John 17:1-26 (NIV)
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John chapter 17 is the conclusion of the time that Jesus spends with His disciples preparing them for what was about to come. This entire chapter is a prayer. His concern for His disciples, and ultimately us is displayed in His concern and passion. Knowing what He was about to experience, the cross, the humiliation, the betrayal, He takes the time He has left and devotes it to the care of His disciples.

John 17:1-5

Jesus begins His prayer by praying for Himself. Which is a good place to start prayer, and by which He gives us a picture of our lives as His disciples. Just as He would bring glory to the Father by completing the work He had been given, Jesus would then be glorified in the Father’s presence. Jesus life had a purpose, even though His time here was momentary, and then He was taken by the Father when His work was finished.
Our lives here, are momentary, they have a purpose, and when we have completed out task we will also be taken by the Father to be in His presence.

John 17:6-19

Jesus then goes on to pray that God would protect His disciples as they live in a fallen world. His prayer includes that we would be sanctified by God’s truth. His word is truth. Let me take a moment again to encourage you to read His Word, so that you would know the truth, and that the truth would set you free. He also prays that we would be sent into the world, not isolate ourselves from it, but to live as His witnesses in the world. This is not accomplished by legalistic, self-righteous, Pharisee type behavior, but by living and loving well and extravagantly. Being vessels of God’s grace and mercy, and letting people know how much God loves them and that He has made a way to have relationship with them in Christ. Being sanctified by His Word allows us to live by doing the next right thing.

John 17:20-26

By living out the call to be His ambassadors, we are continuing to advance the Kingdom of God. Jesus emphasizes that He was praying not just for the disciples, but for “those who will believe in Me through their message.” That includes you and I and all the believers throughout the centuries. Isn’t it cool to be a part of His story. The church continues to grow and multiply as Jesus continues to reach out through us.
All of this is made possible as we continue to live in Him, as we find life in Him, knowing that he is our source, and that we will be with Him forever.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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As we continue on in this series called Sundays Coming, we are looking at the last few hours that Jesus spent with His disciples as He was preparing them for what was coming. Today, we are going to look a the prayer that Jesus payes in John 17.

John 17:1 (NIV)
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

And He prays for the entire rest of that chapter. In this prayer, the night before He went to the cross you see two things.

The first thing that is evident in the prayer is His heart for us.

Not only was He praying for His disciples, He was praying for us.

John 17:20 (NIV)
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

That’s us. That’s you and I in this room. We’re those who have believed in Jesus because of the testimony down through the years of these disciples.

The second thing is that not only can we see His heart, but we can also see our hope.

This prayer shows us the things we can hope for in this life because as Jesus prays He doesn’t ask God for things that God won’t do. Everything that Jesus prays you can have confidence that is something that God is willing to do and is able to do in our lives. So each of these prayers He prayed are our hope in life.
We’re going to look at five things that Jesus is praying for us.

1. Protection

That’s one of the things that Jesus prays for us, that God would give us protection.

John 17:15 (NIV)
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Protection doesn’t mean you get a perfect life. Protection doesn’t mean that you never have any problems. It means knowing that God is there to strengthen and help you even in this fallen imperfect world.

2. Unity

John 17:21 (NIV)
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jesus prays for us to have relationships that are marked by unity.

I think one of the things that most of us quickly realize is that we are unable in our strength to love the way Jesus is praying. And that is an important realization, because if we’re going to have this kind of unity, the only way to have it is to lean on the strength and the love of Jesus Christ. That’s where it comes from. Only God can work that kind of love.

3. Joy (His Joy)

John 17:13 (NIV)
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

Some people have this image of Jesus being really serious and long faced all the time. That’s not what Jesus was like. Jesus was incredibly joyful in His life. Where Jesus was, people wanted to be. If Jesus was in a crowd, the crowd got bigger. If Jesus Christ was in a house, it overflowed with people. When He went to a party, everyone went to that party. Where Jesus was, joy was. So people flocked to be with Jesus. He was magnetic.

Jesus prays, “That kind of joy that I have I want it to be in all My followers. Father, would You give it to everyone of My followers?”

What is that joy like?

John 16:20-21 (NIV)
20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

I have no personal experience with giving birth. I was in the delivery room for the birth of my children. I have to say that it did look like it really hurt, really, really hurt. It’s a painful experience. But the moment that baby is born that pain turns to joy. When the baby is born the first thing the mom says to the baby isn’t, “Why did you do that to me?” Once the baby is born, the mom says, “My baby!” Immediate joy.

