The Loving King

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever.

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

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.

These things I have spoken to you while I am still 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 have said to you.

Peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Neither let them be afraid.

You heard me say to you,

I am going away, and I will come to you.

If you loved me,

you would have rejoiced,

because I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you before it takes place,

so that when it does take place, you may believe.

I will no longer talk much with you,

for the ruler of this world is coming.

He has no claim on me,

but I do as the Father has commanded me,

so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Rise.

Let us go from here.

This is the word of God.

All right, good morning.

If you have your Bibles,

if you could turn them open to John chapter 14,

John 14 · chapter mention

going from verse 15 to 31 today.

In our society,

love is a feeling.

Love is expressed as an emotion.

I have to say with feeling, for example,

I have to say with feeling,

I love you, Joe.

Not only is love expressed as an emotion,

but it's actually pursued as an emotion.

I have to feel in love with Joe

before I can actually say,

I love you, Joe, sincerely.

Love is expressed as an emotion,

pursued as an emotion,

and is actually interpreted through our emotions as well.

So, Joe says back to me,

I love you too, honey.

Or she might say,

well, I don't really feel loved at the moment by you,

so I can't say it back.

In our society, love is a feeling,

primarily pursued as a feeling.

But in God's society,

love is much, much more than that.

The main Old Testament word for love is hesed,

and it means steadfast or loyal love,

unfailing kindness,

covenant faithfulness,

commitment and affection fused together,

beautifully fused together.

It's self-giving in nature.

Love, in God's way of relating,

is affection that is steadfast.

It's actually based,

and you can probably pick it up

from those different descriptions I've given you,

that it's based on a prior existing relationship.

A relationship where one person

is committed to the other.

Like, for example, marriage.

And love has responsibilities and benefits,

just like marriage does.

It has commitment and feeling.

Now, this part of Jesus' teaching

that we're about to delve into

is about living in a loving relationship with him,

the Trinitarian God,

Father, Son, and Spirit.

And we see each of them come to the fore in this passage.

This loving relationship has history

in the context of this meal

that Jesus is sharing with his disciples.

In chapter 13, verse 1,

the meal begins with Jesus' expression of love

to his disciples.

We read these words.

Chapter 13, verse 1.

Now, before the feast of the Passover,

when Jesus knew that his hour had come

to depart out of this world,

to the Father,

having loved his own who were in the world,

he loved them to the end.

John recognizes in Jesus,

as he looks back to these events,

he recognizes in Jesus,

Jesus as the ultimate,

steadfast,

and loyal lover.

In chapter 13, verse 31,

in the middle of the meal,

Jesus speaks about this,

and he commands the disciples to love

in the same way that he's loved them.

Verse 34.

A new commandment I give you,

that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you,

you also are to love one another.

By this,

all people will know

that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.

Love is so distinctive about Jesus,

about God,

Father, Son, and Spirit,

that when we love,

people can't help

but recognize God in us.

Jesus is glorified

in his ultimate act of love

for his disciples.

And Jesus is glorified

when his disciples,

that's us,

love one another

like he's loved us.

But now we get to this particular section,

in chapter 14, verse 15,

the beginning of this passage

that Simon read out.

And in this section,

Jesus explains what it means

to be in a relationship with him.

In verse 15, he says,

if you love me.

Love is mentioned 10 times

in these verses that were read out.

Love between us and God,

love between and from God to us,

and then love within the Trinity as well.

The disciples, remember,

the disciples are troubled in heart.

That expression,

troubled in heart,

begins chapter 14.

It comes in the middle here,

and then it actually comes again

in the next chapter.

The disciples are troubled in heart.

They're afraid.

So in the next verses,

Jesus paints a picture

of what it means

to be in a loving relationship with him.

He offers them words of comfort.

And they begin this way.

It's how we experience love.

If you love me,

you will keep my commandments,

says Jesus.

Keep my commandments.

Do as I say.

