John Ch15v12-17 - You Are My Friends

John 15 this morning, so if you could open up your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John and chapter 15.

There are some notes available, there might be still some at the back.

Originally, I was going to preach one sermon from verse 9 to verse 17 of chapter 15.

Last week, I only did three verses, so this really is a continuation of the same section,

and in some ways is a part two to the sermon of last week.

There were just too many good things in these verses to look at.

So I'm going to read the sections, we're going to read John chapter 15, 9 to 17,

John 15 · chapter mention

and we're going to focus on verses 12 to 17 this morning.

John 15, verse 9,

John 15:9

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Now remain in my love.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.

I've told you this so that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be complete.

My command is this,

love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,

to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You are my friends,

if you do what I command.

I no longer call you servants,

because a servant does not know his master's business.

Instead, I have called you friends.

For everything that I learned from my Father,

I have made known to you.

You did not choose me,

but I chose you,

and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.

Fruit that will last.

And so that whatever you ask,

in my name,

the Father will give you.

This is my command.

Love each other.

Let's pray.

Father, we have your good word in front of us.

It is a joy simply to read it,

and to hear what you would say directly,

by your Spirit,

through the Scriptures to us.

And we also thank you, Lord,

that we can hear the Scriptures explained,

and we pray, Lord, by your Spirit,

that we would listen and hear

what you would say to us this morning,

through the preaching of your word.

Most assuredly, that's for our good,

and we know it is for your glory.

Amen.

Well, if you were here with us last week,

we looked at verses 9 to 11.

And if you weren't,

a very, very brief recap.

Three things.

Everything, verse 11,

begins from the love of God the Father and Jesus.

As the Father has loved me,

so have I loved you.

That's number one.

Two, Jesus' life shows us

that love and obedience go hand in hand.

They go together.

Three, verse 11,

I have told you this,

so that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be complete.

We can be as happy as Jesus.

So there are the three things from last week.

It begins with the Father.

However, Jesus' life shows us

that love and obedience

don't need to be separated,

and that we can have the joy

or the happiness of Jesus in our lives.

As I said, verse 11 is where we left it.

Jesus' joy from the love that he has

with the Father and from his obedience

can be in us.

As we love and as we obey Jesus,

we experience the same joy

that Jesus experiences.

But now here's the rub,

and I hope you left last week

kind of thinking about this.

Jesus is perfect

in both his love and his obedience.

Jesus is perfect.

So how can an imperfect Christian,

that's you and me,

hold love and obedience together?

How can we do it?

Jesus is perfect.

He can do it.

How can we do it?

And then how can we experience

the joy of Jesus?

Because he's able to do it,

but we're not perfect.

Our reality is that we battle sin.

We have weaknesses,

and we have struggles,

and we face temptation.

We are finite beings

with failing bodies,

living in a fallen world,

a world that is opposed to God

and is under the influence

and direction of Satan.

We know hurt,

and we know disappointment from others.

How can we keep love

and obedience together

with all of this

when we see how Jesus does it perfectly?

Obedience of our Lord

is not easy.

What help is there

for putting love

and obedience into practice?

Well, verses 12 to 17

are there to help us see that

we can share in the joy of Jesus

by loving the friends of Jesus

with the love that Jesus shows us.

That's the big idea this morning

through these verses.

We share in the joy of Jesus

by loving the friends of Jesus

with the love that Jesus has shown us.

We're going to go through these verses

this morning to see that.

Verse 12.

My command is this.

Love each other as I have loved you.

Love and obey.

Jesus spells out

that organic connection for us

again in verse 12.

My command is this.

Love each other.

My command is this.

Love each other as I have loved you.

The command itself is to love.

Verse 17.

In case you missed it the first time,

this is my command.

Verse 17.

Love each other.

We love Jesus

when we obey Jesus.

And the command of Jesus

that we are to obey

is the command to love.

Obedience is from love to love.

It's circular.

The source is love.

The command is to love.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Remember Jesus in his own life.

He doesn't separate love

on one side of the equation

and on the very, very, very far side

kind of over there is obedience.

He doesn't do that.

So for us,

to love Jesus

is to obey Jesus.

To obey Jesus

is to love Jesus

and to love others.

Verse 12.

Love each other.

Who are the each other?

Well, first and foremost,

it's the people in your church.

And I say in the church

because the context here

is Jesus talking to his disciples,

his followers.

These are commands from Jesus

to believers

to love each other,

fellow believers

and followers of Jesus.

Of course,

we are all in one sense

to love all people

without distinction.

