John 14:23-24
Obey the LORD
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 15:1-17
Jesus on His Command to Love
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 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. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus said that anyone who loves Him will obey His teachings...His Father will also LOVE them for listening and following His Son...Then They will come to us and make Their home with us...Anyone who does not love Him will not obey His teachings...These words were not His own; these words came from His Father...Then we are to remain in Him and then He will remain and stay with us...Then we will bear much fruit; apart from Jesus we can do nothing spiritually...If we do not stay and remain remain in Him, we are like the branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and then burned...If we can remain in Him then His words will stay with us...This is because of the glory given to His Father that we bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be His disciples...
Brennan Manning says, this about these things...“Jesus says simply, “Remain in Me, as I in you” (John 15:4)...Home is not a heavenly mansion in the afterlife but a safe place right in the midst of our anxious world...“Anyone who loves Me will keep My word, and my Father will love Him, and We shall come to Him and make a home in Him” (John 14:23).”...