Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20060409.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XXXIX: Enjoying God's Parenting In An Evil, Perilous World
A. Part I - Possessing Confidence Under God, John 13:33-14:31
(John 13:33-14:31)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

We live in a very evil, harmful world as we can illustrate:

(1) The April 3, 2006 cover of Time magazine tells us: "Be worried. Be very worried. Climate change isn't some vague future problem -- it's already damaging the planet at an alarming pace." The article implies that President Bush's tolerant attitude toward America's big oil companies is a key problem in this alleged crisis, p. 42.

Yet, the President recently said global warming is a theory, so we find it hard to be sure about the truth on this important issue!

(2) Brad Davis, talk show host on a local radio show, "The Talk of Connecticut," recently reported that the main political concern of the American people is our national safety from terrorism!

(3) A public-school fellowship for Christian teachers, The Christian Educators Association International, has together with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network released a document, "Public Schools and Sexual Orientation" that treats "homosexuality . . . as an alternate viewpoint [so] Christians are . . . to agree to disagree' when it comes to students." (Linda Harvey, 4/1/06 World Net Daily) Christian teachers are being led by their C.E.A.I. reps to teach students that homosexuality is just another agreeably alternate view!

E. Ray Moore, director of Exodus Mandate, claims the C. E. A. I. reps "have led their putative [supposed] Christian public-school teachers' fellowship into serious compromise." (Ibid., brackets ours)

(4) Though U. S. forces "liberated" Afghanistan in 2002, Abdul Rahman is on trial there for his life for converting from Islam to Christianity, Time, April 3, 2006, "A Convert's Plight," p. 17.

(5) NBC's TV reporter, Sara James on the show, "Dateline," interviewed Michael Baigent who wrote, The Jesus Papers, and he claims Jesus was rescued from the cross, and that His death and resurrection is "a hoax"! Though the core of the Christian faith (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-19 is belief in the death and bodily resurrection of Christ, yet a major American TV news program has given it attention!

(6) On another TV program Thursday, a story was aired about those who claim Jesus secretly plotted his own betrayal with Judas! This view makes Jesus out to be deceptive and a false messiah!

So, in a world infused with evil that can harm, can we know the PEACE we USED to know in "safer" times as children?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "The world today is more evil and threatening than when I was a child! Can I even FUNCTION in such a world today?!"
  1. Jesus knew His disciples would be prone to spiritual harm from the world, so He revealed God's parental oversight for them, Jn. 13:33:
    1. Jesus knew that as He left them for heaven, His disciples would be prone to spiritual harm by the influence of the evil world they faced:
      1. Satan had entered Judas after Jesus had openly predicted he would betray Him through giving Judas His sop, but the other disciples were amazingly blinded to this fact, John 13:21-30!
      2. When Jesus predicted He would go where His disciples could not follow, Peter expressed dismay at the news, John 13:33, 36-37a.
      3. Jesus then claimed Peter would deny Him (13:37-38), and from John 18:1-3, 24-27, we see this sin would be fueled by Peter's fear of those to whom he then learned Judas had betrayed Jesus!
    2. So, aware of their being prone to being spiritually harmed in the world in His absence, Jesus revealed God's parental oversight ministry:
      1. Jesus' address of His men as "little children" in John 13:33 uses the word, teknia, "a diminutive expression [of] . . . affection . . . like a father to his little children;" strikingly, it appears only here in all of the Gospels, Leon Morris, John (NICNT), p. 632, ftn. 67.
      2. In John 14:18 in the same talk, Jesus said He would not leave His men "as orphans" (NIV, ESV) [from orphanous], but send the Holy Spirit to indwell them, Acts 2; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 388; Arndt & Ging., Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 586.
  2. That Divine Parental Oversight is detailed in John 13:33-17:26, and we view a PART of it in this message from John 13:33-14:31:
    1. God as the believer's Parent has an edifying chore for him, that he love other believers to reveal the Church's credibility, 13:34-35.
    2. God as the believer's Parent has an edifying hope for him, that he will be raptured out of the world to God's heaven, John 14:1-3.
    3. God as the believer's Parent has edifying instruction on living CONFIDENTLY in an evil, harmful world (as follows, 14:1-31):
      1. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as we enjoy His all-sufficient salvation security, John 14:1-3.
        1. Coming on the heels of Jesus' prediction that Peter would deny Him, Christ immediately launched out into a gracious call for the disciples not to be troubled, John 13:38-14:1a.
        2. Then, He revealed why: even if the evil world brought out the worst in him, Christ would rapture Peter to heaven, Jn. 14:2-3!
      2. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as His provision of Jesus means our SALVATION is SURE, 14:1, 7-11:
        1. Jesus told His disciples to believe in God and in Him, Jn. 14:1b.
        2. This implies He is equal with the Father as Jn. 14:7-11 teaches.
        3. Thus, faith in Jesus as God meant He was the "Way, the Truth and the Life" as our All-Sufficient Savior Who is God, Jn. 14:6.
      3. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as we can live with great productivity by means of intercessory prayer, 14:12-14.
      4. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as He gives the eternal parental guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, John 14:15-20. Such a promise provides assurance of adequate guidance, discipline, help and comfort in an evil, harmful world!
      5. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as Jesus and the Father will personally bless us if we obey Scripture, 14:21-24.
      6. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as the Holy Spirit will cause us to recall all He has taught us for our edification, John 14:25-26. This promise supplies settled thinking in a world that can easily distract us from God's truths.
      7. God tells us sons of His that we can live confidently as Jesus has given evidences to believe Christ in a world that rejects Him:
        1. Jesus said He would leave to return to take His own to be with Him in His Father's heavenly home so they would believe on Him after such words were fulfilled, John 14:27-29.
        2. He also revealed Satan would try to get Him to sin and avoid the cross in Gethsemanee, but that He would overcome the temptation so the world would recognize He was sinlessly loving and doing the Father's will, John 14:30-31!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as Savior, John 3:16. (2) To overcome what the evil, spiritually harmful world throws at us, may we aim to love one another, hope in the [pretribultion] rapture and live CONFIDENTLY in the provisions given to us in Christ as detailed in our message notes at "II,C,1-7" above!

