[0:00] Good morning, brothers and sisters. We are continuing with our teaching sermon number five now on the subject of biblical discipleship.
[0:27] And today we're going to be reading our main text. It's going to be the Gospel of John chapter 15 verses 8 to 12.
[0:47] John 15, 8 to 12.
[0:58] And the Word of God says,
[2:02] Dear Heavenly Father, we, one more time, come to you, Lord, praising you, thanking you for all your goodness and your mercies and your love for us.
[2:26] We ask, Lord, that your Holy Spirit be with us and allow your Word to be preached with clarity and power. And we ask that our hearts be receptive, Lord, to your Word and that the preaching of your Word be a means for edification of the congregation this morning.
[2:47] In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen. So we're continuing, brothers and sisters, with our biblical discipleship series.
[2:59] And we have gone through basically spiritual disciplines so far.
[3:10] We had a first introductory sermon about the subject of discipleship. We talk about the spiritual disciplines of prayer and how we are called to be imitators of Christ in being people of prayer, both personally and also corporatively in the church.
[3:31] We also talk about the spiritual disciplines of prayer and how we are called to imitate Jesus in our love for the Word of God.
[3:41] And we should be people that be feeding our souls daily with God's Word. Most recently, last week, we talked about the spiritual discipline of fasting, pointing out that our Lord Jesus Christ did fast, that he did teach his disciples how to fast.
[4:04] And it's done with a biblical purpose. The congregation was challenged last week. During that sermon, I proposed fasting three days, any day, any day.
[4:19] For three weeks, personally, thinking about three things. Salvation for non-Christian families of our church members.
[4:31] Asking God to help us into growing toward Christ-likeness. And third, victory of our specific sins we might be struggling with for strength in temptations and trials.
[4:42] All of us are struggling with specific sins. Today, we move toward another aspect of discipleship.
[4:54] Another way in which disciples imitate Jesus. And it's in the pursuit of obedience. Christ-likeness in a Spirit-dependent obedience.
[5:06] Christ-likeness in a Spirit, Holy Spirit-dependent obedience. And a central aspect of discipleship, right?
[5:20] Is Christ-likeness in obedience to all the commands of Jesus. To all the commands of God. Christ-likeness in a Spirit-dependent obedience. And we do that.
[5:30] And we also encourage, help, and equip, invest in one another. In our relationship with one another. In growing into being people who follow us.
[5:41] What our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us. In Matthew 28, we see the great commandment of Jesus Christ.
[5:54] Right? And Matthew 28. Go therefore and make disciples to all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit. And look what our Lord Jesus Christ says.
[6:07] Part of the great commandment is teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
[6:20] So you see, brothers and sisters, we can see how being people that pursue the observance of Christ's commandments is a very important aspect of being a disciple of Jesus.
[6:39] Being people that pursue that for ourselves. And be people that talk to one another. And equip one another. And invest in one another. And talking about these things.
[6:50] Are one of the key aspects of practicing discipleship. In our Grace Fellowship Church new class members. In the manual.
[7:01] Right? In lesson 2.D. There are a list of major themes. That are taught here.
[7:16] At Grace Fellowship Church. Right? Including the fact. And we went over that. In very. We spent a significant amount of time in the first sermon. Talking about how salvation is by grace through faith alone.
[7:29] We cannot and will not do anything that will be able to save us. Right? And also part of that lesson too in the manual is that the fact that we as followers of Christ grow in sanctification.
[7:46] That's the nature of the Christian life. And the fact that salvation by grace results in fruit of salvation in obedience and growth in grace.
[8:02] That's the natural results of us receiving the gift of salvation through Christ.
[8:12] 1 John 2.3-6 And by this we know that we have come to know him. To know God. To know Jesus.
[8:24] And by this we know that we have come to know him. If we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know him. But does not keep his commandments is a liar.
[8:36] And the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word. In him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him.
[8:49] Whoever says he abides in him. Ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Talking about our Lord Jesus Christ.
