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John 14 Are You in Trouble?
John chapter 14 beginning verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me and my father's house are many rooms if it were not so. Would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself. That where I am you may be also and you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him Lord. We do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way? Jesus said to him I Am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also and from now on.
You do know me you do know him and have seen him. Philip said to him Lord show us the father and that is enough for us. Jesus said to him have I been with you so long and you still do not know me Philip.
Whoever has seen me has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? 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 authority, but the father who dwells in me does his works.
Believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly truly I say to you Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do?
Because I am going to the father. Whatever you ask in my name This I will do that. The father may be glorified in the Son if you ask me anything in my name. I will do it If you love me. You will keep my commandments and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever.
Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you yet a little while in the world will see me no more.
Yet you will see me because I live you also will live. In that day, you will know that I am in the father and you in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them He it is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
Judas not Iscariot said to him Lord. How is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? 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.
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 these things I've spoken to you while I am still with you. 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 have said to you. 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. You heard me say to you. I am going away and I will come to you if you love me. You would have rejoiced because I am going to the father for the father is greater than I and now I Have told you before it takes place.
So then when it does take place you may believe I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the father has commanded me so that the world may know.
That I love the father. Rise, let us go from here. May the Lord at his blessings the reading of his Holy Word. Well, are you in trouble? You in trouble Noah? Get to do anything for your mother for Mother's Day.
I might get you in trouble. No, he didn't forget he says. I guess she doesn't look troubled. Okay, things look good there. You're in trouble. Maybe some other way some difficulty some concern something distressing.
Maybe stress at work. Strife at home. Raymond doesn't look troubled at all. He might be troubled later. He keeps it up though. Maybe something agitating you. You got a debt troubling you a worry. A Dysfunctional relationship.
Are you hassled with some problem just hanging over you? Distraught by some heartache. And you can be in trouble emotionally in mourning or shock because of some horrific loss. Maybe people meaning well.
Thinking they're leaving alleviating the trouble. I'll ask you know, are you? Still in grief and you're vexed by the word still as. If something is wrong with you, you're the trouble if you haven't gotten over it yet.
It's been two months already. Yeah, how come you haven't? Gotten over that death of someone close to you. Don't be troubled by that. They meant well, I guess. You can be lonely and in trouble feeling desperate until you find the one.
You'll sometimes hear teenagers or young young adults, you know expressing their troubled emotions. Because they've had a breakup or can't find a lasting relationship and you know. They just lament. I must be ugly or I must be fat or something horrible must be wrong with me.
They moan because I'm single. That's the way our culture teaches our youth to think. Singleness is trouble. No, not necessarily. You can be in trouble financially. You put too much on the credit cards.
You can't pay all the debt at the end of the month and the interest rates keep piling up. Or maybe your business has too many bills to pay and not enough income. Your student loans are too high and what you studied for to get them.
Doesn't have many jobs out there to help pay them off. That's some trouble. You can be in trouble legally. Someone is suing you or maybe you got charged with something. You're accused of doing something illegal.
Heading to court. Get a lawyer. You need an advocate a counselor who knows the law in the court system. Don't try to save some money and do it yourself. You'll be in trouble. You know, they say a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.
Or you might have led a trouble-free life just totally blessed. You know, you're emotionally stable and healthy relationships just have dropped into your lap out of heaven. Everything has just been perfect.
You've stayed out of excessive debt. You can pay your bills you've managed to never have to come near a court. No one drags you there and you don't have to drag anyone else there. No trouble. But you will be in trouble one day even if you're healthy now.
You'll be in trouble physically. You'll get older and weaker. You hope maybe you just hope your dream is you'll just be healthy and vigorous until you've a ripe old age. Fall asleep and never wake up, but aging will bring some trouble.
Won't it? Mr. Perry? Yeah, he says so knees will creak. Muscles will weaken. You'll slow down. Even if you've never been in trouble yet, you will be as the witches of Macbeth chant. Double double toil and trouble fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Trouble had been building up in John here as we've been reading over the last few chapters. Remember Jesus was at Lazarus's tomb says he was troubled. Then next chapter Greeks came to him chapter 12 and he knew when the Greeks came to him that his hour had come.
