Gospel
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BY COMMENTING
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
Jesus is the perfect embodiment of love, He demonstrated it when He sacrificed Himself on the cross. Before that He also expressed that love to the disciples and all believers with His infallible promises of peace, hope and the coming of an advocate and comforter the Holy Spirit.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—” (John 14:16). In this verse, we discover other promises made by Jesus. First, Christ is a mediator for us, He will intercede with the Father on our behalf. This in itself is a promise. Secondly, the Father will provide believers with another advocate, or comforter, who will help us. How will the comforter help us? The advocate will abide in us. The advocate will take of the things of Christ and show them to believers. By showing us all the wonderful promises of our Lord, the advocate will show us the love of the Father and the Son for mankind. We are then inspired to carry on in Christ’s works. And, we are promised that the advocate would remain with us forever! What a wonderful assurance it is to know that we as believers will always have the Holy Spirit living within us! Notice that this verse speaks to the trinity of God.
As we read further in verse 17, it says: “The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth as He reveals all that Jesus had proclaimed. The Spirit teaches us that these are more than just words on paper—they are truths that must be taught and lived out in the lives of believers. Letting us know that we have received the Spirit of Truth is the initial promise of this verse. Next, we see that only believers will receive the Spirit. The world (all unbelievers) cannot accept the Spirit as their lives are self-centered, focusing on earthly treasures rather than heavenly treasures. They are blind to the truth and, therefore, cannot see or accept the Spirit of Truth. Believers who love the Lord and follow in His works receive the Holy Spirit. The Lord has an open invitation for all to turn to Him and be saved. Each of us is given the opportunity to seek the Lord. If we knock at the door, it will be opened unto us.
Verse 18 tells us: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). These men had spent three years living with the Lord. They had received His doctrine and believed in it. They had seen His miraculous works done so that the Father should be glorified. He wanted these men and all Christians to know that we would not be left alone like orphans. The Lord and the Father love us too much to leave us as such. Secondly, Jesus promises that He will come to us. He came to the disciples after His resurrection to show them that He had risen from the dead. Jesus also comes to all believers. He invites all in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The Holy Spirit will be given to those who believe in Christ and who obey and follow His steps.
Carrying on to verse 19, we are told “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). In this scripture, we see that it is almost time for Jesus to suffer for all mankind. The world would no longer see Him. The world did not recognize Jesus because it did not know Him. Jesus promised the disciples that they would see Him. Jesus kept His promise. He revealed Himself to the disciples after His resurrection. Jesus also reveals Himself to all believers, to those who believe in Him through the teachings of His disciples and those who have carried His Word throughout the ages. Jesus reveals Himself by providing the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. Lastly, in this verse, Jesus tells us that because He lives we will live. Jesus was raised from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father. We who believe in Him have eternal life, true life full of meaning that the world cannot provide. When our human bodies perish, and we go to heaven, we will live in eternal bliss, inheriting the kingdom of heaven!
Next, in verse 20, Jesus tells us: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20). Jesus is letting the disciples know that on the day the Father sends the Holy Spirit to them, they will see the oneness of the Father and the Son, who both will abide in the believer. Today, when someone accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, both the Father and the Son accompanied by the Holy Spirit will make their abode within the heart and soul of the believer. There is unity, the oneness of the Trinity and the believer!
Continuing to verse 21, Jesus says “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them" (John 14:21). The evidence of our love for Christ is the keeping of His commands. We do as we are instructed by Him through the indwelling Spirit of Truth. Through the love we show in doing His will, we are blessed with the love of the heavenly Father. Christ comes to the believer daily through the Spirit, and He gives us His grace. Christ shows Himself to the believer, and He too loves us just like the Father. We have received the love of the Trinity.
Verse 23 says: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). The promises in the verse are quite similar to those in verse 21. However, in this instance, although Jesus refers to obeying His teaching, which would entail beyond His commands, He also herein states that the Father and the Son will make their home within the believer, which is different from showing Himself to the believer. The Father and the Son will make their dwelling within the heart and soul of the believer.
In verse 24, we are told: “Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:24). The promise which we have in this verse is that these words belong to the Father. The Son is letting us know what the Father wants us to hear and realize. The Father had a wonderful plan for letting us learn His desires. The Son is the mediator of mankind to the Father. The unbeliever has chosen to cut off communication with God as Jesus is the mediator to the Father.
Jumping to verse 26, we see: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). The Father will send the Holy Spirit as a representative of Christ to all believers. He, like Christ, is a teacher. What the Holy Spirit is able to teach the believer is limitless. The Spirit will remind believers of all the Lord has said to them. We will not be allowed to forget any teaching of our Lord. We can then let others know all the doctrines which we have learned from our Lord.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). As we near the end of this chapter, Christ provides another promise, the promise of peace. But it is not just peace He promises, it is His peace. His peace comes from the doctrines which He gave. It is a true peace of the mind and soul. It is a peace with God, with the Father, and with the Son. This peace is truly a free gift from Jesus to believers. We cannot do anything to earn it. It is given freely and lovingly by our Lord. The best the world could do in providing peace would be to provide an external peace, a peace which carries no assurance as to the length of time for its existence. The peace which Christ provides is everlasting and unchanged. Christ’s peace is a peace that the world cannot understand. His peace is a true blessing to all believers!
In the final verse of chapter 14 Jesus says: “But he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). The beginning of this verse is a carryover from the preceding verse. The prince of this world and all within will see in Jesus the self-sacrifice in order that the will of the Father be accomplished. Jesus assures us that He is carrying out the will of the Father. Jesus loved the Father and was totally submissive to the Father’s will. We who follow Jesus and abide by His doctrine do what pleases the Father.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 621 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Roland Crim or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 621 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.
Wing His Words