John 15:18-16:15, What Do You Need?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

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John 15:18-16:15 What Do You Need?

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John chapter 15 verse 18 to chapter 16 verse 18. Hear the word of the Lord If the world hates you know that it has hated me before it hated you
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If you were of the world the world would love you as its own But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world
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Therefore the world hates you Remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me
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They will also persecute you if they kept my word They will also keep yours
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But all these things they will do to you on account of my name Because they do not know him who sent me if I had not come and spoken to them
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They would not have been guilty of sin But now they have no excuse for their sin whoever hates me hates my father
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Also, if I had not done among them the works that no one else did they would not be guilty of sin
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But now they have seen and hated both me and my father But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled
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They hated me without a cause But when the helper comes whom
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I will send to you from the father the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father He will bear witness about me and you also
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Will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning I have said these things to you to keep you from falling away.
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They will put you out of the synagogues Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you
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Will think he is offering service to God and they will do these things because they have not known the father nor me
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But I've said these things to you that when their hour comes You may remember that I told them to you.
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I Did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you But now I am going to him who sent me and none of you asked me where are you going?
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But because I have said these things to you sorrow has filled your heart Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
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It is to your advantage that I go away For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you
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But if I go away I will send him to you and when he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment
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Concerning sin because they do not believe in me Concerning righteousness because I go to the father and you will see me no longer
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Concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. I Still have many things to say to you
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But you cannot bear them now when the spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all truth where he will not speak on his own authority
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But whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come
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He will glorify me for he will take what is mine and declare it to you All that the father has is mine.
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Therefore. I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you May the
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Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word but when part of the
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Apollo 13 spacecraft blew up on his way to the moon It lost most of its power had very little battery power left and to figure it out how they were gonna get the three men on board
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Back to earth the scientists and the engineers of NASA and the astronauts had racked their brains and experiment over and over again
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What functions of the spacecraft that they could do without and what they really? Absolutely needed they could do without the computer most of the time.
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So they shut that down They could do without the heat, even though that would make it very cold inside They couldn't do without the air filtration system.
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So they had to keep that going They weren't sure if they had enough electricity to survive and make reentry But eventually they found what they absolutely needed and of course they made it
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What do you need? No You don't need a Porsche a
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Chevrolet spark or some other kind of used car you get will get you around just as well You don't need a trip to Dairy Queen You might enjoy it, but you don't really need it.
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You don't need not really need a Video game it might be okay for some fun, but you don't really need it.
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Indeed It's more likely you'll need to cut out the video games from time to time if they're taking you away from the things that you really need now sure there are some things and Sometimes that we crave and we want them so much that we fool ourselves and thinking
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I Need this. I just need you know The satellite TV service or whatever it is, but we don't really
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What do you need? Do you need money? More money some people think that they need money more than anything else
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And so they'll sacrifice church and God and they'll skip worship so they can get just a little more money
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Sometimes though we really do need money, you know We can't get so super spiritual and talk like we we don't need any we wouldn't have this building without money
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We wouldn't be able to drive here without money. We wouldn't have any building wouldn't be able to meet anywhere without money
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But is that really what you need the most? Maybe you're lonely and think what you really need is someone special a companion and there's a need that goes all the way back to Creation even before sin
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Adam felt he needed something and the animals weren't it So there's nothing wrong with admitting that you have that need
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You were made with it and at times you might feel overwhelmed by that need but is that really your biggest need
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Maybe you need help Some healing of a sickness you need to be healed from now
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We'd be callous to make light of that need when we we believe that need is real Physical needs are real that the body is real.
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It's important Eventually one day our bodies will be resurrected and we'll be living in perfect health for eternity
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But to get to that point What do we need most now?