Is there a more confronting phrase

to be said to Australians?

And this is a conditional statement.

If you will.

If Jesus speaks from the perspective

of a prior existing relationship,

remember that love in God's way of relating

is affection that is steadfast.

It's based on a prior existing relationship.

So love means benefits and responsibilities.

If this relationship between us exists,

this loving relationship between us exists,

then you will.

Jesus actually expects them.

He expects this love for him

to mean commitment to him.

Commitment that has a specific shape to it.

We who love Jesus

are those who have committed

to giving ourselves to him.

This means we will obey him.

We need to remember here

that this is not a relationship of equals.

We are committed to God the Son

when we choose to love him.

There is a right and natural order

to this relationship.

Think the parents

who are dictated to by their children.

A number of teachers here,

so some of you will actually experience

the outworking of what that actually looks like.

It's awful.

When children dictate to their parents

how things should work,

it produces awful results.

Just in case it's not clear,

we are the children.

God is the parent.

God's the one who knows best.

Even when we don't like what he says,

he knows best.

And as our father,

he demands our obedience.

If you love me,

you will,

he says on the one hand.

And on the other hand,

he says,

and I will,

in verse 16.

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another helper

to be with you forever,

even the spirit of truth

whom the world cannot receive,

because it neither sees him

nor knows him.

You know him,

for he dwells with you

and will be in you.

Jesus,

for his part,

says,

I will ask the Father

for another helper.

He's going,

so there will be

a replacement for him.

Jesus is going away,

but he will not leave them alone.

These people with troubled hearts

will not be left alone.

He will ask the Father

for what we discover here

is an eternal helper,

where helper means comforter,

but not just comforter

in the sense of,

oh, they're there then,

but comforter in terms

of a teaspoon of concrete,

you know,

that will teach you

to harden up,

to get a spine,

to stand firm,

to strengthen you.

A comforter

or a helper

in the sense of an advocate,

one who stands in court

on your behalf

and defends you

as his.

This is what a helper means.

He goes on to describe

the helper

as the spirit of truth,

the Holy Spirit.

This is the outworking

of prophecies

like Isaiah 44.3

and Joel 2.28

where God promises

that he will pour

his spirit into us.

So we see this fulfillment

as well

of Jesus' prayer here

in Acts 2

when that actually happens

at Pentecost.

He asks the Father

for another helper,

the spirit of truth,

and he promises

that he will dwell

in those who love him.

Even though Jesus

will soon depart,

their experience

of God doesn't end.

It actually becomes

more intimate.

Jesus dwelt with them,

we read in John 1.

The Holy Spirit

was present

in Jesus' ministry

and in theirs

as they actually

were sent out

by Jesus

at different points.

Now this same Holy Spirit

would dwell in them.

Think the Holy of Holies

in terms of the temple

type image

where you are

the Holy of Holies.

We, for our part,

well, we're called

to express our love

of Jesus

by obeying him.

He loves us

by providing

a deeper experience

of God's presence

in the Holy Spirit.

So we have this

experiencing,

experience of love

where we obey

and Jesus provides

the Holy Spirit.

And then we have

this expression of love

in verses 18 to 24.

His disciples,

remember,

they're still disturbed.

Jesus' departure

is still significant

to them.

So he continues

to express his love

by speaking of

his commitment to them.

It's almost like vows

in a wedding ceremony.

Just listen to this.

Remember,

vows are not

the airy-fairy vows

that you sometimes hear.

I mean,

I went to a wedding

a few years ago

and the wedding vows

were basically,

oh, I think you're lovely,

you're beautiful,

you're wonderful.

There were no promises

in them.

There was no actual commitment

in those vows.

Whereas the traditional

Christian vows

actually reflect

what marriage is

as a covenant

where you commit.

So listen to how

Jesus commits to them.

He says in verse 18,

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.

I will,

he says.

I will not leave you

as orphans.

I'll not leave you alone.

