John 14
best place to buy Clomiphene Bonnie’s Notes on Dave’s Comments — John 14
v. 1 — Who is in the room now? Jesus and the eleven disciples. At the end, they depart to the garden. Why is this beginning about troubled hearts? The Lord had just predicted the denials of Peter. He was a leader among the eleven. If he falls, the others may have doubts as well. Jesus says He will be going where they cannot come (at least not now, but later, when they die, they will join Him in heaven after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension changes things). The use of “ye” in the first verse is plural so He’s talking about all of them. “Your heart” is aimed individually at everyone in the group to guard his own heart. The disciples are all of one mind. The Lord reiterates that He is equal with God by asking them to believe in Him also.
Matthew Henry says, “Christ’s disciples, more than others, should keep their minds quiet, when everything else is unquiet.”. . . The remedy against unquiet is to believe and so gain comfort.
v. 2 — Here is one of the wonderful pronouncements of Christ. Heaven is a real place, not a state of mind. God has many abiding places in the whole universe. Jesus will be going back to where God is. There are many “mansions” to be prepared where He is going. Some people object to this description as being large dwelling places. It’s usually translated as “abiding places.” I actually heard one preacher say it would be small apartments! He said we would be so happy to be where Jesus is , that we wouldn’t care if the rooms were small! There is plenty of room in the New Jerusalem. It is 1500 miles high and wide (Rev. 21:16). Even several billion believers could each have huge mansions and estates! A simple calculation shows that for a resident population of 2 billion, each individual could be allocated over a cubic mile (!!!), while still allowing over 1/3 of the real estate to be dedicated to public and royal use. Thus your average individual estate could have a square mile of real estate with a mile of air space above.
Note also that this verse refutes Calvinism — there is no limit to the houses that can be provided. Alcorn says it is no coincidence that Jesus was a carpenter who is now preparing places for His children.
v. 3 — This is a beautiful promise! If I prepare a place, I will come back and get you to be with Me. People we talk to want to go to heaven, but express no interest in being with the Lord. Now, they like rock and roll church services. They have little or no Bible knowledge. They still enjoy their sinful living through the week. Point this out to them. Ask them what attracts them to heaven. Most people have inaccurate ideas of what heaven is and what it will be like. Tell them that if these kinds of people were in heaven, it wouldn’t be any different than earth now. Heaven is for believers who have been redeemed and reborn into different creatures. Others would not enjoy it there.
We saw an interview recently with a European who did not believe in God. She said she thought there is some kind of place that people go to when they die where those in wheel chairs can walk and the blind can see, etc. That’s as far as her thinking went. Most people would agree that if you have suffered in this life, you should go somewhere afterward that is wonderful. That’s not Biblically accurate. Heaven is not where the wrongs of the earth are made right. It is where those who believe in Christ and belong to Him share their life with Him. It wouldn’t be heaven if Christ is not there. The entrance requirements are clearly spelled out in Scripture.
v. 5 — This is a fair and practical question from Thomas. When the body dies, how do we get to where the Lord is?
v. 6 — Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. “Focus on me,” He says, “and Me, only.” He didn’t come to show us the way, He is the way. The exclusivity of Christianity is key to understanding how to be with Him for eternity. Many people “feel” this is arrogant and object to the claim. John 10 says He is the door. In other Scripture, He is the Good Shepherd, the bread, the way, the light of the world etc. He certainly made the point in many different ways, so people have no excuses for not understanding. One cannot be a Christian without understanding this exclusivity. To try to get others to understand it, is loving, not “intolerant.”
In a practical sense, here is how death works. The body dies and is buried. The soul goes either to heaven (the believer) or a holding place (the unbeliever) until judgment when the soul and body will be reunited. The saved continue in their glorified bodies, abiding with the Lord. The lost go to hell in their bodies which were in the grave and are now joined again with the soul.
v. 8 — Philip asks the dumb question. He doesn’t get it. He’s a Jew and he would like to see God. The Scripture says God is a Spirit even though Jesus is God in person. Jesus rebukes Philip a bit. Jews didn’t really have a concept of a triune God so maybe this is why Philip doesn’t seem to understand. Whenever we introduce some man, woman, or child to Jesus Christ, we are bringing him face to face with God. That is the whole purpose of witnessing to others — to help in Christ’s work by acquainting people with God and leading them to believing faith. Our part is preaching / teaching / praying. The sinner’s part is willful repenting / believing / trusting. God’s part is drawing / persuading / convicting / regenerating / indwelling.
