JOHN CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jesus warns His Disciples of
the Hatred They Will Face

“When the father of the great Emmanuel Kant was an old man he made a perilous journey through the forests of Poland to his native country of Silesia. On the way he encountered a band of robbers who demanded all his valuables, finally asking: ‘Have you given us all?’ and only letting him go when he answered, ‘All.’ When safely out of their sight his hand touched something hard in the hem of his robe. It was his gold, sewn there for safety and quite forgotten by him in his fear and confusion.

“At once he hurried back to find the robbers, and having found them, he said meekly: ‘I have told you what was not true; it was unintentional. I was too terrified to think. Here, take the gold in my robes.’ Then to the old man’s astonishment nobody offered to take his gold. Presently one went and brought back his purse. Another restored his book of prayer, while still another led his horse toward him and helped him to mount. They then unitedly entreated his blessing, and watched him slowly ride away. Goodness had triumphed over evil.” [fn]

I believe we could also add that the moral of this story shows us that one who speaks the truth ultimately wins out over one who spends his/her life lying. Among other things, we will see in John chapter 16 that the truth does truly set us free.

Let us read through the first fifteen verses of John chapter 16:

1 "These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
2 "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
3 "These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
4 "But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
5 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.   (NAS)

Go back with us now if you will to the first four verses, John 16:1-4 NAS:

1 "These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
2 "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
3 "These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
4 "But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Jesus begins the chapter in verse 1 by saying to them, “These things I have told you.” What things? Well, go back to chapter 15.

• “You have already been given the outline for a joyful and peaceful life both here and for eternity by the message I have given you.
• If you remain faithful and obedient to me, I will always be available to you.
• Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. I am your source of righteousness. Everything good that comes from the Father will come to you through Me because of your faith in what I tell you.
• Anyone who does not believe Me and have faith in what I will do for you is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 
• If you have faith and trust in Me and obey my commands, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
• When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love.
• Your joy will overflow!
• This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you..
• There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
• You are my friends if you do what I command.
• You are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
• I have given you the responsibility of presenting my truth to those who do not yet believe so that the Helper can bring them the rest of the way to faith.
• This is my command: Love each other.

 

Jesus spoke a great deal of truth to His followers in chapter 15, did He not? Well then why not go back to the other 14 chapters and find a whole lot more truth? Why did Jesus tell them these things? Well He makes that pretty clear by what follows: “so that you may be kept from stumbling.” Do you suppose that Jesus’ disciples were kind of  clumsy and were inclined to fall down a lot? We doubt if that is what He means here. Rather Jesus told them these things so that if they believed what He said and put it into practice in their own lives they would find peace and joy in their lives and not fall apart when the trials of life came at them. Which reminds us that on a recent trip to Ohio we saw a sign outside of a church that read: “Don’t give up! Remember that even Moses was once a basket case.”

There are not only degrees of rewards in Heaven, but there are degrees of punishment in Hell. The person who hears the Gospel that Jesus taught and rejects it has committed the granddaddy of all sin, which Jesus warns them about in this chapter. Chapter 16 begins with Jesus still talking about the hatred that the world has for Him.

Now in verse 1 where Jesus says: "These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling, the meaning here of the Greek word that is used for stumbling (σκανδαλισθ?τε) is “offended.” [fn] It would be more accurate to translate this verse: “These things have I spoken to you, that you should not be offended.”

Jesus did not want the apostles to be offended, that is, to have hurt feelings or deep resentment regarding the way they would be treated by unbelievers because He knew that  was coming. Now it is not at all common for the leaders of religious movements to attempt to scare the pants off of the people they are trying to convince to join and be part of that movement. The more common approach is to present the happiness and potential rewards that such a faith system will bring those who jump on board, and to minimize the trials and hardships. But not Jesus. Remember He is the forerunner of the Spirit of Truth. He does not and cannot lie. So He tells His followers exactly what it is going to be like. They will be hated just as He was hated because they represent what He brought to the world.

This is not to say of course that Jesus did not promise some wonderful rewards to those who followed Him. But many of those rewards would come when the believer arrived in Heaven. For example, John 12:2,3 NAS: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. A promise of a joyous life in a perfect place, Heaven.

Jesus also makes it very clear that if we are going to be one of His followers, we must be willing to abandon all earthly desires. Jesus said in Matthew 8:20 (NAS): "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." In Matthew 16:24 (NAS) Jesus says: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Our cross, not His cross. We will have to bear similar persecution to what He endured.

1 Peter 2:19 ESV:
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

Isaiah 53:3 ESV:
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

John 16:33 ESV:
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 15:19 ESV:
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jesus made all of this very clear to His followers and never misled them into thinking that things on earth would be easy for them. So why today does the Church try to make the church experience so enjoyable and entertaining? Churches today use all kinds of marketing techniques and gimmicks to entice people to come to their church. What in the world are they doing? The purpose of the church is first and foremost to teach the pure Word of God. That means all the joyous incredible experiences one has when they have a relationship with God, but it also includes the reality of trials and sufferings. And for those who never come to faith, Hell for eternity. When was the last time you heard about that in a church?