Which means his death was coming soon and he confessed now is my soul Troubled then in the very next chapter at that the last supper with his 12 disciples. He knows that one of them will betray him. He announces that and it says that Jesus was Troubled and then this so three chapters in a row Jesus himself is troubled and yet as the second ticked by to that Troubling betrayal he tells his disciples and us.
Let not your hearts be troubled. Then here in this chapter, he gives us four reasons Not to be troubled. First there's the path. Second, there's the person third. There's the paraclete and fourth. There's the peace.
First the path. Are you in trouble? You're in trouble Raymond. Not yet getting close though. Maybe. Don't be though. You have a path out of trouble. Our worst trouble isn't being single or in debt or in court.
It's not even a deadly disease or the aging of our bodies. Our worst trouble is the anger of God at our sins. We are all sinners both by inheritance and by choice and God is a just judge and so will punish.
Every sin sin is an infinite crime against God's infinite holiness and so deserves an infinite punishment. Hell, that's the trouble that every one of us faces that's the worst trouble you could possibly conceive of and it makes all the other troubles seem just tiny by comparison like the difference between Owing a friend five dollars and owing a bank a million dollars.
You know, we're really in trouble. But Jesus can tell us to not let our hearts be troubled because he has taken care of that debt. He's settled the case against us. He's resolved our trouble. God has remained just while Jesus has justified us.
To him he's given us a path to the father and to himself to be to be right with God, so Believe him he says At the end of your troubles believe in God. Jesus says believe also in me. He says in his father's house are many rooms.
Father's a mansion. What he compares heaven to is a mansion as many rooms enough for everyone. It's a place for you. There the disciples are troubled by Jesus all this talk of Jesus. He's been saying about his soon going away if they're not being able to find him.
But Jesus is saying he is going away to prepare a place For them a room for them now, he doesn't mean It's one of the silliest interpretations in the history of interpretation that you know, Jesus is the carpenter.
So he's going up there and he's working on our mansions up there. You know in heaven to build them which means we're lucky because he's been he's working working on ours 2 ,000 years whereas like those people that died really early like Stephen he they only got a shack because he only had a little bit of Time to work to prepare theirs.
You know, so ours is gonna be really big and luxurious all this time. He's been working on it. No what he means. Okay, I go to prepare a place means his going is to prepare a place for us. By his going how did he go by his going his death on a cross his resurrection his ascension?
He makes a path. So that we can be right with God. He deals with our greatest trouble so that we can go to That mansion it belongs to the father. He did that by going. If he didn't go away. You know if he had taken up these offers that he had Once at Galilee and once is he coming to Jerusalem?
Basically, you'd be the king over an empire Headquartered in Jerusalem if he had seized the power of this world, he could have done it easily. You know, this is why he didn't do it. He could have done if he had taken that Power now, he certainly could have built a great kingdom on earth.
Right, he would have he would have be the head of an empire that would have destroyed Rome and overshadowed it in glory. But guess what? We'd still be in trouble. He had to go away Through the cross to take away our trouble.
So he could tell us here. Don't let your hearts be troubled. He says don't be troubled because he will come again and he will bring us to that place that he has prepared a Path for us to get to through his death and resurrection that trouble-free place.
He's reconciled us with the father. So we can be with him in eternity if I go away Jesus says and prepare a place for you. If he goes to the cross for you. Then you can be free of your troubles. And then he says in verse 4 You know the way to where I am going, you know the way.
You know, and I guess they're thinking Literally must be a way I must be doing this or that. I think he's going to some place. He's going to the Himalayas maybe Mount Everest and you know. No. We don't know the way and so Thomas speaks up now in this chapter really continuing from chapter in chapter 13.
Where the disciples speak up first. Peter had spoken up but in this chapter three disciples speak up at various times first. There's Thomas here the famous doubting Thomas. Okay, we see something about him because there's a building in the Gospel of John toward what's the conclusion when Thomas himself? exclaims it at the resurrection when he sees him.
