Abiding In The Love of Christ
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9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
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.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one 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 slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things 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 remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.
Saint of God, if you have ever been in question regarding the Lords love for you, I would point you to the Chapter 15 verse 9 in the Book of John.
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
Did you notice how Jesus begins with the works “Just as”?
In Greek the word is... kathos-
kathos in English is translated...
Just as-
Jesus is saying…JUST AS the Father has loved Me
To the degree that-
Jesus is saying…TO THE DEGREE THAT the Father has loved Me
(DON’T MISS THIS …JESUS’ STATEMENT IS SO LOVING TO HIS TROUBLE HEARTED DISCIPLES.)
In the same way as-
Jesus is saying here…IN THE SAME WAY AS the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you;
This should bring so much joy to the Bride of Christ.
He is not slack in His love for His Bride.
If we could somehow grasp the measure of the love of God the Father for His dear Son, then we could grasp the measure of love that the Bridge Groom has for His Bride.
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
To abide comes from the greek word…meno
meno- also means…
TO abide, to await, to remain, to STAY
Jesus is saying…STAY IN OR STAY WITH My love.
Jesus is saying…CONTINUE TO LIVE IN My love.
Well how does that occur?
Naturally, in a true believer.
For a true believer is a changed person. A true believer will persevere in their faith, they will stay close to their Lord, they will bear the fruit of a saved individual, they will be delighted to be obedient to their Lord.
In the first eight verses of chapter 15, Jesus uses the imagery of a vineyard, with branches, abiding in the vine. His disciples being the branches and Christ the True Vine and God the Father as the vinedresser and the Word of God is the pruning hook and it’s sharper than a two edged sword.
The Lord is doing His work in each and everyone of us that we who abide in the Vine may produce more fruit.
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.
Jesus is saying, “Do as I have done.”
The perfect model of a love relationship is that of God Father and God Son.
This is the kind of relationship Christ has with His disciples. He has shown His disciples how to love Him.
We must follow that same model in our relationship to Christ, to love and obey Him without conditions.
As disciples of Christ, we are the recipients of His love.
What is Jesus saying here? Is He saying, “My love for you is on the condition that you keep my commands”? Is that Jesus’ intended meaning? I don’t believe so!
If we turn back to chapter 14:15 the Lord said...
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
This is a fact…but the greek word tereo- to“keep,” also means to keep watch over ; to hold , to preserve; to guard His Word.
Genuine love for Christ will manifest itself in the actions of the believer. Those who love His Word, are the true disciples of His. True disciples are not those who take His charge lightheartedly, but hold dear the teachings of God.
Because we abide in Him and He abides in us, the produced fruit will present itself in obedience to His Word.
What the Lord is saying to His disciples is this, “If you stay in My love, you will be obedient.” His love is not a result of our obedience, as some would suppose, instead, our obedience IS THE RESULT of our love for Him.
The Lord was not adding burdensome nor cumbersome mandates to His disciples in His last evening of being with them, but He was encouraging them with assuring words.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
You see the Lord’s intention here? It was the Lords intention that His joy would “remain” in His disciples. Despite the reality that they would suffer, they would experience grief, that afflictions would come… their life’s circumstances would not hinder the supernatural joy of a believer.
Irregardless of the trials in our lives, we must remember that the Lord is eternally with us, never leaving, never forsaking, and we have joy that the lost in the world does not have. We have the love of God that surpassed all knowledge and we have the full and complete joy of knowing Him as Redeemer and Savior.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
We sometimes view in our minds, Jesus as a man without emotion. But this could not be further from the truth. The Gospels reveal the tender emotions of Jesus on many occasions. He was a man acquainted with sorrow and grief, He wept over Lazarus death.
I do not see an abrasive command in this, but a tender charge to His beloved disciples. I am going away, where I am going you can not come now, but you will later.
The Lord knows the capacities of a man. He knows the emotional swings of man. He knows the weakness of the flesh of man. He knows all about the pressures of life.
Yet here he says “This is My commandment, that you love one another, JUST AS I have loved you”
The standard for believers’ love for each other is set forth in Jesus’ words, just as I have loved you.
How could the disciples be expected to live out this quality of love? By being born again, the “love of God was poured out within their hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to them.
Only those who abide in Him and are indwelt by His Spirit, have the capacity to love divinely as Jesus loved.
The Apostle Paul reminded the saints at Thessalonica who taught them to love one another....
9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
Being empowered by the Spirit of God, we can Love one another, despite how we feel, despite our circumstances.
The Apostle Paul expands on the substance that true love is made of.
4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
The greatest attribute that the lost world can see in you, as a Christian, is LOVE!
Jesus continues to explain to His troubled disciples...
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
The ultimate display of love, is a willingness to sacrifice life and all, on behalf of a friend.
Of course, Jesus does just that…on Calvary’s Hill!
14 “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
The Greek word: philos.. means “one who is loved”
“You are (the ones who I love), if you do what I command you.”
This has nothing to do with earning our friendship with the Lord, but it has everything to do with “WHO are the friends of the Lords.”
Again using the imagery of the “fruit bearing”, you can determine a tree by its fruit.
As His friends, we show our love for Christ by being obedient to His teachings.
Friendship with Christ leads to obedience to Christ.
While in contrast, “friendship of the world” leads to one who is the “friend of the world” which is “the enemy of God.
15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
A slave would not have been known what His master was doing.
A slave would not have had such a relationship with his owner that he would have been given inside information of the masters plan.
A slave would have lived in complete submission to the will of his master with no regards of his own will.
While we joyously still submit to the will of our Lord and Master, we are are given the position and title of ‘FRIEND’.
Did you know that in the Old Testament, only Abraham was named the friend of God?
Jesus has granted to you and I the most intimate kind of access to Himself.
As His friends, He has promised to share with believers all things that He had heard from the Father.
Here is a very lovely statement made by our Lord and we need to get this...When He says here in verse 16...
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 remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.
Before the earth was formed He already knew you.
While you were yet a sinner, the Lord loved you.
You once sat in spiritual darkness, until He shined His glorious light into your heart.
He opened your spiritual eyes that you would see the Savior.
Your position “in Christ,” is not one of your own making. It was a work of the Lord.
According to Jewish custom, a disciple would approach a rabbi they wished to follow.
So Jesus reminds His disciples that it was He who had chosen them. In the same way, if we are believers, it is God who initiated that belief.
Jesus says...Back in...
44 “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
Not only did Jesus choose His disciples for salvation, but He also appointed them for service.
Having been chosen and equipped for service, He commanded them to go into the world and proclaim the good news about Him, and bear fruit.
Those who come to savingly come to Christ, is a fruit that remains forever!
Isn’t that wonderful?
5. Friend, the Lord loves you, and He calls you “friend”... I encourage you to abide in His love.
Thanks for joining us…Until we meet again, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!