John 18:28 says, Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgement hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.  They took Jesus to the Roman officials to be tried.  They could not legally put Him to death, since He had done nothing to warrant a death penality.  They also knew the Roman method of execution, which was crucifixion, which they probably thought would discredit Jesus.  They went early, possibly two or three in the morning.  They were in a hurry, but they didn't go in for fear of touching a Gentile and defiling themselves.  They were bringing Jesus to be tried and put to death on false charges, but were afraid touching someone considered unclean would prevent them from worshipping God.  We today need to make sure we don't allow rituals to get in the way of our relationship to God.  We cannot separate life into the secular and the spiritual.  If something is wrong, as followers of Christ, it is wrong.  There are not two realms where we can say that something is wrong in one but okay in the other.  We also need to make sure that we don't allow worship services to keep us from reaching out to the lost.  Verse twenty nine says, Then Pilate went out unto them, and said,  "What accusation bring ye against this man."  Pilate saw Jesus as only another man, not the Son of Man.  He also needed to know what Jesus was accused of, especially since He was brought in so early.  Pilate was following Roman law.  There had to be charges stated, if not written.  Verse thirty states, They answered and said unto him, "If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto you."  They really didn't have any changes, but they pronounced Jesus guilty already.  We should not be surprised if we are condemned falsely today.  We, as followers of Christ, at are often said to believe things that are not true.  For example, if we stand against sin, we are accused of hating the sinner.  When there are no accurate charges, they are made up.  We can only stand firm in the truth.

John 18:34 says, Jesus answered Him, "Sayest these things of thyself, or did others tell it to the of Me?"  Jesus wanted to know why Pilate was asking the question.  Jesus had done nothing to imply that He was attempting to overthrow the government, as the question to Him implied.  Jesus wanted to know if others had brought these charges if Pilate had considered their motives.  We may be accused of many things as followers of Christ, and many times they are based on lies or rumors that have no basis in facts.  Verse thirty five says, Pilate said, "Am I a Jew?  Thine own nation and chief priests hath delivered Thee unto me.  What hast Thou done?"  Pilate did not want to be identified as a Jew, and certainly not as a follower of Jesus.  There are people today who may not really understand what Christianity teaches, but they would be very offended to be identified as a Christian.  Pilate then tells Jesus His own people brought Him to Pilate.  That was a sad estate for God's people to be in.  They were so caught up in religion that they did not recognize the Messiah.  We today need to be careful that we do not become the same.  We need to ensure that we know what God really teaches, and not what we want Him to teach.  We cannot wrap our own beliefs in Christianity and claim that is God's will.  We need to study God's word under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to make sure we do know what His word says.  We sometimes let tradition be more important than what the Bible, God's word, actually teaches.  For example, we have Christmas plays based on three wise men, but there is no mention of three wise men in the Bible.  Some even go so far as to name them, but again, there certainly are no names given.  Though numbering the wise men at three does not change the Gospel, when we become so caught up in the tradition that we will not admit that the Bible doesn't say this, then it is a problem.  We need to make sure that what we teach about God is what His word teaches.

John 18:25 says, "And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  They said therefore unto him, "Art not thou also one of His disciples?"  He denied it and said, "I am not."  Peter had moved away from the door of the palace where Jesus was taken to the fire to warm himself.  Peter may have been disappointed that Jesus wasn't fighting back.  He was ready to fight but not to ready to lay down his life for Jesus without trying to destroy those he saw as enemies.  We as followers of Christ may be ready to destroy His enemies physically, but we are called to love them.  This has not changed since Christ died on the cross.  Peter again denied being one of Jesus' disciples.  If we are confronted with a dangerous situation because we are followers of Christ, how will we react. Too often we deny, or at best just don't profess, being His followers if the situation just makes us uncomfortable.  Like Peter, we may look to our physical needs and deny our relationship to Christ.  Verse twenty six states, One of the servants of the high priest, being His kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, "Did not I see thee in the Garden with Him?"  Peter had confronted the man with a sword and physically harmed him, but now he was confronted only with words.  We may stand the test during times of a threat, but if we are acting on our own power instead of God's, we may falter at the least of threat.  Sometimes it is easier to make what we see as a heroic stand than it is to follow in sevice to God daily.  Then verse twenty seven says, Peter then denied again, and immediately the cock crew.  Peter had made a declaration of undying devotion to Jesus, but he was basing it on his own strength, still not understanding Who Jesus was.  If we may claims about our faith in God, it must be based on His strength and not our own.  Jesus told Peter he would deny him, and he did.  Unless we are fully committed to following Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, we too are in danger of denying Him, either by words or actions.

John 18:22 says, And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand saying, "Answereth thou the high priest so?"  Jesus had told them the truth, and they were angry.  There was no law that said a person could not answer the high priest truthfully.  Jesus did not threaten him or even berate him.  Also, evidently the high priest had taken on a role of power instead of service.  If religious leaders today take on a role where they are worshipped as much or more than God, then there is a problem.  Verse twenty three says, Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou Me?"  Jesus was telling the man if He spoke evil, then he should address the evil, but there was no reason to hit Him.  This was true not only because Jesus had not said anything evil about the high priest, but also because He had only truthfully answered the question asked Him.  When people do not want to hear the truth, they often lash out and sometimes become violent.  We, as followers of Christ, need to simply make sure that we speak the truth and never lash out at others in anger.  Jesus did not retaliate when He was struck.  He simply asked why the man felt he had the right to do what he did.  The truth sometimes angers people, and they strike out at the one speaking it.  They may even physically attack the person presenting the truth.  As followers of Christ, that doesn't give us the right to strike back.  We simply need to continue to proclaim the truth.  If people don't want to hear it, we can do nothing about that.  In verse twenty four, we read, Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas.  Even when Jesus was bound, the religious leaders still saw Him as a threat.  Of course, He was only bound because He chose to be.  When the world thinks it has bound up God, it needs to look more closely at what is really happening.  The world will never bind God.  We as His followers need to live in the power of that truth.

