Ama Como Jesús

[♪ Music ♪ So that you are with me in advance, at the beginning we will be in Juan 13. If you want to put a marker there in Juan 13, more or less in the middle. We will be in Philippians 2. And towards the end of the message we will be in 1 John 4. I repeat, John 13, Philippians 2, 1 John 4. The other verses and points will be on the screens, for the benefit of those who like to take notes, for those who are online. We are in this series, I will be concluding this series of two parts, Ama como Jesús, and let me explain to you why it is special. We are part of a movement of unity of churches called Church United, Iglesia Unida, here in southern Florida. The commitment we have is to be part of a movement where churches and pastors represent the church with a capital I, Christian, in southern Florida. Despite being from different denominations, or perhaps styles of worship, however, everyone agrees with Jesus being the only Savior, the Word of God being our truth, and we have chosen, instead of being competition, to collaborate together as part of the Kingdom of God. I am part of the board of directors of Church United, and it is a privilege for me to do this. What is nice is that during these weeks, many in November, some until now in December, we have been in the same series of Ama como Jesús, as an expression that we must impact people on our side with the love of Jesus. Last week, Pastor Juan spoke to us about a message called Algo Falta, remember the message Algo Falta, talking about truly loving and serving people, and some points that stood out for me were these.

You cannot love God well if you do not love people well. Another point that stood out for me was that vertical worship requires horizontal love. He also spoke about an important point that I think is a key and a challenge in Christian life, he spoke about forgiveness, and that sometimes what prevents us from truly loving is the lack of forgiveness that we carry. Forgiveness is not just an internal decision, but an external commitment. The challenge and challenge that Pastor Juan gave us, he challenged us to love the people who are right in front of us. How many believe that this is a good call, a good challenge, to love the people who are right in front of us? But how many can be honest with me and say that sometimes it is difficult to love certain people who are around us? And if you are here saying, Pastor, I don't have anyone in my life that is difficult to love, maybe it is because of you that everyone is praying. In fact, I had this test these days, this week, on a trip to Publix. How many know that in Publix you learn lessons from the Lord? Have any of you had a moment where you have to go in and out quickly? I mean, you are going to grab two or three things, and you have to go out quickly? That's how I was, because I had a commitment. I had to go out quickly, I grabbed three things. And how many know something nice about Publix? It is that they have a row, a line, which is for whom? It is the express. How many are express? How many? Ten things, ten articles, or less. So I was running happily because there is an express lane in Publix, and just when I enter the line, the man in front of me has a car and has 47 things. And I know because I counted them. How many things did he have? 47. And all my heart wanted to touch the man and say,

Brother, there are other lines that are for you, for those who have 47. This is for ten or less, but I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit that said to me, Love like Jesus. So I whispered to the Holy Spirit, Are you sure? I passed that test, and then I passed another test in the parking lot of Publix, which gave me another lesson. Do you want to know if you are a true Christian or not? There are two types of people. Those who return the cart back to Publix, and those who throw it there in the bushes or between the cars. I do not judge them, although I know that there are many here. And just when I was about to leave, someone left a car behind my car and I couldn't leave. And the Lord said to me, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, Love like Jesus. I whispered to the Holy Spirit, Help me, please. How many could say to me, sometimes it's not so easy to love the one we have in front of us. And sometimes, if we are honest, we are not the easiest to love either. Loving people is something precious. In fact, here in the church, those of us who are Christians, listen to the pastor say, let's love people. And what do we say as good Christians? Amen! Until we are in real life, with real people, doing real things. Jesus did not call us to love in theory. He called us to love authentically, really, practically, sacrificially, intentionally. Jesus calls us not only to love in big moments, but to love in the small moments of every day. The title of today's message is,

Love like Jesus. Can we pray and ask the Lord for help in this? Lord, we invite you to this moment and to this service. Holy Spirit, through your word, speak to our lives. May the good seed of your word fall on good soil in each of our hearts. May we hear your word, understand your word, put it into practice, and reap the fruit and the blessings of obedience to your word. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Let's go to John chapter 13. John chapter 13. I want us to see a foundation in all of this, which is love for others. Jesus is speaking to his disciples at that time, and he is speaking to us, his disciples, today. And in John chapter 13, from 34 to 35, we have a very important passage, where Jesus says the following. I give you this new commandment. Pause. Is it a suggestion? No. Is it an opinion? No. It is a commandment. Some people say it is a mandate. Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. Why 35? In this way, you will all know that you are my disciples if you love one another. And there, Jesus releases the microphone. This statement is a powerful statement.

