More Important Messages from Our Master
The Gospel of John
John 16:1-7
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - November 15, 2017
(Revised March 26, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 16, as we continue our study of the night before the cross. By this point, Jesus and His disciples are on the road walking toward the Garden of Gethsemane.
*The scene apparently shifted at the end of John 14 from the upper room of the Lord's last supper to the road that led to the Garden of Gethsemane. I say that because at the end of John 14:31, Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, "Arise, let us go from here."
*John Phillips explained that those "words implied haste. Evidently as Jesus spoke, He rose to his feet. The time for action had come. The Lord had decided to go out now and meet the enemy head-on. He was resolved to carry out the purpose of his Father for the redemption of mankind. The rest of the words in this private conversation were spoken somewhere between the house where he had kept the feast and the crossing of the brook of Kidron on the edge of Gethsemane.
*With the solitude of the upper room now over and the agony ahead, Jesus talked as he walked, first to his followers, then to his Father. His talk with his followers gave them revelations about God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Heavenly Father." (1)
*The vital information Jesus gave His disciples 2,000 years ago is still vital for us today. Let's begin by reading John 16:1-7.
MESSAGE:
*Do you ever send text messages? Most people do. Researchers at textrequest.com gave this estimate for 2017: 277 million Americans sent 26 billion texts every day. Church: That's nine trillion, four hundred ninety billion texts for the year!
*Believe it or not, people have been texting since 1992, over 27 years ago. The first text message was sent by British software developer Neil Papworth. He sent it on December 3rd, 1992, and it's interesting to me that his text message said, "Merry Christmas"! (2)
*You probably don't remember your first text message, but I remember mine. It was Friday night, June 6, 2008. I never felt the need to text before, but that night I got a text message that said, "Hey this is Kamerin. Ivy just called and said you like me. Is it true?"
*Kamerin needed to know that she was not the object of my affection, and I surely didn't want to call her, so I sent her a two-word text: "Wrong number." (Took me about 15 minutes to send it.)
*There are much more important things we need to know in life, and Jesus was talking about these things as He walked on the road to the Garden of Gethsemane. What a Savior! As He walked toward the cross to die for us, He talked about the things we needed to know the most.
1. FIRST, JESUS SPOKE ABOUT THE SUFFERING THAT WILL COME OUR WAY.
*He spoke about the suffering that will come to us as Christians. One of the most important things Jesus did that night was prepare His followers for persecution. For example, in John 15:18-21 Jesus said this to His disciples and to us too:
18. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me."
*Now in vs. 1-4, as Jesus continued their conversation, He said:
1. "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
3. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
4. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you."
*In those crucial hours, Jesus was telling these things to His disciples because He cared about them, and because He cares about us.
*Again in vs. 1, Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble (or be tripped-up)." Jesus doesn't want us to hit a stumbling block in our faith, but we might, if we get the wrong impression that Christianity is going to be an uninterrupted journey of health, wealth and popularity.
*We are going to face all kinds of trouble in our lives. And one trouble with trouble is that sometimes it takes our hearts off of God's will and His ways for our lives. Sometimes trouble causes us to take our eyes off Jesus. Peter found that out when he tried to walk on water.
*In Matthew 14:22-33:
22. Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
23. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on a mountain by Himself to pray. And when evening had come, He was alone there.
24. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!'' And they cried out for fear.
27. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.''
28. And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.''
29. So He said, "Come.'' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!''
31. And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?''
32. And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God.''
*Peter started going down when he looked at the storm instead of our Savior, and that's what trouble can do to us. But Jesus doesn't want us to "stumble," so He warns us about the suffering that will come our way.
*Again, in vs. 1-2, Jesus told them:
1. "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service."
*Today, the danger doesn't come from radical Jews in synagogues. In our country it usually comes from radical Muslims and people with severe mental disorders. The danger in other parts of the world also comes from radical Muslims, but also from radical Hindus, and atheistic Communists in dictatorships like North Korea and China.
*Persecution of Christians has been on the rise for several years in Communist China. In November 2017, I saw that "Chinese officials in a rural area of Jiangxi province have revealed a government plan to 'melt the hard ice' in the hearts of Christians towards communism."
