John 14:15-31, Are You in Trouble?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

John 14:15-31, Are You in Trouble?

John chapter 14 verses 15 to 31. Here the word of the Lord if you love me. You will keep my commandments and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper. To be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him where he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you yet a little while and the world will see me no more. But you will see me because I live. You also will live in that day.

You will know that I am in my father and you and me and I and you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them he it is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father. And I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Judas not Iscariot said to him Lord How is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? And Jesus answered him if anyone loves me He will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words and the word that you hear is not mine. But the father's who sent me These things I've spoken to you while I am with you but the helper of the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and Bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you peace.

I leave with you my peace. I give to you not as the world gives. Do I give to you let not your hearts be troubled neither. Let them be afraid. You heard me say to you I am going away and I will come to you if you love me.

You would have rejoiced because I'm going to the father for the father is greater than I and now I have told you before it Takes place so that when it does take place you may believe. I Will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming.

He has no claim on me. But I do as the father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the father. Rise. Let us go from here. Hey the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.

The Trouble of Living Under Judgment and Conflict

Well, are you in trouble? Is there any problem at home though that gets you in trouble. Any of you maybe a dysfunctional relationship? That regularly leads to you being in trouble, you know. If you say something or do something like come to church when they want you to work that you'll be in trouble.

You'll be criticized. What gets you in trouble? If you overlook Valentine's Day, well that get you in trouble.

Hmm.

Not just troubled like we talked about last week. Inner feeling of turmoil or grief or foreboding fear of what's coming next. That you're able to hide if you're kind of self-controlled about it. That you able to go through your daily routine even you able to come to church.

You look composed and happy but still deep down you're kind of troubled. Not just being troubled inside but actually in trouble. Something outside of you is causing you trouble. A Relationship that isn't right.

A hostile work environment. A government inspector who's maybe out to get you. You can be in trouble financially. You don't have enough income to pay the bills. Debt collectors are calling. Your credit score is low.

You put too much in your credit cards and the interest rate just keeps the debt piling up. Your business isn't profitable enough to stay open. That's trouble. It could lead to bankruptcy. You could be in trouble legally.

Someone is suing you or maybe the government is charging you with something. You're accused of doing something illegal and Are heading to court get a lawyer? You need an advocate you need a counselor who knows the law of the court system.

Someone who will stand by you. Don't try to save money and do it yourself. You'll be in trouble. They say a man who has his own who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. The problem with some people though, is that?

If they are not immediately visibly in trouble.

They're not troubled. They're untroubled.

By the trouble they're in I spoke with an older man who had been recently diagnosed with cancer he was likely nearing his death and Hadn't been living a moral or a Christian life and yet his living girlfriend It was seated right there by him was continually trying to assuage his fears Comfort him that he has nothing to worry about from God's judgment.

Some people think that that's what pastors are supposed to do make people feel untroubled till everyone without distinction. Let not your hearts be troubled. I Remembering the terrorist attacks and said that our lives are like that plane in Pennsylvania 1993 remember the story heading for disaster the passengers realized that they were in trouble and I said our lives are like that.

We're in trouble of course the passengers of the United 93 knew that and That was to their advantage. So they were able to act one could be hurt on the recording saying we have to get to the cockpit or we all die.

Knowing you're in trouble is a great gift. I Told those youth that our lives are like that. We're all going to crash. We've got to get God's grace or we all die and one guy could tell he was very disturbed.

And he like no, that's not what Peggy was shaking his head. No, that's not what pastors say. That's not what churches are supposed to tell people. We make people feel good, but the truth is that we are all in trouble even if inwardly we're not troubled.

Even if we live to a ripe old age and healthy and one day in our 90s or whatever. We just don't wake up still will face God's judgment without Christ. We are in trouble whether we are troubled by that or not as the witches of Macbeth chant double double toil in trouble.

Fire burns and cauldron bubble. Some people are untroubled even though they are in trouble and others. Maybe you are Troubled But aren't really in trouble. Are you in trouble? Maybe.