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It's not to be healed Whatever our latest ailment is which will only be replaced eventually by another ailment do you realize that you can be on your deathbed and still
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Your most essential urgent need will be something more important than healing
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What do you need We see that here and we see that we've been given what we need in two major parts first revelation and second inspiration first we need
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Revelation we need God to reveal himself to us We need to know the truth about what is facing us and by what he's given to us
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My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge God says through Hosea now not just any knowledge I thought the knowledge you are tested on in the
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SAT or that you can get through the newspaper or online We need knowledge revealed to us by God in particular
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We need to know that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and that he gives the gospel Glory and love and joy and eternity of life and that that all is such an overwhelmingly good deal
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For us that is like a field with a pearl of great price and it is worth selling everything you have for that We need to know that That's a revelation when you finally see that We need to understand that and we also need the revelation that you will have to give up some things
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For that like in the parable sometimes maybe everything and not not only will you share
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Christ's resurrection? You will need to share some of his sufferings now you will in fact be persecuted
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Now right away. We need to define what we mean by persecuted because we might think you know There's no way that we're really being persecuted in Castle County, North Carolina or south side of Virginia the
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Bible Belt If we think persecuted as being, you know fed to the lions while the
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Roman crowds cheered on the Lions Because they hate us Christians or we think of it as being beheaded by Isis terrorist
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Yeah, we probably won't face anything like that kind of persecution, you know here Christians who go through that faithfully and bravely deserve our admiration and Respected and maybe we feel like we're kind of insulting their
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Sacrifice if we compare whatever, you know slight inconveniences, we might suffer to what that horrendous suffering
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They went through but we need to know that any adversity we suffer for the sake of Christ Being insulted is a bigot or a hater
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Being pressured to work rather than to worship having a husband criticize us because we go to church on Sundays Instead of helping with the business being rejected by worldly people
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It may be worldly people in the church Who make it necessary that we leave that church because they don't really want to hear the
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Word of God Anyway that the world makes it harder for us to follow Jesus Any of it
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Is persecution now Hebrews talks about how persecution started with the confiscation of Christians property, you know
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It didn't start with them being fed to lions it that's how it ends. It started with Christians losing their possessions
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Just like even in some parts of this country already Christians have lost their businesses.
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They've been sued they've been accused by Charged by the government with breaking civil rights laws because of their refusal to go along with the world sins
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We need to know that and expect it so that when it happens, we'll be honored that God counted us worthy to suffer a little something
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Even if it seems so small Compared to what the martyrs suffered now here in the short hours before his arrested crucifixion.
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The Lord Jesus gives us The revelation the revelation of what we need for life in this world for being hated and he does that in three parts the cause
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Then the counselor and then the counter now first the cause of our being hated.
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Why don't they like us? In verse 18, he says if the world hates you
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Some could say well see it's if it's a conditional sentence the world may not hate us
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Hate it means that you don't think of you to despise us. Maybe they won't maybe they'll like us if we can charm them
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If we can present the present God's Word in the right way, we could win them over, right? We don't have to be persecuted.
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I'm being too dark too conspiratorial too paranoid Well, maybe he is speaking to these disciples here in chapter 15 and 16 and although one of whom was killed
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By the world that hated them for their testimony about Jesus and the one who wasn't killed
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John who's the writer here Was exiled for it So certainly for his immediate audience
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Jesus is a media audience here of what we heard there was no if the world did indeed hate them now for us here
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The Bible Belt in America, you know, we have rights your protection for us if we're following in their footsteps
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Will this be true too? I? Think it will If we are of the world in verse 19, that is before like them
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He says if what we think we really need is the same as what the world thinks it really needs
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We really need money above all we need pleasure. We need to seek first our kingdom for our will to be done
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Just like the world. Maybe our kingdom is a little more conservative than theirs, but whatever It's still about us.
