John 15:1-17
Overview: A center piece of Chirst’s Teaching in his ministry. Jesus outlines the core of our faith:
Jesus, His Love and God’s Glory, and what it means to be a Christian.

(Read the text once before going into the details?)
Exposition:
v.1-4: Jesus contrasts the outcome of His followers against those that are not. Distinguishing them as the ones who “remain/abide in [him]” and “bear fruit”. While some of us may be familiar with the idea of Jesus abiding in us as the word abiding in our hearts, note that in v.4, the call is for us to remain in him, not that we help him to remain in us.

Why the fuss? You may ask, while we may be clearer as to what it means to have Christ abide in us, I believe that the rest of this narrative goes on to outline what it means for us to remain in Jesus. So the open question right now is: What does it mean to abide in Jesus?

v.5-6: A repetition of v.1-2 (remember that repetition is the Greek replacement for !s), Jesus fills in the details he mentioned in v.3-4 into the analogy used in v.1-2. That unless we remain in Jesus, we cannot bear fruit, “for apart from me you can do nothing (v.5)”. Therefore, anyone who does not abide in him (will be unable to bear fruit) and is thrown away … (v.6).

v.7: “perks” of being Jesus’ disciple (there’s a lot more to this, but we’ll come back to this later)

v.8: Important haha: The Glory of God is that we bear much fruit and so prove to be His disciple. The very nature of God, the purpose of our being, the divine mystery is being revealed here. That to Glorify God is to bear fruit.

v.9-10: Jesus brings us back to the question in v4, so what does it mean to “abide in his love (v.9)”? The answer flows naturally in v.10 keep his commandments. We’ll be examining the commandments later.

v.11: Before he outlines his commandments, Jesus reveals to us that not only is the above discussion important for our salvation (thrown into the fire or not), but it is also important for our joy, that we may be above to receive from the vine a full portion of joy.

v.12-13: The answer to the question in v8. The command needs not further explanation, except maybe to highlight that the love here is agape. Yet if we begin to put the pieces together, we’ll realize that we are all pretty much doomed. To love one another unconditionally and to lay our lives down for one another is a tall order, an impossible one at that.

v.14-16: As we read of the elevation of our status in 14-15, we can’t help but to be focused on the predicament we’re stuck on in v.12-13. It is my hope and my prayer that v.16 is the conviction and affirmation that you need. That Jesus, the lamb that was slain, the alpha and omega, have appointed us to go bear fruit – not fruits that will perish away, but fruit that will last/abide. So that whatever you ask the Father in Jesus’ Name, it may be granted. I hope you can see that the promise in v.7 is not just a perk from being Jesus’ disciple, but rather that it is integral and necessary for us to bear fruit. That without this promise, we will never live up to the standards in v.12-13. That v.7 is the source of our peace too.

v.17: These things I commanded you (these commands that outlines what it means to abide in Jesus), so that you will love one other (that we may bear much fruit, to love one another abundantly, to have the full portion of joy and to have the peace that comes from assurance from God).


Summary:

Yes the centerpiece of this passage is that the Glory of God, the Path to Salvation, the Source of Joy is that we submit to Jesus’ commandment in v.12-13, to love (agape) one another unconditionally. Before we write off this passage as “just another call to love one another”, what we need to realize is how impossible it is for us to do that. That without the promise in v.7 (the promise of divine intervention), we are pretty much doomed to destruction by fire.

Yet to claim the promise in v.7 needs the faith to believe, the courage to hope, that we may finally produce the love that we so desperately lack. For sharing, we can share about the ones we find difficult to love in our lives, why is it particularly difficult and commit all these in prayer, claiming the promise in v.7. That promise of God is greater than our hatred and apathy, that we will love not just for one another but because it brings Glory to God.


God Bless,
Zhan Feng

Before we start on the Chapter proper, we have to go back to Chapter 13 verses 36 to 38 where Simon Peter said to Him, ‘ Lord, where are you going’, because Jesus has just told them He is going to a place where they cannot follow. In fact, look at verse 33, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, now I also say to you, Where I am going you cannot come.” Imagine being a disciple then and listening to what Jesus had just said. Being a disciple, they had totally cast their lot with Him for approximately the last 3.5 years. What was Jesus saying? Besides this, the disciples were also more interested in listening to Jesus talk about the Kingdom but they could not comprehend when Jesus talked about the suffering He was going to go through in the near future. Something was terribly wrong and ominous but the disciples could not fully understand what was Jesus talking about. It is no wonder why the hearts of the disciples were so troubled. We move on to Chapter 14 nownow.

