JOHN CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 

Jesus Assures His Disciples

“In the aftermath of the attacks that toppled the World Trade Center, an Israeli company offered high-rise workers a new security option. APCO Aviation is now marketing a parachute for those who fear terrorist attacks on skyscrapers.

“The Executivechute was designed, tested and marketed in three weeks. The safety chute weighs four pounds and is available in the United States and Japan. The ripcord can be attached to heavy furniture so it opens automatically when the wearer jumps out a window.

“The managing director of the company says the parachute uses a military style round canopy instead of an aerobatic rectangular design. He says a round chute makes for a reliable, but hard landing from a minimum height of 10 stories. The company admits it is unlikely a user will know how to do the standard ‘paratrooper roll’ upon reaching the ground, but they figure, ‘a twisted ankle is a small price to pay for life.’

“Parachutes and increased precautions may provide a degree of protection, but they cannot remove every ounce of fear. Jesus offered these words of assurance to those living in an unpredictable world. ‘In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33.).’”

Jesus’ disciples were no different than any of us. We would all like a sense of assurance and confidence that everything in life is going to be all right, and that is exactly what Jesus provides for us in this chapter. We will begin by looking at the first fourteen verses.

John 14:1-14 NLT:
1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4 "And you know the way where I am going."
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
13 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

I have heard of a guy who is a real sports fanatic. Listen to what he says:

“I am a tremendous sports fan. Since many sporting events take place when I am not at home, I videotape them. When it's time to sit in my easy chair and view the tape, unlike most people, I don't rewind to the beginning to view it. Instead, I rewind to the climax to discover who won and who lost. If my team lost, I'll put the tape away, but if my team won I'll rewind the game back to the beginning, get out some snacks, and watch the whole game.

“Some have told me this method can't be much fun. On the contrary, no matter how bad things look for my team, I don't have to worry because I know the end of the story.
That's how we ought to think about what Jesus did for us on the cross—we ought to have a VCR mentality: no matter how bad things look, we don't have to worry because we know the end of the story.”[fn]

The passage we have read beginning in John 14 gives us the same kind of assurance our sports fan has when he knows his team is going to win at the conclusion of the tape, and it is definitely worth looking at in some detail.

John 14:1 NAS:
1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

Jesus knew what it was like to have a “troubled” heart (John 11:33; 13:31). [fn] If we may be allowed to paraphrase what Jesus is telling His disciples, it would sound something like this: “Do not worry! Everything is going to be all right. I am going away but do not let that worry you. If you believe the things I have taught you and believe in God, you can be assured that things will be okay.” Both usages of the verb “believe” in this passage would most accurately be translated “keep on believing.”[fn] We would then read verse 1 to say: “Do not worry, (Keep on) believing in God, (keep on)[fn] believing in Me and everything will turn out just fine.”  That means you do not give up or stop just because there are some problems or trials along the way. ”Keep on keeping on,” as the saying goes. Keep on because God is in control. If you have ever wondered what trust in God is, it is this: Keep on believing Him through thick and thin because God is in control.

John 14:2 NAS:
2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”

This is about the most wonderful picture of Heaven we can be given. Jesus tells His disciples that there are many places where one can live in Heaven, and wherever we live we will have a place that has been specially prepared for us by Jesus, a place where we will be with Him and with God. We should have no fear of death because Jesus has a place waiting for us in Heaven that He has already prepared.

John 14:3 NAS:
3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

In the original language “I will come again and receive you to Myself,” can be read: “And I shall take you along to my own home.” This blessed promise is fulfilled in death for all believers who die before the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus will come for believers then as well.[fn] Do you remember in the last chapter when Peter asked Jesus where He was going and Jesus told Him He could not come with at that time but would follow later (John  13:36). This is Jesus’ answer to that question.

If you read verse 3 carefully it says that Jesus will come for us at our death and personally escort us home. Is that possible? I do not know how He could possibly do that for all believers around the world that die every day. But if you read the New Testament Greek translation, the language in which the New Testament was originally written, that is what it says. That should definitely remove any fear of death. Can you imagine Jesus coming for you when it is your time, perhaps taking your hand and walking through “the valley of the shadow of death” with you so that there is no fear of the process, and being right there with you to personally escort you to the place He has prepared for you in the house where He and His Father live? What assurance! What comfort! What a Savior! I cannot help but be reminded of the twenty-third Psalm which we believe confirms this promise.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  (NAS)

John 14:4 NAS:
4 "And you know the way where I am going."

Now all of Jesus’ disciples should know how to get to the Father’s house by this time. We hope you all know as well.

Jesus’ disciples had been following Jesus around for three years. Every day and night they shared His life, they heard all of His teaching, saw all of His miracles, and saw all of the prophecies about Him fulfilled. How out of it they must have been. It is like some children who spend all day in school and when they get home and their mother or father asks them what they learned, and they say: “I don’t remember.” Jesus’ disciples must have had a lot of those kind of days.

