(presented as a prelude to lesson on unity)

A few years ago a man and woman in Long Beach, California stopped and bought some fried chicken for a picnic. When the clerk took their money she somehow, mindlessly, enclosed a large stack of the cash register’s money in with their food. When they arrived at the picnic spot and found the money, the man instantly said they had to return it, which they did.

The frantic manager was thrilled to `meet someone of such honesty. He wanted to call the newspaper and have the man’s picture and story printed. The man refused, which is even more impressive as long as you think it was due to his humility. But the story turns sour when you find out the reason he didn’t want to call the newspaper is that the woman he was picnicking with wasn’t his wife but was in fact someone else’s.

That sick feeling you have right now is why we need to be genuine as God’s people…this “thing” we’re doing here is not about ritual or numbers, but we’re seeking to be a church that belongs to Christ…individuals who want a high moral standard that includes lifestyle, attitudes & beliefs.

We’ll not be perfect in this daily endeavor, but we’ve got to be trying and we’ve got to be making progress!

Beliefs matter.  Jesus confronted the Sadducees regarding their disbelief on the subject of the resurrection in  Matthew 22. He stopped their ‘trap’ but he also exposed the error of their belief.

When Apollos began to preach the word of God in Acts 18-19, he was “off” on the subject of baptism and it was corrected.

Beliefs matter. When Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, he saw some error in their thinking regarding their “freedom in Christ” and set it right.

Which beliefs matter? At times we’ve insisted on too much conformity; there can also be too little conformity. Which beliefs? What would you list? It is tempting to generate our own list.

Is it what the elders offer as “official church policy?” Do you have to follow lock-step with everything the preacher or favorite Bible class teacher presents? Of course not!

We will have our own ideas about many subjects, but on some subjects there can be no real discussion, if it fits in the area of God’s Word and it is clearly given by direct command, necessary inference, or is based upon the teaching in the 1^st century of the apostles of Christ.

God expects conformity within the church, the Body of Christ. It is not a forced legalistic conformity to external rules and regulations, but a willing inner conformity to the holiness, love, and will of our heavenly Father, who wants His children to honor Him as their Father.

“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” Paul admonished the Philippians, “so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27).

Right doctrine is essential to right living. It is impossible to live a faithful Christian life without knowing biblical doctrine. Doctrine simply means teaching, and there is no way that even the most sincere believer can live a life pleasing to God without knowing what God Himself is like and knowing the sort of life God wants him to live. Those who set biblical theology aside also set aside sound Christian living.

When people say, “Don’t talk to me about doctrine—just let me live my Christian life!” they are revealing their ignorance of the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer.

“It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you live right” is a similar confession of ignorance. It does make a difference what you believe, because what you believe determines how you behave!

When people say, “Don’t talk to me about doctrine—just let me live my Christian life!” they are revealing their ignorance of the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer. “It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you live right” is a similar confession of ignorance. It does make a difference what you believe, because what you believe determines how you behave!

The word beseech indicates that God, in love, urges us to live for His glory. He does not say, as He did to the Old Testament Jews, “If you obey Me, I will bless you.” Rather, He says, “I have already blessed you—now, in response to My love and grace, obey Me.” He has given us such a marvelous calling in Christ; now it is our responsibility to live up to that calling.

The main idea in these first sixteen verses is the unity of believers in Christ. This is simply the practical application of the doctrine taught in the first half of the letter: God is building a body, a temple. He has reconciled Jews and Gentiles to Himself in Christ. The oneness of believers in Christ is already a spiritual reality. Our responsibility is to guard, protect, and preserve that unity.

Not just an arbitrary test from God, rather these are really true & good & healthy (cf. believing God is a tyrant, will be unhealthy; thinking God is good, or patient, and loving will cause us to treat people that way). What’s more important — they will also hold us together as a genuine group of God’s people.

The instructions which Paul lays down in chapters 4-6 are not just duties, which the Christian is required to perform, they are to be understood as the outworking of the marvelous salvation which God has accomplished in Jesus Christ.

So over the next few weeks, I plan to speak about the seven matters mentioned here. Not the official pronouncement of correct beliefs, but a reminder that beliefs matter & that some certain beliefs are required by God so as to hold us together as people of God

Most denominational members would be surprised to discover that their chosen religious affiliation is less than 500 years old. Many people assume that the church of which they are members is ancient in origin, divinely ordained, and a part of the church revealed in the New Testament.

It has never occurred to them that there were no denominations in New Testament days. When the church was established in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, there was one church with Christ as the head and the apostles as pillars of faith as they did exactly what Jesus had trained them to do.

That church was planned (Eph. 3:10-11), prophesied (Isaiah 2:2-3), prepared (Matt. 3:1-2), and promised (Matt. 16:18) before it existence. The kingdom came with power (Mark 9:1) when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8). The gospel was preached, sinners responded to that resurrected Savior, they repented, they were immersed in water for remission of sins, and they began the Christian walk.

How simple! And how tragic today that so many have changed that simple beginning with their own ideas and teachings. How thrilling it is to find people in the Ukraine (for instance) who were given Bibles in years past and began reading it and with little or no help from outside teachers, became New Testament Christian and began worshipping in ways God approved through the apostles and first century Christians.

At Pentecost, every person obeyed the same gospel, became members of the same body, and ultimately wore the same name.

Those who cause factions are to be rejected

(Titus 3:10)  Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

Men who cause dissensions are to be avoided

(Romans 16:17)  I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Tim Stafford (Oklahoma Christian University) tells of a minister who used a jar full of beans in teaching. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right.

He then turns to the list of their favorite songs. “And which one of these is closest to being right?” he asks. The students protest that there is no “right answer”; a person’s favorite song is purely a matter of taste. And the teacher agrees.

But then he asks, “When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favorite song?” Always, and amazingly, he gets the same answer, from old as well as young: they say choosing one’s faith is more like choosing a favorite song than knowing the # of beans in the jar.

IF that is true, then what we believe has more to do with what we like or what we will not accept. The issue of God’s authority is taken out of the equation!

The highly respected author A. W. Tozer wrote, “It would be impossible to overemphasize the importance of sound doctrine in the life of a Christian. Right thinking about all spiritual matters is imperative if we would have right living. As men do not gather grapes from thorns nor figs from thistles, so sound character does not grow out of unsound teaching.”

What we believe WILL affect our lives. Beliefs matter.

One of the common features of the modern religious world is denominationalism. There are currently over 2000 generally recognized denominations and over 20,000 smaller, distinct divisions in the church.

The spirit of the age looks at such with acceptance as is evidenced by the often heard, “attend the church of your choice.” They proceed to statements like “…it really doesn’t matter…what you believe…how you worship…as long as you believe in God….we worship the same God.”

Nevertheless, and despite the many contemporary appearances of acceptability, Jesus did not intend for His church to be divided.

Some make an effort to discount the significance of religious division, suggesting…that the differences are not all that great; or that religious division is good, for it enables people to find a church that suits them personally.

HOWEVER, THE BIBLE ALSO TEACHES THAT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LED ASTRAY ARE TO BE GIVEN KINDLY ASSISTANCE

God is much more desirous of people being saved, than of their being condemned

(Ezekiel 18:23)  Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

(John 3:17)  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

(1 Timothy 2:4)  who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

(2 Peter 3:9)  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Jesus feels compassion for those who wander astray (Matt. 9:36-38; 18:6-7).

(Matthew 9:36-38)  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. {37} Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. {38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Kindness, patience, and gentleness, are to be used in correcting the mistaken and misguided

(2 Timothy 2:24)  And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.).

Denominationalism presents us with a great challenge. We must both oppose without compromise its practice, yet assist with all compassion its sincerely mistaken practitioners.

Many of us here today are no longer within a denominational context because someone, without compromise, showed us kindness, patience, and compassion.

The ways of the Lord are right, and consequently they also work!

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Our subject is Christian unity: Jesus hits it three times in these four verses (John 17:21, 22, 23), so we can’t miss it.

Division plagues the church. In the brotherhood there are groups which have nothing to do with one another, brothers and sisters divided over Bible classes, one cup, orphans homes, church cooperation, etc.

Even more obvious are divisions within local congregations. Almost every congregation which has been in existence for any length of time has experienced at least one church split. Perhaps even more tragic: even when churches do not divide, frequently factions occur in the congregation…one family which will not speak to another, one group which will have nothing to do with another.

Some brethren sit on one side of the building and some on the other side, members of the same congregation, brothers in Christ, no more than twenty or thirty feet apart. But they might as well be a hundred miles apart and members of different churches, for all the fellowship they have.

There is even one group that divided over whether there should be lights in the parking lot!

Division is both tragic and sinful. It is contrary to the spirit of Christ (John 17:21) and to the will of God (1 Corinthians 1:10). But how can division be avoided? How can the church be united?

We all talk about unity while practicing division. Most do not know what unity is. If you do not know what it is, you cannot practice it. The restoration plea is a unity plea! Division is wrong outside the church or in the church. The sectarian spirit is blasphemous. Splintered churches and alienated brethren are not the answer to The Lord’s Prayer.

Unity is a gift from God. It is to keep. Men cannot find unity from a human creed. It has always been easier for men to divide than unite. It is easier to fly apart than to come together.

Even the apostles had a unity problem. Jesus was denied, betrayed, yea forsaken. Yet He never lost trust in God or hope for man.

Unity is in a person. That person is Christ. This is our primary loyalty. Our loyalty belongs to Him and Him alone.

A church split that involved one of my family members: Don’t let someone outside of God’s will keep me from doing God’s will.

Unity is a personal, growing, and living relationship with Jesus. We love each other because we both love Him. Our love for Christ allows us to transcend our differences.

Many talk about unity but have no idea at all as to what it is. Unity is not diagramming doctrines upon a blackboard! Unity is total commitment to Christ. The centrality of unity is Christ. He is mine and I am His. When we love Jesus more than anything else, we will stay united.

Christian love is big enough, strong enough, and pure enough, to transcend all petty differences. The power of Christianity is unity. Keep it.

THE CHURCH WAS UNITED IN THE FIRST CENTURY

Christ prayed that all His disciples would be one in His prayer before His death in John 17:20, 21. He knew such unity would lead the world to believe in Him.

With unity, the first church preached the gospel to the known world in one generation (Colossians 1:6, 23).

Unity characterized the message that they all preached (1 Corinthians 2:2).

The crucified Christ who brought salvation from sin to the world was the sum and substance of their preaching. He was the founder and foundation of the church (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11).

He was the head of the church (Colossians 1:18).

Unity characterized their faith and practice. Faith in Christ was required (John 8:24).

Repentance was preached in His name (Luke 24:46, 47). Confession of faith in Him as the Son of God was practiced (Acts 8:37; Matthew 10:32).

Baptism into Him was commanded (see Acts 10:48; Romans 6:3, 4).

Christ was prominent in their lives (Philippians 1:20, 21). All Christians had the same standard of life to regulate their conduct.

Everything they did was in the name of Christ (Colossians 3:17).

Every disciple was identified by His name (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16).

To alter their message in any way was strictly forbidden (Galatians 1:8, 9).

The unity of their message made unity of faith and practice inevitable. Division among the followers of Christ was condemned and exposed immediately (1 Corinthians 1:10; Titus 3:10).

The church had unity of organization under Christ, the head (Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18). The same offices existed in all congregations. Unity characterized their worship. The same acts were to be performed by all the churches, for the same purpose (see 1 Corinthians 7:17b).

The church in the first century had one bond of union: faith in Christ and obedience to His will (James 4:12). Members had one tie of affiliation: love for God and one another. Their one mission was the conversion of the world to Christ; and their one destiny, the everlasting city of God!

UNITY WAS LOST IN APOSTASY

Heretical teachers were silenced by the truth in the first century. However, they began to flourish in the second century. Their manmade doctrines led to the dark ages of the church, when the truth of God was ignored.

Disagreement arose during this time; but after the church received government recognition in A.D. 325 (during the time of Constantine’s reign as emperor of Rome), it exercised enough power to silence opposition with the sword.

Then there was conformity by coercion—a thing Jesus would never have approved. Protesters were slain until Martin Luther gained the protection of the Elector of Saxony in 1521 and afterward began the first successful revolt.

