The Spirit of Truth

Appleton Gospel Church

The Spirit of Truth: The way of Jesus is the best way to live. But the uncomfortable truth is that life doesn’t automatically get easier when you become a Christian. How can this be? And how might we endure when mild difficulties become outright (or even violent) persecution? We need the Spirit of truth. Recorded on Mar 3, 2024, on John 15:18-16:15 by Pastor David Parks. Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe. Sermon Transcript All year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Today, as we finish John 15 and work into chapter 16, we’ll consider the uncomfortable truth that life doesn’t automatically get easier when you become a Christian. I’m sure you’ve seen examples of this on social media or in the news, but have you ever experienced this? Have you ever lost a friendship or family relationship because you were a Christian? I have. I know the pain and confusion this can bring. Or have you ever had someone call you out for your beliefs as a Christian in school, at work, or somewhere else? It can be so hard to know what to say in those moments. Thankfully, we don’t often experience violent persecution in our country today. Of course, that’s not true for Christians everywhere in the world. There are places where you would be killed for your faith in Jesus. We do believe that following Jesus is the best way to live. He is the way, the truth, and the life. So why is it that life doesn’t automatically get easier when we follow his way? In fact, sometimes, it gets way more difficult. Does Jesus have anything to say about this? He does. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 15:18. John 15:18–25 (NIV), “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 what I told you: ‘A servant is not 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; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, 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.’” Ok, let’s pause here. So the minutes are ticking away and before long Jesus would be falsely arrested, tried, condemned, and crucified. So, in the shadow of the violence and humiliation of the cross, Jesus says to his disciples, essentially, “If they do this to me, don’t be surprised if they do this to you.” He says, “A servant is not greater than his master.” repeating what he said to them back in chapter 13. This is a consistent theme in John’s gospel. Back in chapter 7, Jesus said that the world “hates me because I testify that its works are evil.” (Jn 7:7). Later, as we’ll see in chapter 17, Jesus will pray for his disciples, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world,” and then prays that God would protect them from the devil and that he would sanctify them by the word of God. But here,