Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January 16, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Israel Trip –
play promo clip
This is the
night before Jesus dies.
We’ve worked out way through the Last Supper. Judas has left the building in order to sell
Jesus out to the religious leaders.
Jesus is preparing the disciples for what is up ahead.
In the last chapter we saw how Jesus has been warning the disciples that
tough times were up ahead. They are
going to taste the “hatred” that the world has for God.
(Jn 15:18 NKJV) “If
the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before
it hated you.
16:1-11 The Coming Spirit
:1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you
should not be made to stumble.
:2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes,
the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God
service.
:2 put you out of the
synagogues – aposunagogos – excluded from sacred assemblies of
Israelites, excommunicate
For the Jews of
Jesus’ day, this meant that you would be cut off from all your friends and
family.
:2 service – latreia –to perform sacred services; serving
like a priest
They will get to the point where they think they are obeying God by hating
and killing the disciples. Kind of
sounds like a jihadist.
Paul wrote to the Philippians about his life before knowing Jesus. Pay attention to what he used to think having
a “zeal for God” meant:
(Php 3:4b–6 NKJV) …If
anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless.
Paul used to measure his zeal for the Lord by how much he persecuted those
“Christians”.
:3 And these things they
will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
:4 But these things I have told you, that when the
time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. “And these things I did
not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
Jesus didn’t tell them these things earlier because He was with them, He
was their protector, He was their comforter.
But the time is soon coming when He will no longer be with them, and He
wants them to be ready for what’s up ahead.
:1 stumble – skandalizo – to put a stumbling block in the way, to
trip another, to offend
Lesson
Stumble Alert
Do you know what it means to “stumble”, to be “tripped up”?
Play Football Tripping clip
where a NY Jets strengthening coach trips a Miami Dolphins player.
What Jesus is talking about is as if you or I are the Miami player running
down the sidelines. And Jesus doesn’t
want the difficulties that are ahead of you to stick out their knee and trip
you up.
If you’re not
prepared, the difficulties of life can put you down for the count.
Some couples
who are thinking of getting married have some expectations that are a little unrealistic.
Some think that once they get married, that there will be no more problems.
Let me ask a poll of those of you who are married: Did the problems stop when you got married?
It’s a good reality check for couples to realize that
sometimes marriage can be quite difficult.
Not impossible, but difficult.
Some churches
teach a single answer to difficulty in your life. They will say that it’s all
the devil, and as a believer you simply need to take authority over the
devil, rebuke the
devil, and your troubles will go away.
That may be true in some circumstances, but not in all.
All
the disciples except John will face violent deaths. Did they lack
“faith” to rebuke the devil? No.
There is a
reason why football players wear their padding and headgear.
There will probably be a point in the game when they are going to go down.
Play “Football Hits” ( I changed the soundtrack to 1812 Overture)
Don’t be surprised by difficulty. Peter wrote,
(1 Pe 4:12
NKJV) Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
:5 “But now I go away to
Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
Both Peter and Thomas have actually asked questions that sound like “Where
are You going?”
(Jn 13:36 NKJV) —36
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
(Jn 14:5 NKJV) —5
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we
know the way?”
But Jesus is pointing out the fact that they haven’t really grasped yet
what is going to take place.
:6 But because I have said these things to you,
sorrow has filled your heart.
The disciples were just like us.
Some difficult thing hits someone around us, and instead of being concerned
for that person, all we can do is think about how it affects us. Our eyes are too often on ourselves and our
own comfort instead of caring for others.
:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to
your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
:7 advantage – sumphero – to help, be profitable, be expedient
Lesson
There’s a good reason
For the disciples, part of their struggle is the point that Jesus keeps
making it sound as if He HAD to go away.
Why did Jesus have to leave them?
Jesus’ leaving was what would bring about the coming of the Holy Spirit, so
that not just a few people would know the power of God, but that all of the
disciples would know the power of God.
We too go through times of disappointment when things don’t turn out the
way we want them to. God has
reasons. Good ones. We just might not know yet what they are.
(Ro 8:28 NKJV) And
we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those
who are the called according to His purpose.
:7 Helper – parakletos – called to one’s side, a helper, aider
Lesson
Holy Spirit Help
How do I handle it when some difficulty hits me?
Jesus used to be the one to help the disciples. Soon there will be another “Helper”, the Holy
Spirit.
Peter wrote,
(1 Pe 4:12–14 NKJV) —12 Beloved,
do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of
Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with
exceeding joy. 14 If you
are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests
upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
When we're going through hard times, God wants us to draw NEARER to Him,
not run away from Him.
God will use your trials to refine you, if you let Him.
(1 Pe
1:7 NKJV) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than
gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor,
and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Gold is refined and made more precious by going through
the fire.
God wants to use the heat of your trials, to melt the
impurities out of your life.
Illustration
It’s like the guys who go to the “sweat rooms”, or the “saunas”
to sweat the poisons out of their system.
But nothing’s going to sweat out of your body if you stay
in a nice, safe, air-conditioned living room.
On my part, I need to continue to learn about the Holy Spirit and cultivate
my relationship with the Holy Spirit.
I need to learn to yield to the Holy Spirit.
I need to learn to follow the Holy Spirit.
:8 And when He has come, He
will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
It is wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit promises to help us when we go
through difficulty.
But truth be told, some of the difficulty we face comes when the Holy
Spirit is at work in our lives, because the Spirit of God inside of us will
make people very uncomfortable around us.
:8 convict – elegcho – to bring to light; to convict,
generally with a suggestion of shame
Lesson
Conviction
This is a key principal about salvation.
People aren’t going to get saved and believe in Jesus as their Savior
unless they are convicted, unless they realize that they need a Savior.
We may want to soft peddle the gospel and avoid talking about sin,
judgment, and hell because we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings.
