JOHN LESSON 41
We will begin this lesson in John 14:21.
V-21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
This word manifest means make real. Jesus will make Himself real
to those who love Him. One reason that I believe it is so important
to learn God's Word (Bible) is because we must know His will, before
we can do His will. We have His commandment s in the Bible.
Christians do their very best to do those commandments. The Bible
teaches that Christians have the commandments of God written on the
fleshly part of their hearts. The heart is wholesome, if you are a
Christian. If you are a Christian, good words come from your pure
heart.
V-22, "Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that
thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"
Judas was a fairly common name in those days. We are not told
which Judas, just that he was not Iscariot. It could have been that
this was the Judas that was James' brother, we don't know for sure.
This Judas was possibly a disciple of Jesus, but not of the twelve.
Those who disciplined themselves and followed Jesus were disciples,
but not necessarily of the twelve. This is certainly a legitimate
question. We might go to another statement Jesus made to clarify
this. He said: seeing, they do not see. Seeing with the eyes, they
do not see. Seeing with the eyes can deceive a person. To truly
know, one must see, not only with the eyes, but with the Spirit as
well. If Jesus could be found by looking with the physical eyes, all
would believe. The Spirit must reveal Jesus for us to truly see and
believe.
V-23, "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he
will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him."
All throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, those
who keep God's commandments and have faith are blessed of God. Those
who do not have faith and do not keep God's commandments are cursed.
There is no in between. Abraham's faith was counted unto him for
righteousness. He loved God, and God blessed Abraham. This is the
story throughout the Bible. God dwells in tabernacles not made with
hands. God is a holy God and will not dwell where there is sin and
disobedience. Revelati on 21:3 says, "And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God."
V-24, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the
word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
We see from this, that those who do not accept Christ, do not
have the Father, as well. The words Jesus spoke would have been the
same words the Father would have spoken had He been there.
V-25, "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present
with you."
To me, the most important Scriptures in the Bible are the ones
that are printed in red. They are the Lord's spoken Words when He was
on the earth. We know that all of the Bible is inspired of God, but
these words in red are the very Word of God.
V-26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
I need to say right here, that you cannot remember something that
you have never heard or read. You see, our job is to read and study
the Bible, and after we have done this, the Holy Ghost will bring it
to our remembrance as we need it. The Holy Ghost, also, will quicken
us to its meaning, as well. We must read it first though. You cannot
understand something, until you have heard or read it. The job of the
Holy Ghost is to teach you how to live a life pleasing to God: that
life is a life of ministering to others life everlasting.
V-27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid."
Jesus is the King of Peace. He is the source of all peace. If
we have Jesus as Saviour and Lord, we have nothing that should trouble
us, not even threat of death. If we die to this world, we shall live
to Him. We know where our destination is. W
e have hope of eternal life. This world is not our home, we are just
passing through. This tells us not to worry about anything. The
world cannot give us security. Jesus is our security.
V-28, "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come
again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I
go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."
The ultimate goal of everyone should be to live in heaven with
God. This is what Jesus is saying here, rejoice with Him for He has
reached this ultimate goal. The difference with Jesus and us is, that
Jesus lived in heaven with the Father, before H e came on a thirty-
three year mission here on the earth. Even Paul said his desire was
to go home to heaven and be with the Lord, but Paul knew when he said
this, his mission was not finished here on the earth. To finish the
work that God has for you and to go to heaven for eternity is the
ultimate goal. Jesus is saying, rejoice with me that I will go back
to heaven where I came from, and be with my Father.
V-29, "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when
it is come to pass, ye might believe."
We see the purpose for Jesus telling them what is about to happen
is, so they will not be overwhelmed by the apparent defeat. They will
remember that He told them, and they will know that this is victory,
not defeat. This whole purpose was so they would still believe in the
face of the problem. How soon we forget. Just a few hours after
Jesus tells them this, they will scatter in fear and doubt.
V-30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince
of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."
The prince of this world is the devil. Jesus is telling them,
that He has taken this time to warn them that the things about to
happen will appear to be total defeat, but will actually be the
greatest victory man has ever known; the victory over t he devil, sin,
and death. He tells them here in the last sentence, the devil really
is not in control of this, but he thinks he is "hath nothing in me".
You see, Jesus is crucified on the cross to save mankind, not because
the devil wanted it that way, but because God planned it that way.
Jesus is not forced to do this. He does it of His own free will to
save us. It will appear that He is forced, but He is not.
V-31, "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as
the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go
hence."
Notice again here, where these orders (commandments) came from:
not the devil, but the Father. In fact, this plan had been instituted
since the foundation of the world. This is the plan to redeem fallen
mankind. Jesus loves the Father; but at Get hsemane, it will be
apparent that Jesus submits to the perfect will of the Father, even
unto death of this body which has housed Him thirty-three and a half
years. His will and the Father's will have been one from the
beginning. It is the body which dreads the suffering, not His Spirit,
as we will see in a later lesson.
Notes
John 41 Questions
1. How can He know we love Him (Jesus)?
2. If we love Jesus, who will love us?
3. What does the word manifest mean?
4. What does the author believe is one important reason for studying
the Bible?
5. Where do Christians have God's commandments written?
6. Good works come from a pure ________________________________.
7. What does the other Judas (not Iscariot) ask Jesus?
8. To truly know God, we must see with the ______________________
and not just with the __________________________.
9. In verse 23, Jesus says, if a man loves me, he will keep my ____.
10. Who will come and make abode with those who love Jesus?
11. We know that God blesses those who keep His commandments, but what
happens to those who don't keep His commandments?
12. In verse 24, whose words did Jesus say He was speaking?
13. What does the author think are the most important Scriptures in
the Bible? Why?
14. What is the Holy Ghost called in verse 26?
15. Which God is the teacher?
16. In verse 27, what does Jesus leave with the Christians?
17. What suggestion did Jesus give Christians in verse 27, that He
gave in verse 1?
18. Who is the King of Peace?
19. If we die in this world a Christian, we shall ____________ to __.
20. In verse 28, Jesus said, if ye loved me, you would _____________.
21. What man of God said that his desire was to die, but would stay
and finish the job God gave him to do?
22. Why had Jesus told them this, before it came to pass?
23. Who is the prince of this world?
24. In verse 31, Jesus says that the world may know that ___________.
25. How long had this plan been instituted?
Notes
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