Elements City Church
Gentle & Lowly week 6 - Jesus Loves to the End
Gentle & Lowly — discovering the heart of Jesus. In this 6 week series, we dive into how Jesus described Himself, and why that matters in helping us know Jesus more deeply, so we can follow Jesus more closely and reflect Him more truthfully to others.
Locations & Times
Elements City Church
1825 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712, USA
Sunday 5:00 PM
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“The most important thing about you is not the things you achieve, but the person you become.” -Dallas Willard
Discipleship is about apprenticing your life after Jesus - having the Spirit of God do an ongoing transformational work within your heart, your character, your mind — where you’re becoming a better reflection of Jesus and who he truly is and his core nature…
So, it’s important for us to know what Jesus is really like.
“The most important thing about you is not the things you achieve, but the person you become.” -Dallas Willard
Discipleship is about apprenticing your life after Jesus - having the Spirit of God do an ongoing transformational work within your heart, your character, your mind — where you’re becoming a better reflection of Jesus and who he truly is and his core nature…
So, it’s important for us to know what Jesus is really like.
~Jesus
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Quote:
“Gentleness and lowliness of heart is who Christ is steadily, consistently, everlastingly, when all loveliness in us has withered.”
— Dane Ortland
“Gentleness and lowliness of heart is who Christ is steadily, consistently, everlastingly, when all loveliness in us has withered.”
— Dane Ortland
Jesus’ loves is a love that endures ‘to the end’… (see John 13:1)
There’s no quit in his love for you
There’s no prenup
There’s no opt out
There’s no limit or ceiling
There’s no exit strategy, no termination contract, no evacuation plan
He loves TO THE END…
There’s no quit in his love for you
There’s no prenup
There’s no opt out
There’s no limit or ceiling
There’s no exit strategy, no termination contract, no evacuation plan
He loves TO THE END…
John chapters 13-21 ends the gospel account of John in a most fascinating way. It’s his biography of Jesus where he spends 1/3 of his scope of writing — on the final week of Jesus’ life. It’s a fascinating deep dive into one particular moment of Jesus’ life in order to emphasize and drive home one main truth that he states in the 1st verse of this closing section of his book
John 13:1
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 13:1
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Let's see 9 ways Jesus loves 'to the end' as we do a flyover the last 9 chapters of the gospel of John.
John 13:1-5 -- He Serves them.
John 14:1-3 -- He Comforts them.
John 14:16-17 -- He Provides for them (gift of Holy Spirit)
John 15:5 & 10-13 -- He Anchors them to His love
John 16:12-15 -- He Guides Them (promises future guidance)
John 17:5-21 -- He Prays for Them (and future followers)
John 18 & 19 -- He Stands In For Them (crucifixion)
John 20:19-20 -- He Encourages Them Again
John 20:21 -- He Commissions Them (new assignments)
John 14:1-3 -- He Comforts them.
John 14:16-17 -- He Provides for them (gift of Holy Spirit)
John 15:5 & 10-13 -- He Anchors them to His love
John 16:12-15 -- He Guides Them (promises future guidance)
John 17:5-21 -- He Prays for Them (and future followers)
John 18 & 19 -- He Stands In For Them (crucifixion)
John 20:19-20 -- He Encourages Them Again
John 20:21 -- He Commissions Them (new assignments)
“As I contemplate the cross, I grasp that its wonder is not in its appearance, but in the superglue of love that took Christ to the cross and held him there.”—Katie Wiebe
He endured to the end…
Then THE END — or what appears to be the END of the story …is yet another reminder that -endings are always new beginnings with God.
WHY?
Resurrection!! He gets back up!
He endured to the end…
Then THE END — or what appears to be the END of the story …is yet another reminder that -endings are always new beginnings with God.
WHY?
Resurrection!! He gets back up!
And now The End the entire gospel of John ends with this statement:
John 21:24-25
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John’s very life declares what he is stating here - that Jesus loves TO THE END…in a myriad of ways he never gives up, never opts out, never quits - he endures with us TO THE END… and in THE END we will be WITH HIM FOREVER!
John 21:24-25
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John’s very life declares what he is stating here - that Jesus loves TO THE END…in a myriad of ways he never gives up, never opts out, never quits - he endures with us TO THE END… and in THE END we will be WITH HIM FOREVER!
Do Remember how gospel of Matthew ends?
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus loves us 'to the end' of our:
Resistance
Struggles
Situations
Crummy Circumstances
Temptations
Self sabotage
Quirks
Setbacks
Failures
Successes
To the end of our very lives…
Resistance
Struggles
Situations
Crummy Circumstances
Temptations
Self sabotage
Quirks
Setbacks
Failures
Successes
To the end of our very lives…
Quote:
"When the apostle John tells us that Jesus loved his own to the end, John is pulling back the veil to allow us to peer into the depths of who Jesus is. His heart for his own is not like an arrow, shot quickly but soon falling to the ground; —- His heart is an avalanche, gathering momentum with time; a wildfire, growing in intensity as it spreads."
--Dane Ortlund (ch. 22)
"When the apostle John tells us that Jesus loved his own to the end, John is pulling back the veil to allow us to peer into the depths of who Jesus is. His heart for his own is not like an arrow, shot quickly but soon falling to the ground; —- His heart is an avalanche, gathering momentum with time; a wildfire, growing in intensity as it spreads."
--Dane Ortlund (ch. 22)
We tend to love up too a limit.
Jesus loves to the end.
We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal.
We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness.
The Cross shows it so…
The resurrection secures it so…
Jesus loves TO THE END
Jesus loves to the end.
We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal.
We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness.
The Cross shows it so…
The resurrection secures it so…
Jesus loves TO THE END
Thank you for your financial partnership!
If you tithe to Elements, thank you for enabling us to be the church in our city. Your gifts help fuel the mission of Elements City Church, as well as our capacity to function as a church on a daily basis. You can give online at the link below, or through the Elements app.
http://elementscitychurch.org/giveJoin us next weekend as we launch a brand new series called: Old School ...ancient truth for today (looking at some characters in the Old Testament and what their lives and story hold for us today)
We've got our Tailgate Afterparty coming up on Oct 1st! Join us for food trucks and fun after service that night, and wear the colors of your favorite team!
Check out the Elements City Church app to stay up-to-date with upcoming events, listen to playlists of the songs we sing in worship, and more. Find it in your smartphone's app store.
We've got our Tailgate Afterparty coming up on Oct 1st! Join us for food trucks and fun after service that night, and wear the colors of your favorite team!
Check out the Elements City Church app to stay up-to-date with upcoming events, listen to playlists of the songs we sing in worship, and more. Find it in your smartphone's app store.