The Message of Jesus-Jesus' Final Words
The Message of Jesus
Jesus’ Final Words
April 5th and 6th, 2003
-Imagine the words of Jesus. “I’m leaving”.
-Have you ever been around someone preparing to die or move away?
-The conversation isn’t chitchat. They say the things that are most important.
-So it was with Jesus, in light of His leaving He had some very important things to tell His disciples.
-The gospels record the events leading up to Jesus’ last night and last week but John devotes 1/3 of His whole gospel to Jesus’ last 24 hours.
-You can see in other parts of the Bible where people gave farewell discourses.
Moses’ Farewell Discourse in Deuteronomy 31-33
Samuel’ Farewell Discourse (He was a little ticked at the people)
Paul the Apostle
Acts 20:
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. a Be shepherds of the church of God, b which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
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-If you knew you were dying or leaving within the next 24 hours, who would you talk to and what would you say?
-That is what we see happening in John 13-17
-“In their slow-motion, realistic detail, they provide an intimate memoir of Jesus’ most anguished evening. Leonardo da Vinci immortalized the setting in his famous painting The Last Supper….But John gives few physical details; instead, he focuses on a whirlpool of emotional currents. John holds a light to the disciples’ faces, and you can almost see the awareness flickering in their eyes.” (Student Bible-Zondervan)
-I am amazed at how you can hear and feel the emotion and energy in Jesus’ words.
-He is pouring His heart out to them and to us. Before He prays in John 17 He finishes with the words in John 16:33;
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
WHAT DID HE SAY? /WHAT WAS HIS POINT?
John 13
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. a
2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
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-Jesus washed the disciple’s feet and demonstrated that He was a servant.
-In 18-30 we see Jesus predict Judas betrayal of Him.
-Judas goes out to show lead the force to where Jesus will be.
-In 13:31-14:14 we see Jesus telling that He is leaving but He is coming back to get the disciples and take them where He is. We looked at that last week.
John 14
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be a in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.”
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and chapter 16
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt a in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
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1. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME WHEN I LEAVE
-Someone said the test of a leader is whether or not they are missed when they are gone.
-Jesus spent 3 years plus, PLANNING TO LEAVE.
-He was preparing to leave His ministry with 11 guys and He expected them to REACH THE WHOLE WORLD.
-Why Could He expect so much? Because He was sending the Holy Spirit to live in them and help them.
-I don’t think there is any such thing as a Holy Ghost meeting because the Holy Spirit always turns it into a Jesus meeting.
-His purpose is to glorify Jesus. He reminds us of what Jesus said and points to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12
3 /Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. [5]/
Revelation 19
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
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-Jesus said it will be better because the Holy Spirit came. We act like it is worse.
-He is the Spirit of TRUTH.
-The Amplified calls Him:
COMFORTER
COUNSELOR
ADVOCATE
STANDBY
INTERCESSOR
HELPER
-He is Jesus representative to us to help us follow Jesus.
John 15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes a so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
2. JESUS SAID, EVEN THOUGH I AM LEAVING-STAY CLOSE TO ME
-Jesus used the picture of the vine and the branch.
-He was saying that we receive our nourishment and strength by staying or abiding in Him.
-We can’t bear fruit by ourselves.
-If we abide or live in Him we will bear much fruit.
v. 7- PRAYING OUT THE WILL OF GOD.
V. 16- This isn’t your idea. You aren’t your idea.
-You are chosen and selected to represent Jesus and bear fruit.
-You are going to be persecuted but, you are a winner.
3. Jesus said, Love each Other- Stay Close to each other
-One of the last things a parent says to his kids when he leaves is-don’t fight.
-That is what Jesus is saying, present a united front.
-There are those who are speaking against America and her involvement in the war….it ruffles our feathers.
-You can argue with us later about it but now we are in a war. Don’t put a wedge between us.
-That is the way it is with love. We should speak the truth to each other. But we need to make sure it is an in-house discussion.
-In order to be successful we need to accept and love each other.
-So Jesus said,
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME AND HELP YOU
STAY CLOSE TO ME
STAY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER
-He ends with 16:33-VICTORY
-Then in 17 He prays:
for himself-17:1-5
for His disciples-17:6-19
for us – 20-26
-He then goes to the Mount of Olives where He is arrested.
Peter
18:15-25
21:7-19
-We see Jesus reinstating Peter again by a fire.
-Think it brought back any memories?
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a Traditionally bishops
b Many manuscripts of the Lord
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Ac 20:17-38. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
a Or he loved them to the last
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Jn 13:1-5. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
a Some early manuscripts and is
[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Jn 14:15-15:1. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
a Or will expose the guilt of the world
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Jn 16:5-16. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version, 1 Co 12:3. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Re 19:10. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
a The Greek for prunes also means cleans.