As Jesus is praying for us in this text, we learn a picture of what He is currently doing in heaven. Something else that we learn is how Jesus desires us to live here on earth. Some related concepts that we have covered have included the ekklesia- the called out ones. We are called out from the world, called out to be separate. The concept we covered this past week is the concept of sanctification, which is a separation to God, a separation unto His plan and purposes for our lives, and a separation from the world, indeed an opposition to the world. So Jesus is praying for us as those who are not of the world, those who have been called out and set apart, and in opposition to the world system. Listen again to the words of Jesus:
John 17:16-19 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
They are not of the world When we become Christians, we are now a part of a different world. We are no longer our own, we have been bought with a price. We live in the now, not yet. We are in the kingdom of God, in the spiritual we are seated in heavenly places with Christ. We walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We should not have our lives guided by the culture around us, rather, we should be above and even change culture. We have our own culture, a culture populated with those who have been saved from sin and from death and now live to follow Jesus Christ. We are not of this world!
Many Christians and churches today in America have it flipped. They desire to make Christianity more appealing to the world. Many will exchange the Biblical gospel for a prosperity message, or the Purpose- Driven or seeker sensitive message of ‘add Jesus to your life for love, joy, peace, and happiness.’ Many even advertise Jesus as a get out of hell free card. Their message is that God is all love, and His grace will cover all of our sins, so we can in reality live in any way that we want. The modern church in many ways has become unfaithful to God, prostituting itself to the world for the approval of the world. As a result, Christians have become grace-abusers- they believe that they are saved by grace and this is not of ourselves, which is true. But they believe that that grace means you can get away with all forms of sinfulness. Many seek to see how far they can wander away from God, to see how far they can step over the line rather than desiring to live holy and righteous lives before Him. I do not want to be a grace abuser. I want grace to convert me and to make me more like Jesus. Oh that we as a local church would all have that desire and seek God for His sanctification.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth
The main reason that we look like the world is because we have ceased being sanctified by the Word of God. Sanctification (hagiazo) is positive in that we are separated to God at salvation. In the negative, we are set in opposition to the world and the world system at the same point. That is repentance, a stark 180 degree turn from self and sin. The process of sanctification in which the Holy Spirit makes us more and more like Jesus Christ is a continuous process where the world and the flesh is being cut out of us and we are becoming more and more like Jesus. This process does not happen in a vacuum; this is the reason for this verse.
The Bible is an important part of our sanctification. Jesus is the truth, and, in the Spiritual, He is our sanctifier. However, the Bible, His written revelation, is also a sanctifying agent. In order for the Word of God to be effective in sanctifying us, we must read, study, and apply it. However, many Christians have become biblically illiterate as a result of not regularly reading, studying, and applying the Word of God, and therefore not sanctified. The word of God is to be a sanctifying agent that turns us off of the broad road leading to destruction, instructing us on how to walk on the narrow road which leads to life. The Holy Spirit takes His role in empowering us to walk in by the Spirit, while the Word gives us a roadmap. When individual Christians do not know and obey the word, the church will not be far behind. Compromise the truth of God’s Word to grow in size or in favor with the world, and we are in fact rejecting God’s instructions, even acting in rebellion against God. At that point, we must question if we have been converted when we fall back in love with the world and out of love with the One who has saved us. Jesus is doing the work of interceding for us; we must respond by submitting ourselves to being sanctified by the word.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Why did Jesus Christ come into the world? To seek and to save that which was lost ( Luke 19:10) to glorify God (John 12:28) by doing His will. Jesus has sent us into the world in this same way, to bear fruit by abiding in Him (John 15:5). We do the works that He does because we are His (John 14:12) assisted by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) to bring glory to the Father and to Jesus Christ. So, we are to do the works of the Father while we live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because when we are saved, we are sent. The only prerequisite is that we are Born Again. We do not need to be ordained, because as believers we have been sent. Sent by Christ, under His authority.
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Now, if you have been part of our church, or any Alliance Church for any amount of time, you have seen and heard this verse. This is our call, the Great Commission. However, in the modern day church of comfort, this has become the great omission. Jesus Christ has already given all Christians marching orders. In our lives of going to school, going to work, raising a family, being entertained, we are all called to be going out and fulfilling that which we have been sent to do. We are called to teach (mathēteuō) which means make disciples. In order to make a disciple of Christ, we must share the Gospel, because that is what makes a disciple. We are to make disciples in all nations (ethnos) that is countries distinct from Israel, specifically, the gentiles. This was a commanding difference from what these Jews that were at this time His disciples were used to. They believed the Messiah was for Israel. He really rocked their boat sending them out into the nations. For us, it is what has brought us the missionary call. But being a missionary does not require salt water. The missionary call is for all of us, right here in our community, in our work, in our schools, in our leisure activities, in our shopping, and in our vacations. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, the commission is ‘in your going, GO!’ Jesus Christ has sent us, He has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us, and He is making intercession for us as we are sent.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Jesus was sanctified, that is, He was Holy as God, he was tempted in every way such as we are, yet without sin. He was wholly separate from the world and walked in opposition to the world system as He walked upon this earth. Now, He was going to sanctify Himself, set Himself apart yet again, by going to the cross. He set Himself apart to do the will of God for Him and for us taking the wrath of God for our sins. He was sanctified- by dying, and then by being resurrected! He laid His life down and then took it up again! He is sanctified, set apart to God, set apart from the world, and set apart as God. His role is to make intercession for us as He is set apart. By dying, being resurrected, and ascending into heaven, He is no longer limited by a physical body, because he has sent another like Himself, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to be with us in His stead. He did this for our sakes, so that we might be sanctified. And He makes intercession for us today so that we may be sanctified.
So if Jesus set Himself apart for us, why do we struggle so in being set apart for Him? If He is making intercession on our behalf that we might be sanctified, that is set in opposition to the world and set apart to God, why does the church and individual believers drift back into desiring to look more and more like the world? Why do we have local churches trying to be relevant to the world, catering to those who do not believe Christ? Why is much of our music being produced today sounding like the worlds music? Why are churches trying to entertain people like the world entertains people? If the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to make Christians righteous and holy, why do we want to cross a line to look a little less like Christ and a little more like the world? It is because we do not understand that we are called to be sanctified, set in opposition to the world, set apart unto God for His purposes in us and towards the world. This requires a release of our rights to ourselves, to our own goals, to our own desires and placing them in submission to Christ. This is something that happens when we are born again, and something that happens continually as we make ourselves a living sacrifice unto Christ, which is our reasonable service of worship.
As Christians, we are in the world for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to glorify Christ, to be the manifestation of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be holy, for He is holy. This is another word for sanctification. It is a good thing that we have Jesus interceding on our behalf and the Holy Spirit in power, and the guide of the Word of God so that we can know how to glorify Christ. If we will read and obey the Word of God, we will be set in opposition to the world system, which also means that we will be in opposition to the apostate church. We will be called intolerant and judgmental by many of those who identify as brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be hated, indeed we may even be persecuted for our stand. But we have the promise (of Christ that if we are His, He has the strength to hold on to us, never leaving us, never forsaking us, living forever to make intercession for us. Praise Jesus Christ!
As Jesus is praying for us in this text, we learn a picture of what He is currently doing in heaven. Something else that we learn is how Jesus desires us to live here on earth. Some related concepts that we have covered have included the ekklesia- the called out ones. We are called out from the world, called out to be separate. The concept we covered this past week is the concept of sanctification, which is a separation to God, a separation unto His plan and purposes for our lives, and a separation from the world, indeed an opposition to the world. So Jesus is praying for us as those who are not of the world, those who have been called out and set apart, and in opposition to the world system. Listen again to the words of Jesus:
John 17:16-19 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
They are not of the world When we become Christians, we are now a part of a different world. We are no longer our own, we have been bought with a price. We live in the now, not yet. We are in the kingdom of God, in the spiritual we are seated in heavenly places with Christ. We walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We should not have our lives guided by the culture around us, rather, we should be above and even change culture. We have our own culture, a culture populated with those who have been saved from sin and from death and now live to follow Jesus Christ. We are not of this world!
Many Christians and churches today in America have it flipped. They desire to make Christianity more appealing to the world. Many will exchange the Biblical gospel for a prosperity message, or the Purpose- Driven or seeker sensitive message of ‘add Jesus to your life for love, joy, peace, and happiness.’ Many even advertise Jesus as a get out of hell free card. Their message is that God is all love, and His grace will cover all of our sins, so we can in reality live in any way that we want. The modern church in many ways has become unfaithful to God, prostituting itself to the world for the approval of the world. As a result, Christians have become grace-abusers- they believe that they are saved by grace and this is not of ourselves, which is true. But they believe that that grace means you can get away with all forms of sinfulness. Many seek to see how far they can wander away from God, to see how far they can step over the line rather than desiring to live holy and righteous lives before Him. I do not want to be a grace abuser. I want grace to convert me and to make me more like Jesus. Oh that we as a local church would all have that desire and seek God for His sanctification.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth
The main reason that we look like the world is because we have ceased being sanctified by the Word of God. Sanctification (hagiazo) is positive in that we are separated to God at salvation. In the negative, we are set in opposition to the world and the world system at the same point. That is repentance, a stark 180 degree turn from self and sin. The process of sanctification in which the Holy Spirit makes us more and more like Jesus Christ is a continuous process where the world and the flesh is being cut out of us and we are becoming more and more like Jesus. This process does not happen in a vacuum; this is the reason for this verse.
