Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 66:1-14

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.’ Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: ‘Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. ‘The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?’ says the Lord; ‘shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?’ says your God. ‘Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.” (Isaiah 66:1–14, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 16:16-33

“‘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.’” (John 16:16–33, ESV)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8, ESV)

Introduction

As we read the scriptures I think it is important to try our best to identify with the people originally involved. I’m thinking of the author and the original audience, or the characters in a particular narrative. In John 16 it is important that we identify with Christ and his disciples. We should, if we hope to understand the meaning of a particular passage, put ourselves there to the best of our ability.

Context matters. In fact, context matters in two ways: One, we are to pay attention to the literary context – how one particular passage of scripture fits into the rest of a book, and that book to the rest of scripture – that is the literary context, and we must pay attention to it. But there is also a historical context. There is a setting. Here I am thinking of the life situation of the author and his audience, or the life situation of the characters in a particular story. Context matters both in a literary and historical sense.

And so it is good for us to try, to the best of our ability, to put ourselves in the shoes of the author or audience, or the people in a particular story. Here in John 16 we should try to identify with the disciples of Christ on the night before the crucifixion. When did they live? What had their experience with Christ been like up to this point? What were their hopes and fears? What did they know, and not know? Of course we are limited in our understanding of these things, but the scriptures do give us insights. And so we should try,  to the best of our ability, to identify with these disciples of Christ.

Upon the first reading of this text it can be hard to understand why the disciples were so confused about Jesus’ teaching. To you and I the teaching might seem rather straightforward, but the disciples were utterly baffled by these words of Jesus: “‘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’?” (John 16:17, ESV)

When you hear of their confusion are you not tempted to say, brothers, what is hard to understand about this? Clearly when Jesus says, “A little while, and you will not see me” he is referring to his death and burial! And when he says, “and again a little while, and you will see me”, he is speaking of his resurrection – he will rise from the grave and you will see him again, brothers! And clearly the words, “because I am going to the Father” refer to the ascension. Didn’t you know that Jesus would die, and rise, and then ascend to the Father? This is what we are tempted to say.

But we should remember that hindsight is indeed 20/20. You and I see this teaching as basic and clear, but only because we live after the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord.  The original disciples had not yet experienced these things. And for this reason the words of our Lord seemed mysterious to them. Clearly, the work that Jesus would accomplish through his death, burial and resurrection, so exceeded their expectations that they struggled to comprehend what it was that he spoke about as he predicted these things. They did not even have the proper categories to interpret what Jesus was saying to them.

And so considering the historical context – the life situation of the disciples on this dark and gloomy night – helps us to understand their confusion.

Not only should we attempt to undersigned their confusion, but also their fear and sorrow.  These brothers were confused by the words of Jesus because they lived before the cross of Christ, and before the resurrection. And they were also overrun by fear and sorrow, and for much the same reason. Why did they fear? Why were they sorrowful? Well, they were human. The future was uncertain to them. The words of Christ were rather disturbing to them.  The circumstances of life were dark and gloomy.  And as a result they were overrun by fear and given to despair.

This you can certainly identify with, I’m quite sure. You know what it is to be fearful concerning the future, and to have sorrow in the heart. You say, how do you know this, Joe? Well, for one, I am your Pastor. I have the privilege of knowing you well, and I know something about your struggles. Two, I know that you have battled with fear and sorrow due to the simple fact that you are human. We are all touched by sorrow. We’re all affected by fear. We present ourselves to others as if it were not so, but this is only posture and pretense. In reality, we know what it is to fear and to be given to despair, and so it is not hard to relate to the disciples of Christ in this regard. They were human and so are we.

We are given to fear for a number of reasons. First of all, we are frail, and we know it. We like to think of ourselves as big and strong and indestructible, but deep down we know this not to be the case. We are quite frail. Secondly, we live, not in the garden paradise of God, but in a fallen world which continually threatens us.  The truth of he matter is that there are reasons to fear. Thirdly, we fear because we do not know what the future holds. We can remember the past, and we can act in the present, but the future is a mystery to us. These things combined lead us to fear.

God does not fear, mind you. He is not frail. He is not threatened by anyone nor anything. And the future is no mystery to him. He sees the future as clearly as the past and the present. God does not fear. He is not human, but divine.

Sorrow also comes upon us for the same reasons mentioned above, but it sets in when we loose hope. A person is consumed by sorrow and despair when they begin to see and believe that the future is only dark and gloomy. There is no light – no glimmer of hope.

