The Gospel of John. The Work of the Holy Spirit (1)

First Baptist Church Leominster

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His gospel, the fourth gospel that of course we're studying, and you may see some of those parallels in this fifth chapter as we read.

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He actually wrote 1st John around the time he wrote the

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Gospel of John, and so it's understandable that there would be ideas, even parallel phrases that we see in both they have in common with one another.

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So 1st John chapter 5. 1st

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John chapter 5. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

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By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

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For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

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For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.

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Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood,

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Jesus Christ. Not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the

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Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify, the

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Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his

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Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe

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God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has born concerning his

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Son. And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his

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Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

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I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

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And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

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And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

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If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life.

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To those who commit sins that do not lead to death, there's sin that leads to death.

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I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin that does not lead to death.

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We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who has been who he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

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We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the

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Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his

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Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we do thank you that you are the truth, that your

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Spirit is the truth, that your Son is the truth, that your Word is the truth. And we're thankful,

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Lord, that we have been given this truth, that everything we need to know about who you are and what you've done has been given to us.

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And Lord, we rejoice in this, because we see a world around us that is wicked. We see a world that is decaying and is fading away.

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And we pray, Lord, that in the midst of these evil times, that we would keep our focus on you.

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We pray, Lord, that we would truly love you, that we would walk in obedience to your Word, that we would be followers and disciples of Jesus Christ.

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Help us, Lord, as we study your Word. Help us as we read it, as we hear it, as we memorize it, as we meditate upon it.

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We pray, Lord, that we would be people of the Word. Help us now, Lord, as we continue our study in the book of John.

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We pray, Lord, that we would be attentive to what it has to say. We pray that the Spirit would take these words from our ear to our hearts and that we would apply them.

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Give us wisdom, Lord, in how we are to live in the midst of this wicked world. Help us to apply these truths to our lives for your glory and your honor.

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Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, let's turn in our

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Bibles to John 16 place, moving into this next chapter.

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Once again, we're not, of course, taking a public offering due to these days of the

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COVID virus, but the ushers will be at the back of the sanctuary as we leave with offering plates, if you care to participate in that.

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If you have any visiting with us, we welcome you, and if you have not before, if you would fill out a visitor card and leave that in the plate, that would be great, that we can have a record of your visit.

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We're here to help you. We desire, of course, to serve you. Prayer requests, you know,

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I write them down in my book, and even though I may not, you know, verbally express them during our pastoral prayer time,

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Mary writes them down also. We have them and pray for you, and also on Wednesday evening at our prayer meeting at six o 'clock, so we appreciate hearing specific concerns that you may have that we can hold up before our

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Lord on your behalf. Well, before us today is the fifth declaration of our

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Lord Jesus in his farewell discourse. This is set forth in John 16, 1 to 15, and it might be summarized in this way.

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It says, if the Lord were telling his disciples, I will empower you by the Holy Spirit, and of course, the

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Greek word for Holy Spirit is paraclete, the idea, you get the pair like parallel, you have the

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Holy Spirit standing beside us, as it were, either helping us, advocating for us, empowering us.

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He's the paraclete, but here in this passage, there is an emphasis on the

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Holy Spirit as our helper. Now, Jesus first told of the trial that his disciples would encounter, that's what we have in verses 1 to 4a, which would take place after he departed from them, which he sets forth in John 16, verses 4b, second part of verse 4 through 6.

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Nevertheless, he assured them that he would send unto them the Holy Spirit who would give them guidance and a power in their witness to the world, and this is the lion's share of this passage, verses 7 through 15.

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I actually had a total of 13 pages of notes, and that's even after I expanded or shrunk the margins down to 0 .8

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of an inch, and I thought we just don't have the time, so I took off the last three pages, cut it down to ten, and it still might be too much, so we're not going to get through all 15 verses, but we'll get to a good portion of it this morning,

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Lord willing. We learn from these verses that the work of advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ involves resisting and overcoming the hostility of both evil people as well as Satan, and that although the work is very daunting and difficult, kingdom work is difficult, nevertheless the

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Lord has given the Holy Spirit to his people to enable them to accomplish their mission, and it can only be accomplished by us through the power of the

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Holy Spirit, and so here is John 16 1 through 15.

