July 12, 2026

Scripture Reading — John 13:34–35 (KJV)

34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Sermon Summary

More Than What You See

Rev. Jeffery Johnson opened in John 13, moving past the verses read earlier in the service to land on verses 34 and 35, where Jesus tells His disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you.” He said we're often quick to judge love by what shows on the outside — how someone looks or carries themselves — without ever considering what's happening in their heart. He pointed to the example so many in the room received from parents and grandparents raised in Christian homes: no matter how fierce the argument between siblings, the instruction was always the same — go make up, shake hands. That instinct to reconcile, he said, wasn't invented by our parents. It came straight from Jesus.

A Towel and a Basin

He set the scene: hours before His death, Jesus entered the upper room and no one had done the customary courtesy of washing the dust from His feet. Rather than complain, Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, knelt, and washed the feet of each disciple Himself — including Judas, who within hours would betray Him. Rev. Johnson lingered there: Jesus knew exactly what Judas was about to do and washed his feet anyway, fully and sincerely. It's easy, he said, to go through the motions of loving someone — showing up, saying the right words — while your heart stays closed off. “If your heart's not in it, you still won't get credit.”

Forgive — and Really Let It Go

This was the sermon's sharpest turn. Rev. Johnson took direct aim at a phrase he's heard from believers for years: “I forgive, but I won't forget.” He called it one of the emptiest things a Christian can say, because real forgiveness — the kind God extends to us — removes sin “as far as the east is from the west” and never brings it back up again. Holding a grudge, keeping someone at arm's length, or quietly punishing them for the past isn't forgiveness; it's just saying the word without living it.

Praying for the People You'd Rather Avoid

He challenged the congregation to move beyond praying for family and close friends and start praying for the people they've been avoiding for years — the ones we duck down another store aisle to avoid running into. He suggested it's no accident when we keep crossing paths with someone we've fallen out with; God may be using that repeated encounter to nudge us toward making it right. In that light, prayer becomes an active form of love directed at exactly the people who are hardest to love.

Restoring the Broken

Drawing on the morning's Sunday school lesson about Jesus restoring Peter after his denial — asking him three times, “Do you love me?” before commissioning him to “feed my sheep” — Rev. Johnson explained that restoration goes further than forgiveness. It means actively welcoming someone back in, not just excusing what happened. He told of two men who broke down in tears after an altar call at a revival in Pleasantville, not out of conviction but because they'd overheard church members whispering that they were alcoholics who didn't belong. His point was direct: the church should be the place people run toward when they're falling apart, not the place that quietly pushes them back out the door.

Love Without an Expiration Date

He closed by returning to Jesus' new commandment and John 3:16, reminding the congregation that tomorrow isn't promised, so love and forgiveness can't be put off for a more convenient day. Loving the people who've hurt us, praying for them, and welcoming them back isn't optional for a Christian — Rev. Johnson said it's the whole point of the faith. He ended on a personal note, saying he's still learning to forgive and celebrate himself, so that whenever his own time comes, he can meet it with a clear heart and no unfinished business with anyone.

Key Takeaways

• Real love looks past appearances to the heart — the kind of love Jesus modeled, and the kind our parents tried to pass down to us.

• Genuine forgiveness lets go completely; “I forgive but I won't forget” isn't forgiveness at all — it falls short of God's model of removing sin “as far as the east is from the west.”

• Restoration goes beyond forgiveness — it means actively welcoming people back, not judging them at the door when they're already broken.

• Praying for the people who are hardest to love — the ones we avoid — is itself an act of obedience to Christ's new commandment.

• Tomorrow isn't promised, so love, forgiveness, and reconciliation can't wait for a more convenient time.