“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Jesus told you two very similar things, but they are not the same, it is about how I know you are truly serious about your love for and devotion to Me and about the result that fills your life with joy. And when you know these things, blessed are you who do them, live them, and enjoy the fruit thereof.
Everything Jesus shared with you who are His disciples at the Last Supper can be taken as a whole and can be addressed separately but all the separate treasures weave together into magnificent whole of who I am and who you are and how we become one in My Son. And what is the joy Jesus was talking about when He said the things He told that night would put His joy in you and make your joy complete? The joy of being loved, cared for, sought after, and honored by the One who made you, planned you carefully, and has prepared wonderful good things for you in advance. IT IS THE JOY OF ONENESS with the One who is your source of all goodness, glory, and grace. It is the joy of oneness with love beyond all you can ask or think. It is the joy of knowing everything is going to turn out perfect and complete.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:26-24.
And when you know this, you will rejoice, pray and give thanks and then I can work with you to make everything work together for your good.
Here are the words we are addressing:
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. John 14:21-24.
Yesterday we talked about what His commandments are—to love and be love, and if you love Me you keep My Word, and keeping it means you not only hear but also do My Word with diligence. And what happens when you do that? Jesus reveals Himself to you, discloses Himself, which means He will disclose to you who I am for in seeing and knowing Him you see and know Me.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. John 1:17-18.
At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Luke 10:21-22.
Jesus bases His disclosure of Himself and thus of Me as being relational and conditioned upon your love-expressed obedience. And you can understand that. You do not just tell your secrets and innermost thoughts to someone who dishonors and rejects you.
The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. Psalm 25:14.
Jesus first promises to reveal Himself, that is, who He is, the Messiah, Savior and Lord, true God and true Man to those who love and obey His Word. But then Jude asked why He would only reveal Himself to those who love and obey Him. He wanted the whole world to know beyond a doubt that Jesus is Lord and that I raised Him from the dead. But Jesus told him again, and this time He extended the promise from revelation to abiding visitation.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. John 14:22-24.
I make My dwelling place in and with you who love Me and keep My Word. When you remain in My Word, My Word remains in you. And what does that do? Bears fruit, much fruit, that endures and blesses you and everyone on earth. Just as I promised faithful Abraham. All sufficiency to bless you and enough overflow to supply for every good work.
Your best days and your eternal day are lived in My abiding presence. David sang that goodness and lovingkindness pursued him all his days and he would dwell in My house forever. Enoch walked with Me and stayed in My abiding presence and one day he was seen no more on earth. He had crossed the threshold that easily into My house to abide with Me forever. He is with Me now and will return to witness in the last days.
I am your reality. Love is your reality. Eternal life is your reality. Jesus giving His eternal life in the flesh to pay your judgment and to satisfy your sentence by going to the dust of death in your place so you are free, blameless, and holy before Me is your reality. The Holy Spirit dwelling in your spirit making you My sanctuary is your reality. No condemnation is your reality. Righteousness as a gift to you is a reality. And established in righteousness you are far from oppression and no harm can come into your tent.
There will come a point in your life that you walk so closely with Me that all you want is to always stay there with Me forever. And the good news is you can. And that is joy to Me and joy to you and that was the joy that lay before Jesus that caused Him to endure the shame, the pain, and the darkness of embrace the hour of darkness to bring you out of darkness into My own marvelous light forever.
I love to be with those who love Me. Do you love to be with Me? I know you do when you keep My Word no matter what it costs you.