Learning to relate - Pt. I

Turn with me to John 12:31–36 “31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

Stay connected through same belief they have in God (Jn14:1)

Stay connected through the one the Father will send (Jn14:16-18)

John 14:16–18 “16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Stay connected as the branches (Jn15:4-5)

John 15:4–5 “4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Stay connected and abide in My love (Jn15:9)

John 15:9 “9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”

Stay connected and My joy may be in you (Jn15:11)

John 15:11 “11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

This leads us to our passage tonight. Originally I thought maybe to (vv.25) but I thought it was too big a passage so needed to trim it down.

Stay connected through relation to one another

John 15:12–14 NASB95

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.

John 15:15 NASB95

15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

John 15:16–17 NASB95

16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.

Do you see anything significant that sticks out to you in these verses?

What kind of love does Jesus command (v.12)?

What is the example of “greater” love (v.13)?

Look closely at (v.15) what is the proof that they are Jesus friend?

Why did Jesus “choose” them (v.16)?

Jesus extent of love

Jesus had already spoken of the Fathers love, the extent of it

Prunes the branch so can bear more fruit (15:2)

The Fathers love for the Son (15:9)

Do you need to be commanded to “feel” something?

Jesus command is by decision not by emotion.

He does not command to feel something, He commands to do something.

Jesus loved his own until the end (13:1)

Jesus gave a new command, love one another (13:34, 15:12)

So important that they get the instruction (love one another) that they were told this several times.

Jesus is not giving direction but decision. He calls for them to decide to love one another.

Jesus exampled His love (13:14-15)

Jesus washed their feet in loving service to one another.

Jesus instructed them to lovingly serve one another.

Jesus tells now of even a greater love (15:13)

As the disciples listen to these instructions maybe they thought there would be more, a detailed instruction.

Dod puts it like this: “Perhaps they expected minute, detailed instructions such as they had received when they were first sent out (see Mt10) instead of this, love was to be their sufficient guide.”

From the command, Jesus shows the extent of His love

John 15:13 HCSB

13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

Clarke: “No man can carry his love for his friend farther than this: for, when he givesu p his life. He gives up all that he has . This proof of my love for you I shall give in a few hours; and the doctrine which I recommend to you I am just going to exemplify myself.”

The doctrine is “love one another” (v.12)

Listen to this one from Courson “Lay down your life for your wife, your neighbor, your friend. That is not only the proof of your love, but the pathway to love, because love is not some feeling you hope returns, not some kind of elusive mystical emotion. It’s the decision to die to your dreams, your desires, your needs, and your wants and instead lay down your life for your friend, your husband, your neighbor, or your kids.”

Transition: This now brings us to (vv.14-15)

John 15:14–15 NLT

14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

Jesus describes the love for them as a friend (15:14-15)!

A student of a Rabbi was not known to be a friend, but a child. So, this was not the norm. Nor was Jesus love for them as an example of the love they were to have for one another.

Jesus links friendship with obedience.

Spurgeon says: “It must be active obedience,e notice that. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ Some think it is quiet sufficient if they avoid what he forbids. Abstinence from evil is a great part of righteousness, but it is not enough for friendship.”

Jesus did not hold back from them. He shared all He had received from the Father.

He told them who He was

He told them what He was going to go through

He told them what He was going to do

Send the Spirit

Return for them

And soon will charge them to put love into action by taking the message of His love to others.

First, it needed to start with loving obedience, an action not a feeling.

Let this sink in for just a minute. This love is a command to us, a gift, a decision from Jesus. He chose them (v.16) and chose to love them.

Chosen to bear fruit

Bear fruit, pruned so can bear more fruit (15:2)

You cannot bear fruit unless you stay connected (15:4)

Links fruit bearing to prayer (15:7, 16)

John 15:16–17 HCSB

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17 This is what I command you: Love one another.

Think about this for a minute.

Jesus promised them He would return (Jn14:3)

Jesus promised to send help (Jn15:16-18)

Jesus reminded them (Jn15:3)

Jesus call them friends (Jn15:14-15)

Jesus now speaks of the choosing of them and the reason (Jn15:16-17)

He chose them. Hand picked with a purpose. This reminder should be a great comfort and great challenge to them.

Morris said: “It was not they who chose Him, as was normally the case when disciples attached themselves to a particular Rabbi. Students the world over delight to seek out the teacher of their choice and attach themselves to him. But Jesus’ disciples did not hold the initiative. On the contrary it was He who chose them.”

Is this “go” for the mission task at hand?

First they needed to know they were chosen, they were appointed, and they needed to love one another. That is the first fruit produced, love!

Notice the link also of fruit bearing and prayer. -

Prayer was going to be very important upon Jesus departure. But they are still connected to Him and through Him by prayer.

Look at how the AMP version puts (v.16) I like the way it is worded.

You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.

The prayers were not contingent on their righteousness, but solely on Jesus name

The prayers were not based on their faithfulness, but solely on Jesus name.

For us, not on the devotionals we read, the chapters we study, but solely on Jesus name.

James be ready if someone says “will” or “may”

Jesus wanted to know they are connected to the Father through Him as stated before (14:11, 13)

Finally, Jesus returns to the command, love one another!

Make that decision to love one another.

Make that decision to lay down our lives for one another

Make a decision to love, bear the fruit of love so can bear more fruit.

They needed to stay connected to one another by love.

This passage tonight was all about how they are to relate to one another. Next week we will look at their instructions on learning to relate to the world.

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