Jesus’ Words in Red “AND”

Jesus’ Words in Red

“AND”

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—

17 the Spirit of truth.

The word “And” is a connecting word

It is the bridge from one thing to another

Jesus starts verse 16 with this word “And”

So what is on each side of the bridge?

Are you ready to cross the bridge?

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.

And …he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever

— the Spirit of truth.”

“AND”

The word “And” is a connecting word.

It is the bridge from one thing to another.

Jesus starts verse 16 with this word “And”.

So what is on each side of the bridge?

Verse 15 says…

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

The scriptures tell us, “The greatest of these is love”.

Imagine commands and being obedient

to those commands without love.

Prisoners on work detail do not do work out of love.

   

Employees don’t always do work out of love.

Even family members don’t always do work out of love.

When we do something because

we have to, we are in protest.

Many people do not do things that are

wrong because they feel they have to.

It is law, whether it is man’s laws or God’s.

 

Love changes everything.

It is not the love for the command

but the love for the one who gave it.

Jesus wants to make it clear to cross the bridge…

To move from verse 15 to verse 16.

The reason the word “and” follows…

  

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Love must be our motivation.

If love is our motivation to obey God

then God has something special for us.

What is on the other side “and” of the bridge?

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you

another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”

“Another Counselor”

“The Spirit of truth”

Jesus said the truth will set you free.

Many of us do not think we are

free if we have to obey commands.

Commands take away our

freedom to do what we want to do.

We are all born with a love for our self.

This selfishness causes turmoil for us and others.

Families, marriages and relationships

are destroyed from selfishness.

The world is full of counselors who try to

get us to see things from others’ perspective. 

They try to teach us how to compromise…

How to live life not always getting what we want.

But the Counselor, Jesus asked the Father for is different.

He is “The Spirit of Truth”.

Truth is always on the right side.

Truth is never wrong.

Every time I do something

wrong there are consequences.

Consequences that affect my freedom.

Truth – What if everything you did was right.

You never had to do it over again,

you never had to fix what you broke.

Every choice you made and

every word you spoke was perfect.

Can you image looking in

the mirror at that person?

  You and I are not set free from sin

because we ask God to fix our mistakes.

We are set free from sin when we first…

Love Jesus.

Second, out of love for Him

we obey His commands.

This makes a bridge to

receiving “The Spirit of Truth”.

  

Jesus tells the disciples…

the Spirit of truth…for He lives

with you and will be in you.

A change is about to take place for the disciples.

The Spirit “will be in you”.

Jesus repeats this in verse 23…

"If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.

My Father will love him, and we will come

to him and make Our home with him.”

The difference is like carrying the Bible

verses, the Word of God, in your heart.

 

The word “and” is a bridge to your heart

it is more that hearing the

Word of God preached to you.

If you love Jesus and obey His commands,

 the Father will put His Spirit in you

 and make His home with you.

In Jesus’ farewell discourse, Jesus details

the benefits of the Spirit of God being in you.

But to start, we must understand why the

word “and” is between verses 15 and 16.

There is only one bridge to

receive the Holy Spirit in you…

 15 "If you love me, you will

obey what I command. 16 And…

Scripture Reading

John 14:15-31 NIV

15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." 

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

"Come now; let us leave.