So, remember it would stand to reason that these would obviously be crucial words in Jesus' mind.
John 14 is full of all kinds of stuff. Here's some of the stuff that stands out for me - & maybe for you...
John 14
1 "Don't let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God,
and trust also in me.
2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
1 "Don't let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God,
and trust also in me.
2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
12 "I
tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I
have done,
and even greater works,
because I am going to be with the Father.
13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it,
so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.
14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
and even greater works,
because I am going to be with the Father.
13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it,
so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.
14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 "If you love me, obey my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him.
But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Notice that during this sharing, Jesus told His disciples not once, but twice, to don't worry or be afraid.
Ya think maybe Jesus is saying the same thing to each of us?
And how many of us rest in that encouraging word from Jesus?
Over & over again Jesus continues to basically tell us to chill - He's got this.
So I guess that undermines our basic normal response to life of worrying, fretting, & obsessing about what life is or may throw at us.
That's me - I'm a worrier - and we know worrying really is simply a lack of trust.
But Jesus says over& over to me to not worry about stuff, to not be so afraid - He's got this.
* * * * * * * *16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him.
But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
27 "I
am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don't be troubled or afraid.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don't be troubled or afraid.
Notice that during this sharing, Jesus told His disciples not once, but twice, to don't worry or be afraid.
Ya think maybe Jesus is saying the same thing to each of us?
And how many of us rest in that encouraging word from Jesus?
Over & over again Jesus continues to basically tell us to chill - He's got this.
So I guess that undermines our basic normal response to life of worrying, fretting, & obsessing about what life is or may throw at us.
That's me - I'm a worrier - and we know worrying really is simply a lack of trust.
But Jesus says over& over to me to not worry about stuff, to not be so afraid - He's got this.
Paul has a way of cutting to the chase & then dumping some enormous truth on us.
Check these out from his letter to the church in Colossae...
Colossians 1
13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Did you catch what Paul says in verse 22?13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can't see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ's blood on the cross.
21 This includes you who were once far away from God.
You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.
As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can't see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ's blood on the cross.
21 This includes you who were once far away from God.
You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.
As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
27 For
God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you
Gentiles, too.
And this is the secret:
Christ lives in you.
This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
And this is the secret:
Christ lives in you.
This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
Because of what Jesus did for us, making it possible for us to connect with God, God doesn't see us as heinous sinners.
We appear to Him as people who are not tainted by our sins - He sees us as clean people.
I hope you can absorb that fully, because when I look at my life & all the embarrassing & humiliating sinful things I've been & done, it still is more than I can fully understand that the holy, omnipotent God of the universes doesn't see all that. He sees me as clean of all that.
And if He sees me that way, He sees you that way.
Whew! That's huge!
And if this is so, how then should we live our lives as people whose lives are seen that way by God Himself?
No comments:
Post a Comment