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Cornerstone Church GR - South Wyoming Campus

How To Love Your Enemies

·39 min·3 clips
Jesus washes his disciples' feet, modeling servanthood that shocks his followers and redefines leadership.
The episode is a sermon by Pastor Marcus Schmidt at Cornerstone Church's South Wyoming Campus, part of the 'Eyes Wide Open' series through the Gospel of John. Marcus begins with casual greetings and an introduction to the series, explaining that John writes in a theological rather than chronological order. He transitions to John chapter 13, highlighting the foot-washing scene where Jesus humbly serves his disciples, including Peter's initial resistance. Marcus emphasizes that this act models servanthood and opens eyes to Jesus' true nature. He then delves into Jesus' new command in verse 34: to love one another as he has loved, contrasting it with older commandments. Marcus identifies Judas as the betrayer and notes John's lingering hurt over Judas, as seen in added commentary. He asks listeners to reflect on their own 'Judas'—people who have betrayed or hurt them—and discusses the difficulty of loving enemies. Marcus explains that Jesus served Judas by washing his feet and giving him bread, demonstrating love even toward those who cause harm. He links this to the decline in church attendance, arguing that Christians often fail to love as Jesus did, prioritizing judgment over grace. Marcus introduces the concept of agape love, which requires the Holy Spirit's power, and encourages forgiveness to free oneself from grudges. The sermon concludes with a communion service, reminding listeners of Jesus' sacrifice and calling them to practice love in their daily lives. Throughout, Marcus uses humor, personal anecdotes, and scriptural analysis to engage the audience.

As heard by us

A plainspoken sermon turns Judas's betrayal into a call to forgive and love beyond the church walls.

Cornerstone Church's sermon frames love and forgiveness through the still-tender wound of Judas's betrayal. In the Eyes Wide Open series in John, Marcus Schmidt considers how listeners may need to revisit their picture of Jesus and God, holding up the cross as the clearest…

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Why you'd press play

When an old Judas is still taking up room in your thoughts, this offers a sermon-shaped way to practice forgiveness.

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