How God Works in Our Lives
The Gospel of John
John 13:33-38
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - July 19, 2017
(Revised January 7, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 13. Most of you know that in this chapter God's Word has moved forward to the night before the cross. Verse 31 tells us that Judas had already gone out to betray the Lord. And in these crucial moments Jesus prepared His disciples for the cross and the things that would come next.
*Last time we focused on the vital importance of the new commandment the Lord gave in vs. 34. There Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
*Tonight, we will take a broader look at this Scripture passage to see how God works in the lives of His people. Please think about that as we read vs. 33-38.
MESSAGE:
*Back when our children were young, the Hemphills had a popular kid's song that went like this:
"There really ought to be a sign upon my heart
Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part
But I'll be better just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands
He's still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
He's still workin' on me" (1)
*Yes, Christians: How loving and patient He must be. He's still working on us! Praise the Lord! Most of us are here right now, because we realize that God's not finished with us yet. We believe that Jesus has been at work in our lives, is at work in our lives, and will keep on working in our lives to make us all He wants us to be. Tonight's Scripture helps us see how God works in our lives.
1. FIRST: HE TEACHES US TO WAIT ON THE LORD.
*We all have to learn to wait on the Lord. Verse 33 reminds us of this truth. Here Jesus spoke to His 11 remaining disciples and said, "Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you."
*The Lord had already said something very similar to the hard-hearted rulers of the Jews. It happened about 6 months before when Jesus was teaching in the Temple. By then, most of the Pharisees and chief priests wanted to kill Jesus. But many of the people were beginning to believe, and at that time the Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to arrest Jesus.
*John 7:30-34 says:
30. Then they sought to take Him (Jesus); but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
31. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?''
32. The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
33. Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
34. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.''
*There in John 7, Jesus was warning the Christ-haters that that they would never be able to get to Heaven, unless they repented and received the Lord. Now in vs. 33, Jesus basically said the same thing. But here the Lord said it for a very different reason. Now it was the night before the cross, and Jesus knew that 40 days after His resurrection He would go back home to Heaven.
*The Lord was going to leave His followers behind, so countless other people could hear the good news of His cross. That's why Jesus basically told them, "I am going away, but you can't come yet. You're going to have to wait."
*Well, we don't generally like to wait. Ask an 8-year-old four weeks before Christmas. Ask a mom-to-be when she's about 8 months pregnant. Ask somebody stuck in traffic for more than a few minutes. Ask someone in the long line at McDonald's.
*We generally don't like to wait, and Peter felt the same way. In vs. 36-37:
36. Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?'' Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.''
37. Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You NOW? I will lay down my life for Your sake.''
*Waiting can be hard, but we have to learn to wait on the Lord. Again, in vs. 33 Jesus said, "Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you CANNOT COME,' so now I say to you."
*Sometimes the Lord has to remind us of our limits. There are some things that we can't do, or we can't do yet, so we have to wait on the Lord. This is the Bible's clear teaching in both the Old Testament and the New. For example, in Psalm 27:13-14 King David gave this testimony:
13. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
14. WAIT on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; WAIT, I say, on the Lord!
*The original word for "wait" there has the idea of patiently and eagerly looking for, hoping in and expecting God. It's trusting in the Lord God to show up, help us, strengthen us, save us, and give us everything we need we need. We have to learn to wait on the Lord.
*Psalm 33:18-20 says:
18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,
19. To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.
20. Our soul WAITS for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
21. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.
*And in Isaiah 40:29-31, God's Word says:
29. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
30. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
31. But those who WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
*We must learn to wait on the Lord. A New Testament example is Acts 1:4. There our Risen Savior was with the Apostles. And as He talked to them about the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus "commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to WAIT for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me.'" All of God's people must learn to wait on the Lord.
*Ellen Layfield was a tremendous Christian lady from Jonesboro, Louisiana. She was a devoted wife, mother, teacher and friend. In April 2007, at the age of 49, Ellen was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She went home to be with the Lord on May 30, 2008. Here is part of a testimony her daughter, Cathy put on the Caring Bridge website a few months before her mother passed away:
*"I wish I could tell you that last night was better, but I don't really think it was. Mom seemed to feel better yesterday evening than she did on Monday evening, but she couldn't sleep last night. The pain keeps her awake, because she can't get comfortable, and if you never get comfortable, then you never fall asleep. So she was awake most of the night. Please continue to pray for Mom.