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These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues.

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Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God's service, and these things they will do to you because they have not known the

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Father nor me, but these I've told you that when the time comes you may remember that I told you of them, and these things

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I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you, but now

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I go away to him who sent me, and none of you asks me where are you going, but because I've said these things to you sorrow has filled your heart.

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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

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I will send him to you, and when he has come he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they do not believe in me, of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more, of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.

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I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now, however when he the spirit of truth has come he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come.

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He will glorify me for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you.

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All things that the father has are mine and therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you.

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We may consider this portion of God's Word by employing the outline that you have in your notes before you.

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First Jesus prepared his disciples for the trouble before them, verses 1 through 4a.

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Jesus prompted his disciples to ponder his departure to the father, verse 4b through 6, and then thirdly

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Jesus promised his disciples the help of the Holy Spirit and their witness to the world, and there are really two subheadings under this.

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We have the Holy Spirit's conviction of the world, verses 7 through 11, and then we have the

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Holy Spirit's guidance of the church, how the Holy Spirit would help and assist these apostles and others in their work.

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So let's begin to work through this and again we're probably only going to get down I think to maybe verse 7 today if all goes well.

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And so first Jesus prepared his disciples for the trouble before them. Our Lord was about to be betrayed into the hands of men, we're talking now just about you know an hour, a couple hours, minutes.

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He gave his disciples these departing words to better equip them to face the trial before them and to accomplish their future ministry in his absence.

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The context of the passage is primarily the mission of the disciples to proclaim

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Christ to the world. That's important, important to recognize that this is the major idea or theme, their witness.

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Now it may not seem so as we read those 15 verses, but if we read the few verses that precede this passage at the end of chapter 15, it becomes apparent that this is the emphasis of the

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Lord. And so here once again is John 15, 26 and 27, when the helper comes who my shall send to you from the

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Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of me and you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.

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And then we may read the opening words of John 16 because it's really kind of unfortunate you have this chapter division here, those are artificial of course, the present chapter divisions were only put into our

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English Bibles you know in the 1600s, they're not that old and it's unfortunate they put a chapter division here as it really flows right into these words.

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And so beginning with the opening verses of John 16 we have a continuation, these things

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I've spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. He will put you out of the synagogues, yes the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers

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God's service and these things they will do to you because they've not known the Father nor me but these things

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I've told you that when the time comes you may remember that I told you of them. And so it'd be due to their faith in Jesus Christ and due to their proclamation of him to the

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Jews as well as to the broader world that they would encounter great hostility and resistance.

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You won't encounter great hostility and witness by the world if you don't speak of Jesus.

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You begin to speak of Jesus and you watch the hostility rise and the opposition show itself.

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Well when Jesus said in verse 1a these things I have spoken to you he was referring not to the things after this clause but rather referring to the things that he already declared in chapter 15 namely that his disciples would encounter difficulty and hardship because of the world's hatred of him and therefore of them and so he had told them if the world hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you.

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If you were of the world the world would love its own yet because you're not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you.

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Remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you if they kept my word they will keep yours also but all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they do not know him who sent me.

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And then in verse 1 again Jesus stated the reason why he told them these things and that is so that you should not be made to stumble.

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This is the reason he told them of these things in advance. Now the word translated as stumble in our

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English translation depicts someone tripping or falling on a pathway in which he's traveling and the stumbling actually results in his no longer continuing in that pathway.

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This stumbling is not just kind of tripping up and then you kind of regain your step and continue this stumbling is to stumble so as to fall.

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The Greek word is is made now that's the negation it means not may scandalous that is how you would say that in Greek and here the

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New King James Version translated is not made to stumble. The King James reads not be offended.

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The NIV translates the Greek word as will not fall away and the

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ESV conveys the word as to keep you from falling away and so perhaps the idea of falling away gives a more clear and full idea than rather just stumbling as though you're just experiencing a little bit of trouble.

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The main idea is that of a professing disciple abandoning his resolve to follow Jesus to fail to continue in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ and as we often have said the

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Word of God teaches that temporary believers do not have salvation only those who persevere in faith throughout life have salvation.

