Message of July 19, 2020

Commandment

John 13:31-38





Read John 13:31-33



 - What do you think Jesus was saying in verses 31-32? Do you think his disciples understood what he meant?



Note: We don’t use the words glory and glorify much in our everyday conversation, so their meanings might be hard to pin down. In the New Testament, the word glorify often (as in this passage) has a specific meaning: the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ.



 - Read Philippians 2:5-11. In reading these verses, we often focus on our own attitudes in light of Jesus’ humility and obedience, even to the point of death on the cross. But how has the Father rewarded Jesus’ obedience? How do verses 9-11 describe Jesus’ glorification?



 - The passage from Philippians tells us how God glorified Jesus. But what does it mean for us to glorify Jesus?



 - How would you explain what Jesus meant in verse 33? See also verse 36.





Read John 13:34-35



 - Jesus calls this a “new commandment.” But the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is found in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18 ). What is new about this command in John 13:34 ? How is our understanding of the command enhanced by Jesus’ words, “as I have loved you”?



 - In the Greek language, there are several different words for “love,” and this one is the highest and deepest. As Pastor Rob said, it’s more than just being nice or kind.  For extra credit, look up this word (agape) online or in a Bible dictionary. What are its characteristics?



 - How do we fulfill this command to love one another?



 - Here are some of the many “one another” verses in the New Testament. Choose at least three of them to look up, and give a specific example of how we might put it into practice today.

• Romans 15:5


• Romans 15:14


• 1 Corinthians 13:11


• Galatians 5:13


• Galatians 6:2


• Colossians 3:13


• 2 Timothy 2:2


• Hebrews 3:13


• James 5:16

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Dan Stephenson