The Bible is an important part of our sanctification. Jesus is the truth, and, in the Spiritual, He is our sanctifier. However, the Bible, His written revelation, is also a sanctifying agent. In order for the Word of God to be effective in sanctifying us, we must read, study, and apply it. However, many Christians have become biblically illiterate as a result of not regularly reading, studying, and applying the Word of God, and therefore not sanctified. The word of God is to be a sanctifying agent that turns us off of the broad road leading to destruction, instructing us on how to walk on the narrow road which leads to life. The Holy Spirit takes His role in empowering us to walk in by the Spirit, while the Word gives us a roadmap. When individual Christians do not know and obey the word, the church will not be far behind. Compromise the truth of God’s Word to grow in size or in favor with the world, and we are in fact rejecting God’s instructions, even acting in rebellion against God. At that point, we must question if we have been converted when we fall back in love with the world and out of love with the One who has saved us. Jesus is doing the work of interceding for us; we must respond by submitting ourselves to being sanctified by the word.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Why did Jesus Christ come into the world? To seek and to save that which was lost ( Luke 19:10) to glorify God (John 12:28) by doing His will. Jesus has sent us into the world in this same way, to bear fruit by abiding in Him (John 15:5). We do the works that He does because we are His (John 14:12) assisted by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) to bring glory to the Father and to Jesus Christ. So, we are to do the works of the Father while we live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because when we are saved, we are sent. The only prerequisite is that we are Born Again. We do not need to be ordained, because as believers we have been sent. Sent by Christ, under His authority.
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Now, if you have been part of our church, or any Alliance Church for any amount of time, you have seen and heard this verse. This is our call, the Great Commission. However, in the modern day church of comfort, this has become the great omission. Jesus Christ has already given all Christians marching orders. In our lives of going to school, going to work, raising a family, being entertained, we are all called to be going out and fulfilling that which we have been sent to do. We are called to teach (mathēteuō) which means make disciples. In order to make a disciple of Christ, we must share the Gospel, because that is what makes a disciple. We are to make disciples in all nations (ethnos) that is countries distinct from Israel, specifically, the gentiles. This was a commanding difference from what these Jews that were at this time His disciples were used to. They believed the Messiah was for Israel. He really rocked their boat sending them out into the nations. For us, it is what has brought us the missionary call. But being a missionary does not require salt water. The missionary call is for all of us, right here in our community, in our work, in our schools, in our leisure activities, in our shopping, and in our vacations. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, the commission is ‘in your going, GO!’ Jesus Christ has sent us, He has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us, and He is making intercession for us as we are sent.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Jesus was sanctified, that is, He was Holy as God, he was tempted in every way such as we are, yet without sin. He was wholly separate from the world and walked in opposition to the world system as He walked upon this earth. Now, He was going to sanctify Himself, set Himself apart yet again, by going to the cross. He set Himself apart to do the will of God for Him and for us taking the wrath of God for our sins. He was sanctified- by dying, and then by being resurrected! He laid His life down and then took it up again! He is sanctified, set apart to God, set apart from the world, and set apart as God. His role is to make intercession for us as He is set apart. By dying, being resurrected, and ascending into heaven, He is no longer limited by a physical body, because he has sent another like Himself, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to be with us in His stead. He did this for our sakes, so that we might be sanctified. And He makes intercession for us today so that we may be sanctified.
So if Jesus set Himself apart for us, why do we struggle so in being set apart for Him? If He is making intercession on our behalf that we might be sanctified, that is set in opposition to the world and set apart to God, why does the church and individual believers drift back into desiring to look more and more like the world? Why do we have local churches trying to be relevant to the world, catering to those who do not believe Christ? Why is much of our music being produced today sounding like the worlds music? Why are churches trying to entertain people like the world entertains people? If the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to make Christians righteous and holy, why do we want to cross a line to look a little less like Christ and a little more like the world? It is because we do not understand that we are called to be sanctified, set in opposition to the world, set apart unto God for His purposes in us and towards the world. This requires a release of our rights to ourselves, to our own goals, to our own desires and placing them in submission to Christ. This is something that happens when we are born again, and something that happens continually as we make ourselves a living sacrifice unto Christ, which is our reasonable service of worship.
As Christians, we are in the world for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to glorify Christ, to be the manifestation of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be holy, for He is holy. This is another word for sanctification. It is a good thing that we have Jesus interceding on our behalf and the Holy Spirit in power, and the guide of the Word of God so that we can know how to glorify Christ. If we will read and obey the Word of God, we will be set in opposition to the world system, which also means that we will be in opposition to the apostate church. We will be called intolerant and judgmental by many of those who identify as brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be hated, indeed we may even be persecuted for our stand. But we have the promise (of Christ that if we are His, He has the strength to hold on to us, never leaving us, never forsaking us, living forever to make intercession for us. Praise Jesus Christ!
When we left off two weeks ago in John 17, we were talking about the unity that Jesus was praying for His disciples. The unity that we are to have and seek is the same as the Unity of God. That is, while there are three distinct and unique personalities, God is united in attributes, plan, in purpose, and in will. There is One God, Three persons, one will. There is no disagreement in God, there is no compromise. One person does not align Himself against God for the sake of their own opinion. The unity that the world calls for oftentimes is a false unity, for it is called for when one departs from the true faith. Most recently we see this in politics; for example those claiming that Allah and the God of the Bible are one and the same. Then we have the apostate church and their desire for unity supporting their anti-biblical stands on homosexuality. This is different than the unity that Jesus desires for us. The unity that Jesus prays for, and continues to intercede for us to have is needed with His departure to heaven. It is a unity based on truth. In this world, we will have trials and troubles. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, and the unity of brothers and sisters in the church, we would be destroyed. Jesus has left the world physically, but He lives forever to make intercession for us. He also has given us life by His Spirit and brothers and sisters to prop us up when we fall down. And this unity displayed brings great glory to God as we walk out our life in His truth.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
While Jesus was in this world, incarnated as the Son of God, he was the Good Shepherd, and He never lost any one of his sheep. You may say- What about Judas? Judas was a follower, but never one of his sheep. There is a good side and a bad side to this. If we are His, Jesus has never lost one of His sheep yet-even to this day. “ those that thou gavest me” . However, all people who call themselves Christians are not necessarily Christians. Judas was the Son of Perdition-apoleia- which is the same word for damnable or destruction. He was meant from the beginning for destruction, and it was prophesied in scripture (Psalm 41:9) as was the fact that he (Judas) would be replaced (Ps 109:8). This is a fulfillment of yet another scripture about the life and ministry of the Messiah. It also reminds us that not all who claim Christ are Christians. We will know them by their fruit. This should motivate us to examine ourselves by the Word of God to see if we are in the faith. It should comfort us to know that if we are saved that we will never be lost to Jesus.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Why did Jesus pray these things in the open air? As stated earlier, he was demonstrating the role He was going to perform. In this verse, it is as though He was saying, Father, I am coming home to play the role of high priest. I am the sacrifice, and I will live forever to pray for my people. I am now praying aloud in front of them to you so that they will understand what it is I am coming to do. They can have joy knowing that when I come to You, I am interceding for them in this manner forever. They will have the same protection and intercession from me as they do now forever and ever. This should bring us joy knowing again that He prays for those who are saved in this manner daily.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Jesus had accomplished all He was to do on this earth, short of dying on the cross, which He still faced. He proclaimed the word first and foremost by His incarnation (John 1:14). Yes, He did speak the Word of God but He was also The Word of God. Remember, the idea of the Greek word logos is more than just the spoken word, it is the manifestation of the invisible thought. Jesus manifested the invisible God to mankind by His incarnation, he was “God manifest in the flesh” (1Ti 3:16); “the express image of His person” (Heb 1:3); “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). He also was the Word by His works that He did, and also by the words that He spoke. All of these things manifested the character and the will of God. The Word when applied creates a change that is so radical that it separates the followers of the Word from the rest of the world. We are the ekklesia, the called out ones, called out from the world by the Word. As Christians, we are not to seek being hated by the world, but if we live as Christians we will be hated as we seek to live as the called out ones.
The World system, which is a manifestation of Satan, hates the Word- the manifestation of God, and we are that manifestation when we are born again. In other words, Satan hates Christians! We have a big responsibility; People’s opinions about God and Christianity are formed by those who carry the name of Christ. That is why when we love the Word we stand in opposition to the world system. It is not the will of God that we would be removed from the world, because we are that manifestation of God, bearing fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, the world does hate us, so Jesus asks His Father on our behalf that we should be kept from evil. This is a two sided request; as we are God’s representatives on earth, we should avoid even the appearance of evil. Our love for the Father will keep us from doing evil and bringing shame to the name of God. The other side is that Jesus is praying for our protection from those who would do us harm because of our faith, very specifically from the personification of evil, or spiritual evil, such as demons or the Devil. Satan is after all the god of this world, and is therefore the governor of the world system. Since we are no longer of this world, but are in the world, Jesus is asking the Father for divine aid as we sojourn on this planet. This is another example of how Jesus intercedes for us today; we do not know the manner of evil we would face if not for Christ praying on our behalf.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The way that we get to a point where we are set in opposition to the world is that we are hagiazo- set apart, set in opposition to that which is common or unclean. Jesus is praying that we would be set apart first by Him, being the manifestation of truth (John 14:6) and by the Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of truth (John 16:13). In other words, we would through the presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit we would be sanctified. But also , very clearly, He declares that the Word of God, that is Jesus Christ and the written revelation which expresses the nature and character of God, is truth. When we read and believe (demonstrated by application) the Word of God, we are automatically set apart from this world and the world system. Jesus is asking His Father that we would be set apart, set in opposition to the world and its system. My question as I studied this passage is if this is how Jesus is pleading for us, then why do we return to it so readily? Why do we play around with with the world, enjoying its enticements? Why do we cling to the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh while Jesus pleads with His Father for us not to be overtaken by evil and to be set apart from and in opposition to the world? The flesh does war against the Spirit to be sure, and it will be a constant struggle. The good news is that Jesus is making intercession on our behalf so that we will not sin. But if we do sin, he is our advocate (1 John 2:1).
