Christ had as top priority to guard the doctrine that He had; John 15:10.Title: Christ had as top priority to guard the doctrine that He had; John 15:10.
John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
How do I continue to abide in His love?
John 15:10"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.
“keep” – tereo[tereo – aorist active subjunctive] = to guard something that belongs to you as precious. “commandments” = Bible doctrine has been graciously given to every believer.
This is not the 10 commandments. There are over 400 commandments in the NT in every category of doctrine.
The subjunctive mood makes this a 3rdclass condition.
Therefore, guarding the doctrine you have is extremely important.
Ps 138:2 I will bow down toward Thy holy temple, And give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; For Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name.
Our Lord’s last word before His physical death was doctrine.
Ps 31:5 Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.
Prov 8:34 "Blessed [happinesses] is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.
Prov 8:35 "For he who finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord.
Prov 8:36 "But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death."
There are 10 factors in learning doctrine:
1.The believer must have positive volition toward the Word of God in times of adversity or prosperity and realization of the importance of Bible doctrine resident in his soul.
Heb 10:35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
Heb 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
This comes through some exposure to teaching, through adversity in experience, divine discipline, it comes in many ways.
2. The expression of positive volition in regular and consistent attendance at the local church where doctrine is taught. This involves positive identification of your own right pastor.
Heb 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
That attendance is legitimately expressed through non face to face listeners as well.
3. The filling of the Spirit which is provided in grace through the rebound technique.
Heb 10:29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
4. Objectivity with regard to personality, grooming, public speaking, and the character of the pastor.
1 Tim 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
5. Objectivity with regard to the content of the pastor’s message.
The content may seem irrelevant for the moment. The content may be critical of you personally and even intrude upon your present lifestyle. The content may not be euphemistic enough for you; therefore you don’t think it is spiritual. You associate spirituality with euphemisms and therefore you are personally offended. Or the content may have no personal interest for you at the moment. All of these must be approached with objectivity and you must concentrate in spite of these. This requires some measure of growth.
James 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
6. The believer must have patience in hearing doctrine he does not understand.
The value of repetition is gaining soul memory. You’ve probably heard of muscle memory. Accepted theory states that it takes a repeated action 3000 times to gain muscle memory and continued practice to maintain it. This is especially important when the believer is under great pressure and unexpected pressure.
Illustration: MAS
Through repetitive action a person can learn to function under extreme circumstances through muscle memory. Often in extreme circumstances complex thinking is impossible and so people use their most basic instincts. If a skill is not honed through repetition the only instinct available is emotional reaction through panic, fear, and flight. The skilled soldier or police officer handles intense situations through thinking and not emoting and his mind commands his muscles to do what they have practiced over 3000 times. Is it so different in the spiritual life?
Lack of repetition of doctrine will inevitably lead to stress in the soul when adversity suddenly confronts a believer’s soul.
Heb 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.
Heb 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
Heb 6:12 that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith [doctrine] and patience [perseverance] inherit the promises.
Heart muscle memory = the ability to instantly apply a doctrine under great pressure due to consistent repetition of the perception, metabolization, and application of that doctrine.
2 Peter 1:12-13 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.
7. The believer must have privacy in public assembly of the local church and he must give privacy to other members of the royal family of God with no verbal sins. This is application of the principle, live and let live.
Therefore the believer must avoid gossip, maligning, critical attitude toward other believers. This is a characteristic of agape love as it believes the best about another.
Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
8. The believer must have good manners which, in effect, is thoughtfulness toward others in the congregation. The believer must not create a disturbance through body movement, must not talk and discuss while the pastor is teaching.
1 Cor 14:40 But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.
9. Believers must exercise maximum self-discipline by concentration on the message.
James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
10. Believers must understand the grace principle of giving and willing to give without coercion to support the administration of their local church.
2 Cor 9:7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
John 15:10"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.
The third class condition means that abiding in the Lord’s agape love depends on your volition towards doctrine; maybe you will, maybe you won’t.
“Just as” – in the same way, the Lord guarded His Father’s commandments.
Mystery doctrine was given to our Lord as a gift from the agape love of the Father and the Lord guarded that doctrine as something that belonged to Him that was precious.
He even guarded it from His own deity as deity would have assumed the same position as the Father rather than a position subordinate to the Father.
“Are you able to drink the cup that I’m about to drink?”
Luke 22:41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
Luke 22:42 saying, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done."
Luke 22:43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
Luke 22:44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
Luke 22:45 And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,
Luke 22:46 and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
We are not asked to pay for the sins of the world, but we are asked to submit to the will of the Father by guarding His commands, which refers to all categories of doctrine, just as He did with total submission and humility.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance [rebound and PVTD], and the sin [OSN] which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance [PVTD in all circumstances of prosperity and adversity] the race [marathon and not a sprint] that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author [archegos – hero, originator, captain, Prince-Ruler] and perfecter of faith [fulfiller of doctrine], who for the joy set before Him [fulfilling the Father’s plan and bringing many sons to glory] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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