John 14:18-20

1. We learn that Christ’s second coming is meant to be the special comfort of believers.
2. We learn that Christ’s life secures the life of His believing people.
3. We learn that full and perfect knowledge of divine things will never be attained by believers until the second advent.

"Let us settle it in our minds that all believers are comparatively orphans and children in their minority, until the second advent. Our best things are yet to come. Faith has yet to be exchanged for sight and hope for certain."

"Each child of God is invisibly linked to the throne of the Rock of Ages. When that throne can be shaken and not till then, we may despair. But Christ lives and we will live also."

"Raised from the dead, freed from the darkness of this world, no longer tempted by the devil and tried by the flesh, believers will see as they have been seen and know as they have been known. We will have light enough one day. What we do not know now, we will know then."

Questions:

1. Jesus promises that he will come for His people. Ryle argues this is referring not just to the 12 apostles but for all believers at all times. The question before us today, as we hear this afresh, is: are we looking forward to the return of Christ? Have we put this hope before us, right next to the atoning death and intercession of Christ?
2. Jesus declares that because He lives, we also, who are united to Him, live. This, Ryle tells us, should bring great comfort to the Christian! Christ Jesus has been raised and all Christians are united to Him are raised to newness of life and will be finally raised to be with Him forever. And this cannot change because Christ cannot change! Does this not give you hope today? Can we say this is the source of our strength for today and hope for tomorrow?
3. Jesus declares that at His second coming we will know the that He is in the Father, us in Him, and Him in us. This, as Ryle says, are mysterious truths now and there is much ignorance about them. He also ties this to the sad divisions within the church because as we see in part, we also misunderstand one another. Does that not excite you that all will be clear one day? Does that not produce in us a humility as we disagree with brothers and sisters on issues that have divided true Christians over the years?

John 14:12-17

1. We have a striking promise about the works that Christians may do.
2. We have a striking promise about things that Christians may get by prayer.
3. We have a striking promise about the Holy Spirit.

"He can help forward His cause on earth quite as much by sitting at the right hand of the Father and sending forth the Holy Spirit, as by being in the world."

"Weak and imperfect as their supplications may be, so long as they are put in Christ’s hands and offered in Christ’s name they shall not be in vain. We have a Friend at Court, an Advocate with the Father and if we honour Him by sending all our petitions through Him, He pledges His word that they shall succeed."

"Any doctrine about the church, the ministry or the sacraments which obscures the Spirit’s inward work or turns it into mere form, is to be avoided as deadly error."

Questions:

1. We hear Jesus say that his followers will do greater things than Himself. Ryle understands this to be referring not to miracles, but to conversions. No disciple raises a dead person after 4 days being dead or walks on water, but one sermon by Peter sees 3000 souls saved! Do we see the conversion of souls, of men and women being born again, as the greatest miracle?
2. Jesus gives a striking promise, namely that whatever we ask in His name He will do. Ryle warns against those who apply this to material wealth or worldly prosperity as if God is in the business of giving us idols that would take our hearts away from Him. Yet, if we would make a mark in this world, we must bring our requests to the Father through Jesus Christ. If Jesus only did the things that we asked for in the past 24 hours, what could we expect to happen? Is it significant or minute?
3. Jesus promises to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit to his people. Ryle points out a number of truths about the Holy Spirit that he says we should grasp firmly and never let go of. As I list them again, can we say we are holding fast to these truths? First, the Spirit is a Person. Second, he is the Spirit of truth that leads us in all truth. Third, the world cannot receive Him and simply cannot understand how He works. Fourth, the Spirit dwells in believers and fifth, the Spirit is given to supply all their true needs while Christ's physical presence is removed. Do we know the work of the Spirit in our lives?

John 14:4-11

1. We should mark how much better Jesus speaks of believers than they speak of themselves.
2. We should mark what glorious names the Lord Jesus gives Himself.
3. We should mark how expressly the Lord Jesus shuts out all ways of salvation except Himself.

"The plain truth is that all believers tend to undervalue the work of the Spirit in their own souls, and to imagine they know nothing because they do not know everything."

"To use Christ daily as the way, to believe Christ daily as the truth, to live on Christ daily as the life—this is to be a well-informed, a thoroughly equipped and an established Christian."

"It counts for nothing that a person is clever, learned, highly gifted, amiable, charitable, kind-hearted and zealous about some sort of faith. All this will not save their soul if they do not draw near to God by Christ’s atonement and make use of God’s own Son as their Mediator and Saviour."

"We must be content to believe when we cannot explain and to admire and revere when we cannot interpret."