1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The Word of God is so important as a sanctifying agent. This is something which I observed recently on our East Coast Missions trip. There are so many people who claim to be Christians, yet stand in opposition to God’s Word. One man, Kevin, claimed to be a Christian but he had filthy language (and that in front of children?!) while making his claim.(Ephesians 4:29, 5:4)Later, he claimed that he uses pornography regularly! Now the Bible’s commands on both those things are clear: that they who practice them will not inherit the Kingdom of God! (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The word of God sets those who truly believe in Christ in opposition to those who claim Christ, but live like the world. (1 Corinthians 5:11) We are not called to judge the world, but we are in fact called to judge those in the church using right judgment. This man Kevin should be put out of his church until he repents (1 Corinthians 5:13). Sanctification means that we ought to live in opposition to the world and the world system, not in agreement with it.
Worse than this, many exchange the Biblical gospel for a prosperity message, add Jesus to your life for love, joy, peace, and happiness, or even as a get out of hell free card. The message is that God is all love, and His grace will cover all of our sins, so we can in reality live in any way that we want. The modern church in many ways has become unfaithful to God, prostituting itself to the world for the approval of the world. The main reason is because we have ceased being sanctified by the Word of God. As I spoke two weeks ago, there are many modern denominations and pastors which are opposing the word of God and as a result they have become apostate. This can happen in Churches because in our individual lives, many Christians have become biblically illiterate as a result of not regularly reading and studying the Word of God. In order for the Word of God to be effective in sanctifying us, we must study it and apply it. The word of God is to be a sanctifying agent that turns us off of the broad road leading to destruction, instructing us on how to walk on the narrow road which leads to life. When we compromise the truth of God’s Word to grow in size and in favor with the world, we are rejecting God.
We are in the world for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to glorify Christ, to be the manifestation of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a good thing that we have Jesus interceding on our behalf and the Holy Spirit in power, and the guide of the Word of God so that we can know how to glorify Christ. If we will read and obey the Word of God, we will be set in opposition to the world system. We will be hated, indeed we may even be persecuted for our stand. But we have the promise of Christ that if we are His, He has the strength to hold on to us, never leaving us, never forsaking us, living forever to make intercession for us. Praise Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ is in Gethsemane, ready to be arrested and dragged off to face the Sanhedrin, a Roman governor, and the false judgment of men ultimately to be beaten and hung on a cross to die. Knowing the immense pressure He is facing, he lifts his eyes to heaven to pray. It is here we see Jesus transitioning from His earthly ministry where he walked around with us glorifying God by His works and His words to his present ministry of making intercession for us.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
I have manifested thy name (phaneroō) manifest -ed means to make apparent, make manifest, make openly known. One of the things that Jesus came to do was to put God on display for all the world. As he told his disciples, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14:). As he taught ‘ I and the Father are one’ (John 10:30) so it is very clear here in this prayer that Jesus saw one of his main purposes in coming to this earth was to be a personal revelation and manifestation of what God the Father is like. That is what it means when it says ‘thy name’. Remember, in Isaiah 9 the prophet foretold that Jesus would be called:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
-The very names of God Himself. As fully God, Jesus manifested the Father, revealing his nature, attributes, and character. As fully man, he was incarnated to be a personal revelation of what the Father was like. He had done his job for those which God Himself had
gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; Before the world existed, before you or I were even born, we were elected by the Father to be saved. They were His by election, and God the Father gave them to Christ, and Christ purchased their salvation by His shed blood. This is another theme that is throughout the Gospel of John, as we have been studying. We are not born again of our own will (John 1:13-14, John 3) but we are chosen by Him, and drawn by Him to the point where we can become His (John 6:37, 10:29). The reality is, no matter how much we like to think we choose Christ, those who do choose Him have already been chosen from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) and their names were written in the Lamb’s book of Life (Revelation 17:8). This is motivation for evangelism, because as we read in Acts 18:10, there are many in Corinth who are God’s people, but from a historic point of view, Paul remained in Corinth another year and a half because they still needed to hear the Gospel. It is those who have been regenerated that can respond to the gospel call.
and they have kept thy word. They were not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, for these disciples would soon lose faith and demonstrate this by abandoning the Lord. Jesus makes the point, however, that they have believed and obeyed His teaching. As we see in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament, they do not always do it perfectly. Certainly we can see that simple belief and trust is enough, and by this we will grow in sanctification and holiness. As we believe, trusting in Him alone, and abiding in Him we will bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Included in that number so to speak were the disciples themselves. They were given to Christ by God. So therefore, they were of God as much as the works and the words of Christ were. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they would share an intimate relationship with God and Christ, in other words, like bride and groom they would be one. The key word here is that they have known (ginosko), that is, they have belief and have entered into an intimate relationship with God through Christ by which their entire person is identified. They are changed; similar to when one enters into a marriage covenant they are identified differently, as Husband and Wife. The wife even changes her name, similar to what we do when we become part of the bride of Christ we are identified as Christians. John goes into further detail:
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
They (the disciples) heard the words that Jesus had spoken on behalf of the Father. The disciples, by faith, had received those words by putting them into practice. The word λαμβάνω (lambanō 2983) which is translated receive means to take, take hold of, apprehend, to take or receive from another; to take what is given; hence, receive, pointing to an objective reception. That is, they did not just listen, they heard and took hold of the teaching because they knew Jesus came from God. They have known (ginosko)- that the Lord Jesus came from God the Father, indeed, that He was God Himself. Therefore, they allowed this belief to influence them and change them into His followers. This knowledge led to true belief (pisteuo) which is described as a fully convinced acknowledgment, a self-surrendering fellowship, and a fully assured and unswerving confidence. In other words, the disciples were fully convinced that Jesus Christ’s words were the words of the Father, and thus they surrendered to Him, having a fully assured confidence that God had sent Jesus. This belief, this faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit caused them and causes us to have an entirely new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17) having been saved from sin and death (Ephesians 2:1) to good works (Ephesians 2:10) if we will abide in Him (John 15), bearing fruit in keeping with our receiving His Word, knowing Him and being associated with Him, thus demonstrating our belief is true.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
The Lord Jesus Christ makes intercession for those who are His, those who have been given Him by the Father. Jesus is our great High priest that lives forever to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). In the pattern of God’s chosen people, those whom He has drawn near to Him by His election of them he will save to the uttermost. These who are chosen, elected by God, are those that Jesus prays for, even if they are not yet converted. Jesus does not make intercession for the world, that is, those who are not chosen from the beginning of the world. We can be assured that if we are chosen, Jesus is making intercession for us in much the same way as we witness here forever. He prays for us because we have been given to Him, and because we have been purchased by Christ, chosen by God, we are God’s people.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
All those whom God has chosen are His. God has given them to Christ, Christ has purchased all those whom God has chosen through His shed blood and resurrection from the dead. We glorify God and Christ by believing on Him, by having faith in Jesus Christ alone. It glorifies Christ to give us an entirely new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17). It glorifies Christ to save us from sin and death (Ephesians 2:1). It glorifies Christ when we do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) It glorifies Christ when we will abide in Him (John 15), bearing fruit in keeping with repentance by the power of the Holy Spirit and with the pruning of God.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
What was going to happen in just hours was a such a certainty that Jesus prayed as though it had already happened. He knew that he was going to be arrested, tried, beaten, crucified, and dead only to rise again. He knew that the disciples would be facing persecution, even martyrdom without His physical presence. He prayed to the Father that he would first and foremost keep them in His name. This is the promise of eternal security; those who have been called will remain in Christ until the end. This is the promise and the benefit of the intercession of Jesus Christ on our behalf. To put it like Christ did, no one, and no thing can snatch them (us) out of his hand. Paul, in Romans, puts it like this:
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And it is a profound mystery that Jesus presents regarding the unity of the trinity and the unity of the body of Christ. We are called to unity in Christ- and though we often fall short, it is a process by the power of the Holy Spirit that binds us together as one body working all together to glorify Christ by our love for one another and by bearing fruit for Him. It should be a reflection of the unity of God the Father and Christ- a unity of purpose, a unity of love, and certainly a unity of mission. Our purpose and mission as the church should be to bring glory to God and this happens when we are unified in truth. We demonstrate this unity by using our gifts to build up and equip one another to become fruit-bearing Christians. And we do this because we love God supremely, and we love one another.
An important note: this unity should never be at the expense of truth (v.17) in other words, we should never compromise God’s Word so that we can agree with one another, rather, our unity should be based in the truth of the Word of God. We cannot compromise or change God’s Word so that we can agree with others who identify as Christians or as part of the church. In this day and age, many people accuse people who love Jesus and who cling to His word of being divisive. The truth is, God’s Word is divisive, and it separates those who are being saved from those who are not. There are many subjects that have come up in recent years with certain denominations that have caused the true church to split from the apostate church. Anglicans, ELCA Lutherans, and, most recently PCUSA Presbyterians have stood against the word of God, and then have called for unity. 1 Corinthians 5 says that we cannot even eat with such people.
The unity that Jesus prays for, and continues to intercede for us to have is needed with His departure. In this world, we will have trials and troubles. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, and the unity of brothers and sisters in the church, we would be destroyed. Jesus has left the world physically, but He lives forever to make intercession for us. He also has given us life by His Spirit and brothers and sisters to prop us up when we fall down. And this unity displayed brings great glory to God as we walk out our life in His truth.
