Promises for the Troubled(part 4)

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December 9, 2012

Recap of 12/2/12 (John 14:16-17):

Five truths about the Holy Spirit from John 14:16,17:

1.  The Holy Spirit’s spiritual presence would replace Jesus’ physical presence with His disciples. He would be “another” Counselor for them.  Jesus would be taken from them in His crucifixion and subsequent ascension but they would not be left alone.

2.  The Holy Spirit presence with a believer is forever.  He is not an occasional helper but a permanent present.  He cannot be withdrawn from the believer in the church age as He was in the Old Testament.

3.  The Holy Spirit is characterized by truth.  He is literally the “Spirit of the Truth.” This is crucial since He will testify about Jesus (John 15:26), and guide the disciples into truth (John 16:13).

4.  The Holy Spirit is invisible, though real and active.  The Holy Spirit “cannot be seen by sight or comprehended by reason.”  The unbeliever has no spiritual life so they cannot know or see Him.  The are not “tuned in.”

5.  The Holy Spirit would indwell them in the future.  He would not only be “with” them but He would be “in” them. He would individually indwell believers.  This teaching about the Holy Spirit anticipates the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts. 2). They were concerned that Jesus was leaving them, but the Holy Spirit would not only be with them but would live in them to reproduce the life of Jesus in their lives. 

6.  “How are you listening to God’s Spirit?  How are you making yourself available to His guidance and direction in your choices and relationships?  Reading Scripture is an important way to tune your heart to His voice.”  (NLT One-Year Study Bible)

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Promises for the Troubled Part 3

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Recap of 11/25/12 (John 14:15-16):

1. Jesus links love for Him with obedience to His commands. 

2.  “What is the measure of your love for Christ?  It is measured by your obedience to His Word.  Obedience is the true test of love.  If I say I love the Savior and you see in my life nothing but disobedience, then I’m only mouthing words…The foundation of spiritual power and spiritual experience is obedience. (John G. Mitchell)

3.  In the context of the Upper Room Discourse the specific command which Jesus has in mind is the command to love one another (13:34; 15:12,17).  If I love others as Jesus commands, I will: serve them, give myself for them, be forbearing, be forgiving, and will not return a wrong for a wrong.

4.  The result of obedience to Jesus’ commands is intimate fellowship with Him (John 14:21,23).  If I sense the lack of intimacy with Jesus there may be an issue of obedience in my life.

5. In the first of several mentions of the Holy Spirit in this discourse, Jesus promises His disciples another counselor to be with them in His absence to Heaven. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Paraclete (a transliteration of the Greek word), Comforter (KJV),  Counselor (NIV), Helper (NASB).  He would be their advocate.  The term means “one who is called to the side of another to give help.”  The Holy Spirit would counsel them, direct them, comfort them, strengthen them.  “The Holy Spirit takes away our inadequacies and enables us to cope with life.  [He] substitutes victorious for defeated living” (William Barclay).

 

Promises for the Troubled Part 2

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Recap of 11/18/12 (John 14:7-14):

1. John 14:5-11 is one of greatest biblical statements of the person of Jesus Christ.  He alone is the way to God the Father (vs. 5,6); to know Jesus is to know the Father (vs. 7); to see Jesus is to see the Gather (vs. 9); Jesus’ words are the Father’s words (vs. 10); Jesus’ miracles are the Father’s works (vs. 11).

2.  Jesus tells the disciples that they would do even greater things than He had done, not meaning greater miracles (for though they did similar miracles, they didn’t do greater ones) but rather meaning greater in scope.  Through their ministry the gospel would reach the known world of the day while Jesus never traveled outside of Palestine.  They would reach greater territory and greater numbers of people.

3.  “It is marvelous that God speaks to us [John 14:10]- life-giving, world-creating words.  This marvel is matched by another—that He listens to us.  His listening gives all our words significance and makes all our prayer personal.”  (Eugene Peterson)

4.  Five observations about prayer.  Prayer must be:

-“in Jesus name” (praying in union with Him on the basis of His authority)

-in accordance with His will (1 John 5:14,15; 3:21,22) (is it something Jesus would ask?)

-bold (Hebrew 4:14-16)

-following Jesus example of consistent submission to the Father’s will.