Several other significant breaks from the Catholic Church were made about that time in Switzerland by Huldreich (or Ulrich) Zwingli (1484–1531) and John Calvin (1509–1564).

In England, in 1534, Henry VIII declared his own authority to be greater than that of the Church. Most of those who sought change only desired to reform the existing religious body.

Luther wanted to reform certain Catholic teachings and practices which he did not believe conformed to biblical teaching. John Wesley (1703–1791) later sought to reform the Church of England for the same reason. This proved to be impossible, and the reformers soon realized the only way they could express their convictions was to withdraw from the Catholic Church and form new groups.

Their followers soon grew into congregations, then into denominations. To achieve conformity among their people, the reformers wrote creeds, confessions of faith, and catechisms.

After this, various leaders attempted to make converts to their own theologies. Since Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others disagreed, their followers argued, split, and became warring camps that could not share fellowship. That is how denominational division arose.

The different denominations also suffered internal division. The end result was that multiple denominational groups were formed, with people giving their allegiance to their certain groups. Any efforts at unity were, for the part, unsuccessful.

Often, to state a problem clearly is to solve it. The problem of unity, when viewed in sharp focus, revealed an answer.

The Bible, our only creed. It was obvious that a creed written by one man was as good as any creed written by another, so why should one person relinquish his creed for someone else’s? All agreed to accept the statements of the Bible regarding the essentials of faith. If anyone disagreed with the Bible, the Bible prevailed.

The Bible does not disagree with itself. It teaches unified truth on all subjects that are pertinent to salvation and godly living. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

They agreed that, on incidental details where the Bible does not legislate, everyone could have his own opinions and all could still be united. No one would force his private opinion on another. This policy caused their differences to disappear and unity to prevail.

2. “Christian,” our only name. The biblical name “Christian” was the common denominator on which they all could agree: “. . . the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
3. Worshiping as in biblical examples. There was much contention over mechanical music in the various denominations 200 years ago. Arguments were heated, and congregations often split over the question. However, since all agreed that singing is authorized by the Scriptures, singing without instrumental accompaniments provided a basis for unity. Christians’ worship of God involves “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
4. Observing the Lord’s Supper as in biblical examples. Various denominations were participating in the Lord’s Supper at different intervals. All agreed that the first-century church observed it each first day of the week, so that was the practice that would bring unity. Acts 20:7 says that “on the first day of the week,” the early Christians “gathered together to break bread.”
5. Baptism based on biblical teaching. The truth about baptism was startling to many as they truly studied the Bible. It became apparent that here, too, was uniformity. Instead of several “modes” of baptism, immersion was the only form of baptism practiced in the first century. It was the form on which all could agree, though most of them had practiced sprinkling. Immersion in water became a basis of unity.

Colossians 2:12 speaks of being “buried with [Christ] in baptism” and “raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

Unity is achieved by consenting to the truth (John 17:17), by being one in mind (1 Corinthians 1:10), and by altering any former belief so that it will be in harmony with the statements in the Scriptures.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

The People God Uses John 17:6, 9

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

There’s a story that’s often told that has Jesus returning to heaven and the angels inquiring about His time on earth. With much detail, he rehearses all the events of His ministry and, at the end, the angels ask a question that we can apply to ourselves today: What is the plan for the future spreading of this message? Who will continue this important ministry? Their surprise at His answer: You left it in whose hands?

How the Lord launched the worldwide movement called “the church”? If He had only asked me, I would have advised Him to do things differently!

• You need to pick men with the proper education and experi
• They should be graduates of the most prestigious theological institutions in the world.
• They need to have a track record of impressive results in the ministry. After all, their past performance indicates their future potential. But these guys have no degrees and no achievements!”
• “Furthermore, You need men of influence who have connections with important wealthy, powerful people. They need to know how to network with the movers and shakers. No offense, but these men have accents that make them sound like hicks from the sticks. They’re Galileans!
• The religious elite in Jerusalem are going to laugh them out of town if they try to persuade them that You are the Messiah.”
• You need to pick some men who know how to grow a business. They need to know how to recruit and manage a competent team. They need to know how to read a spread sheet. A Galilean fishing business doesn’t cut it! At least get someone with an M.B.A. on the team! Too bad about that guy, Judas! He would have been a real asset to the cause!”

To launch the church the Lord chose a bunch of uneducated, unsophisticated Galilean fishermen, who would have been laughed out of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

Among those who stayed with Christ were the Twelve, whom He had personally selected and appointed to represent Him. They were 12 perfectly ordinary, unexceptional men.

He chose to work through these fallible individuals rather than advance His agenda through mob force, military might, personal popularity, or a public-relations campaign.

From a human perspective, the future of the church and the long-term success of the gospel depended entirely on the faithfulness of that handful of disciples. There was no plan B if they failed.

Some might imagine that if Christ had wanted His message to have maximum impact, He could have played off His popularity more effectively.

Modern conventional wisdom would suggest that Jesus ought to have done everything possible to exploit His fame, tone down the controversies that arose out of His teaching, and employ whatever strategies He could use to maximize the crowds around Him.

But He did not do that. In fact, He did precisely the opposite. Instead of taking the populist route and exploiting His fame, He began to emphasize the very things that made His message so controversial.

At about the time the crowds reached their peak, He preached a message so boldly confrontive and so offensive in its content that the multitude melted away, leaving only the most devoted few:

John 6:66-70 (ESV) After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷  So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹  and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

The strategy Jesus chose typified the character of the kingdom itself. “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21).

The kingdom advances “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

A dozen men under the power of the Holy Spirit are a more potent force than the teeming masses whose initial enthusiasm for Jesus was apparently provoked by little more than sheer curiosity or a full stomach.

If you’ve ever visited the great cathedrals in Europe, you might assume that the apostles were larger-than-life stained-glass saints with shining halos who represented an exalted degree of spirituality.

It’s a shame they have so often been put on pedestals as magnificent marble figures or portrayed in paintings like some kind of Roman gods. That dehumanizes them. They were just 12 completely ordinary men—perfectly human in every way. We mustn’t lose touch with who they really were.

Many Christians become discouraged and disheartened when their spiritual life and witness suffer because of sin or failure. We tend to think we’re worthless nobodies—and left to ourselves, that would be true! But worthless nobodies are just the kind of people God uses, because that is all He has to work with.

Satan may even attempt to convince us that our shortcomings render us useless to God and to His church. But Christ’s choice of the apostles testifies to the fact that God can use the unworthy and the unqualified. He can use nobodies.

It was not because they had extraordinary talents, unusual intellectual abilities, powerful political influence, or some special social status. They turned the world upside down because God worked in them to do it.

God chooses the humble, the lowly, the meek, and the weak so that there’s never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world.

It’s not the man; it’s the truth of God and the power of God in the man. (We need to remind some preachers today of this. It’s not their cleverness or their personality. The power is in the Word—the truth that we preach—not in us.)

And apart from one Person—one extraordinary human being who was God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ—the history of God’s work on earth is the story of His using the unworthy and molding them for His use the same careful way a potter fashions clay.

The Corinthian church to which Paul wrote was an unimpressive lot—hardly the cream of the social crop. These are those of whom Paul admitted, “not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called.”

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The fact that He used such humanly unimpressive men should give us hope that perhaps He can use common people like us today to help further His kingdom.

His way of reaching this hostile world was to call these men out of the world, share His life with them, and send them back into the world. That’s still His strategy.

We also need to remember the success rate…who did they attract, teach, convert to Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰  nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
¹¹  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

As we gasp at the possibility of sitting in worship with that kind of ‘church family,’ it ought to remind us that the gospel message works!

The gospel is the one great treasure of the church. It is the “pearl of great price” for which the jeweler will pay all that he has (Matthew 13:45–46 (ESV) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

It is the great truth for which Stephen died and which Paul devoted his life to proclaim. It is the one thing which clearly distinguishes the church from all other religious and benevolent organizations.

The church today, however, does not always prize the gospel as its greatest treasure. The church is sometimes tempted to emphasize its own human dynamics rather than that which God offers us in Jesus Christ.

Paul’s words: 2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Paul, himself, was a most “earthen vessel”—haunted by his past, crippled by his inadequacies, continually challenged by his never-ending struggle with temptation.

A pot or jar made of “clay” would be the least valuable in an ancient Greek or Jewish household. Once broken, clay jars could not be repaired nor melted down and recast, although they often were used as barely functional writing surfaces for sales receipts.

It is possible that Paul’s Corinthian readers might even picture the special, nighttime oil lamps manufactured in and marketed from their city. These were especially thin and delicate to allow light to penetrate from them but were also cheap and easily breakable. It is less likely that Paul has in mind the exclusively Greek idea of vessels containing sacred objects of a deity used in parades to draw to attention to that deity.

Connecting the imagery of clay jars to human beings is not much of a stretch from a biblical point of view. Not only is man viewed as being created from dust (Gen 2:7), God is pictured as a potter (Isa 29:16; 45:9; 64:8), who can if he chooses, destroy his bad pots (Isa 30:14; Jer 18:1–22; 19:1–13).

Some of the world’s most priceless treasures have been placed in its most worthless containers. But the contrast between treasure and vessel was never greater than when God committed the saving gospel of His Son to mortal men, when His extraordinary truth was committed to such an ordinary church.

He picked a bunch of earthen vessels in which to put His treasure (the gospel), so that the surpassing greatness of the power would be of God and not from any man. (I entitle a sermon on this verse as “God’s treasure in brown paper bags” to depict a common item in our time since we don’t often transport things in ‘earthen’ vessels.)

Though we would expect the world’s greatest treasure to be placed in its most priceless container, we find the gospel committed to a very ordinary church.

The church today is still very “earthen.” It can be crippled by its lack of commitment, its divisions, its worldliness. Its ministry is sometimes weak, susceptible to burnout and moral failure.

Dealing with the Disparity.

It have often spoken of the “church of faith compared to the church of fact.” It’s the difference of what the church is (as talked about in the New Testament) compared to what we ‘really are’

• Some people are not content to allow the contrast to exist. Some would try to accept the treasure but reject the jar. They say “yes” to Christ but “no” to the church, and in the process scorn the very ones for whom Christ died.
• Others try to make the treasure more like the vessel, stripping Christ of His divinity.
• Still others try to make the vessel more “worthy” of the treasure by changing the clay pot into a silver chalice. This leads to a situation where the vessel takes on more importance than the treasure.

The proper response is to acknowledge the disparity and learn the great lesson which it teaches. The disparity is there by God’s design to demonstrate that it is upon human weakness, not human strength that God chooses to build His church.

God can use the church best when it depends less on its own resources and learns to trust in the power of the God who alone can save.

To begin with, God has made us the way we are so that we can do the work He wants us to do.

No Christian should ever complain to God because of his lack of gifts or abilities, or because of his limitations or handicaps.

The important thing about a vessel is that it be clean, empty, and available for service. Each of us must seek to become “a vessel unto honor, sanctified [set apart], and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21).

God permits trials, God controls trials, and God uses trials for His own glory. God is glorified through weak vessels.

Sometimes God permits our vessels to be jarred so that some of the treasure will spill out and enrich others. Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man but also the glory of God.

Not only must we focus on the treasure and not on the vessel, but we must also focus on the Master and not on the servant.

If we suffer, it is for Jesus’ sake. If we die to self, it is so that the life of Christ might be revealed in us. If we go through trials, it is so that Christ might be glorified. And all of this is for the sake of others. As we serve Christ, death works in us—but life works in those to whom we minister.

I want to challenge each of us “get the pandemic” behind us! I want us to rededicate ourselves, as we end/begin a new year to seek to “sow seed” every day…and depend of the power of the gospel and God to produce lasting fruit.

Jesus knew that after He left the disciples to return to heaven, they would face some difficult opposition from the world. Maybe, because He had just told them that they would do even “greater works” than He did (John 14:12), they were envisioning receptive crowds and smooth sailing ahead.

But the reality was, they would face some severe persecution, not just from the pagan world, but also from the religious crowd. The Lord wanted them to know what to expect from the world and how to respond to the hostility that they would experience.

His message is: While the world hates believers, we should testify to the world of the truth about Jesus Christ.

