Bible Text: John 15:12-17 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: John, No Love No Excuse

Recap of 1/27/13 (John 15:12-17):
1. Jesus’ command to “love each other” bookends this passage.  Out of this command come all the others.  As Oswald Chambers said: “Love is the beginning and the middle and the end—the first sign, stamp, and seal—of the saint.”  We are commanded to love not just those who love us but those who are seen as unlovable, ornery, the “porcupines” (Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48).
 
2.  James calls the command to “love our neighbor as ourselves” the “royal law.”  It was the law articulated by Jesus in Mark 12:28-31 and Matthew 22:34-40 thus it is the law decreed by the King…Jesus.
 
3.  Jesus was the standard and measure of that love, “as I have loved you.”  This love, based on the pattern of Jesus must be humble and sacrificial, as demonstrated by the cross (1 John 3:16).
 
4.  Jesus’ disciples (us included) are chosen by Him, not to retreat from the world, but “to go” (vs. 16) and reveal to those around us His character, His life, and His grace.
 
5.  William  Barclay cautions Christians: “We are sent out into the world to love one another.  Sometimes we live as if we were sent into the world to compete with one-another, or to dispute with one another, or even to quarrel with one another.  But the Christian is to live in such a way that h shows what is meant by loving his fellow men.”