Post by John on Mar 24, 2019 18:06:55 GMT -5
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Has anyone really stopped to ponder what Jesus is commanding us to do here? He is not just telling us to love one another, but He is telling us to love one another as He loved us. He loved us so much, he came to earth to give his life to die for a bunch of people that cried out for him to be crucified. That is a pretty large amount of love. Jesus is telling us that His commandment is that we love one another. I hear people go around all the time talking about loving one another, and if they simply love God and their neighbor, that is all they need to do, but how many really put any thought into what that means? How many of us really do that?
I will never forget, many years ago, I was assistant to a guy who was over this group called Ambassadors For Christ. He was talking about how much the Lord loved us, and how he came and died for us. He said he wouldn't be willing to die for others. Then a couple of the children said they would die for him. I believe there are some that would die for those who they loved or saw in a good light, but Jesus came and died for people that were vile sinners, because he was looking at what they could be, not what they were.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
I often times reference verse 14, because there are so many that claim to be friends of Jesus, yet the LORD said that if they are really His friends, they will do whatsoever he commands them to do. That includes the command he just gave everyone to love one another as He has loved us. Of course, the point is that if we love God with all our heart and soul and being and our neighbor as ourselves and like Christ loved us, we would automatically keep all the rest of God's commands.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
I would imagine that many wish Jesus hadn't been so free with revealing the Father's will, because some of His sayings were really tough to bear. In the law of Moses, we are told about outward behavior, but in the New Testament, not only is it revealed that God cares about what we do, but He cares also about the intent of the heart. In the law of Moses, it was a sin to kill, but Jesus says that if we hate our brother without a cause, we are guilty in God's sight, though we may never lay a hand on them. Some may think that ignorance is bliss, but still, our LORD has given us instructions concerning the straight and narrow way that leads to eternal life. We are without excuse if we fail to follow it.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
We often think of ordination as something that a minister is given to show they are qualified to be a preacher of the gospel. I have an ordination that allows me to carry out such duties, although I was really ordained of God the moment he commissioned me to "Preach the Word." Still, men give out pieces of paper showing that a person has been recognized as a true minister, and it allows them to do things like perform wedding ceremonies or baptisms. Did you realize that if you are saved, you are ordained? You may not be ordained as a Pastor, but you are ordained of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you "should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." If you are ordained, you have been given holy orders or a commission to carry out something for God. In this case, that you would bring forth fruit and that it would remain. Are we fulfilling our calling in Christ? If not, there is no better time than now to begin. And you don't have to go to seminary for training first. The Holy Ghost will guide you.
Here is an incentive to fulfil this Holy calling. If you do as the LORD said, and are faithful to bear fruit and allow that fruit to remain, whatsoever you ask the Father in Jesus' name, God will give to you. That is a pretty good promise. Of course, this can be said in confidence since a person who is bearing fruit and obeying the LORD will be praying according to the will of God and not amiss prayers to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Our desire is to serve God faithfully.
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Here comes that love word again, showing how important it is. This is not a suggestion. It is not optional, where you can obey or disobey. It is a direct commandment of the LORD.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Do you ever get weary because of the constant persecution? You get accused of being self-righteous, a hater, a legalist, a Pharisee, a judge, or who knows what else because you proclaim the Word of God without compromise? Remember that we are simply sharing the words of Christ and the Apostles. Remember how they were received, not only by the sinners, but also by the religious crowd, who had a form of Godliness, but denied the power thereof. They rejected the only way of salvation, the only one with the power to save, and if they rejected the LORD, there is no reason to be shocked if they reject you. You will be hated for naming the name of Christ, and associating with him.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
There are many people that have rejected and persecuted Jesus and His teaching that claim to be followers of God. Some think they belong to God as an entitlement, because they have Abraham as their natural Father. Others think we are all somehow the children of God, and they have created this fantasy image of god, but they know not the true and living God. If they really knew God, they would love the Lord Jesus, and those who proclaim His Words in truth. If they hate you, that is because they really hate Jesus and the Father. They love a god of their wicked imaginations, but not the real God.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
If Jesus had not come and shown them the truth, and performed all those miracles, why would they have not had sin? Because many were going about following the law of Moses as best they knew how. Still, they lacked understanding about certain things, because the religious leaders had perverted the law of Moses, and when there were areas that seemed grey because they were not necessarily spelled out, they would always interpret things in a way where they could do as they pleased. Jesus came and told them how God, who authored the law, really meant it to be interpreted, and a large number of the people hated Him for it. He became their enemy for simply telling them the truth. I mentioned earlier how that Jesus said that you are the same as a murderer if you hate someone without a cause, and in this passage, Jesus said that these people hated Him without a cause.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
On the day of Pentecost, as is recorded in Acts chapter 2, the LORD sent the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, and He does testify of Jesus, that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Holy Ghost is our comforter and guide, and will lead us into all truth if we will but listen. In addition to the Holy Ghost, we have the mouth of all the witnesses that wrote the New Testament that Jesus is the Christ, and they testify to the mighty works that He did while walking in this earth. Of course, they couldn't tell us everything He did, but they gave us what they were able to write down to give us enough to where we are without excuse if we deny him. I am reminded of what John said in the final verse of His gospel.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:24
We can hear about those things in heaven, if we endure till the end.
