Jesus’s greatest commandment to His faithful followers.

Jesus’s greatest commandment to His faithful followers of all ages.

John  13:32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.  13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.  13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

To help us to love one another as directed by Jesus, both God the Father and Jesus gave us the example.

God the Father.

John  3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans  5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

2 Corinthians  13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Jesus Christ

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Galatians  2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Jesus and the blessed Holy Spirit exhorted faithful believers to love one another.

Jesus Christ.

Matthew  25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.  25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Luke  10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.  10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,  10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.  10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

John  15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Blessed Holy Spirit.

Romans  13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1 Corinthians  13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.  13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Galatians  6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Ephesians  5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;  5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Hebrews  6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

James  2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

1 John  2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1 John  3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.  3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.  3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.  3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John  4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.  4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

After the Ascension of Jesus, the church began to do what Jesus said.

Acts  4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.  4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.  4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,  4:35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.  4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,  4:37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Grace to be obedient to Jesus, receive now.

Let us pray.