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Scripture Reading: John. 1:1, 4; 4:14; 6:35; 7:37-39; 8:12; 15:4-5; 20:22
The Gospel of John – is the Gospel of life. In the first verse of the first chapter we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Then verse four:
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men”. In these verses, you see the words: “Word”, then “God”, then “life” and then “light”.
Let us read some other verses:
John. 6:35 - “Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst”.
John. 4:14 - « But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water gushing up into eternal life.»
John. 7:37-39 - «Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him become to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified».
John. 20:22 - «And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.»
John. 15:4-5 - «Abide in Me and I bin you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 1of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.»
John. 8:12 - «Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who
follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life».
According to the verses, we have read, there are five main elements:
- First of all, that is life. The life- that is something main, primary. Life!
- Then after life goes the bread of life, that is food - that is a second thing.
- Now, the third thing – living water. First, there was food, now there is also a water. Living water, water for drinking, to slake a thirst.
- Now, there is a fourth thing – you have a breath of life. Jesus breathed into disciples, which means, it was the breath of life (Gen. 2:7, Ezek. 37:5, 9).
- Now, the fifth thins – the light.
So here you see five main elements: life, food, water, air (breath of life), and light. Please, remember: life, food, water, air, and light.
And we need to add to this one more element. We did not mention one more element yet. What is mentioned in chapter 15 – “abide in Me” (John 15:4). That is a dwelling, a place to stay. You are human and for living you need food, you need water, and you need light. But besides all of that, you need also a dwelling.
The light is needed to maintain life, the light is needed to maintain life. The air is also necessary. If you won’t breathe for three minutes, if there will be no air – you will die after three minutes. To support life, you must breathe. And to live, we also need to eat – we need food and we need drinks – we need water.
It is very interesting if we look at this Gospel of life and read the words, which Lord Jesus said – we will find all these elements in this only Gospel. All these elements are in this only Gospel. Lord Jesus said that He is the life – He came, so we would have a life and abundant life. And to maintain this life, we need light, we need air and we need food, and we need water. You see all these elements here. Besides that what else do we need? Let’s assume, you have life, you are a living person, you have sunlight, you have fresh air, you have normal food, you have clean water to maintain life, you have all of that, what else do you need? You need a dwelling. In chapter 15 the dwelling was shown to us, and this dwelling is nothing else, but Lord Jesus Himself. He is life for us, and He is our light and He is our air, and He is our food and He is our water. And besides that, He is – our dwelling. You have a dwelling! That is said very clearly by the Lord Jesus Himself. It is said, that He is the life and light itself, and even a breathe of life, that is air, and He is the bread of life – that is food, and He is the water – the living water, and besides all of that, He is our dwelling. He is our dwelling, so we could live in Him. He is everything to us, brethren. These are the main six elements and they are clearly and precisely mentioned in one Gospel, by the same living Person.
It is very noticeable, that in one only Gospel Lord Jesus gave us all these six elements. Think, what else Lord Jesus mentions in this Gospel? He mentions many things, but just some of them have vital importance. For example, in chapter 10 Lord Jesus said to us, that He is the good shepherd. He is the good shepherd and He is a door and He is a pasture. It is true, yes? But the shepherd, door, and pasture – all of this is not so important, compared with these six elements, when we speak about maintaining life. In this Gospel, Lord Jesus said that He is everything, but I just chose these six main elements, which are attached with practical components to maintain this life.
Doctrinally we clearly understand these moments, but practically not everything is clear. How Lord may be life for us? How Lord may be our life and how Lord may be our food? And how He may be water for us? And how He may an air itself for us? You know, there occurs a problem. Till this moment you had just a doctrine. The doctrine or knowledge – teaching. Explain – how is it possible to eat Christ like the food? How is it possible to drink Christ like the living water and how is it possible to breathe with Christ like with fresh air? Explain – how is it possible?! How you can abide in Christ? The answer is – in spirit. Where is that in Gospel? In this Gospel Lord Jesus not just said what He is for us. But He also showed us a way, how we can receive Him. Not just teaching, not just doctrines or knowledge, but He also showed us a way to really experience Him. The way which we can use toward ourselves. The way, which we can use regularly.