And Jesus says that’s the way it works. We don’t live in a world where there’s no grief, no pains, no problems. Jesus says “I’ll take that grief and I’ll turn it to joy. That’s what I can do.”

4. Purity

Jesus is praying for your purity. How do you keep your mind focused on pure things in a real world?

John 17:17 (NIV)
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

The answer is in the Bible. God’s word – the Bible – gives us the strength to keep our minds focused on the right things. In fact, it is our only hope. I would encourage you again to be spending some time every day in His word.

Since this is Easter week this next week I want to give you some homework, an assignment for reading the Bible this next week. What better week to read the Easter story than Easter week. The Easter story is throughout the book of John. I want to encourage you to read seven chapters in the book of John starting Monday and going through next Sunday. John 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. You’ll have read the Easter story.

5. Mission

John 17:18 (NIV)
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

“Here’s the mission,” Jesus says. “I want you to go out into the world. I want you to let people know that I was sent into this world so that people would know how much I love them.” Six times in this prayer Jesus prays “I want the world to know that I was sent by God.”

Jesus was sent into this world by God. That God Himself came into this world in human flesh, lived His life for us, died on a cross for us, was resurrected for us.

This next week we celebrate Easter. I have two questions for you as we get ready to celebrate Easter.

One, are you ready to celebrate? Have you accepted that gift of God’s love? That’s why He came. If you haven’t yet accepted that gift I want to give you the opportunity to do that in prayer in just a moment.

If you’ve already accepted that gift of Christ’s love, here’s the second question.

Who are you sharing the gift with? Who are you telling this great good news that God loves them that much. When Jesus prayed He did not pray that people would figure out on their own that God sent Him into the world. He prayed, “God, give them a mission.

This next week is Easter. No better week in the year to invite people to church. I encourage you, invite people to church this next week.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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John 16:1-33 (NIV)
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. 16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” 17 Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” 29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” 31 “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. 32 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 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.”

John 16:1-15

Jesus told the disciples that they would face persecution. As His followers, we will experience persecution. Sometimes in small things. In our culture today, the persecution is primarily being the butt of jokes and being portrayed horribly by television and movies. In many cultures, however, believers are paying the ultimate price and being martyred for their beliefs. The Holy Spirit comes in to our lives to lead and guide us. To give us the wisdom that we need to apply to the Word of God so that we know how we are to live in the world. As we do that, as we love one another, the world will notice that there is something different about us. Some will respond and believe, others will respond with persecution.

Last week we talked about two extremes that Christians often move towards with regard to the world. One is to be conformed to the world and its values and lifestyle. The problem is that this results in a situation where God has no witness in the world of truth and life and grace. The other extreme is to withdraw and isolate so as not to be corrupted by the world, and yet this leaves the same result of God not having a witness in the world.

It is only as we are involved on a daily basis with people that the contrast between God’s ways and man’s way can really be demonstrated. The natural response to persecution is to withdraw or to conform. But we, are to live by the Spirit, We are to live under the pressure and even to expose ourselves to the pain of this world, because in this way God can reveal His glory in our lives.

John 16:16-33

If that seems to heavy to bear, even with Jesus giving us the Holy Spirit, He also gives us the resource of prayer. Because we are filled with the Spirit and connected to Jesus in prayer, life in the world, in spite of hostility and persecution, is a life of joy. How is joy possible? It is possible because we are able to bring every need to Him in prayer, and can be confident that He hears us. “My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name,” Jesus said. “Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

Jesus gives a great picture of joy in verses 20 and 21. When a woman is delivering a baby, there is not much joy to be found. But as soon as the baby arrives, everything changes.
I love the assurance that Jesus concludes the chapter with, “The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.”

Since God loves us, what do we really need to fear? Jesus goes on and says, “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.” Jesus is Lord. He has given us His Holy Spirit, and God loves us. That is why we can have peace and joy in the midst of living in a fallen world on a broken planet.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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John 15:1-27 (NIV)
1 “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 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. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ 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.

As Jesus continues His discussion with the disciples, He is talking about how believers will relate to God and to each other.

