Getting Prepared

Getting Prepared

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

Prepared for Jesus' Departure

John 14 begins a preparation in the hearts of the Lord's disciples. Their hearts had to be prepared for His departure. What were they going to do without Him? What were they going to do when troubles and problems came . . . and the Master's not there?

John 14:1-3
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.

The disciples had a lot to consider. They had to be prepared. Someone close and dear is going to be taken away! Something has got to make up the difference in their lives. Something has got to happen to change the whole situation.

Jesus is preparing the lives of His disciples for His ascension into heaven; and He is also preparing their hearts to be ready to receive the Holy Ghost, whom He would send from heaven to abide with them for ever.

We recognize, then, the purpose of what Jesus was doing. There's this question about Jesus and what He meant to them: He spoke in terms that would bring this to light.

John 14:4,5
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?

That's a good question. The Lord spoke about going away, and Thomas would wonder in his mind how they could know what the way would be. Jesus would want questions asked, because that's often the greatest means of teaching and getting a point across.

If you look carefully here, you can't help but see how Jesus used this event to open the door where He could say what would not only go into their ears but would also prepare their hearts to receive what He had to say. What He would have to say to them was something they really needed to hear at this time — and not quickly forget.

Prepared to Know the Way to Heaven

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

That's a powerful text! Have you ever really heard that verse? You may have read it; you may have said it: but have you ever really heard it way down deep in your heart?

Jesus had prepared Thomas' heart to ask the right questions.

Now I know! Don't you? I know that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; and nobody can come to the Father but by Him.

Do you think of Jesus as the way?

We should all think of Him as the way, the truth and the life. In those three statements we see where we don't need to look for another. We don't need to be scratching our heads wondering how we are ever going to get to heaven.

I know the way now. I know how to get there. I know the way — because I know Jesus. I know the truth — because I know Jesus. And I know Jesus is the life, the One who gives life to all who believe.

As Jesus says this about Himself, He adds that no man can come unto the Father but by Him. Nobody can go to heaven without knowing Jesus, without having a relationship with Him, without being born again of the Spirit of God.

We can thank God for the truth that's raised here in answering these questions that were asked, because it has provided us with this important information.

We don't want to be deceived. We don't want to be caught up in some false religion. We don't want to be brought into a state and a place where our life is wasted on a religion that doesn't bring life, in a religion that has no power to add life unto us.

We are looking here at eternal life.

Prepared to Know Who Jesus Is

There was another day when the Lord was questioning the disciples that He might bring forth an important answer.

He asked, Whom do men say that I am? They replied, Some say You're John the Baptist; some say You're Jeremiah or one of the prophets. And He then asked them, But whom do you say that I am? Peter answered quickly, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. — see Matthew 16:13-17

Today we can thank God we know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. We can thank God we know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus went on in His conversation with the disciples here in John, talking about going back to the Father. He is wanting to help them be prepared in their hearts for His departing.

John 14:7-9
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, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Lord, show us the Father. Can the Father be seen?

The disciples had been with Jesus for 3 1/2 years. They saw a lot: all the things He did, all those mighty works! They heard a lot: all the messages they had heard of Him, relating truths to them along the way. Yet, they never fully knew how this could be.

He that has seen Me has seen the Father: and how say then, Shew us the Father?

They had seen the manifestations of the Father over and over: the works that He did, the anointing that He had. They had heard the words of the Father, because Jesus spoke not His own words, but the words of the Father which dwelt in Him.

Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with Him.

This is the powerful anointing that caused all those great works to be done.

Prepared to Believe

Jesus goes on in John 14, wanting them to know what to believe:

John 14:10
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.

We can see, then, where the Father was clearly manifested in the Son of God. The Father's words were clearly spoken through His Son.

John 14:11
Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake.

Twice, here, Jesus said to believe Him.

Sometimes, the way Christians understand is by taking things because they have been spoken to us of the Lord in His Word. When the Lord speaks to us, what He wants us to do is to believe Him.

