<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Muskegon SDA Church

Jason Sliger

If You Love Me..

Father in heaven, you have blessed us already up to this point, and we thank you that you are going to continue to bless us as we re-consecrate our lives to you this morning in communion.

Father, as your Word is open, may your Holy Spirit freely speak to each 1 of us, I pray, for we ask it in Jesus' name.

It was only a few hours, short time, after Jesus had the last supper with his disciples.

It spent the time in the upper room, And now they were walking, they were making their trek from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane.

And in the gospel of John, there is a lengthy conversation that is recorded from the upper room to the garden.

John chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, long conversation.

And there's a prayer in there as well in John 17.

And in that great discourse, there is a particular passage of scripture that we have become well acquainted with as Seventh-day Adventists.

And I would like to just briefly think on it a little bit this morning.

In fact, if I told you the first part of the verse, chances are that you would be able to Finish it for me.

It starts, if you love me, keep my commandments.

Now, as you know, the teachings of Jesus were nothing new to him.

He didn't make them up, but most of those teachings, if not all of them, were rooted in the Old Testament teachings of the prophets.

This particular teaching was without exception.

We find the same concept taught many times in the Old Testament, Exodus chapter 20 and the 10 commandments itself, verse 6.

The Bible says, showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, Joshua 22 in verse 5.

But take diligent heed to do the commandments and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you to love the Lord your God and to walk in all His ways and keep His commandments.

In fact, we find this teaching also in the New Testament as well, not just with Jesus, but in 2 John 1, verse 6, the Bible says, And this is love that we walk after his commandments.

All throughout scripture, we find this connection between showing our love to God is in the act of obedience to God and his word.

Now, as Seventh-day Adventists, we usually, when we think about this passage of Scripture, if you love me, keep my commandments, the first thing that comes into our mind usually is in the context of a Bible prophecy seminar, when the message is given on the Sabbath or on the 10 commandments.

And that's a well-warranted application of that Bible passage, because indeed, if we love God, we are going to keep all 10 of his commandments, amen?

But I want you to think back with me here this morning as we meditate on this passage here for just a few moments, as we go back to the place and the time when Jesus actually spoke it for the first time we have to remind ourselves, who was it that Jesus was speaking to?

Was he talking to the Gentiles, the unbelievers, the unconverted?

Who was Jesus speaking to when he said, if you love me, keep my commandments?

He was talking to 11 men who had followed him for 3 and a half years.

He was speaking to what we might call good Seventh-day Adventists, who were doing their best to show their love to God in obedience to his word.

Jesus was speaking to the disciples when he said, if you love me, keep my commandments.

And I think this is a good thing for us to remind ourselves of, because oftentimes I fall into this myself, that that particular passage, if you love me, keep my commandments, we kind of pigeonhole it for those people out there.

That's for those who are running around on their husband or their wife.

That's for those who are not keeping the seventh day Sabbath that's for those who are taking the name of the Lord their God in vain.

Jesus is telling his disciples, Jesus is telling Seventh-day Adventist today, if you love me, keep my commandments.

And that's not just the 10, but it's every teaching that God has given to us in his word, both through his word and through the impressions of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is saying this morning, if you love me, keep my commandments.

Has the Lord been working on your heart this past week?

Maybe the Lord has spoken to you in your devotional time.

Maybe the Lord has impressed some Bible passage upon your heart and said, this is an area where you need to come up higher.

Maybe the Lord in your reading of the spirit of prophecy has convicted you of something in your life, maybe it's just been the impressions of the Holy Spirit.

If that is the case, Jesus is saying to you this morning, if you love me, keep my commandments.

You see, as Christians, we find it a lot easier to verbally express our love for God than actually showing it in the actions of our lives.

We like to give testimony of His goodness in our life.

We like to give Bible studies to other people and make good comments in Sabbath school class.

And all of these things are valid, yet we need to do these.

But notice the passage, Jesus did not say, if you love me, tell other people about it.

We definitely should tell other people if we love God.

Do what I have commanded you in my word, whatsoever I have commanded you.

In the ministry of healing, page 182, we are told this.

The love of Jesus in the heart will lead to obedience to all of his commandments.

But the love that goes no further than the lips is a delusion.

Many reject the truths of the Bible while they profess great love for Jesus.

Lord forbid that that should happen here, amen.

I pray that every 1 of us here this morning that the actions in our life would reflect what we say in our daily conversations.

Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments.

And we are told that there are many who will drift away from the truth.

Although they have spoken their love for God, they may in their life and in their actions say something quite a bit different.

In fact, we're told in the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 7, Jesus says that when he comes in the clouds of heaven, that there will be many who say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name done many wonderful works, and in thy name have cast out devils?

But Jesus says, depart from me, you workers of iniquity.

They are the ones who have professed 1 thing, but lived another.

And this is the great conundrum in the world today, that there are Christians who say 1 thing and live another.

This is the great reason why I believe many people are turned off from Christianity because there are those who are living 1 way and saying something else.

Saying 1 thing, professing 1 thing that this is the truth, but then living a different way.

Jesus says to them this morning, if you love me, keep my commandments.

In all honesty, it doesn't really matter what we say about God or what we say to him, but where the rubber meets the road is what I do with the command of God.

I'm not preaching at you because we're all on this journey together of constant conviction of the Lord in our lives.

As we read the word of God, I oftentimes tell people in my Bible prophecy seminars, right when they first come, I tell them, listen, if you are not willing to change your life, you might as well take the Bible, put it on the shelf, and forget about it.

God has given us his word to change us from the worldliness of the world into the likeness of his character, so that when he comes, we might be safe to take with him to the kingdom of heaven 1 day.

So as we study the word of God, we all go through conviction.

We've all been convicted at some point in our lives this past week or this past month.

And as we meet those times of conviction through the study of God's word, the spirit of prophecy, whatever it is, Jesus, as he spoke to the disciples right before going into the garden of Gethsemane is saying to you, if you love me, keep my commandments.

In fact, Jesus goes on in the very same conversation, just a few verses down in verse 24, John 14 and verse 24.

And he says what failed obedience looks like.

He says, he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, which simply means if I don't keep the commandments of God, I am showing God that I what?

Irrespective of what's coming out of my mouth, if I'm not keeping the commands of God in my life, Jesus is saying, you don't love me.

In our scripture reading this morning, if you would turn there with me, Revelation chapter 22, We find a great promise that is given to us if we apply the counsel and advice that Jesus gave to us this morning in John 14.

And I believe that advice, although it was written 2, 000 years ago, is just as applicable and needful in our society and in our church today.

Revelation chapter 22 and verse 14, there's only good that comes from obedience to God.

Revelation 22, 14, the Bible says, blessed are they, what is that first word there?

Blessed are they, how many of you wanna be blessed?

I'm gonna ask you again, how many of you wanna be blessed?

Praise God, we're in a house of people that wanna be blessed.

Blessed are they, the Bible says, that what?

Back to Menu

If You Love Me..

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Jesus on Prophecy

01 Prophecy Unfolds Today

48m

It Is Finished

50m

Parenting ~ Heart to Heart

Counting the Cost

58m

The Mount of Blessings

The Law and the Prophets

36m

Love and Hate

41m

Plenary

Empowered by Him

51m

Israel and the Judges

33m

Prophetic Vision

1h

Restoration 2025: Revelation Speaks Life

Give Him the Glory

51m

The Strength of Allegiance

The Strength of Allegiance Part 1

59m

The Great Omission of Our Adventist People

37m

Mind Cure- Part 2

1h 38m

Sound Doctrine