john 16;

[0:00] John chapter 16 is our focus today.

[0:13] And I think I'll hear it from John chapter 15 and verse 18. This is God's word. If the world hates you, keep in mind you have hated me first.

[0:26] If you belong to the world, you will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you.

[0:38] No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obey my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name.

[0:49] For they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my father as well.

[1:03] If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my father. But this is to fulfill what is written in the law.

[1:17] They hated me without reason. When the counsellor comes to him, I will send to you from the Father the Spirit of Truth, who goes out from the Father. He will testify about me.

[1:28] And you must also testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.

[1:39] It will put you out of the synagogue. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.

[1:50] I have told you this so that when the time comes, you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. Now I am going to him who sent me.

[2:01] Yet none of you ask, where are you going? Because I have said these things you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth. It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the counsellor will not come to you.

[2:14] But if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me.

[2:26] In regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father where you can no longer see me. And in regard to judgment, because the Prince of this world now stands condemned.

[2:39] I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own.

[2:50] He will speak only what he hears. And he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine.

[3:03] That is why I said, the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. In a little while, you will see me no more. And then after a little while, you will see me.

[3:15] Some of his disciples said to one another, what does he mean by saying, in a little while, you will see me no more. And then after a little while, you will see me. And because I am going to the Father, they kept asking, what does he mean by a little while?

[3:30] You don't understand. What are you saying? Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this. So he said to them, are you asking one another what I meant when I said, in a little while, you will see me no more.

[3:42] And then after a little while, you will see me. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

[3:53] A woman giving birth to a child is pain because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

[4:05] So with you, now is your time of grief. But I will see you again and you will rejoice. And no one will take away your joy. And that day you will no longer ask me anything.

[4:15] I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.

[4:28] Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language. But I will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name.

[4:40] I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me. And I have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world.

[4:53] Now that I am leaving the world and going back to the Father. Then the disciples. Then Jesus' disciples said, Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.

[5:04] Now we can see that you know all the things and that you do not even need to have anyone to ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God. You believe at last, Jesus answered.

[5:17] But a time is coming and has come when you will be scattered each to his own own. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone.

[5:28] For my Father is with me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart.

[5:39] I have overcome the world. Amen. Amen. And may God bless us that day from his word. Father, I will let him give us some prayer. And God bless you.

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[14:24] In Jesus' name.

[14:54] if you could carry me back in the Bible please listen to John chapter 16 John 16 and again as we come let's pray for a moment Lord God we thank you that we come to your word thank you that we don't have to think our own thoughts we don't have to chase philosophies that will be around for a season and then gone forever but we thank you that your word stands and is yours and it is life giving and we pray that as we come under the authority of your word just now that you would meet with us and speak to us you know our hearts you know our minds you know that for many of us there may be things in our minds anxieties, distractions and we pray that you would take them all and you would sweep them away and that you would turn us Lord with expectancy to your word and we pray that we would truly hear you speak into our lives and what we pray for ourselves here we pray for every fellowship of your people wherever Christ crucified is preached we ask that you would be present so we pray for the congregations that are in this community the congregations in these islands across the nation and across all nations that as your people gather that you would be in our midst and that you would bless hear our prayers help us we pray for we ask it in Jesus name

[16:31] Amen John chapter 16 John chapter 16 is where we've come to in our studies and I was thinking as I came to this passage in preparation last week this time last week was remembrance a Sunday and we began with these thoughts on Psalm 46 perhaps in our mind's eyes we were taken to that place where we heard the story of how so many from these islands as they prepared to leave not knowing exactly where they were going perhaps as they headed for conflict not knowing if they were ever coming back not knowing if they were going to their deaths they said they're goodbyes so we had that picture in our minds of so many young men and women with such a highly emotionally charged scene as people said they're goodbyes and it strikes me as we come to John 16 we see Jesus we see Jesus with those who are nearest and dearest to him gathered around him and he's heading into conflict he's preparing to leave the upper room he's preparing to leave his disciples he's going to war with sin and Satan and death and hell and as Jesus says his goodbyes he knows not that it may be possible that he's heading towards death but Jesus knows as he says his goodbyes that he is certainly heading to death on a cross where he would pay the wages for your sin and might so in John 16 the context of this at the very basic level is Jesus saying goodbye to those he loved and to those who loved him we will find as we go through this even having read it that Jesus says to them time and time again he has to go

