Gospel of John, 14:1-15
John · Courtney Hemenway · Jul 27, 2008
Gospel of John (2008), No. 30
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492617503279

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right, we are going to start at, we're in John 14. We're on this side, George. The breeze is this way. The doorway, if I turn around occasionally like this, it's because getting the breeze. You can sit right up in the front table. Oh no, I was just kidding. All right, we are, Do you have 25 or 26, George? You got any of those?

We're going to start with John 14. We're in John 14, Gospel of John 14. We're finishing up the questions on number 25, lesson 25. And that is starting with question 11, I believe, is where we finished. What I like to do, instead of, a lot of times we just dissect everything and we never read the whole. I'm one of those, I like to read it and then go back and dissect it. So, I'm going to read the passage that this goes over. It's John 14 verses 1 through 15.

Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would not have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to him, Lord, we don't know where you are going. How do we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. From now on, you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father abiding in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. All right?

You guys need 25, 26? You guys? Sure. We're finishing up 25 question 11. And I think we're out of questions 25, I believe, to have to share. You wouldn't let me sit in the front, would you like that? I offered. Chapter 14 is divided into two parts. What they had in this person and what they would get on having the comforter. The first part extends to about the end of verse 15, with three or four verses about doing greater works at the end of the section. So it's kind of divided in two. After 15, we'll get into the comforter.

Before that, he's talking about himself. And again, you can kind of see the exasperation on him. How long have I been with you? How many times? How many lessons have we gone through? telling him that he and the Father are one, all these different messages, and yet Thomas still, you know, show us the way, who's the Father, right, you know, they're still, still unbelievably so, still questioning who Christ is.

So, in verse, in question 11, if they didn't have the faith to believe what they couldn't see, what does he say they should do in order to believe? And then that's, look at verse 11. Somebody want to read that one? Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Alright, so what did he say if they didn't have the faith to believe, what should they do in order to believe? Look at the works. Look at the works.

You know, how many things, you know, all the lessons through John, you know, again, what John is written for is, again, it's after the epistles of Paul. And I think John, when he writes his gospel, is really showing the deity of God. He's showing who God is. I mean, who Jesus is. He is God. And so a lot of that is, you know, how many things we've seen? The feeding of the 5,000, the calming of the storm, raising of Lazarus, all these different things, all these things that have happened. And he keeps telling them who he is.

And you can see the progression as you go through John, too. As you go through John, it just keeps, you know, it's kind of veiled at the beginning, and then it becomes more obvious. And now it's, are you kidding me? I mean, it's not that way. I mean, he still lovingly says it, but it's like, You know, have I been with you so long and you still don't know?

If nothing else, just look at what I've done. And he basically says, you know, to observe the works that he's done, you know, for his father through him. And he challenges them by saying, if you cannot believe or if you still have doubt that the father and I are one, just look at what I've done.

Jesus, when he was pointing to the fact that, has anybody ever done this, the stuff that he's done before? Has anybody fed the 5,000? Has anybody just spoke and the seas calmed? Has anybody said, Lazarus, come forth? I mean, all these things. And so he's basically saying, after all this, just believe in what I've done. Who else can do that? So I think there's a little bit of, again, not frustration, but still amazement by the Lord that after all these things, Thomas still is doubting.

Where? Who? What? And they still don't know. Where am I going? Remember what he just said? What it was in the first part of 14? What was the first part? What did you just tell him? I'm going home. I'm going to prepare a place for you." And what do they ask? Where are you going? You know, they still, you know, he's told them, I'm going to prepare a place. I'm going home. Father and I are one. Okay, where is the father, you know?

So he tells them all these things. Like I said, I think he's just, he's getting to be, you know, okay, all these things I've told you, just look at what I've done. So in question 12, what were the works that he did that they should do also? And that's from verse 12. I'll read that one. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father.

So does this mean we're going to be able to calm the storm, feed 5,000, change water into wine, and raise the dead? Deathly silent. Come on, chickens. Somebody, what do you think? Didn't they do healings after Christ's return? Yeah. I mean, Paul and Peter, they're examples of things that they did.

