God is With You

Speaking of the Bible, if you have one with you, you can open it up to John chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

We're continuing on in our journey through the Gospel of John.

Most of you know that, in case you haven't been here.

This is the night of Jesus' betrayal.

And Jesus is with his disciples, the eleven disciples, the twelfth one, Judas.

He has started to betray Jesus and has left them.

And Jesus has been basically just encouraging and challenging and teaching and comforting his disciples.

Preparing them for the difficulty that they're about to go through.

So last Sunday, we heard Jesus change the subject with his disciples and address some of their fears and concerns.

They're worried that Jesus is about to leave them.

They're worried about all this opposition and disdain.

From Jesus' opponents, the religious leaders and some of the Jews who were loyal and followed them closely.

And Jesus confirmed, yes, you will be hated by the world because you do not belong to it anymore.

You will be hated by the world because of your association with me, says Jesus.

You will be hated by the world because these people do not know God.

Their hatred of me and of you, he said, was totally unjustifiable, without reason.

And they will be held guilty for their treatment of me and of you unless they repent.

Well, now we come to the comfort part.

I said, am I cutting in and out here?

No.

The comforting part, as I said last Sunday, Jesus is going to give comfort.

And here it comes.

So we will pick it up in chapter 15, verse 26.

Jesus says,

So encouragement number one to his disciples.

Jesus says to his disciples,

You will not be left alone.

God's Spirit is coming.

And we heard Jesus promise this earlier in the evening,

that the Spirit of God would come.

If you recall, back in chapter 14, verse 16 and 17.

And there the Spirit was, Jesus called him,

another counselor or another advocate, another helper, guide.

There's many different words that the translations have used here.

Because the precise translation of this Greek word is difficult into English.

There's no English word that fully captures the meaning of this word.

And so I encouraged us back then to focus on the fact that the Spirit would be another counselor

or another comforter, another guide to the disciples,

just like Jesus has been for these men.

What Jesus has been for them,

the Holy Spirit is going to be another of that for them.

While Jesus is gone.

So now, here again, possibly an hour or two later in the evening,

Jesus reminds them that this counselor, this comforter, this guide is coming.

And Jesus has a few different things to say about him.

First, Jesus clarifies just who this counselor is.

He says he is the Spirit of truth.

Next, we notice this interpersonal relationship between Jesus and the Spirit of truth and the Father.

All three persons of God's triune nature are present right here in this verse.

Jesus says,

I will send to you the Spirit of truth.

And if you remember back to chapter 14, verse 26,

there Jesus said that the Father will send the Spirit to them.

So we might be wondering, well, who is it that sends the Spirit of truth?

Is it Jesus? Is it the Father?

The answer is, it's both.

As we heard way back in John chapter 5,

John 5 · chapter mention

Jesus and the Father, they work together in harmony with one another.

And so, both the Father and the Son will send the Spirit of truth.

Next, we notice, where from?

Jesus says that the Spirit goes out from the Father.

He will be sent.

He will go out from the Father.

And why is that?

Well, I don't think we need to make it complicated.

I think the simple answer is just that the Spirit of truth is God's own Spirit.

Amazingly, God is the sort of being who is able to send out His Spirit.

Think about that.

This is one of the ways in which God is different than us.

We can't send our own Spirit anywhere.

We often tell people that,

I'm with you in Spirit.

But actually, we're just thinking about them.

We're not there.

This is one of the ways that God is different than us.

Our own spirits, our inner being,

they're confined to our bodies.

And until the day we die, our spirits stay there.

But God is not like us.

He is able to have His Spirit go forth from Him.

Next, we see to whom the Spirit of truth will go.

Jesus says,

I will send the Spirit, the Advocate, to you.

And we notice here in the original language,

it's a you plural,

referring in immediate context to the disciples.

This is an amazing thing about God.

He is able to send His Spirit people.

We saw this in the Old Testament.

God sent His own Spirit upon people.

People like Samson,

and Elijah,

and the prophets of old.

And then, three years prior to this conversation

that Jesus is having right now with the disciples,

some of them were likely there

the day that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River,

and God's Spirit came down from heaven

and came to rest upon Jesus.

