IN HIM YOU MAY HAVE PEACE
Notes
Transcript
Opener: Good morning family! I am so excited to be here with you and to get to talk about God’ word with you.
Thanksgiving: I am also very excited about Thanksgiving! Getting to see family, and the dressing and cranberry sauce (canned, with no berries, not homemade) (Some of you are with me on that.) (Ha!) And Apple pie and mashed potatoes and smoked turkey.
But also just thinking about what we have to be thankful for and focusing on that. (We need some of that this year!)
Even this year, we have so much to be thankful for! God never stopped being good to us all year long. (This year hopefully we have noticed) Looking back there are so many thing God did for us through it all.
Some people are doing a thing where they name one thing there thankful for each day of the month or week. (Anyone doing that?)
Thankful for God’s word: One of things that I am most thankful for are the God’s word! (I know that sounds just like a thing a preacher would say. But it’s true and I bet I’m not the only one who felt like at times this year that God was speaking to us through His word exactly what we needed to hear to get us through and keep our minds in the right place spiritually.
Specifically this study of John has been such a joy to go through and study and preach. It is so packed with so many life changing truths.
Challenge is: So with chapter 16, I came to the same problem that I have with the other chapters; there is so much here that is awesome and I want to talk about it all!
This comes out so clearly in the things that He said to His apostles on the night He was betrayed! (Let’s get right to it…)
Trans: Just in the first verse something very powerful I realized...
JESUS’ WORDS TO THEM HAD THE MOST IMPORTANT PURPOSES
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
There are two things that I want to point out about this phrase. First, falling away is a real possibility otherwise what Jesus says here would not have purpose. But the second thing is just that:
Every word we have recorded of Jesus speaking had a purpose to it. He was saying it for a reason. Whatever He said was what the person He was speaking to needed to hear! Everything Jesus said was for the good of the hearer, even the things that might be difficult to hear.
Much like a parent would tell their child something to prepare or warn or help them and say “I’m telling you this so that”…you don’t get hurt, or so you will stay safe, or so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did, or so you will know how to handle life.
Have you notice how many times Jesus did this in the last few chapters? There are a variety of reasons behind Him saying “I am telling you this so that...” (In 13:19; 14:29: 15:11; 16:1 and 4)
In John 13:19 He was telling them what He was so that they would believe. In John 14:29 again He is telling them what He is so that they would believe later. In 15:11 He says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (THIS WAS RIGHT AFTER TELLING THEM HE LOVED THEM AND TO KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.) Then John 16:1, 4 to keep them from falling away and then John 16:33 when He says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.”
What Jesus was saying in the immediate context was very difficult. The reason they would be tempted to fall away was the persecution that was coming. He just told them...Much like 14:29 He was telling them of something that would happen beforehand so that instead of hurting their faith and possibly them falling away it would cause them to believe. This is what Jesus expressed in John 14:29
And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
Here Jesus was talking about His going away (His death on the cross, but also His going back to the Father).
They would remember that Jesus said it would happen/ believe. (Jesus was turning His death and resurrection and departure into another reason to fortify their faith instead of weaken it our destroy it.)
So in 16:1 and 4 have a similar purpose. When they were persecuted they would remember that Jesus said that this would happen. This is one of the things that Jesus was referring to in 16:1 because He just told them that the world would hate them and persecute them. (15:20) and in 16:2 even kill them.
So when these terrible things happened they would not think that God was not with them or that it shouldn’t be expected. They would not be shaken because things were happening just as Jesus said they would.
It brilliant because it was to turn something that could have blind sided them and hurt their faith to something that just proved Jesus more and built their faith. (Jesus said this would happen.)
So we can see how vital Jesus words were for the their good!
APP: JESUS WORDS TO US HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT PURPOSES!
Jesus’ said what He said not only for their benefit but through faith we realize what He said, He said for our, for YOUR good! We realize He said what He said because it is what you and I would need to hear.
HIS WORDS were what they needed to hear most. His word ARE WHAT WE NEED TO HEAR MOST! (Whether they are easy to take or not.)