But is this, when he says greater, what's that? We can't be talking about that. Even the things that Paul and Peter and those guys did, none of those were greater than what Lazarus did. Additionally, one of the things that Jesus is going to do is he's going to raise himself, and nobody's done that. So there's something more to that. I have no idea what the answer is.

But that's right. You've at least eliminated one of the things, which most people, greater works. They go, does that mean we can change water into wine? I'll run in here and grab a pitcher and we'll change it into wine. I mean, a lot of things, and with the Apostles, the Apostles are correct.

You know, when you look at Acts 5.15, Peter, you know, people were bringing people, they were being healed, and just getting in the shadow of Peter would heal them. So, I mean, just the shadow. So they were great works.

When you look at Acts 19.11, that was where when handkerchiefs or aprons from Paul were even carried from his body to the sick, diseases left them and evil spirits went out. So these were some of the apostles' things. I guess the thing that I looked at is some of the sign gifts. Who were they for? Who were typically the sign gifts for? The Jews. The Jews. Who required the sign? The Jews did. So a lot of the signs, when you get into Corinthians and some of those where some of the sign gifts, when you talk about that, those fade away, fade out.

And again, it's what George says, greater works than these. You know, when you think about it, greater than raising Lazarus, raising Christ, raising from the dead, rising from the dead. You know, what greater works are that? What greater works would he be talking about? I think that we don't know what they are, but Christ works through us. We'll go back on one thing. I picked up from John Darby.

He says, it is well to remark here that the disciples never did any miracles to save themselves from suffering or to heal their friends when they were ill. Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus. It was only God's mercy that he healed Epaphroditus. The miracles performed by the apostles were the confirmation of the testimony of which Christ, glorified with the Father, was the object and source. So, I mean, the disciples, if it was greater works, look at what they went through. Could they heal themselves? Could they save themselves? Could they, you know, raise themselves? If one died, they raised... No, they couldn't do that. So, I don't think this is about what greater things, you know, like big sign gifts. I believe this comes to the point that... What happened at Pentecost? What happened with Pentecost? Didn't they receive Yeah, how many? 3,000? I think 3,000 to 5,000 is what they said. 3,000, I think.

Now, I think the greater works are related to that. Because at that point there were about 500 believers, maybe, that we see. But at Pentecost now, in one day, we have 3,000. Think of the works that have happened since then. How many millions or billions of people have heard about the Lord and have come to know the Lord.

I think those are the greater works he's talking about. That now, we are new creatures in Christ. All the things we have, we are now, as we'll see later, in Him. You know, is that a greater position to be in than what they have? Absolutely. So I think the greater works are related to things of, you know, now we are in him positionally. Someday we'll have new bodies and we'll rule and reign with him in the millennium, all these things.

I think those are the things that are the greater works. It's not the sign gifts. The sign gifts were specifically to show and to verify the Lord's ministry on earth and for the Jews. So, you know, there isn't a direct thing that says these greater works, but I believe that's what he's pointing to. Because it doesn't make sense any other way that, you know, greater works, as George pointed out, what is greater works than raising somebody from the dead?

So, you know, there is the one where when he's teaching, Paul is teaching, and was it, who is it, Tichmas or whoever, falls out of the window and he is dead. Paul goes and he's not dead. That's the only other one that I know of, I think, post-resurrection, that there is a mention of raising from the dead. I forget where I had that at one point. You guys know that one where Paul's teaching, he falls asleep, falls out of the window, and It was a young boy, and Paul goes down, and he's not dead. Raising him up. So that's the only miracle, I think, after that would be somewhat equivalent. But all the sign gifts die out.

And so I think the greater works are related to us. being a light for Christ, being an ambassador for Him, and then all these people who are now coming to know the Lord. That, I think, is the greater works. Any other thoughts? I would agree with that. I think the answer to all of today's ills or social problems is Christ. giving someone a house or food or money. Yeah, that's a great point. That's in some of the ministries too. Ministries just go out and pour money on people and then won't walk away. Doesn't do them any good. Three weeks later, they've spent all the money.

I think that's a great point in that the one thing that is greater than all is seeing that you're a sinner and then, you know, knowing Christ. I think those are the things, because at that point, you know, in Ephesians, we are then blessed with all spiritual gifts in the heavenlies. What more do you need? You know, I always wonder about that when we're praying for much more and we've been blessed with all spiritual blessings. Okay, 13, connect the dots between the Father and Jesus and you.