John 14:5 NAS:
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"

Well apparently Thomas was one who had a lot of “I don’t remember”  days because he did not know the way. But we admire him for not hesitating to admit his ignorance and ask. A lot of people would rather remain ignorant than admit they do not know something. Thomas was not afraid to ask, which we believe speaks volumes about the kind of Teacher he had. We are sure Jesus was glad that Thomas asked rather than continuing in Hell-bound ignorance. So in John 14:6:

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

A poll that came out in 2009, and that you may have heard reported in the news, says that:

“America remains a deeply religious nation, but a new survey finds most Americans don't believe their tradition is the only way to eternal life -- even if the denomination's teachings say otherwise. The findings, revealed Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their own faiths.

“Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching. In all, 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation shared that view, and 68 percent said there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their own religion.”[fn]

The poll further indicated that only 24 percent of Americans believed that there is only one way to Heaven. That is in stark contrast to Jesus’ words here in John 14:6 that He is the only way to Heaven.

If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternal life in Heaven, you are misguided. If you do not believe in the Triune God as the one and only true God, you are misguided. Now if you tend to levitate about two feet off the ground whenever you here such a claim by Christians or by Christ Himself, please allow yourselves to settle back down to earth or to your seat and just listen for a little while. 

If you have come to believe that Jesus is who He claims to be, as we do, as the result of studying all that is taught in the Bible, you have come to know that this is the only logical conclusion one can come to. If you have not come to this saving faith, you would if you were to ask God to show you the truth and at the same time began to read the Bible. Let us just see if you do not agree. The Bible tells us that all through the Old Testament the prophets, under the leading of God, not only predicted the future coming of Christ as much as 2,000 years before His birth, but also predicted many other events which were to take place in the near and far distant future. They all came true except of course for those predictions that pertain to the end times, which are still to come. But think about it. If all of the predictions about the first coming of Jesus as well as other historical events that took place at or before the birth of Jesus came true, then it certainly follows that all the predictions about the end times will come true as well. You see no other religion in the world has a god who can predict the future. That is because none of the other religions have a real God. All they have are human beings or idols that have no real power. They simply cannot predict the future because they are nothing but false gods deceiving the people.

Then there are miracles. Jesus performed miracle after miracle. He did things that only a supernatural being could do. No human being before or since has been able to do any of the miracles that Jesus performed. Atheists, agnostics, and those who follow all the other religions have made every attempt possible to discredit the truth of the historical accounts of the Bible, including the life of Jesus, and they continue to do so. But all of their attempts can be proven false by actual accounts from secular historians who have no reason whatsoever to back up the accounts reported in the Bible, that is other than to report what their research has proven to be fact. Other religions do not have gods that can perform miracles. You will of course point out that there were  Exodus 7:11 (NASB)
wise men and sorcerers and magicians who served the Pharaoh of Egypt in Moses’ day with their secret arts and magic, and the people of the world will see a lot more of that in the end times (Mark 13:22), but that is only magic like we have all seen in various forms of entertainment.  That type of “slight of hand” has never and will never compare to the miracles Jesus has and will continue to perform until He returns. Jesus worked real miracles, miracles that glorified God and helped people. Satan’s so-called miracles have always and will always be for the purpose of exalting himself.

Then there is the perfection of the Bible itself. It is a book that was written over some 1500 or 1600 years by a different author in nearly each generation covering a period of time, and there are no inconsistencies in the events recorded or in its fundamental teachings. Each book is consistent with the will of God as reported in every word from Genesis to Revelation. No other religious literary work can boast one hundred percent consistency and accuracy.

Knowing all these things, we can read John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” and say, “Yes, that is true.” We can believe everything that our God and His Son have told us. We can know that He is capable of doing things no one else can do, and therefore we can rest assured that when He says, “If you believe in Me and all that I have told you, you will be with Me and the Father one day in Heaven.” We know we can take that to the heavenly bank.

John 14:7 NAS:
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

Thomas and certain of the other disciples may not have really come to know Jesus over the course of His ministry in spite of their being dedicated to Him. We might better translate these words in verse 7 as, “you are beginning to know the Father from now on.” Because they had seen Jesus who is the Son of God, the image of God, and like God (1:18), then they could know that God is like Jesus Christ. Jesus is again stating that He is God and that God is like Him. Therefore you may better understand the verse if read: [fn]

 “If you had come to know Me, then you are beginning to know the Father and will continue to know Him better and better from now on because the Father and I are one.”

John 14:8-9 NAS:
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

We now see that Philip’s elevator may stop a few floors short of the top floor as well. Those of you who can be as dense as I can be should be encouraged, as I am, that Jesus’ disciples were not thinking at the Rhode’s scholar level. After what Jesus just told them, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Obviously Jesus had a great deal of patience as we see by His reply to Philip.

John 14:10-11 NAS:
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.

Jesus has done everything He can to show His disciples that He is God. There is nothing else He can say, so He tells them that if they cannot believe what He says, they should believe based on the miracles alone that He has performed.