John 15:1-17

This community of believers will be relating in a way that is beyond their own capabilities. The life that He is calling us to can only be lived in the context of being in relationship with Jesus and with the help and power of the Holy Spirit. The idea of living a fruitful life is about cooperating with the Holy Spirit so that “fruit can be developed”. This fruit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23:

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

How does the fruit develop? On a living vine. Apart from the vine, we cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit.

There are a couple of questions that usually pop up out of these verses.

1. What does it mean to remain in Him?

By learning and obeying His commands, His Word begins to shape our characters and personalities. As we experience the goodness, the grace and the mercy of God in our lives, we will live more and more in the center of His love, His will for our lives.

2. What does it mean to be thrown away?

I believe that this verse is talking about producing fruit and not about salvation. As a part of the living vine, we are to bear fruit. This fruit is born out of remaining in Him and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. If we do not remain in Him, then our lives will never reach the potential of all that he has for us. We will have missed the main purpose of life and the resulting life will be as empty as being a useless branch that is broken off and burned up. Its usefulness is only for a brief moment’s warmth and then it is used up. It is a picture of what our lives would be apart from abiding or remaining in Him. We will never experience the fullness of life He has for us unless we remain in Him.

John 15:18-27

This community of believers should be an awesome thing, and yet Jesus warns us that people in the world will hate us.

The world will hate us because darkness hates the light. In some measure, as His community, filled with Spirit, as imperfect as we are, the Spirit’s ministry of conviction is often taken out on the church.
And yet God has left us here for a purpose. To acts as His ambassadors to let people trapped in the darkness that they can come into the light, which is Christ.

And while we are here we need to avoid extremes. We are not to be conformed to the patterns of the world.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Nor are we to

1 John 2:15-16 (NIV)
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.

We are to love the people of the world but reject the attitudes and values of the world. Another extreme is withdrawal. Once we are aware of how twisted and perverted the world system is, we may think that the best thing to do is to completely disengage from it. And yet we are called to be a light and a witness to the world. We can not accomplish this without remaining involved at some level. We need to be involved but not conformed.

Another extreme is to become judgmental and critical. That somehow we need to point out to the world all their bad stuff. This never works and just pushed people father away from the truth. We have to love them in to the Kingdom of God. We need to demonstrate the love, and the grace and the mercy of God. We love them in, and the Holy Spirit cleans us all up.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!

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We are continuing in our series on responding to the invitation that Jesus gave when He said “Follow Me”. We have talked so far about some terms that come from responding to the invitation. We have talked about what it means to be a disciple, ambassador, and a member. Today we are going to talk about the church being the bride.

Jesus is the bridegroom, the church is His bride

When did we get proposed to? At the last supper. The last supper was a Passover celebration. Passover was a feast that was celebrated by the people of Israel every year as a reminder of what took place when they were set free from 430 years of slavery in Egypt. This reminder was in the form of a meal, which had some very important symbols involved. These symbols had two purposes. One of the purposes was to help the people of God remember how He had delivered them from slavery. God used Moses and a series of plagues to convince Pharoah to let His people go. Pharoah was stubborn and it took ten plagues before he finally released Israel. The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn. Israel was protected from this plague by killing a lamb without defect and putting its blood on the doorposts of their homes. Death then passed over the homes covered in the blood of the lamb and they were safe.

The other purpose was to help them know the Messiah when he came to give them the ultimate deliverance from the ultimate slavery. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away our sin and his blood cleanses our sin and sets us free from the penalty of death.

The symbols in the meal were many, but there are two that we have taken for our communion celebration. Unleavened bread and a cup of wine.

Significance of the bread (His Body)

When Jesus broke the unleavened bread in the Passover meal He said, “Take and eat, this is my body”.
John 6 tells us that Jesus is the bread of life.

There is another part of the Passover tradition that is cool. The matzah tash, holds the bread. It has always had three sections. The bread that is broken is taken out of the middle section. Father, SON, Holy Spirit. A piece of the broken bread is wrapped in a white linen and hidden while the children are out of the room. The children then hunt for the hidden piece of bread called the afikomen. Whoever finds it receives a prize. Jesus is taken down from the cross, and His broken body is wrapped in linen and hidden in a tomb. He defeats death and is resurrected and now whoever finds Him receives a prize, eternal life!

The cups (His blood)

1. The First Cup Sanctification

In this cup God is saying to his people, “I will bring you out.” God will bring us out of bondage, slavery, darkness and death.

