Jesus, The Father, and the Holy Spirit
Notes
Transcript
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
It is likely that Jesus is referring back to the fact that He would be leaving them
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
But this time He calls them orphans…
Orphans are kids that do not have parents..
I wonder if Jesus is again referencing the relationship between and His Father…
Possibly implying now they wouldn’t be left alone without being in this relationship…but that He would come again
He continues…
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
The question up for debate here is when is Jesus talking about that He will come back for them…
Some say that He is talking about the time between His ascension back to the Father and when He returns again for His second coming…
I am not sure that I take this view…other view this as the time between His death and resurrection
The main reason that I don’t necessarily take the first view is that He has already promised the HS to come and be in them!
He has already said that the will now be in this relationship with Him and His Father in the new covenant, which is marked with the HS in His disciples…
So, why would He use the word “orphans” if He was referring to the long period of time between His ascension and second coming?
I think He is talking about the 3 days between His death and resurrection as they would not have the HS yet and it would seem that they were all alone…
Again, separated from the Father, and the Son has left them and they haven’t received the HS yet...
Interesting that Jesus says the world won’t see Him, but the disciples would, and because He lives, they too would live…
This sounds a lot like what Jesus was saying in John 11..
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
It is clear that Jesus is talking of the power of God displayed in His death and resurrection, but also for the believers…
Maybe this is what Jesus is alluding to back in John 14?
Jesus is implying that though He will die, He will also live?
The disciples will be able to see Him in the fact that He still lives, even though He dies?
So, even though Jesus dies, there is still life!
Is it possible that Jesus would know the fear and despair that the disciples would face after His death?
Well, I am sure that He would know this, but is this what He is alluding to?
I think so. I think that there is hope to be found in the idea that even though we struggle… and sometimes we think that we don’t see God, we can still trust that He is the resurrection and the life!
Because He lives, we too can live…
So, at times when we can’t see Him, we can still know and trust in His promise! He is alive…and we too can have that life!
The second reason I think Jesus is referring to the period between His death and resurrection is in the next verse…
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
It think that it would be clear after the resurrection that Jesus is unique…that the power of God is what raised Him from the dead!
Cleary, for the disciples, the Father is in Him..
So, after the resurrection, a light bulb will probably go off!
Oh yeah, Jesus is truly Lord!
Remember when the disciples were together after the resurrection and they told Thomas that they had seen Jesus
Thomas does believe them and says:
25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
And so Thomas calls Him
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
So, maybe the resurrection will be the sign that Jesus is God…the Father is truly in Him and He in the Father!
But guess what disciples, you too are in us!
In the life that you will see in me, that the world does not see, will be in you as well!
21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Show - manifest - make known, more than just seeing…
So, now we have Judas…
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
Now, Jesus explains:
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
So, the reason that anyone would be able to see Jesus is that they obey Him!
And, when they obey Him, they will see Him, because He and the Father will make their home with them!
So, again the invitation to be in relationship with the triune God! His home will be in those who loves Jesus, believes in Him and follow the commands of Jesus!
24 Anyone 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.
So, how do we know who the true followers of Jesus is, they love Jesus…and it is seen through obeying Him!
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, 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.
Jesus shows that clearly, He has spoken to them, and taught them, for three years!
And, He will leave them…but not alone…He will send the “paraklete,” the Advocate, Helper, Comforter
And what will He do?
Pick up where Jesus left off!
He will teach them all things..and remind them of everything that Jesus said to them!
So, a few weeks ago, we started talking about what the Holy Spirit will do for us!
The Holy Spirt Does:
Helps
Advocates
Comforts
and now the list is growing a bit further…
The Holy Spirit Does:
Helps
Advocates
Comforts
Teaches
Reminds
So, we have the HS inside of us…who will help us! He will advocate for us, comfort us, teach us, and remind us of the words of Jesus…
In order to remind us, we have to already know the words of Jesus…
Paul tells Timothy:
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So, we have the scriptures, which contain the words of Jesus…and we have the Holy Spirit to remind us of the words of Jesus…
So, we learn through the scriptures as well as the HS inside of us!
And now, we have more hope...
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The peace that Jesus gives is not as the world gives!
The world’s idea of peace is the absence of chaos…
The peace that Jesus gives us is His presence in the chaos!
So, don’t be troubled and afraid!
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
This is a difficult passage to unpack… Jesus and the Father are one…they are both God…so, how can Jesus say that the Father is greater…
the example to be humble…Jesus submitted to the Father…
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
So, as Jesus came…He took on flesh and didn’t use His divinity to His advantage…He humbled Himself…
So, Mike Winger, and I, believe that in the flesh, He submitted to the Father, that’s why He can say that the Father is great than Him…
I truly believe that while Jesus was in the flesh, He was showing us how to live. How to submit to God!
So, when we love Jesus, we understand His rightful position is at the right hand of the Father!
And so, why would Jesus tell them this?
29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
So, when the disciples see that Jesus is going to the Father…they will believe!
For us this morning, do we believe?
Do we have the faith to believe that Jesus is next to His Father?
And that the HS is in us!
The sign of who Jesus is is the death, resurrection, and ascension..
30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.
Jesus says His time has come…we know He was going to be betrayed and killed…but not that Satan has the power to do so, but that He submitted to the Father in doing so…
So that, we can have relationship with Him!
So, Jesus goes to the cross for us! To be in relationship with us!
