The Spirit Will Teach You

Good morning. I am Jason Nather, my wife Stacy and I are members here at Crestview and small group leaders.

Scripture Reading:

Please stay seated as I read the passage for today’s message. When I am finished I will say “This is God’s word”. Please respond with me by saying, “Thanks be to God.”

John 14:25–26 (ESV) 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

PRAY: Let’s pray… Father, will you please make your goodness known to us this morning. Lord Jesus, please have mercy on our brokenness as we all come in here this morning having walked through different difficulties this week. We need your grace and forgiveness. Spirit, will you please open our eyes, ears, and hearts to what you would teach us this morning – we can do nothing without you. We ask this in the good strong name of Jesus. Amen.

INTRODUCTION:

WHAT IS IT YOU REALLY WANT FROM YOUR LIFE? – Joy? To feel like you’re living life to the fullest!

Wouldn’t it be great to have a guide – A MASTER TEACHER – beside us? Someone to show us the way to not just “surviving” but actually “thriving”? – Someone to show us the way to LIFE?

T: There are lots of great stories out there that tell the story of a Master/Student relationship where someone is being taught the ways of a Master - to become an expert at something. We tend to love these types of stories. A few that come to mind The Karate Kid – Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, Rocky – Rocky and Mickey, The Matrix – Neo and Morpheus, The Last Samurai – Captain Algren and Katsumoto, Star Wars – Luke and Yoda, and last but not least Kung Fu Panda – Po and Shifu. (sorry they all have a fighting/martial arts theme.)

ILLUSTRATION:

KUNG FU PANDA this last one, let’s talk about that for a minute.

The movie Kung Fu Panda tells the story of Po, a clumsy and food-loving – somewhat overweight- panda who unexpectedly becomes the Kung Fu master, The Dragon Warrior, the one destined to bring peace.

In the beginning of the movie Po knows a LOT about Kung Fu in his head, and he knows a lot about other great Kung Fu masters… but Po doesn’t actually KNOW Kung Fu. He just knows a lot about Kung Fu… But then he is chosen by the grand master OOGWAY (an old sea turtle) to become the Dragon Master, and OOGWAY gives Po a MASTER TEACHER, Master SHIFU. And Master Shifu teaches Po actual Kung Fu… not just a head knowledge about it. It involves a lot of interaction with other Kung Fu students… a lot of sparring… as he prepares to become the Dragon Master and face the grand nemesis Tai Lin… You’ll have to watch the movie to see how it ends.

T: And this idea of a Master/Teacher relationship is where today’s passage in John’s gospel comes in.

SCRIPTURE INTRO:

As a reminder John’s gospel, though its towards the beginning of our printed New Testament, it is one of the last books to be written. John is writing at the closing of the first century several decades after some of the earliest writings such as Galatians and James.

John’s one of the last remaining original apostles, and in all of his writings he has a point he is driving at. In the gospel of John he states it clearly in John 20:30-31

IF YOU HAVE YOUR BIBLES

LOOK WITH ME AT

John 20:30–31 (ESV) 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing YOU MAY HAVE LIFE in his name.

John states that his purpose in writing this gospel is that in your believing in Jesus you would have life!...

Not just survive… not just get by… but have LIFE!

JOHN 13-17

Currently we are in the middle of an 8 week series focusing on John 13-17, what is called “The Upper Room Discourse “…

Phil likes to call it “ONE-OLOGY: A STUDY IN HOW JESUS MAKES HIS PEOPLE ONE.”…

I like to think of it as THE INVITATION TO THE ETERNAL PARTY – Like the Trinity has existed forever in this awesome relationship of love… this eternal party… they’ve “had it going on” so good for so long, that out of their love they make us… to experience this same sort of intimate relationship and love that they have.

In the apostle John’s writings this is a central theme… IT’S ABOUT LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS.

A relationship with the Living God… It’s about knowing him, AND it’s about knowing each other. 

MESSAGE

T: NOW LET’S LOOK AT JESUS’ WORDS IN JOHN 14:25-26 AGAIN ONLY in a “Southern” style, replacing the “YOUs” with “Y’ALL” to highlight where the you is plural in the original language.

LOOK WITH ME

John 14:25–26 (ESV) 25 “These things I have spoken to y’all while I am still with y’all. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach y’all all things and bring to y’all’s remembrance all that I have said to y’all.