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That is true saving faith, a continuing faith, a temporary believer does not have salvation and the fact that it's only temporary proves that they never had salvation not that they lost their salvation but they never had it.

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Now there are different reasons why some professing disciples or Christians of Jesus Christ forsake him.

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Some apostatize and apostatize means again turning away from Christ finally and fully

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I once believed I no longer believe he is not my Lord and my Savior. Some apostatize from Christ because of some difficult doctrine of Christ that offended them and they rejected him because of it.

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We read in John 6 of many of his professing disciples they didn't truly have salvation who did just that they turned from him because they didn't like the doctrine he taught them.

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When Jesus taught them of the sovereignty of God and bringing them salvation many became offended and forsook him.

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We considered this back in John 6 we read there when Jesus knew it himself his disciples complained about this you know he didn't apologize he didn't soften it he went at them even more directly.

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He said to them does this offend you? What if then what then if you should see the

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Son of Man ascend where he was before? He's speaking of his pre -incarnate existence as the eternal

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Son of God. It is the Spirit who gives life. Nobody has salvation unless the

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Holy Spirit imparts that life. The flesh profits nothing. A person does not have the ability to save himself or herself it must be a work of the

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Holy Spirit. Jesus was basically telling these people if you're going to have salvation it's because God and his sovereignty has been merciful and gracious to you.

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Don't think that you save yourself because of your free will in other words this is what Jesus was saying and they knew exactly what he was saying and they didn't like it.

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For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray him and he said therefore

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I've said to you that no man can come to me unless it's been granted to him by the Father.

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That'll get a rise and so we read in verse 66 from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more and then

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Jesus said to the 12 do you want to go away also? Of course they didn't. Peter responded where are we going to go?

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You know you've got the words of eternal life there's no place else we can go but some people turn away from Jesus they reject the

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Jesus of the Bible because they don't like the doctrine that Jesus himself taught. Remember years ago a rather older lady who'd been in the church probably for decades and we were speaking about the sovereignty of the grace of God and salvation and she understood it finally and she came up to me afterwards said

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I will not believe in a God like that and I said well that's that scares me to hear you say that that doesn't bode well for you and this is how these people were in John chapter 6.

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They were not true disciples they were false disciples because they were temporary disciples. They forfeited any hope of salvation for they had failed to persevere their faith in Jesus Christ.

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They became offended when they heard certain doctrines taught by Jesus which they objected to.

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Only those who continue in faith are true disciples of Jesus. He declared that back in John 8 31 if you abide in my word you are my disciples indeed.

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See true disciples true Christians continue. True Christians can struggle you know with doctrines and whatnot and they work through it but in the end we have to say whatever you say

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Lord is true and I accept it. And so many disciples forsook him because they didn't like the teaching of Jesus but there are those who forsake

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Christ because of the hardship that they encounter or might encounter if they continue to claim to be his disciples.

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Our Lord spoke of these temporary believers these false professors who only believe in him for a while.

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In his parable of the sower Jesus taught of four kinds of soils that is four kinds of people who hear the good news of the kingdom of God and one of these soils depicted the apostate the a temporary believer.

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And so here's Matthew 13 18 and following therefore hear the parable of the sower

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Jesus was explaining it to his disciples he told the parable in front of the crowd and then he gave the inside explanation to his disciples.

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When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it then the wicked one comes the devil snatches away what was sown in his heart.

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He was clueless he didn't even understand it. This be he who received seed by the wayside but he who received the seed on stony places and he described the seed as immediately springing up growing very very rapidly but then when the

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Sun came out it shriveled because it had no depth of earth in it and now he explains the meaning of that.

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He who received the seed on stony places this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while.

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He's a temporary believer for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word immediately he stumbles and there are people all over the world that can fail or refuse to follow

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Jesus because of the threat and the cost of doing so in their particular society or culture and how are we going to do one day when it comes upon us perhaps in that in that way into that degree.

