In A Little While

John 16:16–33 ESV

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 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. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 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. 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. “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 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.”

Divine Patience

The beginning of this section of scripture is dedicated to what the disciples are thinking and experiencing. It really is a section that can be summed up in one word HOPE.

God knows what you are going through. - to the disciples there was no escape plan - there is no running from a hostile world - you are going to have to stand in the midst of the storm. Your anxiety might be very intense but you have to Hope. You have to look to the future. But God is going to help you.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NASB95

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

He also does not sugar coat anything

You will weep and mourn - The world will rejoice

Your grief will be turned into joy - their joy will be turned into great grief

After grief comes joy - after darkness comes light -after night comes day- after the pain of child birth comes everlasting Joy.

POINT - GOD KNOWS THE PAIN YOU ARE GOING THROUGH !!!!

The world says good riddance - To us His death and Resurrection are our greatest Joy.

The cross now becomes a symbol of power, triumph, healing, victory, surrender - a place of Joy and Hope

Jesus was about to usher in a time when the Holy Spirit will take over and will be powerful and active until Christs return. He is with us today - His power has not waned - nor is He on holiday or deaf or sitting back waiting.

Prayer that makes a difference.

It is the prayer that is in Jesus Name - Not His name or just AMEN - The name of Jesus

We move from inquiry about Jesus to petitioning in Jesus Name.

The son wont be denied by the father and the Spirit wont be denied by the Son. They are in perfect sync with each other.

Jesus wants to meet your need in the midst of the uncertainty around you.

ASK - Be confident when you pray to God as a child of God you can be confident. There’s a word that is repeated five times in our text. It’s the word “ask”. Here’s Jesus inviting His disciples five times to ask. The word “ask” means to inquire about something or to request something from a superior.

Not only do we pray to the Father in Jesus name. Jesus is also active in praying for us.

Hebrews 7:25 NASB95

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We depend on Gods help. That help is through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit transforms us to be more like Christ but He is also the Spirit of Comfort and many other things that we just learned as we walked through he Gospel of John.

Peace that surpasses your circumstances.

In this world you will have trouble

I have overcome the world

We are called to be overcomers.

Storm clouds are forming. You will be tempted to run tempted to hide or tempted to quit and just give in. Or conform.

Pastor Arthur Palowski - was arrested the other day for not echoing the government on vaccines.

In addition to tens of thousands of dollars in costs and fines, one condition of Pawlowski's probation requires him to parrot "the majority of medical experts in Alberta" regarding social distancing, mask wearing and vaccines, even when he speaks in church.

Conclusion -”Are You Ready?

When Government has effectively taken away your rights. When you are silenced by social media,

When the economy fails

When 100 lb hail stones start falling

When all hell seems to be unleashed - Can you prevail. Do you have Hope. Are we to the point where we can agree with Philippians 3:10

Philippians 3:10 NASB95

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

The only way is if you have assurance that Jesus is with you.

Matthew 28:20 NASB95

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”