Words of Warning/Words of Comfort

The Los Angeles Times recently printed a sampling of signs from around the world that attempted to communicate in English. Here are just a few examples.

In a hotel elevator in Paris: “Please leave your values at the front desk.”

In a hotel in Zurich: “Because of the impropriety of entertaining guest of the opposite sex in the bedrooms, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.”

On the door of a Moscow inn: “If this is your first visit to Russia, you are welcome to it.”

In a Bucharest hotel lobby: “The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.”

Communication can be a tricky thing, and not only when language translation is involved. We often think of communication as word exchange, but in fact, it is a meaning exchange – two or more people sharing ideas and understanding what is meant, not just what is said.

Christ Jesus continues and concludes His farewell sermon to His disciples. He had told them the worst of it. He did this so that they could sit down and count the cost. He had told them in the chapter 15 to expect the world's hatred. Now here in these verses Christ Jesus concludes His warning to the disciples and gives them words of comfort.

Verses 26 and 27 of chapter 15 acts as a bridge to chapter 16:7. It is in these verses that Christ Jesus tells the disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the main line of defense they would have in the coming period of persecution. In a carefully detailed statement, Christ Jesus outlined the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, related to the work and the person of Himself.

1. The Spirit will convict the world in the area of sin that results from disbelief in Christ Jesus.

2. The Spirit will convict the world in the area of righteousness in light of the life of Christ Jesus.

3. The Spirit will convict the world in the area of judgment because Christ Jesus defeated the prince of this world who now stands condemned.

But before this Christ Jesus again reminds the disciples and us of the hardships we will face. Along with the disciples, we can learn much from these verses about what happens when Christ Jesus speaks to us. So this morning let’s first look at the conclusion of Christ Jesus’ words of warning.

John 15:26-16:15
26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

16:1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

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 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.

1. CHRIST JESUS’ WORDS OF WARNING (v. 1-6)

Christ Jesus told the disciples why He had warned them of the expectation of trouble. It was to keep them from turning away; to take the terror out of it.

Christians in John's day were being expelled from many local synagogues, perhaps under Pharisaic propaganda. They would experience persecution in varying degrees from Pentecost to A.D. 313 went Christianity would become the state religion of Rome. The physical absence of the Lord made a bad situation all that much harder for some. Christ Jesus knew this would be the case and so He warned His disciples against stumbling.

Christ Jesus told the disciples in clear and precise language what they should expect. Peter and John were arrested at the temple; Paul, Barnabas, and Silas were thrown out of numerous synagogues; Martin Luther was exiled from the Roman Catholic church. These verses go right along with John 15:18-20 ~ "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, "A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

Persecuted even to death. From Stephen to the thousands of modern martyrs, witnesses for Christ Jesus have always faced the possibility of death. Like the Pharisees and Sadduccees who pursued Christ Jesus and Christians in the New Testament, people still persecute followers of Christ Jesus for religious reasons. As a matter of fact there were more martyrs for the Christian faith in the 20^th century than all previous centuries put together.

“Suffering…is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his Master…Luther reckoned suffering among the marks of the true church...Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer” - Bonhoeffer's challenge from 1937.

Once more Christ Jesus told the disciples that He was going back to the Father...”to Him who sent Me...” And the disciples hearts' were filled with sorrow. Whose wouldn't be at this news. Put yourself in the disciples sandal's – Here was a man you had lived with, studied under and even risked rejection for and now He tells you He is going away. This can't be so He is the Messiah, the Chosen One, the Deliverer. If He goes who will get rid of the Romans and restore David's kingdom? Unlike before however, this time they do not ask where it is that Christ Jesus is going. They just know their hearts are heavy.

Are you, “the glass is half empty” or “the glass is half full” kind of person. As a Christian you should know that “your cup runneth over” when you have Christ Jesus as your Saviour. If you truly know Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour you never need be empty again, ever.
 

We heard Christ Jesus’ words of warning, but He does not leave the disciples feeling despondent. Now He gives the disciples words of comfort.