John 14:12-14 NAS:
12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus’ followers would be capable of performing whatever Jesus would allow through the power of the Holy Spirit. They would also now be capable of reaching more people with the Gospel message of Christ. They were armed not only with the teaching of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit to help them understand it, but they also had the information about Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In just one sermon Peter was able to gather some 3000 decisions for Christ. Just think of the number of people that came to faith through the work of evangelists like Billy Sunday, D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham. The numbers could well be in the tens of millions or even more.

The phrase, “In My name,” in verses 13 and 14 are not the magic words to say to get whatever you want. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, you may ask God for a brand new convertible and ask it in Jesus’ name and it will most likely not do you any good. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, you may ask for your wife or husband to stop nagging you and ask it in Jesus’ name and most likely nothing will happen. But the prayers of those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior which are asked for the glory of God and are within the will of God, and asked in Christ’s name, will bring results. You might pray for someone to be saved who is presently not a believer. You might say, “Lord, I pray that Mark will be saved in your time in order to glorify you and I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our precious Savior.” That prayer will be answered. It may not be answered in your lifetime, but it will be answered. I know now that when I was an atheist for all those many years, there was probably someone praying for me to be saved.  Listen to what John writes in 1 John 5:14-15 NAS:

14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

So if you have prayed and there was no answer, do not give up on God or stop trusting Him. Consider these things: Are you in a personal relationship with God? Are you living in obedience to Him? Are you praying according to His will?

Prayers in the New Testament are usually addressed to God the Father, but prayer addressed to the Son is proper also [e.g., Stephen’s prayer to the “Lord Jesus” (Acts 7:59)]. The prayers we pray should all be for the purpose of glorifying the Father. Bearing fruit also glorifies the Father (John 15:8).[fn] These are the prayers that will be answered.

Now that you know you are assured of everything working for good in your life (Romans 8:28) and that in the end you will be in a perfect place; and now that you know Jesus will grant you anything you pray for that is within His will, why not go tell someone this very day what a great and loving God that you have, and how He assures you of all these wonderful, breathtaking promises.

We pray that these words from Jesus will encourage you and bring a fresh vitality to your own spiritual life. As a dear departed saint[fn] used to say, “Walk with the King today.”

 

Why Bother To Obey God?
John 14:15-24

“Robert Kupferschmid was an 81-year-old with no flying experience. However, due to a tragic emergency, he was forced to fly an airplane. On June 17, 1998, he and his 52-year-old pilot friend, Wesley Sickle, were flying from Indianapolis to Muncie, Indiana. During the flight, the pilot slumped over and died at the controls. The Cessna 172 single-engine plane began to nose-dive and Kupferschmid grabbed the controls. He got on the radio and pleaded for help.

“Nearby were two pilots who heard the call. Mount Comfort was the closest airport, and the two pilots gave Kupferschmid a steady stream of instructions of climbing, steering, and—the scariest part—landing. The two experienced pilots circled the runway three times before this somewhat frantic and totally inexperienced pilot was ready to attempt the landing.

“Emergency vehicles were called out and ready for what seemed like an approaching disaster. Witnesses said the plane's nose nudged the center line and bounced a few times before the tail hit the ground. The Cessna ended up in a patch of soggy grass next to the runway. Amazingly, Kupferschmid was not injured.

“This pilot listened and followed those instructions as if his life depended on it—and it did. Imagine what would take place in the lives of believers if we listened to and obeyed the Word of God with the same earnestness.”[fn]

As you read the passage from John 14:15-31, listen carefully and see if you detect any similarity between what Jesus says and the story we have just read.

John 14:15-31 NAS: 
15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
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.
25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 "Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
30 "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world (Satan)[fn] is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

Well, what do you think? Do you see any similarities between the story about the inexperienced pilot and what Jesus’ is teaching everyone who reads this passage?

If you were to count the number of times Christ refers to “you” in this passage, you would find that the total would come to thirty-six. Thirty-six times in just seventeen verses Christ addresses His comments to you (we also included the times “him“ was used to refer to “you”). This might lead you to believe that Jesus thinks that life is all about you, and in so many ways you would be right. Of course Jesus is more aware than anybody that all of life is all about God and that we should structure our lives to be all about God as well. Jesus was the perfect example of this and when I read about how He conducted His life and that He was completely obedient to God, I am always overcome by a wave of shame and guilt for how often I disobey Him and sometimes I do it willingly. Someone said to me the other day when referring to Himself: “God is probably up there kicking a cloud saying, ‘He did it again! He did it again! What is wrong with him?’” When the truth is that God is probably sitting on His throne looking down at so many of His children with a tear in His eye and an ache in His heart thinking:

• “There’s John, my son, drinking again. He’s ruining the fine body I gave him; he’s ruining the lives of his wife and children; and he is preventing Me from blessing him in the way I would like. Of course I will forgive Him because that sin has been covered by Jesus’ blood, but I sure would be a lot happier and I could do a lot more for him if he would just be obedient to my commands.”

 

• “There’s Martha, my daughter, making trouble again among the women in her church. She thrives on gossip and half-truths and thinks only of herself. If she doesn’t stop, she is going to be the cause of a church split that will cause the pastor and many others a lot of heartache. I wish she’d have the good sense and the faith to come to Me and confess the things she knows she’s doing wrong, but she won’t even do that. How much better a life she would have if she just obeyed My commands.”