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True disciples persevere in their faith. Now interestingly you notice at the end of verse 21 there and that quote

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Matthew 13 21 we have immediately stumbles. Well the word translated here in Matthew 13 is stumbles it's the same

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Greek word as in our text of John 16 1 stumbles and so when our

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Lord declared in John 16 1 these things I've spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble he was telling them that he was preparing them as disciples so they would not apostatize from him when they began to encounter and experience the hatred and hostility of the world.

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By the way this was the same reason that the writer to the Hebrews addressed persecuted

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Jewish Christians in his epistle because they were under the threat of persecution and they were considering forsaking

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Jesus and going back into Judaism which they knew God had given through Moses and so the writer was appealing to them you must continue in your faith in Jesus if you hope to have salvation.

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True Christians obey that they believe that and so the writer including himself all

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Christians let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some see they forsook coming to church because if they went to church they would be they would be identified as Christians and they would begin to take heat for it but rather exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day that is the day of the second coming the day of judgment approaching and then he reasons this way for if we sin willfully we all sin willfully but here he's talking about apostatizing from Christ if we sin willfully apostatize after we receive the knowledge of the truth in other words if you're a temporary believer there remains there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins you're on your own but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries anyone who has rejected

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Moses's law dies without mercy on the on the testimony of two or three witnesses how much more worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who is trampled the

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Son of God underfoot and counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of grace there are some people that profess to become

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Christian and they come and become a part of the church and they're influenced by the

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Word of God influenced by others around them and they may clean up their lives and they may seem to be quite the good

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Christian but they turn away from Christ finally and fully they were never truly converted or else they would have continued and then the writer says for we know him

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God who said vengeance is mine I will repay and says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living

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God he's talking about people who turn away from Christ not talking about the unbelievers out there although you could include them he's talking about people who claim to believe on Jesus who were tempted and willing to walk away from Jesus but then he appealed to them but recall at one time you suffered for you endured then why don't you do so now but recall the former days in which after you were illuminated in other words they first heard the gospel and were convinced of it you endured a great struggle with sufferings partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations and partly while you became companions with those who were so treated for you had compassion on me and my chains he was in jail the writer and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourself in heaven therefore do not cast away your confidence that's persevering faith saving faith don't cast away your confidence which has great reward here the great reward is salvation in its full and final bestowal at the second coming of Christ and then he gave this word of warning for you have need of endurance perseverance so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise that's the promise of inheritance of salvation and then he quotes the

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Old Testament to substantiate his claim for yet a little while he who is coming will come and not carry now the just shall live by faith back at 2 4 but if anyone draws back and here idea drawing back is to apostatize from Christ my soul has no pleasure in him but then he actually has confidence in his readers that they were going to respond to him but we includes himself are not those who draw back that is forsake

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Christ to perdition another word for hell but of those who believe to the saving of the soul saving faith is an enduring faith and even though we may fear and be threatened and suffer difficulty in persecution there's no option we can't turn away from him we've got to confess him because he is

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Savior he is Lord and he will help us through this and Jesus told his disciples you know he warned them this is what you're going to encounter but that's okay

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I'm going away and I'm going to send the Holy Spirit he's going to help you he's going to enable you and strengthen you to get through it and and not just to endure the difficulty but you're going to advance the kingdom in the world because he's going to help you with it that's what

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Jesus is saying in this passage we have before us John Bunyan illustrated what some apostates are like in the pilgrims progress you that are familiar with the allegory of the

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Christian life may remember it when these apostates encountered what they thought was great danger in their journey to the celestial city they turned back from their journey to return to the city of destruction and so Christian as he's journeying to the celestial city encounters these two men returning they had turned away from Christ to go back and so here's the interchange of Christian and these two men now when he was got up to the top that he traveled with difficult up the hill of difficulty there came two men running a main the name of the one was timorous another word for being fearful and the other mistrust to whom

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Christian said sirs what's the matter you're running the wrong way timorous answered that they were going to the city of Zion and had got up that difficult place but said he the further we go the more danger we meet with wherefore we turn and are going back again yes said mistrust for just before it lie a couple of lions in the way whether sleeping or waking we know not we could not think if we came within reach but they would presently pull us in pieces then said

