Glorifying God – John 13: 31-38
Intro: Glorify – to exalt and honor, to praise extravagantly, honor, extol. --- May Dad once said to me, “I have given you a name of honor, see that you pass it on in the same condition as you received it.” I never really appreciated that thought until I had sons of my own.
I. VS. 31 – moved from the past tense to the future tense.
A. greatest glory in life is glory that comes from sacrifice.
B. Jesus glorifies God through obedience to the point of death.
C. Martin Luther King, Jr. – loved his people to the point of death.
II. VS. 34 – Love as I have loved. How did Jesus love?
A. Selflessly / sacrificially
B. understandingly – knew the disciples well
C. forgivingly – nothing they did or didn’t do was beyond the reach of his forgiveness.
III. VS. 35 – “If you love one another. . . “
A. The love to which Jesus summons us is not the giving UP of one’s life, but the giving AWAY
of one’s life.
B. Love each other with love that knows no limits, and brings the believer closer into relationship with God, with Jesus and with one another.
C. Christ asks us to be unselfish, generous with ourselves, using our lives for others
Conclu: Christ Jesus received from God the love that he passed on to His followers. We are urged to glorify God by obediently loving each other into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus.
