Unstoppable Joy
Notes
Transcript
text
text
16 In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me.”
17 Then some of His disciples asked one another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
18 They kept asking, “Why is He saying, ‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”
19 Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’?
20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
25 I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
26 In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.
28 I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “See, now You are speaking plainly and without figures of speech.
30 Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”
31 “Do you finally believe?” Jesus replied.
32 “Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
PRAY
We’re picking back up in our study of the Gospel of John after 2 months away from it. Let’s review quickly the context of where we’re at today.
We are in the final week before Jesus’s death, known as the Passion Week. And in chapters 13-17 we have several teachings from Jesus for his disciples preparing them for what is about to happen and for the mission that He will be giving them later.
In these chapters we find much teaching on the Holy Spirit’s role in the ongoing ministry of Jesus through His apostles, and that’s where we left off two months ago.
Let’s read a few verses before our passage today to remind ourselves of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to the apostles and to us:
12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.
13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.
14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.
15 Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you.
Jesus was preparing His disciples for His imminent departure and the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would remind the apostles of Jesus’s words, guide them into all truth, and exalt Jesus Christ.
Our passage today doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit by name, but based on the context, we understand that much of what Jesus tells His disciples here is related to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Joy, spiritual insight, and boldness are all things that the Holy Spirit worked in the apostles’ lives and in ours as well. So although the Spirit isn’t mentioned by name here, be aware that He is behind the scenes bringing these things about.
Main Idea:
Through the Holy Spirit’s Power, the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Turn Grief into Joy, Confusion into Clarity, and Fear into Courage for all who trust in Jesus.
The apostles were not extraordinary men. They were not highly educated, nor were they by nature courageous men. It is clear that they lacked spiritual insight and wisdom since they shared the same misconceptions about the Messiah as the religious leaders and other Jews of their day.
They were sad, confused, and fearful over the things Jesus told them regarding His impending death.
They’re not exactly the prime candidates for the job of building the church or spreading the Gospel around the world.
But it was these ordinary, uneducated, fearful, confused men that eventually turned the world upside down with their preaching. Through their preaching the church was built, and the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth.
What Happened?!
Between our passage today and the events recorded in Acts, some very important things happened, things that changed everything for these ordinary men and empowered them to accomplish extraordinary things.
What Happened?
Jesus went to the cross and accomplished our redemption once for all
He was buried in the garden tomb; but death did not stop him
On the third day he powerfully rose from the dead and defeated death
He appeared to his disciples for 40 days
He promised His ultimate victory over sin and death and the Devil
He ascended to his throne in heaven where he sat down as our King and High Priest
He sent His Holy Spirit into every believer
And the world was turned upside down by the radically transformed lives of these men.
If we will truly believe these truths, God can also use us today to accomplish great things for Him.
Today in the church we need a fresh vision of the crucified, risen, and exalted Savior and Lord Jesus Christ to empower us to be busy about our Father’s business.
This is the kind of vision and hope we find in our passage today in John.
The Work of Jesus Predicted and Accomplished
There is of course much more to Jesus’s Person and Work than what is explained in this passage, but here John reminds us of a few of the truths about what Jesus had accomplished and was going to accomplish — truths that would change the lives of the disciples and turn the world upside down.
His Sinless Life and Perfect Obedience to the Father
Jesus’s death on the cross for us by itself wouldn’t have been enough to restore us to fellowship with God. If our sins were forgiven but we still had no righteousness on our account, we would not be able to enter God’s presence. But because Jesus never sinned and always did what was right, by His death he grants us not only forgiveness of our sins, but also His own righteous standing before the Father.
28 I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”
This is a short summary of Jesus’s mission. He came from the Father into the world to accomplish the Father’s plan of redemption, and once He had accomplished our redemption He would leave the world and return to the Father.
In this, Jesus fulfills the words of Isaiah:
10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
11 so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
Back in John, He says this a few verses later:
John 16:32 (BSB)
32 … I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
We understand from an earlier message in John that the Father is with Jesus precisely because Jesus always does the Father’s will - He always does what is right, perfectly. He says this:
29 He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
The good news of the Gospel is that all who trust in Jesus get their sins taken away and a perfect record of righteousness applied to their account. Because of the sinless perfection of Jesus Christ, we have the hope of eternal life with God both now and forever.
His Atoning Death
Perhaps a more obvious aspect of Jesus’s work that He was about to accomplish was His death for our sins on the cross. His perfect life would do us no good if He had not also taken away our sins by His death in our place on the cross.
For the disciples, though, the idea of a crucified Messiah was unthinkable. It just couldn’t happen. The Son of David, the heir to his throne, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to Israel couldn’t possibly be tortured and die on a cross, could he?
It’s easy for us to understand why they missed this, and sometimes it makes me wonder just how much we’re missing in regards to God’s promises for the future.
But we have the benefit of hindsight (20/20)
In this passage we have the repeated use of the phrase “a little while.” This is a phrase often used in the OT regarding the coming salvation of the righteous and judgment of the wicked.