And this is sowing something about his character. Thomas says we don't know. What's the way what are you talking about? We don't know where you're going you don't know the path to get there. Now Thomas like Peter at the end of chapter 13 thinks he's talking about some place place on earth.
But we know of course he's speaking of that Father's mansion. Maybe we call it heaven the place for those who are right with God for those who have had the offense of their sins. Taken care of and now they can be in a good relationship with the father.
That's the place and That he's prepares by his going now. What is the path to get there? How do you get there? By being baptized. Go in church staying moral. You know learning the right Theology even it's just bare-bones.
What is it if he had committed a if we had committed a prison deserving crime. We want a good lawyer. To get us to get us a way out. Maybe Daniel in a few years to be our attorney. What's what's the way to dealing with this problem?
Our problem now is our hell deserving sins. What's a way of dealing with that? Well, Jesus answers that question in verse 6, which is the 6 in the gospel of John the 6 of the 7 I am statements here. I am the way.
What's the way Jesus? Thomas asked I Am the way. That's why he said you you you know the way. Because you know me here I am right here in front of you and Thomas didn't get it the disciples didn't get it.
I am the way Jesus says and the truth and the life the way out of. I'm the way of judgment out of Lies and darkness out of death the power out of that horrendous trouble. That has been hanging over all of us the way the path.
Is Jesus himself? It's not a set of steps we have to take. You know get your life in order get the right religion. Do this baptism thing, whatever rules of religion. We have to keep. Jesus is the way to the father because his death has made access to the father possible for us sinners.
He's the way out of trouble. He is the only path. Out of our worst trouble notice that he doesn't say I'm a way, you know. And if you prefer that Buddha thing, there's also that way. If no, he doesn't say that he says He's not a way a truth at one way of life.
He's the only way he says. No one comes to the father, but by me, you know for all time. Jesus is the exclusive way to God. There's no other way. He is the truth of God. He's the very Word of God in the flesh.
He is the life of God. He gave himself that we could have life from him. Abundant life now. Thomas's question shows that he that really for all the disciples. They haven't yet really known who Jesus is.
And so Jesus says in verse 7 if you had known me Implied that they hadn't really known him yet. You would have known my father also. They've heard him for years now, you know closely intimately. But they still don't know him.
Maybe they thought he was all about an earthly kingdom. Maybe that's what they he's gonna be the champion of a new dynasty. They were gonna ride his wave to power and to glory in this world. But Jesus says from now on from now on.
Do this crucifixion resurrection, but when the Son of Man is lifted up, then you will know him the father and You will have seen him. Jesus is going away is the path for his Apostles and us to know and See the father.
Well, are you in trouble? You need to know who the person is. The secret always is they say, you know, what it's not what you know, it's who you know. Do you know the person here? We see that the path is a person.
It's not a principle. It's not a theology. It's not a morality a religion a set of rituals then the next Apostle to speak up as Philip. Philip Pleads in verse 8 Lord. Show us the father. Now do that for us show us manifest show us the father that'll be enough for us.
That's all we need. What's the way to knowing the father Philip wants to know? But did he hear it? And we see from chapter 13 where Peter asked, you know, why can't I go where you're going Jesus to hear Thomas asking his question?
You know, what's the way we don't know the way now Philip show us the father. Yes. I don't seem to understand. They don't know what's going on. They strike us a little dense don't they it's almost like they're speaking two languages here.
But but people are like that. It often takes time to get through to people especially when you're trying to break through their preconceived ideas. There's a lot of people that Today salvation is by grace and they've heard it over and over they know amazing grace.
Maybe one of their favorite hymns, but you ask him how they're safe because I keep the Ten Commandments. I go to church and I've I've responded to an invitation. No, they still don't get it. You may hear.
Maybe they thought the Messiah was gonna bring in an empire on earth. That's what the idea. They were raised with from when they were children. That's what they signed up for when they went following Jesus.
The way to the father is through laws in force and conquest. So what's all this talk about Jesus? He's saying that I am the way if you had known me you would have known my father. You know, you don't get it and Philip asked still not getting it show us the father.
So Jesus responds in verse 9 have I been with you so long and you still don't know me Philip. Show us the father. I Don't think. I don't think Jesus is frustrated or exasperated or discouraged, but it is troubling.