The last day of Jesus continues while he and His disciples are making their way toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus speaks while they are walking, instructing His disciples about their relationship with Him, with one another, and with the world. He gives them assurances; assurances about their connection to Him, and to one another, by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. He offers them and us peace. Yet, they are concerned; concerned about their future, concerned about their own death, overwhelmed with grief that is centered on themselves. Jesus continues his discussion with more assurances about what is to come.We have been studying the book of John with the goal of knowing Jesus in truth so that we might believe in Him and in believing Him having life in His name (John 20:31), we have struggled with the disciples in trying to figure out what exactly Jesus has been communicating. We have the advantage of the apostles’ lives and their writings in the New Testament, as well as 2000 years of history to assist us in understanding what Jesus was trying to communicate to them and to us.
[25] “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;
(John 16:25-26 ESV)
The difficulty in understanding Jesus comes in the fact that Jesus often used obscure language that was full of meaning to communicate with both the disciples and with the world at large. Remember, one of the roles that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is that of the Spirit of Truth. For these disciples, when Jesus was with them, they did not always understand the meaning of what He was saying. At this point they still did not fully understand that Jesus was going to die and be raised again. But this would be changed with the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples was going to help them, in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection, to write the New Testament. They would hear and understand plainly the teaching about the Father. And, as a result, they would speak, be spoken through and minister to generations of believers including us. We can use some of their writings to interpret the very things that Jesus was trying to communicate.
One of the most important things that we learn is that Jesus Christ no longer must communicate with the Father on our behalf, for our relationship with the Father has been changed when we believe on Jesus Christ. We are now His children whom He loves. We can talk directly to Him because we are His children, and He will respond to us because He loves us.
[27] for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. [28] I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
All of our relationships change when we become believers. We no longer need an intermediary to present our requests to God, rather, because we have loved Jesus, the Father loves us. We have become His children, so we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. As the apostle Paul teaches us in Romans and Ephesians, we are Children of God, Adopted as sons of the Father through Jesus Christ. We ask in Jesus’ name, again, agreeing with His character and will, and it will be granted us because Jesus is worthy, but also because we cling to Him, and we love him. Because we love Jesus, the Father is our Father, and He loves us. He will grant good gifts to His children. This does not mean that Jesus is not our intercessor, along with the Holy Spirit, but His role is interceding on our behalf when we sin (1 John 2) and when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26). When we pray according to His will, as God’s children, He hears us.
The other important truth that the disciples heard,and we read, a very clear truth: That Jesus was from God, is one with God the Father, and is returning from where He came. This is not like the prophets that were sent by God. No, Jesus is unique in that he dwelt with the Father before, and with His death and resurrection, He would see the Father again and be back where it is that He came from. And then both the Father and Son will be present with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[29] His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! [30] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
The disciples believed that they had finally entered into the mystery of Jesus, that they were to receive this power now, and that they could understand what He taught. They were sure that He had omniscient- or that He knew all things. They no longer felt the need to question Him, they could take what He said at face value. They also believe that He came from God. However, it seemed, with this generic response from them that they missed His last statement, that they did not understand that He was indeed God, that He had come from the Father- a deeper meaning than one of location, it would be better said ‘come forth from’. These disciples still had much to learn. They did not yet have the Holy Spirit to teach them all things. They still did not completely understand the mysteries of God, nor did they did not have the faith they needed, as Jesus clearly reveals:
[31] Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? [32] Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
(John 16:29-33 ESV)
Jesus asks them, and us, a rhetorical question. He knew that the disciples’ belief was less than perfect still. He knows that they loved and trusted Him, indeed, that we who call ourselves believers will say that we love and trust Him. But is that borne out by our actions- in other words, do we demonstrate it by our way of life? Do we believe? This was illustrated by this prophesy of Jesus: “You will be scattered, each to your own home” The Greek here is skorpizo, and it simply means to scatter or disperse. What we see looking back is that with the exception of John, the disciples scattered and, in Peter’s case, denied Jesus Christ out of fear, out of a lack of faith. Jesus was basically saying “Do you really believe?” The disciples would leave Him alone, but He knew the Father would be with Him. Do we have that same type of faith? Do we truly believe that if we stand with Christ even if the whole world stands against us like it did the disciples that He will never leave us?
I have these fleeting moments of doubt, but I always come back to this truth: Jesus has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Yet, it is so easy to forsake Him for the sake of what we can see all around us. So many of us have the love and fear of man as the primary motivator for our behavior. That is sin, and demonstrates the same lack of faith that the disciples show here in this passage. Do you really believe?, These last years have been a demonstration of that for me personally. Most recently as you all know I went up to the cities to preach at a large event. I preach the same message that I preach in church, to people one to one, and in the open air: that we have offended God with our sin and that if we will repent and believe, God will save us through Jesus Christ. The people that I preach to (for the most part) hate the message, for as we know:
[18] For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)
People, as Jesus warned us, love the darkness rather than the light. The attacks have been many that I know of, many more I am sure behind my back (that is the nature of the world) The ones I know of include a newspaper article, around town, and over the internet. Some have been from people of some renown, others nobody would know. Over the last years I have lost friendships within this community and have had strained relations with members of my family. The cost of being up front with my faith has been times that I feel very lonely. I feel like our church is struggling and the temptation for me, and many other Pastors is to shut my mouth OR to preach an watered down Gospel. In many ways I feel like it would be easier to just preach in our church and study the Bible at home alone. I also know that for me, this tactic would be a denial of Christ, that I would be joining the disciples in scattering away from Christ. For me (I am not saying this is true for everybody, we are all gifted differently) I am constrained to preach the Gospel!
[14] For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; [15] and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV)
woe is me if I do not preach!
1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
I love to preach in the church and in the open air. I love to share one to one! I am gifted as an evangelist, and I realize it is not for everybody to be out front like myself. But we all can- we all must- share the good news if we truly believe. We deny Christ when we refuse to use the gifts He gives to build the church by proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
So I ask again, Do we truly believe? Do we believe enough to stand alone if need be and proclaim that “I am a Christian!” Do you really believe enough to take the risk to start a conversation with a stranger, or with a friend, or with a client, that will result in a presentation of the Gospel? Do you believe enough to carry around gospel tracts and leave them around in different places? Do you believe enough that you are willing to risk a loss or change of friendship, standing in the community, possible rejection by family? Do you believe enough that you will not fear what may happen to you, or what people might say behind your back? Or will you scatter like the disciples did. Today, Christians really do not have that option; if we are in Christ we have the Holy Spirit to empower us and even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, Jesus promises us peace.
[33] 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.”
Jesus’ words are that of peace. When we are in Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The peace is found because we are justified, we are no longer enemies of God. This peace with God was purchased by Christ Jesus. This is a reality in our lives, it does not change due to circumstances. Jesus warned us throughout the end of ch. 15 and in ch. 16 that the world will hate us as it hated Him. He warns us again here that while we are in this world as believers in Jesus Christ we will have tribulation- Greek thlipsis- meaning
pressure from evils, affliction, and distress. This will happen if we are in Christ, there is no avoiding it! And the sad thing is, it will come from within circles of those who call themselves Christians as well! Why? either they are not soundly saved or they have a level of guilt that they are on some level not being obedient to the Lord themselves. The promise is peace, which is not a lack of tribulation, but the real condition of our relationship to God which has been changed by Jesus Christ. Indeed, peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit! We are friends of God, and even better, we are children of God and part of His family.
So why do so many people today believe that the Christian life is supposed to be comfortable and non-controversial? Where is that found in the scriptures? No where does Jesus teach this. In fact here He teaches us the very opposite. The Christian life is a guarantee of trials, trouble, and tribulation. As long as we are in the world we will have trouble. The good news is that Jesus has overcome the world and the world system. The attacks and opposition of the world are meaningless for the Christian because Jesus has already over come the world and the world system. The end of the story is already written for the Christian. In the midst of all the things and people that stand against us, we have Jesus Christ standing for us. So we can take heart; no matter how bad it gets we do not need to scatter and stray. We can cling to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He has overcome the world, so we can take heart. We can be at peace, for our salvation is settled and the end of our story is written. He has promised that He will carry us all the way till the end, that we shall be with Him and be like Him. Thank God for the promise of peace.
The last day of Jesus continues while he and His disciples are making their way toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus speaks while they are walking, instructing His disciples about their relationship with Him, with one another, and with the world. He gives them assurances; assurances about their connection to Him, and to one another, by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Yet, they are concerned; concerned about their future, concerned about their own death, overwhelmed with grief that is centered on themselves. Jesus continues his discussion with more assurances about what is to come.
[16] “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” [17] So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” [18] So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
(John 16:16-18 ESV)
This statement was confusing to the disciples for the simple purpose that Jesus had said earlier that He was going away, and that they could not come, and that they could see Him no more. It is confusing in that we can look back and wonder, was Jesus speaking about His crucifixion, and his resurrection where He revealed Himself to the disciples and 500 others? Was He speaking about the fact that He would be coming again in power to judge the world? And though the time frame is not definite in this verse, in the context we can see that He has been talking about the Holy Spirit. He is going to the Father, but we know that when He does, the Holy Spirit arrives, another Helper like Jesus, who is fully God, sent by Christ to comfort and empower His disciples.
[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
(Romans 8:9 ESV)
Phil 1:19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
[11] inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
(1 Peter 1:11 ESV)
So, in this context, Jesus is talking about His ascension into heaven, and the sending of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and He are One, with God, and Jesus is sending the Spirit to dwell with them- and us- forever, so that in that sense we will see Him. When we are in Christ, walking by the power of His Spirit, the world in a sense also can see Christ in us. The most important thing for these disciples, and for us, is that despite the fact that Christ is physically leaving, He is coming back. While He is gone, another like Him gives us His presence to lead us and to empower us as we live for Him. This same Spirit allows us to abide in Christ and produce fruit that is meet for repentance.