2. The Second Cup Plagues

With the cup of plagues, the leader of the Passover service begins to recount the redemption story. This section, known as the “telling,” surveys the whole redemption drama, from the Patriarchs, to Moses, to Pharaoh, and to the plagues and the deliverance from Egypt.

3. The Third Cup redemption

It is with this cup that Jesus institutes communion. But there is more to the story. In first century Galilea, when it was time for a man and woman to marry, both fathers would negotiate the bride price, recognizing that the bride would be a precious loss to her family.

Taking a cup of wine, the groom drank from it and offered it to the woman, symbolically saying that he wanted to make a covenant and would be willing to give his life for her. The woman sealed the engagement by drinking from the same glass. From that moment, she was referred to as one who was bought with a price, distinguishing her as an engaged woman.

Jesus made this comparison especially clear during the Last Supper. Taking a cup of wine in his hands, he told his disciples,

Luke 22:20 (NIV)
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

No doubt his disciples immediately recognized the imagery of a marriage proposal. And they were able to picture the depths of Jesus love—a love so deep that Jesus made a covenant with them and was willing to give his life for them.

By using marriage imagery, Jesus said, in effect, I love you as my bride, so I’ll pay the bride price. I’ll give up my life for you and to go my Father’s house to prepare a place for you. And one day I will return and take you to be with me forever.

John 14:1-3 (NIV)
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul used the bridegroom picture as well

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. His words reminded Jesus believers that they were his brides-to-be, waiting for the day when he would return and take them home. Not knowing when the groom would come, wise brides made preparations immediately so they would not be caught unprepared.

In Jesus time, families usually lived in clusters of buildings called insulas. These clusters were built around a central courtyard. Grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts all lived and interacted together in the insula.
As sons married, they added to the insula. After asking a girl to marry him, the son would return to his village and build new rooms onto his father’s home. The son, anxious to be married, waited for the day when his father declared that the building was complete. Then he could finally marry his bride and bring her to their new home.

When Jesus described his second coming, he again used the picture of a young bridegroom, waiting for his father’s approval to return for his bride:

Matthew 24:36 (NIV)
36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

When the groom finally finished building and gained his father’s approval, he would travel to his bride’s village and blow the shofar. The bride would hear and know that her wedding day had arrived.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

4. The Fourth Cup wedding feast

Matthew 26:29 (NIV)
29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

We drink this one with him at the wedding supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19:7-9 (NIV)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Jesus is the bridegroom, we are the bride, wisely preparing for his return.

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John 14:1-31 (NIV)
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 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 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.

John 14:1-7

TRUST. Jesus was going where the disciples could not follow, as we saw in the end of chapter 13, but His absence would be temporary. He was going to prepare a place for them. And during this absence, we are to trust Him. We don’t need to know the exact location of where He is, it is enough to know that He is the way the truth and the life. This “trust” in the Lord, is a big part of the foundation that we all need to have as His disciples. Sometimes, living in this fallen world, on a broken planet, we can feel very alone and we can be overcome with doubt (troubles hearts). But we are to remember that He is the way and the truth and the life and that we must trust in Him.

John 4:8-14

Phillip’s request to show us the Father is a very typical response. Trusting in someone you can’t see requires faith. It is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus response is fascinating.

“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

Jesus then goes on to explain that even if Phillip couldn’t see God in Jesus, the miracles that He did were evidence that the Father was present. God, while not physically present, expressed Himself to the world in Jesus, in the things He said and did.

This is important for all disciples to understand, God does not need to be physically present to impact our world, and neither will Jesus. Just as the Father acted in Jesus, Jesus will act through His disciples.
It is in this understanding that we are to ask (pray) “whatever” in His name and He will do it. So not only are we to trust, we are to bring everything to Him in prayer, confident that He is faithful to answer.

John 4:15-31

The Holy Spirit will come and will lead and guide us into truth, so that we can live lives of obedience to God. Trust, faith, prayer, and obedience are all part of the hallmarks of believers.

“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.”

This life of trust, faith, prayer and obedience will lead to peace.

A quick thought on praying in Jesus name:

John 14:13 talks about praying in Jesus name. This is more than just tacking on “in Jesus name” to the end of your prayer (which I think serves a purpose in helping us remember what it is all about), but we are to be praying in accordance with His will. As we pray in accordance with His will, God answers and is glorified. I believe that God always answers prayer. Sometimes it is now, sometimes it is no, and sometimes it is wait.