John 18:19 says, The high priest the asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His doctrine.  It would seem that the high priest would know the things if he was accusing Jesus of speaking against Judaism.  The fact is, many today speak out against Christianity without any knowledge of what Christ taught.  Verse twenty states, And Jesus answered him,"I spake openly in the world; I ever taught openly in the synagogue, and the temple, where the Jews always resort; and in secret I have said nothing."  Jesus was basically telling the high priest that if he wanted to know what Jesus was teaching, he simply had to come and listen.  If people today want to know what Christianity teaches, the simply need to come and listen.  Jesus went to where the religious leaders should have been, the synagogue and the temple, to preach.  The high priest should have been very familiar with what Jesus taught, but having arrested Jesus, he was still looking for something to charge Him with.  People of the world today attempt to discredit Christians without anything to charge them with.  They, like the religious leaders in Jesus' day have to make up things to try to discredit Christians.  Then, in verse twenty one, Jesus continues, "Why asketh thou Me?  Ask them which heard Me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said."  After telling the religious leaders they should have personally known what He was teaching, He then told them to ask those that heard Him.  They did not have to just take His word for it, though that should have been enough.  If people today want to know what Jesus taught, if they have not encountered Him personally, they should be able to ask Christians what He teaches.  They may not come to the church, but they should encounter Christians out in the world.  We must tell them and show them through our lives what Jesus really taught.  We cannot divide life into religious and secular.  The world may attempt to do this, but for the Christian it is impossible.  The teachings of Christ apply to every aspect of life.

In John 18:18, we read, "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a
fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.  After being questioned by the damsel, Peter left the door and went to where others were who were not identified as being with Jesus.  He was further separating himself from Jesus.  When we are asked if we are a Christian, especially in a threatening situation, how do we react?  I have heard people say that they are Christians, but not one of those born again people.  They do not want the world to judge them as strange.  We can either profess to be born again through salvation in Christ, or we can attempt to hide in the crowd.  Peter, instead of standing with Jesus was warming himself at the fire of His enemies.  Verse nineteen says, The high priest then asked Jesus of His disciples and His doctrine.  The high priest had to have known that Jesus had disciples following Him, but now He stood alone.  We, as followers of Christ, need to ensure that the world never asks where His disciples are.  We need to stand with Him through all trials and threats in life.  We do not need to be looking out for our physical needs, but for our spiritual needs.  We need to stand with Christ and not attempt to hide with His enemies.  It is better to stand in the cold with Jesus than by the fires with His enemies.  Of course, had Peter gone with Jesus, he would have been out of the cold, and the high priest would have known where at least one of Jesus' disciples was. We need to never be too concerned about our own safety and comfort to stand away from Jesus to find comfort with the world.  When the people of the world wonder where the followers of Christ are, they should be able to identify us by our words and actions.  We have been promised that if we stand with Christ, all our needs will be met.  Yet, we often turn to the things of the world to find security.  We need to stand with Christ, no matter what.

John 18:14 tells us a little more about Caiaphas.  It says, Now Caiaphas was he, which gave council to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.  I think we can conclude from this that Jesus was never going to get a fair trial from the religious leaders.  The high priest, Caiaphas, had already determined it was better for Jesus to die.  Caiaphas did not understand that he was stating what Jesus was to do.  He wanted Jesus to die to keep things as they were.  Jesus was challenging the religious leaders actions and power, so He needed to be silenced.  If Jesus challenges some of our religious ideas or power today, it is the beliefs and power that need to die.  Then, in verse fifteen, we read, And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known to the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.  Of course, we might ask why the high priest had a castle, but we know that at times today religious leaders want or have their own castles. This other disciple is not named, but Matthew Henry believes he was not one of the twelve disciples.  He was known to Caiaphas and accepted into his palace.  Peter, who said he would follow Jesus anywhere, did not go in.  We need to be careful when we tell God how faithful we are going to be when we are basing it on our own strength.  Peter I am sure believed what he said.  He was a man of action who believed in his own abilities.  Verse sixteen says, But Peter stood at the door without.  Then went out that other disciple, that was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.  We see that the other disciple did not stay with Jesus, but came back out.  Peter was at the door, but did not go in.  We may at times go where Jesus wants us, then falter if things go wrong.  Also, we may allow things going wrong to keep us from where Jesus wants us to be.  Neither the other disciple or Peter ended up where Jesus was.  In verse seventeen,  we read, Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, "Art thou not also one of this Man's disciples?  He saith, I am not."  Peter was confronted not by soldiers or religious leaders but by a damsel, and he faltered in his faith.  If we cannot stand in the face of the smallest threat, how will we stand at the greatest?  Peter failed Jesus then, and we may often do the same.

Today is Thanksgiving Day.  It is a day set aside to give thanks to God for keeping us safe another year.  It was a day the early settlers, undocumented immigrants by the way, celebrated with the now Native Americans.  They shared food and friendship.  They praised God.  What is Thanksgiving today?  People too often attempt to bar God from the celebration of the day.  Families still get together, but we seldom include others.  The day has been turned into a day of commerce more than a day of celebrating the blessings of God and reaching out to neighbors.  Some families don't get to celebrate together because someone has to work.  Others don't get to celebrate because someone has to shop for bargains.  We, as followers of Christ, need to make sure that we spend time thanking Him for His blessings.  If we refuse to shop on this day, then fewer people will have to work.  Some stores this year have decided to close again so their employees can spend time with their families.  We need to spend time with our families, but we need to also spend time praying for those less fortunate. Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has become too commercialized in my opinion.  We, as Christians, cannot control how the world celebrates the day, but we can control how we do. We need to make Thanksgiving Day a real day of thanks to God.  All that we have we owe to Him.