But the truth is, people need to
experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit in order to cry out to Jesus to be
saved.
How does the Spirit bring “conviction”?
1. Through
your life
Illustration
A well-known professional
golfer was playing in a tournament with President Gerald Ford, fellow pro Jack
Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was over, one of the other pros on
the tour asked, “Hey, what was it like playing with the President and Billy
Graham?” The pro
said with disgust, “I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!”
With that he headed for the practice tee. His friend followed, and after the
golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket of golf balls, he asked, “Was Billy
a little rough on you out there?” The pro sighed and said with embarrassment, “No,
he didn’t even mention religion.”
Sometimes you don’t have to even say a word. The Spirit will do all the work.
Sometimes
we ought to say a “word”.
The Greek word is used quite a few times in ways connected
to us:
(Mt 18:15 NKJV) “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him
his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have
gained your brother.
The Holy Spirit will at times work through us as we speak
the truth to people.
During
the great revivals of history, as God was working in a community, people
would fall under conviction for practically no good reason.
In
the early 1800s, God was at work through a man named Charles
Finney. Entire communities were changed
as people were convicted of their sins and found faith in Jesus Christ.
In
the early days of Calvary Chapel, God used a crazy young hippie named Lonnie Frisbee. Lonnie was quite a flawed, tragic
figure. In 1993 Lonnie died from
AIDS. He was only at Calvary Chapel for
a couple of years in the late sixties and early seventies, but God used this
flawed young man in an amazing way.
Play
“Lonnie Frisbee” clip.
2. Through
the Word
(2 Ti 3:16 NKJV) All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness…
The word translated “reproof” is the same word as
“convict” in our passage.
God will use His Word to bring conviction.
You might be concerned about sharing the Bible with people
who don’t believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Don’t be.
God’s Word is powerful all by itself.
(Is 55:10–11 NKJV) —10
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there,
But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to
the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be
that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I
please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Illustration
Suppose
you are a peaceful person who “doesn’t believe in guns”. Suppose you have a job as a teller in a
bank. Suppose a bank robber comes up to your window, puts a
gun in your face, and demands that you give him all your money. If you respond with “I don’t believe in
guns”, is that going to help you if the robber pulls the trigger?
Pull the trigger.
Share God’s Word.
God’s
Word is like a tiger in a cage. Let the
tiger out of the cage.
:9 of sin, because they do
not believe in Me;
:9 sin – hamartia – to miss the mark; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness
Lesson
Sin
Who would you consider to be the greatest sinner in the world?
Would you consider someone like Hitler? How about the fellow who shot all those
people in Tuscon last week?
In God’s eyes, the greatest sinner in the world is the one who does not
believe in Jesus Christ. Try to follow
my reasoning here …
The way out of conviction and condemnation is to believe in Jesus.
(Jn 3:16–18 NKJV) —16 For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in
Him is not condemned; but he
who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
How could this be?
God saw that we were all in a horrible mess because of our
sin. Every one of us is facing the
judgment of hell because of the sins we have done.
God
loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross and pay the penalty
for our sins.
If you will turn your life over to Jesus and learn to
trust Him, you will be forgiven because of what Jesus did for you.
Jesus’ death on the cross can bring forgiveness for any
sin.
But to reject Jesus Christ leaves you helpless. You will have to pay for your sins on your
own.
The greatest sin is rejecting Jesus Christ.
:10 of righteousness,
because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
:10 righteousness – dikaiosune – the state of him who is as he ought
to be, acceptable to God
Lesson
Righteousness
The Spirit convicts us of righteousness.
For those who watched Jesus’ last day, they might be tempted to think that
Jesus was anything but righteous.
He was
condemned and then executed as an “unrighteous” criminal. For capital crimes, the Jews’ own law
declared:
(Dt 21:23 NKJV) —23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree…for he who is
hanged is accursed of God.
Jesus being crucified might easily be looked upon as
proving that He was “accursed”.
But Jesus’ death was not the end of it.
After three
days He rose from the dead. He proved
that He was not worthy of death, but in fact conquered death.
And when He
would ascend back into heaven after hanging out with the disciples for forty
days, He proved that He was righteous.
He was accepted into heaven.
Jesus is not like us. He is
righteous. We are not.
:11 of judgment, because the
ruler of this world is judged.
:11 judgment – krisis – a separating, judgment
Lesson
Judgment
The Spirit convicts us of judgment because of something that happened to
Satan.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ defeated Satan.
(Col 2:15 NKJV)
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them in it.
(Heb 2:14 NKJV)
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had
the power of death, that is, the devil,
Even though Satan has been defeated, he still is active like a roaring
lion.
(1 Pe
5:8 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour.
But there will be a day when the judgment will be final
and complete.
(Re 20:10 NKJV) The
devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be
tormented day and night forever and ever.
If you are not
following Jesus Christ, you are living your life under the rule of Satan.
There is no middle ground.
You are already judged by God, already condemned.
If you will surrender your life to Jesus Christ today, you will no longer
fact God’s judgment, you will be forgiven.
What do I do with this sense of “conviction”?
Illustration
A hundred years ago an old preacher told of a man in great distress who
came to see him at an evangelistic meeting.
He was under deep conviction and was frantic with the terror of a
conscience that was continually condemning him.
He was also very angry with D.L. Moody who had preached the week before,
and with the preacher himself. “I wish
you and Moody had never come to this city!” he shouted. “Before you came, I
wasn’t troubled about my sins. You talk
of peace and joy, but you have turned my soul into a living hell. I can’t stay away from the meetings, and to
come to them only makes me worse. You
promise salvation, but all I find is torment.
I wish you would leave, then I’d get back my
old peace.”
The answer isn’t in walking away from Jesus. The answer comes from surrendering to Jesus.