Love, It's Not An Option! by Steve Keeler
Scripture John 15:9-17
If you knew your death was coming soon what would
you say to those you love? Jesus spoke to His followers
not long before He was to be killed on the cross. This
was His farewell speech to the disciples.
John 15:9-17 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have
also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My
commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have
kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may
be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My
commandment, that you love one another, just as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one
lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you
do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves,
for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but
I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard
from My Father I have made known to you. You did not
choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you
would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain,
so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He
may give to you. This I command you, that you love one
another."
Jesus is getting them prepared vertically and
horizontally, shaping them up to live right with God and
with man before He leaves this world.
He's talking about abiding in the Vine and loving one
another. He is putting supreme importance and weight to
those two things. In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked what the
greatest commandment is. Jesus responds that it is to
love God and the second is like it, love your neighbor as
yourself on these two hang the whole Law.
Today, we focus on the second part of the greatest
commandment.
Jesus is serious about our loving one another. Look at
what John 15:17 says, "This I command you, that you
love one another."
It is not an option! 1 John 4:21 says, "And this
commandment we have from Him, that the one who
loves God should love his brother also"
If you choose to be a follower of Jesus loving each other
is not an option. It's a commandment. It's not just any
commandment but sums up the last six of the Law of
God.
We need to remind each other in the halls here when we
pass someone say, "I'm commanded to love you." Then
say, "You're commanded to love me."
Jesus is serious about us loving one another because it
shows we know God! 1 John 4:8 says, "The one who
does not love does not know God, for God is love."
You can't say you know God and refuse to love others.
It's a sign you know Him and know Him by experience.
Jesus is serious about our loving one another because it
reveals whether or not God lives in us. Does God live in
you? He does if you love others. 1 John 4:11 says,
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another."
Love is the distinguishing mark of the child of God. It is
also the distinguishing mark of the church, the body of
Christ should reflect the love of God!
If I haven't mad it clear enough, let me clear it up. Christ
demands that the single driving force in your life be love.
All other things, no matter how important you may think
they are, they are secondary. Love is the sign of true
discipleship, that shows Christ lives in you.
Listen to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "If I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I
have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I
have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all
knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I
give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I
surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it
profits me nothing."
There are simply no substitutes for genuine love. Love
can't be replaced by good preaching or singing ability or
the ability to have great faith. Genuine love for others
can't be substituted with money. You can't put a price
tag on love. A church can survive without a huge budget
but it can't survive without love. It might keep its doors
open but the spiritual life is gone.
So, how are we supposed to love others? Jesus says
we are to love one another as He has loved us!
Wow. What a responsibility. Jesus didn't just tell us
what to do but how to do it. How did He love us?
He did it by His own choice. So, we love because He
first loved us!
God draws near to us. From creation to the cross and
after the resurrection God is always taking the
initiative to love us and care for us and lead us.
He doesn't have to persuaded or prodded. He sees
something very valuable, something worth loving in
every person.
When we don't deserve to be loved still He loved us.
That's exactly where each and everyone of us is today.
So how'd He do it? God's own Word says it was by His
actions.
He willingly laid down His life for us. Romans 5:8 says,
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
He goes on to call His disciples friends. Jesus said in
John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends."
We have the greatest model there has ever been of how
to love each other by looking to Jesus.
I think sometimes we've been looking to the wrong
model for how to really love.
Now think about it. If Jesus calls these the greatest
commandments, doesn't it make sense that our arch
enemy and all of his forces will do whatever it takes to
keep us from obeying them? You betcha!
You see it's like the devil is your opponent in some
cosmic game. His game plan is to figure you out ahead
of time, before he comes against you.
He will study you to try to capitalize on your weaknesses
but he also will try to come up with a way to shut down
your strengths.
So, if your prayer life is strong and healthy, Satan will do
whatever it takes to take that away from you. If you
diligently take time everyday to spend time with God, the
devil will do what he needs to do to make sure you don't
have that time.
He will do whatever it takes to keep you from a loving
relationship with God. Satan's goal to get you distracted,
to get you to busy, fill your life up with things that keep
you from your loving God.
He has the same plan to keep you from loving others.
He'll plant seeds of doubt, discord, anger, jealously to
keep conflict stirred up.
That evil devil will throw out all the darts he can at us to
keep us from living out the commandments of God.
I know this message today isn't going to keep us from
having problems. Unfortunately, it's not a matter of if but
when.
But you know what? The Bible teaches us how to avoid
most of the problems that arise.
When there is a conflict that we can't seem to resolve,
we have a God that can resolve any problem we have.
Colossians 3:12-13 "So, as those who have been
chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each
other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as
the Lord forgave you, so also should you."
We are to love others because Christ is loving us. So,
how can I be sure I'm living the kind of love Jesus is
talking about? Ask God to give you a heart full of Christ
like love.
If you are having problems loving someone because
they just got on that very last nerve, start asking God to
work in your heart towards that person.
Pray specifically, "God give me a love for __________".
I guarantee the more you draw near to God's heart the
more your heart will become like His.
Next, put feet to your love. Let your love be seen by
others.
Luke 6:27-29 "But I say to you who hear, love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those
who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
We are to find ways to show love to others, even those
we don't want to show love to. This takes patience, it
takes a willingness to be Godly and it takes God like
love.
We aren't perfect and we will often fall short of that kind
love for each other. Only Christ is the perfect fulfillment
of love. But you know, it's a mark worth shooting for.
The church is also to be a place of love, Godlike love. It
should be a place where this love is the most important
thing to learn to live out.
So part of our job as the body of Christ is to display that
Godlike love every chance we get. Remember don't let
the devil still your song.
How would you do that? Spend time with people you
don't normally spend time with. Make sure it's someone
that's not part of your regular group.
When someone is being particularly nasty, be nice to
them in return. Remember you don't know why they are
acting that way, they may have gotten some bad news
or something. Perhaps your kindness is exactly what
they need right now.
Live out your Christian love for the whole world to see.
Be kind to each other. Pray for each other. Live out loud
Jesus' commandment this week and in your life.
Love one another!
