John 17:6-19 "Better In Than Out"

This week, we come to the second petition or part of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. Last week, we looked at the first five verses of this chapter in John’s gospel and noted that the beginning of this prayer was Jesus’ praying for himself. He was praying to God to give him the strength to do what need be done. He prayed that the plan of salvation that he was sent to achieve would be completed with the work that was at hand. He prayed that the shedding of his blood that was soon to come would save all those whom the Father had given to him. In the midst of his pain and suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, our Savior was overcome with the joy that he felt in the ever-approaching reunion that he was to have with his Father in heaven. They were to be reunited in heaven just as they had been since before the foundation of the earth. Our Savior is crying out to the Father as tears of both fear and joy stream down his face.

Here, in our text for this week, we find Jesus praying for a group of people who are very near and dear to his heart: his disciples. He was praying for the group of men that the Father had given him during his earthly ministry. Now, although we tend in our modern time to look upon the disciples in a little too negative a light because of our revisionist history, we have to remember the important role in which they played in both the life of Christ and the establishment of his church. Yes, the first thing that many want to point out in terms of the disciples is their numerous flaws and their lack of understanding or misinterpretations when it comes to Christ’s teachings. We often point to the fact that they just simply didn’t get it even though Jesus was telling them what they needed to hear. In our study of John’s gospel, I will admit to you that I have taken a much more sympathetic approach in my view of the disciples. You see, we read Scripture today and don’t understand it. What makes the fact that they heard it and didn’t understand any more or less of an issue? After all, both Christ’s teachings and Scripture come directly from God. There sin of misunderstanding is no different than our own. In reality, the disciples had to “get it” at least somewhat because they were the ones that after Christ’s death spread His Church. They were the ones who fulfilled the words of Christ at the time of his ascension by being Christ’s “witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” They were the ones who proclaimed the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. The torch just didn’t go from Jesus to Paul. The disciples were the ones who carried on Christ’s ministry, many of them paying for it with their own lives.

Jesus knew the hardships that the disciples were to face. He knew that the fact that he would no longer physically be there to lead them was only the beginning of their troubles. He knew that they would face temptations, hardships, persecutions, and imprisonments. He knew that their faiths would be tested in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead in a way that it had not been during their time together with Jesus during his earthly ministry. He knew that there were dark times ahead for these men that he had loved so much, these men who supported him, cared for him, and followed and protected him during his earthly ministry. So Jesus prays for the Father to keep them, and he doesn’t mean for them to simply to be kept alive. He prayed for none of them to be lost or stray from the Christian faith. Jesus prayed for the Perseverance of the Saints; a doctrine that states that once someone is truly transformed by the power of God and a change truly occurs, then that person will never fall away from the faith. If a person does slip away, then that commitment or change was never really a genuine one to begin with. The writer of this gospel in his first epistle talks about such people when he writes in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

You see, my understanding of the Perseverance of the Saints and God’s keeping of his own is like this, how could we ever get away from God? Think about that for a second, how could we possibly think that we have the power and ability to escape and run from God if He has truly called us to Himself? We’ve already seen and said that God does not forget about us or forsake us, so if someone is to fall away then it would have to be an act of man. Well, that would lead us to the conclusion that we have the ability to overcome the power of God and escape and run from our being called to Him. I just don’t buy it. I don’t believe that there is anyone who has the power to run from God when He is truly calling them. Sure, we may evade His call for a time, but ultimately it always ends the same way and it always will. I know this because I have experienced it. The last thing I wanted to do with my life was end up in pastoral ministry. I was a newly married man with a great job and a pretty nice little life. Amy and I were this young married couple who were financially sound and ready to begin starting a family of our own, but God had other plans for me and for us. I ran and I ran and I ran, and I was able to avoid it for nearly three years, but ultimately, God’s call was too big and too powerful for me to overcome. No matter how much I thought I wanted one thing, it wasn’t God’s plan, so eventually my plan and God’s plan simply became only God’s plan and then it became reality.

Jesus prayed that God would keep the disciples strong and that he would give them the perseverance that they needed to weather the storms that lay ahead. Jesus also spoke about the way in which the disciples would now interact with the world around them and he asked for this to continue. Jesus asked for their continuing to be “in the world and not of the world.” He doesn’t pray for the disciples to be kept away in some ivory tower or secret cave so that they may be kept alive and away from all temptation and danger. Jesus prayed for them to be out and active in the world, but that they would not be shaped by the world around them. He prayed that the disciples would have a greater impact on the world than the world would have upon them. A fear that I must admit is still very real for Christians today, particularly those in America.

