John 14:18-24
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent Me. (ESV)
This passage is meant for every Christian. In it we see:
- The Presence of Christ in every believing Christian (v16-18):
How was the Spirit dwelling with them? It was through the person of Jesus Christ.
To have the Spirit is to have Christ within us (v18) – also see Matthew 18. - The Presence of Christ is experienced as a live-in Friend (v21, 23):
Christ was going to manifest Himself to them and make His home in them (v23).
How is this divine live-in friend experienced?
a) God speaks to us through the Scriptures (Romans 15v4).
b) Experience of Joy and Peace even in trials (1 Peter 1v7-8, Romans 14).
c) The Spirit of Christ bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8v15-16).
d) The believer runs to God the Father in times of trouble and despair (Psalm 62v8). - The Presence of Christ is Conditional (v23):
It is conditional upon love for Christ (Luke 9v23). Love starts with principled obedience to His Law.
Are you going to follow the world and live by your feelings, or are you going to follow Jesus?