Love Passed Down

 John 15: 9-17, I John 5:1-6

 Jesus in John 15 talks about the love passed down from the Father to him and from him to the disciples. This love has been passed down to us spoken of in I John 5 as us being the children of God. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. God then is our loving parent who had love passed down to Christ the Son and passes this parental love to those who believe.

Jesus is our example of carrying out this love by keeping the Father’s commandments. If we, like the disciples, keep Jesus commandments we will abide in Jesus’ love. Jesus found joy in this love and tells of it so that his joy maybe in them. That their joy may be complete. The Greek word translated “complete” here means to fill up and to cram like in a net. This joy from God is crammed into our souls – filling them up.

God commanded Jesus to become human and die on the cross for our sins. He truly laid his life down for us. So, what is the commandment Jesus has for us. It is to love one another like Christ has loved us. The disciples here are no longer called servants, but Jesus calls them friends. Yet after the resurrection when John writes in I John he talks about how Jesus came by water and blood and by belief in him we have become children of God. John says if we love the parent we will love God’s children. We love God by keeping God’s commandments. These commandments based on love are not burdensome. By being born of God we can conquer the world. How? Where does this victory come from? It is our faith that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

As we circle back to Jesus words in John 15, we ask are these words only for the disciples? Jesus tells them that they have been appointed to bear lasting fruit. We today can apply Christ’s words in our own lives. We were told earlier in John 15 to abide in the vine – Christ. We do this by using the love passed down from the Father and the Son to love one another – the other children of God. Who enables us to do so, to live out this truth? The Holy Spirit is the one who testifies we are God’s children and gives us the power to pass on the love passed down to us from the Father and Son. Amen.

 

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