One of my favorite descriptions about the Christian faith and the church in general comes from the Father of the Reformation Martin Luther. Luther once said that Christianity is a “profane faith.” Now, we hear the word profane and we immediately are confused. But you see, the word profane literally means “out of the temple.” In other words, we are to be out there doing the work of Christ and spreading the good news of the gospel. We’re not to be as R.C. Sproul calls it, “gathered together in ‘holy huddles.’” Now yes, it is important for us to surround ourselves with Christian friends, gather regularly for corporate worship, and to have that support system in place, but we can’t stop there. If we are Christians and we only interact with other Christians, then how is our faith spread? It’s kind of like how an organization or a church could never really hope to grow when the only people who it associates with are already members. In order for Christ’s Church to grow, we must look to dine with the sinners as well as the saints. Christ prayed for the disciples to have that spirit amongst them. “Father, don’t let them just do business with like-minded businessmen; make them deal with the castaways, the refugees, the outcasts.” That’s what Jesus wanted for the disciples, not that they would just be kept in the faith and that they would help keep each other’s faith, but that they would bring others to the faith by their being active for the gospel in the world around them.

One of the great tragedies of the Christian faith is that we so often look at things that are going on in the world around us and our reaction is to turn inward instead of outward. The decisions reached by the Supreme Court this week show us just how true this notion can be. Now, we will explore what Christ says in his prayer for the Church next Sunday, but think about this aspect of the Christian faith for the time being. How in the world could we hope for the Christian faith (and churches around the world as well as our own church) to grow when we run from those who are unchurched? How could we possibly think that by insulating and isolating ourselves from the world around us and by hiding from the world that we are actually going to change the world? In reality, the world is becoming more sinful and more broken each and every day, and our reaction is to bury ourselves further and further away from it. We really only concern ourselves with our protection and nothing more. We only worry ourselves with what directly affects us. We would much rather be out of the world than in it, which is exactly the opposite of what Christ calls us to do.

It’s not often that I actually have a goal for everyone to try and achieve at the end of the sermon, but I do this week. My goal, my challenge to each of you is to speak to at least one person who you consider to be a friend about their faith. Let it be either someone who you don’t know the status of their faith or that you know is a non-believer. You don’t have to invite them to church with you (which you are certainly welcome to do), but just ask them about their faith. Ask them if you can pray for them in any way. Show them not only how much you care for them, but how much Christ cares from them. I can promise you that you will not be make a gesture in vain. After all, how can we impact the world if we keep the good news of Jesus Christ all to ourselves? Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 17:1-5 "Those Given to Him by the Father"

It’s not very often that I can say that my watching a movie is actually preparation for writing a sermon. However, this week, that’s exactly what I did in order to get a sense of the tone and feel for the moment that we have here. You see, we have come to the part of John’s gospel that contains the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives. This also happens to be the first scene from the film The Passion of the Christ that came out back in 2004. Now, The Passion uses some pieces from all four gospel accounts to compile its depiction of this event, but I think that it captures the essence of the moment beautifully. It’s dark; Jesus and the disciples have just recently finished eating in the upper room and walked across Jerusalem. Jesus has been giving the disciples some final instructions as to how they are to continue on after he has left them. We’re told in other gospel accounts that Jesus then charges the disciples to stay awake and keep watch as he withdrawals himself for a time of solemn prayer. What I love about the way that The Passion portrays this scene is the agony that it shows our Savior being under. This isn’t some moment in time where Jesus is cool, calm, and collected. We often think of Jesus as never really showing emotion, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve seen in John’s gospel already that he gets angry, he gets hungry, and he weeps when he is saddened.

Here in our text, Christ is well aware of what is to come and it scares him. It scares him to the point in which he is brought to tears. The type of pain that he is feeling is that which we see in people who upon receiving bad news their legs can barely support their weight. The fear that grips him about what is to come shakes him to his core. However, as scared as he might be, there is also a sense of joy that he feels because his time of being reunited with his Father in heaven is drawing evermore closer. And as he cries out in the Garden to the Father, he is looking up to the heavens as he speaks directly to God about not only what is to happen to him in the near future, but also for those whom he loves and those whom he is leaving behind. Jesus’ great prayer here can be seen as a prayer of three parts, the first of which we will examine here today. Jesus prays first for himself, then he prays for his disciples, and finally for the Church. Now, we will look at the words of this prayer for his disciples and his Church in the coming weeks, but for today I want to focus upon Jesus’ prayer for himself.

