Hello and welcome to our broadcast. We're in John chapter 15, the second half of that chapter. Have your Bibles ready. We'll look at it in just a minute. Well, yesterday we saw in a broadcast that this chapter is divided into three areas, abiding in Christ, loving Christians, and hating, and that is, of course, not us hating anybody, but being hated by Christ rejecters, is what this portion of Scripture is talking about. We left off at the end of the part that is talking about abiding in Christ, and we want to look at verse 7. We didn't look at it yesterday. It says, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Well, that sounds like a good deal. I can ask for whatever I want. Well, the thing is about that, that if we are abiding in Him, my will will be exactly the same as His will, so obviously I am going to be asking for what He wants. Verse 8 says, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. Herein. Wherein is that? Well, herein, He's referring to if we abide in Christ, The result of that will be that we will bear much fruit and so shall you be my disciples. Now the word disciples simply means learner. And so we have from verse 3 to verse 9 abiding in Christ. Now the next portion of scripture that we have here is talking about loving Christians. Back in John 13, verse number 1, we read that Jesus loved his own and he loved them unto the end. Now that means he loved them as much as it is possible to love anybody. Now in John 15 and 9 it says, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. That word continues is very interesting. It's the same Greek word that has been translated, abide, ten times in this chapter. Twice it has been translated continue and that is here in John 15 and verse 9 where he says continue in my love and prior to that in John 8 and 31 he says continue in my word and the best way to continue in the love of Christ is to be into his word and letting his word get into us. In verse 10, he says, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Keep my commandments, and ye shall abide in my love, even as he abides in Christ's love. That's a great love. Now we get into verse number 11. We have that phrase again, these things, these things. It would be a great study for you if you would take your TV, turn it off for a while and get into the Bible and study this portion of scripture and see what these things are. He says to these disciples, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Notice what he says here, that my joy might remain in you. Here he is heading for a crucifixion within hours, and he says, I wish you could have my joy when you're facing things like I'm facing. That's why these things are written here, that my joy might remain, and that your joy might remain, and that your joy might be full. He says, I just want you full of joy. If you'll do these things, you will be. Now in verse 12 he says, this is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Keep in mind they're on their way to Gethsemane. He's talking to these 11 disciples, his real godly men who are going to take over when he goes back to heaven. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you." Now we've said before it's impossible to love on commandment, but if you compare this with other places where he's talked about these things, he says, these things I command you, that ye will love one another. If you do these things, loving one another will be a byproduct and it'll happen automatically. Then in verse number 13 he says, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He said in John chapter 10 verse 15, I lay down my life for the sheep. In John chapter 10 and verse 17, he said, I lay down my life for you. Well, in John 13 and 37, Peter said, I will lay down my life for thy sake. And Jesus said, wilt thou lay down your life for my sake, Peter, before this night is over? You will deny me three times. And he did. Well again in verse 13 here in John chapter 15, he said, greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now I think that it's referring to the fact that he is going to die for his friends, but I think it's referring to more than that. If you look at the life of Jesus and the whole time that he spent here in this world, he laid down his entire life for his friends. Everything he did, he did for somebody else. And so you might say, well, I love somebody enough to die for them. Yeah, that's all right. You get that over with in a few minutes. But do you love somebody enough to live for them? Do we love somebody enough to lay down our lives for them? If we regularly answer that question honestly, we might find out we're more self-centered than we really think we are. Greater love has no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. He said of 15, Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father I have made no one unto you." He said, I haven't kept anything back. It's like Paul said, you've got to teach that whole counsel of God, not just the pleasant things. Now verse 16, he says to these men, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Now the Calvinists like take half of his verse and say, oh yeah, see, God has chosen us. You've not chosen me, but I've chosen you. It's a wicked thing to take half a verse. It doesn't say that. He says, I've chosen you and ordained you Christians, that he was talking to, that they should go and bring forth fruit, that your fruit should remain. And whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father in my name, He may give it you, asking in His name. If you can prove to God that Jesus wants it, you can go and ask for it in His name. Again, he says in verse number 17, these things I command you, that you love one another. And there you have it again. These things, I command you, and if you do that, you will love one another. Well, the last half of this chapter, he talks about hate. Let's read it. Verse 18, he says, if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you're