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John 13:1-38 (NIV)
1 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. 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. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. “What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. 31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

These next few chapters in the book of John make up what is referred to as the Last Supper Discourse. Contained in these chapters are very specific details on how we, as disciples of Jesus, are to live in our relationship with God and with others. You will notice that Jesus spends a lot of the discussion talking about the Holy Spirit and His role when Jesus returns to the Father.

Let’s talk about Judas for a moment. Judas represents everyone that Jesus offers eternal life and who refuse to respond to the invitation. Judas had been with Jesus and the disciples, had witnessed the miracles firsthand, and yet still chose not to believe. Outwardly, he looked like the rest of the disciples but inwardly he was more like the Pharisees. His state of unbelief left him open to the influence of the evil one and he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Ultimately, Judas is remorseful over what he has done, and he tries to return the money to the religious leaders. Once again, the Pharisees, who were responsible to comfort and offer cleansing to the sinner, demonstrated that they just didn’t care. “What is it to us?”. Jesus response is to kill himself. His remorse didn’t lead to repentance and forgiveness which he had so often seen in Jesus.

John 13:1-20

The first 20 verses are a powerful and intimate time between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus gets up from the meal, and washes His disciples feet. Consider how the disciples had been arguing over who would be the greatest. This foot washing was a part of the meal, all the disciples knew it was coming. The basin of the water and the towel were present, and yet none of the disciples made a move to serve. Then the one who was the greatest gets up, wraps himself with the towel, and begins to wash their feet. Peter’s indignant “Not you Lord”, was more of a I don’t want you to do it Jesus, I want one of these other guys to do it.
In this act of foot washing are three important things for us to notice.

1. There is a theological truth expressed. People would bathe and be clean, but in the dusty roaded world of the time, their feet would almost always be dirty. The feet, having constant contact with dirt need to be cleaned more frequently. This interaction between Jesus and Peter, where Peter says not just my feet but my head and hands as well, is a picture of salvation. In coming to Christ we are completely cleansed, but in our daily “walking with Jesus life” we can pick up some contaminates along the way that require Jesus continual washing of forgiveness.

2. Jesus sets an example about what greatness looks like in the Kingdom of God. The greatest of all would be the servant of all.

3. Did you ever think about the fact that Jesus washed Judas feet, even knowing that Jesus was about to betray Him? Did Jesus treat him any differently. No, He demonstrated the same love and service to him as He did to the other disciples. What does that mean to us in the way that we are to treat people?

John 13:21-30

Judas leaves after Jesus identifies him as the one who would betray him, but the other disciples didn’t get it.

John 13:31-38

Now, alone with His true disciples, Jesus lays the foundation for relationship. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” Jesus introduces a new standard to measure love. We had heard that we were to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” But here we are told to love each other “as I have loved you.” This love is demonstrated by being selfless. It is not all about us. This selfless love will be a witness to the world that Jesus is real.

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John 12:1-50 (NIV)
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” 35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. 37 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn–and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

As we look at John Chapter 12 it is only six days until the Passover and the crucifixion. Jesus continues in this chapter as he had in Chapters 10 and 11 to tell people that He was the Messiah, the Christ, that He was one with the Father and the religious leaders would still pursue His death rather than believe.

John 12:1-8

The preparation for Jesus death, burial, and resurrection is underway as Mary anoints Jesus with an expensive ointment. This was done as an expression of Mary’s love but it was is someway foreshadowing the expression of God’s love for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the most amazing expression of love ever.

John 12:9-19

These verse talk about the triumphal entry. The crowd was so excited about Jesus arrival that the Pharisees were concerned that “the whole world has gone after Him”. His entry into Jerusalem was a fulfillment of prophecy

Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Psalms 118:26 (NIV)
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.

But excited as the crowd seemed to be, they would quickly turn. Did you ever wonder why? Jesus sudden rise in popularity was because of the miracle that had been performed in raising Lazarus from the dead. It wasn’t that the crowd was crying out Hosanna from a true faith, but they were excited about Jesus celebrity. They were curious and excited, but there enthusiasm would fade quickly, just like it does with celebrities today.

Check out the reaction of the religious leaders. They still want to kill Jesus and now they want to kill Lazarus as well. Way to keep the LAW, which was what they claimed they were doing.

