John's Gospel - Chapters 14 - Chapter 17

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Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on March 15, 2009 at 1:11pm

Jhn 13:31 Therefore, when he ( Judas..the betrayer) was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

Lord, We know you left your position of glory and honor with God and the host of heaven to walk upon the earth in the fashion of an earthly man. You humbled yourself, stripped down to an earthling, put on flesh, and now it is time for You, God's Son ,to receive glory and honor as the Son of man...the last Adam. And your honor and glory is not just for yourself...but for Your Father, who begot You and us. Lord, you wanted the disciples to know , above anything else...what was soon to happen....the Cross......was for Your glory and for the glory of God. For them to keep this in their thoughts and hearts in the days ahead. And we know all glory comes from God....Lord, we know the scriptures say...that the Cross was the specific place in time when His name was glorified. Lord, open our eyes......

Jhn 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, [saying], I have both glorified [it], and will glorify [it] again.



Jhn 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Permalink Reply by Clark Wade on March 15, 2009 at 1:52pm

Oh Mitzi. I am soooo thrilled with this. Praise God dear sister. I wept when I read this. I just want to say again "Praise God!" I have wanted to do the same thing and actually started with John 14 in my own journal but didn't know when I was going to bring that up here. So the Holy Spirit taps you on the shoulder and says "the time is now." I'm looking very forward to this and will be joining this fellowship in our Lord's last few hours with his beloved disciples before Calvary. And you are so right about these chapters. I have often told people that if I was stuck on a desert island and could only have one chapter of the scriptures to ponder and to fellowship with our Lord in, it would be John 17.

Praise the Lord! My time is limited right now but will be contributing soon.

Your brother

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on March 15, 2009 at 2:23pm

Clark,
Thanks for the encouragement...I just thought this would complement our other journal. I am like you, in regards to John 17. When I first came to know the Lord personally, I memorized the whole 17th Chapter of John. It spoke to my heart and I felt since this was the last point of fellowship with His disciples..it had to be very meaningful. I still love it and know that we have only scraped the surface on the riches there...thanks again for creating this format for us all to join in and be a gift to each other....

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on March 16, 2009 at 10:49am

John 13: 33- 35 “ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me; and as I said unto the Jews, Where I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I wonder if the disciples thought to themselves..."How can we love as he loves us?" They may have thought themselves to be able to love...but not by His measure. They had seen love in action...how can they keep this commandment to love as he loved? This new commandment...to love as he loved....would now differentiate them from all other disciples. The distinquishing factor for His disciples would be love one for another. Would this final commandment be enough to keep them together through the events of the days ahead? Would it be enough to keep them from feuding and striving among themselves after He was gone? Had they been with Him long enough and been taught enough that they could continue after their leader has departed? God knew the answer to all of these questions.

Lord...I thank you that you chose those disciples to continue to spread the good news after you were gone. I thank you for their love and dedication to you. I thank you Father, that your love continues to control and govern our hearts and lives.
Father, Your love has been placed in our hearts by your Holy Spirit...we thank you. We thank you that He works in us both to will and to do of your good pleasure. We thank you that we are now as those disciples...carrying on the work of Christ in and through us. We thank you that our lives are a reflection of Christ and Your love for him and for us. We thank you that our lives bring glory to Him and to You. I thank you, Father, that we are not walking in our own strength, but in your strength.

Father, I pray for those that will come to know Him through the words that we speak....not by might, nor power, but by Your Spirit. Father, teach us your Son....Father, help us to lay aside every thing that would distract us and keep us from the fullness of Him. I pray for the guidance of your Spirit to lead us into all truth..that we might know him and the power of His resurrection. We love you..

Permalink Reply by Clark Wade on March 17, 2009 at 10:15pm

"How sweet are Your words to my taste: sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalms 119:103

"The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; it gives understanding--discernment and comprehension--to the simple." Psalms 119:130

"I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great spoil..." Psalms 119:162

I have always thought these chapters, through to chapter 17, were part of the Upper Room Discourse but most recently have learned that this was our Lord's final talk with His disciples as He walked to Gethsemane, His "crushing place."

In my thinking on this, it must be that these words after "when He had left" must be filled with such pathos. Jesus must be distilling so much of everything He has been trying to teach His disciples to its "irreducible minimum." It's like I hear Him saying:

“All right guys. We've been together three years now. And now we are reaching "flash-point!" Everything I've said and have done was to bring me to this hour. If you haven’t heard me then, be sure to hear me now.”

In our communion with our Lord, in His final words, may we unravel, may we unwrap like a priceless treasure, each word, as a sparkling gem of the divine, what our Majesty would have us know. It is not just the reading of His words that brings light, but the entrance and unfolding of His words that brings such light, and life. Oh Lord, Your words are Spirit and they are Life. We love Your words Lord, for they are reflections of who You are. Even in our beholding of Your words, may we find ourselves shielding our eyes from their glory, the glory they reveal of You, of the Father and of the Spirit, and of Your Eternal Purpose, hidden from the wise but now revealed to the simple. We humble ourselves before You that we may have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches and what the Spirit would pour into our hearts. Pour Yourself Lord into these weak, earthen vessels, that we may know the glory is not of ourselves but of You. In the Amazing, Glorious Name of Jesus Christ!


