NOT WITHOUT HOPE
John 14:1-4, 15-21, 25-27
Second in Sermon Series—“Journey to the Cross”
I found myself in a situation recently where I was confronted with the idealism of youth. We’ve all been there—it’s just been longer ago for some of us! The truth is that it may be so long since you experienced the idealism of youth that you’ve forgotten what it’s like! But trust me, you really were young once!
In the idealism of youth, we aspire to a perfect world without strife, without problems, and without heartaches. We wonder why the world can’t be that way—and get frustrated and irritated when we get disappointed. I suppose the classic though overdone Miss America pageant answer to what is desired most in life is “world peace.” But there’s never been a time when there’s been peace in the world—not since God created people! There’s never been peace in the world because there are people in the world! And people just seem to have a knack for messing up world peace!
And when the unreal aspiration for world peace faces reality, then we begin instead to yearn for meaning and purpose in our lives as we strive to make a difference in the context of a very imperfect world. And in that imperfect world we face unanswered questions, uncertainties, doubts, fears, worries and troubling circumstances that prove to be out of our control. So what’s the solution? Or is there a solution?
Did you know that Jesus Himself was troubled by circumstances in His life? Our sermon series—Journey to the Cross—is centering in on John’s Gospel. In the 12th chapter of John, Jesus is speaking again to His disciples about the fact that He was going to die. At verse 27 He says,
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 (John 12:27).
Jesus was troubled by the circumstances in His life! So we’re not alone! He understands! And yet He continued, even on His journey to the Cross.
And it was that journey that amazingly ushered in a new era of hope for all who would place their faith and trust in Jesus, but not without the plot thickening even further before that could happen. As we approach the 14th chapter of John and the passages we’ll be considering this morning, we find that Jesus has once again addressed His disciples about the fact that He was going to die. It was something they didn’t want to hear. Simon Peter, often seeing himself as the protector of Jesus, promised to lay his own life on the line for Jesus—to which, as you likely recall, Jesus predicted that before the rooster crowed again the following morning that Peter would disown Jesus three times!
All of this was totally unnerving the faithful followers of Jesus. Everything they had come to depend upon was seemingly being pulled out from under them! Have you ever faced circumstances that completely rattled you? If you haven’t, you maybe haven’t lived long enough—for it will surely happen and it will likely happen far more than just once! And the words of Jesus that we’re going to read today are particularly powerful for us when we find ourselves unnerved by things around us. Let me read what Jesus had to say to His followers on that day—
[Read John 14:1-4, 15-21, 25-27, NIV]
As I’ve read and re-read and studied this chapter this week, it appears to me that Jesus has laid out for us what I’d call a two-fold hope—hope for Now and hope for Eternity. And since here and now is where we’re living, let’s start with Now!
The promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the primary provision of this hope for today and the foreseeable future. Jesus spoke with calm assurance of the divine provision for them—the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit while we walk this earth. Jesus was dealing with 12 disciples who had come to so depend upon His physical presence with them that they were panicked at the thought of Him not being with them! It was unthinkable to them! They could not bear the thought of Jesus leaving them. It made them feel abandoned—and to those fears Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans…”
“Orphan” is a word we don’t use often any more, though it’s a word we’ve heard quite a bit in recent weeks here in Treasure Valley as some people from our town have been in the national news for their efforts to address the needs of some of orphaned children in Haiti after the devastation of the recent earthquake there. I remember my mother, after losing both of her parents while she was just in her mid-40’s, describing herself as an orphan—and it clearly was a sad label! Jesus was using the term here to describe the way that the disciples were certainly feeling as they contemplated life without Jesus.
If I had read all of chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, you would have heard dialogue that Jesus had with His disciples, as three of them raised objections and questions to what He was telling them. Thomas, known as the doubter, was the first to question Jesus. He was utterly honest and uninhibited in voicing his despair. Philip was next. He was struggling with the abstracts and uncertainties, so He asked for something concrete as assurance for his beliefs. Then one named Judas (but clearly not Judas Iscariot) questioned the way Jesus was going about all this.
