Meditation on John 14: 15-27

If you are not already participating in the devotional, 40 Days With the Holy Spirit, you are welcome to come and be a part.

The Holy Spirit is a crucial part of our relationship with God. Please turn with me to John 14, the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.

While you are turning there, consider some of the things the Holy Spirit does. When we believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. He is our God and our conscience. He teaches us right from wrong. He is the One who enables us to believe. He gives gifts—gifts that allow us to serve the church and to serve others.

The Holy Spirit does so much in our lives. He is deeply impactful. And consider this: God did not leave us alone after Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to heaven.

Listen to what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit, beginning in John 14:15:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Think about that. The Holy Spirit dwells in this very room right now. But not only does He dwell here; He dwells in the heart and body of every believer.

The Holy Spirit is present at all times in our lives.

Jesus continues in verse 18:

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

And later:

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Judas—not Iscariot—asked Jesus, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”

That is a great question. Jesus said that even though He was going away, He would still be with us.

God is beyond what we can fully comprehend. I cannot be in three places at one time, and I cannot be three persons at one time. But God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three persons, yet one God.

Jesus was saying, in effect, “I am going away, but I am still with you. I will be present at the right hand of the Father, and I will be present through the Holy Spirit of God in your hearts and around you.”

What a special gift that is. And it is a gift that has not gone away. It is a gift that has not stopped.

Sometimes you may be driving down the road when someone suddenly comes to mind: “Wow, I have not thought about that person in years.” Then, in your heart, you sense the nudge: “Call them.”

You pick up the phone, make the call, and discover that it came at exactly the right time in that person’s life. That is the Holy Spirit working in us.

Jesus answered Judas:

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

We see this in Scripture. Jesus told His disciples that He would be crucified and killed on the cross, and that after three days He would rise again. After His resurrection, He was with them for forty days. Then He told them He had to go to the Father—that He would ascend to heaven and sit at the Father’s right hand.

He told them to go and wait, because He would send the Holy Spirit upon them.

At first, they did not fully understand what was happening. They probably did not remember all they had experienced and learned with Jesus. But they went and waited in the upper room. Scripture tells us that tongues like fire appeared and rested on them.

Then they remembered.

They had boldness. They went out and preached. They wrote about what Jesus had taught them. They came to understand more fully.

The Holy Spirit does that work in our lives too.

Sometimes people say, “All the Scriptures are so hard to understand. I cannot understand them.” Pray and say, “Father, let the Holy Spirit teach me as I read.”

Then watch what happens.

Rely on the Holy Spirit. Call on the Holy Spirit: “Show me. Teach me. Reveal truth to me.” He will do it.

The Holy Spirit is essential to the church. Without Him, the church does not have the gifts of ministry, service, work, or hospitality. Without Him, those things are empty.

Without Him, we do not have understanding. Without Him, I have no gift to preach, teach, comfort, or do anything else. It is all His gift.

Sometimes, in the modern-day church, we dismiss the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. We do not listen to that small, still voice.

We need to pay attention, because God has given us a great gift in this Helper, Comforter, and Teacher.

My prayer is that He will pour out more and more of the Holy Spirit upon this congregation and upon the church throughout the world. May there be more revival. May we grow, be gifted, and allow Him to shape and change our lives. May we move as the body of Christ into this world, so that others will see and know that Jesus is Lord and that their lives can be changed as well.

That is what our lives need to be about—above and beyond everything else we do.

Imagine the image of Jesus: dead, blood running down His side, and the question:

“This I have done for you. What will you do for me?”

We have heard from Scripture: Love Him, keep His commandments, and let Him do His work in you.

Before we go to communion, I would like to ask all of our young people to come down for a moment. If you are under 20, we will call you young.

Come gather around this table with me.

Sometimes we do not slow down enough to talk about what we are doing and why it is important in the middle of our services. Communion is one of those important things.

Jesus called His disciples around the table on the night before He was betrayed. He took bread and wine, and He spoke to them about the significant truth of what was about to happen. He told them that whenever they gathered and shared these things together, they were to remember Him and what He had done.

When we gather on days like this and see the communion elements before us, we have bread. It may not look like the bread Jesus used; it may look almost like a little piece of Styrofoam. But it is unleavened bread.

When we take it, we remember that God sent His Son into the world. We remember that Jesus’ body was broken on the cross and that He was killed for the forgiveness of our sins.

God loved us that much. Jesus loved us that much: He was willing to suffer for us.

Then we take the grape juice. It reminds us that God and Jesus loved us so much that Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced. His lifeblood was poured out, and He died so that we could be forgiven of our sins.

Every time we do this, we do not do it simply because it is something the church is supposed to do. We pause and say:

“Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Father, because You did this for us.”

If Jesus had not done this for us, we would be lost in our sin. That sin would bring an ugly death. But God loves you, and He loves us, so much that He did this more than 2,000 years ago.

Ever since, the church has remembered God’s great love and Jesus’ love for us—that He gave Himself up to death so that we could be free from sin.

Isn’t that wonderful?

As we do this today, think about how much God loves you—that He gave His Son in your place.

Love you all. Be good in school. No matter what happens, from school through college, remember every day how much Jesus loves you. Let your friends know that He loves them too.

Can you do that for me?

Thank you. Let me pray for you.

Father, thank You for our youth and for these young people.

Father, I thank You for Your love and care for each one of them. I pray that, as this school year goes on, they will carry Your love with them and share it with others.

Continue to show them each day how much You care for them. Place Your protection upon them, and may they feel Your presence through the Holy Spirit every day.

For we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.