You're not.

Jesus has announced that he's going away. The disciples think that that means that they are now in trouble. They're gonna be in trouble without him, right? He's the teacher the miracle worker the healer the walker on water the razor of the dead.

Here in this farewell discourse this long conversation between him and his disciples began all the way back at the beginning of chapter 13 and Continues all the way to the end of chapter 16 and concluded by a prayer in chapter 17 here.

The Apostles appear confused. Totally out of touch with what Jesus is saying. Continually misunderstanding him thinking at one point that he's talking about going away to some refuge some some hideout.

And he says, you know the way. And they said we don't know the way. Not understanding that seeing Jesus is Seeing the father. They're deeply troubled by the news that Jesus is going away. They're troubled because they think that without him they are in trouble.

So as the seconds tick by remember that he sent Judas out. Seconds are ticking by to that moment when Jesus is from a worldly point of view anyway in trouble himself. He says to his disciples and us. Let not your hearts be troubled.

And last week we saw that he could say that in the first half of this chapter in four parts. Don't let your hearts be troubled because of the place which is the father's house. Second the path to the place.

Which is third the person Jesus himself who gives us the promise that we could do greater works. Creating faith in people in his name. And then here in the second half of the chapter Jesus gives us four other reasons that we're not in trouble.

Even if he is not physically with us first the promise again second the presence third the paraclete and finally the peace. First the promise. Starting verse 15 it begins with a statement. If you love me.

Notice it begins with love. It doesn't begin with do. It's not if you do if you keep my commandments. Well, you'll find they're good. After a while you really apply yourself. And then maybe you'll come around to loving me.

It's not get baptized go to church read your Bible make yourself do. Like it's a chore.

Even if you don't want to.

Do your grim duty. No, it begins with love. Love Jesus. If you love me find him to be your greatest treasure the most valuable thing in your life. You don't have to be badgered into reading his word or attending sermons or listening to Sunday school lesson because you want To get to know him.

You don't have to be scolded into giving because you love him and you want to spread that love to others. If you love me, he says you will keep my commandments. Notice the definiteness of that. You love me.

You will do that. This strikes people today is wrong. You don't mix love and commands. But there's a like it's like oil and water, you know put them together. But does that really work in our relationships?

We think that of our spouse coming up on Valentine's Day. I love him or her so. Well, he or she can have an affair can abuse me doesn't matter. Love is freedom from rules. Does that work in our relationships?

No, of course not but still even among Christians. We're told it's not about rules, but a relationship as though you can't have both. Sure, it begins with a relationship begins with love here. If you love me, but he's the Lord in this relationship and he gives us some rules some commandments if we love him.

We live by them. Oh, but we're not under law, but under grace. We're told today meaning they imply That we don't have to do anything. Doesn't matter how we live just as long as we say we believe no. Jesus says if we love him would want to keep his commands and there were his people and he gives us the promise.

To us.

The promise is in verse 16 That he asked the father to give us another. That's that word another by the way another helper another like him. Jesus is going away physically and the disciples think well, they're in trouble.

We might think we're in trouble today. You know, the culture is going to the pit that they put on a mock satanic display at the Grammys last Sunday. We're creating just this culture of depravity. We're getting persecuted despised and churches are shrinking and Are we defeated.

We're in trouble, but Jesus says don't let your hearts be troubled. Because you're not really in trouble.

You have another.

Another Helper like Jesus. That's what the another implies. Isn't it? It's like him. Like having Jesus personally with us except this helper is with us forever in us and in each of us. Wherever we are helping us to live as Jesus commands.

And so now we have help to live God's way to keep his commands. We are what Paul calls in Romans a walking in the spirit. We can do the greater picking up on the promise last week because Jesus had gone to the father with greater work.

Given us that promise to give us another helper or the counselor or like a legal counselor a lawyer who was on your side there. To defend you so because of that helper who's with us we can do greater work.