The “y’all” flexes the words a bit differently, doesn’t it? He says this to a group… as a group… to be understood and applied as a group…

? WHAT IS JESUS SAYING HERE? – WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA OF WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY? 1. THE SPIRIT IS OUR “MASTER” TEACHER.

I add the word “Master” onto teacher because I want us to pick up this idea that there’s a difference between an intellectual “head-knowledge-only” teacher and someone like a martial arts “master” teacher – Like Shifu in Kung Fu Panda - a master – who teaches us through head knowledge and lived out action and practice – thru sparring.

T: ? WHAT WILL THE SPIRIT TEACH US?

LOOK WITH ME at Vs 26

Jesus say, “he will teach y’all all things” Now, what does this “all things” mean… Some would curtly say, well Jason “all means all” and I would agree… in part. I mean… Does this mean he is going to teach me how to rob a bank? Well, I don’t think so… Some statements are highly informed by their context, like John 14:12 where Jesus says we can “ask anything in his name and he will do it”… that “anything” has some qualifiers doesn’t it…

T: Similarly, let’s start by looking at the context of this statement and see what we can learn “THESE THINGS” the Spirit will teach us.

LOOK WITH ME at Vs 25

This starts with Jesus talking about “These Things” he has said…

NOW LOOK WITH ME at the end of Vs 26

This also has to do with the Spirit “reminding” his disciples of what Jesus has said… now I do think that applies to everything Jesus has said, but we must also remember that Jesus is saying these words in the middle of a very engaging conversation.

? SO, WHAT ARE “THESE THINGS” Jesus had spoken to them?

To answer that we have to look at the context.

It’s their last night together.

Jesus has just washed their feet before they eat together.

Jesus then tells them he’s going to be betrayed by one of them.

And then Jesus drops the bomb on them that he’s getting ready to leave.

AND JESUS GIVES THEM A NEW COMMANDMENT… but they sort of miss that.

And they’re having a bit of a freak out moment, Jesus just said he’s leaving them…

Peter, Thomas, and then Philip all respond a bit differently… Peter’s like, “I’ll follow you wherever”… Thomas is like, “Show us the way…” and Philip is like, “Lord, show us the Father and that’s enough…”

Right before this in in 14:18-21 Jesus tells them 18 “I will not leave y’all as orphans…” and he goes on to tell them in vs 21 basically that he will manifest himself to whomever keeps his commandments.

NOW LOOK WITH ME

John 14:22 (ESV) 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”

T: Judas is like, “Okay… so you’re leaving but you’ll still going to make special appearances…

? SO, HOW DOES THIS WORK? Look at the beginning of Jesus’s response

LOOK WITH ME

John 14:23 23 Jesus answered him, “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.

? SO, HOW WILL JESUS MANIFEST HIMSELF TO HIS DISCIPLES?

A: “BY KEEPING HIS WORD”

So if we keep Jesus’ word, the payoff is Huge  The father and Jesus will show up – they’ll manifest themselves.

I wonder if this made them think about the Garden of Eden, before the fall, when God would come and hang out with his people in the garden.

T: AWESOME! ? So what does it mead to “Keep His Word”?

I think they all knew in that moment exactly what Jesus meant

In the Old Testament the 10 Commandments are also known as the 10 “Words”

? So what was Jesus WORD, his COMMANDMENT?

LOOK WITH ME AT

John 13:34–35 JESUS SAYS, 34 A new commandment I give to y’all, that y’all love one another: just as I have loved y’all, y’all also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that y’all are my disciples, if y’allhave love for one another.”

A NEW COMMANDMENT (A NEW WORD) I GIVE TO YOU… LOVE ONE ANOTHER JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

T: ? SO HOW DO WE GET JESUS TO MANIFEST HIMSELF? TO COME HANG OUT WITH US? SIMPLE… WE JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER… THE SAME WAY JESUS LOVED HIS DISCIPLES… THE WAY HE LOVES US…

A: WAIT… We know that just before Jesus said this he washed his disciples feet as an example, even the guy who was in the middle of betraying him. AND we all know where this story goes… to a cross… and we all know our weakness… we all know that we’re often just like PO from Kung Fu Panda. We might know a lot about God and the Bible… but loving like the author of life - being the Dragon Master, so to speak - that’s no small task…

T: SO HOW DO WE DO THIS? THIS TAKES US TO POINT 2

THE SPIRIT WILL TEACH US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

A: “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” you say… Well gee Jason, Thanks. That’s not exactly rocket science, but how exactly do we do that… It is kind of vague isn’t it?