• There’s Fred. He says he’s a Unitarian. He believes in himself and his abilities to reason and make the best rational decisions. Who does he think gave him the ability to think at all? What a pity he takes his God-given talents and puts them to use serving Satan. He is breaking My heart because one day I’ll be forced by his behavior to send him to Hell. If only he would investigate the truth that is found in the Bible. If only he would ask Me to reveal the truth to him. But he isn’t even willing to do that. His pride is going to prevent Him from going to Heaven. If only he would obey my commands. If only he would start attending Village Church, as they’ve invited him to do. Then he would learn the truth and the truth would set him free.”

 

• “There’s George. He claims to believe in God. He prays to him, talks about him to his friends, and claims a personal relationship with him. Unfortunately it’s a god that he has created in his own mind, a god that will not require him to be obedient. George sets his own standards and that is no better than making yourself your own god, and that is the sin of idolatry (worshipping false gods). What a waste of time. If he only knew that he is worshipping a god that is going to lead him straight to Hell, even though he doesn’t believe that could happen. For the most part he’s a good man, he’s honest, he’s fair, he treats his employees well, and he is considerate of others. But Satan has a lot of servants like that and they are all fools. Neither does he realize that he is leading his family and friends down that road to Hell as well because they respect him and therefore accept the views he promotes. And when the blind follow the blind, they both fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). He’s another one that is breaking my heart because one day I will have to send him, his family, and his friends to Hell because of pride that leads to ignorance. If only he’d listen to that pastor at Village Church that has laid out the truth before him and invited him to attend services. What a pity!”

Do you recognize any of those lifestyles? Are any of you living those lifestyles? If you are, you can do better. Do you know why? Because Jesus loves you and wants to give you peace. Look back at the passage and read it again if you would like to have peace. Look at all the things Jesus wants to give you if only you will obey His commands. There is not one of the four people we have just described whose life would not be better if they laid down their personal pride and/or fears and simply obeyed God’s commands. But do not stop reading at this passage. If you want to know more about how to receive God’s blessings read the forty-three references that follow. We suggest that you use the list in your daily devotions.

God blesses those:                   
1.         Whom God chooses. Psalm 65:4; Ephesians 1:3,4.
2.         Whom God calls. Isaiah 51:2; Revelation 19:9.
3.         Who know Christ. Matthew 16:16,17.
4.         Who know the gospel. Psalm 89:15.
5.         Who are not offended at Christ. Matthew 11:6.
6.         Who believe. Luke 1:45; Galatians 3:9.
7.         Whose sins are forgiven. Psalm 32:1,2; Romans 4:7.
8.         To whom God imputes righteousness without works. Romans 4:6-9.
9.         Whom God chastens. Job 5:17; Psalm 94:12.
10.       Who suffer for Christ. Luke 6:22.
11.       Who have the Lord for their God. Psalm 144:15.
12.       Who trust in God. Ps 2:12; 34:8; 40:4; 84:12; Jeremiah 17:7.
13.       Who fear God. Psalm 112:1; 128:1,4.
14.       Who hear and keep the word of God. Psalm 119:2; James 1:24; Matthew 13:16; Luke 11:28; Revelation 1:3; 22:7.
15.       Who delight in the commandments of God. Psalm 112:1.
16.       Who keep the commandments of God. Revelation 22:14.
17.       Who wait for the Lord. Isaiah 30:18.
18.       Whose strength is in the Lord. Psalm 84:5.
19.       Who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Matthew 5:6.
20.       Who frequent the house of God. Psalm 65:4; 84:5.
21.       Who avoid the wicked. Psalm 1:1.
22.       Who endure temptation. James 1:12.
23.       Who watch against sin. Revelation 16:15.
24.       Who rebuke sinners. Proverbs 24:25.
25.       Who watch for the Lord. Luke 12:37.
26.       Who die in the Lord. Revelation 14:13.
27.       Who have part in the first resurrection. Revelation 20:6.
28.       Who favor saints. Genesis 12:3; Ruth 2:10.
29.       The undefiled. Psalm 119:1.
30.       The pure in heart. Matthew 5:8.
31.       The just. Psalm 106:3; 10:6.
32.       The children of the just. Proverbs 20:7.
33.       The righteous. Psalm 5:12.
34.       The generation of the upright. Psalm 112:2.
35.       The faithful. Proverbs 28:20.
36.       The poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3.
37.       The meek. Matthew 5:5.
38.       The merciful. Matthew 5:7.
39.       The bountiful. Deuteronomy 15:10; Psalm 41:1; Proverbs 22:9; Luke 14:13,14.
40.       The peace-makers. Matthew 5:9.
41.       Holy mourners. Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21.
42.       Saints at the judgment day. Matthew 25:34.
43.       Who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Luke 14:15; Revelation 19:9.[fn]

The Promise Of The Holy Spirit
John 14:15-24

John 14:15-17 NAS:
15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

If you love an authority figure, such as a parent, a teacher, a coach, or perhaps a pastor, it is only natural for you to want to do what they tell you to do. The kind of love Jesus is referring to is a love based on the kind of trust that He has shown to His disciples over and over again for the three years they had been with Him. These disciples should know by now the kind of love that Jesus has demonstrated for them and that because He has been their trusted servant they can trust and obey Him. So out of love for Jesus they should do what He commands because those things are for their own best interests.

