The Disciples must Participate in Jesus’ and the Spirits Work.
Intro: Well morning friends and visitors. My name is Matt Johnson and we are now studying the second half of Johns gospel. And in today’s passage Jesus is teaching the disciples that if they remain faithful to him they should expect the world to HATE THEM. But, don’t worry the Holy Spirit will help them…
Prayer: Well HATE is a strong word. MOST OF US want to be loved and accepted by everyone. We all CRAVE acceptance and love. But last week – Jesus said; (Slide 2; Jn.15:18-19). As you can see, Jesus says the disciples should expect hatred from the world. The sinful world HATED Jesus and they will HATE his followers as well. SO, THE QUESTION comes; Do we love Jesus enough to accept some hatred from the world?
This week a number of people in our church attended A RALLY outside NSW Parliament. The Greens Party is introducing a law that intends to take away certain freedoms from Christian doctors and nurses. At present Christian doctors and nurses can refuse to participate in abortion’s on the basis of religious freedom. BUT, this new law [if passed] will force Christian doctors and nurses working in state hospitals [and maybe even Christian hospitals] to participate in abortions. This means they could be told they must perform abortions (or lose their job). So this is A FOUL LAW that is taking away religious freedom and forcing Christians to participate in the evil of abortion.
So, SEVEN PEOPLE from our church went on Wednesday afternoon to voice our opposition outside NSW Parliament. (SLIDE 3] This is a picture and I admit it includes a horrid poster. The poster shows a poor child who has been decapitated in abortion. Sadly, there were many pictures like this at the rally – that sickened us to the stomach. And maybe you don’t want to see such things in church!
But as Christians we need to face the horrors of abortion rather than bury our heads in the sand. This is evil. The Bible is clear that as Christians we are called to expose the fruitless deeds of DARKNESS and bring them into THE LIGHT (Eph.5:11). The book of Proverbs tells us we MUST SPEAK UP speak up for the rights of the weak and vulnerable who cannot speak for themselves (Prov.31:8). So roughly 5000 people (mainly Christians) turned up to voice their opposition.
But what really struck me at the rally was the hatred of some of the Green and Labour politicians who mocked us. As the rally engaged in chants calling Chris Minns to respect religious freedom and the rights of the unborn – several politicians (and I will say it was led by a local Greens politician) were mocking us. The more we cried out for the rights of the unborn, the more they laughed and danced. Yes, some of the politicians and staff workers engaged in a little jig (waving their hands] on the verandah of parliament as we decried the horrors of abortion.
The point is that as Christians stand for biblical truth – the world will often mock us and taunt us and hates us. TODAY, Jesus tells us NOT to be A] surprised by this or B] cancelled by this, because the Holy Spirit will help us…
Point 1; Jesus’ Followers will be Hated by the World
Show; Jn.16;1-4 (READ]
Explain; Well as you can see Jesus tells THE DISCIPLES to expect trouble in this world. Jesus is continuing to explain that the disciples are going to be hated by the world – especially as they testify for Jesus. If you have your Bibles open – you’ll notice that in the LAST VERSE of chapter 15 (verse 27] Jesus says; ‘And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning’. BUT as the disciples testify for Jesus they will be put out of synagogue and people will try to kill them.
Now in the first century context Jesus is telling the disciples to immediately expect trouble from the ORTHODOX JEWS. We know from THE BOOK OF ACTS – that Jesus’ words did in fact happen in the early church. The Christian Jews who testified that Jesus was the Messiah were excommunicated from the synagogues and some were put to death. But this hatred of Christians is NOT just a Jewish problem.
If you look at verse 3 – you’ll see Jesus says, THEY will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. Jesus is saying the disciples should expect hostility from EVERYONE who does NOT know God the Father or His Son – Jesus Christ. In other words we should expect trouble from everyone who is NOT a Christian. The real problem is authority. The Creator God says that He has authority to tell every person how to live because He made us and gave us life. God tells us how to live in the Bible.
So in order to please the Creator God and avoid His judgment on the last day people must trust and obey Him. [GOSPEL] Now Gods ultimate word to the world is that He wants us to trust and obey Jesus because He is our Saviour and Lord. The Bible says, all of us have SINNED against God. We all have A PROBLEM with authority and we TEND TO IGNORE Gods commands. So we all deserve Gods wrath and judgment. But thankfully God had a plan to save us.
When Jesus died on the cross he took the punishment for everything we have done wrong. There is A PENALTY for sin. It’s death. But when Jesus died on the cross, he took that penalty for us. What’s more, when Jesus died on the cross, he was also showing you how much God loves you. God loves you so much that he was willing to become a human and die in your place for your sins. God did this because He loves you. This is God wooing you to submit to Him voluntarily. And God now promises that if A] you believe Jesus died for your sins and B] you start obeying Jesus (repenting of your sins as best you can) God will forgive you and He will take you to heaven. But this means accepting God is real AND allowing Him to govern your life. God says trust and obey Jesus AND I will save you.
