John 16, Part 1
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 45:12
0 ratings
· 7 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Tonight, we will see Jesus speaking of the persecution that will be coming to believers, as a result of simply following Him. This persecution will come from the most unlikely people - religionists. People who claimed to be religious! Those who should apply scripture and use it appropriately, instead they let their own religiosity get in the way of true understanding of God.
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
Jesus prepares believers for what WILL come (not might). Jesus warned the believer that religionists would persecute His followers. Jesus warned the believer because He wants to prevent the believer from slipping away. The word for “falling away" here means to stumble and to trip. Persecution by religionists can be a stumbling block to the believer. The believer may face questions, ridicule, rejection, mocking, attacks (credibility, personally), criticism. and all these things may cause a believer to question their beliefs, the fall away from their beliefs, it can silence the witness of a believer, and can cause one to deny their faith and deny Jesus.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
Believers will be forbidden to worship. As an example, Jesus mentioned the ultimate persecution: the believer will be put out of the church and killed. Note three points.
a. The persecution is religious; it is carried out by those who think they truly know God and are doing exactly what God wants. They think they are purifying the church and cleansing it of false teaching, a teaching that is narrow, a teaching that is prejudiced against other religions and beliefs and other approaches to God.
Thought 1. False religionists do not see how there can be only one way to God. They conclude that Christ is wrong, that He is not the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life. They conclude …
• that the way to God is by being good and doing good, the best one can.
• that the particular religion does not really matter. What is important is that religion inspires one to be good and caring and to be a better person.
b. False religionists have always rejected and abused true believers and prophets. And they have often been dogged in their opposition and mistreatment. Nothing can be any more tragic than religious persecution.
c. Persecution within the church happens all too frequently. It is a sad fact that God’s house is filled with many people who have not genuinely committed their lives to God. They do not know God personally—not in a real and intimate way. Therefore, the believer who truly takes a stand for God and His righteousness is sometimes opposed and persecuted by those within the church. The persecutors do not understand God or His righteousness; therefore, they can become twofaced—slandering, reviling, and insulting the believer behind his back. They can also scold, mock, and attack the believer face-to-face. They can even go so far as trying to destroy the believer’s reputation and life, depending on the society in which they live. It is a terrible tragedy when persecution takes place within the walls of God’s house.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Jesus gives one reason that underlies all other reasons for persecution. False religionists do not know God nor His Son, Jesus Christ. This is a staggering statement made by Jesus, for religionists think they know God. But Jesus says they do not, not really. They have their own idea of God, but it is only …
• their idea
• their imagination
• their reasoning
• their image
• their idol
• their devices
Religionists are deceived in their concept of God and in their understanding of Christ. They reject Christ, rejecting His claim to be the Son of God and the One who has existed by the side of God throughout all eternity. They look upon Christ only as a man: a good man, yes, but only a man. Therefore, they reject Him as the revelation and picture of God. The problem is that they want no God; they want no Lord that demands total self-denial and allegiance—no God other than themselves and their own imaginations. They want the right and freedom to seek their own desires instead of the demands of some supreme Lord.
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
We must prepare for persecution by:
a. Expect persecution. He must remember that Jesus foretold that he would be persecuted. Remembering keeps the believer from being caught off guard and stumbling. The believer is to prepare for persecution by thinking through what he will do when he is …
• ridiculed
• criticized
• opposed
• questioned
• abused
• attacked
• slandered
• tortured
• imprisoned
The point is this: being forewarned, the true believer knows persecution is coming. Therefore, he is to prepare himself.
b. The believer must know that God is (exists) and that Jesus reigns. Jesus had told the disciples that they would face trouble and persecution in the world. Now, as He prepared to leave this world, He was revealing more to them and giving them a fuller revelation. (See Jn. 15:26–27; 16:7f as well as the whole teaching of Jn. 15:18–27; 16:1–6.)
1) Believers must know that God is (exists): that their Lord has definitely gone to the Father who sent Him.
2) Believers must know that their Lord truly reigns.
Knowing these two great facts will help believers of all generations to prepare for persecution.
c. The believer must keep his mind focused on his destiny. Jesus has gone to the Father who sent Him. He has returned to heaven; therefore, the Father and heaven are the believer’s destiny. If persecutors kill the believer, he gains; he does not lose. He gains something far better than this life, the presence of God Himself.
Note: the believer is not to wallow around in self-pity and sorrow, moaning over being persecuted. His mind and thoughts are to be on God and heaven.
d. Believers must call upon the Helper, the Holy Spirit. This point is covered in the next few verses and outline. The Holy Spirit is given by God to be the constant companion of the believer, to help and comfort the believer through the persecution.
Then Jesus changes from the preparation of persecution, into the comfort of the Holy Spirit that will be sent after His ascension.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus said a surprising thing: “It is expedient for you that I go away.” It was for the believer’s good (profit, advantage) that Jesus would leave the world. Note the additional weight and emphasis Jesus gave to the fact: “I tell you the truth.” It may be difficult for a person to see and understand, for it seems that we would be much better off if Jesus were here physically and bodily. Some people even cry out for His presence, for some sight, some vision, some dream of Him. But Jesus said that it was best that He leave and not be physically present. Why? There is one supreme reason: if He had not left, the Holy Spirit would not have come. The believer is better off with the presence of the Holy Spirit than he is with the presence of Jesus.