Not as orphans.

What we need to hear here

is Jesus' departure

is not an abandonment.

I don't know

if you remember

the parenting series

we did a couple of years ago

where we actually

interviewed

Andrew and Anne

and we talked about

the effects of abandonment,

the effects of dislocation

between the relationship

between parents and children

and what that can have.

Dissociation between

parent and child

leads to feeling

adrift relationally

in the world

and adrift personally

within ourselves.

We struggle to actually

create a personal identity.

But Jesus' departure

is not abandonment.

Jesus still owns us.

And so he says,

although I go,

it won't be for long.

Now,

I've got to just pause

at this point

and say there is some debate

over what is actually

meant by this.

You see,

the main departure

that John's been

explaining to us

through Jesus' words

at this point

in his gospel

is the departure

to heaven

via the cross.

So that's the main departure

that's being talked about.

But this particular

departure and return

is likely referring

to something

that kind of happens

within that.

So yes,

the cross

and then his resurrection

and manifestation

appearance to them

before he then

goes off to heaven.

You can argue with me

about that later,

but it seems to make

best sense

of what he's saying here.

And so if we follow

on that train of thought,

what Jesus is saying

is they will see him

when he rises

from the dead,

but at this stage

the world won't.

But when they do see him,

they will finally understand

what he's been talking about.

It'll finally make sense.

So Jesus says,

I will not leave you alone.

But he says more than that,

I will return

to share my life with you.

Anticipation

will turn to knowing,

we discover in verse 20.

Their witness

of the risen king

is central to our hope.

The apostle Paul said

in 1 Corinthians 15, 14,

if Christ had not been raised,

then our preaching

is in vain

and your faith

is in vain.

That still applies

if.

But Jesus knows

that his resurrection

appearance

will actually transform

their lives.

He urges them

to hang on for it.

Their foundational

preoccupation

with the here and now,

so easy for us

to take on,

will be smashed

to pieces.

Everything that they believe

will be put back

together again

with an eternal perspective.

And finally,

it will make sense.

That's the knowledge

that we have now,

thanks to the witness

of these disciples.

Through the resurrection,

we understand

Jesus' ministry.

And notice in verse 21

that the I and you

becomes whoever.

This promise then

applies to us.

Whoever believes in him,

whoever puts their trust

in Jesus,

these truths

now come to us.

Through it,

the resurrection,

we understand

his death.

Through it,

we can see

the Father's hand

at work.

Through it,

we can know

his presence with us,

his love for us.

He speaks about

the things that he will do

and they're monumental.

He will share,

as he comes back to us,

he shares his very life,

the quality of his life

with us.

But we have to remember

that he's talking about

a loving relationship.

Whoever isn't everyone,

it's those who have

a living relationship

with the Father

through Jesus.

Those who trust in him,

which we read in verse 14,

in verse 1,

is the thing that Jesus

encourages them to do.

Now,

Judas was a little bit

uncertain about this

in verse,

and you see his question

in verse 22.

His vision of the restored

Israel was more concrete

and immediate.

He was expecting

to not wait at all.

And he didn't expect

the world to be,

sorry,

and he expected the world

to be the stage

when it actually happens.

But Jesus explains

in verse 23 and 24,

he says these words,

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 word,

and the word that you hear

is not mine,

but the Father's

who sent me.

This promise

is only for those

who love Jesus,

that loving,

committed relationship

with Jesus.

You who have my commands

and keep them,

he says.

You who keep my word,

he says in verse 23.

And for those

who love Jesus,

he promises

to make his home

with them.

The oneness

that Jesus experiences

with the Father

is something

that we're actually

being invited into,

being drawn into.

It's something

that breaks into

the here and now.

There's no pause

in this notice.

Jesus says this is

how it's going to work out.

The Father and the Son

have made their home

with us.

The Spirit

is already in us.

God is pouring himself

into our existence,

and there is so much

more to come.

