Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Receiving and Reciprocating Divine Love” John 15:9-17
I. The public teaching and ministry of Jesus 2-12
II. The Private teaching and ministry of Jesus 13-17
A. Forgive as Jesus forgives
B. Love as Jesus loves
C. Practice pertinent truths that soothe the troubled soul 14:1-31
D. Stay connected to the True Vine to bear lasting frui 15: 1-8
Introduction
What motivates one to stay connected to the vine? What motivates us to stay connected to anyone? The world’s greatest motivating force? LOVE! What will keep these devoted followers of Jesus bearing lasting fruit through the tribulations and opposition of the world, the flesh and the devil they are about to face? It is love! Realization of Christ’s love for them. Demonstration of Christ’s love for each other.
The vital experience of God’s incredible love for us motivates us to cling closely to the vine and bear the cleansing and pruning process necessary to bear much fruit. This passage focuses on the essential love relationship between the Father and the Son, and the Son and His followers evidenced by devoted trust and obedience or service. Many think that fear best motivates obedience. Jesus clearly asserts that LOVE best motivates obedience. If we fail to obey it is most likely because we fail to perceive the full dimensions of His love for us. Jesus lets His followers know (15:11) that receiving and reciprocating His divine love is the firm foundation for genuine joy.
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
There is a fullness and satisfaction that comes to the human heart that deeply loved. Over and over believers are addressed as “beloved”. Being loved generates joy. Being rejected breeds bitterness. Understanding and applying the truths concerning God’s love for us results in fullness of joy. Jesus gives us a here the key to receiving His joy.
E. Receive and reciprocate God’s love
"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. "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. John 15:9-10
1. Receive God’s Love
a) The Father loved the Son
This isn’t the first time John declares the Father’s love for Jesus in his book.
"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” John 3:35
The Father demonstrates his love for the Son by trusting Him with key responsibility. In John 5:20-23 the Father demonstrates his love for the Son by including Him in His plans and empowering Him to accomplish significant achievements. In Matt 12:18 the Father demonstrates His love by affirming the Son. The Father’s love appreciated the sacrifice of the Son and His willingness to give his life for others in John 10:17
Scripture records key affirmations of love by the Father to the Son.
At His baptism Matthew 3:17
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Up to this point Jesus had not yet even entered formal ministry. The Father’s affirmation focused on who he was and the delight of their relationship. Effective ministry then blossomed as a result of the depth of his godly character.
At the transfiguration Matthew 17:5
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"
We can understand only a limited aspect of this love between the Father and the Son. It is not based on any of the “loving the unlovely” aspects of love. It is based on pure intimate connection between them. The Father delights in the Son.
Jesus addresses the wonder of this relationship with His father in his prayer later (Jn 17).
It is important to try to really understand this eternal relationship of love between the Father and the Son because it is the basis of understanding the love Christ has for us. Remember, Jesus reminds them that He loves them with the same love and intensity that he has experienced from His Father.
b) The Son loves the Father John 15:10
How did the Son demonstrate His love for the Father? There are two responses mentioned here.
1 – keep or guard His commandments. 2 – abide in His love
Jesus reveals that in order to abide in this great love or receive the full benefit of the love of the Father he had to live his life according to the desires of the Father. If you really love someone you have a desire to please him or her.
God laid out principles and commands in His word to protect us. God gave his commands to enhance life and increase our capacity to enjoy life. Failure to follow God’s commands not only saddens the Father but also results in decreased capacities to enjoy life. If I choose to ignore God’s principles regarding sexual purity I will face a decreased capacity to enjoy life as he intended. In short, these commands were motivated by love. The Master Designer issued a manufacturers manual to explain how things were designed to best function. Deut. 6:24-25 Deut. 10:12-15 James 1:25 1 John 5:3
We need to renew out thinking regarding commands. We are such a rebellious independent lot that we resent ANYONE telling us what to do even God. Even it is for our own health and safety. To abide in His love is to hear and heed the things He tells us to do out of His great love for us. To refuse to walk according to His ways is to fail to abide in His love
Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' Jer 6:16
Jesus continually demonstrated His love for the Father by dedicating His life to please Him. Jesus declared to his followers, “I have kept (and still keep) my father’s commandments and “continually abide” in his love.” Early in John we learned that this was the central focus and all consuming drive of Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. John 4:34 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." John 8:29
Not only did Jesus never sin in word or in deed but also he did everything he was asked by the Father including given up His life. We saw in John 14…so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. John 14:31 He could honestly tell his father in his prayer later in John 17… "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. John 17:4 There is no doubt that the Father loved the Son and the Son loved the Father. He demonstrated it by trust (abiding in His love) and obedience. Jesus would soon finalize the ultimate demonstration of his love both for the Father and for us. Through trust and obedience Jesus demonstrated love.