There are 6 assurances that can be brought out of this chapter.
1. Assurance of Heaven
2. Assurance of knowing the Father
3. Assurance of Prayer
4. Assurance of the Holy Spirit
5. Assurance of the Father’s Love
6. Assurance of God’s peace in this world
Ill combine the 6 points into 3. (Rayner‘s edition).

1) Assurance of Heaven

Verses 1 to 4

Heaven in the bible is known as :
Eternal Kingdom - 2 peter 1:11
inheritance - 1 peter 1:4
A better country / City - hebrews 11:16
Home - John 14:12

We must be reminded that earth is not our home. Therefore must not be too comfortable at this present moment. We know Christ therefore we are no longer a citizen of this world. according to the scriptures we are a 'exile', a 'sojourner', a 'stranger'. Therefore we should walk with anticipation and realise that there should only be 2 days in our calender and it should be today and the day we meet Jesus. However we do not know when that day will come. This means that our today ought to be lived in the light of that day. So, instead of saying that we are so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good, actually, the more heavenly-minded we are, the more we relish and cherish the opportunities of this present time. God may provide you with situations you never know what it will
look like. It could be a friend who wants to know more about Christianity after observing how you live your life or even struggles faced in life. These become opportunity times. In Revelation 21: 4-5, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’. He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true’.” Therefore, there is the assurance that our Home is where all our problems shall fade away.

2) Assurance of knowing the Father and the Assurance of prayer
Verses 5 – 14
#Verse 6 is the verse that everybody talks about so I trust the youths know it well enough. I shall focus more on other aspects of this segment.
Verse 8 shows Philip’s response to what Jesus had said. It shows his desire to know the Father. Do we have that same burning passion to know Him more each day or are we too busy and carried away with our hectic schedules and social lives?
There are 4 levels of ‘knowing’ in the Gospel. The first level of knowing is just knowing the basic facts. The second level of knowing is understanding the truth behind that fact. The third level of knowing is believing in a person. The fourth level of knowing is the one that John stresses and the one Paul had in mind when he said, “That I may know Him in the power of His resurrection.” It is also what Jesus had in mind in our verses 19 through 23 which will be covered later. This whole segment can be summarised in 1 statement- The better we know Jesus, the better we know the Father.
The assurance of prayer can also be found in this segment. Verses 12 – 14. Especially v13, 14 – “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” Prayer is basically a mode of communication to God but it is also a way to commune with God in our deepest selves, and it is an opportunity for us to really know Him. Besides this, we are able to commit to God whatever anxiety or hardships we face in our lives. Refer to Philippians 4:6-7. Worrying is never a solution during such times.

3) Assurance of the Holy Spirit/ Assurance of the Father’s love/ Assurance of God’s peace in this world

a) Assurance of the Holy Spirit
Verses 15-21
God gave us the Spirit of Truth. Refer to 1st Corinthians 6:19-20. It tells us that our body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, our spirit is communing with His Spirit. Therefore, do not harm your body by smoking, heavy drinking, drugs, sexual immorality etc etc as it is dishonouring to God.


b) Assurance of the Father’s love
Verses 23-24
v21 is a very powerful verse. What we can take home form this verse is that if we love Jesus, we will do what He asks us to do. If we know Jesus, we will know that what He asks us to do is to the best of our interests. Notice in verse 23, notice Jesus uses the ‘We’ instead of He. The ‘We’ here refers to the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

c) Assurance of God’s peace in this world
Verses 25 – 31
Verses 26 is a promise of inscripturation. Verse 26 talks about 2 kinds of peace. The worldly kind of peace and the spiritual peace. The world bases its peace on resources and the absence of trouble. However the spiritual peace is based on relationships. Spiritual peace is also experienced through trials because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Verse28, 29, Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen to Him and what He had to fulfil on earth. Verse 30,31 - Jesus describes 2 enemies. The devil and the world in which Jesus had overcame. Therefore we must be vigilant and believe in the truth (Bible) and that it is only in Christ alone that we can yield true peace in this world.
The End

#Covering until John 14, we realise that Jesus was actually talking about His love, His joy and His peace in which the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to give us.

Done by: Rayner

Jesus the servant leader

Takeaway Point: Jesus modeled the way for us to live, he had full knowledge of his worth in God and because of that he came down from the heavens to serve and love us all.

Jesus's Farewell Message to His disciples. He added the most important "action section" to His message when he washed his disciple's feet.

Read 13:1-17 Humility, Jesus and the Father (v1-5)

Background: We can read this in Matt 21-25. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday and had cleansed the temple on Monday. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders sought to trip him up to get evidence to arrest him. Wednesday was probably a day of rest and on Thursday he met with his disciples in the upper room to observe passover.

