John 16:25-33 “Peace in Troubled Times”

1:11Today in John 16, Jesus is wrapping up his long teaching that we know as the upper room discourse. And the disciples are worried about the future. They've been worried about the future ever since Jesus started telling them that he was going to go away, that he would be leaving them and going back to the Father. And that's because he is the man in whom they have placed their trust. He is the one they trusted for today and the one they were trusting in for the future. And he's telling them he's not going to be around any longer.

1:44And that's caused them to have even more worry because he has been saying that things are going to get harder. Persecution is on the way. Trouble and trial is on the way. Tribulation is on the way. And so as Jesus wraps up this long teaching before he spends time in what we know as the high priestly prayer, he's going to wrap up with some words of encouragement for his disciples. We're going to learn in this last section of John 16 today that in Jesus, we can face every trial with peace and courage.

2:20Well, friends, over the last three chapters, the disciples have been more or less confused the entire time, which many of us can relate to, Jesus' teachings. Take a look at some of their questions. John 13, 36, he says this: Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? John 14, Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? John 16. So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while?

2:55We do not know what he is talking about. That may be the best. Summary statement of the entire thing. We do not know what he is talking about. I think many of us have felt that way reading some of the sayings of Jesus and some other words in Scripture. The disciples are thoroughly confused at this point. So let's pick up here in verse 25, take a look at the text. Jesus says, 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.

3:29So the question here is, what hour is he referring to? He's probably talking either about the 40 days after his resurrection or the time after he sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And so, in favor of the 40 days after his resurrection, you might recall that Jesus rose from the grave, and then Luke records that he appeared to many of his disciples, including two who were walking on the road to a village that was named Emmaus.

3:56And these two disciples were really sad as they tell Jesus because they were hoping that Jesus of Nazareth, not knowing it was him, they were hoping that he was the promised Christ. And so take a look at Luke 24 on the screen. And Jesus said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Look at this. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them and all. The scriptures, the things concerning himself.

4:36So, what did Jesus do? He interpreted and explained all the prophecies that he fulfilled, proving that he was the Christ and that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. And over the next month and a half, the next 40 days, this is what he continued to do for all of his disciples. Take a look at Acts chapter 1. He presented himself alive to them after his sufferings by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

5:11So, for 40 days after he rose from the dead, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples and taught them about the kingdom of God. And no doubt during this time, he's doing the same thing for all of his disciples that he was doing for those two disciples that he met on the road to Emmaus. He is showing them from the Old Testament that he had to come and fulfill these prophecies, which included him suffering and rising from the grave.

5:36He fulfilled every one of those in his life and ministry. So it could be that Jesus is talking about that time period, that 40-day period, when he says, the hour is coming. But I think that it's more likely he's referring to the time after he sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to advocate for them and help them and teach them and bring to mind all that Jesus spoke to them. I want you to look at the beginning of verse 26.

6:04He says, in that day, you will ask in my name. Now, if Jesus is referring to the 40 days after his resurrection when he's going to be with them, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that he's referring to this time that they're going to ask in his name because he's still right there. It's not clear to me why they would need to ask in Jesus' name if Jesus is in fact still with them on the earth.

6:28But once he returns to the Father, they will need to make requests in his name because Jesus will be gone. And so let's zoom back out here a little bit and let's get perspective on where we're at here in the text. The disciples are confused by all of Jesus' figures of speech that he's been using, and John records their thoughts as, we don't know what he's talking about. And they're probably getting nervous because Jesus keeps reiterating that he's not going to be with them much longer. He's going to be leaving. And so if they don't understand Jesus' words even now, when he's right there with them, what hope is there that they're going to be able to understand his words after he's gone?

7:11So Jesus tells them, guys, don't worry. A time is coming, an hour is coming when I'm not going to be speaking to you like this anymore. Instead, I'm going to tell you plainly about the Father. And here's the best part. When they feel confused, when they lack Wisdom, when they have questions, they will no longer need to ask Jesus to ask the Father for them. Because of the work of Christ, they can ask the Father directly themselves.

7:43That is what Jesus came to do, to bridge the gap, to reconcile us to God. They're going to be able to go directly to the Father, just like any beloved child can do. So I want you to look at the rest of verse 26 here. Pick up there again. He says, 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. Why? For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

8:17Now remember, back in chapter 14, Thomas said that they didn't know the way. Philip said to Jesus that he wanted him to show them the Father. These were their requests. And so Jesus told Thomas, Thomas, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus told Philip, Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, because he and the Father are one. The whole point of Jesus' coming was to reconcile us to God, was to make a way for us to enjoy the fellowship and communion with him that we lost through our sin and rebellion against God the Father.