In John 18:10, we read, Then Simon Peter, having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.  The servants name was Malcus.  The disciples had told Jesus that they now understood Who He was and why He came to earth, but Simon Peter did not react that way.  He was going to physically attack anyone that he felt was a challenge to what he thought Jesus should be.  We may at times be armed and ready for war when Jesus is calling us to act out of love.  Jesus did not need Peter to physically defend Him but to support Him with his prayers and obedience.  God does not need us to physically defeat the world today, but to reach out to the world with His love.  Anytime we act with hatred and violence, it is my opinion that we are not following God's will.  Peter thought he was doing the right thing, but he was acting on what Peter wanted.  We also need to realize the servant was not the one in charge.  Sometimes, we strike out at the wrong enemy.  Verse eleven states, Then Jesus said unto Peter, "Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"  Jesus was in effect asking Peter if he understood why Jesus came to earth.  It was a time, not to battle the world, but to accept the will of the Father.  We need to ask ourselves the same question today before we act, especially if we say we are acting in the name of God.  We need to make sure that we are not trying to force God to comply with our will.  It seems to me that we often act out of selfishness or anger instead of love.  Jesus was not being taken by those sent to arrest Him.  He was going willing toward the cross.  Verse twelve says, Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound Him.  They thought they had won, but they were only fulfilling the will of God.  For religious leaders to think they can bind the will of God is really humorous.  We today may attempt to bind up what God's word says to make it conform to our will, but it never will happen.  God's word will always prevail.  Verse thirteen continues, And led Him away to Annas first, for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.  They did not take Jesus to the governmental rulers, but to the religious rulers.  If there is opposition to the will of God today, we need to make sure it does not come from us, as His followers.  We have a call to reach the lost with the love of God, and that means everyone who is lost, and not just those we want to reach.

In John 18:4, we read, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth,and said, "Whom seekest ye?"  Jesus knew what He had come for and knew what He was going to do for humanity.  He was no longer withdrawing, but now knew the time had come.  As followers of Christ, we need the same commitment.  If someone came to threaten us looking for Christians, we should be able to ask who they were looking for, even if we knew it was us.  Then verse five states, They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus said unto them, "I am He."  And Judas also, which betrayed Him, was with them.  Sometimes, I think about the number of times Jesus started a statement about Himself with the words "I am."  I think of the Old Testament, when God said to Moses tell them  "I Am" sends you.  Jesus could truly say He was all the things He said He was, even Jesus of Nazareth.  We need to realize also that all things done against God in secret or in the dark will ultimately be brought to light.  Judas was no longer pretending to follow Jesus, because he thought he could profit from betraying Him.  Verse six says, As soon as He had said unto them, "I am He," they went backward, and fell to the ground.  They were looking for Jesus with armed men, but as soon as He told them they had found Him, they went backwards from Him and fell on the ground.  Even His enemies will ultimately fall at the feet of Jesus.  In the day of judgment, and in many was this was a day of judgment for Judas and his band, there will be no place to fall back to.  All will ultimately face Jesus.  In verse seven, we read, Then asked He them again, "Whom seek ye?"  And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."  He had just told them that He was the One they were looking for, but He asked again.  Jesus will always ask if we really know Who He is.  We cannot be His if we doubt Him when He tells us Who He is.  We need to run to Him not fall away from Him.  Verse eight states, Jesus answered, "I have told you I am He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go there way."  The disciples could not go where Jesus was going, but they would later be called on to follow Him, even unto death.  Only Jesus could lay down His life for humanity.  He will always work to keep His followers safe if possible.  We will never be called on to do something of no benefit to God.  In verse nine, we read, That the saying might be fulfilled, which He spake, "Of them which Thou givest Me, I have lost none."  If we are His, we will never be lost to Him.  He will keep us by His power.

John 18:1 says, "When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook of Cidron, where was a garden, into which He entered, and His disciples.  Jesus had just spent time talking with the Father, and now it was time to move ahead.  We need to spend time in prayer to know God's will for us each day, but once we know what His will for is, we need to move ahead.  We can still pray as we go, but we must go.  Then, in verse two, we read, "And Judas, which betrayed Him, knew the place, for Jesus ofttimes drew thither to the place."  We see at least two things here.  One, Judas was no longer following Jesus.  As long as we are truly following Jesus, we will not betray Him.  This does not mean that we will never do anything against His will, but that we will never deny Him as our Savior.  The second thing is that just as Judas knew where to find Jesus, the Devil knows where to find us.  We go about life fairly routinely, and the Devil knows how to get to us.  When we are constantly in prayer to God, we are ready for his attacks.  When we are going along on our own power and abilities, the Devil may lead us into sin.  Being a Christian does not make us immune to temptation, and the Devil knows when and how to appeal to us.  In verse three, we read, "Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons."   We must remember that it was the religious leaders that were looking for Jesus to kill Him.  He came to be their Messiah, and they didn't want the salvation He offered.  Many in the name of religion today attempt to discredit the teachings of Christ.  If we ever say there is another way to salvation, we have followed the way of Judas, not the way of Jesus.  Judas had his own little army.  He went from follower of Christ physically, to a leader of men to oppose Him.  We need to be more than followers in word alone and make sure that we are following in deed as well.  We may become more important in the eyes of the world, but we lose everything important if we do not truly follow Jesus.  They came with lights and weapons to arrest the Light of the World and the Prince of Peace.  They really didn't need either.  They were not overpowering Jesus, but He was ready to go forward and finish His task.  We need to rest assured that the world or the Devil himself can never overcome us.  Because of the willing sacrifice of Jesus, we are set free from the power of sin.  The Devil cannot make us do it.

As Jesus continues His prayer in John 17:22, He says, "And the glory Thou gavest Me have I given them, that they may be one, even as We are One."  We as His followers live in the glory of Jesus.  We do not live for our own glorify.  We live in His glory so that we may be united in our service to Him.  If we begin to feel that we need more glory because we do more than other Christians, then unity will not exist.  In verse twenty three, Jesus said, "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me."  Just as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one, so are Christians to be.  We are to do this so we can be made perfect in faith and effectively present Jesus to the world.  When we do this, the world will see the love of God for us and through us.  As long as we are divided and bickering with one another as Christians, we cannot effectively present God to the world.  In verse twenty four, Jesus says, " Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;  that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world."  Jesus knew that when we are with Him in heaven, His glory will be manifested.  There will be no doubt.  Jesus also once again declared His eternal existence.  He was before the foundation of the world.  Many religions are based on the teachings of someone who came into existence on a certain day in history.  Christianity is based on One Who always existed.  This is the big divider.  Jesus always was, and He redeemed us, that we can be His forever.  Then, in verse twenty five, Jesus says, " Oh righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these hath known that Thou hath sent Me."  The world still doesn't acknowledge that Jesus was sent by God to be the Savior of the world, but we as His followers do.  Then, Jesus concludes in verse twenty six, "And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  If we are followers of Jesus, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit and the love of God is manifested in us.  There can be no greater reason to rejoice.