In another sense,

we are to love all believers,

those who are in the faith,

whether they're in this church or not,

but to say

that we love people

or that we love Christians

generically

and then ignore

or walk over

the people

and the Christians

that God has put in our path

day to day,

those who are in close proximity,

those who Jesus says

are our neighbors

because they are near us.

Well, to say we love people

and to love Christians

and to do that

is just hypocrisy.

No, we are to see

each other first

as our neighbors,

the people near us,

fellow believers,

the people in this church.

Our words,

our covenant commitment

to each other

in the church

as members

is seen

in our actions

towards each brother

and each sister,

the ones we see

each week

in our church.

Verse 13.

Here in verse 13

is the love

for one another

in the church

that Jesus commands.

And it's a

do as I do

type of love.

Let's read verse 13.

Greater love

has no one

than this

to lay down

one's life

for one's friends.

What's the extent

of this command

to love

each other?

The extent

of the command

to love

is based

on the love

of Jesus

to us.

That's what Jesus

is referring to

and talking about

in this verse.

And notice

that the love

of Jesus

is not simply

words

or a simple

bless you brother.

The love

of Jesus

towards us

is a heart.

Jesus' heart

that is moved

to self-sacrificing

action.

Love must be

from the heart,

must involve

the affections,

and it must be

expressed

through action.

because affection

without action

is mere sentiment.

We can talk

a good love,

but the love

of Jesus,

verse 13,

the love

of Jesus

is heart,

it is words,

and it is deeds.

Of course,

actions

without heart,

if we were to do

actions without love,

without the affections,

without the care,

without the heart,

well,

that's a meaningless

noise,

Paul says

in 1 Corinthians.

But love

without actions

is a kind of

pharisaical hypocrisy.

The heart,

the love,

and the actions

of obedience

and care

and love,

they go together.

Actions

properly

express

love.

love.

And Jesus'

love for us

is this,

verse 13,

that he lays

down his

life

for us.

Jesus'

love for us

is this,

it is dying

on a cross

for his friends,

even as those

friends,

the people he was

speaking to right

now,

were scattering

and running

and denying

and hiding

from him.

I want to share

three things

from these verses

from 12 and 13

that we can

see

about

love.

First,

love

is

demonstrated.

Love

is demonstrated.

Love

is enacted.

Jesus came

not with

ideas

and vague

niceties,

but he came

and he suffered

and he died

on the cross

in the place

of you

and me.

And if you are

here this morning

and you do

not know

the joy

of the love

of Jesus

in your life,

then see

verse 13,

see his love

for you

at the cross,

the place

where he died

so that your

sin

could be

forgiven

if this day

you would

believe in him

and confess

him

and confess

your sins,

then you

will be

forgiven

and counted

this very day

as a friend

of Jesus.

Love

is demonstrated

most clearly

at the cross.

Two,

love

is

self-sacrificing.

It puts

the needs

of others

before your

own.

That is

love.

Love

displaces

our own

comforts.

And it

spends

our

resources.

It pushes

comfort

aside.

It takes

what we

have,

our time,

our energy

and our

money,

and it

spends

those things

on caring

for our

friends.

Love

is a

laying down

of your

lunchtimes

or your

evenings

to catch

up and

encourage

someone in

their faith.

Love,

it's coming

here on a

Sunday and

setting aside

your preferences

for the

start time

and the

songs we

sing,

good choices

Connor by

the way,

so that we

can all

meet and

we can all

gather and

do things

together.

It means

setting aside

some of

our

preferences

because maybe

we want to

meet at a

different time

or we

prefer other

songs.

Love is

using less

money on

yourself so

that what you

give to the

church allows

us to gather

and minister

and reach

out with

the gospel.

Love is

giving less

priority to

hobbies or

gardening or

exercising or

streaming TV

shows in

order that for

once a month

that you would

gather with

your brothers

and sisters to

pray as a

church.

Love is

self-sacrificing.

Three, love is

measured in

comparison to

Jesus.

It is the

greatest love

that Jesus

has and he

says it's to

yield our

life for our

friends.

That's the

measure of

the love that

Jesus has and

that he shares

with us.

And so in

our last

breath maybe

we'll be

serving another.

We simply

cannot be

known then.

If that's the

limit of love,

if that's the

extent of love,

it's measured

by what Jesus

has shown us,

then we

can't be

known as

people that

are tight

fisted.

We can't

be a

shrug the

shoulders type.

We can't

be a turn a

blind eye to

the needs of

other people.

If our

friends ask

for help,

we should

be there.

I know

this is

hard,

demanding.

It is a

high standard.

I just

want to

say this

is not

a call

to

sinless

perfection.

