Chapter 15 is about Christian productivity, hence the importance of Jesus' emphasis on telling his disciples that he is the true vine and what he requires of them is to remain in him. I find the idea of remaining in Jesus too general and abstract in the first eight verses of the chapter, not until I read verse 9 where Jesus clearly told his disciples to remain in his love.

Now the question that comes to mind is this:

Why is Jesus telling his disciples to remain in his love? What is in the love of Jesus why He is telling us to remain in it?

With a general knowledge of the Bible, this answer can be considered correct:

Perhaps the reason why Jesus tells his disciples to remain in his love is because only his love can solve all the problems in your life.

The problem with the above answer is that you cannot find it explicitly explained in our passage. Answering this question based on this morning’s passage is my goal in sharing this message.

Remaining in Jesus’ love will make your life productive, vs. 1-8, 16-17

Many people these days find their lives useless and unproductive. In the last two verses of our passage, Jesus is talking about the love of God as the way to live a meaningful and productive life. Productivity is part of our future. The apostle Paul wrote:

For we are God’s workmanship in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Here in John 15: 16-17, we learn that you can live a meaningful and productive life because Jesus chose and appointed you for that end. You see, Jesus’ election and appointment have a purpose and that purpose is for you to bear fruit. If you are indeed one among God’s elect, fruits will manifest in your life. And no man or woman of God can say that his or her life is meaningless and useless simply because God has a purpose for you, and that is, to be productive.

Furthermore, you can live productive lives because Jesus assured you that your prayer in His Name will be answered. Remember that even our prayers need to be purified by the blood of Jesus. Most of the time, we ask God for things that are not really good for us. We ask things to satisfy our selfish desires. God knows that and that is why all our prayers must pass through the Name of Jesus. Only prayer done in His Name receives the assurance of God’s answer.

Remaining in Jesus’ love will make your life joyful, vs. 9 – 11

Many people today are dissatisfied and unhappy with the current status of their finances and relationships. And so, if you are currently blessed by God with a happy, loving, and peaceful relationship, be grateful, for not so many people enjoy such a blessing. If you are not struggling with the monthly payment of your bills, be thankful. Many Filipinos are forced by necessity to leave the country in search of livelihood to support their families. And most often, the cost of such sacrifice is too high – broken marriages and broken children. The outcome is one of sorrow and sadness.

God does not want us to live such a kind of life. He wants us to live full of joy. And such joy does not depend on your situation. Yes, we should be thankful if we are blessed with a happy family and stable finances. But is also a fact of life that people change and there are things that we cannot change, but must learn to accept as they are. In situations like these, what gives you life satisfaction? What makes you smile and go on living despite your situation that tells you otherwise?

Someone differentiates between happiness and joy as to their basis. Happiness depends on external circumstances and people around you whereas joy is not. If this distinction is accurate, can we say that someone is happy and yet not joyful? On the other hand, can we also say that someone is joyful and yet not happy?

Our text this morning tells us that the love of God is the key to living a life of joy, a life that is not dependent on external circumstances or people around us that we cannot control. Notice what Jesus said in verse 11:

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

The “this” here refers to verses 9 and 10. In these two verses, Jesus tells us about the Father’s love for him, his love for his disciples (also applicable to all Christians), and the Christian duty to remain in his love.

In the Father’s love for Jesus, we find here the beauty of the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. And that relationship is the source of Jesus’ joy. Jesus is so certain that the Father has loved him. There is no question about the Father’s love for Jesus. There is also no question about the certainty of Jesus’ knowledge that the Father indeed has loved him.

Turning to Jesus’ love for his disciples, which includes you and me, Jesus said:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

The basis or the model of Jesus’ love for us is the Father’s love for him. This means as the love of the Father for Jesus is certain, reliable, and does not change, the same could be said for Jesus’ love for us. This truth is enough for you and me to live a life full of joy. Nothing in this world can change Jesus’ love for you. Amid people who are unreliable and who change their minds easily toward you when they find something unpleasant about your character and personality, we can depend that nothing in you will surprise Jesus and will make him change his love for you. In the changing circumstances in this world, you can depend on Jesus’ love will remain. His death on the Cross is the proof of the dependability of His love.

And then finally Jesus said:

Now remain in my love.

Remaining in Jesus’ love is the path to experience this kind of joy in life. This truth tells us that achieving a life full of joy is beyond our ability. Remaining in Jesus’ love moment-by-moment is not within our capability. In fact, on our own, we cannot attain it for the standard is so high. And what is that standard for remaining in Jesus’ love? Jesus said:

. . . just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

Jesus obeyed His Father’s commands 100%, perfectly. He also remained in the Father’s love 100%. Now if you find such a standard achievable in your strength, you don’t need a Savior. Who among us can obey God’s command 100%? No, my brothers and sisters in Christ, both remaining in Jesus’ love and living a life full of joy can be ours only by grace. We received them as gifts by faith in Christ.

Remaining in Jesus’ love glorifies the Father, v. 8.

I think I will leave it at that for everything we do in life especially remaining in Jesus’ love gives honor to our Father in heaven.

Conclusion

There is this popular line from one of Sharon Cuneta’s songs:

Ang pag-ibig daw ay krus na kay bigat. (Love is said to be a heavy cross).

I think though the song refers to human love, it captures the relationship between love and suffering as inescapable realities of life.

We live in a broken world. We live in a world where leaders of society cannot be trusted due to their contempt for life and liberty. We also live in a world where even the most intimate human relationships are destroyed by betrayal, neglect, and broken promises.

Remaining in Jesus’ love is the only solid and true antidote to this kind of world. By remaining in Jesus’ love, you and I can live a productive and joyful life that glorifies God.

Sadly, we often find the church that is supposed to model and demonstrate the love of Jesus failing to understand the real character and nature of such a love, and that is why instead of remaining in it, we continue to search for replacements. My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us be reminded that remaining in Jesus’ love that can make our life productive and joyful can only be attained by the grace of God and such grace is always available and accessible by faith in the sacrificial act of Jesus laying down his life for you and me on the Cross. Proclaiming this message with our mouths and the witness of our lives is our testimony to this broken world.

Note: This message was first published in my blog on 2013 and I updated it for today's Chapel Service.