JOHN LESSON 43
We will begin this lesson in John 15:12.
V-12, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I
have loved you."
You can quickly see from this, that it is not an option for us to
love each other. This is a commandment of the Lord. The type of love
Jesus is speaking of here is interesting, too. This type of love is
not "I love you because", but "I love you in spite of the way you
act". This is called agape love. This is unselfish love to the
utmost.
V-13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down
his life for his friends."
We discussed this type of love in the previous lesson. This kind
of love is really more than our carnal mind can comprehend. Not only
did Jesus have this great love, but the Father's love for mankind goes
so far that we cannot comprehend it at all. He loved us so much that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. I am a mother, and I just
cannot comprehend loving anyone enough to give up one of my children
so that someone else could be saved.
V-14, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."
Here we see who Jesus' friends are. Those who walk in Jesus'
footsteps, doing the will of Jesus and not their own, are the ones who
follow Jesus' commandments. If we are rebellious and turn against
God, we are not Jesus' friend.
V-15, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant
knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for
all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
We see from this, that Jesus did not think of them, or us, as
just a common servant who takes orders never knowing the why of the
situation. He explains to them and to us, that we are more than
servants. He is our friend. If we have decided to follow Jesus, we
are actually younger adopted brothers and sisters to Him. We have
been grafted into the tree of life. Jesus has kept no secrets from
us. He has revealed the Father to us.
V-16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name,
he may give it you."
As we have said before, many Scriptures have several meanings.
This one is spoken by Jesus to His chosen followers who will continue
the work that He started, before He left to go and sit at the right
hand of the Father. We have seen in these last few verses that the
Spirit of God never leaves. These, whom the Lord has chosen to
continue His work, will be in constant contact with Him through
prayer. If they remain in the work they have been called to do,
operating in the fruits of the Spirit which God has given to make them
effective, then they will bring many into the kingdom of God. They
will bring many fruits (followers) to the Father in the name of Jesus.
They can pray to the Father in the name of Jesus and have positive
answers to their prayers. These, whom the Lord has chosen as
extensions of Himself, can be the ministers in our society now, or the
eleven apostles then. These are those the Lord set aside to work out
of all the believers. Whosoever will, can come and be saved, but
those whom the Lord chooses to work cannot come except He call them.
V-17, "These things I command you, that ye love one another."
You see, again, it is not our option to love each other or not.
We are commanded by Jesus to love each other. We must love everyone,
even the unlovely. We do not have to like what they are doing, but we
must love them. Love the sinner and hate the sin.
V-18, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it
hated you."
Jesus is warning all the ministers who follow in His work that
they will have great opposition. The world hated Jesus then, because
it brought guilt to them. It is no different now. Worldly people are
intimidated by those who live and work for God . If our leader was
ridiculed and hated, we are no better than He. What they were afraid
of and fought against in Him, they will fight against in those who
stand for the same things.
V-19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you."
In this Jesus is saying: if you are my followers, you are in the
world, but you are not of the world. Christians are to be separated
people. We are separated to the call of Jesus in our lives. We, like
Abraham, are looking for a city whose maker is God. We have a job to
do in this world, but this world is not our home. We are just passing
through. Our home is in heaven. If we were fleshly people who sought
worldly things, then the only pleasure we would ever have would be the
false pleasure of the flesh here on earth. Worldly people have no
hope of a better tomorrow. They are living for the here and now. The
lusts of the world control worldly people. Those who Jesus has called
to follow and work for Him must crucify their flesh, so that they may
live in the spirit with the blessed hope of an eternity in heaven.
V-20, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours
also."
The disciples of Jesus, then or now, cannot expect any better
treatment than our leader, Jesus, had when He walked the earth. The
true believers, then and now, will be persecuted. There are just two
kinds of people in the world. The true believer is one and those who
are not true believers is the other. Many church people fell into the
category of not being true believers then, it is the same now. The
lukewarm Christians will fall into the category with the non-
believers. If you do not give Jesus 100% of you, He will not have any
of you at all. Those who truly believe in Jesus, will keep His
sayings. If they keep Jesus' sayings, they will keep the sayings of
the true believers, as well, since they are one and the same.
V-21, "But all these things will they do unto you for my name's
sake, because they know not him that sent me."
One thing for all of us who work for God to remember is they are
not really coming against you personally, but what you stand for. If
you stand for Jesus' teachings, they are really coming against Jesus.
Those who know the truth will not speak out against you.
V-22, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had
sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin."
Jesus says, here, that they have turned Him down having full
knowledge of Him. You see, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old
Testament which they claimed to know. Jesus came to reveal His
Father's true ways to them. They, in full knowledge, refused. Since
they knew, their sin was greater. We see, here, that they rejected
the greatest gift that mankind has known: God's own Son. Their guilt
is more since they pretended to know the Scriptures.
V-23, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also."
We see, here, that it is impossible to love the Father without
loving His Son. Jesus is a reflection of the Father.
V-24, "If I had not done among them the works which none other
man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated
both me and my Father."
Many of the miracles Jesus had done were so far above what any
human had ever done, that they had to know this was their Messiah.
Their jealousy, of the great and mighty deeds He did, blinded them.
They could only see His flesh. They were never acquainted with His
Spirit. Even their physical eyes showed them these miracles. There
should have been no doubt who He was. They did not want to believe,
because they felt they would lose their position in their community.
V-25, "But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled
that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause."
He healed the blind, made the lame to walk, opened deaf ears,
cast out demons, fed the multitude, and raised the dead. For which of
these, did they have the right to hate Him?
V-26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you
from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me:"
We see in all of this, the personality of the Father, as to not
having been the begotten. The Holy Spirit, here, symbolizes all
truth. The truth will set you free. This Holy Spirit's functions are
to comfort, teach, and guide. Jesus is the Saviour. The Spirit of
God was present with Jesus when He walked the earth. When Jesus goes
back to heaven and becomes the Word again, the Spirit of God will
still be present on the earth in the Holy Spirit. In all of this,
notice the unity of the will of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
V-27, "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with
me from the beginning."
What are they to bear witness of? The spoken and written Word.
Jesus is saying here, you have heard my Words proceed from my mouth,
and you know it lines up with the written Word, the Bible. They shall
bear witness, because they have first hand knowledge of Jesus.
Notes
John 43 Questions
1. What did Jesus say was His commandment in verse 12?
2. What type of love is Jesus speaking of?
3. Greater love hath no man than what?
4. God's love is called what kind of love (one word)?
5. What is the if in verse 14 that makes you Jesus' friend?
6. Jesus says, He calls His followers not servants, but what?
7. What had Jesus made known to His followers?
8. "Ye have not chosen ____________________, but I have chosen ___.."
9. Who ordained Jesus' disciples?
10. Disciples should go forth and bring much what, as in verse 16?
11. Whatsoever you shall ask the Father, in whose name, shall be given
you?
12. In verse 17, Jesus commands that His followers do what?
13. Who did Jesus say the world would hate?
14. We Christians are ______________________________ the world, but
not ____________________________ the world?
15. Where is the Christian's home?
16. The servant is not ___________________ than his lord?
17. What are the two kinds of people in the world?
18. What percent does God require?
19. Why do people persecute believers?
20. Why were these people without excuse?
21. Those who hate Jesus, hate who also?
22. They hated Him without a cause that the ______________________
might be fulfilled.
23. What is the Holy Spirit called in verse 26?
34. Who do all believers bear witness of?
Notes
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