8/11/02 Sermon - Baldwin Christian Church

John 16

This chapter tells more of what happened during the night that changed everything. The night that changed the world. Much of what John wrote in chapters 15, 16 and 17 was not recorded in the other gospels. These were Jesus' final instructions to His disciples before his death. He needed to cement the truth in their hearts. Soon they would be tempted to fall away, to lose their faith in Him. Even though we may not face the same level of persecution as they did, this same message is important to us today. There are so many distractions and temptations in this world. So many reasons to lose heart, to lose faith.

In chapter 15, Jesus explained that He is the true vine, and His Father is the husbandman. If we remain attached as branches of the true vine, our lives become a progression of fruitbearing. When we aren't bearing fruit, He is faithful to lift us up so that we can be profitable servants. By living our lives for Jesus, by abiding in Him, we can bear much fruit and give great glory to the Father.

This chapter begins with warnings, and it ends with tremendous comfort for the believer. It ends with what I think are the five most comforting words in the Bible.

16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

Jesus had just told the group of twelve (minus one) that they would bear witness of Him. The bad news is that they would be hated and persecuted for it. Somehow in our minds we have an idealistic view of this world. When people around us see that we are living an honest, righteous kind of life, we might naively think they will respect or appreciate us for it. The truth is: righteousness is uncomfortable and downright offensive to a lot of people in this world, people who are living outside of God's will. The conviction felt in the heart of a non-believer who is confronted with righteousness will sometimes lead them to accuse and harass Christians. The point here is that we've been warned. The Greek word for "offended" used here in this verse is the origin of our English word "scandalize." Don't be surprised when others react to your righteousness with disdain. Don't be stumbled, or enticed to fall away. Do not feel scandalized when the world tries to make it so. Live for Christ. The truth in love will overcome this world. It's not our job to convict the hearts of non-believers. That's the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The immediate danger to the disciples was from the ruling religious system, and Jesus wanted them to be ready. It's better to batten down the hatches and trim the sails before the upcoming storm than it is to be blown about aimlessly by the tempest. These words in chapter 16 appear to have been spoken as the group (minus one) walks from the last supper (in the city) to the garden of Gethsemane (on the Mount of Olives). The great temple may well have been in view as they walked that moonlit night.

16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

First they are saddened with the thought of being booted out of their places of worship, removed from fellowship with friends. But then, the warning that the time of their death is nearing. History tells us that except for John, all the disciples were put to death. All these words of Jesus came to pass. At the end of Acts chapter 7 we're introduced to a young man named Saul. The man who was pleased to watch Stephen stoned to death as he held the coats of the slayers. In his zeal to do service to God, Saul devastated the early churches. He dragged men and women out of the houses of worship, committing them to prison and to death. After his conversion, this same man warns us about the dangers of religious zeal in his letter to the church at Phillipi. Ironically, he wrote that warning from prison, a victim of this same persecution.

16:3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

This is at least some consolation in the midst of sorrowful news. They would be persecuted and martyred by the worst of men. Who really could know the Father, and yet not know Jesus? Who could know the Father, and be ignorant of Jesus? Only those who pretend to know the Father. Those who rely on the traditions of men. Those who ignore the word of God. Those who were steeped in the Jewish religion, but did not know the Father. Herein is another warning. It is also possible for us as Christians to become so steeped in our religious traditions, that it becomes a barrier to our relationship with the Father.

16:4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Jesus is the ultimate teacher. Up until this point, He was the one out in front. The shield taking the arrows, answering their charges. But now their sheild is leaving. The disciples need to learn why they must remain strong in their faith, and they don't have much time.

16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

By now (in this verse) it's really beginning to hit home with the group. Jesus was going to die. Messiah was going to die. At the end of this book John states that if all the things Jesus did were written down, this Earth is not big enough to contain the books. These men had witnessed firsthand the miracles, the healings, the fulfilled prophecies, and now they were about to lose their Master. In chapter 15 we learned that Jesus considered them His friends if they did what He told them to do. So now they were about to lose their friend, a friend who was also their Lord.

16:6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

If they had truly known where Jesus was going, they would have rejoiced. Their sorrow was due to their not being able to go with Him. In the back of their minds they were probably also worried about what was going to happen to them.

16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Here again is the promise of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came in the flesh, he was limited somewhat by His body. He couldn't be everywhere at once. That's a limitation we're all familar with. It would be a great help sometimes if I could be in even just two different places at once, but unfortunately my body will not allow for that. Quite often my mind is nowhere near where the rest of my body is, but that's a different problem altogether. The disciples were soon to be scattered, and they would be given the commission to preach the gospel to all men. Jesus had to die so that the Holy Spirit could go with each and every one of them. He had to go back to the Father so that the Spirit (which is not bound by locality) could be sent to them.