If you're in trouble with the law, you need an advocate. Someone called alongside you but we have one. So we're not in trouble. The helper is Jesus says the verse says 17 the spirit of truth of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is going away Through the cross and when he does he will send the Holy Spirit to be with his people. Of course for us he already has done that. The spirit is the spirit of truth because he bears witness to the truth that Jesus is.

The truth remember that's just what he said. I am the way the truth and the life the world cannot. Receive the spirit cannot it was it lacks the ability. No matter how loudly you yell at it. You pass laws requiring it.

You must accept the Holy Spirit. It's still can't. The world here is that social order and rebellion against God it can be more or less moral. It can be legalistic and strict like it is in some cultures or it can be wild fleshly.

Lascivious like at the Grammys the world lacks the ability to accept the spirit either way where there's moralistic and strict. Or it's just wild it still lacks the ability. To accept the spirit it cannot.

So it can't live according to Jesus's commands. It can try. You can tell it to. But it can't can't receive the spirit because Jesus explains it doesn't see him. It's set on the flesh on what it can see and touch and taste.

It can only see dollars or bodies or food. Can't see the spiritual doesn't know the Holy Spirit, but Jesus says you you disciples talking to them you. Hopefully to us, you know him the end of verse 17 and notice this, you know him for is because.

This is the reason the disciples know the Holy Spirit. He dwells it is he lives. Notice the present tense dwells lives now. With you or among you in your midst and he will be Future tense. This is what's going to happen soon after Jesus goes away.

This is the promise and promise for us because it already has happened for us. He will be for us he is.

In you.

He'll be dwelling in your heart for us. He is dwelling in our heart. So we're not in trouble. Even if we're tempted to be troubled. We now a person of the Trinity with us. Just as much as the disciples had one with them when Jesus was Going around Israel and they were following him.

We have a person of the Trinity with us. We have just as much of God with us as they did. When we buried mr. Perry late last December on a cool gray day and I stood at the graveside I thought that now Covenant loses another member.

We've lost four Relatively young couples over the last few years. Who moved away and now our older couple and I wondered if? Covenant in trouble. But then I thought no, we're not in trouble if we have God with us.

We're not in trouble because it's second of the presence. We're are we are not left alone. We have God's presence with us. I will not leave you as orphans Jesus says. In verse 18, he will come to us in the person of the Holy Spirit notice that the Holy Spirit here is a Person and they seem like a odd thing to dwell on but that's important.

He's not an impersonal force. Not like electricity you can make him flow wherever you want him to as long as you do the wiring, right? It's not some supernatural force that you can master like in Star Wars.

May the force be with you and some people think of the Holy Spirit's like that. You move him as you want some false teachers who do not the Trinity claim first that the Sun is it fully God? Which is also debunked here and second that the Spirit isn't a person that the God Spirit.

It's just a way of talking about his power or his presence. But here notice that Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as being another Helper another like him. The Sun is a person. So is the Spirit just like the Sun is a person who helps us?

So also the Spirit is a person who is sent to help us and notice the verse 17 that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit Is a he and a him. The heretics will say that the Spirit is just an impersonal force and the sometimes they'll maybe try to even teach you a little Greek.

And say the Greek word there for spirit is Pneuma. Okay, they're right about that and it's neuter.

Okay.

They're right about that in Greek many languages the nouns have a gender male female or neuter and they'll teach people See Pneuma is neuter. Therefore. The Holy Spirit is not a person. Okay, that last part is all wrong.

The word president. I don't know what it would be in Greek. But if the word if the word president was neuter That would not mean logically then that the president himself Is not a person. That doesn't follow because the word is neuter doesn't mean the person Represented by their word is not a person.

Jesus shows. The Spirit is a person by calling him.

Him.

The world neither sees him personal possessive masculine pronoun Nor knows him. You know him.

For he.