So what has it been saying all throughout John? The father was what? In him. OK, so first the father was in him. After he was gone, where did he go? Or where would he go? Jesus would go to the Father. To the Father. Yes, He goes. So, the Father was in Him. He was going to the Father. What was He going to do later, after He left them? What was He going to do with them? Come back for them. Come back. He would take, and where would He take them? To the Father. OK?

So basically, had the Father was in him, to the Father, so Jesus went to the Father, and then he would come back and then take them to the Father. And then His greater nearness to the Father would allow them to act, because He placed them in immediate connection to the Father. Once we have this connection, we are in immediate connection to the Father, because we are in Him. And where is He? He is at the right hand of God. And it was because of the power of His work on the cross that would accomplish this work through them. So basically, through Christ, we have direct connection to the Father. And that was only made because Christ and the Father were one, and then he went to the Father, and he's going to come back and take us to the Father.

But right now, positionally, where are we? Seated where? In the heavenly is it the right hand? Yeah, because where is Christ? Christ is at the right hand and we are in Him. So basically the dots are if we know Him we are connected to the Father directly as Christ is connected to the Father.

And we'll see when we get into John 17, that's one of my favorite passages, just the intimacy between between God the Father and Jesus, and once you realize that we are in Christ, that intimacy is the same with us. Alright, what is the reason Jesus would say what he did in verse 13? Somebody want to read 13? John 14 verse 13? Whatever ye ask in my name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Alright, and then read 14 also. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Okay. Does this mean we get everything we ask for in prayer? Why or why not? Have you gotten everything you wanted in prayer? I'll probably get it. A new job, Caitlin? I said I'll probably get it later. So you always get what you ask for, right? Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Check with Jessica. She's got a direct connection there.

But it says, whatever you ask in my name, that I will do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. So does that mean we get everything? Why not, then? What does it mean to ask in his name? We're getting there. So I just ask in Jesus' name. You get what glorifies the Father. We're getting warmer. You get what you need that glorifies the Father. Any other thoughts? Why don't you get everything? It just says here, if you ask in my name, you get anything, right? How come? How come you don't? Caitlin asked for a job. It should be right here, right now. It should be monster.com would be pouring job opportunities. You know, people streaming down. Now we're really getting warm.

Yeah, I mean, you know, a lot of it is, again, The key is in asking His name and what that implies. I have from Harry Ironsides, to ask in His name is to ask by His authority, that is to pray in accordance with His revealed will. And so what you and I need is to be sure that we understand His will and that we have His authority for the request that we make. So it's in accordance with his will.

I would love to have a new Ferrari. I just think I need it. I'd look so cool in it. I can go fast. It's great. You think that's God's will for me? Maybe. Who knows? It might. But I don't think that... He may bless me and give me one. But that's not necessarily his will. When I ask, I may not know his will. I think that's the frustration on a lot of people. What is his will?

And when I ask, someday it'll happen. Someday may never come. And that's the thing. It may be yes, no, maybe, wait. Any of those answers are acceptable because of his will for you. it may be another week or month or whatever for your job. I think when you realize that God is in control, that's the key. Because then, you know, I guess we'll get in, and especially in 17, and we'll get a little bit in here, His love for you.

Does that change? Ever? So even though you are waiting for a job, you know, you're waiting for whatever to happen, Does his love change? He's going, no. You know, Courtney, I'm just going to, for a little while, I'm going to just make you sweat. I'm going to make you a little pain here. Is that what he's doing? No. I mean, his love never changes. He knows what's best for me. I don't.

I may think I do. You know, I may think that, you know, I need a million dollars tomorrow because I'm going to go out and feed four million people because I'll take that money and I'm going to do great things with it. And I just think that's the greatest thing. But, you know, I always think about that.

Does God know my heart? Absolutely. And if he gave me a million dollars, even though my purest thoughts of being able to feed 5,000 or whatever million, he knows that half of it would probably go to that Ferrari that I wanted, or whatever, on the way in, or whatever, you know, and he knows my heart. And I guess the thing that all throughout all these things is the peace that surpasses all understanding.