John 12:20-33

Jesus is struggling with what is about to take place, but He stays firm in His commitment to lay down His life for us as the Good Shepherd.

27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

There are some extremely important spiritual principles packed into this small section of scripture.

24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John 12:34-43

The crowd who had been cheering demonstrates how shallow their enthusiasm really was as they reject the words that Jesus says about Himself.

“We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can You say, ‘The Son of man must be lifted up’?”

They refused to believe in and submit to Jesus as the Son of God even after seeing with their own eyes what He had done with Lazarus. And even those who did believe were afraid to say anything because they didn’t want to be kicked out of the synagogue.

John 12:44-50

Jesus gives the crowd their last chance in these verses. After a three year ministry filled with miracles it had come down to this, these were the last words He would speak to the crowds.

44 Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

What did Jesus say?

That He was revealing the Father and the Kingdom of God

If you believe in Jesus you believe in the Father

If you believe in Jesus you no longer live in darkness

If you do not believe in Jesus then you reject the eternal life that is offered by the Father

If you do not believe in Jesus you place yourself under judgment

If you accept the living Word, Jesus, you will have eternal life

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We are in a series called “Follow Me” and are talking about what it means to respond to the invitation that Jesus has given us. Last week we talked about what it means to be a disciple. This week, we are going to talk about being an ambassador.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

What is an ambassador? An ambassador is a representative sent out on a mission to build relationships. Who do we represent? We represent Jesus in the world. Write this down, I represent Jesus in the world.

Philippians 3:19c-20 (NLT)
19 … all they think about is this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

We are citizens of heaven, here on temporary assignment.

1 Peter 1:1 (GW)
1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s chosen people who are temporary residents {in the world} and are scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

So what is my assignment? To be an ambassador. How do I fulfill my assignment?

1. Live as an example

1 Peter 2:12 (NCV)
12 People who do not believe are living all around you and might say that you are doing wrong. Live such good lives that they will see the good things you do and will give glory to God on the day when Christ comes again.

One of the first priorities of an ambassador is to set a good example.

There are two reasons why people don’t know the Lord. One of them is they’ve never met a Christian, and the other is they have. And they say if that’s what a follower of Jesus is, no thanks God. So you need to realize that your life is to be an example in everything you do.

2. Share the ambassador’s message

What is the ambassador’s message?

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

We’re to help people make peace with God.

Have you ever bought a car? You have the salesman and when it gets time to close the deal he has to go and talk to someone, or pretend to talk to someone because he doesn’t have the authority to close the deal. Here is something interesting about being an ambassador for Jesus. You are authorized to close the deal. You don’t have to go to the manager in the back office. You can say to anyone, I am an ambassador for Jesus and I am authorized to make this offer in Jesus name. I can offer you His forgiveness for all the sin in your life, I can offer you His promise of eternal life with Him, and I can offer you His promise of a life with purpose now.

3. Love extravagantly

As an ambassador for Jesus you need to have a big heart. Because God is love you need to show love. How do I love extravagantly?

a. Use my life to meet other’s needs.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

When you use your life to bless people, encourage people, serve people, do some sort of practical thing that helps them, you are ministering to them. You are showing love to meet their needs.

b. Give respect to everyone.

1 Peter 2:17 (NIV)
17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

As an ambassador of Jesus, you are to be respectful. Why? Because God values every person. It doesn’t matter who they are, what they’ve done, who they’ve done it to, or how long they’ve done it, they have the dignity of being created in the image of God.

Here is something to think about. Is an ambassador supposed to be dogmatic (asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated.) or diplomatic? They are diplomatic. Dogmatic Christian’s are not ambassadors, and even if they are right, they are wrong. We need to win people over by letting them know that God loves them and has made a way for them, not by being critical and judgmental.

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

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We are talking about living good lives, lives that please God, lives that satisfy us, and lives that impact the world around us for the Kingdom of God. We have been using as our foundation for this series the book of 1 Peter. In theses verses, Peter has challenged us to live good lives and then he is giving us direction on how to do that. As we continue on in chapter three, Peter brings up the concept of telling other people about Jesus, about salvation, about God, about the Good News.