He begins by making a short, yet impactful statement, “Father, the hour has come.” First, he calls him Father, an intimate title describing the relationship between these two persons of the Trinity. Second, Christ states that his hour has come. He doesn’t ask if his hour has come, but acknowledges that it has indeed come. As we have carefully walked our way through John’s gospel, we have continuously seen Jesus state to those around him that his hour has not yet come. During all the miracles, the parables, the teachings, Christ’s hour of his greatest work had not yet come. This moment, what is now before him, is what it’s all about. It’s all been leading up to this moment right here. The plan of the Triune God from all eternity was at hand, the hour had come.

He continues his crying out, saying, “glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” Christ is not praying that he will be glorified as to bring glory to himself, but that he will be glorified so that God himself will bring about greater glory to Himself, to God. It’s the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 when he writes, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When the Son is exalted and honored, the Father will be honored and glorified as well. Christ knows that he must be first lifted up on the cross before he can be lifted up in the sight of angels. The Son of Man must be lifted up on the cross before he can be raised up so that all will bow before him and confess that he is Lord.

“Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” This statement brings up something that is one of the most highly debated topics or issues within the Christian faith. What does Christ mean when he speaks of all whom the Father has given him? Does he mean the world, the disciples, who does he mean? It’s often confusing to many people who are either outside of or new to the Christian faith when they start surveying the landscape and they see so many different options? The question often arises, “If we’re all worshiping the same God and we’re all working from the same book (the Bible), then why are there so many differences as to the way that we go about doing so and the things that we believe?” I understand that point and I do value the validity of that statement to some extent. When I have been asked that question, my response is geared towards emphasizing that the differences that exist between different denominations are because of differences in how each group interprets the Bible. Typically, these differences are fairly substantial in their meaning, and it leaves no place to go except for an agree-to-disagree mentality. Now, ultimately our salvation doesn’t depend on our understanding and that’s a good thing. I’m fully aware that when I get to heaven I may find out that I was wrong about a lot of things, but lucky for me it’s my faith and not my knowledge that matters.

The study of the things of God is called theology, θεος (Theos) being the Greek word for God. Now, there are many different types of theologies that exist, because after all, theology is simply man’s study of God’s word, and we never fully agree on anything. One of the major theologies that exists is Reformed theology, which holds to the teachings of the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. This theology can be summarized by using the word TULIP. This is an acrostic representing five points or doctrines that we hold to be true. The middle letter (L) stands for Limited Atonement. This is a doctrine that states that Christ’s death, while sufficient for all, is effective only for those that are counted among the elect. Now that word elect, a title that comes directly from the Bible, is what causes many to deny this point of Calvinism. Many struggle with the notion that it is God that has chosen those whom He will save for two reasons: first, because they cannot imagine that God wouldn’t chose everyone, and second, because they think that it takes away the act of choosing or rejecting Christ. In response to these concerns, first, despite what we may want to think, hell is real. There are those who will spend eternity in hell, and it’s not just for criminals. For us to think that it isn’t fair for God to include everyone would render faith in Him obsolete. After all, if all sins were pardoned, then even the sin of unbelief would be forgiven. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the current pope recently made headlines when he said that even atheists can be saved by their doing good works. However, we know from Scripture, that nothing apart from saving faith in Christ can save us. Secondly, if it were left entirely up to our choosing or reject, then couldn’t everyone reject Christ, and render God’s plan of salvation worthless. This would seem to fly in the face of the omnipotence or all-powerful nature of God.

The Reformed view sees things differently. We see it as that this was the plan all along. God decreed that He would save a certain number of people out of fallen humanity, the elect. He sent His Son into the world to accomplish the redemption that was part of this plan for the elect. God knows who is to be saved and who isn’t. If we don’t view it this way, then we are saying that God doesn’t know. We’re saying that God is trying to save as many as He can, thus implying that God doesn’t have the power to save everyone. It would seem that such a view puts a limit on the number of people whom God can save, and it would seem to make it as if we have the ability to overcome God. Personally, I don’t see what the problem is with believing that God draws all of those whom He has called to Him in His own time. Put it this way, if someone were to walk up to me and want to know if they are among the elect, it would be a very simple process of determination. Are you a believer? If the answer is yes, then Christ died for you. Now, this has to be an authentic yes that comes from your heart and not just your mouth. This has to be a yes that shapes every aspect of your life, and not just something that you mindlessly recite or act out. If you answer no, then I would say that I don’t know whether or not you are among the elect. You may not be a believer yet? The time may simply not have come yet when God calls you to Himself. The bottom line is this: that if you trust in Christ alone for salvation from the just punishment that is due to you for your sins, then you can rest assured that Christ died for you. And remember, the fair thing is that we all receive punishment and condemnation. Our salvation is a result of the love and mercy that God so lovingly bestows upon those whom the Bible refers to as the elect. That’s ultimately what Christ is saying here about those that the Father has given to him. He’s saying that the work that he is soon to accomplish is to be done in order to grant eternal life to all those who follow Christ and truly believe in him as their Lord and Savior.

