John 14:12-24
Notes
Transcript
Recap:
Recap:
vv 12-14) His work continues
vv 12-14) His work continues
[12] Jesus starts verse 12 out with reassuring the apostles, because they were fearful. They did not understand why they couldn’t follow after Jesus, and did that mean that they were fired. Jesus is telling them they are not getting fired but promoted to greater things.
Jesus encourages them to trust in, rely on, and cling to Him in faith, because of who He is, the words He spoke, and the miracles He has done.
Why would this reassure the apostles?
Jesus expected those who believe in Him to carry on His work in the world. Jesus isn’t breaking up the band, but was going to carry on the work through them in an even greater way.
What do you think Jesus means by saying , “greater works than these will he do?”
In Acts, we read of the apostles performing miracles of healing, similar to Jesus. But we also read of greater miracles- such as the conversion of three thousand on the day of Pentecost. While Jesus was here on earth there was incredible miracles being preformed, but after His ascension there greater works. It is greater to save souls than to heal bodies.
When the Lord returned to heaven He was glorified and the Holy Spirit was sent to earth. It was through the Spirit’s power that the apostles preformed these greater miracles. I don’t think we are talking about more sensational, but greater in magnitude.
The literal rendering of the word translated, greater works is “greater things.”
A false doctrine to avoid while reading this passage is the one that teaches we must do the same miracles that Jesus did and do them even greater then Jesus.
We are able to do greater things because Jesus is going to the Father. Jesus explains that He would soon be with the Father in heaven, and that He would send the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 14:26, 15:7-9, 15:13, 15:26) All of the works that would be accomplished would be because of the Holy Spirit’s work through the believer’s life.
[13] Another comforting thought for us and especially for the apostles would be the fact that even though the Lord would not be physically with them, they could pray to the Father in His Name and receive their requests.
This isn’t a magic incantation of prayer. To ask in Jesus Name is not simply to insert His Name at the end of the prayer. It is to ask in accordance with His mind and will.
It is to ask for those things which will glorify God, bless mankind, and be for our own spiritual good.
In order to ask in Christ’s name, we must live in close fellowship with Him. The closer we are to Him, the more our desires will be the same as His.
How do we grow in fellowship with Jesus?
[14] The promise is repeated for emphasis and as a strong encouragement to God’s people. Living in the center of His will, walk in fellowship with the Lord, ask for anything that the Lord would desire and your prayers will be answered.
vv 15-17) The Holy Spirit
vv 15-17) The Holy Spirit
[15] Jesus had just demonstrated an incredible act of love by washing the disciples feet. He told them what their loving response should be… to keep His commandments.
He commanded them to wash one another’s feet, after the example He displayed.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
He commanded them to love one another after the patter of His love to them.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
He commanded them to put their faith in God the Father and in Jesus Himself.
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
It is so easy for Jesus to stripe away the insincerity of our so called “love” for God.
Because if we love Jesus we would obey Him. How often do we hear from people that say something along the lines of, “So and so, isn’t walking with the Lord… but they really love God.” No they don’t.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
21 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.”
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.
We need to examine ourselves. Do we really love God? Are you obeying His commandments? asking ourselves, “how much do I really love the Lord?” Since our love is measured by our obedience.
“There are children and young people who say that they love their parents, and who yet cause them grief and anxiety. There are husbands who say they love their wives and wives who say they love their husbands, and who yet, but their inconsiderateness and their irritability and their thoughtless unkindness bring pain the one to the other. To Jesus real love is not an easy thing. It is shown only in true obedience.” -William Barclay
Family, for the believer, disobedience is not only a failure of performance or a failure of strength. In some sense, it is also a failure of love. Those who love God most, obey Him joyfully and naturally.
[16] The word “ask” here is not used to describe an inferior asking a superior, but of one making request of his equal. The Lord would ask the Father to send the Helper.
Helper- paraclete, means one called to the side of another to help. A Helper or a Comforter. The Holy Spirit in the OT came upon men at various time, but often left them. Now He would come to remain forever.
One way to understand the work of the Holy Spirit is to understand the opposite of that work. The devil is called the accuser, in full opposition to this name and title given here to the Holy Spirit.
[17] Why is the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of truth?
Because His teaching is true and He glorifies Christ who is the truth.
