John 15:11-17

Duration: 49min
John 15:11‑17
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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 he loved one another, as I have loved you. Great Allah has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you, and for I call you not servants. For the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. And I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father.
I may know unto you, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye 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. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hates you, you know that hated me before it hated you.
If you are the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have killed you out of the world. Therefore the world hateth you. Remember the words 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 sin, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake.
Because they know not innocent me if I had not come and spoken unto them.
They had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. He then hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works with none of the men did, They had not had sin, But now they both seemed and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, as the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will stand unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth.
Which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of he, and ye also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Good to notice these three things that are given to us in the 14th chapter and the 27th verse. My peace I give unto you. And then in the end of the ninth verse continue ye and my love, And now in this verse where he began.
That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Characteristically, the Lord Jesus was the man of sorrows here. But there's only one occasion. I believe it was mentioned this morning where we have.
The Lord Jesus rejoicing and that is in the 10th chapter of Luke.
I believe it's the 10th chapter where he takes everything as from his father.
And it says perhaps we could look at it.
Yes, Luke 10 and verse 21.
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank the old Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Here we find the Lord Jesus rejoicing. How could he rejoice when those whom he had come together, As we read in Isaiah? Though Israel be not gathered yet, will I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah?
And my God shall be my my life. So we find the Lord accepting this rejection of the nation as from his Father. And since he had come to do his Father's will, he could rejoice even at such a time as that. In that hour he rejoiced in spirit. If you and I had a disappointment, a real disappointment of something that we had looked for, that would be a time when we would feel normally depressed.
But here where the Lord Jesus, the perfect one, took everything from his Father, then out there at that very point he rejoiced in spirit. What made him the man of sorrows was the fact that man was rejecting the goodness that was in the heart of God. He had come for the blessing of the nation of Israel, and indeed for the blessing of mankind. And what grieved his heart, what made him weep over Jerusalem, was because they wouldn't accept the good that he wanted to bestow, if thou, even Thou only, has known the things that belong to thy peace.
00:05:32
But now they are hid from thine eyes. That was when the Lord wept. We often weep over our own problems, but the Lord?
When those whom he wanted to bless didn't receive the blessing that he longed to bestow. But here we find him rejoicing because of perfect submission to his Father's will. And I believe it's possible, brethren, that I believe that's what the Lord means here. When something comes in your life and mine, it is perhaps a keen disappointment. When received as from the Father, we can rejoice in spirit.
That we have.
Been given the grace to accept it as his will, and he has drawn near, He has proved himself more precious, perhaps, than he ever did before.
So I think this is lovely. And so he said that.
My my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full, and there's nothing sweeter in our lives than just submit to the will of God. There is the blessing, of course, in knowing what he does bestow upon us, and this brings joy. But I believe there are times when submission to his will can be perhaps the happiest moments.
I might just say this. I've often thought that we're going to talk to one another in heaven, and I would like to say to Chez Rakmechek and the Bendigo. When would you say was the most wonderful experience that you had while you were down here in this earth? And I wouldn't be surprised to hear them say when we were in the fiery furnace, And you might say, well, why? Well, because the Lord walked with them in the fiery furnace, and so his joy can come to us at times of disappointment and keen sorrow.
When in simplicity and in obedience we just bow to His will, knowing that the will of God is the source of our blessing.
Certainly when Paul and Silas were imprisoned there and acts like they had a sense of joy because they could sing at midnight the worst possible time, and I was thinking about that prison epistle of Paul's and and Philippians, and he takes everything here as from the Lord.
In the first chapter in the fourth verse, he finds his joy.
In praying for his own his brethren, that's sort of a nice thought. He could find joy in that I make requests with joy for all of you. And then he mentions himself starting in verse 12. But I should, I would. You should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds he was a prisoner.
In Christ, which is lovely to see, are manifest in all the palace and in other places.
Then he described what's happening as the result of his imprisonment and some were preaching.
Christ of contention, not sincerely to add affliction to His bonds and so on. But he said, What then will notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth? If it's the word they're preaching, Christ is priest. I rejoice.
Yeah, I will rejoice. It's a wonderful spirit to see, isn't it? And he was in prison. He wasn't asking that their prayers get him out quickly. He was saying, this is where the Lord placed me. I'm a prisoner of Christ, and what he wants me to do here, I'll do it happily. And so many of Caesar's household were saved. Wonderful thought, isn't it? Well, we got to remember that, brethren, that joy has nothing to do with circumstances or happiness.