Now note. How can such a statement be made? How can the believer be better off with the Holy Spirit than with the physical, bodily presence of Jesus?
a. Since Jesus departed, we now have a glorified and exalted Lord. We have a Lord who rules and reigns and controls all: who is able to fulfill all His promises and meet our desperate need for life—life that is both abundant and eternal.
b. Since Jesus departed, we now have an Intercessor before the very throne of God. We have a Person who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, because He was tempted in all points just as we are.
c. Since Jesus departed, we now have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us at all times. Jesus in His human body could be only in one place at a time; but the Holy Spirit, who is Spirit, is able to be with all believers at the same time no matter where they are.
d. Since Jesus departed, we now have a real gospel to proclaim, the gospel of the risen and exalted Lord who is able to give eternal life to every person who calls upon Him.
e. Since Jesus departed, we now have the worldwide work of the Holy Spirit, His work of …
• convicting and convincing the world (Jn. 16:8–11)
• helping and guiding believers (Jn. 16:12–13)
• glorifying Christ (Jn. 16:14–15)
Note the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
The word reprove (elegxei) means both to convict and to convince a person.
⇒ Convict means to prick a person’s heart until he senses and knows he is guilty. He has done wrong or failed to do right.
⇒ Convince means to hammer and drive at a person’s heart until he knows the fact is true.
The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment.
a. There is the conviction of sin.
1) The Holy Spirit convicts the world of its sin, that man is sinful. The Holy Spirit convicts a man that he …
• misses the mark, that is, comes short of the glory of God.
• trespasses, that is, wanders off the right path.
• transgresses, that is, breaks the law of God.
2) The Holy Spirit convinces the world that a man’s unbelief is wrong. The Holy Spirit convinces the world that Jesus really did die for sin. The Holy Spirit takes a man who does not believe on Jesus and convinces him that Jesus is the Savior—that his sins are really forgiven when he believes on Jesus.
b. There is the conviction of righteousness.
1) The Holy Spirit convicts the world of its lack of righteousness, that a man has no righteousness whatsoever that is acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit convicts a man that his righteousness …
• is self-righteousness only
• is human righteousness only
• is the righteousness of works that are only human and therefore have an end
• is the righteousness of human goodness and therefore passes away when he dies
• is inadequate, insufficient, and unacceptable to God
2) The Holy Spirit convinces the world that Jesus’ righteousness is acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit convinces a man …
• that Jesus really was received up into heaven by the Father because He was righteous
• that Jesus has secured righteousness for every man
• that man can approach God through the righteousness of Jesus
• that Jesus is the Ideal and Perfect Man, the very Son of Man Himself.
c. There is the conviction of judgment.
1) The Holy Spirit convicts the world that judgment is coming, that a man is to face the personal judgment of God. The Holy Spirit convicts a man …
• that he is both responsible and accountable to God and man
• that there is to be a real day of judgment sometime out in the future
• that he is to stand face-to-face with God and be judged
• that he is to be judged for sin and lack of righteousness, for what he has done and not done
2) The Holy Spirit convinces the world that Jesus has borne the judgment of sin and death for man. The Holy Spirit convinces a man …
• that Jesus died bearing the penalty and judgment of sin for him.
• that Jesus, by His death, destroyed the power of Satan over sin and death
• that man can be freed from sin and death, that he can be forgiven for his sin and given eternal life through the death of Jesus.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
a. The Holy Spirit guides by speaking the truth. Christ said that He had many things to say to the apostles, but they were not able to “bear” (handle, grasp) them, not yet. He would share them later through the Holy Spirit. Christ tells the Spirit what to say and how to guide believers. Christ, of course, is the One who knows the infirmities and the needs of men. He knows by personal experience (He. 4:15–16). Therefore, He is the One who is appointed by God to instruct the Spirit in His guiding ministry. This should cause our hearts to leap with great joy and confidence, for the Lord knows exactly what we face—knows by experience.
b. The Holy Spirit guides by leading into all the truth. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Truth.” He speaks only the truth and guides into “all the truth.” The truth, of course, is Jesus Christ Himself. The Spirit leads the believer to Christ, the Truth, and teaches him “all the truth” about Christ.
c. The Holy Spirit guides by showing (announcing, declaring) things to come. After Jesus arose, the Holy Spirit was the One who led the apostles to write the New Testament and to foresee the things revealed in its pages. Since that day, the Holy Spirit is the One who takes the things revealed in the Word and shows (declares, announces) them to the heart of the believer.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Holy Spirit was sent in Jesus’ name to proclaim Jesus alone. He, the Spirit of Truth, leads believers to Christ, who alone is the Truth. He did not come to proclaim a movement and message of His own but to proclaim the movement and message of Christ.
Jesus reminds us all that the Father has is His. He is the Son of God, the Son of the Father. Christ is declaring that there is perfect unity in the Godhead.
LEADERSHIP MINISTRIES WORLDWIDE: The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN : Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004