Christ concludes the portion of his prayer that is for himself by saying, “And this is the eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” In other words, “Father it’s all about to be over; the plan that has been from the very beginning is about to reach its completion. I have no plans on stopping; give me the strength to see this through to the end. Give me the strength to go to the cross and have my blood shed and my body broken for the remission of sins of all those whom you have given to me. Father, I am ready to once again be united with you in heaven, just as I have been since before the earth was created.”

Christ sits this very day with the Father in heaven. He sits at His right hand. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not about our understanding. It’s not about our being right or our being wrong in terms of how salvation is granted. What truly matters is our knowing who is granted that salvation. What truly matters is our knowing and believing that Christ is the Son of God who came to this earth and fulfilled the plan of salvation that God had laid out for him. What matters is our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Friends, it’s important for us to know what we believe, but it’s of much greater importance to know in whom we believe: Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Ruler of all Nations, the Son of Man, Our Savior. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 16:16-33 "Christ has Already Won"

Before we begin to dive into the text that is in front of us today, I want to set the scene for you a little bit just in case it has gotten a tad-bit foggy. You see, we are within 24 hours of Christ’s crucifixion. All of the works and the teaching and the preaching have all lead up to the moments that we are about to experience. These words are also somewhat of the final instructions that Jesus will give to his disciples. Yes, he does give them some instruction after his resurrection, but this is the last of his teaching prior to his death, resurrection, and ascension. Immediately after the final words of our text, Jesus will begin the great High Priestly Prayer, a prayer that we will look at over the next several weeks. Immediately after that, comes the accounts of the betrayal, his arrest, and you know the chain of events from there. So as we look at our text today, keep in mind what comes next, keep in mind where we are in the progression of events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, keep in mind the numerous things that have already happened over the past three plus years of ministry.

Christ begins by telling the disciples that “a little while, and you will see me no longer, and again a little while, and you will see me.” Now, this is a confusing statement to the disciples and deservedly so. We understand it because we live on this side of the cross. We know that Jesus is telling them that in a short while (less than 24 hours) he will be gone, but after a little bit (3 days) he will return to them. We see the confusion of the disciples as they ask each other, not Christ himself, what Jesus is talking about. They don’t understand what he means. Jesus knows they are confused and answers before they even ask him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.” This adds to the notion that we looked at a few weeks ago about the world being against Christ and hating those who follow him. Christ is reinforcing a principle that he has been teaching them for some time, an understanding that they must have as they move forward without him.

Furthermore, the disciples are puzzled as to what Jesus means by “a little while.” When we see this phrase used in Scripture, it most often denotes a period of time spent in suffering. However, I’m not sure that there is such a thing as a little while when it comes to suffering. Our evaluation or perception of time depends on what we are doing. A week spent vacationing at the beach seems much shorter than a week spent dealing with a family tragedy. I know that just recently when Amy and I were told that little Robert had a cyst on his brain while he was still inside of his mother’s womb, a few months felt like an eternity. I know that five or six years really isn’t that long of a time, but it feels like it when I think about or visit my grandmother who has been completely decimated by Alzheimer’s for nearly six years. I’m sure that you have had events in your life that have felt like they went on for much longer than they actually did. Three days isn’t very long, but to the disciples it will feel like an eternity. After all, the hardest days of dealing with a loss are those that come immediately after. Three days will seemingly last much longer than 72 hours for these men. However, Jesus also gives them a taste of what it will be like when he returns to them. He uses an analogy of a woman giving birth and how all of the pain, the discomfort, none of it matters when she sees her newborn child. I can remember that before Ashby was born, that a friend of mine told me that decisions made within 48 hours of a child being born weren’t binding due to parents lacking any rational thought. That is the sense of feeling, the rejoicing, the euphoria that the disciples will feel when Christ returns to them.

