Love One Another (Part 3) John 15:9-17

Love One Another (Part 3)
John 15:9-17

The question of love IS a question of specific, quantifiable activities that actively and accurately express an internal commitment to radiate the character of God toward other people. But this love, this love with which Jesus loves, before it can be adequately or accurately portrayed in action, must be experienced as condition. Before we can do love, we must have love.
   
Before we can love one another as Christ loves us, the moral and spiritual character of God must be instilled in us as it was in him. If we attempt to follow the command to love without accepting the invitation to be filled with God’s love, we risk becoming merely another generation of Christian Pharisees, following the letter of the command without the heart or spirit of the One who issues the command.

Jesus warned the Pharisees of his day, acknowledging their commitment to doing what they were told, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23) When Jesus answered the man’s question about what is the greatest commandment, he defined the “weightier matters of the law” again. Love was what the Pharisees left undone. They followed the letter and left the love out. Unless we gain Christ’s own character, his own heart, we may well become men and women who speak the words of Christ but lack the substance of Christ; who do the works of Christ, but lack the Spirit of Christ; who follow the command of Christ but lack the love of Christ; men and women described by the apostle Paul as having a “form of godliness, but lacking the power thereof.” [2 Tim. 3:5]

The command to love as Jesus loves is more than a command to action. It is a command to become, a command to spiritual formation, a command to BE, in spiritual character and physical action, like Jesus.

Now, practical-oriented people, when they encounter the requirements of spiritual formation, of becoming like Jesus, often want a grocery list of specific actions. They think to themselves, “I don’t really need all this spiritual, theological stuff. Just tell me what I have to do.” Be concrete. Be practical. Speak to my hands, not my spirit.

Let me remind the practical-oriented folks among us of two important truths. First, when God created human beings, he created them for what they would be, not for what they would do. Read the creation account in Genesis 1. Pay special attention to Genesis 1:26-27. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Human beings are created in the image of God. Before they are sent to multiply and fill the earth they are created to BE the physical and spiritual representation of the moral character and spiritual nature of God. They were not created to be God, but to be God’s personal portrait in the physical world. In our persons and in the relationship as male and female, we were created to give all the created order an accurate picture of who God is by being like him.

If we do the things God does, but we do them without manifesting God’s true character in our character, then we actually represent our selves and not God. Only when external action flows from internal godliness can we fulfill our purpose as those who bear the image of God. The condition of our hearts, our spiritual conformity to the moral nature of God is absolutely essential to validate the things we do. We’ve got to get the heart right first so that what we do, we do out of the right heart.

The second important truth we need to remember is this: God redeems and re-creates human beings first and foremost to be conformed to the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.) Hebrews 1:3 reveals the Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” He perfectly fulfils the purpose for which human beings were created by God. When we are born again, when the gospel of Jesus Christ comes to us and we are enabled to believe unto salvation by the Holy Spirit through faith, God makes us a new creation which is to be like Jesus. The man Jesus Christ bore the image of God, redeemed men and women are to bear the image of Christ. That means, believers, that experiencing the moral and spiritual nature of Christ must be as high a priority in our lives as doing the mercy and compassion and righteous work of Christ.

Practical-folks, being like Jesus is no less important than doing like Jesus. Being like Jesus requires that we be filled with the Spirit of Jesus who, according to God’s word, is responsible for spreading abroad the love of Christ in our hearts.

Are you prepared to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to let God have full, complete, unhindered control of your heart, your life? Are you prepared for God to make you into what you are not yet, conformed to the image of his Son?

When the Holy Spirit comes, he will not merely make room for Jesus in your life, he will take over your life for Jesus. When the Holy Spirit comes, Christ will not be just one of several guiding influences in your decision making and value system, he will be the decision maker and THE guide. When the Holy Spirit comes, you will no longer belong to yourself, but to God, who purchased you with the blood of his Son. When the Holy Spirit comes, you will want Jesus more than life itself.

When the Holy Spirit comes pride falls, jealousy fades, hatred ceases, arrogance ends, selfishness dies, greed grovels, immorality withers, anger wilts. When the Holy Spirit comes, love will be your priority, joy will be your reward, peace will be your outreach, patience will be your clock, kindness will be your response, goodness will be your character, faith will be your agenda, gentleness will be your manner, and self-control will be your witness.

God is prepared to fill you with his Spirit. Are you prepared to be filled with the Spirit? When the Holy Spirit comes, you will be endued with power and you will be witnesses of Jesus to the uttermost ends of the earth. When the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin, and righteousness and judgment. When the Holy Spirit comes he will teach you all you need to know and remind you of everything Jesus said. When the Holy Spirit comes he will be your comforter and your counselor. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will turn the world upside down through you. Are you prepared to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Some of you are prepared, but many of you are not. The disciples were not prepared. To them Jesus gave these instructions: “Stay where you are and actively wait for God’s promise.” Get together with God and stay there until he pours out his blessing. Pray, fast, seek, ask, and when he has prepared you, receive. If you are to fulfill the command of Christ, then you must be filled with the Spirit of Christ. Practically-oriented people, are you prepared to be filled with the Spirit?

And let me speak this morning to the spiritually-oriented people as well. Spiritually-oriented people often just want to be left alone. They think to themselves, “I am tired of being told what to do. I have Jesus in my heart. I’ve been saved. I have a relationship with God. That’s all I need. I’m spiritually aware and theologically sound. I pray. I read my Bible. I know Jesus and that’s enough. I love people in my heart, now enough with this ‘to do’ list stuff.”