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If that's the case, then we won't seem you won't seem so different And so we not may not being hated are being different is the cause of our rejection
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We were called out of the world says I've called you out of the world verse 19 Therefore because we're called out of the world and so we're different the world hates us now
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That's why sitting Congress people call even the most pleasant Presentation of Jesus of the
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Gospels. They call it a ruse to make fascism look benign It's not because we're
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Hicks or we're haters or we're bigoted or we're saying the wrong thing it's because they hate the king And some people think if they can just find the right strategy
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They can get people to love us and love Jesus and win everyone over No, Jesus says here if you're called out you will be different and you will be hated
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Now we need to know that's the cause the world will never tell us the real cause it'll blame us
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So Jesus reveals it to us here. This is the revelation. This is he was hated and persecuted
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So will we be after all in verse 20? He's the master. We're the servants We can't expect it to have any differently than he did now
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They will mistreat us because of his name because we're associated with him the revelation from Jesus is that we're being persecuted because Not always because of what the world tells us the world tells because you're hateful you're bigots, whatever that you're fascist
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That's the reason we're doing these things to you here. Maybe it's just insulting you But the real reason
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Jesus says is because they hate me Just as most of those most of them persecuted him in verse 20
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Rejecting his word during his lifetime and during his ministry so they will do now To people who are attached to him some accept his word.
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Sure He says, you know, he says there if they accepted me they will accept you So some in his day accepted him sure a few and so it will be today
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Some will accept his word now, but you need to know That there will be opposition
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Like no matter how shrewd you are. How will you put things? There will be opposition
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And the cause of that opposition is not That we did something wrong Sometimes we do something wrong
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They causes opposition but that's not always the cause the cause of that opposition is that they don't know the father in verse 21
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They might be religious like the people who opposed Jesus conspired against him are right now getting their troops together to go ambush him
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They didn't know the father that they and they were religious the people organizing in any way they didn't know
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God So then in their day these religious but but not knowing God people
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Jesus came to them and he exposed their sin. He exposed that They didn't really know
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God Despite all the religion. They didn't really know God and he still does that today
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By coming and speaking God's word to them. Jesus showed that at their heart the world is captive to the root of all sins
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That's the rejection of God's kingdom that God will not rule over me Rebellion against God the fundamental choice that my will be done.
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That's the heart of sin now Jesus hadn't come and given God's Word and Then they've ejected it
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Then the central owners of their hearts would not have been exposed their religious act would have
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Passed people would have believed it So now they have no excuse for their sins because they've been exposed so they hate
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Jesus because here's the cause of their hatred of Jesus which is their cause of their hatred of us
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Because their hatred of us is caused by their hatred of Jesus which is caused by their in verse 23 their hatred of the father the world
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Here put to the test and the leaders of Jesus's day So the world saw what
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Jesus did, you know the miracles the signs to prove that I am the I am You know if Jesus said if I not done the works that I did they wouldn't
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They would have an excuse but I did it and they don't have an excuse So they knew he was but they still didn't accept him
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They hated him and that happened in verse 25 because there's the ultimate cause The were the word that is written in their law
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Must be fulfilled They hated me without cause They hated him without a just cause
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Because What's the cause of them hating him without cause because God said they would?
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The cause of their hating him without cause was God's law exposing their depravity a
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Second revelation that we need that even though the world hates us. We have a helper of a counselor
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We need a helper if we're gonna bear witness to a hostile world. We got a world that's opposing us How are we gonna win some from this world?
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Well, we have a helper So Jesus promises us here in verses 26 and 27 to send the
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Holy Spirit from the father notice Jesus says I will send the
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Spirit of Truth Jesus is able to send the
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Holy Spirit What kind of person can do that? If the disciples are thinking that at the point that probably not they have so much going on They probably know this a lot of this goes over their head.
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Jesus just said he can send the Holy Spirit who can do that and the
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Spirit proceeds That's the present tense. That's continuous He proceeds from the father here all three persons of the
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Trinity together Working in different ways the helper the Spirit of Truth. He reveals truth comes sent by The Son Jesus from the father spirit is proceeding from the father
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Well more about the Holy Spirit soon the third revelation we need is how to counter the persecution
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If they or we are taken by surprise by the hatred of the world, we can be crushed by it
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It'd be discouraged. We could give up I've seen people have been told Christians and church have been told you know people out there
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They want to hear the gospel go ahead and tell them and then they go out and they get people there are bored Or just don't want to hear anything or hostile even and they wonder what happened
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These people don't like us Well, Jesus here doesn't do that. He says, you know, there's you're gonna be opposed
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You're gonna you're gonna hate you and so how do you counter that? If if we weren't prepared like here, we'd be discouraged maybe tempted to give up You know, we didn't believe in Jesus to be enemies of anyone
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We don't understand why we've inherited This hatred. Why is it coming against us?