Third person masculine pronoun Dwells with you. In fact, it's quite notable that he uses this personal masculine pronoun for a neuter Noun like he went out of his way To show that he's a person. Jesus uses personal pronouns for the Spirit.

Jesus doesn't leave us as orphans because he sends a person To be present with us. And a little while just a few hours from now in verse 18. The world will see Jesus.

No more.

Because he'll. He'll be killed. He'll be dead and buried. But then the disciples saw him. Literally even after the resurrection you talk to the disciples you will see me. This is the promise to them that he will see them after he rises and when it happened.

And just three days. But he's talking here. They were too troubled by his crucifixion to believe him and When they got the news from Mary Magdalene Peter and John ran to the tomb surprised and only then did John believe.

Jesus told them in verse 19. Because I live. You also will live because I am raised for the dead. You will have new life in that day When he lives when he's raised in verse 20. Then you disciples will know that I am in the father and you and me and I and you.

When he's raised, there's the presence. Notice the presence. We're all together. The son and the father and the spirit are all are with us after he's raised. That's why.

We're not in trouble.

Even when Jesus is physically away The father and the son sent the spirit to be present with us so that we can live like him. We could hear his voice in his word. We could be transformed. We could see him at work in our lives.

Because he lives we also live and now have resurrection life. We have the spirit and we have new lives in that day. That's after the resurrection when Jesus is raised. So that's today for us in verse 20 our day this day.

We know that Jesus is in the father is united with him. That we know God by knowing Jesus and by the Holy Spirit in us. We have Christ in us. He's the one who makes it possible for us to love Jesus and to keep his commandments.

That's why it could be so definite but if you love me if you really believe me you keep my commandments. Because he'll be with you enabling you to keep those commandments. A Lot of people claim that they love Jesus especially in this culture but we know that people we know the people who really love Jesus by whether they Keep Jesus's commands and those include the commands of the Apostles who speak for him.

Even the Son through through God himself says in that last verse that he does the Son says in the last verse of the chapter. He does as the father commands him. He gives the father's commands. So that to the purpose.

Why does the son keep the father's commands to show the world? That he loves the father.

Obedience.

Proves love if we don't keep Jesus's commands. The first problem isn't Our lack of obedience. It's our lack of love if we love him Will be loved by the father. And he promises in verse 21 That he'll love us and manifest or demonstrate himself.

To us.

Now another disciple speaks up and we're all kinds of disciples are exchanging here and speaking up here this time. Judas not a scary Jesus is scary. It's already stepped out the other Judas Lord. How is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?

Now get into the assumptions behind this question.

You're a man.

Just the second Judas is us. You're a man. We can see you everyone can see you. So anything you demonstrate to us other people can see to anyone who's around you should be able to see it. So, how is it possible to show yourself to us as disciples and not to the world.

How does that work? He doesn't understand what's going on. He still doesn't get how Jesus will manifest that will show himself to them and to us. It's through the spirit Jesus repeats in verse 23 if anyone loves me, he will definitely Keep my word.

Now this shocks people today especially in this culture many people today think they can love. Without it showing at least love God. Their Valentine may tell them they can't do that. With them but with God they think they can love him and not show in any way in any way that they obey him.

They think there could be a disconnection between love and obedience. They'll talk about how they love Jesus, but they don't stay out of sexual immorality. They don't obey the command to assemble regularly with the church.

Those who are living in disobedience to Jesus are in trouble. They may think they're whatever excuse they made them. I'm a carnal Christian who have just taken advantage of Jesus's fire insurance. We've got assurance of salvation because they repeated a prayer and they can get out of hell free.

But somehow they think they can opt out of having him as their Lord. But the truth is they don't really love him at all and notice verse 24 if you don't keep his word. It's because you don't love him.

If you don't love him, it's because you're not really loved by him. The problem isn't that you just need to try harder. You need to keep the rules. The solution is it to buckle down get to work obeying.

It's to get a new heart That really loves Jesus. It wants to hear him the craves that longs. To please him to obey him. If you have a new heart notice in verse 23 Jesus promises we Father the Son and the Holy Spirit Will come to him in your new heart that loves him and so obeys will come to him and make our home.