JESUS AND THE FATHER HAVE SAID SO MANY THINGS FOR OUR BENEFIT, FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
So that we would “would be made wise for salvation through salvation in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15), to instruct us, encourage us and give us hope (Romans 15:4), to teach us to love and serve one another (Jn 13:33-34), so we would trust in the promises of Christ, so that “our heart won’t be troubled” (14:1), so we will “take heart.”
So that we will know as well that we will have troubles in life but we can have courage when we do! The last verse of our chapter says...
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said these things so that in Him we could have peace. There are others things in this section of scripture that help us have the peace Jesus is speaking of. But when we have tribulation we can remember, Jesus said this would happen so this hardship doesn’t tell me that Jesus is with me it proves that He is!
What you have been through and/or what you are going through is a testimony to the truth that Jesus is Lord. (He said it would happen)
IF JESUS HAS SAID ALL OF THESE THINGS TO US THAT WE NEED TO HEAR MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE...ARE YOU LISTENING?
If we would listen intently, hanging on every word, as the Apostles did, we would hear what we need to hear as well!
So as we go into the rest of the chapter (and any time you are studying God’s word) let’s listen as Jesus is saying what He is saying for us.
Trans statements: Jesus was telling them what would happen beforehand, specifically persecution, but He was also telling them how they would be helped through it all. They wouldn’t just remember Jesus said that it would happen but His promises.
Jesus wasn’t just telling them what would happen so they could be ready, He was giving them promises
Just as they would remember when going through tribulation, we need to remember Jesus’ words and especially His promises!
The greatest help and promise He mentions again...
Trans: not just that they would have someone to help them as they carried out God’s will and faced persecution for it but they would have the most powerful help living in them.
THE PROMISE OF OUR HELPER, THE HOLY SPIRIT
As we have seen in chapter 14, 15, Jesus intersperses the promises of the Holy Spirit being given in the midst of the difficult things He is telling them. (The fact that Jesus continues to mention it is an indicator as to how important HE IS!)...
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
Now in our text we find Jesus again giving the promise of the Holy Spirit. The fact that He keeps talking about it is significant
But what Jesus says just before telling them this time is astounding. He is going to say that His going away was actually to their advantage...
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. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
How could it be an advantage that Jesus not be right beside you, walking with you as they had experienced for the past few years?
What is better than having the Spirit of Jesus walking beside you in Jesus living in and dwelling in you! Carrying out His actions and mission through You!
What we have in these truths about Jesus and the Father sending the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest promises in all of scripture and one the most unspeakably incredible gifts man has ever been offered.
He would give the Apostles everything they needed to be and do what God had planned for them to do!
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.
HERE, HOW DOES Jesus say the Holy Spirit would do and how would he help the Apostles?
He would be with them (and us) forever (14:26), bear witness about Jesus (through them and us) (15:26-27), convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment (16:8), guide them into all the truth (16:13), and glorify Jesus through taking the truth of Jesus and the Father and declaring it to them (16:14-15).
We can look at the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament and see how the Holy Spirit gave them the truth and power to glorify Christ by bearing witness about Him and convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.
(Just as with Jesus, the Holy Spirit would confirm the truth that He would give them to teach with incredible miracles.)
While they didn’t understand it at the moment Jesus was telling them the promise of the Holy Spirit would be with them to help them carry out Jesus mission on earth and endure persecution, opposition and death.
We see some of the fulfillments of this in the book of Acts as the Holy Spirit powerfully worked to make the gospel known all over the world and many saved. (The Holy Spirit’s work is so evident in how He worked in the Apostles and the early church.)
WHEN YOU CONSIDER ALL THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD DO TO HELP THEM; HELPER IS A SMALL DESCRIPTION OF WHO HE IS!
(As we saw in chapter 14, the promise of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is a promised given to all of those who choose to follow Christ when they are baptized for the forgiveness of their sin and at that point they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.)
The Holy Spirit’s work was so evident in scripture, SHOULDN’T THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PRESENCE IN OUR HEARTS AND WORK IN OUR LIVES BE EVIDENT AS WELL?
There is so much to this topic that it could be multiple series of lessons so but I want to you to think about just one aspect for a moment.
So much in our context about the Spirit’s work had to do with what He would do through the Apostles and how He would help them with what God would have them do.