One

Christian

author

helpfully

writes,

none of

us is

perfect,

none of

us

complete,

none of

us without

weakness

and sin.

Though we

may have

grown in

humility,

we still

at times

take advantage

of people

we are

meant to

lead with

love.

Though we

may display

the

blessed

virtue of

gentleness,

we still

at times

succumb to

outbursts

of anger.

God,

and God

alone,

perfectly

exemplifies

every virtue

in its

fullest

forms.

But one

of the

blessings of

membership in

a local

church is

joining

together

through our

baptism,

through the

Lord's

table,

to recognize,

to see

one another

as friends

of Jesus.

Members of

a local

church,

Christians,

you have

a job,

and that

is to

recognize

and to

keep one

another as

friends of

Jesus.

That's job

number one

in this

church,

is to

recognize

those who

are friends

of Jesus

and help

keep one

another in

the faith.

And this,

brothers and

sisters,

is our

public and

our private

duty of

care to

one another

and not

mere

sentiment.

To help

us understand

this, I

want us to

turn to

1 John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

1 John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

so if you

could turn

in your

Bibles,

please,

to 1 John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

It's page

1226.

We're going

to be looking

at verse

16.

The

apostle

John,

he wrote

the gospel

of John,

and he

also authored

a number

of letters.

And so

he wrote,

he recorded

the words

of Jesus

for us,

and those

words have

an enormous

effect on

John in

his life.

And later

he writes

to a church,

and I

believe he's

more than

likely picking

up the

words of

Jesus that

he wrote

in chapter

15,

of that

self-sacrificing

love poured

into Christians,

into their

duties and

their lives.

And John

makes it

incredibly

practical for

us,

and I think

this is the

best commentary

on John

15,

is John

himself

explaining

these verses.

So John,

1 John

3,

chapter 3,

verses 16

to 18.

This is how

we know

what love

is.

Jesus Christ

laid down

his life

for us,

and we

ought to

lay down

our lives

for our

brothers

and sisters.

If anyone

has material

possessions,

and sees a

brother or

sister in

need,

but has

no pity

on them,

how can

the love

of God

be in

that person?

Dear

children,

let us

not love

with words

or speech,

but with

actions

and in

truth.

We are

wonderfully

blessed by

a church

family.

We lift

our eyes

to our

Savior,

who laid

down his

life on

the cross

for us.

And so

we ought

to lay

down our

lives,

to lay

down our

comforts,

to lay

down our

possessions

of time

and energy

and money,

which we

all have

in some

measure

for our

brothers and

sisters.

John makes

it clear in

1 John 3,

let us

never claim

to love

Jesus,

and then

neglect

truth and

action.

if you

see your

brother or

sister in

need,

or you

are asked

for help,

do not

turn the

blind eye

or shrug

the shoulders,

but know

that God

has gifted

each of

us for

acts of

service in

his

kingdom.

Back to

the Gospel

of John

in chapter

15,

verse 14.

You are

my friends

if you

do what

I command.

Jesus

calls his

disciples in

verse 14

his friends.

You are

my friends.

You are

my friends.

And we

sung about

it, and

it is so

true.

What a

comfort to

be called

a friend

of Jesus,

to be called

a friend

of the

living God,

to be

his friend

and not

his enemy.

But now

we need

to deal

with what

I describe

as a

troubling

if.

The call

you are

my friends

is linked

to do

what I

command

by an

if.

You are

my friends

if you

do what

I command.

And we

can naturally

read verse

14 like

this.

If you

obey,

then you

can be

my

friend.

If you

obey,

then you

can be

my

friend.

And we

can read

like,

obedience

first,

friendship

is second.

And we

can start

to think

and to

act.

We can

do this.

Like,

the ground

of our

friendship,

the basis

of our

friendship

with Jesus

is our

obedience.

Because we

read something

like this,

or we

pick up

verse 14

in isolation

and we

say,

okay,

command

obedience.

If that's

right,

then I

can be

a friend

of Jesus.

Then I

am a

friend

of Jesus.

Now,

I hope

that such

a conclusion

or such

a sense

of verse

14

doesn't

feel right.

In fact,

I hope

it feels

wrong.

That's

not how

we should

think

and read

verse 14

in context,

in the context

of John,

in the context

of all

of Scripture.

If you've

been to

this church

or you

go to

a like-minded

gospel

church,

then you

should know

that it

is anti-gospel

and anti-Jesus

to say

obedience

is the

grounds

for knowing

Jesus.

Obedience

is not

the grounds

for knowing

Jesus.