Prior to this, Jesus had urged the disciples to love one another. Then He spoke of their love for Him. Truly loving Jesus requires that we do what He commands. Listen to what John wrote in his first epistle, 1 John 5:3 NAS: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. This is so important that we can also turn it around, as Christ does in verse 24. That is, if we are not obedient to God’s commands, it shows we do not really love Him, no matter how many times we say it or how many praise songs we sing. In Matthew 15 Christ quoted the prophet Isaiah, saying:

Matthew 15:7-9 NIV:
7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

It is interesting that, in John 14:15 and 16, after saying that if we love Him we will keep His commandments, then without elaboration Christ goes on immediately to speak of the Holy Spirit, and calls Him a Helper. This is not a sudden change of subject, but an elaboration of the same subject. Christ knows we weak humans cannot be totally obedient on our own. So Christ promised help to achieve obedience.

Now we see different translations using different words to describe the Greek word used to refer to the Holy Spirit (parakletos). In some He is called Counselor, in others Advocate, Helper, or Comforter. All of these words, however, mean the same thing. The Holy Spirit is present in all BELIEVERS to provide help and encouragement in time of need. Did you know that? When you are depressed, do you immediately turn to the Holy Spirit for help, or do you seek help elsewhere? When you do not have enough money to pay your bills, do you turn immediately to the Holy Spirit for help? Or do you perhaps complain about how unfair life is, or drink or eat too much, or go to the porn site on the Internet to find some kind of pleasure that will dull the pain that you are feeling from life? If you know what it is like to look for answers in such things, you know that they only make things worse, not better. If you are a believer, no matter what comes at you in life, we want you to first ask the Holy Spirit for help. You do not have to go far if you are a believer, because He is always right there with you. God will not ignore your request for help. He will ease the burden of whatever is worrying you so that you never have to handle more than you can bear. If you are not a believer, do not bother asking for help because God will not listen. The first thing you must do is to ask Him to reveal the truth to you about who He is. That is the one request He will listen to from an unbeliever, and He will reveal the truth to you. The question then will be, do you have sense enough to receive it?

Just as Jesus was His Father’s Representative, the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ Representative who will live in all believers. Jesus did nothing on His own, but allowed the Father to use Him as the earthly vessel through which He accomplished His will. With us it is very much the same. We are to submit our lives to the Holy Spirit so that Jesus may work His will through us. It is in this way that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One. They have exactly the same will and purpose. They can perform individually, but they are of one mind and one essence. Pretty amazing!

The world at large cannot receive the Holy Spirit because of its sin and disobedience. The world, that is unbelievers in the world, cannot receive the Holy Spirit of truth because the world is not looking for Him and does not recognize Him. The Holy Spirit would, however, come to live in the disciples as well as all other believers, helping them understand and empowering them to do great works for God.

Anyone, no matter how terrible their sin, will receive the Holy Spirit as soon as they express their faith in Jesus as their Savior, the One who died to pay the penalty for their sins. At salvation the Holy Spirit comes to live inside the believer. However, Christians can decide how much they are going to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, at salvation the Holy Spirit moves in, but from day to day you can decide whether you keep the Holy Spirit in one small room of your inner house, or whether to let Him have full run of your house. That is, will you let Him have full control of you, your thoughts, and your actions? Or are you going to insist on running the show?

Without the help of the Holy Spirit of God, we cannot live the Christian life as God wants us to live it, and for the most part the Holy Spirit will not do anything without our cooperation. In order for the Holy Spirit to help us we must ask for the help and then be willing to put into action whatever He guides us to do. That is being submissive to the Spirit. Speaking from personal experience, it can be the hardest thing in the world to do sometimes. But if you do not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, that is known as “Quenching the Spirit” and means that you are not allowing the Holy Spirit to accomplish what He knows is best for you. More simply it means that you go ahead and do what you want to do and prevent the Spirit from helping you to do the right thing.

As “the Spirit of Truth,” the Holy Spirit is related to Jesus who is the Truth and, as the representative of God, He brings and speaks the truth of the Word of God. Skipping ahead a few chapters listen to what John records Jesus as saying in John 17:13,14,17:NAS:

13 "But now I come to You [God][fn]; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.

Jesus is speaking to His Father about His disciples.

14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Jesus is the Word and the Truth and the Life. The Holy Spirit makes the truth of God’s Word come alive in the believer so that he/she might understand it. The Holy Spirit is also the only One who can lead an unbeliever to faith. The Spirit inspired the Word and also illumines the Word so we may understand it. By the way, do you understand what truth means relating to the Triune God? It means no lying. Everything that comes from God is one-hundred-percent reliable. God has never lied and never will. He would not give us a Bible, which I often refer to as a manual for living, that was not one-hundred-percent truthful. We can believe everything written in the Bible and anyone who alters what the Bible says is going to be in for a very, very uncomfortable eternity. Do you know what happens when you buy something at the store that requires assembly and you do not follow the directions? Well the same thing happens with a person’s life when they do not follow the directions of Him who created them. Not following directions is most often the response of a fool.