[9:02] And also in our 1689 confession of faith. Chapter 13. There is a whole chapter. About how those that are saved.
[9:16] Those that are disciples of Christ. Grow into being like Christ. I'm just going to remind you. Paragraph. One and three.
[9:30] They who are united to Christ. Effectually called. And regenerated. Having a new heart. And a new spirit. Created in them.
[9:40] Through the virtue of Christ. Death and resurrection. Are also further sanctified. Really and personally. Through the same virtue. Paragraph two.
[9:52] I'm just. Not going to read the whole thing. This sanctification is throughout the whole man. Yet imperfect in this life. There abides still some remnants. Of corruption in every part.
[10:04] Wherefrom arises a continual. And irreconcilable war. Right. The flesh lost in against the spirit. And the spirit against the flesh. In which war.
[10:17] Although the remaining corruption. For a time may much prevail. Yet through continue. Sorry. Yet. The continual supply of strength. From the sanctifying spirit of Christ.
[10:29] The regenerate part. Does overcome. And so the saints grow in grace. Perfecting holiness. In the fear of God. Pressing.
[10:40] Pressing. Pressing. After a heavenly life. In evangelical. Obedience. That's the last part of the paragraph three. Of chapter 13. Of our confessional phase. Pressing after a heavenly life.
[10:53] In evangelical obedience. To all the commands. Which Christ. As head. And king. In his word. Has prescribed to them. So.
[11:05] There's no doubt. Right. That. Being a disciple. Receiving that new heart. Receiving that new birth. That only comes. Through God. As a gift.
[11:16] Also. Is followed. By. That growth. In.
[11:28] Obeying. The commandments. Of Christ. As head. As king. As stated in his word. As prescribed by him. Few verses support this statement. In the confession. Romans 6. 5 to 6.
[11:39] For if. For if we have been united. With him in death. Like his. We shall certainly be united. With him in a resurrection. Like his. We know that our old self.
[11:50] Was crucified. With him. In order that the body of sin. Might be brought. To nothing. So that we would no longer be. Slaved.
[12:00] To sin. Christ has. Delivered us. From. The power. We are not a slave to sin anymore. Those that are united.
[12:11] With Christ. Those that are in Christ. Those that are our recipient. Of the gift of salvation. Are not slaves to sins anymore. According to scripture. We are. Free.
[12:22] In Christ. Through his. Power. Hebrews 12. 14. Strive. Strive for peace. With everyone. And for the holiness. Without.
[12:36] Wish. No one will see. The Lord. 2nd Corinthians 7. 11. Since we have. These promises. Beloved. Let us. Cleanse ourselves.
[12:48] From every. Defilement. Of body and spirit. Bringing holiness. To completion. In the fear of the Lord. So brothers and sisters.
[12:59] These are just. Few examples. On how. Scripture. On how. Scripture. Encourages. To grow into. Obedience to Jesus. Commandments.
[13:10] Right. And. Law. In the context. Of. Abiding in Christ. Where. Everything's. Flows. In the context.
[13:21] Of abiding in Christ. And again. Christ himself. Instructed this. In the great commandment. Teaching them. To obey. All. That I have. Commanded you. Let's go through.
[13:35] Three main points. After this introduction. First. Christ. Obeyed. Perfectly. Christ. Obeyed. Perfectly. In a perfect way. Second. Disciples.
[13:46] Grow. In the fruit. Of obedience. Through abiding in Christ. In the Holy Spirit. Those who follow. Christ. Grow. Into being like Christ.
[13:58] Those who follow. Christ. Grow. Into. Obeying. Christ. And third. Abiding. In Christ. Love. Abiding in Christ.
[14:09] Love. First. Christ. Obeyed. Perfectly. We all know. That's something that. We talk very often. About that. And.
[14:21] We see that in. Philippians 2. 8. And being found. In human form. He humbled himself. By becoming obedient. To the point of death. Christ. Obeyed.
[14:32] Even death. On a cross. Second. Corinthians 5. 21. For our sake. He made him to be seen. Who knew no sin. Christ.
