Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Thursday, September 23,

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

Memory Verse Phil 2:5, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

John 15:17 Repeating the Command to Love One Another

John 15:17, “These things I command you all, with the goal that you all love one another.”

Principles:

7. The natural outgrowth of love is a desire to conduct one’s life in obedience to the Lord’s wishes where the teachings of Christ become commandments for the believer, John 14:15.

8. Jesus’ commandments are not only His imperative commands but His words, sayings, and teachings.

The believer keeps them by conforming his conduct to their behavioral cautions, where the natural response of love is to please the loved. Col 1:10-12; 1 Thes 4:1- 3aff; 2 Tim 2:4; Heb 11:6

9. There is no substitute for knowing the Lord’s teachings and obeying them.

In so doing we are promised the love of the Father and the Son, plus the personal, intimate communion with Christ, John 14:21, 23.

10. Jesus asked for obedience out of love for Him, not out of fear, 1 John 4:18.

Awareness of spiritual truth and Christian maturity must be cultivated.

The Spirit is faithful to illuminate teachable disciples through the Grace Apparatus for perception (GAP), building the capacity to love, 1 Cor 2:5, 7, 9,

Nous MIND HEART Kardia - / + Human Spirit Knowledge (OIDA) Pump LAUNCH PAD Edification Complex of the Soul SOUL BODY G.A.P. Bible Doctrine Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV) “The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.” Bible Doctrine

11. The condition of receiving the revelation of Him depended upon the disciples’ “love” and obedience to His “words”, John 14:15,

12. The indwelling of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, took place for the disciples at Pentecost, and occurs for the Church Age believer at the moment of your salvation, John 14:19-20.

“To Him” indicates a personal, intimate, face-to-face experience.

13. Those who love Jesus and treasure His Word become adorned temples for His presence, 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16 cf Rom 8:10; Col 1:27.

14. Christ indwelling our bodies is our status quo since the day of our salvation, but Christ being glorified in our bodies is the ultimate experience of spiritual adulthood.

The three stages of spiritual adulthood are related to three experiences associated with Christ in our bodies, which are distinct from Christ indwelling our bodies.

a. The experience of Spiritual Self-Esteem is “Christ being formed in our bodies”, Gal 4:19.

b. The experience of Spiritual Autonomy is “Christ being at home in our hearts (right lobe)”, Eph 3:17.

c. The experience of Spiritual Maturity is “Christ being glorified in our bodies”, Phil 1:20.

15. To fulfill the command of John 15:17, we must build capacity through B.D. resident in our souls (2 Peter 3:18) in order to express the love of Christ, formed, at home and glorified in you.

Grace Fellowship Church Thursday, September 23, 2010 Tape # Loving One Another, Part 2 Upper Room Discourse, Part 419 John 15:17; Col 1:10-12; 1 Thes 4:1-3; 1 Cor 2:5-15 Grace Fellowship Church Thursday, September 23, 2010 Tape # Loving One Another, Part 2 Upper Room Discourse, Part 419 John 15:17; Col 1:10-12; 1 Thes 4:1-3; 1 Cor 2:5-15 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2010