1. John’s Account of Jesus

2. Review The quality of the fruit of my life is contingent upon the quality of the vine I’m connected to Apart from Christ, I can do nothing

3. Review I don’t have a fruit problem, I have a connection problem Fruit that lasts= glorify God, prayers answered, proof of discipleship, great joy

4. Walking to Gethsemane

5. Counselor Context: This is my command: love each other…- Jesus

6. Counselor “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first”- vs. 18 World= kosmos- unbelievers who are indifferent to or hostile to God

7. Counselor Christ’s world?

8. Counselor Christ’s audience?

9. Counselor Keep in mind…Responses to Persecution: Hatred and “push back” Hatred and “push back” Blaming God and walking away Blaming God and walking away Self-justification Self-justification Keep in mind…remain in me, bear much fruit to my father’s glory, showing yourselves to be my disciples…

10. Counselor “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”- vs. 19 Conformity vs. transformation= comfort vs. conviction

11. Counselor “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also”- vs. 20 John 13:16- Assumes Christlikeness

12. Counselor When it comes to hatred of believers, the reason is as important as the action

13. Counselor Why are we not hated? Christlikeness? Christlikeness? American DNA? American DNA? God’s grace? God’s grace?

14. Counselor “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin” No excuse- they heard the truth

15. Counselor “He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father” No excuse- they saw the truth authenticated by miracles

16. Counselor Do people today have an excuse for their sin?

17. Counselor How do they hear truth and see it authenticated?

18. Counselor “He who hates me hates my Father as well” Jesus and the Father are a package deal. According to Jesus, I cannot reject one without rejecting the other

19. Counselor “But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason’”- vs. 21-25 They claim to be champions of God’s law, yet they hate the One their law points to as it’s fulfillment

20. Counselor “They claim to be Christians, yet they: Gossip about and hate each other Gossip about and hate each other Spend all their time raising money to build elaborate buildings Spend all their time raising money to build elaborate buildings Are more concerned about their comfort than Christ’s call” Are more concerned about their comfort than Christ’s call”

21. Counselor “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” - vs. 26-27

22. Counselor Spirit empowers, directs, convicts Disciples speak and give testimony

23. Counselor God…reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation God…reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation

24. Counselor We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God- 1 Cor. 5:18-20 “You also must testify…”- Jesus

25. Counselor “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray”- 16:1 Jesus did not come to take his followers out of the world, but to reach the world through them

26. Counselor “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray” “Remain in me…bear much fruit… Apart from me you can do nothing” Concern: Become fruitless and not reach the world with the message of Jesus

27. Counselor “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me”

28. Counselor “I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you”- vs. 2-4

29. Counselor Religion can justify almost anything. Those who follow Jesus are constrained to act as he would act

30. Counselor Stephen (+ 2,000) Philip- whipped, imprisoned and crucified Matthew- murdered with axe and sword

31. Counselor James- 94 yrs old- beaten, stoned, brains beaten out of his head Matthias- stoned and beheaded Andrew- crucified and hung for 2 days while preaching

32. Counselor Mark- torn apart by a mob Jude- crucified Bartholomew- beaten, crucified, then beheaded

33. Counselor Thomas- run through with a spear Luke- hanged Simon- crucified Peter- crucified upside down

34. Counselor James (John’s Brother)- before beheading: “You’re sinful and destined for hell. You have one final chance to receive Jesus.” - Official came to know Christ and had his head cut off with James

35. Counselor John- boiled alive, he lived. Then exiled to Patmos before taken back to Roman society in old age

36. Counselor Nero “Caesar is Lord”

37. Counselor Agatha- virgin Roman official imprisoned, scourged, burned with irons, hooks in flesh, laid naked on bed of coals and glass, then let her die slowly on a bed

38. Counselor Perpetua- pregnant, let wild boars impale her

39. Counselor Last 100 years- more Christians died from martyrdom than first 1900 years combined

40. Counselor China- bulldozed 400 house churches, 35 pastors in reeducation camps

41. Counselor Pakistan- Kidnapped Christian and Muslim women. Let Muslim women go, Muslim men raped 8 Christian women 7 were teenagers 16-18 yrs old. 60 Christians fired for reporting it to the police

42. Counselor Sudan right now- young Christian women: “Deny Christ or be raped and sold into prostitution” 12-14 year old for $50

43. Counselor Mexico- Pastor’s kids kidnapped regularly. Ransomed or children are killed. Often the police are the kidnappers

44. Counselor India- yearly Hindu festival with sacrifices. 1 woman becomes demon-possessed, prophesy and dance for a week straight Pastor prayed, demon left, 24 people came to faith. Life is in jeopardy

45. Counselor “People look at me funny because of the fish on my car…”

46. Counselor Takeaways: Am I being transformed by Christ as I “remain” in him? Am I being transformed by Christ as I “remain” in him? Do I produce conviction in others by my (humble) life? If not, why not? Do I produce conviction in others by my (humble) life? If not, why not?

47. Counselor Takeaways: Do I allow trials to make me unfruitful, blaming God and “pushing back” rather than seeking God and growing? Do I allow trials to make me unfruitful, blaming God and “pushing back” rather than seeking God and growing?

48. Counselor Takeaways: Am I an ambassador for Jesus? Am I an ambassador for Jesus?

49. Counselor