Jesus then goes on to recap most of what he has previously said to them, but he does so in a manner that is clearer to them. He does not continue to talk in figures of speech, but tells them directly what is to come. What seems a little odd is that the words of Christ here don’t really seem to be any clearer than those that he has previously said, but once again, we cannot accurately judge the feelings and understanding of the disciples because we live on this side of the cross. But, it almost seems as if it is confusing to Jesus as well when he responds to the disciple understanding by saying, “Do you now believe?” It’s as if he’s saying, “Oh, now you believe me? Have you not been paying attention for the last three plus years? I’ve been telling you about myself and my ministry the entire time and it somehow only now makes sense?” Then, he gives them these words about what will happen even with their newfound clear understanding. He tells them that his hour has come and that each of them “will be scattered, each to his own home.” You see, the disciples may be full of trust at this particular moment, but it’s not going to last. They’re going to leave. When the guards come, guided by Judas, and arrest Jesus, the disciples will turn and run. Now, we know that Peter does try to defend Jesus, but shortly after that, he too will turn and leave just as the other disciples do, and then he will go and deny Jesus three times.

Jesus is soon to be left alone by his closest friends. It will soon seem as if he has been completely abandoned in this world, but he’s not really alone “for the Father is with [him].” The Father will never leave him alone, just as He will never leave any of Christ’s followers alone. One of the hardest things to get people to understand and believe is that God never abandons us, He never forgets about us, He never sends us down a path without being there with us. So often people think that their times of hardship are a result of God’s either punishing them or forgetting about them. In Paul’s second letter to his friend, colleague, and pupil Timothy, he describes how everyone who was laboring with him deserted him, but that “the Lord stood with [him] and strengthened [him].” This situation is the same one that Jesus is facing in our text. It’s the same situation that many of us have faced before in our lives, maybe even multiple times. And each and every time the response and actions of God are the same. God is there with us, He is there for us, and He is leading us down the path to where we need to go. There has never, nor will there ever be, a time in which we are ever truly alone if we are among God’s children. Dark times and troubled waters are not indicators of God’s forgetting and forsaking us. The writer of the book of Hebrews states multiple times that we are given those times in our lives in order to test our faith, and as a result, have our faith strengthen. We’re told that we should rejoice in our suffering because it lets us know that God has called us His own. The true time to worry is when there is no testing, no suffering, and in turn, no growth.
That’s exactly what Christ is saying to the disciples here in his parting words. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Notice that it’s not I can or I will overcome the world, but that I have overcome the world. It’s a done deal. As we’ve said the past two Sundays, if God is on our side, then we cannot lose. We’re told that there’s pain, suffering, trials and tribulations. We know going into it that those things are going to happen. We also know that during those moments that a very critical decision is usually made. For some, this is a time of great tragedy. A painful situation is made even worse when they turn from God. During a moment of weakness caused by the world around them, some turn from their Creator. Unfortunately, I have seen this occur fare too often. I have seen family and friends blame God and see Him as the problem and not the answer. And every time I see this happen it hurts. It never gets any easier to accept, nor do I ever become any more tolerant of such choices. But for some, their faith is strengthened. They take heed to the words of Christ here and they have peace and they take heart knowing that he has already overcome the world. Those who look to Christ and anchor themselves within him are the ones whose faith is strengthened in the midst of tragedy.

I have a two volume work in my office that I hold very dear. They are two of my favorite Christian books and very possibly the two that I have had for the longest time, aside from my Bible. They’re not written by great theologians and they don’t contain any theology within them at all. The two book volume is titled Jesus Freaks. Now, I know that this term has had many different meanings over the years, but this particular work is made up of nothing but stories about Christian martyrs. Men, women, and even children who gave up all they had to give for the sake of the Gospel. During the midst of beatings, killings, torture, and a whole list of unspeakable acts, all of them looked to Christ and their faiths were strengthen during their most trying times. As we stand here today, I want to challenge each of your to be the person whose faith is grown during trials. But not just that, I want each of you to allow God to us you to help someone else’s faith be strengthened during a time of suffering. The greatest Christian witness that we can have to someone is showing them how to deal with hardships and helping them get through their own difficulties. I can tell you without a doubt that it is not a worthless venture, because as we’re told in our text, Christ has already overcome the world. And not only has he overcome it, but all that he has done has been given to us. Therefore, through Jesus Christ, we all have the ability to overcome this world when we anchor ourselves within the One True God. Remember during times of self-suffering and the suffering of others, look to God an allow Him to glorify Himself through your perseverance and your remaining strong in the faith. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 16:1-15 "The Spirit is Coming"

