Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at the following passage of scripture.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
For many years I’ve always taught that love and obedience go hand-in-hand with each other. Love and obedience it’s like your left foot and your right foot. It’s like your left hand or your right hand. Where there is one, the other is right next to it.
We are taught in the church to love one another but remember the first commandment is to love God. They are in an order for a reason. God wants us to obey the things that He teaches us in the scriptures so that we can love one another perfectly the way that He loves us.
Love is defined as showing a strong or constant affection for somebody. The way that the Lord Jesus wants us to show Him affection is to obey the things that he taught. That’s why I say that love and obedience go hand-in-hand.
What happens at a high school when a few of the children are completely rebellious in class against the teacher. Do you truly believe that they care for them and love them? Absolutely not. It makes the teacher upset. The Lord wants us to show our love to Him by keeping His Commandments.
To keep something means to continue in a position or a course of action. The Lord Jesus puts us on a narrow road. The narrow road is found in the teachings of scripture. We need to continue down that path day by day walking each day with Him. That shows that we love him. Without obedience all that is left is anarchy and rebellion.
When you obey it means to comply with what you are told to do or the direction and request of somebody who is your authority.
A child in their home has parents who are their authority as children. When a wife gets married she is given away to her husband and now the husband becomes her direct authority. Women are supposed to submit to the men and their authority in the church and men submit to Christ.
If we make a mistake on our walk along the way we can come and receive grace in time of need so that we can get back on track and become eventually obedient and do God’s will. God forgives us so that we can do just that.
The ultimate finished product is about becoming obedient to God. Grace is given to us day by day depending on how much we may need so that we can amend or ways and become obedient as we’re supposed to do. It comes down to doing the will of God.
Matt 21:28-31
28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Who obeyed and did as he was told? It’s the one who got it done. He repented and finally did as he was instructed to do. That is exactly what God wants each of us to do through his grace. He wants obedience.
It may require 70×7 to get it done but we have grace to eventually please Him like an obedient child.
How much forgiveness do children need as they’re growing up? They don’t do everything perfectly. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That’s why we need to be taught.
In school children receive commandments all the time from a teacher. A commandment is simply a rule that needs to be obeyed. The teacher tells you to sit down, but you say no. That disobedience shows that you don’t understand love yet.
There are numerous commandments that are given to us in the scriptures that each of us want to come into compliance to. When we do, we are showing God that we care about Him.
1 John 5:2-3 – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
When all is said and done, all the things that are commanded in the scriptures are about obedience. They show us the way to love God and others.
When you obey somebody else you show them that you love them. When a wife obeys her husband she shows him that she loves him.
Love in the church is the end of the Commandment. When does Disobedience ever please anybody? It just makes people upset. The Apostle teaches that the Commandments of the Lord arechurch’s previous. We need to love the Lord Jesus Christ first more than anybody else in our life. If you do that faithfully, you will come into compliance with what he teaches.
We grew up in homes where people are related by blood. Remember blood is different than Spirit. When you become an adult you have a decision to make.
Matthew 10:37 – He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Notice it doesn’t mention husband’s because Christ commands complete obedience to them because they are your authority and they rule over you.
Jesus Earthly family came out to see him one day but he claimed that his true family were those who did the will of God. That is the family of God
1 John 2:3-5 – And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
When we are in Christ we have a great desire to please him and to obey His will. Those who don’t are simply lying to themselves. The Lord God wants us to love one another.
Matthew 25:34-40 – Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
That’s how much God wants us to love the brethren.
In certain church gatherings they were despising the poor. Remember it’s the poor of this world who are rich in faith. That’s because they trust in God rather than in their possessions and money.
Many people today will profess God as their father, but notice this next passage. and games and Mammon. Your people who profess that God is your father even today but notice this next Passage.
John 8:42 – Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Just claiming God is your father is not enough to get to heaven. We have to love Jesus Christ. If we truly love him with a sincere heart we will obey him. Obedience is the direct result of love for him.
John 14:21-24 – He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
True love for Christ is about keeping His words, which means obeying what he taught. As a result of that, the father loves that person. They make their abode with you. He that loveth not the Lord keepeth not His sayings.
John 15:10-14 – If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.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 ye love one another, as I have loved you.Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
If you do his will and do what he says you abide in his love. At the judgment, people are going to be cast away from his presence. He will divide the sheep from the goats. Jesus loves us cares for us and died on the cross for us but if you don’t ever desire to do his will and obey him, they will be in a different place at judgment. True friends of Jesus want to do the things he talked from their heart. Abraham was called the friend of God.
1 Corinthians 16:22 – If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
That means if they don’t love Christ they’re going to be cursed.
Ephesians 6:24 – Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Someone who is sincere is free from pretense or deceit. They are genuine pure hearted people. What you see is what you get.
1 Peter 1:8 – Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Jesus loves the people so much that he told them the truth . He referred to some as snakes and even threw over tables and made a scourge in the temple. He did those things because he cared for their souls and he wanted them to repent of their sins. What what’s the result? A lot of people hated him. They didn’t want to hear his truth.
1 John 4:19-20 – We love him, because he first loved us.If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
2 John 1:6 – And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
So we learned today that obeying the commandments of Jesus is proof of how much we love and care for him. If somebody has no desire to obey His Word and simply cherry pick certain parts of the scriptures and skip the rest, that is not love.
Remember what I said about the left and the right foot, love and Obey. If you truly love? You will obey.
I think that’s where I’m going to stop right now but Lord willing we will talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 