Questions:

1. We hear Jesus speak of his disciples knowing much while Thomas objects. Ryle points out that while the disciples were children in many ways, their knowledge was far greater than the majority of the Jewish nation. Yet, what matters most is that the disciples, and by implication, all disciples, have a heart knowledge that God sees and finds precious in His sight. Is this a new idea to you, namely that God takes more account of a heart knowledge than a head knowledge?
2. We hear the famous words of Jesus telling his disciples that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Ryle declares that the Christian who uses Christ daily as the way, believes Christ daily as the truth, and lives on Christ daily as the life is to be a well-informed, thoroughly equipped and an established Christian. What does that truth do in simplifying your life and walk?
3. Jesus declares that He is the only way to God. Ryle warns of a common error then as it is still today, namely that salvation will come to any who have sincere faith in any god. Sincerity counts for nothing if it is in the wrong thing. Is this teaching a hill to die on for us or have we bought into the world's message and are afraid to offend?
4. We learn from Jesus that He is one with the Father. Ryle points out that this is a deep well and that our minds simply cannot take it all in. Instead, in such cases, we must be content to believe when we cannot explain, and admire and revere when we cannot interpret. If you are like me, we like to be able to wrap our heads around a thing before we have peace, but does this statement not help you? When it comes to the deep things about God, does it lead us to worship and contentment?

John 14:1-3

1. We have a precious remedy against an old disease.
2. We have a very comforting account of heaven, the future home of God’s people.
3. We have a solid ground for expecting good things to come.

"Faith in the Lord Jesus is the only sure medicine for troubled hearts. To believe more thoroughly, trust more entirely, rest more unreservedly, lay hold more firmly, lean back more completely—this is the prescription which our Master urges on the attention of all His disciples."

"What we shall see and whom we shall see in heaven we cannot fully understand yet, while we are in the body. But one thing is certain: we will see Christ."

"Great is the blessedness of looking back to Christ coming the first time to suffer for us, but no less great is the comfort of looking forward to Christ coming the second time, to raise and reward His people."

Questions:

1. Jesus tells his disciples, who already showed much evidence in believing, to believe once again! Ryle points out that even weak faith in Jesus saves, but strong faith brings inward comfort, and so faith is the medicine for troubled hearts. What are things that trouble our hearts? What promises do we need to believe and apply to those troubles?
2. Jesus tells us some rich truths about heaven: that it is home to the Father and all who belong to Him, that it is the place of mansions, and many of them, and that it is the place where Christ dwells. Ryle encourages us that though we may not know much of what is there or who will be there in the end, we will certainly see Jesus. Do these truths excite our hearts and give us comfort? Why or why not?
3. Jesus declares that He is going to prepare a place for His people. Ryle encourages us with these good words, namely to firmly plant in our hearts that heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people, and that Christ will come to get us Himself. How often do we think about heaven? What can we do to think about it more?

John 13:31-38

1. These verses show us what glory the crucifixion brought both to God the Father and to God the Son.
2. Secondly, these verses show us what great importance our Lord Jesus attaches to the grace of brotherly love.
3. Lastly, these verses show us how much self-ignorance there may be in the heart of a true believer.

"Let us remember that painting and sculpture can never tell a tenth part of what took place on the cross. Crucifixes and pictures at best can only show us a human being agonizing in a painful death. But of the length and breadth and depth and height of the work transacted on the cross, of God’s law honored, our sins borne, sin punished in a Substitute, free salvation bought for us—of all this they can tell nothing. Yet all this lies hid under the crucifixion."

"It is called a new commandment, not because it had never been given before, but because it was to be more honored, to occupy a higher position, to be backed by a higher example than it ever had been before. Above all, it was to be the test of Christianity before the world."

"Let it be a settled principle in our faith that there is weakness in all our hearts of which we have no adequate conception, and that we never know how far we might fall if we were tempted."

Questions:

1. Jesus talks of both His Father and Himself being glorified by the cross. Ryle points out that crucifixes and pictures can only tell us a fraction of what is really going on at the cross, yet the Scriptures reveal to us the transaction, the law of God honored, our sins being nailed to the tree, our sin punished in our place, and free salvation purchased for all God's people. Does this not produce in us a boasting in the cross?
2. Jesus declares that the litmus test for Christians in the world is love. Ryle warns that of all the Christian graces love is far too often an idea we like to talk about rather than a command to be obeyed. Can our love be seen in our tempers and words? In our bearing and our doing? in our behavior at home and abroad? Do we especially aim to do good to fellow Christians? Do we abhor the idea of envy, malice, and jealousy as downright sin?
3. We see Peter make a bold claim, and Jesus declare that Peter will deny him 3 times before the day is done. Ryle points out that even the greatest believer can have great self-ignorance. He warns that the seeds of every sin lay latent in our hearts even when renewed and they only need occasion or carelessness and the withdrawal of God's grace for a time to put forward an abundant crop. Are we aware of our own weaknesses? Do we regularly cry out to God to be upheld by His power and kept from temptation and the evil one? Or does the lack of these things declare that we believe ourselves to be strong in ourselves?

John 13:21-30

1. Let us mark what trouble our Lord Jesus went through for the sake of our souls.
2. Let us mark the power and malignity of our great enemy the devil.
3. Let us mark the extreme hardness which comes over the heart of a backsliding professor of faith.

"How many cups of sorrow He drained to the dregs in working out our salvation, beside the mighty cup of bearing our sins! They show us how little reason we have for complaining when friends fail us and people disappoint us."

