Latest / Mount Eaton Church / The Word - God Said - “To Love Is To Obey” pt.1 - John 14

Transcript

The Word - God Said - “To Love Is To Obey” pt.1 - John 14 · Mount Eaton Church

0:08
Father, I want to thank you and praise you that
0:10
we can come before you, open up your word, learn
0:13
of you, and learn of what you have for us as
0:18
your people, because your scripture holds everything
0:22
for life and godliness. Lord, I pray that you
0:25
would be honored and glorified as we present
0:27
the full counts of your word today, that we as
0:30
your people would rightly divide it, and that
0:32
we would really come to understand what real,
0:34
true, biblical love looks like. Lord, we do praise
0:38
you and thank you for your faithfulness. To you
0:40
be honor and glory. In Jesus' name, amen. To
0:43
love is to obey. That little term, to love is
0:50
to obey. was interesting because I wasn't thinking
0:53
about the song we picked. So we are in John 14.
0:57
As you heard in 1 Samuel, what was the scripture
1:07
reading? Give me the scripture reading address
1:08
real quick, please. 1 Samuel what? 15, thank
1:13
you. I was thinking 55, and I have no idea why.
1:16
But if you look at 1 Samuel 15, I want you to
1:20
notice some things here. Verse 22. I can get
1:25
there. There it is. 15, verse 22. I want you
1:34
to pay attention to what Samuel says here to
1:39
King Saul. Because when we read before that,
1:44
we see King Saul's attitude. Towards God's word.
1:51
Okay. Notice I'll read 17 through and then you
1:55
guys pay attention to verse 22. And Samuel said,
1:58
though you are little in your own eyes, are you
2:04
not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord
2:08
anointed you king over Israel and the Lord sent
2:11
you as a mission and said, go devote. to destruction
2:17
the sinners and the Malachites and fight against
2:21
them until they are consumed. Why then did you
2:25
not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce
2:33
on the spoil and do what is evil in the sight
2:37
of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, I have
2:40
obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone. On
2:45
the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have
2:47
brought Agag and King Amalek. And have devoted
2:51
the Amalekites to destruction. But the people
2:55
took the spoil. Sheep, oxen, and best of the
3:00
things devoted to destruction. To sacrifice to
3:03
Yahweh. To sacrifice to the Lord your God in
3:06
Gilgal. Think about Samuel's attitude here. God
3:13
said, do not take anything. You destroy everything.
3:17
And he goes, well, the people took it because
3:20
they want to give a sacrifice to God. And then
3:24
Samuel said, has the Lord as great delight in
3:31
burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying
3:34
the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better
3:40
than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of
3:44
rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination
3:49
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
3:54
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
3:58
he has also rejected you from being king. But
4:04
I did obey. No, you didn't. Partial obedience
4:08
is not obedience. So Jesus deals with the reality
4:18
of what true love of God looks like. Now I want
4:22
you to understand this because this has been,
4:24
when you're reading the Old Testament, this has
4:26
been the problem of the Israelites all those
4:31
years. I'll obey a little bit here, but never
4:35
all of it. And so there are several principles,
4:40
and I want you to pay attention to some things
4:41
as we go through this. We are going to be going
4:44
through John 14. Let not your hearts be troubled.
4:48
Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's
4:53
house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would
4:55
have told you that I go to prepare a place for
4:58
you. And if I go to prepare a place for you,
5:01
I will come again and take you to myself, that
5:03
where I am you may be also. And you know the
5:07
way to where I'm going. And Thomas said to him,
5:11
Lord, we do not know where you are going. How
5:15
can we know the way? Jesus said, I am the way,
5:19
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
5:24
Father except through me. If you had known me,
5:28
you would have known the Father also. From now
5:31
on, you do know him and have seen him. And Philip
5:35
said to him, Lord, show us the father and it
5:38
is enough for us. And Jesus said to him, have
5:41
I been with you so long? You still do not know
5:45
me, Philip. Whoever has seen me has seen the
5:51
father. How can you say, show us the father?