These verses present a sober, even grim, picture, except for what has gone on before: Because we enjoy Christ’s love and joy (John 15:1-11) and because we are members of the loving family of God (John 15:12-17), we can endure the hostility of the world.

But we need to be prepared for it so that we’re not shocked when it happens. Our text falls into two sections: The world’s hatred of Christians (John 15:18-25); and our responsibility to the hostile world, namely, to bear witness of Christ (John 15:26-27).

1. The world hates believers because it hates Jesus Christ: John 15:18-25 (ESV)

A. Hatred or love for Jesus Christ is what either divides or unites people.

Note the contrast between verses 17 & 18: These things I command you, so that you will love one another. ¹⁸  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Christians are to be known for their love, but the world is known for its hatred. Jesus emphasizes “world,” using it six times in verses 18 & 19. The world refers to the organized system under Satan’s domain that is opposed to God and His rightful King, Jesus Christ.

In 1 John 5:19, the apostle draws the contrast: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

Of course, if you were to go out and ask people on the street, “Do you hate Jesus Christ?” most would answer, “No, I don’t have anything against Jesus. He was a great moral teacher.”

If you asked, “Do you follow the devil” they would strongly exclaim, “There’s no way that I follow the devil! I’m not a Satan-worshiper!”

They don’t follow Jesus, but they aren’t openly opposed to Him, either. And they aren’t aware that they’re following the devil, even though they are.

They subscribe to godless values. They ignore God in their daily lives, unless they get into a crisis where they suddenly decide to pray. But the average unbeliever isn’t going to say, “I hate Jesus and I hate Christians!” He’s just living his life as he sees fit and is content to let religious people follow Jesus if they want to.

The Lord wants us to know that behind the world’s hatred for us is its hatred for Him. And, as He adds (John 15:23), “He who hates Me hates My Father also.”

But, you may wonder, why does Jesus say that the world hates both Him and the Father, as well as all believers, when most unbelievers would say that they don’t have anything against Jesus or against Christians?

In Matthew 12:30, Jesus draws a similar line: “He who is not with Me is against Me.” He paints the contrast in black and white to draw a distinct line to show that you must take sides. There is no gray zone. Either you love Jesus and His Father and all who follow Jesus, or you hate them all, whether you admit it or not!

B. The world hates because Jesus exposes its sin.

John 15:22 (ESV) 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. (vs. 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.

What does Jesus mean? Obviously He doesn’t mean that those who have never heard of Him or His miracles are sinless. The Bible is clear that all people, even those who have never heard of Jesus, are guilty sinners before God:

• All people have evidence that there is a Creator by looking at His creation, but they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness … so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18-20).
• All people have violated their consciences, doing what they instinctively know is wrong (Rom. 2).
• And so, all have sinned and thus are guilty before God (Rom. 3:23).

Rather, Jesus means that His coming and the many miracles that He did increased people’s responsibility and guilt when they did not submit to Him as Savior and Lord.

In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus denounced the cities where He had done most of His miracles because they did not repent. He made it clear that it will be more tolerable even for the pagans in Tyre and Sidon and for wicked Sodom on judgment day than for these cities. In other words, increased light rejected means increased sin and guilt.

Note that unbelief is not due to a lack of solid evidence. These people heard Jesus’ words and they saw His many miracles that no one else had done (John 15:22, 24), but they still rejected Him because He exposed their sin.

It’s still true today: there is more than enough evidence to believe in Jesus Christ, but people reject that evidence or bring up other excuses for their unbelief because they enjoy their sin and they don’t want to repent.

Two applications: First, if you live in obedience to Jesus Christ, you will threaten unbelievers in your family, at school, or at work, because your godly life will expose their sin. As a result, they will try to get you to sin so that you’re just like they are; or they will attack you falsely. Be ready for the onslaught!

C. If the world thinks that you’re wonderful, you may need to question whether you’re being a bold enough witness for Christ.

Let me make it clear: You should not be the source of offense by being insensitive, rude, or obnoxious. We need to conduct ourselves with wisdom, grace, and sensitivity toward unbelievers (Col. 4:5-6).

But here’s where you will catch flak: Unbelievers will be tolerant until you tell them that Jesus is the only way to God. Then they will accuse you of being intolerant.

They will be friendly until you make it clear that God has absolute moral standards and that our culture’s standards are wrong. Then they will accuse you of being self-righteous and judgmental.

They will be tolerant of your Christianity until you refuse to lie to cover their wrongdoing or cheat in favor of the company. At that point, they will turn against you and go behind your back to turn others against you.

But if you state or imply to unbelievers that all good people will go to heaven, you laugh at their dirty jokes, you go to the same filthy movies that they go to so that you can be in the know with all the office chatter, and you lie for the boss, the world will think you’re wonderful; but you’ve compromised your witness for Christ.

Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

D. The world’s hatred for Christ and for believers does not thwart God’s sovereignty, but rather fulfills it.

Jesus says regarding the world’s hatred of both Him and His Father (John 15:25), “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

He is citing Psalm 69:4 to show that unbelievers can rage against God, but they don’t have any basis for their hatred and they’re inadvertently fulfilling God’s word.

The application is that when unbelievers seem to win, don’t fret. God is still in control and He will ultimately judge all unbelievers who wrong you and He will vindicate His people who have been persecuted for His name’s sake.

E. The world hates believers because we’re different than they are. We’re different in many ways, but there are three in the text:

1) We have a different calling: Christ chose us out of this evil world.

John 15:19: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

God decided before the creation that mankind would eventually need a Savior, so He predetermined the plan to send Jesus Christ to earth, to eventually die on a cross, to provide a way ‘back’ from sin to God.

Ephesians 1:3-23 (ESV) ³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

2) We have a different Master: Jesus is our Lord, while the world serves Satan.

John 15:20 (ESV) 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.

Jesus implies that we are His slaves and He is our Master. But Satan is the ruler or god of this world:

John 12:31 (ESV) Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 14:30 (ESV) I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me…

…who has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). Before God rescued us, we all lived in Satan’s domain of darkness (Col. 1:13), but now we live in Christ’s kingdom of light.

This means that the world does not understand our thinking or our behavior. The world thinks that people are basically good, whereas the Bible says that all are sinners in rebellion against God.

People in the world live for themselves and their own agendas, whereas the Lord’s people live for Him and His purposes.

The world makes up its own relative moral standards, whereas God’s people obey His moral absolutes. So misunderstanding and hostility from the world are inevitable.

3) We have different knowledge: We know the Father, but the world does not. John 15:21: “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

The fundamental problem of people in the world is that they do not know the living and true God. Instead, they make up their own gods.

Even atheists worship their own intellect as supreme, refusing to acknowledge that all that they have comes from God (1 Cor. 4:7) and that they will give an account to Him when they die (Heb. 9:27).

But knowing God is the essence of the eternal life that Christ gives to all who believe in Him. As He prayed (John 17:3), “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

But in spite of the world’s hatred, we should never respond with retaliation or hatred. There may be times to ask God to judge the wicked. There are times to shake the dust off your feet and move on (Matt. 10:14). There are times to be silent rather than to cast your pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6; Luke 23:9). But our normal response should be:

2. In spite of the world’s hatred, we should testify to the world of the truth about Jesus Christ (John 15:26-27).

How can we bear witness in the face of such a hostile world? Jesus shows that we can do so only through the Spirit of truth.

A. The Spirit of truth testifies about Jesus Christ.

John 15:26: “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me….”

Jesus was referring to the mission of the Holy Spirit, whom He calls the Spirit of truth. But we can know that the Holy Spirit is a person. A mere “force” cannot testify to the truth.

And, the fact that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and is sent by Jesus, who Himself was sent by the Father, implies the deity and the distinctiveness of all three persons of the trinity.

But the point here is that the Spirit will continue the witness to Christ after He returned to heaven. How does He do that? He does it through the Word of God, which He inspired, but also through believers.

Peter testified (Acts 5:32), “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

B. Christ’s disciples testify about Him.

John 15:27: “… and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

This refers in the first place to the apostolic witness, because they were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry until He ascended into heaven. They testified about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). They didn’t make up cleverly devised tales, but were eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty (2 Pet. 1:16).

We have their factual testimony in the New Testament. So our witness is not just true for those who choose to believe it. It’s always true whether people believe it or not.

Conclusion

First, some of us (like me!) need to have more contact with the world. If we’re always surrounded by Christians, ask the Lord for opportunities to rub shoulders with people who need the Savior. You can’t testify to the truth about Christ if you don’t have contact with the world.

Second, pray for alertness to opportunities and boldness when you speak. I often think about what I could have said about an hour after the opportunity has passed. And, most of us do not err on the side of being too bold. None other than the apostle Paul said (Eph. 6:19-20), “Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Third, expect from the world what Jesus received from the world: mostly hatred, but some fruit. He says (John 15:20), “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

If you expect everyone to respond favorably, you’ll be discouraged when they don’t.

But if you expect everyone to respond negatively, you won’t even try to bear witness. Jesus promises that some will believe through your witness:

Acts 18:10 (ESV) for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

So keep proclaiming the good news!

A German preacher named Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

As we turn the pages of the New Testament, the blood of martyrs stains our fingertips. Paul’s life is a good example. Acts 9:15-16 predicts the suffering he would endure for Christ, the fulfillment of which can be found in 1 Cor. 4:11-13 and 2 Cor. 4:8-9.

Jesus never intended that the Christian should live in pious isolation, but in active contact with the problems of men.

Nevertheless, He drew a sharp line between the Christian and the “world” which comprises the mass of men who live without God.

Jesus, in stating the attitude of the world, carefully forewarned the disciples of its hatred because He did not want them disillusionned when they met it.  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

The type of grammatical condition which John used implied the actuality of the hatred; it was not hypothetical.

Jesus recognized it as a chilling reality; but He comforted the disciples by reassuring them that He shared with them all the ostracism and contempt which the world could heap on them.

Throughout all nature, whether in the animal or human world, there is a tendency to dislike any individual that differs from the average type.  Birds will drive from the flock one of their number that differs radically from them in plumage.

The very fact that He has chosen men out of the world places them in a different category from others.  They have a new nature, a new aim in life, a new productiveness.  The world does not understand their motives nor feel comfortable in their company.

Jesus gave three reasons why persecution will occur:

1. “Because you are not of the world
2. Because they do not know the One who sent Me
3. That the word may be fulfilled

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. {20} Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master[1].’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. {21} They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.”

The chief reason, lastly, for the hatred of the world was Jesus’ exposure of its sin.  Verses 22 and 25 describe the effect of Jesus on the world.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. {23} He who hates me hates my Father as well. {24} If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. {25} But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.'”

The words and deeds of Christ showed by contrast how evil men can become.  Ignorance could no longer palliate their guilt.

Two antidotes to the attitude of the world are proposed in the concluding verses: the witness of the Spirit and the witness of Christians.

Our reaction to persecution should be one of acceptance, as stated in 1 Peter 4:12: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Jesus gives us four suggestions on how to react when the persecution starts to bewilder us:

1. We should rely on the Holy Spirit
2. We should stand firm and boldly testify our faith in Christ
3. We shouldn’t stumble
4. We shouldn’t forget we’d been forewarned

“”When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. {27} And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

—————

Two unpopular themes in modern evangelical Christianity are the need to suffer for the sake of the gospel and the certainty of God’s judgment. Rather than suffering, the TV religious groups are into how Christianity can help you have a successful, happy life. Of course, the Bible does give wisdom and guidance on how to live happily and it is proper to understand and apply its teaching.

But, the Bible also teaches (Acts 14:22), “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Paul said (2 Tim. 3:12), “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Jesus said that all His followers must take up their cross (an implement of a slow, tortuous death) in order to follow Him (Matt. 16:24).

In its extreme form, the de-emphasis on suffering has veered into the heretical teaching that it’s always God’s will for you to enjoy financial prosperity and physical health. You’re supposed to rebuke any sickness or suffering it in the name of the Lord. If it continues, you must not have enough faith.

Regarding God, we focus on His love and grace rather than on His judgment. Many go so far as to say that because God is love, no one will suffer in hell.