If you will recall, last Sunday we looked at the cost of discipleship. We looked at the words of Jesus to his disciples on how the world around them hated them. He told them that the persecution that they had experienced was not going to end once he was gone. In fact, the persecution of all those who follow Christ has done nothing but continue up to our world today and will do so into the future until Christ comes again. So often we think only about the good things that come with being a Christian, and there are many good things. Actually, everything is good about the Christian faith, but there are some aspects to it that cause us difficulty at times. The most glaring of those is what we talked about last Sunday and that is that the world is against us and seeks our demise. However, we have Christ. God is on our side, so there is no way that we can lose. In our text this week, Jesus begins by describing a little more what the persecution of Christians by the world will actually look like: being driven out of synagogues, killed in the name of God, and seemingly separated from what they hold dear. Think about these things for a second, to be driven out of the synagogue would be like being cut off from the presence of God Himself during this time. The synagogue was the epicenter for daily life for so many people, especially those who were very zealous in their faith, and Christ is saying that his followers are likely to be driven out from there. Also, his followers, who are deeply devoted to God, even run the risk of being killed. But not only are they perhaps to be killed, but their deaths are to be seen as if they are an act of great service towards God. Those opposed to Christ see the killing of Christ’s followers as if they are actually honoring God and bringing great glory to Him. They view it as if they are slaying great heretics. They view it as if they are destroying the enemy.

Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples these things to scare them, but to encourage them. It seems odd at first, but not really once you think about it. When we know what’s coming, we are much less likely to be afraid. Sure, there might still be a little fear, but it isn’t nearly as great when we know what to expect. It’s kind of like being tickled. The reaction of laughing when someone comes at you and pokes you in your side or under your arm is actually a response by your body to fear. You cannot tickle yourself and make yourself laugh, because you know what’s coming. You don’t think I’m telling the truth, then go try it, but please, wait until after the service to try it and see if I’m right. Sure, poking yourself in the side may not feel great, but the reaction of laughter is eliminated. Also, Christ has waited until this point to tell his disciples about this persecution because up until this time he has been with them. There was no point in scaring them with what would come after he had left them because it wasn’t anything impending until now. It would be the equivalent of me worrying where my daughter is going to attend college when she gets of age, and we’re just getting ready for pre-K this year. For me to fear that she might pick another school, one in particular, over my beloved Mississippi State is just plain foolish and idiotic.

However, the time has come. Jesus is returning to the Father, the one who sent him. This should have been a wonderful moment for the disciples. I mean, Jesus returning to his place of glory should have been what they longed for and wanted to have happen. But we know from our text that that is not the case. The disciples weren’t so much concerned with where Jesus was going, but what they were to do after he was gone. All they seemed to be concerned with is the perceived absence that they were to experience. What mattered wasn’t the gain of all Christ’s followers, but their own personal loss, proving once again their lack of understanding as to Jesus’ intended work. And that’s not to degrade them, but it’s just to point out that they still do not get the whole and larger picture.

Then, Jesus makes the astounding statement of verse 7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” One of the most common statements I hear from folks who struggle with believing all that Scripture holds and in turn that Christ is our only means of salvation is, “well, if I had lived when I could have seen Jesus, then believing would be much easier.” I understand such statements. I don’t agree with them, but I understand them. And my response is always along the same lines; I tell them that if you lived in that day, then you wouldn’t know the Holy Spirit. Like we said a few weeks ago, the ascension of Christ made it possible for the Holy Spirit to now descend upon all believers. Christ tells us why it is so important that the Holy Spirit is coming; he tells us what is going to happen when the Holy Spirit comes. He will convict the world. “He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” The Holy Spirit will convict us and show us what sin actually is, while also very much transforming us so that we are left without doubt as to the validity of Scripture and the truth about Christ.

In our world today, we struggle with the definition of sin. We know that a sin is anything that is outside of what God wants and commands of us, but we struggle with exactly where that line is. Even though I think this is a dangerous thing, it’s probably still better than the other notion of counting everything as a sin and just dismissing it without any hint of changing our thoughts, motives, or behavior. However, getting back to the issue of defining sins, we struggle with what we call a sin and what we call acceptable. There are countless issues within our society that hinge upon this very discussion and distinction. The issues of homosexuality and homosexual marriage are probably the most prominent examples that come to mind. Many in our world struggle with the notion of is it a sin or is it the way God created a person, because if God created someone that way then is it really a sin? Part of the reason why we struggle so greatly with this debate is that there are very few people in our world today who do not know at least one person who considers or classifies themselves a homosexual. Now, I’m not going to state my opinions on this matter at this time. Many of you know my thoughts on this and I would be happy to speak with anyone about this matter in a different setting, but it is not what our text today is about. I bring it up only to illustrate the point about the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the conviction that he brings upon the world. When the Holy Spirit comes, he convicts us. When we truly allow ourselves to be completely consumed by God, then we are left without questions. When we remove our own thoughts and opinions and experiences from the equation and allow the Holy Spirit to dictate our understanding of life, Scripture, and the world around us, then we know exactly what is and is not a sin. We know because God, through his Holy Spirit, has written it upon our hearts and we cannot escape it or deny the truth.

