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Sermon Summary (Time Suggestion: 5 minutes)

This weekend’s message begins a new series for the Advent season called “The Return of the King”. Advent is traditionally celebrated in churches around the world during the 4-week period leading up to Christmas. This season is used as a time of preparation for the approach of Jesus’ birth. This series will focus on Christ’s second coming and how that affects our lives today. Rich opens the sermon by sharing about his generation’s (the Baby Boomers) obsession with the “End Times” theology as seen in bestseller books like The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay, in which several predictions were made about the end of the world. Many of Lindsay’s and other similar authors’ predictions did not come true. The effect of this has been that the pendulum has shifted: subsequent generations have rejected the importance of Christ’s return all together. The 21^st century’s focus and obsession is on the present – living your best moment now and living life to the fullest.

Rich then begins to outline the reasons we should care about the Lord’s return. First: the Lord’s return is everywhere in the Bible. He points out that out of the 27 books in the New Testament, only two short books don’t call attention to the future (Philemon and 3 John). He then lists several scriptures that show how the second coming of Christ was not a secondary message for these writers. Here he also highlights his main text from Hebrews 9:27-28: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Even the two great creeds – The Apostles Creed and The Nicene Creed – both speak about the return of Christ. The Bible and the early church clearly taught that Jesus would one day return to the earth.

Rich then points out that not only will Christ return, but he is also present with us now in several ways: by his Spirit, as we take communion, as we gather together in prayer, and as we care for the poor, the immigrant, the sick and the prisoner.

Rich goes on to ask, if Christ is present with us now, then why do we need a second coming? Because there is a very real sense in which Christ is or at least seems absent from us right now. We have the invisible presence of Christ, but we also want his visible presence. We have a foretaste of his kingdom now, but we want to experience the fullness of that kingdom. The second coming is important because only then will we experience Him completely, without the absence.

Rich then says that we actually should look forward to judgment. We do this for two reasons. First, because of who the Judge is – he is our loving savior who died and gave himself fully for us. Secondly, because of what the judgment entails. Instead of judgment being about punishment, the focus of judgment in the Bible is revelation; nothing will be hidden anymore. Christ will be revealed fully and we will see him face to face. Sin and hypocrisy will be revealed so that all of the hidden betrayals and pretenses will be uncovered. And finally, God’s children will be revealed. All those children serving Jesus in many ways that are never seen will finally be shown for who they are and what they’ve done. When Christ returns, the people who have spent their lives pursuing Him will be welcomed home.  

1. The Lord’s return is everywhere in the Bible

1. The Lord is present with us
   1. Christ is present by his Spirit
   2. Christ is present as we take communion
   3. Christ is present as we gather together in prayer
   4. Christ is present as we care for the poor, the immigrant, the sick and the prisoner

• The Lord will return to us

1. We look forward to judgment
   1. Because of who the Judge is
   2. Because of what judgment entails
   3. Christ will be revealed
   4. Sin and hypocrisy will be revealed
   5. God’s children will be revealed

Link to the Sermon (Time suggestion 5 minutes)

• Take a few minutes to share the ways you feel Christ is most present to you now. Do you relate strongly with one of the 4 areas that Rich talked about (his Spirit, communion, prayer together or caring for the poor/immigrant/sick/prisoner)?
• In what ways do you experience longing for Christ’s return? In what ways has its importance faded from your heart and mind?

 This Week’s Bible Study Text: John 16:7-15

Background and Context

This section of the Gospel of John is considered a farewell discourse given by Jesus to his disciples. It contains encouragement and instruction for them. John’s recording of Jesus’ farewell discourse is different from the other farewell discourse recorded in Luke. John’s discourse is much longer and includes a lengthy description of the Holy Spirit. In Greek the word for Holy Spirit is paraclete, which means “one called alongside” especially to offer assistance in a court situation. Often it has been translated “advocate” or “counselor.” This “Advocate” will come to help them after Jesus has gone.

Before this passage, John tells us that at the Last Supper Jesus washed his disciples’ feet telling them to “wash one another’s feet.” Jesus then predicts his betrayal and also Peter’s denial. After that, Jesus comforts them and tells them clearly that he is the way to the Father. He first promises the Holy Spirit (paraclete) to his disciples in chapter 14:16. Then he exhorts them to remain in him, connected like a vine and branches (15:1-17). Finally, he tells them he must leave them and he warns them about persecution that will come when he leaves (15:18-16:4). When we enter into our passage for study, Jesus is talking about the work the Holy Spirit will do in us.