*I want to share this with you. Aunt Karen sent this devotion to me, and I have relied on these words a great deal this week. I hope you find insight in them as well: Psalm 27:14, Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
*Devotional thought from Adrian Rogers: 'Do you know the story of Joshua and how the wall of Jericho fell down after the Israelites marched around it once a day for six days, then 7 times on the seventh day? Why not just walk around Jericho one time?
*I think it was because God was testing their faith. God was teaching them that waiting time is not wasted time. Isaiah 28:16 says, "He that believes shall not make haste."
*God is never in a hurry like we are. We get upset when we miss a section in a revolving door! God is also never late. He knows what He is doing. Do you know what our problem is? We've been around Jericho six times and we're ready to quit.
*Say what King David said in Psalm 62:5: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." Waiting time is not wasted time."'" (2)
*God is still teaching us to wait on the Lord. That's how He is working in our lives.
2. HE ALSO LEADS US TO LIVE THE RIGHT WAY.
*This truth reminds me of what David said about his Good Shepherd in Psalm 23:3, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Now in vs. 34, Jesus sums up the right way to live by saying, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
*This love commandment is essential for victory in the Christian life, and we know this is true because God's Word repeats it 15 more times in the New Testament. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 Paul said, "Concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more."
1 Peter 4:8 says: "Above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'" God's Word also stresses this love commandment 6 times in the letters of John. We see it in places like 1 John 3:11, "This is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." Then 1 John 4:7 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." And 1 John 4:11 says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
*Throughout the New Testament, God is patiently leading His people to love one another. It's essential for our relationships as Christians, but it's not always easy. I think of Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4.
*There Paul was trying to be a peacemaker for the Lord, and in vs. 1-2, he wrote:
1. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
2. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
*Euodia and Syntyche were having a disagreement, just like we have sometimes with our family members, our friends, at school, at work, and even at church. We don't know what their argument was about. It wasn't important enough for Paul to even mention. (Have you ever gotten into arguments over nothing? -- Oh yeah.)
*We also don't know who was to blame. It could have been Euodia's fault, but her name meant "Prosperous Journey," and I am sure she was a wonderful woman. Syntyche's name meant "Pleasant Acquaintance." Both of these women were good, godly women. Both of them were saved. Both of them had worked together with Paul to help spread the Good News about Jesus Christ. But now they were fussing and fighting.
*Sometimes the best of us don't get along like we should, but God's Word says, "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." The KJV says "I beseech" or "beg." The NIV says "I plead." God's Word says, "I implore, beseech, beg, plead with you to agree with each other in the Lord."
*Jesus is always leading us to live the right way. That's how God is working in our lives.
3. HE ALSO HELPS US TO WITNESS FOR HIM.
*God wants all Christians to witness for Jesus in every way that we possibly can. Certainly, this includes telling people the Bible good news about who Jesus is, what He did on the cross for us, and what our Risen Savior can do for them today. God also wants us to tell other people how we were saved by believing in Jesus.
*But our words are not enough. God also wants us to witness by the way we live. That's a big reason why God's Word urges us to love one another 16 different times. It has a powerful impact on our witness. Jesus highlighted this truth in vs. 34-35, where He said:
34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''
*Our love for one another helps shout to the world that Jesus is real, and that we are His true followers. But Satan doesn't want them to know, so he does everything he can to pull us apart. The devil works hard to stir-up trouble in churches because Christians fussing and fighting kills our witness.
*Bro. James Strittman reminded me of this truth years ago. James was a most godly man. He and his wife Flora faithfully served the Lord for 70 years! Once I visited with Bro. James, while Mrs. Flora was in surgery. We talked about church, and he asked me about some of the churches around us that were struggling at the time.
*Then Bro. Strittman told me about a church he had considered going to pastor. He said at first glance everything seemed fine. They had recently carpeted the whole church. And they had air conditioning, back in a day when most churches didn't. But when Bro. Strittman looked a little deeper, he found out that no one had been saved in that church for over 2 years. That greatly concerned him. And over time it became clear that the people in that church were fussing with each other.
