Will you please turn to the Gospel according to John, John Chapter 14? We will read from verse 15 through verse 21.
If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may be with you for ever,
even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: ye know Him; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you desolate: I come unto you.
Yet a little while, and the world beholdeth Me no more; but ye behold Me: because I live, ye shall live also.
In 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 unto him.
And then, in the same chapter, verse 26:
But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, how we praise Thee and thank Thee for Thy immense love for us. Thou hast given Thyself to us in such a way that Thou alone can do it. We thank Thee for saving us. We thank Thee for saving us to the uttermost.
We thank Thee because Thou, today in heaven, art interceding for us in order to deliver us completely. We thank Thee for Thy immense love for us.
As we are studying Thy Word together, we pray that Thy Spirit will breathe upon Thy Word and make it living. Speak to each one of us, and draw us into what Thou hast provided for us, that we may glorify Thy name. We ask in Thy name. Amen.
We know that in the Gospel according to John, from Chapter 13 to Chapter 17, this is a very special section, because it is the last word of our Lord to His disciples before His crucifixion.
We have a Chinese proverb. It says, “When a person is dying, his words are good.” Why? Because he knows he is going to meet his Maker.
Here we find the dying words of our Lord Jesus before crucifixion. So these chapters are very precious.
Our brother Jerry Eamon mentioned something about Chapter 13, so I am not going to repeat it. I will only emphasize that during that Last Supper, our Lord Jesus gave us a new commandment.
We know the old commandment:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
And then, next to it:
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
That is the old commandment. But the Lord Jesus gave us a new commandment. And what is this new commandment?
Love one another, even as I have loved you.
Can we tell how much the Lord loves us? And the Lord said, likewise, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” So this is the new commandment.
Now this morning, I would like to go into Chapter 14. There our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not be sorrowful.”
The disciples knew that our Lord was leaving them, and naturally they were very sorrowful. Why? Because for three years they had followed the Lord, and the Lord took care of them in everything. Now the Lord was leaving them, so no wonder they were very sorrowful.
But our Lord said, “Do not be sorrowful, for I am going to prepare a place for you. There are many mansions in My Father’s house, and I am preparing your mansion.”
This reminds me of my family. My grandfather was a builder. He built a huge house because he wanted the whole family to live together.
So, from my childhood, I lived in a big house. Each family had an apartment.
And the Lord Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a mansion for you.” That does not mean He is going to prepare, for each and every one of us, a different mansion. It is one house with many mansions.
And how did the Lord prepare us for that mansion? He sent the Holy Spirit to us.
So our Lord Jesus said He is going, but He is sending the Spirit of God to us as another Comforter. A comforter is one who is always alongside you, giving you help in everything.
When our Lord was with them, He was their Comforter. He took care of them. But now He is leaving. Yet He said, “I am sending another Comforter to you”—another of the same kind.
But there is a difference. When I was with you, I could be only alongside you. But when the other Comforter comes, He will be in you, and therefore He will always be with you.
Brothers and sisters, this promise of another Comforter was a tremendous promise, for this is the way He will prepare mansions for us.
So this morning, we would like to review something about this other Comforter. There is a difference between our Lord as our Comforter and the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.
With the Lord, while He was on earth, He could only be with the disciples, alongside them. Sometimes they were separated. But here He promised another Comforter who is much better. Why? Because that Comforter dwells in us. Therefore, He will never leave us at any time—not alongside us, but inside us.
Brothers and sisters, this is a tremendous promise.
And this promise was fulfilled on the day of His resurrection. When you turn to John Chapter 20, you find that when the disciples were in the house, the door was shut, but our Lord appeared to them.
And He breathed into them and said:
Receive ye the Holy Spirit.
So, brothers and sisters, when did this promise of another Comforter come to the disciples? It was to them on the day of His resurrection.
Some people take this as only symbolic, but I believe it is not. It is real. When the Lord breathed into them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit,” they did receive the Holy Spirit.
When Christ was resurrected, how do we know? Because unless they had received the indwelling Holy Spirit, how could a hundred and twenty different individuals meet together for ten days, praying together with one accord? Without the indwelling Holy Spirit, this could never be done.
But thank God, they had received the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, they were able to come together and pray together for ten days before the Lord.
But so far as we are concerned, when did we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit? Our experience was not like the twelve disciples. Our experience was like the three thousand who were saved on the Day of Pentecost.
Because when they believed in the Lord Jesus, they not only received eternal life; they received the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, when we believe in the Lord Jesus, the Lord does a lot to us. He not only forgives our sins, but He also renews our dead spirit.