He is so much

greater than us.

We will be flooded

with his goodness,

flooded with his love.

Friends,

marriage

is the most intimate

of human relationships.

When we don't have it,

we long for it.

When we have it,

we long for a better

version of it

than we do have.

I use the concept

of marriage

because John actually

does when you get

to the end of Revelation.

He actually applies

these truths

of Jesus' return

in terms of

the arrival

of the bridegroom

and the church

being the bride.

I don't apologize

for using marriage,

but for some of you

who are single,

you may be wondering

what's going on here.

What I want to tell you

is this,

and you who are married

as well and think

marriage is everything.

You're deluded.

That'll change in time.

Don't worry.

But marriage is only

an illustration.

It's a metaphor

in the Bible.

It's meant to give us

a glimpse or a taste

for the greatest relationship,

home with the Father,

the Son,

and the Spirit.

That's what we were

created for.

If you think

you are missing out,

then remember this.

Marriage is like

as children

when we play with cars

and toys and dolls

and role play.

Marriage is like that

compared to the real thing

of being home

with Father,

Son,

and Spirit.

Single or married,

that's when you're at home.

That's when you are complete.

That's what we were

created for.

Again,

Jesus expresses

that this home,

this completeness,

this invitation

into relationship

of this kind of magnitude

of intimacy

is not for everyone.

You see,

a loving relationship,

you'll know,

particularly a relationship

between lovers

is an exclusive relationship.

If we love Jesus,

we will keep his commands.

If we keep Jesus' commands,

then we love him.

We demonstrate our love

for him practically.

But notice each time

that Jesus raises obedience,

he raises it in the context

of relationship.

He's not just looking

for a moral life.

He's not looking for you

to conform to a set of rules

and regulations.

Like you,

I've got a bunch of friends

who are really,

really good people.

Friends who don't profess

to be Christian

but in every other way

live lives that are as good

as if not superior

to myself

and many of my other

Christian friends.

But here's the thing,

they don't love Jesus.

no amount of obedience

is equivalent to loving Jesus.

That's not the point

of these verses.

The point is that love

implies a loving relationship,

a prior relationship

of self-giving,

loyal commitment,

faithfulness,

unwavering affection.

someone who loves Jesus

is so committed to him

that they will be preoccupied

with growing in obedience

to him.

It'll be the work

of their lives

to honor

and delight

and imitate their God.

Is that you?

That's what expressing love

is about.

That's what expressing love

is about.

Jesus then goes on

to describe love

in an enduring sense,

recognizing that there will be

a period of departure,

a period of separation,

that they will feel it acutely

and so he speaks words

into this too.

See, Jesus did return

after his death

and appear to his disciples

and then he went

to be with the Father

and we live in that time now,

a time where Jesus

is not physically present with us

like he was

with the disciples.

And our skeptical friends,

if you have a robust conversation

with your friends

who aren't yet Christians,

they'll call on us

to prove that God exists.

I don't know if you've had

this happen to you,

but I certainly have

on numerous occasions.

The taunt of Psalm 42,

where is your God?

It still stings,

doesn't it?

It hurts when they say it

because we do feel

the separation.

So Jesus explains

what will happen

after he's returned

to the Father.

There is parting gifts

and he's parting words

in this passage.

They're designed

to comfort and prepare,

comfort in the sense,

remember,

of strengthen,

the teaspoon of concrete,

to strengthen

and prepare those

he loves

for this period

of separation.

So in terms of parting gifts,

we'll read verses 25 and 26.

Jesus says,

These things I have spoken

to you while I'm still

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 have said to you.

So he comes back

to the Holy Spirit

again at this point.

The Holy Spirit

is the first gift.

He's the gift

all believers receive.

But for the first receivers,

his role is specific here.

I need to again

point this out.

That for the first receiver,

that's the disciples of Jesus,

the ones who were with him

and witnessed

and experienced.