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We didn't mean it We're not starting it here. These disciples thought that they were signing up for a popular patriotic revolution
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That Jesus would be a new king and they would be as mighty men like David had mighty men under him
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They were gonna ride his coattails into power and the nation Israel was gonna love it
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But now he's talking about Jesus is talking about going away Talking about betrayals and renunciation and persecution and people hating them
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And if Jesus had here hadn't warned them of the coming opposition They would he says they would fall away
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They would stumble to be scandalized if he just sold them you go out there preach the gospel to these people
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They're gonna love it. Sure. There were some people that loved it, but there were a lot of hatred, too So Jesus tells him the whole truth
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You're gonna have opposition you're gonna have a hatred So don't be shocked when it comes
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Don't be like when you learn something totally Disappointing in someone you admire and disillusioned by it here
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It would be a scandal for them if Jesus hadn't prepared them beforehand for the difficulties that are coming
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Like it's a shock to prosperity believers today They get hooked on some prosperity teacher thinking if you confess this and you'll have all health and wealth and then reality hits
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You know, they get they get fired and Have to declare bankruptcy or they get a diagnosis and are sick and they wonder why well
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I sent all that money to that healing guy How come this is happening to me and often these people end up because they're like because they've been sold
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Everything's gonna be so great victorious and triumphant. They end up just falling away not believing in Jesus at all And so here when they realize that Jesus is invitation to take up our cross is for real here
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There'll be prepared for it will be prepared for it So when we really do have to bear a cross So the revelation that there is hatred and enemies and rejection and suffering coming because you believe in Jesus Is it to make us gonna isn't to make us morbid and depressed but to prepare us so that when it happens
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We don't fall away We don't give up You know, we'll think well, this is what he told us what happened.
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He was right. He told us here and now imagine What's happening here they're apparently still whether they're in Gethsemane by now, but they've been walking from the upper room to Gethsemane and He knows that he's soon facing this betrayal the juices who come then they will arrest him and they'll be beatings and they'll be agonizing crucifixion and He's still you know spike and he's troubled in his heart by that But still as all that's going on he's thinking of them thinking of us
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These original Apostles the early believers that John was writing for he knows that they will be expelled
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He says here the big spelled from synagogues and some like Stephen Will be killed like by people like Paul who thought their hatred of Christians was actually a zeal for God today our enemies shouting for there were bigots expelling us banning us insulting us because of Their zeal for what they say is tolerance inclusion
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They expel us for their love of inclusion figure that out Jesus is warning us in his last hours of his earthly ministry so that we'll know
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That all this is happening because the world hates Not necessarily us first but the father because it hates the father it hates the son and so it will hate us
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But all as Jesus is being on his way to Gethsemane on his way to the cross
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Yet still the pressure on him He was thinking of us Every step of the way and so it gives us revelation
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So we'll know what's coming because to be forewarned is to be forearmed
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So they're walking to Gethsemane or maybe they're there already. It's not clear But the the disciples were fearful of what's coming next there.
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They've been forewarned oppositions coming That they think they need above all what do they need?
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They think what they need above all is for Jesus to be with them physically You know the one who could do all those miracles the signs you can raise people from the dead
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It could make feed 5 ,000 with just a few loaves of bread all that kind of thing walk on water That's what they think they need him physically with them.
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But here starting at verse 5 Jesus tells them what they really need What do you need? You need inspiration
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Inspiration is spiritual power and We absolutely need it like Apollo 13 needed power to make it back
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We get that power from the Holy Spirit and he tells us here that tells us here in three parts
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Who the Holy Spirit is and what he does that we need so much He is first the comforter and second the convictor and finally the completer
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Now the disciples are filled with sorrow. He says at verse 6 They can only think of themselves
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Of their own coming Abandonment they think because Jesus told him I'm going away and they're thinking we're gonna be by ourselves and need
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Jesus most of all How we're gonna survive without him and when Thomas protested earlier that they didn't know the way
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Jesus says going away says we don't know the way to where you're going They didn't ask where you think they would ask where you going?
