He Who Loves Me Will Be Loved By My Father

"He Who Loves Me Will Be Loved by My Father" (John 14: 21)

Introduction: Sometimes when you study something deeply and intensely enough you can miss the forest for the trees. 117hy have we been studying the Law of God? Why have l,.Je been examining these La\vs so closely? Why do the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms contain such lengthy sections on God's Law? After all, \<Je are not under law but under grace> aren I t we? And, as many as are of the \\lorks of the Law are under a curse, isn't that what the Bible says? Well, if that lS ,,,hat you thought, then you need to look again. The Law is holy and righteous and good. There are no problems with the Law, the problem is with our sin. The Law antagonizes our flesh and shows us just how sinful ,,,e real are, and how much we need Christ. It is not a system by which we might save ourselves, rather it is the means that the Lord has given us to show us our sin, so that it might point us to the glorious Son of God \...ho can take away our sin. When you come to Christ, you are no longer under the Law as a means of salvation. If you try and save yourself by laW-keeping, then you are under the curse. You must turn to Christ to find salvation. He has kept the Lm... perfectly for you if you are His tonight. But you must not forget that once you come to Christ, the Law is 8ti 11 very important in your life, for it 8ho\>\18 you how to love Him, and reveals if you really do love Him or not. And that is what our text tells us this evening. It tells us that, I f you have Chr.ist commandments and keep them, then yov truly love Him. And if you truly love Christ. then He w.ill love you, and His Father w:i1l love you as well. I. F.irst,

the Most Basic and Fundamental Way That You Can Show Christ that You Love Him Is By Keeping His Commandments. A. Notice What Jesus Is Saying Here. "THE ONE WHO HAS MY COMMANDMENTS AND KEEPS THEM, THAT ONE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME." (Repeat) 1. He says that .in order to love Him, you mllst first of all bfHle His commandments. a. Some people believe that they can .love JeSllS apart from His Law. (i) Some professing Christians who are well JnealJing believe that to the Law is to fan away from grace as a way of salva Lion a,nd to deny Jesus. (ij) They say that there is no law in the New Testament, except to love God and to .love your neighbor, ) I f you were to ask them how to love your neighbor they would tell you, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Iv) If you were to ask them r..vhether it W8S an right to murder your neighbor, or to COllet: your neighbor's w.ife or his possess_ions, or to lie to your neighbor, they would say "No lI , not because .it is t God's Law, but because it .is not the loving thing to do, (v) The only thing tlla t saves them from la~.vl essness .is the fact that they accept enough of the New Testament IS teach.ing about the Law to keep tIlem from most s.-i.n, even thougl1 they still deny the Law's authority in their lives. b.

Others be1:ielre that they can love Jesus merely by having an extensive knowJedge of the Law.

Some Chr:istiaT1s, tllho are weZl·-J//t7a,'LU believe that knowl is (.,hat is needed in order t.o God, (ii) They study the tures to show themselves approved. They seek to grow .in the [;1:ace and knowl of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3: 18). But somehow their knowl never seems to affect their lives. It .isn't put .into practiceo (iii) Knmvledge isimportal1t. You cannot serve the Lord in I f you went to a foreign land and t;ranted to slw~v the rulers of that 1;;wd that you t-lere a [aithfu1 citizen, you would not be able to do that apart .from a krlOw.ledge of their la~vs. (iv) In tbe same way you cannot s11m;! your 10lre for Jesus from the Lar" of God. Jesus' commandment..:;; arc nothing more nor .less than the Law of God. (:i)

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But having them is not enough, you must a.lso keep them. a. Not to have His Law is called ignorance. The only {,lay to ove.rcome tbis is to learn them fyom the Scriptures. h. But to have them and not to do them Ls rebelLion. (.1) J01111 said in 1 John 2:,4, lITHE ONE WHO SAYS, t I HAVE COME TO KNOW HIM, I AND DOES NOT KEEP HIS COMHANDMENTS, IS A [JAR, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM. 1/ (1i) How could someone say t.nitlne'ul tha t knm.7 God, when knowing the righteous requirements o.f God, they turn a deaf ear" to them. (iii) This would he nothing less than rebellion.