8:58He is the way. The way to the Father. Through faith in his sinless life, death, and resurrection, fellowship and communion with God is not just possible, it is actual. It is restored to us. Because of him, we now have direct access to the Father. Look at how the author of Hebrews sums this up in Hebrews chapter 4. He says, 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.

9:34Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace. I think I told you a few weeks ago, my son and I are reading The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproll together. In the last chapter that we discussed, he was talking about the justice of God, and he brought to mind these two stories: one from Leviticus 10, where Nadab and Abihu are put to death for offering strange fire on the altar before the Lord.

10:00And then he shares the story from 2 Samuel 6, where Uzzah is put to death on the spot because they were trying to transport the ark back to Jerusalem. They were carrying it in the wrong way. They put it on this cart. It was driven by these oxen and it tipped and it was about to fall into the ground. And so Uzzah put his hand out to keep it from falling to the earth, and the Lord struck him dead on the spot.

10:23And we were remembering God's holiness and how he is just in preserving his holy law. You see, under the old covenant law, you didn't approach the throne of grace with confidence. You approached the throne with fear and trembling. You approached it that way because God is perfectly holy and because unholy people cannot come before him on their own. And so God gave very precise instructions for approaching him. But, friends, under the new covenant, Jesus has become our perfect high priest, and through his once-for-all sacrifice, we can now draw near to the throne of grace with confidence because we are now his dearly loved children. That is what verse 27 tells us. Look there again, he says, For the father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

11:23Imagine the disciples hearing those words. For the Father Himself loves you. We take those words for granted. But the disciples are hearing that God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, who worked miracles to give them the promised land, the creator and sustainer of the universe, they are hearing, this Father loves you. You twelve ordinary men. Now, given what we know about the religious culture in the first century, I'm guessing the disciples never heard anything like this in the temple or in the synagogue. The theme of those sermons was not, the Father Himself loves you.

12:22This would have struck them to the heart. Because remember, it seems as though the only thing they heard from the religious leaders at the time, particularly the Pharisees, was the Father is disappointed in you. You are not holy enough, you are not trying hard enough, you are not doing enough works. The Father is disappointed in you. And so Jesus tells these men who may have been berated by religious leaders their entire lives, the Father Himself loves you.

12:53How do you think that would have struck them? And the modern person, at least the modern Western person, tends to assume the love of God. The modern Western person says, Of course, God loves me. I mean, I may not be perfect, but God would have to be awful not to love a decent person like me. That's how the modern Western person thinks. But friends, that's not how the ancient person thought. That is not how most people in the East, even today, think. That is not how tribal Peoples across the world think. They do not assume the love of God. They assume God or the gods are very angry, filled with wrath towards them, and their pressing question is: what can I possibly do to appease the wrath of God?

13:50So, when Jesus says, the Father Himself loves you, I doubt very much that they nodded along like modern Western people do when a preacher says that in America. That was a jaw-dropping statement. And I'm willing to bet that for some of you in this room this morning, that is a jaw-dropping statement, that the Father Himself loves you. Because you are thinking even now, how could the Father love me? If He knows everything that I've done, how could He possibly love me? You can't imagine that that could be true, but it is true. I want you to look at the full statement again so we can understand how that can be true. Look again at verse 27: For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

14:45How could the Father love these men? How could the Father love us, love you and me? Not based on our own intrinsic goodness. We don't have any of that. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He cannot. Love us based on our own goodness because our goodness is not nearly good enough to merit the Father's favor. But thankfully, God is love, and out of His love, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, for us. He came to obey God's law perfectly, He succeeded where we failed.

15:24He came to suffer in our place, taking the suffering upon Himself that we deserve for our sin. He came to rise from the grave, defeating the consequence of sin, death. Jesus did all of this on our behalf, and He says the Father loves those who love Jesus and believe that He came from God. He is the one and only way we can be accepted and loved by a perfect and holy God. He is the one and only way that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence.

16:01And so, my friends, I ask you this morning, do you believe those astounding words? Do you believe not only that the Father could love you, but that through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, that God actually does love you? Through faith in Christ, you have direct access to the God of the universe. We have fellowship and communion with God because of the work of Jesus. It is why he came. To reconcile us to God.