Notice that Jesus did not say, People will know that they are my disciples because of their theology. Notice that he did not say, People will know that they are my disciples because of their posts on Instagram and Facebook. Jesus did not say, People will know that they are my disciples because of how many biblical studies they have done and how many verses they have memorized. Although that, my brothers, is powerful and very beneficial. Jesus said, The mark of a disciple of mine. The evidence that someone is truly my follower. It is that they love one another just as I have loved you. So, let's take a moment today to talk about loving like Jesus. To whom? To the people we have right in front of us. Our lives. In our house. Family. In our jobs. Young people in our schools. Our church. In our neighborhood. So, I want to unpack for you three ways to love like Jesus. How many can I teach you? What I love about Jesus is that Jesus is... Pastor Robert Berrigan has taught here what is intelligent, brilliant and genius. Genius is the one who can take complicated things and make them simple. Because many people take simple things and make them complicated. Jesus is the most brilliant genius in history because he takes a complicated concept and simplifies it.

So, three ways to love like Jesus. Como Jesus numero uno para amar como jesús tienes que ver como jesús tiene que que ver jesús eso es lo simplemente amo el noto a personas el vio a aquellos que otros no veían el vio a personas con problemas y con dolor en sus vidas el vio a personas que se sentían invisibles a los demás pero jesús los vio es interesante que en el texto original de juan 13 que leímos jesús dice aménselos unos a los otros así como yo desea amado como él nos amó bueno jesús vio a personas y jesús ve a personas que otros no ven en todos los evangelios vemos ejemplos de esto no hay tiempo para leer la historia de saqueo en lucas 19 alguien recuerda la historia de saqueo O ha escuchado el nombre si recuerda la historia díganme ustedes cuál era la característica física de saqueo en particular es que era caparrito y dice la historia que jesús venía para el pueblo donde estaba saqueo y algo interesante de saqueo no solamente era bajito pero era publicano cobrador de impuestos la mayoría del pueblo judío lo veía el otro judío como un traidor Porque estaba trabajando con el imperio romano cobrando impuestos a su gente y además de eso en bolsillando se algo para él también entonces la gente era era una persona no amada por su propio pueblo una persona que seguro que tenía que comer solo todos los días que no era invitado a ninguna reuniones ahí bueno él se entera que viene este tal jesús y él quiere ver a jesús pero como es tan chiquito no puede ver a jesús entonces que hace se sube el árbol y bueno preciso jesús va caminando quien va a notar al chiquito traidor en el árbol nadie le importa ese sin embargo ahí viene jesús y qué pasa con jesús lo ve no solamente lo ve si no lo llama por su nombre hey sac Vamos a comer en tu casa Y le había llamado por su nombre

quien quería comer con él Jesús le vio vemos otros instantes en los evangelios donde habían personas quizás marginados sociales personas con ciertas enfermedades o condiciones o situaciones que la gente conocía como hace el que ese es el el que pide limosna ahí al lado de la iglesia ese es el que está enfermo y al lado de la fuente esa es la loca del barrio esa es la que tiene muchos problemas y todo el mundo miraba hacia otro lado todo el mundo los ignoraban pero jesús les Vio Les notó Alguna vez ha sentido que no te ven Alguna vez ha estado en una conversación conversación con alguien y de repente no te están mirando porque están enfocados en otra cosa A veces nosotros podemos caer en esa trampa también porque estamos tan ocupados de no ver a la persona que tenemos justo enfrente pero jesús no era así Sus no es así el siempre está presente El siempre está al tanto y siempre está conectado aquí les doy un punto el amor comienza con simplemente notar ver Pastor como puedo aplicar esto mi vida prácticamente hoy en día bueno para amar como jesús y ver como jesús Si tú tienes un trabajo donde tú vas a un lugar para trabajar todos los días Yo te recomiendo a que levantes tu mirada y simplemente mires a ver quién luce desanimado Créeme que cuando tú simplemente tomas el momento de mirar para ver vas a notar ciertas cosas Llegas a casa en lugar de preguntarle a tu cónyuge si estás casado Cómo te fue en el trabajo y una mejor pregunta es cómo está tu corazón Hoy esa pregunta Te hace sentir visto Claro es un riesgo porque de pronto hay mucho más para contar sin embargo a veces debemos pausar para amar Padres a veces nuestros hijos están deseando nuestra atención pero estamos tan ocupados con cosas importantes sería bueno dejar el teléfono Cerrar el laptop dejar la tableta a un lado y decir vamos hijo háblame compartamos porque a veces ellos necesitan ser vistos

