The Word

Vol. 9 No. 30

August 1, 2010

 

Upper Room Discourse

John 15:14

 

 

 

 

John 15:14 says, “You all are and you keep on being My loved ones (friends), if you all, maybe you will and maybe you will not, keep on doing what I myself command you.”

 

As you know the commands of Jesus Christ are found in His Word. Therefore, “doing what I command you” means keeping God’s Word resident within our soul and applying it on a consistent basis. In the context of John 15, this means abiding in the Word of Jesus Christ, John 15:4-11, with the added emphasis of the command given in verses 12-13.

 

Keeping the commandments of Jesus Christ means the Bible has authority over our lives. Therefore, the Bible is our authority as the Word of God.

 

L.S. Chafer notes, “It reflects the supreme authority of God as actually His revealed will, the Word of Truth is to be obeyed by all who come under His Divine rule.”

 

The fact that Jesus Christ is commanding us is one more example in the Scriptures of His authority over the Church.

 

Synonyms for Christ and His Authority over the Church.

 

1. Jesus Christ is called the last Adam as the ruler of the Church; and the believers, the Church universal, is called the new spiritual species, as found in 1 Cor 15:45‑49; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15.  This "new creation" is important because it focuses attention on the Church during the intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict.

 

2. In the head and the body analogy, Christ is the head and the Royal Family of God is the body. This speaks of Christ’s authority. The body emphasizes our differences in personality and spiritual gifts, Eph 1:22‑23, 2:16, 4:4‑5, 5:23; 1 Cor 12; Col 1:17‑18, 24, 2:19. 

 

Eph 1:22-23, “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

 

Eph 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.”

 

          a) Likewise we see in this analogy the King and the Royal Family of God, Eph 1:22‑23; Col 2:10. Jesus Christ is the Royal King and we are His family.

 

3. The Shepherd and the sheep analogy is found in John 10; Heb 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4. This analogy connotes the security and great blessings that come to us as members of the Royal Family of God. The analogy is apropos, for like us, sheep have no sense of direction, cannot fend for themselves, are helpless, and therefore need the guidance, sustenance, and protection of the Shepherd. The sheep must be guarded and fed by the under-shepherd, the Pastor of the local church.

 

Heb 13:20-21, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

4. The Vine and the branches analogy is taught in John 15:1‑6. Jesus Christ is the Vine; we are the branches.  This analogy is used for union with Christ, i.e., positional truth and/or positional sanctification. The vine always represented stimulation. The production of the branches is your advance to maturity.

 

5. The concept of Christ as the Chief Cornerstone, and the stones of the building as the Church was first taught by Christ in Mat 16:16‑18 when He told Peter, “You are blessed, Simon, Son of Jonas. And on this rock (PETRA, giant rock, Lord Jesus Christ) I will build my Church (Royal Family of God). Therefore, your name is now PETRASNote:  The change to pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually. (part or chip of a rock).” This reference to Christ as the Chief Cornerstone is found in Eph 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4‑8, quoting Psa 118:22-23. Peter recognized that Christ, not himself or the Church, is the rock. The Church didn’t even exist in Mat 16. Christ is the link between the two walls, Israel and the Church. He is the ruler of both.

 

6. The analogy of the High Priest and the Royal Priesthood is found in Heb 2:17; 4:14; 7:25, 10:10‑14; 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6. Only when the God‑Man ascended and was seated could Jesus Christ be a High Priest. Every believer in union with Christ is a royal priest.

 

7. The Groom and the bride analogy is found in John 3:29; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25‑27; Rev 19:6‑8. This eschatological analogy speaks of the future of the Church as royal family of God. This will not be fulfilled until the Second Advent at the wedding feast of the Lamb. It takes seven years for the bride, the Church, to be prepared before the Judgment Seat of Christ. There will be no local churches in the Millennium. 

 

From each of these analogies, certain things are taught about your personal life as a Church Age believer.

 

As the human head governs the body to which it belongs, so authority is vested in the headship relation wherever it exists. In relation to Christ and the Church, He is the Head and we are the body.

 

1. Christ sustains at least five such relations, as:

 

a) Head of principalities and powers, Eph 1:21; Col 2:10. Christ has universal authority over all angelic hosts.

 

b) Head over every man, 1 Cor 11:3; cf. Eph 5:23. Whether recognized or admitted by men, Christ is ruling over all of them. To Him they must one day render an account.

 

1 Cor 11:3, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”

 

c) Head of the corner (Chief Corner Stone), Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7. See Ephesians 2:19-22, where the whole company of believers is seen as a building of God, Christ being the Headstone of the corner.

 

d) Head over the mystic Body of Christ, the Church, Eph 4:15; Col 1:18; 2:19. This figure is used more than any other to represent the service and manifestation of Christ by or through the members of His Body.

 

e) Head over the Bride, Eph 5:23-33. Here again the Church is in view with a unique relationship, which relationship is to be realized fully after the marriage of the Lamb.

 

2. Christ ranks as Head over the New Creation, which creation is in Him and partakes of His resurrection life, Eph 1:19-23.

 

3. The Head of Christ is God, 1 Cor 11:3. The authority which Christ exercises was given Him by the Father, John 5:27; Acts 17:31; 1 Cor 15:25-28.

 

Now, before we get into laying down our lives for our PHILOS lets understand AGAPE LOVE a little better, which creates capacity for PHILOS love and “laying down our lives for the beloved.”

 

Principles of AGAPE Love:

 

1. Categories of AGAPE Love.

          a. The love of the Father for the Son, John 15:9.

          b. The (impersonal) love of God for the human race, John 3:16.

          c. The (impersonal) love of believers toward other believers, John 15:12ff.

          d. The (impersonal) love of believers toward all of Mankind, Rom 13:8-14.

          e. The (impersonal) love right man and right woman must have for each other in order to have personal love, Eph 5:28, 33; 1 Tim 2:15.

 

2. AGAPE love is a Relaxed Mental Attitude toward all mankind.

 

3. AGAPE love is dependent on the Word of God for its effectiveness.

 

4. AGAPE love is sustained by Bible doctrine.

 

5. AGAPE love is the expression of the believer’s doctrinal orientation (metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness).

 

6. AGAPE love for all mankind is a manifestation of your personal love for God the Father, and your occupation with the person of Jesus Christ as the highest motivation in life.

 

7. AGAPE love is a Problem Solving Device as well as the base for great human relationships.

 

8. AGAPE love cannot be reduced to the level of dog eat dog. Your Relaxed Mental Attitude is the issue. You never reduce yourself to the norms and standards of those who attack and malign you. 

 

9. AGAPE love emphasizes your strength (Bible Doctrine in your soul), not the weakness of someone else. Therefore, you maintain your standards.

 

10. AGAPE love is the Relaxed Mental Attitude from the filling of the Holy Spirit rather than overt friendliness or effusive hypocrisy. 

 

1 Peter 3:8-12, “To sum up (what AGAPE love is), all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 10For, ‘The one who desires life, to love (AGAPE) and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil’.”

 

 

If you would like more information on this subject,

you may listen to lessons 10-080 and 10-081.

 

 

A PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU

 

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you.  He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God the Father also loves you.  He loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you by sending Him to the cross.  At the Cross Jesus died in your place.  Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins.  He was judged for our sins and paid the price for our sins.  Therefore our sins will never be held against us.  Right where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in your life. To accept the free gift of eternal life by truly believing that Jesus Christ died for you.  So wherever you are, pause to reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:

 

"Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."

 

If you have done that, I welcome you to the Eternal Family of God!

 

 

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Grace Fellowship Church, Pastor James H. Rickard

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