John 16

Jesus' earthly ministry was almost over. He wanted to impart some last words of wisdom to them before He left. He had been teaching them many things, but they were only beginning to comprehend what He had been telling them. He warned them that they would face much opposition. Just as they opposed His work, most people in the world would oppose His disciples. How true that is. If we face no opposition to our lifestyle, then we are not truly living for Christ. However, Christ promised them that after He went away, they would have the Holy Spirit who would enable them to live faithfully. At the end of the chapter, we have a very precious verse: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." As long as we are living the Christian life, we will have tribulation. Life won't be a bed of roses. There will be hard times, but we can still be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the world and so can we through the power of the Holy Spirit!

John 15

Most of this chapter is a discussion on the parable of the vine. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. We can only bear fruit as we remain part of the vine. We receive our nourishment and instruction from Christ. If we do not stay in close communion with the Vine, we cannot bear fruit. Anything good that we do is a result of Jesus working in us. We cannot be a fruitful Christian on our own. We can try to live a good life and do good deeds in our own strength, but we will fail and never be truly useful to Christ's kingdom. Jesus tells us that if we do not bear fruit, we will be pruned away and cast into the fire. Jesus will not tolerate Christians who aren't doing kingdom work. Even those branches that are bearing fruit are pruned to help them bring more fruit. Sometimes we experience unpleasant circumstances, but let's not complain about them. God may be just helping us to bear more fruit in the future. God always has a reason for everything He does. So, let's thank Him for the strength and nourishment we receive from the vine and do our best to bear fruit for His honor and glory.

John 14

This chapter begins with a very comforting verse: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." That is a solution to many of our troubles. If we would only believe and trust Jesus, we would not need to worry so much. He is in control of our lives and will never let us down. Our lives are more damaged by worry then by the things we worry about. The next verses give us a glimpse of the future for us if we are faithful: many mansions in heaven. Jesus will go there and if we are following Him, we will too. Jesus then patiently explains to His disciples that He is one with the Father and if they have seen Him and His works, then they have seen the Father. He also promises them the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort them after He leaves this world.

 

What a blessing to be able to trust Jesus! He is God. So, we don't need to worry. He will take care of everything. We need only to believe and obey Him, and we are promised a wonderful home in heaven.

John 13 Feet Washing

Jesus is nearing the end of His life. He is keenly aware of it and very burdened by it. He wants to give His disciples everything they need to succeed in His work. They, on the other hand do not seem to realize what an important time this is. They seem to sense that something is coming. Yet, even though Jesus had told them plainly that He must die, they do not seem to grasp the full reality. In this situation, Jesus institutes an ordinance of the church that is still literally practiced by true Christians today: feet washing. Jesus, as a symbol of being a servant, washed His disciples feet. This was a menial task often performed by a slave. Earlier the disciples had been arguing who would do this. They were all too proud to stoop and become humble enough to do it. Yet, Jesus, the Lord of the Universe, was willing to do it. After, He was finished, He told them that they should do the same to one another to show there submission and humility to each other. What a blessing! As we do this today, we can feel the brotherly love flowing as we each submit to each other and the blessing of God rests on His people as they obey this command that Jesus gave 2,000 years ago.

Vital Truth for Victorious Living

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/3884.mp3

John 12 We Would See Jesus

There is much in this chapter that we could consider, but I'd like to focus on the Greeks who came to worship at the Passover. They were not part of the Jewish nation and so could not participate fully in the temple worship. Yet, they still came to Jerusalem for the Passover. They seem to be more dedicated than even some of the Jews were. They also were more perceptive of the truth. They realized that Jesus was fulfilling all the Old Testament and He was even more important than this Passover Feast. So, they sought for Jesus. They wanted to see Him and speak with Him. They wanted to learn more about Him and His work.

 
 

How are we doing today? Are we seeking Jesus? Do we want to learn all we can about Him? Are we learning everything we can? Are we giving time to Bible study and prayer? Lord, help us to seek Jesus every day of our lives.

John 11, The Resurrection of Lazarus

In John 11, we have a very touching story that shows the tender, loving heart of Jesus. He had been in the area where John had baptized because the Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him. While he was there, He got the news that His friend, Lazarus, was sick. When He heard that, He stayed there two more days. At the end of two days, He told His disciples that Lazarus had died. He said that He was glad He had not been there to heal Lazarus because now more glory could be brought to God. He then said to His disciples, "Let us go unto him." The disciples tried to convince Jesus not to go because they knew that He could be killed by the Jews because they were seeking His life. But, Jesus boldly followed where duty called, and when He arrived, Martha met him outside the village. She told Him that if He had been there her brother would not have died. Then, Jesus explained to her that He was the resurrection and the life and her brother would rise again. It was a stretch of her faith, but she believed. Jesus then went to the sepulcher and asked them to roll away the stone. When they had done so, he called Lazarus in a loud voice, and the dead man arose and walked out of the sepulcher. What an amazing miracle! This man, who had been dead for four days, was walking out of his tomb. What happiness, what rejoicing! Jesus again displayed His power over death.

 
 

Jesus still has that power today. He has power over life-dominating sin. He controls life and death. Every detail of our lives is in His care and control, and He, through the Holy Spirit, lives within us if we allow Him to. We can experience that same power in our lives. We only need to have faith like Martha. We must believe like she did. We must obey and roll away the stone when Jesus asks us to. Praise the Lord for His awesome power that delivers us from sin and eternal death!