Christ's Love leads us to Love

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Intro
Reflecting on “Forever” and holy week
A special time of the year to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice and its meaning for us
This chapel is also a bit different for me because its my last one I get to speak
As I was reflecting on this and I was thinking about Holy Week as well my mind was brought to Jesus and his Last conversation with his disciples
Turn with me to John 15.
Last week we had a pretty hard talk and I hope you received it well.
I hope you understand that I speak to you not out of anger but out of a deep desire that you experience the best quality of life that God has to give you
And I have reflected on the final words I can share with you in order to demonstrate what that looks like and what that means
I want to share some observations
I want to preface by saying that everything I am about to say, resonates with me as well, but maybe this connects with you
I feel like we all living in such a way that is pursuing our immediate desires or pursuing acceptance and validation
In my time with all of you I have sensed a need to be seen and to be told that you are valued and supported
And we try to earn that in a number of ways
Some of us try to earn it through testing boundaries. All of you are great kids with good hearts but some of you are desperate to see if we as teachers and leaders will think otherwise. You’re not bad kids, but you push and test our limits so that we can remind you that your loved and valued. If that’s you, I want you to know that you are loved, valued, and supported. Not for what you do but for who you are. Nothing will ever change that, but I want better for you. Not better from you, better for you.
Others of you work yourselves to death. You strive so hard for grades or athletic or extracurricular accomplishment. You’ve been sold this lie that you’re only worth what you can do and your pushing your own limits to do more and more and more so you can hear your parents, teachers, and friends say well done. You’re really awesome. But you can only sustain that for so long before you burn out. I want you to know that you are loved, valued, and supported. Not for what you do but for who you are. Nothing will ever change that, but I want better for you. Not better from you, better for you.
Main thing I’d like all of you to remember - You are loved and valued, and that love can inspire us to love others.
But how do we live a life based on love? What does it look like to live in such a way where we aren’t trying to test or earn the love of others?
I think the answer is found here in John 15 Where se first see that -

Jesus is the source of Life (v. 1-8)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Jesus is the true vine, and you are already seen as good because of the Gospel (v. 1-3)
Jesus is the root of our entire reality
Following Jesus is not an addition to our lives but the foundation
I desperately urge you to evaluate your foundations. What is the basis for your existence? What drives every decision you make?
Jesus declares himself to be the root for all of us who choose to follow him and remain with him
in verses 2 and 3 he explains that any branch that doesn’t grow isn’t a part of it, but this isn’t a threat. I’ll explain more about this idea of cutting off branches later.
This is actually an incredible promise that is the essence of the Gospel
He says in verse 3, that you are already clean (or made pure) because of the word that Jesus has spoken
That word that Jesus has spoken is the message of the gospel
The reality that God created us for relationship with himself
We broke that relationship and became everything that God cannot support
But rather than making us earn that relationship back, God, because of his unconditional love, he makes things right for us and sees us as right with him
We don’t have to earn the love of God. It’s already given to us. We only need to respond by making it our reality
Living in Christ is necessary for life (4-6)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Promises he will abide with us. He promises a mutual relationship.
And that relationship is necessary
Compared literally to a plant which cannot sustain life without being connected to the roots
A more modern analogy would be a device to the battery.
There is a promise that choosing Christ results in growth and production
And a promise that Without Christ we can do nothing of significance
sure we can do small, minor, miniscule, insignificant things like running a Fortune 500 company or becoming a Pro-Athlete or becoming some kind of government leader.
But at the end of the day what do these accomplish? From the lens of eternity what did we do?
The only way that we can exist in a meaningful way, the only way we can actual value and a deep, spiritual, existential level is to remain with Christ.
Now this may lead us to great accomplishments. Seeing Christ as the foundation made lead you to restoring brokenness at the highest level of your context. But it may also lead you to love those around you in a radically way even now. It may also lead you to care for the broken where you are. It may lead you to flip your entire worldview to make it about the things that feel small now that make an enteral impact rather than the things that feel big and mean nothing.
It reminds me of what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 Corinthians 13:1–3 ESV
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
If you’ve been in my class you’ve seen the Tom Brady Video (explain)
Abiding in the love of Christ gives us purpose and peace, which gives us the vision and the desire to do things that really matter. Not to earn any attention or validation but because we are already loved and accepted.
What about v. 6 though? Can we be cut off?
v. 6 Not about being cut off, this is about Israel being cut off to make a way for your salvation
The whole book of John is about Jesus turning the Jewish Religious system upside down
They had made the rituals and the laws about themselves and created this place of power and control from religion, and it didn’t bear fruit
Sure it made money, and put people in power, and became a source of national pride
But it didn’t stay rooted in the love of God and it didn’t show love to others so ultimately, it was worthless
The religious power structure of Israel was the branch cut off so that we
The Gentile and Barbarians
The Broken and Confused
The Weak and Humble
Could be given hope and purpose through love of God
And this purpose is to bear fruit that glorifies God (7-8)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples

Ask and it will be given is not about gratifying your selfish desires. If you are abiding in Christ, then your desires are his design and related to His kingdom and what brings him glory.
Tenney - “So long as the believer is seeking the Lord’s will in his life, Jesus will grant every request to help accomplish that end”
The more you desire God, the more clearly he reveals himself
It seems a bit circular, but what if that’s the point? What if this life isn’t about you? and you were designed to delight in in the glory of God rather than the glory of yourself.
But God chooses to use us to bring himself glory

Jesus is the source of Love (v. 9-11)

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I 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 full.

Love first exists in the Father and the Son demonstrates love to us
Here it is explicitly
The love that exists in within our God
When we say that God is love, we mean it is his nature.
We mean that he can’t not love and be love itself
This is the kind love that is promised to us
Jesus loves us with the eternal and unconditional love that is in the father
You don’t have to earn it, and choosing to base your life on it will change everything about you from the inside out.
The way to “Abide” is to choose to love
Love as an unconditional commitment
Love is not a feeling that leads to commitment but a commitment that leads to action
Commit to Christ
Love looks like keeping his commands
Demonstrating Love to Christ and the love of Christ means following what he taught.
He didn’t just demand this but demonstrated it. He followed the commands of the Father
Even when it was hard, he trusted God’s plan and followed his design
Keeping the commands are a sign of trust
Commands aren’t obligations because we have to
Following Commands demonstrates
Commands are designed not for your limitation, but for your satisfaction
Think of the limitations that come with a vehicle (Ferrari can’t offroad)
Not designed to hold it back, but to maximize potential
Who better knows our potential than our designer
To abide in Christ is to obey his commands
but I thought this wasn’t about works
Isn’t the whole point of Jesus so we don’t have to earn it? Why all the commands
The proper context - his command is love

The Command of christ is to Love (v. 12-17)

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

Keeping his commandments are simple. Love each other
This what he explains in Matthew 22 when he says all of the laws boil down to two ideas
It’s what the 10 commandments are intended to communicate
It’s the point of the whole law
Sounds Easy. We all generally care about others, we all wouldn’t typically go out of our way to hurt anybody. Sure, we love people and we love God just fine. He’s important and all so we’re good right?
It’s not quite that simple
See Jesus gives a clear definition of the epitome of Love itself
Love is defined as sacrifice.
Not affection - and caring about someone
Not as kindness
Not as friendliness
Not as tolerance
But as Sacrificial commitment
The context of this passage comes just after Jesus washes the disciples feet

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him

Jesus whole mission, value system, paradigm, and standard is to serve others from love
Not only is this after his demonstration of washing feet, but it comes just before his sacrifice
He was so committed to love and service and doing what was good for the plan of God that he was willing to die for it.
That’s love. To be so committed to the benefit of others.
Not your own rights/freedoms.
Not your own comfort and possessions
But to the good of your community and the life of those around you.
To be committed to adding value in the places where God leads you.
Jesus describes how God leads in the next verses

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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. 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.

We are brought into the family of God
Not blind followers but active team members
“Jesus elevated the disciples above mere tools and made them partners in his work.”
We are not robots carrying out a divine program, but humans with value actively participating in a divine partnership
God’s plan of redemptive history includes your love and commitment to the good of those around you.
He designed each of you for a purpose and with great potential to bring life and love to wherever you are. All that it takes is a commitment to Christ
In Christ we are given a vision and a purpose - bear fruit and our fruit shows Christ
Whatever we need for that he’ll provide
The whole purpose is love
When we remember that we are loved already by God, and we remain in that reality of his commitment and sacrifice, we are equipped and empowered to show love to those around us and restore brokenness in our realities.
We have nothing to earn, and nothing to prove. All we need is to commit to love. Loving Christ and Loving one another.
What does this look like?
It looks like Choosing Christ. Committing to him and trusting his design. Always, even when its hard or confusing
Trusting him with our futures and goals
Trusting him with our values and decisions
Trusting him with our bodies and desires
Trusting Christ in every aspect of our lives
We commit to loving Christ, not in an affectionate disconnected way, but in an intentional and sacrificial way
It looks like loving others
Choosing to elevate each other rather than fighting for ourselves
Building each other up with words
Sharing with one another
being there for each other even when we don’t understand it
Not because we want something and we know its mutually beneficial to be nice
But because we’ve already been loved, sacrificially and unconditionally.
And we do this because we believe in a story that explains all of reality. Maybe you’ve heard it before.
PREACH THE GOSPEL AND PRAY
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