If you know he's in control of things, you know, one of my isms that I always use is God never says, oops, He knows exactly what's going on intimately with you. Every moment, every split second, He knows what's going on with you. And He wants the best for you. He knows what's best for you.

And He is bringing things, you know, the trials part, my favorite, you know, James considered all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trials come for what? Maybe perfection. When I want the job this week, or I want my Ferrari, or whatever, the answer may be no. It may be, yeah, here. and he lets me go down a road that I get my Ferrari and I suddenly have 15 tickets and I lose my license. Is that the greatest thing for me?

No, the Lord knows these things and may use those for a trial. I guess the thing I always, and I've talked to a lot of people about this, if you know God is sovereignly in control, whatever happens, even when you make mistakes, he's allowed that. And he doesn't go, oops. He never says, oops. He may allow me to make a mistake, so I will what? Draw closer to him when I lift my head up and go, oh. And I always get that peace surpasses all understanding. That's knowing if he's in control, you never have to worry.

If the job never comes, if my Ferrari never comes, if whatever, it's OK. I can't shout at God and say, this was the best for me. No way. I can't. He knows what's best. And whatever happens, like I said, if I make a mistake, I chose that and God allowed it to happen for some reason. I may never know the reason why, but He's allowed me to do that.

This one, I think a lot of people use the asking my name and everything. I think a lot of prosperity people do that. If you give to me or this ministry, you'll be blessed beyond belief. Because of this, you know, if whatever you ask and all this, it doesn't mean if you give anything, there's nothing that says if I give, I will be blessed 50 times. So a lot of this gets, I think, abused.

All right, and then, yeah, the other part of it is, what was the last portion of verse 13 state? That will I do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Again, the purpose of these things is to glorify, and I think Craig said at the beginning, that He may be glorified. Whatever is done, it's for His glory. So whatever He does, it's for His glory. So what should our prayers be focused on when we ask the Lord in prayer for various things? What should we ask? What should they be focused on? Father may be glorified."

I think that is, and we ask in accordance with the Father's will, which is what the Lord did at all times. Did the Lord ever do anything outside the Father's will? No. So does that give us a clue who are we in now? We're in Him. And how do you get to know the Father's will? Through His Word. Through His Word, through knowing Christ. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. So getting, you know, you see Christ, you know Christ, it's revealed in scripture, we will understand the Father's will.

All right, question 15. What does love motivate? From verse 15. What? Love. Love motivates love. Yeah, actually, to some degree. You know, if you look at, Mike, at the Grace Circle, and what is the first thing? Where does love come from? So where does it start? God. God is love. So it's got to start there. So in some respects, yes, love motivates love. But from this one, if you love me, you will what? Keep my commandments. Wow.

Does that sound somewhat legalistic? We throw out Galatians, Law and Grace. Why not? Why is it not legalistic yet? Because he's not saying that a person has to obey him in order to be in him. He's saying that since you're in me, and I am love, then keep my commandments.

Do as I've asked you to do. Yeah, I mean, this is one of those things, and I go back and I get to it a little bit. This is one kind of like a dog barks, you know, Mike's dog, he always talks about how he never has to teach him how to bark. If we're in Christ, if we're in Christ, is it hard to obey? No, you just, that's who you are. I'll get to it in a little bit.

So what does the love of the Lord motivate? Number one, the desire to be with and do whatever the one you love asks. That's one of the things. If you love me, you want to be with that person and or that object, and then you'll do what that one asks. If you love them, you'll do it. And faith is energized by love. OK? And the love is spoken here as an agape love, which in this instance means to love or delight in. OK? So you delight in doing this.

If you delight in me, you'll what? You'll obey my commandments. And again, it's one of these things, the logical imperatives or commands, logical commands, And when we see in Paul's epistles what appear to be commandments, which would look legalistic, they're not. They're logical imperatives, which means, if you're in me, you'll do this. It's not, if you do this, you'll get a cause and effect. You'll then receive this, or get this, or you'll be this. It's, no, you're in me. You'll do this. You're a dog. You'll bark. If you're in Christ, you'll do these things. If we're walking in the Spirit, we will do these things. It's just who we are. You mentioned two things.

