ohn spends a disproportionate amount of his letter on the Upper Room meal because it is so crucially important and central to the life and purpose of Jesus’ time on earth. John 17 begins with, “the hour has come”, which helps show that these words are truly His last teaching to His disciples. The book of John can be broken into 3 parts: John 17:1-5 – Jesus finished His work John 17:6-19 – Jesus prays for His disciples John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays for His church The writers of the Bible often used a technique called a chiasm to steer the eyes of a reader to what the point of the writing was about. The Upper Room Discourse (Ch. 13-17) is a perfect chaism: A) 13:1-35 – His hour has come…Love one another… B) 13:36-38 – Disciples Denial C) 14:1-14 – Jesus’ Departure D) 14:15-26 Holy Spirit E) 14:27-31 – Warning F) 15:1-17 – Vine and Branches E) 15:18-16:4a – Warning D) 16:4b-15 – Holy Spirit C) 16:16-28 – Jesus’ Departure B) 16:29-33 – Disciples Scattered A) 17:1-26 – The hour has come…May they be one The main point is that we are to abide in Jesus. The union of Christ is the capstone of His ministry. We can see the thread throughout the Bible:

1. The Shema (Deut 6:4-) The Lord is One
2. The Nicene Creed – We believe in One God, One Son, One Spirit, One Church
3. Communion – Common Union of Christ in us

Our union with Christ is what gives us access to everything that is His. God lavishes on us:

1. Jesus’ inheritance – Ephesians 1:11
2. Jesus’ righteousness – Romans 5:9
3. Redemption and forgiveness – Ephesians 1:7-10
4. Life everlasting – Philippians 1:21

The purpose clause of all of this is found in John 17:23 which is saying that when the world sees the body of Christ as one, they will see:

1. That Jesus came
2. God loves them

Our love and oneness is how the mission of Jesus moves forward in the world. This type of love is known as “perichoresis”, which can be defined as the eternal divine dance of love from before the foundations of the world. This defines the unity and oneness of the Trinity. We get to have that exact same type of love with the Holy Trinity because that is how united we are with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Question: How do you think about the love of God the Father over your life? Do you see it the same as the love He has for Jesus? Ask the Holy Spirit to encourage you to understand the love that the Father has for you this week.

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Today, Pastor Jason led us through John 16:16:33. Let’s not forget that these are Jesus’ final words and instructions to His disciples, and we know that “last words” carry a weight with them. Jesus is making sure His disciples see the condition of their hearts as He is speaking to them about what is most important.

Joy is found in the same story as our sorrow

• Jesus assures His disciples that there will be weeping AND rejoicing
• Jesus tells His disciples what is to come not so they will know every detail, but He does it so they will believe and have peace in those moments
• God’s work was not to replace their sorrow with joy, but to TURN sorry into joy.

Joy is found in through abiding in Christ

• No one will be able to take our joy away if it is rooted in knowing Christ
• The work of Jesus in our lives is an expression fo the love of the Father (v27)
• Our relationship with God has forever changed through Christ and we can now rejoice in knowing Him as sons and daughters (John 20:17)
• If your pursue Christ, joy and peace WILL come

Joy is found in the victory of Christ

• God turns our questions about the “when?”, “why?”, and “how long?” in sorrow into a question of “who?” because our sorrow drives us to Jesus
• Jesus connects their story to His own – the same as He does with us – so that we can know and share in His victory
• Tribulation is certain but peace is a gift we receive because Christ has won the battle (v33)
• When we are trusting Christ, we can take heart in the confidence that He is the one writing the redemption story of our lives

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the worst-case scenario for your life has already happened. You will not have to pay the price for your sin through a separation from the Father. Be encouraged and trust the Author who is writing the long story of your life. In Jesus, there is a happily ever after because we will be in a forever relationship with Him.

Questions to consider:

1. How have you seen God bring joy out of your sorrow?
2. Wh was the sorrow the disciples felt just for “a little while”? How is that true for us today?
3. How does prayer deepen our sense of joy in the presence of God?
4. What is the biggest challenge to your joy in Christ? How will you face that challenge with hope in the gospel?b

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In this portion of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus is very compassionate as He urges them to not “fall away”. He includes a warning of what they can expect as they continue to follow Him:

1. They will ban you from the synagogue – This is a harsh punishment for any Jewish believer since this is the hub of all community for them. It will isolate them.
2. They will kill you – The world does not like followers of Jesus and by killing them they will think they are doing a service for God. This is largely due to the fact that Jesus was considered a revolutionary and His ways went against the traditions and culture of the day. It is no different for us today. Our response to this is to love and serve our city.