You probably often hear people pray that they be filled with the Holy Spirit or that someone else be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is a very nice thought but the truth is that every believer has as much of the Holy Spirit in them as they are ever going to get. It is up to the believer to allow the Holy Spirit to fill them. Is he or she going to allow the Spirit to guide them in every way? Or are they going to push Him into the background, thinking they can manage their own lives, and only call on Him in emergencies? To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Word of God. You must allow the Word of God to control your life in order to be filled with the Spirit. So this is the great power that Jesus was leaving His followers as He left this world.  It is just as if Jesus is walking next to you every second of every day, and He will be there with you forever. The Spirit of God is not any different from the Son of God, for both are God. The Spirit of God had lived with the disciples in the person of Jesus Christ. Now He would live in them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we might go, if we are believers, the Spirit goes with us, so there is no need to ever feel alone. There is no need to worry about anything when you have the Spirit of God living within you.[fn]

John 14:18-20 NAS:
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.

In verse 18 Jesus is telling His disciples that there is no way He is going to abandon them and leave them alone. He tells them that He will come to them. They must have wondered how. If He was going to be crucified, how could He come to them? How could He bring them comfort? Jesus was going to come to them in two ways. First He would come to show them that His physical body had been resurrected from the dead, that He had conquered death. Secondly He would come to them in the form of the Holy Spirit.

The world would no longer be able to see Jesus because His physical body would be in Heaven. But now a new aspect of God and Christ would be given to them in the presence of the Holy Spirit of Christ, and the Holy Spirit would actually live within them and be capable of making the full power of God available to them at all times, providing them comfort, counsel, wisdom, understanding, and so many other wonderful things.

As a matter of fact the Bible says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. That means that if you submit your life to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will produce these things in you. You cannot attain them by seeking after them, but they will be a gift from the Holy Spirit if you live according to God’s commands. All of these things will be evidence of Christ actively alive and working in your lives.

Verse 19 has reference to Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and the weeks He spent on earth with His disciples and other believers after His resurrection. But the world’s last glimpse of Jesus was when He was removed from the cross after His crucifixion. The world will not see Him again until His Second Coming when He comes in judgment and triumph. Then Jesus gives us the promise that because He was raised from the dead and is now alive in Heaven, we will also live in the same manner after death.

“In that day,” in verse 20 refers to the day that the Holy Spirit comes upon them. In that day, at that time, all believers will know that Jesus and the Father are one and that they are one with Christ. The specific reference here is most likely to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon thousands of people. But it also applies to each individual believer who receives the Holy Spirit the moment they believe. Today we too are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit.

“One of the best ways to ease a troubled heart is to bathe it in the love of God. When you feel like an ‘orphan,’ let the Spirit of God reveal God’s love to you in a deeper way. Charles Spurgeon said, ‘Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul.’ Your heart can become a ‘heaven on earth’ as you commune with the Lord and worship Him.’”[fn]

John 14:21-24 NAS:
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.

Verse 21 is speaking of a close personal relationship between you and God. Two people cannot have a solid, trusting relationship if they do not agree. Jesus was in perfect relationship with His Father because He knew His Father was perfect. Now there are not too many children in this world who will admit their father is perfect.

But because Jesus knew that His Father was perfect He did what His Father commanded Him to do knowing that it was always the right thing to do and it would be for everyone’s benefit. That is the same kind of relationship that a believer should have with Jesus. If the believer lives in obedience he/she will feel the presence of Jesus and thus the presence of God as well.[fn] By the way, that is the kind of relationship that each parent and child should have. Parents should conduct themselves as Jesus conducted Himself and the child should obey the parents.

A believer’s love is made evident when the believer obeys the Word of God as specified in the Bible. You cannot claim to be a believer in God and/or Jesus if you do not intend to obey what they have written in their Holy Word.

As Judas listens to Jesus, it seems that he was having some difficulty understanding why Jesus would reveal Himself to them and not the rest of the world. Now this was not the Judas who betrayed Jesus. He had left by now and Christ was addressing the eleven disciples. The disciples still did not realize that crucifixion and resurrection were the next items on the agenda. After that the whole truth would be available for the entire world within God’s Holy Bible. Neither God nor Jesus are about to waste their time on anyone who makes it quite clear that they have no intention of obeying the Word of God.

So exactly what is the benefit for you if you obey the Word? Just look at the passage again.

John 14:23-24 ESV
23 Jesus answered 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 home with him.
24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

God will love you and demonstrate that love to you (verse 23). Our obedience shows that we love God. God in turn bestows His love on the obedient servant. Verse 24 tells us the opposite is true for those who do not love and obey the Lord. But when you obey, both God and Jesus will come to live within you and make their presence known to you so that you may turn to them whenever you need help. You can be assured that help will come. When you love Jesus and obey His commands, He makes you aware of His Father and the love they both have for you.

