John 14:15~24
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
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 obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
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, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24 He 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.
I. Message:
Content:
- Those who love the Lord obey His command (v. 15)
- The promise of the Counsellor (v. 16)
- Explanation of the Counsellor (v. 17~20)
- Discussion on the meaning of loving the Lord and its effect (v. 21~24)
Themes:
- The promise of the Counsellor
- Those who love the Lord obey His command
II. Who is God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?
- Jesus Christ gives command (v. 15)
- Jesus Christ prays to God (v. 16)
- God listens to prayers (v. 16)
- God gives the Holy Spirit (v. 16)
- The Holy Spirit lives in us forever (v. 16)
- The Holy Spirit of the truth (v. 17)
- The Holy Spirit dwells within us (v. 17)
- The triune God (v. 15~20)
- Jesus Christ does not leave us as orphans (v. 18)
- Jesus Christ was with the Father God (v. 20)
- Jesus Christ lives among us (v. 20)
- Jesus Christ reveals himself to mankind (v.21)
III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?
- Those who love the Lord must obey His command
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
Loving the Lord does not remain on our lips alone but involves acts and the most concrete act is following His teaching. We must understand His teaching before we can follow; we must seek His words before we can understand. In other words, someone that truly loves the Lord is someone that seeks His words, enjoys reading the Scriptures and acts according to His will.
Reflections: do I long for God’s words? Do I enjoy reading the Bible, as if I were reading a love story? Do I follow the teaching taught in the Scriptures? According to Jesus’ teaching, can I be considered as someone who truly loves the Lord?
- Teaching on the Trinity
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever
This verse points out that the Father God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit coexist and teaches us about the mystery of trinity.
Reflections: do I understand the meaning of trinity? Do I believe in it and have I experienced it?
- Teaching on the Holy Spirit
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever--
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Since Jesus does not want to see His followers becoming like orphans once He leaves, He prayed to the Father God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, a Counsellor, and the Spirit who reveals the truth about God. He remains in us always. The unsaved cannot see Him or accept or believe in Him. However we know Him since He dwells within us.
Reflections: how much do I know about this Holy Spirit that the Father God has given? How much experience and acceptance do I have?
- Prophecy of His death and resurrection
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Jesus said, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore”, referring to His crucifixion. He then said, “But you will see me. Because I live, you also will live”, referring to His resurrection.
Reflections: do I believe that Jesus had risen from the dead? Have I experienced the resurrected Lord? Or I cannot see or believe like the unsaved?
- Promise of living within each other
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Jesus promised that He will be in the Father; we will be in Jesus and He will be in us.
Reflections: can I capture and enjoy the state in which we are in the Lord and He is in us?
- The blessings from truly loving the Lord
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
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, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24 He 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.
Jesus points out: whoever loves the Lord is loved by the Father God and Jesus. He will reveal Himself to these people. This is the blessing reserved for those who truly love the Lord!
Reflections: do I follow the Lord’s teaching? Do I truly love the Lord? Have I received abundant blessing?
Translated by 顏偉哲
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