aunque son pequeñitos aunque estén más grandes Sabes un buen lugar para ver y notar es iglesia vertical Este servicio 4 de 5 si tú dices es que yo no tengo nadie para ver ven acá y te invito a los cinco servicios Los domingos y parte en una esquina o afuerita y simplemente observa te prometo que si tú te pones a observar y a ver el señor te va a mostrar Someone who needs a 30-second prayer, and maybe no one has prayed for them. Or someone who needs a word of encouragement. Hey, how are you? Or you're going to notice someone who comes looking like this because it's their first time, and you're going to say, hello, how are you? My name is so-and-so, what's your name? Welcome to Vertical. If you start looking, you start noticing. If you start noticing, if you start seeing, how tremendous it would be if you saw, oh, look, the single mother is coming to leave her children. You realize, wow, those tires are about to explode. Let's replace them while they're at the service. Wow. It's seeing beyond what others see. Why? Because we want to love like Jesus. It's seeing that neighbor who's always inside the house, never talking to anyone, and no one comes to visit him. It's seeing that person who needs a touch of love, of hope, a word of encouragement. Loving like Jesus and seeing like Jesus is like starting the engine of love in our lives. And it's important to see people. Ask me why. Because if you don't see people, you won't love people. So, do you want to love like Jesus? Number one, you have to see like Jesus.

Number two, to love like Jesus, you have to serve like Jesus. One soft amen here and two over there. I'll say it again. To love like Jesus, you have to serve like Jesus. Amen. You have to serve like Jesus. Do you know what's interesting about the text we read in John 13 at the beginning? It's the same chapter, John 13, where Jesus takes a towel to wash his disciples' feet. The greatest act of service, of being a servant leader in history. And we learn from Jesus that love is not just a feeling. Love is service. Love is movement. Love is action. One thing is to see, but that seeing has to go to serving. I'll show you on the screen. Mark 10.45 says, Because not even the Son of Man, Jesus, came to serve and to give his life for many. Jesus shows us that true love is not about our convenience, but about the need of others. That's where we have the battle between the towel and the title. The towel and the title. When Jesus took the towel in the high place to wash his disciples' feet, he did it even though he had the highest title in the whole world. Son of God, creator of the universe. But what did Jesus do? Did he cling to his title? No. He left the title aside and took the towel. A good example for us. Because the servant of the house was not there to wash his feet. Jesus said, I will wash your feet. The world says, go up the stairs and get up yourself. Jesus says, hold the stairs so that others can go up.

It's another mentality. Let's go together to Philippians 2. I think there is a powerful text in Philippians 2 that expresses this act that Jesus did as a model for us. Is anyone receiving something today? Yes? They are thinking that ceviche is going to be eaten after the service. Philippians 2. Verses 5 to 8. Look, look, look. Ask, ask. Who writes Philippians? The apostle Paul. It's one of the epistles. He writes to the Philippians church. And look at what Paul says. Your attitude must be like that of Christ Jesus, who, being God by nature, did not consider being God or being equal to God as something to cling to. On the contrary, Jesus voluntarily lowered himself, taking on the nature of a servant, some version says slave, and becoming like human beings. And when he manifested himself as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient until the death, the death of the cross. That's tremendous. Here I give you a point. Love moves from noticing to acting. That's what we see in Jesus. Pastor, how can I apply this in a practical and real way in my life? Amar como Jesús, tienes que servir como Jesús. Entonces, pregunta, pregunta, ¿a alguien aquí alguna vez has recibido una palabra de ánimo de alguien que te ayudó? ¿Alguien? ¿Alguna vez? Ok, pregunta. ¿Cuánto cuesta dar una palabra de ánimo? No cuesta nada. Si tienes voz para hacerlo, lo puedes hacer. ¿Alguien lo ha hecho contigo? ¿A quién le diste palabra de ánimo ayer? ¿A quién le podrás dar palabra de ánimo hoy? ¿Y mañana? Es una mentalidad. Hay una perspectiva que tenemos que abrazar. La idea no es, ¿y quién me va a dar una palabra de ánimo a mí? No, no, no. Esa es la mentalidad humana egoísta que piensa en mí, porque recuerda que lo que tú siembras cosecharás. Entonces, a veces amar es servir, es ver y notar una necesidad que alguien tiene y suplirla. Muchas veces hay una necesidad, aun aquí local, tangible, que yo tengo otro en casa, te lo doy o te lo presto.

