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[0:00] John chapter 14. And we're looking at a section in John's Gospel which covers chapter 13 through to chapter 17, which is a lot, but is actually a record of the last 24 hours Jesus has with his disciples.

[0:29] Before he goes to the cross and he's gently preparing the disciples for his departure and what life will be like when Jesus is gone.

[0:43] So we're going to continue looking through that. We're going to read from John chapter 14 verse 15 to the end of the chapter. John 14 starting in at verse 15.

[0:56] This is Jesus speaking to his disciples. If you love me, keep my commands.

[1:10] And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. The Spirit of Truth.

[1:21] The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you.

[1:37] I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.

[1:49] Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you.

[2:04] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love them and show myself to them.

[2:19] Then Judas, not Judas Iscariot, that's the one who betrayed Jesus, said, But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?

[2:34] Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them.

[2:46] Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me.

[2:58] All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

[3:15] Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

[3:32] You heard me say, I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father.

[3:43] For the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen, you will believe. I will not say much more to you for the Prince of this world is coming.

[4:01] He has no hold over me. But he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what the Father has commanded me.

[4:14] Come now, let us leave. Well, let's pray. Holy Spirit, will you be our teacher this morning?

[4:33] May you take the words that are written down for us and speak those words into our hearts so that we see Jesus in all his greatness and all his beauty that we will see his love for us so that in response we love him.

[5:02] So help us now for our good and for our blessing. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, growing up, I had a very close relationship with my brother, Philip.

[5:20] Some of you know him. Although he's six years older, we were the best of friends and still are. We shared the same bedroom together.

[5:31] We played football. We went fishing. And we annoyed our sister. I couldn't imagine a life without my brother.

[5:43] And then came the terrible news. My brother was leaving to go to university. I was devastated. I was in first year in secondary school and I remember crying deeply.

[5:58] Yes, I could talk to him on the phone. But that was nothing compared to being with him. Not having my brother around was devastating.

[6:13] Well, the disciples were struggling with something similar but much deeper. They had spent the last three years with Jesus. They had left everything to follow Jesus.

[6:26] They had gone with him wherever he went. They had been learning from him. They had been watching the miracles. They had been to weddings with him. They had been to funerals with him.

[6:37] They had gone on long walks together. And then came the devastating news. I'm leaving. I'm going back to the Father.

[6:50] And they were devastated. So Jesus seeks to reassure them and comfort them and to reassure us and to comfort us as we read that he is with us forever.

[7:07] Look at chapter 14, verse 1. Jesus says to them, Do not let your hearts be troubled.

[7:18] He says the same in the end of verse 27. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

[7:30] You heard me say, I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father for the Father is greater than I.

[7:43] Or we could imagine the disciples thinking to themselves, Well, that's great for you, Jesus. You're going to the Father. But what about us?

[7:54] What are we going to do? And how are we going to have a relationship with you now that you're going? You see, from our perspective, Jesus has already returned to the Father.

[8:10] At this point, in talking to the disciples, Jesus was yet to die and rise and ascend. But we now look back on a time when Jesus has died, has risen, and is now ascended.

[8:25] But our question can still be the same. How do you and I relate to Jesus? Because we can't see him physically. How do we enjoy a relationship with Jesus now?

[8:40] Well, the answer, partly, is reciprocal love. It will be a relationship of loving one another.

[8:53] We can love Jesus now. And Jesus loves us now. Look at verse 21, which is really a key verse in this section.

[9:06] saying, whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father.

[9:22] And I too will love them and show myself to them. You see, although we cannot see Jesus physically, although we can't go out and have a coffee and a chat with Jesus, we can still enjoy and experience a deep, loving relationship with Jesus.

[9:45] A relationship where we love him and he loves us. So, two big ideas from this text we're going to look at.

[9:57] first, we love Jesus by our obedience and second, Jesus loves us by his promise. So, first, we love Jesus by our obedience.

