John 16 - Ominous Promise
On this frosty cold day, be warmed by some of the Bible's biggest promises.
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John 16 (ESV)
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
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.
3 And they will do these things
because they have not known
the Father,
nor me.
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.
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.
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.
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.
15 All that the Father has is mine;
therefore I said that
he will take what is mine
and declare it to you.
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer;
and again a little while, and you will see me.”
17 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’?”
18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’?
We do not know what he is talking about.”
19 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’?
20 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.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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.
24 Until now
you have asked
nothing
in my name.
Ask,
and you will receive,
that your joy may be full.
25 “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.
26 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;
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 have come into the world,
and now I am
leaving the world
and going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said,
“Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech!
30 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.”
31 Jesus answered them,
“Do you now believe?
32 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.
33 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.”
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on John
John 16 Summary
Over and over the Bible promises that God will never let those He's chosen for Himself slip away. We often refer to this doctrine as the perseverance of the saints. We certainly are preserved in grace by God's strength, but we are not just passive pawns in the process. Jesus told His disciples (and us) the things we're reading in these chapters so that you will not fall away (v1).
It's by reading and following God's Word that you persevere in your salvation.
We've seen over and over in the gospels where Jesus needed to speak figuratively and in parables during His ministry because people were filtering His words through all sorts of preconceived misperceptions about what they expected their Savior to be like. Now that the disciples are beginning to understand that Jesus came to die, He can speak more directly to them.
It's not till you begin to see Jesus through the lens of the cross that you can truly understand Him.
Dig Deeper
The Bible makes very few promises that are meant for all people at all times, but we get one of them today in v33. Yet it's not the type of promise you might expect:
In this world you will have trouble.
Notice that Jesus isn't promising this to the Pharisees or other people who reject Him, rather He speaks it to the disciples! Chapter 16 opened with a declaration that Jesus was telling these things so that His followers would not fall away, and it closes with the assurance that we will face trouble.
What advantage then is there to being a follower of Christ if we're subject to the same (if not more) trouble than people who go their own way? That all important answer is the second 'so that' - the second reason Jesus gave us theses words:
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace... But take heart! I have overcome the world (v33).
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Your Father who loves you because you love Jesus (v27)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Take heart and be reminded that Jesus has overcome the world (v33)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: The Father will give you whatever you ask in Jesus' name... Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (v23-24) - Note that this is the third chapter in a row that Jesus makes this promise!
