Please have your Bibles open at John chapter 14 starting at verse 15 going

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1 I Will Not Leave You As Orphans (John 14:15-31) 2 nd October G Day Church Family! Please have your Bibles open at John chapter 14 starting at verse 15 going through to verse 31. There s an outline in the bulletin if you like to take notes. Let s ask God for understanding of His Holy Word. Let s Pray. Intro/Orphans Let me tell you about my Dad Patrick Born in 1930 in Wexford in Ireland When his mum became pregnant she wasn t married In those days being pregnant out of wedlock brought great shame to the family So my Dad baby Patrick was taken from his mother And brought to Dublin by horse and cart - by a relative And baby Patrick was taken in by the Ball family The story goes that a lady called Theresa Ball took baby Patrick in and put him in bed with her sleeping husband who had just finished a night shift. Theresa whispered to her husband that she d taken in a baby boy Her husband, Charlie s, reply was: I don t care what you do, Theresa, as long as I get some sleep! Dad grew up as Patrick Ball and never knew his real mum and dad He felt abandoned by his birth parents just like an orphan Page 1 of 12

2 But He Grew up in the Ball family - in a RC Christian home but was never 2 officially adopted But God promises he will never forsake or abandon His people He promised Israel in our Old Testament passage in 1 Kings 6:13 and He also says the same thing in Hebrews 13:5 When Dad was about to get married he had to get his birth certificate and he then realized his surname was actually O Rourke - and not Ball I m pretty please about that otherwise I d be called - Paul Ball (pause) All Dad s life he never really got over being abandoned rejected by his birth parents and as I say he always felt like an orphan. If you think about it all of us when both our parents die - are like orphans the people who brought us into the world are gone In this chapter 14 Jesus is about to leave this earth and yet twice he says to His disciples in v1 and v27 do not let your hearts be troubled And he promises in v18 He won t leave them as orphans [Powerpoint 1 orphans] The word literally means grieving the loss of parents being parentless, being fatherless and being without comfort or support But Jesus promises the disciples they won t need to feel like that Page 2 of 12

3 And then he makes some promises to the disciples which also apply to us 3 These promises, though have a condition some small print We must always read the small print. See v15 If you love me, keep my commands The promises only applies: If we do love Jesus and if we do keep His commands remember His new command to love one another as he loved us - back in 13:34. This shouldn t be seen as a work based thing if we obey Him we get the promise But rather true followers of Jesus love Jesus and so they want to obey His commands For example there are children and young people who say that they love their parents and yet cause them grief and anxiety. There are husbands who say they love their wives - and wives who say they love their husbands and yet they are inconsiderate and irritable, thoughtless and unkind and bring pain to one another. That s not real love. To Jesus REAL Love is not an easy thing Real love is shown in True Obedience IF we love him then we follow his commands there s a connection between loving Jesus and obeying Jesus if we do then the promises Jesus gives here are ours A Promise - to Send a Advocate (vv15-18) Here comes the promises in v16 Jesus says He will ask His Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you FOREVER What s an advocate? Page 3 of 12

4 [Powerpoint 2a Advocate] 4 a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy. Or a person who puts a case on someone else's behalf. The Greek word is Paraclete = literally someone called alongside (to help) We don t use that word Advocate today or do we? What s the local newspaper called? The Central Coast Express Advocate the newspaper publicly pleads the causes of our local community Rev Jason Forbes is the Disability Advocate of the Presbyterian Church he pleads the cause of people with disabilities and makes sure our churches accommodate and accept people with disabilities In the same this Promised Advocate pleads the cause of Christians! Like a friend who comes to court with you and sticks up for you in court Like a life coach by your side all the way through life And notice v16 says another advocate which implies Jesus is an advocate too and he still is as he intercedes (pleads our case) for us in Heaven right now (Heb 7:25) So who is this advocate? According to v17 This Advocate is the Holy Spirit of Truth - Page 4 of 12

