Christ’s Departure Is Advantageous
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 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. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 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.
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 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.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
So, the first thing I want to do this morning is, I want to explain what could be a confusing aspect of what Jesus says in this passage...
Look at two interesting statements that Jesus makes about the Jews in…
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
Is Jesus saying that Rejecting Him Is the Only Damnable Sin?
Is Jesus saying that Rejecting Him Is the Only Damnable Sin?
What does Jesus mean when He says:
if He had not come and spoken to them they would not have been guilty of sin.
if He had not done the signs that He did they would not be guilty of sin.
Is he saying they would be sinless except for that?
The OT and the gospels clearly teach that is not true.
People in the OT, most people, died in condemnation.
Never rejected Christ.
People still today, most people, die under the condemnation of their own sinfulness.
Never rejected Christ.
But, what Jesus is doing is characterizing their specific sin of:
Rejecting the Son of God.
Rejecting the very person they say they long for His arrival.
Rejecting the very One that personifies the very One they claim to love and worship.
Rejecting the very One that their celebrations and feasts celebrate.
Rejecting the promised Messiah/Savior of the Jews…
And, not only the Jews but the whole world.
They rejected the Promised One that produced the very signs God stated in the OT that the Messiah would perform.
Here’s what Jesus is saying in the simplest terms…
—> Revelation brings responsibility!
And, to show their culpability of their rejection of Christ…Jesus quotes the psalms…
25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
This is a quote from Ps. 35:19.
In Psalm 35, David did nothing but bestow blessings upon those whom He cared for…
But, the recipients of those blessings gave nothing but hatred in return.
Jesus isn’t saying this psalm has nothing to do with David and was only speaking of Christ.
To the contrary, the same type of mistreatment and hatred was expressed towards David.
But, the mistreatment and hatred towards Christ shows the absolute malice of the nation as a whole.
And, the hatred towards Christ is the pinnacle of their sin…
As He is the perfect One, who is their only hope of Deliverance.
He is the true and perfect David.
He has not committed a single sin.
He has not violated a single law.
He has spoken nothing but the truth.
He has taught nothing but God’s Word.
He has shown nothing but patience and kindness to those who hate Him.
He has wanted nothing but their good.
And, common grace is what upholds their life while their every breath is planning Christ’s demise.
He has hated Christ without cause.
And, revelation brings responsibility.
The greater the light, the greater the judgment when the light is rejected.
This very hatred that Christ has been treated is…
The Battlefield of the Kingdom of Christ
The Battlefield of the Kingdom of Christ
It is a spiritual battle.
Remember, Jesus has been teaching the eleven, and us, that the great conquest of the Messiah over the Nations in the inauguration of the Kingdom of Christ…
Is through the preaching of the Word.
It is a conquering of the hearts of people out from among the Nation.
It is a putting of the elect from the Nations into a proper relationship with:
the seed of Eve
the seed of Abraham
the seed of David
—> Jesus Christ
And, that proper relationship is not by blood.
—> But, by faith.
Genealogical ties do not matter in the Kingdom of Christ.
Paul told Timothy to avoid geneaologies as they are worthless.
What matters is whether you have believed upon Christ for salvation.
The disciples of Christ will meet:
resistance
rejection
suffering
persecution
even death
This is the context in which we bear witness to Christ.
But, we have been given the HS to give us:
the strength to endure
the desire to glorify Christ
the willingness to suffer for His name sake
We’ve been given the HS:
to bear witness with our Spirit that we are children of God
to show a lost and dying world that fears death
That there is a way to not fear death…
And, that way is JC.
At the very core of our motivation and hope lies this benefit of our union with Christ…
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
How often has the world asked why a person(s) would risk their lives to preach to a people group?
Especially when there’s danger involved…
Loss of the comforts of the world.
Loss of modern conveniences.
Risk of suffering.
Risk of life.
The world thinks that is silly...foolish.
Their motto is eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.
Not sacrifice.
Not delayed gratification.
The world is in this for the NOW.
The Christian is in this for the FUTURE, the eternal.
Christ is about to fulfill His mission, and then the HS will come, as we read…
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 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.
What does Jesus mean when He says…
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
Haven’t They Asked?
Haven’t They Asked?
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Two examples of the eleven either asking Jesus where He is going or demonstrating some kind of concern for where He is going.
So, what did Jesus mean in v.5?
As we’ve seen in these previous passages.
And, in Jesus’ rebuke or in His response.
He has repeatedly highlighted that they’re concern is not actually where He is going or why He is going…
But, rather they are concerned that He is leaving them.
Their questions regarding His going are about:
their sorrow
their discomfort
their circumstances
It’s a self-centered, selfish inquiry that revolves around their temporal happiness.
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Jesus is saying…you’re sorrowful…
—> But, it’s a selfish sorrow.
It’s not a sorrow centered on the glory of God…
Or the successful mission of the Messiah.
It’s a sorrow centered on the temporal comforts of your life.
This is the bane of our existence.
This is the repeat offense of our life.
This is at the foundation of our sinfulness.
To choose self over Christ.
But, look at the love Christ has for His own…
7 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.
In spite of our proneness to wander.
In the light of our constant self-centeredness.
In the presence of hearts that too often do not know what is best and pursue what is not.
Christ always has our best in mind and provides exactly what we need.
Why Must He Go?
Why Must He Go?
What does Christ’s going signify?
Well, first the path to going back to the Father was…
The cross
The resurrection
The ascension
All of these things accomplished signify…
The inauguration of the NC or the eternal Kingdom of Christ.
So, for the Covenant of Redemption, to be accomplished.
That covenant that was made within the Triune Godhead.
In order for the New Covenant of Grace to be offered to and applied to the elect of the Nations.
Christ must complete His mission which includes…
The cross
The resurrection
The ascension
This is the path of going back to the Father, who sent Him.
How Is His Going Is Advantageous?
How Is His Going Is Advantageous?
The New Covenant is inaugurated by His Departure.
Let’s think about the advantages:
Salvation
Regeneration = New Heart
Justification
Forgiveness of Sins
Remember no more
Sanctification
Make them to walk in my ways
Glorification
No one can separate us from Him
Church
Embassy in a Foreign Land
Where we find:
safety
refreshing
security
encouragement
the benefits of our heavenly citizenship
the love of our forever family
Gifted to serve one another
Equipped for the work
Blessed to assemble
Future in Glory
What awaits us is eternal glory in the friendly reconciled presence of God.
Let’s think about this...
Let’s think about this...
The Church is being led in Victory.
Christ is building His Church and the Gates of hell cannot prevail against it.
We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
And, we have the Spirit of God living within us.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
To those who reject Christ we are a fragrance of judgment.
To those who are saved, we are a fragrance of salvation.
We have a glorious Savior to proclaim.
We have a glorious gospel to explain.
We have a glorious life to spread the aroma of Christ.
Because of Christ’s Advantageous Death…
—> Our death is advantageous, as well.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
