If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments

For our Communion Meditation lets look together in the book of St. John 14:15. There you will find out text and title.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus and his disciples are in the upper room. Christ has already instituted the Lord’s Supper. He has already washed the disciples feet. Out of all of the nights they had spent together this night would be the most significant. For this night was Christ last night on earth. By tomorrow morning he would be hanging on a cross paying for the sins of the world.

Therefore, every word that Jesus spoke carried with it a particular meaning for this was in essence Jesus farewell speech to his disciples. Meaning every sentence would be stored up in the hearts & minds of the disciples so that even when he was gone, they would still remember and do what thus said the Lord.

And the disciples thought that feeling sorry for his departure showed their true love for Christ. But in the words of our text Jesus reminds them as he reminds us if you really love me, you’ll show it by keeping my commandments.

Notice how Jesus begins by saying, “If.” If – meaning indefinite. If – meaning not sure, uncertain. Jesus was implying he knew everybody didn’t love him. As matter of fact one of his own disciples at this moment in the text was out betraying him for some money.

When you read the next chapter, chapter 15, you hear Jesus say, “If the world hate you, know that it hated me before it hated you.” Jesus knew everybody didn’t love him, and don’t you fool yourself everybody don’t love you either.

There are some people waiting for you to fall in the trap they laid for you. There are some who rejoice in your misfortune. But, if you love Jesus then you got to keep his commandments and one of his commandments was to love those who can stand you. And the thing I like about is Jesus will never tell you to do something that you can’t do. You may not want to do it, but he doesn’t give impossible demands.

Not only that but Jesus will never tell you to do something that he himself hasn’t already done. He lived the example. And don’t give me the excuse well Reverend I ain’t Jesus because he said in the 12th verse of this chapter the same works I do you shall do and even greater.

“If you love me”

Jesus makes it’s personal and far too often we’re in somebody else’s relationship with God. But Jesus didn’t ask you about somebody else his question was personal do you love me. Are you doing as you should toward me.

I Thessalonians 4:11 says, “Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands.”

Listen, I have discovered that when I try to just take care of me I got enough to deal with as it is. I don’t have time to be all in your business and giving my opinion where it isn’t warranted because God is still working on me. So as the cliché goes, "You pray for me and I’ll pray for you cause that’s the way God’s children do.”

“If you love me”

To love Christ implies something. It implies that we know who he is. I say that because you cannot love that which is unknown. You cannot love an unknown object or person. You cannot love that which does not exist. But, it is possible to love that which you have never seen.

That’s where faith comes into play in the Christian life. We’ve never seen Jesus but we believe he’s real. And we love him even though we’ve never physically seen him. We love our friends because of their character, because of what they’ve done for us. So how much more should we love Jesus?

When you reflect on who he is and what he’s done for you, no other can be compared to him. That’s why the writer said, “Can’t nobody do me like Jesus.” Even when we strayed from him, he came to seek and save those of us who where lost.

And today he’s still supplying our needs so shouldn’t he be loved with undying affection. He said in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” so shouldn’t he receive the same in return.

Notice that we do not read, “If ye love me, perform some extraordinary act.” Hermits and nuns, monks and the overly religious can’t find an example here. As I just said Christ doesn’t give impossible demands.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

How do we know that we love Christ? Is it by the way we talk about him to others? Is it by the way we think about him during the day? Or maybe its how we sang his praises and love to hear his gospel.