Community: Hope

Next week we are starting a new section of the Gospel of John… the Passion as we study Chapters 18-21. This will take us through Easter, which is only a few weeks away.

I told you on my flight to Africa I had the opportunity to watch a lot of movies. Some I had seen before, some were the first time. One of those I saw for the first time was Midway. My grandfather was in the Central Pacific during the war, so I heard a lot of stories, but seeing how it all played out was powerful. We were very close to losing the island of Midway to the Japanese; and if we had, the west coast of the US would have definitely been attacked during the war. We didn’t know how close we were at the time.

I saw another movie that I had seen many times, but continues to be a powerful story is Saving Private Ryan. I’m sure you have seen it but the beginning 15 minutes of that movie are the most dramatic opening of any movie ever as it was based on the landing of D-Day, when a mighty armada crossed a narrow strip of sea from England to Normandy, France, and cracked the Nazi grip on western Europe. The war was far from being over – there would be months and months of more combat. But these battles, were the beginnings of a decisive victory. Final victory you see was certain because of what happened in these battles, even if the war was not altogether over.

This brief history lesson tells us that the decisive battle of a war may be won before the enemy is willing to acknowledge defeat or before the enemy even realizes it is defeated. Fighting may continue for a time, although the outcome of the war has already been determined. The final “cease fire” and official declaration of victory are only the inevitable result of the decisive battle already fought.

Imagine having to fight a war but also knowing that ultimate victory was inevitable. You are on the winning side. There are more battles to fight, but D-Day has come and gone; and V-Day, while still ahead, is guaranteed. How would this affect your performance in battle? Would you be afraid of defeat? Would you still have the same fear of your enemy? Or would you instead feel confident and victorious even if present circumstances didn’t seem to justify such a posture and attitude?

What about the battles we face in life? If we faced our battles with temptation, our battles with pride, selfishness? with grudges with others over harsh words or inconsiderate behavior? with the mistakes of our past, or ongoing financial struggles? If we knew we were going to overcome… how would that affect the way we approach these struggles?

During WWII the Allied forces didn’t have the benefit of foreknowledge, of knowing that a victory at Midway would lead to final victory over Japan or a victory at Normandy would mean ultimate victory for them and the defeat of Nazi Germany. But what about us as Christians? This is something that our passage talks about today: that there has been a decisive victory even if the final declaration and celebration is still “a little while” off.

Here we are at the end of this famous teaching of Jesus we call his final discourse… it’s his last time teaching his disciples, it began at the last supper, and has continued as they travel to the garden of Gethsemane where jesus will be arrested. In just a few hours he will be on trial for his life and by mid morning tomorrow, he will be on a cross, clinging to the last moments of life.

And yet here he is, teaching his disciples… he was welcomed into town as a King and then began explaining the foundational values to his kingdom community… it’s all been about love… loving one another in spite of everything that was going on around them.... that they were to love one another as Jesus had loved them… this would be the thing that marked this new community… their love for each other would be the thing that everyone noticed.

But this time at the last supper, while it was one of the most memorable times with Jesus, it wasn’t easy for the disciples. They have gone through a range of emotions during this last supper… from confusion at Jesus serving them, washing their feet, Frustration that he was leaving them and they couldn’t come with him; to anger that he was going to be betrayed by one of them and now the realization that he is no longer going to be with them brings about sorrow.

When things go in a direction you never planned...

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Overcome the world…This is what all the celebration was about when Jesus came into town a few days ago remember… as the King. That’s what we wanted, but then he told us he was going to die.

If you were one of the disciples, it certainly doesn’t seem like Jesus has overcome the world. You might even say that today when you look at our world with all the death, disease, corruption, crime… unfaithfulness. Has Jesus really overcome any of this? That’s exactly what Jesus is saying here.

In fact the word he uses here points to an ongoing victory. It’s as though Jesus is saying I overcame, I am overcoming, and I will overcome the world. That means no matter what you are facing… right now, we can know that Jesus has overcome it. We may feel overwhelmed, but his word tells us that he has overcome. He invites us to believe this and live victoriously.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to them and when it did, he wanted them to be encouraged.... that their faith would be strengthen… not weakened.

Let’s face it, when we get into a jam… we often question God… But Jesus wanted his disciples to to experience confirmation that their faith in him was well placed.

Just like when you ask someone advice and their advice proves out… you trust them because they knew what they were talking about.

John 16:1–4 NIV

1 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,

Jesus wants them to be prepared for what is going to happen to them. In time it will help, but in the moment it is overwhelming… they become sorrowful because of losing Jesus … and losing everything they have lived for these past 3 years.