To teach people for years and they show and then put them to the test. So they show they haven't heard anything if it's like Gone off their back like water off a duck's back. Jesus had just said if you had known me you would have known my father.
You just said it and then Philip asked Lord show us the father. Did you hear what he just said? Whoever has seen me has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? In other words if you haven't seen.
Haven't seen the father. Jesus is saying if you haven't seen the father in me. It's because your eyes aren't opened you aren't seeing. You're seeing Jesus for who he really is. You aren't really believing.
Do you not believe Jesus asked at verse 10 that I am in the father and the father is in me. Don't you believe it Philip and the way Jesus asked it is like it's something you're supposed to know already.
It's supposed to be basic, isn't it? And Philip was probably gonna nodding his head. Yeah. Yeah, I guess I believe that. Yeah, he knows it's something he's supposed to believe but it hasn't really dawned on him.
What it what it means and like we say often today the same thing. We were supposed to seek first the kingdom of God the rule of God in our lives. Not the stuff of the world the money the clothes the cars the houses or whatever and we all know that.
Right, you've all heard that heard it over and over again, but then we get in trouble. We've heard it but then we get in trouble living for the money in the clothes of the cars and the houses and stuff and When it happens we get in trouble because we live that way we wonder what we're wrong.
Okay, we skip church. Let's get Bible study. Let's get prayer. We saw Jesus is less to be valued than what we what we could get by chasing dollars or relationships. And then I you know kids show even less interest in Jesus there they get in trouble and we wonder why we're wrong.
We knew sort of. We really didn't get it. Here Philip probably knew that the father was in Jesus is something he should understand but still he didn't get it. Show us the father. He asked right after Jesus had said you seen me you seen the father.
But he but he didn't know the way. To the father was it Jesus but seeing him? How do you see? The father I Early earned the gospel of John Jesus said got a spirit. You can't see him. It's not visible.
Well, how do you see the father you see him in Jesus pray? Open the eyes of my heart to look beyond the deceitfulness of riches and beyond the things of this world that they would grow strangely dim then especially hear the word of God in The middle of verse 10 the words that I say to you.
I do not speak on my own authority. But the father who dwells in me. Does his works. Through his words and you see the you see the father. In the words of Jesus listen to him then in verse 11 Believe him that he is in the father and that the father is in him.
They are inseparable. They're united in purpose. You believe not a principle or a doctrine or a religion or in baptism or but in a person in Jesus himself in him. You find the father so believe believe what he said.
Believe what he did. If you believe him Jesus says in verse 12 You will also do the works that I do. Now here comes to an interesting passage controversial. Often misunderstood misused but Jesus saying that the same works Jesus did Jesus did and the father in him did.
The father and son and the father did those same works you will do. In other words, if you have faith, you will work with the father and the son to do their works. Same as they did right here and John, you know, that's astounding, isn't it?
Doesn't mean that the things that Jesus did weren't just for that day now that he's that now he's. It's not as though now they're done. Well in the past and we can't expect anything like that to happen anymore.
In fact He says here doesn't he say not only will we do his works go on to say it will do greater works greater miracles. Then Jesus did if we do them and notice we do them he says because I go to the father what Jesus doesn't going to the father.
Creates the way for us to do greater works than Jesus did. Now, how's that possible? You get some quote that verse and it's that when they claim that they're the ones doing it. Really? Jesus fed 5 ,000 with just a few fish and loaves of bread.
He healed paralytics and men born blind he raised a man who had been dead for four days. You know decay had already set in he raised him up. Now I don't see any of those works now. I know there are men out there claim They healing and it's usually ended up something like One leg that was a half of an inch shorter than the other gets now straightened out.
Okay. I'm sorry I'm not true. I'm not that impressed by what a good chiropractor could do. I Don't see any of those works now. Any of the men who claim the gift of healing today could solve the debate whether miracles still happen if they would just do one Miracle like that, you know go to a football stadium and feed the whole stadium with just a few nachos.
