Bible Study John 14 Leaving & Coming Again

This is one of my favorite chapter of the Bible, especially verse 14:3 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.  Jesus was preparing His disciples for his pending absence from them. There are many great truths in this chapter. Many verses are quoted often.

Q1 What was the purpose of Jesus' discourse in this chapter?
To comfort and to prepare His disciples for His soon coming departure - His death on the cross. v1 Let not your heart be troubled. v25 These things have I spoken to you being present with you. v29 I have told you before it comes to pass that when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

Q2 What is the one sure cure for our worry?
Believe in God and believe also in me v1 is the one and only one needed.

Q3 What are we to believe about Jesus? Can you come out with a detailed list and meditate on it? How does the particular truth apply to your present situation?
  1. Jesus was going - to prepare a place for us (John 14:2,3) & not abandoning us(John 14:3).
  2. Jesus will be back & receive us ; 14:3c, 18b, 28a.
  3. You know the Way there - Jesus is the only Way to Father, Truth, Life. (John 14:4,6)
  4. Father God and Jesus are One. (John 14:7, 9-11, 20, 31)
  5. Believers can do greater works than Jesus was on earth   (John 14:12)
  6 Jesus will answer your prayer in His name . (John 14:13-14)
  7. Love is known thru keeping commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23-24)
  8. Father God will give the Holy Spirit to be with us forever.  (John 14:16-17, 26)
  9. Jesus lives and so do we in Him  (John 14:19)
  10. Jesus gives us Peace  (John 14:27)
  11. Rejoice at Jesus' Leaving (John 14:28b)
  12. The Prince of this world was coming. This prince had nothing to do with Jesus (John 14:30)

Q4 What is the work of the Holy Spirit?

1. The Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter v16.
2. The Spirit of Truth - Only believers can receive Him. v17
3. The Holy Spirit dwells in us v17.
4. The Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father when Jesus is taken away v26
5. He shall teach us all things v26
6. He shall remind us of Jesus' teachings.
7. He will bear witness of Jesus John 15:26 (it is good to put related verses here to have a better understanding).
8. He will reprove the world John 16:8
1. of sin (not believe in Jesus) John 16:9,
2. of righteousness (given by Jesus when He went back to the His Father) 16:10
3. of the judgment of the prince of world 16:11 and found guilty and condemned.

Q5 Why is Jesus the only way to the Father? John 14:6
We simply answer that it is because Jesus said so! But we can also give good reasons for it. Firstly, it is only Jesus who comes from the Father and therefore He should know best. Secondly, it is only Jesus who is qualified to pay for sins, the only sinless and righteous to redeem our sins. Thirdly, Jesus is the source of life. He is the resurrected one that can give life to us. No one else qualifies. Jesus is the only way.

Q6 Explain the relationship between love and keeping His commandments in greater details.

1. If we love Jesus, we will obey Jesus by keeping His commandments v15
2. Keeping Jesus' commandments is an outward expression of our inward love for Him v21.
3. He who loves Jesus will be loved by the Father and Jesus will love him too. v21,23
4. Father and Jesus will abide with him and manifest themselves to him. v21, 23.
5. I think these verses are telling us that as we obey out of love, not out of justification, we can discover and taste the love of the Father and Jesus. We will discover that the commandments bring great benefits to us rather than keep us from enjoying life as the devil would have us to believe.
6. Love and obedience are both sides of the same coin. This is emphasized again in 14:24 in a negative way - love not & keep not.

Q7 What is Rapture? 
Rapture refers to the future event when believers will be taken out of the world to meet Christ in the air referred to in 1 Thes 4:16-18. In 14:3, Jesus said He went to prepare a place for us in heaven and then He would come again to receive us so that we will always be with Him. We also know that Christ's Kingdom will be established on earth. John 14:3, 1 Thes 4:17 all have the assurance phrase "so shall we ever be with the Lord". So we can infer that there is a period where we would be with Christ in Heaven before we come again to rule with Him on earth in the Millennium.


Update 1 May 2018
Robert Morris has a sermon on this