And what kind of way it is? This way is in spirit. Let us read a few verses.
John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born 1of the Spirit is spirit”. Have you realized before that here are mentioned two spirits? The Spirit, with a capital letter – that is the Spirit of God, and a spirit with a lowercase letter – that is our human spirit. The one born from Spirit is spirit.
Now is John 4:24 – “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness”. Again here you see two spirits God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (with lowercase letter). That does not mean to worship God in Holy Spirit, that means to worship in our human spirit. So here stands this phrase – in spirit. In spirit!
Now we pass to John 6:57, 63. – “As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who 1eats Me, he also shall live because of Me”. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life”. Here stands a very expressive word, which was said by Lord Jesus Himself – “he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me”. In verse John 6:35 it is said that He is the bread of life, and it is said in verse 57 that we may eat Him. These words caused disciples’ murmur (John 6:60-61), and in verse 63 Jesus opens, that the issue “who eats me” is fully in the area of life-giving Spirit, through the words of Jesus “spirit and life”. Nutrition takes place through the Spirit into our spirit via the words of Jesus.
All these elements: life, light, food, water, air, and dwelling are attached to the area of air, and their practical action takes place from the life-giving Spirit into our Spirit through the word of Jesus. And only in our human Spirit, we may in practice experience this life, to be in the reality of this life, to be in Him, like in our dwelling. If our mind is directed not to spirit, then we are not in Him and we don’t experience the reality of life, everything becomes a doctrine, a dead letter.
Let us read John 14:16-20 – “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him because He abides with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. Yet a little while and the world beholds Me no longer, but you behold Me; because I live, you also shall live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you”.
How do you know that? From the Spirit of truth!
As believers, we all know these doctrines about that, that Christ is our life, that Christ is our spiritual life, that Christ is our living water, that He is our light and our fresh air and He is even our dwelling. We all know these doctrines. But the reality of all of this is in spirit, the practice of life in Christ – in spirit. If you carefully read the Gospel, you will understand, Lord Jesus Himself after that He has done everything (you know that He did a redemption, He did work on the cross, He even passed death, and He entered into resurrection), He became a life-giving Spirit. He became Spirit!
Let us follow the development of this line in the Gospel – the line of the Spirit. In John 1:1-2 it is said, that Christ was the Word in the beginning, in eternity, in the past, He was the Word, which is God Himself. Then once He incarnated in man, He became flesh (John 1:14), to commit a redemption on the cross in the flesh. And He committed that redemption, He passed through death into resurrection. Now, after He has done all of that, He became Spirit.
Therefore, after His resurrection, He returned to His disciples and did something. He breathed and said: “receive Holy Spirit”. And that is all. After that event, it is impossible to find, where He was after that. Can you say me - after He breathed, after He breathed Himself into disciples, where did He get, where He was? Where did He get it? He entered into disciples! Wherever disciples would go, He was there with them. When disciples were gathering in the room, He was in the room. When disciples were going to sea, He was at the sea. Wherever disciples would go, He always was there, because He became a life-giving Spirit. And this Spirit was breathed into the disciples.
Do you believe that? Read the Gospel of John and follow from the first verse till the last verse. It is said in the first verse, that in the beginning was the Word and Word incarnated (verse 14), became “flesh”, and this “flesh” went to the cross and died for us on the cross and passed through the death into resurrection. And through the death and resurrection this “flesh” became a Spirit. And after the resurrection, He came as the Spirit and breathed Himself into disciples. And that is all! Where did He go after that? You may say that He went to heaven – no, read that carefully, there is no next chapter. Where did He go after the resurrection? He entered into disciples as a life-giving Spirit. And that is all! That is all! There is no end in the Gospel of John, that Gospel was never ended. It is left incomplete, read, there is no end and it is continued to be written today. Today Jesus is still here, He is still here, inside of us like a life-giving Spirit. Follow from the first verse till the last verse of that Gospel and you will be very amazed, founding, that in eternity, in the past, He was the Word, then He became flesh and that flesh went to the cross, and died there, and by death and resurrection, this flesh became spirit. And this Spirit was breathed into us.