In John 17:20, Jesus continues, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on Me through their word."  The disciples were to reach out to the world with the message of Christ,and Jesus Himself was praying for their success.  Jesus wanted them to be successful, not in material things, but in proclaiming Him to the world.  In this verse, He included us.  We believe because the disciples were successful in reaching the world with the message of Christ.  This verse also includes the ones we reach.  We need to question daily how effective we are in reaching the lost.  Jesus prayed for them, but He also prayed for the disciples and us to reach them.  In verse twenty one, Jesus continued, "That they all may be one; as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me"  Jesus prayed that the disciples then, and the ones to come, would be as united as the Father and the Son, and though not mentioned here, and the Holy Spirit are.  I think too often we put qualifiers in front of Christian.  We see the world more from a materialistic view, dividing Christians by nationality.  Often, we seem to feel no real unity with Christians around the world, but see them as somehow less deserving of the things of this world than we are.  I have heard religious leaders, when speaking of Christians in the rest of the world say, "That is good enough for them."  This statement implies that we as followers of Christ should expect more than others around the world.  This is not the unity Jesus prayed for.  Even closer to home, we often do not want to be united with other Christians because of race or social standing.  We may occasionally get together with them at church for special occasions, but on a daily basis, we want to be separated from them.  We may occasionally do something to help them materially, as long as it doesn't cost us too much, but on a daily basis, they are on their own.  This is not unity in Christ.  We have to reach out to the lost, yes, but we also need to reach out to other Christians on a daily basis, so that the world may see Jesus in us.  As long as Christians do not embrace one another everywhere in the love of Christ, the world is not going to be reached.

In John 17:17, Jesus prays, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth."  Jesus asked the Father to sanctify the disciples through His truth.  What does sanctification mean?  It means to be freed from sin, to be made holy, to be purified. We cannot come into the presence of God with sin in our life.  What is the truth that they were to be sanctified through?  The Father's Word, Jesus, the Messiah.  If they could  be sanctified by the teachings of the Scriptures, as Matthew Henry seems to see this as saying, then the Word, Jesus, would not have been necessary.  The Scripture helps us understand God, but my understanding is that only through Jesus Christ can we be sanctified, or made right with God.  In verse eighteen, Jesus continues, "As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world."  As followers of Christ, we need to understand our commission.  Jesus was sent into the world to make salvation possible, and He sends us into the world to proclaim that salvation.  No matter what else we may be doing in life, as Christians the spreading of the gospel is our number one task.  It should not be something to work in around the edges of life.  Jesus is our example, and this was always His number one priority.  In verse nineteen, Jesus says, "And for their sakes, I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."  If Jesus is not sanctified, then we have no hope.  He died to pay the penalty for our sins.  If this is not true, then we cannot be sanctified.  We cannot hope to sanctify ourselves.  Just as we must ask God for forgiveness, we must look to Christ for salvation and sanctification.  Since a lot was said about sanctification in this passage, I believe that we need to daily apply this truth to our lives. We are set apart to God.  Jesus died not only to save us but to sanctify us through Him.  We cannot live by the world's truth, but must live by the truth of Christ.

In John 17:14, Jesus continues to pray, "I have given them Thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." The disciples may have started following Jesus believing that they were going to help rule in a worldly kingdom and be looked up to by all, but Jesus knew the truth.  The disciples were going to be hated by the world, just as Jesus was.  We should understand that our calling today as followers of Christ is not to be loved by the world, but to love the world, those who are not Christians, just as Jesus loved them. We are called to be set apart from the world, and because of our profession of faith in Jesus, we are told we will be hated.  This is hardly the escape from the problems of the world that we, as His followers, are accused of.  In verse fifteen, Jesus says, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from evil."  We can look at being taken out of the world in at least two ways.  One is to be literally taken to Heaven.  We know that as His followers, one day we will be taken out of this world, whether by death or the return of Jesus.  The other is to be totally separated from the world with as little interaction as possible.  Jesus said He was not asking for either of these.  As His followers, we must be in the world to witness to the world.  Jesus asked instead that the Father keep us from evil.  Again, this can mean at least two things.  One is that the hatred of the world will not cause us to falter in our obedience to Christ.  The other is that we not be tempted by the evil of the world to allow it to come between God and us. We may be tempted to hate the world, but again, we are called to love.  We may be tempted by the wealth of the world, but we are asked to rely on God for our daily needs.  We may be tempted to feel superior to the world, but we are called to serve.  We are God's representatives in the world, and He will be with us through everything that happens. Then, in verse sixteen, Jesus says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."  We are not to be like everyone else in the world, because we follow the will of God.  We cannot profess that what God teaches us is unimportant in certain situations.  We are to bring the lost to Him, and we cannot change His teachings and reach the world.  We must love the lost world as Jesus loves it, even if it costs us everything in this world.

In John 17:11, Jesus continues to pray, "And now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee.  Holy Father, keep through thine holy name those Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as We are."  Jesus again told the disciples as He prayed to the Father that He was leaving.  His prayer was for unity of His followers that was as close as the unity between Himself and the Father. This still applies to us today.  We are to be as one through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Even if we hold differing views about certain aspects of being a follower of Christ, we are to be united through the cross of Jesus.  Our calling is to present Him to the world, and not to argue amongst ourselves.  In verse twelve, Jesus says, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."  Just as Jesus said of the disciples in His day, once we are His, He will not lose us.  There may be some, like Judas, who profess to be His who are lost, but they were never His in truth.  Again, Judas was not ordained for his role as the betrayer of Jesus, but he fulfilled the role of his own free will.  We can take comfort and find peace in the fact that Jesus is never going to lose those that are truly His.  His promises are true and always will be.  If we accept Him as our Savior, we are His forever.  In verse thirteen, Jesus cntinues,,"And now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves."  Once more, we can be certain that Jesus will never leave us without knowing Who He is and what He did for us.  The disciples were about to face some uncertain days, but Jesus had already told them the outcome, if they would only listen.  When we face uncertain days, we need to remember the outcome and just stay faithful to God.  Then, His joy should be fulfilled in us.  We too often act as if the world is going to be victornous and we have no reason to live in joy.  Jesus said He told the disciples, and us through the Bible, that He did so that His joy might be fulfilled in them and us.  We need to claim the joy of Christ in our lives.

