Last Supper: Overcoming the World
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we are going through the Last Supper Discourse, the final conversation/teaching that Jesus had with his disciples befor ehis death on the Cross, and over the past several weeks we have learned a few things
- Jesus call us to love each other - other christians with a self sacrificing love,
love God with everything we are
Love our neighbor as we love ourselves
and Love the church as Christ loves us, being willing to give up everything.
despite our own doubts, shame, and failures.
Jesus is going away, and has sent to Holy SPirit to indwell believers as we follow him
The Holy spirit brings us into a relationship with Chrsit like he has with the Father, it brings us together with God
the Holy Spirit empowers us to do amazing things, far more than Jesus himself was able to do
THe world will not like us, but if we continue to abide in Jesus through the Holy Spirit we will persevere, even in the midst of persecution.
Chapter 16 builds more on all of these themes:
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “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 asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Jesus waited to tell his disciples about all of this until the very end. we read some of this last week
he wanted them to be able to recognize what was going on, so that they would be ready, but he didn’t tell them earlier, because he was still with them, but now he is going away
first to the cross, then to heaven.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Jesus going away - into heaven, is necessary for the Holy Spirit, with all of his power to come to the disciples,
And now we see that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, and righteousness and judgement
Ive seen people use this verse many times to say that the Holy Spirit is equivalent to your conscience - like Jimminy Cricket
And yes the Holy SPirit can help guide believers into understanding right and wrong,
but remember the Holy spirit is acting through the church.
THe church, through the Holy spirit is supposed to convict the world concerning sin - which is equated to unbelief in Jesus - because if you dont believe in Jesus you have nothing to take away your sin, Righteousness - because Jesus is at the right hand of the father and his example shows the church how to live rightly, and judgement- judgment on “the ruler of the world” that is satan.
Church, we cannot be afraid to call out sin, especially in the lives of other believers.
It is the work of the holy Spirit to reveal sin so that people might come to Jesus.l
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Just like Jesus only ever spoke the words he heard from the Father, So the Holy Spirit will only reveal to us that which comes from God.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
This reveals something interesting
Jesus is going to his death
his disciples will see him no longer
they will mourn
THen he will rise gain
they will see him
they will rejoice
OR:
Jesus will go to heaven
we will not see him
then he will come back for us
we will see him and rejoice
THis passage has two potential fulfillments, like many of God’s prophecies.
Because God works in patterns
But Jesus is saying that he will reveal himself to his disciples again, and their sorrow will turn to joy
and like a mother after giving birth forgets the bulk of the pain it take to give birth when she sees her child, so too shall the disciples forget their sorrow at seeing Jesus Crucified, in fact that sorrow will become joy.
But Church - Jesus has gone away - we no longer see him, and we navigate this world without him, and face all kinds of trials without him,
and one day he will come back. We will see him, either we will meet him there, or he will come to retreive us, and oh what a day that will be.
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we can ask for anything In jesus’s name and he will give it to us, that our joy may be full.
Church when we pray in Jesus’s name miracles can happen, lives can be changed, darkness can be defeated, but God in his infinate wisdom only gives that which works out to our best benefit. so prayers in Jesus name are not some magic formula for getting what you want, rather it is a way of asking God to help you fulfill all he has for us on Earth.
What does it mean to pray in Jesus’s name, do we just Say “in Jesus Name” right before we say Amen?
Church we call ourselves Christians, we bear the name of Christ, to ask something in Jesus’s name is to ask for something with Jesus’s authority, as though jesus himself was asking for it. it is to pray to God to give you something because you belong to Christ.
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
We are called by his name, so let us humble ourselves, seek his face, and turn from our wicked ways, then he will give us what we ask for.
“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
Jesus admits that much of what he has been saying has been figures of speech, which Jesus was a master of figures of speech, metephore, parables, and other figurative language.
When his work on the Cross is complete, he promises to tell his discples all about the father
Which interestingly enough none of the gospels mention that teaching, even though Jesus was with his disciples for 40 days after his ressurection. most of those teachings were carried on by the disciples and became some of the theology found in the epistles.
But jesus makes one thing clear, he is returning to the Father
His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus starts speaking plainly
I came from God to the world, when i leave the world i am returning to God
im going to one day bring all of you with me.
for now you will have to rely on the Holy Spirit - who is God
And the disciples say “oh now that you are speaking plainly we believe”
But Jesus asks if they do
Remeber this whole conversation started with Jesus saying that one of his followers would betray him and all of them asked if it could have been them.
they will be scattered,
Jesus will be left alone
But he doesn’t seem to upset about it. the Father will be with him
and he concludes with this statement
“In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world”
Church Jesus does not promise us an easy life, quite the opposite. But Jesus has overcome the world, Jesus has overcome sickness and disease and death, Jesus has overcome guilt and sin and shame, Jesu has overcome it all, so we are to take heart, because whatever trouble that the world throws our way is only temporary.
Jesu has overcome, and will make all things right.
And if we follow Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit we will overcome as well.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
The blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony overcomes who - Satan, the ruler of this world.
And to overcome him require us not loving our lives so much that we fear death.
Death isnt the end, its a new beginning - especially in Christ.