Our prison. It has to do with your state of soul, how much you're occupied with Christ and realize this is His will for you, and if it's his will for you, that ought to bring his source of joy to you.
What comes through to me most clearly in some of these scriptures, and in fact all through the Lords pathway, is to see that here was one whose first and foremost thought was for the glory of his Father, and then for the blessing of man, but never for himself. And then he says, I want you to have that same joy fulfilled in yourself. What was his joy? To do the will of the Father, to see the blessing of you and me?
00:10:26
Well, was it a happy pathway? Indeed it was. Was it a pathway of many sorrows? Indeed it was. But it was the happiest pathway through this world that there ever was. And someone has remarked that the Lord Jesus was the man of sorrows. But there was never a happier man that passed through this world because of the sense of everything being taken from God and then taking every difficulty and problem as a man to God. Well, that's a remarkable thing that we see all through the Lord's pathway, isn't it?
And it's nice what follows there in the 12Th verse. This is my commandment that she loved one another as I have loved you. That is, as we contemplate his love toward us, and as we experience that nearness where we can enter into this joy in our souls, what is the result? Well, we can't contain it. It blows out in love to others. It is the IT isn't possible for us to really be enjoying.
His love to us totally undeserved and walking in the sense of this joy in our souls without there being an overflow, the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. So divine love will never make us selfish, it will never make us self-centered. Divine love will act as it acted in the Lord Jesus. The spring of love in his heart could not be restricted.
It did we think of what the Lord said that he said, I have a baptism to be baptized with.
And how am I straightened that word straight? There is not a straight line, it's restricted Strait. How am I restricted until it be accomplished? There was a hindrance to the outflow of all that was in the heart of God until a question of sin was settled. And as soon as that was settled then it could flow out without hindrance. And so this is, this is important. First, we give a lot of exhortations about loving one another. But I believe, brethren, if we bask in the sunshine of his love and know something of his joy.
A joy that was in the pathway that was difficult. In trying. There can't help but be an overflow. And every one of us in in our ways have experienced something of this. Perhaps some of the most precious times we have had have been with someone who was enjoying the love of Christ, perhaps in trial, and it so touched our hearts, it just overflowed to us. And I believe that's why that next verse comes in.
And so he says, This is my commandment. Well, His commandments are.
Turned to the end of the 12Th chapter and I think we have the force of this.
In the last verse. But I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak his commandment. His life everlasting means the the law made commands, but it didn't impart life. But God never will ask you or me as a Christian to do anything that He hasn't given us a life and nature that delights in doing.
And that is Christianity. His commandments are not grievous. There's a very joy and pleasure of the new life that he has given to us.
John 13 He does say in verse 34 a new commandment. I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have love one to another, I think I sort of beautiful that that's a testimony that we belong to him. It's a testimony to this world. It ought to be a testimony to one who visits in our assembly.
That we love one another. It isn't put on, it's just there. It's the Spirit of Christ coming out of us and it's a new commandment. But in in the first epistle of John, second chapter, I believe he says it's not a new commandment, it's the same commandment you had from the beginning.
00:15:13
But they weren't able to do it before. It's new in the sense we now have that love in US, divine love by the spirit of God, indwelling. And so it's a new commandment. It's in a sense like the song we're going to sing when we get home is a new song of Revelations 5. But we've been rehearsing it all along. We're not going to sing a different tune or song. It's the same one.
Unto him who loved us and watch this from our sins and his own blood. That's the theme. But it's new because first time there's been singing, they'll be singing up there.
We're going to sing same thing. And so here love we can do it. And I think in that sense it's a commandment. We ought to do it if he's given us the power and it's a testimony to the world and it's what let's an assembly or a gathering function properly.
I was thinking of what it says in first John rather second John, third John verse 4. The apostle says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. And if there's that love for Christ going out to him, it will affect our walk on it. And that's how we prove that we do love him by our walking waste.
Think of our brother you used to be fond of saying.
If the word of God controls our heart, it will control our feet and we will be walking on the truth. And I believe in the measure we walk in the truth. There's no special joy to be compared to it than that.
