I invite you to turn in the Scriptures this morning to the Gospel of John. We're breaking from both of our series today, and I want to spend some time in John 15 and come back to a psalm this evening. The text this morning is verses 12 through 17 of John 15. Again, it's John 15. I'm going to read it verse 1, 1 through 17. Let's give our attention to the word of the Lord. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, our text now. that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I've called you friends, for all that I've heard from my Father I've made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name he may give it to you these things i command you so that you will love one another and there ends the reading of god's word the apostle paul in romans chapter 6 said something that is absolutely vital to understand the christian life he said something that is so important it's caused confusion for many but it's such a beautiful truth when we understand it as he was describing the believer who has now been set free from sin is no longer a slave of sin he said that for the christian sin no longer has dominion over you its presence remains but sin no longer has dominion over you for you are not under law but you are under grace it's a really remarkable statement you are not under law but you are under grace where did Paul get that what did he mean by that that's caused a lot of people confusion for surely he's not throwing out the moral law of God what is he doing in Romans chapter 6 and have you ever thought when we when we think about that the implications for the Christian life what does it mean to be under law as opposed to being under grace? The law, of course, we know can't save us. The law threatens. The law shows us the greatness of our sin and misery. It shows us the problems of our own hearts. It condemns, and that's a great problem. That's what it means to be under the law. You're under it for condemnation. You don't have a mediator. But being under grace is the opposite. And I want us to come to this passage this morning with those distinctions in mind. I want us to think about how Jesus is instructing his disciples. I want us to understand this for it's so beautiful and helpful. It's one of those truths that you constantly have to stop and be reminded of and remember as you're going through life because it's this very stuff that we forget that is so crucial to Christian life, to who we are as God's people. As we open up John chapter 15, by the time we've come to chapter 15, the disciples are facing some of the greatest distress, anxiety, and grief that they have known so far in their walks with Christ. Jesus has made it very clear that he's going away. And they can't put all this together yet. They're struggling with that we don't understand what that's going to mean with jesus's absence and of course john 15 is important in talking about union with christ and talking about the vine and the branches and life that flows but he's going away and how i haven't yet understood how that's how it's going to go when he goes away of course he's made promises about the comforter he's made promises about the coming of the holy spirit who will keep them in the truth and guide them in all truth and bring to their minds remembrance of everything that he said. But what's really in front of them in John chapter 15 is one of the most distressing things they had ever witnessed. And it's the betrayal of Judas. I mean it. This just threw them. We don't realize how hard this was on the disciples. We don't realize what this did to them. We don't realize the effects of this. It scared them to death that this could be done that here comes jesus teaching on the kingdom and here in this particular section he's giving them instruction about the kingdom and different kinds of branches and some are bearing fruit and some aren't and strong language in there those that aren't are going to be burned in the fire that they are they are really concerned you'll remember in light of judas that this was distressing coinciding with all of this was the administration of the lord's supper john is so interesting in the way he presents these realities and you have to kind of piece it together but coinciding with all of this is jesus implementing and giving the supper and you'll remember what he said on the night in which he was betrayed you'll remember what he said one of you will betray me and they all started saying it's not i is it lord you hear in it the concern. I could do that. I know I could. One of you in here will betray. That is a devastating statement. Think about it. Think of the pain of that. Think of the fear of that. Everything seems, it's just so confusing at this moment. So the issue of how to remain is on their minds. How to abide, how to remain. I mean, Judas walked with Jesus to the end and there was no fruit, no fruit. Absolutely distressing. If you understand that Jesus is responding to this fear, you understand why John 15 is so needed. This is really the backdrop of this, that you have to understand what he's doing. Jesus is going away and he's giving his disciples great encouragement and great help in light of this in light of what is really perplexing to them his last sort of moment to give them this kind of instruction before he goes away face to face with the ones whom he loves he's concerned that they all would know and have assurance i mean that a passage that would seem to be i really question how i can have assurance is a passage about assurance but how well jesus is making a direct connection between assurance and the fruits that correspond and come our heidelberg says something about this doesn't it why should we do good works well because christ having redeemed us by his blood also renews us by his holy spirit after his own image that with our whole life we show ourselves thankful to god for his blessing and also that he be glorified through us you'll notice that that is what jesus says in verse 8 by this the father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples but then it says that we ourselves you think about this that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by the fruits that makes us a little nervous to talk about. Can that really happen? But our confessions and our catechisms teach it, and the scriptures teach it. Good works spring from the good root of true faith. But this is why John 15 helps us so much with this. I am the vine, you are the branches. Any bit of life that comes flows from me. A fearful flock, you