Welcome, come join me as we take a trip into John’s gospel for another lesson on obedience is love, or love is obedience. It’s really quite amazing how love is always linked to obedience.
Lord Jesus, will you take this time and these words and use my hands to write out what you want us all to see? Or even to do. I’m giving it all to You. I’m trusting You and counting on You to provide whatever needs to be provided. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
John 14:15-21 NIV
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.
Obedience is loving and loving Him is how He will give you the Spirit of truth, to be with you forever. The advocate that helps us live in faith, with faith, because He is true. And truly God within us.
Loving one another is a command. (John 15:12 & 17)
Is “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”? (Matthew 5:16)
Is “You are the salt of the world, but if the salt loses its flavor how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matthew 5:13) encouragement to stay focused, stay faithful, stay away from becoming worldly? Set apart? And in John 15:19, Jesus says “I have chosen you out of the world and before he says that, He gives us the reason… to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)
And if we’re of the world we can not bear fruit. Fruit only comes through faith and in Him. Fruit is proof He is in You.
Back to John 14:15-21
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
Because if you’re of the world, you’re not His and only if You’re His will you have the gift of the Spirit of truth.
John 14:15-21
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
This is a Pentecost and Second Coming promise.
The one fulfilled at that first Pentecost was the first part. The one at the end, for the Second Coming.
He never leaves us alone. In John 6:37 He talks about everyone who comes to Him being held in his hands, and never let go, never driven away. When that message clicked in my head several years ago, I was reading the Message. The verse that contains that promise was so much more positive than I read it in the NIV and it struck me so hard I have never forgotten it.
That promise is how we can know He’s right here with us. He has sent us His Spirit which is like having Him right here, closer than our next breath.
And when He returns, which He will do, We will live, because He lives.
John 14:15-21
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Whoever has his commands and keeps them – obeys them.
Obedience is love. The obedient one is the one who loves Him.
And the one who loves Him will be loved by the Father and Jesus and Jesus will show himself to them.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all of this. The way You bring in so many different things when I go slowly through this. The way You always fill in what needs to be written. The way You have connected so much of what You’ve said to ensure we realize what you mean by obedience. And over and over again made promises for those who will obey. Thank You, Lord. In Your holy and precious name, I pray. Amen.