But sadly, many people DO NOT WANT to trust and obey Jesus. They want to continue in sin and pretend that they will be ok. But they are not ok. Sin (in all its forms] destroys people’s lives, destroys society and will ultimately destroy people forever in hell. So as Christians we must call people to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus. And this is where the hatred usually begins. People hate it when we talk about sin and judgment. But the world does not just HATE the MESSAGE; they also HATE the MESSENGERS. So the temptation for the church is to go quiet on what the Bible says…
Apply: But Jesus says we MUST testify his truth. YOU’LL SEE in verse 1 – Jesus says that he is telling us all this – so that we don’t fall away. Now falling away has to do with apostasy. But the Greek word for falling away is actually the word scandal or scandalous. When the church stops faithfully testifying for Jesus – it is not ONLY scandalous, it is also a kind of apostasy. BUT this is a real temptation because we ALL want the world to love us, not to hate us.
Point 2; Jesus’ Followers will Witness with the Spirits Help
Show; Jn.16;4-8 [READ]
Explain; Well Jesus says [in verse 4] I have NOT told you these things previously because I was with you. While Jesus was with the disciples he took most of the worlds hatred of God upon himself. Jesus represented Gods authority and so the world hated him. But when Jesus dies, rises again and goes to be with God the Father – Jesus will no longer be there to be the world’s punching bag. The disciples will testify to Gods ultimate authority and they will become the punching bag. So the disciples have to develop some thick skin. But the good news is they won’t be alone. The Holy Sirit will help them.
Jesus goes on and talks in verse 7 about THE ADVOCATE. Jesus is talking about THE HOLY SPIRIT. Then in verse 8 (we have some really important words], Jesus says A) the Holy Spirit will PROVE the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment. OR it could be translated B) the Holy Spirit will CONVICT the world about sin, righteousness and judgment. Now this word PROVE or CONVICT in verse 8 – has LEGAL CONNOTATIONS. But the word is nearly always used in a negative sense. The Holy Spirit will prove or convict people that they are WRONG about sin, WRONG about righteousness AND WRONG about Gods judgment. Jesus is saying – is that A] while the disciples do the outward work of testifying about Jesus, B] the Holy Spirit will do the internal work of convicting the hearers that what the disciples are saying about sin, righteousness and judgment is true.
What’s more (verses 12-15] make it clear the Holy Spirit will also GUIDE the disciples in speaking Jesus’ truth properly. The Holy Spirit will take what Jesus said and help the disciples to communicate Jesus words faithfully. Now I know we all FEEL INSECURE about this. I can’t do it. But if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit AND sometimes you just have to open your mouth and trust the Spirit will help you. Opening your mouth is a step of faith.
But not only will the Holy Spirit help you testify for Jesus in a TRUE WAY, He also helps us to testify in A GODLY WAY. The idea of guiding us into all truth suggests helping us to walk in the truth we are proclaiming. Now please remember some of the fruits of the Holy Spirit include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Now which of these fruits do you need when you are communicating Jesus to a world that hates you? [PAUSE]. Obviously lots of love, patience and gentleness. Even though people in the world may hate us, we must continue to love and be patient with them.
But friends, this means the Holy Spirit is going to do THE HARD PART for us. As we engage with the world about abortion, or transgenderism and sexual immorality – we often feel like we have to do the proving and the convicting. We then take on ourselves the pressure of trying to win the argument. But please remember that this is the Holy Spirit’s responsibility, not yours. You are simply called to testify in a godly way. It’s the Holy Spirit that does the convicting.
The same is true when we do EVANGELISM with a Muslim, or a Buddhist or a devout atheist. We often feel like we have to PROVE to them why our beliefs are right and theirs are wrong. But this often leads to even greater hostility and hatred. So please remember it is not your job to prove them wrong or convict them of their sin. That is the Holy Spirits job. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is talk clearly, gently and patiently about what the Bible says about sin, righteousness and judgment (and then let the Holy Spirit do his work].
Illustrate; Now there are plenty of times – where I have seen the Holy Spirit do His work, after I have spoken Gods truth. I have gently spoken to certain women about abortion. In the moment I got a tongue lashing. I’ve been told several times; How dare I tell women what they should do with their own bodies. But later, some of these same women have come back to me and said “I think you’re right. I don’t want to have an abortion”. Now who convicted them; me or the Holy Spirit?
I’ve also experienced the same thing speaking about sexual immorality, divorce and homosexuality. At first people usually BRISTLE when we talk about sin. But deep down everyone knows Gods Word is right because God has written His Word on their conscience. So sometimes people just need to be left – TO STEW FOR A WHILE with the Holy Spirits conviction. In the moment, my own IMPATIENCE usually wants to Bible bash them into submission. But again, that’s not my job. That’s the Holy Spirits job.
