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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part LVI, John 13:31-16:33 Summary Continued - Lesson 164
He equips the disciples to operate without his physical presence by telling them to ask the Father in his name.
He goes to the Father but he does not leave the disciples without.
He promises that anything asked for according to his word will be given by the Father because the Father loves him and he loves those that love him.
He promises one, to them who will take his place.
He promises a Comforter, one who is alongside, one who will never leave them.
He promises them his Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, they shall not be orphans.
He interjects again that in a little while he will be gone from their sight and they shall see him no more.
He tells them that they, along with him will be one with the Father.
He instructs them that keeping his commandments indicates love for him in the disciple.
He tells them that he will manifest or make himself known to those who keep his commandments.
To those who keep his words, he promises that the Father and he will make their abode.
He tells them that the Comforter will bring to remembrance whatsoever he has told them, setting in motion the inspiration of scripture.
He leaves with them a particular kind of peace, his peace, not as the world giveth peace but the peace of God.
He notices that they are troubled and he again commands them to not permit their heart to be troubled.
Troubled hearts are untroubled by the peace of Christ.
He wants them to concentrate on what is important and what is important is worth rejoicing about.
He goes to the Father he reminds them and that calls for rejoicing if you love me, he tells them.
He tells them of his fruit bearing ministry by being the vine and that they are the branches.
The vine is tended by the Father who is the husbandman and with Jesus Christ as the vine and God as the husbandman fruit is guaranteed in the life of the believer.
This is what the Father is after. Fruit bearing.
But fruit bearing takes abiding, he instructs his disciples.
Abiding in the vine.
Without the branch abiding in the vine there will be no fruit.
The vine is at the ready to send the proper nutrients to the branch but the branch must abide in the vine for the nutrients to be used to bear fruit!
Without the vine the branch can do nothing, Jesus instructs the disciples.
He warns the disciples of those of his own who do not abide in him will become withered as a branch becomes withered when not receiving the nutrients of the vine.
He reminds them of the wood, hay, and stubble of their lives that will be gathered and burned because they did not abide in the vine.
Again he instructs them that those who abide may ask what they will and it shall be done unto them.
These are they who ask according to God's will because they do abide in the vine.
They ask as Jesus Christ would ask and the Father will answer as he would have answered his Son.
He desires much fruit in their lives that the Father may be glorified.
He tells them that obedience to his word is the secret of abiding in his love.
If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love.
He desires his disciples to be joyful and he equips them to be joyful by the things that he has spoken unto them, his word.
Joy is a spiritual product only given by abiding in Christ who is all joy.
He commands them to love one another because he gives them the ability to love one another by abiding in him, who is love.
Love is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ and is gained though abiding in Christ.
So he equips them to love.
He tells them they are his friends and that continued friendship can be maintained by their obedience to his word.
If ye do whatsoever I command you, ye are my friends.
I have chosen you, you have not chosen me he tells them.
He tells them that they are ordained to go and bring forth fruit that will remain.
He tells them to be fruitful and then ask of the Father and he will give it to you.
We are to ask what we will in order to serve but we are to serve in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
If you do this, if you abide in me, if you bear much fruit the world will hate you because it first hated me.
He reminds them that they are not of this world as he is not of this world and the world only loves its own.
Don't expect any better treatment by the world than I will receive.
The servant is not greater than his lord.
Don't be surprised when persecution comes.
It comes to the abiding servant by those who do not know the Father.
They have seen the works that I do and yet they hate me and my Father without a cause.
He again promises a Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, his Spirit, who will testify of him.
He tells them that they also will testify of him because they have been with him from the beginning.
They were expected to fulfill the purpose of an apostle.
He did not save them for to be withered as a branch separate from the vine.
He taught them these things that they would not be offended, that they would not be entrapped, that they would not stumble.
Jesus Christ wants disciples who are equipped with the word of God.
He warns them of the time when they will be put out of the synagogues.
He warns them of the time when those that kill them will think that God is being served by their death.
He wants them to know what is coming so that when it comes they will remember that he told them ahead of time.
He wants to bolster their faith.
He gives them evidence of things unseen.
And he promises the Comforter and he describes the ministry of His Spirit.
He comforts them against his departure by promising to send his Spirit to each believer.
It is not only a substitute for Christ but it is better for the disciples to have his Spirit than to have Christ bodily in their presence.
He instructs them that the Spirit will not only be a reprover of the world but he will be alongside them as they represent Christ during their stay in the world.
He tells them that his Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, he is the guide to all believers, he will not speak of himself, he will speak what he heard, he would show believers things to come, he would glorify Christ, and he would take of the things of Christ and show them unto his people.
Again he points to two little whiles in his future.
A little while and the disciples will not see him but another little while will bring him again in their presence.
But he admonishes them that there sorrow will turn to joy while the joy of the world will turn to sorrow.
He turns them to asking.
No longer asking him directly as they have become accustomed to but now to go to the Father in his name and ask according to his word so the Father will give to the disciples as the Father had always given to his son.
He wants them to ask in his name and see how they will receive from the Father because the Father loves them because they love the Son.
He again tells them plainly that he came forth from the Father and he now will return to the Father.
He closes his discourse by encouraging the disciples to be of good cheer.
He has overcome the world.
He is the victor over the world and in that victory the disciples are to be in peace.
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. |