The disciples of Christ were beginning to give in to fear and sorrow. They were being swallowed by it. Darkness was pressing in and had begun to envelop them as they they thought  about their frailty, the threats which threatened, and the uncertainty of the future. Sorrow filled their hearts as the fear set in and hope began to flee.

Of course, I say all of this, not so that we might merely understand the disciples in order to sympathize with them, but so that we might see ourselves in them. That is the point of it all. I want you to see yourselves represented by these men. And I want for you to see that their struggles were common struggles. More than that I want for you to notice Christ’s words to them. And now that you have identified with them in their struggle, I want for you to also be encouraged by the words of Christ, just as they were.

Jesus provides a remedy to our fear and sorrow. He opens the way so that we might live with joy and peace and courage in this world.

Christ desires that his people live with joy, peace, and courage in this world. 

Notice, first of all, that Christ desires for his people live with joy, peace, and courage in this world.

In verse 20 Jesus speaks to his troubled men, saying,  “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.” (John 16:20, ESV)

In verse 22 he says it again: “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.” (John 16:22, ESV)

In verse 24 Jesus says, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24, ESV)

And in verse 33 hear Jesus say, “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.” (John 16:33, ESV)

It is understandable that the disciples of Christ were tempted to fear. And it is understandable, given their human frailty, that they wrestled with hopelessness and despair. But notice that Christ is not willing to leave them there. He spoke to them. He gave them his word. He revealed truth to them so that they might have joy and peace and courage in this world.

Notice three things:

One, Jesus did not say that they would have joy and peace and courage because things would go well for them in the world. Quite the opposite! “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”, he says.

How often I have heard people say, if only my circumstances would change, then I would have joy and peace! Two things need to be said in response to this: One, you will find that “better circumstances” will not bring true joy and lasting peace. Two, why wait for joy and peace? You can have it now, brother; you can have it now, sister, if you would only learn that joy and peace come, not from favorable circumstances, but from a heart that trusts in God, and a mind that knows his truth. Joy and peace are not connected to circumstances in the way that you might think. There are some who “have it all” and yet do not have true joy and lasting peace. And there are some who “have nothing” and yet their hearts are alive –  their souls full – with the joy of the Lord. It’s not about the circumstances. It about the heart and the mind. Jesus’ words here make that abundantly clear:  “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”

Two, notice that Jesus did not rebuke his disciples for their fear and sorrow. This is probably a pastoral, or a methodological observation more than anything. But notice how patient Jesus is with his disciples. I’m sure that after walking with them for over three years Jesus would have hoped that his disciples would have been stronger in the end. But they were not strong. They were quite weak, in fact. And yet Jesus was patient with them. He instructed and encouraged them in their weakness. And he is the same way with you and I. Were our faith in God strong, we would never fear. If our hearts and minds were fixed squarely upon God and his truth, we would never be given to despair. But our faith is not always strong. And we do not alway set our gaze squarely upon God, fixing our minds upon his truth. We are frail creatures – prone to wander and prone to leave the God we love. Our Lord is patient with us.

But notice, thirdly, that Jesus is not willing to leave us in our fear and in our sorrow. He calls us out of it.  If we are indeed children of the King then we ought to have joy. There ought to reside within the heart of Christians a deep and true and lasting happiness. And there ought to be peace too! The soul of a Christian should have a quietness to it. The Christian should walk with courage and confidence and firmness in this world – like a bold lion, and not like skittish lamb.

Brothers and sisters, I am not saying that this joy and peace and courage is an automatic thing. Far from it! It must be cultivated. But it is ours in Christ Jesus! We are to fight for joy and peace and courage. This is why Christ commands his disciples to “take heart” (16:33). It is something that they must decide to do.

Christ encourages us towards this end with the reminder that suffering will lead to life. 

But notice that Christ does not command his disciples to do something without first providing them with the resources necessary to accomplish it. He commands them to “take heart” – that we have seen – but he first of all gives them the information that they need to, in fact, take heart. This is how our God works. His commands are always based upon truth. The imperatives of scripture are based upon indicatives. It is never do this… period, or just because. But do this, because, or for, or given that. And the same is true here. The command is to take heart. The expectation is that there would be joy and peace in the heart of the believer. But notice that the reason for it is also given, and it centers upon the reality of the resurrection. The resurrection of Christ is the hinge upon which it all turns. It is the resurrection that turns sorrow into joy, and fear into courage.

