Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20060625.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XXXIX: Enjoying God's Parenting In An Evil, Perilous World
F. Part VI - Being Sure Of Christ's Truth While Facing Toxic Deception
(John 16:2, 5-15)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

In the introduction of last Sunday morning's message on persecution out of John 15:18-16:4, we learned that all who will live godly lives will inevitably be persecuted, cf. 2 Timothy 3:12. Since we attend a Bible Church, one that teaches God's Word that we might heed it for godly living, we should expect to suffer persecution for it!

On the other hand, we also learned last Sunday that we don't have to fear persecution, for suffering unjust persecution means we do what pleases God, John 16:2-3. Indeed, we can rejoice as the Apostles did in being counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, cf. Acts 5:41!

However, SELF DOUBT can ruin this joy! If we become unsure that our Scripture interpretation behind our stand or action that is being countered by others is even RIGHT, we will become confused and anxious! Such trouble can occur under strong persecution: in John 16:2, we previously learned that we can be even badly mistreated by those who are so deceived in their thinking that they presume they do God a service in troubling us! So, if we face people who strive to harm us in the name of God, it can be a confusing, mentally draining experience, for the depth of their dogmatism can cause us to doubt our own stand's credibility! That can lead us to recant a perfectly good stand due to our confusion and uncertainty!



So, if we aim to live a godly life and accordingly suffer strong opposition for standing for what we THINK is BIBLICAL, we OURSELVES need to know HOW we can "keep our heads" or to KNOW we have the RIGHT view and stand so that we MAINTAIN the RIGHT stand in the FACE of errant opposition!



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



Need: "Scripture predicts I will be persecuted for heeding God, and that persecutors can be so deceived they think they serve God in doing so! Well, how can I be SURE I hold to the TRUTH though opposed? After all, I DON'T want to RECANT a RIGHT stand!"
  1. When predicting His men would be persecuted for the truth, Jesus said they would face toxic deception; their persecutors would be convinced they served God in persecuting the disciples , and that would pressure the latter to have doubts and recant, John 16:1-2.
  2. Thus, Jesus spoke of God's Parental Oversight to equip a believer to be sure he knows God's truth in the face of such toxic deception:
    1. Christ called His disciples "little children" in John 13:33, or teknia, "a diminutive expression [of] . . . affection . . . like a father to his little children." Strikingly, this term exists only here in all of the Gospels, cf. Leon Morris, John (NICNT), p. 632, ftn. 67.
    2. Later in that message, Jesus said He would not leave His disciples "as orphans," ['orphanous] (John 14:18; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 388; Arndt & Ging., Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 586).
    3. So, Jesus' John 16:2, 5-15 words on the Holy Spirit's illuminating ministry reveal God's parental aid to equip believers to face such toxic deception of persecutors with the assurance that they knew the truth!
  3. We thus view Christ's words on handling toxic deception by one's persecutors so we might be SURE of the truth while FACING it:
    1. In John 16:5, Jesus repeated His John 13:33 prediction that He would leave His disciples, noting that though this prediction made them sad, it was necessary for Him to go so the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit in the disciples might begin, John 16:6, 7 with John 14:16-17!
    2. Then, regardless of the toxic deception they would face from their persecutors (John 16:1-2), Jesus predicted the Holy Spirit would COUNTER this deception's toxicity on a twofold level (as follows):
      1. Jesus said the coming of the Spirit to indwell the believer would be accompanied by His convincing the godless world of three truths:
        1. Jesus said the Holy Spirit's arrival (on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2) to indwell the believer would also be accompanied by His special, worldwide influence to convince the world of sin because the lost did not trust in Christ as Savior, John 16:8-9.
        2. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convince the lost of righteousness: though Jesus would die a criminal's death, the Spirit would use Christ's resurrection to show He was upright and to be believed, Jn. 16:8, 10; Bib. Kno. Com., N. T., p. 328.
        3. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convince the lost of judgment: as Jesus' death condemned Satan, the Spirit would convince the unsaved that God will one day judge all who follow Satan in sin, so they were to repent and trust in Christ, John 16:8, 11.
      2. Additionally, the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell the Christian would be accompanied by His work to give believers discernment into all truths necessary to live confidently in the Christian life :
        1. Jesus said He had many truths to tell His disciples, but that they were not able to bear them then [due to their current ignorance of His resurrection], Ryrie Study Bible, KJV , ftn. to John 16:12.
        2. Yet, the coming ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit (on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2) would equip these disciples to learn all they needed for living: (1) Jesus noted the Holy Spirit would guide His men into all truth, John 16:13a. (2) This would occur since Jesus in heaven would deliver to the Holy Spirit the truths His men needed so the Spirit could give them to the believers for their edifying use, John 16:13b-15. (3) Indeed, the Holy Spirit would reveal things to come, or new Bible prophecy [esp. in Revelation 2-3 regarding the eras of Church History for the edification of each believer in his historical era! (See our series on Revelation 3:14-22 for more insight on these things !)]
Application: (1) If convinced of sin, righteousness and judgment re: Christ, may we trust in Him for salvation, John 16:8-11; 3:16. (2) Then, if we discern we are a believer who is in sin, we must (a) confess our sin (1 John 1:9) as soon as possible, and (b) rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit for thinking and action, Gal. 5:16-23. (3) As a godly believer who faces deception from persecutors that is toxic due to the dogmatism of our opponents, (a) may we rely on the Holy Spirit's convicting work in the lost and (b) heed Scripture so the Spirit can reveal to us the truth we need for CORRECT thinking and actions in the Christian life!

