Just How Important Is It to Love God? by John.

John 14:15-31

1.Just how important is it to love God?
2. I ask this question for three reasons:
(1) First you need to ask yourself and other people how important it is.
(2) Many Christians have left their first love, and now they don’t show any real love at all. It’s much too easy to just go through the motions of worship, and say, “I’ve done my duty.”
(3) The third reason is, I plan to answer it from this text and a few others.
2. Too many people say they belong to Christ, but their lives say they do not.
3. Somewhere I read this statement, “Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you are saying.”
4. Jesus told us to recognize people by their fruit. That includes the fruit of their lives, their minds, and their lips!
5. Someone gave a reason for tthe importance of that, “Your feet always take you where your heart is!”
6. Let’s look at these verses and note that Jesus used the word “love” 8 times and the word “obey” 4 tiimes in these verses.

I. True Love has good consequences.

1. True love results in our obedience to Jesus and of course, to our Heavenly Father. V. 15.
(1) For us to say we love God and that He is our Savior and Lord according to the Bible is an outright lie!
(2) First of all, there is no doubt at all in what Jesus said. If we love Him, we will obey Him! There is no room for disobedience!
2. When we love and obey Him, Jesus promises us the gift of God’s Holy Spirit (called the Counselor here). V. 16.
(1) Jesus asks the Father to give the Spirit to us.
a. The Holy Spirit is a very personal gift! .
b. The Father does the giving.
c. When He does, that’s the moment the Creator God becomes our personal Heavenly Father!
(2) The gift of the Sprit is forever!.V 16.
3. There are many who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior (as we said at the beginning of this message) who do not obey Hi s commands.V. 17.
4. The results are totally different for them.
(1) They do not obey. They do not love (because their love is shown by their obedience).
(2) They do not receive the Holy Spirit, and God is not their Father!
(3) That means they are lost!
5. No matter what the turth is...

II. The World Always Wants Another Explanation.
1. Judas was the one disciple who didn’t love Jesus. (How do I know that? He was disobedient!)
2. With all the teaching, and the constant companionship he had with Jesus, he failed the obedience test.
3. Yet, Judas was one of the group of disciples. He was accepted as a disciple. He was considered good enough to be the group’s banker.
4. He was the one who asked Jesus why He didn’t show Himself to the world. V 22.
5. We have well-intentioned people in our churches today who wonder why God doesn’t make people trust Him!
6. In v 23, Jesus told Judas He and the Father would come to the individual who loves them, and They would make Themselves known to him!
(1) We are under a misapprehension that we have to search for God. We don’t. He comes to us when we put our trust in Him, and He makes His home with us!
6. In v 24, Jesus restated the truth. Those who do not obey don’t because they do not love Him!
7. He adds that the words we have been talking about came directly from His Father!

III. Love Brings More Blessings!

1. We’ve already talked about the Counselor, but up to this point Jesus had not told them that the Holy Spirit would teach everything to those who belong to God.
2. Now He also tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit will help their weak minds! He’s the One Who reminds us of all the things we have learned! And He does it when we need it! Luke 12:11, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
3. V 27, He gives us His Own Personal peace.
(1) When the world gives us something, we had better look out! There are always strings attached to everything the world gives!
(2) Jesus doesn’t give like that. His gifts are always free of conditions!
4. Now He orders us to stop being troubled and fearful.
(1) We have everlasting life right now.
(2) We have God with us right now!
(3) We are sealed by God’s Spirit for all eternity! Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
5. There is nothing Satan or the world can do that will undo what God has done and is doing!

IV. The Disciples’ Imperfect Love Helps Us.

1. In v 28 Jesus reminded the disciples that He had told them He was going away, but that He would return to them.
2. In the last part of that verse, He told them their love was not yet as strong as it would be.
(1) They were grieved that He was going away.
(2) They had pinned all their hopes on Him! And now He was leaving!
(3) They probably wondered what to do next. How would they make a living? Did they have to go back to their old lives?
3. Jesus told them that if their love was strong enough, they would be glad He was going to His Father because His Father was greater than He was!
(1) That would be their natural reaction, wouldn’t it?
(2) If your children have to leave for a better job somewhere far off, it may make you sad, but aren’t you also glad?
4. Jesus told them ahead of time, that’s prophecy, so that they would believe when it happened! V. 29.
5. V 30 is interesting because apparently Satan doesn’t know everything. Jesus said He wouldn’t speak much more with them because Satan was coming. The inference is that He did not want Satan to hear what He taught the disciples.
6. He finished that verse saying, “He has no hold on me.”
7. V 31 tells us that God was, and is, counting on the crucifixion of His Son to show the world that Jesus loves His Father and always does exactly what He commanded Him. Ooops!!! Did we miss a point here? Is Jesus saying we should love Him and obey Him just as He loves His Father and obeys Him exactly? Well that is what He is telling us exactly!

Conclusion:

1. Do you love God? If you don’t you are not His child. He adopts us into His family when we truly love Him.
2. Do you say you love God, but you live in disobedience to Him?
3. The news of the Bible is, you don’t love God and you aren’t His child unless you obey Him!
4. Well meaning people make that mistake all the time. It’s not a shame to be wrong, but it is a shame to waste your life by not loving Jesus just the way He loves His Father.
5. Put your trust in Jesus, turn your life over to Him and He will truly save you for all eternity.
6. His Holy Spirit will seal you for eternity, then He will teach you what you need to know, and He will bring to your mind what God has taught you when you need it!
7. How important is it to love God? You cannot live very long without it!

Emmanuel Community Church 1/8/2006