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Christian you make me afraid Christians can truly be afraid they know what kind of difficulty they're going to encounter you make me afraid but whither shall fly to be safe where can

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I go to be safe if I can get to the celestial city I'm sure to be safe in safety there

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I must venture I have to continue to go back is nothing but death to go forward is fear of death don't you love it and life everlasting beyond it

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I will yet go forward and so mistrust and timorous ran down the hill and Christian went on his way

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I had to leave off a section that Bunyan put in here but then we dive in again but oh how nimbly now did he go up the rest of the hill and yet before he got up the

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Sun went down upon Christian and this made him again recall the vanity of his sleeping to his remembrance he had fallen asleep in the arbor rather than just resting and then going on he fell asleep and night fell upon him before he got to the palace and thus he began to condole or condemn himself

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Oh thou sinful sleep Oh how for thy sake am I like to be benighted by my journey don't you love that benighted at night fall upon him come upon him

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I must walk without the Sun darkness must cover the path of my feet and I must hear the noise of the doleful creatures because of my sinful sleep and now also he remembered the story of mistrust and timorous told him up and how they were with the sight of the lot the lions and then said

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Christian to himself these beasts range in the night for their prey and if they should meet with me in the dark how should

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I shift them how will I avoid them how should

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I escape being by them torn in pieces and thus he went on his way but while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage he lift up his eyes and behold there was a very stately palace before him the name of which was beautiful and it stood just by the highway side a place of safety and refreshment for pilgrims so I saw in my dream the dreamer

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Bunyan is writing of the one who saw this all in a dream that he made haste and went forward that it possibly might get lodging there now before he had gone far he entered into a very narrow passage which was about a furlong off off the

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Porter's Lodge some distance away from the lodge and looking very narrowly before him as he went he espied two lions in the way now thought he

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I see the dangers that mistrust and timorous were driven back by and then

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Bunyan includes this little parenthesis to show that he was really in no danger but he didn't know it

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God was going to protect him and prevent those lions from destroying him the lions were chained but he saw not the chains then he was afraid and thought also himself to go back after them for he thought nothing but death was before him but the porter of the lodge whose name is watchful talking about the

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Holy Spirit there perceiving that Christian made a halt as if he would go back cried unto him saying is

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I strength small fear not the lions for they are chained and her place there for trial of faith where it is and for discovery of those that had none that had none faith keep in the midst of the path and no hurt shall come unto thee and then

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I saw he went on trembling for fear of the lions but taking good heed to the directions of the porter he heard them roar but they did him no harm and then he clapped his hands and went on till he came and stood before the gate where the porter was the

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Lord told his disciples you know this was what lie before them the hatred and hostility of the world but that's okay he was going to send him the helper who would assist them and they would be able to successfully bear witness of the gospel to the world and further the kingdom regardless of the danger that lie before them and so as our

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Lord is about to depart from his disciples in order to preserve them from stumbling that is to forsake or apostatize from him he told them in advance of the hatred of the fallen world toward them and of the persecution they would encounter as they sought to bear witness to him in the world he would not have them surprised or alarmed at that which they would encounter so he told them in advance in advance as to what to expect and so again

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Jesus said to them these things I've spoken to you hey you should not be made to stumble he would have them know that the course they were taking would be beset with difficulty and hostility with opposition and persecution as one stated how great a stumbling block it often is to young and unestablished

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Christians to find themselves persecuted and ill -used for their religion it is needless to point out our

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Lord knew this and took care to arm the eleven apostles with warnings he never kept back the cross or concealed the difficulties in the way to heaven

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I was an atheist at one time a blasphemer

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I hated God I hated God's people I got converted and I thought this is wonderful my friends are gonna love to hear this so I sought to tell them and I remember how unsettling it was when

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I immediately sensed you know their hostility to me Jesus was warning his disciples this is what you're going to encounter and again you're going to encounter it most if you're going to be witnessing declaring the gospel in the world this is the result you can anticipate it but the

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Holy Spirit will help you will strengthen you while we read in the next verse verse 2 of Jesus giving specific and direct warning to his apostles standing before him of what they would encounter they will push you out of the synagogues yes the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers

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God's service the Jewish leaders had already threatened those in Jerusalem that anyone who followed

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Jesus would be excluded from involvement in their synagogues we read that back in John 9 we won't read that whole passage but you recall how

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Jesus gave sight bestowed sight upon a man born blind and when the

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Jewish men brought the blind man before him who was formerly blind he testified they didn't believe him so they got his parents his parents didn't want to openly testify yes he's our son we know that but we don't know how he now sees and then the explanation is given his parents said these things because they feared the

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Jews for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ Jesus was

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Christ he'd be put out of the synagogue and Jesus here in John 16 said this is what they're gonna do for you and to you the

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Apostle Paul remember that's how he was he got authority from the

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Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem to go hunt down even murdered

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Christians he put shackles upon them and drug them back to Jerusalem to be tried and they lost goods they lost their liberty and there were those who lost their lives also and Jesus said here he warned his

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Apostles the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service you know there's

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Muslim lands and not all Muslims think this way but there are some they say about 10 % maybe or the real radicals

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I don't know but they're promised you kill a Christian your salvation is secure that kind that stuff goes on we had a man he's with the

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Lord now who lived in our community and he is from Pakistan and he told stories about his church there in Karachi and the persecution they received from the

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Muslims in that land and that goes on all over the world it happens in India where the

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Hindu government now the head guy is a Hindu zealot and they are persecuting

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Christians terribly pastor Prem in southeastern India and his people are experiencing the difficulty and hostility you can well imagine the reluctance of the

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Apostles to receive Paul when he came back to Jerusalem shortly after he was converted well this is the guy that's been arresting everybody and it took

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Barnabas to assure them no no no he's been converted and then they received him when

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John's gospel was written in the 1890s probably the Jewish Council of Jamnia had taken place in probably 1890 there's debate about that it there at Jamnia the official

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Jewish position was made of extreme hostility and intent to persecute

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Jewish Christians and so there at Jamnia they developed benedictions that were to be recited by Jewish people every day and particularly in the synagogue and the 13th benediction however and if you read a lot of those benedictions you'd say amen with a lot of name they were thoroughly biblical but when it came to the 13th benediction it's referring to Jewish Christians and for slanderers let there be no hope let all wickedness perishes in a moment let all your enemies be speedily cut off talking to God and the dominion of arrogance uproot and crush cast down and humble speedily in our days blessed art thou

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O Lord who breaks the enemies and humbles the arrogant that was their opinion and attitude of Jewish Christians and again when

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John wrote these words here in John 16 that was probably the the attitude and the spirit of the day of course this has happened all down through church history there were several centuries of Roman Empire persecution pagan

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Romans but Roman Catholicism was by far the worst offender in history persecuting godly people who purpose to believe the scriptures who had rejected the heresies of Roman Catholicism as as over the centuries a more clearly and fully departed from the scriptures there was the institution of the

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Inquisition by Pope Gregory in the 13th century for the suppression of heresy and heresy was anyone who believed or taught other than what the

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Pope taught and believed in Rome and the Inquisition was was a system of judiciary they had courts and inquisitors and they would try people by torture some of the most cruel unimaginable means of torture were devised to torture these people to get them to recant their heresies and once again claim their allegiance to the

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Pope and the Roman Catholic system I could tell you a story I won't do it it's just too terrible too graphic from Fox's book of martyrs to count that recounts the centuries -long persecution there's differences of opinion as to how many people were murdered by the

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Inquisition but there were many many and then it was the Catholic Church in 1572 that that brought about the st.