[18:47] I have to go he says I'm going away it's as if he's trying to get through to the disciples he has to leave them so in one sense he's saying goodbye now when we say goodbye whether we think back to a peer as so many young men head out to conflict or whether we think about those whom we love heading off to university or whatever when we say goodbye after a period with our loved ones knowing there's going to be some time before we're reconciled with them again at that point of goodbye we choose our words carefully we think a little bit more about what we're going to say our words you could say are a little heavier they're more significant than just the everyday chat now I want you to think this morning about what

[19:48] Jesus says to the disciples as he believes them what does he say to them as he says his goodbye well there's three things here there's God's warning Jesus God the son he's addressing his disciples he's teaching them for the final time in this context and we will hear God's warning and then he speaks to them about God's work which will continue after he goes away and then he gives them that assurance of God's win God's victory God's win so God's warning God's work and God's win that's the structure for the morning so first of all we come to God's warning and as we scan through this chapter we can't miss this you know this is the note that the chapter begins with and it's the note that is held right the way through to the last verse of the chapter and I think you can hit a pedal on the keyboard you hit a note and you press the pedal and that note is held all the way through and this note that

[21:08] Jesus strikes in the first verse is a note that is held all the way through this chapter he tells him in verse 1 he said all this I have told you so that you will not go astray what did he tell him we have to step back to the previous chapter which we read he told him in verse 18 of chapter 15 if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first if he belonged to the world says Jesus it would love you as it is you do not belong to this world but I have chosen you out of the world that is why the world hates you remember said Jesus the words I spoke to you no servant is greater than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you also and then as the chapter goes on in verse 16 he warns them he puts a little bit more detail on what he is beginning to break to them he says to them verse 2 very plainly they will put you out of the synagogue this is verse 2 a time in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to

[22:35] God they will do such things because they have not known me they have not known the father or me I have told you this so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you I did not tell you this at first because I was with you until now Jesus he could look the disciples in the eye he could physically put his hand on his shoulder and give them that warm encouragement but now as he goes away and as they see him taken away from them he wants them to be warned he wants them to be braced to be prepared for what's coming he wants them to be aware and prepared for the battles that they would face for Jesus sake in this world and that's what he tells them all of this this is not cruel this is kind this would have been hard to say this would have been hard to hear but this is all spoken in love verse 33

[23:56] Jesus says I told you these things so that in me you may have peace in this world you will have trouble not you might but you will have trouble so the first thing to note in Jesus last sermon to them is that he gives them this warning of what they can expect in this world now was this a new teaching was this the first and only time that Jesus ever spoken in such terms no it wasn't he said this many times we could go various places and hear the same message spoken and reiterated and repeated and put in different ways but as every good essay writer knows in your conclusion and this in a sense is Jesus conclusion of his teaching with them in your conclusion you don't introduce any point in your conclusion when you're writing an essay you reiterate the most important points if if any parent knows to teach a child an important point in terms of life you might have to say the same thing more than once you might have to say many many times we were heading out the door this morning there was something that was said and it wasn't the first time it was said and it won't be the last time it said it's been said thousands of times why are your pyjamas still on the floor how many times do

[25:43] I have to tell you to put your pyjamas off the floor into your room and under your pillow I keep having to see this but I just can't keep seeing the memory it that's the girl she was talking to but that's the note as we're going out the door it's been said literally a thousand times but we have to say the same thing over and over again before it sinks and Jesus wanted them as disciples back home and Jesus wanted us as disciples here and now to get us and Jesus said this often because he knew that trouble would come our way often and see we're going to have to keep on remembering this and even as