Lesson: In view of the evil, spiritually harmful world we face, God has a SPIRITUAL PARENTING ministry for those who BELIEVE in Christ as Savior that OVERCOMES what the world throws at them, and it is available in applying John 13:33-17:26! [In part, then, God's edifying chore of loving one another, His edifying hope of the unconditional rapture of believers and His instruction on living confidently in an evil, harmful world are ours by heeding His Word via John 13:33-14:31!]

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 The truths taught in John 13:33-14:31 solves each of the challenges noted in our introduction that the world throws our way:

(1) Re: the contrast of opinion on global warming between Time and President Bush, instead of fretting which source is true, we can pray (John 14:12-14) and heed Scripture to be personally blessed, Jn. 14:21-24. We can also rely on the Spirit Who parents us, 14:16-18!

(2) Re: Brad Davis' report that the chief political concern for Americans is safety from terrorism, (a) believers can hope for the blessed hope of the [pretribulation] rapture when Christ takes us out of this terrorist-plagued world, John 14:1-3. Then, (b) heeding Scripture now, we can see God get involved in our lives on this earth, and that to our great joy regardless of what happens in history, John 14:21-24!

(3) Re: the move by representatives of the Christian Educators Association International to join the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to urge Christian teachers to teach students that homosexuality is just an alternate view, consider John 14:15-20: true Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit Who does not tolerate such a view can be trusted to direct such teachers who rely on Him to see that Genesis 19 and Jude 7 teach that homosexuality is SIN !

(4) Re: the plight of Abdul Rahman who is on trial for his life in Afghanistan for converting from Islam to Christianity, he can apply Jesus' teaching in John 14: as Abdul heeds Scripture, God will show Himself in his life to his joy, John 14:25-26! If executed, Abdul will enter the Father's home as a blessed martyr of the faith, John 14:1-3!

(5) Re: the charge by Michael Baigent on NBC's "Dateline" that Christ's death was "a hoax" as Jesus was allegedly rescued from the cross, note John 14:30-31: Jesus said He would overcome the temptation to flee the cross in Gethsemane as proof to the world that he sinlessly did God's will. It is thus errant for Baigent to say Jesus fled the cross after He was on it when He could have fled it beforehand !

(6) Re: the charge that Jesus secretly plotted His betrayel with Judas, there was nothing secret about His exposure of the plot to the eleven just before it was implemented in John 13:21-30! It is amazing the other disciples did not heed Jesus' word on the plot and stop Judas!



May we believe in Christ as Savior and CLEAVE to His divine PARENTING ministry to know CONFIDENCE in living!