CHAPTER 2 THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

Witnesses to Jesus
The authority of the Son
The Father and the Son, Jesus
The Messiah, the Son of God
Eternal Life
All truth entrusted to me – The Son, Jesus
Ask the Father for anything
The True Vine
Love and obey Jesus
Hatred from the world
The Comforter, the Holy Spirit
Ask the Father
Jesus at prayer

Witnesses to Jesus
John 5:37
Jesus says, “The Father himself has also testified about me, though not appearing to you personally, or speaking to you directly.”

The authority of the Son
John 5:19-23
Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing, and in the same way. For the Father loves the Son, and tells him everything he is doing; and the Son will do far more awesome miracles than this man’s healing. He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, just as the Father does. And the Father leaves all judgment of sin to his Son, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor God’s Son, whom he sent to you, then you are certainly not honoring the Father.”

The Father and the Son, Jesus
John 5:17
Jesus says, “My Father constantly does good, and I am following his example.”
John 8:25-26

Jesus says, “I am the one I have always claimed to be. I could condemn you for much and teach you much, but I won’t, for I say only what I am told to by the one who sent me; and he is Truth.”
John 8:38
“I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father…”
John 8:40
“I told you the truth I heard from God.”
John 8:42
“…for I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.”
John 8:45
“I tell the truth.”
John 8:49
“For I honor my Father.”
John 8:50
“And though I have no wish to make myself great, God wants this for me and judges (those who reject me). With all the earnestness I have I tell you this – no one who obeys me shall ever die!”
John 8:54
“If I were merely boasting about myself, it would not count. But it is my Father who is saying these glorious things about me.”
John 8:55
“But it is true – I know him and fully obey him. Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He knew I was coming and was glad.”
John 8:58
“The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!”
John 14:7
“If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him – and have seen him!”
John 14:9
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 14:10-11
“I am in the Father and the Father is in me. The words I say are not my own but are from my Father who lives in me. And he does his work through me. Just believe it – that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you have seen me do.”

The Messiah, the Son of God
John 8:23
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am the Messiah, the Son of God, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:28-29

“When you have killed the Man of Glory, then you will realize that I am he and that I have not been telling you my own ideas, but have spoken what the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me – he has not deserted me – for I always do those things that are pleasing to him”

Eternal Life
John 3:14-21
“As Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from the Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished.
But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”
John 6:37-40
“But some will come to me – those the Father has given me – and I will never, never reject them. For I have come here from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to have my own way. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the Last Day. For it is my Father’s will that everyone who sees his Son and believes on him should have eternal life – that I should raise him at the Last Day.”
John 12:44-50
Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are really trusting God. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander in the darkness. If anyone hears me and doesn’t obey me, I am not his judge – for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged at the Day of Judgment by the truths I have spoken.
For these are not my own ideas, but I have told you what the Father told me to tell you. And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so whatever he tells me to say, I say.”
John 6:27
“But you shouldn’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. No, spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I the Man from heaven can give you. For God the Father has sent me for this very purpose.”
John 14:1-4
“Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly. And you know where I am going and how to get there.”
John 14:6
“I am the Way – yes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.”

All truth entrusted to me – the son Jesus
Matthew 11:27-30
“All truth has been entrusted to me by my Father. Only the Father knows the Son, and the Father is known only by the Son and by those to whom the Son reveals him. Come to me and I will give you rest – all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke (a heavy harness). Wear my yoke (my harness) – for it fits perfectly – and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.”

Ask the Father for anything
John 14:12-14
“In solemn truth I tell you, anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask him for anything, using my name, and I will do it, for this will bring praise to the Father because of what I, the Son, will do for you. Yes, ask anything, using my name, and I will do it!”

The True Vine
John 15:1-8
“I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener. He lops off every branch that doesn’t produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops. He has already tended you by pruning you back for greater strength and usefulness by means of the commands I gave you. Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me.
“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing. If anyone separates from me, he is thrown away like a useless branch, withers (and decays), and is gathered into a pile with all the others and burned. But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted. My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory (and great honor) to my Father.”
John 15:16-17
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce good fruit always, so that no matter what you ask for from the Father, using my name, he will give it to you. I demand that you love each other.”