-have as its goal bringing glory to God the Father.  “In prayer we call on Him to work out His purpose, not simply to gratify our whims.” (Dr. Merrill C. Tenney)

 

Promises For The Troubled

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Recap of 11/11/12 (John 14:6):

1. Christianity is not a religion or philosophy but a relationship. The answer to life and death issues is not a formula or a philosophy but a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life.”

2.  The way to Heaven, the way to a relationship with God the Father is to follow Jesus.  He takes us there.  Jesus does not just know the way, He is the way.

3.  Jesus is the truth.  He didn’t just know truth-He embodied it.

4.  “No teacher has ever embodied the truth he taught—except Jesus.  Many a man could say: ‘I have taught you the truth.’  Only Jesus could say: ‘I am the Truth.’” (William Barclay)

5.  Jesus is also the “life.”  Jesus brings life worth living.  All other things we live for must ultimately disappoint and leave us dissatisfied or grasping for more and more, things such as pleasure, power, money, material, etc.

6.  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, not one of many ways but the only way.  This truth is taught through-out the Scripture (see Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).

What To Do For Heart Trouble

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Recap of 11/4/12 (John 14:1-5):

1. The disciples were troubled, perplexed by the events that Jesus had announced to them including His death, and their defection from Him.  It challenged their faith.

2. -“Every fresh test as well as every new revelation is a summons to faith.” (Harrison)

- “Life is full of tests and trials, afflictions and sorrows, as well as blessings.  The Lord permits these things to come into our lives because He wants the wean us away from transient things and to fix our hearts of eternal [truths].” (Mitchell)

3.  They were troubled in “heart.”  All action begins in the heart (the immaterial part of humans, otherwise called soul, spirit, etc.).  the heart refers to mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity.  It is the seat of intellect, will, emotion, understanding, and discernment.  We are to guard our hearts (Proverbs 3:1,3,5; 4:23)

4.  The answer to the distressed hearts of the disciples was to renew their trust in God the Father and the Son. Jesus encouraged them by promises/provision for them both eternally and temporally.  Eternally He promised them an eternal home (vs. 2) and His return for His own (vs. 3).  Temporally He promised them the prospect of greater works (vs. 12), answer to prayer (vv. 13-14), the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with them (vs. 15), and peace as only He could give (vs. 27).

Do's and Dont's for Troubled Hearts

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John 13:36-14:6

Recap of 10/28/12 (John 13:36-38):

1.  The disciples in John 13ff were bewildered, fearful, facing an uncertain future.  Jesus’ announcements to them about His going away, His impending death, that one of the 12 was a traitor sent them into a tailspin.  Further, He told them that Peter would disown Him, that Satan wanted to “sift” them, and that they would all fall away.  In the words of Bruce Wilkinson and Ken Boa: “In this clear and vivid recollection of Jesus’ last discourse to His intimate disciples, John captures the Lord’s words of comfort and assurance to a group of fearful and confused followers.”

2.  Jesus’ instructions to the disciples provide us with a roadmap for dealing with life’s uncertainties. 

3.  First, we must not trust in our own strength. That was Peter’s failure.  

-we must know ourselves, our weaknesses, our breaking point, we must not ignore them.

-we must set boundaries for protection

-we are all one bad decision from failing as Peter did

-“Impetuous and well-meaning, Peter had to learn the hard way to gauge his weaknesses.  His example is very human and therefore very helpful.” (Merrill Unger)

4.  Second, we must not underestimate Satan and his designs on us:

-we must be alert, 1 Peter 5:8 (to sin, to anger, to doubting God and His Word)

-we must be clothed in God’s armor, Ephesians 6:13-18

-we must train vigorously, Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Philippians 4:8

-we must not neglect the spiritual disciplines (the Word, meditating, praying, etc.).  To neglect the spiritual disciplines is to show confidence in the flesh, handling life’s uncertainties without God.