The emphasis in v1-3 was what the Lord knew and in 3-5 was what the Lord did. Jesus knew specifically that "the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father." Jesus was very specific about time and more specifically about "the hour" it began as he talked about 2:4 "Mine hour is not yet come" and later 12:23 "The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified" and here 13:1 "the hour had come for him". This specific hour pointed to the time in which he would be glorified through his death, resurrection and ascension.

 v3 "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" this knowledge helped to determine the things he did in v4-5.

How do we know that?
Keyword here in v4 is "so" v4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.This indicated that it was an act that followed from the knowledge Jesus had in v3.

As aforementioned, Jesus knew that his time on earth was running out and yet out of all the things he could have done he chose to wash the feet of his disciples. Let us take a moment to think about the gravity of this act and how important it must have been! Get the youths to also ponder about this and ask them why they think that this was so significant and what they thought Jesus was trying to show or achieve by this act? 

Background: Walking in sandals on the filthy roads of Palestine in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal, especially since people reclined at a low table and feet were very much in evidence. When Jesus rose from the table and began to wash the feet of the disciples, He was actually doing the work of the lowliest of servants. Even Jewish servants at that time might not wash the feet of their masters, only perhaps the Gentiles slaves might do so. Jesus was a Jew, He was also their Lord and Master!

The disciples must have been stunned at this act of humility, that Christ, their Lord and master, should wash the feet of His disciples, when it was their proper work to have washed His. But then again we should not be surprised because when Jesus came to earth the first time, He came not as a conquering King, instead he came as the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. As He revealed in Matt 20:28 He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The humility expressed by His act with towel and basin foreshadowed His ultimate act of humility and love on the cross.

Jesus also knew that there was this competitive spirit in the hearts of His disciples.We know this because they had just been recently arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest in Luke 22:24. It would never have occurred to them to wash one another’s feet as they found themselves so caught up in trying to prove their worth. When the Lord Himself stooped to this lowly task, they were stunned.He gave them an unforgettable lesson in humility and by His actions he rebuked their selfishness and pride. The more you think about this scene and Jesus's act of humility the more meaningful it gets. We see that Paul also referenced this imagery when he was talking about humility, in Phil 2:1-16 and also in 1 Peter 5:5.

Often we might confuse the poor in spirit (Matt 5:23) with the poor-spirited and true humility with inferiority and timidity. This is aptly described in The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis, where Screwtape is trying to get his nephew Wordwood to fix in the patient's mind that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes. Then we remember the source of Christ's humility, that it was not out of poverty but from the riches that God had given him in v3 and also seen in 2 Cor 8:9. A Malay proverb says, “The fuller the ear is of rice-grain, the lower it bends.”

It is remarkable how the Gospel of John reveals the humility of our Lord even while magnifying His deity: “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19, 30). “For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will” (John 6:38). “My doctrine is not Mine” (John 7:16). “And I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50). “The word which ye hear is not Mine” (John 14:24). His ultimate expression of humility was His death on the cross.

We must always remember that Jesus was the Sovereign, yet He took the place of a servant. He had all things in His hands, yet He picked up a towel. He was Lord and Master, yet He served His followers.True humility grows out of our relationship with the Father. If our desire is to know and do the Father’s will so that we might glorify His name, then we will experience the joy of following Christ’s example and serving others.

We today, just like the disciples that night, desperately need this lesson on humility. The church is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers vie with one another to see who is the greatest in various aspects of worship, prayer and even service! We might be growing in knowledge, but not in grace (2 Peter 3:18). “Humility is the only soil in which the graces root,” wrote Andrew Murray. “The lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure.” Jesus served His disciples because of His humility and because of His love. Contrast John 13:1 with 1:11 and 3:16: Jesus came “unto His own [world], and His own [people] received him not.” “For God so loved the world.” In the Upper Room, Jesus ministered in love to His own disciples, and they received Him and what He had to say. The Greek text says, “He loved them to the uttermost.”

I guess as leaders, it is also good for us to reflect on how we as leaders have model after Christ in the way we lead our youths. If we say we love them like Christ said he loved us, how then are we acting upon this declaration of love? I hope that you guys would be able to think and pray about ways in which God has placed upon your heart to show love to your youths. I pray that God would use this simple act of obedience to further his kingdom and glorify his name.

 As for the youths, get them to think of their identity in Christ. Do they believe what Christ believed in v3 that we belong solely to the Father and that we are returning to be with him when Christ comes again? From that what are some action steps in which they can take in the following week/month/year? Get them to share in a smaller group with a leader(facilitate them to share) and then pair them up to pray for one another. Have a blessed week ahead!

 Are we crafting our week in such a way that we are living breathing eating and studying for the Lord? May the spirit fill us so that it would be an overflow from the relationship that we have with Father God.