So Jesus is saying, in a sense,

what happened to me,

the Spirit coming down from the Father in heaven upon me

is going to happen to you,

my disciples.

He's going to come down from the Father to you.

Now, we might wonder about this sort of thing.

The spiritual realm is not really something

that we understand very well.

We are creatures who take in our surroundings

through the faculties of our body,

our eyes,

our touch,

our smell,

our taste.

We take light into our eyes.

We take sound waves into our ears.

The electrical pulses in our nervous system

let us know when we've made contact

with another object,

with our skin.

But the Spirit

is immaterial.

Spirits are not made up

of the same sort of stuff

that we're so used to

in this physical and tangible world.

And so there's mystery in these words.

Amazingly,

God is the sort of being

who can envelop

one of his creatures

with his own spirit.

He can put his own presence

right into people

and live within them.

I'm kind of getting ahead of myself

because here it just says

send to you.

But that's how the story

is going to continue.

It's not just to you.

It's in you

to live with you.

Now, what will the Spirit do

when he comes?

Jesus says,

and this is the main thought

of this statement

Jesus makes,

when he comes

he will testify about me,

says Jesus.

So this is what the Spirit will do.

He's going to bear witness

to Jesus.

He's going to point to Jesus.

He's going to make the case

for Jesus.

He's going to give evidence

about Jesus.

Jesus.

And we might wonder,

well, how?

Is he just going to

fly around

and whisper in people's ears

or into their hearts

or into their minds?

I think this is so interesting.

The Spirit is coming

to testify about Jesus

and at the same time

he's coming to

the disciples,

the apostles.

Where's Jesus going with this?

Why testify to them?

They already believe.

The next verse

seems to clarify this.

Verse 27.

It says,

and you also

must testify

for you have been with me

from the beginning.

So the Spirit's going to

testify to the world

about Jesus,

but he's being sent

to the apostles.

apostles.

And they also

must testify.

And if you see

the implication here,

God will send

the Spirit,

Jesus will send

the Spirit

to his apostles

and it's through

them

that he will bear

witness to Christ

in the world.

They themselves

will become

like the prophets

of old,

the very mouthpieces

of God.

Now imagine

for a moment

that you're one

of the eleven

apostles

with Jesus

this night

and he's saying

these things to you.

The world's going

to hate you

and persecute you,

but you must

testify about me

and my Spirit

is going to come

to you,

the Spirit of Truth

to help you

with that.

this is an assignment

that no doubt

will not be easy.

But if we can get

our hearts

and our minds

fixed on this fact

that God himself

will be there

with us,

his Spirit

with us,

in us,

it changes everything.

So this is the

first comfort.

Jesus says,

you will not be alone

on this assignment.

I will send

the Spirit

and he will come

to you

and he will do

this work

of bearing witness

alongside you

and as we'll see

deeper than that,

he will bear witness

through you.

Jesus goes on,

all this I have told you

so that you will not

fall away.

They will put you

out of the synagogue.

In fact,

the time is coming

when anyone

who kills you

will think they are

offering a service

to God.

They will do

such things

because they have

not known

the Father

or me.

I have told you

this so that

when their time

comes,

you will remember

that I warned you

about them.

Wow.

First,

the comfort,

the promise

of the Spirit,

but then Jesus

has more to say

about how things

are going to get

difficult for them.

Earlier,

he told them

that the world

would hate them,

verse 18.

Then,

that the world

would persecute them,

verse 20.

And now,

Jesus tells them

just how difficult

it's going to get

for the disciples

in the days ahead.

He says in verse 2,

they will put you

out of the synagogue.

You know,

this is something

that's difficult

for us to imagine

what it would be like.

But in Jesus' day,

there in Israel,

before the church

became a thing,

the synagogue

was at the heart

of each community.

to be kicked

out of the synagogue

would signal

to everyone

that you are not

to be trusted.

You're not to be

associated with.

It would be like

social alienation.

Your reputation

would be ruined.

It would make it hard

for you to go about

your ordinary affairs

of life.

Because anybody

who saw you,

they wouldn't want

to be seen

having dealings

with that guy

who's been

excommunicated

by the ruling

council of the Jews.