,

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on March 18, 2009 at 7:22am

John 13:36-38- Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, where goest thou? Jesus answered him, Where I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, Why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice.

Lord, Simon Peter loved you so much...even as we do. Our spirits are willing to follow you into death...but our flesh is weak. Lord, you see that we are as sheep....with no power over the enemy. But You are strong, You are our good shepherd, You are our safety.Your power works within us to enpower us to walk in You and to follow after you.We must possess You...and You must possess us. That we might be follow you, where you lead.

Father, You see our hearts, our willingness to come unto You and be crucified unto all things that do not belong to You...help us to live what's in our hearts. Our hearts are one with you....teach us how to live and move and have our being in You. Teach us how to yield only to Your Spirit and deny all things that are not of the Father. Father, I thank you that you did not leave us alone...for as sheep ...we must have our shepherd guarding our hearts...guarding his beloved flock. Father, I thank you that you see us as perfect in Him, You see the purchased flock as lovely and beautiful. You protect us with your love. The glory of your presence leads us through many dangers and we are not afraid. We keep our eyes upon our good shepherd and the enemy does not take us captive. Our love for you keeps us from straying into strange places where darkness is present. We walk after the light and we abide in the light. Father, thank you for keeping us safe from all the schemes of the enemy. Father, as your sheep, we do not worry or fret...but allow our good shepherd to take care of all those things pertaining to us.

Lord, we thank you that you indeed laid down your life for us ...as that good shepherd. And you have come again and received us unto yourself...that where you are, there we are as well. Where you go..we go. You will keep us safe. Good Shepherd, thank you for choosing us and separating us unto yourself. Thank you for the life that you have given to us. Thank you that your life now abides within and we have no need of anything. We are complete because you are complete. We are perfect because you are perfect. All things that you are...we are. We are sheep...we can do nothing of ourselves, but you have come unto us and your life is now our life. We are now hidden in You. We love our shepherd ........

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on March 19, 2009 at 9:27am

John 14: Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again , and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And where I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you have prepared a place for us. Thank you that you showed us the way and became the way to the Father. Thank you for opening the path to our Father through your death. Thank you for showing us the Father.
Thank you that you did not leave us comfortless. Thank you, Lord, that you know our hearts and are compassionate towards us. Father, I thank you for your Son...thank you for sharing Him with us. Thank you for the plan to secure our salvation...our redemption...our freedom from darkness, sin, and death. Thank you for life...thank you we walk in freedom to choose life. Thank you for giving us all that we might have all...that we might walk and live in joy and peace. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you that He helps us and guides us in truth. Thank you that we can now live and abide in Jesus...our Lord. That we can know You and love You ....we love you...Lord.

Permalink Reply by Clark Wade on March 20, 2009 at 10:37pm

John 14:1

Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe into God, believe also into Me.

Note: the word believe into, as translated by the Recovery Version, speaks of an activity of pressing into the heart of God. This is not merely a "notional" belief about God and His Son. One can believe rightly about God and still not press into God's heart. It is totally possible to have all of one's doctrinal ducks in a row and still lack intimacy with Him who seeks our intimacy. It is possible to attend the right church and still not be pressing into God's heart. It is possible to have a big head and a small heart. It is possible to look for Christ in a preachers words and not know Him in our own hearts. Oh! What a tragedy this is!

Oh my precious Redeemer. How often is my heart like the waves of a troubled sea. Like the disciples, I too become troubled by the turbulence on the outside of my little boat, forgetting that You, my Lord, are here with me. Arise my Lord and speak stillness, the calm and stillness of Your untroubled heart into my heart.

Even now Lord, I believe myself, my heart into God and into You. As Jesus pressed into the bosom of the Father, and lived in such intimacy with Him, I too press into Your bosom Lord Jesus Christ. It is here, in You, I belong, and where I am safe, and made holy. My holiness, my sanctity is in You, never in myself.

14:2 In my Father’s house are many abodes, if it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for You.

Oh my Lord Jesus! You are the Father’ house! You are the Temple of God! And now Father’s House is made of many spiritual, living, organic stones. In You, we are many abodes.

Oh how glorious is Your temple Lord. Each abode is an expression of Jesus Christ, shining forth an aspect of Your many-splendored glory. But they are not Your temple Lord until they are beiing built into One. Build us Lord into One magnificent, glorious, stunninig, eye-popping temple where You can express Yourself unencumbered by men's ideas of what Your temple should look like.

It is You Lord who prepares each abode to reflect You—the Father’s glory! Build Your House Oh Divine Carpenter—Let us not labor in vain.

14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be.

Oh Lord, You are truly the Father’s divine Carpenter. You are preparing a place for us, even as You are preparing us as a place for You, with Your tools of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and every member functioning! Every member helps build the other members. This is a temple building itself up in love, Your love, the love of Your cross. Here we lay our lives down for one another. Here we serve one another. Here we love each other deeper into You. .

