Famous Last Words John 13-17

How Can You Spot a Christian?

Matthew 6:1-6 TLB “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven… Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

John 13:35 NIV By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:35 NIV By this everyone ___________ that you are ____________, if you love ___________.

John 13:35 NIV By this _______________________ that you __________________, if you ________________.

John 13:35 NIV By ___________________________ that ______________________, if _____________________.

John 13:35 NIV

John 13:34-35 NIV 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

What’s so new about the command to love one another? 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” --Mark 12:28-31 NIV “Love your neighbor as yourself.” -Lev. 19:18 NIV

So what’s so new about this commandment? Old “Love your neighbor as yourself.” New “Love one another as I have loved you.”

We use “love” to mean different things Feeling----------------------------------Choice

Agape Is a Choice Not a Feeling Jesus, in Luke 6:27-28 ESV “Love (agapao) your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Jesus doesn’t tell us to feel affection for those who hate us, curse us, and abuse us. He tells us how to act toward them. We do this not out of affection, but out of obedience.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT Love (agape) is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

The Opposite of Love Agape: Self-sacrificing love; putting others first Selfishness: Putting what I want first. “Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.” Romans 12:10 CEV

But if I don’t put myself first… What gets in the way? Fears? Lies? But if I don’t put myself first… Anger Hurts

John 13:3-4 NLT The Source of Real Humility 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist. Jesus’ great humility grew out of his extreme confidence.

--and still flunk the test— How can they tell? We can go to church every Sunday, and house church every week We can sport the bumper stickers Carry our Bibles Tune our car radios to KLUV and break off the knobs Wear the T-shirts Say “Merry Christmas” to every store clerk Say “God Bless You” whenever someone sneezes --and still flunk the test— The only test that matters is the one Jesus named…

John 13:35 NIV By ___________________________ that ______________________, if _____________________.

Fears? Lies? Table Sharing Anger Hurts Which of the obstacles to loving others as Jesus loves you do you most struggle with? If you took seriously Jesus’ new command, how would it change how you live? Fears? Lies? Anger Hurts