5 Remember how last week Jesus said he was the way THE TRUTH and the 5 life so the Holy Spirit will be the one to bear witness to the truth the truth that Jesus IS [Powerpoint 2b-Truth] The world this broken and rebellious world we live in cannot accept the Holy Spirit in v17 This world won t accept and is suspicious of what it can t see. Someone who understands something about music will get more out of listening to an orchestra than someone who understands nothing about music Someone who understands something about art will see far more in a painting than someone who doesn t understanding anything about art And it s the same with God someone who has eliminated God from their life will not listen or understand God s Word or God s Spirit of Truth and so they are not going to experience God. To accept the Spirit of Truth a person must be open to listen to the Spirit of Truth [Powerpoint 2c-Love] The only way to experience this advocate the Holy Spirit is the small print - by loving Jesus loving Him by believing He died for our sins to be forgiven - and so becoming a person loving Jesus and his commands - rather than a person loving what this broken sinful world has to offer Obviously the disciples will feel abandoned when their Lord and Master and Teacher has departed but Jesus promises they won t be orphans v18 they won t Page 5 of 12

6 be children without parents to support them Jesus says that won t remain the 6 case not only is he asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit but Jesus says HE will come to them still in v18 After his death and resurrection he will appear to them again but His death and resurrection and then his ascension must all happen to fulfill God s purposes and so that the promised Holy Spirit is sent A Promise - Father & Son entering hearts (vv19-23) Jesus then makes another key promise in v19 [Powerpoint 3a Die/Rise] The world will no longer see Him because He will die But His disciples will see Him because he will appear to them alive after He is raised from the dead And because He appears to them alive it shows that the disciples can also have that same everlasting life and so can we if we believe in Jesus [Powerpoint 3b Resurrection] On that day of His resurrection appearance to the disciples in v20 they will then realize that the Father and Son are a package deal the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father This appearance of Jesus alive raised from the dead will be the turning point for the disciples then they will realize just who Jesus is then the Spirit will come and increase that understanding Page 6 of 12

7 And that s the same for ALL of us as we believe in Jesus and believe what He 7 has done on the cross and that He rose and He IS alive then we will realize who He is then we will receive the Holy Spirit And the promises continue As we do believe in Jesus v21 says as a person who loves Jesus we will keep His commands and by loving Jesus because of the oneness between Jesus and the Father us loving Jesus means the Father loves us and Jesus will also love us and show himself to us? Showing himself to us not by appearing to us but by being with us through the Holy Spirit AND by interceding for us in Heaven at the Father s side AND by showing who He really is through His Word God s Word the Bible Judas doesn t quite get it in v22 he can t wrap his head around Jesus only showing himself to the disciples and not the world So Jesus explains what showing himself means in v23 [Powerpoint 3c-Living/temple] While Jesus leaves his disciples to prepare a place for then in his father s dwelling place house (v2) he simultaneously joins with the Father (equality implied) in making a dwelling place in the believer this expression of the Father and Son in dwelling or living in the believer is through the Holy Spirit although passage doesn t say it it s implied No wonder Judas can t wrap His head around it! Page 7 of 12

8 So for people believing in Jesus there s a personal intimate in-dwelling 8 relationship being united to the Father and Son and a fulfilment of God living with His people as we heard in Old Testament reading from 1 Kings 6:13 It s like our bodies are a temple for God to live in the Apostle Paul describes it like this in 1 Cor 6: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. A Promise The Gifts (vv24-27) And with the Holy Spirit living inside us and we being a temple of the Holy Spirit there is then the promise of further gifts [Powerpoint 4a-God s Word] Firstly, the words that Jesus speaks are not His own but there are God the Father s words see v24. So we have the gift of God s actual words which are user guide for life [Powerpoint 4b-Teaching] Secondly, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside us teaching us all things. The Holy Spirit will lead us to a deeper understanding of God s Word as we read it and apply it to our lives. Page 8 of 12