Bring joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
Takes up the subject of love in First John Chapter 4. Also in the I'd just like to call attention to this nineteenth verse. I think most of us know that in the original, the word him, we love him is not there. It's not in Mr. Darby's translation. We love because he first loved us because we're very likely to be controlled by natural love, and natural love sees something in the object of love.
But God didn't see anything in me to love. He loved because of what he is in himself. And every time we think of loving another brother or sister in Christ, we should think of that. We love well because he's a nice brother, because he's been awfully kind to me. Well, that would be natural love. But we love life because he first loved us. What? What did he see in me to love? He just loved because of what he is in himself.
I've often thought that his love is like a stream coming down the mountainside, and as long as there's plenty of water in the source, every time you try to damn it up, all you do is just make it flow over a wider area. The dam might hold it back for a while, but when it does flow over the top, why, It's going to go over a lighter part. And that's what this world has been doing. They've been, as it were, putting obstructions in the way of the display of the love of God.
And at the cross they put the greatest one of all when they put the Son of God upon the cross. But what did it do? It only caused his love to go out as a little hymn says, the river of thy grace, through righteousness supplied, is flowing over the barren place where Jesus died. So let's think of it in this way, brethren, that when obstacles are put in the way to hinder our love, and they often are, you know, it hurts sometimes things that are said and done.
It's an occasion for the stream to rise higher. We love because he first loved us, not because the person was nice to me or something. And so this is a very practical for us. On the other hand, of course, our love might be restricted in a sense that by this we know that we love the children of God because we love God and keep his commandments. You're not showing love to my child if you encourage him in a path of disobedience to me.
You're really hindering him. You may say you're loving him, but you're hindering him if you're really encouraging him in a path of disobedience. And whenever we think divine love is being shown and encouraging somebody to go on in the path of disobedience to the word of God, that's not divine love. Divine love loves the children of God that we love. And by this we know that we love the children of God because we love God and keep His commandments, You'll show love to me by encouraging me in the path of obedience.
00:20:19
And devotedness to Christ.
That's what the Lord meant, the 14th of John and the 15th 1St.
If ye love me, keep my commandments my words, That's how we prove that we love him when he keep His word.
What is the thought then in verse 13 here you mentioned how the Lord's love was displayed at Calvary when we had nothing but enmity and hatred in our hearts. Here he talks about the love of a man for his friend and tells them that they are his friends if they do whatever he commands.
Unless as far as human love can go, that is, a man who loved a person very much might lay down his life for his friends. The Lord loved us and laid down His life for us when we were His enemies. But now He has given us a divine life. So the 14th verse views us as those which who have this new divine life and of course as such.
We are in that position, and you are my friends. If you do whatsoever I command you, I think of a friend as a person to whom you can really pour out your heart, you can talk to them and feel that that person understands and loves you. And I think this is the most marvelous thing to think that the Lord has brought us into this position. And he He says, All things that I have received of my father, I've made known unto you.
So he's counted us now as his friends. He speaks of the limit of natural love. But then he speaks of something perhaps a little different in this 14th verse, that we have been brought into a new position for takers of the divine nature. And so as such, why we are His friends. He can pour out His heart, so to speak to us, just as He did to the disciples, and tell them all that they were able to bear at that time.
In Proverbs 17 he carries that thought, verse 13 and the 15th chapter of John a little further. And he said in the in John greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. But we've heard a lot of stories of this kind of natural affection and love that goes a long way, especially in the wartime. You get those stories. But notice the 17th, 1717 Proverbs a friend loveth at all times.
Then he brings something else in. A brother is born for adversity.
Now in the 18th at the end of the 18th chapter, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Real adversity.
All, even when he had to say, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? That's the one he's bringing out there is closer than even a brother. Our friends isn't always for adversity. He'll love, but a brother sticks by an adversity. But there's one that that's closer than a brother and that's the Lord Jesus. I believe he's bringing out that type of love here in our portion. Then I do breathe in the 14th verse. We're getting into a little different thought.
Where his children?
And we always, as brethren, should address him that way. You know, we have a father, and he's our Lord, and we are children of God by grace. But how wonderful, the condescending grace that he would call us friends so that he can reveal all these precious foods we're enjoying today. He can let us know these things. He wants us to know what's going to happen on this earth after we're gone. I marvel that he has chosen to tell me something like that.
Isn't that a wonderful thought? And we have the unction of the Spirit. We know all things.
