John 14:18-24


John 14:18-24
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

It is an amazing thing to think about being loved by the Father.  However, this amazing love can only be accomplished through the sacrifice of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is preparing His disciples to face a world in which He will not be present with them in body.  But, He is not abandoning them and He does not leave us alone either.  It is a great blessing to know the truths of this text, but it is also important that we realize these truths have a very practical purpose in our lives.

JESUS EMPOWERS THROUGH THE SPIRIT: If Jesus were to have ascended into heaven and not sent the Holy Spirit, it would have been the equivalent of Him leaving the disciples as orphans.  Jesus would not do that.  He makes it clear that even though the unbelievers would no longer be able to see Him, the disciples would see Him.  He would soon die but then He would rise again, and His life would give them a new life that is greatly different than the life they had experienced to this point.  It would be different because it would be inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  The fact that Jesus would be with the Father and in the Father and all of the believers in Christ are also in the Father with Him.  This results in a power that is beyond anything that they could imagine or think possible in their lives.  This same power is ours today.  This truth should encourage us in service and challenge us to change.

THE SPIRIT ENABLES US TO OBEY: The main function of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to enable us to obey the commandments of Christ and love the Lord.  He represents the Lord in us and it is His presence in our lives that makes the Love of the Father become a reality in our lives.  We know the Father and experience the presence of the Son through the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit.  This is an amazing blessing in our lives that should fill our hearts with gratitude and hope.  Without the Holy Spirit we would be powerless to obey the Lord.  The Spirit fills our hearts with desire and gives us the ability to do what the Lord wants us to do.  The world will not understand this reality in us and will usually have a negative reaction to this work in our hearts.  It should be reassuring to us that when the world is displeased and confused by us, the Father loves us and is honored by our lives.

THE FATHER LOVES THE OBEDIENT: When we keep the commandments of the Lord, we demonstrate that we love the Lord.  The Father loves those who live in this way and the Trinity will come and abide in that person.  It is important that we understand that the love of God is unconditional.  We love Him because He FIRST loved us.  Even though He loves everyone, He cannot abide in everyone because of the rejection of so many who turn from His love.  Those who do not love and obey the Lord have rejected Him and because they do not respond to His love, the Spirit cannot abide in them.  When we disobey the commands of Jesus, we reject the Trinity and the consequences are grave.  However, the amazing truth of this passage is that when we respond to His love with obedience, the Trinity takes His abode in us through the person of the Holy Spirit.

APPLICATION: Remember that you are not a spiritual orphan if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit indwells us and empowers us to obey the Word of God.  Demonstrate our love for the Lord by submitting to the Spirit’s leading and following His commands.  Know that God’s love is unconditional, but that His abiding presence is dependent upon our response to His love.  Be encouraged when the world treats us negatively because it demonstrates the impact of the Trinity in our lives.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more