So Jesus’ words in our text are not going to be popular in today’s Christian world. He continues to prepare the disciples (and us) for what we will face after He is gone. The world often will hate us, but…

Our task is to witness in the power of the Spirit to a hostile world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

In the upper room discourse Christ promises to counter the problems that we will encounter in this evil world: “The world hates you, but I love you. The world is your enemy, but I am your friend. The world gives you trouble and anxiety, but I give you My peace. The world will cause you sorrow, but I give you My joy. The world may kill you, but I give you eternal life. The world is under Satan’s power, but you will have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you.”

1. To witness in a hostile world without stumbling, you must face the difficulty of the task: you will be persecuted and you may get killed.

John 16:1 (ESV) “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

Jesus spoke these things so that the disciples would be kept from stumbling or falling away when they encountered the opposition of the world.

Their task (and ours) is to go to a self-seeking, pleasure-oriented world and proclaim that the Holy God is going to judge all sinners, but that He has provided the way of escape through the Savior.

This message is sure to stir up derision and hostility. Just the people of Noah’s day rejected his message of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5) and the people in Sodom thought that righteous Lot must have been joking (2 Pet. 2:6-9; Gen. 19:14), so sinners today will not respond favorably to a message about sin, righteousness, and impending judgment.

If you expect that everyone in this hostile world will welcome your message, you’ll be in for a rude awakening.

Sometimes we may be surprised because persecution often comes from the religious world, where you would expect a receptive audience (John 16:2): “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”

Before his conversion, the apostle Paul thought that he was being faithful to his Jewish faith by imprisoning and killing Christians. After his conversion, the Jews persecuted him and other early Christians (2 Thess. 2:14-16).

Jesus pinpoints the heart of the problem (John 16:3), “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”

The key to enduring persecution is to trust in the Lord Jesus. Thus in verse 4, He gives us a solid reason to trust Him: He knows the future. He knows the trials that we will face as we serve Him and He warns us in advance so that we will trust in Him.

When Jesus was with the disciples, He was the lightning rod for persecution. But after He returned to the Father, they would catch the brunt of the opposition. So the Lord speaks these prophetic words so that we will be forewarned and thus forearmed. It will not be easy to be a faithful witness to Christ in this hostile world.

2. To witness to a hostile world, you must focus on the Lord’s glory, not on your own needs.

John 16:5-6: “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

My point about the Lord’s glory may not be immediately obvious, so let me explain. The disciples were not thinking about Christ’s returning to His glory with the Father and what that would mean, but rather on their own sorrow that Jesus would not be with them any longer. They were focused on their needs, not on Jesus’ glory and His kingdom purposes.

At first glance, Jesus’ words, “none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’” seem to contradict John 13:36, where Peter asked, “Lord, where are You going?”

Also, in John 14:5, Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going …”

But neither man was really interested in learning where Jesus was going as much as in protesting that He was leaving them. So the Lord is saying, “None of you is really interested in knowing where I am going. You’re just focused on your own sorrow over My leaving.”

Although the disciples have asked about where Jesus was going, they were really just self-absorbed in their own loss at His leaving them. They didn’t have the big picture of the Lord’s returning to the right hand of the Father and of His sending the Holy Spirit to empower them for the task of the great commission.

The application for us is, to be effective witnesses in this hostile world, we need to take our focus off of our feelings and needs and focus rather on the Lord’s glory through the spreading of the gospel to all peoples. Even if we are persecuted, His glory should be our aim. But we can’t accomplish that task in our own strength. Thus the Lord adds …

3. To witness to a hostile world, you must join the Holy Spirit in His witness concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Jesus makes a claim that would have startled the disciples (John 16:7): “But 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.”

   Three specific functions of the Spirit convict the world through the Christian:

– Concerning sin.

The Spirit uses the faithful, loving Christian as a visual aid to convict the unbeliever (see 1 Cor. 7:12-14). If Jesus is the Son of God, as this Gospel declares Him to be, then rejection of Him is the greatest and most fatal sin of all. It is the deliberate refusal of God’s will.

In order to define sin there must be a standard. There can be no transgression where there is no law, no darkness when there is no light, who sin where there is no holiness.

– Concerning righteousness.

The Christian should have a standard, or lifestyle, foreign to the unsaved person.  Since the world can no longer see the righteousness of Jesus, they can only see it reflected off us.

– Concerning judgment.

Whenever sin and righteousness meet there must be judgment.  When unsaved people see the Christian’s free and unfettered life, the Holy Spirit shows them that their ruler has no power over the saint.

The key word in these verses is “convict,” which is a legal word that means to “bring to light, to expose, to refute, to convict and convince.” The world may think that it is judging Christians, but it is the Christians who are passing judgment on the world as they witness to Christ!

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of one particular sin: the sin of unbelief. After all, it is unbelief that condemns the lost sinner (John 3:18-21).

The Spirit also convicts the sinner of righteousness, not unrighteousness. Whose righteousness? The righteousness of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God.

Surely this text informs us that we should not expect the world to embrace Christians with open arms. The cross of Calvary assures us that the world does hate Him. Our Lord’s words should prepare us for opposition from the world as well. If the world hates us, then we surely should not love the world in the sense that we seek its approval, embrace its values, or attempt to find our identity with it:

Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility towards God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy (James 4:4).

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; 16 because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever (1 John 2:15-17).

Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13).

The Bible is clear that God now imputes the very righteousness of Christ to every sinner who trusts in Him.

As 2 Corinthians 5:21 states, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

So the message that we are to proclaim to the world is that they are never good enough to qualify for heaven. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

But, God has provided a means by which we can be covered with the perfect righteousness of His Son, namely, by believing in Him.

Conclusion

So to be effective witnesses for Christ, we need to recognize that many people will not like our message and therefore they may not like us.

If we are faithful, we may suffer persecution or even death.

Given that unpleasant prospect, what should motivate us to bear witness? The Lord’s glory: He is now risen from the dead, at the right hand of the Father, returning soon to judge the world in righteousness. He has entrusted to us the message of salvation through the cross.

But we can’t compromise the message by hiding the reality of judgment if people do not repent. Don’t be judgmental, but do tell the truth about God’s coming judgment.

Our task is to witness in the power of the Spirit to a hostile world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

 

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹²  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

If the church of our Lord has been given to any one sin through the years, it would have to be the sin of discord and its related vices.

Some people can fight (and eventually split) at the drop of a hat. The list continues to grow and it’s to our shame as a fellowship that we don’t do a better job standing firmly upon truth while realizing the difference between faith and opinion.

Terry and I have been blessed with seven of the cutest, smartest, most adorable grand-children in the world (that true statement is also true when you speak of your children or grandchildren, right?).

We’ve watched their parents work almost minute-by-minute as they seek to “train up a child” as God would want them. A young child can be excused for being selfish…wanting food when it’s hungry and wanting down when he’s been held long enough.

Those actions don’t go away through the toddler years but eventually begin to change as the child grows in years and has models of servanthood before him.

But there is simply no excuse for that “please me” selfish attitude to continue into adulthood and among Christians. The first thing we should learn as ‘baby’ Christians is that the one who is first will become last!

In our text, Jesus has explained the essential relationship of Christians to Himself, and now proceeds to show His disciples what their relationship to each other should be.

Those eight words are powerful and difficult to follow: Love each other as I have loved you.

As a parent, we often condense his message to just two words: Get along!

And we need to add two other verses here:

(John 17:20-21 NIV)  “”My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, {21} that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

People cannot share a “common faith” (cf. Titus 1:4) unless they are united in affirming the “one faith” system, rather than the diverse creeds of the religious world. It is incredible that some scholars can read this passage and, in spite of its clear language, contend for the validity of sectarian bodies.

Ephesians 4:1-6 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴  There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

There is, perhaps, no greater exhortation to unity, anywhere in the Bible, that surpasses that of Psalm 133. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard; that came down upon the collar of his garments; Like the dew of Hermon, that falls upon the mountains of Zion: For there Jehovah commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.”

What was his prayer for the Church which was to be? It was that all its members would be one as he and his Father are one.

It was a unity of personal relationship. We have already seen that the union between Jesus and God was one of love and obedience. It was a unity of love for which Jesus prayed, a unity in which men loved each other because they loved him, a unity based entirely on the relationship between heart and heart.

As Jesus saw it and prayed for it, it was to be precisely that unity which convinced the world of the truth of Christianity and of the place of Christ.

It is an unfortunate circumstance that the lofty concept of brotherly love frequently has been tarnished in history. The very first murder was committed by a “brother” upon his “brother” (Genesis 4:8). The earliest written prohibition against murder argues that there is a human sense in which all men are brothers, made in God’s image (Genesis 9:5-6).

Subsequent narratives reveal further animosity between brothers. Ishmael “mocked” Isaac (Genesis 21:9), which appears to have been a preview of things to come (16:12). Jacob “cheated” Esau (27:36, ESV), and the latter “hated” him for it (27:41). Joseph’s brothers, moved with jealousy, sold him into Egypt (cf. Acts 7:9).

The “bad blood” between David’s sons is well known. Absalom had Amnon killed (2 Samuel 13:28), and Solomon did the same to Adonijah (1 Kings 2:13-25).

Unity must never be sought at the expense of compromising truth. Though the early chapters of the book of Acts stress the oneness of the early disciples, as noted earlier, the same document also affirms that the followers of Jesus “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching” (2:42).

And yes, Paul did admonish the beloved Philippian brethren to be of the “same mind” (2:2-3); he likewise warned them to: “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers beware of the concision. . . ,” a variety of false teachers who were a threat to the faith.

The book of Ephesians places considerable emphasis on “oneness” (4:4-5), yet the epistle warns: “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them” (5:11). This balance between true unity, and soundness of teaching, was a deathblow to the ancient idea of “syncretism” (the mixing of religions) — so egregiously adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in its attempt to appease the masses, by combining elements of Judaism, Christianity, and paganism into an amalgamated system. It also strikes at the modern “ecumenical” philosophy — both without and within the church!

While every informed and conscientious Christian would never budge from the word of truth for the sake of a false unity, the wise person acknowledges that perfect agreement will never be achieved in all matters — nor is it required.

Recall, for example, the difference of opinion that arose between Barnabas and Paul, when the latter proposed revisiting the churches planted on the earlier campaign in which the two had cooperated so graciously (Acts 15:36ff). When Paul advanced the idea, Barnabas insisted (so the force of the imperfect tense verb “was minded”) on taking John Mark along.

But Paul persistently objected (“thought” otherwise — again an imperfect — see NASB), because Mark, who had been on the previous trip, for some reason failed to complete the mission, returning home (Acts 13:13). It is obvious that Paul thought the departure was unjustified whereas Barnabas wanted to provide Mark with a second chance.

The disagreement was so “sharp” that Paul and Barnabas parted company. That rift, however, did not destroy their fundamental unity in the Lord; Paul later commended Barnabas as being worthy of support (1 Corinthians 9:6), and eventually, John Mark, the “bone of contention,” proved “useful” to the noble apostle (2 Timothy 4:11).

Hindrances to Unity

In this discussion it is not inappropriate to call attention to a couple of those hindrances which short-circuit the brotherly comradeship desired by Heaven.

Many experienced leaders in the church would affirm that one of the foremost factors in the divisiveness that has tormented the Lord’s people for almost two millennia is the spirit of egoism.

Time and again men have arisen who, more than anything else, had a passion for notoriety, a lust for fame, hence, they either created an issue, or seized upon one, in order to thrust themselves into prominence. Factions orient themselves mainly around men, not issues. The “issues” are just the baggage carried along en route to someone’s journey to exaltation.

Diotrephes, the enemy of the apostle John, was cut from such a fabric (3 John 9); he loved “preeminence” among the brethren. And his kinsmen are not all extinct.

This is the primary thrust of Titus 3:10: “A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse. . . ” The Greek word for “factious” is hairetikos, the basis of our English “heretic.” It alludes to the one who rallies a “party” around himself, thus creating division by pressing his unscriptural opinions.

There appear to have been some at Corinth of this disposition, whom Paul rebukes (1 Corinthians 1:10ff), though he disguises their identities by a common rhetorical device of employing pseudonyms (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:6).