Is because this. He's called us friends. We don't ever look to him in that sense. I think we should never forget when we're talking about ourselves, we're bond men of Christ. We've been bought with a price. Let's don't ever take us out of that realm because that's the love that manifested them. But he has the right to call us friends. We can tell us all these things.
00:25:07
I think that's wonderful. I really believe that's a marvelous thing. We sing what a friend we have in Jesus, but he says you're my friend. We can speak of having a friend in Jesus, but when he says ye are my friends. We all know this. In natural life, there's some things we would never feel free to discuss with certain people. They don't have that community of thought. Our brother was talking to us in the young people's meeting about fellowship, which means common thoughts.
And what a marvelous thing that now we have been brought into the family, God can't open up and tell us all the things that are in his heart. His purpose is for us what he's going to do in this world, even bringing us into the secrets of his ways, perhaps even difficulties and trials that arise in our lives and in the assembly. And he says, I can share my thoughts with you. I think it's so marvelous. But that's only in the path of obedience.
There are many dear Christians that can't enter into these things because if we're not walking in obedience, there's a breach, there's a lack of fellowship. And as our brother brought before us, there needs to be restoration because the Lord is willing and wants to tell these things to us. But something has come in so that that bond of friendship is not enjoyed. But I think it's lovely here that he calls us his friends and he says in the end of that fifteenth verse.
All things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you what is often said, Brethren, The Christian is the only person who has an intelligent outlook in what's going on in the world. Look at the great statesman of the world. They don't know what's going on or why things are happening the way they are. But here in this blessed book, God has opened up his bind to us, he said. I want you to be so close to me that I can tell you all my purposes from the past eternity.
Right on. During our coming eternity, I want you to know I'm in control of everything in your life and in the world, and I want you to know when these things happen. You're my friend, so I'm telling you, that's why Abraham was called his friend, because Lot didn't know that was coming on Sodom. But Abraham did, and he took the place of an intercessor for Lot and Sodom. I think it's a marvelous thing, Brethren, let's live more in the enjoyment of this, that God wants us to have these common thoughts with him and to not get upset by the things that happened by, but rather know that we are his friends and he wants to tell us.
His hand and everything. So love does manifest itself differently depending on the spiritual state and condition of the object of love. And we live in a day where generally and even among the people of God, there are work ideas about love. And I believe none of us can read such a chapter as First Corinthians 13.
Without being deeply exercised and realizing the lack in us so many times of manifesting what love is described to be like, but what we have to remember in the middle of all of these things.
We have this statement in verse 6. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. How important that is. Love it even as to disciplining children. They are appearing things even in Christian publication, undermining disciplinary measures clearly taught in the word of God, and implying that those who believe in those disciplinary measures do not have laws.
And concerns for their children. Beware, beloved. Now I don't want to buy this in any way take away from the importance that we need to be exercised, that we do manifest what we have in verse 4.
Cared he loved suffereth long time charity enrieth none, and so on, for all these things that should deeply exercise us. And I don't think there's anyone here that reads these things that doesn't realize that I need to be admonished by the scripture in this. But let us remember, beloved, the day we're living in is not characterized by extreme measures in.
00:30:07
Discipline is characterized by laxity.
And going along in spite of how a person behaves and then expecting that we should be kind and loving towards that person. That's not Christianity, beloved. It's not loving the truth.
The love is there, the love is there, but there's a hindrance to the display of it. So that the Lords heart was full of love toward Israel and it grieved him that he had to announce judgment should always grieve us when we have to discipline our children. It should grieve us deeply when discipline is necessary in the assembly and it should be carried out in that right spirit. But it's necessary but should be done in the right spirit, which is most important.
What pleases him is when his father he can tell us some of his purposes, and they're all in Christ. I think that next verse is so beautiful. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what is Lord Doeth. I've called your friends for all things that I've heard of my father I have made known unto you. I think that is so beautiful. And that's the grace that pours out in love to us.
And if we look at the 14th chapter and the 26th verse.
He says when the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things. I think that's beautiful. And then in the 16th chapter it says in verse 13, I'll be it. When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all Truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear.
That he shall speak and he will show you things to come. And so it's so beautiful to see what's in in in wonderful love as calling us friends he can do. And I think it's mostly magnified in First Corinthians 2. I just want to read the verse 9 and 10.
First Corinthians 29 But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.