And Lord, the place You are preparing for us is You. For You will come back and receive us to Yourself, that where You are we would be also. You are the way, even the streets of gold. You are the pearl gates, even the pearl of great price. You are heaven itself.

What a privilege we have Lord that You are our true place of belonging. We belong where You are. We not only belong with you but in You.

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on April 7, 2009 at 11:29pm

John 14: 5 & 6
Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not where thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him," I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Lord Jesus, Help us to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears.... You are the way, You are the truth, and You are the Life. We know there is no life, there is no truth and there is no way to the Father except through You. Many times, Lord, we still try to lay our "good works and good deeds" at the Fathers' feet for His approval. Open our eyes to see that nothing we can ever offer Him is good....our only offerings to Him is our Love for You. The only way we can ever gain His love is by loving You. He loves those that love You....

Your Love and Your act of obedience secured the way for us...we thank you. We love you, Lord Jesus and thank you that truth and life is You. You are all truth and all life. There is not life without You. There is an imitation of life...but true Life is in the Person of Christ...we know that to be true..Thank You, Father, for putting all things in Your Son. And for making a way for us to receive Him unto ourselves. We thank you , Father, that you continue to enlighten us to His indwelling presence. That we might know HIm and the power of His resurrection...thank you, Father.

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on April 8, 2009 at 1:49pm

John 14:7-12
"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also, and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, " Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?

He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayst thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father."

Lord, give us wisdom to comprehend this amazing truth...You and the Father are one...You in Him and Him in You. Everywhere you go...He goes....every word you spoke , you spoke what the Father said. The Father that dwells in You...does the work using your vessel. Lord Jesus...where was He when you were nailed to the Cross?. Was He in You then too?

Not only does He dwell in heaven, but He dwells in earthly vessels. Thank you Father, that you and the Lord Jesus abide within us. There is nothing that will separate us from Your presences. Thank you, that we are all seated in Heavenly places with You and the Father. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for patiently teaching us and guiding us into all truth. Thank you , Lord...for Your love and Your protection. Thank You Lord, that no longer do we live...but our lives are hidden in You. We love you....Father, I pray that the eyes of our understanding might be opened to greater knowledge of Him....I pray that we might come into a greater revelation of Your indwelling presence in your church ...the remnant of God...

Permalink Reply by Clark Wade on April 8, 2009 at 10:33pm

JOHN 14:4-6 And where I am going you know the way. Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way? Jesus said to Him, I AM the Way and the Reality and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.

O Lord! In ourselves, like Thomas, we don’t know the way. All is an enigma. But in and by You, all is made clear. Lord! In You, we go where You go. In You, we know what You know. And Your destination, throughout eternity, is pressing deeper and deeper into the bosom of Your Father. It is You Jesus who are taking us there, even now, into Him. Lead us into His heart, so that we can be where You are, pressing into Your Father, always pressing into Him whose glory and joy is in the Son.

14:7-8: If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and henceforth you know Him and you have seen Him. Phillip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us.

“Show us the Father and it is sufficient for us.” O Lord, may that also be the driving passion of our lives as well. Grant us Phillip’s heart to know nothing else, to care for nothing else, but to see the Father. Our lives are so full of other things. In our seeking of other things, our hearts are restless because they are not sufficient in the Father. Father, forgive us for our hungers that drive us away from You to eat from the forest of a thousand trees save one, the Cross of Jesus! Father, forgive us for our thirsts that drive us to drink from a thousand broken cisterns, save one, the water which poured from His side! Yes! Grant us Lord a single heart, a single mind, and a single passion for just one thing: “Show us the Father and it is sufficient for us!”

14:9: Jesus said to him, have I been so long a time with you and you have not know Me Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; How is it that You say show us the Father?

Yes Lord, we are often so blind to Your presence and the invitation You give to us to really know You! “Have I been so long a time with you and you have not known Me?”

It’s so easy Lord to get caught up in serving You that we forget to love You.

It’s so easy to get caught up in learning things about You and neglect the very intimacy You seek from us.

I hear You Lord speaking those very words to me:

“Have I been so long a time with you and you have not known Me.”

O Lord Jesus Christ! No more! Let that never be said among us. You are the passion of our hearts. All we want is You Lord! All we want is to know You. All our desire is to love You as our dearest friend, our indwelling Savior, Lord, Teacher and Coming King. Just to spend time, idly in Your presence, enjoying You, looking at You, kissing your nail-scarred feet. Anointing Your head in pouring out the oil of our life, all of it, on You until we are utterly spent.

Permalink Reply by Mitzi Cox North on April 10, 2009 at 12:58pm

Jhn 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do [it]. "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Father,
We thank you that we can come in faith to You...because of the love of Christ within our hearts and ask and receive from You. I pray that our hearts will be so filled with Him that every desire is His desire...every request...is His request. We know that He always does those things which please You and glorify You....we pray that we become nothing that He might have pre-eminence in this earth and that Your will would be done in this earth through His Body. We love Him and therefore...we keep His commandments of Love. Thank you for Your Spirit of Love that gives us the power to keep His commandments.

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