Greater Love Hath No Man

Jesus gives us the greatest example of love in this chapter. Christ outlines commands for followers and the result of obedience is six tremendous promises!

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

…  Jesus clearly illustrates that in Him we will yield abundant fruit. That it will be evident in our lives. He also states that outside of Him we will have vain outcomes in our lives. Any accomplishments outside of Christ will be temporal at best.

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

…  We will all die and this body will go back to the earth from whence it came (Genesis 3:19) but no man is meant to experience the second death (Revelation 20:14-15). The second death is the death of the spirit when those that are not attached to the Vine, Jesus will spend eternity in hell. Good works or being a nice person are not enough but it is simple as confessing with your mouth Lord Jesus and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10)!

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

…  God is glorified when the followers of Christ display the fruit of the Spirit to the world.

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

…  Jesus commands us to love others. Not just those that are easy to love but all men and women (Matthew 5:43-48)!

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Six promises to the obedient believer: v.5 you will bring forth much fruit; v.7 you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you; v.8 you will glorify God with your life; v.10 you shall remain in the love of Jesus; v.11 The joy of Christ will remain in you; v.11 Your joy will be full.

When is the last time you told yourself No?

Solomon was one of the greatest and wises Kings of all time. If asked most what was his downfall, many would respond it was women. As this was one component, the main culprit of his fall was his appetite for overindulgence. Solomon failed to exercise temperance, a key part of the fruit of the Spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2 (The Message Bible)

9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What's more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day's work! 11 Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

…  An unmanaged appetite equals danger

o   Appetite brought about the fall of man in the Garden of Eden Genesis (3:6-7). The devil approached Jesus when he was hungry to temp the Lord through His appetite (Matthew 4:1-11). We must deny ourselves and sacrifice the things our flesh desires and strive to apprehend the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).

As a young man King Solomon prayed to God for wisdom and understanding to rule and judge His people. The motive and intent of King Solomon’s heart pleased the Lord and He blessed him with riches and honor as well (1 Kings 3:4-14). Decades passed by and King Solomon accomplished many great things and continued to prosper, many traveled from far lands to witness his wisdom and bless the King (1 King 10:23-27).

…  What you feed the most will be strongest

o   The first ten chapters of 1 Kings, Solomon displayed great zeal and love for the Lord but his consistency eroded and his self-indulgence began to turn his focus away from the things of God.

1 Kings 11 (King James Version)
1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
1 Kings 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1 Kings 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1 Kings 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.

…  Battle one of your greatest enemies – yourself!

o   Solomon was his own greatest enemy.
o   In peace time, no war brought him to a place to self-indulgence. Are you in peace time right now? Too busy with the cares of this world to wage war against your flesh or with the enemy? They both never cease to attack you and your loved ones!

What is the remedy to the affliction of overindulgence? King David gave this formula to his son before he passed away. King David’s instructions for his son Solomon applies to our life today!

1 Kings 2 (King James Version)
1 Kings 2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
1 Kings 2:2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
1 Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
1 Kings 2:4 That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

Formula: Be Strong, Keep the charge of the Lord, walk in His ways, obey His Holy Word, share His testimonies = You will prosper in ALL that you do, success will be all around you!

Where does your help come from?

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

…  In the opening of this verse the psalmist asks a rhetorical question; when I’m in need of help do I look to the mountains or the hills for help? Where is the first place or source you run to when you need help? Family, friends, or finances should not be our main source for help.

Psalm 121:2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

…  The psalmist replies with great vigor and certainty to the question! My help comes from the Lord, the creator of everything our eyes behold and have never seen!

Psalm 121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Psalm 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

…  God is the ultimate Keeper of those who seek Him. He promises that we will not lose our position or foundation. God knows the numbers of hairs upon our head (Matthew 10:30-31). There is no issue that we will encounter in life that God is not aware of or presently involved in on our behalf.

Psalm 121:5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

Psalm 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

…  The believer has a secluded pavilion and covering that comes from the Lord (Psalms 91:1). God promises complete protection for the believer. (Psalms 91:5)

Psalm 121:7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

Psalm 121:8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

…  The Lord promises the believer that He shall preserve us from the time of birth to death and beyond!

Called Before Conception

God has fashioned and called us for a purpose!
Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

…  God distinctly lets the believer know that He knew us before we were even conceived and that he set us apart. As Christians we are to be a peculiar people and sanctified from the things of this world. Even though we are to be set apart we are still in this world and have a purpose to accomplish.

…  Here God is defining for Jeremiah his purpose to be a Prophet! What is your purpose that God has destined you for? An indication is what usual comes natural to you!

Jeremiah 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

…  I know when God often shows me a glimpse of what His next assignment for me is it can be momentous! In this verse Jeremiah expresses his view of himself but God never will send us on an assignment that He hasn’t first equipped us for!

Jeremiah 1:7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Jeremiah 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

…  This is wonderful! To have God touch and bless you to speak His Word! God has appointed Christians to go forth and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20)!

Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

…  Understand that the Word of God will uproot sin out of people’s life, tear down idols and false beliefs, destroy and overthrow the stronghold of the enemy so that the captive may be free! Ultimately God has sent the believer forth to build others and plant a life changing seed, which is the Word of God (Mark 4:14)!