[14:43] Knew no sin. So that in him. We might become the righteousness. Of God. Christ. Obeyed. Perfectly. There was. No sin.
[14:53] Whatsoever. In. Our Lord Jesus Christ. None. No one. Apart from Christ.
[15:08] Have obeyed. Perfectly. None of us. No one can do this. No one will obey. All of us. Has already. Fallen in something. Right. We are.
[15:19] We are not like Christ. In this sense. None. No one. Apart from Christ. Have obeyed. Perfectly. This is. Actually a task. That is impossible.
[15:30] By any man. Or women. In our current nature. Until we attain. Glorification. Of our. Bodies. All have. Seen. And. Fall short.
[15:43] Of the glory. Of God. So having said that. It is only through. Christ's. Perfect. Work of obedience. And redemptive. Sacrifice. For our sins.
[15:54] That we are saved. It is only. Through Christ's. Perfect. Work of obedience. And redemptive. Sacrifice. For our sins. That we are saved. Our salvation.
[16:06] Depends. On our trust. On the obedience. Of Christ. Of our faith. In what Christ.
[16:16] Did. We are saved. By faith. In the work. Of Christ. Of Christ. Alone. Not by anything else. We do. Right? Christ's.
[16:27] Perfect. Obedience. Is the basis. For our salvation. Romans 3. 20 to 22. For by works.
[16:39] Of the law. No human being. Will be justified. In his sight. Since through the law. Comes knowledge. Of sin. But now. The righteousness. Of God. Has been manifested.
[16:50] Apart from the law. The righteousness. Of God. Through faith. In Jesus Christ. For all who believe. So we are not. None of us are righteous.
[17:00] Of ourselves. But we have faith. And we trust. In the righteousness. Of Christ. The only one. That was. Perfectly righteous. For our salvation.
[17:12] Romans 5. 19. For us. By no. One. Man's. Disobedience. Sorry. For us. By one man's. Disobedience. The many were made.
[17:23] Sinners. By Adam. So by one man's. Obedience. Christ. The many will be made. Righteous. First Corinthians. 1. 21 to 31. So that no man.
[17:35] No human being. Might boast. In the presence of God. And because of him. You are in Christ. Who became. To us. Wisdom from God. Righteousness.
[17:46] And sanctification. And redaction. So that. As it is written. Let. The one who boasts. Boasts. In the Lord. No.
[17:59] No. But. No. No matter how. Much. We obey. Never. We boast. On our obedience. Because. It's imperfect. We boast.
[18:11] I mean. We trust. In the perfect obedience. Of Christ. So. Having. Having. Said that. Although. We cannot obey. Perfectly.
[18:22] Like Christ. While in this nature. And. Although. Our. Salvation. Does not. Rely. In our. Confidence. Or confidence. Through our own.
[18:33] Growth. Of sanctification. Or growth. In obedience. Right. We. As disciples. Of Christ. That's what. The scriptures. Tell us. It's like. The scriptures. Has everything.
[18:44] Clear. Right. We are not. Perfect. But we are called. To obey. Like Christ. We. As disciples. Of Christ. Do grow. In obedience. In the context.
[18:55] Of our faith. And our. Abiding. And our. Our union. With him. In that context. We grow. Into being. Like Christ. Those.
[19:05] Elected. Called. And saved. By God. Those who. Are disciples. Of Christ. Are commanded. To grow. In imitating. Christ's. Obedience. Right. Teaching. Then.
[19:16] To observe. All that I have. Commanded you. Disciples. Grow. In obedience. Not perfectly. But progressively. As. The Holy Spirit. Works. Transforming. Their lives.
[19:26] Toward the image. Of. The son. Jesus. Moreover. Those. That are. In Christ. Are known. By their fruit. Those.
[19:37] That are. In Christ. Are known. By their fruit. Martin Luther. Pointed out. The works. Of faith. Do not. Make faith. But faith.