Make our home make our room. It's the same word as back in verse 2. Remember I go away in my father's house. There are many rooms rooms for you here. If you love how that new heart you love him, we will come to you make our room.

I'm making a room for you. We'll come and make a room for ourself in you. The many rooms that in the father's house. You're going to. The father son Holy Spirit has come to make room with you. God will make his place his room with His place with you so we he's saying here the Trinity will dwell with the believer the lover of Jesus by the Holy Spirit who will be in You while Jesus leaves to prepare a place Remember from last week for us.

We have a place. Because he's prepared it for us and while that's happening He joins with the father and sending the spirit so that now God has a place.

In us.

Now the place God lives is.

Us. Are you in trouble?

The Promise of Another Helper and the Spirit of Truth

The third. You need a helper. You need an advocate. Need a paraclete. The Greek word in verse 25 like earlier in verse 17 is paraclete here translated helper. In the ESV Counselor in the NIV council elect is a lawyer.

He's called alongside you when Jesus is not physically with us anymore. Jesus shows He's been speaking about the Holy Spirit all this time in verses 25 and 26. He says these things when he's talking about all this stuff all this I've said about loving and keeping my commandments and the father with you is Because I've been speaking these things because the father will send to you to us now in my name He will send the helper.

Again the word paraclete. Comforter advocate the Holy Spirit. He's the one who will live in you and.

Through him.

You'll know the father and the son. The spirit will reveal to you the father and the son. The paraclete makes the God's place in you. Earlier. The son made a place for you With the father and now the spirit makes a place for God in you.

He the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. Now he's first saying this to the disciples. Some people like to take this and say I don't need teachers because spirits gonna teach me all things. But he first thing in this to the disciples who here seem so confused seem dense.

Like they don't understand anything that Jesus is saying. Thinking that he's referring to going to some hideout and and you know, he says You know the way right. And they say we don't know the way. When they're looking directly at the way the way is seated right there before them you might think well.

How can we depend on these men? They're so confused in this passage. How can we depend on them to recall accurately what Jesus taught? Well here Jesus tells us how we could depend on them. Because the Holy Spirit brought it back to their mind.

He the Holy Spirit taught them all things so they could record it perfectly and so we could know What the Jesus said and so the Holy Spirit can bring it back to our minds.

When we need it.

The Holy Spirit is our teacher. A human teaching even a very entertaining engaging interesting is ineffective at revealing Jesus without the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit brings to our minds. Anything that Jesus taught the Word of God now accurate theology is dead if the Holy Spirit is not using it to reveal truth.

Jesus is the way the truth and the life to reveal Jesus to reveal God. So the Holy Spirit equips us to remember Jesus. When we're tempted. When we're in trouble. Are you in trouble?

You.

Might be financially personally legally physically. Maybe there's a bad diagnosis. You've gotten maybe the court has sent you a summons. Maybe the debt collector is suing. The family is falling apart.

You're in trouble.

But you don't have to be spiritually. He's shown you the path. It's not a religion or morality. It's a person Jesus himself. But he's gone away. You might say he's not here with us, but he hasn't left us orphans.

He's left us the Paraclete another helper a lot like Jesus himself except he can live with us forever in our hearts. And so that finally forth no matter how tempted we are to be troubled. When we're in trouble Forth he gives us peace.

The Peace of Christ and the Call to Rejoice in His Going to the Father

Jesus lives us leaves us. Peace. Shalom.

Wholeness soundness.

Untroubled inside because we're not in trouble with God He's left us peace. That's why we can obey God. We're gonna obey that command at the beginning to not let our hearts be troubled. He repeats it again at the end of verse 27.

Notice that let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid. Sure, he admits he's going away. Sure, we now don't have him physically with us. He sent us the Spirit and Left us peace. Peace I leave with you.