But then Jesus

goes on to tell them

the full extent

of the persecution

they will face.

Not just excommunication

and social ostracism,

but they will hunt

you down

and kill you.

In fact,

the time is coming

when anyone

who kills you

will think

they are offering

a service

to God.

Surely Jesus

would have had

a tear in his eyes

as he said this.

Can you imagine

a service

to God?

This is how

self-deceived

some of the

religious leaders

in Israel

are right now.

Jesus' opponents,

they think

they will be

helping God

bring justice,

bring truth,

bring righteousness

on the earth

by hunting

these men down

and killing them.

how could they

think that way?

Jesus says

they will do

such things

because they

have not

known

the Father

or me.

And as we

heard last week,

this is not

ignorance,

it's that they

do not have

that close

favorable

relationship

with the one

true God

like they should.

They claim

to worship Yahweh,

they claim

to know

the God

of Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob.

But the reality

is,

says Jesus,

they don't

know him

and they

don't know

me.

Verse 4,

Jesus says,

I'm telling you

all this

now so that

when it happens,

you'll know.

You'll know

because I gave

you warning.

You'll know

what's happening

and you'll

understand

some of the

why.

And if

you know

the story,

as the story

goes,

none of

these 11

men will

be killed

right away.

In fact,

some of

them will

go on

to testify

about Jesus

all over

the place

for decades

before they

are finally

caught and

killed.

You could

think back

to the

stoning

of Stephen

in Acts.

He wasn't

one of the

12,

but he was

a spirit-filled

member of

the early

church.

He was

the first

one that

we know

of to be

killed for

his faith

in Jesus.

And then

later in

Acts,

we see how

some of

the Jews

came to

come up

with this

plot to

assassinate

Paul,

another of

the apostles.

So if

you're one

of the 11

men with

Jesus this

night,

aren't these

difficult words

to hear?

Here's the

Messiah,

the Savior,

Savior,

but he's

telling you

that you

are soon

to be

hated,

excommunicated,

and even

killed.

Right about

now you're

probably

wondering,

why didn't

you tell

us that it

was going

to get

this bad?

Why didn't

you let us

know way

before that

this was

coming?

Jesus sort

of answers

this question

here in

verse 4.

He says,

I did not

tell you this

from the

beginning

because I

was with

you,

but now

I am

going to

him who

sent me.

This is

sort of the

last opportunity

for Jesus

to warn

them about

what is

ahead.

Before,

it wasn't

needed.

The target

was on

Jesus'

back,

back.

But now

that Jesus

is leaving,

the target

is about

to be

on the

disciples'

backs.

Again,

Jesus tells

them,

I am

going to

the one

who sent

me.

And I

imagine at

this point

in the

conversation,

the disciples

are all

just kind

of sitting

there,

speechless,

shocked,

trying to

process

these words

of Jesus.

And it

seems from

the text

that Jesus

is kind

of just

waiting for

them to

respond.

He told

them,

I am

going to

the one

who sent

me.

It seems

this is

supposed to

be a

teachable

moment

because

Jesus

looks at

them and

he says,

none of

you asks

me,

where are

you going?

This is

kind of a

curious question

that Jesus

asks.

It has

been thoroughly

debated and

some point

to this

as a

contradiction.

in the

Bible

since

Peter

asked

back in

chapter

13

verse

36,

where are

you

going?

And

Philip

kind of

asked the

same

thing

back in

chapter

14

verse 5.

Lord,

we don't

know where

you're

going,

so how

can we

know the

way?

Well,

there's

several good

guesses about

this.

Most of

them are

speculation.

My best

guess is

that Jesus

is not

saying that

they never

asked the

question

before,

but that

now is

the time

to ask

the question.

And instead

of asking

it,

instead of

seizing this

teachable

moment,

they're so

focused right

now on

themselves and

on this

despair that's

creeping in over

the things that

Jesus has just

told them.

None of you

asked me,

where are you

going?

Rather,

you are filled

with grief

because I

have said

these things.

Perhaps the

grief has

become something

so all

encompassing,

so overwhelming

that they're

just distracted,

they're just,

they can't even

think straight

anymore.