[19] Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? [20] 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 into joy. [21] When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. [22] So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:18-24 ESV)
In verse 19, Jesus demonstrates again that He is God, in that He knew their thoughts. But he explains their situation in a little more detail. First, when Jesus leaves, those who love Jesus will weep and lament (vs 20) while the world (system) is full of joy. This is part of the great deception of Satan; that somehow with the death of Jesus that the world system wins. However, the sorrow that the disciples will feel will soon be turned to joy, for they will realize that Jesus is alive even though He was killed. When he returns from the tomb at His resurrection, when He sends His Holy Spirit at His ascension, and when He comes back a second time, their joy and our joy will be made complete and permanent.
I love the illustration that Jesus gives of childbirth. My youngest is 10, and my oldest 20. I was at the birth of all of them, and I could see that my wife was going through a great deal of pain and travail in childbirth. She forgot the pain the minute that each one of our precious children were laid on her for the first time. Every time she sees them, she does not remember the pain of bringing them into this world. She remembers the joy of having them, of being with them, of spending time with them. Nobody can take that joy from her, even as our kids are leaving our home one by one. Every time that they return for a visit, there is a restoration of that joy and pride of being their parent. When Jesus is present with us by the Holy Spirit, and when He returns, our joy is made full because What He has said has come to pass, and He will be with us by the power of the Holy Spirit while we dwell on earth, and forever bodily when He returns.
[23] In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. [24] Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
When the Holy Spirit does come at Pentecost, they will no longer need His bodily presence to answer their questions and requests. Now, Jesus says, they will find their joy in answered prayer to the Father in the name (according to the will of) Jesus Christ. The Father, in the name of Jesus, will answer the requests of those who have been converted not because of their worthiness, rather, because of the worthiness of Jesus. Their joy will come in the answered prayer, because the prayer that will be answered is the one done in the Name and reflects the character of Jesus. It will help us to see Him in the results of the prayer, will bring glory to His name and joy to us.
[25] “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;
(John 16:25-26 ESV)
Jesus often used obscure language that was full of meaning to communicate with both the disciples and with the world at large. Remember, one of the roles that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is that of the Spirit of Truth. For these disciples, when Jesus was with them, they did not always understand the meaning of what He was saying. At this point they still did not fully understand that Jesus was going to die and be raised again. But this would be changed with the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples was going to help them, in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection, to write the New Testament. They would hear and understand plainly the teaching about the Father. And, as a result, they would speak, be spoken through and minister to generations of believers including us.
[27] for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. [28] I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
Our relationships change when we become believers. We no longer need an intermediary to present our requests to God, rather, because we have loved Jesus, the Father loves us. We have become His children, so we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. As the apostle Paul teaches us in Romans and Ephesians, we are Children of God, Adopted as sons of the Father through Jesus Christ. We ask in Jesus’ name, again, agreeing with His character and will, and it will be granted us because Jesus is worthy, but also because we cling to Him, and we love him. Because we love Jesus, the Father is our Father, and He loves us. He will grant good gifts to His children.
Then the disciples heard,and we read, a very clear truth: That Jesus was from God, is one with God the Father, and is returning from where He came. This is not like the prophets that were sent by God. No, Jesus is unique in that he dwelt with the Father before, and with His death and resurrection, He would see the Father again and be back where it is that He came from. And then both the Father and Son will be present with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[29] His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! [30] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
The disciples believed that they had finally entered into the mystery of Jesus, that they were to receive this power now, and that they could understand what He taught. They were sure that He had omniscient- or that He knew all things. They no longer felt the need to question Him, they could take what He said at face value. They also believe that He came from God. However, it seemed, with this generic response from them that they missed His last statement, that they did not understand that He was indeed God, that He had come from the Father- a deeper meaning than one of location, it would be better said ‘come forth from’. These disciples still had much to learn. They did not have the faith they needed, as Jesus clearly reveals:
[31] Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? [32] Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
(John 16:29-33 ESV)
Jesus asks them, and us, a rhetorical question. He knew that the disciples’ belief was less than perfect still. He knows that they loved and trusted Him, indeed, that we who call ourselves believers will say that we love and trust Him. But is that borne out by our actions- in other words, do we demonstrate it by our way of life? Do we believe? This was illustrated by this prophesy of Jesus: “You will be scattered, each to your own home” The Greek here is skorpizo, and it simply means to scatter or disperse. What we see looking back is that with the exception of John, the disciples scattered and, in Peter’s case, denied Jesus Christ out of fear, out of a lack of faith. Jesus was basically saying “Do you really believe?” The disciples would leave Him alone, but He knew the Father would be with Him. Do we have that same type of faith? Do we truly believe that if we stand with Christ even if the whole community stands against us that He will never leave us?
I have these fleeting moments of doubt, but I always come back to this truth: Jesus has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Yet, it is so easy to forsake Him for the sake of what we can see all around us. So many of us have the love and fear of man as the primary motivator for our behavior. That is sin, and demonstrates the same lack of faith that the disciples show here in this passage. Do you really believe? This past week has been a demonstration of that for me personally. I went up to the cities to preach at a large event. I preach the same message that I preach in church, to people one to one, and in the open air: that we have offended God with our sin and that if we will repent and believe, God will save us through Jesus Christ. The people (for the most part) hate the message, for as we know, the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The people love the darkness rather than the light. The attacks have been many that I know of, many more I am sure behind my back (that is the nature of this community) The ones I know of include a newspaper article, around town, and over the internet. Some have been from people of some renown, others nobody would know. The point is, I feel like it would be easier to just preach in church and study my Bible at home alone. I also know that this tactic would be a denial of Christ, that I would be joining the disciples in scattering away from Christ. For me (I am not saying this is true for everybody, we are all gifted differently) I am constrained to preach the Gospel! woe is me if I do not preach! Do we truly believe?
[33] 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.”
Jesus’ words are that of peace. When we are in Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The peace is found because we are justified, we are no longer enemies of God. This peace with God was purchased by Christ Jesus. This is a reality in our lives, it does not change due to circumstances. Jesus warned us throughout the end of ch. 15 and in ch. 16 that the world will hate us as it hated Him. He warns us again here that while we are in this world as believers in Jesus Christ we will have tribulation- Greek thlipsis meaning
pressure from evils, affliction, and distress. This will happen if we are in Christ, there is no avoiding it! And the sad thing is, it will come from within circles of those who call themselves Christians as well! Why? either they are not soundly saved or they have a level of guilt that they are on some level not being obedient to the Lord themselves. Why do so many people today believe that the Christian life is supposed to be comfortable and non-controversial? Where is that found in the scriptures? No where does Jesus teach this. As long as we are in the world we will have trouble. The good news is that Jesus has overcome the world and the world system. The attacks and opposition of the world are meaningless for the Christian because Jesus has already over come the world and the world system. The end of the story is already written for the Christian. In the midst of all the things and people that stand against us, we have Jesus Christ standing for us. So we can take heart; we do not need to scatter and stray. We can cling to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He will carry us.
[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.
But Jesus is not leaving us. He is leaving us with another like Himself, the Holy Spirit. Jesus must go away, for if He does not, the sin and death problem is not taken care of. He came into this world for the purpose of primarily bringing glory to God, but also for the redemption of lost mankind. It is to our advantage that He goes away, for it is in the act of dying and rising again that we can be saved. And when we are saved from our sins and from death, we (as Christians) can have the presence of the Holy Spirit, which also seals us for redemption and identifies us as part of the family of God. His presence in our lives allows us to bear fruit. His presence in our lives allows us to face persecution. His presence in our lives allows us to be filled with joy and peace in the midst of the most trying circumstances. The Holy Spirit is ours for life-giving power- like water
John 7:37-39 [37] On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” [39] Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The source of physical life is water; our bodies as well as the earth is something like seventy percent water, without water we will die. Living water is a symbol of God’s blessing and nourishment for His people, the Holy Spirit provides that for us as we are saved. A picture of the Holy Spirit’s control is to be filled with Him, like one would fill a glass of water. When we are saved, we are filled to overflowing.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
We are also introduced to the Holy Spirit as one who will abide with us forever. He is called the Spirit of truth. The Spirit dwells with those who are born again, never leaving them. He reveals the truth about God to the believer, and abides in the believer forever. This relationship with the believer is unique; the unbeliever cannot experience it, or really even understand it.
John 14:25-26 ESV [25] “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. [26] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit is our teacher, specifically for the disciples this was a special dispensation for them to recall the words of Jesus because they, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would be responsible for the authorship of the New Testament. But this promise is also for those who have been Born Again as we read the scripture the Spirit illuminates it for us so that we can understand it, and gives us the power to apply it.
John 15:26-27 [26] “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. [27] And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Finally, we have learned that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, bears internal witness about Jesus Christ to the believer. The result of that witness is for the believer to bear witness about Jesus Christ through our lives and through the words that we speak.
John 16:8-11 [8] And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; [10] concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; [11] concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
The Greek word that is translated convict in the ESV and reprove in the KJV is elencho, and it can be interpreted convict or reprove; but what does it mean here? Convict can be a judicial term that means to condemn, that is with a view toward punishment. That is not likely how this word is used here, because the role of judgment is reserved for the Son, with the Father.
