Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am.  John 17:14

Jesus desired not only that we would be in Him, but that we would be with Him. There is no place in the universe I would rather be than in the presence of Christ. There is no more marvelous presence than His. Incredibly, He also wants me to be with Him. Remember, He prayed here not just for the disciples but for you and for me. He was asking the Father that we might be with Him. The greatest benefit of Christianity is not the forgiveness of sins; that’s simply a means to an end. The greatest benefit that we have is access to the presence of God and His Son. That’s where Jesus wants us to be.

Sproul, R. C. John. St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary. Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009.

"Quote" of the Week

"People will save money to go to a rock concert or a professional sports contest so that they can see some celebrities for an hour or two. But we are going to see the King of kings one day in all of His glory. That joyous moment is as good as guaranteed."  -R.C. Sproul

He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  John 16:14-15

There is a lot of confusion in the church today when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit, but Scripture clearly teaches that His primary role is not so much to bring something new as it is His role to magnify and glorify the Lord Jesus.  Jesus told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, he will direct people to Him and present to them His completed works.  

Jesus says, “He’s going to take what is mine and declare it to you.”  He says, “He is going to take who I am and the works I’m going to accomplish for you and is going to make these truths clear to you.”  That is primarily what the Spirit does.  

Yet, the work He does is also very important because, without it, we would be without salvation.  Scripture is clear, that it is the Spirit who opens our blind eyes and softens our calloused hearts and transforms our broken lives.  This work is what enables us to see the beauty of Christ and respond to Him in faith.

"Quote" of the Week

It is the chief office of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ. He does many things, but this is what he aims at in all of them, to glorify Christ.  –Charles Spurgeon

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  John 15:12

The point Jesus is making in verse 12 of John 15 is very clear.  He tells his disciples that they are to love one another as he has loved them, and knowing what we know about Jesus and what he is about to do for them in John 18-19, this is a tall order. 

Jesus loved his disciples to such an extent that he laid down His life for them, and here he is calling them to have that same love for one another.  Believer, how are you doing in this area of your spiritual life?  How are you doing when it comes to loving God’s people? 

I have met some who have said, “I love Jesus, but can not stand the church.”  They say, “I love Christ, but can not stand Christians.”  And the reason they say this is because in the church, you encounter people who are immature, difficult, frustrating, and arrogant.  But listen again to what Jesus says in verse 12.  He says,

 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

We are to love others as Jesus has loved us.  Ask yourself this, “Am I, at times, immature, difficult, frustrating and arrogant.”  Then ask yourself, "Does Jesus cut ties with me when I am this way?"  Then neither should we. 

According to this verse of Scripture, we have no excuse for not putting up with God’s people because Jesus has put up with us.  We have no excuse for not loving God’s people because Jesus has loved us and He tells us very clearly, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  And one of his commandments is this, ‘That you love one another as I have loved you.’”  And Jesus says, “As you do this you will show that you are mine—you will show that you are abiding in me.”

"Quote" of the Week

"A heart (that) is deeply aware of its mighty debt to our Lord Jesus Christ, feels continually that it owes to Him who died for us on the cross, all its present comfort, hope, and peace. How can it show forth its gratitude? What can it render to its Redeemer? If it can do nothing else, it strives to be like Him, to walk in His footsteps, and, like Him, to be full of love."  -J.C. Ryle

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

I heard a story recently about a professor from seminary and his wife who had adopted two boys from Russia.  He explained that when they went over for the first time to the orphanage, the place was in terrible shape.  He said the facilities were barely livable; it smelled terrible and was extremely dirty.  He said that the most eerie thing about the orphanage was how quiet it was.  He said that though the babies were awake, none of them were crying because they had been so severely neglected. 

He said that when they went and chose the two baby boys they were going to adopt, the policy stated that before taking the children home, they had to first return home to fill out paper work and wait for a time before they could return to Russia to get their sons.  This professor said leaving those boys under those conditions was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.  He said the experience gave him a whole new appreciation for John 14:18.  In fact, he quoted this passage to his sons before leaving.  He whispered to them, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

We all feel like abandon orphans at times.  There are times when God seems distant, and we feel as if he has left us all alone in this fallen world to deal with matters on our own.  God, however, tells us in his word that Jesus has not left us as orphans.  Instead, he has come to us.  Jesus made that promise to His disciples in John 14, and after his resurrection and before his ascension, He promised them once again that he would be with them until the end and that promise extends to believers today.

Believers, we are not orphans.  If you are trusting in Christ for your salvation, you have been adopted into the family of God.  Christ is now your life as Paul says in Colossians 3:4.  You have him with you every step of the way through good times and bad, through the pain and the joy—through the troubles and eases of this life. 

For more from John 14, click HERE and listen to, “KNOWING JESUS AS THE GREAT COMFORTER.”

"Quote" of the Week

“A sense of God’s presence in love is sufficient to rebuke all anxiety and fears; and not only so, but to give, in the midst of them, solid consolation and joy.”  John Owen

Jim Wilson was with us yesterday.  He and his wife Melanie are our missionaries in San Jose', Costa Rica.  They serve with ReachGlobal, which is the mission agency of The Evangelical Free Church of America.  The focus of their ministry is training pastors and church leaders through Bible Institutes.  The Bible Institutes are spread throughout Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.  These institutes provide pastors and church leaders with training that is similar to a basic Bible College education through week long intensive courses.  The Institutes are led and sponsored by churches in the U.S. that partner with local pastors and leaders.  To hear Jim's message from yesterday, click HERE.

"Quote" of the Week

"And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2