Francis Chan on Following Jesus: Surrender, Obedience, and Intimacy

Francis Chan emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God's word and obeying His commands.

He encourages listeners to focus on the Bible as the source of truth and to follow God's commands, which lead to life.

Chan shares verses from John 15, highlighting Jesus' command to love one another as He has loved us.

He emphasizes that obeying God's commands is a fundamental aspect of a love relationship with Him.

This morning, I was just thanking God for his word again. We were talking with a couple in the back and just talking about, it's so good to have this. Sometimes we forget how precious this is. Because otherwise, it's so easy to just do what's popular. And what everyone else says is normal. And to stay away from things that people would say, that's weird, that's weird, that's weird. But then when you look at the Bible, you go, no, that's not weird. What's weird is what everyone else is doing. In light of the fact that there's this God who says, this is my word, we've got to stop looking at the world and what everyone else is doing. Just clear your mind of that, of what's the norm, and look at this book. This book is so good because it just tells us this is truth. Okay? Anything that I've been thinking this week, who knows whether it's true or not. Whatever's been going through your mind, whatever you were brought up with, like everyone's going to have a different opinion, but for thousands of years, people have held on to these words. And so we come together saying, we're not here to listen to a person. We're attaching ourselves to thousands of years of history. What if people said all through the millennia about truth, about God that they've held on to, rather than trying to create something new? okay we live in the silicon valley and it's all about startups and new come up with a new idea but we come here for the exact opposite to say what have believers in yahweh god believed in for thousands of years i mean wasn't it good to read through the book of numbers and the book of acts the last couple weeks i mean when you read through numbers see right now everyone complains. But you read the book of Numbers, you're like, I better not complain about anything. Like, God hates complaining. Like, that's why I try to live my life just like, I don't want to complain about anything. Everything's good. Everything's good. You know why? Because the Bible says that's what should be normal. Not what everyone else does. and it's like everyone else hates authority rebels against authority I read the book of numbers I'm like okay I better not rebel against authority I better not talk bad you know we're reading that story about Aaron and Miriam talking about Moses and his wife and God says you're going to talk about are you kidding me you're going to talk about Moses Do you know my relationship with Moses? And then he strikes her with leprosy. I'm like, okay. I'm going to be careful what I say about Rob. I love you. Love you, Sarah. You guys are great. You belong together. You know, it's just, let me just be careful. This is our standard. and so I want to share a verse a bunch of verses with you today and again remember we don't want to be all about a sermon we want to be people who tremble at God's word and for too long church has been about oh that was a good sermon that was a good sermon no it's about a great promise it's about great commands. It's about what he said. And if a voice from heaven says these things, then we all need to tremble, me included. We're just all going, oh, that's what you said? I've been thinking about these verses, and I came here thinking about these verses and making sure I try my best to obey these verses. Okay, in John 15, verse 9, Beautiful verse. This is Jesus speaking. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. Just focus on those words. Picture Jesus himself standing here and saying this to you. Jesus in the perfect relationship with God the Father and picture Jesus saying to you just as the Father the perfect Father has loved me that's how I love you now just abide Just live inside that love. Just remain in that love. You guys, let's not complicate Christianity. Let's not complicate church. This is an amazing verse. I don't care what good news you got this week, it's not better than this. Okay, so just forget about everything else, all your problems, everything else. Jesus is saying to you, just as the fathers loved me, so have I loved you. All I want you to do, just live in my love. Not a great command. Just remain. You've been living in his love this week. Think about this week. Have you just been abiding in his love? like, it is so good to be loved by Jesus. It is so good that the one that spoke this earth into existence loves me. Why do I think about anything else? This is at the core of what we believe. Just as the fathers loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. But then in verse 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. Okay, so some of you, you'll read that and go, oh, there's a catch to it. If, yeah, it's conditional. if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I've kept my father commandments and abide in his life I believe it in John 8 where Jesus says I obey everything the father tells me to do And Jesus says that part of this love relationship is we obey his commandments But I want you to see the next verse, verse 11. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. you have to believe something fundamental about God's commands. Why did Jesus give us his commands? Why does God give us commands? Is it that, oh, there's the catch. There's the downside. We have to obey this book. And Jesus is saying, I'm telling you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. The Bible says your commands are not burdensome. Your commands lead to life. Believing in God means, yeah, I believe everything he says. I believe his commands are good. The world is teaching us that submitting to these commands and these laws It's like, man, let's break these chains. I just want to be me. You do you. I'll do me. We'll just, you know, just enjoy yourself and don't put yourself under this. And what God is saying, my commands lead to life. Why does God say you shouldn't commit murder? was he saying, okay, I really want to ruin their lives. I'm going to give them these commands. This will kill them. Don't kill each other. Why does he command this? Why does he say, hey, don't lie to each other. Imagine a world with honesty. Imagine you read the news and you know it's true. Imagine you go on the internet and everything you read was true. That would be crazy. Imagine everyone that spoke to you was telling you the truth. We are living in a time where you come to a gathering like this and you have to look at me and you go, Man, I wonder if that guy is for real. Because there are so many lies. and anytime anyone why do we have contracts God's saying man don't bear false witness don't kill each other don't commit adultery if you knew your marriage was just going to be faithful it's going to be you and your spouse thou shall not steal why do we have cameras everywhere he says this would be such a all of his commands lead to life and so he says look if you love me you'll obey what I command you'll abide in my love if you obey what I command you and then the next verse this is my commandment singular that you love one another as i've loved you greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends you are my friends if you do what i command you so earlier he says abide in my love and then he says if you obey the commandments my commandments, you'll abide in my love. But then here he says, this is my commandment singular. Isn't that interesting? Why? He says that you love one another as I've loved you. This is very similar to remember when the Pharisees were asking Jesus in Matthew 22, verses 34 to like 40, they ask Jesus, hey, what's the greatest commandment? And what does Jesus say? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then he says the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And he says on these two commands hang all of the law and the prophets. But here in John, after he says, hey, you want to abide in my love? Obey my commandments. And here's my commandment. Love one another just as I've loved you. That's it. Again, let's not overcomplicate everything. like if God could have it this way, his way today, we would have just shown up deeply loving each other. That's what he cares most about. And sometimes we make church about so many other things. How was the sermon? How was the singing? you know why is that lady holding a baby while she's singing you know we just do just whatever why are we outside why are we doing this why are we doing that and we make it about all these things and God's going why didn't you come and love each other the way that I loved you because that's my one I gave you one commandment I gave you one commandment love one another as I have loved you. And then he explains, he goes, think about how this is Jesus going, how have I loved you? Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. He's not talking about us just showing up and be willing to sit through a service together, give each other a hug, high five, smile at each other, have a sports day, play some games together. That's all good stuff. But he calls us to the standard. He goes, I want you to love one another just as you watched me love you. and then he says I'm going to die for you I'm going to show you the greatest love I'll actually die for you and I've been meditating on this the last couple days knowing that I was going to teach I thought wow who would I die for in this group Because that what God calling me to I thought, well, I know I would die for my wife and my kids, and most of my kids. No, I would die for my wife and my kids. And I just started thinking about people that it's a no-brainer. I thought Al, I would die for Al in a second. And I believe he would die for me. And I started thinking, wow, that's pretty cool that I have confidence in a relationship that he would die for me. And I thought, yeah, I'd take a bullet for Rob easily. I would take it. And I believe you'd take it for me. I go, man, that's the church. That's church. I would die for you, Jason. I'd die for any of your kids, the Zabala kids. Any of them. In a second. I just started thinking about the love. I go, wow. I really would give my life. And that's what he's called us to. And then I started thinking about other people. I go, yeah. Would I die? For Diana? For Christine? Yeah, I would, God. I would. Give my life for Lamb. I believe Lamb would give his life for me. Like, wow. This is what he's calling us to. That level of love. You guys, this is why I can't just do services and call it church. Okay? This is why, it's because what I said in this book. Look, some of you grew up with a certain type of thinking. And so it's hard once you grow up a certain way to get rid of that way of thinking. Where you were taught, oh, a good Christian goes to church. They go every Sunday to a church service. And so if you show up to that church service and you're faithful to it, man, good job, and you just feel like, ooh, I've been obedient. This is why we read this book, because you don't see anyone in this book doing that. That just became our culture. Show me someone with perfect church attendance that would go to a building, sit through a service. That was not church. The church was a group of people. We've been reading the book of Acts. Look at the book of Acts. Acts chapter 2. Here's the church. With many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. In other words, get out of this whole generation, what's popular and everything else. Save yourself from it. So those who received his word were baptized. And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. They devoted themselves. and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles and all who believed were together and had all things, all things in common. They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they receive their food with glad and generous hearts praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to their number day by day those who are being saved. Okay, so here's the Bible. This is not the world. This is not American culture. This is not church as many of us were taught it. I'm saying church as we were taught. You won't find it in here. It's talking about this. See, when Jesus says, I want you to love each other as Christ loved me. He says that right before his death. Here's how the early church responded. They go, hey, Jesus told us to love each other. as Christ loved us, and Christ gave everything for us. So, hey, what's mine is yours. I don't want anyone in need here. This is what God wants. This is why when I was just doing big church services, there was no peace in here. once I started reading this I'm like this isn't all God wants of us he wants us this is Christianity this is his command singular love each other like I loved you man what do you need that's when I showed up this morning you know when I'm leaving my house you know and I'm just going God help me help me to love like everyone I run into help me to love them as much as you love me. Help me to come with that mindset. Whenever I see believers, God, I want this because this isn't natural for me. I don't just naturally wake up and go, what does everyone else want? I think of me, I go, God, I don't want to be like that. This is the one commandment. I want to be able to say, I would die for you. And that my stuff is your stuff. And that we could someday be that. That's why we meet together in homes. Because you've got to know each other. You've got to have people that you just love to the point of death. Because that how we put God love on display to the world I could preach about it I can tell you right now and I will that we all broken His commandments And yet He in return, even though we rebelled against Him, He still loved us. And He loved us so much. He says, but I'm fair, and I have to punish your sins. So He says, I'm going to have my son take the form of a man. and he is going to pay because someone has to. This way I can be fair and yet I can still forgive you. And he's going to pay for everything on that cross. And Jesus is saying, no one takes my life. I willingly give it. This is my choice. I want to die for you. And he dies on that cross so we can be forgiven. is if you believe in me, if you can confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. That was his example. So I can preach that and say, look, and when he rose from the dead, that's when the disciples truly believed and said, this really is the Son of God. he just conquered death and then they all gave their lives for the gospel they all got martyred because they're like i'm not afraid anymore go ahead kill me we that what this week we just read about stephen right being stoned to death he looks up into heaven he goes like i can see jesus right now go ahead throw the stones kill me and just his father forgive them they don't know what they're doing. Go ahead, kill me. And they said his face was like the face of an angel. Just going, I'm not afraid. It's all good. God, don't hold this against them. Amazing. See, the early believers, see, I can preach that, but God says, what I want you to do is put that on display. just like on that upper room when he started washing the disciples feet he didn't say now come wash mine everyone he goes no wash each other's feet that's why he says this is my commandment that's why he says that second commandment is like the first you can't separate your love from God from your love for each other you can't do that I can't say oh I love God I just can't stand Kelly that doesn't make any sense God lives in Kelly how could I hate her I gotta love her like Christ loved the church I go what do you need you know anything you need we got you we got you We want to be family to you. Anything you need. How? Whatever you need. The early church understood that. That's what church is. Why do we call this we are church? Because we don't want this to be a place you attend and show up to and go, ooh, I went to church. No one went to church in the Bible. That's our generation that came up with this. They were a group of people. They were a family. I wouldn't let any of my kids go hungry. And in the same way, as long as I've got means, I'm not going to let any of you go hungry. We should all have that attitude. Go to Acts chapter 4. Look at this. Acts chapter 4 verse 32. Now the full number, the full number of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own. But they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. when you grew up is that what people told you that's what church is see again that's why we read this book this is why we encourage you all this is why we read through the Bible every year together is because otherwise we're just going to do what everyone else does but we're saying no read this show me show me from this book what the church ought to be like. Okay? Don't show me from all of them. My mom says you just go for an hour every week or maybe just Easter and Christmas, whatever. No, show me from this book. Where is Easter and Christmas? You know, it's like, what does this say? I want this. This is what I wanted. and Jesus, this will make your joy complete. Look, I get it. In the flesh, I can wake up and go, oh man, I've got to love people as much as Christ loved me. It does feel like a downer sometimes. But then you've got to go back to God's Word. He's like, no. These words will lead to life. My commands lead to life. I wrote this so that my joy could be in you and your joy could be made full. Selfishness doesn't lead to life. It's when you just let go and go, whatever. Everything. Ashish, Lydia, Yerga's ever need anything. We got you, you know? Kevin, whatever, we got you. We take care of you. It's just, this is it. Sonia, Nathan, whatever. I know I just met you, but whatever. You don't have a job. I got you. It's just, we'll figure it out. God says, this is what I want. love each other that deeply love each other like I loved you let's not overcomplicate this

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