1st Key is to obey Christ
There were four boys who were young and bursting with energy especially in the church. But the sermon their pastor preached on turning the other cheek got their attention. The minister stressed that no matter what others do to us; we should never try to get even with them. That evening the youngest boy came to his mother crying. In between sobs, he told his mother that he had kicked one of his brothers, who in return had kicked him back. “I’m sorry that hurt you,” said the mother. “But you shouldn’t go around kicking people.” The tearful child replied, “But the preacher said that he wasn’t suppose to kick me back.” Today we are talking about relationships. Mainly how to maintain our relationship with God and how it affects others. For you see, how we treat others depicts our relationship with God. If we are kicking others, hum… but if we are loving those who are kicking us, then hummmm!
I. Keep your cup full. (9-11) 9“As the Father loved Me, I also have 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 remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
I once heard that you know what is in the cup by what spills out when you knock it over. What spills out when people knock you over? (Show cup) Anger, resentment, sarcasm, built up frustration? To keep your cup full we need to know some things.
A. Where is our source? (9)
From where do we obtain our strength? We are not self-sustaining beings. We depend on things. We depend on our environment. We need food. Our paycheck, family, etc. We are needy people! So why should it be any different for our spiritual needs? It’s not! Our source is God. We need God! Our problems can be narrowed down to one problem, our relationship with God. Even with Jesus it started with the Father. “Just as the Father has loved Me” (NASB) If it starts with the Father for Jesus, who should we turn to?
How many of you feel worn out? We have depended on ourselves, or others to fill our cup. The only thing that lasts is God’s word. Everything else is fluff. It doesn’t last. Everything else is a distraction that causes us to focus on keeping our cups filled. In the process of keeping our cup filled, we use up all of our energy!
In the 23rd Psalm David experienced God filling his cup when he said, “My cup runs over.” Notice that he was praising God in the midst of being hunted down by Saul. Jesus always called and still calls today to those who are weak. To those who have labored are tired, and who realize that they need help in this life. This is what He said, 28“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”(Mt. 11)
Remember, a cup doesn’t fill itself. Only the one who uses it fills it. So it is with God. Don’t fill yourself with fluff, but allow God to fill you with what He wants for you! To keep your cup full, you need to know the source!
B. What should go in the cup? 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. (9b-10)
Have you ever wondered what God wants? That is a unique perspective. What does God want? We know what we want, or at least we think we do. But what does He want? What does He want to place in our cup? We must never lose focus on the FACT that God always wants what is best for us and He only gives us His best. So what is God’s best? With what does God want to fill our cups? The obvious answer is God’s love. But how do or should we obtain God’s love? The answer is in this verse. You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You can only “abide” in it. Through His grace our cups can be filled through simply abiding. So how do we abide? “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love”. God’s way is simple. Keep His commandments. When we keep His commandments, we are not just hearers of the word, but now we are doers. (James) When we keep His commandments, we are not conformed to the world, but we are transformed! And ultimately our cups are filled.
C. What are the results of my efforts? 11“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Do you realize that God wants you to be happy? However, God’s happiness is NOT like nor does it resemble what we perceive as happiness. It isn’t packaged in a material container! God’s happiness isn’t based on emotions, or things that dissipate with time. God’s happiness is based on Him! It is based on His joy. When you have your cup filled with God, you are obedient to Him, and your joy will be full! Your circumstance doesn’t matter. Paul was content in or out of prison. The physical world can’t take you Godly joy away! Praise the Lord!
II. There needs to be holes in your cup. (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, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I 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 remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17“These things I command you, that you love one another.
Do you remember that song, “There’s a hole in my bucket Dear Lila, Dear Lila. There’s a whole in my bucket, Dear Lila a hole. And she sings, “Well fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. Well fix it dear Henry, dear Henry fix it.” And they spend the rest of the song trying to fix it, but never being able too. I believe that God wants us to have unrefixable holes in the bottom of our cups! However, from our perspective it is a problem. And we spend all of our time trying to fix a hole that God has deemed as unrepairable. Why would God want a hole in our cup? Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Act 20:33. Our nature is to hold on to, not let it go. Especially if it is good. God calls us to defeat our flesh, and trust Him. In order for us to do this, we have to let go. Therefore, He created a hole in our cup that He might bless others through us.
What happens to water that becomes still? I am at the ocean right now. Collier has found a fresh pool of water to play in. When the surf comes up overnight, this part of the beach fills up with the excess water, and creates about a one-foot deep pool of ocean water. This is just perfect for him. However, the closer to noon it gets, the more it begins to stink. It has only been there a few hours, yet it has developed a stench. The same is true for the Dead Sea. Why is it dead? Simply because it receives and doesn’t give. God doesn’t want our love relationship to grow stale or stagnant, so He has developed a way to prevent this. It must flow through. And we, like the Israelites, must depend on our manna daily. We must go and get our spiritual food daily so that we can give what He provides! Notice what our hole causes us to do.
A. To live to love. 12“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 17“These things I command you, that you love one another. The first and foremost commandment is to love, just as God has loved. But we cannot love without first receiving that fresh love from God. Therefore we must make it the priority to go before Him everyday to receive His love, that we may give His love. For we cannot give what we do not have!
B. To live as friends. 13“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
How many of you enjoy friendships? There was a brother who ran short of money while visiting his brother. He borrowed $50 from him. When he returned home he started sending his brother a letter a week with $5 in it until he had his brother paid off. His brother commented on how he enjoyed the letters. The week after he had paid his brother off, he received a letter from his brother. Inside the letter was another $50! Friendship is vital. Jesus calls us His friend. And a trusted one as well for He tells us everything that the Father tells Him!
C. To live to bear His fruit. 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 remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Do you realize that a fruit-bearing tree cannot make itself bear fruit? It cannot willfully bear fruit. There are things that you can do, or take away that will either enhance or decline the possibilities of bearing the fruit. Such as making sure there is just the right amount of food and water. Too much or too little could be detrimental. Making sure the tree is healthy. The tree needs plenty of sunlight. Disease will keep fruit away. Guess what, it is no different with you. You cannot willfully bear fruit. You need spiritual water of life, and spiritual food to keep you healthy. You need lots of Son light! Do you realize that God chose you and appointed you to bear fruit! And continue to bear fruit! Did you hear that? First, God chose you. You didn’t choose Him. It might have seemed that way from your perspective. However the bible clearly states the process is that the Holy Spirit woos us, and we respond. God picked you. WOW! And by picking you, you will bear His fruit! You will be successful. You cannot make it happen, but the One who can already has made it happen! And He will do it again!
Today, how is your relationship with God? Is it fruit filled? Are you being filled with His love daily? Are you showing God’s love to others? Is your cup full?
