Jesus said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” Followers of Jesus shouldn’t be surprised when we are hated, because the very Founder of our faith was hated. We do not fit into this world, because we do not belong to this world. This means that life will be hard and our faith will cost us something. But that should not surprise us either, because Jesus’ faithfulness cost Him his life. When our loyalty to Jesus means being hated by the world, may we say with the Apostle Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”

Take-Home Message: The world hates Christians because the world hates Jesus. 

• “The world” in John: The sinful world system that opposes God. 

If you are a Christian… 

The World Will Hate You (15:18-25) 

-          Why does the world hate Jesus?

• They do not know His Father (21)
• He exposes the world’s sin (22-24)
• To fulfill God’s Word (25) 

-          Why does the world hate Christians?

• We are not of this world (19) 

-          What does it mean to not be of this world?

• Our ultimate loyalty is not to our friends, our family, our company, our country, our race, or our culture. Instead, our ultimate loyalty is to Jesus.  

The Spirit Will Help You (15:26-27) 

The Savior has Warned You (16:1-4) 

Message: Handling The World’s Hatred 

Scripture: John 15:18 - 16:4 

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Most of us have an “unbiblical” model of prayer!

• For example, many of us mistakenly believe that prayer is simply lifting our request unto God… which it is!
   
  • But prayer is also “listening”!
     
    • In other words, prayer is the center of our “relationship” between us and God!

John 15:16

• “You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give it to you.”

Have you ever asked God for something and not been given it?

• If so, what’s going on?
   
  • It all goes back to the word “abide”! 

Abide= To be with or to exist with…

• So, to abide with God means that He is the one from whom we receive “life” … a transformed life!
   
  • For example, abiding with God will transform our “prayer life”!

Psalm 37:4

• Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 55:9

• Just as the heaven are above the earth, so are God’s ways above our ways, and His thoughts above our thoughts.

Message: “A transformed Prayer Life”

Scripture: John 15:9-17

We all have something that we believe will give us life.  Exercise, diets, money, accomplishments, family, status, and so much more.  The problem is—all of those things will either leave us empty or wanting more.  This is where the command of Jesus to abide in Him is so precious.  What we will see in these verses is Jesus calling us to find life—true, abundant, fruitful life—in Him.  How?  By abiding in Him. 

 BIG IDEA: True life is only found in abiding in Jesus. 

I abide in Jesus because…

1. He gives me growth (1-2, 4-5).

• What God will prune:
   
  • Sinful things 
  • Trivial things
  • Good things 

1. He makes me clean (3).
2. He keeps me forever (6-8).

Take-Home Questions

• Do I abide in the Vine? 
• Am I a true branch? 
• Do I bear the fruit of the Vine?

 Message: True Life

 Scripture: John 15:1-8

 Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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When God shows up, the whole situation changes. His powerful presence has the ability to conquer everything that would take our peace. In John 14, Jesus reminds His disciples and us that God’s presence is all we need to have true peace. Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

Take-Home Message: My peace is powered by God’s presence.

• Peace to you! Because of God’s Presence (25-27).

• God’s peace provides Christians with… 
• Supernatural calm(Col 3:15-16)
• Supernatural protection(Phil 4:6-7)

• Peace to you! Because of God’s Greatness (28-29).

• Peace to you! Because of God’s Victory (30-31).

Message: Peace for Troubled Hearts

Scripture: John 14:25-31

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Have you ever felt ill-equipped to serve God? If you have, that feeling may actually be your super-power!

·   Today’s passage will show us how…

 In verses 21 and 23 Jesus makes very similar statements. To paraphrase He says: “They who hear my words and keep my commandments, love me and my Father loves them.”

·   Some have wrongfully interpreted that verse as “work’s righteousness”.

o   There is only one thing that makes us righteous and that’s the shed blood of Jesus!

·      But if that’s not what Jesus was talking about, what did He mean?

 John 14:21b- He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and “manifest” myself to him.

·   What does Jesus mean when He says; “I will manifest to you.”? Luckily, one of Jesus’ disciples has the same question:

o   John 14:22- Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him; Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?

 John 14:23- If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

·   On the day of Pentecost Jesus’ words were made manifest in the Church, for on that day the Holy Spirit was made available to ALL who would accept Him.

 Take home message

God doesn’t need people to do things for Him. He wants people who He can do things through!

 Theme: “God, manifest in US!”

