As I Have Loved You

The sermon opens with vivid examples of the fragility of human love — from Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' 72-day marriage to Rudolph Valentino's wedding that lasted only 6 hours. Through these illustrations, the pastor paints a picture of a world that longs for true love but finds only relationships as fleeting as morning mist. Though love remains the best-selling theme in poetry and music, very few people truly experience lasting love.

The core of the sermon is anchored in John 13:34-35 — the new commandment Jesus gave on the last night before His death. The pastor emphasizes that Jesus did not merely teach about love in words but demonstrated it concretely: washing His disciples' feet, forgiving the one who would betray Him, and ultimately giving His own life on the cross. Three dimensions of Christ's love are clearly presented: (1) He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:6-8); (2) He loved through concrete acts of sacrifice rather than empty words; (3) He loved through what He left behind — Scripture, the Church, and the Holy Spirit.

To illustrate love for those still in sin, the pastor shares the moving story of Billy Graham and his wife Ruth visiting Jim Bakker in prison after his scandal and conviction for fraud. Though shunned by society and the Christian community, Bakker was welcomed with open arms and genuine love. The pastor observes that those who live close to God and experience His love tend to be harder on themselves than on others, while those with a superficial relationship with God are quick to judge and find fault with those around them.

The practical application is reinforced through 1 John 3:14-18, which calls believers to love through action and truth rather than mere words. The pastor calls the congregation to begin with small acts — encouragement, comfort, gentle speech, and treating one another with kindness. He also draws on Psalm 84:5-7, depicting pilgrims who pass through the valley of weeping but grow stronger, to encourage the congregation to keep walking in faith and to leave behind something good and praiseworthy for their families and the Church.

The sermon closes with the pastor's heartfelt longing that the Vietnamese Baptist Church would become a community overflowing with genuine love — where members treat one another with kindness, generosity, and forgiveness, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. This, he declares, is the evidence that will cause the world to recognize them as true disciples of Christ.