Love Works 2
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Text: John 15:15-17
CIT: Christ chooses to glorify his Father.
FCF: We can underestimate the importance of Glorifying God.
God glorifies God...
God the Father and God the Son covenanted together to bring God’s people out of the Egypt of sin and slavery into the freedom and everlasting glory of sonship for the very same reason that God brought Israel out of Egypt — that he might get glory over sin and Satan and Hell and all the principalities and powers that brought Jesus to the cross and all the world systems that rise up against his people—that he might get glory over them and all the world might know that Jesus, the crucified and risen one, is Yahweh, the glorious personal God who is.
This is what God is calling you into. The reason you should glorify God in everything is that God glorifies God in everything — that Jesus glorified God in everything.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
I think it is fair to say that God is interested in his glory. And it is without a doubt that Jesus lived his life with the essential pursuit of Bringing his father glory.
It is startlingly easy to live life for any other of what Scripture calls vain pursuits. Gains and distraction that take us away from shining like a light in a dark place. Motivations that make us focus on entertainments and comforts that remove us from the action of Loving God and loving others.
It is a scary notion that one can “waste their life for the glory of God...” in the mind of the unregenerate a life lived for him is wasted. But if our affection is set on things above we will quickly see that this life is measured in such small increment of time that we cannot afford to waste them on anything but the glory of God.
I have chosen you...
On the day after the night in which Jesus spoke these words to the eleven, he laid himself down on the cross and bought you with his blood. You are now his fruit and his fruit-bearer. The only fruit that will ever endure to eternal life is fruit which grows out of the cross.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
We are Christ's fruit because he died for us. We are his fruit-bearers if we are willing to take up our cross and die with him.
One preacher asked us “Turn it around. What if Jesus had said, "I did not choose you; you chose me?" What would most likely be the point of saying that? Wouldn't it mean, "I'm not bound to you. You wanted to come along. If the going gets rough, don't come whimpering to me. It's your choice, man. I didn't stake anything on your success." But Jesus said the opposite: "You did not choose me, but I chose you." And so the meaning probably is: "Your presence here is my doing and so I take full responsibility. I know you agreed to join me in this work, but deep in your heart you know it was I who laid claim on you and so my honor, not yours, is at stake in this work." If that is what Jesus means, then the reason he said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you, was to encourage us that he would help us.”
Help you bear fruit to the Glory of God.
I remind you that this idea of fruitfulness comes from the beginning of this same passage.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
We know of whom he speaks for just a couple hours earlier Judas was pointed out.
I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
It is evident who Jesus is referring to when he says they were chosen. He is speaking of the eleven Apostles who he will use to introduce his church to the world.
That is not to say that Judas wasn’t chosen.
I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Chosen for Betrayal
Chosen for Proof
Chosen for Boldness
This is the same understanding of the word ‘chosen’ that we see in the same meeting the night Jesus was betrayed. We are to understand that chosen here is in reference specifically to the Apostles.
Matthew, and Peter, and John and Bartholemew were not selected at random. Jesus chose them.
Understand that God has chosen them for this purpose.
Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
God has set out on the purpose of His Glory...
But we learn something about God’s glory it is not a straight line to the top. It is not an elevator ride. It is not a highway. He is glorified in the good and in the bad. And all of these things will serve their place in his glory.
Why do we need to know this idea of chosen - because of the misteaching of this text...
There are those that would like to tell you that this is a proof text for the doctrine of election. Election says that God chose some to be saved and some to go to hell. And that it is the soveriegnty of God that he would choose for some to never be saved.
That is not what this text is teaching. But it is teaching THE doctrine of election.
The biblical doctrine of election is that God in his great wisdom and soveriengty chose the Hebrew people to be his chosen people and by these people the whole earth would be blessed. Genesis 12.3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Consider John 15.16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
He is speaking to the Apostles chosen for the start of the church. Chosen from his chosen people.
Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Notice that the election of the Apostles was meant for the good of the World not to their exclusion.
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Chosen for Closeness
Closeness that if absent leaves us barren.
Chosen for Fruitfulness
Christ had chosen them for remaining fruit. Look around you the fruit is still on the vine.
We still have access to the Father to ask what we will.
We still have the Gospel to carry around the world.
This is what happens when the Spirit of God is doing the work and you and I are resting in that fulfilled work of Calvary.
The Church is the outcropping of this selection. You recognize that we are here tonight because of the love professed to those disciples that night. And we are here tonight because God chose to demonstrate his love by giving us his gospel through the chosen people, and chosen Apostles.
Chosen for Hatred
Remember that our Apostles will be killed or persecuted everyone with the same sensless hate they had for our savior.
But were hated and fruitful all to the Glory of God.
I Peter would say to the church of his Day I Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
So now we feel the pressure of the call… John 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
It is the love of Jesus that put me in the line of this calling and it is his love that constrains me to bear fruit to the Glory of his Father.