5:54
Do you not believe that I am in the father and
5:57
the father is in me? The words that I say to
6:00
you, I did not speak on my own authority, but
6:03
the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe
6:07
me that I am in the Father and the Father is
6:10
in me, or else believe on account of the works
6:14
themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever
6:18
believes in me will also do the works that I
6:20
do. And greater works than these will he do,
6:23
because I am going to the Father. Whatever you
6:27
ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father
6:29
may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything
6:33
in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you
6:36
will keep my commandments. You know, what's funny
6:39
is many preachers stop there. Ask whatever you
6:42
want, and God will give it to you. And what does
6:45
Jesus say? Obey me. That's what I want. If you
6:53
ask according to my word, if you obey me, if
6:58
you love me and keep my commandments, I will
7:01
do whatever you ask. That's what he's saying
7:03
here. But, you know, we want that new Bentley.
7:09
And I will ask the Father and he will give you
7:12
another helper to be with you forever. Even the
7:17
spirit of truth who The world cannot receive
7:20
because it neither sees him nor knows him. But
7:23
you know him for he dwells with you and will
7:26
be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I
7:31
will come to you. Yet a little while and the
7:34
world will see me no more. But you will see me
7:39
because I live. You also will live. In that day
7:44
you will know that I am in the Father and you
7:46
in me and I in you. Whoever. has my commandments
7:50
and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he
7:57
who loves me will be loved by my father and I
8:00
will love him and manifest myself to him. And
8:04
Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, how is
8:08
it that you will manifest yourself to us and
8:11
not to the world? And Jesus answered him, if
8:13
anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my
8:17
father will love him. And we will come to him
8:21
and make our home with him. Whoever does not
8:25
love me does not keep my words. The word that
8:29
you hear is not mine, but the father's who sent
8:33
me. These things I have spoken to you while I'm
8:36
still with you. But the helper, the Holy Spirit,
8:39
whom the father will send in my name, he will
8:42
teach you all things and bring them to your remembrance.
8:45
All that I have said to you, peace I leave with
8:48
you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives
8:51
do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
8:55
neither let them be afraid. You heard me say,
8:58
I am going away and I will come to you. If you
9:02
love me, you would rejoice. You would have rejoiced
9:06
because I am going to the Father and the Father
9:08
is greater than I. And now I have told you before
9:11
it takes place, so that when it does take place,
9:15
you may believe. I will no longer talk much with
9:20
you. For the ruler of this world is coming, and
9:22
he has no claim on me. But I do as the Father
9:26
commanded me, so that the world may know that
9:29
I love the Father. Rise, let us go up from here.
9:34
Do you see what Jesus said here? That the world
9:37
may know I love the Father, I love him because
9:39
I do what he's commanded me to do. So why should
9:43
that be any less different for his people? Because
9:47
we live in the days of grace? Remember I told
9:51
you that the definition of grace is not God's
9:53
riches at Christ's expense. It's the power to
9:59
do what is right. Not the license to do whatever
10:02
you want, not the license to sin, but the power
10:04
to do what is right. That's what grace is. And
10:06
here's the point. To obey Christ is to love Christ.
10:11
To obey Christ is to love Christ. Joshua 22 .5
10:16
says, Only be very careful. Only be very careful
10:22
to observe the commandment and the law that Moses,
10:25
the servant of the Lord, commanded you. To love
10:28
the Lord your God and to walk in all his ways
10:31
and to keep his commandments and to cling to
10:34
them and to serve him with all your heart and
10:36
with all your soul. Love God, love his word,
10:40
love his ways, love his things. It's clearly
10:44
right there. That is the standard of believers.
10:50
To love is to obey. To love is to obey. To obey
10:55
is to worship. Worship is not what we do up here.
10:59
Worship is what you do every single day of every
11:02
single moment of your life as you're walking
11:04
through life and life gets difficult and it gets
11:07
very hard and you don't know what to do and you
11:10
don't know if you can trust and you have no choice
11:13
but to obey. But we don't, do we? Because it's
11:17
easier. Because we think we know better. See,
11:22
a man plans his ways, but God ordains his steps.
11:28
In John 14, 16 through 17, look what it says.