Jesus was rocking their boat way too much with all of this talk about Him dying and leaving them! It didn’t make sense to them! They needed something to hang on to! They needed it then and there! And they needed a hope that would not go away—ever! And Jesus’ solution is not philosophical or intellectual. That bottom line is that the hope Jesus was giving was a relationship—an ongoing relationship with Himself through the Holy Spirit. The hope Jesus was giving was personal. Jesus did not claim merely to know the way and the truth and the life as a formula he could somehow impart to the ignorant, but rather He made it clear that He Himself was the way, the truth and the life—the Answer to human problems. Jesus’ solution to the unnerved disciples was not a recipe or formula but rather an ongoing relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus was making it clear to His disciples that He was not disbanding them in anticipation of His departure but, rather, He was expecting them to continue His work and actually to do even greater things than He had accomplished. That seems impossible in light of Who He is and the power He possessed, but the truth is that through the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to them there were more converts after Peter’s initial sermon at Pentecost than are recorded during Jesus’ three-year ministry! And so Jesus was encouraging them and reassuring them that He would continue to be with them—through the Holy Spirit.
And in this talk, Jesus explained a bit more just Who the Holy Spirit is—though we have to acknowledge that the mystery of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is a mystery you and I are never going to fully solve. God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit—they are three and yet they are One. We do not worship three gods; we worship One God. And if it bugs you that you can’t fully describe or define the Trinity, just get over it!—because of all the things God clearly is He is a mystery and our inadequacy in defining God is merely a reflection of our limited understanding and not of some kind of inadequacy on God’s part! He has no inadequacy!
So how did Jesus describe the Holy Spirit? In verse 16 Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16). And at verse 26 Jesus goes on to say—
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. (John 14:26)
Various translations of the Bible use other terms in place of “Counselor” in these verses: Helper, Friend, and Advocate. The truth is that we have no word in our English language that can express the rich and powerful meaning of the original Greek word, which is “Paraclete,” to describe this Holy Companion. The literal translation of “paraclete” is “to call alongside,” so this “Helper” or “Counselor” whom Jesus will send will come alongside the followers of Jesus to counsel, to guide, to help, and to encourage.
The Paraclete comes into the world just as Jesus was sent into the world, and He is given only to those who have received Jesus Christ—who love Him and who obey Him. Those are the conditions given. And the Holy Spirit would direct their decisions, counsel them continuously and remain with them forever. He would be invisible to all, for He will not operate on the world’s wavelength.
Even though the Holy Spirit was already with the disciples insofar as they were under His influence, Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit would dwell within them when Jesus left them. The Holy Spirit would abide with them continuously. He would make His home in them. It’s so personal and so relational!
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He addresses our questions and concerns, our fears and our doubts—speaking truth into our lives. In verse 26 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” In that way, the Holy Spirit imparts wisdom to the followers of Jesus—in ever-increasing ways as we journey with Him.
As we journey with Christ, we find ourselves invited into a divine relationship—personally and corporately. And I say “corporately” because it is the Holy Spirit who gathers us together and makes us one. Through the working of the Holy Spirit, the followers of Jesus together become the Body in whom He dwells and works and moves. As Jesus was present with the disciples throughout the years of His earthly ministry, so the Holy Spirit is with us now. The Holy Spirit wasn’t born or created after Jesus’ death and Resurrection. The Holy Spirit was active from the beginning of time—and we witness the working of the Spirit of God in the pages of the Old Testament as He interfaced with the people of God. But what Jesus was looking toward was the time when the Holy Spirit would “be in you”—and that was about to happen at the event we know as Pentecost (Acts 2).
In speaking the word of promise that Jesus would not leave them as orphans and that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them, Jesus spoke peace into their lives. I love the words of John 14:27—
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. (John 14:27)
And I suppose that ultimately the great hope in our lives is Christ’s word of peace to us! Jesus speaks such peace into our lives today. His Message is clear: “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned and adrift. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught. Don’t be afraid.”
Now the peace of which Jesus spoke could not be an exempt card from conflict and troubles in life. Remember, even Jesus was “troubled” by His impending Crucifixion. The peace Jesus spoke of is the calmness of confidence in God. Jesus had this peace because He was sure of the Father’s love and approval. Jesus could continue on His journey to the Cross without fear because He had every confidence in the Heavenly Father’s purpose and power. And this same peace would be poured out upon the followers of Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And I cannot help but connect peace and hope in this context. With such peace, we can be free from fear and free from hopelessness. And the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is with us forever.
