Chapter 14 Verses 7 – 8

• Notice what Jesus says here which is amazing.  With His statement here in verse 7 we can see the true meaning behind something we’ve heard often but maybe never quite fully grasped…that Jesus was fully man, and fully God.  What that statement means is that true knowledge of God can only be obtained by us through true knowledge of the Son…in other words, if the Son is truly known then the Father is truly known also.  Ok Matt, I got that…well listen up.  The Father is known just as far as the Son is known; no farther…Jesus was MORE than a manifestation of God; He was and is God manifest in the flesh…and the Bible says that Jesus “fully declared Him.”
• But notice Philip’s question…”Lord, show us the Father!”  Philip how’d you miss that?  How’d you miss the Way, the Truth, and the Life…you know what his problem was?  Same problem that we so often have…this disciple can think only of “seeing” the Father, not how He is to be seen!  The Way is standing right there in front of him…as He is today with us…in this book!  But we go our own way don’t we?  Oh I’ll see God through my good works…or…I’ll see God through my being good…I can just do what I desire and surely I’ll see God…”  Man if you want to see God…see Jesus.  You don’t even have to make an appointment.  He’s the only author that is there with you every time you read His book!

Chapter 14 Verses 9 – 11

• Peter can’t get it, Thomas can’t get it, Philip can’t get it…so what does Jesus do?  Meets them right where they’re at….”believe me at my word…understand me…or else, think upon what you have seen and believe.”  The works they could get…the raising of Laz they could grasp…and so Jesus meets them right where they’re at…why?  Because they asked!   Such a trivial idea isn’t it?  James says you have not because you ask not…I wonder today if you’re alone.  If today you are still struggling with the elementary things of God.  Your google searches and your demands to “see” proof haven’t helped have they?  Have you asked the Truth Himself?  Have you simply called upon Him for not the logical lecture or the scientific study but simply the revelation of the truth?  Takes humility!  Takes putting down your preconceptions…you’re idea of right…and receiving as it were…just receiving!
• Oh but that would mean something is given…you haven’t earned and you have a problem with that don’t you?  You don’t want anyone to give you anything do you?  You want to figure it out…you want to earn it…why?  So that then you have a right to have it…if you’ve earned it then it’s yours, right?  And then no one has the right to take it from you!  After all, no one rightly can take what you have earned, right?
• You know what that is?  That’s not reason…that’s not rationality…that’s fear.  Under all that…you’re afraid…afraid that if your treasure is given then your treasure can be taken…so you strive to lawfully achieve.  Well look, the truth is by the works of the law, no man is justified…no man achieves…but Jesus said that if you’ll just come…then you can buy without money…and the truth you’ll find, the way you’ll find…the life you’ll find…is yours to keep…He made sure of that when He gave all for you that dark day on that disastrous cross. 
• Nothing to fear.  God is perfect love…which casts out fear.  You won’t be let down, disappointed…ashamed…quite the opposite…and maybe for the first time in your life, you’ll actually live…and your troubled heart will turn from terror to truth!  And with truth, freedom!
• That is why Jesus desires for you to believe in Him!  So that you might have life and have it more abundantly!!

Chapter 14 Verse 12

• Do not doubt the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are so prone to defeat.  We see a situation, we are told of a circumstance and we think, oh how horrible…how tragic.  And sometimes we even sincerely say things like, “if there is anything that I can do…please let me know…don’t hesitate.”  And then we move on…why?  Why not pray over that person that is sick?  Why not pray and lay hands on that person that just lost their job or their house or whatever?  Because you are powerless?  Yes!  True!  The works are not yours just as the works that Jesus did were not His, they were the Father’s!  Yet He still raised the dead, healed the lame, gave sight to the blind! 
• Our society is such a “me” society.  Even to the point where the miraculous is hindered because we, centered on ourselves, have no faith!  We need to be centered not on ourselves but on the power of the Holy Spirit!  K.P. Yohanan tells of wondrous stories, in our time, of people being brought back to life, limbs regenerating, the sick being healed in the most remote places on earth…but not in America.  He’ll tell you, “not America”.  The faith is weak.  “If there is anything that I can do…”  You shouldn’t have to be asked…do what Jesus has done!  Love them, wash their feet, pray for the miraculous healing of their bodies and the fervent prayers of a righteous man (a believing, Spirit filled man) avails much it says there in James. 
• Just as Jesus said to Thomas, do not be unbelieving, but believe…because the Holy Spirit in you is able…able even for greater works!  Maybe Jesus knew of technology…Just last weekend 8,000+ professions of faith at the Harvest Crusade.  People coming alive.  At the tomb of Lazarus, grave clothes fell from one…last weekend grave clothes fell from thousands!  Greater works even Jesus said, you will do because I will be with you, My Spirit in you!  So don’t doubt!  Get into the game!  Expect the miraculous! 
• You can love your wife as Jesus loves the church!  You just need to yield to the Holy Spirit. 
• You can be a bold witness at your place of work!  You just need to yield to the Holy Spirit and call upon the name of Jesus. 
• We can go through “You Cans” for the next few hours if you’d like…Jesus said with God…all things are possible…So why accept defeat? 