How who the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin? Just as He did through Jesus, through the preaching of the Apostles and Christ followers.
From verses 14-15 you have the connection to the Holy Spirit glorifying Christ and the truth being given to them.
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. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
He would declare the truth to them and glorify Christ through them. We see that through everything that is written after this.
ARE YOU SEEING THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK THROUGH YOU?
APP: If you are not seeing the Holy Spirit’s help in your life it may be because you are not relying on Him to help you glorify Christ, because you are not that concerned with glorifying Christ!
The times the Holy Spirit’s help has been most evident in my life is when I am trying (very poorly sometimes) to teach or preach or counsel, or do God’s works. OR BE WHO GOD HAS CALLED ME TO BE WHICH I CONSTANTLY NEED HELP WITH.
APP: the same may be true if we are not seeking to be transformed more into the image of Christ then we may not notice the Holy Spirit’s help in convicting you by reminding you of scripture when you need to change or you are being tempted.
You get the point…if we are only looking for the Holy Spirit’s help in knowing God’s will for a decision you need to make, or to find a relationship, or know what to do in a situations in your life (and not glorifying Christ or doing God’s works) without having the desire to do God’s works through the Spirit’s power, you may not see the Holy Spirit’s work through you.
Or in another vein, will the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives be evident as He helps us if we rarely believe that we need help?
We might be encouraged to think of all the things that the Holy Spirit is behind so that we do not take Jesus’ promise to lightly.
Let us seek to be led by, submit to, listen for, be filled with, and convicted by the Holy Spirit and trust Him to empower us to do God’s work so we can have the courage to do what God has called us to do!
TRANS another promise was something connected to what Jesus said in verse 6 and given to the Apostles in verse 22, that connects to what Christ has also given us. verse 6 says…
“YOUR SORROW WILL TURN TO JOY”
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Jesus had previously talked about His departing and again just before this mentions going away. Here because of what Jesus said sorrow had filled their hearts. But Jesus gave gives them a promise that there sorrow will be turned to joy!
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
The sorrow they were feeling would be temporary but they would see Him again and their sorrow would be turned to joy!
In the middle of sorrow one of the most difficult things is to remember that the deepest sorrow we feel is only temporary.
But not only would their sorrow be temporary, they would have a joy that would never end.
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
We know Jesus was speaking of their sorrow over His death being turned to joy over His resurrection! (As the context shows…) Because Jesus would never die neither would their joy! That should be true of us as well.
I LOVE HOW JESUS SAYS; “NO ONE WILL TAKE YOUR JOY FROM YOU.”
SOME OF OUR DEEPEST SORROWS COME FROM THE THINGS THAT ARE TAKEN FROM US!
We may still or always be grieving because of something that it feel like was taken from us.
Parkinson’s disease: more than ten years after my mom was diagnosed Parkinson’s disease, trying to understand how she felt and help her see that I cared, I asked her what is the hardest part? She told me; “the hardest thing about it is what it takes from you.” I knew what she meant. It had taken away her ability to do most of the things she loved to do. It took away her independence. It had taken away her ability to walk. Among so many other things.
We all likely understand this on some level.
Disease or death can take from us people love so much which causes us so much sorrow. Sin can take so many things from us. Innocence, stability, peace in the world around us, what we knew as normal. (The person you once knew as they were…)
What has been taken from you that brings you sorrow! A relationship, health, your ability to do what you need to, the way life used to be?
JESUS GIVES US A JOY THAT CANNOT BE TAKEN FROM US!
Jesus would allow Himself to be taken from them for a short time. Jesus dying on the cross would cause them great sorrow.
PARALLEL APPLICATION: THE APOSTLES WOULD EXPERIENCE DEEP SORROW, LIKE THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE…BUT JUST FOR A FEW DAYS! THEN THEIR DEEPEST SORROW WOULD TURN INTO THEIR GREATEST JOY!
We experience great sorrow in this life. It is often in waves or period of time! (BUT THROUGH JESUS God is good at turning or sorrow into joy and our mourning into dancing!)
Ultimately, while we have sorrow in this life for a little while (in comparison to eternity, just a few days) the sorrows of this life will be turned in joy in heaven.