The things which God has prepared for them and love him What? God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things. Yeah, the deep things of God. This is what he's saying here before the Spirit was sent.
This is what He's telling them is going to happen as the result of his death and resurrection for them and the Spirit coming and indwelling them. And then He can bring all these things to our remembrance. And today it's just as good, almost 2000 years later, I'm sure, and just as thrilling as it was the apostles and disciples after the Lord arose, or how fresh and how precious those truths that were coming to their hearts.
They're they're written for us now, just before the Lord comes again. We ought to be just as excited and just as thrilled that He's letting us into these things.
I think it's important that we don't go beyond what He has told us too. There's a great deal of speculation in connection with prophecy that goes beyond what He has told us. His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And if there are details in prophecy that God has not been pleased to fill in, let's not go beyond His word. Many have had to take back things that they have said because they went beyond.
If it was for our good brother and he would have told us.
But the principle that we have is very important. There in the 19th of Revelation, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. God never intended just to occupy us with world events, but just to give us a general outline so that we would see how that as things moved in that particular direction, it was for the glory of his Son, Because that's what we're looking forward to, the time when Christ has his rightful place. And that is the point in prophecy.
If we try to get taken up with world events, we can actually get out of communion and getting occupied with all those details. Let's remember the outlines of prophecy are clear. The details are intentionally not given to us because God wants us to be occupied with his son and just a little outline about him getting his rightful place.
00:35:17
As my brother have been talking, I can't help but.
Thank God that the Lord Jesus refers to us as a sense of Friends, calling us into the councils of God. Having given us the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to present to sinners, He's called us into this place of blessing, motivated as we see in John's Gospel Here as a Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
They all like to have the feeling of being chosen too. And there's another thing. In this 16th verse, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. Often you hear a young person say, well, I was chosen out of a class of 30 or something to do this particular thing.
And feel quite pleased that they were the one who was chosen. Isn't it a lovely thing, brethren, as we go in the crowds of this world and perhaps go down a busy street or in a busy airport or something? Just to think, here in this great crowd of people, I'm a person that the Lord chose out. I was chosen before the foundation of the world. I was chosen to occupy this wonderful place of blessing.
No credit to myself, because I would never have chosen him, but he chose me and picked me out. This really is a marvelous thing. It'll free us forever from this, what it's called.
Inferiority complex, the feeling that were rejected were not for the most wonderful people in the world that God should have picked us up. Maybe your friends don't pick you up, but the Lord picked you out and He calls you one of the excellent of the earth and he's going to joy over you with singing in another day.
And then shall, and I think this is a marvelous verse. Then shall every man have praise of God. I can see every good reason why I should praise him, but he's actually going to pick out of our poor lives things that he can reward in that day. We ought to get over this feeling. Well, nobody likes me. Nobody wants me to think that we're chosen. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you.
Or ordained people think it's marvelous to be an ordained preacher or something, but every believer is ordained to bear fruit in this world and to do something for the Lord. We've been enjoying his love, and that's the source of it all. And now being chosen. And you know, if he just loved us, and we are chosen before the foundation of the world, so we're not an afterthought. This was in his purposes in the past eternity to beautiful things.
What if that was all, and when we died, we'd go and then we'd find out. But he not only loved us and chose us, he called us and let us know. And I think those three things are so beautifully brought out in the second Thessalonians. And it's a beautiful way it is.
It's after Speaking of those who reject and who are not of the the truth, but in verse 13 of Second Thessalonians chapter 2. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, the love of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Where until he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father, which have loved us, has given us an everlasting consolation and Good Hope through grace. Well, you've got all three there. Sort of nice to see you. It's all of him.
It's all sovereign, but we're the recipient of it and it's beautiful to see these brought out here too, and then of course for days.
That's a marvelous thought, isn't it? Ordained. I remember I missed my car, broke down in Nebraska and I had to go to the nearest city. And I was there, got there by midnight on his hiking, and I was waiting in the Greyhound bus station for the bus out to Kansas City because I had to be there the next day with breaking the bread.
00:40:17
It was crowded and I was sitting there with my Bible case on my lap because it wasn't any room in my little satchel.
Some You're a black lady over there, kept looking at my Bible case. Finally she got up the nerve and she said you'll preacher man. And I said, I love to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes. Next question. You ordained. Well, I gave her the answer right from our scripture. Yeah. Some ordained God ordained me to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. So it seems a nice opportunity. At midnight till that trust pulled in. It was a crowded station.