With the renewing of the dead spirit, He Himself, in His Spirit, came to dwell within us. So, dear brothers and sisters, when you believed in the Lord Jesus, what did you receive at that time?
You received not only forgiveness of sins, which is negative, but your spirit—their spirit—was renewed into life. That is positive. And into that new spirit, the Holy Spirit came and dwelt in us.
So, brothers and sisters, I hope everyone is clear. We who have believed in the Lord Jesus have a new spirit. We have Christ as the life of that new spirit, and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is there to take care of that life, to see that the life of Christ in us will grow into maturity.
This is the way the Lord is preparing us for our mansions in that big house of God.
Brothers and sisters, it is very important for every one of us. If we want to grow in the life of the Lord within us, this is the only way.
The way is that we need to cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
I believe if we look into our own spiritual experience, immediately after you believed in the Lord Jesus, you discovered something that you had never experienced before.
And that is, in your daily life—do not think of big things; think of small things—in your daily life, you experience something you have never experienced before. Why? Because you discover there is something, or Someone, within you who is advising you as to the way that you should live.
How can we live our Christian life? Not by our own effort only. Probably we have done that. After we believed in the Lord Jesus, we tried very hard to be a good Christian. And are you tired of it?
But thank God, He has made provision for every one of us. All you need to do is cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Now, when I was with the young people before, when I talked to them in this way, they would tell me, “How do I know that I have the indwelling Holy Spirit?”
You know, because before you believed in the Lord Jesus, you decided what to do and where to go. But after you have believed in the Lord Jesus, when you are doing something, or when you are going somewhere, or even when you are thinking of something, do you discover that there is Someone within you saying either yes or no?
Do not think of big things. Think of your daily life, small things. Some places that you used to go before you believed in the Lord Jesus—after you have believed in the Lord, you went to the same place as usual.
But to some places, when you went, you felt there was Someone speaking within you: “You are now a believer. Do you think it is right for you to go there?”
Or suppose you like to boast. When you boasted, you felt good. That was the way you usually spoke. But after you have believed in the Lord Jesus, you continue to do that. Try it.
When you are boasting, saying something beyond what was real, you feel there is a check within you.
Now the problem is, usually the check is not very strong or forceful. It is very soft and tender, and that is the reason why we often neglect it.
But suppose you neglect it and you continue to boast. Formerly, after you boasted, you felt good about it. But this time, when you are boasting, you begin to feel bad about it.
Somehow, you find that you cannot pray anymore. When the evening comes and you try to have your evening prayer, you find your prayer is somehow hindered, unless you confess before the Lord. Then you will find peace.
Now, brothers and sisters, these are small things, but life is composed mostly of small things.
Of course, I know if you meet any big things, you will certainly pray, because you feel that you have to seek the Lord and know what His will is. But in small things, in things that you have done all the time, of course you will just go ahead and do them.
But do you see the difference here? When you did that before you were saved, it seemed to be fine. But after you are saved, if you say the same boasting words, what do you feel? Somehow, Someone within you is telling you, “This is not true. A Christian should not do that.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the sign to us that we are saved, that we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and He is there teaching us in all things.
He is within us with only one purpose, and the purpose is to see that the life of Christ in us will grow into maturity. This is the growth of Christians.
How can we Christians grow up spiritually? Not mentally only, but truly so that your spiritual life begins to grow. How does it happen? It happens when you are listening and cooperating with the Holy Spirit.
In our Christian life, we need to have times of quietness, because otherwise you will not be able to hear the still, small voice.
You remember Elijah, how he fled to Mount Sinai, and the Lord came to him. He was not in the storm. He was not in the wind. He was not in the earthquake. But He was in the still, small voice.
And that is the way the Lord is dealing with us. So, dear brothers and sisters, do not be complacent. Do not be careless. If you want to grow in your Christian life, if you want to see that the life of Christ in you is growing, then you need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
Oftentimes we think that it is in big things that we need to pray, while small things we can take care of ourselves. But the Bible tells us about the anointing—that is, the indwelling Holy Spirit.
He is like an ointment. When you apply an ointment, you just feel a very smooth feeling. It is not something big, but it is a smooth, pleasant feeling within you. And that is the way the Holy Spirit works in you.
He will teach you in all things. He will remind you of what the Lord has said. He will bring to your remembrance all that the Lord has spoken to you. And this is the only way for your spiritual growth.
Oftentimes we neglect the indwelling Holy Spirit. We think that spiritual growth is collecting more Bible knowledge. But that is not so. The only spiritual growth is by listening and cooperating with the Holy Spirit. As you do that, you abide in Christ.