Has anyone really stopped to ponder what Jesus is commanding us to do here? He is not just telling us to love one another, but He is telling us to love one another as He loved us. He loved us so much, he came to earth to give his life to die for a bunch of people that cried out for him to be crucified. That is a pretty large amount of love. Jesus is telling us that His commandment is that we love one another. I hear people go around all the time talking about loving one another, and if they simply love God and their neighbor, that is all they need to do, but how many really put any thought into what that means? How many of us really do that?
I will never forget, many years ago, I was assistant to a guy who was over this group called Ambassadors For Christ. He was talking about how much the Lord loved us, and how he came and died for us. He said he wouldn't be willing to die for others. Then a couple of the children said they would die for him. I believe there are some that would die for those who they loved or saw in a good light, but Jesus came and died for people that were vile sinners, because he was looking at what they could be, not what they were.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
I often times reference verse 14, because there are so many that claim to be friends of Jesus, yet the LORD said that if they are really His friends, they will do whatsoever he commands them to do. That includes the command he just gave everyone to love one another as He has loved us. Of course, the point is that if we love God with all our heart and soul and being and our neighbor as ourselves and like Christ loved us, we would automatically keep all the rest of God's commands.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
I would imagine that many wish Jesus hadn't been so free with revealing the Father's will, because some of His sayings were really tough to bear. In the law of Moses, we are told about outward behavior, but in the New Testament, not only is it revealed that God cares about what we do, but He cares also about the intent of the heart. In the law of Moses, it was a sin to kill, but Jesus says that if we hate our brother without a cause, we are guilty in God's sight, though we may never lay a hand on them. Some may think that ignorance is bliss, but still, our LORD has given us instructions concerning the straight and narrow way that leads to eternal life. We are without excuse if we fail to follow it.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
We often think of ordination as something that a minister is given to show they are qualified to be a preacher of the gospel. I have an ordination that allows me to carry out such duties, although I was really ordained of God the moment he commissioned me to "Preach the Word." Still, men give out pieces of paper showing that a person has been recognized as a true minister, and it allows them to do things like perform wedding ceremonies or baptisms. Did you realize that if you are saved, you are ordained? You may not be ordained as a Pastor, but you are ordained of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you "should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." If you are ordained, you have been given holy orders or a commission to carry out something for God. In this case, that you would bring forth fruit and that it would remain. Are we fulfilling our calling in Christ? If not, there is no better time than now to begin. And you don't have to go to seminary for training first. The Holy Ghost will guide you.
Here is an incentive to fulfil this Holy calling. If you do as the LORD said, and are faithful to bear fruit and allow that fruit to remain, whatsoever you ask the Father in Jesus' name, God will give to you. That is a pretty good promise. Of course, this can be said in confidence since a person who is bearing fruit and obeying the LORD will be praying according to the will of God and not amiss prayers to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Our desire is to serve God faithfully.
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Here comes that love word again, showing how important it is. This is not a suggestion. It is not optional, where you can obey or disobey. It is a direct commandment of the LORD.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Do you ever get weary because of the constant persecution? You get accused of being self-righteous, a hater, a legalist, a Pharisee, a judge, or who knows what else because you proclaim the Word of God without compromise? Remember that we are simply sharing the words of Christ and the Apostles. Remember how they were received, not only by the sinners, but also by the religious crowd, who had a form of Godliness, but denied the power thereof. They rejected the only way of salvation, the only one with the power to save, and if they rejected the LORD, there is no reason to be shocked if they reject you. You will be hated for naming the name of Christ, and associating with him.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
There are many people that have rejected and persecuted Jesus and His teaching that claim to be followers of God. Some think they belong to God as an entitlement, because they have Abraham as their natural Father. Others think we are all somehow the children of God, and they have created this fantasy image of god, but they know not the true and living God. If they really knew God, they would love the Lord Jesus, and those who proclaim His Words in truth. If they hate you, that is because they really hate Jesus and the Father. They love a god of their wicked imaginations, but not the real God.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
If Jesus had not come and shown them the truth, and performed all those miracles, why would they have not had sin? Because many were going about following the law of Moses as best they knew how. Still, they lacked understanding about certain things, because the religious leaders had perverted the law of Moses, and when there were areas that seemed grey because they were not necessarily spelled out, they would always interpret things in a way where they could do as they pleased. Jesus came and told them how God, who authored the law, really meant it to be interpreted, and a large number of the people hated Him for it. He became their enemy for simply telling them the truth. I mentioned earlier how that Jesus said that you are the same as a murderer if you hate someone without a cause, and in this passage, Jesus said that these people hated Him without a cause.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
On the day of Pentecost, as is recorded in Acts chapter 2, the LORD sent the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, and He does testify of Jesus, that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Holy Ghost is our comforter and guide, and will lead us into all truth if we will but listen. In addition to the Holy Ghost, we have the mouth of all the witnesses that wrote the New Testament that Jesus is the Christ, and they testify to the mighty works that He did while walking in this earth. Of course, they couldn't tell us everything He did, but they gave us what they were able to write down to give us enough to where we are without excuse if we deny him. I am reminded of what John said in the final verse of His gospel.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:24
We can hear about those things in heaven, if we endure till the end.