11:32
If you love me, if you will keep my commandments.
11:40
He does the same thing with Peter at the end
11:42
of this book in chapter 21. Peter, do you love
11:46
me? Lord, you know all things. You know I like
11:49
you a lot. Then feed my sheep. What was he doing?
11:57
Was he obeying? He was fishing. How many of you
12:01
guys like to fish? Anybody a better fly fisherman
12:05
than Ben? No? No, you wish. He's a phenomenal
12:14
fly fisherman if you ever want to go. You got
12:17
to talk with him about that. But the reality
12:20
is Peter's fishing. And God told him, Christ
12:25
told him to go. Why are you fishing? And so he
12:29
asked him again, Peter, do you love me? Lord,
12:32
you know all things. I like you a lot. Didn't
12:39
take care of my sheep. And then he asked him
12:44
a third time. Peter, do you like me a lot? And
12:52
he says, Lord, you know all things. You know
12:53
I like you a lot. Then feed my sheep. In other
12:57
words, Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know.
13:01
Then obey me. Even if you like me, obey me. Then
13:07
he says, at the very end, if you really like
13:09
me as you say you like me, then why aren't you
13:13
obeying me? Because Peter didn't really love
13:17
God. Remember the Peter that was like, I'm not
13:21
going to let anybody harm you. Take a sword,
13:25
cut off a dude's ear. Rooster crows, he denies
13:29
him. Look what it says in verse 16. And I've
13:34
asked the Father and he will give you another
13:36
helper to be with you. Do you get that? The first
13:38
thing he says is, if you love me, you'll keep
13:39
my commandments. And then he says, I will ask
13:42
the Father and he will give you a helper. A helper
13:45
to do what? Get through life? No, to be obedient.
13:50
You want to be victorious in your Christian life?
13:53
Obey him. That's the point. We're like, that's
13:56
legalism. No, that's the standard here. We don't
14:02
live by the law, or we die by the law if we live
14:04
by the law. No, we live by grace, the power to
14:07
do what is right. In response to the power to
14:09
do what is right, we want to obey because we
14:13
love him. And he's given us someone to help us
14:18
obey. And this person, the third person of the
14:23
Trinity, will be with us forever. He even tells
14:29
you who he is. He is the spirit of truth whom
14:32
the world cannot receive because it does not
14:34
see him, nor knows him, but you know him. For
14:38
he dwells with you and will be in you. That's
14:41
what he's saying to the disciples. You know what
14:43
we have that the disciples didn't at the time?
14:47
The Spirit did not dwell in them until the time
14:49
of Pentecost. But the moment Christ redeemed
14:54
you is the very moment the Spirit of God was
14:56
living in you. He was probably in you before
14:59
that, just to say, if you read Romans 10. But
15:04
the reality is, the reason why we can obey, The
15:07
reason why we can know and the reason why we
15:09
can know him and know his word is because the
15:12
spirit lives in you. If you have the spirit.
15:16
Number two, to love Christ is to obey the gospel.
15:21
This is an important thing because he clarifies
15:24
this here. I talked to you before that the gospel
15:29
is more than just a story. It's more than just
15:32
a proclamation of the sacrifice of Christ. It
15:36
is a command. It's an imperative. Believe the
15:39
gospel. It's not an option for the believer,
15:42
for the one who has been chosen by God to be
15:47
in the family. You are responsible. Every single
15:51
person on the earth is responsible to either
15:54
obey it or they're going to disobey it. It's
15:58
an obedience. It's an issue of obedience. Believe.
16:04
Ecclesiastes 12, 13. The end of the matter. All
16:10
has been heard. Fear God. Keep his commandments.
16:14
For this is the whole duty of man. If the gospel
16:17
is a commandment. And it is the duty of man to
16:20
come to Christ. Because he has commanded us to
16:24
come. Not just to go and preach. As it says in
16:28
Mark. but to come, then we must respond in repentance
16:36
and come. That's the responsibility of man. So
16:41
in John 14, 18 through 21, I will not leave you
16:44
as orphans. I will come to you. Yet a little
16:47
while and the world will see me no more, but
16:51
you will see me. Because I live, you also will
16:55
live. Notice Jesus states, I am already alive.
