“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:25-26)
Sent from the Father, in the name of Jesus, every true believer in Christ receives the gift of the promised Counselor–the Comforter–the precious Holy Spirit. It is He who is promised to teach us all things and to remind us of all the things Jesus taught. What a blessed assurance for the followers of Jesus! Who among us does not have a weak memory when our spirits have become troubled or disheartened? Perhaps we even find ourselves fumbling and stumbling and losing our way. The Person–not influence–of the holy Trinity is promised to abide within every believer of Jesus, teaching and enlightening all true lovers of the Lord in every age for all time, shedding light on the truth and bringing back to our memories all those things that have been taught. It is the Holy Spirit’s special responsibility to open the eyes of our understanding–teaching, leading, and empowering us into all truth:
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
(John 16:13-14)
Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians:
We speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"–but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:7-11)
What a needful promise this is! How many times do we, like the original disciples, stand scratching our heads in our lack of understanding, or find ourselves discouraged or shaking with fear for our lack of power? We need only listen to and heed the Spirit’s leading. Sometimes hearing His still small voice over the world’s megaphone is not easy. We must be still before the Lord and listen carefully for His voice.
Take It to Heart
Now it is God who makes us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
“If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the gospel … should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” (C. H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Book of Numbers, 1861)
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–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.” (John 14:15-17)
Our Lord Jesus came to this earth modeling a love and obedience for the Father that His disciples were and are expected to follow. Love and obedience do not spring from a legalistic set of rules, but flow freely from a life of love for our Lord–all that He is, and all that He has done, and all that He continues to do for us. The Bible tells us:
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us … In this way, love is made complete among us … We love because he first loved us … And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:16-21)
Jesus desired for His disciples upon His departure to demonstrate their love for Him, not through a lamenting grief, but through a loving obedience to His commands. Throughout the Bible, this message is reiterated. I am reminded of one such passage in the Old Testament:
“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.” (Jeremiah 7:21-24)
Obedience to God is grounded in our trust that He has our best interest at heart. It is a faith that is based on a firm knowledge of who He is and a solid understanding of His ways. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him, and the more we love Him, the more we will trust Him and desire to be obedient to His will. John tells us:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)
It is when we go our own way, leaning upon our own flawed understanding and abilities that we stumble and fall.
In our verses for today, Jesus gives the disciples this great and glorious promise–as long as He is in heaven, they shall never want for a fresh supply of grace and comfort, wisdom and strength–given to them by the precious Holy Spirit. They shall never know the lack of a Comforter. This blessed promise was not only sure for them but also for every believer in Jesus thereafter. The Holy Spirit will never depart from a believer in Christ–we are sealed–indwelled until He returns. The promise remains that He will never depart from us. Paul writes that the Holy Spirit is our identification of ownership to God as well as our authentication and approval–our certification of genuineness so to speak:
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession–to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Take It to Heart
The Spirit is poured out upon us, equipping us to be like our Lord–not just outwardly but inwardly as well. The presence of God in this world is to be the Spirit indwelling in the heart of every believer:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9)
The Spirit constantly abides within the believer–equipping and comforting, encouraging and strengthening.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
Our Lord was constantly praying–He could be found both rising early as well as praying through the night. He certainly prayed prior to or at every major event of His life–His baptism, His choosing of the disciples, in the garden prior to His betrayal, and even on the cross–setting forth for us an example that we would all do well to follow. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:
Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
James wrote:
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
It is God’s desire for us to have continual communication with Him in the midst of our daily living. In our verses for today, Jesus was telling His disciples how they would stay in touch with Him after His soon-to-be departure. They would derive power from Him through prayer after He left to go to His Father’s side. They would send forth their prayers and Jesus would communicate to them by the Spirit.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is our great High Priest who sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us:
But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:24-25)
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Take It to Heart
Here are a few tips that I have found beneficial in my prayer life and they may be helpful to you! I find that there are many ways to offer prayer and all are necessary and important.
First of all, it is essential to have a time alone with the Lord, pouring out our innermost thoughts and concerns. It is simply a matter of letting Him know of our deepest heart matters.
It is also important to pray with others. I find it helpful to pray with someone as soon as I receive a request from another or desire a request myself. This keeps me from forgetting to pray as well as giving me the privilege of corporate prayer. Again, Jesus tells us in God’s Word:
"I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:19-20)
At other times I simply pray throughout the day as thoughts come to me. Perhaps it is to praise Him or thank Him, perhaps He brings someone to mind for me to pray for. I seek to respond quickly to this, though sadly I often fail. I am sure that I neither praise nor thank the Father a fraction of what He is due.
King David proclaims:
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)
I also seek to pray God’s Word back to Him. He is always faithful to His promises. Hiding His Word in my heart helps keep it always at hand. Scripture is full of promises to pray for ourselves and for our families.