c. But to have them and to do them out of love for Christ, this is evangelicaJ obedience, the obed.ience of the Gospel. (i) In Psalm 103, the t fATi tes, "THE LOTlINGKINDNESS OF THE LORD IS FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING ON THOSE WHO FEAR HIM, AND HIS RIGHTEOllSNESS TO CHILDREN'S CHILDREN, TO THOSE WHO KEEP HIS COVENANT, AND fllHO REMEMBER HIS PRECEPTS TO DO THEM" ('!lV, 17~18). Ui) Paul writes, "CIRCll11CISION IS NOTHING, AND UNCIRCUMCISION IS NOTHING, BUT WHAT HATTERS IS THE KEEPING OF THE COMMANDMENTS OF' GOD" (1 Cor, 7,~ 19) < (Lil) And Jol1n tells I1S, /fRY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE .HAVE CONE TO KNOW HIN, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS • • • • THE ONE WHO KEEPS HIS COMMANDMENTS ABIDES IN HIM, AND HE IN HTH. AND WE KNOW BY THIS THAT HE ABIDES IN US, BY THE SPIRIT WHOM HE HAS GIVEN US. • • BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE LOVE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.. WHEN WE: LOVE GOD AND OBSERVE HIS COMMANDMENTS. FOR THIS IS THE LOVE OF GOD, THAT f.,lE KEBP HIS COMMANDMENTS; AND HIS COMM.4NDHENTS ARE NOT BURDENSOME" (l John 2:.3; 3: 24; 5: B. Far from tic, to Believe in Christ and to Keep His Law Is to Love Him. 1. Lega.lism is often misunderstood in 0111' day. a. LegaLism does Dot mean t.he Law. I f it does, then the Lord wants all of us to be legalists, for He requ~ires us to keep H.ts commandments at all times. b. Legalism does not mean a str.ict Hg of the Law. (1) The Lord res hon of us, and to be perfect requires thf' most minute keeping of tIle Law, Jesus said to His disciples, "THEREFORE YOU ARE TO BE PERFECT, ,4S

YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT" (Hatt. 5:48). ) To the degree that you fear God and love His Law, that degree you will consc.ientiously keep it. ) It is 110t it burden for the Christian to keep the it is his delight.

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means trying to earn your sal va tion through , something which is ana.thema in Scripture. Tllat .is [..;!hat the Pharisees were trying to do the.ir law-keeping o' Paul wrote of them, "FOR NOT KNOWING ABOUT GOD'S "4ND SEEKUifG TO EST.t:1BLISH THEIR OWN. THEY DID NOT SlJBJl!.:CT THEMSELVES TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD" (Rom. 10: 3) , (ii) When you seek to make acceptable to God your own worl<.:.s of teousness, or .if you think that you are making any mOTe acceptable to Him, that is legalism.

2. But an cal submission to the Lar" of God, far [Tom being legalism, actually reveals OUT .love to Cllr.ist. a. To throt" aside God's Law iu the name of- grace, .is actw:llly to rebel Christ's b. But to subm.it to it as the revelation of His tvill for your life, as tile reflection of God's , which image is perfec re1realed in Christ. this is to love Him. (i) Jesus said, "IF yOU KEEP MY COMMANDHENTS, YOU ~!ILL ABIDE IN MY LOVE; JUST AS I HAVE KEPT NY FATHER'S COIHMANDMENTS, AND ABIDE IN HIS LOVf:i:, THESE THINGS I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, THA.T MY JOY NAY BE IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE MADE FULL II (John J 5: 10-11 ) • (ij) He says, "IF YOU LOVE HE, YOU WnL KEEP NY COMMANDMENTS" (14: 15) • "HE WHO HAS MY COMMANDfI{l{TVTS lIND KEEPS THEl1, HE IT IS WHO LOVES ME" (J 4: 21) •