T: SO, LET’S TALK A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THIS LOVE IS LIKE…

? WHAT SORT OF LOVE IS THE SPIRIT GOING TO TEACH US?

To answer that, let’s talk about the different types of love in the New Testament for just a moment

In CS Lewis’ book The Four Loves, he talks about the four distinct types of love in the Greek in the Bible

1. Storge Familial Love or affection – father/son, mother/daughter, brother/sister.
2. Eros – Romantic or “erotic” love – like man and woman kind of stuff… nuff said
3. Philia – Deep friendship – the love between companions.
4. Agape – The highest kind of love – divine sacrificial love.

A couple of pointers here – Agape isn’t necessarily a separate kind of love from the other three – it more informs the other three… it’s like an adjective for those other three loves…

We can have good – agape type – family love or we can have bad family love… a dysfunctional family.

We can have good – agape type - Eros love relationships – like a good marriage. And there’s also bad Eros type relationships…

Now the 3rd type of love it is the most unique of the three loves – Storge and Eros are kind of essential to humanity… like everyone has a mom and dad – storge comes with being human… and no one has a family without there having been Eros love… it’s essential to humanity’s survival.

But Philia… FRIENDSHIP type love… that’s a unique love. Out of the three types of love it is the one we most freely choose.

? So why do I bring up this philia, “Friendship” love.

Because we are to love each other the way Jesus loved his disciples and in John 15 Jesus defines the type of agape love he has for them and he wants us to have with one another.

LOOK WITH ME AT John 15:13–17 (ESV)

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.14 Y’all are my friends if y’all do what I command y’all.15 No longer do I call y’all servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called y’all friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to y’all. 16 Y’all did not choose me, but I chose y’all and appointed y’all that y’all should go and bear fruit and that y’all’s fruit should abide, ... 17 These things I command y’all, so that y’all will love one another.

LATER ON IN JOHN’S GOSPEL – IN JOHN 20 This friendship is brought up again. When Jesus is restoring Peter… they do this routine 3 times where Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me”? and 3 times Peter responds to Jesus telling him “YES I love you Lord.”

? HOW DOES THE SPIRIT TEACH US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER?

A: 3. THE SPIRIT WILL TEACH US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS THE BEST OF FRIENDS

4. ? SO HOW DOES THE SPIRIT “TEACH” US

T: LET’S DEFINE AN IMPORTANT TERM HERE “TEACH”

? SO… WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “TAUGHT” SOMETHING? – It’s more than head knowledge isn’t it?

To really know something requires a multi-tier process

1. Awareness of what needs to be learned
2. Intellectual familiarization (this is what we often think of as being taught - for example, we often think someone has been taught something when they can answer a series of questions about something, like a test in school
3. Acting on the intellectual knowledge... this is getting very close to thoroughly being taught
4. Mastery - this is when the action has been taken so many times that it is automatic, reflexive.

In the world of the trades this is often called the Tell, Show, Try, Do teaching process.

Let’s try to tie this back to our martial arts and Kung Fu Panda illustration to help this make sense:

• Martial Arts / Po in Kung Fu Panda
• Awareness: Watching a movie. A person becomes aware and wants to learn more,
• Knowledge: Intellectual Familiarization: So, they go watch 100 hours of YouTube videos about ju jitsu. Or even Intellectual Expertise like Po you KNOW a LOT… in your head…

? Now, would you say someone who’s only an intellectual expert on Kung Fu or Ju-Jitsu has been really “taught” something? Most of us would say No. Because martial arts is a team sport. You need someone to at least spar with. 

• Experience: Acting on the Knowledge: they sign up for a class or find a friend to teach them... They get put in their first arm bar... Ahhh now they are beginning to really learn ju jitsu
• Expert or Mastery: they intentionally practice practice practice... Until they are putting others in holds and teaching others the ways of Ju Jitsu...

? HOW OFTEN DO WE APPLY THIS, UNDERSTANDING OF TEACHING, TO OUR THEOLOGY? ...

? Do we need more and more Bible Studies to know God better? For the Holy Spirit to teach us?

T: AT SOME POINT, FOR THE SPIRIT TO BE OUR MASTER TEACHER REQUIRES ACTION… WE HAVE TO MOVE BEYOND JUST “KNOWING IN OUR HEADS”, TO ACTING AND DOING

? SO WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THE SPIRIT “TEACHES” US IN THESE FOUR PHASES?