[19:48] Does. The works. Of faith. Luther. Was. Basically. Thinking. About. How. Those. That. Has.
[19:59] Received. Faith. From the Lord. Do works. Of faith. Matthew. 7. 16. 18. You will. Recognize. Them. By their fruits. Jesus. Talking.
[20:09] As. Our. Graves. Gather. From. Thornbushes. Or. Fix. From. Thistles. So. Every. Healthy. Three.
[20:19] Bears. Good. Fruit. But. The. Deceased. Tree. Bears. Bad. Fruit. A. Healthy. Tree. Cannot. Bear. Bad. Fruit. Nor. Can. A. Deceased. Tree. Bear.
[20:30] Good. Fruit. That's. Christ. Talking. To. His. Disciples. In. Matthew. 7. Christ. Expect. His. Disciples. To. Grow. In. Spirit.
[20:40] Dependent. Obedience. To. God's. Commandments. Not. In. A. Legalistic. Way. To. Earn. Salvation. It. Is. Not. By. Works. But.
[20:51] As. A. Demonstration. Of. Their. Love. For. Him. Showing. The. Fruit. Evidence. In. That. Indeed. They. Are. In. Christ. That. They. Are. Abiding. In. Christ.
[21:01] Showing. The. Fruit. That. They. Are. United. With. Christ. Point. Two. Disciples. Grow. In. The. Fruit. Of. Obedience.
[21:12] Through. Abiding. In. Christ. Disciples. Grow. In. Obedience. In. The. Context. Of. Abiding. In. Christ. In.
[21:22] The. Context. Of. Being. In. Christ. In. The. Context. Of. Our. Union. With. Christ. Those. That. Truly. Abide. In. If. If.
[21:32] We. Truly. Abide. In. Christ. If. We. Are. In. Christ. If. We. Are. United. With. Christ. That. Has. To. Happen. Those. That. Truly. Abide. In. Christ. Bear. Fruit.
[21:44] John. 15. 4. Abide. In. Me. And. I. In. You. As. The. Branch. Cannot. Bear. Fruit. By. It. It. Abides. In. The. Vine. Neither.
[22:02] There. Is. A. Commentary. Called. Gerald. Brocher. That. Commend. The. Following. Regarding. This. Verse. Jesus. As. The. Father. Abides. Dwelling.
[22:12] Jesus. And. The. Holy. Spirit. Would. Abide. In. Them. So. They. Are. Commanded. As. His. Disciples. To. Abide.
[22:22] In. The. Divine. I. Mean. The. Disciples. That. Jesus. Is. Talking. To. In. In. In. John. 15. A. Branch. Is. An. An. Also. We. Are. Disciples. Of. Christ. That. Word. Is.
[22:32] Not. Only. For. Those. Disciples. Christ. Talked. To. It. Also. For. Us. Right. A. Branch. Is. Not. A. Self. Contained. Entity. And. Neither. Is. The. Christian. Disciple. And.
[22:44] As. A. Branch. Separated. From. The. Supply. Of. Nourishment. Cannot. Produce. Fruit. Neither. Can. The. Christian. Fruit. Bearing. For. The. Disciple.
[22:54] Is. Totally. Dependent. On. A. Direct. Connection. To. Jesus. Attachment. To. Jesus. Or. Abiding. In. Him. Is. Therefore. The.
[23:04] Sign. Quo. None. Of. Christian. Discipleship. The. Sign. Quo. None. That. Means. An. Essential. Condition. A. Thing. That. The.
[23:16] Words. Attachment. To. Jesus. Or. Abiding. In. Him. By. Faith. Is. An. Essential. Condition. Absolutely. Necessary. For. Bearing. Fruit. Of. Obedience.
[23:27] In. Christian. Discipleship. John. Calvin. Clearly. Stated. Indicated. How. The. Empowerment.
[23:38] From. The. Holy. Spirit. In. The. Life. Of. The. Believer. Is. The. Reason. For. Which. Believers. Are. Able. To. Obey. The. Law. Of. God. And. Grow. In. Conformation.
