John 15:9-17
No Greater Love
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.
Hebrews 10:1-18
Jesus' Sacrifice Once and for All
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
John 16:7
Jesus Said it is Good that I Go Away
7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus teaches us all about love...Jesus tells us that there is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends...In His heart is this love and He sacrificed Himself out of His LOVE... Sacrificing for those we love and sacrificing by giving is what He did, and what He does...Love makes us vulnerable to sacrifice...We often in love must sacrifice something out of our giving or forgiving to the one or ones we love...In both giving and forgiving we must give us something...Jesus has shown us that love is about giving of oneself and not taking...In love, we must be willing to give, what we hold on to the most...So as we think about giving, giving has some sacrifice in it...
In the ancient days we sacrificed things to God when we sinned...But God was not pleased with the tradition of the sacrifice...The author of Hebrews says that when Jesus came into this world He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings You were not pleased...Then I said, ‘Here I AM—it is written about Me in the scroll—I have come to do Your will, My God.’”...First He said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law...Then He said, “Here I AM, I have come to do Your will.”...He sets aside the first to establish the second...And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins...But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool...For by One sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy...The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this...First He says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the LORD...I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”...Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”...And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary...
Jesus has sacrificed His life and laid down His life for His friends and for those that believe in Him...The Greatest Treasure on earth that we ever had, had to go away...And He had to go and lay down His life for us...It was good for us that He went away, and He said this..."But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I AM going away...Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."...The most meaningful One to ever walk the earth had to go, out of love for us...He died for our sins...Giving another one your most meaningful thing, and giving the things that mean the most to you to others, is a sign of unconditional love...This is the kind of love that not only touches your heart, but tears away at it...His Kingdom is one that is all about this giving with the heart...He seeks the heart, and wants us to give our hearts to Him...And in this type of giving and His type of giving of the heart, we are felt and touched by Him...And because of this giving and loving, we love Him and will follow Him...His LOVE is universal and has crossed all time barriers, because of how and the way He has touched the heart...And often some of life's greatest lessons are learned in our sufferings and sacrifices, and not in our best of times...