John 15:12-17  "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."  Love -  is the greatest commandment.  Jesus said, - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  (Matthew 22:37-39 and Deuteronomy 6:5)

Jesus gives us a deeper picture of the love that He commands us to have for one another.  It is a "greater love" than what the world knows.  This love would enable a man to "lay down his life for his friends."  This is the kind of love that Jesus loves us with, for He was willing to go to the cross.. to take on all our sins.. to die for us. This is the kind of love that He desires and commands His friends to have.  

Jesus told His disciples that they were no longer slaves.  They were free to choose to love Him and to love the Father. He had chosen them for this very reason.. to make known to them the great love of the Father  so that they could love others with this greater love.. bearing fruit to the glory of His Name. 

John wrote more about this love in his letters.. 1st John 3 is especially focused on this kind of love.. the abundant love that the Father gave to us, His children.. and the love that we bestow on others. "Little children, let us not love with word or with the tongue, but in deed and truth. " v18  

Love.. abiding love .. is the essence of our oneness with our Father and with our Lord Jesus.  "No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1st John 4:13-14) And verse 16 "And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him." 

Father in heaven, we thank You that we have  come to know Your great love... love  that You have manifested in us through Jesus Christ the only begotten Son who came into this world to give us life.. to reveal Your eternal Love.. to take away all fear.. By faith we receive the perfect love that You have bestowed on us.. and by faith we choose to love like You have made us able to  love.. with all our hearts and souls and minds.  Spirit of God fill us with understanding and strength that we might truly love one another as the Father and the Son have loved us.  We ask this is the Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 

 John 15:1-11  Jesus gives us one of the most powerful  illustrations of what it means to be "one" with Him and the Father.  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser..... I am the vine, your are the branches.. " ( v1,5)

The Father in heaven.. the Creator and Mighty God who spoke all of creation into being.. Jesus calls the "vinedresser" .. the "husbandman".. a farmer.. one who tills the soil and dresses the vines.  His "work"  is  centered around His crop... cutting off fruitless branches.. and pruning those that are bearing fruit so that they bear more. 

Jesus calls Himself the "true vine".  He is the genuine vine.. the real deal.. not counterfeit, imaginary, or pretend... but the True product of God's Hands.  He is the vine.. out of Him comes everything.  He is the root and the trunk.. Without Him there would be no branches..no leaves.. and no fruit. There can be no life without Jesus. 

Jesus calls His followers "the branches".  Jesus said that only as the branches abide in the Vine can they bear any fruit. There must be a vital connection between the Vine and the branch for fruit to be produced.  If the branch is fruitless.. then it shows that there is no connection and then the Vinedresser will cut it off and throw it into the fire.  But if the branch is connected and holding fast to the Vine, it will produce fruit. Not only that but the Vinedresser will "prune" it to allow it to bear more fruit.  

Pruning means cleansing. Purging all that is impure.. removing all that is unacceptable.. all that hinders more fruit from growing.  Jesus told His disciples that they had already been made "clean" by His Words, but they needed to keep abiding in Him.. staying present in their relationship with Him.. in order to keep bearing fruit to the glory of the Father. 

Apart from Jesus, He tells us, we can do nothing.  No fruit will grow on a dead branch.  Life flows only from the True Vine.  It is in abiding.. remaining.. continuing.. being present in this relationship with Jesus that Life continues to flow into us and we bear fruit to the glory of God.  We abide by staying in the Word of God, by asking and receiving His Life in us, by keeping His commandments, and resting in His love. 

The Father cares for the Vine and the Branches with great love. Love flows from the Vine, Jesus Christ, into us.. the branches that abide in His Love.   "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."  Jesus said. 

Father in heaven, cleanse us from anything that keeps us from bearing fruit to the glory of Your Name.  Keep us abiding in the Word, continually walking in the Lord Jesus, and giving our lives to do Your will. Keep us in Your Love and in the Love of Jesus the True Vine.  Help us to know the Truth of these words with all of our hearts.  May Your Will be done in us we pray .. in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 John 14:16-31 Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming days.  He said, "And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever."  

Jesus said that the Helper is the "Spirit of truth".  He said that they "know Him"...that He abides with them and "will be in " them.   The Helper.. the Comforter will "teach" them, Jesus said,  and He will "bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." 

Jesus speaks what the Father tells Him .. and He  is telling the disciples (and us) about this wonderful  Helper.. The Spirit will show them how the Father and the Son are going to come and dwell with them.. in them and they in Him. This deep and abiding relationship is given to all who keep His commandments.. who love Him and who abide in Him. 

".. because I live, you shall live also... .I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."  Love and obedience are the foundation of this blessed Oneness.. The Spirit helps us to know this and to live in these truths.   This is how we can keep letting our hearts rest in His peace and not in our troubles.  The Father and the Son are greater than any enemy, any fear, any trouble,  and we have the Helper to remind us and teach us what we need to live in this Truth.  Hallelujah!  Amen!

 John 14:7-17  Jesus makes His most profound statement here in the upper room. "He who has seen Me has seen the Father; "  He tells His disciples that they know the Father because they know Him.  To believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus had been proven to them over and over by His Words and by His works.  Everything that Jesus did and said came from the Father .. so to see Jesus is the same as seeing the Father. 

Just believe it.. Jesus tells them.  Believe it and let this truth work in you.  "Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to the Father." 