One can of coke and see if that you can do it if they you know, not to mention just greater words. Let's see it and then we'll leave but how can be we be promised greater works? And that promise that you notice that promise that is not just for a special few just like there's a few gifted miracle workers with you know, quaffed hair and strange mannerisms.
We're on TV and they'll do greater works, but he's Jesus says in verse 12 whoever believes in me Will do the greater works all believers true believers. They will do the greater works. How is that promise possible?
Well think about What Jesus did. What are the works he did? Especially in the Gospel of John. Okay, we're in John. What did they call what they called signs signs to point to things? Sure. What are the signs do what were those pointing to.
What were the signs for what was their purpose? Phrases used over and over in the Gospel of John. It's even in this chapter That you may believe. That was the purpose of the signs. To what Jesus did was was works whose purpose was to create faith in people right, that was the goal to bring faith in people's hearts and Faith is a decision based on evidence.
It's a commitment of the hearts to make people committed to Jesus. Now the leaders here had you know had they already knew the evidence about Jesus, but they didn't have faith they committed to kill him.
Now some people did in his day had faith they saw the miracle says when they saw Lazarus raised they believed in Jesus. But if for most of them, it's a kind of a temporary Amazement they were dazzled by what they saw.
Because how many of them had a real living faith that would that would drive them to cling to Christ? Even to the cross. Maybe one John himself who's writing this. The purpose of the works of Jesus the Son and the Father is to create faith.
But it will take the Holy Spirit to do that. Right, you can do the miracles but without the Holy Spirit. There'll be no faith. People are just so depraved you can raise somebody from the dead and they will still conspire to kill you.
For that that's the way human nature is. But when the Holy Spirit comes then suddenly We the church we can do greater work. We can do the thing that these miracles were always intended to do. Which is make people believe.
They they what the miracles were intended to do which create faith but people's hearts. When they weren't changed by the Holy Spirit yet, they did not produce faith. They produced conspiracies to kill him.
But with the Holy Spirit we can do the greater work. We can do the thing the miracles were always intended to do. By creating faith in people's hearts. In other words, we share the gospel and people believe.
That's life from spiritual death. Which is more of a miracle than calling out a four-day-old corpse from a tomb. That's the greater work and we can do that greater work because Jesus has gone to the father.
First by doing that he created a path so that people can be right with God. He resolved that worst trouble we had of God's anger against us. And also when he goes to the father He sends the Holy Spirit.
Who makes people new gives them a new heart so they believe so and then he goes on to say Jesus says now whatever we asked for in the name of Jesus. Was it in the name that doesn't mean like you tag it on the end or whatever you want.
You asked for whatever you want and you just tagged the name in the name of Jesus and you magic word. You get what you want. No, he means for his sake for his glory. That's the purpose of your prayer in the name of Jesus ask for anything and.
And you notice he says that so that the father may be glorified in the Sun that's your purpose. That's what's driving your prayer. The father may be glorified in the Sun and you know, we're not just asking for our own convenience for the money we want.
The relationship we want so that we'll get out of trouble. Get me out of this trouble Lord in the name of Jesus that just makes it all go away. If we do it just for that we might not get what we want, but If it's so that the father and the son would be glorified.
Truly then in the name of Jesus, then he will give it. So we ask him anything in his name. For his will to be done for him to be better thought of Sam be glorified and he'll do it. He promises. That's good to know if you're in trouble, isn't it?
Well, are you in trouble? You need a comforter don't you a counselor an advocate? The paraclete now paraclete is a Greek word here translated in the ESV as helper. He says in Jesus says in verse 17 He calls the paraclete the helper the spirit of truth.
He's the Holy Spirit and he Jesus says he's going away through the cross and when he does He will send in his place the Holy Spirit to be with his people. His people he says love him in verse 15. And if you love me.
Notice, it begins with love. There if you love first love if you love me, it doesn't begin with do. It's not. You're gonna keep my commandments. Then you'll find that they're good. And then yeah, maybe you'll love you'll love me for them after you've kept him.
It's not get baptized go to church read your Bible make yourself do even if you don't really want to. You know like a food that really tastes bad at first, but you'll get you'll get a taste for it. No, it begins with love love Jesus he says.