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They just said they didn't know they were just protesting like a child That's been wanting his father to play catch with him, but he asked yes to go away, you know work his calling
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He has to earn money So that the child has something to eat in a place to live because the child often doesn't know what he really needs
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But the child doesn't understand protest. Where are you going? And here Jesus tells them it is that it is as an imaginable would seem to them at the moment
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He says it's to their advantage in verse 7 notice that it's to your advantage
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That I go away In other words, it's better off for you That I go away earlier said it's better for me that I go to my place and now he's saying it's better for you
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It's better for them that they have the Holy Spirit inside them Then that they have Jesus beside them
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That's another amazing statement that is to your advantage We say the thing today that you know, we're just barely hanging on You know, we're hardly getting by we're a handful of people meeting in a gym
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And you know, we're waiting for Jesus to return We're barely surviving and when when he returns though when that happens, well, then we'll have made it but for now
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We don't have what we need to be victorious But here Jesus says we are astoundingly
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Better off with the Holy Spirit in us Than having Jesus with us and raising even raising the dead and healing people born blind
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He was speaking directly to us. Now. How can that be? How can it be to our advantage? Then he go away
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Well, what do you need? What do you really need? You need a comforter. You need a strengthener.
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You need power Like Apollo 13 needed power. Absolutely needed power a helper
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You need the Holy Spirit and All of us need that helper in us and the Spirit can be in all of God's people all over the world
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At the same time he can be with you all of us during this week coming wherever you are
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At the same time before people need to know this above all they tend to think that what we really need most of all is information
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We need a good education in theology not inspiration Even if you tell them that we need the
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Holy Spirit, they'll think what we really need is Lectures on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in education, but Jesus says what we really need is inspiration
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That's the comforter the power to help us in our needs.
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We need the Spirit inside us More than we need Jesus beside us
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What do you need? You need a convictor? we're called to go out and Bear fruit in the world a fruit that that last
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But the world hates us. So how are we gonna bear fruit? I mean the world hates us So, how are we gonna get anyone from the world to believe?
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So what we need above all is not strategies on how to communicate more effectively toward resistant audience
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You know how to win friends and influence people Advertising campaigns, you know, he gets us gimmicks to attract seekers
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Even though some of those things can be useful like money is useful But it's not what ultimately we need
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What we need is the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to convict Now naturally people in the world assume that their sins are normal That you know, they should be accepted their sins should be accepted.
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Everyone does it. That's just the way the world works People say money makes the world go around.
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So people live for the dollar just accept it Don't try to change that people are driven by lust
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So nobody's such a prude just a disapproval porn or immorality People have egos, you know, it can't be challenged.
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Don't even try. It was getting trouble. Just get used to it You know, that's the world and that is the world and if they're gonna repent and believe
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They need to be convicted Meaning that they need to be shown their sin that these things even if everyone does do it
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Everyone approves of it. It seems to come naturally to them yet. It is still wrong. It is against God's law
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He's gonna judge them for it to be convinced that their sin is sin to have the truth exposed to them
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We can testify as we can share we can say that's wrong We can show them
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God's right way, but without the Holy Spirit, they'll never see it Here in verses 8 to 11.
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Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will help us by convicting the world Concerning three major things first their sin, especially the root of their sin.
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That is their lack of faith in Jesus He says sin because they do not believe in me.
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That's the root sin their lack of faith in verse 9 So when Peter full of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost Challenged the people there in the temple that the
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Jesus you had crucified, you know, that's not really win some Winning friends and influencing people got a speech you had crucified him
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Was to be was proved to be Lord in Christ. It says they were cut to the heart They were convicted
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Why is it just such an effective orator? No, because of the Holy Spirit second concerning righteousness so that they'll know even with Jesus gone
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He says because I go to the Father It was the Holy Spirit's gonna get big people of righteousness
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Because I go to the Father others because I'm not here to tell them what righteousness is anymore in verse 10
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So he's the Holy Spirit now is here to show us what is right
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Spirit will show what righteousness is that is being right with God and that their own so -called righteousness is like filthy rags
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Before God they need their own sense of self -righteousness to be torn down.