The disciples were about to find out exactly what that means.  They would "ask" in His Name and He would do what they asked and the  Father would be glorified. They would love Him and keep His commandments.  They would join the Father and the Son.. they would receive the Spirit.. and their lives would never be the same. 

Oh how we long to see the Son and the Father in this way.. in the fulness of glory and power and holiness. Thankfully... we are not "orphans" either.. we have the same Spirit that Jesus gave His disciples.. He is with us forever.  We receive Him even though the world cannot.  We can know Him and He abides with us and in us. 

Father in heaven, help me to grasp the greatness of these Words.. help us to know You.. to know Jesus.. to receive all that Your Spirit has come to reveal to us as we abide in You. May we love You and keep Your commandments, Lord Jesus.. May we do the work of the Father through Your Spirit. We are Your servants and we desire to obey and give glory to You.  Let Your will be done in us today we pray, in Your Name.. Amen. 

 John 14:1-6  "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."  

Jesus spoke to His disciples about leaving. He sent Judas on his way to betray Him.  He told Peter that he would deny Him.. there was a lot for them to be troubled about.  

There is a lot that we get "troubled" about in this world too.  The Thayer Lexicon defines the word "trouble" as agitated, disquieted, stirred up, anxious or distressed.. or even perplexed.  Yeah, that's easy for us to relate to.  We have all been there at one time or another.  The disciples weren't ready for what was about to happen. Just like we aren't ready when our lives are upended by "trouble".  Yet, we have the same word that Jesus gave them.. "believe". 

"Believe in God, believe in Me also". 

Believe that Jesus is preparing a place for us.  Believe that He is coming again for us. Believe that He is the "way and the truth and the life."  Believe that we come to the Father through Him.  Believe... and don't let trouble  overcome the Truth. 

Easier said than done, I know.  Yet.. it is what gets us through the troubles of life We often say, " I don't know what people do without the Lord."  To be troubled and have no Savior, no hope, no comfort, no promise of a place prepared for eternity.. No wonder there is so much anxiety, depression, agitation, and distress.  

We have a God who sees us, knows us, and loves us. Are we "troubled"?   Let us hold on to the Word.. hold on to Jesus.. cling to the Truth and BELIEVE!

Father in heaven,  You are the Giver of all things!  We believe Your word and all that You have revealed to us through Jesus Christ.  Help us to believe and keep believing especially in the times of trouble.   You are our Life, our Hope, our Help, and our God who has professed everlasting Love to all who call on You.  Thank You for such grace and mercy.  Keep us in Your perfect peace. Be in us and let us be in You through Jesus our Lord and Savior.  We ask this in His Name. Amen. 

 John 13:21-38  I really don't understand the idea of "reclining at the table".      How is it that the 12 disciples and Jesus gathered around a table, reclining or leaning.. close enough that John was able to lean back onto Jesus.. yet none of them knew what Jesus said to Judas or understood why he left? 

When Jesus said  "one of you will betray Me".. all the disciples looked at one another. They had no clue.  They even wondered about themselves!  Only Judas knew that he himself was the betrayer.  He must have been shocked that Jesus knew too. 

After Judas left Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; "  The time was at hand. Judas would betray Him. Peter would deny Him.. but those things were small in comparison of what Jesus said next.. "  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved You, that you also love one another."  This love would be the proof of discipleship.  Following Jesus means to love like  Jesus.. this is the service that we render to Him that glorifies Him and glorifies the Father. 

We have known this love.  A love that glorifies Jesus and glorifies the Father.  God's people lifting us up in prayer in a time of need.  Hearts and hands reaching out to encourage and care.. We are praising God for this display of His love in our family and in our church family.. Prayers were offered on our behalf this last week.. and prayers were answered!  We have hearts overflowing with thanksgiving for what God has done for us.  We praise the Lord that this commandment to "love one another" was displayed so wonderfully and God's name was glorified. 

Thank You Father for Your faithful servants have obeyed Your command to love like Jesus.. Amen

 John 13   Jesus knew "His hour had come".  He knew His disciples.  He knew about Judas. He knew about Peter. He knew He was going back to His Father.. and knowing all of that and more.. He got up, removed His robe, took a towel, and washed the disciples' feet. 

His purpose was to be an example to those He loved. How important was this lesson.. that Jesus would take these moments during the Passover meal.. on the last evening of His life in the world?  Vital! How often do we willingly take on the role of a servant?  "If you know these things, you are blessed to do them." Jesus said.  The disciples had yet to learn this lesson.. but they would.. except for Judas.  He had already turned away and allowed Satan to fill his heart.  He would not choose servanthood.  He wanted much more for himself. 

Jesus said, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I am there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."  (12:26)  Servants obey the voice of their Master.  A servant loves and listens and serves.  Yes, we are made the children of God through Jesus Christ.. but we are called to serve Him.  Revelation 7:15 tells us that those who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of Jesus will be "before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them."  This place of servanthood is a place of honor.. a place of shelter.. a place where there is no hunger or thirst.. a place where tears are wiped away.  

Father, we are Your servants and we come to Your throne to serve You.  We bring worship and praise to the Lamb. We give You glory and honor.  May we be good and faithful servants, loving one another, praying for one another, washing the feet of one another. ..  lifting up the Name that is above all names. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You. Equip us for every good work that You have planned for us and work in us all that delights You. We are Yours and You are our God. Amen.