*How are they going to melt those poor Christians' hard hearts toward Communism? "By denying them pivotal poverty relief packages if they do not replace images of Jesus in their households with photos of Communist President Xi Jinping. One official stated that the move was necessary because Christians are 'ignorant' and need to be taught to worship the state, not God.
*The move is the latest in a string of crackdowns against Christianity in the Xi era. . . The South China Morning Post reported on efforts in the town of Huangjinbu. It boasted that 600 residents had replaced their images of Jesus, resulting in 453 new photos of Xi hanging on living room walls." (3)
*There are also many people here in the United States who would outlaw Christianity, if they could. Others are determined to do far worse.
*On November 5, 2017, a hate-crazed atheist named Devin Patrick Kelley walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and began shooting. He slaughtered 26 people including an unborn baby, and wounded 20 more. Kelley could have killed a lot more people, but an armed neighbor named but Stephen Willeford shot back and wounded the killer.
*Kelley dropped his rifle and took off in his Ford Explorer, but Stephen flagged down a passing pickup truck driven by Johnnie Langendorff. They went on a highspeed chase that ended when the killer wrecked his Explorer and killed himself. Thank God for those two heroes!
*First Baptist of Sutherland Springs is one of our Southern Baptist Churches. And one positive thing I heard is that our SBC has offered to pay for the funerals of everyone killed in that terrible, terrible massacre. This means that through our giving and prayers, we had a part in helping that church and community. (4)
*But why did Devin Kelley kill all of those innocent people? -- Because he was mentally disturbed and had extreme hatred for Jesus and His people.
*Now, by the grace of God, we in the United States have surely been sheltered by God-given freedoms that most people will never know. And there are still millions of good, godly people in our country. But Christian life will always have a measure of trouble in this world.
2. SO JESUS SPOKE ABOUT THE SUFFERING THAT WILL COME OUR WAY. HE ALSO SPOKE ABOUT OUR SAVIOR GOING AWAY.
*This is the Lord's message for us in vs. 4-6, where Jesus said:
4. "But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
5. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart."
[1] HERE OUR SAVIOR REMINDS US THAT HE ALWAYS TELLS US THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME.
*Jesus gives us words of wisdom and words of warning. He gives us words of compassion, comfort and encouragement. Jesus tells us things that are worth holding on to, things we need to listen to, things we need to remember for the rest of our lives. The Lord's words are guaranteed to help us and build up our faith, so that we can keep going in the worst storms of life.
[2] JESUS ALWAYS TELLS US THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME. AND HE ALWAYS DOES THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME.
*Again, at the beginning of vs. 5, Jesus said, "But now I go my way to him that sent me. . ." Years ago, Frank Sinatra recorded a song called: "I Did It My Way." Church, we don't want to do it our way. We want to do it God's way, because His way is the right way, every time.
*And when Jesus said: "I go my way," He was going the right way! His way was the way of the cross, where Jesus died for our sins. The Lord's way is the way to salvation and eternal life. His way is the way to Heaven. The Lord's way is the way to the Father, because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!
*Jesus always does the right thing at the right time, -- even when we don't understand what He is doing. The disciples didn't understand on the night before the cross. The last thing they wanted Jesus to do was leave them.
*That's one of the main reasons why sorrow filled their hearts in vs. 6. And that's why at the start of vs. 7 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. . ."
*That was virtually impossible for them to understand, and it may be impossible for us to understand what God is doing in our lives. But God always knows what's best for us, and He always does what's best for us.
3. SO JESUS SPOKE ABOUT OUR SAVIOR GOING AWAY. THEN HE SPOKE ABOUT SENDING GOD'S SPIRIT OUR WAY.
*This is another message for us in vs. 7 where Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (or Comforter) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."
*This was actually the fourth time Jesus made this promise to His followers in the hours before the cross. Please listen to them from the KJV. In John 14:15-18, Jesus said:
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
*In John 14:25-26, Jesus said:
25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
*Then in John 15:26-27, Jesus said:
26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
*And now here in vs. 7, Jesus said: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."
*Next time, Lord willing, we will look at some of the ways the God's Holy Spirit was sent to work in our lives. But at that point, they had the promise. They had the four-fold, unbreakable promise of Jesus Christ that He would send His Holy Spirit into the world in a brand-new way.