This seems to imply that the reason that Jesus gives a commandment like this is because the possibility exists that we might not do it. We may choose to not keep his commandments, which would in fact reflect that we don't love him. If I choose to sin, that's a reflection of the fact that if I'm not loving my brother, and instead I'm taking advantage of him, I'm not loving my neighbors myself, then it's clear that I'm not loving Christ at that point. But I'm still in Christ. And so walking by the Spirit and producing the fruits of the Spirit is different than the position that we have by being in Christ.

So sometimes I wonder if... I think that the danger always exists to say that it is inevitable to do these things. Oh, no. Well... Position and condition. Position is things that are rock solid. Once we are identified with Christ, we have all these things positionally. Rock solid, can't change, doesn't matter, they're part of us. That's the position part. Those don't change. The condition part is some of this. And conditionally, that's right.

Conditionally, sometimes we will not do this. And that's where we choose not to love him or obey. I don't act the way I should as a father. And it tells how to be a father. don't provoke your children and these different things. Well, I may choose to not obey that. Don't smile. But what's that? Yeah, I'm not acting as who I should be. And I choose that.

And in fact, in the Greek, The word here is a present tense, so it's a continuous incomplete action. The active voice, which means the subject, us, produces the action. Which verb are you talking about? The love. So what you're saying is that if you're loving me right now, you'll keep my commandments.

Right. And it's the subjective mood, which is... Which means that you might not. Uncertainty, exactly. So that's exactly right. So you have, this is not an absolute. But when you are... It's an absolute commandment, sure. Yes, but I mean, it's an active thing that we participate which has uncertainty. So yeah, it doesn't mean we're automatically doing that at all times. But when we love him, it will be natural. It will be. Yes. So when we talk about how... we will naturally continue, we will naturally keep his commandments, but there's the possibility that we might not love him and might not keep his commandments.

The dog doesn't have two natures. Right. That's the problem, I mean, with the analogy, is we have two natures. You know, even though if we, Romans 6, we have died, we're, you know, two, the old man, but still the old man is alive. Sure. So we have two natures, where the dog doesn't. The dog just barks. But the analogy is on that half, if we're in Christ, It's part of who we are. That we just do it.

It's not a burden. It's not a command that we have to struggle to do. It's in keeping with who we are. That's why John talks to his disciples when he says that those things are not burdensome to us. His commandments are not burdensome because they're in keeping with who we are when we choose to live in Christ. Yeah, because it's just like breathing. When we're walking in the Spirit, who we are. We do it. It's not a burden. So the mistake is made when we assume that we will always be in the spirit, we will always be loving Him, we will always...

You know, that's where the one nature people get in trouble. Yeah, I know this is a crusade of mine, that's why. Yeah, I mean, that's really one nature people suddenly are. Well, if you're one nature, if you only have one nature, the new nature, the new creature in Christ, Well, I had, you know, I was speeding getting here, you know, I was 50, you know, 68 miles an hour, you know. You were quacking. Yeah, I was quacking. Quacking, instead of barking. Yes, yes, I was, you know, it wasn't, I was, Taking the duck, yes, versus the dog in me. The dog nicely barks, but you have a hard time when you're one nature person.

How do you do that? They justify things by a lot of, well, it's just baggage, it's memory, which really doesn't have any biblical basis to it. So we have two natures, and that's, yeah, it's not automatic. And then that's what the Greek even says, it's subjunctive. which there is uncertainty with that. So it is not an automatic.

But when we are loving Him, we will obey. All right, let's go to lesson 26, chapter 14, verses 16 through 22. I'll read them just so we can keep going here. And this is really, the second half is now where we jump into the Holy Spirit or the Comforter. There are a bunch of different names and different translations.

Beginning in verse 16 of John 14, I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever. That is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. After a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live. You will live also.

In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will disclose myself to him. Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, what then has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not the world? All right, from verse 16, who is the helper that Jesus will ask the Father to give? Easiest question ever. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. Yeah, and the Greek word is paraclete, and the root of this word are the ideas of advising, exhorting, comforting, strengthening, interceding, and encouraging. The only other occurrence of the word outside of this discourse in John 14, 15, and 16 is in the New Testament in 1 John 2, 1.