The Bible gives us at least five pictures of the Spirit:

1.) At Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descended from heaven and lighted on Him like a DOVE. All four gospels mention that. In the Levitical law, doves were sacrificed as part of the purification of women after childbirth. Solomon in his Song of Songs referred to his wife as "My dove, my undefiled..." The DOVE is an important outward symbol of the PURITY OF JESUS.

2.) In Acts chapter 2, (the coming of the Spirit) the twelve were gathered on the day of Pentecost, "and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of FIRE, and it sat upon each of them." In Isaiah chapter 4, the Lord sends the spirit of judgement (remember this) and the spirit of burning to clean up Jerusalem. When Moses was up on the mountain to receive the tables of stone, the glory of God (remember this, too), the glory of God comes in a cloud, "And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And, of course we know what kind of bush Moses spoke with (burning). John the Baptist prophesied of Christ's coming, and that He would "baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Fire refines, and it purifies. The fire of the Holy Spirit burns in the heart of a Christian, and purifies us from within.

3.) For the priests in Exodus chapter 29, annointing OIL was to be poured upon the head before they could minister to the Lord. Samuel looked over every one of Jesse's sons before God told him to annoint the youngest one king. As seven jealous brothers watched, the Spirit of the Lord came upon that ruddy little shepherd boy David, his head covered with oil. In Hebrews chapter one, it refers to Jesus being annointed with the "oil of gladness." This picture of the Spirit indicates favor with the Lord, a covering, a blessing that embraces you.

4.) In the Hebrew language, the word for spirit is ruwach {roo'-akh}. In the Greek, it is pneuma {pnyoo'-mah}. In either language, the word also means WIND, or breath. In John chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." In John chapter 20, after Jesus' resurrection, he breathes on the disciples, and says "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." In Acts chapter 2, "...suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting..." I grew up on the the Kansas prairie, so I really appreciate this picture of the Spirit. Wind is a powerful force. It moves and transforms all that it touches. By itself it's invisible, but the evidence that it exists is undeniable.

5.) For the last picture of the Spirit, I'll read from John chapter 7, verses 37~39. In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of LIVING WATER. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) The first few verses of Hosea chapter 6 paint a wonderful picture of the Spirit coming as rain. WATER satisfies us. It quenches our thirst. Fills in all the empty places. Fill my cup o' Lord, lift me up, and make me whole.

Thirst comes and goes. To be continuously filled with the Spirit, we have to keep asking for the filling of our cup. The greatest enemy of the Spirit is us believing we are satisfied with the level we have. Each day ask the Lord to fill you up, as often as you can. The Spirit is indeed a gift. The price paid for this gift should ring constantly in our ears like the clearest bell. Christians usually start their walk on fire, and the fire fades as the years add up. Look to the Spirit of Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. You can finish strong in this Christian life. Ask for the Spirit to give you that "kick" to finish the race set before us.

16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

This is one of those verses that jump out. In the last chapter it was verse two that threw me. This verse is worse. An entire sermon could easily be founded on this verse. It's one of those verses that when I tried to understand it, it just kept leading me into other areas of the scriptures. It reminds me of going to Tim's Pizza and ordering a small super salad. This is one of those things that has puzzled me for years. You sit down, you order this small salad, and they bring it out to you in this little bowl. It's a real pretty little salad. It has lettuce, tomatoes, several kinds of meat, with shredded cheese on top. And they also bring you a regular-sized plate. I'm not exaggerating much when I tell you the contents of that little bowl will fill up three of those plates. It just keeps unfolding. I've never seen them make a small super salad, but I think maybe they have someone in the back making them who used to pack parachutes. I don't know how they do it, and I've never had the courage to order a large super salad, but it's just like the living word of God. It just keeps unfolding. You get so much more out of it than you thought you would. All you have to do is start diggin' in.

Verse eight means that the Holy Spirit admonishes and convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. Then Jesus goes on to amplify...

16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

People don't see the need to be convicted of their sins. People don't see that they cannot stand before the Father. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bring this need to mind, to convict our sinful hearts and bring us to repentance.

Jesus told Nicodemus, "He that believeth on me is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The unforgivable sin is not believing in Jesus Christ. (Luke 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.) Say what you will about Jesus, but if you deny that He chose to die on the cross so that the Holy Spirit would come, there is no forgiveness for you.

In context, verse nine in our text is a slap at the religious powers of that time. Many of them had seen Jesus perform miracles. They knew the words of the prophets. They knew Jesus was fulfilling these words. They just didn't like what He was saying.

16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

We have a tendency to see our righteousness in comparison to other people's. Thank the Lord for the Holy Spirit, because only the righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees is acceptable to the Father. What man could live up to that? Only one. This ministry of the Spirit convicts us that we should only compare our righteousness with that of Jesus Christ. The spirit proves by Jesus' ascension into heaven that only through faith in Him can we partake of His righteousness.

