“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” — Matthew 28:20
In the last study, The Promises of a New Family, we learned that disciples who give up everything for the sake of Christ are not left alone or empty-handed. God welcomes them into a new family of faith, filled with brothers and sisters who walk together in His Kingdom. Yet even that gift points to something greater, the continued presence of Jesus Himself.
Jesus’ final words in Matthew’s Gospel are among the most comforting ever spoken. After commissioning His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, He closes with this unbreakable promise: “I am with you always.” These words bridge the gap between heaven and earth, between the ascended Christ and His people still living in a broken world. For His disciples, this is the very heartbeat of faith. It means that wherever we go or whatever we face – we are never alone.
He Sends the Holy Spirit
Jesus’ first act after ascending to the Father was to fulfill His promise to send the Holy Spirit. As He told His disciples, “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).
Through the Spirit, Jesus’ presence is made real and personal in the life of every believer. The Spirit comforts, teaches, and reminds us of everything Christ said (John 14:26). When a person believes in Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit as God’s seal, a guarantee that we belong to Him and that He will one day bring us home. Paul writes, “You were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.” (Eph 1:13–14).
We’ll explore the ministry of the Holy Spirit more deeply in the next study, but it’s important to see that Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always,” is fulfilled through the presence of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the living proof that Jesus’ presence abides with every disciple, every moment, everywhere.
He is our Intercessor to the Father
But there is more to the presence of Christ than the Holy Spirit. Even now, Jesus is active in heaven, serving as our Great High Priest. He stands before the Father, continually interceding for those who belong to Him. “He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:25).
It is through Jesus and His intercession that we have direct access to the Father. Because of this, the writer of Hebrews urges us to: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:16). When we pray in Jesus’ name (in His authority), we are not sending words into the air but are joining our prayers to the voice of our Advocate in heaven.
When we sin, Jesus pleads our case before the Father: “If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1). His intercession is not a reminder of our failures but a declaration of His finished work in that He already paid the price for our sins. He represents us not as guilty defendants, but as redeemed sons and daughters, washed by His blood.
Every prayer heard, every forgiveness granted, every mercy received flows through the interceding presence of Christ our Lord.
He is the Head of the Body – the Church
Jesus’ presence is also experienced through His leadership as the Head of the Church. Paul writes, “He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.” (Col 1:18).
This means that Jesus is not a distant founder but an active leader. He directs, corrects, and nourishes His people. The Church is not held together by programs or personalities, but by the living presence of Christ who fills and governs it.
When John saw his vision of Jesus in Revelation 1, He was “walking among the lampstands,” which isa picture of His ongoing care for the churches (Rev 1:13, 20). Even now, Christ walks among His people, guiding His Church through storms, correcting its course, and strengthening its witness.
To say that Jesus is “present with us” means that He is ruling, shepherding, and empowering His Church from the throne of heaven.
He Sanctifies Us
Jesus is not only our Savior; He is also our Sanctifier – the One who purifies His people and makes them holy. Paul writes, “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” (Eph 5:25–26).
Through His ongoing work, Jesus shapes His disciples into His likeness. Sanctification is not about self-improvement; it is Christ’s presence transforming us from within to become more like Him. As Hebrews 2:11 says, “Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.”
When we yield to His Word and obey His leading, His presence refines our character and produces spiritual fruit. We grow more patient, more forgiving, more loving, and more like Him, not by our own strength, but because He is working in us.
This means the Christian life is not about striving to earn His favor; it is about walking daily with the One who is already shaping us into His image.
He Sustains Us
Finally, Jesus is the Sustainer of all things. He is the One who holds everything in this universe together. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col 1:17).
He also sustains us individually. When we feel weak, uncertain, or alone, His sustaining presence keeps us in his care. As He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9). The same power that created the universe now upholds every believer who puts their trust in Him.
Also, Jesus does not simply give us strength; He is our strength. His presence drives our perseverance, renews our hope, and empowers us to endure every challenge. As Jude reminds us, “To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24).
What this Means for a Disciple Today
Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always,” is more than comfort, it is reality. He is with us through His Spirit, for us before the Father, over us as our Head, within us as our Sanctifier, and beside us as our Sustainer. Every part of the Christian life depends on His ongoing presence.
To follow Jesus is to live daily in awareness that He is near. All we need is to be continually aware of his presence, whether you feel it or not. It is His solemn promise. We need to believe it by faith, trust it in our actions, and always rely on it in our walk.
To follow Jesus is to live daily in awareness that He is near. All we need is to be continually aware of his presence, whether you feel it or not. It is His solemn promise. We need to believe it by faith, trust it in our actions, and always rely on it in our walk. Understanding the ongoing role of Jesus in our lives today, in the next study, the Promise of the Holy Spirit, we will delve deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Disciple.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Think about Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always,” – what does that mean to you personally in daily life?
Jesus is our Intercessor – How does understanding Jesus’ continual intercession for you before the Father give you confidence in prayer?
Jesus is the head of the Church and of the Body of Christ – In what ways do you see Jesus leading and sustaining His Church today? How does that strengthen your trust in Him as its Head? Why do think that so many churches don’t appear to be Christ led?
Jesus is our Sanctifier – Can you explain his role in the context of living as a Disciple? Where in your life do you sense Jesus working to sanctify you, shaping you to be more like Him?
Jesus is the Sustainer for us and all things – When you face weakness or uncertainty, how can you remind yourself that Jesus is your strength and sustainer?
Putting it all Together – How does recognizing Jesus’ active role today (as Intercessor, Head, Sanctifier, and Sustainer) deepen your relationship with Him?
What practical steps can you take to stay aware of Christ’s presence each day, even when you don’t feel it?
My name is Michael Adkins. For several decades I’ve been studying Scripture, developing discipleship resources, and teaching others how to walk more closely with Christ. Currently, I serve as the Discipleship Pathway Leader at Riverside International Church in Cascais, Portugal, where my passion is helping believers grow into mature disciples who live out their faith in everyday life.