Notice how Jesus encourages us towards joy and peace and courage by reminding us that suffering will indeed lead to life.

I do not mean to say that all suffering will lead to life (suffering is not redemptive, or life-producing, in and of itself). But Christ’s suffering certainly lead to life.

Remember that Jesus said “a little while, and you will see me no longer”. This was a reference to his death. It was his death that caused the world to rejoice and the disciples to weep and lament. Christ would suffer. His disciples would suffer. The world would rejoice.

But remember also Christ’s words, “again a little while, and you will see me.” When they saw him again their “sorrow [would] turn into joy.“

Notice that the resurrection is not mentioned explicitly in this passage, but it is the hidden event – it is the unstated phenomenon which changes everything. The disciples would not see him, but after the resurrection they would see him. They would be filled with sorrow because of the his suffering and death, but they would soon rejoice and have courage and peace.

What I am trying to communicate here is that the disciples of Christ would have joy and peace and courage, in the world, not simply because they would be reunited to an old friend whom they had been separated from for two days, but because their friend – through his suffering and death and resurrection – had laid ahold of life – resurrection life! This is why they would rejoice. Death was defeated when Christ rose! This is why no one would be able to take their joy from them. They, through Christ’s resurrection, had access to resurrection life and hope that transcends the grave. It is the resurrection that enables all who have faith in Christ to say, “‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55–57, ESV)

The illustration that Jesus provides of a woman in labor is helpful, isn’t it? I’ll give it to you ladies – the whole childbirth thing is rather impressive. What’s more impressive is that you’re actually interested in going though the experience more than once! But why is that? It is because all of the pain and suffering leads to life. The suffering produces life. It’s amazing how a woman can experience agonizing labor for hours, but when the child is born, and is lain upon the chest of the mother, the memory of the pain and suffering fades away. Sorrow turns to joy because suffering has given way to life.

Jesus says, “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.” It is so important to see that this joy is not the result of a simple reunion of friends, but it is an ever abiding joy which springs from the reality of the resurrection. Christ defeated sin and death and Satan through the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. This is the reason why the disciples of Christ have joy in the world despite the trouble that we experience in it.

We have hope. We have hope in Christ. We have hope in the resurrection of Christ. Gloom and darkness, desperation and despair may press in upon us, but the hope remains. Like a beam of light cutting through the darkness, the reality of the resurrection cuts through all of the troubles of this life leading us, not to sorrow, but to peace and joy and courage in the Lord.

Suffering leads to life. It was through Christ’s suffering that life was earned. And for those who are united to him by faith, the suffering that we experience in this world is not the final word – we have hope in him which can never be taken away. Here is one reason for our joy and peace and courage.

Christ encourages us towards this end with the reminder that suffering will lead to the Father.

Also, see that Christ encourages us to have joy, peace and courage with the reminder that suffering will lead to the Father.

Again, not all suffering leads to the Father (suffering is not redemptive in and of itself). But Christ’s suffering certainty did! It was through his death and resurrection that a way to God was made. He is the door. He is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. Christ’s suffering provided a way to the Father.  And also our suffering, if we are united to Christ by faith, also leads to the Father. We have access to him now, in Jesus name. And we will be with him for all eternity if we have been cleansed by Christ’s atoning blood. This certainly is a reason to have joy and peace and courage in the world.

It is this reality – our love for God, and the love of the Father for us in Christ – which lead Paul to reason in this way:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31–39, ESV)

Listen to Jesus’ words:

16:23: “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. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23–24, ESV)

The meaning is this: In that day – in the age after the resurrection, which is the the age in which we live now – we will not ask Jesus for things (as the disciples did when Jesus was with them on earth), but we will the Father! We will have direct access to the Father in Christ’s name.  Jesus Christ is our mediator. We go through him to the Father.

16:25 “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.” (John 16:25, ESV)

Things were still mysterious to the disciples as they lived in the hours leading up to the crucifixion, and in the days before the resurrection. But after the resurrection Jesus would speak plainly about the Father. Things would become clear. I think here of the road to Emmaus passage in Luke 24 where the Jesus, after his resurrection, teaches the scriptures to his disciples, and shows how the law and prophets and Psalms point to him – and they got it! Things became clear in light of the resurrection. They could not see it before, but in the light the resurrection things became vivid.