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We need the Holy Spirit To do that for us and third He says concerning judgment in verse 11 that there is a judgment coming that they will have to face
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That even if everyone around them approves of their sin That is normal to be greedy and live for money.
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It's normal to be unfaithful to your word You don't keep her promises. It's normal to be sexually immoral
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That won't matter when you stand before the judge of all the earth But even more importantly
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Notice in verse 11 the judgment has already begun Not all we just in the future coming judgment.
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He says now The Prince of this world the ruler of this world Satan is judged
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He's judged now and what Jesus does on the cross. We are now then from that cross from this time to our time still living in the time of Judgment, and we need the
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Holy Spirit to make the reality of that judgment Clear so it fills the hearts that reality that revelation fills the hearts of those
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Who were speaking to we're sharing with who need to know so they're shown it and it fills them with terror of what they are facing
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Unless they repent And we can't do any of that Just by rational arguments by the sound logical lessons
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Reform people sometimes think they can About 17 years ago Mary and I were trying to help a new reformed church in Pennsylvania And they weren't doing any of the kind of things that typically new churches are supposed to do the things the experts
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Tell new churches to try to do, you know big events to attract people mass mailings and booths at fairs
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Whatever you can do to get your name out there They weren't doing any of that stuff and I think that's okay That's not necessary.
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Maybe God can use it. Maybe he does it but it's not that's not the necessary the needed thing But I also don't know them having any prayer meetings to pray for the help the power the conviction of the
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Holy Spirit I'm not aware of them having any kind of prayer meeting to pray for help the spirit to work
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That would be like Apollo 13 thing blows up out there and I'm not doing anything to look after their power
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The one thing they that church tried to do which they advertised in the paper was have a this is a reformed
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Kind of thing to do have a professor of church history come and give a lecture That I guess is what they think they needed
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Now I'd love to think lectures on church history is what people really need And what churches really need to be successful.
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I'd give one every Sunday of that. So but it's not we need the Holy Spirit We need the
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Holy Spirit is the completer Starting verse 12 Jesus reveals the completing ministry of the
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Holy Spirit. He says that he has still many things To tell them now imagine he's been at least he's been with them at least three years now
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That we know of and teaching them all kinds of things and he says here. This is this is the very end Remember if they're not in Gethsemane yet They are walking to it and he's going to be arrested there and just a few hours
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Didn't take it away to be crucified and then it's basically over He sure he appears to them a few times after the resurrection
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But not a lot of teaching goes on there and he says still I have many things to tell you
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But I can't tell you now, but you think well if not now when Again this is the end
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Here in John chapter 16. This is the end. They're on their way to Gethsemane Then it'll be the cross the resurrection a few very brief appearances and he ascends to heaven
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So when can he tell them all these other things that they need to know and then we need to know?
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Well, the Holy Spirit will do that for him In verse 13 when the spirit of truth comes
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He spirit will guide you talking to the Apostles into all truth Now this is not a promise.
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Some people want to use it any hunch you have That is can be guided by the Spirit, you know scratch off the right numbers on a lottery ticket
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Which answers to choose on a multiple -choice exam? Which item on a menu will be the most delicious?
