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Goal:

To truly experience Jesus’ promise:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…
Do not let your hearts be troubled or be fearful

Plan for today

1–12 ”Book of Signs”	13–21 ”Book of Glory”

13 A meal with the disciples

14–17 New Teaching
from Jesus
to the disciples

18–20 Arrest
Crucifixion
Resurrection

21 A meal with the disciples

Jesus —The God who will Wash your Feet and
Love you to the End
The care. empathy and unselfishness of Jesus, and that
the Father is just like Jesus
An invitation to step into
the same love as is between Jesus & the Father
You can only live this new life
by being connected with the vine

Ps 91 promised being able to trample lions underfoot
- But Christians were killed by lions in Rome in large numbers to entertain Nero
Ps 91 promises long life, but Stephen, James and many others were killed in their prime.
The Old Covenant was external, and in the present
- But conditional: Keep these external laws and I will give you these external blessings
- And as a nation they failed to enter in to to these promises because they were under the law, not the power of the Spirit
The kingdom was visible and physical
- Not living among the kingdoms of this world, but living separately. They were not to mix.
This is what the disciples were expecting.
- Ps. 91 would free them from the Romans!
What we have now under the New Covenant is much better
- We have assurance of forgiveness of sin, which they never had
- We have the SPIRIT which gives us a relationship to God they never had
- But there is persecution!
What we have is better:
- Our security does not depend on us
- the inner Companion to give us peace
The new is better than the old

Jesus says the same thing 4 times in the passage
14:25–27 —These are my main verses for today
- Although our passage was about the world persecuting us, I felt we should give space to the answer Jesus gives to this stress
- I also feel it is so applicable to what is going on right now.
This re-interprets Ps.91
- Now I don’t want to say that Psalm 91 is no longer applicable,
  But Jesus has made a shift from external kingdom to spiritual kingdom
- Actually in many cases he will still heal the sick, and Anne told an amazing story last week of an extraordinary healing in response to prayer
- We can still pray the prayer of Psalm 91, but the promises might be fulfilled a little differently
Huge numbers of Christians prayed for Mary Ann Stanic to be healed from her cancer —she died.
- Did we not have enough faith?
- Did God break his promises?
  - No, she is completely healed, and her joy is complete as she lives with Jesus.
- But very often God brings some of heaven into the present
- Two errors...
Jesus has made a shift from external kingdom to spiritual kingdom
- Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus
- The warfare we are part of is Spiritual, and the Ps.91 promises totally hold!

Dwelling/Abiding = Mystical Experience of “emptying oneself”
Dwelling/Abiding = Obedience
Dwelling/Abiding = Read the Bible, pray and work on your relationship with God
Dwelling/Abiding = Union with Christ, Experienced by means of Life in the Spirit

To “emptying oneself” so that the whole fullness of God can flow in
- Unrelated to Christ’s commands
- The proponents of this view are generally not interested in seriously studying the passage, but find in the word “abiding” a useful hook on which to hang their experiences
Abiding is quite simply obedience.
- If we are really abiding in Christ we will live in obedience to the words of Christ.
- But there is a huge problem here
  - Only those who are abiding can obey, because we obey through the strength of Jesus flowing into us
  - So chicken and egg!
- But must be part of the truth
Read the Bible, pray, etc.
- Tries to have a practical answer. But not what Jesus is actually saying.
- “My words dwell in you” could sound like it, but it seems to be more than this
Union with Christ, Experienced by means of Life in the Spirit
- This is exactly the question Jesus answers next

There is a new life within us, created by the Spirit,
- Like a new baby, born at the moment we become a Christian
- This new life must be nourished
- It is the life of the Spirit of God in us
- As we listen to and follow the words of Jesus, this new part grows

Water the plant, feed the new life
Listen to the promptings that come from new life
Faith is the act of following this voice
14:23, 24 —obey my teachings

26, the companion will teach you everything. and cause you to remember (which resulted in the N.T.)