He speaks truth. He always speaks the truth. And He wants us to be in the position in our heart where we're quick to believe what He says.

The disciples had some troubles, some problems, because sometimes they were slow of heart to believe all that He said.

Well, it took us a while to believe, didn't it? That first day we weren't able to grasp all that the Master was saying. But, as time went on, we learned to believe. We learned to listen and to believe — and that's how we know what we know today.

Prepared to Do the Works Jesus Did

John 14:12
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.

It's a great privilege to believe on Jesus. The Scriptures say that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved — Acts 2:21. When you call upon the Lord for salvation, you turn in your heart and your faith to embrace Jesus, believing in Him as your Lord and Saviour.

Now, here in John 14, He is saying that those who believe on Him, the works that He does shall they do also. This is hard in the minds of those who can't bring themselves to believing all that is said here.

He said that the works He does, those who believe on Him shall do also — and then He adds that they shall do greater works than these because He goes unto His Father. This is a lot for believers to hear and to take to heart.

The works that I do shall ye do also.
Being believers, we embrace the Word of God and take to heart all He has said. Now, are we doing any of the works that Jesus did?

This verse of Scripture encouraged me a long time ago that I should believe and embrace this, taking it into my heart, because He is speaking of an anointing that He would give. He would anoint us with the Holy Ghost, as He was anointed, that His works would continue on through Spirit-filled believers.

As I look back over my life, how many times I have witnessed marvelous healings and marvelous miracles right before my eyes. Yes, the works that He did we shall do also. I can relate to this verse as a reality.

We have watched the manifestations of the power of God again and again in these many years of our ministry. I know this is true, then, because I have seen it.

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that what He did they would do also. And this follows on down to us. We who would believe and embrace the promise shall surely find some of the great manifestations of God before our eyes.

Prepared for a Powerful Prayer Life

John 14:13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Here Jesus teaches about prayer, about asking and receiving of Him. He also teaches us something about Himself and about His name.

How effective is your prayer life? Are you seeing answers to prayer?

We should each see and experience answers to our prayers. If there were never any answers to prayer, what would be the use of our praying?

In this verse it comes to the point of asking in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ — just the exercise of faith in His name:

John 14:14
If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.

And He would do it that the Father might be glorified in the Son.

Does this help to relate to what He said in verse 12? The works that I do shall you do also; and greater works than these you shall do; because I go unto My Father.

If you shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it — that the Father be glorified in the Son.

The truth of a powerful prayer life radiates out here in these verses. How do we get such a prayer life? It's not because we're so busy that we have a timer in our prayer closet — and when the buzzer goes off, we have to go, whether we touched God, or not. It doesn't matter if we were in the middle of a sentence: We have to go! We're busy! We have no time to really pray!

Listen, if we want to do the works that Jesus did, we will have to take the time to pray. We're going to have to have faith to pray. We're just going to have to exercise ourselves in prayer, in faith believing. Then we can expect to develop a prayer life that will bring answers from God.

This should encourage us to pray. This should encourage us to take to heart the name of the Lord Jesus. What a powerful name! What a mighty name!

Remember how He said, He is the way, the truth, and the life: no man can come to the Father but by Him.

How are we going to get prayers through to the Father, but by Jesus? We have to pray in His name. We have to ask in His name. And, in doing this, we can come to that place in prayer where we have the assurance that whatever we ask of Him He will do.

Prepared to Love Jesus
Through Obedience

John 14:15
If ye love Me, keep My commandments.

If you love Me . . .
This opens a new door in this chapter! If you love Me . . . Do you love Him? How much do you love Him? Do you love Him like the Word would show you to love Him: with all of your heart, all of your mind, all of your soul, and all of your strength?

In other words, do you love Him with your whole being? with all that is within you?

In every day life, how we need to show the Lord our love. What's more important in our relationship to Him than love? His love for us — and our love for Him.

