John 14:15-31 (NLT)
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. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told 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. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.
This is a fearful time for the disciples of Jesus. He has been warning them that He is leaving soon, and that where He is going, they can’t follow. They are scared – how will they live without Jesus? They cannot imagine being without Him. They believe they cannot continue in their ministry work if He is not there. They don’t want to be left alone.
We all have fears. They can be debilitating. They can cause us to freeze in the moment, or to run away as fast as we can. They can keep us from trying new things or speaking up or taking a stand against what we know is wrong. Fears can make it impossible to sleep or eat; at times we may be too afraid to leave our homes, or even too afraid to return home.
Charles Swindoll writes in his commentary on John, “More commonly, fear keeps people from becoming everything God created them to be and prevents them from loving one another fully.”
Has fear ever paralyzed you? Has it ever kept you from doing or achieving something?
Fear has held me back many times. I have no idea what I have missed out on because my fear wouldn’t allow me to say what I wanted to say or do what I felt God asking me to do. There was a time in my life when I was too scared to leave my home. I would stand at the front door, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes up to an hour, and no matter how hard I tried I could not make my hand take the door knob and turn it. Eventually I would drop my purse, along with my head, and slowly move to my couch or my bed. Fear overcame me.
The disciples felt a paralyzing fear at the thought of Jesus not being with them. They didn’t think they could move forward without Him there. They felt they were inadequate without Him.
How did Jesus reassure them?
First He tells them that anyone who believes in Him and obeys His commandments will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He assures them that He and the Holy Spirit will never leave them. The Holy Spirit will guide them, give them courage and help them be obedient. The same is true for us.
Jesus says all who love Him will do as He says and that the Holy Spirit will help them remember Jesus’ words. He assures us that if we love Him and follow Him, He will reveal Himself to us, and we will have a home with Him.
Second, Jesus tells the disciples He is leaving them with a gift: peace of mind and heart. This will overpower fear, and He says not to be troubled or afraid. This gift is offered to all of His followers. It is ours for the taking.
Finally, Jesus promises that He will come back to them. He asks that they be joyful that He is returning to the Father and assures them that He will come again, as He has promised all of us.
With Jesus we have no need to fear. Even in difficult situations, heartbreaks and suffering we need not worry because we have been promised victory in Him. Our strength and courage comes from Him, and we know we have a place prepared for us in our Father’s home.
Something my father has said to me all my life that I often repeat to myself in challenging times is: God didn’t promise us a smooth journey, but He did promise us a safe landing.
That has given me such comfort and courage in my life. I know my strength comes from the Lord. I know I have a place in God’s kingdom. I know I have victory in Jesus. You do too.
Our song for today is Your Love Defends Me by Matt Maher.