Accept Jesus and become His adopted son or daughter

The past few weeks we have been learning about the importance of bearing fruit for God.

There are some fundamental things that we have discovered in God’s Word together. 

We have learned that God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches if we have accepted Christ as Saviour.

We have gained the understanding that to get from no fruit to fruit, God lifts us up; to get from fruit to more fruit, God prunes us so that we can reprioritize our lives for His glory; to get from more fruit to much fruit, we must spend more time with God, in His Word and in prayer.

Let’s look at our passage this week.

John 15:13-15: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

I think this is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible. There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. 

We can all claim to love someone or something, but what we do really determines what our level of love truly is.  Jesus is the one who laid His life down for us so that we can be reconciled to God. 

This is really the supreme example of love especially when we consider that Jesus Christ is God, Creator, and full of glory. 

It is important to understand what Jesus says next. He told us that we are His friends if we do what He commands. 

This brings us to the shocking reality that good intentions are truly meaningless. You may go to church three times per week, sing in the choir and give to missions, but if you are not obeying the commands of Jesus, by His own definition, you are not His friend. In verse 10 He has already taught us that if we keep his commands we abide in His love. 

Let no one lead you astray: the Bible is all about relationship! 

In fact, this is what it truly means to be a Christian — you must understand that it is about having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are not to be legalistic, but relational.  Jesus said that He is no longer calling His followers servants, but friends, because a servant does not know his master’s business. 

For example, when you go to a restaurant, the waiter is there to make a note of your order for still or sparkling water, an appetizer, main course… and dessert if you have room. He may want to know how you want your meat cooked and if you have any allergies, but he has no business asking you why you are there or what you are talking about. 

However, if you have a friend sitting across from you, the conversation is going to be totally different!  This is only because he is your friend.  Likewise, Jesus tells his disciples, that they are no longer servants, but friends. Now, what is exciting for those who believe is that their status with Jesus Christ increases after the resurrection. Let’s look at it.

After the teaching of John 15 and other important truths in chapters 16 and 17, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, and dies on the cross for our sins.

He rose again on the third day after his burial.  Upon His resurrection, the first person to the tomb is a woman named Mary Magdalene. 

Jesus tells her to now go to my “brothers” and tell them the good news (John 20:17). Notice that first they were servants, then friends, and now brothers! 

Do you realize that if you accept Jesus Christ as personal Saviour that you are adopted as a son or daughter by God the Father? 

Therefore, it is totally safe and correct to assume that you are now a brother or sister of Jesus.

That’s right! Jesus becomes your older brother, and everything that He inherits, you also inherit. 

You should consider it an awesome privilege to be a part of the family of God. 

When you are tempted to get discouraged and dismayed due to the trials of this life, be reminded that you are a child of God and your Father not only saved you, but keeps you because of His love…. There is none greater!