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Bartholomew day massacre in France it was agreed ahead of time there would be peace between the

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Catholics and the Protestants on this day st. Bartholomew but the

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Roman Catholic priests of France devised ahead of time this act of treachery and so when the

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Protestants were unaware the Catholics rose up and slaughtered over 30 ,000 of them in a single night the

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Huguenots were French Protestants and they ended up going up to the Netherlands and some of course ended up coming over here to the

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States later on Huguenots are still around I had I had one in our church in Germany that was his the background of his family and so religious persecution and it happened not just by Roman Catholics but in Protestant lands when you had a so called

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Protestant state church there was persecution there were two Baptists here in Massachusetts that were pilloried because of their

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Baptist beliefs by the established congregational government of the

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Commonwealth of Massachusetts persecution has always been evident throughout church history and we shouldn't think that somehow because we're living in America and here we are in the 21st century that somehow these things that were immune from these things

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God's been very gracious and merciful to us in this land because of the gospel influence that he's blessed in the past but of course that influence and and is waning isn't it to where now people in authority will distance themselves they'll talk about being religious they'll talk about the need for churches to reconvene but you'll never hear the name of Jesus mentioned and I again

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I don't unless the Lord brings revival I can't anticipate things changing or improving but rather degenerating further

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I think this passage is relevant for us we should take it to heart Jesus declared in verse 3 the reason they did these things is because they've not known the father nor me and so in reality there are godless people in religious institutions and in churches that the devil is their master they're filled with hearts of hatred and rage against the

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Lord and his people the devil instigates them the fact is non -christians if they're not born again although they may be very religious they will hate

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Christ and the truth and they will rise up if you make it clear to them they harbor great hatred and they will manifest horrific hostility to those who believe on the

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Son of God now this matter should warn us against assuming the great zeal necessarily indicates great piety there seems to be a broadening of Christendom in the minds of a lot of Christians where we've got a big tent now everybody claims to be

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Christian we regard as friend that's not the case as one wrote let us

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I think there's a JC Ryle let us never forget that religious earnestness alone is no proof that a man is a sound

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Christian not all zeal is right it may be a zeal without knowledge no one is so mischievous as a bundling ignorant zealot not all earnestness is trustworthy without the leading of God's Spirit it may lead a man far astray that like Saul he becomes he will persecute

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Christ himself some bigots fancy they are doing God's service when they're actually fighting against his truth trampling on his people let us pray that we may have light as well as zeal our

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Lord then declared to his Apostles he told them these things ahead of time and why verse 4 these things

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I've told you that when the time comes you may remember that I told you then knowing ahead of time the great trouble is coming is a way to prepare and gives time to resolve to stand and withstand what may come one's way and so again

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I think this might be very pertinent for us we don't know what the future is but I don't see anything within our society our culture our nation it would suggest turning back to emphasize the arena of godly godless godliness and sanctity on the part of our populace

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Jesus told his disciples that they were to remember that he had told them these events would take place

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Matthew Henry wrote about this note when suffering times come it will be of use to us to remember what

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Christ has told us of sufferings that our belief of Christ's foresight and faithfulness may be confirmed first Jesus said this is going to happen why should we be surprised and that trouble may be the less grievous for we are told of it before and we took up our profession in expectation of it we're not gonna be surprised when it happens are we if it happens to the degree it happens so it ought not to surprise us nor looked upon as a wrong to us as Christ in his suffering so his followers in theirs should have an eye to the fulfilling of Scripture and so if this does indeed fall out like it probably will unless the

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Lord intervenes with a great revival it's the fulfillment of Scripture isn't it Jesus said these things would take place and so let's not be surprised or alarmed but let us settle ahead of time we're going to be true to Christ regardless nothing's going to change that Lord willing if we have the present power of the

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Holy Spirit to strengthen us in those times and that's what our Lord is declaring now secondly

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Jesus prompted his disciples to ponder his departure to the father in verse 4b through 6 we continue our

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Lord read our Lord's Word these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you he's in he's filling them in on some new stuff here but now

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I go away to him the father who sent me and none of you asked me where are you going but because I've said these things to you sorrow has filled your heart so Jesus said these things

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I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you during our Lord's three -year ministry his disciples were with him and although they witnessed firsthand much hostility toward their master there is very little if any directed toward them it would be understandable that he would receive the brunt of the hostility and resistance from the existing powers when he was among them again

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Matthew Henry back in the early 18th century while he was with them he bore the shock of the world's malice and stood in front of the battle against him the powers of darkness leveled all their force not against small or great but only against the king of Israel and therefore he did not need to say so much to them of suffering because it did not fall much to their share but we do find that from the beginning he made them prepare for sufferings he's leaving now it's gonna fall on them same thing that had fallen on him but then he made this rather puzzling statement but now