Chapter 14 Verse 13 - 14

• Notice the sure promise to His disciples.  And please keep in mind who He is speaking to…not the multitudes, not the world, not the “name it and claim it” capitalists…He is speaking to His disciples…the ones who have left all to follow Him.  The ones that have trusted their entire lives, and after lives for that matter to Him (they had departed Judaism).  Mark 8:34 says that these are they that have denied themselves, taken up their crosses and followed Him.  Why do I say that?
• Because there are so many that post on Facebook and harbor in their hearts this thought that God wants you to be happy.  God wants you to enjoy life and get what you want so that you will be happy.  That is not righteous living…that is not of God…that is self indulgence.  God is concerned with your holiness, not your happiness.  Happiness apart from holiness doesn’t even exist.  You can get high…high on the drug of capitalism…high on excitement or achievement…high on sex…high on drugs…on pleasure…but you know what?  That is such a cheap high…because it goes away…it fails.
• It is by honoring the Father and living a life pleasing to Him that we find rejoicing and joy inexpressible…not in “if it feels good do it.”  This social networking society that we live in…you know linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+…allows folks to say to the world, what they are feeling at any minute of the day.  And its so sad sometimes as I read things like “follow your heart…God wants you to be happy and if He wants you to be happy then don’t let anyone stop you from being happy…” and then two hours later you’ll see them raging about someone talking behind their back…or they’ll write something about how they miss their ex or something…so sad.  They don’t even see it…that in the name of happiness they forsake holiness and utterly miss a true relationship with Jesus who supplies ALL of our needs.  And ultimately, if they do not repent and are born again by the Spirit, then they will suffer throughout all eternity.  But that is what the enemy wants…that is why society and all are set up as they are…to lull you into a sleep…but Jesus says come out of that lie and come alive!  Be My disciple!
• And so this promise made to His disciples…is sure.  Because the true disciple of Jesus will ask such things that are completely in line with the will of the Father because that is what a disciple desires.  A disciple’s heart is filled with the yearning for God’s will and God’s will alone.  Not comfort, not ease, not equality…those things mean little to the disciple of Jesus.  Why?  Because a close walk with Jesus provides something much more potent, much more real than that…
• As you hear this the Holy Spirit is revealing things to you isn’t He?  That comfort and ease and equality…those things may be an idol in your life….holding you back from great liberty, great power and true life.  The desires of your heart are even for those things…that’s what you work for…that’s what you vote for…that’s what you plan for…God has much more for you if you’ll delight yourselves in Him alone.  (Psalm 37:4)

Chapter 14 Verse 15 – 18

• “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”  You really can’t get much more ground level than that statement.  And what are His commandments?  Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love eachother as yourself.  There are whole movements out there today that espouse a love for Jesus, a relationship with God…yet the lives they live are completely out of alignment with the Word of God.  This one clear statement alone reveals their true heart…that they do not love Jesus, they love themselves.
• It’s impossible for man to not serve himself.  It’s impossible for us to not put ourselves, our needs, our desires before anyone else’s…even God’s.  We need divine intervention to do what is right, what is pleasing to Him and so check this out…Jesus says here that He will send the Helper, the parakletos, the Spirit of Truth to lead us into all truth and show us that self service ultimately leads us to self destruction…and to comfort us when denying ourselves hurts.
• And this Helper is an abiding Helper.  The word in the greek “meno” speaks of permanency…that He will not leave us but He will be with us continually.  Some would teach that mankind is able to cast off the Holy Spirit…take up salvation one day and put it aside the next…but that is out of alignment with God’s Word as Jesus says here that He will abide with you forever!
• And notice here Jesus shows us a few things.  First their current state.  He says “He dwells with you” meaning at that very moment, with Jesus there with them, they are seeing the Father and they are seeing the Holy Spirit because they are indeed One.  But also He says “He will be in you.”  You see they were not yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  That doesn’t happen until John 20:22 and so they are troubled, confused, even afraid.  But Jesus reassures them and us this morning doesn’t He…”I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
• And so we here see a two fold ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus says He will be with you…para in the Greek.  And He will be in you…en in the Greek.  The Holy Spirit is with all mankind continually.  Always testifying of the truth.  Always calling them to Truth.  And then when one makes a decision for the Lord and opens their hearts and lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into that person’s heart and life and that person is born again. 
• Why born again?  Well all men are born with the root of sin.  Slaves to sin.  Lost in it.  They can’t help but sin.  Their blind to the truth and by their very nature, enemies with God…because God is holy and perfect and completely righteous. 
• But when the Holy Spirit comes in…you see light cannot dwell with darkness and so that sin root is well… uprooted.  And you know the life is in the root.  Without the root, life is not sustainable and so as the Holy Spirit uproots that sin nature in your very core, in your very heart of hearts…the old man, the old woman…stuck as a slave to sin and trapped in blindness…dies. 
• Yet you live on…but now new.  In communion with the Father through the imputed righteousness of the Son and all things are made new…you (as the Bible says) are a new creation…all things have passed away, behold all things are made new.  Born again you see.
• That’s why Jesus says here that the world cannot receive Him, see Him or know Him…because the world is condemned…but you’re not!  Jesus has overcome the sentence of condemnation that was placed on all of mankind by Adam’s sin.  All that is in the world is perishing but even so, Jesus has made a way for you to be renewed…saved!
• And still yet there remains a third ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Found in Acts Chapter 1 verse 8.  Jesus said there to His disciples, “you shall receive power (dynamis – where we get our word dynamite!) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (epi in the Greek); and you shall be witnesses to Me and for Me.”
• So awesome.  He comforts us, He abides with us…then at our invitation and recognition of the truth He comes into us and saves us, rebirths us…re-roots us…sets us free from all of this death that surrounds us so that we no longer burn out but rather burn bright!  Burn hot!  Burn with intensity and eternity!!  And then He comes upon us…and empowers us to do those greater works that Jesus just spoke about.  Power arises man…explosive power whose blast echoes even in heaven!
• All because God loved us.  All because God did for us what we could not do.  He stepped down into prison and shattered our cages…tore into pieces our chains of condemnation as He hung there that day on the cross…sinless yet made sin…worthy of all praise yet accepting all of the punishment…because He is our Father, and we are His!  “I will not leave you orphans.”  And He hasn’t.