John 18:1-27

HOW TO ADDRESS CONFRONTATION IN A POSITIVE MANNER

The most challenging aspect of life, particularly in a leadership capacity, is addressing confrontation positively. I can think of no better model of dealing with adversarial issues than seeing Jesus deal with the most challenging situation in his earthly life. Throughout the gospel of John, there is tension between what Jesus is teaching and doing among the religious leadership of that hour. We are about to come to the culmination of that conflict and how Jesus addressed it. In shifting in the book of John from the upper room teachings of Jesus and his intercessory prayer to his arrest and the denial of Peter, John’s account is very different in his emphasis than the other gospel writers. John does not bring out the agonizing prayer of Jesus in the garden, the sleeping disciples, or the betrayer’s kiss. Yet, John brings out the profound sense of Jesus’ willingness to give up his life for the disciples' sake. This action is the cornerstone of the Christian life. Jesus’ obedience in laying down his life will bring about the most important event in human history and the incredible implications for the human condition.

John 18:1

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side, was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

In this encounter with his enemies, Jesus teaches us some powerful truths in how we could go about confronting evil and injustice in a positive manner that will bring about the possibility of good outcomes.

PART 2

Nicolaus Zinzendorf grew up in a devout Pietist Lutheran home in Germany in the 1700's. He came to know Jesus at six years of age, and during a trip through Western Europe, he went to an art museum where he experienced a powerful moment with God, the Holy Spirit, while viewing Domencia Feti's portrait of Christ crucified, entitled ‘Behold the Man.’ Zinzendorf was convicted noting, I have loved Him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for Him. From now on, I will do whatever he leads me to do.

Zinzendorf opened his estate to persecuted Moravian believers, and a plot of ground was set aside for them, calling it Hermhut, meaning, ‘The Lord’s Watch.’ The population grew to three hundred people from various Christian backgrounds, but divisions arose among them. Zinzendorf, concerned about their spiritual wellbeing, broke them up into small bands of two or three people to begin to share and pray with each other. Then, differences began to heal on August 13, 1727, at a service during the communion time, the congregation was gripped with such emotion that weeping began, with confession of sin and reconciliation. Shortly afterwards, an around-the-clock prayer ministry began that lasted for one hundred years. This continuous intercession initiated the sending of missionaries, which, was not happening in the Protestant realm. The gospel was now carried to many parts of the world, so that at the time of Zinzendorf’s death thirty-three years later, Hermhut had sent out 226 missionaries.”

When we experience God’s presence, which affects our relationships with those around us, amazing things begin to happen. This incredible account is one of many answers to Jesus’ prayer found in John 17.

Last week, I began a message on ‘How to experience God’s design for healthy relationships, where we look at the impact of having a right relationship with our heavenly Father. Today, we are going to continue that message as we examine Jesus’ prayer and how it relates to his disciples and to those who would believe as a result of their message. When we get our relationship right with God, like they did at Hermhut, we also will begin to see greater transformation in our relationships.

Dennis Rainey, director of Family Life Today, a ministry to families, explained two decades ago, “...that of the top ten personal needs for which respondents said they want help from the church, six involve marriage and family issues.”

What does this mean for us? It means that many relationships are in a state of crisis. People do not relate in a healthy way. If we can’t make it in our most significant relationship, then we often struggle with others, and it begins with our relationship with God.

Many people are choosing to live isolated lives. People today try to insulate themselves from the pain that comes from broken relationships by having superficial relationships. People often stay at arm’s length for fear of being hurt.

But what did God have in mind when He made us in His image? What is God’s design for human relationships? I’m not just speaking of marriage, but of all kinds of relationships, from family, work, school, and personal.  How should we relate to family, friends and even foes? One thing the bible reveals over and over again is that we were designed to relate to others.

What is fascinating is that just before Jesus was about to be crucified, He prayed an incredible prayer for Himself, His closest followers, and us who came to believe because of their message. The prayer I’m referring to is found in John 17. Here, we gain an understanding of God’s design for healthy relationships. The mission of Christ, the mission of the church, can only be achieved when we have a proper relationship with God and one another as His followers.

Without healthy relationships, marriages crumble, families disintegrate, workplaces lose productivity and often struggle financially, churches lose impact, and people become embittered and lonely. Then, to compensate for the loss, people often search for meaning in superficial relationships, temporal gains, or all-consuming addictions. We try to fill our emptiness with something other than what God intends. What people end up finding out is that false substitutes are not satisfying. 

In life, we will deal with all kinds of challenges. We struggle with time pressures, deadlines, and disappointments, as things often don’t happen as quickly or the in way we want them to. God’s timetable seems so different than our own. We are limited, affected by time, dealing with painful, uncontrollable circumstances and deep disappointments—shattered dreams, loss of loved ones, and aging with all the losses that brings. Confusion can bring grief and anxiety. Jesus concludes his upper room discourse by speaking of his imminent departure and, in an obscure way, speaks to his resurrection appearances before ultimately departing to be with the Father. This language is not only confusing but distressing to the disciples. In the closing verses of John 16, we find the means of experiencing spiritual transformation in the hours of sorrow, suffering, loss, confusion, and pain. God wants to transform our grief into joy. God desires to transform us from spiritual immaturity into spiritual and emotional maturity. How does this happen? What promises and principles must we apply in our lives for this to happen?

Here in John 16:16-33, we find a number of elements that will turn our sorrow into joy.

John 15:26 - John 16:33

One of the most painful experiences in life is the loss of someone we love and trust, and we have come to depend upon. A child loses their parents or a young person loses a key mentor in their life, it can create disorientation, fear, and apprehension about what tomorrow holds. The emotional pain is one thing, but the deeper question is how to survive moving forward in their absence. In this context, we need to look at the words of Jesus, here in John 15 and 16. Jesus has been telling the disciples that he is about to leave. The confusion over their messianic expectations was part of the apprehension in their situation. Why would Jesus be leaving? If Jesus left, what would happen to them? How would the work happen or continue? Human effort alone would not be able to accomplish such a great task. The spiritual opposition to the work of God would now be faced alone with Jesus’ absence. Jesus had been their advocate. He had protected these early followers from the antagonism that had been primarily directed at him, but in certain moments, it was aimed at Jesus’ followers, but Jesus had defended them.

Jesus now explains how that work would be empowered and effective. Jesus would not leave them to manage on their own, but the Holy Spirit would come and enable his followers to testify about Jesus. What was true then is equally true today. So, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life according to Jesus here in His upper room discourse?

John 15

Psalm 90:1-7

Exodus

The Wilderness?

A Place to be Shaped in God's Image

Exodus 15:1-2

John 15