Another contributor to disunity is the self-willed individual. This is why a candidate for the eldership must be carefully screened; no “self-willed” man must be appointed (Titus 1:7). The term describes the arrogant person who “canonizes” his opinions and cannot he budged. It is “his” way or “no” way. He will rule or ruin; boss or burst!

Most every church that has been forced to take care of its affairs in the “men’s business meeting” format has encountered headstrong creatures of this temperament, and on occasion, churches have been divided as a result. These attitudes are evil.

It is more natural for men to be divided than to be united. It is more human for men to fly apart than to come together. Real unity between all Christians would be a “supernatural fact which would require a supernatural explanation.”

It is the tragic fact that it is just that united front that the Church has never shown to men. Faced by the disunity of Christians, the world cannot see the supreme value of the Christian faith.

It is our individual duty to demonstrate that unity of love with our fellow men which is the answer to Christ’s prayer. The rank and file of the Churches can do and must do what the leaders of the Church refuse officially to do.

Jesus’ great desire for his disciples was that they would become one. He wanted them unified as a powerful witness to the reality of God’s love. Unity between believers is not often mentioned as the catalyst for someone becoming a Christian.

However, Christian unity does provide an environment for the gospel message to make its clearest impact, and lack of unity among Christians frequently drives people away. Are you helping to unify the body of Christ, the church?

You can pray for other Christians, avoid gossip, build others up, work together in humility, give your time and money, exalt Christ, and refuse to get sidetracked by arguing over divisive matters.

One powerful purpose behind Jesus’ command to lovingly get along and forge unity from compassion was to show the world that Jesus was God’s Son. If we can’t learn to get along, and support each other, how is the world to believe that we have been touched by the Messiah?

When we fight and bicker, we become living proof that Jesus doesn’t have the power to change lives. If we have a lack of love for each other, we cut the legs out from under our evangelism and makes a mockery of our testimony.

Look at Jesus and the context of this principle

When death nears, it’s remarkable how important the shade of our sheltering friends becomes.  Not even the Son of God wanted to be alone when the shadow of the cross darkened His last days.

The differences of temperament among them (Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot would have been serious rivals/enemies) and the jealousies that had arisen over the positions which they expected to hold in the coming kingdom made their group unstable.

Jesus knew that if they were to maintain an adequate testimony for Him they could do so only as a unit.  Disunity would mar their work, if indeed it did not violate that work altogether. For this reason He gave them what many have called the 11th commandment: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

The comparative clause in verse 12 gave the standard by which all real love can be measured and understood. Christ did not ask from His disciples more than He himself gave, and He set the norm by His own life.

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV)  “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: {10} If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! {11} Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? {12} Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

(Proverbs 17:17 NIV)  “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

(Proverbs 18:24 NIV)  “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

How do we become people of love? How can we be transformed into an authentic community of caring people who speak to the world about real love?

1. Jesus’ love comes from another world.

Jesus modified the word “love” in an extraordinary way: He told us we are to love one another as he has loved us! And He revealed the source of that love: from His Father.

As a Christian, I am to have for others (you) no less love than the Father has for the Son.

2. Jesus loves with a Savior’s love.

All we need to do is think for a moment what Jesus did when He washed the feet of both Peter and Judas Iscariot to begin to remember the kind of love He had.

He looked not at the present but at the future of a person…and offered unconditional love to those around Him.

His love is not  driven by ifs or whens  such as “I’ll love you if you treat me right” or Í’ll love you when you straighten up.”

The Savior’s love is not conditioned by right behavior or a good performance. It pays no attention to IQ, bank balance, or skin color. It is blind to appearance and deaf to tone. It cares not about heritate, reputation, or rap sheet.

A key element of this lofty love was sacrifice:

 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Divine love went beyond this, for Jesus laid down His life for His enemies.  By emphasizing the word man, the full meaning of the text may be brought into plain view.  Men give their lives for their friends; Jesus gave His life for His enemies.

3. Jesus wants us to share His love.

The love that started in the halls of heaven and progressed through the body of our Savior on a cross finishes its course with us. We are the last link to this divine chain – and surely we’re the weakest.

When we have known God’s tender forgiveness and rested in his unconditional acceptance, then-and only then-are we truly ready to face a frustrating spouse or a cantankerous brother or sister with renewed vigor and fresh compassion.

Unless we have accepted and experienced God’s divine, selfless love, we will be unable to offer it to others. We cannot give away that which we have never received!

A lady driving on a narrow country road nearly went into a ditch when a car came around a sharp turn on the wrong side of the road. When she yelled, “Watch where you’re going!” as she passed his window, the offending driver shouted, “Pig.”

The stunned woman shot back, “Who are you calling a pig? You’re the pig!” and was still fuming in anger when she spun around the curve ahead and nearly crashed into the huge pig that was wallowing in a mud hole in the center of the road.

Some warnings are only understood too late.

In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus now moves from words of comfort to words of warning to his 11 apostles. The first one: stay close to me.

A missionary recently related a story of a trip to Thailand and he was offering firm, repeated warning to his son “Don’t let go of my hand!”

He was concerned that he’d get lost in the underground marketplace: lots of people, the child too small to understand yet totally incapable of  taking care of himself or finding his parents if he were to get separated from them. And besides: this was a country that was known for kidnapping children and selling them as slaves.

“Don’t let go of my hand” had a very special meaning, didn’t it? But how do you explain to a young child such things when he approaches everything on a very innocent, simplistic level?

If you understand that frustration, you can relate to what Jesus must have felt as He considered His disciples’ future.

Jesus was leaving, that much He’d explained. The Spirit was coming, that they understood. Were the 22 eyes looking at Him on that occasion filled with confidence…wisdom…or were they filled with concern and uncertainty?

Jesus says five times in six verses: Remain in me!

In these opening verses, our Lord uses a similar homespun illustration — that of a vine and its branches — to teach His disciples the importance of fellowship with Him. This was an ancient metaphor that Israel’s prophets had used for centuries. He gives His followers a handful of reasons why they must remain close to Him.

Vineyards were everywhere, and it may be that they passed several on the road from Jerusalem to Gethsemane. They were certainly partaking of juice from the vine at their Passover feast.

* Five points of  resemblance between the vine and the gardener are given:

– 1. Remain in Me because “I am the right stock…the true vine.”

¹  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

The first essential in planting a vineyard is to have the right stock. Every nurseryman guarantees that the plants he sells will run true to type.

The story of Israel’s relationship with God had more “ups and downs” than a yo-yo.

One minute they were worshipping God and the next minute they’re putting up Asherah poles or dancing around golden calves.

This verse describes their behavior: (Exodus 32:6)  “So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

What prompts such unfaithfulness (then and now?)

What enables a Christian to slip out the back door or a church building and step into the side door of an adult bookstore?

What leads a disciple to let go of the hand of Christ and raise his hand in abuse against his wife or children?

What seduces the Christian into dancing with the devil?

Our problem? We often become enamored with imitations…the fake vine that claims to be rooted in something good is simply that: fake!

It looks succulent and good…others have chosen to drink of its nectar so we do too. That false vine comes in the form of money…power…pleasure…fame….the list needs to come from your lips.

No matter how sweet and filling these items may be today—they are destined to dry up and blow away—as will all people who have joined themselves to them!

2. Remain in Me because “My Father is the husbandman…the right expert (gardener).”

⁶  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Every vineyard must be pruned by an expert. The vinedresser had to know how and when to prune and fertilize the vine, so that it would produce the maximum stock.

Jesus indicates that God is both the owner and the manager of the field. It was His to tend as He saw fit. And there is one goal in mind: to get the most good fruit possible from the vines under His care.

The concept of pruning involves the removal of some shoots in order to enhance the fruit bearing of the other branches. Christ assures his followers that God had already pruned and cleaned their branches and that he would continue to tend them as they grew.

How does He do this? Through the discipline and trials we go through as Christians. “Trials only stop when it is useless: that is why it scarcely ever stops.”

But pruning also involves cutting off the branches that bear no fruit. And we simply cannot ignore the scriptures that speak of this process:

(2 Thess. 1:7b-9)  “…This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. {8} He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. {9} They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”

Cutting off barren branches is serious business. The fear of an eternity in hell outside of the presence of God exists for a reason: the gardener will not tolerate barren branches.

A while back I was told of a funny video that was in German; but you didn’t need to know German to get the point. A young woman asks her father how he likes the new iPad she gave him for his birthday. He says, “Good.”

But then she watches him use his iPad as a cutting board for chopping his vegetables. She is horrified as he rinses it off in the sink and puts in the dishwasher! A caption in English informs us that no I-Pads were harmed in filming the episode.

In real life, it’s no laughing matter when you see something costly not being used to fulfill its intended purpose, or even worse, being used for something contrary to its purpose.

But the saddest of all is when people who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ fail to live for the purpose for which He saved them.

They drift through life like the unredeemed people around them, living to accumulate more stuff that they think will make them happier before they die.

But they never stop to consider what God wants them to do with the few precious years and the gifts that He gives them.

3. Remain in Me because You Can’t Bear Fruit Alone…the right culture.

²  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

³  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

These verses talk of Christians who are habitually unfaithful to the cause of Christ. It isn’t spiritual immaturity or laziness or struggling lifestyles. These are people who have lost their connection/allegiance to Christ.

(2 Peter 2:20-22)  “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. {21} It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. {22} Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.””

4. Remain in Me because if you do, I’ll make you fruitful…the right contact.

⁵  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

The process of pruning must never sever the fruit-bearing branch from the main vine. Cuttings will often bear leaves independently through the vitality resident in them, but they will never bear fruit.

In scripture, fruit, more fruit, and more fruit is the divine order! Growth brings increase in fruitfulness, and the more mature a Christian becomes, the more is expected of him.

Trying to bear fruit on our own is like trying to turn on a light that isn’t plugged in. We can check the bulb and flip the switch as often as we like, but if it isn’t connected to the power source, it will not work!

5. The right fruitage: “The same bears much fruit.”

. ⁸  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

God blesses those who abide in Him:

1. Prayer is answered.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” (vs. 7)

2. God is glorified

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (vs. 8)

3. Our life will be motivated by love.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” (vs. 9-10)

4. Joy will be ours in abundance.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (vs. 11).

A pair of scissors consists of two single blades. Yet the blades, regardless of  how sharp or shiny, are useless without one essential element — the small metal screw that holds them together.

Can you imagine trying to cut some paper or fabric without that tiny screw? Of course, you could put a blade in each hand. But think of the effort and difficulty involved in trying to make an even, precise cut that way. But when that tiny screw brings both blades together, suddenly the cutting becomes effortless.

In our relationship with God, abiding in Jesus is the screw that holds everything together and makes us useful to Him.

 

 And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I am thankful for the question Thomas asked, This affirmation of Jesus is one the greatest philosophical utterances of all time! He did not say that he KNEW the way…He declared himself THE FINAL KEY OF ALL MYSTERIES.

We have computer programs which map out the best route to various destinations. There are two pieces of information which we must know before the map can be printed: 1. the point of departure, and 2. the destination.

The disciples actually did know the starting point (Jerusalem) but they think they do not know His destination…I’ll let Jesus tell us:

John 6:38 (ESV) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 7:33-34 (ESV) Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. ³⁴  You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

——————

Ever been asked a question like this: “Are you one of those who believe that Jesus is exclusively the only way to heaven? They usually follow with this exclamation: You know how mad that makes people these days!”

My response: “Jesus is not exclusive. He died so that anyone could comes to Him for salvation.”

Jesus is inclusive! The Bible says Jesus died so that people of all social classes, ethnicities and backgrounds can come to him for salvation.  Jesus excludes no one!

Christianity is not an exclusive club limited to an elite few who fit the perfect profile. Everyone is welcome regardless of color, class, or clout.

When he was on earth, Jesus made many gracious, very “inclusive” offers to help all kinds of people. Here are a few offers of hope to any of Jesus’ hearers without “fine print.” I’ll use italics to emphasize the key words…

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

By the way, Jesus made this statement to a woman whom most of Jesus’ countrymen would have considered a societal outcast, unworthy of civil conversation, much less an offer of eternal life!

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:38).

Then, why “only through Jesus”?

