November 11: John 14-17

John continued…

November 11, John 14-17

John 14 I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Don’t worry and don't let your hearts be troubled - all you need to do is believe in God and Jesus Christ. God’s eternal house, heaven, has many rooms in it. If you believe in Jesus Christ He has already prepared your apartment:) Jesus is the only way to heaven. The only way. Believe. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you know Jesus, you know God. If you don't know Jesus, you don't know God. God & Jesus are one. Continue on in your trust for God and also continue to trust in Jesus. Take comfort. Bakers commentary puts it this way, “I am the way.” Jesus does not merely show the way; he is himself the way. It is true that he teaches the way (Mark 12:14; Luke 20:21), guides us in the way (Luke 1:79), and has dedicated for us a new and living way (Heb. 10:20); but all this is possible only because he is himself the way.

Christ is God. Now God is equal to each of his attributes, whereas he “possesses” each attribute in an infinite degree. Hence, not only does God have love (or exercise love), but he is love, nothing but love; he is righteousness, nothing but righteousness, etc. So also Christ is the way: in every act, word, and attitude he is the Mediator between God and his elect.”

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit.  “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.” Jesus wants us to be obedient. We now have the Holy Spirit with us always if we have Jesus Christ. Take comfort. We are not to ask for a Ferrari or something earthly - we are to want want Jesus wants… In addition, if you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments - point taken? We have God through Jesus with the Holy Spirit. We need nothing more. “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 have 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.” If you love Jesus you will obey Him and it will show. The Holy Spirit will be with us and Help us. Let your hearts trust this and not fear.

John 15 I Am the True Vine. Jesus now offers comfort. This chapter is closely connected with 14 and are in proper order. A vine was a very common plant in Palestine. People were familiar with them. It would be like if you were from my hometown, which is largely agricultural, it would not be strange to talk about corn stalks or raspberry fields. People would understand. Again, Bakers does this so well - I like his insights. “The emphasis should be placed where it rightly belongs. Although Jesus speaks about several things, such as the true vine, the vine-dresser, the branches, bearing fruit, the taking away and burning of unfruitful branches, etc., yet there is one main lesson:

Just as a vine-offshoot bears fruit only when it abides in the vine, so also believers will bear spiritual fruit only when they abide in Christ. Hence, the precept which underlies the entire section is Abide in me in order that you may bear fruit abundantly. That this is, indeed, the main idea is clear from the frequent occurrence of the words bear fruit and abide.

The Two Groups Here Indicated

A. These two groups are (metaphorically):

1. Branches that bear fruit (15:2b, 5, 8).

2. Branches that do not bear fruit (15:2a, 6).

B. They are treated as follows:

1. Branches that bear fruit are cleansed (15:2b).

2. Branches that do not bear fruit are taken away, allowed to wither, picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned (15:2a, 6).

C. Who are represented by these two groups?

Again and again in the Fourth Gospel those to whom the good tidings are proclaimed and who therefore, in a certain sense, “have the light,” are divided into two groups: a. those who accept the message; and b. those who reject it (see on 1:9; 12:35, 36). Do we have something similar here? The historical background certainly points in that direction. Judas had left. His relation to Jesus has been (outwardly, to all appearances) very close (see on 13:18). But now Judas was on the way to destruction. Would it not seem natural then that, in speaking of branches that do not bear fruit, are taken away, allowed to wither, picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned, Jesus was thinking of men who, like Judas, had once stood in very close connection with him, had left him, and were on their way to everlasting destruction? And again, would it not seem natural that, in speaking of branches that bear fruit, he was thinking of the other disciples, and in general, of all those who by remaining in him produced much spiritual fruit?

This conclusion as to the meaning of the two metaphors (branches that bear fruit, branches that do not bear fruit) is greatly strengthened by an identical passage found in two accounts, both of which describe the happenings of this same night. Here in chapter 15 this passage is not explained; but in chapter 13, where it is also found, the explanation is added to it.

The passage to which we refer is:

“You are clean”

So, Jesus is truth and in Him we are to abide deeply. As God loved Jesus, and Jesus loves us, we are to literally just abide in that love. We are to love each other with that same love as well. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Are we getting this? I don't want to overcomplicate this - There has never been a greater love than that of Jesus Christ. And just in case we think that we are hot stuff, Jesus clarifies for us: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” We are on His mission for Him. We are His. He chose us. We are commanded to love each other because He said so and our love for Him should pour into others - reflecting Him and not shaming Him. 

The Hatred of the World. A few high points here - “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” We are to be different for Jesus. We are not to look like our neighbors that don't love Jesus. How far do we take this? That is up to your conviction, but at its simplest form - we are to be ‘different’ in many ways. How you think, dress, process information, love people, what you listen to, what you watch and read, how you act and on & on. We are to be different. God chose us and we are not to be like everybody else. If we proclaim Christ and Him crucified, we pry wont have a whole lot of fans (except Christ Followers). The rest, like with Jesus, will be against you and likely hate you. If everybody loves you, you are most likely not offending anyone for Christ. Not to be rude, and I am being a bit sarcastic - but Jesus offended many with the truth and they hated Him for it. Make sense?

John 16 Jesus. He told us all these things so we don't fall away when life gets tough. What can they expect? What can we expect? “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” We will be harmed and they will think they are doing the right thing. Stand your ground. “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” The Holy Spirit is here now, because Jesus left. He convicts the world of sin. He is our Helper. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us and help us.

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy & Jesus has Overcome the World. Jesus will die and will eventually be taken from them and they will be sorrowful. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Jesus powerful name. Just ask for it. Do not doubt it. He is alive and real with God. 

The disciples now realized what He was saying in plain talk and not just parables. In other words, their eyes and ears were opened. Also, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

John 17 The High Priestly Prayer. Jesus is revealed here as The True High Priest. This chapter is broken into 3 parts - Jesus praying to God for Himself, His disciples, and the Church. He glorified God in this beautiful prayer. Jesus is proof of God. The disciples now believed and Jesus prays for the rest of us. “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” 

To sum it all up: 

• I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• Can people tell you are a Christ-follower? or a wannabe?