v. 9 — Jesus says Philip should have understood this, by now, from the Lord’s own teachings. Calvinists keep God very distant, as one who makes arbitrary decisions according to His whims. The believer has a friend, servant, co-laborer, heir relationship with Jesus. The Satanic lie is to get people to think God is a harsh task master which keeps them from investigating the truth.
v. 10-11 — “At least believe the miracles I’ve done,” Jesus said. The works that Jesus did showed the power of the Father in Him. We are to continue the work with His Spirit in us.
v. 12 — What works? Jesus led people to salvation. Here is the Great Commission. Our works will not be greater in quality but in quantity. The disciples (and us) were to go all over the world spreading the Good News. Peter saw large numbers of people saved on the day of Pentecost. Various revivals in history have produced large numbers of converts.
v. 13-14 — “In my name” gives the sense of power of attorney or ambassador. The meaning of His will encompasses acting on His behalf as an agent for His work and in accordance with what He wills to have done. The Word tells us what to do to obey Him. In America, Christians have made it a rote habit to pray in the name of Jesus and say those words every time. We certainly want to pray for things to be done that are His will and not just personal requests. The result of prayers is to bring glory to God. Ask for things that are right according to God’s will. A good example would be for someone to be saved. Remember that He won’t overpower their will in such a request. The Lord does desire all to be saved, so it’s right to ask for Him to work in their life and bring them to a place where they would repent. If they do, He will be swift to regenerate them. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit interprets our prayers for us.
v. 15 — Love here is identified with the saved. If not saved, you cannot say you love God. Those who do love Him, obey Him.
v. 16-17 — “I will pray,” meaning I will ask the Father to send you a Comforter. Prayer is asking. The capital “C” means the Holy Spirit is a person. He is with us forever — a promise of eternal security.
The worldly man cannot understand spiritual truth without the help of the Holy Spirit. He is quite oblivious to it and doesn’t seek for it. Of course, he can understand enough to repent and have faith in Jesus Christ, since all men have a conscience put there by God. Look at all the things going on in the world and the courses taught without even acknowledging that God exists! Jesus foretells the coming indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It’s a transition from Him dwelling with you in physical form, which is the case now, to the change to come — dwelling in the believers. In the physical body which Christ took and will keep, He cannot be omnipresent, but the Spirit can be. The indwelling of the Spirit in the body makes the body different from before. It becomes the temple of God.
“Comforter” has all the implications of a helper, an attorney, an advocate, and an encouraging friend. We are not orphans!
v. 18 — This is a wonderful promise (and a reference to the Trinity)! The plan is for the Lord to always be with us by indwelling us. Do you sometimes feel alone or discouraged? Remember this promise and cling to the Lord for strength.
v. 19 — Here is a resurrection promise for the near term and far term. We may not physically “see” Him, but we know Him through His Word and through the things we see Him doing in our lives and in other believers.
v. 20 — This is very significant. The huge sign of Jesus’ ministry is the resurrection. It is unique in history. It gives the disciples boldness to preach the Gospel with a new level of knowledge. It connects Jesus with the Father and the disciples with Jesus — total union. Nothing can separate us “from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. See also John 10:27-30,38 and 17:22-23.
v. 21 — Look also at Eph. 2:8-10 and James 2. These are talking about works of the believer. How many types of people live here? There are disciples and then there are the lost, but no “carnal Christians.” Look at Galatians 5:19-25. The works of the flesh are listed. These are the unsaved people. Then the fruits of the Spirit are listed. These are the believers. There is no other in between that would be a carnal Christian. That’s an unbiblical concept. Sure, some believers can stray into worldly living, but not for the long term. A true believer who slips too far will be chastised by the Lord or removed from earth. Those who live a consistent pattern of worldliness are living in the flesh. Scripture says the believers have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. They are in accordance with the Lord’s will and His commandments. Their works are the result of salvation. They are not to gain it or insure it.
Romans 8:16 is the evidence of being a Christian. You recognize your new relationship with the Lord more and more over time. Many can get fooled and think they are truly regenerated. A good test for yourself would be to read 1 John which has at least 10 tests of one’s belief.
The Father loves His children in a different way than the world loves its own. This love produced the cross which is how we can be reconciled with Him.