Whatever the

case,

one thing is

sure,

the disciples

were deeply

rocked by

the warning

that Jesus

gave them

about being

hated,

persecuted,

and killed.

You are

filled with

grief,

quite literally,

but because I

have spoken

these things

to you,

grief has

filled your

hearts.

But very

truly,

I tell you,

it is for

your good

that I am

going away.

Unless I

go away,

the advocate

will not

come to

you.

But if I

go,

I will

send him

to you.

Now,

I'll be

honest,

if I'm

one of the

eleven

apostles here

with Jesus,

I'm thinking,

it's hard

to imagine

anything

better

without

Jesus

here.

I'm

thinking,

how could

it be

good for

you to

leave us?

But this

is one of

those moments

where Jesus

seems to be

calling them

to just

trust,

to believe

him.

Yes,

somehow,

it's actually

for your

advantage,

it's for

your benefit

that I'm

going away.

Again,

if I'm

honest,

I kind of

scratched my

head here.

Why can't

you stay

here with

us on

earth,

Jesus,

and send

the Spirit

too?

Why not

both at

the same

time?

them?

There's

mystery

here.

Whatever

the reason,

Jesus

knows that

he must

go,

he must

leave,

he must

go to

the Father

and join

with him

in sending

the Spirit

to them.

It's for

their good,

it's for

their benefit,

it's the

best plan,

whether we

understand it

or not.

So let's

reflect for a

moment on

what we've

heard so

far.

Jesus has

told the

disciples that

they will be

hated and

persecuted,

but Jesus

is going to

send the

Spirit to

them from

the Father.

He's going

to be with

them, he's

going to

counsel them

and help

them just

like Jesus

has been

doing.

He will

help them

through the

trials and

difficulty

ahead.

And Jesus

has expanded

on what

those trials

will include,

excommunication

and even

death.

But do

not be

filled with

grief, do

not be

troubled about

all this.

My going

away is

needed and

it is for

your good,

it is for

your benefit

to send

the Spirit

and he

will make

all the

difference

in the

difficulties

ahead.

So that's

what Jesus

had to

say to

them.

Hated,

yes,

even worse,

killed,

but you

will not

be alone.

God

himself

will be

with you

through all

of it

and he

will help

you testify

about me.

now probably

most of us

are wondering

here,

so what

does this

have to

do with

me?

How does

this apply

to my

life today?

Well,

this is one

of those

moments where

I hate to

break it to

you,

but not

everything in

the Bible

is about

you or

about me.

me.

This is

God's story.

This is the

story of his

son.

And at this

point in the

story, it's

about the

father and

the son and

these eleven

men with him

that evening.

But there are

things that we

can take from

this.

First of all,

we should care

deeply about this

part of the

story.

We should love

this part of the

story because this

is the story of

how the church

got started.

Jesus is

preparing them

for the work,

the testifying

work that

will see the

good news of

Jesus and

salvation go

around the

globe.

You and I

wouldn't be here

today worshiping

Jesus if it

wasn't for that.

As Paul says

in Ephesians

Ephesians 2:19

chapter 2,

verse 19,

consequently you

are no longer

foreigners and

strangers but

fellow citizens

with God's

people and

also members

of his

household.

And I

didn't get the

second part of

the verse on

there.

Built on the

foundation of

the apostles and

prophets with

Christ Jesus

himself as the

chief cornerstone

on the foundation

of the apostles.

What these men

would go on to

do with God's

help laid the

foundation for

us today.

And so we

should appreciate

this part of

the story because

this right here is

our spiritual

heritage.

Another thing we

see here that's

precious is Jesus'

truthfulness.

We live in a

world where all

too often people

beat around the

bush or where

people are trying

to sell you

something but

you're not getting

the truth with it.

maybe it's a

car that you

bought that

just wasn't in

as good of

condition as

the dealer or

owner led you

to believe.

Maybe it's a

friend who's

staring at that

mustard on your

face and just

doesn't have the

love and the

guts to tell you

about it before

you embarrass

yourself all over

town.

Isn't it

refreshing to see

and hear Jesus

speak the truth

in love to his

disciples?

He doesn't

sugarcoat it.

He tells them

the full extent

of what they

will suffer for

his sake.