We want God to love us. But here it's not a question of His love; it's a question of our love. It's an IF about our love.

Our love can be very strong for Him. Our love for Him can be very genuine and pure and true. And if we truly love Him, we will keep His commandments.

Some would teach that there are no commandments, so there is nothing to keep. But, listen, there are commandments to keep. And the Master taught us that we should keep them.

Here it's the commandments of Jesus, the teachings of the Lord, which we need to take to heart and embrace. We need to take them to heart, embracing them, believing them, holding to them, keeping them in our heart.

The commandments of the Lord are not grievous. They are not hard or difficult to deal with — but they are commandments, Let's do what He has taught us to do and take hold of those things.

We need to come all the way around to show the Lord how much we love Him. We could say all day, I love You, Lord! I love You, Lord! I love You, Lord! And some do it that way. But how much better it is to say it by doing. Showing our love by being obedient will let Him see our love. He knows that those who love Him will keep His commandments.

It's nice to tell Jesus how much you love Him. That's not wrong to do. But He also wants you to be in that place where you show Him your love. And, if you really love Him, you will really keep His commandments. That's a truth you can embrace.

Know that if you don't keep His commandments, it's a sure sign that you don't really love Him.

Prepared to Receive the Holy Spirit

John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.

"Comforter" here is referring to the Holy Spirit. Jesus is saying that He will pray the Father, and He shall give us another Comforter. In other words, the Comforter would be a replacement of Him.

They had Jesus, in reality, walking right with them. And now they would soon have Jesus walking within them, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The teaching here is about the Holy Spirit and the Baptism of the Spirit. We want to review very carefully what's said here. As we follow this on down in this chapter, we'll see exactly how God brings us into the place of receiving the Holy Spirit.

John 14:17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Did you read that verse? Read that last phrase again: but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Jesus wants that living presence of the Holy Spirit to come and fill your vessel. He said the Spirit dwelt with them, and shall dwell in them.

When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, we receive Him. He comes to live and abide in us, to live in our body, which is called the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I thank God for His indwelling presence in my life. I remember the very day, the very moment, when God filled me with His Holy Spirit. What a difference that has made in my life! There was an instantaneous change, causing the power of the Holy Spirit to be manifested through my life and through the ministry He has called me to.

John 14:18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus would come and abide with them. He wouldn't leave them comfortless. He would still be there with them. So they needn't feel bad that He was taken away. The only difference would be that He no longer would be there in physical form but would be there in the Spirit. This is what the Baptism of the Spirit would accomplish.

Now, they had walked with Jesus for 3 1/2 years. Talk about eyes full and ears full: What they saw! What they heard! They soon learned to love Him and to lean on Him. He was there in every situation — to meet the crisis, to help them along the journey in their trials and in their tests.

They're receiving an assurance here. Jesus is asking the Father to send another Comforter — and He, Himself, would also come and be in them to comfort them.

John 14:19
Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Yet a little while, and the world won't see Him any more. The world saw Jesus while He walked upon this earth, but they would see Him no more.

He added, but you see Me: because I live, you shall live also. Because Jesus, Himself, gloriously rose from the dead, we can have the assurance of eternal life. Because He lives, we shall also live.

John 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.

I get intrigued with this text! These words are true, yet how can one put their finger on it to explain how it can be? I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you!

I am in the Lord, and the Lord is in Me. Thus, since He is in the Father, and I am in Him, and He in me — then I am also in the Father.

These are powerful words. They describe the greatest experience that man can imagine in this world: that we would have the living presence of God with us day after day, with the Son of God dwelling in us, and we dwelling in Him. That's a reality.

We who are saved are all baptized into one Body, having that deep relationship of being a member of the Body of Christ. But we've got to look way beyond to see this relationship in its fullness.

At the day when the Holy Spirit comes, then you'll surely know that Jesus is in His Father, and we're in Him, and He in us. This is the climax of being filled with the Spirit. We can't fully express a truth that is so great as this is!

