Title: True Love (John 15:9-17)
[John 15:9-17]
[9] ♠ As the Father loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. [10] ♠ Just as I kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. ] ♠ I give this to you, that my joy may be in you, that your joy may be full [12] ♠ This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you [13] ♠ Greater love hath no one than this, to lay down one's life for a friend [14] ♠ If you do what I command you, you are my friends [15] ♠ I will no longer call you slaves; a servant knows what his master is doing. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, so that you go and bear fruit, and that your fruit always bears fruit. [17] ♠ I have commanded you to do this so that you may love one another.
First, obedience gives complete satisfaction.
Second, God's absolute sovereignty
is. What is the Lord saying? My commandment is that you love one another as I have loved you (12). Keep my commandments and love one another, which is the joy and happiness of the world. The Lord Himself set the example because He knew what we needed the most. Dear saints, let's love each other. It's really hard to love. It is difficult to love even between couples. Even my children sometimes find it difficult to love. He also tells us to love our enemies. It seems impossible, but you have to risk your life for the impossible. Why should we love? Because God is love. Agape love is in our hearts and must be practiced. You can love through the channel of Jesus Christ, the source of love. May you live a life that keeps the commandments of the Lord.
Families who have children may have seen SHREK. Long time ago in a dirty swamp, there was an ogre named Shrek. He was a pessimistic ogre with a cold sneer. One day the characters in this movie captured Shrek's swamp. To get his home back, he went to find Lord Farquad. On this journey, he met Donkey. So Lord Farquad made a deal with Shrek. The deal was to go to a dragon infested castle which held the beautiful Princess Fiona. This movie is about Shrek and Donkey trying to save Fiona. While trying to save Fiona, Shrek learned something called love. Fiona showed Shrek love so that changed Shrek. First he was a pessimistic ogre who had a cold sneer into an ogre that showed love.
Every one must have shown love or has been given love. How do you love? Because there is Jesus, we can love. In John 15:9-17, it talks about all love. Also Jesus talks about a totally different dimension in love. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to be nailed on the cross. And with that, he told them about a new command of loving one another and the kingdom of God(a.k.a heaven). Jesus and his disciples' relationship was love. As Jesus had loved and still loves us, we should love him back.IN John 1, it said that Jesus is hte true light and in John 8:12, it says that Jesus is the light of the world. And people who follows Jesus will never walk in the darkness. In John 14:6, only Jesus can save us. In John 15:8, Jesus said that he is the vine and we are the branches. We have an unbreakable relationship with Jesus. Without Jesus there can't be life. Do you know what truth is? Truth is glory and freshness. Truth never disappears and is eternal. True means real not false. So Jesus is true and final. Jesus is only one. This morning, lets hope that we can find Jesus' true love.
Obeying is perfectly satisfaction
Jesus said in his words, "I love you." through a grape vine and it's branches. Also, Jesus made a confession to you in his words,"I have always loved you.". While saying that he loved you, he told us to obey his new command of loving one another(John 15:10-11). Do you have God's joy in your life? When you follow Jesus, Jesus gives us a special joy. The joy stays in your life forever.Obeying gives us perfect satisfaction. Most people thing obeying is a burden. Why? Because we have to sacrifice something of ours. Jesus isn't a heavy burden. Jesus is our joy and happiness (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Jesus loves us so much that he gave his life for us and he still loves us up to this very second. Jesus loves us up to this second, so we have to love him back. We have to live inside Jesus' heart. This is the formula of love. The reason of the formula is that Jesus loved God that he obeyed to die on the cross.
God's absolute sovereignty