Study & Discuss

Read John 16:7-15

To help increase participation in your group, ask someone to read this passage out loud.

⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about 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 the 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 glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 17:7-15 NIV)

1. In verse 7, what does Jesus say must happen before the “Advocate” can come?

Jesus says that he must leave them first.

2. In verse 7, Jesus says to his disciples, “it is for your good that I am going away.” Jesus has just told them he will be betrayed and denied and then killed. How do you think the disciples would have felt after hearing their beloved teacher say he was going to leave them even if he told them it is for their “good”?

The disciples probably would have been afraid. They have seen Jesus do so much and he has opened their mind to the truth. Now this powerful leader and teacher was going to leave them. They may have felt anxious and unprepared for his departure. They probably felt confused. They didn’t have the gospel accounts like we do to help them see the whole picture. It would have been difficult to understand how an action like this could be “good” for them.

3. Has there been a time in your life where you felt like something really difficult happened that God wanted to use for your “good”? Would anyone be willing to share? How did you deal with that tension?
4. What roles does Jesus say the Holy Spirit will play in verse 8?

Verse 8 says the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of guilt” in three directions, “in regard to sin,” righteousness” and “judgment.” 

5. Verses 9-11 explain more about this idea that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of guilt” in these different ways. What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment?

There is some debate by scholars about the meaning of this phrase. It seems clear though that the Holy Spirit continues the work that Jesus began. To “convict” is not meant to be a totally threatening idea that inspires fear, it means to expose or to see plainly. Like Rich taught in his sermon, this act by the Holy Spirit of conviction is meant to give them hope.

First, because men and women “do not believe in Jesus,” the Holy Spirit will convince people of their sin. When people see their own sin, they will be able to see their need for Christ and their hearts will be open to believe in Jesus.

Second, the Holy Spirit’s coming will mark Jesus’ “going to the Father.” This means that Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection has become our righteousness. We no longer stand condemned of sin because of His sacrifice.

Third, this going of Jesus and coming of the Holy Spirit marks the condemning of the “prince of this world” – in other words the Devil. The Holy Spirit’s coming is a “deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Cor 1:22). Evil and death have been forever defeated and the Holy Spirit is our evidence of that.

6. Do these ways that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of guilt” give you hope? Why or why not?
7. In verse 12-13 what does Jesus say the Holy Spirit will do?

He will “guide us into all truth.” He will tell us only “what he hears” the Father saying. He will “tell us what is yet to come.”

8. From this description, what role does the Holy Spirit play in our life?

He guides us to truth. The “truth” that Jesus is talking about is clear from an earlier passage. In John 14:6, Jesus says that he is the truth. The Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will also speak for Jesus. The Holy Spirit will give them constant access to Jesus the way Jesus had access to the Father.

Finally the Spirit gives us a taste of the “things to come.” Jesus is beginning a new age with his leaving…the age of the coming of the Kingdom of God. But this Kingdom will not fully break in – we only see God’s Kingdom in part. The Holy Spirit allows us to experience the goodness of God’s Kingdom now even if the Kingdom has not come fully yet.

9. In what ways have you felt or seen the Holy Spirit in your life? In what ways are you longing for more?
10. What does Jesus mean when he says, “in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

Jesus is referring to his death, resurrection and ascension. He promises that this first coming (being born by Mary in the little town of Bethlehem) will be followed by a second coming.

1. In what ways are you seeing evidence of God’s Kingdom here “on earth as it is in heaven”? In what ways have you felt a lack of Jesus’ presence or a “not yet” of the Kingdom? 

Ministry Time

Take some time at the end of your group to welcome the Holy Spirit and seek Him for direction as you pray for one another. When we make space for Him, God is pleased to come and show Himself to us in our groups, and to genuinely touch and change us, often in powerful ways.

• Pray for people experiencing “not yets” in their life. Invite the Holy Spirit to break in and bring the Kingdom of God in their lives.
• Consider attending the Healing I classes as a group. They are this Sunday (Nov 30) and next (Dec 7) at Cooper Campus 3-6pm.