A New Commandment

Getting to Know Someone

How do you get to know someone?

They have to open up to you, reveal themselves to you.

How do you get to know someone who is superior to you? Who is above you?

They have to initiate revealing themselves to you, don’t they? It’s on there terms.

Since we live in a world full of sin, this is especially true with God. How will any one of us who are so unholy, know the Holy God?

God reveals himself to us by the inspired prophets who wrote this book called the bible. But chiefly, in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the word made flesh. Jesus is God’s own son. Jesus said over and over again - Everything I say, God my Father told me. Every thing I do, according to his plan. He even says, “if you have seen me, you have seen my father.” Looking at Jesus is looking at God the Father.

Knowing God’s Love

So, since God opened up, revealed himself to mankind by sending his Son Jesus, then what does Jesus tell us about God? What did Jesus do? What did Jesus say?

Why did he do these things? Because he loves you, he loves me, he loves the world.

“God loves the world he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus is about to display the greatest revelation, the greatest opening of God’s heart, he is about to lay himself bare for the whole world to see his love. He is going to allow his own son to die for me and for you on the cross. Why? To deliver us from Satan, sin, and the sentence of eternal separation to freedom, forgiveness, and family, God’s own family.

“Greater love hath no one then this, that one would lay his life down for his friends.” Jesus laid his life down for you. He wants to be your friend. His love is always waiting to be accepted in faith. Your life matters more then you will ever know.

He was broken so you can be made whole.

He was forsaken so you can be accepted.

He was shamed so you may be honored.

He died so we can live with God and know his love forever.

God the Father honored Jesus’s sacrifice in raising him from the dead and placing him above all things, that everybody and everything will honor him. This is the pattern then that is established, if you love God, do his will and love his people, it will mean sacrifice, but every momentary loss, struggle, or difficulty you face will be honored forever with God.

Now we are getting to the point of Jesus’s talk with his disciples. He is actually trying to answer the question: How will the world know how much God loves them when I leave? Answer: you! For those who know God’s love, show God’s love. 3x

Knowing God’s love is showing God’s love

John 13:33–35 ESV

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

How does God continue to open up to people? Through his disciples. How will the disciples possibly represent God to the world? By their love for one another. Specifically, by loving others the way Jesus loved them.

When we love others the way Jesus loves us, they see Jesus in you. His legacy of love lives on in you. Not just his legacy, his actual life. He lives, he’s alive. Just like he showed the world God, you show the world Jesus.

So when you do your siblings chores for them without them even asking: They see Jesus.

When you include someone who feels left out in a conversation: They see Jesus.

When you take time to make some food and go visit a sick relative or friend: They see Jesus.

When you stay after practice to work with a teammate one on one: They see Jesus.

When you are kind to a bully who deserves a whoopin: They see Jesus.

When you tell someone about this Jesus whom you love so much: They will know Jesus too. They will have God’s love erase replace every doubt, fear, and bitter grudge with eternal peace. You will see someone become reborn by the Spirit of God, for the Glory of God, in the Son of God.

We know God’s love by showing God’s love. They know God’s love by seeing Jesus in us. 3x.