Love and Obedience in Light of the Resurrection (John 14:-14-24) (5/10/26)

As you know, after Easter, I said this last week,

I'm just trying to remind us all, the lectionary

gospel readings remind us of Jesus' words to

his disciples before his death, burial, and resurrection.

And just as the disciples needed Jesus to explain

all the law, the prophets, and the Psalms after

and in light of the resurrection, we can only

truly understand the words of Jesus through the

lens of the resurrection. It is through the resurrection

that the words of Jesus have been made clear.

Jesus' words are proven true in the resurrection.

Amen. Christ is risen. Let us pray. Heavenly

Father, praise be your name. Make us ever mindful

that we are the people of the resurrection and

that there is no power greater than your power.

No power that can overthrow thy purpose and thy

kingdom. Help us to hear and obey your voice.

We do humbly ask you now that by your mercies

and grace that you would make the words of my

mouth and the meditations of all our hearts acceptable

in your sight, O Lord our strength and nearest

kinsman redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's hear

the gospel reading once more. John 14. If you

ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you

love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray

the Father, and he will give you another helper,

that he may abide with you forever. The spirit

of truth from the world cannot receive because

it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know

him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you orphans. I will come to

you. a little while longer, and the world will

see me no more. But you will see me, because

I live. You will live also. At that day, you

will know that I am in my Father, and you in

me, and I in you. He who has my commandments

and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he

who loves me will be loved by my Father. And

I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas,

not as chariot, said to him, Lord, how is it

that you will manifest yourself to us and not

to the world? Jesus answered and said to them,

if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My

father will love him. And we will come to him

and make our home with him. He who does not love

me does not keep my words. And the word which

you hear is not mine, but the Father who sent

me. These are the words of Almighty God. receive

them in your hearts. Now there's three things

I want you to see in this passage today, or to

understand about this passage. One, love is words

and actions. Love is words and actions. Living,

we should be living, guarding the observance

of God's commandments. We should be living, guarding

the observance of God's commandments. And finally,

and this is the best news of all, the living

triune God is with us. The living triune God

is with us. So I have a question for you this

morning. What do you love? At first glance, it

seems easy to diagnose. After all, what do you

spend your time and your resources and your energies

on? But I think the true examination comes down

to why you are spending time and resources and

energies on them. If you've been around me long,

you may have heard me say, We must be able to

distinguish between allies and co -belligerents.

Those are terms often used to describe people

who are collaborating together in war. The difference

between allies and co -belligerents is simply

their motives. For example, many peoples can

unite together to stand against tyranny. But

the question is, to what end result? And tyranny

is an evil, and it should end. But to what end

and by what means? Some can come together to

end tyranny for the purpose of ending wicked

rule and establish a Christian world. Others

might fight tyranny to remove all restraint and

to establish anarchy. That is the rule by every

person's idols So again, I ask you What do you

love and why? As you know from the sermon last

week Jesus on the night that he was going to

be betrayed Sitting around a table gathered together

in deep intimate fellowship Right. He tells his

disciples Do not be troubled This is just the

next passage in that time, at that table. And

why are they troubled? They've been hearing Jesus,

especially in the last several weeks, continue

to emphasize his death, the fact that he's going

to be arrested, the fact that he's going to be

put to death, and he keeps telling them that

he's going to rise again. And now they keep seeing

all these signs around him, and Jesus emphasizing

even more that even the betrayer is in their

midst. All of these things, they're troubled.

And Jesus assures them by first reminding them

that He and the Father are one, and that they

are brought into peaceful relations with the

Father by He alone. The only way to have peace

is to have peace with God the Father. And you

can only have that through Christ alone. And

finally, he assures them that Jesus's mission

is the redemption of sinners by the establishment

of the new temple in which God dwells, built

of the living stones of his bride, the church.

Jesus in verse 14, assurance takes place in this

way. And whatever you ask in my name, that I

will do. that the Father may be glorified in

the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will

do it. Asking for something in His name, or better

put, for Jesus' sake, is to ask the Father to

do something that brings glory to God. Who gets

the glory is a very big motive for why people

do things, even good things. even things that

look like they're going to last. Now, the illuminating

light of Jesus comes down on the motives of the

heart. So he's assuring them. He's building them

up. He said, look, I'm the foundation. You are

going to be part of the next. I'm the cornerstone.