know, is an inactive flock. A fearful people of God have no purpose, no desire to serve, no desire to do. In this context, in verse 9, Jesus here begins to address their fears, and he begins to say things that are so wonderful, it's hard to even know how to preach. I'm afraid I'll say them and pass right over them too quickly. So I hope you'll meditate on them today. As the Father has loved me, I want all of you to know, I have loved you. Abide in my love. That's one of those statements. As the Father has loved me, I love you. Stay there in that love. So he looks at them and says this. My concern is this, I want you to remain in my love. I want you to know that love. love i don't want you ever to go away from that love i don't want you to go on with life not knowing that love then comes the verses that i think maybe trouble us a little bit verse 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 you'll notice there that jesus is is rooting that in him and then what he has done to the father but you can hold that thought for a minute. Verse 14, you are my friends if you do whatever I command you. I'd sit back from that a little bit and say, well, wait a minute, wait a minute. Judas has totally failed. He didn't do this. And it just seems like Jesus is saying, I can only be assured I won't be a Judas unless I do whatever he's commanded. Is that it? It seems that he's saying that this love and this friendship is contingent upon me. And this has led people right down that path. This has led people to view it that way. Is that what he's saying? What is this? How do we understand this? Again, come back to the question for a moment. Is he speaking to them as under the law or under grace? Hold that. That's a crucial question in this. If under the law we have a problem, it must have the feel of everything the law has always said to us, do this and you'll live. Cursed are you if you don't continue to do all things written in the book of the law to do them. But that doesn't really sound like Jesus here, does it? Or is he saying in this life, as a child of God, forgiven, saved, justified, honoring his commands is extremely important for a confidence of who you are in Christ. Honoring His commands is extreme importance for a confidence, as the Heidelberg says, that we ourselves would be assured of our faith. In light of the hardships, what are the benefits of honoring the commandments of God? Maybe we've not been positive enough about that. What are the real benefits of honoring the commandments of God? This is one of the last opportunities while Jesus is on earth to help His disciples. And you see, we've come to a moment here that maybe is one of the most important for at least looking at pastoral struggles with sheep that we ever face in the ministry, in assurance and struggles with sin, and am I falling in and out of God's favor, and all these sort of questions that people go through. And I know that you're going through. You do. I'm sure today there are So I'm sitting here right now who's, you know, it's so glad, right? We can't look at each other's lives in the course of the week, but we are honest about our own lives. We know what's going on in the course of our lives, and we know the things that we easily do in the course of our lives, and our consciences are so wounded by it that we wonder, and we constantly are on this roller coaster of this single great question, if Jesus' love, is it dependent upon me keeping his commandments? Yeah. Because if it is, I'm in despair. Sometimes I'm doing better than others. You know what sin does to you. Sin wounds the conscience. Sin attacks assurance. Sin makes you feel defiled. It makes you feel sick with yourself. By the way, I'm talking about Christians here. It makes you say, how could God ever love a wretch like me? And then it leads us to really attack whether he is good enough to save me. And this is an interesting moment in John 15 for he's saying, I've loved you. I want you to think a little bit about how to enjoy that love with a good conscience. I want you to think about how seriously to enjoy that love with a good conscience. And yes, the commandments of God are important. He says in verse 11, I say all of this with the purpose, listen to this, I say all of this with the purpose that your joy may remain in you. I don't want you losing joy as I leave. And I want that joy in the course of Christian life to be full, abundant. That's yours. I've earn that for you. And so in verse 12, he reemphasizes this commandment. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Here's how you can have a good conscience. Here's how you remain in my love. It's a good way to do this. I've loved you. You are loved. Therefore, as followers of me, exemplify the same kind of love you've enjoyed. It's beautiful. Greater love has no one than this. No one's ever loved like this than to lay down your life for your friends and guess what? I've done that for you. I gave myself for you. I want you to have this kind of good conscience in going forward in my love as you receive my love and remain in that love. The question is how he's motivating them to take this seriously. And if you look at verse 10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. How is he motivating this? And this is where we get to the heart of this this morning of how I want you to think as Christians about God's commands to you. Look at verse 15, so crucial. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends. For all that I heard from my father, I have made known to you. Verse 15 is wonderful. I want you to understand what he just did right there that is so crucial. I'm convinced Jesus was jolting their minds to something. The whole issue of friendship should stand out here. It has a history, doesn't it? Of course it has a history. This isn't out of the blue. It has a huge history to what we call the covenant of grace. Where do we first see it? I mean, the remarkable thing, it's such a startling statement that we could be called a friend of God. Some very pious people don't even want to say that. Makes them very nervous. But think about what James the Apostle was later moved about when he said this in James 2. