindness. We rejoice in your protection 
of us. Bless and strengthen each one 
here, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let us stand and 
close our service this morning by singing 572. 572, unto the praise and glory of 
our triune God. ♪ O come, O come, O come, O come, 
O come, O come to Bethlehem ♪ ♪ O come, O come, O come, O come, O come 
to Bethlehem ♪ Oh The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Our blessed Father, we thank 
you for this time to gather for corporate worship. We ask that 
you would bless this coming hour when we eat together, when we 
drink together, and we just thank you and praise you for the good 
gifts that you have imparted to us. May you be glorified and 
may you be honored and may you be praised. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation. After the music ceases, you're 
welcome to please go upstairs and help yourself to the food.