9 Have you noticed how as you read the Bible a verse you ve read a 100 times 9 before suddenly jumps out of the page and hits you right between the eyes that s the Holy Spirit giving you a light-globe moment Have you noticed how you suddenly get the idea to call someone or help someone only to find out they really needed that call or that help that s the Holy Spirit Have you noticed how you were facing this really really difficult problem in your life and you somehow got through it that s divine strength from the Holy Spirit [Powerpoint 4c-Reminding] Thirdly, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit reminding us of everything Jesus said. Throughout the book of John so far we ve seen how the disciples have been shown to fail, throughout Jesus ministry, in their understanding of Jesus teaching. The Holy Spirit s job will be to remind them of Jesus teaching and to remind us To remind us of His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5) To remind us that if God is for us who can be against us (Rom 8:31) To remind us that we are ambassadors of Jesus we represent Him as we live our lives as Christians (2 Cor 5:20) To remind us that we have a job to do to make disciples for Him and that he will be with us always (Matt 28:18-20) [Powerpoint 4d-Peace] Page 9 of 12

10 Fourthly, we have the peace of Jesus see v27 my peace I leave you; my 10 peace I give you This peace of Jesus is not like the world where peace is seen as a state of no conflict The peace of Jesus is the state of being assured our future is secured in Jesus death and resurrection we know we have Heaven to look forward to. And that peace also means we don t have to fear anything from God He is for us not against us and we are content in whatever situation we are dealing with right now knowing God has got it covered. It s composure in the midst of trouble and that composure takes away any fear and anxiety (Phil 4:7; Col 3:15) The world can t give this peace There is too much hatred, selfishness, bitterness, malice, anxiety, and fear that every attempt at peace is swamped. Jesus is able to bring that peace that the world can t because by His death he absorbs in himself, the malice of others, the sin of the world, and introduces the promised Messiah peace in a way that no one envisaged. In the Roman Empire Roman Peace (Pax Romana) was won and maintained by a brutal sword and the Jews thought their peace would have to be achieved by the promised Messiah wielding an even mightier sword but no! Peace (not of this world) was won by one man - an innocent man Jesus - suffering and dying - at the hands of the Romans, of the Jews, and all of us and by His death he achieved peace with God which then leads to the peace of God than surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7) Page 10 of 12

11 Jesus Happy and Willing Departure (vv28-31) 11 [Powerpoint 5a-Happy] Then in verses 28 to 31 Jesus return to the Father should be a happy occasion - and the word happy here - literally means joyful! And the reasons it s a happy and joyful occasion is because Jesus is returning to the place and sphere He belongs where He will return to His glorious heavenly state and be with His Father - and no longer be in human form The disciples should be happy for Jesus - and happy for themselves - because by Jesus going to the cross, dying, rising again and ascending to be with the Father the disciples will receive this promised Holy Spirit And by telling them all this now in v29 it s so that they will have faith in Him when these things occur [Powerpoint 5b-Willing] Jesus impending death on the cross might seem like the prince of this world Satan in v30 has won but Jesus says No! Satan doesn t have a hold on Him because Jesus is not of this world (8:23) and Jesus has never sinned (8:46) In fact, Jesus death far from being a sign of Jesus defeat at the hands of Satan is actually the proof in v31 that Jesus loves the Father and does exactly what the Father commands! Jesus willingly hands over his life it is not taken from Him by Satan or anyone else! For all this to happen Jesus must depart to the cross so he finishes by saying to his mates Come now, let us leave! Page 11 of 12

12 Conclusion 12 So to finish up We re not orphans! My Dad s birth certificate said Mother Bridget O Rourke Father Unknown! Whatever our relationship status with our parents is known, unknown, dead or alive [Powerpoint 6 Conclusion] This passage tells us are heavenly parents are not unknown - we have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit the Trinity working together in perfect harmony - a package deal 3 Heavenly parents in 1 We gain a heavenly Father who loves us We gain the Son who died and rose to get rid of sin and death and we gain the Holy Spirit as a life coach who teaches and remind us And we re part of God s family which gives us all of us too That should give us the peace that only God (not the world) can give us v27 and that means our hearts do not need to be troubled as my Dad s was Ultimately Jesus gives us a choice and it s there in v23-24 V23 Love Jesus and obey His teaching and the Father will love you and our sin & death will be removed OR V24 Don t love Jesus reject Him and reject His teaching remain in our sin and face death and separation from God Let s pray Page 12 of 12