This is who he's talking to

in the first sense.

The Holy Spirit

will remind them

of everything

that Jesus spoke to them,

everything that Jesus taught them.

And he'll teach them

what it means.

Not just a memory verse exercise,

which I did as a child,

but life-changing truth

about Jesus' transforming plan

of salvation.

Truths that they wrote down

and some others

who were with them

and received their teaching

wrote down as well.

Truths that they knew

were scripture

even as they wrote them.

And you can see 2 Peter 3.16

for an expression of that,

just a glimpse

of that sort of thinking.

Truths that they knew

would change us

in all the ways

that we need changing.

Look at Timothy 3.16.

All scripture

is God-breathed

and profitable

for teaching,

rebuking,

correcting error

and training in righteousness,

that the man of God

may be thoroughly equipped

for every good work.

You could also read

in light of this passage

that the man of God

may be thorough,

or woman of God

may be thoroughly equipped

to love God

wholeheartedly.

Or Hebrews 4.12.

The word of God

is living and active

sharper than any

two-edged sword.

You get the sense

of almost surgical precision

that the word applies.

Friends,

what I'm talking about here,

just to be clear,

is the New Testament.

This is the written down

teaching of Jesus.

It's written down,

distilled,

and understood.

It's not just

that they remembered,

but they began

to understand it.

The Spirit taught it to them.

It's recorded.

So what we're talking about here

is the work of the Spirit

is actually teaching us

and reminding us

of everything

that Jesus taught

the disciples

through his word.

I am not talking about

some kind of

Christianized seance here

where we all sit around

and pray

or whatever

until the Holy Spirit

speaks to us personally.

He has done.

It's not some

airy-fairy thing

that happens.

The Spirit shows us

the truth of the Gospel.

He keeps us looking

to the truth of the Gospel

and applying it

to our lives,

applying the Bible

to our lives.

And as we do,

with the power

of the Spirit,

he transforms us

into his likeness.

this gift of a comforter

is an uncomfortable gift.

He gets into our heads

and he exposes

our false beliefs.

He gets into our hearts.

Imagine,

this is God inside us

seeing everything.

He gets into our hearts

and realizes

our selfish desires.

Absolutely nothing

is hidden from him.

I'll give you an example.

Joe went to a coffee shop

the other day

and a favorite place

I really like to go.

I love eating pastries.

and I asked her

to get a cake for me.

And she forgot.

And I was speaking

to her on the phone

as she told me this.

And I was so annoyed

that I hung up on her

over a cake.

I got so annoyed

with my wife,

who I've loved

for nearly 25 years,

nearly,

for not getting me

a cake

that I actually

hung up on her.

You didn't know

that about me.

But the Holy Spirit

did.

And the Holy Spirit

made me ashamed

of what I did.

And guilty.

And he led me

to set it right.

This is the gift

of the helper

that we're talking

about here.

With the Holy Spirit

comes another gift.

And that is

the gift of peace.

In verse 27

we read this.

Peace I leave

with you.

My peace

I give you.

Not as the world

gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts

be troubled,

neither let them

be afraid.

Friends,

when we feel alone,

perhaps even abandoned,

when we wonder

what's going on

in the world,

when climate change

and political unrest

and social injustices

just kind of

fill the newsreels,

the Holy Spirit

teaches us

and reminds us

of what our loving God

has done

to set things right.

He reminds us

that Father,

Son and Spirit

have made their home

with us.

He reminds us

that Jesus will return

to make this

our absolute reality,

a thing we look forward to.

He speaks

words of comfort

and strength

into our fearful hearts.

Jesus gifts us

with peace.

He provides

the antidote

to fear,

an antidote

that needs to be

applied daily,

moment by moment.

It's not the effect

of the Spirit

that's deficient

in us in this

so much as

our own

and Satan's choices

that keep us

needing the Spirit's

ministry.

to know

the truth

that we are

at peace

with God

and that

he is one

with us.