[10:17] Look at verse 15. If you love me, keep my commands. Now, in case we missed the point, Jesus says it twice more.

[10:30] Look at the beginning of verse 21. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And Jesus repeats it again in verse 23.

[10:43] Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. Now, you might think that doesn't sound very much like a fun relationship.

[10:55] It sounds like a lot of rules and obedience. Well, obedience is good and it's the mark of a healthy, loving relationship.

[11:07] Look at how Jesus enjoys his relationship with the Father. Look at verse 30. I will not say much more to you for the prince of this world is coming.

[11:21] The prince of this world is talking about the devil or Satan who would seek to derail Jesus from going to the cross. But Jesus says he has no power over me.

[11:34] But he comes that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

[11:47] Do you see it there? Jesus demonstrates his love for the father through obedience. Now parents and children can enjoy a similar relationship.

[11:59] Parents have commands and teach their children obedience but not to harm them but to do them good. In the same way as children obey their parents they learn to experience the love of the parent.

[12:16] So a parent who gives a good command and a child who obeys the command enjoys a healthy loving relationship. Well Jesus and the Father love one another and the way Jesus expresses his love to the Father is look at the end of verse 31 by doing exactly what my Father has commanded me.

[12:43] You see there's no hint that obedience to Jesus and keeping his commands are bothersome or tiresome. It's the mark of a healthy loving relationship.

[12:58] Some of you might know of or even read the book called The Five Love Languages. Anybody of you heard that or read it? A few nods here.

[13:10] Well if you read it it will tell you how to express your love to your spouse. So here are the five love languages. Words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.

[13:28] So each person will lean to one of these five. And so the more that we understand the love language of the other person, the more we will know how to love them and the deeper the relationship goes.

[13:43] Well the love language in our relationship with Jesus is obedience. It's through listening to his commands, by reading his word and doing what Jesus says, that we enjoy a healthy and loving relationship.

[14:10] So first, we love Jesus by our obedience. Second, Jesus loves us by his promise.

[14:24] He loves us by his promise. He made a promise to his disciples that has now been fulfilled. Look with me, verse 16. Jesus says, I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth.

[14:48] Jesus is promising them the Holy Spirit. You see, as Jesus goes, so the Spirit comes. As Jesus ascends to the Father, so the Spirit will descend to his disciples.

[15:03] Now, if we're Christians today, that promise has already been fulfilled. Jesus has returned to the Father and the Spirit has now come.

[15:17] That's what Jesus is referring to in verse 20. On that day, the day when the Spirit comes, you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you.

[15:37] So what Jesus promised to his disciples, we now get to experience if we are trusting him. So what can we expect from the Holy Spirit?

[15:49] What experience should we have? Well, there are four things we can experience that will lead to a healthy, loving relationship.

[16:00] four things that will lead to a healthy, loving relationship. First of all, we have the presence of Jesus.

[16:12] Look again what it says, verse 16. I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate, a helper.

[16:27] Some of your translations might say counselor, or comforter. But the focus here, I think, is on another advocate.

[16:38] In other words, the Spirit is not a replacement for Jesus, but another one just like Jesus, who will be with you forever.

[16:51] So Jesus says in verse 18, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. But how can Jesus, who is departing and going to the Father, be present with us at the very same time?

[17:15] Well, Jesus is present with us by the person of the Holy Spirit. verse 17. Jesus says, the world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

[17:32] But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. You see, the Spirit is not an it or a thing. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus, not just with us, but, as it says at the end of verse 17, he is in you.

[17:55] We can't see Jesus, we can't hug Jesus, we can't invite him round for dinner, but Jesus is living in us, and therefore he is with us wherever we go and whatever we do.

[18:10] There is never a time when Jesus is not with us. You see, being with us and in us is an expression of the deep love that he has for us.

[18:27] Jesus is present in the disciples, in the believer's life, by the Spirit. And he is continually present with us.