But because Jesus is alive we have a joy that cannot be taken from us. He turned the sorrow of our sinful state into the joy of salvation when we were resurrected from being spiritually dead.
EVEN (IN THE MIDST OF our deepest sorrow) GOD GIVES US SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY. HE TURNS OUR SORROW IN JOY AND SAYS, “NO ONE WILL TAKE YOUR JOY FROM YOU.”
!!!JESUS CAME AND DEFEATED SIN AND DEATH SO THAT THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION, THE JOY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, THE JOY OF HEAVEN, THE JOY OF HAVING HIS PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT LIVING IN US, THE JOY OF BEING FREE FROM GUILT, THE JOY OF LIVING FOR HIS PURPOSES, THE JOY OF HIS LOVE SO “NO ONE WOULD TAKE FROM US!”
Jesus promises this and closely connected to it is the promise (in vv23-24) that we can:
“ASK, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL!”
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
They would not ask Jesus directly as they did while He was with them (V23) but they would be able to ask the Father for anything in Christ name (or by His authority,) and the Father would give to them what they asked.
They had not asked anything in Jesus’ name at this point. But because Jesus died, was resurrected we can come to the Father through the authority of Jesus?
THIS SHOULD BRING US INCREDIBLE JOY AND RELIEF THAT JESUS HAD MADE THIS POSSIBLE!
It is not just a way to end our prayer, in fact it would be good for us to ask in the name of Jesus at the beginning, in the middle or anywhere in our prayers.
Jesus died to make this relationship with God that have possible, to draw near to Him and ask for help so that our joy in Him would be full!
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (V24)
THIS STATEMENT COMES RIGHT AFTER JESUS TELLING THEM THEY WOULD HAVE A JOY THAT COULD NOT BE TAKEN AWAY. THEN THIS...
We can come to the Father in prayer and fill up our joy in Him. (if you do not find yourself having much joy in your life you may need to look at your prayers. If you are not finding joy in Christ, maybe all you need to ask! (I do not believe that Jesus means that God will give you everything you want in this life so you will have happiness. (temporary with things.)
We can pray for God to help us fulfill His purposes or will and that He help us to not be pulled down by life’s difficulties (that tempt us to lose focus on what He has given us to have joy.. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BEING FILLED WITH HIS SPIRIT WE WOULD HAVE FULLNESS OF JOY!
Let us not neglect such an incredible spiritual blessing we have in Christ.
TRANS: ONE FINAL encouraging word Jesus gives to them and us!
HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus again gives them a powerful and comforting truth right after telling them a distressing truth; that they would all desert Him.
Jesus said all these things to them and us so that IN HIM we could have peace amidst tribulation (in the middle of it). No matter what tribulation the truth that Jesus has overcome the world will not change.
Because He has overcome the world we HAVE overcome the world!
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
You have overcome the world if you have been born of God! YOU OVERCAME BEFORE THE CURRENT TROUBLES IN YOUR LIFE EVER GOT HERE!
YOU OVERCAME BEFORE THE PANDEMIC EVER HIT! BEFORE THAT TRAGEDY EVER HAPPENED! BEFORE THAT LOSS EVER OCCURRED! BEFORE YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH OR MENTAL HEALTH OR EMOTIONAL HEALTH EVER WENT DOWN, YOU OVERCAME!
THAT IS BECAUSE THROUGH YOUR FAITH IN THE ONE WHO OVERCAME THE WORLD AND DEATH, LED YOU TO BE BORN OF GOD! THAT VICTORY CANNOT BE TAKEN FROM YOU BY ANY TRIBULATION! NOTHING IN LIFE, NOT DEATH, EVEN IF THAT DEATH IS YOUR OWN!
YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE GREATEST PROBLEM YOU WILL EVER FACE ALREADY: SIN AND SPIRITUAL DEATH! (YOU WERE DEAD, AND CHRIST RESURRECTED YOU SINLESS! NOTHING IS GOING TO TOP THAT!)
IF CHRIST CAN HELP YOU OVERCOME THAT! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME!
WE CAN TRULY HAVE PEACE IN JESUS IN THE MIDST OF WHATEVER IS HAPPENING IN OUR LIVES!