In John 17:7, Jesus continues, "Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are of Thee."  Jesus was speaking of His role as Savior.  The Father gave Jesus a task to perform, and that was the salvation of mankind.  We cannot make this a statement that God gave certain people to Christ for salvation. He gave Jesus the task of saving all of mankind, but only those who have accepted the sacrifice of Christ are truly His.  We have to continue to emphasize these facts, because Jesus did.  In verse eight, Jesus said, "For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I have come out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me."  We cannot be restored to a personal relationship with God unless we believe the words of Christ and that He was sent by the Father to save the world.  We may not fully comprehend the triune nature of God, but we have to accept that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One.  We cannot pick the parts we want to believe.  In verse nine, Jesus continued, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Mine."  This does not mean that Jesus died only for some.  As He prayed for strength and protection for His disciples, He could not pray the same prayer for those who did not believe.  This does not mean that Jesus did not care for the rest of the world, but His prayer for them would have to be that they accept the salvation He came to bring.  As His followers, the disciples had a faith relationship with Jesus, even if it was weak at times.  The same is true of His followers today.  We are His by faith, and even in times when that faith is weak, we are His.  Once we truly accept Jesus as our Savior, He seals us to Himself for time everlasting.  Then, in verse ten, Jesus says, "And all mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them."  If we belong to Jesus, we belong to the Father, and if we belong to the Father, we belong to Jesus.  Again, the Father,Son, and Holy Spirit are One.  If we belong to Christ, we belong to the God of the Old Testament.  Our lives should glorify what Jesus did for us on the cross.

In John 17:4, Jesus prays, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do."  Though Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, He recognized that it was immanent that He would be crucified.  He was going to complete the work, and part of that had been teaching the disciples and witnessing to the world.  This would be such a great statement for every Christian to be able to make at the end of their life here on earth.  At the end, if we could say we have completed the work that God gave us that He might be glorified.  Jesus had a purpose on earth, mainly to make salvation available, and He did it that the Father might be glorified.  We need to live the same way.  In verse five, Jesus said, "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thy own self with the glory I had with Thee before the world was."  Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to come the earth as a mortal man, but now, as His work was being finished, He was asking the Father to return Him to His former glory.  We notice again the eternal nature of Jesus.  He was before the world existed. The only glory we can be restored to is the glory of God.  We cannot save ourselves or others spiritually.  Only Jesus, the Christ, can do this, and by that He is indeed glorified by the Father.  Then, in verse six, Jesus continued to pray, "I have manifested Thy name to the men Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me; and they have kept Thy word."  The disciples were following Jesus because God had given them to Him by their faith.  Jesus taught them Who He was, and they would spread that knowledge of Christ to all the world.  As followers of Jesus today, we have been given to Him by faith in the salvation He made available.  This is nothing we do of ourselves, but it is by the faith that God gives us.  As the early disciples did, we need to keep God's word.  This doesn't mean that they never failed.  It only means that when they did, they asked for forgiveness and strength and continued to witness for Christ.  If we are His followers, we must acknowledge our own inability to save ourself, ask God's forgiveness, and then continue to work for Him.  It is my understanding that if we do not ask God for forgiveness, but simply decide we will do better on our own without bothering God, then we have become our own savior.  I personally do not see how this can happen.  We must be willing to humble ourselves and admit that we are incapable of reaching God by our own abilities.

In John 17:1, the Bible says Jesus prayed, "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee."  After Jesus finished telling His disciples what was going to happen, He then looked to the Father in submission.  He asked the Father to glorify Him.  We don't often think of being glorified as being beaten and nailed to a cross.  Yet, this is what Jesus was submitting to when He made this statement.  He was doing it so that after His death and resurrection He would be glorified, and that would bring glory to the Father.  We need to be as submissive today.  We may be called on to suffer in the world to bring glory to God, and if so, we need to say the hour is come, and ask that God may be glorified.  In verse two, Jesus continued, "As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him.  This does not mean that God gives some people to Jesus for eternal life and not others.  This means that some accept the gift of salvation and others do not.  Jesus has the power and paid the price to bring forgiveness to all flesh, or all mankind.  We simply have to ask forgiveness, accept the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, then, under the power of the Holy Spirit, live for the glory of God.  Then in verse three, Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent."  Once again, as His followers, we are not waiting for everlasting life with God, but we are living it.  This body may die and be totally destroyed, but the spirit lives forever.  As followers of Jesus, we have life everlasting with God.  If we do not believe, we still have everlasting life, just not with God. We are given a clear choice.  Only through the cross can we be saved.  Jesus made it possible to know the one true God. On this fact we cannot waiver.  People of the world may call us narrow minded, but in this case, we must be.  There is no other way to salvation but through Jesus Christ.

In John 16:29, the disciples said to Jesus, "Lo, now speakest thou plainly and speakest no proverb."  Jesus had said the time was comlng when the disciples would understand what He had been telling them.  After He then said in verse twenty eight that He came from the Father into the world and was about to leave the world to go to the Father, they said now we understand.  They were now saying that Jesus was speaking plainly enough for them to understand.  There may be times in our lives as followers of Christ that we suddenly think we realize what God has been telling us for years.  As with the disciples, it just seems clear suddenly.  In verse thirty, they continued with this thought when they said, "Now we are sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe Thou comest forth from God."  Jesus did not tell them anything new, but suddenly they understood what He was saying better.  When we comprehend something about God that we may have questioned for a long time, it will never be because the truth of God has changed.  Also, we need to be careful that we do truly understand and are not just thinking we do.  The disciples said they now understood, but in verse thirty one and thirty two, we read, "Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe.  Behold, the hour cometh, yea is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: yet, I am not alone, for the Father is with Me."  The disciples were beginning to have faith in their own understanding instead of still relying on the revelation of Christ.  We may at times feel that we understand what the Bible teaches us clearly but we need to make sure that we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit as we come to a particular understanding.  Jesus told the disciples they still didn't truly understand, and would even abandon Him when the hour was come.  If we are relying on our own strength and understanding, when things go badly we may not stand firm in our faith.  We must make sure it is God's truth that we are following.  Then, in verse thirty three, Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye might have peace.  In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world."  Again, we are only promised peace in tribulation, not a lack of tribulation, but we are to be of good cheer, because we are saved through Christ.

