John Chapter 14 Second Continued
Once again, Jesus emphasized the need for the habitual practice of obedience to His commands as evidence of the believer’s love for Him and the Father.
This is consistent with the teaching of (James
Those works are expressions of the love which the Spirit pours into the believer’s heart (Romans 5:5; Gal. 5:22).
John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
This word manifest means make clearly apparent to the sight or understanding. Jesus will make Himself real to those who love Him.
One reason that I believe it is so important to learn God's Word (Bible), is because we must know His will, before we can do His will.
We have His commandments in the Bible.
Christians do their very best to do those commandments.
The Bible teaches that Christians have the commandments of God written on the fleshly part of their hearts.
The heart is wholesome, if you are a Christian.
If you are a Christian, good words come from your pure heart.
John 14:22 “Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"
Judas was a fairly common name in those days.
We are not told which Judas; just that he was not Iscariot.
It could have been that this was the Judas that was James' brother, we don't know for sure. This Judas was possibly a disciple of Jesus, but not of the twelve.
Those who had disciplined themselves and followed Jesus were disciples, but not necessarily of the twelve.
This is certainly a legitimate question.
We might go to another statement Jesus made to clarify this.
He said: seeing, they do not see.
Seeing with the eyes, they do not see.
Seeing with the eyes can deceive a person.
To truly know, one must see, not only with the eyes, but with the Spirit as well. If Jesus could be found by looking with the physical eyes, all would believe. The Spirit must reveal Jesus for us to truly see and believe.
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
The divine indwelling is conditional on love, and obedience to Jesus’ words.
The Word of the gospel is primarily (though not exclusively), in view here.
All throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, those who keep God's commandments and have faith are blessed of God.
Those who do not have faith and do not keep God's commandments are cursed.
There is no in between.
Abraham's faith was counted unto him for righteousness.
He loved God, and God blessed Abraham.
This is the story throughout the Bible.
God dwells in tabernacles not made with hands.
God is a holy God and will not dwell where there is sin and disobedience.
Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
John 14:24 “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
We see from this, that those who do not accept Christ, do not have the Father as well.
The words Jesus spoke would have been the same words the Father would have spoken had He been there.
John 14:25 “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you."
To me, the most important Scriptures in the Bible are the ones that are printed in red. They are the Lord's spoken Words when He was on the earth.
We know that the entire Bible is inspired of God, but these words in red are the very Words of God Himself.
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
The Holy Spirit energized the hearts and minds of the apostles in their ministry, helping them to produce the New Testament Scripture.
The disciples had failed to understand many things about Jesus and what He taught; but because of this supernatural work, they came to an inerrant and accurate understanding of the Lord and His work.
And recorded it in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter
I need to say right here, that you cannot remember something that you have never heard or read.
You see, our job is to read and study the Bible, and after we have done this, the Holy Ghost will bring it to our remembrance as we need it.
The Holy Ghost also, will quicken us to its meaning as well.
We must read it first though.
You cannot understand something, until you have heard or read it.
The job of the Holy Ghost is to teach you how to live a life pleasing to God: that life is a life of ministering to others life everlasting.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
The word peace reflects the Hebrew “Shalom,” which became a greeting to His disciples after the resurrection
At the individual level this peace, unknown to the unsaved, secures composure in difficult trouble (verse 1); dissolves fear (Phil. 4:7); and rules in the hearts of God’s people to maintain harmony (Col. 3:15).
The greatest reality of this peace will be in the messianic kingdom.
Jesus is the King of Peace.
He is the source of all peace.
If we have Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we have nothing that should ever trouble us, not even threat of death.
If we die to this world, we shall live to Him.
We know where our destination is.
We have hope of eternal life.
This world is not our home; we are just passing through.
This tells us not to worry about anything.
The world cannot give us security.
Jesus is our security.
John 14:28 “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."
The Father is greater in authority, not in being (see also 1 Cor.