[23:48] Into. The. Character. Of. Christ. And. Grow. Into. Imitating. Christ. And. Grow. Into. Being. Like. Christ. It's. Because. Of. That. Calvin. Wrote. By.
[23:58] This. Power. We. Are. Drawn. And. Inflamed. Knowingly. And. Willingly. To. Obey. Him. Calvin. Not. That. By. The.
[24:09] Power. Of. Christ. We. Are. Willing. To. Obey. So. There. Is. A. Work. Of. Christ. In. Our. Hearts. That. Make. Us. Willing.
[24:20] To. Imitate. Christ. In. His. Obedience. As. Calvin. Points. Out. Here. Yet. Also. More. Vitally. And. More. Effectively. Than. By. Human. Willing. Or. Knowing. You.
[24:33] In. Our. Falling. Nature. No. One. One. One. One. One. One. One. Actually. There. There. One.
[24:44] One. One. There. One. Good. Right. None. Nobody. Wants. To. Do. That. This. Is. Part. Of. Depravity. Total. Depravity.
[24:56] The. Word. Doesn't. Want. To. Obey. What. The. Word. Of. God. Says. Unbelievers. Hate. The. Commandments. Of. Christ. but those that are in Christ, those that abide in Christ, those that are united with Christ, those that have the Holy Spirit residing in them, willingly want to obey God, knowing that this is not done for any addition to what God has already given to us, Christ has given to us already himself, there is nothing more, there is no more benefit that we can obtain, we do that because the Holy Spirit make in us the will to do it, because that's our purpose of Christ's disciples, we grow into being like Christ, is a natural consequence of we being Christ's followers,
[26:11] John Owen in his work, the mortification of sin, encouraged believers to seek obedience, relying in God's supply of grace, not in our strength as we cannot do it by ourselves, Owen says, Owen's right, Christ is the fountain, from which the new man must draw the influences of life and strength, only Christ and the means appointed by him will give you lasting help, that is exactly what John 15 tells us, right?
[26:51] We are able to obey only through abiding in Christ, through our faith in Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, let's read them again, John 15, verse 8, by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples, as the Father has loved me, so I have 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, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full, this is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you, so brothers and sisters, verse 8, tell us that the Father, God the Father, is glorified, when we bear fruits as Christ's disciples, God the Father is glorified, we are made to glorify God, right?
[27:56] This is one way in which we glorify God, as it is told by our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father is glorified, when we bear fruits as Christ's disciples, so our obedience glorifies God, our obedience glorifies God, God created human beings, to be image better, right?
[28:18] To be image of him, as we see in Genesis 1, 17, for his glory, and these two realities, are manifested in those, that are genuine disciples, of God, by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples, the great word here, for fruits, carbon, is associated with actions of men, fruits is what we do, actions of men, right?
