The Preeminence of Love John 17:1–26 That the love with which you have loved me may be in them. John 17:26 We see the preeminence of love readily if we look at it in reference to the other marks of the church. What happens when you take love away from them? Suppose you take joy…

The Christian’s Peace John 16:17–33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. John 16:33 The Christian’s peace is not an absence of conflict or any other kind of trial. Rather it is contentment and trust in God in spite of such circumstances. But it is not automatic. The…

The Work of the Holy Spirit John 15:26–16:16 The Spirit of truth . . . will bear witness about me. John 15:26 When we say that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Bible to the individual heart, precisely what does the Holy Spirit do? First, the Holy Spirit gives comprehension. Apart from the ministry of…

No Greater Love John 15:9–17 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 It may not happen often, but sometimes one human being will voluntarily die for another; still, this gift never equals or even parallels Jesus’s sacrifice. We see this when we reflect on…

The Holy Spirit as Teacher John 14:15–27 The Holy Spirit . . . will teach . . . and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26 The Lord’s emphasis on remembering teaches us two separate truths. First, it teaches us that the wisdom of God is not a new thing. It is that…

I Am the Life John 14:1–14 I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  John 14:6 The third part of Christ’s claim in this verse is to be “the life”—for all who believe on him, the emancipator from death. According to Scripture, the natural man is spiritually dead. But Christ can make such…

The New Commandment John 13:31–38 Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34 Jesus is himself our example as we obey his command to love one another. It is not just that we are to love. It is that we are to love as he loved us. His…

Love to the End John 13:1–17 He now showed them the full extent of his love. John 13:1 (NIV) What do we know about the love of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ in the past? First, we can see the love of God in the creation of ourselves to an existence…

Drawn to Jesus John 12:28–36 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. John 12:32 To whom does Jesus promise to draw people? The answer is: to himself. It is not said that Jesus will draw men and women to the visible church, still less to one…

Living Witness John 12:1–11 On account of him many [were] believing in Jesus. John 12:11 Many, we are told, believed in Jesus because of Lazarus. Here was a man so much alive because of Jesus and so identified with him in discipleship that others believed on Jesus just because of him. The application is obvious….