Sermon - Jon 15:9-17 - Remain in His Love - Littleby Baptist Church - October 8, 2023

 1.     Jesus is the True Vine.

a.      Israel was established to be a vine, but God knew they would not be able to stay true.

b.     From before time began it was known that Jesus was going to come to earth to be our sacrifice, to be the True Vine.

c.      The Vine that connects us to God.

d.     The Vine that all who follow Jesus are a part of.

2.     One of Jesus’ key points in these verses was that we are to remain in Him.

a.      As a follower of Christ, it is imperative that we seek Jesus.

b.     We are to talk to our God.

c.      We are to study and learn about Him.

d.     We let the Holy Spirit work in us.

e.      Jesus needs to be THE priority in our lives.

f.      We need to make Him a priority every day.

3.     Let’s look at what else Jesus had to say to the guys.

4.     John 15:9

a.      Building off the remaining in Him, Jesus reminds us to remain in His love.

b.     I wonder how good we are at remining in His love?

c.      Verse 10 expands on how it is seen.

5.     John 15:10

a.      If we remain in the Love of Jesus we will follow the commands we have been given.

b.     Remaining in Jesus’ Love means we will follow the Father’s will for our lives.

6.     Remining in His Love is seen in two ways.

7.     The first is specifically called out here in that we are to be lovingly obedient.

a.      We may not always understand why God wants us to do something.

b.     We may not like what He is asking us to do, like loving our enemy.

c.      But, when we stop and ask what God would like us to do, we are following His teaching.

d.     When we respond by doing what we know He wants us to do, we are following His will.

e.      When we do this we are lovingly following our God’s commands.

f.      As we remain in Christ’s love, our faith is seen in us following our God.

8.     The other side of this is learning to be dependent on His love.

a.      When we remain in His Love, we are to depend on Him.

b.     When we are anxious, we tend to fret about things and try to figure out the best course of action.

c.      Matthew 6:25

d.     If we can remain in His love, we learn to not let the anxiety and stress get to us.

e.      We are not to worry.

f.      It is hard, but as we continue to focus on our Jesus, He helps us in our times of need.

g.     The more time we remain in Him and His Love, the easier it becomes.

h.     Another one we may struggle with is when fear gets the best of us.

i.       It can be hard to remember that we are not alone.

j.       Psalm 23:4

k.     Our God is with us for the good in our life as well as the bad.

l.       He does not expect us to walk through these things on our own.

9.     Depend on the Love of our Lord and Savior.

a.      Trust that He is with you always.

b.     Trust in the Word of God when it tells us that His peace is with us.

c.      That His rod and staff comfort us.

d.     That our needs will be provided for.

e.      That we are loved by the Creator of all that exists.

10.  Remain in His love by following His commands and trusting in Him.

11.  John 15:11

a.      Jesus did not come to make life a chore or a bore.

b.     John 10:10

c.      He came to set us free from the chains of sin in the hope that we would have an abundant life.

d.     He does not want us to live a joyless life.

e.      Hebrews 12:2

f.      Jesus came to this earth and died on that cross for the Joy of spending forever with us.

g.     He wants us to find that same joy.

h.     John 17:13

i.       As we follow our God, as we trust in Him.

j.       May His joy be complete in us.

k.     A Joy that is not dependent on our circumstances or if things are going in our favor.

l.       A Joy that is found as we carry out His will for our lives.

m.   A Joy that is complete based on His love for us and the Hope we have in Him.

12.  John 15:12

a.      Love each other.

b.     Love others as yourself.

c.      Love each other as Christ loves them.

d.     Love each other as Jesus loves you.

e.      Jesus loves us so much that He looks past the sin in our lives.

f.      He loves us so much that He looks past the past we hold on to.

g.     Jesus loves us so much that He died for us while we still embraced our sin.

h.     A love that is hard to imagine.

i.       A love we do not deserve.

j.       Jesus is telling us to love each other that way.

13.  Why is this so important?

a.      The normal answer is people see our faith in how we love and care for others.

b.     That is true.

c.      But there is something else that Jesus is getting at.

d.     When we love other believers as Jesus loves us, we grow.

e.      As we care for, pray for, and help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ we grow in faith.

f.      We grow as we see God at work in our lives and others.

g.     As we walk alongside others who are hurting, we talk to our God more.

h.     We may dig into His Word a bit deeper to try to understand or find a bit of truth that may help.

i.       When we love others in the same way Jesus loves us, we draw closer to Him.

j.       We draw near to Him and remain in His love.

k.     Loving others helps us grow.

14.  John 15:13

a.      Jesus paid the ultimate price for those He loves.

b.     We may or may not be in a position to die for another.

c.      But, as we give of our time to others we are showing love.

d.     It may not be on the same level, but it is still sacrificing for others.

e.      It is still loving others.

15.  John 15:14-15

a.      A slave does what he is told in fear or without understanding why.

b.     Jesus has shared with the disciples all that the Father was doing.

c.      He has made it known to them.

d.     They were more than a master and His servants.

e.      Jesus called them friends.

f.      They followed Jesus out of love not out of fear.

g.     They trusted Jesus because He had shown them the way.

16.  John 15:16

a.      Common practice in that day was for the student to seek out the teacher.

b.     In Jesus’ case, He sought out the students.

c.      He chose His disciples.

d.     He called them.

e.      He picked each one for the mission that He would give them.

f.      A mission that would be carried out by the fruit, the giftings they would receive from the Holy Spirit.

g.     A mission that could only be accomplished by them seeking God’s will to be done in the name of Jesus.

h.     They were chosen by Jesus out of love and given what was needed to carry out the mission they were created for.

i.       They were alive at that time to carry out the tasks before them.

j.       We are alive today to carry out the will of God in our lives.

k.     The more we remain in His love, the more our Jesus can use us.

17.  John 15:17

a.      Love one another.

b.     Love your neighbor as yourself.

c.      Love others as Christ has loved them.

d.     The common theme is Love for others.

e.      A love that comforts when sorrow hits.

f.      A love that helps when a need arises.

g.     A love that helps others fulfill the will of God in their lives.

h.     A love that is honest with us about the sin in our lives.

i.       We are to love each other in a way that helps both of us grow closer to God.

j.       That is what Jesus modeled for us and what we should be doing as His followers.

18.  I think we all can agree that Jesus loves us.

a.      We see it in what He did for us on that cross.

b.     If we are watching we see it in how He cares for us today.

c.      We are commanded by our Lord to Love Others, to Love each other.

d.     That love will take many shapes.

e.      It will look different between person to person and situation to situation.

f.      But love is to be the driving force behind what we do.

19.  We are to love people enough to help them in their time of need.

20.  We are to love people enough to let them know that they need a Savoir.

21.  We are to love people enough to help them grow as believers.

22.  Here’s the challenge for you today, who can you love as Jesus loved today?

23.  Pray for God to point out who in your life needs to be loved and what you can do to help.