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      "The Proof of Our Love"
      John 14:15
      Theme: Our love for Christ Jesus is measured by our obedience to Him.

        1. The Deliberateness of Our obedience – "If you love me …"

          1. The Recognition of Our Debt

            1. Christ Jesus has just indicated that by means of prayer, believers will be able to see His power unleashed to the glory of the Father.
            2. He emphasizes that the prerequisite for this display of power is that we ask in Jesus name – something that qualifies our prayers.
            3. However, it is not possible to truly pray in Jesus name without a sincere love for Him – and therefore He provides the basis by which our love is assessed – the degree to which we are willing to obey Him.
            4. There is a direct connection here between our love for Christ and our obedience to Him – when love is present, obedience results.
            5. From where does this love come? –
              1. It springs directly from the experience of the love of God – cp. 1 John 4:10
              2. The complete alteration of our lives through the pouring out of God’s love provokes a response to God – 1 John 4:19.
            6. As the love of God is made plain to us by a life that is changed, we are assured that we belong to Him as our love for Him mounts - Romans 5:5-6
            7. As we grow in our awareness of the love that God has for us, we likewise grow in responsiveness to Him by loving Him back - Ephesians 3:17–19
            8. Thus, the way to see love for Christ developed is to concentrate on that which He has done for us.

          2. The Response of Our Devotion

            1. As we recognize the tremendous debt of love we owe to Christ for all that He has done for us, we find that the affect is that we desire to obey Him.
            2. Cheap is that profession that feigns love through emotional expressions, fervent worship and lengthy discourses on the merits of Christ while resisting the Spirit of Obedience that seeks to transform us into His image.
            3. Thus, a profession of love for Christ that is independent of obedience to Him is a charade.
            4. The true sign of devotion to Christ is therefore the responsiveness in the midst of the rough struggles of daily life to live near Christ – deliberately seeking to conform to his every desire for us.
            5. It is this heart that God recognizes loves Him – even as Jesus clarified for us – "If you love me, you will keep My commandments."

        2. The Degree of our Obedience – "… you will keep My commandments"

          1. The Priority of Obedience

            1. The priority of obedience is the ability to demonstrate love to Christ and for Christ.
            2. Often, believers content themselves with an obedience that falls short of love for Christ:
              1. If obedience springs out of a mere desire to fulfill my own interests or priorities – it is not out of a love for Christ
              2. If obedience springs out of a mere desire to avoid the price of indulgence – it is not out of a love for Christ.
              3. If it springs out of a mere desire to be elevated as a respectable person - it is not out of a love for Christ
              4. If it springs out of a mere habit gained through discipline and instruction – it is not out of a love for Christ
              5. If it springs out of a mere desire to invoke the blessings of God – it is not out of a love for Christ.
            3. You truly obey Christ’s commands when you obey because He has told you to do it.
            4. In fact, such obedience that is void of passion for Christ can damn a person – because there is the commitment is to principles, or to moral excellence, or to ideals (none of which saves) – cp. 1 Corinthians 16:22
            5. In fact, when there is a heaping on of principles and regulations without an attending connection to the love for Christ, we heap upon people burdens unbearable that often result in hardened hearts.
            6. Thus, the priority of obedience that springs from a genuine love for Christ is the ability to give expression of that very love.

          2. The Precision of Obedience

            1. When such is the case, obedience is not haphazard, intermittent, or selective.
            2. If we do what we do because He commands us, we will do whatever He commands and will do it without prejudice or selectivity.
            3. There is a lack of reservation among those who truly love Christ – His commands are attractive to us because they are His – cp. 1 John 5:3
            4. If we find our Christian duty - identified throughout the whole counsel of God - to be toilsome, unachievable or unwarranted, we must come to acknowledge that the reason is a lack of love for Him who has given us all things.
            5. When such is the case, we cannot reform ourselves into loving Christ – but can only open ourselves to the love of Christ so as to be reformed in our love.

        3. The Duration of Our Obedience – "… will keep …"

          1. The Promptness of Our Obedience

            1. The willingness to comply with God’s Word is not something that must be induced but is something that springs immediately from our affection for the One who has given us the command.
            2. Thus, to delay is essentially to disobey and portrays a limited devotion to the Son of God.
            3. The effort to justify non-compliance because of unique circumstances or special conditions may seem fitting in our own estimation, but conveys the reality of our condition to the One before whom we are naked and open.

          2. The Perseverance of Our Obedience

            1. If I truly love Christ, I cannot stop loving Him.
            2. If I cannot stop loving Him, I cannot stop obeying Him
            3. Thus, I will obey Him as long as I love Him – and not simply until some speculated "statute of limitations" expires.

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