16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

This ministry of the Spirit is to remind us that we all have a date before the judge. We will all stand before the Father, and be held up against the righteousness of Christ. Satan has already been judged, but he has tremendous power. God gave dominion over the world to man, but Adam gave it over to Satan in the garden of Eden. Satan's power is illegetimate, usurped power. It's not rightfully his. Right now we see a world full of men under Satan's control. They cannot see the truth. They're blinded by him, held in bondage to his power of darkness. We don't have to be under this bondage because of the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross. We need to claim our power and authority over Satan. The power in the blood of Jesus. His Spirit is with us. His Spirit convicts us of our need. He convicts us to focus on Jesus. When you become convicted, suddenly the word of God isn't just a bunch of words anymore. It becomes a living letter.

16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Jesus, the ultimate teacher. He knew how much they could handle. He never overloaded their donkey. The word "yet" here gives creedence to the rest of the New Testament.

16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and he shall shew [it] unto you.

How do we know if we are making the decisions and taking actions that God wants us to? When the Holy Spirit is working in our lives, He shows us all things of the Father. If the Spirit is working in our lives, we will be making the decisions, and taking the actions that are inside God's will. The ones that glorify Jesus. Examine yourself. If these five qualities are evident in your life, then the Spirit is present.

1.) Comfort: If the things of this world make you bitter, if you are treated unjustly and feel compelled to retaliate, then you're not resting in the comfort of the Lord. If you're able to stand by doing nothing when you see those around you in discomfort, then the Comforter is not working in you. When you're weary, when you think that you just aren't getting the job done, remember that it's the Spirit's job to glorify Christ. Sometimes our obvious weakness makes even more room for God to show His mighty power. We can draw much comfort from an almighty Father who loves us and wants us to have peaceful lives. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

2.) The second evidence of the Spirit in you is Discernment: The ministry of the Spirit is to guide us into all truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the living word of God. Devote time in each day to God's word and to prayer. Seek first the Kingdom of God. This is the first step in being led by the Spirit. Know the word of God that you may know the will of God. Listen to what God's word is telling you, and the Spirit will do the rest. If you are feeling the gentle nudge to do something, and it will exalt Christ to do it, then it passes the test. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not to speak of Himself. He glorifies and testifies of Jesus Christ, and tells us of things to come. If you feel the gentle nudge while studying God's word, or listening to a sermon, be careful not to harden your heart against it. Test it.

3.) The third evidence is Conviction of sin: Recognizing the sin in your life, no matter how small. Bringing all of it to the Father in confession, and repenting of it. That is conclusive evidence of the Spirit.

4.) Focus on Jesus: Constantly seeking to glorify and testify of Jesus. Honoring Him in every aspect of your live, every action, every decision, and placing Him first above all things.

5.) Godly character evident: If the fruit of the Spirit shows in your life. Galatians 5:22~23 Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. When we exhibit all of these qualities (which can all be summed up in love), we are bearing fruit that glorifies the Lord. How can pathetic creatures like ourselves glorify the Lord God? Only by the power of the Spirit in us.

16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Speaking here of His death through crucifixion, His burial and His resurrection.

16:17 Then said [some] of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
16:18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
16:19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

Jesus, the ultimate teacher. A teacher who could read his students' minds.

16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

For the joy of those who would be born into the Kingdom, Jesus endured the cross, even though He despised the shame.

16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you.

How many times has He reminded them of this during this very night? He is about to say it twice more. Jesus is providing a another great comfort in these words. Not only to these hurting disciples, but to us as well. Our prayers should be addressed to the Father, and asked in the name of Jesus.

16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

We can go boldly before the throne and ask the Father directly because He loves us, and because we love and believe in Jesus. We don't need to ask Jesus to pray the Father for us, we don't need to ask Mary to pray the Father for us, we don't need to ask a saint to pray the Father for us. We can ask the Father directly (without an earthly priest) because the veil that separated us from the Holy of Holies was torn open when Jesus died.

16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
16:29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
16:31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

What a bitter pill for devout followers to swallow. I can't imagine the emotions of these men as they heard these words of Jesus. Each man had to truly examine his faith that Jesus is the Christ. Each one had to overcome his own pride and fight his feelings of loyalty to his Master. This was especially true for that big strong fisherman, almost to the point of his getting in the way of what had to be done. He wanted to fight the men who came to take his Master. He had already offered to lay down his life for Jesus in chapter 13. Now he was being told this same hour he would abandon Jesus.

16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

This verse sums up the Christian life. We will have trials, tests, and tribulations, but we can be happy because we have faith that Jesus overcame the world. He overcame the power of Satan. Satan no longer has the keys to death and hell. Satan no longer has authority over us. When we receive the spirit of Jesus in us, He will guide us down the path the Father wants us to travel. The Holy Spirit is evidence that Jesus died for our sins.