 

The Unmistakable Mark Of A Disciple

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John 13:31-38 Recap of 10/21/12 (John 13:31-35): 1. After Judas’ departure Jesus began to teach the remaining 11 disciples in earnest. Bible scholars call His teaching the “Upper Room Discourse.” Of this teaching Everitt F. Harrison writes: “These precious words of Christ were spoken in the light of His impending departure to the Father and had in view conditions under which the Lord’s followers would have to carry on without His personal presence (16:4). Three principal strands of teaching are discernible: (1) commands and concerning the task set before the disciples, which was a fruitbearing witness undergirded and permeated with love; (2) warnings about the opposition to be faced from the world and from Satan; and most of all (3) an exposition of the divine provisions by which the disciples would be sustained and made triumphant in the coming days.” 2. Jesus would glorify God the Father and Himself be glorified by His acceptance of the Father’s will for Him especially seen in the cross. When we think of glorifying God we often think of it as some expression of verbal praise. But to glorify God is to give Him His rightful place as sovereign over our lives, to have His work displayed in our lives as in the man born blind (John 9) or the death of Lazarus (John 11). It’s not my words lifted to Heaven alone that glorifies God but my life offered to His will on earth. 3. The disciples were weak, immature, dis-united and disheartened. There love for Jesus had bound this dispirit group together, now He would be gone from them so it would be necessary for them to be “bound by a mutual love for each other.” In the dark days following the cross the thing that would keep this group from splitting was their love and commitment to each other. So Jesus gave them a new commandment that they love one another on the basis and by the example of His love for them.

Living in good soil

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Sermon this week by: Steve Plank
Mark 4:1-9, 14-20

Satan,Betrayal, and Night

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Recap of 10/7/12 (John 13:18-30):

1.  Jesus predicts His betrayal so that the disciples would know that what would happen was not a surprise to Him.  He quotes Psalm 41:9 in support of His prediction.  William Barclay points out: “It was as Scripture said it would be.  There was never any doubt that the redeeming of the world would cost the broken heart of God.  Jesus knew what was happening.  He knew the cost and He was ready to pay it.  He did not want the disciples to think that He was caught up in a blind web of circumstances from which He could not escape.  He was not going to be killed; He was choosing to die.  At the moment they did not, and could not, see that, but He wanted to be sure that a day would come when they would look back and remember and understand.” 

2.  Jesus gave Judas numerous opportunities to change course, treating him as an honored guest at the Last Supper, but Judas yielded himself instead to be used of Satan.

3.  Judas is a cautionary tale in the sense that: A person can know doctrine, can associate with God’s people, can be found in worship services and at the Lord’s Table and yet now know Jesus as Savior.  (John Mitchell)

4.  Two good sources for Biblical teaching about Satan and demons are:  Balancing the Christian Life by Dr. Charles Ryrie and You Mean the Bible Teaches That …, also by Dr. Ryrie.

And It Was Night

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Recap of 9/30/12 (John 13:14-17):

1.  Humility is essential to the life, service, and exercise of authority of the believer.

2.  Humility is not, as commonly thought, thinking poorly about ourselves, it is not being preoccupied with ourselves (the freedom not to think about ourselves). “Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves (see Romans 12:3).  It does not mean that we should put ourselves down.” (NLT One Year Study Bible)

3.  Pride (self) gets in the way of humility.

4.  To deal with pride:

-we must realize and accept our position in Christ, finding our satisfaction and acceptance in Him.

-we must realize that all we have and all we are (gifts, talent, knowledge, position, status, means) are from God’s hand (1 Corinthians 4:7)

-when we think about others we must focus on how we may serve them, not on how we compare with them (2 Corinthians 10:12,18; Philippians 2:3,4)

-we must take control of our thoughts, asking “Would Christ think this way, or would he like this thought?” We must not let our thoughts be taken captive by our feelings.

-when feeling  ad about ourselves or threatened by others we must focus our thoughts upon Christ (Philippians 4:8)

5.  Jesus is the primary biblical example of humility (Philippians 2:4-8), Timothy is cited by Paul as another (Philippians 2:19-24).

6.  God’s attitude toward the proud (resistance) and the humble (providing grace) should be motivation for believers to seek humility.

 

The Towel and The Pecking Order

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Recap of 9/23/12 (John 13:14-17):

1.  The disciples saw life in terms of power, authority, recognition, rulership, much like the world.  They had to impress others with their importance.  Jesus saw life in terms of servanthood,  and humility.  He was not looking to impress others but to fulfill God the Fathers purpose for Him.