In John 16:23, Jesus told His disciples, "And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye ask the Father in My name, He shall give it to you."  Once Jesus had been crucified and ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit would be with them.  They would no longer have to ask Jesus questions about Who He was.  We do not have to strive to understand the message of the cross if we are His followers.  Again, Jesus said they could ask anything of the Father in Jesus' name and the Father would give it to them.  Again, the key is to ask in Jesus name, which means that we are to be submitting to His will.  As long as we do this, we will not go to God with a shopping list of things we want and say that we are asking in the name of Jesus.  We are to ask for our daily bread, not for a gourmet feast.  We often speak of what we deserve from God as His people, but all we ever deserved was death for our sins.  If we trust God to meet our daily needs, then we will be free to do the work we are called for, which is to proclaim Christ and love our neighbor.  In verse twenty four, Jesus said, "Hitherto, ye have asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."  What makes the joy of a Christian full, the things of this earth or the things of God?  The disciples so far had followed Jesus without asking for anything, but now that He was about to leave them, Jesus said ask.  When we have a question about God, we need to ask.  When we need something to carry out our mission for Christ, we need to ask.  If we want a bigger television or house or want our team to win a ball game, this is not what Jesus meant and we should not ask.  This is my understanding of what it means to ask in Jesus' name.  If we are truly asking in His name, we will have asked for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make sure that what we are asking is truly for the advancement of God's Kingdom.  As long as we see this promise as God fulfilling all our wants, our joy will never be full.  The things of this earth can never bring us joy.  They will soon lose their luster, but the things of God will give us joy forever.

In John 16:25, Jesus told the disciples, "These things I have spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father."  Until the coming of Christ, all scripture about His coming had been in prophesies, but after His resurrection, all would be based on facts.  Much of what Jesus said to His disciples was indeed in proverbs, but even the things He told them directly they didn't understand.  After His ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, they would be in direct contact with God at all times.  We need to realize that as His followers, we are not told that the Holy Spirit will be with us in time of great need, but will indwell us.  Everywhere we go and everything we do God goes with us.  In verse twenty six, Jesus said, "At that day, ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I shall pray unto the Father for you."   We have direct access to God.  We must first go through Christ for salvation, but then we have a personal relationship to Christ.  We don't need anyone to intercede to God for us, because the Comforter, the Holy Spirit that indwells us, makes intercession for us.  In verse twenty seven, Jesus says, "For the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and haveth believed that I came out from God."  God loves all of His creation, but through Christ, we have a special relationship with Him.  We can claim the promises of God because we believe in the salvation made available through Christ.  We believe, as did the disciples in that day, that Jesus is the Christ come from the Father.  In verse twenty eight, Jesus summed up His life on earth, when He said, "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father."  Only one person has ever left Heaven and come to earth, and that is Jesus, the Christ.  We may speak of babies as little bundles from heaven but though they are gifts from God, they do not come from Heaven. As followers of Christ, we will one day go to Heaven to be with Him.  Yet, to borrow a line from a John Denver song, we will be going home to a place we've never been before.  Jesus alone went home to a place He had been before.  As Jesus told the disciples, we now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to lead us to the truth in any situation, so we don't have to unravel parables.  We are God's people forever, not some day after we die, but from the moment we accept Christ as our Savior.

Just a brief follow up about the election and Christian responsibility.  My hope is that you are praying for the president elect, and praying that he will be the best president in history.  We as followers of Christ need to pray that the nation will come together in an attitude of love for our fellow man.  Donald Trump is not the Republican president elect, but the American president elect.  All Christians need to daily pray for his success.

In John 16:16-22,  Jesus continues to tell the disciples about His departure and ultimate return.  In verse sixteen, He says to them, "A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again a little while and ye shall see Me, for I go to the Father."  After His crucifixion, the disciples did not see Jesus while He was in the grave.  After His resurrection, they saw Jesus for a time.  After His ascension, they received the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus' truth to them.  Jesus went to the Father for a time, but He is coming again.  We today as His followers live in the time of the Holy Spirit, but we will see Jesus, whether in this life or the one to come.  Then, in verse seventeen, the disciples questioned what Jesus meant when He said this.  Sometimes, as we go through life, there may be times when we do not fully understand what God is telling us, but the Holy Spirit will lead us to the truth and empower us to do what we are called to do.  The disciples would soon understand what Jesus meant, but not until after His resurrection.  In verse eighteen, the disciples really expressed their confusion,"They said therefore, What is this that He saith, a little while?  We cannot tell what He saith."  I believe we can say the same today about the Second Coming of Christ. Every generation, even the early disciples, thought Jesus' return was to be soon.  We, like all other Christians, must simply rely on the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to keep strong in our relationship to Christ even when we do not understand everything.  Then, in verse nineteen, we are told that Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him what He meant.  We are never going to catch God by surprise with our questions.  He knows even before we do when doubt or confusion come.  In verse twenty, Jesus told the disciples, "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."  At the cross, the world, those who did not believe that Jesus was the Christ, rejoiced, but at the empty tomb, joy came to the disciples.  When we are following Christ, even when the world rejoices at our suffering for Christ, we need to remember our ultimate joy in Him.  In verse twenty one, Jesus used the analogy of a woman giving birth.  She endured the pain, but when the child was born, she forgot the pain and rejoiced in the child.  In verse twenty two Jesus said, "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."  That promise is still in effect.  No man can take our joy in Christ from us.