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This that's not what it's about this is this is about the Holy Spirit coming To guide them first the
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Apostles into the many things the truth that Jesus has not been able to yet to get through to them
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Remember the context. This is the Apostles first They complied off but first is for them and Jesus says he has much to tell them
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But he can't tell it to them now He'll do that later and he does that later through the
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Holy Spirit Jesus says whatever he the Holy Spirit hears the
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Holy Spirit hears from Jesus the Son He the Holy Spirit will speak to them to you
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Apostles He spirit will declare to you you Apostles the things that are to come not only prophecy
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About the future but instructions of what the church is to do in The times that are coming he the
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Holy Spirit will glorify me. Jesus says For he will take what is mine
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What is mine the teachings that these many things that Jesus says I'm not able to communicate to you now
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He'll take those things that are mine from for the Son They still need to hear and he will declare it to you
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You Apostles in other words the Holy Spirit will complete what Jesus here says
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He has to say but he can't say it yet Because they can't bear it yet It's just too far beyond them
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It's beyond their capacity to understand the Holy Spirit will be the completer
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And he did that in inspiring the Apostles to write these Gospels Then to complete the New Testament to make the
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Bible complete the Holy Spirit inspired them to write the letters, you know Romans to Revelation That's all the words of Christ to us
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Inspired by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles That's where those many things are that Jesus couldn't tell them yet here in John chapter 16
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But said the Holy Spirit was going to bring to them later. Here's an assurance then for us That we have everything that we need to know we have all the revelation we need in the
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Bible That Jesus told us everything and nothing was lost in verse 15
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All that the Father has all the truth all the revelation. The Father has he says is mine
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Therefore I said that he the Holy Spirit others because all that the father all the revelation the father has for me
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I have And I will take Jesus says what is mine that revelation and declare it to you by inspiration to you
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Apostles So they wrote it down for us in the New Testament. So we have now everything that we need not only revelation but inspiration
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The Apostles had revelation from Jesus they wrote down everything by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but to understand it
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It's to be changed by it to be convicted of sin righteousness judgment to get faith through it
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Remember faith comes from hearing the Word of God get faith to it. We need not just not just education just information we need
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Illumination we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit the Spirit declaring to us
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What's written during the sermon? I always show this slide. I don't if you ever pay any attention to it the picture on the right
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It's from a stained -glass in a Baptist Church Portraying the ministry of the Word. I Notice the two things about that picture both of which are absolutely necessary.
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What's necessary? What do you need both of it? There you have the open Bible the revelation and You have the
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Holy Spirit symbolized by the dove the illumination Now believing in Jesus is never just an intellectual exercise
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You know you get given the information and you say yes to it and that's all there is to it Hearing the Word of God isn't just hearing with our ears the
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Bible read Sure, we need the Bible read and we near the either teaching but we need the Holy Spirit taking the
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Word of God and declaring It to you making it come alive Like it's jumping off the page like suddenly a person is talking to you through it
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That doesn't happen automatically The wind that's the Spirit Jesus said in John 3 he blows where he wills
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He is sovereign he goes where he wills he's he reveals God to whoever he wills
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We need to know that So that we'll pray for the Holy Spirit to come to be our teacher to reveal the
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Father to us reveal the Son to us for him to fill us and empower us and What we're doing and we're trying to share to others so that God convicts them of sin righteousness of judgment
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This is what we absolutely need having the the Holy Spirit of illuminating and blessing here in verse 15
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Declaring the Spirit declares without him declaring are just saying won't work
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But some people call You know unction that's the old -fashioned word. I don't know if anyone uses that anymore What's often popular now call it anointing whatever you call it.
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We need it now We can feel full of ourselves and superior that we know we know a better word better term
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Illumination, but if we don't actually have it We're missing what we need
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Like Apollo 13 coming back to earth We need the Holy Spirit He's not an optional extra that you can turn off and still survive
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What do you need? You need revelation. Well, you have that in your in your
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Bibles you have that in the gospel You can open it up. You can you can read it and you can study it whenever you want now
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We think we might think from that. Well, it's under our control We carry it under our arm to church or now it's in our phone
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But the Bible without the illumination of the Holy Spirit isn't really effectively
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Revelation it's a closed book. Oh We can open his pages without without the Spirit will never open his truth will never have its life
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We aren't in control of it Spirit blows where he wishes
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He opens eyes. He convicts of sin the righteousness of judgment. He gives us faith the word
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He makes us born of the Spirit born again So that now you can enter the kingdom of God if you used to be a rebel against you can't control him and That unnerves you
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But Let not your hearts be troubled Even though you are not in control
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After all Jesus promised us that our good father will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asked him so Now, you know