You're going to be part of the foundation. And

the church is going to grow. And it's been growing

this way. Right Jesus right here at the bottom

and it's growing out and it's filling the earth

Just as all the scripture has declared But here

after he says he gives them all this authority

and assures them of all this He says what are

your heart motives? Are you asking God? for things

Are you doing things? Are you putting your energies

and efforts in things that are to bring about?

The glory to God Jesus in this way starts with

verse 15. He says if you love me Keep my commandments

First of all, you need to understand that this

you is the plural you you all or y 'all in the

context of What he said just before this it is

all y 'all who are the temple of the new the

stones of the new temple Jesus tells them to

the collective group of them. Do you understand

this? He's speaking to them corporately. And

just as Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 2,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 19, now therefore you are

no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow

citizens with the saints and members of the household

of God, having been built on the foundation of

the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself

being the chief cornerstone. in whom the whole

building being fitted together grows into a holy

temple in the Lord, in whom also you are being

built together for the dwelling place of God

in the Spirit. Together the church must love

God by keeping God's commandments. For this reason

here in worship, we do a corporate pair of repentance.

We don't just do that haphazardly. Presumably,

if you're a faithful Christian, you're going

to be dealing with your sins all week long. We

hope so anyway, right? You're going to sin against

your wife, right? You're going to sin against

your kids. You're going to sin against the neighbor

in some fashion. It might be gossip, it might

be disdain, whatever it is. Sin against the authorities

God's placed in your life. All of this, we need

to Understand that we should repent of those

things, but we sin all of our sin affects the

rest of us in this church Whatever you sin this

week it has impact your your joint by covenant

by the meal of God We need to corporately repent

and sometimes even we can do this we can sin

as a group conspire together in sinful ways And

that is why we do as a church come together and

confess our sins before God corporately. You

know, Jesus, earlier at this very table told

them this, a new commandment I give you that

you love one another as I have loved you. You

also love one another. By this, all will know

you are my disciples. If you have love, one for

another. So I ask you, what do you love? If you

didn't speak to another person in this church

this week, what's going on? If you didn't make

a sacrifice for others in your family and across

the church, are you loving one another as Christ

loved you? We are to love God and one another

in a manner that is so astonishingly different

from the unbelieving world that the only conclusion

is that we are disciples of Jesus. Can you imagine

that? What is love? What is it to love? We know

that God is love. And in Romans 5 -8, it tells

us, God demonstrated His love towards us. And

while we were still sinners, Christ died for

us. You know, a lot of times we want love to

simply be, I do because they do. Well, if they

stop sinning against me, then I'll stop sinning

against them, or I'll treat them better. That

is not how the love of God works. Jesus, by the

command of the Father, lays down His life that

we might be reconciled to God for the glory of

God. We lay down our lives for one another that

others may be reconciled to God in our families,

in this church, and in our very community. We

see, of course, this very thing in the shadow

and type of Lazarus' sickness and death and in

Jesus' providential delay. Right that is laying

down dying for the glory of God in John 11 for

it says when Jesus heard that that Lazarus was

sick Right Jesus says this sickness is not unto

death But for the glory of God that the Son of

God might be glorified through it now We know

that Lazarus actually died people were grieving

people had come from all over Lazarus has been

dead for four days. Do you ever feel like God

has put you in a bad spot and there is no alternative

but the absolute worst disaster that you can

think of? And you're like, why is God delaying?

Why is he not responding the way that I want

and the timing that I want? The very answer to

that is right here. Jesus loved us by obeying

the Father for the glory of the Father at the

right time. Remember, people were trying to push

him to be the king. They said, time's not come.

And then, of course, when he's killed, nobody

wants things. OK, this is not the king, then.

