RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD =
PEACE OF MIND AND HEART
John 14 Part 5
Union with the Father and the
Son is Newness of Life
John 14:19-24 describes the perhaps the
biggest “WOW!” in the entire Bible. They describe the intertwined connections
between Jesus, the Father and the people who, motivated by love, obediently
follow HIM. Jesus has such a heart level understanding of the Father’s heart,
and a love for the Father, that it is the motivation for everything HE says and
does. We can grow in that as we grow in the same understanding of God’s heart.
It’s not a pipe dream; it’s not bondage to legalism; it’s newness of life that
is filled with eternal peace, joy and love for God and people.
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.
Whenever we think of our own salvation, we realize that
we are only alive because Jesus is alive. Say it out loud, “I am alive
because HE is alive.” This new life is filled with hope, purpose, assurance
and reason to confidently press on through every obstacle of life. There is no
doubt I would not have lived to see the age of 22 had I not gotten saved when I
was 20.
of this new life requires us to turn around, turn from the life we lived before and to surrender the sins that the Lord shows us are not according to His standard (the Bible) for our life. We don’t come under a set of rules and regulations that are a continual burden we can’t carry. Instead we begin a life led by the Holy Spirit. Following His lead becomes an integral part of who we are. God supplies the Grace and power to enable true repentance at the heart level followed by that same grace and supernatural power to obey every direction He leads us in. All we need do is choose to yield to that leading only. When we see the goodness and love of God at that level, we change; we begin to exchange our old nature for God’s character developing in us. I met Jesus 50 years ago and I still rejoice in increasing levels of freedom from those things that are not according to God’s standard for my life. This process so wonderfully shows us What Makes Jesus Tick.
The next verse takes us a step further into grasping the
intellectually incomprehensible connections within the Godhead and with other believers.
Don’t try to figure it out, just accept it all by faith and knowing the Bible
is absolute Truth and we live in “that day.”
Look at it this way:
Ø Jesus
is The Father
Ø The
heart of every believer is in Jesus
Ø Jesus
is in the heart of every believer
The cost for the second two bullet points is nothing to
be taken lightly or for granted. It’s only by the blood of Jesus, the Father’s
sacrifice of His Son and His resurrection from that death for us, that we can
enter into this eternal relationship with the King of the Universe. The first
part of the next verse describes the metric to evaluate if we are walking in
this absolutely amazing reality of relationship with Jesus and the Father.
John
14: 21 The person who has My commandments and
keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really]
loves Me will be loved by My Father…” [AMP]
And, as we saw in the previous blog, John 14 part 4, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
John
14: 15 “If you [really] love Me, you
will keep and obey My commandments.
[AMP]
Remember, this was not a stern, unexplained “Because I
said so!” These verses demonstrate how much God wants a close, loving
relationship with people. The Lord so simply and specifically tells us what our
part is in making this happen. Even young children can grasp it. Good parents
and good leaders need to follow this example. Let’s break down verse 21 into 3
phrases.
1) “The person who has My commandments”
2
Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to
God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed,
accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. [AMP]
Do you read your Bible daily? Not just read it like
reading the headlines on some news website, but prayerfully finding nuggets of
truth to take to heart? Do you sense the Lord showing you something to share
with others as you think about what you’re reading? Or, here’s the kicker, is
that point in the Sunday service when the pastor starts to preach your signal
to sit back, relax and perhaps allow yourself to doze off a bit?
2) And keeps them is the one who [really] loves
Me
How do your spouse, children and
perhaps grand children know you really love them? We have to learn their love
language in order to communicate our love for them in a way they understand. (You
can learn more on this at https://www.verywellmind.com/can-the-five-love-languages-help-your-relationship-4783538. ) I think God speaks and understands all five
love languages and obedience to the Word of God is part of each one.
1.
Words of affirmation
2.
Quality time
3.
Physical touch
4.
Acts of service
5. Receiving
gifts
The second part of verse 21 makes me want to shout
Hallelujah, especially this Christmas season,
3) and I will love him and reveal Myself to him
[I will make Myself real to him].
Doesn’t the Christmas story make Jesus real to you? The
whole story of the life of Jesus should never become so familiar to us that we
take any event in it for granted. It’s all revelation of God’s heart, it all
describes What Makes Jesus Tick. There is much more
to understand and experience about the Manifest Presence of God and for that I
refer you to the writings of Walter Beutler. (see https://wadetaylor.org/manifest-presence-of-god-2/ There is a lot there; it’s
all “better felt than telt.” )
My life was so drastically changed on 12/17/1971 when I first experienced the supernatural manifest presence. I met Jesus in a eal and unmistakable, supernatural way. I knew in an instant that Jesus is the King of the universe, that includes of me, and that the Bible is absolute truth. Addiction to HIS Presence replaces all other dependencies and fills life with the joy of the Lord. God will continually reveal Himself to us and our lifelong love affair with Him grows and motivates us to be more and more like HIM. Our union with the Father and the Son is truly our source of peace of mind and heart in all circumstances. Thank God for this newness of life.
Prayer: Lord, please stir our hearts to love YOU more. Give us unending grace and strength to live this wonderful life of obedience to our LOVING KING AND SAVIOR JESUS. Let YOUR love flow through us and touch the lives of the people we come in contact with. Amen.
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