Christ goes on to tell the disciples that he has much more for them to know, but that it must wait. There’s still some time left and what he has to tell them isn’t information that they must have right then. However, Christ doesn’t have to tell them at all. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will point them to the truth. Just as we have said, the Holy Spirit will make known to them all the things of God. The Holy Spirit will lead them to what they need. I want to give you a little insight into the week of a preacher. Well, maybe not the entire week, but at least the preparation that goes into a sermon. Many people are curious as to how a pastor prepares a sermon, and the preparation is different for every preacher. For me, I begin Monday morning by reading the text that I have selected for that week. I work on it as much as I can on Monday and Tuesday. I go over the text somewhat with our group of men who meet together on Wednesday morning. Then, I hardly touch it Thursday through Saturday. Come Sunday, I wake up early in the morning, somewhere between 5 and 6 am, and I pray for God to lead me in my preparation and then I read it through one last time. There have been times when little changes were made and there have been times when entire sermons were thrown out and re-written on Sunday morning. It just depends on the direction in which the Holy Spirit is calling me to lead God’s people that particular day. I have to rely upon the Holy Spirit for guidance because without him I can’t find the true meaning of the text that is before me.

Now, the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t end there with making things known to us. The power of the Holy Spirit isn’t just about leading us down the right path. The true power, the power that will change your life, is the power of God working through the Holy Spirit in applying the redemption achieved by Christ to us. We find near the end of the last several verse of our text some language dealing with the Holy Spirit declaring to us something that is Christ’s. What Jesus is talking about here is his righteousness. He’s talking about his perfection, his purity, his obedience, his salvation. The Holy Spirit is the one who applies the redemption of Christ to our hearts. So you see, it is not a bad thing that Jesus left his disciples and ascended into heaven. Had he not done so, then the Holy Spirit could not have been sent by him to apply such redemption to us. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that we are saved. No matter how great the forces are against us and no matter what hardships we may face, the work of the Holy Spirit is not stopped. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God is shaping us, those that He has called, to be more and more in His likeness each day. And that process, the process that we call sanctification, will continue until such time and we enter into our eternal state of glory with the Father. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 15:9-27 "The Cost of Discipleship"

I don’t care who you are; you might be the most honest and trusting person in the world, but I will guarantee you that you will never enter into an agreement with someone before knowing what is expected of you. Before starting a new job, you find out what your responsibilities are and how much you will be compensated. Before getting married, the couple discusses what ideas they have for their life together and makes sure that they are compatible; do they move, do they have kids, are they both going to work? Before we even make a simple purchase, we test things out to make sure that we know exactly what we’re getting. We smell fruit, try on clothes, check expiration dates, read customer reviews, and the list goes on and on. The bottom line is that we like to have an idea of what we are getting into before we ever commit to something, no matter how small the commitment. We don’t want to sign up for something and then be told what it’s all about or how much it’s going to cost us after we have committed to it. Well, our text today is exactly that for the Christian faith. Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples, and he tells them (and us too) exactly what being a Christian will mean. He lets us know the cost of discipleship.

Jesus begins telling his disciples about the cost of discipleship by recapping several things that we have looked at over the past few months and even reciting some passages again. He speaks of the love that he has for us. No, this isn’t just any kind of love. This isn’t the love that we may have for our favorite vacation spot. This isn’t even the kind of love that we may have for our spouse. This love is even greater than the love that I felt a little over a week ago when I looked into my son’s eyes for the first time. This love is the kind of love that exists between the Father and the Son. In the Greek text, there are several words that translate to the English word love. All of them carry with them different degrees of love, and this word here (agape) is used to define the love between the Father and the Son, the greatest love there is. There is no kind of love that can compare to this love, and that is the love that Jesus has for his children. In fact, he is going to show us how great his agape is for us by laying down his own life for our sake. Jesus is soon to lay down his life as a once-for-all sacrifice to save us from our sins. Our Savior is going to bear the punishment that should fall upon each one of us, and he is going to do so not out of some obligation or agreement, but solely because he loves us that much.