*They had the promise. But now we have something even better. We have the promise fulfilled! Christians: We have the presence of God's Holy Spirit always and forever in our lives!
*As Paul wrote in Colossians 1:27, we have "Christ in (us), the hope of glory." And He will see us through the worst suffering in our lives, even mass shootings like the one that took place in Sutherland Springs.
*One of the most inspiring examples was after the 1997 school shooting in Paducah, Kentucky. At 7:37 a.m. on December 1st, Ben Strong and about 35 other students gathered as they did every morning in the front lobby of Heath High School in Paducah. There they huddled together, holding hands, singing songs and praying before first bell.
*While they prayed, a 14-year-old freshman, named Michael Carneal stood nearby, calmly putting ear plugs in his ears. As soon as the students said, "Amen," Michael pulled out a pistol and started shooting.
*The first bullet hit Nicole Hadley, a 14-year-old who was a popular basketball player. Nicole fell to the floor and later died. Michael pulled the trigger about ten more times.
*Ben Strong was the student hero that day. He stepped in front of Michael when he was about to put his last bullet into the Principal. Ben demanded that Michael put the gun down, and he did! But 3 girls died in the attack, and 5 other students were injured, including one girl who remained paralyzed from the chest down.
*A year later, Ben Strong reported that the tragedy had made his faith stronger, and he's never doubted God's love, even for a second. Ben said, "God is the only one who got us through this. God's always there for us, no matter what. If I wasn't a Christian, I don't know how I'd react to something like this. It would be easy to just go nuts. But when you have God in your life, something like this forces you to lean on Him even more."
*Church: The good news is that many young people got saved after the shooting. Ben Strong explained, "Some of the kids at my school realized this thing was so close to them. They realized life is real. And life can sometimes end quicker than we thought it could.
*I want to tell people about Jesus. I've learned it's important to stand up for God no matter what happens. God's always there for you, no matter what. As Christians, we have to live our lives strong, and be faithful to God. He'll always be there with us, just as he was for the 3 girls who died."
*Ben said that he and the others in the prayer group have been comforted by knowing that Nicole, Kayce, and Jessica are in Heaven. He explained, "It hurts to see them go, but to them, there was no better way. They were praying, (and) as soon as they said, 'Amen,' they saw the face of God."
CONCLUSION:
*They were seeing the face of God forever in the perfect place called Heaven. That is the glorious destiny for everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
*But how could this young high school kid see it so clearly? How could Ben Strong understand it so well? How could he be so full of the peace that passes understanding? The answer is: Christ in us, the hope of glory! Christ in us, the Holy Spirit of God.
*I looked Benjamin Strong up on Facebook yesterday. Here's part of what he wrote on his page: "About Benjamin: I'm a youth pastor at Concord Christian Center...absolutely in love with Jesus...love His presence... here recently been getting into bouldering on my day off...and sometimes in the afternoons...
A youth pastor... I like the outdoors and hiking on my day off, I like different cultures, I love God's presence...it's everything to me." (5)
*Thank God for the presence of His Holy Spirit in our lives! He will always be with us to help us through the hardest times on life.
*Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) Adapted from EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The Person of the Comforter" - John 14:17-31 - "The Walk on the Gethsemane Road" - John 15:1-17:26
(2) Sources:
-https://www.textrequest.com/blog/how-many-texts-people-send-per-day/
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Papworth
(3) Adapted from "China Urges Rural Christians to Replace Jesus Images with Xi Jinping by Frances Martel 14 Nov 2017"
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/11/14/china-urges-christian-peasants-replace-jesus-images-xi-jinping/
(4) Sources:
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutherland_Springs_church_shooting
-NAMB " pay funeral expenses for shooting victims; Gaines, Page to minister to survivors" - November 7, 2017
-http://baptistmessage.com/namb-pay-funeral-expenses-shooting-victims-gaines-page-minister-survivors/
-http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/southern_baptists_to_pay_for_t.html
(5) Sources:
-Today's Christian, January/February 1999 - "Split-Second Courage, Ongoing Faith - A year after the Paducah shootings Ben Strong is still standing up for God" by Mark Moring
-Benjamin Strong Facebook page 03/25/2020