Find him to be the greatest treasure the most valuable thing in your life. So you don't have to be badgered into reading his word or attending sermon or Sunday school because you want to get to know him.
You you don't have to be scolded into giving or serving. Because you love him and you want to spread that love to others. If you love him though. You know people in our culture say they love to talk about love love to claim they are loving but it you know.
It doesn't have often have any impact on their life. If you love him, you know, though. Jesus says you will keep his commandments. He'll do what he says and that strikes people today is wrong, doesn't it?
That seems odd. I mean, this is the putting those words those ideas together. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Whoa. It's in our day. That's just clashes seems like. You don't mix love and commands were told.
Does that really work in our relationships our other relationships? We think that works with God. So it didn't really work on our other relationships done it. You don't think they have your spouse. Do you I love him or her so He or she can Have an affair.
I don't care abuse me. I don't care. It doesn't matter love. Let's him do whatever they want to do. We don't know one thinks that way about their relations other relationships. Now but still even among Christians were told it's not about rule.
This is what a slogan modern Christians just love. It's not about rules, but a relationship as though you can't have both now sure. It begins with a relationship with love that Jesus said, but he's the Lord of this relationship.
Don't forget that don't forget who you're in relationship with. Okay, he's not you're just best bud. You're just hanging out playing video games and watching TV. You know He's the Lord and he gives us some rules if we love him.
We live by them. He says oh. But we're not under law but under grace people say today. Meaning they often you're implying by that and we really don't have to do anything. You know the grace means he loves us and we love him back.
But we we don't really have to do anything. He says if we don't want to doesn't matter how we live just as long as we say we believe they say. No, Jesus says if we love him we want to keep his Commandments his command his orders.
We do what he says. We may not do it perfectly. We may fail from time to time, but we want to do them if we love him. If we have no desire to do what he says. The problem is our lack of love. But he then Jesus says he was gonna ask the father to give us another helper.
Another the word another there means another like him. Like having Jesus personally with us Today except he is with us this hell other helper with us forever. And he's in a spiritually helping us to live as Jesus commands so that now we have help.
To live God's way not just kind of advice on how to do it. We have actually helped power to live God's way. We are what Paul calls in Romans chapter 8 walking in the spirit. Now the world he says literally cannot.
The word there's cannot it does not have the power of the ability to receive the spirit. So it can't live according to Jesus commands now. It may try to it may say they esteem Jesus's ideals his values, but it will fail.
It can't receive the spirit Jesus has because He's explaining it. This is the reason why the world can't it doesn't see him doesn't see the spirit. It thinks people believe because of whatever reason because of their free will or because they were born into a Christian family.
They just inherited that's the reason why for social or psychological reasons. It always that's the reason why it can't see that there's our spiritual reasons spiritual causes that the Holy Spirit. Inspiring faith doesn't know there's a Holy Spirit.
But Jesus says you you disciples us we believers we know him. We know the Spirit at the end of verse 17 and notice this at the end of verse 17. We know him what he's talking to his disciples at this time.
He says, you know the Spirit for because this is the reason the disciples know with the Holy Spirit. He dwells. He's living now present tense at this time. With you or among you in your midst like he's like it would be seated here in this congregation, but in the future he dwells now with you you disciples and He will be future tense.
This is what is going to happen soon. Soon after Jesus goes away He will be the Holy Spirit will be in you. He'll be dwelling in your heart. We can do the works of the Father and the Son because we have the Holy Spirit.
So with the Holy Spirit, we're not left alone. Jesus says I will not leave you as orphans. Jesus promises in verse 18. In other words, we're not just this is not just a All about remembering someone that's dead and gone.
We try to value his advice. We're just like a fan club of some deceased religious leader. No, he hasn't left us. He will come to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Who is the one who creates faith in us?
Creates that love in us so that we love Jesus and we want to keep his commands and he says in a little while. Which is here just a few hours. This is still the Sun has set. It's dark. This is this is the day Jesus was crucified to verse 18.
The world will see Jesus no more. Now the disciples saw him literally some a few times after the resurrection he appeared to them. But he the main point is he sent the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit for us so that we could live like him.