Love and obey Jesus
John 15:9-11
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Live within my love. When you obey me you are living in my love, just as I obey my Father and live in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy (pleasure and happiness). Yes, your cup of joy (pleasure and happiness) will overflow!”
John 15:12-15
“I demand that you love each other as much as I love you. And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends; and you are my friends if you obey me. I no longer call you slaves, for a master doesn’t confide in his slaves; now you are my friends, proved by the fact that I have told you everything the Father told me.”
John 15:17
“I demand that you love each other.”

Hatred from the world
John 15:18-25
“…for you get enough hate from the world. But then, it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it; but you don’t – for I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? A slave isn’t greater than his master! So since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
The people of the world will persecute you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me.
They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin (their disobedience). Anyone hating me is also hating my Father. If I hadn’t done such mighty miracles among them they would not be counted guilty. But as it is, they saw these miracles and yet they hated both of us – me and my Father. This has fulfilled what the prophets said concerning the Messiah, ‘They hated me without reason.’”

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-21
“If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you. No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans - I will come to you. In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with you. For I will live again – and you will too. When I come back to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. The one who obeys me is the one who loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.”
John 14:22-31
Judas (not Iscariot, but his other disciple with that name) said to him, “Sir, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at large?” Jesus replied, “Because I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn’t obey me doesn’t love me. And remember, I am not making up this answer to your question! It is the answer given by the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Comforter to represent me – and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit – he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.”
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you – I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe (in me).
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will freely do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.”
John 15:26
“But I will send you the Comforter – the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. And you also must tell everyone about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
John 16:1-3
“I have told you these things so that you won’t be staggered (astonished or amazed) by all that lies ahead. For you will be excommunicated from the synagogues, and indeed the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. This is because they have never known the Father or me.”
John 16:5
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me.”
John 16:7-11
“But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will – for I will send him to you.”
“And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin (its disobedience) and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment.”
“The world’s sin is unbelief (or lack of trust) in me; there is righteousness available because I go to the Father and you shall see me no more; there is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged.”
John 16:13-15
“When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He shall praise me and bring me great honor by showing you my glory. All the Father’s glory is mine; this is what I mean when I say that he will show you my glory.”

Ask the Father
John 16:23-27
“At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything, for you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will give you what you ask for because you use my name. You haven’t tried this before, (but begin now). Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and your cup of joy will overflow.
“I have spoken of these matters very guardedly, but the time will come when this will not be necessary and I will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will present your petitions over my signature. And I won’t need to ask the Father to grant these requests, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from the Father.”

Jesus at prayer
Matthew 11:25-26
Jesus prayed this prayer:
“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this way!”
Luke 10:21-22
Then Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the intellectuals and worldly wise and for revealing them to those who are as trusting as little children. Yes, thank you, Father, for that is the way you wanted it. I am the Agent of my Father in everything; and no one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
John 17:1-5
When Jesus had finished saying all these things he looked up to heaven and said,
“Father, the time has come. Reveal the glory of your Son so that he can give the glory back to you. For you have given him authority over every man and woman in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life – by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to. And now, Father, reveal my glory as I stand in your presence, the glory we shared before the world began.”
John 17:6-8
“I have told these men all about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have obeyed you. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you. For I have passed on to them the commands you gave me; and they accepted them and know of a certainty that I came down to earth from you, and they believe you sent me”
John 17:9-19
“My plea is not for the world but for these you have given me because they belong to you. And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you: and you have given them back to me with everything else of yours, and so they are my glory. Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care – all those you have given me – so that they will be united just as we are, with none missing. During my time here I have kept safe within your family all of these you gave to me. I guarded them so that not one perished, except the son of hell, as the Scriptures foretold.”
“And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.”
John 17:20-21
“I am not praying for these alone but also for all future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of these. My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us.”
John17:22-26
“I have given them the glory you gave me – the glorious unity of being one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one – so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want them with me – these you’ve given me – so that they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me before the world began.”
“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. And I have revealed you to them, and will keep on revealing you so that the mighty love that you have for me may be in them, and I in them.”