Embracing the Holy Spirit: Love, Obedience, and Presence

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Jesus began the this little section by saying to his disciples if you love me keep my Commandments I want you to think about what this meant to the disciples just in that scene right there that evening in the upper room in the upper room the the evening sort of started and we saw this in John chapter 13: 1-5 It Started With Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and then here he told them what their loving response should be to that that they should keep his Commandments. [00:08:27]

Keeping the commandments of Jesus it definitely speaks to our personal morality you know uh do we tell the truth how we conduct ourselves uh in our romantic lives if you want to put it that way uh what what substances we give ourselves over to On and On yes it speaks to our our morality but the emphasis was on loving other people as a demonstration of obedience to his Commandments. [00:09:02]

You see for the believer disobedience is not just a failure of performance it's not just a failure of strength in some sense it's a failure of love when we love God the most we will obey him the most naturally and joyfully you know that there there's a statement that doesn't really make sense what do they call that a oxymoron the two things don't go together. [00:12:04]

The real source of our obedience isn't fear it isn't Pride it isn't a desire to earn blessing from God no the proper source of obedience for the believer is love why do I make sometimes the difficult and sacrificial decisions to obey Jesus decisions that sometimes will cost me something I have to say no to myself I I'll have to be excluded from certain aspects of our culture I I'll have to resist the devil why are those sacrifices worth it because I love him. [00:13:04]

The disciples feared Jesus is abandoning us when he leaves us we're not going to know what to do but Jesus says no when I leave you and this is so powerful Jesus said to them when I leave you you're not going to have less help you're going to have more help isn't that amazing now I know this is counterintuitive I maybe wouldn't believe this unless the Bible tells me but the Bible does tell me this that when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit as they were at Pentecost and Beyond they had more help from God than they had when Jesus was right there in his physical presence. [00:14:32]

Jesus understood that his disciples and I think he meant those who were with them in the room right that night but then he also meant all of his disciples those across the centuries you and me Jesus understood that we would need God's presence and God's power in order to keep his Commandments and and God the son promised to pray to God the father and ask for the giving of God the Holy Spirit to the believer to accomplish this. [00:15:30]

The Holy Spirit was given in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was poured out upon people in the Old Testament but first of all not upon everybody not upon all believers in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was poured out on certain people for certain jobs at certain times and at times was withdrawn from people as well such as King Saul in the Old Testament but friends the giving of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant under the work of Jesus wasn't going to be like that he'll be given and as he saids he'll be given to all God's people and He will abide in them forever. [00:19:11]

The world cannot understand or receive the spirit because the holy spirit is Holy he's true you know the spirit of Truth is not popular in an age of Lies the spirit of Holiness is not popular in an Unholy age therefore the world doesn't know him let me just say something very briefly and directly without a lot of explanation but it's important when an individual Christian or when a a church tries to be like the world then they're not receiving or walking in the spirit. [00:20:15]

The disciples would not only see Jesus by the spirit they would also continue to live in Jesus Through the work of the Holy Spirit their dependence Upon Jesus would not end When Jesus ascended to Heaven no it would continue in Greater measure through the work of the Holy Spirit and then if that's not enough he adds on in verse 20 you will know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you through the Holy Spirit the disciples would know a life of relationship a shared life a union with God the Father God the son and all the disciples. [00:29:58]

Jesus is going to be revealed to and revealed among the disciples how through their love Through The Obedience and through their Union with the father and the son this is how Jesus is Manifest through the disciples love obedience and Union with the father I think this is a remarkable thing about this love this love that Jesus spoke about in verse 23 is personal notice he says if anyone loves me friends that's personal that's individual. [00:32:40]

When there's love for Jesus and obedience to Jesus there's something like the presence of God evident Jesus says in verse 23 where there's love for me and the keeping of my word then we will come to him and make our home with him don't you want God the father and his son Jesus Christ and I'm not excluding the Holy Spirit you can say the Holy Spirit as well but don't you want them to live with you then what's the doorway to that Jesus simply says if anyone loves me he will keep my word and we will come to him and make our home with him. [00:34:50]

In these section of verses we see a promise and we need the promise we need to receive the promise of the Holy Holy Spirit maybe that's the most important prayer you can say today Lord you said you would send the Holy Spirit I want to receive the holy spirit in his fullness number two we need the truth here's the truth that our love for Jesus in some measure is seen in our obedience to him and then we also need the Revelation and what's the Revelation that the presence of God is seen in our love for Jesus and our obedience to his word. [00:36:36]

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