[18:42] So we have the presence of Jesus. Second, actually I don't have this, this was an added extra later in this morning, and if you're using notes you don't have it, but it's number two anyway.

[18:58] We have the assurance of Jesus. Not just the presence of Jesus, but the assurance of Jesus. Jesus promises to keep us in relationship with him.

[19:11] Look at verse 19. before long the world will not see me anymore. They'll not see him because Jesus is going to the Father.

[19:25] But you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. Jesus is saying because I live, because I will be going through my death and resurrection, you also will live.

[19:43] And how will they live? Because of the Spirit in you. Yes, you will see me again, but how can Jesus be so sure that the disciples will physically be with Jesus and see him?

[19:58] Because of the Holy Spirit within us. Just one quick cross reference. Jump forward to Romans 8 verse 11.

[20:10] Romans 8 verse 11. So it's John Acts Romans. Romans 8 verse 11.

[20:27] So we're thinking here of the assurance that Jesus gives to the believers because the Spirit is in you, you will live.

[20:37] So look what it says, chapter 8 verse 11. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

[21:06] did you get that? The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that lives within the believer's life so that we too will rise.

[21:23] Go back to John chapter 14. You see, Jesus is reassuring us that though he is gone, yes, he is present with us by his Spirit, but there will come a day when we will rise and we will see him and physically be with him.

[21:43] Because I live, you also will live. So we have the presence of Jesus, the assurance of Jesus, and third, that's second on the screen, we have the love of Jesus.

[22:06] You see, Jesus makes an even greater promise. Look down at verse 23. Jesus said, anyone who loves me will obey my teaching, my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

[22:27] So it's not just Jesus who is going to be present with us, it's Jesus and the Father who is in us.

[22:39] Before Kirsty and I got married, we lived in separate homes. We loved each other and we enjoyed spending time together, but when we got married, we moved in together.

[22:55] It would be a very strange thing for someone to get married, but to remain apart and to live in different homes. Well, when we believe in Jesus, when we commit ourselves to Jesus, it's like we enter into a marriage relationship.

[23:13] God, by his spirit, moves into our lives. As an expression of love, verse 23, God the Father and God the Son make us their home.

[23:32] God moves in to our life. Now, you can't get closer than that, but more than that, deeper than that, Jesus wants us to experience the love of the Father and the love of the Son that they enjoy together.

[23:52] Look back at verse 21. Whoever has my commands, and keeps them, is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love them and show myself to them.

[24:13] You see, before time begun, the Father and the Son and the Spirit have been enjoying a continued loving relationship relationship with one another.

[24:27] Before this universe came into existence, before you and I were born, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were relating to each other in perfect love.

[24:40] So when God makes his home within us by the Spirit, he's inviting you and I to share in that eternal, perfect, loving relationship.

[24:51] relationship, the love that the Father has for the Son and the love the Son has for the Father, we get to experience it and share in it.

[25:03] We get to enjoy the love of God by the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit. After a couple of years of our marriage, we had two children and because Ethan and Rebecca are our children, they get to share in the love that Kirstie and I have for one another.

[25:30] They share in that love. To not love them would be a tragedy. Well, the amazing thing about God is he comes into our life by the Holy Spirit so that we may know and enjoy his love.

[25:44] He shares his love with his children. an eternal perfect love that never fails and will never leave us.

[25:57] His love is steadfast and loyal and faithful and keeps on loving and pursuing us even when we don't do things that are unloving.

[26:11] Jesus loves us by enabling us to experience his love by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

[26:23] So we have the presence of Jesus, the assurance of Jesus, the love of Jesus, and then we have fourth the peace of Jesus.

[26:37] Being with Jesus for the disciples was both comforting and reassuring. but now Jesus is going and departing to the Father, they're troubled and afraid.

[26:50] So Jesus makes a further promise. Look at verse 27. Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.

[27:02] I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. now how many of us experience fear in life?