No tienes eso. Nosotros sabemos dónde y podemos darte uno. Tenemos suficiente para ayudarte con eso. ¿Alguien me está escuchando? Es pensar, ¿cómo puedo yo ver una necesidad? Ahí está la diferencia. Puedes verla. La pregunta es, ¿qué vas a hacer al verla? Importante, importante, importante. Me encanta lo que he visto mucho en nuestra iglesia en estos tiempos y lo que hay, que cuando alguien de repente tiene una situación difícil o es hospitalizada, donde familiares o amigos de la iglesia o amigos dicen, vamos cada uno a apuntarnos y le mandamos una comida o le cocinamos algo a la familia en estos días. ¿Cuántos han visto eso o han sido parte? ¡Qué tremendo! Cuando uno recibe eso, uno se siente amado y cuando uno es parte de eso, uno siente, estoy dando de una manera especial y la persona se siente vista, se siente servida. Bueno, yo sabía que ellos necesitaban ayuda, pero es que nadie pidió ayuda. ¿Qué tal si ofrecemos ayuda aun si no nos piden? Amar como Jesús es servir como Jesús. ¡Qué tremendo es la oración! Una pregunta sencilla. Yo no estoy tratando de agarrarlos en un truco. Es una pregunta honesta y sencilla. ¿Cuántos saben simplemente orar? ¿Cuántos saben orar? ¿O quince? Bueno, ¿el resto no saben orar? Ah, ok, ok. Y si no sabes orar, queremos enseñarte, ayudarte a aprender a orar. Es normal. Hay personas que todavía no saben, pero yo creo que muchos sabemos orar. Pregunta, ¿cuánto cuesta financieramente orar? Pregunta, ¿por quién oraste ayer? ¿A quién llamaste para orar por ellos? Para escribirle, estoy orando por ti. ¿Por quién puedes orar hoy? Quizás mañana. ¿Qué viene esta semana que te conecta? Uy, el lunes o el martes puedo. Piensa de esta manera. Servir. Dar palabra de ánimo. Suplir necesidad. Ayudar. Orar por alguien. Y claro, significa amar la persona que tienes enfrente, aunque tenga 47 artículos en la fila de 10 o menos en Publix. Quizás, si lo hubiera amado como Jesús, le hubiera dicho, hermano, ¿te puedo ayudar al carro con todas esas cosas? Al seguir a Jesús en los evangelios, creo que sería apropiado decir lo siguiente, aquí le doy la línea. Amar se escribe S-E-R-B-I-R. ¿Cuánto quieren amar como Jesús? ¡Amén! Amar como Jesús, tienes que ver como Jesús. Tienes que servir como Jesús. Número tres, tienes que permanecer como Jesús. Permanecer como Jesús. Jesús dice, deben amarse los unos a los otros así como yo los he amado. ¿Cómo nos amó Jesús? No temporalmente, fielmente. Permanentemente. Primera Corintios 13.7 en las pantallas. El amor, ¿cuándo se da por vencido? Nunca se da por vencido. El amor jamás pierde la fe. ¿Cuándo pierde la fe? Jamás. El amor siempre tiene esperanzas y se mantiene firme en toda circunstancia. ¿Saben ustedes cuál es la parte del amor que es más como Cristo? Más como Cristo no son las maripositas cuando estamos enamorados en el estómago. No es los sentimientos de ay, de caluroso, que ay es algo bueno. No, no. La parte más como Cristo del amor es permanecer. Hay una razón por la cual algunos no han permanecido contigo. Porque quizás fue más fácil irse to love you. And if we're honest, maybe you and I have thought about leaving, or we have, we have left someone, because sometimes it's easier to leave than to stay.

