The Showdown: Selfishness vs. The Unselfish Love of Jesus

By Pastor Ron Kelly

We’re coming to a showdown. A showdown between selfishness and the unselfish love of Jesus.

Think about the cross. When Jesus was taken to be crucified, it wasn’t just the Romans who held the hammer—it was the religious system, the church of the day, that put Him there. The Romans only had the power to do the deed. Yet even then, hope wasn't dead. On the day of Pentecost, even those who participated in the crucifixion could have received forgiveness if their hearts had humbled themselves and accepted the gift.

Jesus sought through His disciples to confirm the covenant for three and a half more years after He died. That means there was still hope for the people who murdered Him. From the cross, He interceded: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And then there was the Roman centurion. At the end of that dark day, as the earth convulsed and the people scattered, he stood in the silence and whispered, “Surely this was the Son of God.”

There is something about a noble, beautiful Christian that you simply cannot get out of your head. Ellen White said it well: Argument will fail, but a loving and lovable Christian is a witness you cannot argue against.

The Fountain of Affection

Christ instructed us to call God our Father. I’m sorry for those of you who didn’t have good dads. My dad was a good man, but if you struggle with the image of a father, don’t give up. God wants to reveal Himself to you as the Fountain of Affection.

Most of us think the next word will be "love." We love being loved. But today, I want to show you how to be the toughest you can be, while remaining the tenderest. The Bible says a soft word can break a bone. The closer you are to God, the straighter you can shoot, and the more honest you can be with people.

There was an atmosphere that followed Paul—the atmosphere of heaven. You can’t fake that, but God will put it in you as His Spirit fills you.

The Strangest Witnessing Story (John 4)

Let’s journey through an encounter Jesus had that has the power to transform your life. Turn to John chapter 4—the woman at the well.

Jesus didn’t have to go through Samaria. Most Jews crossed the river to avoid it. But Jesus had an appointment. He was weary from travel, sitting by Jacob’s well at the sixth hour (high noon). The disciples had gone into town to buy food.

Then came a woman. But she came at the wrong time of day. People draw water in the cool morning or evening, not the heat of the day. Why? Because she was a social outcast. Broken. Used up. She had five husbands and was now living with a sixth.

When Jesus asked her for a drink, she fired back with sarcasm: “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink?”

But Jesus didn’t bite. He didn’t play her game. He offered her living water. And when she asked for it, Jesus did the strangest thing: He tested her.

“Go, call your husband.”

She lied: “I have no husband.”

Jesus replied: “You have spoken correctly. You’ve had five, and the one you have now is not your husband.”

She broke eye contact. She couldn’t look at Him. But she didn’t run away. Why? Because the atmosphere of heaven was in His voice. The kinder you are, the straighter you can shoot. The more beautiful you are, the more honest you can be.

It Hurts to Heal

Usually, it hurts to heal. Surgery hurts. But the Great Physician doesn’t wound to destroy; He wounds to restore. He tested her not to shame her, but to see if she was honest. To see if she was ready.

She was.

She went from sarcastic and defensive to saying, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” And finally, when Jesus revealed “I who speak to you am He,” she left her water pot—the very symbol of her daily burden—and ran back to the city.

She went to the very people she had been hiding from. The men she had failed with. She said, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

That whole city came out to see Jesus. The disciples went in and came back with nothing. This one broken woman went in and brought back a harvest.

The Harvest is Now

The fields are white for harvest. Not in four months. Now.

Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.” He saw past the brokenness. He saw the potential.

You cannot hide your belief about yourself. If you feel like a piece of trash because someone violated you early in life, hear this: Jesus gives you back your dignity. You don’t have to think of yourself as the scum of the earth. He will restore the years the locusts have eaten.

A Call to Connection

We are meant to be fountains, not drains. We are meant to be living stones, jointly fitted together. If you are connected to the most alive thing in the universe—the Fountain of Affection—your life cannot be barren.

Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians.” Let that not be said of us.

You might be a minority. You might be inconvenienced. But there is no higher privilege than to walk in the bloodstained path of Prince Emmanuel.

Don’t be a sounding gong. Have love. Be the kind of Christian that people cannot argue against—not because you win debates, but because you carry the atmosphere of heaven.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

You don’t need a nutritional label. You just need to take a bite.

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A Final Prayer

Lord, we don’t want to be like the twelve disciples who went into the city and came back with nobody. Give us largeness of heart. Help us to see the harvest. If there is someone here today who has been running, who has been hiding—call them home. Let them know You are glad to see them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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“Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling… calling for you.”