John - If you love me

“If you love me …”

Text: John 14.15a.

Thesis: To note that one must have a personal relationship with Jesus in order to be truly

converted.

Introduction:

(1) Famous figures in history –

(a) Alexander the Great; Plato; Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, et. al.

(b) Do we look upon Jesus as just another “famous figure in history?”

(2) We in the churches of Christ stress the “then” presupposing the “since.”

(a) I believe that we need to rediscover the “since Jesus died.”

(b) Love must be the motivation for everything that we do (cf. 1 Cor. 13.1ff.).

(3) I am convinced that too many “Christians” have not been truly converted because they do not know the one to whom they are to be converted.

(4) Let us note our Lord so that we may really love Him:

Discussion:

I. Why should we love Jesus?

A. “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4.19).

B. How did He love us?

1. “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2.6-8).

2. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15.3-4).

II. How do we come to love Jesus?

A. We must fix our eyes on Jesus (cf. Heb. 12.2).

B. We must focus on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Phil. 4.8).

C. We must communicate with Jesus (i.e., prayer and Bible study).

D. We must love Him with our whole being (cf. Matt. 22.37).

Conclusion:

Do you love Jesus?