There is also another line in this Gospel – that is the line of spirit, a “spirit” from the lowercase letter. Beginning from the John 3:6 – “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” – that is the beginning of this line. Then in John 4:24, it is said, that “God is Spirit”, and you must understand, that God includes Christ: “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God”. God is the Spirit and if you want to worship Him, you must worship Him in spirit. That means, that you are going to communicate with this God, touch Him, enjoy Him, you should know, that you must touch in spirit – God is Spirit. And God includes Christ, Who is so much for us.
How to be in the reality of His presence, really experience Him, and have real communication with Him: to love Him, to see, to hear, to touch? The only way is to function in our spirit, we must do that in our spirit (John 6:57, 63).
In John 6 we see, how God opened Himself as the food for life, as the living bread (John 6:50-51), which we get in spirit, and through spirit.
In 7th chapter, He opens Himself as water, as rivers of living water:
John 7:37 - “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
John 7:38 - “He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”
John 7:39 - “But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified”.
He said about Spirit as if He would speaking about living water, and in chapter 4, where He was also talking about living water (John 4:14), is opened the way to God as to living water – John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness”. In this story, He directed a Samaritan woman into her spirit, into her human spirit. In this chapter is revealed, that to worship God – means to drink living water, and that is done in spirit: “Those who worship Him, must worship in spirit”. The life-giving Spirit will become a living water, which we could drink, and it will become a spring in us, a spring that is always flowing in us. This living Spirit will become a spring inside of us. You will have a spring of living water, which is constantly flowing out of us, from our womb, from our deepest part, in our spirit. He, the Spirit will be always flowing – that is the water, which constantly flows in spirit.
Food is not a primary thing for us, to maintain our life. I would say, that the food is last in the list of elements. The primary element is light: Matt. 4:16 “The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light; and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them, light has risen”. That light – is Jesus Himself, and He is the light of life: John 8:12 “Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness but shall have the light of life”. First Jesus came as the light, the light of life, that is, He was lightning on us with life, and at the same time He was shining to people: John 1:9 “This was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man”. The light was shining on people, so they would see their real situation and their work. This light was judging the darkness: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. For everyone who practices evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be reproved”. Then people make a choice – to stay in darkness, or to follow the light – to believe, to become a son of light: John 12:36 “While you have the light, believe into the light, so that you may become sons of light”, John 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, that everyone who believes into Me would not remain in darkness”.
The 14th chapter is a continuation. Lord Jesus has shown us, that He had to be transformed into Spirit, to abide in us, so He could be in us. In order for Him to be one with us, so that we could abide in Him, and He could abide in us. If He would not be transformed into Spirit, we would have no opportunity to abide in Him. And He would have no opportunity to abide in us. The only opportunity, thanks to which He may enter into us – to be transformed from flesh into Spirit- what he exactly did, passing through death into resurrection.
Let us read some verses:
John. 14:16-17 - “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you” – it is promised here, that the Spirit will be in us.
John 14:26, 28 - “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name… You have heard that I said to you, I am going away and I am coming to you..” – in these verses, it is revealed that the Spirit is Jesus Himself.
1 Cor. 15:45 – “So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul''; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit” – this verse confirms, that Jesus, the last Adam, became Spirit and because of that He can be in us.
Every time, when we are not in spirit, out of spirit, we are just in darkness. Despite how much knowledge we have, despite how much Scripture we read, as soon as we are out of spirit – we are in darkness. When the man is in soul, he is in darkness, when he is in flesh – he is in sin. As soon as we are in spirit, we are immediately in light. Whenever we apply to the soul and stay in the soul, it does not matter how much power and energy we spent, for finding light and get the guidance of the Lord, we will be in darkness anyway, and nothing will work out, we are just in darkness. But if we will apply to the spirit and stay in the spirit, then we can feel that we are in the light. Everything becomes clear, everything becomes transparent, and light.