16:33And now that that work is almost complete, he's going to be leaving. Look at what he says in verse 28. I came from the Father and have come into the world. And now I am leaving the world and going to the Father. So maybe now the disciples feel like they have a little more clarity on what Jesus has been teaching them. Let's pick up in verse 29. 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.

17:20If you look back at verses 16 through 18, the start of the last section that we covered, you'll recall that the disciples were confused because Jesus was saying that in a little while they wouldn't see him anymore, and then after another little while, they were going to see him again. And so Jesus' statement here in verse 28 clarified what he meant: that he was going to be leaving the world and going back to the Father. In other words, this is a more direct way of saying what he was saying in verses 16 through 18.

17:52And more generally, that statement serves to summarize all that Jesus taught them in the upper room over the past three chapters, from 13. To hear now in 16. Since he is going to the Father, the disciples would have to serve one another just as Jesus served them by washing their feet. The disciples would have to love one another, just as Jesus showed the greatest form of love for them by laying down his life on their behalf. And the disciples would have to abide in him by keeping his commandments, just as Jesus remained in the Father's love by keeping his commandments.

18:35And they'd be able to do all of these things if and only if they relied on the Holy Spirit who was coming to teach them and counsel them and help them, as Jesus said. So, friends, all of those teachings in the upper room make sense now because Jesus is going back to the Father. He's been preparing them for His departure throughout this entire teaching, and especially now as He's getting ready to go. But, like we're all prone to do, the disciples get a little bit excited, get a little bit overzealous because these truths are finally starting to click for them. And you see, they say there in verse 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.

19:28Now we know. You ever said those kinds of things? Now I know. After more than 20 years of being a Christian, being in pastoral ministry for most of that time, I say things like, now I know less and less. Now, don't get me wrong, my belief in the existence of God, my belief in the deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, the power of prayer, all of those kinds of things, I know and believe those things.

20:04But just like the disciples, as a young Christian, I knew and I believed all kinds of stuff. I read some scripture in a book. Now I know how to be a husband. I read some scripture in a book. Now I know how to be a parent. I read some scripture in a book. Now I know how to be a pastor. Now I know. I say that less and less after a couple decades of life in ministry. I'm much more likely now to say, now I don't know than now I know. And I say all that because I understand where the disciples are coming from. I think we've all had those moments where we feel like we have started to arrive or we've arrived at a certain level of understanding. At a certain level of spiritual maturity, at a certain level of faith.

21:05And we're prone to say, now I know. Church, we have to be so careful with knowledge. So careful. What does Paul say? Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. As a young Christian, even as a young pastor, to some extent, I was puffed up with knowledge. I thought I knew lots of stuff. I valued knowledge over love, and I think a lot of Christians and a lot of churches value knowledge over love.

21:47And during the COVID season, one of the most surprising and discouraging things was that some people who knew the most about the Bible acted in the least godly ways. They displayed the least amount of love. The ones who caused the most division, the ones who caused the most heartache, the ones who said or typed the ugliest things were often the people who knew the most about the Bible. And I guess we should have seen that coming because that's what Paul is saying. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

22:27Friends, I think we can rejoice that over this life. Last year, at least speaking for our church, we've seen God do so many great things. The way He's brought unity to our church, the way we're praying for each other and bearing each other's burdens, encouraging one another and building each other up, the way that we're sacrificing for each other. We've had a wonderful year together. And I believe that's in large part due to the fact that we have gotten back to the basics, as we spent last fall talking about, of loving God and loving each other and making disciples by preserving and proclaiming the gospel.

23:06And so, church, I just want to pause for a moment here and allow the disciples to be a mirror for us when they say, Now we know that we don't arrive at that place where we are puffed up with knowledge but not acting in love. Let's never think of ourselves more highly than we ought to, but think of ourselves with sober judgment that we can walk in love toward one another at all times. Let's pick up in verse 31.

23:41Jesus 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 you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. So the disciples were very confident they turned this corner in their spiritual development. They said, now we know, and this is why we believe. But Jesus, the Lord, knows all things. And he knew that while the disciples perhaps did understand more than they understood a little while ago and did believe, they had true faith at some level, their knowledge and their faith weren't nearly as far along as they thought. And so he asks them rhetorically, Do you now believe?