In verse 5, Jesus tells them that He is going away, and that it is better that way because He will send the Helper (v7) See also Ch.14:6,26; 15:26. The advantage of having the Holy Spirit is due to the relationship of each believer’s mission. We are to point people to Jesus regardless of the context. The Holy Spirit will guide and counsel us to make the name of Jesus famous in our surroundings. The Holy Spirit will also convict towards sin, righteousness and judgement (v8). Conviction is the overarching work as the Holy Spirit convinces us of the Truth in a way that changes us. The three ways that Jesus says the Holy Spirit will convict:

1. Sin – this is the sin of unbelief. It will move people to trust and cast all of their weight on Jesus.
2. Righteousness – the Holy Spirit will convince us that Jesus is the only One that is qualified to take our sin.
3. Judgement – The Holy Spirit convinces convinces the world that Satan is a defeated foe. (Col 1:13)

The 2 extremes in the beliefs of conviction:

1. Mistake – God does everything and we just sit back.
2. Mistake – It’s all up to me and my abilities to draw people to Jesus.

TRUTH: The Holy Spirit initiates and chooses to use us as a part of people’s stories of repentance. Remember, the Holy Spirit is not less than God. He is God. He leads us to the Scriptures and He always glorifies Jesus by orienting our hearts and minds to delight in Jesus. How to live this out:

1. Reject the superlatives; embrace the ordinary – The world will not deliver on its promises. We must live out our ordinary days with faithfulness and watch Him work.
2. Reject substitutes; embrace Christ – His i the only One who satisfies.
3. Remember eternity; not the worldly – Remember the big picture that our life is but a breath, but an important part of God’s Grand Story.
4. Revive your walk with Jesus – Ask the Lord to revive your heart for Him. Remember that spiritual disciplines help us stay connected to Him; especially when we have strayed from Him.

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As Christians, we should expect to be persecuted. Right now, over 360 million Christians around the world are experiencing severe persecution, including 5621 believers being murdered for their faith. Our nation no longer has a Christian culture, and hostility towards believers is on the rise. This fact should give Christians a clarity about how to live for Jesus. Jesus speaks about persecution in very clear terms. Here are 4 expectations of persecution: Resistance is inevitable Verse 18 says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. “The world” represents the fallen world system, which operates according to Satan’s values and is subject to the curse of sin (Gen. 3:14-19). The world has rejected Jesus, and because our mission is the continuation of His, we can expect no different treatment. Resistance comes from WHO we ARE Verse 19-20 which ends, “A servant is not greater than His master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” We are not immune to persecution. We are supposed to look like our Rabbi. Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 3:12, “All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Resistance comes from WHO we represent Verse 21 says, “But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me.” In others words, you will experience these things because my name has marked you. My reputation has gone before you. Resistance comes when we expose evil From what He said- verse 22-23 From what He did – verse 24-25 “BUT WHEN the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about me. And you will also bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” What we must remember about the Holy Spirit:

1. The Holy Spirit has a Christ-centered ministry
2. He does not merely draw attention to Himself, He draws attention to Jesus
3. We should be wary of those who claim the Spirits involvement in a ministry that ignores Jesus.

3 options for us to choose: WITHDRAW – One way to withdraw is to surround yourself with Christians exclusively – where you shop, do business, eat, develop friendships, etc. You have no meaningful contact with non-believers. CONFORM – You don’t look any different from the culture. INFLUENCE – You are very intentional about building friendships with those that do not know Jesus, and you are being a light to a dark world in every setting you find yourself in. Questions:

1. Where are you withdrawn from the world?
2. How are you conforming to the world? Do you conform to whatever setting you are in?
3. Who are your lost friends? Where do you have influence in their lives?
4. How are you being a difference-maker for Jesus?
5. How do you think you would react if severe persecution came your way? Take time to pray for persecuted Christians. Check out this resource: Open Doors

