Living Out Christ's Command: Love as He Loved
Summary
### Summary
Today, we delved into one of Jesus' most profound commands found in John 13:34: "Love one another as I have loved you." This command is not just a call to love but a call to love in the way Jesus loved us—selflessly and sacrificially. To understand this command, we first explored the context in which Jesus spoke these words. This context is filled with the theme of "glory," particularly Jesus' glorification through His impending death on the cross. Unlike worldly glory, which is often about personal success and recognition, biblical glory is about reflecting God's character and reputation in a way that impacts others.
We examined the Hebrew word for glory, "kabod," which means "heavy" or "weighty." This word signifies the significant impact of one's character and reputation on others. Jesus' glorification through His death and resurrection perfectly displays God's character and reputation, impacting the entire world. This sets the stage for His command to love one another as He has loved us.
Jesus' love is characterized by self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and the restoration of relationships. This is a high standard, far beyond the natural human inclination to seek personal glory. We often chase after our own glory in various ways, whether through social media, professional achievements, or even in our relationships. However, Jesus redefines glory for us, showing that true glory comes from self-sacrificial love that benefits others and glorifies God.
To love as Jesus loved means to forgive deeply and restore relationships, not just to forget wrongdoings. This kind of love is challenging and requires us to experience Christ's love deeply. Our ability to love others is proportionate to our experience of Christ's love for us. Therefore, we must continually seek to experience His forgiveness and love through confession and genuine repentance.
Finally, when we love others in this Christ-like manner, it serves as a powerful testimony to the world. It shows that the transformative power of the Gospel is real and active in our lives. This kind of love not only glorifies God but also draws others to Him.
### Key Takeaways
1. Understanding Biblical Glory: Biblical glory, unlike worldly glory, is about reflecting God's character and reputation in a way that impacts others. Jesus' glorification through His death and resurrection perfectly displays God's character, setting the stage for His command to love one another as He has loved us. [50:58]
2. The High Standard of Jesus' Love: Jesus' command to love one another as He has loved us sets a high standard. His love is characterized by self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and the restoration of relationships. This is far beyond the natural human inclination to seek personal glory. [01:09:18]
3. Experiencing Christ's Love: Our ability to love others is proportionate to our experience of Christ's love for us. Therefore, we must continually seek to experience His forgiveness and love through confession and genuine repentance. This deep experience of Christ's love strengthens our expression of love to others. [01:14:08]
4. The Transformative Power of Confession: Regular confession of our sins, both to God and to one another, allows us to experience more of Jesus' forgiveness and love. This practice not only brings personal healing but also restores relationships, making us more capable of loving others as Jesus loved us. [01:18:23]
5. A Testimony to the World: When we love others in a Christ-like manner, it serves as a powerful testimony to the world. It shows that the transformative power of the Gospel is real and active in our lives. This kind of love not only glorifies God but also draws others to Him, demonstrating the truth of Christ's transforming power. [01:21:15]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[48:04] - Opening Prayer
[49:28] - Context of John 13:34
[50:58] - Understanding Biblical Glory
[52:23] - Worldly vs. Biblical Glory
[55:03] - The Hebrew Word "Kabod"
[56:26] - Examples of Glory in Scripture
[57:46] - Glory and Character
[59:04] - Impact of Presence
[01:00:36] - Jesus Redefines Glory
[01:02:17] - Jesus' Self-Sacrificial Love
[01:06:13] - The High Standard of Jesus' Love
[01:09:18] - Loving Others as Jesus Loved Us
[01:14:08] - Experiencing Christ's Love
[01:18:23] - The Transformative Power of Confession
[01:21:15] - A Testimony to the World
[01:24:08] - Practical Steps to Love Like Jesus
[01:25:47] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. John 13:34 - "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
2. Philippians 2:5-11 - "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
3. 1 John 4:19 - "We love because he first loved us."