It is said in chapter 20, that after His resurrection He came and breathed on disciples and said them to receive Him as a life-giving Spirit.
Let us read the verses from this chapter:
John 20:17 – “Jesus said to her, Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God”.
John 20:22 – “And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit”.
After Jesus was risen, He ascended to Father and gave Himself out like a Spirit into disciples. That was the spirit, expected in John 7:39, which was promised in John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26 and John. 16:7-8, 13. Therefore, when Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into disciples, that was a fulfillment of His promise about Holy Spirit as the Comforter.
“And I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live” (Ezek. 37:14), the word “spirit”, in Hebrew “ruah”; that word may be translated differently: “wind”, “breathe”, “spirit”. In spiritual experiences, when God breathes on us, His breath is like the wind – when we breathe in the wind, He becomes a breath, and when this breath is in us, it is the Spirit. When Ezekiel was prophesying, God sent a wind, people got the breath, and that breath became a spirit, a life-giving Spirit – the breath of life. (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:6).
The more you stay not in spirit, the more you are out of breath. You are lacking an air, you are lacking a breath, you are out of breath. But if you just simply apply to spirit, you immediately will feel the freshness, the freshness of the air, you will feel a relief, a refreshment. Jesus is our breath and in spirit, we breathe with Him and only in spirit do we have the breath of life!
Speaking about Divine life, it can’t be separated from a dwelling, that is inseparable, a single whole. We have the knowledge, that Christ is our life: “When Christ our life is manifested..” (Col. 3:4), “And the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (1 John 1:2), so without Him, we can’t have this life: “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). Also we know that God is our dwelling: “O Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psa. 90:1), so we can abide in God, only when He is in us: John 14:20 “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you”, and the life is manifested in such mutual abiding, that is, it brings fruit: John 15:4 – “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 1of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me”. We have found that this process takes place thanks to Spirit: John 6:63 – “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” – that happens in our spirit and that is life. Existence of fruits points to the process of life flow and points to building up: Eph. 2:22 “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit”.
We all know these doctrines, and now, maybe someone got even more knowledge in his mind. But what about experiencing this Life, a real abiding in this amazing Personality, which became all for us? Christ is our portion, our destiny. Our destiny and portion – Divine life with its elements and processes: the light of life is shining, we breathe with a breath of life, we eat the bread of life, we drink living water, the rivers of living water are flowing out of us, there are fruits of Spirit appear, our dwelling is God, God Himself is in us!!! The reality of all processes of this life happens in our spirit.
Only when you apply to spirit and stay in him, you may abide in Christ. When you stay in spirit, that means, that you abide in Christ. When you abide in Him, He abides in you. And then you have a feeling that you are united with Him and you are merged in Him. And then you realize, how He could be a vine and you may be branches of this vine and enjoy with abundance, sweetness, and juiciness of the vine. Then He will become all for you – you are just in Him and He is in you. You abide in Him and He is your dwelling and He lives inside of you. You are just one whole with Him. What kind of wonderful life it is! I just don’t have enough words to describe that for you!
In spirit, you will have a flow and this flow will become a spring of living water, flowing inside of you. This living water will flow and flow out of you. And first, you will water yourselves and then you will water others. Outside comes the living water, which flows from the deepest part of your being. Learn to turn from outward things to inward things. Do not try to direct your attention to outward teaching, outward shapes, to outward gifts. But turn to the spirit and concentrate on the things inside. There is a secret. There is a heavenly secret inside of you. No one could explain that. And that is comprehensive Christ, Who is living now in our spirit! He is that spring, He is that secret. And no one could not exhaust this spring. The more you will apply to spirit, the more you will stay in Him, and the more you will touch Lord in spirit, the more you will feel how much inexhaustible He is. You will just feel a flow, water, flowing in you. You will be always watered, then you will spontaneously begin to water others. You will begin to water others! Whoever you will meet, this man will get water from you, because the water will overfill you. It will flow out from inside, to overwhelm you!