Jesus does not simply teach the way or point the way; He is the way. In fact, “the Way” was one of the early names for the Christian faith :

Acts 9:2 (ESV) and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Acts 19:23 (ESV) About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.

Acts 22:4 (ESV) I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

Acts 24:14 (ESV) But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

Our Lord’s statement, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me,” wipes away any other proposed way to heaven—good works, religious ceremonies, costly gifts, prestige, or power.

There is only one way, and Jesus Christ Jesus is the only way to God—it’s the truth and the only option that works. Think about it…God is the one we have all sinned against.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Since we’re the “offenders,” it makes sense that God is the only one qualified to say how things can be set right with him! Even in our courts the offenders don’t set the amounts of their fines or the terms of their punishment! Why would we think the God of the universe would require less?

All of us are guilty before God. We are sinners in need of a Savior and we cannot help ourselves. Our sin had to be dealt with. Jesus, as God in the flesh, died to pay the penalty for our sins and then rose from the dead.

The Bible puts it this way: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).

Isaiah 53:6 goes on to say that “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” No other religious leader offers what Jesus provides in His victory over sin and death. And no other leader rose from the dead!

The gospel of Christ is offensive to some, but it is the wonderful truth that God loves us enough to come and take care of our biggest problem—sin.

John 3:17 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus’ gracious offer to solve our basic sin problem is still valid today: “Whoever hears my word and believes him [God] who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

The Jews talked much about the way in which men must walk and the ways of God. God said to Moses: “You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you” (Deuteronomy 5:32, 33).

Moses said to the people: “I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you” (Deuteronomy 31:29).

Suppose we are in a strange town and ask for directions. Suppose the person asked says: “Take the first to the right, and the second to the left. Cross the square, go past the church, take the third on the right and the road you want is the fourth on the left.” The chances are that we will be lost before we get half-way. But suppose the person we ask says: “Come. I’ll take you there.” In that case the person to us is the way, and we cannot miss it.

That is what Jesus does for us. He does not only give advice and directions. He takes us by the hand and leads us; he strengthens us and guides us personally every day. He does not tell us about the way; he is the Way.

Following are three reasons why people reject Jesus’ claim to be the only way to God:

1. They are satisfied with their own way or with doing nothing; they refuse on principle to examine Christ’s claims. Like people in a smoke-filled building who doubt that there is a fire, they insist that they will find their own way out.
2. They deny their lostness. These people in the smoke-filled building insist on debating whether there is a fire.
3. They are convinced that there must be several valid ways besides Jesus to get to God. These people in the smoke-filled building reluctantly agree that there may be a fire, but that any way of escape is as good as any other, even though they have not actually chosen a way themselves.

I have faith in a God who acts in history to uphold a particular truth, a vision of social justice and personal holiness that has clear definition and is anything but relative.

Despite my post-modern inclination to embrace nuance, paradox and gray areas, Jesus presents me with a yes or no decision: Will I follow him, or not?

The choice to answer “yes” is a direct challenge to the status quo. All of a sudden, I find that I can’t go along anymore with my culture’s competing truth claims.

Jesus has become not merely one option for my personal growth, nor just a great teacher whose wisdom I can mix and match with other teachers and paths. Instead, I am put in the uncomfortable position of following him as my Lord and my God.

By relating to Jesus as what could be ultimate concern, I shine a spotlight on the inadequacy of all other, less-than-ultimate concerns. Family, country, community, wealth, peace and progress, all these things are good and necessary for our well-being, but they fall short of ultimacy.

In Jesus, I discover that it’s not enough to be happy, healthy and wealthy if I’m not following the ultimate truth.

Despite how offensive and exclusive Jesus may seem to many, following him is ultimately the most inclusive, loving thing we can do.

Some explain it this way: our culture’s way of creating belonging is through shared affinity – for example, the kind of music we listen to, games we play, work we do, or pets we own. Our culture seeks to create unity through subcultures centered on shared consumption, rather than shared purpose.

These various subcultures – including many religious groups, I might add! – are an extremely exclusive way of forming community. They depend upon a group of people gathered around shared traits or interests. They gather around who we are and what we do rather than who God is and what God is doing.

Jesus does things differently. He draws us into community with people that we would not have chosen ourselves. Rather than coming together primarily out of shared hobbies, life experience or social/class backgrounds, Jesus calls people who are profoundly different. These folks might not even like each other; yet, in Jesus, they discover an irresistible love that unites them.

I’ve seen this play out many times: God draws together a bunch of misfits, folks who no reasonable person would have picked out, but who our unreasonable God designed to cohere in his Spirit.

This is the kind of community I want to be a part of: a community that stretches me to love folks I don’t like, to grow beyond the normal bounds of human affinity.

I want to be part of a community so radiant with Christ’s inclusive love that even those who are skeptical of our faith will be drawn to us.

When we are dwelling in the Spirit, others may perceive that we want to be friends with them – not because we like them, and not because they say the right words or believe the right things, but because Jesus already loves them and accepts them.

As Charles Hodge said: “Stick with those you’re stuck with.”

Jesus claimed to be the only way to God the Father. Some people may argue that this way is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be saying, “Thank you, God, for providing a sure way to get to you!

The claims of Jesus resound in the Holy Scriptures. He makes it clear that He is not a “good teacher” He is not a “good man” – a man slightly elevated and set apart from other men.

Jesus claimed and demonstrated that He is the holy God. He created the Universe, the Cosmos and the many distant world’s.

He is the Word of God made flesh. He is the Son of God incarnate, who came to save people from everlasting punishment. He alone is the way to God, the only mediator and Savior of human-kind. Only He is able and willing to sacrifice Himself for the destitute race that is human beings.

He has always been with the Father. He is an infinite being who never had a start and will never end. He is Eternal Life.

This is who He is. The way to freedom, salvation and forgiveness is through Him. Only Him. There is only one way to heaven, and that way is on His terms, not ours.

The path of repentance and faith is the only way to heaven. We face our sinful selves and bring our rottenness to Christ and He is able to forgive anyone who comes and trusts in Him. This is a supernatural process that only God the Son can perform.

Christ died so that humans don’t have to. He offers free salvation to anyone who will humble themselves and give up their selfish lives to Him. Our destruction is that we refuse Him and insist on our own way.

This is the only way to God. It is an exclusive way and has a single Savior. All honor, glory and praise is unto His name for ever and ever.

John 3:18 (ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

 

In my Father’s house are many rooms [mansions]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. {4} You know the way to the place where I am going.”” – John 14:1-4

“I’m leaving.”

As we come to this section in John’s marvelous gospel, those words uttered by our Lord shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who heard them then or is reminded of them today. After all, His disciples knew this time was going to come. From the very beginning, He’d been preparing them for a time when they would need to carry on without Him.

The conversation was extremely distressing. The men gathered to remember God’s great victory that brought their nation into existence. It was a sober time, but a joyful time. They should have talked about God’s incredible power to deliver His people, they talked about their leader going away.

It was not fair! They left everything to follow this man! At the entrance to Jerusalem, he was more popular than ever! A month ago they feared his death, but the last few days he was untouchable. Their concept of victory was in their grasp!

Now the man who was the center of their daily companionship said he was going away, and for the first time he said none of them could go with him. Daily life without Jesus’ physical companionship was unthinkable! All their expectations were centered in his physical presence, and now he said he was leaving.

They should have known that this was not going to be an ordinary Passover meal. They should have known from the moment He had started washing their feet with his own hands, from the way he had blessed the cup and the bread, from the deeply pensive look into their eyes…they should have known.

This has been unlike any other meal the disciples shared with Jesus. He seemed so grave, so solemn. An ominous finality lingered over the Passover “celebration.”

This is one of those “good news/bad news” scenarios. What lies ahead is difficult. But Jesus’ promises are simply out of this world! With these words, Jesus reverted to the original teaching that He had begun before Peter interrupted Him, and at the same time gave a fuller answer to Peter’s question.

The immediate effect of our Lord’s words to His disciples was confusion and sadness. I would like to suggest that this was exactly what our Lord intended them to produce—for the moment. Suppose the disciples really did grasp what Jesus was about to do.

Suppose, for example, that the disciples understood that Judas was about to betray our Lord and to hand Him over to the Jewish authorities, so that they could carry out a mock trial and crucify the Son of God on the cross of Calvary.

I think I know what Peter would have done—he would have used his sword on Judas, rather than the high priest’s slave. I believe the disciples would have attempted to prevent what was about to happen, had they known what that was.

But the confusion our Lord’s words produced threw them off balance. The result was that when Jesus was arrested, they fled. They did not die trying to defend the Savior, and in part this was because they were utterly confused by what was happening.

Jesus’ words were not intended to produce instant “relief,” but eternal joy. The confusion and sadness that the Upper Room Discourse created in the disciples enabled Jesus to die just as He knew He must, just as it had been planned, purposed, and promised long before. The disciples were surely not “in control” at this point in time, but, as always, the Master was.

How would they make it without Jesus by their side?

One day they would all go on that journey. Peter would go relatively soon…then Thomas, Matthew, James…the rest, with the exception of John. Like millions of other believers in the first century, the apostles would walk through the valley of the shadow of death clinging to the unseen hand of their Lord.

But they “had some living” between this moment and that time of their life. Here, their attention was on one relatively simple dilemma: How would they make it without Jesus by their side? And if their leader and spokesman was soon to deny Jesus, how could they trust themselves?

While the crucifixion and ascension will be devastating losses for the disciples, their faith can be sustained in the midst of this present suffering by the assurance of three glorious realities: (1) The enduring presence of the Holy Spirit, (2) Jesus’ return and (3) the hope of a heavenly home.

The glory of our future dwelling is not in its size or prestige but in the presence of Christ.

From the moment of our baptism into Christ, we exist in an “in-between” time – a no-man’s land of waiting to be with the one we adore

We have said good-bye to a life of human aims but not yet said hello to eternity in a divine place

Christ’s presence is real enough to the heart, but our eyes long to see Him

Like Paul, we desire “to be with the Lord” yet must wait for His return

With the wisdom and love that only the Creator and Master can possess, Jesus begins to share with His frightened followers the words they would need until He returned:

Those words would fill the void the other two words had created.

Those words would guide and direct the disciples, soothe and assure them.

Those words would enable them to live, for a while, without Him by their side.

These words will compose our series for the coming weeks. They will be words of comfort, words of warning, words of encouragement, and words of caution.

They should be words that will provide for our every need as we find ourselves in situations similar to the ones faced by these brave but very human individuals who lived so many years ago.

What is living with fear? For some, it is growing accustomed to constant worry about our lives and souls. It can also move us into accepting the uneasy feeling that our salvation is not secure and our future is in question. It is a devilish détente with doubt that makes inner peace impossible.

Living with fear means resigning control and letting those fears control us. Fear eventually can rob us of joy and bind us in panic. It messes up our minds and confounds our common sense…and then the “what if’s begin to take over…..

What if I get cancer?  What if our company announces financial difficulties? When fear takes control over our faith, it renders us ineffective in doing the very tasks to which our Lord has called us.

* Fear has always been connected to sin.

Genesis 3:8-10: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. {9} But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” {10} He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.””

Prior to the sin of Adam and Eve, they lived in an ideal environment in perfect harmony and fellowship with their Creator. The concept of fear was not even in the mix, was it?

Satan promised a product that would make their life even better—and delivered a product that was nothing like the advertisement! Sin opens the door, and fear enters on the heels of its twin demon: guilt.

What a neat, nasty system we find here. Sin destroys the foundation of our confidence by eroding our relationship with God and replacing it with fear. It leaves us feeling dirty, scared, and unsure of our salvation…and if we remain in willful sin, we should feel that way!

* The power of fear is a matter of focus.

Adam and Eve were in trouble when the focus of their attention moved from God’s love and power to their weaknesses. Fear caused them to forget about the loving way God had provided for them and the gracious way He had sustained them. They instantly developed a kind of fear-driven tunnel vision that allowed them to see nothing but an oncoming train.

* Conquering fear is a matter of choice.

Jesus’ command “to fear not” needs to be viewed in light of another kind of fear, a healthy one that the Bible speaks of often:

(Proverbs 1:7)  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

(Isaiah 12:2)  “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.””