[28:52] And in the context of John 15, the disciples bearing of fruit, is contingent upon fellowship, and union with Christ, because we can do nothing, without him, and because of that union, with Christ, the actions, the actions, of the disciples of Christ, are different, than the actions, of somebody, who is not a disciple of Christ, they act different, who do, who do, who is not a disciple, does not pursue obedience, is not even interested in that, hate that, but the one that is a disciple of Christ, pursue it, is interested in it, is willing to do it, is actually, joyful in doing it, as we're going to see, in verse, in one of the verses, that is coming, so, disciples glorify God, by practicing Holy Spirit, dependent obedience, reflecting his image, by their fruit, while being conformed, in the likeness of Jesus, while imitating Jesus, and in that way, demonstrating, that they are in Christ, so, by that, whoever sees us, know, that we are in Christ, know that we are abiding in Christ, that we abide in Christ, know that we are united with Christ, it is because, the disciples are abiding Jesus, divine, and are obedient to him, in the bearing of fruit, that they bring glory, to the Father, so glorifying God, by bearing fruit, is another purpose of discipleship, right, doing so, not only indicates, that the followers, are through disciples, of Jesus, but also that God is glorified, in their discipleship, so, as we invest in one another, as we equip one another, as we personally grow, into, obeying the commandments of Christ, as,
[31:01] Jesus said in the great commission, as we help one another, with that same purpose, we are glorifying Christ, we are glorifying God, as we practice discipleship, in a biblical way, so, a relevant question, believers have to ask, is whether their lives, honor and magnify the Father, or whether they are, a reproach to him, an unfruitful branch, is a dishonor to God, the fruit, is Christ-like, affections, that's the fruit, fruit is the manifestation, the evidence, one may expect, from a life, in which the spirit of God, is living, and reigning, excuse me, fruit is the manifestation, the evidence, one may expect, from a life, in which the spirit of God, is living, and reigning, a disciple, that manifests, in his or her life, the fruit of, love, joy, peace, right, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, honors, and glorifies God, through his or her obedience, and prove to, be a truly and genuine follower, of Christ, the glory, of his blessed attributes, shines forth, before the eyes, of men, and of angels, according to James English, so, verse nine,
[32:44] Christ, expressed, to his disciples, as the father, we are now in verse nine, as the father, has loved me, so, have I loved you, so, Christ here, encouraged them, and tell them, abide in my love, only by abiding, in Christ's love, are disciples, able to bear fruit, as it is not, it does not come, from one's own strength, but from God's power, I'm going to make, I'm going to make, another reference, from John Calvin, he says, when in this passage, Christ, exhorts us, to persevere, to abide, we must not rely, on our own efforts, and battles, but must, but must pray, to him, who commands us, in order to confirm, us, in his love, and in verse 11,
[33:50] Jesus connects, abiding in his love, with having his joy, look at that, how can we connect, obeying with joy, where there's a connection, according to Christ here, right, and it's true, in verse 11, Jesus connects, abiding in his love, with having his joy, these things, I have spoken to you, that my joy, may be in you, and that, your joy, may be full, the joy, of a genuine disciple, does not come, from anything, of this world, it is the fruit, of the spirit, that depends, on the believer's, fellowship, with Christ, in abiding with him, and that is right, a genuine disciple, of Christ, when, he is, able, by the power of Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to win the battle, of a sin, that he is struggling with, for years, and years, and years, and suddenly, by the grace of God, he grows, into not doing that anymore, you know what comes to, with that joy, on the other hand, we, in our, daily battles, against sins, that happens to me, that happens to all of you, that follow Christ, when we, sin, when we, disobey, that doesn't give us joy, that gives us sorrow, that gives us sadness, right, that's the normal reaction, when we, fall, so, connection of the, joy, of being a Christ disciple, and being like Christ, with, obeying his commandment, is the reality, as we see in verse 11,
