Sunday, March 3, 2023

John 18:12–27

In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus taught his disciples about the importance of abiding in him. “Abide in me,” he said, “and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5 ESV)

These words are key to understanding the spiritual life—apart from Jesus we can do nothing. We need to abide in him.

Jesus’s warning to his disciples in John 15 were not hypothetical. He knew that his disciples didn’t understand his mission. He knew their hearts were on a military messiah. He knew they dreamed of earthly glory. He also knew his hour had come and he was about to be arrested. There was a real risk of his disciples falling away, so Jesus challenged them to take courage and remain faithful.

In John 18:12–27, the disciples’ dreams of a military messiah and an earthly kingdom start to unravel. A mob of Roman soldiers and temple police brings Jesus before Annas, one of the most powerful men in Jerusalem. The stakes are high, both for Jesus and his disciples (one of whom just pulled a sword on the temple police!).

As they are interrogated by the chief priests, Jesus and Peter respond very differently. Jesus is calm and confident. He has confidence in the Father and shows no fear. Peter, on the other hand, begins to falter. When asked if he is a disciple of Jesus, he responds matter-of-factly: “I am not.”

Like Peter and his friends, we can do nothing unless we abide in Christ. Jesus promised us opposition from the world—there will be a time when an accuser demands of us, “You also aren’t one of his disciples, are you?” What will we do in that moment? Will we abide or will we deny? How can we have the courage to be faithful?

Join us this week as we talk about opposition from the world and how we can have the courage to remain faithful. God is with us and we have nothing to fear!

See you on Sunday!
Service times are at 9:00 & 11:00. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch live at those times.