In these Upper Room dialogues in John 13–16 Jesus has been speaking with his disciples in the brief time he had left with them before he was arrested. He was preparing them for the reality of life without him. He commanded them to love one another and showed them how to do it himself by washing their feet and loving Judas Iscariot to the end. Though his leaving made them feel so insecure, he promised them a place in his Father’s house, promised to come back for them, said he’s the only way back there, and told them to do the works he had been doing, through faith and prayer. He promised that if they obeyed his teaching, the Holy Spirit would come as their new Advocate and teacher. He told them to remain in him, the true vine, so that they could bear much fruit. Now Jesus warns his disciples about the persecution they would face. It’s a very serious warning. But, he also promises them again that the Holy Spirit would come to be their Advocate and would guide them into all the truth. No one likes to be hated or attacked. Persecution makes us feel confused and fearful. But if we follow Jesus, we can’t avoid persecution. Through this study we especially want to understand better how the Holy Spirit helps those who follow Jesus. May God open our hearts and speak to us personally through his word today.

In these upper room dialogues Jesus makes the last two of his seven “I am” statements in John’s Gospel: “I am the way” and “I am the true vine.” But the vine allegory he develops much more fully. Jesus gives his disciples this allegory to help them understand how they can continue having a relationship with him after he’s gone, and what the results of this relationship will be.

How do you say goodbye to somebody close? It can be so hard. Saying goodbye can make us sad, empty, or even scared. In these chapters Jesus has to say goodbye to his disciples. But in his case, something very special would happen after he was gone. The disciples’ relationship with him could actually continue, but in a different way. We learn a lot from his words about how we can have a relationship with Jesus today. We especially want to learn how we can experience the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, and why that’s so important. May God open our hearts and speak to us personally today.

Have you ever felt homeless? It’s hard to feel like you don’t belong anywhere. We all crave a permanent place, some real security. In today’s passage, Jesus speaks to his disciples personally about this. These are some of the most comforting words in the Bible. If we pay attention, he promises some amazing things. And he reassures us about finding our way in the world, and about how we should live based on faith in him. May God open our hearts and speak to us personally through his words today.

          What are you known for? Some people are well-known as funny, or smart, or strong, or serious. Sometimes we’re embarrassed to be known for our bad qualities. Christians can be known as legalistic or “teachy” or judgmental. But today Jesus tells us to be most known as people who know how to love. Wow! It’s not a concept; it’s seen in the way we actually treat others. People can see.

If you knew you were about to die, what’s the one thing you’d say to the people you love? Some might say, “Watch your money!” or, “Don’t trust people!” Some would say, “Do something useful!” or, “Live with no regrets!” or “Do you!” Being diligent, not wasting time or opportunities, working hard—these are all really good ways of living. But what’s the main thing Jesus told his disciples? Basically he said, “Truly love me, and love one another.” He repeats it several times. At its core, Christian life isn’t about rules or activities; it’s all about love.

         What are you looking forward to? Some of our expectations are just immediate. We can be looking forward to eating something delicious, or to getting a good night’s sleep. We can be looking forward to seeing an old friend, or getting back to school, or for the work day to finally be over. Some of our expectations can be further away. It might be a vacation or wedding day, or having children or grandchildren, or the day when we can have a new leader. The problem with all our expectations is that there are bigger problems in the world that can ruin everything. Accidents and tragedies, and people’s bad behavior can rob us of our dreams and leave us feeling crushed. In today’s passage Peter encourages us to be looking forward to something beyond our wildest dreams. What is it? Why should we be looking forward to it? How can we? May God open our hearts and speak to us through his living word today.

Have you ever asked yourself, “What difference does it make?” When we struggle to do good and nothing good ever seems to come of it, we feel like giving up. We even can give in to despair, or start thinking that doing bad won’t matter, either. Today’s passage describes false teachers and their destruction. It can seem like an extreme case, and their false teaching might seem obscure. But in light of this entire letter, it’s basically the teaching that there won’t ever be a judgment day. And this idea isn’t rare; it’s a main attitude and lifestyle in our world today. People live as if God were not there and that there won’t ever be a judgment day. It’s a huge mistake. In a corrupt world rebelling against God, Peter urges Christians to live a godly life, believing that God is watching, and that God will surely deal with both the righteous and the wicked someday. May God open our hearts and speak to us through his living word today.

          Do you ever despair? Some say despair has no place in Christian life. But when things seem hopeless, it’s easy to despair and give up. We easily despair about our situation, when nothing ever seems to change. We easily despair about ourselves, when we never seem to change, either. The Danish Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard described self-despair in various ways in his famous book about despair, The Sickness Unto Death (1849). Despair is serious because it leads us to forget about our past, ignore our future and quit struggling. Despair causes us to just give in to our desires and to all the pressures around us. In the opening of 2 Peter the author encourages Christians to fight against despair. How? By holding on to God’s “very great and precious promises.” What are they? Why should we believe them? How can they help us? May God open our hearts and speak to us personally through his word today.

Do you consider yourselves to be servants? Adults, do you work at a job, as a servant to others in exchange for money? Married couples, do you serve your spouse? Children, do you serve your siblings and friends? If you do, why? Is it in exchange for something else, like money? Maybe its because you feel obligated out of duty to do it? Today’s passage focuses on serving others as shepherds, and doing it entirely out of love for God and for others, even if it means self-sacrifice and self-denial in exchange for nothing. With this in mind, let’s focus especially on how we are watching over others, and with what motives, as we think about this passage.