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Learning to Love Like Jesus

Learning to Love Like Jesus

Pastor Montia Setzler
January 18, 2015

Series: Discovering the Life Changing Gospel
Learning to Love Like Jesus

John 15:9–17 (HCSB)

9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. 11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.  17 This is what I command you: Love one another.

  1. GENUINE DISCIPLES ARE LOVED BY GOD (15:9-10)
  • Christ models the love from the Father in loving us.
  • Remaining in His love produces obedience to His commands.
  1. GENUINE DISCIPLES EXPERIENCE COMPLETE JOY (15:11)
  • Obedience to Christ brings genuine joy to the believer.
  • Happiness is fleeting and external, joy is lasting and internal.
  1. GENUINE DISCIPLES LOVE OTHERS THE WAY CHRIST LOVES THEM (15:12, 17)
  • Once again, the defining characteristic of His disciples is their love for one another.
  • We learn love for one another from Him.
  • Loving one another is not optional.
  1. GENUINE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND SACRIFICIAL LOVE (15:13)
  • Loving others creates a perspective outside of ourselves.
  • Sacrificial love will be modeled by Christ on the Cross.

Romans 5:7-8 (NIV)
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 3:16 (HCSB)
16This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

  1. GENUINE DISCIPLES BECOME CHOSEN FRIENDS OF JESUS (15:14-16)
  • Our connection (or friendship) with Christ is conditional on our part; predicated upon obedience.
  • Our connection with Christ is initiated by Him, not us.

Christ receives all His attributes from the Father and transfers those attributes like love and joy to His disciples. He chose us to produce fruit even though He is the one who makes it happen.

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