2.  “…every leader must examine his or her conduct against Jesus’ teachings concerning genuine greatness.  Our Lord taught and demonstrated by His life that servanthood was the path to effective service.  His servanthood symbols were a basin, a towel, and dirty feet.” (Author unknown)

3.  In chapter nine of Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, he presents two kinds of authority, the authority of status (represented by the pecking order) and the authority of function (represented by the towel-based on Jesus’ action in John 13). The authority of status is characterized by a desire to control, manipulate, focusing on position and titles, service is discriminate and self-serving, seeking great service, expecting reciprocation, serving by moods and whims.  This kind of service is destructive to a body and ruptures community.  The authority of function on the other hand is characterized by a desire to serve in humility and hiddenness (seeking only God’s approval), doing any service, great or small, without expectation of being paid back, serving because there is a need, a lifestyle not temporary.  This kind of service build up a body, builds community.

 

Authority of the Towel

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Recap of 9/16/12 (John 13:1-13):

1.  John 13 begins the next major section of the book.  The outline we are following is:

              I.  Prologue  1:1-18

             II.  Public teaching and miracles  1:19-12:50

            III.  Private teaching  13-17

            IV.  Passion & resurrection  18-20

             V.  Postlude (Epilogue) 21

2.  John 13 provides one of the most poignant pictures of Jesus’ ministry as He washes the disciples’ feet.  One of the most powerful symbols of His authority is seen in the towel, the basin, and dirty feet.

3.  This visual illustration of humility was needed because of the pride of the disciples seen in their ongoing dispute over which of them was the greatest.  A dispute which is evident in various passages of Scripture and which even inserted itself into this “last supper.”  (See Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 9:33-34; Luke 22:24-28).

4.  Jesus loved them despite their failures.  Dr. John Mitchell stated it this way:  “He knew all about the frailty and the failures of His disciples, yet He loved them to the end.  And He loves us clear through to the end, to the uttermost.  I repeat, our frailty, our faults, our failures, our circumstances never affect His love for us.  Now, I’m not excusing frailty, nor am I excusing failure.  But instead of becoming discouraged because of failure, we must have our eyes on Him and remember that even our failures have not affected His love for us.”

5.  The issue is clearly set before us by the writer who asked:  “Are you willing to follow Christ’s example of serving?  Whom can you serve today?”

The Hour Has Come

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Recap of 9/9/12 (John 12:28-50):

1.  In Jesus last public teaching before the cross He teaches that the essence of life is to live: sacrificially, putting others ahead of ourselves; courageously, accepting God’s will, living for His glory despite whatever suffering may come, to risk “place, profit, and prestige” to identify openly with Jesus; and by faith, responding to Him, exercising faith for salvation and day to day living.

2.  This prayer by Eugene Peterson expresses perfectly what Jesus was seeking to communicate about life in John 12:25,26: “May I never, God, forget that You are my Lord and I am Your creation; that however wonderfully you have made me, you have not made me to live to myself or for myself, but to You and for others, even as Jesus Christ did.”

3.  According to William Barclay at the heart of Christian life and faith are three paradoxes: 1) death to personal aims and ambitions leads to life and real usefulness to God; 2) “only by spending life do we retain it”; and 3) “only by service comes greatness.”

4.  Barclay explains courage in this way:  “Real courage does not mean not being afraid.  It means to be terribly afraid, and yet do the thing that ought to be done.”

 

Jesus' Last Instruction

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Recap of 9/2/12 (John 12:20-27):

1.  John 12:20-50 records the end of Jesus’ public ministry.  This is the last teaching He will conduct among the masses.  Chapters 13-17 deal with Jesus’ teaching for His disciples called the “Upper Room Discourse,” and chapters 18 to the end of the book deal with the crucifixion, the resurrection and the post-resurrection appearances to His disciples.

2.  As if to illustrate the hyperbolic statement of vs. 19 about the whole world going after Jesus, John mentions some Greeks who desired an audience with Jesus.  These Greek were probably “God-fearers,” those who liked the morality and monotheism of the Jews but did not go all the way to conversion to Judaism. 

3.  Jesus realizes that His “hour” has arrived, the hour of His passion, His rejection, scourging, crucifixion and resurrection.  His death was a necessity if there was to be a harvest of salvation.  He would willingly sacrifice His life (as our substitute) to secure eternal life for those who trusted Him. He gave His life so that others might gain real life. 

4.  His sacrifice also would provide a pattern for His disciples to follow of living sacrificially, placing others above themselves

5.  The thought of His coming travail troubles Him, as later it would in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. Jesus is not concerned only for the physical pain He would endure.  His agony is the thought of becoming sin. He the Perfect, sinless Son of God would have to become sin so that we could be redeemed (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)