And that's

hard.

But what a

comfort to know

the truth about

what's really

coming.

I don't know

about you but I

would rather know

the hard truth

than be lied to

and misled.

I'd rather know

what's really at

stake, what the

consequences will

be, than be led

to believe that

everything's just

going to be fine

and then find out

later that it

wasn't.

Along with the

truthfulness of

Jesus we see

his grace.

We see his love

here in this

conversation with

the disciples.

His tender care

for them.

Yes he tells them

the hard truth but

you can hear, you

can feel his

tenderness and

compassion throughout

this.

He's deeply

sensitive to how

they're feeling,

what's going on in

their hearts.

He knows that

they're troubled by

this.

He knows just

how hard this

is going to be

when it comes.

But verse 1,

all this I have

told you so

that you will

not fall away.

There is love

in the heart of

Jesus here.

Tender,

compassionate love

for the

disciples.

And it comes

by giving a

warning.

Sometimes we

need a warning.

We need a

heads up.

Jesus doesn't

want to leave

them just

guessing and

wondering when

all this stuff

comes to pass.

He cares about

the fears in

their hearts.

And he brings

the tender comfort

that they need.

It's this perfect

mix of grace

and truth.

Something Jesus

always got just

right.

Yet another

thing we see

here which I

mentioned earlier

is Jesus'

deep and

mysterious

connection to

the Spirit

and to the

Father.

Now this

isn't a

practical thing

but I love

to learn as

much about

Jesus, as

much about

God as I

can.

I love to

find myself

put in my

place thinking

about how

God is so

other, so

different than

I am.

He doesn't

have the

limitations that

I do.

He's got this

mysterious

interconnectedness

within his

tri-personal

being.

It moves me

to reverence

and awe

and worship.

Finally, what

Jesus lays out

for the

apostles here

is a similar

framework for

all of us.

Whenever

followers of

Jesus meet

opposition,

disdain,

persecution,

ridicule,

we are

reminded by

these words

that God

is with

us.

The Spirit

of God

is God's

gift to

all of

Jesus'

followers.

We see

that clearly

declared,

Acts 2,

Acts 2:38

verse 38

and 39.

God's

God's

promise to

us.

God's

promise to

us,

His precious

promise is

that we're

not alone.

We don't

have to go

through that

by ourselves.

He is

with us.

His Spirit

lives in

us.

Just as

He did in

the disciples.

Now,

we aren't

apostles like

they were.

We haven't

been given

the same

responsibility

of testifying

authoritatively

on Jesus'

behalf like

they did.

Notice what

Jesus said to

them.

He said,

You also

must testify

for you

have been

with me

from the

beginning.

That's

something that

we can't

say.

There was a

uniqueness to

the role that

they had been

given.

They would

go on to

speak for

Jesus just

like the

prophets of

old did

and write

scripture,

inspired

scripture,

God breathed

scripture,

but each

one of us

here today

has been

gifted and

given a

role to

play in

the body

of Christ

according to

God's

determination

and His

Spirit works

powerfully in

us as well

for the benefit

of each other

and to make

Christ known

in our

world.

So let's

take encouragement

from this.

You know,

as we

hear about

the things

going on

in our

world,

it's easy

to just

get bent

out of shape

by that

and concerned

and worried,

but we are

not alone

in this

world.

The Spirit

of truth

has come.

He is

with us.

He is

in us.

And God

will help

us through

whatever

comes our

way because

just like

the eleven

men there,

we are

precious

and dear

to Him.

Let's

pray.

Lord

Jesus,

we bow

before you

now and

we thank

you for

these words

that you

spoke to

the eleven

and through

them you

speak them

to us.

And we

pray and

ask that

they would

sink deep

into our

hearts.

We pray and

ask that in

this week

ahead we

would be

more conscious

of your

presence in

us and

with us

than ever

before and

that we

would just

grow in

that knowledge

and understanding.

We pray and

ask that the

fears and

anxieties and

concerns in

our hearts

would just

melt away

with the

realization that

you, the

creator of

the universe,

are with us

and in us.

Go with us

this week,

we pray.

In Jesus'

name,

amen.

Amen.