These things are accomplished through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Comforter brings this to pass when He comes into one's life. Jesus adds the fact that He will come to us, as well.

You know, the Lord is very concerned about us. We're precious in His eyes. We have a far greater place in Him than the natural mind can comprehend. Oh, the greatness of our experience!

Think of the fullness of the Godhead living and dwelling within us, that we would have this deep relationship of belonging as children!

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance: God showing His great sincerity that we are really His. He has already given us of His Spirit. What a wonderful blessing is the measure of the Spirit given to us. The Holy Spirit is like the down payment on a house. You put up some earnest money, which shows the owner that you're not going to back out.

Now, Jesus prepares His disciples to be ready for the promise: Pentecost was not many days hence. Pentecost would be a vital experience to their going on with the Lord and being all that He would want them to be.

Let's desire that fullness today. Do you have the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your life?

John 14:20,21
At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.

We want to look at these verses and note how they really speak to us of preparation for the day when the Holy Spirit would come. These words can make the difference in your being prepared to receive the Holy Ghost.

Notice Jesus also mentioned this in verse 15: If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Let's look now at verse 21.

John14:21
He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.

What is this saying? He that has My commandments and keeps them.

It's necessary that we obey. It's absolutely necessary to the blessing. He that has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me.

Where does that leave the disobedient and the rebel? Where does it leave those who declare they don't think God expects that of them? Haughty in mind, they say they want heaven without doing all that.

They need to go to the altar to surrender their heart and get over that haughty attitude. They need to know that Christ is asking of them to accept Him and believe on Him — and to keep His teachings.

It's necessary — not just a suggestion. It's necessary if we are to love Him. You know if you love Jesus or not. He said that he who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me.

Do you want to be loved of the Father? We're loved of the Father because we love His Son Jesus. The reward of loving Jesus is being loved of His Father and of Him.

God really appreciates our loving His Son. He gives life to us when we love His Son Jesus — accepting Him, believing on Him, believing that His shed blood atones for our sins, believing that He died and rose again.

Here it clearly states who the Father loves: the person who takes the commandments of Jesus and keeps them. That is the person who loves Jesus — and he that loves Jesus shall also be loved of the Father.

And I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. More than we know, the Spirit-filled life gives us a manifestation of the Lord Jesus: the extreme pleasure that is ours in our prayer closet, where we have communion with our Lord.

You should want to be filled with the Holy Ghost, to be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Jesus, in preparing His disciples for this experience, let them know what to expect so that they would be ready.

We're blessed when we keep the commandments of Jesus. We're blessed when we truly love Him. And the Father, Himself, loves us because we love His Son — the Saviour, the Son of God.

As we love Jesus, He will manifest Himself to us. We're not alone in this world. As believers, we're not alone. He is with us — and He is in us.

I was saved a long time before I received the Holy Spirit. I began to feel there was something that I was missing, something I needed. Oh, I was satisfied with what I had (in the sense of being glad). I was saved and going to church. I was into the Lord as much as I could be. But when I received the Holy Spirit, I knew what a difference it brought into my life.

Why don't you give some thought to the teachings of the Scriptures?

John 14:22
Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

How would He manifest Himself unto the disciples and not be manifesting Himself unto the world? Jesus answered this question:

John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Here is the Trinity in this one verse: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — all in one, filling us to the full. What an experience is really given us in the Baptism of the Holy Ghost!

If we consider what Jesus has said to us in this chapter, we should want to keep His commandments — that we might abide in His love; that the love of the Father might abound in us; that we might have the infilling of the Spirit; and, as Jesus said, We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Our abode! It doesn't say, "come and make My abode," but, "come and make Our abode with him," bringing the fullness of God into our life. What a privilege!

Seek out the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Concern yourself with this. Search the Scriptures, beginning here in John 14, and may God give you great understanding.