*Bro. Strittman said that on the day they voted to call him, the vote was 145 to 6. After the service, one of the men who voted against him came out the door and said, "Preacher, we want you to know that we weren't voting against you. We were voting against that other 145!"
*After telling me that, Bro. James paused for a moment. Then he said, "I sure am glad the Lord led me in another direction." He also said he could understand why people were not being saved. Those church people weren't loving each other. And that kind of fussing kills the witness of a church.
*"It kills the witness of a church," Bro. Strittman said. And that makes sense, because again in John 13:34-35 Jesus said:
34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''
*When we tell people about Jesus with this kind of love in our hearts, we get a victory that can spread all over the world and last for all eternity. Don't underestimate what the Lord can do through you!
*Rick Warren once said, "The most important light in my home is not the large chandelier in our dining room. It's the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up to use the bathroom at night. It's small, but it's more useful to me than the show-off light." He also noted, "My wife says that my favorite light is the one that comes on when I open the refrigerator!" (3)
*That's true for most of us, but don't miss the point: You may feel like a little nightlight right now. You may feel like you don't have much light to shine. But let the light of your love shine to witness for Jesus Christ! It's brighter than you think! And Jesus is always leading us witness for Him. That's how God is working in our lives.
4. BUT HE ALSO WORKS ON OUR WEAKNESSES.
*We see this truth in vs. 36-38, where Peter was a lot weaker than he thought:
36. Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?'' Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.''
37. Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.''
38. Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."
*This Scripture reminds us that even the most committed Christians can sin, and we do sin. That's why in 1 John 1:8 the Apostle wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." The truth is that even the best people have spiritual weaknesses and blind spots. In vs. 37, Peter really thought he had it all together. There Peter said, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.''
*Even though he didn't realize it, Peter was spiritually weak. He thought he was fully prepared for temptation, but he needed more strength, and Christians, we do too. Thank God, Jesus can, and He will give us all the strength we need! How does the Lord do it? There are many ways. Let me quickly mention three:
[1] ONE WAY IS THROUGH HIS PRAYERS.
*Jesus prays perfect prayers for us. Luke 22:31-32 tells us that just before Peter made his bold statement to die for the Lord, Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail."
*The Lord prayed for Peter, and the Bible tells us that Jesus is also praying for us! In Romans 8:34, Paul began with this question for all Christians, "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US."
*That word "intercession" means "pleading prayers." Jesus is pleading to our Heavenly Father for you and for me.
[2] ANOTHER WAY JESUS HELPS US IS BY POINTING OUT OUR PROBLEMS.
*He brings us under conviction. Just as He did with Peter in vs. 38, Jesus confronts us with reality. There the Lord asked Peter, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." There Jesus confronted Peter face to face. Today, God's Holy Spirit speaks to us from the inside out. He points out our problems.
[3] ANOTHER WAY JESUS GIVES US STRENGTH IS THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.
*God gave us this story in His word not to embarrass Peter but to help save people and build up our spiritual strength. That's what God's Word can do, so in Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."'
CONCLUSION:
*Peter was about to stumble in a terrible way, but thank God, we know the rest of Peter's story. After Jesus rose again from the dead, Jesus restored Peter. He made him one of the chief Apostles, He used Peter to help spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, and He allowed Peter to write two books in the New Testament.
*Jesus knew all about Peter, and the Lord knows all about us, but He loves us anyway! He will pick us up when we stumble and help us overcome all our weaknesses. But it never could have happened without the cross!
*Just a few hours after these verses, Jesus died on that cross for us. The eternal, almighty God humbled Himself to become a man and die for us. Nothing else would matter without the cross of Jesus Christ! Out of His great love, Jesus sacrificed His life to take all of the guilt and punishment for our sins. Then He rose again, and has promised eternal life to all who will trust in Him.
*You can trust Jesus to save you, strengthen you, and keep working in your life until He takes you home to Heaven. Put your trust in Jesus Christ, and keep trusting the Lord through every struggle you face.
(1) "He's Still Working on Me" by The Hemphills
(2) Adapted from http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ellenlayfield - Devotion from "Love Worth Finding" with Adrian Rogers - Daily Devotional: "Are you tired of waiting on God?" - June 29, 2019
https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotions/are-you-tired-of-waiting-on-god
(3) THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN CHURCH by Rick Warren - Source: Sermonillustrations.com - 02/08/2004