[26:49] I was preparing this this week it just struck so true there was a mention of the course on Monday night and the next few Monday nights we saw this in reality in the course of this week somebody put an advert up online the God question come along community centre 8 o'clock please come along if you're interested very gentle kind of reminder within 10 minutes or so it was off the website because it had provoked such rage and reaction that the moderator of the particular page said I have to put a stop to this so various comments were deleted and the line was drawn under too much trouble and Jesus said it's the way it's going to be don't be surprised by it see if we didn't know this and then we saw this and we experienced it whether it's online or whether it's somebody in the flesh pointing the finger at us and speaking against us if we didn't know about this it would upset us all the more it would throw us off course we would say what is it

[28:07] I'm doing wrong why is this happening this shouldn't be happening we didn't know this we would become resentful we would become maybe embittered about these things but Jesus warned us of this he warned us in love so that when we go through it as we will one we will not lose our peace and two we will not go astray and run from it some of you might watch that and think that the blue planet seeing clips of the blue planet when atom water takes us underwater and you see these amazing underwater environments and all these weird and wonderful looking fish and when you get this window into this environment it's beautiful you know it's amazing to see everything that's going on there and underneath the surface it's beautiful but what we can see as we watch these programs is although that environment is beautiful it is brutal it's dangerous these strange underwater creatures as they float around from here to there they're in this amazing beautiful scene but they're constantly alert because it's fishy fish there's always someone that's got their eyes in them ready to pounce make them breakfast so they have to stay alert and this world it can be a beautiful place we can and we do and we're thankful for the many blessed experiences that we that we share the many rich memories that we have but Jesus warns us in this world expect trouble stay alert and that's true in North Korea we heard something of it it's not so long ago to a lesser degree it's more subtle some ways that makes it more dangerous it's true in North

[30:27] Harris so we need to stay alert JC Ryle says this let it never surprise us to hear of true Christians being persecuted in one way or another even in our own day human nature says JC Ryle never changes grace is never really popular the quantity of persecution which God's children have to suffer in every rank of life even though they confess their masters far greater than this thoughtless world supposes they only know it who go through it at school at college in the counting house in the barrack room on board the ship these words shall always be found true all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Timothy 3 12 so Jesus warns us he warns them about the world so that they will not lose their peace so they will not go astray in his absence the second thing the second point is that Jesus teaches them he gives them

[31:42] God's warning and the second thing is we read here about God's work and again we see just the continuity between chapter 15 and chapter 16 chapter 15 and verse 15 Jesus says to his disciples I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business then in the next few verses Jesus gives an insight into the business of the master the business the work of God Father Son and Holy Spirit and so we see in this section we see God's work what is God's work well we see God the Son goes and then God the Father he gives and then God the Spirit he comes so first of all God the Son Jesus he goes verse 5 Jesus says now I am going to him who sent me yet none of you asks me where are you going because I have said these sins you are filled with grief we can imagine the grief and the shock and the tears in that upper room it's the one that he lived every moment with first he was saying

[33:02] I have to go Jesus says because I have said these sins you are filled with grief but I tell you the truth it is for your good that I am going away it's greater good says Jesus that I am going away that must have been hard to hear through all these tears Jesus is not delivering an academic dusty lecture as the tears fall and the emotion is so highly charged Jesus says it's for your good good that I am going and for the disciples it must have been almost inconceivable to them that Jesus absence would be for their youth and for the disciples who have been involved in this work that Jesus called them to it must have seemed to them like this is the end of the work this was mission abortment and yet