Obedience

is not

the grounds

for friendship

with Jesus.

That's not

how this

if is

working.

For we

know

from the

Scriptures

that the

ground

is this,

that Jesus

Christ

freely

gave

himself

for us

and it

is by

grace

that we

have been

saved,

not by

our

obedience.

It is

only through

faith

in the

work

that Jesus

has done

that we

are his

friends.

Many of

us are

familiar with

Ephesians

Ephesians 2:8–10

chapter 2

verses 8

to 10

and this

is what

it says,

for it

is by

grace

you have

been

saved

through

faith

and this

not from

yourselves,

it is the

gift of

God,

not by

works,

not by

obedience,

not by

the law

so that

no one

can boast.

For we

are God's

handiwork

created in

Christ Jesus

to do

good works

which God

prepared in

advance for

us to

do.

But our

salvation,

the grounding

of our

salvation

is that

it is

in

Jesus

Christ

alone.

It is

grace

alone,

through

faith

alone,

in

Christ

alone,

always

and

forever.

Amen.

Or we

would be

undone.

If our

friendship

with Jesus

was based

on our

obedience,

we'd

have no

chance.

But

we must

also not

discard

obedience

obedience

as of

little

or of

no

importance.

We must

not

discard

obedience

and so

cheapen

the very

grace that

Christ has

shown us.

We confess

Jesus as

both

Savior

and

Lord

and we

love him

and we

obey him.

Remember,

they go

together.

Those attempts

to separate

them out

and push

them apart

and say

it's all

by what

you do,

you gotta

do,

you gotta

do,

you gotta

do.

It's

only about

faith and

it doesn't

matter how

you live.

Once saved,

always saved.

You put

your hand up

one time and

it doesn't

matter,

you don't

have to

repent,

you don't

have to

follow

Jesus.

Be so

wary of

those

extremes

that push

love and

obedience of

Jesus apart.

How then

are we best

to understand

verse 14?

It still

seems brutally

kind of

hard.

The if,

you are my

friends,

if you

do what

I command.

Well,

I think it's

helpful not

to isolate

the verse,

but to

look at it

in the

wider context.

We look

in the

wider context

of the

scriptures

and what

it means

to be

a Christian,

but I

think it's

helpful.

I'm just

going to

put it up

there and

read these

verses out.

These are

other verses

just in the

context of

John and

in these

immediate

chapters that

say similar

things.

And so I

think we

want to

take all of

these

together.

chapter 14

and verse 15.

I'm just

going to

read these

out.

If you

love me,

you will

obey what

I command.

If you

love me,

you will

obey.

Whoever has

my commands

and obeys

them, he

is the one

who loves

me.

If anyone

loves me,

he will

obey my

teaching.

He who

does not

love me

will not

obey my

teaching.

The

verse we're

looking at,

if you

keep my

commands,

or sorry,

the verse

before it,

verse 10,

if you

keep my

commands,

you will

remain in

my love.

And the

verse we're

looking at,

you are

my friends

if you

do what

I command.

And I

would say

if you

take those

verses

together and

understand the

wider sense

of scripture

and what we

know to be

true about

the basis

of our

friendship with

Jesus,

obedience

points towards

love and

friendship.

our

obedience is

a pointer

towards the

reality of

our friendship

with Jesus.

It's not

that obedience

causes

friendship.

Love

comes first.

Love

comes first.

The love

of Jesus

for you

always,

always,

always comes

first.

Verse 14,

Jesus saying

that if you

see somebody

doing what

I command,

that is a

visible sign

that they

are my

friend.

That's

really what

verse 14

is saying.

Like Jesus

explained in

chapter 14,

one of the

verses we

looked at,

if anyone

loves me,

he will

obey my

teaching.

Verses 15

and 16,

I no longer

call you

servants

because a

servant does

not know

his master's

business.

Instead,

I have

called you

friends.

for everything

that I

learned from

my father

I have

made known

to you.

You did

not choose

me,

but I

chose you

and appointed

you so

that you

might go

and bear

fruit,

fruit that

will last,

and so

that whatever

you ask in

my name,

the father

will give

you.

Jesus

gives us

many

encouragements

here.

Again,

I just

want to

call out

three

this

morning.

Encouragements

as to what

it means

to be a

friend and

not a

servant.

To be a

friend and

not a

servant.

Encouragements

that will

help us

in our

obedience of

him and

our service

to others.

First,

we are in

the family

and we

know the

family business

and the

family business

is to bear

fruit.

Verse 15,

I no longer

call you

servants

because a

servant does

not know

his master's

business.