16:26 “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; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26–27, ESV)

Notice again that Christ is our mediator. He is the middleman between God and man. But that does not mean that we go to him, and he goes to the Father for us. Instead it means that he has opened up for us access to the Father. If you are trusting in Christ – if you have true faith in Christ – “the Father himself loves you”.

16:28: “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”” (John 16:28, ESV)

“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.’” (John 16:29–33, ESV)

Conclusion 

“Take heart; I have overcome the world”, Jesus says. This is a command. The fact that it is a command tells me two things. First of all, we will probably struggle from time to time, lacking joy and peace and courage. But if we are in Christ, we are not to remain there. We are take heart. And we are to take heart by fixing our minds and hearts upon the truths of God. In Christ Jesus there is life eternal. The resurrection proves it. And in Christ Jesus – through faith in him – there is the love of God the Father. Lay ahold of it if you do not have it. Repent and believe. And if you do have it, then cling to it. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.’”

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 44:1–5

“But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.” (Isaiah 44:1–5, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 16:1-15

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 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. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 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. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 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: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 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.” (John 16:1–15, ESV)

Introduction

Let us again use the imagination to put ourselves with Christ and his disciples on the night of his betrayal – the night before his crucifixion. The passover meal was finished. The betrayer had been sent out to do his deed. Christ, it would seem, left the upper room with the eleven who remained, having said to them, “rise, let us go from here” (14:31). Now Jesus is walking with his disciples in Jerusalem, or he is standing somewhere with them, and he is instructing them. In particular, he is equipping them with what they will need for the difficult journey ahead. As a commander equips his troops with weapons and ammunition, instructions and encouragement, so that they might fight the good fight, so too Christ equips those who are his with those things necessary for the battle. Of course, the weapons he gives are spiritual, and not physical. The Christian’s weapons are Spirit and truth. And that is what Christ, our commander, gives to his disciples – the promise of the Holy Spirit, and truth.

God Preserves Us By His Truth

I’ve asked you to use the imagination to put yourself there, not only so that you might see what Jesus gave to the eleven disciples who remained with him on that night, but so that you might also see what Christ has given to you! These words spoken to the original disciples of Christ – though they, in some respects, apply only to them – by and large apply to you and I as well. What he said to them, he says to us. He was preparing them to live in this world in the time between his first and second comings, and he prepares us also. He gives the Spirit, and he gives truth.

When I say that Christ equips his people with truth so that they might fight the good fight I am attempting to draw your attention to the simple, but often overlooked, fact that Jesus taught his disciples. He instructed them. He challenged their belief, and sought to change their minds. He was deeply concerned that they believe the right things. Jesus taught his disciples. He was called Rabbi, which means teacher. His followers were called disciples, which means learner. Though it is true that Christian discipleship involves more than the dissemination of information, it certainly does not involve less than that. Thought it is true that walking with Christ involves more than laying ahold of true doctrine in the mind – we are also to obey God from the heart, walking in holiness, loving God and neighbor – we should not forget that the foundation of our faith is truth.

I emphasize the centrality of truth and the importance of doctrine in the Christian life for two reasons:

First of all, this passage makes much of it. The Spirit, we learn, will guide the disciples of Christ “into all the truth” (16:13). Truth, among other things, is what they will need to stand firm in this world which is hostile to the things of God. Truth would serve as a foundation to them.

Secondly, as I continue to look out upon the modern church I grow more and more concerned that this is the very thing which is so often neglected in our day. There are forms of Christianity which minimize the importance of doctrine, or teaching. I say “forms” (in the plural) because there are many different manifestations of it, but they all seem to do essentially the same thing. They seek to reduce the Christian life to one thing are another, to the exclusion of doctrine. “What matters”, they say, “is that we love Jesus”, but they are opposed to doctrine which would seek to teach what the scriptures have to say about him. Or, “what matters is that we live holy”, but the basis for holiness, or the way to holiness, is neglected. Or, “what matters is that we serve the poor”, or “that we evangelize.” “Relationships matter”, they say. And on and on the list goes. But when it comes to doctrine – when it comes to the vital truths of the Christian faith – truths clearly set forth in scripture, mind you – these they want noting to do with.