It is our desire that you not miss out on this great opportunity, so why not begin today to obey God’s commands and turn to the Holy Spirit whenever you need help? You will never regret it if you do.

John 14:25-31 NAS: 
25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 "Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
30 "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

Before getting to the passage itself we would like to tell you a true story.

“A retired couple was alarmed by the threat of nuclear war so they undertook a serious study of all the inhabited places on the globe. Their goal was to determine where in the world would be the place to be least likely affected by a nuclear war. A place of ultimate security. They studied and traveled, traveled and studied. Finally they found the place. And on Christmas they sent their pastor a card from their new home—in the Falkland Islands. However, their ‘paradise’ was soon turned into a war zone by Great Britain and Argentina. Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’”[fn]

There is only one place that anyone will find permanent peace, and that is in faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus wanted His disciples to understand this truth and so He explained to them just how they would be provided such peace. Jesus begins by reminding them of all that He has taught them while they were together here on earth and then begins to tell them about the wonderful gift that He is going to send them when He ascends to Heaven, John 14:25-26 NAS:

25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Chapters thirteen, fourteen, and part of fifteen through verse 17 tell us Jesus’ final words to His disciples the evening before His crucifixion. It is commonly called the “Last Supper Discourse.” What He tells them is critically important for them to understand because it involves specific instructions for how His followers are to conduct themselves during the Church Age. Of particular importance is what Jesus tells them about the Holy Spirit and the role He will have in their lives when Jesus has returned to Heaven.[fn]

John 15:26 identifies the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. He is in relationship to both the Father (God) and the Son (Jesus). The Bible tells of a number of things that the Spirit does for and in believers. He is the One who guides and advises us in our development to achieve Christ-likeness, 2 Corinthians 3:16–18 NLT:[fn]

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT:
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a believer provides the power we need to live a righteous life, as Paul elaborates in Romans 8:1–17 NLT:

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Galatians 5:5–6 NLT:
5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.
6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

The Holy Spirit is the Source of all our gifts and abilities to minister to others and enrich them spiritually (1 Corinthians 12). How important that we learn to live in harmony with the Spirit, thus letting Him produce in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, and true goodness.[fn]

“Television’s ‘60 Minutes’ told the story of a nurse who works with the dying. She counsels the terminally ill patient, helps him or her face death, and plans with the family how to make the patient’s last weeks or months most meaningful. Usually, as the end approaches, the patient wants to return home to spend the final days with family and friends.[fn]

“As we reach these chapters in John’s Gospel, we can sense a similar feeling. The mood changes. The sharp tone of conflict is muted. No Pharisee intrudes here. Instead we sense only tenderness and a strange sort of peace. Strange, because Jesus’ life is now measured not by months or weeks but by hours. Jesus chose to spend the last hours on earth with His own. To His own—and to you and me—Jesus explains how to practice the presence of, and to know intimate fellowship with, God.”[fn]

John 14:27 NAS:
27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

We would imagine the disciples were getting pretty stressed out by the events of Jesus’ final days on earth and they were undoubtedly in need of something that would bring them peace. The peace that Christ gives is not like the peace the world offers. The world’s peace is shallow, unsatisfying, and temporary; while Christ’s peace rests deep in the heart, is always satisfying, and will abide forever. The world offers peace through outward means; Christ gives peace that dwells in the heart. Christ, through His death, resurrection, and ascension, gives “peace with God” (Romans 5:1). Philippians 4:4–9 outlines how the believer may have the peace of God:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

The promise of peace (27) is in line with the opening verse of John. 14, but must here be considered as a farewell greeting which would acquire new meaning subsequent to the resurrection (John 20:19, 21, 26). There is a strong possessive aspect in this context—Jesus spoke of ‘the peace that is mine’ (27). It is a peace which has been put to the test. It is fundamentally different from the peace offered by the world. Paul echoes this concept when he refers to “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).[fn]

John 14:28 NAS:
28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

If the disciples had loved Jesus in the way He had taught them to love and the way He had shown them to love by washing their feet, they would have been glad for Jesus to be returning to His Father in Heaven. But their love was still in the selfish stage, which is the same love condition that many of us suffer with. They should have been happy for Jesus.

Verse 28 contains a mild slap on the wrist. If the disciples really loved Jesus they would be quite happy for Him that His ministry on earth was close to being completed. The words “because I go to my Father” should have made them understand that Jesus was returning to Heaven and if He was returning to Heaven, that must mean that His purpose for coming had been accomplished, and that salvation and eternal life would be available to them and everyone else. They should not just have been rejoicing over this news, they should have been doing back flips.  However, you will remember as we have mentioned a number of times the disciples were not the fastest minds in the West, and often could not understand that which should have been obvious. But in all fairness, we must remember that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them. How understanding would we be without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of God and Christ?