We can have him with us. We can hear his voice in his word. What's called the illumination of the scripture? So the Holy Spirit makes it alive. So it's not just words on a page like you're reading something from Shakespeare something.
It's from it becomes something the voice of Jesus himself to us or transformed by that. We see him at work in our lives because he lives in verse 19. We also have Resurrection life we have the spirit and we live new lives.
Because of that and he says in that day in verse 20, that's our day. That's now for us. When Jesus has made a path we believe in the person we have the Paraclete in this day. We know that Jesus is in the father.
He's united with him. You know, he's seated with him. He's there that that we know God by knowing Jesus and by the Holy Spirit in us. We have Christ in us. He's the one who makes it possible For us to love Jesus and keep his commands.
Now a lot of people today, especially in this culture may claim they love Jesus. Take a few snatches of his words here and there say I love that and say that's Jesus. I saw someone online just this past week arguing that Jesus celebrates homosexual behavior.
And then if you really love Jesus, you will not repeat those Command condemnations of homosexual acts in the Bible. You'll just love all that. But we know that people who really love Jesus we know people who really love Jesus by whether they keep Jesus's commands and those include by the way, the commands of the Apostles who speak for him.
Right, there's no real separation there. He sent the Apostles to speak on his behalf. I saw that in the last chapter remember. If we don't keep Jesus commands the first problem isn't though our lack of obedience.
It's not it's not as though we need to tell them you need to just obey. It's our lack of love. If we love him will be loved by the Father and he promises in verse 21 that he'll love us and He'll manifest or demonstrate.
He'll show himself to us. Well now another disciple speaks up. Remember, there's three disciples in this chapter. Judas not Iscariot. He's gone off. There's not there's another one called Judas Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?
Now get into the assumptions of this question now what he's thinking is he's what he's. He's confused. He's thinking Jesus your man. We can see you. Everyone can see you. So anything that you demonstrate to us demonstrate means to show to make it obvious to make it plain out of the open.
Anything you do like that other people will see to the people out there in the world you do it for us. You do it for them. That's what he's assuming. So how is it possible then to manifest yourself to us and not to the world.
He still doesn't get how Jesus will manifest or show himself to us it's through the Spirit. You know someone that's had For yourself or maybe you've known people. Maybe your own experience. Jesus has demonstrated himself to you and it seems so obvious.
It's so so so played. He's the way the truth and the life. He's the Lord. He's the Savior. He's the greatest treasure and you can't understand why other people can't see it. It's so obvious. Because he's demonstrated himself to you but not Not to the world and that still goes on today all the time.
So Jesus repeats in verse 23 if anyone loves me he will notice it definitely he will keep my word. I don't mean perfectly sure, but he's gonna he's gonna try even more and more now those who are living in disobedience to Jesus.
You know, they think they could just flout his word and claim their their believers. Well, they're in trouble. They're in deep trouble. They may think they're just carnal Christians. Whatever the excuse they make for their life who have they think they've taken advantage of Jesus's fire insurance and gotten out of hell.
But they're gonna opted out of the lordship part. Let's leave that alone. They can do that and Jesus says here. No, your problem is you don't really love me at all. Notice in verse 24 if you don't keep his word, it's because you don't love him.
Their solution then isn't just to be told you need to buckle down and get to work start obeying. No, you need a new heart. You need a heart that really loves Jesus. It wants to hear him. It wants to obey him.
We understand if you fail from time to that we all do but if you don't even want to you're just living in complete Contradiction to him you won't take you won't repent when yet's pointed out. Your problem is a lack of love.
And if you do that notice in verse 23, but if you do hear him and you do obey him verse 23 Jesus says we the father and the son will come to him or her to you and we'll make our home. Notice that our home.
It's the same word. We saw back in verse 2. Very unusual word only occurs twice in the entire Bible in this both times in this chapter. We'll make our home our room there. It's in verse 2 is it was it was that room?