Moving from intellectual knowledge to practical mastery.

1. NUMBER ONE THE WORD – THE SCRIPTURES. I think this is something that's pretty straightforward. Pretty obvious to most of us. So I don't think we need to spend a lot of time talking about this one. We've been given a tremendous and powerful resource in the written word of God.

1. NUMBER TWO: KNOWING HIS VOICE… this is where things start to get a bit MYSTERIOUS….

We have to actually know the Spirits voice… his leading.

Some of y’all in here are thinking “Yeah… that’s right”. And some of y’all in here are thinking, “Uh-oh… I think you’re about to lose me…” Well, hear me out.

• Jesus had some things to say about this…
• In JOHN 3 JESUS SAID, John 3:8 (ESV) 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus says those who are born of the Spirit will be moved around somewhat mysteriously, like the mystery of the wind and how it moves…

• In JOHN 10 JESUS SAID John 10:27 (ESV) 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

2. ELIJAH: If we go back a little farther, remember that guy Elijah from the Old Testament in 1 Kings 19

Right after he defeats the prophets of Baal with the fire competition… and kills all the prophets of Baal.

Elijah expects Ahab and Jezebel to repent – they don’t – in fact Jezebel tries to kill him. He runs away to hide at Mt Horeb… and it was there that God taught Elijah that he’s not in the great and might acts, but rather he’s in the still small voice… the whisper.

3. And then we have the book of Acts in the New Testament

JD Greear in his book, Jesus Continued – Why the Spirit Inside You is Better Than Jesus Beside You, says, “You get the sense reading Acts that the church is being blown about by this mighty, rushing wind called the Holy Spirit. He shows up fifty-nine times in Acts, more than twice per chapter, … The Holy Spirit speaks at least thirty-six times at various places throughout the book, but we discover no “standard” way in which he does so. Typically, Luke does not tell us how he spoke, just that he did.

4. Let me give you some examples from real life…

West Virginia, Navy, New Believer… Doing 130 mph…. Sudden compulsion to slow down NOW!

It was through a series of moments like this that I feel like the Lord taught me his voice.

• Let me give you something a bit more recent.

I’m in the hospital, my wife is not doing good and for a while I really don’t know if she’s going to live, and if she does, if she’ll ever be the same again.

There were things the Spirit taught me and reminded me of… that I don’t think any man could have. (I could choose to be angry and bitter, or I could choose to love… one would bring more brokenness to the world… the other would bring more wholeness… it’s what we were created for.)

SO, SOME WAYS THE SPIRIT “TEACHES”, NUMBER 1 & 2 ARE SCRIPTURE and KNOWING HIS VOICE

1. NUMBER THREE EACH OTHER - OTHER BELIEVERS: But again, not just what people say. I would stress again, that we need to be informed by the scriptures.

BUT I’m NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT CORRECTING EACH OTHER IN SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES – I’m TALKING ABOUT BY ACTUALLY KNOWING EACH OTHER

WE MUST LET PEOPLE INTO OUR LIVES… Jesus set the standard for us… He LOVED his dudes… He chose them, lived with them, washed the feet of his betrayer, and he calls them HIS FRIENDS… because he let them completely in on his life….

REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID IN JOHN 15:15 but I have called y’all friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to y’all

• THIS UNITY - THIS “ONE-OLOGY” …. THIS INVITATION TO “THE ETERNAL PARTY”, SATURATES JOHN 13-17… Nearly every “YOU” is a “Y’ALL”. – Jesus is constantly talking about them together…

THIS ETERNAL PARTY EXPERIENCE FOR US IS PART OF WHAT JESUS IS PRAYING FOR IN JOHN 17

Listen to these words from Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21-23 I pray… that they all may be one, just as you Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may know that you sent me… I pray… that they may be perfectly one…

• YOU SEE, WE WILL ONLY HAVE A PARTIAL VIEW OF GOD, AND WHAT HE WANTS TO TEACH US, IF WE DON’T HAVE OTHER BELIEVERS DEEPLY IN OUR LIVES.

I Like how Tim Keller puts it.

By knowing Jesus, you come to know all these different kinds of folks, [and] as you get to know these different kinds of brothers and sisters will you actually come to know Jesus [better] because they see something that you don't see? … together… you see fully who Jesus Christ is...