But you never know what and brethren were all ordained. Isn't that wonderful?
There is the very important point in connection with.
Being chosen and that comes out verse 19. Now what our brother Hill has been saying is that we have classroom to do a particular thing but here we have a site brought out that is good for us to take notice and that is the emphasis is on our of the world.
The Lord Jesus, when he calls us to himself, he called us out of the world, of which Satan is God and Prince. That's why the world hates us and that's why they hated the Lord Jesus. He wasn't part of his system.
Apart from God, let us remember it, beloved, that the Ecclesia, the Church is called out, separated out of the world, set aside for God. We need to remember that in order that we know what is proper conduct for such and God is a sovereign grip, has called out.
It's nice how prayer comes in in the end of the 60th verse Again, isn't it Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name. He may give it to you. I think that's it. Nice, the way this comes in here, because we like our children to feel their need of us at times and come and ask for something that we're pleased to give. And so this is introduced into the chapter more than once because I believe God delights us to have us feel our need of Him.
A child that says, oh, I got my own money. Now I don't have to ask my dad friend. I got my own car and I can buy my own clothes. The parent loses something. The child loses something too. Rather than the Lord delights to have us dependent, says about the bride and the Song of Solomon. She comes up out of the wilderness leaning on her beloved, and I think the Lord wants us to oh, he's cultivate this, that we never come to the time in our Christian life where we're not dependents, but we don't need him. Need him for every step, every decision.
Just because we brought older, we might think, well, I I know I have a lot of experience in that, but we need him. And as I remember a comment in Mr. Darby that struck me, he said too often we tend to lean on experience, but in difficulties it's the Lord we need. Experience may be a help, but it's the Lord we need in every situation that comes up. And so after bringing before us these different things about his love and about his.
With joy, and about being his friends and about having chosen us, he comes back to this. I always want you to feel your need of me. I'm not making an independent person now. I've given you all these things. I want you always to be dependent. Let's remember that president, the path of blessing in our Christian life. We ever come to it, Even as we get older. We're going to have a fall. We're going to find out that we need him every hour.
This is the only fruit that doesn't spoil. It says in verse 16. I have ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, and only the fruit that the Spirit of God produces, which is Christ, will last.
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For all eternity, all everything else.
Will pass away, but this fruit will remain.
Then his exhortation comes in again about loving one another. I connected a little with what we have in first Peter.
Chapter One.
And verse 22.
Seeing me have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit, unto unfeigned or unpretended love of the brethren, now the exhortation see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.
I believe that God has put this love into our hearts and immediately we're brought into the family of God. Immediately we feel that love, our hearts go out to those who are the Lord.
But as we become better appointed, and perhaps our president see the flesh in US, and things like this come in, then there's a tendency for the fire to go down. So he says he's We're given that love. He says unto unfeigned love of the brethren. That isn't a pretended thing, but now the exhortation. See that you love one another just like a fire. You light it, and it goes on fine for a while.
But begins to die down and what do we do? Well, we stalk it, we poke it, and we get the.
Pieces together. And then it goes again. And so this is, I believe, the exhortation. That's why it's repeated, because we have to watch, you know, little things come in that tend to cool off that divine love. And so we need this fresh, fresh exhortation that there needs to be a poke up sometimes that we don't let this get cold. It's true, it should be in the path of obedience. But even in the path of obedience, brethren, we can get cold to the Lord and toward one another.
There is a clear break between verse 17 and 18. Verse 17 ends that section that speaks of our relationships with one another and that's to be loved, love to one another. But then we have the world brought in in verse 17 to the end and the hatred that we will experience from the world because it would not have him. And if we bear fruit, if we are Christ like.
We will be We will experience that same hatred that was meted out to that Blessed One. It will be meted out to us so we can measure, I believe, our faithfulness to the Lord and our proper representation of Him and being hurt bearers by the treatment that we receive from the world. Does it smile upon us? Are we friends with it? Can we clasp hands with it and walk with it in fellowship?
And joining its programs. And so on. A world that hated him and cast him out. No, now we're to walk as Christ, Walk for the glory of God. And when we do that, the world will have no use for us, and we will experience its hatred even as he did so. The attitude of the world towards us is one of hatred and the attitude that prevails amongst the Saints. His love. Quite a contrast between these two passages.
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