“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

John 14 for the read John in July challenge

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

⁷ If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

¹⁶ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; ¹⁷ the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. ²¹ The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. ²⁴ The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. ²⁸ You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. ³⁰ I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in regard to Me, ³¹ but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let’s go from here.

In today’s text it says:  “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”   To do the works that Jesus did is based in Jesus ability not ours. He says if we ask in His name, He will do it. It is not though that the name of Jesus is to be used as a magical incantation. Asking in Jesus name means that we are aligned with Him. To ask in Jesus name means that, like Jesus, we are doing and asking what the Father is doing. Jesus continues saying:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” There are two important words in that statement. Jesus says if we love Him, we WILL keep His commandments, not we should try to keep them. That means then that if we do not keep His commandments, we don’t truly love Him. We cannot say that we love Jesus and choose to continue in sin, going against what He says. We need to also remember that what Jesus tells us we should do are commandments, not suggestions. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus says:  “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”   If we truly keep this one commandment, keeping the rest of Jesus commandments will be natural to us.

Jesus continues saying:  “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.”  It is only by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, that we can know truth. That’s why the world is deceived and now believes what is false even though we, who have the Spirit of Truth, can see clearly. In Isaiah 5:20 God says: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  We see that those who do not have the Spirit of Truth, do this very thing.  Jesus continues:  “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you.”  Far from being orphans, Romans 8:14-17 says:  All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.   The Spirit of Truth testifies, confirms to us, the truth that we are both God’s children and heirs of His kingdom in Christ.

Finally, Jesus again says: “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him. If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”   

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. You have not only revealed the truth to me, but You empower and enable me to walk in Your Truth, to keep Your commandments.  As You abide with me, may I fully abide in You. May I keep the first and great commandment, to love You with my whole heart, soul and mind. As an heir of Your kingdom, may Your kingdom come and Your will be done, in and through my life.   Amen.