24:36And then he tells them that soon they're going to scatter and they're going to leave him all alone. These very men, if you remember, who on this night said that even if the rest of them fell away, each man individually never would. They were that confident. Even if all the other disciples fall away, Jesus, I'll never leave you. But that's exactly what happens. In just a few more hours, all of them are going to run away and hide when Jesus is arrested. Peter and John do follow at a distance in the end, but then Peter ends up denying him three times, just as Jesus foretold. And friends, all this is a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy: strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Jesus, the good shepherd, was struck down, and sure enough, his sheep did scatter from him.

25:28But he says, yet. I am not alone, for the Father is with me. The same Father who loved the disciples loved the Son, and he was always with him. You remember at his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, and then the Father spoke from heaven, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. All throughout his ministry, anytime Jesus spoke to the Father, the Father immediately answered him. We saw that back in chapter 12. Jesus said, Father, glorify your name. Immediately, the Father spoke from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.

26:08The Father always heard him and always responded to him. The Father was always with him. But, friends, the wonder of the gospel is that although the Father has been with him from all eternity, although the Father had always answered him, on the cross, the Father will forsake the Son. And for the first and only time, the Father will not respond to him when he calls out. Look at Matthew 27. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Lema Sabaktani, that is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

26:52For the first and only time in his life, in his ministry, there is no response. The Father forsake me. Forsook the Son and did not answer him when he called out. He was completely and utterly alone, deserted by his friends and his father. But the reason the Father forsook the Son and did not answer him when he called was so that we would not be forsaken by him, and so that we would always be answered when we call out to God. Look at 2 Corinthians 5.

27:30For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Friends, Jesus was forsaken and ignored on the cross so that we would not be forsaken or ignored by the Father. He knew no sin, but took all of our sin upon himself so that we might become the righteousness of God. In him and only in him can we become the righteousness of God. One day, every one of us is going to stand before God the Father. And there are only two options.

28:12We can plead our own righteousness, which will be found wanting before the Father, or we can plead the righteousness of Christ, which is sufficient because Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly in every way, every single day. Day of his life. Look at 2 Corinthians 5 again. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

29:16Friends, that is my appeal. That is the appeal of every Christian who is here today to anyone in this room who is not trusting Christ. We implore you on behalf of God, be reconciled through faith in Christ. Turn away from your works. Turn away from your sin. Turn to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life is the only one who can reconcile you to God. There is no other way. There is no other hope. There is not enough religion or religious works that you can perform. There are not enough things that you can do to make up for your sin. There are not enough prayers that you can pray. The only thing that you can do is turn to God through faith in Christ, His life, His death, and His resurrection. He is your only hope for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. And He is a true hope, a hope that will not disappoint you because He is alive, having risen from the grave to be your mediator forever. And so we appeal to you, if you've not trusted in Christ, to turn to Him and to place your faith in Him this morning.

30:30In verse 33, Jesus ends with the word for His disciples and for every Christian here today. And so let's finish up with that verse: 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. Everything Jesus said in the upper room, He said to the disciples, that in me you may have peace. So I want you to notice two truths in this first sentence in verse 33. The first is that Jesus wants us to have peace.

31:19Jesus wants us to have peace. At the beginning of the sermon, I shared some statistics about how many Americans, eight out of ten, eighty percent, are worried and. Anxious about the future. Jesus wants us to have peace. And he warns the disciples and us ahead of time that we're going to have trouble in the world. Trouble comes in the form of daily challenges of living life in the world. Those are the challenges that everybody experiences by virtue of being human and living in a fallen world.

31:55But as Christians, we're going to experience more trouble in the form of persecution. Because that is trouble that comes precisely because we are living the Christian life in a fallen world. We are trying to live by faith. We are trying to live by trust and hope in a God that we cannot see, but believe exists. We are trying to walk by faith and not by sight. And that is hard to do. That's hard to do for many different reasons. And we will be persecuted for it. We've come back again and again to 1 Peter chapter 4. Look there on the screen. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.

32:50Friends, persecution is hard, but it should not shock us. It should not come as a surprise when we are persecuted for our faith, whether that looks like being ostracized and Left out, or whether that takes the form of being thrown in jail, losing our jobs, being cast out of our families, even perhaps one day being killed for our profession of faith in Christ. Persecution is hard, but it shouldn't surprise us because Jesus says that it's coming, and indeed it's here.

33:21But we can have peace even knowing that trials and persecution are on the way, even in the midst of trials and persecution. How? Look at the second truth in this first sentence in verse 33. Peace is available only in Jesus. Peace is available only in Jesus. That is what he says: that in me you may have peace. If you look for peace anywhere besides Jesus, it is going to be fleeting. We have seen in the last few years, even the stock market crashing, a pandemic raging, trials coming in the forms of our aging families, our parents and grandparents getting older and passing away. Many people we know have gotten sick, some have died.