I am painting with very broad brush strokes, I know. Not all churches are like this today. There are many churches that have not given in to this trend. By no means am I saying that we are the last ones standing.  But I am concerned that a great many have abandoned doctrine, believing in one way or another, that the facts of the faith are far less important than other aspects of it – love, obedience, emotion, service, and so on. And of course even these churches – the ones that have abandoned doctrine – do teach something. I am not saying that they teach noting at all. But my concern is that in these anti-doctrinal traditions the Christian faith – and here I am using the word faith to refer to the Christian faith as a body of truth, a collection of doctrines – has been reduced down to a few fundamental doctrines, the idea being, that if a Christian believes these fundamental things – these, essential things – then the teaching ministry of the church has accomplished it’s purpose.

I’m ranting a bit, I know. But I think this is an important issue to discuss so that you might understand something about what we are trying to do here. We are a confessionally reformed church. And one of the things that means is that we believe that doctrine is very important. Doctrine (teaching the truths found in scripture – not some of them, but all of them) leads to life. Doctrine matters. Truth transforms. Renewal in life comes by way of the transformation of the mind (Rom. 12:1). Doctrine is not the only thing, I know, but is a foundational thing. It is the truth of God’s word that the Spirit of God uses to transform the heart which leads to obedience.

Here in John 16 Christ is preparing his disciples to live in a hostile environment after his death, burial, and resurrection, and his ascension to the right hand of the Father. And what does he now say to them?

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 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. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you… (John 16:1–4, ESV)

Christ has already warned his disciples that the world will hate them. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you”, he said (15:18). Here Jesus is more specific. Jesus predicted that his disciples would be “put out of the synagogues”. This reveals that Christ had in mind the unbelieving Jews when he thought of the persecutors. They would drive Christians from the established places of worship and push them to the fringes of society. It was the unbelieving Jews who crucified Christ, and much of the persecution that came upon the early church did, in fact, come from them. Indeed, many who persecuted Christians, even to the point of death, thought that they were doing so “in the service of God”. Think of Saul’s behavior before he was converted and became our brother, Paul.

Christ knows all of this. And how does he prepare his disciples for the trouble ahead? He teaches them. He instructs them. He gives them truth so that they might remember these things. To remember is to recall information. He gives them information so that they might remember it and live by it.

Notice here that when Christ thinks of the disciples whom he loves – as he looks into their deeply troubled eyes – he sees that the greatest threat to them is not suffering, nor is it death, but it is apostasy. In Jesus’ assessment of things, the worst thing that could happen to one of his followers is that they fall away. “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away”, he says.

This might sound extreme to you, but realize that for the one who is in Christ, death is life. The Christian is made alive spiritually at their conversion. And physical death – the first death – is not really death, but for those in Christ it is the first resurrection. This is what Revelation 20 teaches us. John – the same John wrote wrote the Gospel that we are now studying – said, “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4, ESV) These are the souls of those who have died physically. And where are they? They are alive with Christ – their souls are ruling and reigning with him. Paul takes courage in the same thing, saying that he “would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV) Death is not the worst thing that can happen to the one who professes Christ. Apostasy is. To apostatize is to fall away. An apostate is one who claims to be a follower of Christ, who identifies with the people of God, who tastes, in one way or another, of heavenly gifts, and then falls away in the face of temptation, or persecution, or for some other reason. This is the thing that Jesus is warning against. This is the greatest threat to the one who claims to be a disciples of Christ – not suffering, and not even death. The worst thing of all is to be found not in Christ in the end.

You’re thinking to yourself, Joe, I thought you were a Calvinist who believed in the perseverance of the saints! I thought you believed that if a person is truly united to Christ by faith – truly saved – then he or she will persevere, or be preserved, until the end, and cannot fully or finally fall away. Why then this talk about falling away? 

Brothers and sisters, you know I believe in the perseverance saints. You know I believe that if someone is truly in Christ, having been predestined to receive adoption as sons and daughters from before the foundation of the earth, that they will indeed remain in Christ and as sons and daughters, for God will preserve them.

But notice that what Christ says here concerning the danger of apostasy by no means undermines that doctrine. In fact all of the passages in scripture which warn against the danger of falling away, or coming short, or failing to obtain salvation, by no means undermine the doctrine of perseverance, but rather complement it. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God”, the writer to the Hebrews warns. (Hebrews 3:12–13, ESV) The scriptures are filled with encouragement, warnings, and exhortations like this to continue on until the end, and to never fall away. Finish the race, brothers. Fight the good fight, sisters. Enter his rest, Christian, lest you seem to come short of it. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And on and on I could go.

