Jesus’ Words in Red
A New Command
"A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another."
2000 years later
let’s ask ourselves the question
How are we doing?
Are we doing a good
job of the “New Command?”
“Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.”
“As I have loved you”
“A New Command”
In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus tells us
which is the greatest commandment…
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one. Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.' The second is this: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than
these."
Jesus makes the most important
commandment “A New Command”.
“Love one another.
As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.”
“As I have loved you”
We define love in thousands of ways.
A little girl cleans up her room without
being asked, she takes out the garbage,
and tells her mother she is the greatest.
Mom is surprised at all the actions
and attention her daughter is giving
until the little girl asks for a puppy.
If we are honest, most of the love we
show is to get something in return.
It is not that love should not be reciprocated.
Reciprocal love is what the
Greek word Philos is
all about.
Think about it, Jesus is saying…
“As I have loved you”
Have you ever gotten frustrated
with someone who “didn’t get it”.
How many times did Jesus say “you of little faith”.
In the context of this statement Jesus
has just washed the disciples’ feet.
He washed Judas feet even though
he knew the evil in his heart.
He washed Peter’s feet who he
knew would deny him 3 times.
He washed the disciples’ feet who
all abandoned Him in His darkest hour.
Romans 8 says it so beautifully…
Romans 5:7-8
“Very rarely will
anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone
might possibly
dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus laid down His life in two ways…
In life He daily considered
others better than Himself.
In humility He became a servant
so others might know the truth.
The second way Jesus showed His
love was to pay the price for our sin.
Jesus became the sacrificed Lamb, His death, His
blood made it possible for us to have our sins
washed away and have eternal life with Him forever.
Paul echoes this command of Jesus…
Philippians 2:3-8
Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also
to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should
be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very
nature God,
did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself
nothing,
taking the very nature
of a servant,
being made in human
likeness.
8 And being found in
appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to
death —
even death on a cross!
John in his first epistle says…
1 John 4:19-21
We love because he
first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his
brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has
seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this
command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
2000 years later let’s ask ourselves the question…
How are we doing?
Are we doing a good job of the “New Command?”
“Love one another.
As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.”
“As I have loved you”
Scripture Reading
John 13:31-38 NIV
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now
is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in
himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 "My children, I will be with
you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so
I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 "A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another."
36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you
going?"
Jesus replied, "Where I am
going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I
will lay down my life for you."
38 Then Jesus answered, "Will
you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster
crows, you will disown me three times!