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. God's friend was Abraham. That is cited from Genesis 15 on the night in which Abraham was justified, you'll remember, that Paul picks up in Romans 4 and says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Right then and there, God justified Abraham, forgave him forever and immediately called him a what? Friend. now now now if you can interject that into this because we're we're children of abraham by faith think about what jesus is saying to his disciples at this particular moment you are my friends if you do what i command i'm no longer calling you servants i'm no longer calling you slaves we should keep it slave a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. In other words, when someone is a slave, he commands him to do this or that, and there's no explanation as to why. There's none. That's servitude, and that relationship is one of servile fear. You know this. If your boss tells you something, and you have a bad boss, and your boss is cruel, and your boss is a hard man, and you don't like working for that boss, and he gives you something to do and and you disagree with it and you walk up to your boss and you say why are you asking me to do this what's he going to say you don't need to know why you just do it right that's that kind of relationship a friend or a partner is treated a little bit differently i was thinking imagine if um one of my kids got in trouble that never happens as pastor's kids But imagine if that happened. And one day I discovered that one of my kids stole something from me. Well, what am I going to do? How am I going to handle that? He's going to be forced to face the wrong if I'm a good father. As a parent, I'm going to look at my child and what am I going to say? Well, this is a child of God. This is a child of God. How am I going to talk to him? well, I'm going to sit him down. I could, and listen, godly parents do this. I could blast him. I could yell. I could throw it down on him. I could be a tyrant. I could be mean. What should I do? How should a parent parent? How should a Christian parent parent his child? Well, there are consequences to actions and you'll have to suffer the consequences to actions. No one doubts that. But shouldn't a parent and a father who really cares about the interests of his son realizing this is a son in Christ, this is a child of God, shouldn't the parent say, son, I love you. I forgive you. I want you to think a little bit about who you are. You've been baptized. You know this is not the way to live. You know this is harmful to you, don't you? And you see what it's done to our relationship. It's caused a major disturbance, hasn't it? But the Lord has set you free to not do these things. And He's called you not to do these things. Really, the most effective father would be a father who shows tears instead of anger. correct? Imagine if my son steals from somebody else. Will they speak to him that way? Probably not. He might get yelled at, might end up in a fight, might be throwing the cuffs on him. There most likely will be no grace, only what? Justice. The disciples are children of God. Did you hear what he said at the beginning? You are all clean. They're confused. They're baffled. They're struggling. They were confused about Judas. Judas was the enigma. It was prophesied in the Scriptures. He explained it. They were confused about his going away. He's explaining it to them. He's sitting them down and explaining to his friends the things that they're really struggling with and they're having a hard time with. He's doing what friendship does. he's taking their burdens and now he's instructing them to love but how is he doing it is he harsh on them is he browbeating them is he rough and in his commanding is he condemning them who is this now you have to look at this and anyone who reads this would say well not at all because they're not under law for condemnation. They're children, and He has earned that right for them. That's why He's come. What does speaking under the law sound like? Rough. I mean it. It's rough. Do this and you'll live. Paul called it a ministry of death. That kind of speaking kills you. There's no ability for the recipient in himself to fulfill the condition. It's a thunderous sound. This is why I read the law this morning. Now, when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet, when the law was simply spoken, what happened? The people were afraid and trembled, and they stood afar off and said to Moses, you speak with us and we'll listen, but don't let God speak with us. Who's speaking with the disciples right now? God. You have not come, Hebrews, to the mountain that can be touched, that's burning with fire, to darkness and gloom and storm, to tempest blast, or such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that the one speaking should speak no more. Why? Because they couldn't bear what was commanded. That was the experience of Sinai. If even an animal touches this mountain, you're toast. the sight was so terrifying to Moses I'm trembling with fear I use this example for I think Bobby Knight used to uh to get his teams under control you know I'm a basketball fanatic for all these years he's so interesting my dad would go to his conferences and he said oh I couldn't stand listening to Knight if anyone knows Knight you know what kind of person he was he would say listen, if there is a cancer on the team, you know what you do? You cut that out. How did he cut the cancers out on the team? How did he cut the Judases out? He threw chairs at everyone. Anyone ever seen Knight? He was in trouble for hitting players. Slaves are spoken to that way. There are two ways of speaking. A word here, doulos. Think about it. You are no longer slaves. I'm not talking to you that way you like Abraham just as much as every right Abraham had you are my friends because everything I've heard from my father I'm making known to you my grandma would um would tell me all the time I know I've used this that her father being the old German immigrant he was uh he never smiled he was a hard man he was a hard worker you know he he had he had made his way over with nothing and a hard farmer. I'll never forget my grandmother saying to me, you know, when she walked up and told me she loved me, saying, I say this because my dad never once said it to me. But that's, that's, that's striking, isn't it? That is, that is painful. You can't tell your child you love him what's wrong with you god's telling you he loves you god has made a provision to have a righteousness by which you can stand in his son so that you would know love so so so you are my friends if you do what i command but you need to understand i'm not commanding you as those under the law i'm commanding you as my friends you see the difference Keep my commandments as those who are loved. That's going to have