c. And this is the reason tbat I believe i t is so important to spend time on the commandments and to really learn what :it is tha t are saying, (i) I trLink that we all shy away [rom tIle words "law" dnd "commandment, " because it seem,s to have a legaListic tone. But t"£' would all admit that it is our duty to obey God at all times. But our duty is really nothing more or less than {"hat God commands in His LaIr,? It is the same thing. Tile Law .15 Wh:'lt He commands us. Tt .is our to obey the Law. (ii) Though we are no t Sal.red by , {ve are sa ved unto works, and good works are defined by the Law. Good works honoy tl1e Lord and show Him that \.17e love Him. That is why the Law is to the Christian. (iii) And tl1at is why the psa.}mist cou.ld say, "HOW BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE WAY IS BLAMELESS, WHO WAIJK TN THE LAW OF THE LORD. • • • THOU Hl1ST ORDAINED THY PRECEPTS, OH THAT NY riM'S THAT WE SHOllLD KEEP THEM DILIGENTLY. NAY BE ESTABLISHED TO KEEP THY STATUTES! THEN I SH.4LL NOT BE ASHAMED WHEN I LOOK UPON ALL TElY COMMANDHENTS. • • • (JPENMY EYES, TH4T I MAY BEHOLD WONDERFUL THINGS FROM THY LAW. • • • NY som, IS CRllSHED WITH LONGING AFTER THINE ORDINANCES AT ALL TIHES • • • • REMOVE THE FALSE WAY FROM HE, AND GRACIOUSLY GRANT ME THY LAW. I HAVE CHOSEN THE FAITHFUL WAY; .1 HAVE PLACED THINE

4 ORDINANCES BEFORE ME. I CLEAVE TO THY TESTIMONIES; [} LORD, DO NOT PUT ME TO SHAME! I SHALL RUN THE WAY OF THY COMM4NDl"'fEN'l~~, FOR THOU r";Jl,T ENLARGE MY HEART. , • • MAKE ME WALK }N THE PATH OJ? THY COMft.L4NDNENTS, FOR 1 DELIGHT IN IT" (119: 1, 4, 6, 18, 20, 29-32,

(iv) If you understa.nd by the Lavl an obso.lete system of works salvaLion which has been done away Idtl1 111 Christ, then I would say that it _is not worth much of our Lime or consirleraLion. (v) But when you consider that it is the sum of our duty to Gad, that it shows liS lww to love God and to .love our neighbor, the two commandments which CllrLst told IJS were the greeltest of all, and t"lJen you consider that it is through the consc.ientions keeping o.f that Law tbat Christ 11leaSun~s our love .for Him, then it .is worthy o.f a l.i.fetime o.f study and practice. (vi) And so I commend the Law to you as the tvay ..in which yuu call and do show the Lord tl1at you truly love Him. Do you vlant to show Him that you .lotTe Him? Then keep His Law out o.f thankfulness for the mercies that He has g.iiren you. By this you f;.liJl know that you .love Him. this He will know it as well. II. Secondly, If the Love Whicl1 You Have for Christ Is <'1 True Love Which Is Dernonstrated by Keeping 8_i5 Commandments, Tlwn It Is Also True that You Wn.l Be Loved Bo th by the Fa ther and by Chris t. A, Jesus SELic!, "THE ONE WHO LOVES Me WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER." 1. Tl1e Bible says that if you love Jesus,

the Father's 2. If the grace Chr_ist., then a, You were 8:29). b. YOIl were precious

then you can be sure of .lotre for YOll as well. of Gad is in your heart to enable you to love the ,"'ather has .in fact loved you from all eternity. one of those whom He [orelGlevl, or forelo1Ted (Rom. one of those He sent His San to give His most blood [or.