Let me remind the spiritually-oriented folks among us of two important truths. First, you were created to do good works. The Spirit reveals through the apostle Paul that Christians, true followers of Jesus, are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). The apostle writes to those who are “created in Christ Jesus.” He writes to those who have Jesus in their hearts. He writes to the saved, to the people of faith, to the spiritually aware and theologically sound, to those who glory in the Spirit and word of God. (Come on, spiritually-oriented people, you know you want to put your name in that verse!) The Spirit writes to those who have been worked on by God and instructs them to got to work on God’s “to do list!”

God has a list. Did you see that? We were created in Christ, redeemed by his blood, saved by his grace, transformed by his love, given a new heart and a new spirit, made a new creation to do the good works which God “prepared in advance for us to do.” “Prepared in advance.” God has a list. Spiritually-oriented folks, God actively works in the world to spread his glory and advance his kingdom. He created you to participate, to be in the world but not of the world, so you could actively, through daily engagement, spread his glory and advance his kingdom.

Now, please listen, spiritual-oriented people, if you fail to do the good works for which God has saved you, recreated you, you fail as well to actively and accurately bear his image in the world. God’s love for people is practical and personal. He cares for both the spiritual AND the physical condition of these people for whom he sent his Son to die! Jesus fed. Jesus healed. Jesus wept. Jesus touched. Jesus gave. Jesus died. Jesus loved. Wounded, hurting, lost people loved by God abound. There is more than enough work to do. There is work for you.

The second truth I need to set before the spiritually-oriented folks is this: knowledge of God leads to godliness and true godliness leads to good works. Read Paul’s letter to Titus, please. He opens the letter by telling us his whole purpose in ministry is to assist God’s people in gaining the knowledge of God that leads to godliness. Godliness is the spiritual condition of heart and life whereby we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus. He summarizes the teaching in the letter with these instructions: (Titus 3:8) "The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people." Then he concludes the letter saying, “And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

Godly people do good works. Godly people engage in lives that reflect God’s moral character and his active concern for others. Godly people don’t avoid the “to do list.” Filled with the Spirit they are empowered and enabled and motivated to accomplish God’s “to do” list.

Spiritually-oriented folks, being like Jesus means doing what Jesus does for the reasons Jesus does them. Being like Jesus means doing like Jesus. And doing what Jesus does requires that we be filled with the Spirit of Jesus who, according to God’s word, is responsible for spreading abroad the love of Christ in our hearts and drawing that love out of our hearts.

Are you prepared to be filled with the Spirit? Are you ready to let God have full, complete, unhindered control of your heart, your life? Are you prepared for God to send you into the world to manifest the very heart and life of Jesus among spiritually dead and blind people whose greatest need at the moment is to see Jesus with their own eyes by seeing him in you?

When the Holy Spirit comes, he will bestow spiritual gifts, divine enablements, so that you can serve him according to his will. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will thrust you into the life of the church and the life of people to manifest the power and grace of God. When the Holy Spirit comes, worship and service will be all one glorious, purposeful activity. When the Holy Spirit comes, Jesus will fill the vistas of your desire and your life’s purpose will be bound up in him. When the Holy Spirit comes, you will think of Christ first and yourself last. When the Holy Spirit comes, all that God loves will be your love. When the Holy Spirit comes, nothing will matter more than Jesus. When the Holy Spirit comes you will take up your cross daily, deny yourself, and follow Jesus.

God is prepared to fill you with his Spirit. Are you prepared to be filled with the Spirit? When the Holy Spirit comes, you will be endued with power and you will be witnesses of Jesus to the uttermost ends of the earth. When the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin, and righteousness and judgment. When the Holy Spirit comes he will teach you all you need to know and remind you of everything Jesus said. When the Holy Spirit comes he will be your comforter and your counselor. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will turn the world upside down through you. Are you prepared to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Jesus commanded his followers to love one another as he has loved us. Practically-oriented people will want to make sure their hearts and spirits are right before God, that they are aligned with him and conformed to the image of his Son, in order to fulfil this commandment properly. Spiritually-oriented people will want to take specific action toward the people around them in order to fulfil this command properly. Each will want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with Christ as they set out to keep the command.

But let me ask, is there a risk? Is there a risk in just shrugging all this off and treating it as just more Sunday morning words? Is there a risk to not examining our heart condition or not engaging in God’s good works? I’ll close this morning with two passages of Scripture, both from the lips of Jesus himself, one for the practical people and one for the spiritual people.

The first is found in Matthew chapter seven in Jesus’ sermon on the mount. He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’  On the day we stand before God, it will not matter what we have done in Jesus’ name. It will only matter that we have borne Jesus’ name. It is not what you’ve done, but who you know, more so, who knows you. Make sure that relationship is in place.

The second passage is also found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31-46: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Ultimately, the risk of ignoring God’s messages can be eternal. God is here today. His Spirit is among us, speaking to us about the condition of our hearts, our spirits, our lives. I know what he is saying to me. You know what he is saying to you.

Perhaps God is calling you out of sin and selfishness into a new relationship with him. Perhaps he is pressing you to surrender your all to him and be filled with his Spirit. Perhaps he is laying some person or some need upon your heart to which he would have you lay your hands. Whatever God is saying, now is the time to respond. Now is the time to say “yes” with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Now is the time to say “yes” to God with all your yesterdays, today, and all your tomorrows. “Now,” is the appointed time. Today is the day. Say “yes” to God.