The key to keeping our hearts from being troubled is choosing whom to fear! Faith is actually the choice to fear God only. Put another way, it’s deciding between the greater of two fears.

The final emphasis. According to Jesus, heaven is a place. It is not a product of religious imagination or the result of a psyched-up mentality, looking for “pie in the sky by and by.”

Heaven is the place where God dwells and where Jesus sits today at the right hand of the Father. Heaven is described as a kingdom (2 Peter 1:11), an inheritance (1 Peter 1:4), a country (Heb. 1:16), a city (Heb. 11:16), and a home (John 14:2).

Heaven is “My Father’s house,” according to Jesus. It is “home” for God’s children! Indeed, “heaven is a prepared place for a prepared person.”

Though there is much “fuss” over the idea of the word mansions, the idea is clear: there would be room for all in the Father’s house.    Reasons why Jesus had to go away:

1. He must go away (die upon the cross) to prepare our salvation. Only His sacrifice is sufficient atonement for our sins.
2. He must go away (by His resurrection and ascension) to take captivity captive (Eph. 4:8) to triumph over principalities and powers (Col. 2:15) and allow us even now “to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).
3. He must go away (unto the right hand of the Father’s throne) to constantly minister for us.

(Hebrews 13:6)  “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?””

(Revelation 2:10)  “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

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According to U.S.A. Today (11/16/11), “More than 20 percent of American adults took at least one drug for conditions like anxiety and depression in 2021 … including more than one in four women.”

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population).”

I realize that some of you have taken or are currently taking medication for anxiety or depression. I am not a doctor and I recognize that there are complex factors that affect our mental condition. I would not recommend that you go off any medication without your doctor’s consent. But at the same time, I would urge you to think carefully about whether or not you have truly laid hold of the cure for troubled hearts that Jesus promises in our text: Faith in Christ’s person and hope in Christ’s promise will comfort your troubled heart.

You may think, “That’s overly simplistic! That’s a nice thought, but it’s impractical and out of touch with reality!” But these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to troubled hearts. Either His words are true or they’re not.

So I would ask you to consider whether perhaps you just haven’t applied these words before you conclude that they are simplistic or impractical. And I also point out that Jesus’ words have given genuine comfort to countless believers in the midst of horrible trials over the past 2000+ years of church history. So before you shrug them off, consider whether or not you have truly applied them to your troubled heart.

Jesus is in the Upper Room with the eleven disciples after Judas has left to betray Him. Except for John and perhaps Peter, the others didn’t know yet who the betrayer was, but they were troubled by the news that one of the twelve would betray Jesus.

The Lord has also announced that He is leaving them and that they cannot follow Him. These are men who had left their jobs and families to follow Jesus in the hope that He was the promised Messiah. They were ecstatic a few days before when He rode into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd. But now He was talking about His death, not about His messianic kingdom. And to top it off, He had just told Peter that before daybreak, he would deny Jesus three times.

So these men were anxious and troubled! And so the Lord’s emphasis in all of John 14, not just in our text, is to comfort their troubled hearts, especially as they witnessed His brutal execution the next day. If you apply them, these words will also comfort your troubled heart.

1. Faith in Christ’s person will comfort your troubled heart (John 14:1, 4-11).

Faith is only as good as its object. Trusting in a faulty airplane won’t make it fly! As we’ve seen repeatedly, everything in the Christian life depends on the correct answer to Jesus’ question (Matt. 16:15), “Who do you say that I am?”

If Jesus is who He claimed to be and who all of Scripture proclaims Him to be, then He is absolutely trustworthy in every trial that you encounter. If He is not who He claimed to be, then eat and drink, for tomorrow you will die (see 1 Cor. 15:12-19, 32). Or, as church historian Jaroslav Pelikan said just before he died, “If Christ is raised, nothing else matters. If Christ is not raised, nothing matters.” (Cited by David Calhoun, in Heaven [Crossway], ed. by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson, worldmag.com/2014/11/the_hope_of_heaven.) In our text, Jesus makes four claims that show that He is trustworthy:

A. Jesus claims to deserve equal faith with God (John 14:1).

John 14:1: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” There are several legitimate ways to translate that verse because in Greek, “believe” in both instances can be either indicative or imperative. A few versions translate the first verb as indicative, “you believe in God,” and the second as imperative, “believe also in Me.” But most versions translate them both as imperatives: “believe in God, believe also in Me.” Since Jesus’ opening words are an imperative, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” it’s likely that He is commanding them both to believe in God and to believe in Him.

But either way that you translate it, Jesus is claiming to be on exactly the same level as God when it comes to trusting Him! What mere man could claim, “You need to trust in God, and to the same degree, you need to trust in Me”? Alexander Maclaren wrote (Expositions of Holy Scripture [Baker], on John 14:1, p. 257, italics his):

The peculiarity of His call to the world is, “Believe in Me.” And if He said that, or anything like it … then, one of two things follows. Either He was wrong, and then He was a crazy enthusiast, only acquitted of blasphemy because convicted of insanity; or else—or else—He was “God manifest in the flesh.”

As Jesus will go on to affirm, because to see Him is to see the Father, you cannot separate faith in God from faith in Jesus. And since Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who created all things (John 1:3), and who was in control over all the events surrounding His death, then you can trust Him in whatever overwhelming circumstances you are facing. Nothing is too difficult for Him and no one can thwart His sovereign will (Jer. 32:17; Job 42:2).

B. Jesus claims to be the exclusive way to God (John 14:4-6).

We’ll come back to verses 2 & 3, where Jesus promises that He is going to prepare a place for us and that He will come again. Then, He says (John 14:4-6),

“And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

I’m glad for the disciples’ dense comments and questions (we’ll see another one from Philip in verse 8), because they resulted in some wonderful answers from Jesus that we otherwise might not have! The word “way” is emphasized by being repeated in verses 4, 5, & 6; it refers to the way to heaven or to the Father (John 14:3, 6). Significantly, Jesus doesn’t say, “I know the way to heaven and I can point you to it.” Rather, He says, “I am the way.”

A missionary hired a guide to take him across a vast desert. When they arrived at the edge of the desert, the missionary saw before him trackless sands without a single footprint or road of any kind. He asked his guide with a tone of surprise, “Where is the road?” With a reproving glance, the guide replied, “I am the road.” Jesus is the way to heaven. We must trust Him to take us there.

This is the sixth of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements in John (6:48; 8:12; 10:9, 11; 11:25; 15:1). It’s another claim to deity. Jesus is saying that we can have access to God only through Him. Just as in the Old Testament, the only way for the Jews to come to God was through the high priest, who could only enter the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, so Jesus is our high priest through whose sacrifice of Himself we can come into God’s very presence without fear of being consumed. He Himself is the way.

Jesus also claimed, “I am the truth.” Again, He did not say, “I can teach you the truth,” although He did that. He said, “I am the truth.” In this context, He means not only that He is totally dependable, but also that He Himself is the only true way of salvation (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], p. 641). He alone is the manifestation of the eternal God of truth. We can only know ultimate reality through knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Jesus also claimed, “I am the life.” Again, He doesn’t say, “I can tell you how to have life,” but rather, “I am the life.” In John 5:26, Jesus claimed, “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” Having life in Himself, Jesus “gives life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21). Because of sin, the entire human race is under the curse of eternal death, or separation from God. We can have eternal life only in Christ. Eternal life means knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent (John 17:3).

The three articles, the way, the truth, and the life imply the exclusivity of Christ’s claims. But His final statement cinches it (John 14:6b): “no one comes to the Father but through Me.” He is the only way to God. Peter underscored this fact to the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 4:12), “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (See, also, 1 Tim. 2:5).

Jesus’ claim to be the way, the truth, and the life, the only way to the Father, confronts our postmodern era in two ways: First, there is such a thing as absolute truth in the spiritual realm; second, Jesus only is the absolute truth; all other ways are wrong. People today don’t have a problem if you say that Jesus is a way to God or that you personally believe in Him, as long as you don’t say that all other beliefs are false. But when you claim that Jesus is the exclusive way to God; that He is the only spiritual truth, so that all other beliefs are false; and that He alone can impart eternal life—you will be accused of being intolerant and arrogant!

1. C. Sproul (in Tabletalk, date unknown) points out that the notion that all religions are valid is logically impossible because, if all religions are valid, then Christianity is valid. But Jesus said that He is the only way to God, which eliminates all other ways. So either He was right or He was wrong. Sproul concludes, “If He was wrong, then Christianity has no validity at all. If He was right, then there is no other way.”

Here’s how Jesus’ claim in verse 6 can comfort you when you’re troubled: Believing that Jesus is the way will comfort your troubled heart because you have access to the gracious Father through Him. Through Jesus you can bring all your troubles into the very presence of the God who spoke the universe into existence. Believing that Jesus is the truth will comfort your troubled heart because all else is subjective, shifting, and uncertain. You can stand securely in the truth of who Jesus is. Believing that Jesus is the life will comfort your troubled heart because trusting in Him gives assurance of eternal life and escape from the second death.

Thus Jesus claims to deserve equal faith with God. He claims to be the exclusive way to God.

C. Jesus claims to be the unique revealer of God (John 14:7-9).

John 14:7-9:

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

There is a variant in verse 7 supported by some early manuscripts, which reads, “If you have come to know Me [as you do], you shall know My Father also.” If this is the original reading, then Jesus is emphasizing the truth of John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus alone reveals the Father to us. Jesus’ words, “from now on,” refer to the events that will transpire shortly, especially to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit will guide them into all the truth (John 14:17, 26).

But Jesus’ comment that the disciples have seen the Father prompts Philip to ask (John 14:8), “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” He may have been thinking that if Jesus was going to leave them, some vision of God such as Moses had on Mount Sinai would sustain them in Jesus’ absence. Jesus’ reply is a rebuke that reflects some personal grief (John 14:9), “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Again, I’m thankful for Philip’s inappropriate request, because Jesus’ reply is another clear claim to be God. As Leon Morris states (p. 644), “These are words which no mere man has a right to use.” Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God. As Paul wrote (Col. 2:9), “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” This claim of Christ can comfort your troubled heart because often in a time of trouble, God seems distant. The fact that He is invisible makes it difficult to trust in Him. At such times, look to Jesus, who was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). He reveals to us the tender mercies of the Father.

D. Jesus claims to be in intimate union with the Father (John 14:10-11).

John 14:10-11: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

This brings us back full circle to verse 1: To believe in Jesus is to believe in the Father, because the two are in inseparable union. God is one God who subsists in three co-equal, eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 14:10, 17). Jesus reveals the Father to us. The Spirit reveals Christ to us (John 16:13-15). To know Jesus is to know God.

Jesus gives two reasons to believe that He is in intimate union with the Father: His words and His works. Jesus says that He didn’t make up what He taught, but rather His words came directly from the Father. This is a repetition of Jesus’ earlier claims. In John 8:26, He told His enemies, “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” He repeated (John 8:28), “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” (See, also, John 5:19, 30.) Jesus’ words confirm that He is in intimate union with the Father.

But also Jesus’ works prove that He is in intimate union with the Father. This refers to all that He did, but especially to His miracles. Skeptics, of course, challenge Jesus’ miracles because they claim that they have never seen a miracle. But Jesus’ miracles are reported by credible eyewitnesses, most of whom were willing to lose their lives because they believed Jesus to be the truth. At the heart of a skeptic’s rejection of Jesus’ miracles is not science, but rather his love of his sin and his refusal to submit to Jesus as Lord.

Note that Jesus challenges us (John 14:11), “Believe Me that …” Faith in Jesus isn’t a vague, “I believe for every star that falls, a flower grows.” Rather, we are to believe specifically what Jesus claimed: that He deserves equal faith with God; that He is the exclusive way to God; that He is the unique revealer of God; and that He is in intimate union with the Father. Jesus adds that if you can’t believe His words alone, at least believe because of His works. Believing in the person of Christ will comfort your troubled heart.

