The Gospel of John Series Part 12: Life in the Spirit

Do you remember doing something alone for the first time without help?

I saw a video recently of a woman talking to her husband because her car needed an oil change. He told her she would have to take care of it herself because he needed to work. She couldn’t believe it. It felt impossible.

The panic in her voice and on her face made me wonder if that is something like what the disciples felt when Jesus told them he was leaving.

Jesus said:

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer… Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:33–35)

There was more work to be done. If Jesus was leaving, how could they possibly continue?

This is where we are in the Gospel of John. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure.

1. Jesus Is Leaving

The central reality in this passage is that Jesus is going away—and this is the source of the disciples’ heaviness.

“I am going away and I am coming back to you… If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father.” (John 14:28)

For the disciples, this must have felt sudden. They had only been with Jesus for a few years, yet those years had transformed everything.

They were on mission with him, still growing in their understanding of that mission and of who he truly is. And now he is leaving.

Their experience is layered:

• Confusion — it seems illogical that Jesus would leave now
• Fear — they do not know how to go on without him
• Loss — what happens to the kingdom if the Messiah departs?

But beneath all of this is a deeper loss: the loss of his presence.

They love him. They want to remain with him. Life with Jesus—the Son of God, the Creator of all things—is life as it is meant to be lived. It is true, satisfying life.

They have encountered the living God, and they do not want to lose that.

This raises a question for us:

Have you encountered the living God?

What would you miss if his presence were removed from your life?

And in the middle of all their emotion, another question emerges:

What next?

If Jesus leaves, what do they do with everything he has said and done? The training feels incomplete. How can they continue without him?

2. Jesus Is Sending the Spirit

The answer is this: they will not continue alone.

Jesus is sending the Spirit.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16–17)

Jesus is not abandoning them. He is bringing them into his own life with the Father by the Spirit.

The Spirit is sent:

• by the Father
• at the request of the Son
• so that the life of Jesus continues in them and through them

Jesus describes the Spirit as an Advocate—one who comes alongside to help, strengthen, guide, and comfort.

And he says “another Advocate,” meaning the Spirit will be with them in the same way Jesus has been.

This is not a replacement for Jesus. It is his continuing presence.

The promise of the Spirit is not abstract. It is the active presence of Jesus, now dwelling within his people.

This is captured beautifully in the ancient prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate:

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left…

The solution to Jesus’ departure is not simply that the disciples will receive help. It is that Jesus himself will be present with them in a new way.

And, remarkably, Jesus says this is better:

“It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.” (John 16:7)

Through the Spirit, they are brought into participation with the Trinity:

“I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)

This is not about becoming divine. It is about being drawn into the life and mission of God.

3. Life and Mission in the Spirit

By the Spirit, the disciples share in Jesus’ life and continue his mission.

This means his presence is not occasional—it is constant.

• He does not visit; he dwells
• He is not merely beside us; he is in us

The language Jesus uses—“be with you forever,” “be in you”—points to permanence.

Just as God dwelt among his people in the wilderness, he now dwells within his people by the Spirit.

And what does the Spirit do?

He brings the character of Jesus to life in us and through us.

We become living vessels of his life.

When others encounter us, they encounter something of Jesus.

This is the ministry of presence:

• God present in us
• us present with others

The life of Jesus is not primarily about getting things done. It is about remaining in, enjoying, and sharing the presence of God.

Mission as Overflow

The mission of Jesus is the overflow of his life. Wherever we go, he goes. What we say and do can carry his life into the world. This is the foundation of obedience.

“If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15)

But this is not obedience by effort alone. It is obedience empowered by the Spirit.

• Love leads to obedience
• Obedience requires his presence

The two cannot be separated. The life of Jesus in us reshapes our lives and redirects our loves.

This is not: “You’ve seen me—now go try to do it.”

It is: “I am working through you as you go.”

Life in the Spirit is participation. We share in his life, and we continue his mission.

Participation, Not Performance

Many of us have heard that Christianity is about relationship, not rules. That is true—but it can be difficult to grasp in a performance-driven culture.

So we need to hear Jesus’ invitation clearly. It is not an invitation to perform.

It is an invitation to participate in the life of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

A life that overflows into mission. A mission that extends this same invitation to others.

Not performance. Participation.

Benediction

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant you the abiding presence of our Advocate, the Holy Spirit. May he comfort you in sorrow, guide you in uncertainty, and empower you to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And may you know, in the depths of your being, that you are never abandoned, but eternally united with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.