Ryan Stanley from Mercy Hill Church in Dayton preached from Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer and reflected from it on what Jesus’ mission is, the goal of the mission and how what we do as a church and as believers impacts that mission.

Looking at the ends of chapters 15 and 16 we see Jesus both convict us and comfort us in that when our identity is in Him that we will be rejected, but it is Christ that they are rejecting first, as Israel had rejected God’s lordship throughout history. Further, while rejection and hatred hurt deeply, Jesus reassures us that we have the hope of a greater joy to come and to not be afraid because though the world hates us, He has overcome the world.

This week, Nick continued preaching on the roles of the Holy Spirit. As our Advocate, the Spirit witnesses to Christ, convicts us of our sin, and guides us through life and to righteousness in Scripture and prayer.

Taking a step back from chapter 15 to this section, we start to break down the mysteries we put up about the Holy Spirit by seeing His roles of abiding in us, advocating for us and assuring us of our adoption as children of God.

The first section of John 14 calls us to look to Jesus for who He is. Jesus says that He Himself prepares a place for us, He Himself is the way there and that when we see Him we see the Father. Rather than looking around Jesus for a greater way, a greater truth or a greater life, we need to look right at Him and know that we are there.