John 14:15-31 (ESV)
13 April, 2025
The focus of our text today is what’s about to happen. Jesus’ disciples don’t really know what is coming next, even though he’s been hinting at it and outright telling them for a while now. We’ll read Him tell them one last time what must happen, that they will face a world without him physically there.
The presence of the Holy Spirit changes our lives in many ways; it transforms us a certain way. We’ll see where Paul gets his teaching of the fruits of the spirit, it’s from Jesus himself. We’ll look at 4 things the Spirit brings: truth, obedience, knowledge, peace.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 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.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:6
• This spirit brings truth, it is through Him that we have understanding. The disciples are so uneasy about what Jesus says to them. They want it one way, and it feels incompatible with what God has planned. The spirit of truth reconciles our will with His.
o Truth is agreement with God, the way the world works is the way He says it is.
• True love is marked by willing obedience.
• To obey God is a hard thing to do, but the encouraging thing here is that Jesus understands. He was a man like you and me; he knew the challenge. Look no further than what he was about to go through!
• Jesus knows this will be difficult, to keep his commandments.
• I can’t help but think that in this moment, the human part of Jesus needed to hear this reminder. He has a command from the Father that he needs to follow. And because of his Love for the father, he would obey his command to go to the cross.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
• He then leaves them with a statement that they could not possibly understand until later
• “Because I live, you also will live.” We get the luxury of hearing those words knowing what happens on Easter Sunday. But imagine those words ringing around in the disciple’s minds as he hangs on a cross. I would guess that their fear finds a real foothold in those words, they know their lives depend on him.
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.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 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. 24 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.
• Those who love God will have the spirit of obedience, and He will “make our home within him”. He is promising to dwell inside our very beings.
• The word “home” here also means “dwelling place”. God himself will be at home in us. This is pretty hard to grasp because there is nothing like it in our human world today.
• The Jews knew a little bit about this, I want us to turn to Exodus for just a minute. If you know the story, the Jews were called out of Slavery in Egypt by their God. He performed miracle after miracle, orchestrating the exit of his people for one reason. The climax of this whole story is in Chapter 40
• “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34-35
• The whole point of the exodus, the entire reason he brought them out of slavery, was so that he could dwell amongst his people. Jesus describes that is what is going to happen in us.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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.
27 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.
• Our last fruit of the spirit is the one that I need to hear the most often. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of Peace. His spirit brings peace in a way unlike anything found anywhere else. It does not JUST talk about the absence of conflict. This word meant “all is well”.
• The peace of the Spirit drives out worry and doubt, peace eradicates fear. It is distinct.
• There are knock offs everywhere. The world tells you that you’ll find peace once you make enough money. You’ll have peace once you get married, pay off your house or retire. Once we get through this crazy month.
• But this peace that Jesus leaves with us, a peace between God and man, is unlike anything the world has ever known before. End to the strife between us and God.
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
• Jesus begins to wrap up by reiterating; I don’t want you to be surprised when these things come about. They have been told, but they still did not have the ears to hear.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
• The ruler of this world is Satan; this is his domain. But be very certain about what is coming next week. Jesus was not outsmarted; the Christ was not overtaken. All of this was according to plan.
• Jesus is our model, and he obeys the father.
• From here he does go. Jesus would go out of the upper room, to the garden where he would be betrayed. He would keep going until he was on the cross, to lay down his life out of love for the father and of love for us.
Summary
Be in the word together.
Mark 11, John 13, Matthew 26, John 18, and Luke 23
How can people be encouraged to come in to greater agreement with the Spirit?
Application
Truth
• “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not ONLY because I see it, but because by it I see everything else”. -C.S.L “Is Theology Poetry”
• Are there things you’d rather not think about, rather not ask God about? Areas where you are more content to live as you are? Not align your will with God’s?
• It can be uncomfortable to think about how destructive sin is in our lives, and how much God hates it. About loved ones who aren’t believers. Do you trust Him rather than seeking comfort of your own understanding and desires? God can handle these difficult matters, come to Him.
Obedience – Fall in love with Jesus
• It’s easy to read that and get really discouraged. I don’t keep his commandments; what does that say about me?
• What do we do if we aren’t obeying Jesus? Does it mean we don’t love him? How do we love him? Hard to love someone you don’t know.
• What ways are you learning more about Jesus? Who are you talking to about Jesus?
• Get to know him, read his word. Spend time talking to his people. Pray for an ignition of love
• Obedience will follow
Knowledge
• Do you understand scripture? Do you read it as the living word of God?
o “A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding” Proverbs 14:6
• Desire the spirit of truth to reveal things to you.
• When you read scripture are you approaching it with your own mental capacity? What you can comprehend on your own. We’ve got a lot of smart people in this room. Or do you ask the spirit to increase your understanding, to give you knowledge.
Peace
• Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
• We know God because he dwells with us and in us. What a promise! Through it we have peace.
• Do you have peace with God? Is there animosity between you and your creator?