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Show THE RESULT OF THE NEW COMMANDMENT "Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth." (1 John 2: 8) Before Jesus left His ministry for His crucifixion, He gave His disciples clear directions of how to behave just like Moses did when the children of Israel were about to enter the promised land. You can find those instructions for His disciples then and now in John 13: 34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, Ifye have love one to another. " 1 Later on John wrote three letters to help us to realize our fullest potential. In letter number one he wrote, "Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth." The writer reminds us that this is not something new coming from John, but something that Christ gave us new already. John simply wants us to know the results, the end, the evidence of that new commandment revealed in our lives. First, the new commandment of God is not just oral, to be passed on as best we can remember from generation to generation. IT IS WRITTEN! I like what Exodus says God did as He commanded the Children of Israel how to 2 act and behave. He did not leave it for them to guest about or to trust anybody else to tell them. He wrote the commandments on two stone with His own finger and gave them to Moses. (Exodus 31 : 18 ; Deuteronomy 9: 1)) Look back at the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Every time satan tempted Him, He always responded, "It is written. " (Matthew 4: 4, 7, 10) The whole Bible was inspired by God and men wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Second, you can see the evidence and the result of the new commandment in the life and work of Christ as well as in His disciples. What Jesus did speaks loudly of that new commandment. He went about doing good. He gave the 3 thirsty to drink and the hungry to eat. When lame could not walk, He made walking exciting. Those the doctors gave up on, were miracul ously healed. The dead although sometim es already buried, rose and walked about the community. Then above all, He drank that bitter cup of death on the cross, was buried in another man's tomb, rose again in victory over death on_the grave on the third day morning, and after 50 days ascende d to sit on the right hand of His Father and make intercession for you and me. He did it all not for Himself but because of His unwave ring love for us. More than that, His love for us shined that True Light so that darkness had to disappear. We have a example that helps us to see the way out of darkness and to 4 walk in the light of His ,word. No more stumbling in the darkness. No more lost in our own ways. No more worldly confusion. No more satanic wickedness. Light shines in darkness and the darkness does not know what to do with it. "Again, a new comm andm ent I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shine th." 5 |
