John 14

Let your hearts not be troubled

The opening statement Jesus makes is a qoute all belivers should keep in the forefront of there minds,these calming words bring the sentiment that our lord is in control of all and nothing is to be to stressful or arguious for us to handle if we abide in Christ and look to him for everything. (Deuteronomy 31:6,Proverbs 19:21, Isaiah 14:24, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 42:5) In the second half of the 1st verse in John 14, Jesus makes another claim to be God, Aqauting beiving in him is beliving in God, Telling his disciples around the table to belive in God and belive in him. We see Our lord also offering immesne comfort to the disciples and to us in the modern day, Proclaiming there are many rooms in the fathers house, giving us belivers immense ashurity that there is much room in the house of God awaiting us in eternal life for those who have accepted it. The other reassuring statment is that Jesus himself is going personally to prepare such a place this of course been a refernce to Himself been the Creator in whihc we were made through and givien life (John 1:3-4) and mimics the creation account in Genesis 1:1) Our Lord also states he is the one who will bring us to the place he has prepared for us, another massive calming statment for the discples and for us awating to be meet and be reunited with our Lord. (the Greek word  μονή (Mone) litterally means a “dwelling place” or “Abode”) Other translation will use the word Mansions as an Abode or dwelling place usually had many rooms and in the 1st century only those with large incomes and good socio-economic standiing had a dwelling place with multiple rooms. (atleast that was the genral thought when the KJV translators constructed the KJV) but the word mansions should not be negated, there will be many feasts and much fellwoship in heaven just as there would be in any mansion currently here on earth. Our Lord then states in John 14:4 “And you know the way to where I am going.” This confused the disciples as they did not know at all where Jesus was going or what he was reffering to, We of course knowing what occured that fateful day see this as overwhelmingly postive as we know where Jesus went when he ascended into heaven.

Now we get to the most Famous I AM statment Our made and for good reason in John 14:6-7 “I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE” Think back to the highway Isaiah mentions in Isaiah 35:8 When those who will walk on the highWAY will walk on the way to Holyness that can only occur when we put our faith in Christ and Recivie the Holy spirit who makes us sealed in rightousness. This is an iconic statment for more then one reason, one of these reasons i want to point out is, this is the EXCLUSIVE GOSPEL, to qoute Luke in the book of acts, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no ther name under heaven that has been given among men in which we must be saved” Acts 4:12 No universalism, no hope of slavation if one does not come to the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:15 Jesus states if we love him we are to keep his commandment, what exactly did Jesus command? here we have 50 basic commands ot follow from the mouth of our Lord. 1:Abide in Me- John 15:4–5,2.Repent (Matthew 4:17),3.Follow Me(Matthew 4:19),4.Rejoice,Matthew 5:11–12),5.Let Your Light Shine(Matthew 5:16),6.Honor God’s Law(Matthew 5:17),7.Be Reconciled,(Matthew 5:23–24),8.Do Not Lust(Matthew 5:28–30),9.Keep Your Word(Matthew 5:37),10.Go the Second Mile,(Matthew 5:38–42),11.Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:44–46),12.Be Perfect(Matthew 5:46–48),13.Practice Secret Disciplines(Matthew 6:1–18),14.Lay Up Treasures(Matthew 6:19–21).15.Seek God’s Kingdom(Matthew 6:33).16.Judge Not(Matthew 7:1–3).17.Do Not Cast Pearls(Matthew 7:6).18.Ask, Seek, Knock(Matthew 7:7–8).19.Do Unto Others(Matthew 7:12).20.Choose the Narrow Way(Matthew 7:13–14).21.Beware of False Prophets(Matthew 7:15–16).22.Pray for Laborers(Matthew 9:37–38).23.Be Wise as Serpents(Matthew 10:16).24Fear Not(Matthew 10:28)25.Hear God’s Voice(Matthew 11:15).26.Take My Yoke(Matthew 11:28–30).27.Honor Your Parents(Matthew 15:4).28.Beware of Leaven(Matthew 16:6).29.Deny Yourself(Luke 9:23–25).30.Despise Not Little Ones(Matthew 18:10).31Go to Offenders(Matthew 18:15–17).32Beware of Covetousness(Luke 12:15).33Honor Marriage(Matthew 19:4–6).34Forgive Offenders(Matthew 18:21–22).35Be a Servant(Matthew 20:26–28).36Be a House of Prayer(Matthew 21:13).37Ask in Faith(Matthew 21:21–22).38Bring In the Poor(Luke 14:12–14).39Render to Caesar (Matthew 22:19–21).40Love the Lord(Matthew 22:37–38).41Love Your Neighbor(Matthew 22:39–40).42Await My Return(Matthew 24:42–44).43Take, Eat, and Drink(Matthew 26:26–28).44Be Born Again(John 3:5–7)45Watch and Pray(Matthew 26:41).46Feed My Sheep(John 21:15–16).47Baptize My Disciples(Matthew 28:19).48Receive God’s Power(Luke 24:49).49Make Disciples(Matthew 28:19–20). 50.Keep My Commandments (John 14:15). All of these can summed up in Matthew 22:40 “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” (love your God with all your soul and stregnth and love your neighbor) The good news is that even when we fail at these commandments we have Jesus to go to in repentance and he will guide our paths and keep us on the straight and narrow. and we as belivers who have been endwelled with the holy spirit will do our best to follow these commandments and will actively want to follow them. In verse 26 Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “helper” (in which he will send down once he has ascended to the father) the greek word Παράκλητος Paraklētos actaully means an Advocate in a legal sense and this word is used by God for a very Specific reason, The Holy Spirit in which we belivers are endwelled with once we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, is our “Legal Advocate agaisnt the Accusations of the enemy (Satan means the Accuser or The Adversary) His accusations against us have no weight or bearing anymore since the Holy Spirit has endwelled us. Christ deafeted Sin and Death on the Cross whihc were the “legal precidence for paying our wages” (Romans 6:23) There is alot to think about and ponder on this Chapter for our walk in Christ, so instead of having connecting verses, lets meditate on Jesus’s Words and think about appropriate life applications we can use to better ourselves in rightousness and Grow closer to the Lord.