.3. But it is also true that when you C8111e to love Chris t in Lime,

through God's grace, that you entered .into a new lOFe relationship vl.iti1 the Father. a, When you {"ere olltside of Christ, you were at {"ar {v.itb God, b. At that time, the only thing that you experierlCed o.f Gad love was His goodness towards you, tbe Bame goodness that He shovls al.l of His creation. It .is called His love of benevo1ence, c. He could not love what He saw in you • .for all He saw was s.in and wickedness, You were by nature a cbild of {¥rath. even as the res t (Epll. 2: 1 d. But rolhen the Spirit o.f Gad breathed into your spirit the breath of life and united you to Christ, then God saw you .in HiB Son, and saw the image of His Son beginning to .form .in you (Eph. 4:24; Cal. 3:10). e, At this point, His .love for you increased, He began to take a real delight :in you, for He saw in you the beauty of His own na ture, of H:is own holiness. And there is nothing mare l)elH.IUf!..LI in all existence than the 1101y and righteoUS nature of Gad. L £111d His pleasure in you increases as you became Inore and more Like Christ. Jesus said, "1 HAVE' KEPT NY FATHER'5 COM1':LANDNENTS AND ABIDE IN HIS LOVE" (John 15:]0). ALI;,T4YS

5 DO THE THINGS THAT ARE PLEASING TO HIM" (John 8: 29). "IF YOU

KEEP NY C0l'1MANDMENTS, YOU WILL ABIDE IN NY LOVE" U5: 10) <

"AND HE fllHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER" (]4:21).

B. Jesus Further S'ays, "AND I WILL LOVE: "4ND I ~JTLL ]\LAKE MYSELF KNOWN Tn HIM." 1. Those whom the Father loves are loved by Christ as f>leLl, It .is il1lpassib.le that One of the Persons of the Triune God should love you without the other Persons loving you as welL 2. It is a1so true that i f yOIl .love Christ and sho"7 it throllgh your works of obedience to His Word/L[;H.(1/C011lmandmcnts, then He f"U 1 love yuu, You, after a1J:; are the 011e fol''' {~fl01n He died~ b. You are one of those He wi.l.l recl'dve for an everlasf~ reward , 53:10). c# You are 011e of those who will be with tl1e Lalnb wheT-ever lIe goes (Rev. 14:4), and behold His glory forever (John 17: ).

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. Jesus loves ,you~ He {..vill also COJne to you a.nd re~Teal Himself to YOllr soul. a. Jesus is llndoubted1y referring here to the Holy t who was to take up residence in the hearts of all true believers. b. When the Judas, who v,7;1S not. Iscariot, said l:u Him, "LORD, WHAT THEN HAS HAPPENED THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DISCLOSE YOURSELF TO US, AND NOT TO THE WORLD?", Jesus told them of the SpiTi t 's com.ing. c. He :is tha 1: Spiri t of adoption by which we cry out, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8: 15). He is that other Helper whom Jesus sent t.;rho £vou1d a.bide wi th us forever (John 14:16-17), He _is the Doe who sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). d. The Spirit of God is the spiritual Link between us and Christ. When He Ls said to dwell in liS, so also all the persons of the Godhead are said to dwell in us. Jesus said, "HE ABIDES WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU" (John 14: 1 7) • And He also says, fIn' lc1NYONE LOVES HE lilTIJJ KEEP MY WORD; AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME TO HIM, AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH HIN" (v, 23). e. Paul "DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOU ARE A TEMPLE OF GOD, AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU? (J Cor. 3: 16).

4. Do you love Jesus this even.ing?

Do you have the cOllf.idence illa t He aLso .loves you and that the Father lCH.les you? Is the fire of l10Liness burn.ing within your heart? Does God dwell in the temple of your body? a. I f so t"hen you ,,7ill carefu.l1y study the Word of God to make sure that you are in all of His will. b. You will exert all of ·your tual strength to do wllaf_ He commands, and to stay as far as you can from all sin. c. Jesus says, "IF YOU LOIlE YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS" (John 14:15). d. On the other hand He says, "HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE ME DOES NOT KEEP MY fvORDS" (v e. Can you th.ink o[ a better reason to search the Bible to find out all of your duty, and to do it, than out of .love for ChList? I can 't. May the Lord then open OUY eyes as lie d.id those of the psa 1mis t so tho. t: we say wi t 11 him, "0 HOW I LOVE THY (Ps. 119: AmelL LAWl IT IS NY MEDITATION ALL TIlE 0