It's not good enough for you to come to church and get some inspiration and sing the music and weep and hear a good sermon. You have got to be immersed. You gotta be plunged into a community where you know deeply a lot of other people who know Jesus Christ well too. Otherwise, you'll never know Jesus fully. See, you will never know the multidimensional beauty and glory of Jesus Christ, unless you are deeply immersed in a community.

SO THE SPIRIT TEACHES US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS THE BEST OF FRIENDS THROUGH

• Scripture
• Knowing his voice
• Knowing each other… through the best of friendships… which is a somewhat circular synergistic thing

SO WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE US? WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

The Spirit will teach us to be the very best of friends

And Jesus will make himself known to us in these friendships – the best of friendships

This isn’t easy – it requires laying down our lives… our wants… OUR BUSY NESS…

Letting people in… putting ourselves out there…

SO OFTEN WE THINK BEING A CHRISTIAN IS FOUND IN HOW MUCH WE KNOW OF THE BIBLE… but like jesus said about the pharisees… you should know the bible and move onto the weightier matters…

JOHN’S POINT IS… THIS IS WHERE THE LIFE IS…

THIS IS WHERE YOU MOVE FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING…THIS IS WHERE YOU GO FROM KNOWING ABOUT… TO BECOMING MASTERS… BY LETTING THE SPIRIT TEACH US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

LOOK LET ME LAY IT OUT THERE FOR US…

THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT COME IN AND OUT THOSE DOORS EVERY WEEK AND PARTICIPATE IN AN EVENT… IT’S ALL GOOD… BUT THE SAD THING IS, MANY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS IT… NO… THIS SHOULD ONLY BE WHAT PREPARES US FOR THE REAL THING… WHAT POINTS US TO LOVING ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT THE WEEK… WHAT POINTS US OUT ONTO MISSION AS WE LOVE A BROKEN WORLD….

LET ME BE EVEN A LITTLE MORE REAL WITH YOU… There are a lot of younger people who grow up in Church, many of them are very active… and then they move into “REAL CHURCH” and you know what’s happening with most of them? They leave… and many will never come back…

What’s the difference? I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that in High School and even college, there is a big focus on relationships, fun, and friendships… then when they hit adulthood… well the adult Church is sadly just a reflection of the world… everyone is too busy to let people in to be real friends… we just have a lot of acquaintances… Or maybe you have some legit church hurt that makes you hesitant to put yourself out there… but maybe you need to open your eyes and realize there’s a whole world full of broken people out there looking for answers… looking for hope… and if we can’t learn to find time to be friends with each other… and find time to be friends with them… Do we really think people are going to continue coming back?

WE’VE GOT THE MASTER TEACHER – BETTER THAN YODA OR MASTER SHIFU – THE HOLY SPIRIT

• HE TEACHES US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
• HE TEACHES US IN OUR LOVING ONE ANOTHER, WHEN THE IRON SHARPEN IRON
• AND JESUS SAY, HE WILL MANIFEST HIMSELF WHEN WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER… IN THE MAJESTIC MUNDANE OF LIFE HE WILL SHOW UP…
• AND THE WORLD WILL KNOW THAT WE ARE HIS DISCIPLES.

This is part of the reason the leadership at Crestview has been putting an emphasis on Small Groups this year.This gives us a place to build friendships… to get to know one another… It’s not the only way but it is a good way… But it shouldn’t stop there. In fact in the words of some of the wisest theologians I know – my kids – their perspective growing up looking at the different Churches we were in as we moved around the country was – the meetings outside the meetings are where the real life is at… where the real friendships grow.

LASTLY: ON YOUR SERMON NOTES – IF YOU HAVE THEM – THE LAST POINT…

Write down just one way you can be a better friend to someone in this room today or this week, or one thing you feel like the Spriit has been leading you to do with or for someone that you can take action on: __________________________

Take a moment, think. Is there something you could or should write in there?

I’ll give you a moment and then I’ll pray for us.

PRAY: Let’s pray… FATHER THANK YOU FOR LOVING US ENOUGH TO CREATE US AND GIVE US LIFE AND BREATH AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE – TO KNOW AND BE KNOWN. WE SIT HERE THIS MORNING AS BROKEN PEOPLE… AND WE NEED YOUR HELP SPIRIT… PLEASE TEACH US TO LOVE… GIVE US THE COURAGE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. WE WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE AND MAKE YOUR GOODNESS KNOWN. PLEASE TEACH US. WE ASK THIS IN THE GOOD, STRONG, LOVING NAME OF JESUS. AMEN.