[34:08] Jesus teaches them otherwise it's for your good he says that I'm going away how could that be part of the reason anyway is because Jesus going away was going to take him to a cross to do the work of salvation and as the disciples saw him after the upper room as they saw him at a distance being arrested and then charged unfairly as they became aware of how he was mocked and as he was beaten as he was scourged and then as they saw from a great distance him being crucified for them it would have looked very far away from being good they would grieve further as they saw their Lord crucified there would be weeping for a night as Jesus body was placed in the tomb but there would be much joy on the resurrection morning and on the days after that when they realised that Jesus going to the cross had actually saved them

[35:27] Jesus going away had brought them to that place of eternal good see the reality is had Jesus not gone away had he stayed had he refused to go to that cross there would have been no salvation not for them not for us but because he did go away salvation was and salvation meant promise to all who believe do you believe do you believe Johnson the commentator says Jesus wants these men to realise and appreciate that the joy and peace they have longed for as they followed him can only come to the pain of what he must endure on the cross the agony of Calvary is the necessary precursor to the joy of

[36:38] Pentecost only when the last crucial link and the chain of God's redemptive purpose have been put in place to the full blessing of God's salvation flow to the nations that is why Jesus promised on the obvious leaf that will engulf his followers when he departs but then puts it all in perspective by saying it is to your advantage it's for your good that I go away so the work of God God the son he goes he goes to Calvary as he determined he would from before the foundation of the world he goes to Calvary for their salvation for your salvation for my salvation Jesus goes that was the work that no other man could do only he could do it and he went and he did it God the father goes secondly

[37:42] God the son goes secondly God the father he gives he gives we read here I tell you the truth my father will give you whatever you ask in my name God the father gives the father my father will give you whatever you ask in my name who will he give to who will he give to well he'll give to those who ask and how do we ask we pray verse 24 until now you have not asked for anything in my name ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete tell me how is your prayer life and my are we praying are we asking the father to give us what we need for our good for his glory in

[38:48] Jesus name we have all these meetings on the sheets you know we could have we had George Burber coming a few weeks ago a guy who's right up there in terms of respect in world mission we could have we could have Billy Graham coming next Sunday we could have Donald Trump or you know one of the political leaders coming here and we could have the queen coming here to conduct a meeting none of that would be so important as the place of prayer none of that would be so important as a short meeting on a Wednesday night half past seven the one devil comes and tells you oh don't bother don't go there you've got things to do you know there's so much else to do you should be here there everywhere don't go there why does he tell you because he knows but we forget he knows how important and how damaging it is to his cause if we ask because as we ask

[40:00] God the father gives ask verse 24 and he shall receive again rile sorry for quoting so much but he just says it much better than me let the lesson sink down deeply into our hearts as well of all the list of Christian duties there is none to which there is such abiding encouragement as prayer it is a duty which concerns all high and low rich and poor learned and unlearned all must pray let prayer in the name of Jesus be a daily habit with us every morning and evening of our lives keeping up that habit we shall find strength for duty comfort in trouble guidance in perplexity hope in sickness and support in death how much do you have to ask somebody faithful is he that promised your joy shall be full and he will keep his word if we ask in prayer so so

[41:19] God the father he gives to those who ask why does he give those who ask because god the father loves you he loves you he he he says he tells us that the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from god as we come in prayer we don't approach with great fear and horror at a cold distant frugal deity who has no time for us and has no inclination to give us what we ask for we come to a loving caring powerful father who gives because he loves and when you doubt it as we do remember the promise remember what the father gave for your salvation and mine how deep the father's love for us how vast beyond all measure that he should give his only son to make a rich his treasure god the son goes god the father he gives to those who ask because he loves and then god the spirit he comes he says unless i go away the counselor will not come to you but if i go i will send him to you and in the grand work of god that jesus is giving them and us insight into in this chapter jesus did go and the spirit he did come and he will remain until the work on earth is done as we'll sing here's a question is god the spirit at work in this morning is god the holy spirit at work in this church is god the holy spirit at work in your life how can you know what evidence is to be looked for in the spirit's work there's three one guilt two guidance into god's word and three we become increasingly aware of the glory of christ if you want to know the spirit is at work that's what we look for first he brings guilt you see that in verses 8 to 11 but

