JOHN LESSON 40
We will begin this lesson in John 14:11.
V-11, "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me:
or else believe me for the very works' sake."
Jesus says here, If you cannot understand that the Father is in
me, and me in Him, then let all these miracles that I have done show
you that I am truly carrying out the Father's wishes, as well as my
own. Jesus did so many miracles that all the boo ks in the world
could not record them, had they been written down. He did greater and
more miracles than any one had ever done before. When Jesus healed,
He healed in His own name for there is no greater name under heaven.
We will see in the next few verses, that the believer in Christ can do
miracles also, the only difference is that we must do them in His
name. We have no power to heal. The power to heal is in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord.
V-12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me,
the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
Verily, verily tells us that this is absolute truth, that the
things said here are without doubt. Many people believe that this
statement is made just to the disciples and does not pertain to us.
I say unto you, is to the disciples there, but look what it says. He
tells the disciples that he (anyone) who believes on Jesus can do
these things. What things can the believer do? "...the works that I
do..." (said by Jesus) includes raising the dead, casting out demons,
giving sight to the blind, making the lame to walk, and many other
things too numerous to mention. Look at "...greater works shall he
do...", the he is all who believe, and "greater works" means greater
than the one listed above. Then we need to look at the why:
"...because I go unto my Father". The power of all the forces in
heaven are behind the miracles. Now we must look at the difference in
us (Christians) doing these miracles and Jesus doing them. In verse
13, we will find that Jesus healed in His own name and we must heal in
the name of Jesus, not in our own name. We do not have the power to
heal, it is the name of Jesus Christ our Lord that has the power to
heal. Jesus has given all Christians the power to use His name.
V-13, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Look what our part is in all of this: to ask in the name of Jesus
Christ. Now look who does it: the "I" is Jesus Christ our Lord. Who
gets the glory? The Father and the Son are glorified, not the one who
prays. We are just the mouth to pray an d the hand God uses to touch.
He does all the rest.
V-14, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."
Look carefully one more time at this wording! We ask in the name
of Jesus Christ, and Jesus does it.
V-15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
So many ministers today are teaching that after you are saved and
baptized, you can commit sin and not be guilty. This one verse says,
if you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments. The only people
who love Jesus are Christians. Jesus in His own words says, that
those who follow Him (love Him) keep His commandments. If we keep His
commandments, we will not walk in sin. We will walk in the footsteps
of Jesus.
V-16, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"
Jesus was, and is, our advocate with the Father. He petitions
God for us all the time. He is our intercessor. Jesus prays to the
Father on our behalf. Jesus knew that the disciples and in fact, even
Christians of today would be just lost without Jesus to fight our
battles for us. We feel despair many times. Some even cry out, God
where are you, I need you now. When Jesus walked the earth with His
disciples, they could lean on Him. When things happened that they
could not handle, they knew that Jesus was there to do it for them.
They knew no fear, as long as they were in His presence. When He went
back to heaven, they were troubled. Jesus told the disciples to tarry
in the upper room until the Holy Ghost came upon them. Just as Jesus
sent the Holy Ghost to comfort them, He will send Him to help us,
also. The Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, is our teacher and guide. The
Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) comes and dwells inside the Christian to
teach guide, encourage and comfort.
V-17, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for
he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
When you become a Christian and make Jesus your Saviour and Lord,
there is a peace that comes over you, because the presence of God is
with you and even in you. It is called the peace that passes all
understanding. Peter is a very good example of t he change that takes
place. Before Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit
(whichever you choose to call it), he was weak in his spirit, and even
denied Jesus three times fearing what the Jewish leaders might do to
him. After Peter received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost,
Peter was able to stand up for Jesus even to be crucified without
denying. This Comforter gives us the courage to minister in ways that
we would never be able to minister before. The difference is, we h
ave made Jesus our Saviour before we receive the Spirit, but after we
receive the Spirit, He is our Lord, as well. We need not be
frustrated, trying to make decisions about our lives. If Jesus is our
Lord, He makes the decisions for us, we just say , yes sir.
V-18, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
This is Jesus speaking. Jesus realizes they will need to be
comforted. Christens are really persecuted by the people of the
world. Even today, Christians need to be comforted by the Spirit of
God. Jesus will not leave us without comfort, He will come and
comfort us.
V-19, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye
see me: because I live, ye shall live also."
The world will crucify the only one who gives eternal life. He
(Jesus) not only gives life, but is Life. They who rejected Jesus
will not see Him, nor experience the comfort of the Spirit of God. In
I Thessalonians 4:13 the last part says, "...ye sorrow not, even as
others which have no hope." Those who have no hope of the
resurrection are those who have rejected Jesus Chrsit as saviour and
Lord. One thing that comforts the Christian and brings hope in the
Scriptures above is because Jesus lives, we shall live, also. The
fact that He rose from the dead brings us hope that we Christians
shall rise, also. Romans 8:11 says, "But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that
dwelleth in you."
V-20, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye
in me, and I in you."
We see from this, that the Spirit of the risen Christ (the Holy
Spirit) is what causes us to be resurrected as Jesus was resurrected.
If we are Christians, then we have the Spirit of the risen Christ
dwelling within us. We are hidden in Him. Gala tians 2:20 says, "I
am crucifed with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Just a few chapters earlier in this series Jesus told Martha, "I am
the resurrection and the life." You see, if we have Jesus inside, we,
also, have eternal life dwelling in us. Jesus must become more and
more in us, as our flesh fades out.
Notes
John 40 Questions
1. In verse 11, Jesus says, "Believe me that I am in the Father, and
the Father in me: or else believe me for the ___________________
__________________________ ______________ _____________ ."
2. How many miracles did Jesus do?
3. Whose name did Jesus heal in?
4. Whose name do we heal in?
5. Who is Jesus speaking to in verse 12?
6. Who does Jesus say can heal?
7. Why does Jesus say, in verse 12, we can do greater works?
8. Name some of the miracles Jesus did?
9. What power had been given to the Christians?
10. Verse 13 says, whatsoever ye ask in whose name __________.
11. Why will Jesus do it, in verse 13?
12. Quote verse 14.
13. Jesus said, "If ye love me, _____________________ _____________
__________________________________."
14. What will our walk be like, if we love Jesus?
15. What will Jesus give the Christians to abide with them forever?
16. Name two things Jesus does for us all the time?
17. What do we cry out sometimes when we feel despair?
18. What did Jesus tell the disciples to wait in the upper room for?
19. What are two other names for the Spirit of God?
20. Why can the world not receive the Spirit of truth?
21. Where does the Christian know the Spirit?
22. Why was Peter so different after Pentecost?
23. If we make Jesus Lord, how does that help us?
24. What does verse 18 promise?
25. I Thessalonians 4:13 says, the Christians are not like the world
who have no __________________.
26. What do we learn about our resurrection in Romans 8:1?
27. In verse 20, who is in us, and we in Him?
28. In Galatians 2:20, we find that, if I am crucified with Jesus, I
live by what in the flesh?
Notes
Home