John 14:15–31
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” — John 14:15
We are finally returning to our study of the Gospel of John. We have been several different places over the last few months. We lost track of the study when we had our baby, and when we returned it was right around Thanksgiving, which quickly rolled into Christmas. After that we went into our stewardship series, and so it has been a little while since we have opened back up to the Gospel of John. Today we are finishing this chapter together.
Let’s read the passage.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. — John 14:15–31
Now as believers we live in a constant state of tension. That tension exists because we are living between two powerful realities. On one side we look back at the cross and the victory that Jesus won there. When we look at the cross we are reminded that Jesus defeated death, defeated sin, and defeated hell. One day, because of what Christ did on that cross, those enemies will be cast eternally into the lake of fire and will never again be seen or experienced.
On the other side we look forward to the resurrection of life that is still to come. Because Jesus was resurrected, we will one day be resurrected as well. We will experience a new life unlike anything we have known in this world. We will live in a new creation that is perfect, beautiful, sinless, and filled with everything that is glorious and wonderful. Most importantly, we will finally meet the One who saved us face to face.
So we have these two glorious realities on either side of our existence. We look back to the cross where Christ accomplished our salvation, and we remember the moment when we encountered that cross and were saved by His grace. Our lives were changed in a very real way. Then we look ahead to what is coming.
But here is the problem.
We are here in what I call the in-between.
We live after the victory of Jesus Christ and before the resurrection and the new life that is to come. Here we are in this confusing and painful space between those two realities, living in a world that is filled with suffering and struggle. During prayer time we talked about many of those struggles. We prayed for the things people are going through right now. There are things happening in your life that you may not have mentioned this morning, but they are very real to you. They are present when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. Throughout the day those struggles are still there.
Every day we feel the effects of the curse of sin on this world. Becoming a believer does not remove those realities. In fact, sometimes it feels like the trials intensify because we are believers.
So we live in the in-between—looking back at what Christ has done and looking forward to what He will do—while still struggling through this present world.
Jesus knew this.
He knew He was leaving His disciples to live in the in-between. He knew what they would face as they followed Him, and He knew that not only the original eleven disciples but every believer after them would live in the time between His ascension and His return.
And He knew we would need help.
Think about those apostles. They experienced the glory of Jesus Christ face to face. They watched Him heal the sick. They saw Him raise the dead. They heard His teaching. They felt the comfort of His presence.
Then they watched Him die.
They watched Him be buried.
They watched Him rise again.
But then they watched Him ascend into heaven. They stood there looking up, thinking, We thought we had you back, and now you are gone again.
They were left in His physical absence. They were left to live in the in-between.
Jesus, in His divine wisdom, understood exactly what they were about to experience, and He understands exactly what you and I experience today.
Let me say this plainly: Jesus is not surprised by your suffering.
Your trials may catch you off guard, but they do not catch Him off guard. He knew what you would face. He knew the daily struggle with sin and the daily struggle with this world. He knew everything you would encounter.
But He also prepared you for it.
That is why you hear such comforting language throughout John 14 and into chapter 15. Jesus tells His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled and not to live in fear. He says, in essence, “Do not be burdened by anxiety and sorrow, because I have the answers for what you will face.”
And what Jesus says here is not just for the eleven men sitting in that room. His words speak just as directly to you today as they did to the apostles then.
In this passage Jesus gives us two things that help us live in the in-between.
First, He gives us a great command to follow. Second, He gives us a great commitment that He Himself makes to us.
Today we will look at the first.
The Great Command: Keep My Commandments
Jesus begins this section with a simple statement.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. — John 14:15
As Jesus prepares to depart, He leaves His disciples with one clear instruction: keep my commandments.
He expands on that command later in the passage.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me… If a man love me, he will keep my words… He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. — John 14:21–24
This is not a suggestion. The language here is an imperative. Jesus is issuing a command for His disciples to follow, and that command still applies to us today.
As Jesus prepares to leave them, His instruction is simple and unmistakable:
Keep my commandments.
But that raises an obvious question.
What Are the Commandments of Christ?
If Jesus commands us to keep His commandments, we must know what those commandments are.