16:59
You can't kill a living God. You might try to
17:05
kill his body, but it will rise. This is a definitive
17:11
statement here. Because I live, not because I
17:17
will die then live. He's saying I've always lived
17:20
and will always live. And the body that they
17:23
will destroy will rise. In that day, you will
17:30
know that I am in the Father, and you in me,
17:33
and I in you. When? The day he resurrects, because
17:36
again, he proves he is alive. Look what it says
17:40
here. Moreover, whoever, sorry, has my commandments
17:44
and keeps them, it is he who loves me. Who has
17:52
the commandments? God's people. God's people
17:56
are to keep them. And he says that those who
18:02
have and keep are the ones who love. Why? Because
18:07
commandments of God are the motivating desire
18:11
of our hearts to show love towards him. And he
18:17
who loves me. Will be loved by my father and
18:19
I will love him and manifest myself to him. There
18:22
it is. The reality of the manifestation of Christ
18:27
to the believer is the gospel. How else will
18:36
Christ manifest himself to us? Through the gospel.
18:39
Through the reality of our submission and response
18:43
by believing in the gospel. The command to come.
18:48
And to know that Christ died, was buried, and
18:52
rose again on the third day. The Father loves
18:57
those who love Christ and obey His word. The
19:01
Father loves those who love Christ and obey His
19:03
word. In John 15, 10, If you keep my commandments,
19:07
you will abide in my love, just as I have kept
19:10
my Father's commandments and abide in His love.
19:14
You want to know what it means to abide? Remember,
19:17
if you abide in me and I in you, you will bear
19:20
much fruit. What produces the fruit? The Spirit
19:24
of God working through the Word of God producing
19:27
His fruit in you. You want to truly abide? Live
19:34
obediently. You're like, well, that's kind of
19:37
hard considering we're sinners. Yes, we're not
19:40
going to do it perfectly. You're in a constant
19:46
battle every single day of our lives when we
19:48
wake up with the flesh. But the reality is through
19:54
Christ, by the power of Christ, by the power
19:57
of the Holy Spirit, through the work of the Word
19:58
in our lives, He will sanctify us and conform
20:02
us into the image of His Son. And every day,
20:04
what you see out of all of the older people who
20:09
are in this room is they have become more godly.
20:13
Because they have walked, lived, and obeyed for
20:16
many years. So, I'm going to throw this in there
20:25
for the men. Men, older men teach the younger
20:29
men. It's your responsibility as older men to
20:33
come alongside these younger men and to teach
20:35
them, to walk with them. We're not talking about
20:38
not only AIDS, we're also talking about spiritual
20:40
maturity. So that's my challenge to you, to men
20:44
who have walked with the Lord for many, many
20:46
years. Mentor someone. Younger men, find a mentor.
20:55
Be coached. Older women, teach the younger women.
21:01
Older women, find someone you can mentor. We'll
21:05
be starting this probably in the next several
21:08
weeks. Women's groups called Women in Ministry.
21:12
WM groups. You're going to be able to go into
21:14
a WM group of four, five at the most women, and
21:18
you're going to do study together. You can do
21:20
it over the phone. You can do it in person. You
21:22
can do it over Zoom. It doesn't matter. You women
21:25
get together, mentor each other, and develop.
21:29
Women who understand what complementarianism
21:32
is. And younger women, get involved. Find a mentor.
21:42
And I would challenge you that a woman is anyone
21:47
of the age of 16 or older. Now, I know my wife's
21:56
going to talk to me about that later. She's looking
21:59
at me like, you just threw that out there. I
22:01
know you did. Sorry, honey, I love you. John
22:06
14, 22 through 24. Judas, not Iscariot, said
22:10
to him, Lord. How is it that you will manifest
22:13
yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus already
22:17
manifested himself to the world by putting on
22:19
flesh. How is he going to manifest himself to
22:22
us? Through the resurrection, through the reality
22:27
of the Spirit of God. The helper that was promised
22:31
earlier in the chapter. Jesus answered him, if
22:37
anyone loves me. He will keep my word and my
22:42
father will love him and we will come to him
22:45
and make our home with him. Notice, love here.