Remember to thank God for His answers. Unfortunately, it is easy to take things for granted. God enjoys it when we are thankful for what He gives us.
Journaling your prayer requests is an easy way to keep up and remember all the ways that God is answering your requests and also to record all of the things you are thankful for.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:8-11)
Our Lord’s words to Philip seem to be full of discouragement. Certainly Philip should have known better. It appears that in every age there is a natural wish of man for some extraordinary revelation of the Father, an earnest desire for further light, a yearning for the miraculous. “Show us the Father” was Philip’s plea, yet here this request reveals not only the weakness of his faith but also the lack of his understanding of God’s way of revealing himself. To see with earthly eyes is one thing, but to see with eyes of faith is quite another. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)
Faith is not only having a surety and certainty regarding unseen realities and hopes, it is also to be the lens by which we are to view all of life’s experiences. It is not a blind hope; it is a firm grounding in the truth of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus was on earth, he prayed:
"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (John 17:25-26)
Jesus tells His disciples to believe Him–based on the credibility and reliability of His Word and on His miraculous Works. These two convincing truths point to the fact that to know Jesus is to know the Father as well.
Christ’s miracles were proof of His divine mission. His miracles–the finger marks of God–things too hard for man to do. Only God can make the blind miraculously see, the dead rise, and the insane sane. These signs were given both for the conviction of the unregenerate and for the confirmation of the faith of His disciples. Indisputable proofs–who but God could do such things as these?
“Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)
Take It to Heart
There is a close and mysterious unity between the three persons of the Trinity with which our finite minds can perhaps grasp but only a glimmer. How very little we realize the fullness of this unity! Jesus taught His disciples many things when He walked on this earth and of these, certain mighty truths simply passed right over their heads. It was not until afterwards that His words were remembered and became clearer.
“Want of trust is at the root of almost all our sins and all our weaknesses, and how shall we escape it but by looking to Him and observing His faithfulness. The man who holds God’s faithfulness will not be foolhardy or reckless, but will be ready for every emergency.” (Hudson Taylor)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
In these verses, we discover three glorious names which Jesus gives Himself–He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the life. To be sure, He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Entirely exclusive while all the while offering inclusivity, He offers the only way to all, the only truth to all, and the only life to all.
Jesus is the way: No one may come to the Father except through Him. He is not only the path, the journey, the manner of life or action we are to take, He is also the only door through which anyone may enter into the presence of the Father. Faith in Jesus is the key to heaven–it is also the key to the fullness of life in the here and now. The person that believes in the Lord is on the right road. Through His blood we may draw close with boldness and have access with confidence into God’s presence.
Jesus is the truth: When we search for truth we need look no further than the truth that is in Jesus. He is absolute truth, ultimate truth, true truth. He satisfies every desire of the human mind. Being very God of very God, He is boundless and measureless in the depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge. He is truth, reality, and fact. Truth is not relative–truth is Jesus. We are to know Him, study Him, learn from Him, and follow Him. As his disciples, we are to bear His image. We grow in this process by studying and applying His Word to our lives and through prayer.
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that … they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3)
Jesus is the life: Those who believe in Jesus not only have eternal life, but also have access to the abundant life in the here and now as they walk in the power of the Spirit. Christ is the source of all life. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing of eternal value because those works always lack life.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Take It to Heart
Jesus clearly says in our verse for today that He is the only means of entrance to the Father–shutting out all other ways to the Father. He stresses that, contrary to what many might believe, salvation is not obtainable through any other means. Only one way exists, and it is through the purifying and redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus.
“It avails nothing that a man is clever, learned, highly gifted, amiable, charitable, kind-hearted, and zealous about some sort of religion. All this will not save his soul if he does not draw near to God by Christ’s atonement, and make use of God’s own Son as his Mediator and Saviour. God is so holy that all men are guilty and debtors in His sight. Sin is so sinful that no mortal man can make satisfaction for it. There must be a mediator, a ransom-payer, a redeemer, between ourselves and God, or else we can never be saved. There is only one door, one bridge, one ladder, between earth and heaven – the crucified Son of God. Whosoever will enter in by that door may be saved; but to him who refuses to use that door the Bible holds out no hope at all. Without shedding of blood there is no remission. Let us beware, if we love life, of supposing that mere earnestness will take a man to heaven, though he know nothing of Christ. The idea is a deadly and ruinous error. Sincerity will never wipe away our sins. It is not true that every man will be saved by his own religion, no matter what he believes, so long as he is diligent and sincere. We must not pretend to be wiser than God. Christ has said, and Christ will stand to it, ‘No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.’” (John Charles Ryle)