It's a special kind of peace. My peace I give to you in verse 27. It's not like the world's peace. The world had the Pax Romana the Roman peace an absence of war within the Empire. Because the Roman legions crushed any rebellion people will choose tyranny over anarchy because they crave.

Peace.

Worldly peace.

Today people want an absence of conflict even if it means allowing tyrants to rule or in the church for false doctrine to flourish our Hypocrisy to go unchallenged as long as as long as we don't have any conflict about it.

Well, they'll let it go.

They think that's peace. But Jesus gives us real peace first because he's taking care of our worst conflict the anger of God against us for our sins. He's given us that path to the place of peace with God.

And then he sent the Holy Spirit to change our hearts so that though we used to be at war with God There was conflict. There was war inside constantly rebelling against his word. Now Because the Spirit's changed our hearts now we love him.

We want to keep his word. We're at peace with him.

Who we used to hate?

Here the disciples are troubled that even though they aren't in trouble because they don't yet believe still they're troubled. Because of their lack of faith in verse 28 Jesus reminds them that he's he's told them already.

I'm going away. He's going away by dying. They can hardly comprehend That he's going away. They certainly aren't able to accept that he's going away by dying. I Will come to you. I Think there's a double meaning here first literally that he's going to come to them literally physically after he's risen from the dead and then about the Spirit the Holy Spirit is Going to come and make a place with them in their hearts and in our hearts.

So he has come.

To us.

And he says if you love me You would have rejoiced because I'm going to the father. They should rejoice for him for the son. Because it's best for him. He's going back to his proper place back to his home where it's best for him.

He says at the end there this world Satan is the ruler of it and this is not his home. So it's best for him that he goes to his home. If you love someone you want what's best for them? Even if you think it's not so good for you.

We assume it's best for the bees to move to Lynchburg or for the Caspers to move to Madison, Wisconsin. The chow is to move to Los Angeles the pinkums to move to Greensboro the parades to go to the place prepared for them.

We rejoice that they're in the better place for them. Even if we wonder whether we're in trouble here Jesus says you should rejoice for me because I'm going to a better place for me.

Better than this world.

Where Satan is the ruler and.

Here.

Even though he is under in this world where Satan is the rulers yet still Satan has no claim no authority no power over him. But it's better he go to his place. Rejoice for the son in verse 28 because the father's greater than him greater in authority.

The son submits to the father even though the son is equally God. This destroys the idea that submission is only by the inferior to the superior. You know in John the son is the Word who is God? Nothing was created without him is the only begotten God who made himself equal with God here in chapter 14 by saying believe in God and believe in me and yet The father is greater in rank.

The son though equal does what the father commands him? And so the son is going back to the father where he belongs and if we love him. We should rejoice for him not troubled that we're left alone. Not troubled because he sent the Spirit another helper for us.

Are you in trouble. You don't have to be Here Jesus is yours troubled disciples that if only they knew what his going away Would mean for them that they would rejoice. Because the one like him the Holy Spirit is coming to live in us empowering us.

To keep the teaching we've heard. We have these words so that we too would believe believe that we're not left alone. We're not like orphans. We have these words so that when the ruler of this world comes against us.

Pressuring tempting squeezing troubling claiming it has a claim on us. That we too would do as the father has commanded us so that the world may know that we love the father. Just like the son does we have these words.

So that we won't think. That just because Jesus doesn't walk with us anymore. That we've been left to fend for ourselves. Like orphans we got to do our best. We're in trouble because we've been left alone.

No, we have a presence with us. We have Jesus to believe in and to love and we have the Holy Spirit through whom now We know and love Jesus and the father we have peace so that when we are in trouble.

When the ruler of this world Targets us when he claims that he has a claim on us. We have a presence and a peace. So we don't have to be troubled. We have the father and the son. Making a place for us making their place for them in our hearts and we have the Holy Spirit teaching and counseling and strengthening helping us so in.

Light of all that.

Are you in trouble? You don't have to be.