22:50
If you love me, you'll keep my word. The gospel
22:55
is the word of God, the command of God for people
22:59
to come and repent. And it's the work of God
23:02
upon the heart of the person because of the work
23:05
of Christ on the cross. That's why it's not a
23:09
work that you can do, only God. For it is by
23:12
grace you have been saved through faith and this
23:14
not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by
23:17
works. Whoever does not love me does not keep
23:22
my words. And the word that you hear is not mine,
23:27
but it's the Father who sent me. Whose word has
23:30
Jesus been preaching? The Father's word. Who
23:34
is... Who is the representative of the Father's
23:36
word? The word incarnate. If you have any questions
23:42
about that, Ephesians chapter 1 clarifies the
23:45
reality of this truth. That God the Father set
23:47
the plan. God the Son fulfilled the plan. God
23:49
the Holy Spirit sealed the plan. But it's God's
23:53
plan. The Father's plan. And it's God the Son's
23:58
work. And then it's God the Holy Spirit's guarantee.
24:03
Those who love Christ have been given the Holy
24:07
Spirit to keep and learn God's word. Psalm 143
24:11
verse 10. Teach me to do your will for you are
24:16
my God. Let your good spirit lead me on level
24:21
ground. John 14, 25 through 31. These things
24:27
I have spoken to you while I'm still with you.
24:31
Here it is. But the helper, the Holy Spirit,
24:35
whom the Father will send in my name, he will
24:38
teach you all things and bring to your remembrance
24:44
all that I've said to you. What's the Holy Spirit's
24:49
ministry in your life? Not only is to do the
24:53
work to bring you to redemption and do the work
24:56
of reconciliation for you and do the work of
25:01
of regeneration in your life. It's the reality
25:03
is he is also your teacher. He will teach us
25:09
all things. So when a preacher or a teacher is
25:13
teaching you, what should you do after that?
25:15
You take the notes, you go home, you listen to
25:17
the message, you prove it out by the word of
25:20
God. The word of God is the clarifier of truth.
25:29
The Holy Spirit is the reality of truth active
25:33
in your life. He will bring you truth because
25:38
he is the spirit of truth. Peace I leave with
25:41
you. My peace I give you. Notice, he doesn't
25:44
say, hey, you're born again. I'm giving you peace.
25:47
He says, hey, you're born again. And if you're
25:49
born again, you love me. And if you love me,
25:51
my peace is with you. Because you can't have
25:54
peace with God in disobedience. My peace. Peace
26:02
I leave with you. My peace I give you. Not as
26:04
the world gives do I give to you. I don't give
26:08
you peace like the world gives. Like the board
26:12
of peace. This is a peace that you can create
26:16
all the boards on the planet and it doesn't matter
26:18
because this kind of peace can only come through
26:21
the blood of Jesus. Real, true, genuine peace.
26:32
It's interesting, in these days we're calling
26:34
for peace, but we don't know what really peace
26:36
is. We call for peace among men, but not peace
26:40
with a living God, which you should be more terrified
26:44
of. But look what he says, let not your hearts
26:49
be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You
26:53
heard me say to you, I'm going away and I'm coming
26:56
to you. If you love me, you would have rejoiced.
27:04
Why? Because I'm going to the Father and the
27:06
Father is greater than I am. If you love me,
27:09
you would know that what I've said to you and
27:11
what I've commanded you to do is the truth. You
27:14
would know that I'm alive, that I'm coming again
27:16
because I promised you I would do that. But no,
27:19
you don't want me to go. You know why? Because
27:21
they don't want a Savior. They want a King. But
27:28
Christ is their Savior and their King. Verse
27:35
29, and now I have told you before it takes place
27:38
so that when it does take place you may believe.
27:40
What? Believe what? Believe that I will raise
27:43
from the dead. Why? Because I told you I'm alive.
27:46
And you will also live. They have no clue. The
27:53
very living God of all creation is before them.