Today is election day.  I believe we as followers of Christ need to consider what this means to us.  First, I think we need to realize that we have a responsibilty to vote.  We often criticize the government, and elections are our day to do something about the government.  The Bible tells us that as Christians we are to submit to the authority of the government, to pay our taxes, and to remember that God is in charge.  We also need to be informed when we vote.  We cannot rely on statements made on social media to be our main source of information.  A lot is posted there that is totally false or based on half truths at best.  In that same thought, we as followers of Christ need to make sure that what we post or repost is true.  We also need to encourage others to vote.  The idea of Christians skipping or boycotting the vote in my opinion is simply not Biblical.  When we are encouraging other Christians to vote, we need to encourage them simply to pray and vote their conscience.  I do not believe that I can say how every Christian should vote.  If I am the one to say how every Christian will or will not vote, then I have assumed the position of God.  That is between God and them.  If they do not vote the way I do, that does not make them wrong and me right.  There are many complex issues to consider in elections, but if we follow what we feel is the way the Holy Spirit is leading us to vote and cast our ballot accordingly, then we have done all we can do.  Finally, once the ballots are counted, we have a responsibility as Christians to support those who are elected.  We need to pray for them daily, and if we feel that they are wrong about issues, we need to work to change the issues.  Again, I think we need to do it all out of a love of God and all those around us.  We are not called to hate and anger, but to love and peace.  As followers of Christ, we need to get out today and vote, and tomorrow we need to support those elected today.

In John 16:12, Jesus told His disciples, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."  We might think that those following Christ could bear to hear anything He told them, but He said they weren't ready.  In verse thirteen, Jesus told them, "Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come."  They were not ready to hear everything yet because the Holy Spirit was not there to guide them.  We as His followers today do not have that disadvantage.  We have the Holy Spirit to guide us from the moment we accept Christ as our Savior.  He will reveal the truth to us in all things if we are only willing to listen.  We will never be led astray by the Holy Spirit.  Even as a new Christian, as we struggle with questions about what is right or wrong, the Holy Spirit is there to reveal the truth to us.  He had not yet come to Jesus' followers while Jesus was one the earth.  Then, in verse fourteen, Jesus said, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shew it unto you."  The Holy Spirit did not come to glorify Himself, but to glorify Jesus. Again, I do not claim to understand all about the Trinity, but I do know that Jesus is the Messiah and the Holy Spirit only points us to the truth of God.  The Holy Spirit is here to protect and enlighten the followers of Christ.  In verse fifteen, Jesus said, "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I that He shall take of mine, and show all it unto you."  We are not left defenseless or in half truths.  As follwers of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to reveal to us all things of the Heavenly Father.  If we find ourselves in situations thet seem hopeless, we only have to remember that the Holy Spirit empowers us and will show us the way that God would have us go.  We are God's people and He is with us forever.

In John 16:7, Jesus told the disciples, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient 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."  Jesus was close to completing His mission on earth, and not only was His death not a reason for sadness or doubt on the part of His disciples, it was expedient.  We may at times feel that when things go badly that God has abandoned us.  We, like Jesus' earthly disciples, must never lose faith that God is in control.  If we lose something that we feel is important, we can be sure God has something better in store.  Jesus was limited by the fact that He had come as a man, but when He left, after the crucifixion, God was coming as a Spirit, without any physical limitations.  The Holy Spirit will not be just with some believers at some time, but will be with all believers for time everlasting.  Then, in verse eight, Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  The Holy Spirit did not come just to fulfill the desires of Christ's followers, but for specific purposes.  In verse nine, Jesus said, "Of sin, because they believe not on Me."  The only way we can be saved from our sins is through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins, and the Holy Spirit convicts us of this.  We will never be without excuse.  In verse ten, Jesus says, "Of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you shall see Me no more."  Jesus is the only One righteous enough to go to the Heavenly Father of His own merit.  We must go through Him.  Then, in verse eleven, Jesus says, "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."  It may seem that sinful people control the world at times, but Jesus said the Holy Spirit had already judged them, from Satan on down.  There is no reason for followers of Christ to live life as if we are defeated.  The Holy Spirit indwells us, and there is no greater power.

Today would have been my momma's eighty eighth birthday, but on July first, it became expedient that she leave this world.  Today, she rejoices with Jesus in a place without time.  Happy Birthday momma.  Though I miss you, I celebrate that you are free of this old sinful world.

In John 16:4, Jesus said, "But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye will remember that I told you of them.  And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you."  Jesus wanted His disciples to be prepared for what was to happen, not just to Him, but to those who followed Him.  We today have the history of the persecution of the church to look back on and realize the truth of Jesus'  words.  Jesus had not told them before because He was the One they hated, but soon He would be gone and the hatred would be directed toward His disciples.  This was not just true of those disciples in Jesus' day, but of all since.  Those who are His followers will always be at odds with the world.  We may want to look, dress and talk like the rest of the world, but we are called to be a peculiar people.  I know we probably don't like the word peculiar, but it really just means different.  We are not to conform to the world, but we are to conform the world into what God wants it to be.  In verse five, Jesus continued, "But now I go My way to Him that sent Me; and none of you asketh Me, Whether goest Thou?"  Jesus had told them He was going away, but none of the disciples asked with any courage where He was going.  This was the time for them to seek the comfort that Jesus could offer, but they did not ask for it.  We may often be left without comfort in our relationship with Christ, not because He doesn't have the answer, but because we do not seek it.  Though the religious leaders were now starting to actively persue Jesus to kill Him, so far the disciples had suffered very little.  Jesus was telling them things were about to go bad.  When we are going through life with few problems, following Christ may be easy.  We need to be warned that things will not always go well and be prepared to follow even closer to God when they don't.  Then, in verse six, Jesus said, "But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart."  They should not have been sorrowful, because Jesus was going to do what He came to do.  We should not be sorrowful because trouble may come to us as His followers, but we should rejoice that He has prepared us for it and will be with us through it.  We are His, and nothing can separate us from Him, except our own lack of faith.  That does not mean that we no longer are His, but that lack of faith can leave us sorrowful in this world.