And that brings us to the other dimension of hope—there’s first hope for Now but there’s also hope for Eternity, hope beyond this life. The first few verses of John chapter 14 are words I’ve used many times in funeral services. I actually used them this week in the graveside service for Margie Howard—
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 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. 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. (John 14:1-3)
And at funerals I have often tagged on the words of John 14:27—
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. (John 14:27)
They’re incredibly appropriate words, aren’t they, for the funeral of someone who knew the Lord?! But these words from Jesus weren’t intended just to be read at funerals. These words were intended for the living—to give a strong, unshakable hope that could not be snuffed out by the unnerving circumstances of life!
Jesus speaks here of our heavenly home. Jesus referred to heaven many times. Other places in scripture describe it in further detail. I’ve concluded that trying to fully comprehend heaven is like trying to fully comprehend God—we just aren’t capable. Scripture gives us some images—but I think, more than anything, that those words are intended to whet our appetite for that which is beyond our comprehension. And what’s most wonderful about heaven is being with the Lord—in the presence of the Lord forever!
And in this passage, Jesus paints a picture of Him going ahead of us to prepare our room in God’s heavenly home. Jesus tells us, “There’s plenty of room for you in my Father’s home…there’s more than enough room for you.” He wasn’t speculating about a future life but rather speaking as One who was as familiar with eternity as we might be familiar with our hometown. And, to the ears of his listening disciples, Jesus was building on imagery familiar to those in that culture who knew what it was for multiple generations and multiple families within the extended family to live together under one roof.
This was far more than just a pep talk by Jesus. He was on His way to the Cross. He wouldn’t minimize the agony of it, but His leaving was opening the door for something so much more wonderful for each of them. Through His death and Resurrection, Jesus would open the way for these people to live in a place where there is ultimate union with Him. This eternal dwelling place is great and spacious, with lots of rooms—one that is being prepared for each of us. And Jesus has promised to return some day and take us to be with Him forever.
What wonderful hope when we face the reality of our own mortality or the mortality of those we love! We love this life and we cling to it—but we need to remember that we weren’t created just for the life we enjoy on earth. We were created to live with God forever! And while we can truly be “at home” with Jesus wherever we are because of His grace and acceptance, we live with a hope that transcends the limitations of this world. We live with a hope that supercedes all the heartaches and challenges of this life. We live with the hope of someday going to be with the Lord forever!—that He is even now preparing a place for us where we will be with the Lord forever and ever!
I don’t think it’s any secret that I have high regard for Dr. Jerry Johnson—my predecessor as pastor of Valley Shepherd, the man that the Lord used in tremendous ways to help this congregation turn some critical corners so that we can be most effective for the Lord’s work in our community. And when I consider that he’s 82 years of age, I find him even more amazing!
Dr. Johnson spoke at the funeral of Margie Howard this week. And I love the analogy he built on in his message. The obituary had told of Margie coming from Arkansas with her family when she was just a little girl of 3 or 4 years of age. And knowing that the family had settled in Emmett, Dr. Johnson painted the picture in our minds of her family coming over the ridge where you can see down over the valley where Emmett sits. And he imagined with us her father stopping the old car that transported the young family back in the 1920’s and announcing, “This is your new home!” as they looked out upon the wonder and beauty of that little town.
And toward the end of Dr. Johnson’s message he took us back to the imagery as he helped us envision the Heavenly Father, just a few days before, welcoming Margie Howard as she breathed her last breath and stepped from this world into the next. And as her Heavenly Father welcomed her into her new heavenly home, He used the same words, “This is your new home!”—as He welcomed her to explore all the wonders of this place that He’d been preparing for her.
I’m glad that the hope Jesus gives us gives us hope for this life—hope that brings peace and assurance despite the many uncertainties and perplexities of life! I want my life to count and to make a difference, and the hope Jesus gives us through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit makes that possible! I need the Counselor to guide me, to encourage me, to teach me, to help me discern Truth! And I need Him every day! And the promise of Jesus to us all is that the Holy Spirit comes to those who have come to know Jesus and who seek to obey Him with their whole hearts. And in this relationship we can live with hope of life being purposeful and meaningful! And I believe we all want that!
But I also know that sometime we’re all going to have to face the fact that this life isn’t going to last forever. And I want each of us to be ready for the day when we breathe our last breath. I don’t believe Jesus wants us to fear that day, but to approach it with a buoyant sense of everlasting hope and the peace that goes with such a hope.
May I ask you today, are you living with such a two-fold hope? Are you being able to live with peace in your heart each day because of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit? And do you have a hope that you know is going to carry you even through your last days on earth—whenever that may be? Our Heavenly Father offers to each of us such hope today—and I want to invite you to embrace that hope this day.
