John 14:17-27 God’s favor & presence forever with us

v.17 ”… you know Him (Holy Spirit) because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to 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 abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:17-27

Background

In the previous passage, Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to the disciples as the Helper who would be with them forever. In today’s passage, Jesus presented the Holy Spirit as His presence who would dwell within them. The Holy Spirit has always been seen as an anointing that anointed kings, priests and prophets. For the first time, they saw the Holy Spirit as the enduring presence of Jesus Christ. Through the Spirit, God is forever with us.

Observation

1. Notice in v.17, Jesus presented the Holy Spirit as “He”: “you know Him because He abides with you…” Then in the following verse, Jesus used “I” instead of “He”: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you… but you will see Me.” Why did Jesus switch from using “He” to “I” when referring to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is no stranger to them, in fact, He is the very presence of the Jesus they have always known. Although the Holy Spirit is a Person distinct and different from Jesus, He is also the voice and the face of Jesus. To listen to the Holy Spirit is to listen to Jesus: “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you…” To see the Holy Spirit is to see Jesus. To touch the Holy Spirit is to touch Jesus.

2. Jesus made known His impending ascension to the Father: “the world will no longer see Me.”  during which He would be physically absent from them for 10 days. Thereafter, He would come to dwell with them through the Holy Spirit: “but you will see Me.”

3. “In that day” referred to the Day of the Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit would come and dwell within each believer. They would feel and sense that God is present with them: “you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Believers would be able to interact with God through their thoughts and emotions and sense His physical presence. In fact, believers would experience a new dimension of intimacy with God like never before through the inner witness of the Spirit. It felt like a intuition, an inner assurance that God is with us. This assurance does not come from the faculty of the mind, emotions or a physical presence and but from the Spirit.

4.  One of the disciples asked Jesus why He would no longer manifest Himself openly to the world as before? Jesus explained that the time had come that His manifestation would only be present within those who love God and obey His commandments. In the age of the Holy Spirit, God will no longer be manifested externally and directly to the world, but in and through believers. The world will continue to encounter God through Spirit-filled believers.

Truth

1. Through the Holy Spirit, our relationship with God becomes real and personal. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a Person who has a will to make decisions, He has emotions as well as a body. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9, Philippians 1:19). Hence, we could engage the Holy Spirit in a two-way conversation and hear His thoughts and feel His emotions. There are some who could feel the Spirit’s presence tangibly. Having understood this, we can have an actual relationship with the Holy Spirit just like Jesus and His disciples.

2. God does not always provide solutions, but He will always be present. Whenever you feel dejected and all alone, do not grumble how life has been unfair to you or immediately look to people or solutions. First, look to the Spirit within you, who is the wisdom and the power of God. As you take a moment to connect with the Spirit within you, you will feel His peace, empathy, and hope arising within you. Some how things will work out by itself when you proceed to do the next best thing and leave the rest to God. God does not provide solutions, but He provides His presence that enables us to overcome.

3. Do not look for happiness, but seek His presence. Happiness is a manifestation of a person’s trust in God. But if happiness is derived from external circumstances, then life has just got too many reasons to make us cry. People ask: Why can’t I sense God’s presence? Perhaps what they are looking for is an assurance that they will get what they want in order to be happy. Their fundamental structure for happiness remains unchanged: “Unless I get all these stuff, I will never be happy!” Or “If God is good, this would never have happened.” Jesus said, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” When we seek the face of God while putting aside all our wants. He begins to give us true joy and along with the good things of life.

4. The only way the world could encounter God is through a person. Many people try to convert others through a theological debate, or by bringing them to church services, or lure them with testimonies of blessings. Jesus said God will not be revealed directly to non-believers but only through believers. Hence, we must take the approach of being a genuine and gracious friend to them. Not to convert them, but to be a blessing to them. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

Applications

1. Write down a list of problems that you is currently on your mind and ask the question: Have I seek the Spirit’s assurance and direction for these problems? What is God saying concerning these problems? Perhaps some of them require hard decisions which you have not gotten the courage to make. May be some require letting go and letting God. And yet some require continual patience and perseverance.

2. Always be positive and bring out the best in people. Let the Spirit speak encouragement through you bringing hope and joy to the people in your family and work place. It is through the genuine and spontaneous acts of kindness that people are touched. People cannot be moved by constant persuasion, they are touched when they see that you are different. And they wanted that something that is eternal and out of this world: your thoughtfulness for others, your abstinence from gossip, your team spirit, your genuine interest in what they have to say, your belief in those who are weaker and your single-minded devotion to God.

Dear Lord, I am honored that You are dwelling within me. I carry in my spirit the love, wisdom and power of God. Use me to shine forth Your light and hope to the people I encounter each day. Use my mouth to speak the truth in love, to bring out the best in people, and to lift up those who are weak. Even in my present troubles, I depend on the Spirit within to overcome my challenges one day at a time. I rejoice that Your Spirit within me is much bigger than the forces in the world. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.