To Love Like A Child Of A King

1John 3: 11 – 24

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To Love Like Jesus, what does this even mean? I dont know about you but every I think about how Christ has and does love me I am completely blown away how do I love like that? Sometimes it is hard enough to like a person ... but to love them? I dont know if you have ever felt this way or asked those questions but if you have I want you to know we do have a place we can go to for those answers. God has given us an example, the perfect example. Lets read God's word together

John 13: 1 – 15

To Love Like Jesus

Lets pray… sweet sweet Jesus help us to

Rightly understand your majestic eternal Lordship

Your power and might in order that we might understand

The depths of your love

Teach us father to love as you have loved us

In your son’s name

Looking at John 13 how do we love like Jesus? A few things that might be worth looking at…

V1 He KNEW …… what did he know?

He was fully aware of the sacrifice being asked of him.

We gotta pause here for a minute to try and grasp this …

Jesus being fully God KNEW

Just a quick reminder:

Genesis 1: 1 GOD Created…

Nothing existed except God

God was and he chose to create

Heaven, earth, light, water, sky, dry land, seas, rivers, food, plants, sun, moon, and life it’s self

God created! but it doesnt stop there

He also …

Provides

Psalm 104: 21

He meets every need of every living creature

He knows our needs and our desires and he provides

And if that were not enough He also…

Sustains

Sustain = strength, support, comfort, help, support

Philippians 4: 13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

John 14 says

He (Jesus) will send his comforter for us

This GOD ~ Jesus KNEW

He knew he would be betrayed, mocked, abused, and tortured

He knew we would doubt him, deny him, rebel. He KNEW

Genuine love begins with a clear head knowledge

Jesus did not go to the cross thinking "man I didnt see that one coming" "I cant believe so n so did yadda yadda" NO he KNEW

Are we Jesus? Of course not! Will we know like he did? Probably not but we don’t have to have “full” knowledge do we?

Genuine love begins with a CLEAR knowledge that risk, sacrifice commitment are involved.

We are told in scripture anyone who puts their hand to the plow and looks back (regrets or second guesses) is not fit for service in the Kingdom of God (Luke 9: 62) It always makes me shake my head when I hear people profess to be "in love" and then follow it up with “and I never saw it coming” what an outlandish statement! That is NOT love THAT is a temporary emotion, it is simply evidence of how satan has taken God’s most powerful action and tried to belittle it into a simple emotion that comes and goes … what a LIE!

Just as we see in v1 genuine love begins with a clear head it also leads to…

A Choice

Jesus Knew and …

(2) He Chose: to do something about it

V4 …. He got up

He knew all the before(s) and afters he knew and still

He chose…. To get up

Love is choice to not sit by when someone is in need.

Love is NOT just lip service

the 2 most common responses a "Christian" has when a brother or sister is struggling are,

(1) I will be praying for you (not that prayer is bad) or

(2) I will keep my eyes open (not that being vigilant is bad)

It’s the lack of follow through that kills it. More often than not these are just words we toss out to end the conversation. Being aware of the sacrifice and commitment involved and choosing to do something about it. To follow through to the end.

Love is a clear head knowledge coupled with a decision or choice to do something about it but if we look at Jesus we can see at least one more element

Jesus knew and still chose to get up and he

(3) and Serve without judgment

remember v2 …. the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

And yet Jesus washed his feet along with every other disciple in the room.

NO bitterness, NO anger, NO pointing fingers

He reserved judgment for God he did what he was called to do .... LOVE

Too many of us use our own intolerance's to determine how far we are willing to go when serving another.