These warning passages do not mean that a true Christian – one who is truly saved – can in fact fall away. They simply reveal that preservation is a process. The question is not will God preserve his people, but how will he do it? The answer is that he will do it by means of word and Spirit. Preservation is a process. Preservation comes to us through means.

I preserve the vegetables that I buy from the store by putting them into the refrigerator. I preserve my children by teaching them to look both ways before they cross the street. And I preserve my money by storing it in a safe place – my wallet, a safe, or a bank. Did you notice the repetition of the word “by”. The word “by” indicates that there is a way or means by which something is accomplished. Preservation is a process. It involves the use of means. We preserve things by means of refrigerators, education, and wallets. And God uses means to preserve those who belong to him. The means that God uses to preserve his elect are word and Spirit.

His word instructs us; his word encourages us; his word warns us. His Spirit, enlightens, encourages, and empowers. For the one who is truly in Christ, these means are effective. The true Christian hears the warnings about apostasy and heeds them. The true Christian has the Spirit, who is our helper – the Paraclete. The true Christian perseveres. But this is brought about by the power of the word and through the work of the Spirit. The false believer – the temporary believer – does not have the Spirit, nor does he pay attention to the warnings contained within God’s word. He is a disciple on the outside only, and not inwardly and from the heart.

Jesus’ mission is to keep those given to him by the Father. And how will he keep them till the end? In part, by giving them his word. “I have said all these things to you [ἵνα – in order to, or for the purpose of] keep you from falling away.” (John 16:1, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, if anything has been clear in the sermon up to this point it is that truth matters in the Christian life. The word matters for so many reasons, one of them being that God uses the truth of his word to preserve us. We are on solid ground when know the truth and live according to it. Though the storms of life beat against us, we will not be shaken.

God Preserves Us By The Spirit

Notice also that God preserves those who belong to him by the Holy Spirit. Two things should noticed about the Holy Spirit. First of all, the Holy Spirit is the one who works within the world, proving the world wrong, leading some to repentance and to faith in Christ.  Secondly, it is the Holy Spirit who works amongst the people of God, strengthening them in the faith they already possess.

First, let us consider the Spirit’s activity within the world.

Look with me in the middle of verse 4 where we left off, where Jesus says, “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.” In other words, Jesus did not speak explicitly about the persecution because, for one, he was with his disciples and served to shield them from the danger. Two, they needed to first witness the mistreatment of their master before the could understand the saying, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:20, ESV) But now Jesus tells them about it in order to prepare them.

Verse 5: “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” This may sound strange to us given that Simon Peter did ask, “Lord, where are you going”, in 13:36. I think the meaning of this is that they did not really seek to understand where Jesus was going. They stopped asking that question. They pulled back from seeking answers to that important question, and had allowed sorrow to overrun their hearts (vs. 6).

In verse 7 we hear Jesus repeat something that he had already said: “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.” Evidently Jesus wanted his disciples to understand the significance of his death, resurrection, and ascension to the Fathers right hand, and the subsequent pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Much has been said about this in previous sermons (on 14:15ff.).

In verse 8 -10 Jesus builds upon what has already been said about the Spirit: “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:8–11, ESV)

Where, then, will the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Holy Trinity, be active once he is sent by the Father? Will he be active amongst the people of God only? No. He, will not be “shut up” with us only (to use Calvin’s language), but will be active within the world also – the world that is hostile to God and to the people of God.

And what will the Spirit do in the world? Christ said that he would convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. And so we are to picture the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Trinity – as an active force within the world. He will convict, which means to prove wrong, to rebuke, or reprove. The meaning is this, I think. Just as Jesus had a different effect upon different people- judgment to those who disbelieved, and grace to those given to him by the Father who would believe – so too the Spirit has a different effect upon different peoples. He convicts the world. To the elect of God, that conviction leads to repentance. To the non-elect, that conviction leads to condemnation – the Spirit proves them guilty. The point is that the Spirit is active within the world – convicting the world – leading some to repentance and proving others wrong or guilty in their sin and condemnation. At the heart of this teaching is the idea that the Spirit will help Christians in their witness. As the gospel is preached, the Spirit will be active. He will convict the world. Whether that conviction leads to repentance or condemnation is another story.