of the world, the world would love its own, but because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sayings, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin. But now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they would not have had sin. But now have they both seen and hated both me and my father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. Well, Jesus said, they hated me and they hated me without a cause. And he said, remember in verse 20, the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Are they persecuting you? All that live godly in Christ Jesus, the Bible says, will suffer persecution. How is that happening these days? Oh, we have such peaceful coexistence with the enemy these days, don't we? We don't want them persecuting us. You know, just keep tight-lipped about Jesus and they won't do anything to you. But you don't have to go looking for a fight. All you got to do is go to work or go to school or go wherever you go and preach Jesus. And they may not fire rocks at you and crucify you like they did him, but you'll get some verbal persecution if you're going to stand up for the things of the Lord. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. He said, he that hated me hated my father, because he said, I and my father are one. They have hated both me and my father, he said again in verse number 24, they have hated me without a cause. And so he says here from verse number 18 on through to verse number 25, you're going to be hated by the world if you stand true to the Word of God and stand true to the Savior. Then look at that great word in verse number 26, But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. That is, he will be with you when you are testifying of me. And if someone is going to be convicted, it's not going to be because you have a slick presentation down the Roman's road, it is going to be because the Holy Spirit is working with you and convicting people of their sin. And he says in 27, and you shall also bear witness because ye have been with me, from the beginning. Keep in mind, he's been talking here to those 11 men. I haven't been with him from the beginning in Jerusalem. He's talking to them. Now we get to verse 1 of chapter 16. Again, you have that phrase, these things. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. There's going to be a lot of things happening in the next few hours. There's going to be a lot of things happening in the next few years. And he said, now these things, I'm giving you this up front. I want you to know ahead of time. Peter apparently wasn't listening very well because he didn't do too good that night. As a matter of fact, all the disciples forsook him and fled. In any event, he said, you should not be offended. You should not be caused to stumble by the things that are going to happen, because I have spoken these things unto you that you shouldn't stumble. Well, they shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. Some of these people, like Paul, when he was going around killing these Christians right after this time, He thought he was actually doing the will of God. He said he did it in ignorance. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me. Now look at verse 4. But these things have I told you that when the time come ye may remember that I told you of them And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me, and none of you ask me whither goest thou. But because I have said these things unto you sorrow hath filled your heart." Well, sometimes these things that the Lord says to us are very positive things, and sometimes they're very negative things. And to these disciples, the fact that He's saying, I'm going away, I'm leaving tonight, this is my last time with you, we've been together for three years, this is it. That was not very positive. And He says, because I have said these things, Sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless, he said, I tell you the truth. You know, sometimes we just have to preach the whole counsel of God, and that makes people sorrowful sometimes. Sometimes we can preach on very positive things, but Jesus says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Notice we said before the Holy Spirit is a person, not just an influence. He, when He has come, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged as Satan. I have yet many things to say unto you. but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. Now, isn't that interesting? He will guide you into all truth. How come we're going so many different directions these days with different people who call themselves fundamental leaders? Somebody's not listening. He will guide you into all truth. All truth is all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He shall show you things to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of mine and show it unto you." Then it's verse 16, he says, a little while, and you shall not see me. And again a little while, and you shall see me because I go to the Father. Well, they were going to see him again. You remember after the resurrection, he rose from the dead and he met with them for 40 days in the early part of the book of Acts. Well, verse 17 says, Then some of his disciples said among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us a little while, and ye shall not see me again a little while, and ye shall see me because I go to my father? They said therefore, What is this that he saith a little while? We cannot tell what he saith. Now Jesus knew that they were deserves to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said a little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice And ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Well again, this chapter concludes in verse 33. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Well, we're out of time again. Tune in again tomorrow. We'll continue our study in the book of John. you