Abide: Love overflowing

Recap of last week:

Big Idea: We are close to Jesus and we are sent by Jesus.

Explain:

Jesus is not a far off or distant imagine in our life.

We will see tonight how he has drawn near to his people and left us with hope.

If you feel distant

Lost

Like you are not able to get out of a sinking pit of sin.

This passage can be an encouragement tonight that Christ has not forgetten you.

Let’s get into the passage for this evening.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Let’s pray.

Jesus continues his encouragement to the disciples. Keep in mind, this is the final night of his life, shortly after the Last Supper and before he was arrested and sent to the cross.

in verse 12 as he gives a command.

Not an encouragement

Not an idea or a suggestion

A command

The command is this “that you love one another as I have loved you”

What a strong, and beautiful command as Jesus was preparing for the end of his life.

But, there is a question that we must pose to this passage.

How did Jesus love his disciples?

If we are to love how Jesus loved his disciples, then we must answer the question of how he did he love his disciples?

We can begin to answer that question with verse 13, John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

We are just 2 verses in and we have already seen the word “love” two times.

There is a stark difference though between the love we see in verse 12 and the love that is noted in verse 13.

Verse 12: In the greek, that love can be translated as the word agapaō - which can be translated as “to love dearly”

Jesus is talking about be fond of others, to love dearly, to hold them close.

To contrast

In verse 13: Jesus is speaking about an affectionate love, good will, and brotherly love. Not romantic love, but the kind of love that breaks through culture differences, family differences, and tears down walls. Jesus says this is the type of love that you show your friends.

So, let us revisit our question:

If we are to love, as Jesus loved his disciples - How did he do that?

The first way we will see that Jesus loved his disciples is found right there in verse 13, as he says. John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus was willing to lay his life down for his friends.

Romans 5:7 “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—”

We are neither righteous or good.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - well, we know we are not righteous.

So, lets us look at the back half of the verse - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.

Well, we are not “good” in nature either and even if we were then one would “dare even to die”.

Think about this: A soldier stands guard at the front lines, prepared to give his life for his country. But as he looks into the faces of those he protects, he realizes they don’t always live up to the ideals he fights for. He hesitates, questioning the worthiness of their lives.

In contrast, Jesus looked at the sin and shame that filled those around him - and faithfully laid down for us—people who constantly fall short.

This is the greatest and biggest act of love we can pull from this passage.

Jesus loved his disciples by bringing them into covenant friendship.

Let’s pick up in verse 14. “14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 

We are not just followers of God. We are friends of God.

Ephesians 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

When we choose to follow God and be faithful unto him we are made to be his friends.

For we were once bondservants to sin to a life that was not honoring to God.

But Jesus says to his disciples John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

So, we know that Jesus loved his disciples by

Laying his life down for them.

Calling them his friends.

And with this love, there is a command to follow.

That is our first point this evening.

1. Followers of Christ, cherish his commands.

John 15:12 ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

And the same command in the closing of this section of verses.

John 15:17 “These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

This command sounds so simple and clear to us.

God loves me, so Im going to go out and love others and everything will be merry and bright.

Well, yes in a world that is not tainted by sin that may work, but as far as Im concerned it is not that easy.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

Students, sin came into the world, and death followed shortly behind this is what makes love hard.

What does not cause love to be hard is

That one friend at school who will never stop talking when you are trying to listen

That one friend who wants to be your friend, but to you they really do not fit in.

Though these are hard things at times, what causes us to struggle to

Mark 12:31 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””

Sin! Sin is what causes this to be difficult.

So we look to the one who conquered sin and death to give us the power and the strength to be obedient to this command.

John 15:12 “ that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Students, focus in me for just a moment as we look at what Jesus did to show his love to his people - I want you to take a moment to reflect on your life.

Im going to put a couple questions on the screen and I want us to just spend 1-2 minutes reflecting on these questions to yourself.

Who do you love?

Why do you love them?

Do you love everybody around you?

Why is it hard for you to love others?

How would Jesus love those that it may be, “hard to love”?

Close your eyes, and I am going to read a prayer of love over you.

It’s called a Liturgy (or prayer) for loving others well, by Giovanna Bovero

Father,

Loving others is hard. Yet, it’s a command from You.

When a person rolls their eyes,

scoffs in my direction,

says an unkind remark,

or makes me feel small,

remind me of your love for me.