In verses 16, 21, and 28 of this chapter, we see the order of the hierarchy — the pre-eminence of the Father over the Son and the Son over man. Check out 1 Tim. 2:5. This doesn’t mean they are not equal. The Trinity is not easily understood. Attempts to make it so by using analogies like a person wearing three different hats and thus performing different roles, but yet the same person, are demeaning and cannot even begin to describe the Trinity – and often downright heretical. It is mysterious to us and that’s a good thing. We wouldn’t want to fully understand God. We need to keep a very high view of Him and His wonderful qualities. There is so much else that we clearly understand yet don’t do, that we need not be overly concerned about the deeper things beyond our comprehension.
v. 22 — “This is too deep for me!” says Judas (not Iscariot — known as Thaddeus or Lebbaeus). I think we can all identify with that cry! Is it a fair question? You decide. He is still thinking on the practical human level. It takes trust to follow the Lord and believe what He says.
v. 23-24 — Here is a simple enough answer — trust me and keep my commandments. These are the conditions for His love. If showing love for the Lord is keeping His commandments, the converse is also true. A lack of real love for Him is shown by disobedience of His Word. If we “believe” Him, we should act like it! Though we will go to live with Him after death, He abides with us now through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This will continue throughout eternity (1 Thess. 4:17).
v. 25-26 — The Holy Spirit will help them write the New Testament Scriptures later. The Spirit remains with us to teach us, as we read the Scriptures and study them. He can help us use them as we witness to people. Compare John 14:26 with 15:26. In chapter 14, the Father sends the Holy Spirit. In chapter 15, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. The Scripture makes it clear how interconnected the three persons of the Trinity are.
Morris says, “John wrote his Gospel, and the detailed discourses of Jesus recorded in it, approximately 50 years after the events occurred, yet he was able to recall and reproduce them all by the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The same would have been true for the other New Testament writers. We can be confident, therefore, that our entire Bible is altogether true and trustworthy in view of this promise, as well as the many assurances of inspiration of the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).”
God was determined and competent to give us an inerrant Bible, as He promised throughout Scripture. We have such in the original and carefully preserved Masoretic Hebrew and Greek Received Texts, translated accurately into English in the King James version of the Bible. Please check out our article “The 10 Most Deadly Heresies” in the Discipleship section of this web site. Heresy number 8 describes the problems associated with different “errant” versions and texts.
v. 27 — This is a wonderful reassurance! Are there some forms of peace in the world? Yes, but usually when the one saying so is the one in charge! For example, Islam and Communists insist on having their own way and making everyone else conform to it. It gives a false peace at best. The promise here is like Philippians 4:6,7. Don’t worry about anything. 1 Pet. 5:5,6 — He’s in control, give Him your burdens in humility, because He cares. Is. 26:3 — The way to peace is to stay focused on Him. Is. 30:15 — Trust should be in the Lord. “Come to Me,” He says. Ps. 23:4 — Even in our final hours, He can still carry us through. Ps. 32:10,11 — The commands are to be glad, rejoice, trust, shout, have joy, and have a proper heart. Ps. 55:22 — If you don’t cast your burden on the Lord, you will have to carry it yourself. In Pilgrims Progress, the Pilgrim’s first burden cast off was his sin. What a relief it was to him to be rid of the heavy weight on his back! We don’t always let Him carry our burdens for us. Sometimes that means giving it over and over to Him, because we pray and then the burden returns. It’s okay to keep giving it to Him. If you do that often enough, you will leave it with Him and have peace about the matter.
v. 28-29 — The Lord is telling his disciples what is to come, but there is a larger thought here. It’s a short term prophecy which will produce faith and belief when fulfilled. See Deut. 18 for the tests of prophecy. Fulfilled prophecy was very important in Dr. Dave’s conversion. Since he has the scientific mind, the proofs of prophecies that actually came to pass, but which were stated sometimes hundreds of years before the event, held a lot of weight in establishing the truth of the Bible. If men wrote the Bible, they would not be so honest in the foibles of its heroes and the things prophesied would not have been on the mark every time. More and more archeological evidence supports Bible prophecies.
v. 30 — Satan has control of the world. He came into Judas and used him. Sometimes it appears he is having his day, but the Lord will triumph. Nothing can hold Jesus Christ in that grave or anywhere else! The Devil and his fellow demons are 100% opposed to the Lord. We should be very sensitive to this and have nothing to do with his work. We must be able to recognize it all around us. For example: Dr. Dave sees Obama as more evil than Clinton was. Look at his “works.” Does he have the best interest of the country at heart? No. He uses his power for his own agenda and the destruction of the foundations of freedom in America.
v. 31 — While walking to the garden, the Lord continues to execute His Father’s instruction and commands. Following His obedient example, we will execute the instructions and commands of Jesus. See James 1:12 on enduring temptation.
~~~Bonnie