When Jesus was questioned by whose authority

he was teaching in the temple in John chapter

John 7 · chapter mention

7, he says this. He who speaks from himself seeks

his own glory. But he who seeks the glory of

the one who sent him is true. And no unrighteousness

is an enemy. So the question that we have to

ask ourselves is, are we speaking for our own

glory? Are we doing things for our own glory

or for the glory of God? Are we living as the

people of the resurrection for God's glory so

that others might know Him? Are we so cross with

other people? Are we so antagonistic? Are we

growing people in the Lord? Not for any gain

of ourselves, not for anyone to mention what

we've done. Dearly beloved, Jesus, when assuring

his disciples, tells them if they love him, they

will keep his commandments. Of course, they're

not gonna be without sin, but when they do sin,

right? They will repent. Now, what does this

mean to keep the commandments? It means they

are to guard their observance of His commandments.

Now, what's the first question that you've got

to ask yourself about guarding the observance

of God's commandments? You got to know them.

One question I might ask you is, can you recite

the Ten Commandments? And then the second question

is, do you even know what they mean? Last summer,

we did a whole series on the Ten Commandments,

or as I think is more appropriate to call them,

the Ten Words. These are God speaking his law

to his people. And I put a whole sermon on what

those meant. Some of those things might have

been new to you. Are you studying God's law so

you understand what these things mean? What they

do prohibit and what they do tell you to do You

see if they sin you got to know it and so that

when you do sin you will in humility repent We

need to follow God's own example of love which

is serving others love by sacrificial living

is not For our own glory, but for the glory of

God Sometimes we can get on social media, or

we can get on the phone, or in a conversation,

or do things in such a way that people say, look

at me and the hardship I've had, or the sacrifices

I've made, or the things that I've done. Whose

glory is that for? The fidelity of their love.

will be to keep the commandments for God's glory

alone. Do you follow God's word for your glory

or God's glory? Are your motives in such a way

that others recognize your works and they see

God in Christ Jesus? Are you allied with God

or merely a co -belligerent? Do you follow the

commandments of God for the approval of men?

Do you fight for acknowledgement from others?

Do you go to work for men or for money or to

please God? How do you do your work? Does the

how relate to exactly how much it is and for

what attention you'll get from it or Is it so

that they know God? Do you do hospitality for

the honors of your cooking, or your housekeeping,

or even to hear praises about your family, or

your hobbies, or your interests? Do you dress

or adorn yourself to please and glorify the Father,

or for the applauses, accolades, and acknowledgement

of others? Do you attend this church? Simply

to have some type of marriage bad merit badge

that says I go to the best church in town The

most right church the one that follows the Bible

the best Or do you come here to worship God?

for his glory Dearly beloved all of this All

those motives that point back to you. This is

contrary to Jesus' words here, and is echoed

again by Paul in 2 Timothy 3, 1 -5. We can hear

now that those who do not seek the glory of God,

for they are hudstrong, haughty, Lovers of pleasure

rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness,

but denying its power And what does Paul say

and from such people? turn away Now these people

they look right and good their families might

look like they're in order They might do all

the right kinds of things, but to what end? for

whose glory Jesus now brings his assurance to

his disciples who of course are realizing Because

he keeps saying it again and again because they're

hard -headed just like we are But he's saying

that he must leave them But he says I will not

leave you as orphans He says he will pray the

father that's beseech the father that is get

the father's ear and he will give you another

helper or comforter that he may abide with you

forever. Now this isn't helper like, okay, you

know, gonna pick up, this Holy Spirit's gonna

come around to just pick up your messes. No,

no, no. This word is paraclete in the Greek,

and it means an advocate. One who builds up one

who encourages one who confronts one who sticks

with you He dwells with you and he will be with

you and he will help you You see Jesus sends

to us the third person of the Trinity and in

this way the spirit gives us wisdom Convicts

us of our sin as it says in John 16 and the spirit

dwells with us and works for God's providential

plan to the glory of the Father and the Son and

for our benefit. Even if it's not in our timing,

even if we think that everything is stacked against

us in the government and in the legal system

and in the church and everything else. Obey God

for His glory. Keep steady. God dwells with His

people. through the Spirit, because of the work

of the Son. And we're reunited to the Father.

Jesus is assuring his church of his abiding with

them. It is sure. But again, the troubling circumstances

were once again highlighted by Jesus. A little

while longer, and the world will see me no more.

but you will see me because I live, you will

live also. And in that day you will know that

I am in my Father, you in me, and I in you. So

again, you come back to this troubling thing.