### Observation Questions
1. What is the new commandment that Jesus gives in John 13:34? How does it differ from previous commands about love? [01:07:58]
2. According to Philippians 2:5-11, what actions did Jesus take to demonstrate his humility and obedience? How did God respond to these actions? [01:06:13]
3. In 1 John 4:19, what is the reason given for why we are able to love others? How does this connect to the sermon’s message about experiencing Christ's love? [01:14:08]
4. How does the Hebrew word "kabod" (glory) help us understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection? [50:58]
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Jesus' command to love one another as he has loved us set a higher standard than the previous command to love our neighbors as ourselves? [01:09:18]
2. How does Jesus' self-sacrificial love redefine the concept of glory compared to worldly glory? [01:00:36]
3. What does it mean to experience Christ's love deeply, and how does this experience enable us to love others more effectively? [01:14:08]
4. How does regular confession of sins, both to God and to one another, transform our ability to love others as Jesus loved us? [01:18:23]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you sought personal glory through achievements or recognition. How can you shift your focus to reflect God's glory through self-sacrificial love? [01:03:38]
2. Jesus' love involves deep forgiveness and the restoration of relationships. Is there someone in your life you need to forgive or reconcile with? What steps can you take this week to begin that process? [01:12:31]
3. How can you cultivate a deeper experience of Christ's love through regular confession and repentance? Identify one specific sin you need to confess to God or a trusted friend this week. [01:18:23]
4. Think about a relationship in your life that has been strained or broken. What practical steps can you take to restore that relationship in a way that reflects Jesus' love? [01:24:08]
5. How can your small group support each other in living out Jesus' command to love one another as he has loved us? Share one way you can encourage or help a group member this week. [01:25:47]
6. In what ways can your love for others serve as a testimony to the transformative power of the Gospel? Identify one person outside the church who might be impacted by seeing Christ-like love in action. [01:21:15]
7. How can you ensure that your acts of love and service are motivated by a desire to glorify God rather than seeking personal recognition? Share a specific example of how you can practice this in your daily life. [01:04:55]
Devotional
Day 1: Reflecting God's Glory
Understanding biblical glory involves recognizing that it is about reflecting God's character and reputation in a way that impacts others. Unlike worldly glory, which often focuses on personal success and recognition, biblical glory is about the weight and significance of one's character and how it influences others. Jesus' glorification through His death and resurrection perfectly displays God's character, setting the stage for His command to love one another as He has loved us. This kind of glory is not self-centered but God-centered, aiming to reveal God's nature to the world. [50:58]
Isaiah 43:7 (ESV): "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Reflection: How can you reflect God's character in your daily interactions today? Think of one specific way you can show God's love to someone in your life.
Day 2: The High Standard of Jesus' Love
Jesus' command to love one another as He has loved us sets a high standard. His love is characterized by self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and the restoration of relationships. This is far beyond the natural human inclination to seek personal glory. Jesus' love challenges us to go beyond our comfort zones and to love others in a way that mirrors His own selfless and sacrificial love. This kind of love requires us to put others' needs before our own and to seek reconciliation and healing in our relationships. [01:09:18]
1 John 3:16 (ESV): "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."
Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life that needs restoration. What steps can you take today to begin the process of reconciliation and show Christ-like love?
Day 3: Experiencing Christ's Love
Our ability to love others is proportionate to our experience of Christ's love for us. Therefore, we must continually seek to experience His forgiveness and love through confession and genuine repentance. This deep experience of Christ's love strengthens our expression of love to others. When we are deeply rooted in Christ's love, it becomes the foundation from which we can love others selflessly and sacrificially. [01:14:08]
Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV): "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Reflection: Spend time in prayer today, asking God to help you experience His love more deeply. How can this deeper experience of His love change the way you interact with others?
Day 4: The Transformative Power of Confession
Regular confession of our sins, both to God and to one another, allows us to experience more of Jesus' forgiveness and love. This practice not only brings personal healing but also restores relationships, making us more capable of loving others as Jesus loved us. Confession is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and relational healing, as it humbles us and opens us up to receive God's grace and extend it to others. [01:18:23]
James 5:16 (ESV): "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Reflection: Is there a sin or burden you need to confess to God or someone else today? How can this act of confession bring healing and restoration to your life and relationships?
Day 5: A Testimony to the World
When we love others in a Christ-like manner, it serves as a powerful testimony to the world. It shows that the transformative power of the Gospel is real and active in our lives. This kind of love not only glorifies God but also draws others to Him, demonstrating the truth of Christ's transforming power. Our love for others becomes a living testimony of God's love and grace, inviting others to experience the same transformation. [01:21:15]
John 13:35 (ESV): "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Reflection: How can your actions today serve as a testimony of Christ's love to those around you? Think of one specific way you can demonstrate His love to someone who may not know Him.