I remember once I asked a group of young people, “How do you abide in Christ?” They had many answers. Some said, “You have to read the Bible more.” Others said, “You have to pray more.” Others said, “You have to attend the meetings more.”
My brothers and sisters, these are not the answers. If you read 1 John 2:27, you will find the secret of it.
And as for you, the anointing which ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him.
He says the unction—that is, the anointing, that is, the indwelling Holy Spirit—will teach you in all things, big things and small things. As you listen to the teaching of the anointing, you abide in Christ.
So, dear brothers and sisters, it is not in something big that your spiritual life will grow. It is in your daily life, as you listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, it is not unnatural at all. It is spiritually natural. Oftentimes we make our spiritual life unnatural, because when you become unnatural, everything is man-made. We ought to be spiritually natural.
What you need to do is this: in the early morning, you have to have a good time with the Lord. You present yourself to Him as a living sacrifice. You commit yourself to Him for the day.
If you have done that, and with that kind of spirit you are going into the world, whenever there is something that does not agree with the Lord, there within your spirit you will hear a still, small voice. That is the way for your Christian growth.
So here you find our Lord Jesus saying, “The Comforter will remind you of what I have said to you. The Comforter will teach you in all things.”
We thank God, for our Lord Jesus is praying for us, making intercession for us unceasingly in heaven. And what is the result of His unceasing prayer for us? The result is that the indwelling Holy Spirit is working unceasingly in us.
So I hope young people will remember especially: there is no other way for your spiritual growth except that you cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And His working in us is so gentle. He will not, at the very beginning, deal with you in big things, because He knows that you are not able to cope with them. Usually, He will begin with you in small things: the places you go, the words you speak.
But gradually you find that He will go deeper and deeper, not only in your outward things.
I remember long ago, in the beginning of my time with Brother Nee in Shanghai, there was a time when the Lord was dealing with the sisters, especially concerning their clothing.
Many sisters began to be aware of their clothing. They began to be aware that they were not clothed godly, and how these sisters dealt with this matter. But these are outward things. That is the beginning.
As the dealing of the Lord grows deeper, He begins to deal with your thoughts. Sometimes we are careless with our thoughts, but we know that if we think, that is what we are. We will become what we are thinking.
So our thoughts need to be dealt with. This is something that is beyond us, but thank God, it is not beyond Him, because His indwelling Holy Spirit will take care of our thoughts.
Sometimes you think, and you continue to think that way. That will be what you are later on.
But, of course, we can overdo it. I remember when I was dealing with my life. I was already in college. I went to the school, got the book of discipline, and looked into it, trying to find whether I had violated any of the school rules.
Even when I was walking in the school, I wondered, “Should I walk through the grass?” Everybody was doing it, but when I was doing it, I felt uneasy about it.
I got so worked up that I had no rest day and night. Finally, I consulted an elderly sister, Ruth Lee. She helped me a lot. I told her about my situation. I did not have peace in my heart.
And you know what she said to me? She said, “You cannot forbid a bird flying through your head, but you surely should forbid the bird to make a nest on your head.”
That is to say, the enemy will try to throw many unworthy thoughts at you, and you take them as if they are yours and are troubled by them. But no.
If you take a stand, and if you have really given yourself to the Lord, when all these evil thoughts come, you declare, “This is not mine. I do not accept it.” That is, you do not let a bird make a nest over your head.
And thank God, this delivered me.
So, brothers and sisters, there are many lessons we learn as we are progressing in our spiritual life.
This is the burden in my heart today. So, brothers and sisters, I present this very simple principle to all of you. Hopefully, we will all cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, how we praise Thee and thank Thee that Thou hast made every provision for us to grow in Christ. We thank Thee that Thou hast not only saved us, but wilt save us to the uttermost.
We thank Thee because even in heaven Thou art praying for us incessantly, in order to save us to the uttermost. And we thank Thee for giving us Thy Holy Spirit to indwell us, to teach us in all things, that we may be able to be like Thee and to grow up spiritually.
Then, Lord, Thou art using this as a way of preparing a mansion for us. Whether we should have a big mansion or a small mansion, Lord, it depends on how much we cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
So we do pray, Lord, that Thou wilt teach us how to work together with the indwelling Holy Spirit. What a gift Thou hast given to us.
Lord, especially the young people, we commit them into Thy hand, that they will learn how to deal with themselves and not just go by themselves; that they all will grow spiritually, even unto the fullness of the stature of Christ, to the praise of Thy glory.
We pray in Thy precious name. Amen.