Hebrews 5:7-9 reveals such unselfish devoted obedience. (see also Philip 2:8)
c) The Son loves the follower
In light of His soon departure and a definite sorrow Jesus affirmed again his love for His disciples. Over and over again Jesus demonstrated his love for them in obvious acts of love. Over and over again Jesus verbalized his love for them in clear declarations. Remember in John 13 that Jesus demonstrated His love knowing that He was about to depart having loved His own who were in the world, He loved the to the end. The Father demonstrated His love for us by allowing Jesus to die for us. Romans 5:8 1 John 4:10
Jesus demonstrated his great love for us by giving Himself as sacrifice for us.Gal 2:20 Eph 5:2 There should be no doubt about the love of Jesus or the Father for us. What kind of response does that demand? The hymn “When I survey the Wondrous Cross” has a most potent line.
“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Even the world recognizes the fact that the deepest human need is to love and be loved. There is no greater love that the love of Jesus. The one who abides in His love is the one who experience fullness of joy; His joy! Are you sure of His love this morning? Receive that wonderful love this morning.
2. Reciprocate God’s love
a) The follower loves the Son
Jesus asks us to respond to Him. He asks us to remain in His love in the same way that he walked in His Father’s love. Unhindered fellowship. Unwavering trust. Unquestioned obedience. Enthusiastic service. To do otherwise is to fail to love Jesus as He loved the Father. Only when we walk in the ways of God will we come to understand the depths of his love for us. We can say. “Oh wow! I am sure glad I didn’t go down that road.” “Now I see that God was trying to protect me all the time.” “God sure loves me to let me know how dangerous that road can be.” You say, “I don’t feel God’s love!” Perhaps it is because you are not abiding in his love. Of course you will not feel his love if you refuse to walk in it. It doesn’t make his love any less. We simply cannot reap the benefits of His love communicated in warnings and principles for our good if we don’t follow them.
The problem then is that when things hit the fan or we hit the bottom because due to a neglect of his instruction we blame Him. We accuse him of not loving us or protecting us when it we us all along that ignored the warnings. Receiving His love is not the end. Jesus calls us to reciprocate that love to him by trusting Him and walking in the light as he is in the light. When we walk in the light we will have intimate fellowship with God but also with each other. It is when we love like he loved that we enter the divine circle of love.
It is a circle that continues to build for eternity.
. John 15:12-17
b) The follower loves the other followers
Jesus repeats the command to love each other in the same way that the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the follower. It is a self-sacrificing, unselfish commitment to the welfare of another. It is a willingness to forgo personal aspiration for the sake of another’s inspiration.
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends
In the midst of this command to love others like He loved them Jesus reminds them again of how powerful his love is.
“You are my friends”
“I have called and still call you friends.”
“I have let you into my life more deeply than anyone else.”
“I chose you and will enable you to become successful fruit bearers.”
“I have provided intimate relationship also with my Father.”
“So I instruct you to LOVE ONE ANOTHER!”
You will need to love one another because the world will hate you.
You will need my love and to love one another because you have the awesome task and responsibility of bearing witness of me for generations to come.
The best witness is to love like I loved you.
Conclusion
Receive his love!
Reciprocate His love!
Reciprocate first to Jesus by trust and obedient service.
Reciprocate his love to one another by trust (relationship) and devoted service.
Give your time.
Give your resources.
Give your life.
Demonstrate His love by your deeds.
Declare His love to Him and one another by your words.
