The Jewels from John series is drawing to a close. This is part 5, and then in a month, I will publish the last part. As always, these are my reflections rather than carefully researched teachings.

John 14:27 “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus had been telling his disciples that he would soon leave them but that the Holy Spirit would come in his place to be with them. I am pondering whether this was a specific word of comfort for those men so long ago or if we can apply it to ourselves today. Sometimes we take parts of the scriptures out of their intended context and force them to fit our circumstances. This inevitably leads to confusion and disappointment. However, perhaps worse is when we ignore scriptures as irrelevant to our modern lives and miss the blessing of the Lord.

There are many texts in both the Old and New Testaments where God the Father, an angel, or Jesus tells people not to be afraid, but in none of them is it clear that the words are to be applied generally. So, perhaps John 14 will help. Verses 25-27 record Jesus as saying: “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counsellor, 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. 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.” Does this not apply to us too? All Jesus-followers of all ages are instructed to be filled by the Holy Spirit and led by him. In Romans 8:14 Paul writes that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” It is well worth reading the whole of Romans chapter Eight to get this truth’s full scope and effect.

In addition, I am convinced that we can read the assurances made to biblical characters and ask, “Wonderful Holy Spirit, may I take this as your words to me here and now?” I am confident that when we do this with a yielded heart we will know his answer deep in our spirits.

Fear is a negative emotion that can help us when threatened by imminent danger, but most of the time it harms us and deprives us of a good future. Of all Jesus’s assurances, one we should remember often are his words, “Do not be afraid.”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

John 15:5 “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

This is part of the Lord’s well-known teaching on the vine and the branches, but I have been reflecting on how literally and specifically we should take this. Of course, we can do lots of ‘stuff’ all by ourselves, so this can’t be what Jesus meant. Well, the context of what Jesus called ‘abundant fruit’ is the qualities that demonstrate that we are his disciples. Therefore, my understanding is that the fruit he talks about here are the things that have eternal spiritual significance and not temporal ‘things’ like money, possessions, and power. This is certainly how Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22

It is in this light that I read his statement in verse 7 “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” This is not a blank cheque to the goodies of this life, but rather an assurance that God will grant us a Christ-like character if we consistently seek this.

John 15:26-27  “But I will send you the Counsellor – the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me”.  NLT

I selected the New Living Translation for the above quote because it phrases the last part of the sentence as ‘tell you about me’. This is more personal than the ‘he will bear witness about me’ in the ESV. I think the NLT is a better translation in this case because it aligns perfectly with John 14:26: “The Counsellor, 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.”

We know about Jesus through the inspired record of the scriptures and it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to comprehend what the printed words convey. What we know of Jesus and how he has changed our lives is the basis of our testimony. Some folks agonise over how to share the Gospel with others and resort to courses, how-to books and videos. However life-changing testimony is simply the sharing of the person of Jesus and the truth he brings. Also, if we have been born again by the Spirit of God into a living relationship with Jesus, then surely we know enough to share the way of salvation with others. Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ is The Truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, so what we share with others is, in a very real sense, the way, the truth, and the life.

John 16:7-11  “Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

This is a complex and much-researched passage. My purpose here is to reflect rather than analyse, so I will limit myself to just one part of the passage – “in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me.” The Holy Spirit will convict and convince the people of the world of the true nature of sin. So many unsaved people are offended by what they understand as personal sin. They regard themselves as good people and see the idea that they are sinners as a judgmental label applied to them by pious Christians. I have heard so many evangelists respond to this ‘I am not a sinner’ claim by arguing that people who tell one lie or have one adulterous thought are by definition ’sinners’ in need of salvation. Well, this is not how Jesus defines sin in John 16. Instead, he defines it as not believing in him! Not believing that Jesus is God incarnate and that he is the only way to eternal life. Not believing that what he said as recorded in the scriptures is true and is to be taken seriously. Not believing that they are accountable to him and owe their very existence to him.