And then in Zodiaty's definition of the Holy Spirit or the helper here, paraplete means to comfort, encourage, or exhort. It is properly a verbal adjective referring to an aid of any kind. In the Greek writers, used of a legal advisor, pleader, proxy, or advocate, or like this one, one who comes forward in behalf of or as a representative of another.

So, Christ is termed our substitutionary, intercessory advocate. Christ designates the Holy Spirit as the paraclete. So again, the one who comes forward on behalf of and as a representative of another. So again, Christ sends him as a representative of him. Also in verse 16, it says, another helper or comforter. Were there other comforters? said another.

He was the comforter? Was Christ? Christ. Christ was the first. So, you know, he was the comforter and he is going to provide another. So yeah, Christ was the first comforter. Because when I read that, it's like another one. It's like, another? Have I already given you one, two, three, four? No, Christ was the first. What was the reason for Jesus' request? Question two.

What did Jesus just told the disciples in the beginning of chapter 14? He's leaving. He had just told them he was going to leave them. As witnessed by the reaction of the disciples, this was frightening to them. They did not know where he was going or why. They didn't want to be alone. So he had just told them, I'm leaving. And did they understand that at first? No. It's like, where? We don't know where you're going. What? Huh?

And for them, think of all the things that they're going through and the thought of leaving. Remember when they were going up to Jerusalem? And they're like, what do you mean we're going back up there? You were just about stoned up there. We don't want to go up there again. Is there any other place we can go? They tried to get out, because they didn't want to go back to where he was just about killed, because they may be killed.

So they have a lot of these things where he's kind of their helper, comforter, protector. And he's just told them. I'm leaving. So Christ, in a very intimate, I think, and loving way now, says, OK, I told you I'm leaving, but you're not going to be little orphans out there. You're not going to be left alone. I'm going to send a comforter, an advocate for me, somebody to help, to advise, to do all these things. I'm going to send them. And we'll see it's even better than even him being there. Besides the fact Jesus would send a helper or comforter, what very important fact is revealed in verse 16? Verse 16, I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever. Forever. What? Forever. Forever.

You know, he just said the Holy Spirit would not leave them. As Jesus said, he was just about ready to do. Jesus said, you know, I'm going back to the Father. But what does he say about the Holy Spirit? He will be there forever, never to leave. Again, that's some of the different thoughts on the Holy Spirit, about filling and anointing and this and that, leaving and that. Does the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer? Never. What's it say?

He'll be with you forever, and we'll find later in you. Also, what does a reference in verse 16 and 17, that He may be with you forever, also reveal? He'll be with us in eternity. In eternity? Yeah, forever. There's another aspect, that He may be with you forever.

He wasn't there before. Yeah. He wasn't with them before. Well, he was. You know, in the Old Testament, that's something we'll see when we get into the Im-Him. But, you know, because the Holy Spirit would come upon a person, but leave. Okay? There's something else.

That he... Well, you keep putting the emphasis on the pronouns, so I'm guessing that's what you're talking about. So what does that mean? It means that he's an individual in the same way that God and the Father and the Son are. It's a person. It's a person. It's not just... this thing, this amorphous spirit that comes upon you. It's He. He. It's a person. So again, with the triune God, you now have three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons. So it revealed that it wasn't just a spirit that comes upon you, but a person of the Holy Spirit.

Question 3, in verse 17, why is the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of Truth? What was the Holy Spirit's job? to glorify him and to reveal the disciples to the disciples of one who was truth himself. From Zodiatis, the word for truth is aletheia. In the New Testament especially, divine truth or the faith and practice of the true gospel is called truth, either as being true in itself or derived from the true God, or is declaring the existence and will of the one true God, in opposition to the worship of false idols. The spirit of truth means one who declares or reveals divine truth. Isn't that what the Holy Spirit does? He reveals who? Christ. He reveals to us his word. So he is, and what is the word? Truth. Who is truth? Christ. So, what is the job? He is the spirit of truth. He is the one who reveals this. Question 4.

Why wouldn't the world be able to receive the Holy Spirit? They didn't receive the son. From verse 17. That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. So, what was that? Why wouldn't the world be able to receive? They didn't receive the son. Right.