In one sense, both salvation and judgment took place at the cross. In another sense, the fullness of salvation and judgment is still to come.
In this passage, there are multiple hints at Jesus’s upcoming death:
John 16:16 (BSB)
16 In a little while you will see Me no more…
John 16:17 (BSB)
17 Then some of His disciples asked one another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not see Me…
John 16:19 (BSB)
19 Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me…
John 16:20 (BSB)
20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve…
The words “weep and wail” in v. 20 are especially clear that it’s referring to Jesus’s death, as these are words associated with a funeral.
Jesus was about to die, and his disciples did not understand at all why! It didn’t make any sense to them. But through Jesus’s teaching and the Holy Spirit’s ministry to them, they came to understand the significance of His death.
His death was a propitiation - satisfying the wrath of God against our sin.
His death is the basis of our forgiveness - only by the shedding of the perfect blood of the spotless Lamb of God can we be forgiven forever.
His death defeated death - by His death He has won the victory over sin, death, and the Devil.
… and so much more.
His Resurrection from the Dead
But death did not have the final word.
In fact, if He had stayed dead, we wouldn’t be here today. But he has displayed his absolute sovereign power by rising from the dead. And because of this, we have hope for eternal salvation and for our own final resurrection.
v. 16b (also 17b & 19): “and then after a little while you will see Me.” (John 16:16-17)
v. 20b “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (16:20)
Then the illustration of a woman in labor applied to the truths of Jesus’s death and resurrection:
21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
His Ascension to the Father
v. 17b: “Because I am going to the Father” (17)
v. 28b: “I will leave the world and go to the Father.” (28)
His Ultimate Victory
v. 33: “I have overcome the world!” (33)
The Gospel according to John 4. The Prospect of Joy beyond the Trouble of This World (16:16–33)
Jesus has conquered the world, in the same way that he has defeated the prince of this world. Jesus’ point is that by his death he has made the world’s opposition pointless and beggarly. The decisive battle has been waged and won. The world continues its wretched attacks, but those who are in Christ share the victory he has won. They cannot be harmed by the world’s evil, and they know who triumphs in the end. From this they take heart, and begin to share his peace.
The Transformation of the Believer by the Power of the Holy Spirit
Grief Turned into Joy
20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
20 After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Confusion Turned into Clarity
John 16:18 (BSB)
18 … We do not understand what He is saying.”
John 16:23 (BSB)
23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything…
25 I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
42 Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Self-Confidence Turned into Prayer
John 16:30 (BSB)
30 Now we understand …
John 16:23–24 (BSB)
23 … Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
23 On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
Anxiety Turned into Peace
John 16:33 (BSB)
33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation…
Acts 5:27–29 (BSB)
27 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said… 29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.”
The apostles were unafraid to give their lives for Jesus Christ and the Gospel. No longer anxious, they had the peace of God, and they willingly risked their lives to obey God and spread the good news about Jesus Christ.
Fear Turned into Courage
John 16:32–33 (BSB)
32 “Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. 33… But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
This is a fulfillment of prophecy:
7 Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
But their fear turned to boldness and courage for Christ:
13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
20 For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Do you see how radically these men’s lives were transformed?
Do you want the same for your own life?
I believe this is God’s purpose for us as believers. God wants us to cling to the truths of the Gospel and what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us so that our lives are radically transformed and everyone around us will know, God did it!
By the power of the Holy Spirit, every aspect of our lives will be transformed by the awesome truths of the Gospel of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. If He can take sad, confused, and cowardly men and make them joyful, wise, and bold in proclaiming the Gospel, certainly He can do the same with us if we trust in Jesus.
Through Jesus, we also will be victorious and overcome the world:
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
4 because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
5 Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
As we learn to trust Jesus and cling to these truths of what He has accomplished for us, our lives will be transformed and God will accomplish great things through us.
Application
Take time to consider the truths of who Jesus is and what He’s done for you. Do you believe that Jesus lived a life of sinless obedience? Do you believe that He suffered and died in your place on the cross? Do you believe that He rose physically from the dead and is still alive? Do you believe that He ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe that He’s coming again? Do you believe that He will judge the wicked and reward the righteous? Not just do you know these things with your head, but do you believe them with your heart? If so, how are these truths changing your life?
What changes are evident in your life? Are there any areas that God has brought to mind today that need to change? Do you need to be more joyful? Do you need a greater understanding of what Jesus has done for you? Do you need to pray and depend on God more instead of depending on yourself? Do you need God’s peace to rule in your heart? Do you need to be more bold and courageous in speaking for Christ and living for Him? In what ways does the Gospel still need to transform your life?
If you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus Christ and committed your life to Him, believe the message of the Gospel today. Trust that Jesus died to take away your sins and give you eternal life, and believe that He rose again from the dead. Give your life to Him today if you haven’t already.
PRAY
