Abide In Love

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday morning in Advent, the 8th of December, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

How many of you remember the old Beatles hit song, “All You Need Is Love”?  It repeated over and over, “All you need is love” and “Love is all you need”.  Well, my beloved family, Jesus is love, so I’d say all we need is Jesus.  Jesus is love and He is all about love.

Listen and follow along to what Jesus has to say about love, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, in chapter 15, verses 9 through 17, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another."

--John 15:9-17 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You loved Your Son Jesus even while He walked this earth.  He kept Your commandments, doing everything in service to You, and so was able to abide, to live in Your love.  And Jesus loved us just like You loved Him.  He showed His love by giving of His life to save our lives, our eternal lives.  Father, we want to abide in the love of Jesus, to enjoy that love, just as He abided in Your love.  Help us, please Father, to keep Jesus commandment to love one another so that we might fully experience the joy His love brings.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can better express our appreciation for Your many blessings.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once captured a prince and his family.  When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?"  "The half of my wealth," was his reply.  "And if I release your children?"  "Everything I possess."  "And if I release your wife?"  "Your Majesty, I will give myself."  Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all.  As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn't Cyrus a handsome man!"  With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, "I didn't notice.  I could only keep my eyes on you - the one who was willing to give himself for me."


The prince’s wife was deeply touched that her husband was willing without hesitation to give up his life to save hers.  She said she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.  If we stop and think a minute, I believe we all know at least one person who would be willing to give their own life to save ours.  There are many people who put their lives on the line for us – law enforcement, fire fighters, members of the armed services, and others.

But there is one person who not only was willing, but indeed did give up His life to save ours.  That person was Jesus, who gave of His mortal life so that our eternal lives might be saved from endless torture and pain.  But I’m not sure how many of us are as emotionally touched and affected as the prince’s wife.  How many of us can only keep our eyes, our focus, on Jesus?  How many are too distracted by all the handsome things of this world and fail to place our attention on the one who gave His all for us?


Jesus spoke of abiding in His love by keeping His commandments, just as He abided in His Father God’s love by keeping His commandments.  We usually think of abiding in something as living in it.  We abide in a house, we abide in Davidson County.

But abide also means to remain, to stay, and to continue.  If we are to remain in the love of Jesus and continue experiencing the joy His love brings, then we should do as He commands.  Especially since He commands so little of us.  He commands us to love one another, as He loves us.

OK, so that’s not always so easy is it?  There are a lot of people in this world that are just unlovable, especially those who would do us harm.  Sometimes it’s even hard to love certain members of our own family.  But we’re not commanded to necessarily like them, or approve or condone what they’re doing, just to show them the love of Jesus through our love.


Love.  One indication of loving someone is being willing to forgive them, to give them another chance.  No relationship can stay intact for very long without this aspect of love.

Peter denied Jesus, just as Jesus said he would.  But the Lord gave him another chance, just as He gives us all another chance.  After His resurrection but before He returned to heaven, Jesus had a little one-on-one with Peter.  Listen to the conversation John recorded for us in chapter 21 of his Gospel account, verses 15 through 17…

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep."

--John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

“Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, feed My sheep.”  Jesus showed Peter His love by giving him another chance.  And He told His disciple how he could show his love: by seeing to the needs of others.

Feeding them and tending to their needs are physical aspects of serving them, of showing our love.  But there is a spiritual side as well.  Even believers need to be spiritually fed and tended to from time to time.  Even we still have questions, sometimes have doubts.  Especially when all the turmoil of life beats us down enough, our spirit can suffer, our faith can weaken.  Even we need to be fed God’s word.

How much more so those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord?  Their spiritual need is great, for their eternal lives are in jeopardy.  We need to feed them the milk of God’s word, tend to their spiritual needs.  We can best reach them, maybe only get access to them, if we tend to their physical needs first, or at least at the same time.  But we must be willing to try, to make of ourselves a living sacrifice in service to God.  By showing our love, we show the love of Jesus.  And since Jesus is love, we show them Jesus.

Jesus chose us to be His and to enjoy His love.  Let’s share that joy and love with the world.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You have shown Your love for us in so many ways, even though we’ve done nothing to deserve Your love.  You give us all we have, all we need.  You give us Your word to help us as we struggle through this life.  You gave us Your only Son so that we might enjoy eternity with You if we only accept Him as our Lord.  And even though we rejected Him and forced Him to die for us, You still love us and shower us with Your love daily.  Thank You, Father, for loving us unconditionally. Please forgive us when we are unwilling to share Your love by sacrificing our time and resources in service to others.  Please help us be more obedient to Your Son that we might abide in Your love forever.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You told us that the greatest love one could show is to lay down their life for another.  And then You showed us all that love, by giving of Your own life for our sake, that we might enjoy eternal joy and life with You and our Father God.  All we have to do is accept You as our Lord and Master and follow Your commandment.  And Your command is that we love one another, just as You love us.  You love us enough to give Your life for us, so we should be willing to give of our lives to others, in service to their needs both physical and spiritual.  Help us, please Jesus, to obey Your command, even for those who are unlovable.  Help us make of ourselves a living sacrifice in our service to others, and in doing so, showing them You through our love.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.