Love One Another: Part 2

We discovered (1) that we are to Love one another so that others will know we are followers of Christ. (2) Biblical love is obedience, or walking in the truth with one another. (3) Christian love involves self sacrifice and serving others.

As we ended the message last week the disciples were in the upper room with Jesus. He had demonstrated for them how love is expressed in the act of serving.

Here in in John 14:31 we are told that after the meal and some teaching Jesus said to the eleven, “let us go from here.” Other gospel accounts tell us where they were headed.

Today we want to follow them as they leave the upper room on their way to the Mount of Olives. As they were walking along they most likely passed a recently pruned vineyard. How do I know this, because Jesus, the Master Teacher, regularly used real life situations to illustrate His teaching.

Chapter 15 reveals that as they walked along Jesus discusses the details of caring for a vineyard. He deals with the subjects of pruning and bearing fruit.

The purpose of the vine is to bring forth fruit. The whole emphasis of the allegory of the vine is fruit bearing. Jesus expected His disciples to produce luscious, beautiful, rich, choice, fruit, more fruit, much fruit and again much fruit.

Just as the viticulturist, vine dresser, gardener, must cleanse the vine, our heavenly Father, the vine dresser, must cleanse the disciples (branches)so they will bear more fruit.

They may not have fully understood the redemptive plan of God but they were represented in the allegory as the branches that had been recently pruned, “cleansed.”

We all have inherited a lot of tendencies, thought processes and attitudes that are not at all Christ–like. Thus, we carry a lot of baggage over into our Christian life.

But remember Jesus accepts us in His grace. He does not expect us to "clean up our act" before coming to Him. Through the process of sanctification, God cuts the old man out of our lives. He cleans us up through this process of pruning.

That pruning doesn't happen suddenly, or once and for all, but it takes a whole life time. He does it repeatedly and often. Slowly and surely God's Word is at work in our hearts pruning and cleansing thus enabling us to bear fruit. The Father's pruning knife cuts off the sucker shoots of our old life within us, so that we become more Christ-like. God also cuts away the dead, diseased and rotten wood of our lives.

Sometimes we feel that His methods seem cruel. However, He does it so we will produce the righteousness of Jesus.

Have you been going through the painful pruning process lately? He works at cutting out everything in our lives that is opposed to Christ–likeness. With precision He cuts out the resentments, bitterness, anger, selfishness, self–centeredness, arrogance, etc. The Great Physician has never let His scalpel slip.

You see when the vinedresser finds a branch that is producing fruit He begins to cut it back so it will bear more of the desired fruit.

Jesus said to the eleven, you are clean because of My word, which had been spoken to them. (John 15:3 (John 15:3),

John 15:3 NASB95

3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

God uses the Scriptures to confront our carnality and selfishness. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to listen to God’s Word? Perhaps you were seeking to do your own thing, your own way but the scriptures kept coming to your mind telling you there was a right way, a truer way, a more pure way that you were to pursue.

Jesus also pointed out that they had to be “in”or “attached” to the vine (Himself) to bear fruit. If they had been cut off they could no longer produce fruit.

The whole emphasis is upon bearing "fruit," "more fruit," "much fruit" again "much fruit." This fruit would demonstrate to others looking on, watching, that the disciples were very closely related to Him. They were His disciples.

But what is the fruit, the end product that He desired to produce. He does not identify it as clearly as he did the vine dresser, the vine, and the branches. So the best way to understand it is to look at the context.

In the context of Jesus’ last teachings with the eleven there are two key statements concerning the communication of who Christ was and who these eleven were.

John 13:35 NASB95

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 15:8 NASB95

8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

It seems very clear from these two teachings, which were presented in a fairly short time frame, that the fruit Jesus was anticipating was “love for one another.” in our primary passage (John 15 9-17) for today Jesus said...

John 15:9–17 NASB95

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 so 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 would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.

When you think of loving your brother or sister in Christ what comes to your mind?

- Being devoted to one another? - Honoring one another above ourselves? - Accepting one another? - Greeting one another? - Serving one another? - Carrying one another’s burdens? - Being patient with one another? - Submitting to one another? - Encouraging one another? - Showing hospitality to one another?

If these are what you think, you are correct, but it involves more. There is the dimension of our love that includes righteousness, purity and holiness in our relationships with one another.

Paul taught parallel thoughts in Philippians 1:9-11

Philippians 1:9–11 NASB95

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul prayed that their love would grow more and more; that they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness; that the fruit of righteousness would be to the glory and praise of God the Father.

Therefore there is a dimension of love that goes beyond the one another commands, it is the dimension which involves honesty, integrity, and purity.

Paul use of the word fruit closely parallels this interpretation in Ephesians 5:8-11

Ephesians 5:8–11 NASB95

8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

Love between believers not only can, but should be more than surface level, it should demonstrate closeness and be sincere. But what truly makes it Christian love is that it is pure (clean), righteous (right)and holy (void of sin).

How does that apply to us, believers, today?

We are the fruit of righteousness, manifesting, or expressing the holiness of God.

You and I must show ourselves to be Christ’s disciples.

1)Serving others and the body without complaining, delay, or invitation even when it involves sacrifice because it is something difficult, uncomfortable, non-enjoyable, poorly timed, out side your skills or training

2)Loving all sacrificially, willing to give up something for the other without resentment, bitterness or the expectation of receiving something in return.

3) Rejoicing in the successes, blessings, victories of a fellow believer even if it was at my loss or when I am in the midst of trials.

5) Not coveting what another has, ie. appearance (looks), blessings (material or spiritual), position, recognition, relationships.

6) Going beyond the surface greeting or welcome (which even the non-believer does ) when meeting someone new or with whom you are not familiar, invite them to sit with you, introduce them to others that you know, invite them to participate in an activity, ministry, with you, avoiding clicks and closed groups of friends and family.

7) Be devoted to one another by being there even when it would be easier not to be or is less exciting (for the purpose of motivating others to love and perform good works), holding others accountable and helping them change while at the same time allowing yourself to be held accountable with the expectation of change.

8) Encouraging one another by praying with an individual (right then) not just saying you will, complimenting others openly when they do well, being there (not just available) even when you do not know what to say or do (allow the Spirit to lead you) or have to sacrifice a plan.

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