 Scripture: John 14:18-24

 Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Jesus doesn’t leave you on your own when times get tough. He provides you with Himself and His powerful promises. The disciples were in the greatest storm they’d ever experienced. Jesus had just told them He was leaving and they couldn’t follow Him now. Soon they would see their Lord betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. Yet Jesus knew that because they were connected to Him, they could live with confidence. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

 Take-Home Message: My confidence is built by clinging to Jesus. 

 The Promise of Knowing God (7-11). 

• To know God, know Jesus. 

The Promise of Answered Prayer (12-14). 

• To receive from God, ask Jesus. 
• Praying in Jesus’ name means…
  • Praying in the authority of Jesus
• Praying in the character of Jesus.
• Praying in the will of Jesus.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit (15-17).

 To Live in God’s power, Obey Jesus.

 Message: Confidence for Troubled Hearts

 Scripture: John 14:7-17

 Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Jesus knew what it meant to be troubled. He was troubled when his friend Lazarus died (Jn. 11:33). He was troubled when he considered the cross (Jn. 12:27). He was troubled when he thought of Judas’ betrayal (Jn. 13:21). He told his followers, “In this world you will have trouble.” He knew that we too would face seasons of emotional distress. Yet Jesus also provided the solution: Himself. He said, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33)

 Take-Home Message: My troubled heart will not rest until I rest in Jesus. 

• Jesus provides empathy for my troubled heart (1). 
• Jesus provides security for my troubled heart (2-3). 
• Jesus provides the security of… 
  • Eternity in Heaven (2).
  • Adoption by the Father (2).
  • Union with Christ (3).

 Jesus provides Himself for my troubled heart (4-6). 

• Jesus Himself is… 
  • The “I AM” 
  • The Way 
  • The Truth 
  • The Life 
  • The Only Way 

Message: Comfort for Troubled Hearts

 Scripture: John 14:1-6

 Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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When it comes to the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet, it feels like the Church has exhibited “selective hearing”!

o   In today’s passage Jesus tells us why we should pay closer attention!

 John 13:18-30

o   In this part of our passage Jesus is demonstrating that it’s been prophesied that that He would be betrayed! (Psalm 41:9)

§  In other words, He’s NO victim! This is part of the PLAN!

 John 13:31-38

o   In verse 34 Jesus gives a “new commandment”, to love one another.

§  What’s so “new” about this?! Even non-religious people love their family and friends.

·         This is where Jesus washing the feet of the disciples comes in.

o   By washing the feet of the disciples Jesus was turning societal norms upside down!

§  You must never think you are too good or too important to do anything, as a Christian.

·         THAT’S NEW!

§  Living like that will not only cause the world to sit up and take notice, it will cause God to, too!

Theme: New Commandment

 Scripture: John 13:18-38

 Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Many want to be great, but few want to be a servant. Even the disciples spent the final hours of Jesus’ life debating who was the greatest among them (Luke 22:24). Jesus showed them true greatness– He washed their feet. 

 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:4-11)

 Take-Home Message: If you want to be great, serve. 

• Jesus served His betrayer (1-4). 
• Jesus served His abandoner (5). 
• Jesus served His denier (6-11). 
• Jesus told us to serve (12-17). 

Message: Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet 

Scripture: John 13:1-17 

Simple. Authentic. Jesus. 

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As we travel through life, there is both the journey and the destination.

• Don’t under-value either one! They are BOTH a BIG deal!

 John 12:36-43

• In this part of the passage John references a prophesy found in Isaiah 6:10, which says “God blinded their eyes and He hardened their hearts, lest the see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and turn so that God would heal them.”
   
  • Is this prophesy saying that God “caused” people NOT to believe?
• Something to consider:
   
  • The Destination- Jesus WAS going to be rejected and crucified by the people. There was no getting around that. It had to happen 
• The Journey- How that took place could play out in any number of ways: God didn’t have to “make” people do something. He knew the condition of their hearts. Therefore, He just guided them!
   
  • For example; John 12:42-43 says that some actually DID believe! They just didn’t stand up for Jesus! Which ultimately led to His crucifixion!

John 12:44-50

• The journey/destination analogy works here too, just in a different way:
   
  • The Journey- In verse 47 Jesus says that anyone who hears His word but does not keep His word, He does not judge. 
• The Destination- In verse 48 Jesus that the one who rejects Him and does not receive His word, does have judge… The WORD that He has spoken will judge them in the Last Day! (John 1:1, Rev. 19:13)

Here is the good news: We are still on the journey! We have yet to reach the final destination.

• Don’t wait. Choose Jesus today!

Message: Journey/Destination

Scripture: John 12:36-50

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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