Jesus was not admitting inferiority to the Father (after claiming equality repeatedly), but was saying that if the disciples loved Him, they would not be reluctant to let Him go to the Father because He was returning to the realm where He belonged and to the full glory He gave up.
He was going back to share equal glory with the Father which would be greater than what He had experienced in His incarnation.
He will in no way be inferior in that glory, because His humiliation was over.
The ultimate goal of everyone should be to live in heaven with God.
This is what Jesus is saying here; rejoice with Him for He has reached this ultimate goal.
The difference with Jesus and us is that Jesus lived in heaven with the Father, before He came on a thirty three year mission here on the earth.
Even Paul said his desire was to go home to heaven and be with the Lord, but Paul knew when he said this, his mission was not finished here on the earth.
To finish the work that God has for you and to go to heaven for eternity is the ultimate goal.
Jesus is saying, rejoice with me that I will go back to heaven where I came from, and I’ll be with my Father.
John 14:29 “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe."
We see the purpose for Jesus telling them what is about to happen is, so they will not be overwhelmed by the apparent defeat.
They will remember that He told them, and they will know that this is victory, not defeat. This whole purpose was so they would still believe in the face of the problem.
How soon we forget.
Just a few hours after Jesus tells them this, they will scatter in fear and doubt.
John 14:30 “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."
Judas was only a tool of the “prince” who rules the system of darkness, the one called Satan. The Hebrew idiom:
“Nothing in me”:
Means that Satan had nothing on Jesus, that he could make no claim on Him, nor charge Him with any sin.
Therefore, Satan could not hold Him in death.
Christ would triumph and destroy Satan (Hebrews 2:14).
His death was no sign that Satan won, but that God’s will was being done (verse 31).
Jesus is telling them, that He has taken this time to warn them that the things about to happen will appear to be total defeat, but will actually be the greatest victory man has ever known; the victory over the devil, sin, and death.
He tells them here in the last sentence, the devil really is not in control of this, but he thinks he is.
"Hath nothing in me":
You see, Jesus was crucified on the cross to save mankind, not because the devil wanted it that way, but because God planned it that way.
Jesus is not forced to do this.
He does it of His own free will to save us.
It will appear that He is forced, but He is not.
John 14:31 “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence."
Notice again here, where these orders (commandments), came from: not the devil, but the Father.
In fact, this plan had been instituted since the foundation of the world.
This is the plan to redeem fallen mankind.
Jesus loves the Father; but at Gethsemane, it will be apparent that Jesus submits to the perfect will of the Father, even unto death of this body which has housed for Him for
His will and the Father's will have been one from the beginning.
It is the body which dreads the suffering, not His Spirit, as we will see in a later lesson.
John Chapter 14 Second Continued Questions
1.How can He know we love Him (Jesus)?
2.If we love Jesus, who will love us?
3.What does the word manifest mean?
4.What does the author believe is one important reason for studying the Bible?
5.Where do Christians have God's commandments written?
6.Good works come from a pure ________________________________.
7.What does the other Judas (not Iscariot) ask Jesus?
8.To truly know God, we must see with the __________ and not just with the ______.
9.In verse 23, Jesus says, if a man loves me, he will keep my __________________.
10.Who will come and make abode with those who love Jesus?
11.We know that God blesses those who keep His commandments, but what happens to those who don't keep His commandments?
12.In verse 24, whose words did Jesus say He was speaking?
13.What does the author think are the most important Scriptures in the Bible? Why?
14.What is the Holy Ghost called in verse 26?
15.Which God is the teacher?
16.In verse 27, what does Jesus leave with the Christians?
17.What suggestion did Jesus give Christians in verse 27, that He gave in verse 1?
18.Who is the King of Peace?
19.If we die in this world a Christian, we shall ____________ to ____.
20.In verse 28, Jesus said, if ye loved me, you would _____________.
21.What man of God said that his desire was to die, but would stay and finish the job God gave him to do?
22.Why had Jesus told them this, before it came to pass?
23.Who is the prince of this world?
24.In verse 31, Jesus says that the world may know that ___________.
25.How long had this plan been instituted?