During the Last Supper, according to John’s gospel, Jesus shared with his disciples the spiritual blessings they would receive after his crucifixion and resurrection (chapters 14-17).
They would be blessed with the certainty that Jesus was in the Father and that the Father was in him. They would understand that the work he had been doing was actually work the Father was doing through him. And they would receive power to continue the work Jesus had been doing, and be able to do “even greater things” than what he had done. They could even ask for anything in his name, and he would do it.
Jesus promised that the Father would send his disciples Someone who would be called a Helper, Counselor, Comforter or the Holy Spirit, who would live in them and comfort, guide and teach them. While they would not see the Counselor, they would however experience the joyous reality of His presence. Faithful disciples would be loved by the Father and He and Jesus would come and “make our home” with them. The Helper, by dwelling in them, would help the disciples to bear much fruit for the glory of the Father.
Jesus makes it clear, however, that receiving these marvelous gifts was contingent upon one thing: their obedience of his commands. That obedience, Jesus said, would be the result of their love for him. Obedience, then, is the sign and test of the love required by our Lord. And the great blessings Jesus described would be available only to those who obeyed his commands. Here, in his own words, is what Jesus said: Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (John 14:21).
Consider the word “has” in that verse. In this instance it means possession. Dig deeper into its meaning and you may observe that we may “have” or “possess” the commandments of Jesus in a Bible but what makes them truly ours is to have them in our heart. Only when we have our Lord’s commands in our hearts will we obey Jesus not because we are commanded to obey him, but because we love him.
Some people speak of loving Jesus but their love is superficial if it is based mainly on admiring Jesus as a great teacher and a great man. Such shallow love for Jesus means no more than saying I love watermelon or cornbread. Genuine love, the kind Jesus desires from us, involves obeying his commands because we love him and want to please and serve him. The sign and test of genuine love is conduct and character that reflects Christ living in us.
What, we must ask, for the commands of Jesus? One was “Love one another.” But going beyond that, He also said “Love your enemies.” He reminds us that if we love only those who love us, we are doing no more than what pagans do. Genuine love, agape love, will cause us to forgive those who have sinned against us and to pray for those who persecute us. Truly loving Jesus will result in our feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, caring for the sick and visiting people who are in prisons. All of this is the practical obedience that demonstrates authentic love for Jesus.
Another of the basic commands of Jesus was “Go and make disciples.” The Holy Spirit teaches us that this command includes all of his disciples. Authentic churches, growing churches, are finding ways to make disciples who make disciples. It is doubtful that we really love Jesus is we are not sharing with others all that He means to us as Lord and Savior.
Since we know that trusting Jesus is the only way to peace with God and the joy of salvation, we are compelled to tell others how Jesus saved us from their sins. This gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to prompt a nonbeliever to say, “I want what you’ve got!” And what we’ve got is the joy of a life-giving relationship to Jesus that empowers us to bear fruit for the glory of the Father.
If today we are to enjoy the marvelous spiritual blessings that Jesus promised his disciples in the Upper Room, then we must walk in obedience, faithfully striving to obey his commands. The old gospel song, “Trust and Obey,” sums up what we can expect when we walk in obedience:
When we walk with the Lord, in the Light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good-will,
He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay; not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown or a cross, but is blessed if we trust and obey.
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay; for the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows, are for them who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way; what He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go – never fear, only trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
Trusting Jesus, we can walk in love with our Lord, obeying Him gladly because we love Him. Walking by His side, “what He says we will do,” and He will reward us with his glorious presence! And the sweetness of His presence will motivate us to freely share with others the difference He is making in our lives.