27:56
Peter even proclaims the reality of the truth
27:59
of Christ. You are the Christ, the son of the
28:03
living God. But yet, they still aren't sure if
28:08
he is God. Which we've read in the beginning
28:13
of chapter 15. Chapter 14, sorry. Show us the
28:18
Father and we'll believe. Have I been with you
28:21
so long, Philip, that you still don't know me?
28:27
Reminds me of our Bible study on Wednesday nights.
28:32
God commands them not to do. not to build a calf,
28:35
not to build anything of gold and silver, and
28:38
not to sacrifice on any altar to it. Chapter
28:43
20. Chapter 32, they do the exact opposite. Not
28:50
only do they build a calf, Aaron encourages them,
28:53
give me the gold. He makes it. They then sacrifice
29:00
peace and burnt offerings. A sin offering and
29:05
a peace offering as if this golden calf is going
29:07
to give them peace. Peace I give you. Not as
29:11
the world gives. And then at the end, which they're
29:16
going to find out this week because they're homesteading,
29:18
I'm sure, is Moses goes, what did you do? And
29:23
Moses says, it just popped out. What are you
29:29
thinking? Moses is like, what are you thinking,
29:35
Aaron? What do you mean? Obedience. It's called
29:41
love. Look what it says. I will no longer talk
29:48
much with you, for the ruler of this world is
29:51
coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the
29:56
Father has commanded me, so that the world may
29:59
know that I love the Father. I obey what the
30:04
Father has commanded me. I do it so that the
30:08
world may know that I love the Father, not because
30:11
they don't love the Father. They live in disobedience.
30:14
I live in obedience. Look what he says. Rise.
30:18
Let's go up from here. He's like, I'm done talking
30:20
about this. And you go into chapter 15. He talks
30:27
about what it means to abide. And what it means
30:32
to abide is to be obedient. If I abide in his
30:35
word, if I abide in his love, that I am obeying
30:39
him. And that expression, verse 10 in chapter
30:43
15, if you keep my commandments, you will abide
30:45
in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments
30:49
and abide in his love. These things I have spoken
30:53
to you that my joy may be in you and that your
30:57
joy may be full. You want full, genuine joy?
31:01
Be obedient. Obey his word. This is my commandment
31:07
that you love one another as I have loved you.
31:11
Genuine biblical love expressed in obedience
31:15
to God's word is then shared among his people.
31:21
Greater love has no one than this that someone
31:25
lay down his life for his friends. Why did Jesus
31:32
lay down his life? Obedient. No greater love.
31:40
And so, what's the point of today's lesson? To
31:45
love Christ is to obey. Genuine biblical love
31:50
is obedience in action. Obedience in action.
31:55
That's my challenge to you. So, we've learned
31:58
quite a bit over these last couple weeks about...
32:01
The Word. And we will continue to learn Sola
32:05
Scriptura. There's a lot more to the Word than
32:08
what we think. It's not just going home and reading
32:10
it every day, which is very important. Or listening
32:13
to it, which is very important. Studying it and
32:16
memorizing it, which is very important, which
32:18
we will get to. Learning how to study it, meditate
32:22
on it, memorize it. That's coming. But you have
32:27
to learn how to do it. You do it. And the greatest
32:35
way to show that you do it is how you love one
32:38
another. Okay? So, let's pray. And then we will
32:43
do communion. And then we will get ready for
32:51
food. Father, I want to thank you so much for
32:53
your faithfulness. Thank you for your goodness.
32:56
Thank you for your word. Thank you that you have
32:58
called us to love you. Command us to love you.
33:02
And that your command of love is to be obedient
33:05
to your commands and to love you. To express
33:08
that obedience and love. So Lord, help us to
33:12
walk in your word. To love you, to love your
33:16
word, love your ways, love your things. This
33:17
is not, Lord, I know for many of us we have struggled
33:20
with this. Thinking it's about legalism. It's
33:24
not. It's about submission and humility. and
33:30
desire for you and your ways. Your ways are not
33:36
burdensome. You have freed us and give us freedom.
33:40
We do praise you and thank you in Jesus' name.