April 21, 2020
Faith, Love, and Obedience
John 14:15-31
Heather Hankins
Central Truth
We grow to know Christ more deeply by obeying Him. Our obedience is evidence that we love Jesus Christ and have dedicated our life to Him. To obey Christ's commandments and keep them, we must first know the Word of God.
Key Verse | John 14:21
"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
John 14:15-31
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, 1 14:16 Or Advocate, or Counselor; also 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be 2 14:17 Some manuscripts and is in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
Dive Deeper | John 14:15-31
Every Tuesday at The Porch, young adults flood the doors of Watermark with unanswered questions. A question I often hear and ask myself is, "How can I know Christ more intimately?"
In our text today, Jesus answers that question. We grow to know Christ more deeply by obeying Him.
Obedience is the evidence that we love Jesus Christ.
For many years, I wrongly believed that what made me a Christian were all the "good things" I did. I deceived myself and did not have the truth of God inside of me (1 John 1:8). Maybe someone can relate. Thank you, Lord, for the freeing truth of the gospel!
Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith." The verse continues by explaining this is not by our good works, but through a free gift that we could never earn. This faith brings us into a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Our obedience and the good works it produces are the evidence that we love Jesus Christ.
To obey Christ’s commandments, we first must have them and we must keep them.
We can't obey what we do not know or understand. To have Christ's commandments, we need to be in God's Word consistently. We need to read it over and over again until it shapes our worldview. God's Word is alive, active (Hebrews 4:12), and equips us to live a life of obedience that produces good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We can't pick and choose which commands we obey based on our individual preferences. We, as humans, tend to do this. I know I do! But Jesus didn't say, "Keep my commandments that fit within your comfort zone." He said, "Keep my commandments." Are we going to fail at this daily? Yes! But that's where the grace of God is essential! Christ is looking at the overall direction of our life, not at perfection.
So, if you want to grow to know Christ more intimately, find where your weakness in obedience lies and begin to obey Him in those areas. Jesus promises that we will grow to know Him more intimately by obeying Him.
Discussion Questions
1. How did you come to faith in Jesus Christ? When was the last time you shared your gospel testimony with someone far from Christ?
2. What is your plan to devote time in God's Word? What impact have you seen from this time in your own life? Do you have any accountability to do this with other believers?
3. Which commands are you prone to pride yourself in keeping? Which ones are you prone to condemn others for? How can you guard against this? (Matthew 7:1-5)
4. John tells us that God's commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). Is this true for you? If not, why not? What change in your thinking is needed?