Things were quite different at the time Peter wrote and the way things are now. In Peter’s day, they didn’t have dove or fish logos to demonstrate their Christian life. They didn’t have bumpers, so there were no Jesus bumper stickers (if you are riding around with Jesus bumper stickers, your driving better be sanctified). There were no “I’m with Jesus t-shirts”. What did they have? The type of advertising that we still see everywhere, simple testimonials from satisfied customers.

I want to talk about four ideas that Peter gives us to help us tell other people about Jesus.

1. Focused Hope

I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

We often use the term “sharing our faith” when we talk about this process, but Peter introduces a different term, he calls it “sharing our hope”. I like that idea. Sharing our faith sounds like we need to really have our theology down and have a lot of Bible verses ready to go. But sharing our hope speaks to me about telling people what Jesus has done in my life.

Our hope isn’t based on a bunch of wishes we have for the future, but it is focused on the promises of Jesus. The promises of life now and forever. It is the idea of this focused hope that Peter is communicating with the words, “but in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord”.

2. Prepare to Share

Peter says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

This is where the difference between sharing our faith and sharing our hope really displays itself. A lot of people are hesitant to talk to others about Jesus because they are afraid that they just don’t know the Bible well enough, or that they just aren’t very quick at trying to answer questions and some skeptic is going to tie them in knots with some philosophical problem that they can’t answer.

The great thing about sharing your hope, is that it is your hope. It is your Jesus story of how Jesus has moved in your life and what He has brought you through, and the promises that you have received from His word. It’s your hope. It’s your reasons. It’s your reason you individually prepare.”

How do I get prepared? Take a few promises from the Bible that apply to your life right now and think about how you might talk to other people about them. When your circumstances change you’ll find a couple of other promises that fit where you are then and you think about how you might share with others. And you just keep doing this with the each new season of life that you move through. That way you’re always ready to share your hope.

3. With gentleness and respect

One of the things that you need to understand is that you don’t have to force these opportunities to share. You just need to be prepared to talk when the opportunity arises. Some people have a personality that allows them to talk to anyone anywhere, but I don’t think that is what is required for most people. I had a friend that I used to go into the prisons with to minister to people, and he was way more confrontive than I am. We would get into the elevator to go up three floors, and if someone got on with us, he would always say something like, do you know Jesus? And I would always be so uncomfortable but it seemed to work for him.

We are encouraged by Peter to use gentleness and respect. Gentleness sincerely expressed. People need to see that you are speaking from your heart. That you do not have some sort of agenda that is trying to get some sort of response from them. You are just talking about your hope and then maybe getting an opportunity to listen to their feelings so that you can empathize with them.

We are looking for an honest connection that lets people hear your story and perhaps consider it for a while before dismissing it. Many people have had someone try and force feed some religious belief on them and so if we can just kindly love them and in being ourselves (I have seen some people that almost take on a different persona when they are going to talk about Jesus) speak with gentleness and respect we have a better opportunity of sharing our hope.

4. Yes, but

You have to know going in to this that some people will not listen. They might have even asked you your reasons and as soon as they here Jesus they want to shut you down as “one of those”. Peter knows this will happen and he brings up the days of Noah.

The illustration to Noah is the illustration to your “Yes, but…” For 120 years, the Bible tells us, Noah lived and he didn’t just build a ship. It says he was a preacher of righteousness. For 120 years it was Noah — his shipyard and petting zoo. Noah always had to be prepared for the reason why there were giraffes in his backyard. For 120 years he did that. Amazingly, nobody got saved. There were 8 people on that ship but they were just Noah’s family.

Even more amazingly, Jesus was there. Obviously, not physically, since Noah lived before Jesus. But He was still in heaven as the Eternal Son of God. But it says, Jesus went in Spirit and was there with Noah. Yet nobody got saved. While that seems to me to amazing, there are three things that you need to know from that story:

a) As He was with with Noah, Jesus is with us.

As believers, the Holy Spirit is in you and with you and He will help you in sharing your hope. He will often give you just the right thing to say and the right way to say it.

b) As with Noah, the results are on God

We just need to remember, as Christians, it’s my job to speak, it’s God’s job to save. It’s my job to do the possible, it’s God’s job to do the impossible. I can’t save anybody, but I can share my hope and leave the results to God.

c) As with Noah, there will be some persecution

You will have some people who respond in very positive ways, and you have will have some people who respond in very negative ways and everything in between.

What we need to do is be prepared and then God is faithful to do the rest.

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