John 5:22 [22] The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
So the more likely interpretation takes the word convince or reprove. This simply means that the Holy Spirit is an inner witness for the believer, but an outer witness for the individual sinner. The Holy Spirit creates an inner awareness concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. But it is also the very presence of the Holy Spirit in this world that is a testimony to God’s grace. Should the Spirit be removed, as will happen in the last days, man will become even more evil without the restraint of common grace. The Holy Spirit is here to bring prove the world is wrong concerning God; and bring shame and reprimand to those who refuse to repent- of course this is God’s grace as well, leaving this witness so that men have a chance to repent, though most will not. This is called the conscience, a word in Greek meaning con- with science- knowledge.
Romans 2:15-16 [15] They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them [16] on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
The law is written upon the hearts of the unconverted, and the Holy Spirit adds convincing and reproving to the hearts and minds of those that are yet unconverted. This is why many of the unconverted are conflicted or confused as to the way they are living life. They know that their behavior is wrong to an extent, but they are controlled by the flesh, and cannot stop or control their instincts. Their natural response is to defend their chosen way of life, to defend the things that they love and feel passionate about, because these are the things that drive the natural man. This is why, referring to the earlier verses, they hate Jesus and His followers. The reason? the light shines in their darkness and they feel convicted and confused as to the way that they are living life. They may want to change, but without conversion, they can not and will not change.
So what does the Holy Spirit convince the world of? Well, the verse is very clear here; sin, righteousness, and judgment. But we must be very careful in the context of this verse to examine specifically what these mean. Jesus outlines them for us, so we should see it clearly:
Sin- because they believed not on me: The specific sin, indeed the ultimate sin that damns people to Hell is lack of belief (GR pisteuo) in Jesus Christ.
John 8:[24] I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24 ESV)
Yes, we are all sinners, we have all broken the commands of God in thought, in word, and in deed. We sin because we are sinners, depraved from birth, without hope. But Jesus Christ has come, and He gave Himself on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and if we would only believe, He would wipe the sin away in the sense that He has been judged for that sin. He has promised that if we are born again we will get a new nature that can bear fruit of righteousness. But, as has been said in this book over and over, the natural man HATES Jesus and without cause. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, to convince man of the sin of not believing in Christ.
Righteousness- Jesus spent a lot of time speaking to people who believed that it was the works of righteousness that they had done that was going to earn favor with God. Jesus broke right through that with the Gospel, teaching that man must be good (moral perfection) before God would credit them as righteous. He exposed the self righteous priests and pharisees as hypocrites, making demands of people that they could not accomplish for themselves. In turn, the Pharisees and the leaders accused Jesus of having a demon and leading the people astray. The proof that He was sent by God was His perfect righteousness and his resurrection and ascension. By raising Jesus from the dead, God demonstrated that His Son was right and the world was wrong. The Holy Spirit was left for the purpose of convincing the world what righteousness looks like (Jesus) and the fact that they fall short of God’s standard.
Judgment- The Holy Spirit also brings for the unbelieving world the awareness that there is a day when they will be judged, as Satan has already been judged and defeated at the cross. There is a few aspects of this idea in context: First, that the ruler of this world has been judged, yet before the final judgment, He will remain active in deceiving the world, blinding them to the truth of God. Satan has blinded their eyes to the point where they cannot make right judgments about most things, but most importantly about Jesus Christ.(2 Corinthians 4:4) He is a liar, and the Father of all lies (John 8:44-47). Ultimately, the greatest lie perpetrated by Satan is that he defeated Jesus at the cross, when it is the opposite that is true. So, part of the role of the Holy Spirit is that He convinces men about their false judgments about Christ. Finally, the world system which Satan has developed makes it difficult for men to make righteous judgments, indeed, those under the control of Satan do what is right in their own eyes. However, those under the control of the Spirit of Christ can make right judgments. Satan works hard to blind the eyes of sinful mankind, all of whom are under His control until they are regenerated, and their eyes are opened by the Spirit of God.
(John 16:12-15 ESV)[12] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. [15] All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Jesus had really laid a lot of information on His disciples, and now was the time that he was going to get them ready for the final hours before His death. But the confidence in these verses is that the Helper, the Spirit of truth, would be there to guide them personally. Jesus was not going to be with them in the flesh any more, but the Spirit, in a very real way, would be dwelling with them. The Holy Spirit teaches us everything that there is to know. For the disciples, the Holy Spirit guided them in remembering the Words and teachings of Christ, and in writing the New Testament. He guided John in the prophetic writings of the Revelation. He spoke the words of the Father and reminded them of the words of the Son so that they could produce the New Testament. For us, the main role of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-2)The Holy Spirit in a man’s ministry glorifies God, exalts Jesus Christ, and allows man to discern the Word of God and to bear fruit for righteousness. the Holy Spirit brings these words to life and assists us in all things we need to know for living a life of righteousness before Jesus.
I have shared with you many times my exploits as an open- air evangelist. I have been harassed by police, I have gotten tickets, I have been assaulted, even knocked out. Here is a very recent illustration from Deerborn, MI of people’s rights as citizens to free speech being removed because of the speech being about Christ. Indeed, as you will see, they were removed not because of what they were speaking, but because of what they were handing out:
Simply put, the world hates us because we are Christians. They hate Christians without cause; they hate Christians because ultimately they hate Christ, and they do not know the Father. However, we are connected to the Vine, and therefore we can withstand the Hatred of the world. We have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working with us and through us, with all of the other branches (other Christians) supporting us and holding us up. As we enter back into the text, Jesus is reminding his disciples that they will be borne up by a strength not of them selves flowing from within- the power of the Holy Spirit.
[26] “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.
Jesus introduces another role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in this verse. First, we note that Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father. This is yet another indication that Jesus and the Father are one in nature, and are equal. We already know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Jesus introduces another role of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is to bear witness to us and through us about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not go about promoting Himself, rather, He promotes and lifts up Jesus Christ. Just as in John 3 where we see the Spirit compared to the wind, we see the results of the wind, but we do not know where it comes from or where it is going. The Spirit accentuates the life of Christ in us, uniting us to Christ, connecting all of us in a familial relationship, but not for the purpose of getting glory. The glory and the witness is all for God the Father and God the Son. People can see the results in our lives, specifically in the sense of the joy and peace that we have even in the midst of trials. They cannot explain it, or even understand it, because it is the Holy Spirit producing that fruit in us. They will know that we are different and unique, but they will not know why. That is why Christians must testify to the truth of Jesus Christ.
[27] And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
We will bear witness, by the very presence of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit by the testimony of our lives. But we must also remember that Jesus repeatedly reminds us that we ought to be preaching the Gospel verbally. The Holy Spirit bears witness about Jesus to us. But He also bears witness through us, through the fruit that we bear, but, more importantly, through the truth that we share. The Holy Spirit’s role that has been introduced thus far to us includes that He will be our comforter, our advocate, and help us remember what we ought to say. He is the Spirit of Truth, and with that truth, He will help us to give testimony before people so that we can bear witness of Jesus Christ. For the disciples, they had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They were especially equipped to be able to bear witness because they had seen all of His miracles and had heard all of His words. They would be writing much of the New Testament, so this was very important that there would be these eyewitness accounts. But that does not let us off the hook, for as we are saved, we bear witness also as we have the living Christ abiding in us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The words that we speak are given power by the Holy Spirit to bring the truth of Jesus Christ to those with ears to hear, those who have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
John [16:1] “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
The encouragement from Chapter 15 was to abide in Jesus Christ, to take our nourishment from Him, in order to lead a fruit-producing life. We also are reminded that we are tied in to one another as fellow branches, and as such we ought to love one another. The reason Jesus taught these things is stated here; we are reminded that the world will hate us because it first hated Him. They hated Him without cause; for He only spoke the very words of God and performed the miracles that God wanted Him to perform. And now Jesus is saying that the very reason that He spoke these words to them (in what became Ch. 15) is to keep them from being σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō 4624) offend -ed that is to lay a snare for, set a trap for; hence, to cause to stumble or fall, to give offense or scandal to anyone. He did not want to lie to them and tell them that following Him was going to be a bed of roses, that it was going to be easy. It is another grace of God, indeed part of His nature, that He always tells us the truth. I think the ESV mistranslates this falling away- those who have been elect, who have been called by God will not fall away. But they can be fooled, to be sure. Jesus did not want to set a trap for His disciples, He knew they would be persecuted, indeed most of them would die a martyrs death. He prepared them for this fact.
[2] They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
To be put out of the synagogue was the ultimate rejection for the Jew. This meant that you were considered unclean, and that no one would be able to have anything to do with you, even your own family. It was a shame that no one would want placed upon them, for the Synagogue was not only the center of religious life in the community, but it was the center really of all life- social, economic, political. Those cast out of the Synagogue were outcasts of society. Worse than that, these new outcasts would be subject to those who were very zealous for their faith (like Paul) who will believe that casting them out of the life of the synagogue was not enough. They will believe that they are serving the Father when they would kill off the disciples. So for the Jewish disciple, being a follower of Christ would be no easy task. Abiding in the vine and with the other branches was needed for their very survival.
I think this is something that we have lost a little bit of in the modern church. We do not need to be together as much because we have become comfortable in the world. There is not the outright persecution in this country that Christians through the ages have faced. But there will come a time that we will face it again, and many will fall away because they were never truly abiding in Christ, and they never were a part of the branches (the Church). They will not be able or willing to withstand the coming trials, and they will easily fall away when it begins to cost them something. More importantly, in our day to day lives, are we trusting Christ? If we are not when that day approaches we will not be ready, and we will be found wanting. Abiding in Christ is a day by day connection by faith evidenced by fruit bearing. I always encourage us to examine ourselves, and I say again, check your fruit (see Galatians 5) does it look more like the fruit of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit? Are we trusting in ourselves and our level of satisfaction and comfort, or in the Vine?