In John 16:1, Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you that ye should not offended."  When the world ridiculed and persecuted the disciples, Jesus had warned them in advance that this would happen so they could be prepared.  Since what the disciples expected of Jesus and what was about to occur were so different, there was a possibility they would be offended about having followed Him.  The same is true today.  When God doesn't do what people expect, they become offended by Him.  One reason the world rejects salvation is because they have to admit their own unwothiness.  Again, we must admit our need for forgiveness and realize that this is only possible through the sacrifice of Christ.  Jesus was speaking to His disciples, and sometimes they were offended at His death, prior to His resurrection.  We as His followers today have to be careful that we are not offended by the Gospel.  When we see sinful, unrepentant people prosper, are we secretly filled with envy of them or resentment toward God?  Jesus told His disciple, and that applies to us today, what to expect and not to be offended when it did.  In verse two, Jesus said, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think he doeth God service."  We know many early Christians were put to death for their faith in Jesus.  We may not see much of that where we live, but Christians are still being put to death today in the name of a god, which the people doing it see as the God of the Old Testament.  We need to be prepared to be faithful until death.  In verse three, Jesus told them, "And these things they will do unto you, because they have not known the Father or Me."  There may be those who claim to be killing Christians because they are serving God, but Jesus said they didn't know Him or the Father.  We cannot come to the Father except through the blood of the Son.  There certainly are many people in the world today who are killing Christians in the name of a god, but it is not the true God.  We simply must be prepared to stand firm in our convictions in the love of God.  He will be with us in this world, and more importantly, if we are taken from this world, for the everlasting life to come.

In John 15:25, Jesus said, "This cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause."  What was to come to pass that Jesus spoke of was His betrayal and His death.  This included His mock trial, because as He said, they had no cause to hate Him.  He was again preparing the disciples for what was to come.  He again made reference to a scripture, Psalms 35:19.  There, David made the statement not only about himself, but about the Messiah to come.  We need not be surprised that Jesus would know the Scripture, but that He would also know its complete interpretation. Though Jesus was not marking off a checklist of what must happen to Him on earth, He was nonetheless quite familiar with what was to happen.  As we await the return of Jesus, we do not need to attempt to check off things that have transpired that says His return is immanent. There is only one thing that I understand must happen before the return of Christ, and that is that the Gospel must be preached to all nations.  Since we are commissioned by Christ to witness to the whole world, this should be our focus.  If we truly feel the return of Christ is so close, we need to be busy about witnessing, because we are responsible to reach out even to those who hate us with the Gospel of Christ.  In verse twenty six, Jesus told the disciples, "But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which preceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.  The first disciples looked ahead to the coming of the Holy Spirit, but we today have Him with us from the moment we accept Christ as our Savior.  We are told that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.  When we are confronted with a question of right or wrong, we need to ask the Holy Spirit, Who indwells us, what the truth is.  At times, we may attempt to make facts conform to what we want the truth to be, but the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to us.  Then, in verse twenty seven, Jesus said, "And ye shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning."  Though Jesus was speaking to His disciples that day, as His disciples today, we have the same task.  We were not with Jesus during His earthly ministry, but He is with us through the Holy Spirit once we accept Him as our Savior.  We have the same task presented to us, and that is to bear witness to Jesus.  We are not called to condemn a lost and dying world, but instead to bear witness to Jesus.

In John 15:21, Jesus said, "But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me."  The disciples were going to be persecuted for the sake of Christ.  This was going to happen because those of the world did not know God.  When we as His followers are persecuted today, it is for the sake of Christ, that His message may be presented to the world, and that He might be glorified.  We must realize that we will always be at war wtih the world, not because we are trying to destroy them, but because they are trying to destroy our witness for Christ.  Those who do not know God will always try to destroy His message.  We really do not face the persecution that many Christians in other parts of the world do, but we should not be surprised when it happens.  In verse twenty two, Jesus said, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin."  That does not mean without Christ coming into the world that people were never guilty of sin, but that now He had come to fulfill the Law, so their disbelief in Him would leave them with no excuse.  There is no way to hide our sins from the light of Christ.  In verse twenty three, Jesus said, "He that hateth Me hateth My Father also."  We cannot claim to believe in God if we reject Jesus.  Again, Jesus said that there was no other way to salvation but by Him.  We can never claim as followers of Christ that there may be other ways to salvation.  Believing in any god is not enough.  When we proclaim this truth, the world hates us, because it hated Jesus.  Jesus was killed in the name of religion,so we shouldn't find it strange that Christians are killed today in the name of religion.  We are no greater than our Lord.  If we are totally accepted or ignored by the world, something is wrong.  We have to also remember that even though the world hated Jesus, He loved them, and so must we.  In verse twenty four, Jesus continued, "If I had not done among them the works that none other man did, they had not sin: but now they hath both seen and hated both Me and My Father."  We cannot separate Jesus and the Father.  When we reject Jesus, we reject God.  Now that Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, if we reject Him, we are left accountable for our sins.  There is no other way to restoration with God than through Jesus.

Jesus reminded the disciples in John 15:20, that the servant is not greater than the master when He said, "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 saying, they will keep yours also."  Though Jesus was speaking to those disciples with Him that day, the truth of what He said applies to all His followers for all time.  We know that Jesus was persecuted to the point of being crucified, and we are promised that we will be persecuted also.  Notice Jesus did not say they might, but they will persecute us.  I know we read of the persecution of the early church and seem to think that ended after that time, but that was not what Jesus was saying.  He was talking to His followers for all time until His return.  When we say that God doesn't want us unhappy and would never ask anything of us that would make us unhappy, remember our Lord went to the cross.  We are no greater than He is.  Jesus also told His disciples that if people kept His sayings, they would keep the sayings of the disciples as well.  This does not mean that the disciples, then or now, are going to come up with some new gospel.  They, and we, are simply to be the ones who continue to spread the Gospel of Christ.  When we do this under the power of the Holy Spirit, the people of the world will listen.  That has always been the divider.  People will either persecute us for being His followers, or they will believe our testimony to Christ.  No where do we find a promise of prosperity in this world.  The blessing that God pours out on us is that we are content in Him, even if the world persecutes us.  If we are materially blessed, we need to realize that even if we give a tithe to the church, the rest still belongs to God.  We belong to Christ all the time, not just on Sunday and Wednesday night, and all that we are blessed with is to be used for His glory.  We are only promised persecution from the world, so we should not be surprised when it happens.  Still, we need to remember what else Jesus had just said, and that is that we are to reach out in love and not hatred.  Jesus is our example, and He reached out in love even from the cross.