Things are not working out as they had expected

They expected Jesus to take over… to set the people of Israel free from Roman rule, to reestablish true religion… to restore the Kingdom… but now Jesus tells them that he’s going to die, that they will die too and the people who do it won’t understand what they are doing.... It was like all this was for nothing… this was overwhelming for the disciples.

Travel to Africa to see the church on fire… only to find a flicker… but in the flicker, God spoke to me. In the same way for the disciples here, in the midst of the sorrow over lost expectations Jesus shares with them a new revelation

John 16:7 NIV

7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

It’s good that Jesus goes away.

It’s best that Jesus, the Son of God goes away.... this was hard for the disciples to believe. It would be hard for us to believe. How could it be better?

Jesus will send the Spirit

Think about this… Jesus was one man… granted he was God in the flesh, but he was bound to flesh. He could be in only one place at one time. The Holy Spirit on the other hand wasn’t bound by the flesh. The spirit of God was able to be everywhere. Just as in creation when the Spirit hovered over the face of the earth.

But this isn’t why Jesus says its better for him to send the Spirit. Jesus says the reason it’s best for the spirit to come in my place… why is that?

John 16:8–11 ESV

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Jesus will send the Spirit to Convict

The spirit was coming to convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement. That is our sin… His righteousness… and Satan’s presence. This doesn’t sound like good news, but think about it for a moment. These are three things that you “get” when you come to faith in Christ and how exactly do you become convinced… or convicted of these? It’s a work of the Spirit of God.

We talk about sharing our faith and inviting people to church. But that won’t save anyone. At best it leads to them being in a place where they can hear the spirit speak to them. You can’t convince someone who thinks they are a good person that in actually they are bad. You can’t convince someone who believes this world is all there is… that there is an eternity of death waiting for them… but Jesus says the Spirit is coming to do that.

I’ve shared with you that when our son was young, I was convicted about what kind of role model I was for him. I knew I didn’t want him growing up thinking a drunk cursing father was normal. I wanted him to grow up knowing his dad loved him and was always there for him… I wanted him to know what it looked like to love his wife and love God.

The Spirit of God moved in my life… convicting me that the things I lived for were the wrong things; that the people I admired were the wrong people; that the ideas I filled my mind with were the wrong ideas.

The Spirit convicts us of these things… but the Spirit doesn’t stop with conviction.

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John 16:13–14 NIV

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

Jesus will send the Spirit to Lead us

Jesus promises his disciples that the Spirit will guide them. That is show us, teach us what God wants them to know.

The Spirit of God reveals to you your gifts… your calling… teach you how to love people you don’t like… teach us how to be generous… how to serve… The Spirit does those things.

Trip to Africa… went to see how the church in Africa was such a force for God… what I found though was a church in need of the Spirit’s leading just like here in Rock Hall. I found a church and a pastor there just like our church and our pastor who wants to experience the reality of the SPirit’s leading, yet fails to see it happening.

Jesus didn’t say… the spirit might sometimes lead you… but the Spirit will lead you into all truth

Jesus was sending the spirit to convict the world and to teach his disciples...This is good news, but there was more...

John 16:19–20 NIV

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Jesus was promising that he would return to them as proof that all he had promised was true. This would turn their true grieving into real joy as they would see his victory over all the world could throw at him… including death.

Jesus will return

He is coming back and that will lead to our unquenchable joy. Unquenchable because it will be rooted in a future that is sure. This unquenchable joy leads to real hope… Hope that would enable them to live as bold courageous Disciples of Jesus.

Their problems were real, in fact most of them would go on to die in terrible ways… but their hope didn’t rest in their lives on earth… but in the resurrection of Jesus.

That allowed them to live beyond the right now… they didn’t realize it yet, but in a few days, when they would see him resurrected, they would have joy… joy that flows from faith… faith that gives them hope in every circumstances

This is what changed their life and continues to change lives.

1 John 4:4 NIV

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Joy that is rooted in hope… not hope like a hope and a prayer… but hope in something that will happen because it’s already been won.

Romans 8:11 NIV

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

When you surrender your life to Jesus, your future is secure in Christ. The war is won… you may have battles to fight, but the end is already written so you can fight with a boldness not available to us before. We can do church in ways we never considered because we know his church will never be defeated. We can love our neighbor in extravagant ways knowing that there will always be enough.

The things that overwhelm us need not, because no matter how far from the way we expected things to be, Jesus has overcome. We can be joyful in our times of trouble because the one we serve has overcome the world. That’s why the disciples rejoiced in persecution, in affliction, in times of trouble… because they knew that even this won’t win… no matter how bad it is… Jesus wins.

Now how big are your problems?

So instead of letting the devil discourage you with thoughts that there is no hope or that you cannot overcome the struggles that seem to be attacking you from every side, grab hold of the truth and declare that Jesus is with you and that you will — with Jesus’ help — overcome the world too!

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