Jesus is like, he's like a dog on a bone. He

will not leave. Hey, are you listening to me?

You can almost see him coming up and grabbing

him and shaking him. Are you listening? You ever

felt like that with your children? I may have

done that once. Here's the thing. Jesus is trying

to make clear the reality of what he is doing

and that he's not going to be with them. And

he has given him these very words. And he says

this, because I live, you will live also. What

this means is, I've got to go die. I'm going

to leave you. But I'm going to send you the spirit.

You're not abandoned. I'm going to dwell with

you by the Spirit Excuse me, and they're only

going to know all these things About I am in

the Father the Father's in me and I in you and

this so you to the Father all of that happens

because he goes Jesus again points to his impending

arrest and Those disciples are going to abandon

him his suffering and his death he points to

all these terrible things Too often, we don't

want to accept the hard providences that God

allows. Let me say this again because we need

to hear this. Too often, we don't want to accept

the hard providences that God allows. We desire

to be delivered from our hardships and we can

ask Him, But you know, sometimes we at least

want to be distracted from our miseries. You

do understand that without the misery of Jesus'

arrest, suffering and death, we cannot get to

the resurrection. Without the resurrection, we

cannot deal with our sin or be reconciled to

our holy God. It is in the resurrection that

the disciples truly see as they have never before

understood that Jesus is in the Father and that

they are in Him and Jesus is in them. So there

at the end when we hear Jesus reiterate, He who

has my commandments and keeps them, it is He

who loves me and He who loves me will be loved

by my Father and I will love Him and manifest.

myself to Him. We know that Jesus died for our

sins and He didn't leave us leaving us with that.

He didn't leave us to ourselves but we are reconciled

to the Father in Him and He in us but also that

the Holy Spirit comes to change our hearts and

minds to conform us to Christ Jesus. What do

we know? Like we keep seeing continuously Disciples

Standing right in there Jesus explaining it again

and again. He's like this is Judas Lord, how's

it you'll manifest yourself to us and not to

the world because they're thinking right if you

manifest just yourself to me Well, the world's

not gonna see me with you Sitting in your great

throne and and and be that co -regent And Jesus

answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep

my word and my father will love him and we will

come to him and make our home with him. He who

does not love me doesn't keep my words. Jesus

just goes, he pivots back to what he's been saying.

See, Judas here, not the Ascariot, he's just

on the wrong thinking. And he's been walking

with Jesus for three years. You may have been

walking with Jesus for a long time or a short

time. Turn yourself to his priorities for his

glory alone. Know his word. Learn it. Love it.

Obey it. And through the church, through the

brethren, by the power of the Spirit, love one

another. And you will truly understand and see

God manifest. Dearly beloved, Jesus is enthroned,

and that is a great joy. We are not alone. Jesus,

who always keeps his word, has told us that he

abides, that is, dwells with us in the Spirit.

Judas wanted to know how Jesus would be manifested

if he's not here with us. Jesus, having already

assured them of the Spirit, responds. And he

says this. Love me. Love. and keep my commandments.

God's people in their love shown by obedience

reveals and manifests God to the world for God's

glory. Let me say that again. God's people in

their love shown by obedience reveals and manifests

God to the world. Don't worry about what the

world is thinking or seeing. Obey Him. You might

say this is the slow road. Obey Him steadfast,

steady, first in worship. And then at the end

of the worship service, we are commissioned.

And we go together in the Spirit and flow out

into the world, loving God and keeping His commandments,

thus transforming the world from glory to glory.

Here in closing, these last words in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. Nevertheless, when one turns to the

Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is

the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord

is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled

face, beholding as a mirror the glory of God,

are being transformed into the same image. That

is the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, from glory

to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

People of God, The living triune God abides in

His church so we are able to love Jesus and to

guard and observe the commandments of God that

His glory may be revealed in the world in every

single relationship that we have. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your

Son to deliver us. from our sin that we might

be reconciled to you and abide with you forever.

Help us, we pray, to be children of the resurrection

and so love Jesus and obey his commands to your

glory and your honor that our light may shine

before men that they may see our obedience and

glorify you. We ask all this for the sake of

your son Jesus who reigns with you and the Holy

Spirit forever and ever. Amen.