Click here for the John 14:18-24 PODCAST
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 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.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “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. 24 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 14:18-24
The God of the Bible is the Father of all mankind. However, in the garden mankind became orphaned when we chose to ignore God's definition of things. We, in essence, ran away from home, only to discover we unknowingly locked the door for reentry. And, we can't unlock this door.
In Psalm 68:5, we learn of God as the, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows.” We can only be children of the Father through believing in His Son and receiving His free gift of forgiveness procured through His death on the cross.
In John 14:18, we read the One whom the disciples had learned to love and trust promised not to leave them as orphans. He explained that He would return to them after His death, and send the Holy Spirit to live in each of them. Of course, as recorded at the end of the Gospels and in the book of Acts, the Lord Jesus returned to them after His resurrection. And, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to live in those who had believed on the Lord Jesus.
With that, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to make the Lord Jesus real to the believer. The mark of the Spirit-filled life is an ever-deepening consciousness of the reality of Jesus Christ. This is the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer.
In v.19, we read, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. " The Lord Jesus is referring to His post-resurrection appearances. In a 40 day period, the Lord Jesus appeared to those who had left all to follow Him. In addition, the Holy Spirit enables the believer to see the Lord Jesus more deeply. The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus more real to the believer.
More than that, the Lord Jesus continues, "Because I live, you also will live." The Greek word used here for "live" is Zoe which means eternal life. This is the type of life which gives us God's perspective on our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer permanently. While the believer still sins and grieves the Spirit, the Spirit will never leave the believer.
In v.20, we read these four words, "you are in me." This is our first experience when we come to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who makes us alive to God and His culture. We, now, are children of God. We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of his love.
Notice the last four words in v.20, "I am in you." The Christian life is not about what we can do for God. No, it is about what He does for us, in us and through us! It is a personal relationship with God whereby we are getting to know His heart of love for us and others. And, as we get to know Him, we will naturally want others to know Him. This is His desire, not only for us but also for others.
Obedience is not too difficult for those who know His love. The key to obedience is not the demands of the Law, the key to obedience is our response to His love. According to 1 John 4:19 our love for God is our response to His love for us. We love Him because He first loved us.Click here for the JOHN 14;18-24 PODCAST
As a result, having experienced His love for us, we teach people of His love for mankind. We show them how much He has already loved us and them, and obedience is the natural response of the impacted human heart.
Note what the Lord Jesus says in v.21, "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." As we grow in our understanding of His love for us, a greater intimacy ensues. Note the word "show" which is "emphanisÅ" in the Greek. This is one of ten times in the New Testament that this word is used. The more vulnerable we are with God, the more vulnerable He becomes with us.
At this point Judas (not Iscariot) enters into the conversation in v.22. This Judas is not the Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord Jesus; he is another disciple whose name was Judas. He asks, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" The opposite of ignorance is not knowledge, but obedience, responding to the revelation of Himself He has given. It is not merely filling our heads with knowledge and facts. It is becoming more and more vulnerable and therefore intimate with God. Since the world does not know the Lord Jesus, and does not obey Him, they will not know intimacy with God.
In v.23-24, we learn that the Lord Jesus and His Father's word are synonymous. When we love His word, we love Him and vice versa. The result is a continuing, familiar comfort in His presence. Also, He will enjoy a continuing, familiar comfort in our presence. We will be at home with Him and He will be at home with us.
When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. The orphans have returned home and are growing familiar with their Father.