"Trifling with the first thoughts of sin, making light of evil ideas when first offered to our hearts, allowing Satan to talk to us, flatter us and put bad notions into our hearts—all this may seem a small matter to many. It is precisely at this point that the road to ruin often begins."

"Let us watch jealously over our hearts and beware of giving way to the beginnings of sin. Happy is the one who fears always and walks humbly with their God."

Questions

1. We see the heart of Jesus burdened when Judas Iscariot betrays Him. Ryle encourages us to consider how many cups of sorrow he drank besides the mighty cup of bearing out sins. He points out that we should have very little reason for complaining when others fail and disappoint us. Can we say this is true?
2. We see the evil of Satan who puts a thought into Judas's head, and then enters him when he acts on it. The Bible tells us not to be ignorant of Satan's devices and Ryle encourages that our only safety is to resist him and to not listen to his first advances. Are we aware of Satan's schemes? Do we daily pray to be kept from temptation?
3. We see the hardness of the heart of Judas as Jesus speaks his last words to him. Ryle warns against resisting the light and knowledge we have, and that such work is most common amongst those who deliberately turn their backs on such light and knowledge. He closes with this helpful word, namely that the strongest Christian is the one who feels their weakness most and cries for help most frequently. In light of this standard, how strong are we?

John 13:16-20

1. We are taught that Christians must never be ashamed of doing anything that Christ has done.
2. We are taught the uselessness of Christian knowledge if not accompanied by practice.
3. We are taught the perfect knowledge which Christ has of all His people.
4. We are taught the true dignity of Christ’s disciples.

"We are all too likely to dislike any work which seems to require trouble, self-denial and going down to our inferiors...When feelings of this kind arise within us we shall find it good to remember our Lord’s words in this passage, no less than our Lord’s example.

"[Knowledge] is perfectly valueless unless it produces results in our conduct, and influences our lives, and moves our wills. In fact knowledge without practice does not raise us above the level of the devil."

"A church may be deceived and rank people as apostles who are no better than Judas Iscariot. But Jesus is never deceived for He can read hearts."

"To spend and be spent in trying to do good makes a person far more honorable in the eyes of Jesus than to command armies or amass a fortune."

Questions:

1. Jesus declares that no servant is greater than his master. And yet, what the Master just did was stoop low to wash his disciple's feet! This is the example we are to follow, and again, we must ask ourselves: do I possess true love and humility in serving others? Do I believe myself to be greater than Jesus Christ?
2. Jesus declares to his disciples that if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Ryle gives us a helpful balance. On the one hand, knowledge is the beginning of Christianity in the soul, on the other hand, that knowledge is useless if not accompanied by practice and change of heart and life. He warns that it is common for people to say, "I know, I know" while not actually doing what they say they apparently "know." To which side are we more guilty: of not knowing or not doing? What is one thing you know that you are doing?
3. Jesus declares that He knows whom he has chosen. Ryle points out that this statement declares a truth clearly revealed in Scripture, namely that Jesus knows the hearts of all. He shows that this should cause the hypocrite to repent and cause the believer to find comfort. What does this truth do to our hearts?
4. Jesus declares that whoever receives whomever he sends received him personally. Ryle points out that this is encouraging for the believer who gives themselves to seeking the good of others. Are we eager and ready to do good to others when opportunities arise or do we tend to grumble and complain?

John 13:6-15

1. We should notice the hasty ignorance of the apostle Peter.
2. We should notice the plain practical lesson which lies upon its surface.
3. We should notice the deep spiritual lessons which lie beneath its surface.

"We must make allowances for the corruption of the understanding as well as of the will. We must not be surprised to find that the brains as well as the affections of Adam’s children have been hurt by the fall."

"Then if we want to do good to the world and make our calling and election sure, let no one forget our Lord’s example in this passage. Like Him, let us be humble and loving towards all."

"Even the one that is washed needs to wash their feet and to wash them in the same fountain where they found peace of conscience when they first believed. Then let us daily use that fountain without fear. With the blood of Christ we must begin and with the blood of Christ we must go on."

Questions:

1. We read of Peter lacking understanding as to the actions of His Lord. Ryle points out that the fall has not only affected our emotions but our understanding, and in truth, every part of us! Like Peter, we can look at the happenings of our lives that God has orchestrated and wonder what God is doing. Yet, like Peter, there is a day coming when God will make all things plain. Does this bring us comfort in the midst of trail?
2. We hear Jesus declare that we should wash the feet of others like He has done. Ryle points out two examples we should follow, namely humility and love. Humility means we die to ourselves and, like our Lord, are willing to serve anyone, no matter how low. Love means we delight to do anything, even little things, to promote the happiness and lessen the sorrows of others. Are these things true of us? Are their people too low for us to serve? Do we find delight and joy in increasing the happiness of others?
3. We read that those who have been washed still need to wash their feet. Ryle points out that being washed is turning to Christ and His precious blood by faith, and yet, nobody can pass through this evil world without defilement and the need for fresh supplies of mercy. So, take heart! If you are washed, you cannot wash again! Yet, as long as we live in this world, we need to go back to that fountain to wash our feet again and again. What does this truth do to encourage your heart?