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.

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