2. Hope in Christ’s promise will comfort your troubled heart (John 14:2-3).

John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Biblical hope is closely allied with faith. Someone has described it as faith standing on tiptoe. It looks ahead to the promised, but yet unrealized future. It’s not like saying, “I hope my favorite team wins their big game today.” You don’t know whether they will win or lose. Biblical hope is like watching the video replay of the game after your team won. You know the outcome, but you eagerly watch the game unfold. Here Jesus makes two promises that are certain because He is the truth:

A. Christ is making a reservation for us in heaven.

The picture is an Oriental house where the father would add rooms to accommodate his grown children and their families so that they all lived in the same compound. There are several comforting truths in this picture. First, heaven is a real place, not just an immaterial state of being.

Second, going to heaven is like going home. It’s not like traveling to a foreign country, where you don’t know the language, geography, people, or customs. It’s like going to a familiar, comfortable place where you are welcomed by a Father who loves you and by brothers and sisters whom you know.

Third, Jesus is there right now preparing a place for us. This doesn’t mean that He is working with His carpenter’s tools to add rooms for us. Rather, it looks at His present ministry of intercession for us, of being our advocate, and of keeping us for that day.

It’s always comforting when you travel to know that you have a confirmed reservation when you arrive. Jesus promises that if you believe in Him, you have such a reservation in heaven.

B. Christ will make a return for us on earth.

He promises to come again and receive us to Himself, that where He is, there we will be also. When Christ comes or when we go to heaven, we will be reunited with our loved ones who have gone before us. But being with Jesus Himself will be the best part of His coming and our going to heaven.

The certainty of Christ’s bodily return means terror for those who reject Him, because He will come to “tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 19:15). But His return means comfort for all that believe in Him, because we will always be with the Lord. Paul concludes his discussion of Christ’s return by saying (1 Thess. 4:18), “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Conclusion

Jesus’ words (John 14:1), “Do not let your heart be troubled,” mean that we can do something about our troubled hearts. It’s a command, indicating that we have volitional control over our emotions. We don’t need to be victimized by our feelings. We can do something to deal with anxiety or a troubled heart, namely, believe in Jesus as God and hope in His promise of heaven. As the psalmist told himself when he was in despair (Ps. 43:5), “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” And, since Jesus was troubled on our behalf (John 14:21), we don’t need to be troubled by life’s problems. God is now on our side!

So the next time you’re troubled and anxious, before you do what the world does and pop a pill to calm your soul, do something radical: Believe in God; believe also in Jesus Christ. Faith in His person and His promise will comfort your troubled heart.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴  And you know the way to where I am going.”

This week I was made aware of a cartoon in which a man was lying on the couch of a psychiatrist. When the psychiatrist asked the client what his problem was he confided that he had all kinds of fears about the future.

“Doctor,” he began, “I’m worried about the energy crisis, inflation, the situation in the Middle East, political and social upheaval in Africa, our diplomatic relations with Russia and China …” In the final frame the psychiatrist responded, “Shut up and move over,” after which he proceeded to get on the couch with the patient.

A cartoon such as this would be much more amusing if it did not contain so much truth. The problems of the future are almost overwhelming. Those in a position to know the facts are privately saying that things are not nearly as bad as they seem—they are worse. Public officials seem to have taken the same approach to our national problems as many doctors do with a terminally ill patient—keep the unpleasant truth from them as long as possible.

Secular philosophy and ethics have come to assume a fearful future. That is why they are dominated by a note of absolute despair: “The life of man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a goal that few can hope to reach, and where none may tarry long.”

It is at the point of facing the frightening prospects of the future that we can find a common ground with the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are certain other great truths within this passage.

1. It tells us of the honesty of Jesus. No one could ever claim that he had been tricked into Christianity by specious promises or under false pretenses.

• Jesus told men bluntly that the Christian must bid farewell to comfort (Lk 9:57-58).
• He told them of the persecution, the hatred, the penalties they would have to bear (Matt 10:16-22).
• He told them of the cross which they must carry (Matt 16:24), even although he told them also of the glory of the ending of the Christian way. He frankly and honestly told men what they might expect both of glory and of pain if they followed him. He was not a leader who tried to bribe men with promises of an easy way; he tried to challenge them into greatness.

He implied that they should believe Him against all odds. Remember, He was doomed to death, which overtakes all men. Yet He promised to prepare a place for them and to return to claim them!

Faith in Christ’s person will comfort your troubled heart.

Faith is only as good as its object. Trusting in a faulty airplane won’t make it fly! As we’ve seen repeatedly, everything in the Christian life depends on the correct answer to Jesus’ question (Matt. 16:15), “Who do you say that I am?”

If Jesus is who He claimed to be and who all of Scripture proclaims Him to be, then He is absolutely trustworthy in every trial that you encounter.

If He is not who He claimed to be, then eat and drink, for tomorrow you will die (see 1 Cor. 15:12-19, 32).  

Reasons why Jesus had to go away:

1. He must go away (die upon the cross) to prepare our salvation. Only His sacrifice is sufficient atonement for our sins.
2. He must go away (by His resurrection and ascension) to take captivity captive (Eph. 4:8) to triumph over principalities and powers (Col. 2:15) and allow us even now “to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).
3. He must go away (unto the right hand of the Father’s throne) to constantly minister for us.
4. It tells us of the function of Jesus. He said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” One of the great thoughts of the New Testament is that Jesus goes on in front for us to follow. He opens up a way so that we may follow in his steps.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms.” The traditional interpretation of this phrase teaches that Jesus is going to heaven to prepare rooms or “mansions” (nkjv) for his followers. Based on that imagery, entire heavenly subdivisions and elaborate “mansion blueprints” have been described.

Many think that Jesus was speaking about his Father’s house in heaven, where he would go after his resurrection in order to prepare rooms for his followers. Then he would return one day to take his believers to be with him in heaven. The day of that return usually has been regarded as the Second Coming.

The other view is that the passage primarily speaks of the believers’ immediate access to God the Father through the Son. The “place” Jesus was preparing has less to do with a location (heaven) as it had to do with an intimate relationship with a person (God the Father).

This interpretation does not deny the comfort of heaven’s hope in this passage, but it does remove the temptation to view heaven purely in terms of glorious mansions.

Heaven is not about splendid accommodations; it is about being with God. The point of the passage is that Jesus is providing the way for the believers to live in God the Father. As such, the way he prepared the place was through his own death and resurrection and thereby opened the way for the believers to live in Christ and approach God.

Hope in Christ’s promise will comfort your troubled heart.

The bad news for the disciples (so far as they perceived it) was that Jesus was going away without them. The good news puts all this into perspective: He is going to His Father’s house; He is going back to heaven. He is going there to prepare a place for His disciples, so that they can be with Him for all eternity. Our Lord is telling His disciples and us that there is plenty of room for us all in His Father’s heavenly house.

One of the great words which is used to describe Jesus is the word forerunner. There are two uses of this word which light up the picture within it. In the Roman army the word describes the reconnaissance troops. They went ahead of the main body of the army to blaze the trail and to ensure that it was safe for the rest of the troops to follow. That is what Jesus did. He blazed the way to heaven and to God that we might follow in his steps.

3. It tells us of the ultimate triumph of Jesus. He said: “I am coming again.” The Second Coming of Jesus is a doctrine which has to a large extent dropped out of Christian thinking and preaching. The curious thing about it is that Christians seem either entirely to disregard it or to think of nothing else.

It is true that we cannot tell when it will happen or what will happen, but one thing is certain—history is going somewhere. Without a climax it would be necessarily incomplete. History must have a consummation, and that consummation will be the triumph of Jesus Christ; and he promises that in the day of his triumph he will welcome his friends.

Jesus said: “Where I am, there you will also be.” Here is a great truth put in the simplest way; for the Christian, heaven is where Jesus is. We do not need to speculate on what heaven will be like. It is enough to know that we will be for ever with him.

When we love someone with our whole heart, we are really alive only when we are with that person. It is so with Christ. In this world our contact with him is shadowy, for we can see only through a glass darkly, and spasmodic, for we are poor creatures and cannot live always on the heights. But the best definition is to say that heaven is that state where we will always be with Jesus.

Jesus suggested that the proper approach to the question of human destiny is faith in a personal God. If a personal God exists, who is the judge and redeemer of man, there must be a destiny for man beyond the grave.

The 2nd Coming. Not only here but in Acts 1:11; 3:21; 2 Thessalonians 4:13–17, etc., the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is emphatically taught, the same being one of the foundational teachings of Christianity. Some will go to heaven through the valley of the shadow of death, but those who are alive when Jesus returns will never see death (John 11:25-26). They will be changed to be like Christ and will go to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-18

1. What Christ will not do upon his return.
2. He will not offer himself a second time for the sins of the world (Heb. 9:26-28).
3. He will not restore any phase of fleshly or national Israel. The Scripture makes it absolutely clear that race is nothing with God (Gal. 3:27).
4. He will not set up a kingdom, having already done that, the church being his kingdom. It has existed continuously since the first Pentecost after the resurrection, and wherever the Lord’s Supper is, there is the kingdom (Luke 22:30).
5. He will not extend a second chance for unbelievers to repent (Heb. 9:27).
6. What Christ will do upon his return.
7. All the dead shall be raised to life (John 5:24-29).
8. The judgment will occur (John 5:24-29; Matt. 25:31-36).
9. The wicked shall be destroyed and the righteous rewarded (2 Thess. 1:7-10).
10. The crown of life shall be given to the faithful (2 Tim. 4:7,8).
11. Christ will stop reigning, delivering up the kingdom to God (1 Cor. 15:28).

III. What Christ is now doing.

1. He is reigning until all of his enemies have been put under foot (1 Cor. 15:25f).
2. He is interceding for the redeemed (Heb. 7:25).
3. He is administering all authority in heaven and upon earth (Matt. 28:18-20).
4. He is providentially overseeing the fortunes of his church on earth (Matt. 28:19,20).
5. He is preparing a home for the faithful (John 14:3).

Since heaven is the Father’s house, it must be a place of love and joy. When the Apostle John tried to describe heaven, he almost ran out of symbols and comparisons! (Rev. 21-22) Finally, he listed the things that would not be there: death, sorrow, crying, pain, night, etc. What a wonderful home it will be—and we will enjoy it forever!

Heaven is the place where God dwells and where Jesus sits today at the right hand of the Father. Heaven is described as a kingdom (2 Peter 1:11), an inheritance (1 Peter 1:4), a country (Heb. 1:16), a city (Heb. 11:16), and a home (John 14:2).

Heaven is “My Father’s house,” according to Jesus. It is “home” for God’s children!

A good deal of the time, the Lord and His disciples may have been camping rather than living comfortably in some spatial home. What Jesus promises His disciples is a dramatic (what an understatement!) improvement.

Biblical hope is closely allied with faith. Someone has described it as faith standing on tiptoe. It looks ahead to the promised, but yet unrealized future.

It’s not like saying, “I hope my favorite team wins their big game today.” You don’t know whether they will win or lose. Biblical hope is like watching the video replay of the game after your team won. You know the outcome, but you eagerly watch the game unfold.

Here Jesus makes two promises that are certain because He is the truth:

First, heaven is a real place, not just an immaterial state of being.

Second, going to heaven is like going home. It’s not like traveling to a foreign country, where you don’t know the language, geography, people, or customs. It’s like going to a familiar, comfortable place where you are welcomed by a Father who loves you and by brothers and sisters whom you know.

Third, Jesus is there right now preparing a place for us. This doesn’t mean that He is working with His carpenter’s tools to add rooms for us. Rather, it looks at His present ministry of intercession for us, of being our advocate, and of keeping us for that day.

It’s always comforting when you travel to know that you have a confirmed reservation when you arrive. Jesus promises that if you believe in Him, you have such a reservation in heaven.

Jesus says the ultimate result is that where I am, you also may be. In Greek it is clear that this is an intentional play upon the “I am” statement. Jesus hints that at his Second Coming believers will share in the “I am-ness” he presently enjoys. They will have unobstructed access to the glorious majesty of God the Father.

The certainty of Christ’s bodily return means terror for those who reject Him, because He will come to “tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 19:15). But His return means comfort for all that believe in Him, because we will always be with the Lord.

Paul concludes his discussion of Christ’s return by saying (1 Thess. 4:18), “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”