In this message we look a the deep connection between love and obedience. Love compels obedience. Jesus says he can only do what He sees the Father doing, and He can do nothing by Himself. He did the miracles he did through the Power of the Holy Spirit, acting in obedience to what the Father was showing Him, rooted in His love relationship with the Father. If we want to see more miracles and power in our life, we start by growing in our love relationship with Jesus, which will lead to greater obedience, which leads to God working through us more.
Obedience Rooted in Intimacy (John 5:16 & John 10:24-30)
John 5:16 Jesus is healing on the Sabbath again as He likes to do.
Verse 17 Jesus says that His Father is always at work, even on the Sabbath
Verse 19 There are two keys parts here.
• First, Jesus makes it very clear He can only do what He sees the Father doing.
o This statement speaks of Jesus’ obedience to the Father.
o Jesus does not do more or less than what the Father is doing.
o The reason Jesus saw such great miracles, while being fully human, was His obedience to the Father.
• Now we have to ask the question, how did Jesus “see” what the Father was doing?
o Through the Holy Spirit.
• Then second, the Son can do nothing by himself;
o Jesus is fully man, He is still God, yet He has laid down His divinity to walk earth as a man.
• If Jesus could do nothing by Himself, then how does that work?
o Again, He did what He did through the Holy Spirit.
o Jesus was demonstrating what was possible for any human, when they fully partner and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in love and obedience.
Verse 20 Because the Father loves Jesus, and Jesus loves the Father, the Father shows Jesus all that he is doing.
• The Father is showing Jesus what He is doing because of the Love relationship.
• But it is also out of this love relationship that Jesus’ obedience flows.
o Love compels obedience.
• The communication comes from and through the Holy Spirit. But the spending time comes from the love.
John 10:24 Here rather than trying to kill Jesus, the crowds are asking Him to prove Himself.
Verse 25 Jesus says I did tell you every time I did a miracle.
• But the people didn’t believe in Jesus or the miracles, because there was no relationship.
• But Jesus also notes that He did the miracles in His Father’s name.
o Because He can do nothing by Himself, while on earth.
Verse 26 Jesus goes on to say you didn’t believe, because you do not listen to me, no relationship.
• Contrast this with the last passage where the Father shows Jesus everything He is doing.
Verse 27 We must have the same kind of relationship and intimacy with Jesus that Jesus has with His Father.
o We must be able to hear and recognize His voice.
Verse 28 This verse parallels verse 21 in the last section.
Verse 30 Jesus and the Father are so in tune with each other, through love and obedience, that Jesus can say they are one.
o With the Holy Spirit in us, we can become that unified with Jesus.