Notice that the Spirit convicts concerning three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

“Concerning sin, because they do not believe in [Jesus]” (John 16:9, ESV). If they would turn to Christ and believe in him, their sin would be taken away. To remain in unbelief is to remain in sin, and under the guilt of it.

“Concerning righteousness, because [Jesus has gone] to the Father, and you [see him] no longer”. (John 16:10, ESV) Jesus, by his resurrection from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of the Father has been proved right. He has entered into glory by virtue of his sinless life. He is the righteous man. And one of the things his righteousness does is prove us to be unrighteous, if we are not believing in him. We need a righteousness like his, but we cannot find it in ourselves. It can only be found through faith in him.

And “concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:11, ESV) The final judgment has not yet come. And for that reason the gospel must still be preached. Men and women must be implored to repent to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. But there is a sense in which the judgment has already begun. When Christ died on that cross and rose from the dead on the third day, sin and death and Satan were defeated. The ruler of this world was judged. Not fully and finally, mind you. But the work is finished, so that we might rightly say that victory is won. This foretaste of judgment serves to warn concerning the final judgment. The Spirit convicts the world concerning that.

Again, this is not to say that this conviction (or “proving wrong”) of the world will have the same effect upon all. I do not equate it with effectual calling, in other words. It is not exactly regeneration that we are talking about. Here the message seems to be that the Holy Spirit will be a help to the Christians as they witness in the world. The Christians, through their witness, will extend the ministry of Christ after he ascends to the Father. And the Spirit will bring the power. The Spirit will extend the ministry of Christ as he works in the world through Christian disciples. Just as Jesus divided people as he proved them wrong, exposing their works as evil – leading some to repentance and confirming others in their condemnation – so too the Spirit would work in the world in this way.

And so in this way the Spirit will preserve us. He will be a help to the Christian as he or she serves as a witness for Christ in this hostile world, proving the world guilty concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. For some this will lead to repentance (these are the one’s given to the Son from all eternity; these are the ones whom the Father draws); for others this conviction will serve to confirm them in their condemnation. The Spirit of God is with you, brothers and sisters, as you witness. He is a help to you. Christ’s ministry  continues, not just through the word, but also by the Spirit.

Notice, secondly, that the Holy Spirit also preserves us by working amongst the people of God, strengthening them in the faith they already possess.

In verse 12 Jesus says,  “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Growth in Christ works like this, by the way. Learning is a process for us. There are some things that, if they were said to us now, we might not be able to bear. But as we continue to grow in our understanding of the things of God, we will be able to bear them later. Such was the case for the disciples. There was much that they simply would not understand that side of the cross, and that side of the stone that was rolled away. There were things that they would not understand until Pentecost, when the promised Spirit was poured out. Christ is patient with with us.

He said to them in verse 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.” This is not a promise that if we open our Bibles and read, the Holy Spirit will magically cause us to fully and completely understand the things of God. No, the scriptures must be studied. They must be rightly divided and handled with great care. Instead, this is a promise to the Apostles that the teaching ministry of Jesus would not end with his ascension to the Father. He would continue to teach by way of the Spirit. The Apostles would remember what Jesus had said. More than that, they would understand the words and works of their Savior. Certainly this is connected to their teaching ministry and the writing of scripture.

The Apostles – the eyewitness of Jesus – spoke and wrote with prophetic authority. They were inspired by God in a unique way. But that does not mean that this promise has no application for us. Though we must make a distinction between ourselves and the Apostles, we should still acknowledge that the Spirit is active within Christians as he leads us in the way of truth.

Christ then says, in verse 15, “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.”

Again, notice the Trinity. It is the Triune God who preserves his people – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Spirit glorifies the Son. The Son has all that is the Father’s. And it is that which belongs to the Father and the Son that the Spirit gives to the people of God.

He is our helper. He convicts the world of sin, righteous, and judgment. He guides us into all truth.

Conclusion  

Word and Spirit, brothers and sisters. God preserves his people by word and Spirit. To neglect one or the other is foolish.

Be students of the word. Be not content with milk, but desire solid food. Seek understanding. Build your house upon the rock, and not the sand. Know God’s word, and obey it. Move on to maturity in Christ.

But as you go, go in by the power of the Spirit. Trust in God, and not yourself. See that more information will benefit you noting. Words are without effect if they are not accompanied by the transforming power of the Spirit. Pray for God’s help. Pray that the Spirit would indeed be your helper until the end.