The Gospel Of John Chapter 15 Pt. 6 Abiding In Christ And His Great Love

The vast love of God for sinners, is His motive for our salvation. 

John 3:16-17  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

These very familiar and beautiful verses express the depths of God's love for us. How much did God love the world and all mankind?

He loved us enough, that based upon His perfect foreknowledge, He planned to save us, before He created the world. I do not think we can overemphasize this truth. 

The eternal Godhead knew that Adam and Eve would sin, and knew that all humanity would be plunged into sin. 

Knowing these things, God still loved us and His love determined that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would come to earth as the seed of the woman (See Acts 2:23-24). 

Jesus would live a perfect life and Son of God and Son of man, perfectly satisfying the holy law of God. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, is His triumph over sin, death, Hell, the Devil, and the grave (See Colossians 2:8-15). 

Jesus bore our sins in His own body, on the cross. 

1 Peter 2:21-24  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22)  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23)  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24)  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.   

Then, Jesus voluntarily died in our place on the cross. Jesus carried all the sins of all humanity from all ages upon His own body. 

Through Christ's once for all sacrifice, all who turn to Jesus with repentant faith, can be saved. They can be born again into the family of God. 

God loved us while we were unclean, unlovable sinners. 

Romans 5:8-9  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9)  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

God loved us while we were still stuck in the mire and mud of sin's degradation.

God's amazing love is directed toward all sinners. 

God will not force anyone to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

However, He wants all people, everywhere, to repent of their sins, and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (See Acts 17:22-34; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9). 

Continue in the same joyous love that Jesus has for His Father.

John 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 

Our love toward God is a response to His deep love for us. Jesus is teaching us that we should fully embrace and bask in the love that God has for each of His redeemed children. 

We must continue to read the Bible and seek to understand more of His love to us, so that we might respond aright by loving Him more fully. 

Our love for Jesus Christ should be a grateful response to His love for us.

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us. 

John summarizes the Christian's response to the love of God toward us. We love Him, and the reason is that He loved us first, while we were sinners. 

Who could not love a God such as Jehovah? His love reaches to the most vile sinner. He offers the gift of eternal life to all who will repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

His love is unconditional. He freely offers it to us because His Son, Jesus Christ, made a way for us to come to the Father and be restored. 

Jesus Christ's love is a saving love, because He loved us enough to die on a cross, in order to wash us from our sins with His own blood (Revelation 1:5).

Abide in Christ so that we are not ashamed when He returns. 

1 John 2:28,29  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29)  If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 

The apostle John weighs in on the duty of each believer in Christ. Our motivation is knowing that Jesus Christ will return one day, to take us home to heaven.

Jesus is going to judge our motivation for serving Him. He will assess how well we used out time, talents and resources for His kingdom. 

There is a clear path to hearing our Lord commend us with the words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (See Matthew 25:14-30).

That path is abiding in Him. If we consistently and faithfully abide in Christ, we will not be ashamed or embarrassed when Jesus returns. 

We will have a happy anticipation and joy, knowing that the Lord will reward those who faithfully serve Him. 

Keeping Jesus' commandments models Christ's obedience as God's Son. 

John 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 

If we keep Christ's commandments, we shall abide in His love. An obedient spirit of true discipleship in us, cherishes the blessing of keeping Jesus' commandments. 

We rejoice in experiencing the increase of Christ’s love in our heart.  Jesus tells us that this was the joy and blessing of His own abiding in His Father’s love!

Full joy comes from loving one another sacrificially. 

John 15:11-13  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12)  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13)  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Jesus summarizes what He has been teaching His disciples to this point. He had great joy in doing His Father's will. He had great joy when people responded to His preaching. 

He had great joy in ministering to the suffering, sick and sorrowing. He had great joy in knowing that many sinners would be saved, through His death on the cross.  

Jesus endured the misery of the cross for the joy of saving sinners. 

Hebrews 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Jesus received the greatest joy in doing the will of His Father. He continued in this joy, even to His death on the cross. 

The joy that Jesus had was for each sinner who would be saved through gospel preaching. 

Heaven explodes in joy over each sinner who repents and turns to Jesus Christ for salvation (See Luke 15:7-10).

Jesus tells us to have this same joy in our own hearts. The joy of doing the Father's will to the best of our ability, and the joy of sharing the gospel and seeing God save a sinner from eternal condemnation. 

Jesus gives a new commandment, that we should love one another, even as He loved us. The greatest display of love is when a man lays down his life for his friends.

This is what Jesus did on the cross for us. He laid down His life, to pay for our sins. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

All who love one another, ought to display the love of God in their relationships. 

1 John 4:7-11  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9)  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10)  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11)  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 

John tells us to love one another because this is the command Jesus gave to His disciples. The kind of love displayed by the Lord Jesus Christ, is Divine love. This kind of love is from God. 

The Spirit of God pours out the love of God into our hearts, when we are converted to Christ. This is why we can love one another, because it comes from the love of God for us. 

Joy fills our hearts because God loved us first, and His love sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. 

Therefore, this is why we can and should love one another. 

May the Lord Jesus Christ help us know more of His great love for us, that we might love Him more and more. May the Holy Spirit help us love one another in our homes and churches. 

Bob