But Jesus gives us another example. Jesus loves and remains. Jesus remained with Peter after Peter denied him three times. Jesus remained with Thomas even though Thomas denied him. Jesus remained with that sinful woman who extravagantly spilled the costly perfume on her feet to express gratitude and adoration, while others criticized her, pointed it out, and judged her. Jesus remained with her. And guess what? Jesus remained with you in your worst day. Jesus remains with me and with you in our worst days and in our worst moments. Why? Here's the point. Love remains when others leave. How can I apply this in my life, Pastor? Well, let me give you some ideas. Remain committed to your spouse. Remain present in your family. Remain faithful in your church, your spiritual family. Remain patient in difficult relationships. Remain in prayer for loved ones and friends who are spiritually lost and don't know Jesus. Remain full of hope even when things seem impossible. Here's the point. To love as Jesus means to remain even when it's easier to leave. I want us to read one last biblical passage. Let's go to 1 John 4. 1 John is not to be confused with the Gospel of John. The New Testament begins with four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and John. But 1 John is the first of three letters at the end of the New Testament. And I recommend that you read the whole chapter of 1 John 4 when you have time today or tomorrow. It's a very good chapter. I'm going to read to you 1 John 4, 7 to 11, and it says, Dear friends, let us continue to love one another because love comes from God. Everyone who loves is a son of God and knows God. But he who does not love does not know God because God is love. God showed how much he loves us by sending his only Son into the world so that we may have eternal life through him. This is what true love consists of.

Not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to remove our sins. Glory to God for that. Dear friends, since God loved us so much, we must also love one another. That is why Jesus said, Just as I have loved you, you must love one another. How do you love like Jesus? By seeing like Jesus. By serving like Jesus. By remaining like Jesus. I close with this story. There was a pastor who went to visit a man in the hospital who only had a few days to live. When he entered the hospital room, he noticed that there was a chair right next to the hospital bed. The pastor said, Ah, I see you were waiting for a visit. And the man said, No, no, that chair is for Jesus. And he explained that years before, prayer was something very difficult for him, he did not know what to say or how to start. And a friend of the church said, Well, just imagine Jesus sitting in a chair next to you and talking to him as if you were talking to any friend. And he said, So for years now, every day I have a chair next to me and I talk to Jesus and I feel his presence with me. And you know what? He has remained with me. The morning after the man died, the nurses found him leaning out of bed with his head on the chair, almost as if placing his head on Jesus' legs. One last time. Because he had experienced something, Jesus. That love sees, love serves, love remains. If you have Jesus in your life, believe it. He sees you. He has done a lot to actively bless you. And he will remain with you every day of your life. He never leaves you, he never forsakes you.

I want to pray two prayers and then something special to finish. The first prayer is for everyone, so that we can all ask and receive this love, to live it. The second prayer will be a prayer of faith for perhaps anyone who has never taken a decisive and personal step to follow Jesus. Then something special. So close your eyes, tilt your face. Lord, we come before you today together to thank you for this time in your word. Thank you for your house and thank you, Holy Spirit, for speaking and ministering hearts. Right now, Lord, in the name of this whole congregation, we want to ask you for forgiveness. We ask forgiveness for the moments in the past when we have not seen, we have not noticed. We understand that to love like Jesus, we must see like Jesus. Forgive us for not seeing. Lord, forgive us for the moments when we saw or noticed something, but we did not serve. We did not do, we did not act. And forgive us, Lord, for the moments in life where we have not remained, or where we have considered leaving and not remaining. Dear beings, brothers in faith, family, help us, Lord, today to receive your love. Help us, Lord, to receive your love in an authentic, genuine, real way as you offer it. And in that way, to be full of you, full of your love, to be able to transmit in a contagious way to others. Share by grace what we have received, by grace. Grace because you call us to be agents of your love. And we want to be those disciples marked by the evidence that we love each other as you have loved us. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen. Amen.