March 26th, 2023, John 14:17 & 22 “Not for this world.”
Thought from above: The wisdom of the world versus the foolishness of God!
We’ve heard the conversation Jesus has had with Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Judas (not Iscariot), as He sets the stage for his disciple to understand that, just as the Father lives “IN” the son and the son lives IN the Father, the Spirit will (or even IS) living “IN” us. As Jesus left his earthy ministry, he “asks the Father to give “another, Spirit.” One just like him, with all the same attributes. Except, he will be with you forever, and HE will be IN YOU! (vs.16).
(No longer limited by time or geography.)
He is the Provision that follows the Promise and the Plea!
“Don’t let your heart be…many rooms…He’ll live IN you.
We saw how this is expressed in a disciple’s life, it’s in faithful obedience to God’s commands. (vs. 15, 21, 23).
The world cannot see it or accept it. (vs.17 & 22).
Because the message of someone willing to die for another is foolishness. Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than to lay down his life for a friend” (Jh.15:13).
But Paul says, “…we were powerless, sinners and enemies toward God…when Jesus died for us” (Ro. 5:6-8). That’s foolishness…! (times 3). And that same person makes another foolish claim, he’ll be raised from the dead!
When Paul went to Corinth he acknowledged some of them were wise and intelligent, but only in this world, and that wisdom would come to an end, (I Cor. 1:19).
The key word in this paragraph is wisdom (used 8 times). Paul wanted the contrast between the revealed Word of God and the accumulated knowledge of man. The cross is Paul’s main focus because it brings righteousness, holiness, and redemption, (I Cor. 2:30). (not just Christian Jewelry).
Paul didn’t want his message to be confused with those wise, scholarly, philosophers. So he stuck to the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified (2:2) (5 words in 14:19).
Paul depended on the Holy Spirit, not his experience or ability…to demonstrate God’s power. Not a performance of…but a demonstration.“Legal proof, presented in court.”
The message and miracle of God’s grace confounded the wise, “foolishness!” The weakness and shamefulness confused the mighty. But “It’s hard to argue with a changed life!”
Now, for the majority of us, (1:26) think of what you were… YET! (like Jesus; born in Bethlehem, from Nazareth, etc.)
But God chose…for you to see, hear, comprehend (Is.64:4)
by the Holy Spirit to live IN YOU! The mystery!
The Jews didn’t understand these, their own scriptures… they looked for a mighty, conquering king, (Acts 1:6) The mystery, reveals their hope. but at the same time, they struggled with passages like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. (I Peter explains in I Peter 1:10). This caused them to stumble. Isaiah 55: Their thoughts…not God’s thoughts…But we are interacting with the mind of God and He wants to reveal more and more to us, (v.10).
The world does not want to acknowledge God because, as looked at in John 3:19, “the verdict is in…and those whose deeds are evil love the darkness.”
SO! Can we conclude this from that? That “those who claim to love the light, claim to walk in the light must NOT (purposefully) walk in darkness. (I John 1:6-7).
Because that would take the Holy Spirit in you, God, into darkness, and in him is not darkness.