[35:48] Colin Cruz commands, while, obedience is demanding, it is right, while, obedience is demanding, it is the pathway, of true joy, while, obedience is demanding, obedience is the pathway, of true joy, Jesus' joy, comes from doing, the father's will, and the joy of disciples, will come from doing, what Jesus commands them, this joy also, does not signify, right, that's clear, that believers, would not have struggles, and tribulations, in this world, rather, that, the ground for joy, will be far greater, than not fear, than, sorry, that, so that no fear, no anxiety, no grief, will ever swallow them up, neither life, nor death, nor any miseries, will stop people, from triumphing, over sadness, if they have been allowed, to glory, in Christ, so, there is a natural connection, between, being a disciple of Christ, through abiding in him, through, abiding in Christ's love, through, our union with Christ, which is something, that we have nothing to do, right, it's he who does that, we have faith, and there is a connection, while we, abide in Christ, while we are in Christ, we pursue, obeying his teachings, and his word, and that gives, a true disciple of Christ, joy, the more we progress, in imitating Christ, the more joyful, we are, in that regard,
[37:29] Leon Morris, he says, it is simple, obedient, it is when we keep, Christ's commandments, that we abide in his love, once again, appeal is made, to Christ's own example, he kept the father's commandments, and thus, abide continually, in the father's love, in the father's love, John Owen again, but in a different book, now in the communion with God, I cited, the mortification of sin earlier, but there is another book, he writes, the communion with God, and he noticed, how the believers, obedience to Christ, flows out of gratitude, and love toward him, as they reflect, on the great grace, and benefits received from him, after reflecting, on all the goodness of Christ, Owen then asked, in view then, of all Christ's goodness to us, what is our duty to him, to which Owen's answer, our first duty to Christ, is to practice holiness, in the power of the Holy Spirit, believers obey Christ, as the author, of their faith, and obedience, and furthermore, in all their obedience, saints have a special regard, to the dear Lord Jesus, he is continually, in their thoughts, his love to them, his life to them, his death for them, all his mercy, and all his kindness, constrains them, to live, to obey him, that's amazing,
[39:11] I found that amazing, brothers and sisters, you see the motivation, of our obedience, is not at all legalistic, I don't know how, somebody can, so many churches, make that mistake, our motivation, to obey God, our motivation, to imitate Christ, our motivation, to pursue obedience, like Christ, is our love for God, is that meditation, of what he has done, for us, right, his love for us, he gave his life, for us, he was in the cross, for us, he shows mercy, and kindness, and a lot of other benefits, that will produce, love for him, it is easy to love God, if we think about it, if we meditate, in the right things, we will love him, there's no other way, and then when we love him, we want to please him, and we want to be like him, and we obey him, so brothers and sisters, to grow in obedience to God, right, it should not be done, out of obligation, out of legalism, or out of moralism, but through a genuine disciple, obey and follow Christ, motivated, by the love, and the gratitude to him, verse 12, in verse 12, we see that, abiding in Christ, also needs to be manifested, in the way his disciples, relate to one another, right, those who are in Christ, those that abide in Christ, practice love for one another, this is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you, and these things,
[40:59] I command to you, so that you will love one another, in John 15, 17, one of our church fathers, son Augustine, he says, he said, love, and do what you will, love, and do what you want, in other words, when we, practice love, for one another, we are, exercising, the main commandment, we're going to see that, in a minute, so brothers, let's go to point number three, abiding in Christ's love, when Christ's disciples, practice love for one another, they do that, through abiding in Christ's love, as we saw in verse nine, acting out their new identity, and reality, as they abide in Christ, and they interact in relationship, to one another, so we, as we love one another, we are just, putting into practice, the reality, that we are abiding in Christ's love, we are abiding in Christ, that we are united with Christ, that we are, in Christ, without, abiding in Christ, without being united, with Christ, without being in Christ, we will not be able, to practice, the great commandment,
[42:32] Mark 12, 21 to 31, right, it is only, through abiding in Christ, that we are, able, that we are, able, to obey, apart from me, Jesus said, you can do nothing, that's true, apart from me, you can do nothing, only, through abiding in Christ, we can obey, what Mark 12, says, which commandment, is the most important, of all, Jesus answered, the most important, is here, all Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord, is one, and you shall, love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, the second, is this, you shall love, your neighbor, as yourself, there is no other, commandments, greater than this, so, obeying, these great commandments, of loving God, and others, right,