That all

that can happen

into the future

is a guarantee,

the absolute certainty

that can happen

in the future

is a guarantee

that that will

become an absolute

reality.

Not even death

can prevent that.

So Jesus

finishes

with some

parting gifts

of the Holy Spirit

and peace.

and then

he finishes

with some

parting words.

Some final

instructions

if you like.

In verse 28

he's encouraging

us to learn

so that we

can rejoice.

He says

in verse 28

you heard me

say to you

I am going

away

and I will

come to you.

If you loved

me

you would have

rejoiced

because I am

going to the

Father

for the Father

is greater

than I.

In other words

they know

what's going

to happen

because Jesus

has told

them

but they

responded

wrong.

He's saying

learn from

this

understand

the truth

and begin

to rejoice.

Not

everything

comes to us

straight away

and that's

okay

but we

need to

pursue

Jesus'

perspective

not wallow

in the

disappointments

that our

own

perspective

will bring.

We need

to learn

to rejoice

in Jesus'

departure

in particular

because of

what that

brings

us.

Learn

so that

you can

rejoice.

Remember

so that

you may

believe.

Verse 29

he says

and now

I have

told you

before it

takes place

so that

when it

does take

place

you may

believe.

Let's

think about

this here.

You see

the disciples

got a glimpse

in advance

so that

they would

believe

later.

We have

the full

picture

now

so believe.

When you

wonder if

this is all

pointless

or if

there's an

easier way

or if

there even

is a

God in

the first

place

choose to

believe

the truth

that was

told

and then

fulfilled

and then

witness to

us

through his

word

by disciples

who abandoned

him and

gave up

only to

be restored

by him

at his

resurrection.

This is

the witness

testimony

of skeptics

and unbelievers

who when

they encountered

the risen

Jesus

believed.

This is

not just

a nice

little

spin

clever

little

religious

spin

on a

historical

event.

It's

far more

than that.

choose to

believe the

truth that

was told

and then

fulfilled.

So he

says learn

so you

can rejoice.

Remember

so that you

may believe.

And finally

he wants

this to be

clear.

Know

that I

choose

to leave.

If you

look at

verse 30

Jesus said

to his

disciples

before he

was

crucified

I will

no longer

talk much

with you

for the

ruler of

this world

is coming.

He has

no claim

on me

but I

do as

the father

has commanded

me so

that the

world may

know that

I love

the father.

Rise

let us

go from

here.

Friends

Satan has

power in

this world.

He's

described

here as

the ruler

of this

world.

He has

power but

not over

Jesus.

Jesus chose

to die

in obedience

to the

father.

It wasn't

a failed

coup attempt.

Jesus chose

to die

in obedience

to the

father.

He

willingly

went to

where he

would be

betrayed.

He was

glorified

beyond our

capacity to

comprehend

as he

hung on

the cross.

His

love for

us

rescued

you and

me.

And so

we come

back to

where we

began

with love.

steadfast

or loyal

love.

Unfailing

kindness.

Covenant

faithfulness

because of

an existing

relationship.

A beautiful

fusion of

commitment and

affection.

Self-giving

in nature.

Gloriously

and completely

expressed at

the cross

for us

who believe.

let me pray.

Father God,

we thank you

for sending

the son.

We thank you

for your plan

of salvation

that began

before time

for rescuing

us from the

futility of

our lives

and the

reality of

sin.

Son, we

thank you for

being obedient

to the

Father and

choosing to

lay down

your life

for our

sake.

For

granting us

with peace.

Peace with

you and

peace with

one another.

Father.

And Jesus, we

thank you too

for sending

the Spirit.

And Spirit,

we thank you

for coming

to us and

for teaching

us and

reminding us

the truths

that your

word just

keeps declaring

to us.

We thank you

for patiently

working on

us and

through your

goodness

showing us

what it truly

means to be

obedient children

of our

Father.

We pray

these things

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.