[3] And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. [4] But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
It is clear that the attacks that fruit-bearing Christians will face are from a heart that is in rebellion against God. If they knew the Father, and were drawn by Him, their behavior towards fellow believers would be one of love not of hate, strife, dissensions, or anger. People who are in the light love the light and everything having to do with the light. People who are in darkness hate the light and will do everything to stop light being shone on them. They may say that they are doing what they are doing on behalf of God, but the truth is that they are not. I am amazed by the fact that when my friends or I preach in the open air, or witness one to one, or give out a tract, many times it is a professing Christian that attacks or berates us for doing so. In my last open air preaching in this community, We spent 2 1/2 hours in front of a bar reading the Word of God and preaching, and we didn’t get one complaint. We spent a half an hour on a corner near a church, and got complaints from one pastor, and then a few others. There were phone calls to area pastors questioning what was going on! These were all professing Christians! Here is the thing: If people berate you or insult you for desiring to share your faith with others, they are likely not Christians at all. Charles Spurgeon said it like this: “Have you no concern for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that!”
The disciples, while with Jesus, witnessed the times when the Jewish leaders confronted Him, threatened Him, and even attempted to murder Him. Jesus had always been with them until this point, and now He was leaving them to go to the cross. Jesus felt the need to warn them, to tell them the truth about the cost of being a disciple. Do you see how this is the opposite of many Christians and many churches in this modern age? Yes, there are benefits of being a fruit bearing Christian. There is the friendship with God, there is the love, the peace, the joy of knowing that you are now adopted as His children. With those benefits, however, there is the trials and the persecution that Jesus is warning about as well. He has promised us that we would have trouble, and that the world would hate us, like Him, without cause.
[5] But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ [6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
For the disciples, this was a very real and a very present time of sadness. This entire teaching from Jesus came at a time that the disciples were told that He was going away (John 14) and they were wondering at that time where it was He was going. Now, they were so consumed with sadness and fear that they had likely lost concern about the trial at hand. They were likely fearing for their very lives over the next 24 hours! This teaching had really overtaken them, as I hope it has overtaken you. You may be very comfortable now, not really taking a hit for your faith. But the truth is, if you are living for Christ one day you will. And you will soon learn that as Christians, we cannot live apart from the Vine. We cannot live without the love and the support and the fellowship of other believers. And yet, many of us in this day and age because we are comfortable try to either live separately from the Vine or the branches. Those people are like easy prey, either sick and weak or young and feisty, but alone, and will easily be consumed by the roaring lion of the world system. And many do not even know it, because they were never attached to the Vine.
[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.
But Jesus is not leaving us. He is leaving us with another like Himself, the Holy Spirit. Jesus must go away, for if He does not, the sin and death problem is not taken care of. He came into this world for the purpose of primarily bringing glory to God, but also for the redemption of lost mankind. It is to our advantage that He goes away, for it is in the act of dying and rising again that we can be saved. And when we are saved from our sins and from death, we (as Christians) can have the presence of the Holy Spirit, which also seals us for redemption and identifies us as part of the family of God. His presence in our lives allows us to bear fruit. His presence in our lives allows us to face persecution. His presence in our lives allows us to be filled with joy and peace in the midst of the most trying circumstances.
In these last weeks, we examined the scripture in John 15 and discovered insight into the relationship between a Christian and their Lord (The Vine) and Christians and one another. Both relationships determine our relationship to the world, and how we function in the world with those who do not believe on Christ. Indeed, when we decide to follow Christ, all of our relationships change. We go from being enemies of God to being at peace with Him. We are also reconciled in relationship with others who are in Christ, in fact forming one spiritual body with others who have come to Christ. And now, instead of being comfortable in the world system, we find ourselves as enemies of the world because we are friends with God.
[18] “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
We need the supply and nourishment of Christ, and the love of fellow believers in order to somehow be able to function in this world. This world Gr. kronos hates those who are in relationship with Christ because it hates Christ. In this place, kronos is a system rather than a place, and it is a system or an order of things which, because of and since the Fall, is alienated from God, as manifested in and through the human race. In other words, the human race as a whole is in active rebellion towards God and the things of God since the fall. Therefore, we understand why Jesus, as fully God, and speaking the things of God while on a mission from God would be hated. The word translated hate is GR miseō and it means to hate, usually implying active ill-will in words and conduct, or a persecuting spirit. It is the opposite of agape love, in that it is an active hate as agape is an active love. This is the attitude the world system represented by people take with Jesus Christ, and his followers. But we take comfort in knowing that the world hated Jesus before it hated us.
Why should the world hate us? Because when we bear fruit, the fruit bears witness against them, indeed it condemns them. We do not need to condemn the world, it is already condemned. Our lives, when connected to the vine and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit is what brings hatred our way, for these are the very things that the world is in rebellion against! Take for example Cain:
1 John 3:12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
So Jesus understood that there is something in the people of the world that hates righteousness and righteous actions. Their natural response is to hate pure and righteous actions, the fruit of the Spirit.
[19] 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.
As we examined the fruit last week, we looked at the fruit of the Spirit. We should examine, from Galatians 5, the fruit of those who are in the flesh and how the fruit of the Spirit is opposed to these things:
[18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(Galatians 5:18-21 ESV)
The people of the world are controlled by the flesh and their fleshly desires. They are slaves to them. They love what they do, and because they love it so much, when there is even silent opposition to their sinful lifestyle, they get defensive and angry. Since they are controlled by the flesh, their attitude towards people, especially Christians, include enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy. Just like Cain dealing with Abel his own brother, the world will desire to kill us for simply obeying Jesus Christ and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. They hate us because we have been chosen by Christ, and we follow Him and bear fruit for Him. Being chosen by Christ means being regenerated, brought to life out of spiritual death. Those who are spiritually dead follow their nature, which is opposed to God, and controlled by the flesh. People who are chosen by Christ, regenerated, bear the fruit of the Spirit. The two are completely opposed to one another; they cannot get along.
[20] Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. [21] But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
This is a funny assurance, that if we are persecuted and hated by the world and the world system for being attached to Jesus the Vine, and bearing fruit, it brings us assurance that we are in Christ. Our words will be dismissed and attacked just as Jesus’ were. This brings me to a real pet peeve of mine, and that is the modern gospel message. Paul Washer said
“In modern day evangelism, this precious doctrine [of regeneration] has been reduced to nothing more than a human decision to raise one’s hand, walk an aisle, or pray a “sinner’s prayer.” As a result, the majority of Americans believe that they’ve been “born again” (i.e., regenerated) …even though their thoughts, words, and deeds are a… continual contradiction to the nature and will of God”
Many of these false converts are attracted by promises of a better life in Christ, they are enticed with the fruit of the Spirit and the joy of being a Christian. “Just add Jesus to your life, and everything will be alright” What they are not told is that the promise of Jesus is that we will be hated and we will be persecuted by the world. The Christian life is not by any means a bed of roses. But, as many here can testify, when we are being hated and when we are being persecuted for Jesus’ sake, we have a joy that is unspeakable in the midst of it. The joy comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit, indeed it is a fruit of the Spirit. This is something else that the people of the world are so confounded by; how can a person be joyful in the midst of the worst circumstances? The answer? Our joy is rooted in Christ, who has sent His Holy Spirit. The promise is that He will never leave nor forsake us.
The world hates the word that we speak, as Paul says, the preaching of the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. Make no mistake, the Gospel when preached is either good news, or it has a hardening effect on the hearers. The word that is spoken is somewhere down the line in the order of salvation; one must be regenerated by the Spirit of God before he or she can respond to the Gospel message being preached. Before one can have faith, before one can repent, God must do a quickening work in us. It is part of His grace towards us, even giving us that which we need to respond to the good news.
[22] If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. [23] Whoever hates me hates my Father also. [24] If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. [25] But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
In this context, Jesus is saying very simply not that the people who heard Him were without sin, or ever would be sinless. What He is saying in this context is that His words and his works proved that he came from God, indeed, that He was God. But the people were responsible for what they heard from Him, indeed, when they rejected Jesus’ words, which were words from the Father, they turned their back on Jesus and on God the Father. They committed the grave sin of unbelief and rebellion; they rejected their Messiah. Now, they have no excuse not to believe because of all the words, all the miracles, all the proofs that He was who He said He was. The only excuse is that they love darkness more than they love light, they prefer to remain dead in sins and good works rather than alive to God in Christ Jesus.
This passage is particularly true for the Jew, but it holds true for the modern person as well. The grave error for the Jews was that Jesus came to them first because they were God’s chosen people. They rejected their Messiah whom did works before them that were prophesied hundreds of years earlier. So it comes back on us now; when we speak His words, backed up by all the prophesies fulfilled, all the years of History unraveled by archeology, by all those who would die for Him, all proving Christ was who He says He was, they have no excuse to continue to rebel against God and reject His word. When people reject you for your stand for Christ they are not rejecting you, nor are they hating you. They are rejecting God because they have rejected Jesus. They did so without cause, that is, Jesus simply spoke the words and did the works the Father planned for Him to do. He was kind, patient, filled with lovingkindness and truth while on this earth, and that was he reason that He had to die. The people hated him without cause, and He died without guilt. So we as believers must know that men will hate us also without cause, because we love Jesus.
[26] “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.
Jesus introduces another role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in this verse. First, we note that Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father. This is yet another indication that Jesus and the Father are one in nature, and are equal. We already know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Jesus introduces another role of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is to bear witness about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not go about promoting Himself, rather, He promotes and lifts up Jesus Christ. Just as in John 3 where we see the Spirit compared to the wind, we see the results of the wind, but we do not know where it comes from or where it is going. The Spirit accentuates the life of Christ in us, uniting us to Christ, connecting all of us in a familial relationship, but not for the purpose of getting glory. The glory and the witness is all for God the Father and God the Son. People can see the results in our lives, specifically in the sense of the joy and peace that we have, but they cannot explain it, because it is the Holy Spirit producing that fruit in us. They will know that we are different and unique, but they will not know why. That is why Christians must testify to the truth of Jesus Christ.