First and foremost, they are found in the direct teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. When we read the words of Christ and observe the life He lived, we are encountering His commandments. If you want to know what Christ wants from you, open the Gospels and read His words.
Those words were not only spoken to the crowds in the first century. They speak just as directly to us today.
But the commandments of Christ are not limited to the red letters in the Gospels.
Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus revealed truth to the apostles. They taught and wrote what Christ revealed to them. That means the rest of the New Testament is also the revealed teaching of Christ. From Matthew all the way to Revelation we find the words Christ gave through His Spirit.
But there is more.
Jesus says in verse 24 that the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
The words Jesus spoke came from the Father, and where else do we hear the Father speaking? In the Old Testament. From Genesis through the prophets, God revealed His will and His truth.
So when we talk about the commandments of Christ, we are talking about the entire revelation of Scripture.
The Word of God—from Genesis to Revelation—is the revealed command of Christ to His people.
And His instruction is clear: keep it.
What Does It Mean to Keep His Commandments?
The word “keep” means to observe or practice. Keeping the commandments of Christ involves more than simply owning a Bible or occasionally reading it. It requires something deeper.
Keeping God’s Word involves three realities.
We Must Know the Word
You cannot obey what you do not know.
If we are going to keep the commandments of Christ, we must know what the Scriptures say. We must open this book and read it. We must learn what God has revealed.
I was talking to someone recently about this very issue. He told me that whenever he neglects Scripture, he notices the difference in every other area of his life. When the Word disappears, peace and strength disappear with it.
If you go too long without eating, you feel it physically. Yet many believers starve themselves spiritually and wonder why they feel weak.
If you want to be close to God, if you want to experience His blessing and power in your life, you must encounter Him in His Word.
We Must Believe the Word
Here is where many believers struggle.
We read the Bible. We complete reading plans. We look at a verse of the day. But sometimes those words never move from our eyes into our hearts.
It is one thing to read, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” It is another thing entirely to believe that Christ is truly with you every moment of your life.
It is one thing to read John 3:16. It is another thing to rest in the reality that Christ has saved you and that you no longer stand condemned before God.
Many of us say we believe the Bible, but if we truly believed it, our lives would reflect it much more clearly.
The words of Scripture are more than ink on a page. They reveal realities that truly exist.
It is one thing to read in a book that honey is sweet. It is another thing entirely to taste the honey for yourself.
In the same way, we must taste and experience the truths of God’s Word.
We Must Act on the Word
Finally, obedience requires action.
Knowing the Word and believing the Word must eventually lead to doing the Word.
It does not help us to know what Scripture says if it remains theoretical in our lives.
We say we believe “Be not afraid,” yet we live in fear. We read “Seek first the kingdom of God,” yet we prioritize everything else. We know God loves cheerful givers, yet we hesitate to obey.
When we know the Word but refuse to practice it, our lives testify that we do not actually believe it.
But when we obey the Word—even when it requires sacrifice—we encounter the reality of God in powerful ways.
Recently I have watched several people make significant changes in their lives simply to obey the Word of God. That is incredibly encouraging as a pastor. But even more than that, it is pleasing to God.
Obedience delights Him.
Love and Obedience Cannot Be Separated
Jesus makes something very clear in this passage.
If a man love me, he will keep my words.
Love for Christ and obedience to Christ cannot be separated. We cannot claim to love the Savior while ignoring what He has said.
You cannot say you love Him while embracing the things He tells you to flee.
You cannot say you love Him while refusing to listen to Him.
Let me give you a simple illustration.
There have been plenty of times when my wife has asked me to do something. I told her I would do it… and then I forgot about it. Eventually she would remind me, and I would say, “I’m sorry.”
But one time she responded with something that stuck with me. She said, “That’s fine, but I don’t want you to say you’re sorry. I want you to do it.”
That is exactly what Jesus is saying here.
He does not just want us to hear His words. He wants us to do them.
And when we do—when we believe and obey—we encounter the sweetness and presence of God in ways we never imagined.
So if you love Jesus, keep His commandments.
Open His Word.
Believe what it says.
And live it out.
You will never regret obedience to the Word of God.
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