We have in the father's house in his father's mansion here verse 23. We the father and the son the person who loves him keeps his commands. We will come and make our room with him. We the father and son will dwell with him the believer the lover of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Who will be in you? So Jesus shows that he's speaking he's been speaking about the Holy Spirit this whole time in verses 25 and 26. He says these things I have spoken. Otherwise all this I've said about loving and keeping my commands and me and the father with you is.
Because the helper a gland there's that Unusual Greek word the paraclete the comforter the advocate he and he makes it clear. He was talking about here the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name.
He will be in you and he'll he'll be making his home in you. He will make it possible for me and the father to be in you. He's the one who will live in you and through him you'll know who the father and the son and he says he will teach you all things.
He is our teacher. Human teaching even a very entertaining or interesting or impressive is ineffective it really revealing Jesus without him. And Human teaching if sometimes it's not so entertaining can be effective if the Holy Spirit will attend to it and open people's eyes.
He brings to our minds. Anything that Jesus taught? The Word of God he equips us to remember Jesus when we're tempted. When we're in trouble, well, are you in trouble? Maybe you are financially or personally legally physically.
But you don't have to be. Spiritually, he's shown you the path. It's not religion or morality. It's a person Jesus himself. But you know, he's gone away. You might think how does he help him how is he a path for me?
How does he help me now? He's had but he says he hasn't left us as orphans. He's left us the paraclete another helper. There's a lot like Jesus himself. Except he can live in our hearts in us forever.
So that that fact finally gives us the last point peace. That's why we can obey that command at the beginning remember don't let your hearts be troubled. He's sending the Spirit and he's leaving us peace and it's a special kind of peace.
He calls it my peace. Isn't in verse 27 my peace. It's not like the world's peace. The world at this time had the Pax Romana. They call it in Latin. That means the Roman peace in absence of war no conflicts.
No wars within the Empire at least because the Roman legions would crush any rebellion. We're not gonna have any wars because we're gonna destroy you if you start one, okay, that brings a kind of peace I guess.
Today people want an absence of conflict. Even sometimes though if you'd allow tyrants to rule. They'll at least there's no conflict or even in the church false doctrine will be allowed to flourish. As long as there's no conflict about it, you know, people won't argue about it.
Even if it's way off they think that is peace. But Jesus gives us a real peace first because he's taking care of our worst conflict. Which is the anger of God against us for our sins. He's given us the path that To peace and then he sent the Holy Spirit to change our hearts so that through him.
The God we used to be at war against we used to have a conflict against. We were rebelling against his word. Now we love him. We want to keep his word. Now we're at peace with the one we used to hate.
Well, are you in trouble? You don't have to be Here. Jesus assures troubled disciples that if only they knew what his going away would mean for them. Remember, they're troubled. By this talk of him going away.
And he says if you if you only knew what it meant You would rejoice. It seems odd doesn't rejoice in Jesus leaving them. But his going away provides them peace with God and he sends another. Who's like him?
What are you in trouble? Don't be because The one like Jesus the Holy Spirit lives in us empowering us to keep his teaching that we've heard. We have these words so that we would believe believe that we're not left alone.
Like orphans. We're not. We have these words. So with that when the ruler of this world comes against us and sure he has some something on us He would if not for Jesus it Jesus said he has nothing on me.
There's no claim on me. He could have a claim on us if we weren't covered by the blood of Jesus. He's we have these words that when he comes against us tempting us pressuring us squeezing us troubling us.
That we too Would do as the father has commanded us that. That we would be untroubled. That we would be at peace. We have these words so that we won't think that just because Jesus is it with us physically?
That we're left alone left to thin for ourselves. That were somehow this is all about just remembering an historical figure. Remembering his words remembering what he was like, like like I like George Washington.
It's a fan club for Jesus who's gone past. No, that's not it. We have a person a living person. To comfort us and to encourage us to help us. We have Jesus to believe in and to love. We have the Holy Spirit who is like him and through whom we know and Love Jesus and the father.
We have peace. So that when we're in trouble. When the ruler of this world targets us. We have more than just knowledge. You know, we have more than just a past role model to follow. We have the father making rooms for us in his house.
We have the son the path to the father to the truth and to the life and we have the Holy Spirit Making his room his dwelling in us. So are you in trouble? You don't have to be.