The world is unable to understand or receive the Spirit, because He is holy and true. The Spirit of truth is not popular in an age of lies.
Jesus speaks of three aspects of a disciple’s relationship to the Holy Spirit:
In contrast to the world, the disciple of Jesus should know the Spirit.
In contrast to the world, the disciple of Jesus should have the Holy Spirit with them.
In contrast to the world, the disciple of Jesus should have the Holy Spirit in them.
For these 11 disciples, the Holy Spirit was already with them, and would later be in them. This was fulfilled when Jesus breathed on them and they recieved the Holy Spirit, when they were regenerated and born again.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Also Jesus used a third preposition to describe the relationship of the disciple to the Holy Spirit:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This upon experience is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of the Spirit.
“Between Christ on earth and his disciples what a distance there was! In His condescension He came very near to them; but yet you always perceive a gulf between the wise Master and the foolish disciples. Now the Holy Ghost annihilates that distance by dwelling in us.” - Spurgeon
vv 18-21) Jesus will make Himself know to His disciples
vv 18-21) Jesus will make Himself know to His disciples
[18] Why does Jesus say, “I will not leave you as orphans?”
This is another assurance. The disciples feared that when Jesus left there would be nothing left for them. Little did they know that their discipleship program wasn’t finished; it was only just beginning.
In the culture of this time a disciple would sometimes call their teacher father, and the followers were called children, and, on the teachers death, they were then considered as orphans.
Spurgeon considered several ways that the followers of Jesus were not like orphans:
An orphan has parents who are dead; the Spirit shows us Jesus is alive.
An orphan left alone; the Spirit draws us close to God presence.
An orphan has lost their provider; the Spirit provides all things.
An orphan is left without instruction; the Spirit teaches us all things.
An orphan has no defender; the Spirit is protector.
Jesus again promised to come to the disciples. This was a broad promise fulfilled by His resurrection, by the sending of the Spirit, and by the promise of His bodily return to this earth.
[19] This was true in one sense when Jesus rose from the dead. yet it true even when He ascended to heaven. Jesus would reveal Himself to the disciples in a real and powerful way after His departure. They would see Him a way even greater than seeing Him with the physical sight.
Paul would later write:
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
There was something more compelling about know Jesus by the Spirit than even knowing Him in the flesh.
But wait there’s more: Here he was looking forward to His resurrection life. It would be the pledge of life for all who trusted Him. Even if they should die, they would be raised again to die no more.
“A man is saved because Christ died for him, he continues saved because Christ lives for him. The sole reason why the spiritual life abides is because Jesus lives.” - Spurgeon
[20] This verse probably refers again to the Pentecost. He would instruct believers in the truth that just as there was a vital link between the Son and the Father so there would be a marvelous union of life and interests between Christ and us.
It is really hard to explain how Christ is in the believer, and the believer is in Christ at the same time. A go to illustration is of a poker in the fire. Not only is the poker in the fire, but the fire is in the poker. But many illustrations go it doesn’t fully explain the whole story.
Christ is in the believer in the sense that His life is communicated to us. He actually dwells in the believer through the Holy Spirit. The believer is in Christ in the sense that he stands before God in all the merit of the Person and work of Christ.
[21] Again the real proof of one’s love to the Lord is obedience to His commandments. It is useless to talk about loving Him if we do not want to obey Him.
In one sense, the Father loves all the world. But He has a special love for those who love His Son. Those are also loved by Christ, and He makes Himself known to them in a special way. The more we love the savior, the better we shall know Him.
vv 22-24) Answering the question
vv 22-24) Answering the question
Judas asked an excellent question. The idea of manifest is to reveal, to make plain. It wasn’t immediately apparent how in His departure Jesus could reveal Himself to His disciples and not to the world at large.
Judas heard Jesus teach that all the earth would see the Messiah in His glory:
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
It was hard for him to understand Jesus when He now spoke of a revealing of Himself that the world would not see.
[23] If a person truly loves the Lord, he will want to keep all of His teachings, not just isolated commandments. The Father loves those who are willing to obey His Son without questions or reservations. Both Father and Son are especially near to such loving and obedient hearts.
[24] On the other hand, those who dod not love Him do not keep His sayings. And they are not only refusing the words of Christ, but those of the Father as well.
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.