THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part XXXVIII: Trusting In Christ For His Gracious Edification Of True Believers, John 14-17

F. Trusting In Christ For His Promise Of Fulfilling Spiritual Fellowship

(John 15:9-17)

I. Introduction

A. John's Gospel claims that Jesus' disciples had received of His fullness "grace for grace" (KJV), the "constant reception of one evidence of God's grace replacing another," John 1:16; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 273.

B. This truth is clarified in Christ's John 15:9-17 promise of fulfilling spiritual fellowship (as follows):

II. Trusting In Christ For His Promise Of Fulfilling Spiritual Fellowship, John 15:9-17.

A. After His instruction on the believer's production of personal righteousness in John 15:1-8, Jesus discussed in John 15:9-17 the spiritual fellowship that occurs as a believer lives that productively righteous life.

B. Thus, a productively righteous believer enjoys bountiful expressions of God's love in his life, John 15:9-10:

1. Jesus urged His disciples to continue in His love for them as He Himself was loved of God, John 15:9.

2. Continuing in His love was accomplished by obeying Jesus like He had obeyed the Father and thus had remained in His love, John 15:10. From John 14:21-23, we recall that obedience to the Lord leads to practical expressions of both the Father's and Christ's love in the believer's daily experience.

C. Also, these bountiful expressions of God's love in his life produce fulfilling joy for the believer, John 15:11: Jesus explained that His instruction on obeying His commands to remain in His love would lead to Christ's joy remaining in them, and to their joy consequently being full. The practical expressions of both the Father's and the Son's love for the believer in his daily walk will of course produce lasting and fulfilling joy in the believer.

D. In addition, a productively righteous believer loves other believers as Christ has loved him, John 15:12-13: Jesus gave one of His major commands that lead to fulfilling fellowship with God, that of loving fellow believers, obviously as motivation for His disciples to love one another.

E. A productively righteous believer also enjoys God's full instruction in friendship with the Lord, Jn. 15:14-15:

1. Jesus added that His disciples would be His friends if they did whatever He commanded them, John 15:14.

2. No longer would He call them servants, for a servant "does what he is told without understanding his master's mind or business," Ibid., p. 326. Christ had shared with His disciples all that He had heard from the Father, so the title "slave" no longer adequately described their relationship with Him, Ibid.; Jn. 15:16.

3. Thus, a productively righteous believer enjoys God's full instruction for Him in friendship with God.

F. A productively righteous believer additionally enjoys God's sovereign work to make his works last, Jn. 15:16:

1. Contrary to the common practice of the era where a disciple would select His teacher, Jesus reminded His disciples that He had sovereignly chosen them, John 15:16a; Ibid.

2. The reason for this sovereign choice resided in God's plan that Jesus' disciples be so completely led and equipped by Him as branches that reside in Him as the Vine that where they would otherwise be powerless to perform anything righteously fruitful (John 15:5), (a) God willed they be both abundantly fruitful (John 15:16b with 15:8a) and (b) that their fruit eternally remain (John 15:16c; 1 John 2:17b), that (c) whatever they asked in prayer in Jesus' name, the Father might give it to them in ultimate productivity, John 15:16c.

G. Finally, a productively righteous believer sees God motivate him to love other believers so as to keep him righteously productive and enjoying all the above mentioned benefits of fellowship with the Lord, John 15:17:

1. Jesus directed that all of this information and commands He had given in John 15:1-8 on being productively righteous and then in John 15:9-16 on enjoying fulfilling spiritual fellowship with God were designed to motivate the disciples to perform His command that they love one another, John 15:17.

2. Thus, both God the Father and God the Son are very concerned that believers love one another, and God will reward this love in providing the believer with overwhelmingly fulfilling fellowship with Himself.

Lesson: God so strongly wants believers to love one another that His call that they do so with His other commands He rewards with abundantly fulfilling spiritual fellowship with Himself: God reveals His love to such believers in their daily walk to their fullness of joy, they enjoy friendship with God in seeing Him reveal deep truths to them, they find their works eternally last by His grace and that they get answers to prayer in ultimate productivity.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved, John 3:16. (2) May we who trust in Christ heed His Word, particularly His command to love one another, that we might enjoy fulfilling spiritual fellowship with the Lord.