[43:39] Christ likeness, in this, in this regard, for the glory of God, the more, we love God, the more, we love one another, the more, we glorify God, by faith, and, again, loving God, and others, in this way, cannot be done, in a legalistic manner, as those, who love God, this way, are only able, to do so, because of, a divine work, in their life, they must first, be recipient, of a new heart, as Ezekiel 36 says, and they first, must receive, a new birth in Christ, as John 3, 3 says, through the power, of the Holy Spirit, so, in other words, in order to love God, like this, we need to abide, in Christ's love, to love God, in the way, defined by the great commandment, is to seek God, for his own sake, to have pleasure in him, and not, striving, impulsively, after him,
[44:48] Jesus demands, a decision, and readiness, for God, and for God alone, in an unconditional matter, clearly, this cannot be, a subject of, a legal enactment, it is a matter, of the will, and action, and is a matter, of the word of God, in us, so, brothers, and sisters, Jesus, then tells the disciple, right, the second great commandment, here, you shall love, your neighbor, as yourself, and, in regards, to that, the heart, of true religion, is seen to lie, not in a negative command, but in a positive, loving attitude, to God, and others, this is, the Pauline liberty, of the New Testament, as we see, in Galatians 5, one, this is what,
[45:48] St. Augustine, meant by saying, love, and do as you like, for such love, towards God, and others, will, in itself, keep us, from, doing what is wrong, if we love others, we will do nothing, to work, to hurt them, and if we love God, what we like, and choose, will be, to do God's will, and pleasures, that is why, Paul, that is why, Paul, can say, love, is the fulfillment, of the love, right, right, so, so, we have seen, three points, number one, Christ, obeyed perfectly, number two, that disciples, grow, in the fruit, of obedience, through abiding, in Christ, in the spirit, and number three, abiding, in Christ's love, so, as a word of conclusion, and final, applications, quickly, right, disciples, of Christ, grow, in holiness, and obedience,
[46:59] Christ's disciples, overcome, and have victory, over sin, because we are not, a slave of sin, anymore, because they are, abiding Christ, in the part of the spirit, does that mean, that we are perfect, none of us are, we are, all of us, we are going to sin, at some point, or another, that's our nature, but when we do, the scripture says, that we strive, to fight against, those things, as we saw, John, Owen, Owen, telling us, in the mortification, of sin, and communion with God, Christ's disciples, strive, to obey, with the power, of the Holy Spirit, and through abiding, in him, it is not normal, that somebody, who, called himself, a disciple, of Christ, is comfortable, with sinning, without any, without any, ramifications, of sorrow, Romans, 6, 12, 14, let not sin, therefore, reign, in your mortal body, to make you, obey its passions, do not present, your members, to sing as instruments, for unrighteousness, but present, yourself to God, as those who love, sorry, as those who have, seen, who have been brought, from death to life, and your members, to God, as instruments, of righteousness, for sin, will have no dominion, over you, since you are, not under the law, but under grace, is there, is there anything, that we are, you are struggling with, right,
[48:34] I encourage you, to examine your life, see what, you are doing, that is not pleasing God, and ask God, to help you, in the battle, with sins, our obedience, to the commands of God, is a proof, that we love God, as we reject, insisting, in our own ways, and instead, we pursue, the ways of God, we do that, not by our own, strength, but by spirit, John 14, 17, even the spirit, of truth, whom the world, cannot receive, because it neither, sees him, nor knows him, you know him, for he dwells, with you, and will be with you, the spirit, of God, is with you, you abide, in Christ, you are in Christ, so he has already, granted you, the power, to that, so in our, grow, in being like Christ, we grow, in our obedience, like Christ likeness, in a spirit dependence, obedience, and as we interact, with one another, in discipleship, we equip, we help, we invest, in one another, in the same purpose, growing, helping us, helping one another, to be Christ's disciple, in, with respect, to imitating him, in the way, he obeyed, his father, let's pray, dear heavenly father, we thank you, for this time, we thank you, for your word, we ask, that as we, meditate on, ways into being, like Christ, this is another one, we saw how we, grow into imitating Jesus, in the spiritual disciplines, of prayer,
[50:09] Bible intake, fasting, we also see today, how we, imitate Christ, in pursuing, a, obedience, to his commandments, and holiness, and sanctification, we pray that, we examine our life, and see what things, we can do better, with the power of, you, as we abide in you, as the source of our, actions, and fruits, and that we, be people that, confront our sins, that we, be people that, fight our sins, that we, be people that, win, and have victory, of our sins, as we pursue our, growing into being, like Christ, we also pray, that we, be people that, pray for one another, that we, be people that, invest in one another, that we, be people that, encourage, and equip, and help one another, with the same purpose, of growing, in Christ likeness, in spirit dependent, obedience, in the, precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.