Quotes
1. "If Jesus is given all authority in heaven and on earth, then we need to keep his commands. And so as we open to one of, I think, the more powerful of Jesus' commands in John chapter 13, I want to just implore you as a follower of Jesus, to follow him means to submit to him, to submit to his will, to submit to his leadership, to be obedient to his commands, trusting that our full, wholehearted obedience is what will lead to the greatest satisfaction and blessing that we can experience in life." [48:04] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Worldly glory, it's primarily focused on personal success and recognition. And I think that makes it hard for us to understand the word glory when we read it in the Bible. Because so often, we're reading the word glory in the Bible, but we default to an interpretation of that word that's primarily informed by our culture, right? That's primarily informed by the world that we live in today. And so, in Scripture, what I want to help you understand here is that glory has a much deeper and a much more nuanced, but significant, and more profound, and more profound, and more profound, and more significant meaning than just personal honor or personal success or recognition." [53:48] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Glory is given to those who reflect God's self-giving love for the sake of other people. The problem is that I think we all tend to go about kind of chasing glory, right? And we do that more often in a worldly way rather than in the words way. Our default posture is to be seeking after glory and recognition for ourselves, even at the expense of others. It's really the opposite of what the Bible calls glory, and yet that's what so many of us kind of default to." [01:02:17] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Jesus' path to glory, it comes through his self-sacrifice. You see that? That he was obedient to the point of death, death on the cross, and therefore, God highly exalted him. His glorification doesn't come through earthly success. It doesn't come through personal recognition. It doesn't come through personal recognition. It doesn't come through from God who gives it to him when he gives up his life for our sake. And that's the context for Jesus' command in John 13, 34." [01:06:13] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "What's new in this passage is the standard by which our love will be measured. It's the standard by which our love is measured. Before, the command to love our neighbor, was as we love ourselves. And that's a really high standard, right? Most of us, we're pretty consumed with self-love. And even if we don't feel that way, we tend to default towards a very selfish posture, right? A self-love, given our natural self-centeredness, this is a very high standard for us. But now what Jesus does is he raises the bar and he says, don't just love others as you love yourself. You need to love others as I have loved you." [01:09:18] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "As believers, I don't think that we really struggle that much with loving others, just generally having love for people. Most of us, we experience compassion for other people, right? We're moved to act on other people's behalf. It's born out of Jesus' compassion for us. I think we struggle primarily with loving others in this specific way, with loving others in a way that models what Jesus has done, to display his love to us. It's incredibly hard for us to forgive people, especially deep hurts. And here's why. Because genuine forgiveness goes beyond forgetting somebody's wrongdoing. Genuine forgiveness means restoring relationships." [01:10:56] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "The default posture for humanity is to chase after our own glory rather than to pursue glory by glorifying God. We all are guilty of it. We struggle with this. But remember, glory is given to those who reflect God's self-giving love for the sake of other people. It's very outward focused. And that's why Jesus, as he talks about his own glorification. What he's doing is he's redefining glory for us." [01:04:55] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "Your expression of love for other people, it's going to be proportionate to your experience of Christ's love for you. Your expression of love for other people is going to be proportionate to your experience of Christ's love for you. And so, you know, many of you would recall the story of a sinful woman who's washing Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. And it's this very, very costly expression of love. And all the disciples and all the people around her, they're like, this is crazy. Why would she do this? This doesn't make any sense. And Jesus says, well, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. He who's forgiven little loves little." [01:15:39] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "When we love others the way that Christ loved us, it's a testimony to the world showing them that the type of forgiveness and restoration that he promises is actually possible because they see it happening with you. When relationships are restored through the forgiveness of sin, it demonstrates the truth of Christ's transforming power. On the other hand, when the church fails to love one another, it damages our witness. I mean, if we can't even love each other, then how can we preach about a loving God? If we can't even forgive each other, then how can we talk about a forgiving God?" [01:21:15] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "When the church loves in this way, we reflect the character of God to the world and become a visible demonstration of the gospel's power to transform lives and transform relationships. 1 John 4 12 says this, no one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. No one has seen God, but when we love one another, we become a visible representation of God to the world. Jesus, he perfectly displays God's character through and his reputation through self-giving love that brings the forgiveness of sin and that brings restoration of relationships." [01:22:46] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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