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esus had been with the disciples in the Upper room, and now He is preparing to go with them to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. In Chapter 15, Jesus begins with His seventh and final “I Am” statement when He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” He is going back to the words of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 5:1-7. Isaiah had spoken of Israel as the Lord’s vineyard. God expected His vineyard to bear fruit, but it produced nothing but worthless grapes. Instead, the Son of God came as the authentic vine, perfectly obeying the Father and revealing His will to the people. Psalm 80 is possibly the most important passage in connection with Jesus’ claim to be the True Vine because it blends talk of Israel as “a vine from Egypt” with “the son of man you have raised up for yourself” v17. John 15:2 says, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may produce more fruit.” The branches in a vineyard could become large and drag the ground easily. So God the gardener “takes them away” from the ground by lifting them up. God will seek to make you fruitful by lifting you up, encouraging you, and motivating you. Those who are fruitful God also prunes so that they bear more fruit. Sometimes God will bring challenges and trials into our lives to enable us to grow in our faith. Fruitfulness is a life of spiritual usefulness and productivity for the good of others and the glory of God. It’s the proof of true discipleship. Fruit has 3 characteristics:

1. It reflects the character of its tree. The fruit i your life should reflect Christ – His attitudes and actions, His character and conduct.
2. Fruit is visible. The presence of fruit lets you identity a tree’s kind and whether its healthy. An authentic follower of Christ is a visible follower of Christ.
3. Fruit is always for the benefit of others. If you’re always serving yourself instead of others, your fruit is going to rot on the tree.

Jesus goes on to say in verse 4 to “abide in Me”. To abide means to stay, to remain, or dwell. The focus of Jesus’ command is not the fruitfulness, but in abiding. Everything in our life starts with an abiding life. Abiding IN HIM is a statement of identity. He goes on to say, “for apart from me you can to nothing.” You can try, but your life will make you weary apart from Him. We can do things, even very good things, but it’s not the production that benefits the Kingdom. Verses 7-8 say “If you abide in me and my Word abides in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” The believer is transformed from the inside out, and our minds dwell on the kinds of thoughts that God thinks. Our heart begins to reflect the values of God, and as we think as God thinks, we ask for what is consistent with His plan. What happens when we abide?

1. Answered prayer
2. Identifies you as a follower of Christ
3. The Father is glorified
4. Love flows through you
5. There is joy in your lifeHow do you really abide?

Verse 10 says, ” If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, just as I’ve kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” We abide in Christ through obedience.

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As Jesus continues to teach His disciples during the Passover meal, He says to them, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Jesus never promises us the absence of grief, but He will always provide His presence.

In verse 26, Jesus tells them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

1. For the disciples, the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to recall and write the gospels and letters up to 50 years after the events happened.
2. For us, the Holy Spirit is not only the Author, but our Teacher (Psalm 119:18)

Jesus then reminds them that He is giving them peace (shalom – wholeness). With this peace, He gives them 2 “Do’s”:

1. Let not your hearts be troubled – what is pressing you from the outside?
2. Neither let them be afraid – What are you letting have control from the inside?

His presence with you and His promises to you unleash His peace in you. Remind yourself that He is with you and you are not alone. By faith, you know He is with you. Allow His peace to override your fear and anxiety. He is with you and will walk you through any storm.

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The person of the Holy Spirit was not a new concept to the people of God. There are many examples throughout the Old Testament of times when the Holy Spirit would come upon someone for a specific purpose or moment (i.e. a prophet, a king, etc). However, in those days His presence was temporary… the Holy Spirit was present, and then would be removed. That’s why in Psalm 51:11 King David prayed that the Holy Spirit might not be taken away from him. Now, in the upper room, Jesus tells His disciples that the Father would send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to literally dwell within them. In other words, He would no longer come and go, but would remain with followers of Jesus. Let that sink in for a second. A member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, takes up permanent residence in those who follow Jesus! And, as Helper, the Holy Spirit gives supernatural gifts to the followers of Jesus so they might:

1. Build up the body of Christ

2. Glorify God (1 Peter 4:10-11)

3. Find joy in the practicing of those gifts

As you consider these truths:

• Are you seeing evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Consider asking someone who knows you well “Do you see more evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life since last year (Galatians 5)?”
• Consider the reality that every follower of Jesus is given supernatural gifts by God which He intends to be used for His purposes. Have you found the joy of discovering those gifts and using them serve others and bring glory to Him? If not, take a moment to ask God for discernment to know where to join Him.

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