Instead,

I have

called you

friends.

For

everything

that I have

learned from

my father,

I have

made known

to you.

God

could

demand

that we

simply

obey

like a

servant.

Think of

the supreme

commander

of an

army,

tasked

with the

grand

plan and

ambition to

defeat the

enemy.

will that

commander,

the supreme

commander,

can come to

a soldier on

the battlefield

and say,

go and

take that

hill.

And a

soldier,

they just

have to

follow orders,

no ifs or

buts or

why that

hill or

can you

send Johnny

or Joey

or Mikey

over the

back there,

I'm not

really keen

on that

hill.

No,

the general

orders,

the soldier

obeys,

the hill

is stormed.

That's one

way to do

command and

obey,

isn't it?

It's not,

it's not

how Jesus

treats us.

Jesus shares

everything with

us, all

that is needed

for life and

godliness and

obeying the

father.

He shares

with us

we're part

of the

family.

We have

refrigerator

rights.

We can

walk into

the house

and take

food.

We're

not a

servant.

We're

not a

low-ranked

soldier.

We're

more like

trusted

confidants.

We're

more like

generals in

his army.

We know

the mission.

We know

what he

calls us

to.

We know

why he

has

shown us

the depths

of his

love for

us in

tying on

the cross.

How will

he not

show us

everything

we need

in this

life to

follow him?

We know

the mission.

The mission

to be

fruit-bearing

friends of

Jesus.

Second,

we are

chosen by

Jesus to

bear fruit.

Verse 16,

you did

not choose

me, but

I chose

you and

appointed

you so

that you

might go

and bear

fruit,

fruit that

will last.

If we

need

confirmation

in these

verses that

salvation is

not by

works,

then we

have it

here.

We did

not choose

Jesus.

He chose

us.

We

didn't

decide

one day,

I'm going

to really

obey Jesus

and he'll

have to

be my

friend.

It's not

how it

works.

Jesus

chose

you and

appointed

you for

love and

obedience.

It's not

by works.

In the

plans of

the Father

and the

Son in

eternity

past,

before a

single

atom

came into

being and

spun,

Jesus

chose

you,

Jesus

appointed

you,

that you

would go

and bear

fruit,

fruit that

will last,

last into

eternity.

This is the

family business.

This is why

you are sons and

daughters of

God the

Father.

This is why

you are brothers

and sisters

with Jesus.

That's why

we are brothers

and sisters

in this

church,

because we're

in the

family business

and it all

originates in

the love of

the Father

to the Son

and the plan

of the Father

through the

Son to

rescue and

appoint a

people that

would be

fruitful.

Why?

Because Jesus

is fruitful.

Jesus is

fruitful.

Those that

image Jesus,

those that are

going to be

like Jesus

will be

fruitful.

A people

for Jesus

that are

fruitful in

their lives

of love for

each other,

just like

Jesus loved.

Fruitful in

fulfilling the

great command

of Jesus

on earth.

In Matthew

28,

Matthew 28,

Jesus says

to go,

make disciples,

baptize them.

What's the

final thing?

Teach them

everything that

I've commanded.

Jesus chose

us and

appointed us

to his

plan.

Isn't that

great?

Would you

not?

You've been

let in.

Follow the

plan?

Obey our

Lord?

Third and

finally,

know that

we are not

left on

our own.

We are

not left

on our

own in

our obedience

and following

of Jesus.

Know that

whatever we

ask in the

name of the

Father,

whatever we

ask so

that we

can be a

fruit-bearing

disciple of

Jesus,

everything we

ask that

would help

us to

love others,

the Father

will give

to you.

he will

give you

what is

needed for

obedience.

Scripture,

it just

says it

all the

time.

Here are

some verses.

His divine

power has

given us

everything we

need for

godly life

through our

knowledge of

him who

called us

by his own

glory and

goodness.

That's

2 Peter.

If any

of you

lacks

wisdom,

you should

ask God

who gives

generously to

all without

finding fault

and it will

be given

to you.

That's the

book of

James,

which we

read from

earlier.

Jesus

himself said

in Matthew

9,

ask the

Lord of

the harvest,

ask the

Lord of

the harvest,

therefore,

to send

out workers

into his

harvest field.

Will he

not give

us all

that is

needed for

his good

purposes in

this world

if we

would ask

him?

God the

Father will

equip us

for obedience,

for loving

others as

we ask.

He knows

the future,

we do

not.

He knows

what we

need.

Let us

ask him

for what

we need

in his

name so

that we

would be

fruitful

individually

and as

a church

in our

love and

our

obedience

of him.

I just

have one

final