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I go away to him who sent me and none of you asked where are you going it would seem that our

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Lord was rebuking his disciples for not seeing the importance in relevance of what was about to occur he is returning to his father

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God the father who had sent him but is informing them of their coming hardship had captured their attention it's understandable that they focused on that and they lost sight of the glory of him returning to his father and all that would take place and all that would mean to them they were just focused on the certain difficulty and hardship that lie before them and that sometimes happens to us and we have to be careful as Christians that not happen to us in the present climate right that we get so zeroed in on this virus and concerns for it we lose sight of the great truths of the kingdom and the gospel which would put everything into perspective and help us to see and under things understand things more clearly and rightly he said because I've said these things to you sorrows filled your heart they were so consumed in their thinking of the difficulty that lie before them they could not contemplate rightly and clearly the profound importance and implications of Jesus returning to his father and so he kind of rebukes them so again this may give a word to you and me about becoming so focused and concerned about what we may be experiencing today or what we might be experiencing soon we lose sight of the larger purpose that our

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Lord is accomplishing through these events in history we are not to be captivated or controlled by fear or apprehension of what may come our way we are to keep our eyes on our

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Lord Jesus who has returned to his father and is reigning on his behalf he's given us the

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Holy Spirit to encourage and strengthen us for whatever we may encounter once again

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God bless him Matthew Henry no it is the common fault and folly of melancholic

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Christians to dwell upon the dark side of the cloud and to meditate nothing but terror and to turn a deaf ear to the voice of joy and gladness that which filled the disciples hearts with sorrow and hindered the operation the cordials

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Christ administered or the comfort he was giving them was too great an affection to this present life this was their problem they were so focused on their life and the ease that they might enjoy that was going to be taken away from them they were big with hopes of their master's external kingdom in glory and that they should shine and reign with him and now instead of that to hear of nothing but bonds and afflictions this filled them with sorrow nothing is a greater prejudice to our joy and God than the love of the world and the sorrow of the world the consequence of it and again as we are encountering you know some difficulties really some nuisances that we're experiencing in life right now let us not get not get so focused on those that we lose sight

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King Jesus is calling the shots and and it's it's an arena an opportunity for his kingdom to advance and we need to be alert to that they weren't at that time and he rebuked them for so perhaps we should meditate on this with you to what we suspect may be coming our way in the near future the

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Lord Jesus is carrying out his purpose of expanding his kingdom throughout the world and we're privileged to be a part of this glorious work yes there will be trials and troubles but there is glory in waging and winning the battle and standing with Christ victorious in the end and so Jesus promised his disciples the help of the

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Holy Spirit to their witness to the world we're going to stop there which is unfortunate because this is where it really gets good and and so now

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I see I'm about six pages into next week already but I would urge you to read it and and and the

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Lord Jesus promises you and me as his people the presence and power of the Holy Spirit the

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Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin righteousness and judgment people don't become

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Christians because you and I can persuade them and win an argument of reason that doesn't work it takes the power of the

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Holy Spirit to convict them of sin and to convert them to Christ and he does that through the message that we have in the

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Word of God our responsibility is to know what that message is and declare it as frequently and clearly and broadly as possible and let the

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Holy Spirit do the converting work and we'll see some wonderful things happen

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I believe glorious things we are living in a time of opportunity in my mind of the glories before us and you know

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I I've always felt this way I don't want to just live a life of ease and go off and do eternity you know

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I want to accomplish some something in this world for Christ and for his kingdom and if you want that desire that you got to go through difficulty and hostility to achieve it just as he did and so he's called us to do so may he instill within us the desire and the delight in the privilege and opportunity to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ in this day amen let's pray thank you our

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Father for your word and for its relevance and clarity to us help us our

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God to think rightly and assess things rightly to know your will and may you fill us

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Lord with the blessed Holy Spirit may you strengthen us and may he do his convicting work in the world may we see many people converted to the gospel in these days all to the glory to your glory our