That the world had rejected the visible manifestation of God, which was Christ. And so, if you're rejecting that one, how would they ever be able to receive the invisible Holy Spirit? They'd rejected the visible. They can't receive something. I mean, he's basically saying, you rejected me as the visible. Here I am, a man, on earth. And yet, the Holy Spirit is going to be what? Not visible. It's like the wind. You feel it, but you know it's there, but you can't see it. Thank you.

So yeah, it's basically he was rejected, so there's no possibility of the Spirit being received by the world because he can't be seen. Darby had this too. He, the Holy Spirit, was not to be sent into the world. The world cannot receive him. Christ had been presented to the world, and the world would not have him. But the Spirit is not for the world. The way that he is known shows that the world cannot know him. He abides with you and shall be in you. The first comforter of Christ was neither to abide nor to be in you. So this is kind of a different thing. Also, it wasn't for the world. It wasn't for the whole world.

The Spirit doesn't come upon the whole world. It comes to who? Believers. Individuals. So it's a different thing also to what the world cannot receive. Christ was visible to the whole world. The Spirit is to individual believers. So they can't receive Him because they do not know Him. So yeah, they rejected the manifestation of God visually through Christ. So they cannot know Him, the Spirit, which is invisible. And it wasn't for the world. It was for individuals.

Question five, what relationship with the Holy Spirit is promised here that they didn't presently have with Jesus? In verse 17, that is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. What is the relationship that the Holy Spirit is promised here that they didn't presently have with Jesus?

Very different. He would abide in Him? Yeah. Could Christ abide in the believers? No, they were with Him, but He couldn't abide in them. See, this is the beauty, and that's why the greater works and different things and what goes on, when we have the Holy Spirit in us and dwelling us, I mean, it's a whole different relationship than if Christ was sitting right here. I mean, we are in an amazing position with the abiding of the Holy Spirit. Christ couldn't abide in us at this time when he was physically a man on earth. But the Holy Spirit can abide in us and dwell in us.

And what is that for? Ever. So, the key factor is up until now the Holy Spirit would abide with a person. But now there's a new relationship promise. The Holy Spirit would in fact be in a believer. So in the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon a person and then leave, come, go, back and forth. Now, it is in a believer forever. So he says, with you and will be in you. So it's a different, it's a changed relationship now that we have the Holy Spirit actually indwelling us. And that's a completely different position and a better position.

Christ said, it's better that I go away. Why? Why would he say that? Especially these guys going, hey, you're our protector, you're the messiah. They're still thinking messiah, earthly. Why is it better that you go away? Because what? We get the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That's better than being with Christ as a man here.

There's another one from Darby again. Let's see. But the second would not go away. This is the Comforter. He would abide. Christ could not abide. It is to me evidently the point. The difference of the first Comforter that is Christ. that he could not stay with them, and the second could. Christ was not in them either, but with them.

The second should dwell in them and abide forever. Abide is the same word as dwell, not be merely with them. In the power of the Spirit of God, they should go do greater works, and a glorified Christ should be the source of them. So again, the first comforter couldn't be in them, but the second one can. So it's a greater position to be with the Holy Spirit in us, abiding and dwelling, than to be with Christ.

And for him to be, in order for that to happen, he had to be glorified, which goes through the cross, the resurrection, the ascension. Also from Ephesians 1, 13 and 14, In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed you were what? Sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. Again, we are sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit. Again, that's a greater position than being with Christ walking around as these disciples were. The better position is to be where we are now, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It's a much better position.

So let me add just quickly. just summarize all that is presented about the Holy Spirit in verses 16 and 17. First, he is an answer to Jesus' prayer to the Father. He said he prayed, in verse 16. He is another comforter, in verse 16. He dwells permanently with the believer, and that's in verse 16. He is called the Spirit of Truth, in verse 17. He is unknown to the world, in verse 17. And he will dwell in the believer. So there's a lot about the Comforter that's given out here. And again, that's a better position to be in is what we have now through Christ and the Holy Spirit in dwelling.

So, all right, we will close real quick. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. We thank you for just any time we can get into your Word. We thank you just for your love and your care for each and every one of us. So again, we just are comforted and we have the peace that surpasses all understanding, knowing that you're in control and that we have the very Holy Spirit indwelling us. And we just rest in that fact. So Father, we just commit this day to you now and we just thank you for it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.