2. JESUS’ WORDS OF COMFORT (15:26-27; 16:7) The disciples experienced understandable anxiety and confusion regarding all that Christ Jesus shared with them.

F.E. Marsh tells a story about hurrying to board a train. “I was out of breath, when an inspector saw my puff-ability, and took compassion upon me by saying "There's plenty of time, sir." As I knew he was the man who would give the signal for the train to start, I immediately slowed down. The man in authority could speak the word of assurance. It would have been folly for me to have heeded what a passenger had said, or a passer-by, but when the man in power spoke, there was power to stop my hurry and flurry.”

When the Lord speaks, His word is authoritative and assuring. Christ Jesus said that He would send them the Comforter (v. 7-15), not just a comforter, but the Comforter. Christ Jesus was sending God-Spirit so that all mankind might know Him. When Christ Jesus was here He drew men's eyes, but now the Holy Spirit draws our hearts to Christ Jesus.

It was time for Christ Jesus to go, but He was not leaving the disciples or us alone. We have benefit of hind sight, the disciples did not and so the were full of sorrow. As Christ Jesus tried to comfort them they still did not understand. This Helper could only come to the disciples when Christ Jesus has finished His atoning work and returned to the Father. His leaving these men was to their advantage. I can imagine Peter saying, “But master we have you now, can't you just stay and let's forget all this Helper stuff?”

You know we don't always or in some cases we rarely understand how God is working in our lives. But praise God, that does not keep Him from working. It was the same for the disciples. The Holy Spirit would enlighten the meaning of the teaching and works of Christ Jesus which the disciples had heard and seen as His companions. Every follower of Christ Jesus is called to be faithful and sensitive in making themselves a witness for Christ Jesus. The word you speak for Christ Jesus will always have the unique stamp of your personality on it. But it is the Holy Spirit who guides and empowers you so that the witness about Christ Jesus is true! Brother's and sisters in Christ, are you letting the Holy Spirit guide you? Are you by the guidance of the Holy Spirit the witness you need to be?

The disciples heads had to be reeling, Christ Jesus had just warned them that the world was going to hate them and maybe even kill them because they are His followers. And then He told them He was going away, but that He was going to send the Helper.

Now as we move into verse 8 Christ Jesus begins to talk about convicting the world.

3. The Holy Spirit Will Convict (vs. 8-11)

The Holy Spirit would come to actively “convict” the world through the witness of these men (v. 8). He would and does expose the sin of the world. It is the rejection of Christ Jesus which is at the root of all the world’s sin. If there is no faith in Christ Jesus, self-centeredness, hatred, and immorality, all concrete signs of unbelief, will take over. 

This Advocate would also bring to light the righteousness of Christ Jesus while He unmasks the unrighteousness, and the false justice, of the world. It is not that the world does not believe in righteousness; unbelievers and believers alike magnify the work of people like Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa. But the world only believes in relative righteousness, and Christ Jesus' righteousness is absolute. - Kenneth O. Gangel

And the Holy Spirit will make it clear that the prince of this world is judged, not might be judged, not will later be judged, but because he is judged! Christ Jesus met the devil at the Cross and dethrone him through His Resurrection. While the evil one continues to thrash around and the struggle goes on, his power have been destroyed. In the power of the Holy Spirit the apostles would go out to boldly announce that Christ Jesus is Lord and that the devil has been overthrown. And as a follower of Christ Jesus you can make that same bold proclamation!

Conclusion: The Holy Spirit would relate to the disciples as Christ Jesus had. The believers' in John's day found comfort in this. You can to, through the Holy Spirit, you can have a relationship with Christ Jesus as intimate as that of the disciples before He went to the cross.

This intimacy is expressed in a sharing of God's heart with all His people, as He once shared His Word with His prophets. Wow! God, who created everything loves you so much that He sent Christ Jesus to die for you and He sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen His relationship with you. But...how you respond to this redemptive love is totally up to you.