But why would Jesus immediately follow what He said in the first part of verse 28 with the statement that the Father was greater than He. Why did Jesus say “the Father is greater than I?” Well let us remember the exact conditions whereby Jesus came to earth, and this concept can be very difficult to understand. Jesus had to take on flesh and blood when He came to earth so that He would be like all other humans. Yet Jesus was still God. He was therefore fully God and fully man. He thus had to take on a role of submission to God in Heaven although Jesus was still God. Now we really do not mean to confuse you but this concept could be considered on an equal difficulty scale as understanding the Trinity. Let it suffice that to assume His role as God/Man Jesus had to allow Himself to come under the guidance of God the Father. When He returned to Heaven He again assumed His role as God with equal authority to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In John 10:30 Jesus said: “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus was about to go away and yet He would come to them again. In fact, He would come to them after His resurrection to give them proof that He was alive again and that He had overcome death. But He would also come to them in the form of the Holy Spirit.

“’My Father is greater than I’ in verse 28 refers to the days of Jesus’ earthly life. As Son of God, He is equal with the Father; as the Son of Man in a human body, He was obedient to the Father, who gave Christ His marching orders (John 14:10, 24).”[fn]

John 14:29 NAS:
29 "Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.

The promise of verse 29  was made so that by predicting the future and having that prediction come true, the apostles would know that only such a prediction and the fulfillment of that prediction could be made by God, thus confirming to them who Jesus was. “God predicts the future so when it comes about his people will finally acknowledge that he, unlike the gods of the nations, is true.”[fn] The apostles did not have to wait long for the prediction to come true because Jesus would be crucified the following day and then rise again three days later.

In fact if we look back to the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah listen to what God Himself says:

Isaiah 41:21-29 NLT:
21 “Present the case for your idols,”
says the Lord.
“Let them show what they can do,”
says the King of Israel.
22 “Let them try to tell us what happened long ago
so that we may consider the evidence.
Or let them tell us what the future holds,
so we can know what’s going to happen.
23 Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.
Then we will know you are gods.
In fact, do anything—good or bad!
Do something that will amaze and frighten us.
24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all.
Those who choose you pollute themselves.
25 “But I have stirred up a leader who will come from the north.
I have called him by name from the east.
I will give him victory over kings and princes.
He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
26 “Who told you from the beginning
that this would happen?
Who predicted this,
making you admit that he was right?
No one said a word!
27 I was the first to tell Zion,
‘Look! Help is on the way!’
I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.
28 Not one of your idols told you this.
Not one gave any answer when I asked.
29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
All your idols are as empty as the wind.[fn]

John 14:30 NAS:
30 "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

Jesus no longer saw Judas as a man but as Satan himself. Satan had taken complete control of him (13:27). Judas’ situation must be contrasted with Peter’s (Luke 22:31) when Peter denied Jesus, for while Satan had power over both, Peter had not embraced him. In God’s sight there is a difference, even though Satan was controlling them both, Judas willingly embraced temptation; Peter, though unwilling, simply gave in to it. God draws all the distinction in the world between these two positions, and what a comfort that should be to a believer. Judas no longer had any part in Christ, for he had betrayed Him (verse30).[fn]

The prince of the world is recognized as the director and producer in the coming Passion of Christ, Jesus trial, persecution, and crucifixion. Jesus was deeply conscious of the powerful forces lining up against him. Yet he knew Satan had no hold on him; he could not alter the plans of God. Part of the aim of the mission of Jesus was to teach the world of His love for the Father (verse 31)[fn] Jesus could have destroyed the plans of  the “prince of this world,”  but he did not because He wanted to show God’s love and His own obedience to the rest of the world.[fn]

John 14:31 NAS:
31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

It was difficult for the disciples to grasp that the relationship between love and keeping commandments could be accomplished through the cross. But God was pretty specific about the love He had for those who obeyed Him.

Exodus 20:4-6 ESV:
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:29 ESV:
29 Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

In Ezekiel 36:27, the gift of the Holy Spirit enables one to keep the commandments: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (ESV).”[fn] Anyone who obeys the commands of God and Jesus has the promise of tremendous blessing forever. If that does not motivate you, we do not know what will.

Christ demonstrated His love for the Father by being obedient to the Father’s command and dying on the cross. He was obedient even to death (Philippians 2:8), He is our grand example of obeying the Father’s commandments. Jesus’ obedience even to death is an example of supreme love (15:13), an example which is addressed to us. Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.” This is the principle which should underlie our lives as Christians; we need to recognize it and live it. Jesus clearly took pleasure in obeying the Father. If He, being God, regarded it as a privilege to serve God, how much more then should we?[fn]

The command to “arise” (verse 31) was apparently to begin preparing for departure. The table would need to be cleared and the room straightened up before leaving.[fn]

Before concluding, let us summarize the principles which we have noted in our study of this section:

a)   Fulfilled prophecy is grounds for belief.
b)   Love demands obedience (remember, love between man and God is not love between equals).
c)   A person yielded to Satan has no part in Jesus.
d)   Jesus took pleasure in obeying the Father.[fn]

 

Isaiah

John

Romans

1 Peter


© Ron Teed - Used by permission. All rights Reserved.