Lesson: To HANDLE the toxic DECEPTION of ungodly persecutors whose DOGMATISM might impress the upright to DOUBT the validity of his STAND and thus be DECEIVED into WRONGLY RECANTING the TRUTH, Jesus revealed the HOLY SPIRIT would (1) convince the world of its need to heed key salvation truths, and (2) lead the godly into ALL the spiritual insight they need for confident thinking and action in life!

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

 God applied this passage we viewed today to my life with such clarity and force, I stand in awe, and He calls me to explain it to you:

(1) Right now, I face pressures to compromise Biblical stands that yield to WORLDLY values, views or fellowships in ministry, and that on seven fronts. These are my stands (a) against contemporary church music, (b) against fellowship with sinful individuals in other churches, (c) against legalistically pushing a program (V.B.S.) or a job (Secretary) on any member to have us look good as a Body, (d) against recanting the nonmember discipline issue, (e) for respecting the Biblical sovereignty of our local church order (Hebrews 13:17) so that I stay loyal to its functions and not be involved in other groups, (f) for the view that the Church will not inherit Israel's land and (g) for regular, gentle Bible exposition as my undiluted focus in ministry versus pressures to get sidetracked into other visibly appealing efforts!

(2) However, as we've taught, Rev. 3:14-22 is God's message in our era (see our lessons on this!), and it calls me to hold to such stands:

(a) In Rev. 3:21a, Christ calls us to overcome in the same manner [the meaning of hos, cf. U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845; Arndt & Ging., A Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., p. 905-907] as HE Himself did. (b) Now, the only other verse where Jesus said He overcame is John 16:33 where He overcame "the world". (c) In that context, Jesus had said He would stand for the truth with the Father's help though His disciples would flee due to pressures from the religious foes who were of the "world" that His stands exposed, John 16:31-32 with 7:6-8; 18:20; 15:18, 22. (d) Then, in Rev. 3:21b, Jesus pledges to give us great influence over His whole Church (Rev. 3:18, see our series on this); this will occur IF we like He did resist yielding to pressures to RECANT our STANDS against errant worldly views, values and fellowships of ministry and life! (e) So, in light of Rev. 3:21, I resist the pressure faced to recant these stands in dependence upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God!

(f) Now, as this application is not only for ME as a pastor, BUT ALSO for "the churches" (Rev. 3:22), I share it with YOU!

So, as Jesus taught in John 16:2, 5-15 of today's sermon, may we ALL RELY upon the Holy Spirit's illumination of God's truth and His power that we stick to the right stands!