a preserving effect on you. Take that seriously. Because I'm telling you what will happen if it doesn't. It has just like a son and a father when that relationship's hurting. Just like the tension that is put there. But the father's love doesn't change. He's speaking to them a certain way. There's a shift in Jesus' speaking predicated on what? He's come to die for them. So when Jesus says, you're my friends, if you do what I command, you see the grace principle at work. Grace makes doing a reality under grace. Who is the if dependent on? Jesus follows up and says that. Without me, you can do nothing. Look at verse 16. I chose you. You did not choose me. And appointed you. I appointed your fruit. I appointed your fruit that you should go and bear fruit. You hear him? I appointed this. So he's not ditching human responsibility and sanctification, but he's saying, ultimately and primarily, this is something I've appointed for you. So even in that, he's encouraging them. You didn't choose me. I chose you. But I love this. There's another motivating factor here for the future. Look at the assurance he's giving them. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. He was called a friend of God. No more bondage. But what God said when Christ came down that day in Genesis and said, shall we hide from Abraham what we're doing? And he didn't. He told him of what was about to come on Sodom and Gomorrah. The judgment to come. God openly talked. Have you ever thought what's happening right here, right now? The world doesn't value this, but you know what? They're losing out on everything. They have no knowledge of the forgiveness of sin. They have no knowledge of righteousness. And they have no knowledge of the judgment to come. Hey friends, guess what you're getting right now? All that. Does the world understand any of this? Jesus, through the whole course of your lives as believers, if you believe the gospel, every time you come up to the house of the Lord, He's speaking to you as friends. Guarding your future. Keeping you for the future. This is Galatians 4. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is a master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons see and because your sons what has God done for you God has sent forth his spirit of his son into your hearts crying out Abba father therefore you're no longer a slave but a son and if a son then you're an heir you got it all i heard a pastor recently say the hardest thing he has found in the ministry is to try to convince people that god is their father and that they're adopted sons by grace and daughters christ is saying i've loved you i've died for you i've freed you when the commands come it's rooted in this love and now you love as you've received my love and i think that this should keep us from merely outwardly conforming don't you in other words we produce all kinds of outward service where at times the church is just happy if the rules are kept and rules are important if they're biblical ones but sadly the absence of the gospel we need to be reminded of what happened with the parable of the two prodigal sons. The older remained in the house. The other ran. When the younger came to himself and came home, the father showed utter grace. And guess what? Was exposed when the father showed utter grace to that lost son. That the one in the house had only been there and knew his father legally, but didn't know him savingly. Maybe there's some here today who are still under the law and have not repented and turned to Christ. I think you have to feel the heavy weight of that law and all of its thunder. I came, said Jesus, to send fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled. Flee the wrath to come. You hear it? Hear that word? Hear how he's speaking? Come today. Wrath. The kind of preaching, when the law crushes, kills. It never inspires obedience. It actually arouses, Paul says, more sin. It's not that we never as Christians hear the law's loud thunder, but when we do, we always come back to the voice of the one who said, Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest for your souls. Christ is overwhelming their hearts with His love. In chapter 16, before the high priestly prayer, you know what he's going to say? When I am gone and the Spirit comes, then you're going to know the Father loves you. And that's for you today. He doesn't want them. I think they'll go in the path of Judas. Verse 11, These things I've spoken to you that my joy may be in you. and that your joy may be full. That should inspire a response today. I mean it. Doesn't that make you want to forgive your brother? If I stood up here and said, you do this or else, I know what's going to happen. If I said, get here tonight or else, you won't come, because I've tried that. But if I say, God's going to speak to you tonight as a friend, and he's going to give you hope and love and encouragement. Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. I think you'll want to because it's a delight. The motivation here to love is given in the language of confidence of the intimacy we have between us and Christ in union with Him. So Jesus gives them three assurances. I have loved you, you're my friends, and I've chosen you. And He teaches them now to go out and remain in that love by loving one another. Don't you want to do that? The world has definitely seen no love. And they may sing their songs, all we need is love. They don't know it. But the sacrificial death of Jesus has taught us love. And that's a love the world does not know. But that's a love that the Lord has given us to exercise and to demonstrate to all the world that we are His disciples. Why? because we have love for one another. I hope that encourages you today to remain in that love, to take seriously the call to love because He's loved you this way and spoken to you this way. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for being our Father because of Christ. Thank You for adopting us as children in His perfect person and work. Thank You for the love which with You've shown us. And help us now to love one another, to remain in that love as we love one another because we are your children. You've spoken so tenderly to us. And all we can do today is say, thank you, Lord. You are so faithful and kind. We love you because you first loved us and gave your son for us. And now, Lord, may we take seriously the keeping of your commands because now it's inspired by love. as we were called to do. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.