[27:17] We fear what's happening around us, what we see on the news. We fear the future and wonder if everything is going to be alright. Perhaps we even fear, as I often do, is my relationship with God going to continue?

[27:34] What if I fail and it breaks? But listen to what Jesus is saying. End of verse 27. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

[27:50] Well, how are we not to fear? Well, jump back to verse 26. Here's how we don't fear. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

[28:18] You see, we experience the peace of Jesus as we listen to the words of Jesus. The peace of Jesus becomes our experience as we listen to the words of Jesus.

[28:35] Now, how do we hear the words of Jesus? Jesus, we pick up the Bible and we read it. The apostles heard the word of Jesus and they wrote it down, and so as we read it, we hear the words of Jesus.

[28:51] And the Spirit reminds us and brings peace into our life. The peace that tells us, verse 18, that we are not left as orphans, but he is with us.

[29:04] Or the end of verse 19, because Jesus lives, we will live. And verse 23, because the Father loves us, we know that he will stay with us.

[29:19] You see, as we read the promises and assurances of Jesus, the Spirit brings to our minds all these wonderful truths. So in our fears and in our troubles, the Spirit brings peace.

[29:35] So Jesus loves us. He loves us by his promise. We now have the Spirit who enables us to experience a loving relationship with Jesus.

[29:48] We have his presence, his assurance, his love, and his peace. Jesus loves you. He really does.

[30:02] Now the big question we need to ask as we conclude and think about this is how do I actually get to experience this love for myself?

[30:16] How can I experience this loving relationship? How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Well that seems to be the question Judas is asking in verse 22.

[30:30] Look with me at verse 22. Then Judas said, but Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?

[30:42] In other words, if you are promising the Spirit to us, what about everybody else? Can they experience him too? Well look at how Jesus responds, verse 23.

[30:58] Jesus replied, anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them.

[31:13] And anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. Now we need to be crystal clear about this or we'll get very confused.

[31:25] Jesus does not mean that through our obedience we earn the Spirit. So if I obey all the commands of Jesus, I will get the Spirit.

[31:41] No, that would be a contradiction to everything Jesus has taught. the gift of the Spirit is given the moment someone believes and trusts in Jesus.

[31:54] So back in verse 16, Jesus says, I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate. It's a gift.

[32:05] It's not something we earn. It's a gift to those who believe. and the moment we trust and believe in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit.

[32:19] But, it's through our obedience that we experience the Spirit. Did you see that in verse 23?

[32:31] Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching and my Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them. We don't earn the Spirit, but we experience the Spirit through our obedience.

[32:53] As we love Jesus by our obedience, so we experience the love of Jesus for us. Obeying is experiencing.

[33:06] So if we want to experience the Spirit's work in our life, today, well, if you are not yet a Christian, then you need to trust him, to commit your life to him, to ask him to change you, and if you do, the Spirit will enter your life at that very moment, right now, and he will be present with you, and assure you that he will be yours forever, and you will have peace, and you will experience his love.

[33:41] As we obey his commands, as we enter into this loving relationship, so we experience all that he has to give us.

[33:54] Jesus welcomes, he welcomes you and I, and invites us into that loving, eternal relationship, where we love Jesus, and Jesus loves us, where we know his presence, his assurance, his peace, and his love.

[34:18] Let's keep obeying, and encouraging one another to follow him. Let's pray. Amen. thank you, Jesus, for your promise, that the Father would send the Spirit, and would indwell every single person who trusts you, and loves you.

[34:58] Thank you that we can know the Spirit today, living in us, never departing, helping us to enjoy and experience a loving relationship with you.

[35:15] Would you help us as we go into this week to be people who obey your word, not because we have to, but because we delight in you, and to enjoy you.

[35:31] Father, impress upon us all that you have done, that we might love you as you love us.

[35:42] In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, we're going to sing together a reminder of the assurance of God's great love for us.

[35:57]  Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Let's stand together, and as we sing, and if this