I can’t love others without You, Jesus.

In my weariness, give me strength.

In my hardness of heart, give me the ability to be soft.

In my pride, give me humility.

Expose every part of my own heart that is bent toward evil and away from you.

Help us to see how I am no better than those who mocked, flogged, and crucified you.

Lord, Help us to see how I am no better than those who mocked, flogged, and crucified you.

Help us to understand how my sin is just as great as the sins of others.

Help us to turn the other cheek and instill in us a deep compassion for your people because of the mercy you have shown us.

Help us remember that we am undeserving of any ounce of affection you have given us, and yet you show us grace as deep as the ocean, and promise a love that never separates.

So, God, as we struggle to love our neighbor,

and when we weep when evil seems to win,

may we be reminded of how your love conquers all.

So we know how Jesus loved, but now let’s look at what Jesus did to show this love.

John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

The first thing we see here is that Christ has chosen his disciples. “You did not choose me, but I chose you”

This love did not start with the disciples coming to Jesus and being like, hey man, you are really cool, you are kind of perfect. Ive heard you never sinned before, do you like wanna be friends? Can I like follow you?

No! Jesus has elected us!

Christ Jesus has chosen us.

Secondly, we see that Christ appointed his disciples.

He appointed them to.

Go > Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Bear Fruit > Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

And in this abide in me.

We have been appointed as disciples of Christ not to sit still in our little happy world but to be changed by the goodness and power of God’s love and take that love and show it to the world!

Sharing the good news of Christ far and wide that is what abiding is!

Loving our neighbors well- that is what abiding is!

Being faithful and obedient to the word of God - that is what abiding is!

Students, followers of Christ, you and I, cherish his commands.

They are obedient and faithful to his word.

Followers of Christ love those around them, not because its easy, but because Jesus loved us.

But for these things are not easy, because of the distortion that sin has caused in our life.

But for these things, God knew we would be challenged by, and his son left us with hope and encouragement.

V. 16b > So that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Whatever?

Anything?

Remember, it is vital that when we read and study scripture we look at context, because without context it is very easy for us to miss the main point.

Jesus has spent this entire passage talking to the disciples about his love, abiding in his love, bearing fruitful faithful obedience.

And recognizes that this can be hard, so along with the same command to bear fruit and abide he gives us encouragment that anything we may need from the father (in accordance with this command

Bearing fruit

Abiding

He will give to us.

What the passage does not say, is “Whatever you ask the father, that you wish for your happiness to be done, he may give it to you.

No, “So that whatever you ask the Father in my name”

So, what kind of things do we ask and pray for?

Lord, give me faith in you to believe that you are good even when times are hard.

Lord, give me love for my friend, who I struggle to love at times.

Lord, give me strength to deny sin, for though it looks intruguivng, it leads to death.

We ask the father, in his name to help us do these things and he may give it to you.

Lastly, I want to leave you with 3 exhortations that Christ has given to his disciples - that he has bestowed upon us.

Firstly, Christ has encouraged his disciples that “His joy might remain in them”

Students, when we continue in our love for God,

when we choose to make hard decisions because they honor God,

We become fruitful and faithful disciples and the joy of Christ remains in us.

Secondly, He says, “That your joy might be full”

May we be people who are so overwhelmed with the joy of God, that is rises higher and higher in us.

That soon the joys of this world that we have become lesser in comparison to the beauty of the joy of God that sits in us.

Lastly, in verse 10, what we looked at last week. John 15:10 “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

Evidence of God’s love in our life is the keeping of his commands and the abiding in his love.

Not only are we commanded to abide in his love and obey his commands.

But the other command is that we make a faithful delivery of this message to others.

That we share the hope, the glory, and the good news of word with others.

That is also a command! Not a suggestion, not a maybe if you have time, not a if you have the right person next to you.

God has prepared you to do these things.

Let us be followers of Christ who remain in Jesus and have our joy full in Jesus.

This passage reminds us that Christ values his people being close to him, so much so that he has called us his friends. With this, we are called to be a friend to others, to speak truth, to deny passing judgment and others and faithfully proclaim the message that has been given to us.

Let us pray.

What is the significance of Jesus commanding us to love one another as he has loved us?

What does it mean to be called a friend of Jesus rather than a servant, according to John 15:15?

Why is it important to reflect on our own lives before attempting to love others?