John 15 Study: Abiding In Christ, 5of10, Evans Olang

John 15:9-12, “9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”

In my experience in the last 15 years or so, songs about God’s love in different genres have been heard and sang. What I found strange is that majority of the lyrics left out the words like “God, Jesus, Son of God etc.) and you were left to somehow figure out if they were Christian God’s love song or not. Even some of the popular worship songs sound like thinly disguised teenage crush songs. When we think of God’s love, are we to think of boy/girl type of love type (hold me, kiss me, etc.)? Most of these songs are pampering love. God’s love is perfecting, persevering love. The disciples preached the love of God by preaching Christ crucified.

Jesus said, John 15:9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” We cannot be anything apart from Him, therefore love starts with the Father who loves His Son who extended that love unto us through His son,  1John 4:8, 1John 4:16. The Father the gardener loves the Vine (His Son), and the branches He prunes, He does it to align with His love for the Vine (His character, nature). His love was demonstrated by laying down His life, vs. 13. Abide in My love opens us to learn about His perfecting love not pampering love. This is the love we show the world, a love that has no partiality. The Fruit of the spirit begins with LOVE, Galatians 5:22. Apostle Paul dedicates a whole 1Corinthians 13 to tell us what love is and what it’s not. It’s in the light of this definition of love that other gifts may flower but love is the only power.  In summary, Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”, 1Corinthians 13:7.

John 15:10, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” We are not justified by keeping the commandments, we are recognized by living in the light of them. The world tries to keep just enough commandments to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18), as if to say there is a minimum requirement to graduate. Jesus calls for perfection (maximum) Matthew 5:48, a righteousness far beyond the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees who were considered the most righteous religious people who did the minimum for qualification. Jesus says to us all, “…, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”, Matthew 5:20. This is impossible with men however in salvation God works in us to live in the light of what we fell short according to His perfecting love. To abide in His love by keeping commandments is to demonstrate our delight in the law of God. 1John 5:2-3,” 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome”.

To keep His commandments is to go an extra mile, a mile of excellence, Matthew 5:38-.  In demonstrating what we are to our neighbors, Jesus gave the parable of a Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Jesus taught that His followers must demonstrate love to all kinds of people-no matter what faith, nationality, or personality-enemies included. Perfecting love goes outside the normal circle the world would demonstrate their love. Loving those who love us is easy and even unbelievers already do that. Jesus called us to love our enemies, forgive them, pray for them, that is an extra mile of excellence. This is what makes believers different, demonstrating to the world that we belong to Jesus and our lives are hidden in Him and we are a result of who He is in us. Paul in Galatians 2:20 says he lives but not him but Christ lives in him to show he can become what he could not be to others because of the new nature of relationship he has with Christ. It’s only through the power of God’s Spirit that His people can truly love and pray for those who intend to do them harm (Romans 12:14-21).The commandments of Jesus were not to be obeyed in the spirit of bondmen, but in that of friends.

John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full”. The second item of the fruit of the Spirit is JOY, Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God, God is for our JOY. Psalm 104:31 speaks of God Himself rejoicing in His creative works. Isaiah 65:18 speaks of God rejoicing over His redeemed people who will be to Him. A person who walks with the Lord can continue to rejoice even when troubles come, John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[a] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” To continue, Blessings Ev