Apply; So please know it’s NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to prove or convict people that Jesus words are true. You simply need to talk HUMBLY and HONESTLY about what the Bible says. DON’T water things down. DON’T massage the rough edges. Just talk honestly about what the Bible says about adultery and divorce and homosexuality. And make sure you do this graciously and gently remembering that you are also a forgiven sinner.
But as you do this you may also need to speak about true RIGHTEOUSNESS. Much of what the world considers righteousness is NOT really righteousness. YOU ALL KNOW that we now have woke form of righteousness. Many people think that being pro-abortion, pro-environment AND pro – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion somehow makes them good and righteous people. But as Isaiah says all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God [Isa.64;6]. The only way for a person to be truly righteous before God is by faith in Jesus. WHEN WE ACCEPT Jesus as our Saviour and Lord – all his perfect righteousness is credited to our account AND all our sin is transferred to Jesus upon the cross. This is the ONLY way to be truly righteous before God and those who reject Jesus righteousness will one day face Gods judgment. 1] As Christians its our job to testify to sin, true righteousness and Gods final judgment, but B] its the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people of sin, true righteousness and Gods final judgment. So don’t confuse your job with the Holy Spirits job.
Point 3; Jesus Followers will experience Grief giving way to Joy*
Show; Slide 8-9 (READ]
Explain; Well Christians debate what Jesus means by ‘A LITTLE WHILE’. Catholic and protestant pastors usually say ‘the little while’ is the period of DARKNESS that exists between Jesus’ death and resurrection. When Jesus died the world rejoiced because Jesus was CANCELLED. But then after ‘a little while’ Jesus rose again and the disciples rejoiced because it was clear that the darkness had not overcome the light. This is no doubt true…
But many evangelical, Spirit-filled pastors point out that Christians always face periods of time where it looks like the DARKNESS IS WINNING. 1] They point out – there was also a short period of grief and darkness between Jesus returning to heaven and the Holy Spirit coming. In this period the disciples grieved. But then the Holy Spirit came and their grief gave way to joy. 2] Again, in the early church the Roman Empire tried to cancel Christianity. They threw the Christians to the lions and there was much grief. But the true churches kept testifying, the Holy Spirit did his thing and all of a sudden Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Again, grief gave way to joy. 3] The same thing happened in the middle-ages. The Roman Catholic church became very corrupt and it seemed like all true, born again Christians were being burnt at the stake and there was lots of grief and despair. But true Christians kept testifying, the Holy Spirit did his work and all of a sudden the Protestant Reformation took place and Gods light rose from the grave. Again, and again, [despite the hatred of the world] grief gives way to joy. There are many times when the church has felt like its in endless labour pains and nothing good is coming. But Jesus is calling us never to despair. No matter how bleak things get the darkness and hatred of the world can never overcome the light. In the very last verse of chapter 16 Jesus says (Slide 10; Jn.16;33]. Notice Jesus wants us to remember that he has already OVERCOME the world. Christians MUST remain OPTIMISTS because the victory has already been won.
Please remember John’s gospel began with a similar statement in chapter 1. John said; ‘the light shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’ [Jn.1;5]. As much as the world hated Jesus and tried to cancel Jesus – the light rose victorious from the grave. And I believe Jesus is now saying that as much as the world tries to cancel Jesus’ followers and stop us testifying – we will always have the victory if we keep speaking Jesus truth and asking for help in Jesus name.
The same word ‘OVERCOME’ is used again and again in Revelation. The church is called to overcome. And the way the church overcomes the darkness is by testifying to sin, righteousness and God’s coming judgment, while trusting the Holy Spirit to convict people and bring about real change. Jesus has already won the battle.
Apply; This means that even NOW – as the secular world tries to cancel the church – we must continue testifying to Jesus – for the light always overcomes the darkness. Even now we are seeing this happen. In America abortion laws have been rolled back in ways that a few years ago seemed impossible. My grief gives way to joy. In America – the idea that men can be women and women can be men is being rolled back. Again, my grief gives way to joy. Forget the politics. Truth applied in the power of the Holy Spirit is bringing real change. The same could happen in Australia. In the last few years Bible sales around the world have skyrocketed. Between 2019 and 2024 Bible sales in England went up 87%. [Rpt] GENERATION Z is looking for answers. YOUNG PEOPLE are waking up to the fact that the lies of this world do not work and they are looking for Gods light. So perhaps right now – the church again needs to find the courage to clearly speak the truth, trusting the Holy Spirit to do His work. MAYBE this is NOT the end of the world. MAYBE this is just another dark dawn before the light of another golden age for Christianity. Whether it is or it isn’t – I do not know. But I do know the answer is still the same. The church MUST testify the truth about Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit will do His work – for Jesus has overcome the darkness and is still overcoming the darkness…
