Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 14:19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
I don’t know if we can imagine the impact of these words on the disciples. He’s told them He’s leaving so that He can return to live in them so they might live forever with Him. Let’s remember why Jesus told them these things. He was telling them what was to happen in the future so that they might believe that He is the Son of God and the life of the Father. John 13:19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.” Within days, Jesus died on the cross, three days later was raised, and then they saw Him—alive—in the upper room again fulfilling this promise—“you will see Me.” If we have life, it is because Jesus, who is the life, died, was raised, was glorified, and lives. He has given us life. The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians in 3:4. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” for “Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). We are not of this world. We have been loved by God and filled with His life so we can love with Him. We live because He lives, and we love because He is love.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 14:17-18. that 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 abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
So far in John 14, we have seen the foundational truth of the union of the Father and the Son. Now in vss 17-18, we discover another foundational truth. The Holy Spirit is united with the Son. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” Here He said, “When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will have Me as your Father dwelling with and in you.” Notice the verb tenses. You know the Holy Spirit now because He abides with you now in me. You know Him now because He that is with you now will be in you later.
In contrast, the world can’t receive the Holy Spirit because the world doesn’t see or know Him. The world who can’t receive the Holy Spirit is the same world for which Jesus doesn’t intercede in His prayer to the Father recorded in John 17:9. “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours.” The presence of the Holy Spirit is the sure sign that you belong to the Father, that you are not orphans, that you are not of this world, but are one of His household of which He spoke in vs. 2. Jesus’ promise to come to them is a repeat of His promise in vs. 3. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.” This leads us to conclude that the primary truth Jesus has in mind isn’t our being with Him in heaven, but His being with and in His family here on the earth. This is only possible after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and glorification. John explained this in 7:39. “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Let this amaze us who have the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwelling with us. Jesus has come to us because He has been glorified by the Father for His work on the cross. This place was prepared for us by our Lord. To God be the glory! That’s why we live to love with Jesus.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 14:16.2 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;”
This is the first promise to His disciples regarding the Holy Spirit. Again, we come to a third pivot point. The promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives changed everything from the moment these words were uttered. It was a seismic paradigm shift of understanding and world view. Up to this time, the disciples were focused on their own abilities and greatness for God—their performance—their works for God. In these words they hear the glorious news that the Father, God, is going to give them the life of God—the Spirit of the Father and the Son—to be with them forever. Their new lives will be defined by the life and presence of the Spirit of God, not by their own works and performance. Is that how we approach life each day? Do you believe Jesus’ words? Do you trust in Jesus’ intercession for you? Do you believe in the Father’s generosity and joy in sharing His life with you so that you can bring Him glory through His Son? The presence of the Helper, the One who walks beside, the One who comforts us is our confidence as we run the race set before us. Thank You, Father for sending Your Son to help us by taking away our sins which separates us from You. Thank You, Jesus, for interceding for us so we could come to God for help. And thank You, Holy Spirit, for helping us live and love for the glory of God.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;”
The context of John 14 helps us get the fullness of what Jesus said in verse 16. It is something like this: “When I go back to My Father, I will ask Him to give you another Helper, who is the same as Me, so that He may always be with you to help you love Me, obey My commandments, love one another in My name, and thus bear fruit for the glory of God.” Can you imagine what a comfort and hope this statement produced in the disciples? Jesus answered the questions that probably all of them were asking in their minds. “How is this going to happen? How are we going to love like He loves? How are we going to believe in Jesus when our hearts are troubled? How are the works of Jesus going to be done in us? How are we going to live in the abiding place Jesus is going to prepare for us? The answer: You will not be left alone to do life in your own strength and knowledge. If Jesus asks the Father to give us a Helper just like Him, then He’s asking in the name of the Father. The Father will do it because it is the Father’s will that the Son bring us to Him. The Son is obeying the commandment of the Father to love us like the Father loves Him. He loves the Father and is keeping His Father’s commandment because the Father’s life is in Him doing the work so that He may be glorified in the Son. Today, let’s take great encouragement that Jesus has and is interceding for us according to the Father’s will. We can expect help today from the Father to love with Jesus.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Yesterday I explained what I thought “asking in Jesus’ name” meant. I said, “To ask in His name is to ask according to what Jesus has commanded, namely, to believe in Him and to love as He has loved us so that God may be glorified in His Son. In other words, we ask for the life and love of Jesus to be manifested in our lives. That’s our new purpose for living. That’s why He saved us! Today’s live to love scripture encouragement from John 14:15 confirms this idea of praying in Jesus’ name. Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” We pray for God to be glorified in His Son as His Son lives in us. We have just learned in John 14 that those who believe in Jesus have a new place, prepared by Jesus, to live or abide—in the life of Jesus. And miracles of miracles, believers have the very life of Christ dwelling in them. Because we love Him, the motive clearly stated by Jesus in this verse, we will keep Jesus’ commandments because Jesus is our life source. The love we have both for God and Jesus comes from Jesus. The faith we have in God and in Jesus, comes from His life of dwelling in us. We live in His name when we believe and love as He commanded us. All we need to do is ask for His faith and love to be manifested in our lives in this world for the glory of God. That is for sure God’s will. It will be done by Jesus. Do we love Jesus? Our prayers and our works testify to our love for Christ. Let us live to love with Jesus today.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com