God Dwelling Within Man! John 14:16-20

Text:  “Who is he/she that overcometh the world, but he/she that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only (human substance), but by water and blood (the Incarnation, God in bodily form).  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are Three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these Three are One.”

1 John 5:5-7.

 Good morning, overcoming Christian!  In the midst of life, there is death.  Day by day, there comes upon you and me many terrible trials and tribulations.  Yet, though all of these testing times - we overcome!  What makes you and I such constant, overcoming, Christians?  Read on, my friend.

 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

Today’s selected Bible passage in our Journey In John’s Gospel reveals the answer as to how we can be ‘overcoming Christians’:  the Lord God Himself lives within us!  Hallelujah!  What an amazing situation!  God lives within mere mortals!  God within us cannot be defeated.  Glory to His Name!

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth (continuous verb: lives, and continues to live) in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)

The Lord Jesus, in today’s short Bible passage, reveals this profound truth to His disciples; and through the written record of those faithful men in the Gospels, reveals it also to we latter-day Christian believers.

“Come now, and let us reason together…”  (Isaiah 1:18)  The Lord loves reasoning Christians.  Let us reason this truth out together.

1.  We believe that Jesus Christ was, is, and ever shall be, the Son of the Living Lord God.  Right?  Okay.

2.  We believe that God the Father always listens to, hears, and answers, the prayers of His beloved Son, Christ Jesus.  Right?  Okay.

3.  We believe that God the Son, Christ Jesus, came into this world in human flesh to, at all times, obey the will of God the Father.  Right?  Okay.

4.  We believe that ‘…all the promises of God are yea, and in Him (Christ Jesus) Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”  Right?  Okay

Now, with the above four fully persuaded beliefs in mind - let us read again our selected Bible passage.

The Lord Jesus in verses 16 & 17 states that He will pray to our Father in Heaven that He shall give us ‘…another Comforter…’, Who is God the Holy Spirit, and Who will ‘…abide with us forever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive…”  Right?  Okay.

Therefore, IF we truly believe the above four theological principles, we know that Christ’s prayer to our Father in Heaven was both heard and answered in the affirmative by our gracious Lord God.  The Comforter, God the Holy Ghost, is poured out, not only amongst us since the day of Pentecost - but poured into our very being, when once we are Spiritually regenerated by God’s free grace,  ’…born again from Above…’         (John 3:3-8)  Praise God!

The latter part of verse 17 leaves us in no doubt at all concerning the above Divine truth: “…but ye know Him (God the Holy Spirit); for He dwelleth with you, AND SHALL BE IN YOU.”  Hallelujah!  Emmanuel: God with us.  Amen?

The only truth we can conclude from the above Scriptural facts of our Christian faith is this: that we are Divinely enabled to overcome all of life’s trials, testings and temptations; all of our own fleshy weaknesses,  faults, and  failures, due to the Presence of the Lord God living within our mortal hearts - i.e. our inner essence and being. 

God promises: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”       (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Is the valley of sorrow through which you walk today long and seemingly without light?  Is the burden you are called to bear - of profound grief, of illness, of heartbreak, of poverty, of dread - heavy and seemingly insurmountable?  FEAR NOT, Christian!

Thought:  The Lord, your God, is right there with you in all these things.  Trust Him to deliver you, not many days hence.  You are much loved by our God Who overcomes all things for us, ‘His people’.  (Psalm 27:1-7)