34:24Prices of everything are skyrocketing. More and more people are claiming. No religious affiliation and are making it harder and harder for us to live life as Christians in the public square. All of these things are happening, and if you look to your circumstances as a Christian for peace, it is going to be fleeting. But if you look to Jesus for peace instead of your circumstances, your peace can remain no matter what. And he tells us in the second sentence how that can be true. Look at the second half of verse 33: In the world, you will have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world.

35:13Last weekend, my family and I were in Austin for a wedding, and we were staying at a hotel. It was a large hotel with a conference center, and there was a three-day conference going on that was called Awaken Your Highest Self. According to the signage, the conference was for two types of people: spiritualists in financial ruin and entrepreneurs who are spiritually broken. So I went to the website, don't judge me. I want to awaken my highest self too, don't you? I mean, don't we all want to do that? Whatever that means, that sounds great. Don't want to be asleep. I went to the website to see how they would define spiritually broken. And the founder identified two. Fundamental truths. The first is your problems aren't out there, they're inside of you. I was like, maybe I can't awaken my highest self.

36:15The second truth, you won't find solutions out there, they're inside you. Okay. So here's the deal. Most people are never going to attend a conference called Awaken Your Highest Self. But most people do believe that whatever their problems are, the solutions are inside of us. That is what every Disney movie ever has told us. The problem with that kind of thinking is eventually reality tears it to shreds. Every one of us comes up against trials that we simply lack the resources to overcome. And if you believe that, or if you've been told your entire life that the solutions are inside of you, that you have what it takes, that you can overcome, that God will never give you more than you can handle, then you are going to despair. You are going to lose hope at some point. Because friends, if you live long enough, you will encounter financial problems. Loss.

37:32You will encounter career setbacks. Your dreams for ministry or your life or your family may not come to fruition. You will experience the death of loved ones, the sadness and disappointment of miscarriage, the desperation that comes from feeling like your best years are slipping away and you haven't achieved anything of what you wanted to achieve. And if you're being told that you have everything you need inside of yourself, it won't be long before you despair. Looking inside of yourself won't do you any good. That's why Jesus' news is so good. He doesn't tell us, in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, you can overcome the world.

38:24He says, in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. The gospel is good news for every person who seals trial and tribulation around them every day, and they know they cannot overcome it on their own. The gospel does not point us back to ourselves, telling us that we have what it takes to overcome the world when we know deep down inside we don't have what it takes to overcome the world. No, instead, it points us to a Savior, Jesus, who actually did overcome the world through his. Sinless life, death, and resurrection from the grave. And His victory, not some misplaced hope in ourselves, allows us to take heart and to be encouraged as we seek to live for Him in a world that is full of trial and tribulation and heartache. Friends, Jesus is a sure and steady anchor in a sea of uncertainty.

39:29Brothers and sisters, we do have tribulation in this world. You know that. I know that. But we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. In Him, we can face every trial with peace and courage. Let's pray. Father, we are all encountering trials of various kinds, just as you foretold. Some of those trials are common to all people. Our lost family members and friends are going through many of the same trials and difficulties that we go through every day.

41:00And then, on top of those things, those of us who follow Christ, who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, we will be and we are being persecuted in different ways. Jesus, you said all of the things that you said in this section, that in you we may have peace. So we pray for it, God. We pray for that peace that passes all understanding. Forgive us for losing our peace, allowing our circumstances, our worries, and our fears to snatch it away from us.

41:54Forgive us for looking just like we have no hope in Christ when we encounter the trials and tribulations. Tribulations and difficulties of this world. We know what a good witness it can be. Maybe one of the most powerful witnesses we have when we go through trial with peace and hope and joy. So, God, I pray for every person in here who's going through a very specific trial right now. For those who have lost someone they love, for those who have miscarried, for those who continue to hope for the joy of a child, for those whose children, even adult children, are wayward, for those dealing with financial loss, even the prospect of financial ruin.

43:14For those whose careers, their academic career or their actual career, has not panned out the way that they hoped. They've lost their job or their job has changed. They've not gotten that promotion. And God, certainly we pray for all of us who are under pressure, whether to a greater or lesser degree, because of our faith in Jesus. God, we pray that in you we may have peace. Help us to take heart, remembering that Jesus is alive, he has overcome the world, and so ultimately we have nothing to fear.

44:05We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.