[27] And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
That is why Jesus repeatedly reminds us that we ought to be preaching the Gospel. The Holy Spirit bears witness about Jesus to us. But He also bears witness through us, through the fruit that we bear, but, more importantly, through the truth that we share. The Holy Spirit’s role that has been introduced thus far to us includes that He will be our comforter, our advocate, and help us remember what we ought to say. He is the Spirit of Truth, and with that truth, He will help us to give testimony before people so that we can bear witness of Jesus Christ. For the disciples, they had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They were especially equipped to be able to bear witness because they had seen all of His miracles and had heard all of His words. They would be writing much of the New Testament, so this was very important that there would be these eyewitness accounts. But that does not let us off the hook, for as we are saved, we bear witness also as we have the living Christ abiding in us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The words that we speak are given power by the Holy Spirit to bring the truth of Jesus Christ to those with ears to hear, those who have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The simple truth of this passage is that if we are connected to the Vine, we will bear fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact that we are connected with the Vine with other branches producing fruit means that we are interrelated with the Vine, and with the other branches. We need one another, we ought to love one another. This is especially true because when we are connected to the Vine, and we are bearing fruit, the world will hate us as it hated Jesus. We need the Vine and the other branches for strength so we can face the enemy, the good news is that the Vinedresser is the greatest help, pruning where needed and cleaning the vine of pests and other threats. We can be confident in Him as long as we abide in Him, because the promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us. Nothing in the created order can separate us from the love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. They can destroy the body, but they cannot hurt our soul. In this world we will be persecuted and hated, but we have joy unspeakable in the midst of it and we have the confident hope in His promises. So take this away from the passage: Abide in Christ- and Christ in you. Without Him you can do nothing, but He has chosen you, and appointed you to bear fruit.
The final words I will say come from the book of Luke 6:
[22] “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! [23] Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
(Luke 6:22-23 ESV)
Jesus is continuing in the metaphor of the Vine and the branches in this next dialogue with his disciples. Last week, he spoke using this metaphor to describe the relationship of Believers to Himself. Now, he continues this discourse by encouraging us about our relationships with one another. In this dialogue, Jesus establishes that it is our relationships with Him, one another, and then later with the world, that can determine if we are in fact abiding in Him. By far, the most important aspect in our relationship with one another is summed up with one word: Love.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
This seeming innocuous commandment (GR. entole) is an impossibility outside of our connection to the vine. The first reason is the type of love that is commanded in these verses. This love is GR: agapaō , and it has its only source in God, and it is impossible to exhibit outside of his presence. In fact, the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer is bound up and given meaning in that one word. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and compare the description of love next to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The fruit of love produced by the Holy Spirit is called and described as agape. Love that is agape is fruit that is produced in the Christian because it is the way that Christ loved us. It is a sure sign that we are in fact his followers if we produce the fruit of agape love. Agape love, the fruit of the Spirit, the way that Jesus loves us, looks like this:
Patient (longsuffering) We were enemies of God according to our wicked works, but Jesus patiently endured our rebellion against Him. We deserved to die for any individual sin, but He did not kill us.
Kindness it is active goodness, going out in the service of others. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross. It is this kindness that should lead us to repentance.
Truthful: It tells the truth and it celebrates what is true. Jesus is the truth.
Bears all things: Love does not publicize the failures of others, nor does it take joy in them. Jesus took our failures and bore them on the tree, he takes our weakness and gives us His strength.
Believes all things: Not in a gullible sort of way, but one that believes the best about you. God sees us as righteous in Christ right now, even though we still struggle with sin.
Hopes all Things: It is an desire that all things turn out for the best for that other person. We have the hope of a resurrection body and eternity with Jesus because of His sacrifice. We have a promise that we will one day be like Him, and that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Endures all things: Jesus was the supreme example, He endured 33 years of being made into the likeness of a servant, taking the form of man, suffering daily with human weakness and ultimately enduring the wrath of God poured out on Him for the sins of the world. We endure through persecution and ill treatment in His name because HE endured. It demonstrates our love for Him.
In the negative sense, Godly love does not envy, that is, it is not covetous of another person’s life. Instead, godly love rejoices in the Godly fruit produced in a brother’s life, and is content with what Christ is doing in their own life. God’s love in us does not boast, because there is nothing to boast about. We have been saved by grace through faith and it is not of ourselves! The fruit bourn is the fruit of the Holy Spirit rooted in Christ and dressed by the Father! A right understanding of our condition before Christ should also remove arrogance, which is a high opinion of oneself and the attitude that comes with it. The only pride that branches should have is in the vine and the vinedresser! The fruit is not even ours! The fruit of love is also not rude, that is, natural, raw, and unrefined. When we love like Christ we become more like Christ. He was the perfect man, fully God, fully man, and was never rude, even in disagreements.
Love that is the fruit of the Spirit puts the needs of others in front of our own needs. We submit to the needs of others out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5). It is not irritable, and even when slighted by others quickly forgives and moves on. True love does not build upon resentment and hurt, but forgives and releases ourself and others to walk in the Lord freely. Finally, love does not rejoice in sin, or iniquity of another. Many times we will rejoice over the fall of a person that we have held a grudge against. Christian love, even when a Christian falls, is built upon the premise of forgiveness and restoration. Does this mean that there will never be disagreement and confrontation between the people within the body of Jesus Christ? Certainly not. But love does cover a multitude of sins, and while sometimes things like church discipline are used it is the method by which God prunes us. It is all to be made more in the image of His Son. It is restorative, not retributive.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Jesus’ love for the disciples changed their relationship as well. They transitioned from being GR. doulos- servants, bound to serve, whose will was wholly at the service of another to GR philos- friends-loved and beloved. Philos represents brotherly love, and it is a type of love that we are to show towards one another within the body of Christ as well. When a Master gives a command, a servant accomplishes it without question. The servant does not even need to know the reason why the command was given. Certainly, God could choose to give us a command and hold us to a standard if He chose to do so. But God is so gracious that He revealed Himself in His Word, in the Creation, and in His one and only Son, Jesus. Jesus calls us his friends, and as such, He has communicated the plans and teachings of the Father to the disciples, taking us into his confidence. He has shared with them about His death, His resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, His coming again, and their responsibilities that they were to accomplish as they waited for His return. In this sense, we will always be bondservants of Jesus Christ, but we also will be His friends as He states here. A servant has not part of the plan, he just receives the plan and obeys it. As branches, we receive from the Lord, as disciples, we follow Him and his commands, and as friends we have the privilege of communing with Him (BBC, 1551)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
This is another contentious verse looking at different theologies and their approach to the Bible. When you come with an open mind, however, the most simple reading is he is speaking to the disciples, he chose them. The Greek word is ἐκλέγω (eklegō) chosen, and it means to lay out together, pick out, select, choose. It has the idea of picking out for one’s self, choose out, from preference, favor, or love. This is where we get the word for ekklesia, the called out ones, the church. This idea of choosing, of loving, of calling out of should have given them confidence only in the fact that they were chosen by Christ, rather than confidence in themselves. They should have had an awareness, a sense that the choosing was not based upon their own merits. Jesus knew that when the Holy Spirit came, these branches would bear fruit. It should give us the same awareness because these promises apply to those who come to Christ, those who have been chosen, regenerated, and have responded to the Gospel call. Jesus chose us from the beginning of time, appointed us so that we could do good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). He didn’t choose us to sit in pews, he didn’t choose us to belong to a certain denomination. He chose us, appointed us, grafted us into Himself (the Vine) so that we would bear fruit that abides.
What kind of fruit abides? Well the fruit of the Spirit is summed up in one word: Love. As in 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. Love, however, never ends. Do not forget the closing line of 1 Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. The overwhelming theme in the fruit of the Spirit is love, but as it says in Galatians 5:22 we should also include:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And while these are certainly fruit that the Christian should have as evidence that he or she is attached to the vine, the outgrowth of that fruit should be motive to go out and win the lost. Jesus wants our fruit, that he has called us and appointed us for, to abide. He has given us the power of prayer, that if prayed in His name according to the will of the Father, that prayer would be answered. A prayer according to the the Father’s will is that people would be saved, and, more importantly, that He would send laborers. If you are a Christian, you are a laborer in the harvest fields. You cannot help it; in this world today anybody who manifests the pure fruit of the Spirit is an oddity! You stand in opposition to the false fruit, for the fruit of the Spirit remains no matter the circumstances! When you manifest love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in the midst of every situation, it testifies to the world that Christ is real and that He changes lives. And you have the privilege of proclaiming it with your mouth also, for people God has prepared must hear the Gospel call.
17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
The disciples would be hated by the world, as will we if we truly follow Jesus Christ without compromise. That is why we must follow these commands of Christ so that we can make it through our lives as Christians. We must love one another, literally pouring our lives out for one another. In the midst of persecution, despair, heartache, loss, etc, our greatest need is to be loved. When we give love and receive love, we are displaying Christ to the world, for God is love. There is the command: To love one another as Christ has loved you. It is a command for the glory of God to be displayed in us, and for our own good. Jesus laid down His life as a demonstration of His love for us, and we must do the same for one another. How are you doing at keeping this commandment?
River Of Life Marshall is a Great Commission Church of the C&MA: existing to know Christ and to make Him known by reaching people with the whole Gospel in our community, bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ, and making disciples that reflect the character and priorities of Jesus Christ.