Jesus then goes on to speak of how the relationship between he and the disciples is moving from servant to friend. Now, I want to clarify something here in saying that this statement does not abolish the servant nature of our relationship with Christ. Both the disciples and all other followers of Christ remain servants, but we are friends or allies as well in the sense that there is nothing withheld from us. Yes, we may not know how everything is going to work out in terms of the details, but we do know, to borrow the words of Romans 8:28, “that all things work together for the good of those who love God.” We don’t know the details, but we know how it is all going to work out. And not only that, but we know how it is all going to end because of the words of the book of Revelation. And we know all that has been done by God from the words of the books of the Old Testament. Throughout Christ’s life, he has been telling the disciples not only how they are to live at that moment, but he has been telling them how they are to live after his time on earth as well. There is nothing that Jesus has been told by the Father that he has not relayed to the disciples and thus onto us. Whether or not that information has been understood properly and fully is a whole other discussion entirely. You see, a master does not confide in his servants. He does not reveal all to his servants, but he does to his friends. Just because God has revealed all to us, that does not relieve us of our service to Him, but it strengthens the bond that exists between us and our Creator.

Several weeks ago, we looked at a text in which our ultimate theme was that Christ was leaving a legacy of peace, a peace between man and God that had not existed for quite some time. Now, beginning in verse 18, we’re told of another legacy that Christ is leaving. This legacy, however, has to do with Christ’s followers as they relate to the world. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

I was raised in what many would consider to be a small town in Mississippi. Meridian is very similar in size to Houma, LA. Being a small town in the Bible belt I didn’t really know many non-Christians growing up. I knew plenty of folks who didn’t go to church, but almost all of them had a church membership somewhere. You know, a place to go on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. As we all got older and graduated and many of us, like myself, moved away, we were all exposed to different things. Some of us went off to college, some overseas, some into military service, and some went straight into the workforce. Living in today’s world with social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter have provided a means by which childhood friends could stay connected from half a world away. Recently, one of my good friends for many years growing up wrote something about people who base their system of beliefs on a book of fairy tales about a man being swallow by fish and spit out whole, food falling from the sky, and a snake tricking someone into eating poisoned fruit, being ignorant and not capable of having rational, meaningful conversations about social issues. Well, I might be tempted to say the same thing about those who call such book a fairy tale. And this hurt, because this was coming from someone who I admire as a member of our military and someone who I considered to be a pretty standup guy. However, this is just the way that it is, and it’s the central point of these verses. That point is that the world is against Christians. We see it everywhere we look. Many folks think that they have outgrown Christianity. It’s not a new problem today; there are numerous instances of people thinking that mankind is the ultimate knowledge all the way back to the time of the great philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Many in the world have and do think that once we are able to cast aside religion and faith, that that is the ultimate level of intelligence or enlightenment of an individual. I have seen many people praise others for being able to see past the “ignorance of Christianity” and see what is really going on and what is really important. I cry and hurt for those who make such statements. I cry and hurt especially for those who I love who think and say such things. I cry and hurt because I know that unless God, in His ultimate plan, has chosen to call them to Himself somewhere down the road, I know what their eternal fate is. Quite honestly, it scares me to think about those I love spending eternity is such a way.

Christ is making it very plain here that those who follow him are going to be persecuted. He says, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” The world was against God before the time of Christ and it has continued such a trend since that point in time, and it will continue along that path until Christ comes again and all of the events of the book of Revelation are fulfilled. But we must remember that Christ also told the disciples here, “If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” In other words, there are those that I have chosen who will follow me. There are those, even though the world itself is against you, who will join you in following me. That is why we still bear witness about him to the world around us. That is why we do not abandon all hope that those around us who do not know Christ fall into the “not yet” category instead of being counted as eternally lost.

Jesus even tells us why the world will treat us so harshly. He says that those who seek to crush us do so “because they do not know him who sent me.” If Christ hadn’t come and told them of their sin, then they wouldn’t have known their guilt. If he had not come and done the works that he did, then they wouldn’t have known their guilt. However, Christ has come. He has spoken to the world and he has performed his works before them and yet the world still has rejected Him. However, the world has no excuse for rejecting the Savior, and in turn rejecting the Father. The world has, in the words of Christ here, “hated me without a cause.”

I don’t know how everyone in this sanctuary came to know the Lord. I don’t know if you have known Him since you were a child or if you were confronted later on in life. I don’t know what you’ve been told about being a Christian thus far in your walk with Christ, but I know what we’re told here in our text this morning. There’s pain, there’s persecution, there’s hatred towards Christians when we look at the world around us. The world is not an easy place for Christians. In fact, it’s an easier place for those who are opposed to Christ. What hope do we have of making it in this world that seeks nothing but our demise? “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” The Holy Spirit will both testify of Jesus and empower us to testify of Him in the face of the world’s hatred, hostility, and persecution. This promise has been fulfilled for 2000 years, and it continues to be fulfilled as Christians around the world bear witness about Christ to this very day, some of them even unto death. The world may be against us, but God is for us and he has given his Holy Spirit to us. And when I hear it that way, I like our chances. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.