[44:46] I haven't really got time to go into this today he brings guilt when he comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment many people think that the spirit is at work in our lives we're going to have a lovely fuzzy warm cozy feeling in our hearts forever and we'll walk out the door with a string in our step feeling so uplifted because we've been to church and he's blessed us and that sometimes is the case but very often when the holy spirit is at work in my heart and my life the first thing I feel is a crushing guilt I feel the weight of my sin I feel the absolute hopelessness of my own righteousness and I realise that if I have to stand at judgment in my own strength

[45:52] I have no hope and that's the life of the spirit God if you're guilt today if you're fearful about judgment because you know that you're not righteous God the Holy Spirit is at work in your life he brings guilt he doesn't leave us there he guides us into truth Jesus says, verse 12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can lie there but when he, the spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth and where do we find truth?

[46:33] we find it in the word of God so when the spirit is at work in our life that dusty book that was on the shelf before is no longer on the shelf and these sermons that you used to speak through as you planned your week you can't speak through them anymore because you're starting to see the truth and that's an indication the spirit is at work there's guilt about our sin but then we're diving into the truth of the gospel and you're brought then into that place where we see the glory of Christ verse 14 he will bring glory to me see when the Holy Spirit is at work in your life and life we don't turn into spooky people no, we don't turn into spiritual kind of spooky people who've got preoccupation with stones and you know, fairies and healing waters and mystic cards very often it's another kind of spirit that drives that kind of activity but when the spirit of God is at work we see Jesus we are drawn to Jesus we are preoccupied with Jesus and we realise in Christ alone my hope is found

[48:08] I see my guilt I'm guiding into the truth of God's word and I see their good news that my crushing guilt can be lifted and my sin can be cleansed by Christ the one who went away to that cross to die so that I could live so that I could live so God's work the Son of God the Son goes God the Father gives and God the Spirit comes I'm just a word to finish God's win Jesus says in verse 33 I have told you these things so that you may have peace in this world you will have trouble but take heart I will overcome the world if you're a football fanatic some of you are

[49:15] I know you are and I can see your ties every Sunday for football fanatics those who have a team that they are absolutely in love with watching that team play is almost unbearable and for example an old firm game Celtic Rangers fanatical fans on both sides and you watch them watching the game and they can't really watch it they're behind the couch their hands are behind their eyes are behind their hands they're looking this way they're looking that way the sweat coming down they can't bear to watch it it's just too tense how's it going to go who's going to win but if you've recorded the match and if you know what the score is and if you know that your team has won then you can go back and you can watch that match and still you'll struggle to watch the bad tackles you'll struggle to match to watch the goals that are conceded but if you know your team won you're steadied by the fact that you know the result you know how it ends it might be painful to watch the progress but you know how it ends and Jesus tells them here how it's all going to end he tells them in a sense how it already has ended because he is eternal so he's looking into time we can only see time

[50:50] Jesus knows eternal how it is and he says to him yes it's going to get tough but our faith I have overcome the world and the disciples faith was tested to the max as Jesus was arrested as he was taken in the direction of Calvary their faith was tested their faith failed as he suffered and died and was placed in the tomb but on the third day as the stone was rolled away it became clear to them that their saviour had died and he rose again and when they realised that they must have remembered these words and remembered that sin and Satan and death and hell had been defeated and just as Jesus told them

[51:54] God had won once and for all so today I want us to leave this church remembering what the score is let's leave here remembering that if we're in Christ even though we will face trouble and hardship and opposition and persecution even though we may face relationship breakdowns and bankruptcies and redundancies even though we may face illness even though we will all at some point face death we need fear no evil if the Lord is our shepherd because he has won the victory and we are secure eternal in every situation situation if we are trusting in him

[53:03] Amen and the God grace who starts on his word and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship and the comfort of God the Holy Spirit be with us all both now and forever more Amen and God God He we can speak