Today the sermons are far too often about current events with a few carefully selected and/or edited Bible verses just to show people it is a church rather than a philosophy class. Today the worship music is as bad as the secular music and the local churches have allowed such poor taste to diminish their offering of glory to God. Today people focus on fellowship with one another rather than fellowship with God. Now there is nothing wrong with fellowship in the Church, but first and foremost the focus has to be on the throne. They are trying to make religion popular and attractive to an unbelieving world. God never said we should make Christianity popular, fun, and attractive. He told us to go make disciples of all the world. In many churches you will find people that do not believe the Bible. If the pastor is a true believer and resists their attempts to change his preaching style, he may find himself polishing up his resume.[fn]  

Vernon McGee tells about a deacon in a church who destroyed three preachers. One man left broken in health, another simply left the ministry, and the third resigned. He also tells of a minister who is selling second-hand cars. He says he would rather deal with second-hand cars than with second-hand Christians. And if you stand firm for what God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have to tell us in the Bible, those in this world who are under the control of Satan are going to hate you and try to make life miserable for you in every way they can. You will experience the same hatred that Christ experienced. In John 16:1, we see Jesus warning His apostles about this in order to strengthen them and let them know what is coming. He also tells them that He will love them right on through to the very end, and He lets them know that He will be with them and that He understands what they are going through.[fn]

When the world decides to go after people because of Christ, things can get pretty vicious to the point of persecution and death. Being put out of the synagogue (verse 2) refers to excommunication, something that every devout Jew would dread because it meant being cut off from their cherished heritage. This was a threat that all the early Jewish Christians had to come to terms with. The believer should expect persecution because Jesus told us it would come. Further, they might find it coming from people right inside the synagogue at that time and today the church; and some of these people, believe it or not, actually believe they are serving God by hurting believers. Paul was a perfect example of this before His life-changing encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. He was looking for Christians to murder because He thought they were drawing people away from the Jewish faith and true God.

Acts 22:3-6 NAS:
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,
5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

Now after his conversion Paul speaks directly to this misguided zeal, Romans 10:1-4 NLT:
 
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.
3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.
4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Neither God nor Christ would ever want us to persecute or murder anyone in their name. Not every religion can brag about such a deity.

The world will persecute Jesus’ followers because they have not known God or Jesus. They could not, or perhaps more accurately, would not acknowledge that the Father had to be working through Jesus in order to say and do the things He was saying and doing. The Jews should have known God because He trusted them with His Word and His Law. But they hardly paid any attention to that knowledge and were far from having a saving faith in God.

Psalm 95:8-10 NLT:
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’

Jesus did not give His apostles this warning before because the world’s hatred was directed against Him. He protected them as long as He was the focal point of the Jewish leaders. But now the apostles would be replacing Him as the major spokesman for Christianity and all the hatred the people had for Jesus would now be directed against them. 

Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT:
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. She took the boy's name and room number and was told by the teacher on the other end of the line, "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I'd be grateful if you could help him with his homework so he doesn't fall behind the others." It wasn't until the visiting teacher got outside the boy's room that she realized it was located in the hospital's burn unit. No one had prepared her to find a young boy horribly burned and in great pain. She felt that she couldn't just turn and walk out, so she awkwardly stammered, "I'm the hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs." The next morning a nurse on the burn unit asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" Before she could finish a profusion of apologies, the nurse interrupted her: "You don't understand. We've been very worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment.... It's as though he's decided to live." The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw that teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization. With joyful tears he expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?"“[fn]

Hope makes all the difference in our lives, does it not. If you have ever suffered from depression you know what it is like to be without hope like the boy in our story. When the disciples realized Jesus was going to go away and leave them on their own, they slipped into a state of depression and hopelessness. But then they were given a promise by Jesus that would empower them with hope that would allow them to do great things in the name of Jesus. This marvelous promise begins in verse 5 of John chapter 16.

John 16:5-15 NAS:
5 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears (from God)[fn], He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me (Jesus),[fn] for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Now that we have an overview of this passage let us take a closer look.

John 16:5-6 NAS:
5 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Jesus had previously told His disciples that He would be going away. If we look back to chapters thirteen and fourteen Jesus had said to them:

John 13:33 NAS:
33 "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'

John 13:36-37 NAS:
36 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later."
37 Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You."

John 14:1-5 ESV:
 1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

John 14:25-29 ESV:
25 "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

Although it is rather hard to believe, no one had ever asked Jesus where it was that He was going.  Peter had asked Him where He was going (John 13:36) but Peter’s question centered more around what would happen to Him rather than Jesus. So as a group their only reaction to this news was to become depressed. They were focusing on their own personal loss because they had grown very dependent on their Master. They probably wondered what they could possibly do without Him and what would become of them. If they had known where He was going and why He was going there they would not have been so concerned about their own welfare. It would therefore seem that the logical thing to do would have been to ask Him, but no one did.

We will see just a little later in this chapter that Jesus will tell them: "Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” So they have His promise that their sadness will turn to joy. At this time they were unaware of the significance of the events that were about to take place that would not only change their lives but the lives of everyone from that time forward. It was therefore necessary for Jesus to explain why it was important for them that He return to the Father.

John 16:7-11 NAS:
7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

The primary reason for Jesus to go away was so that the Holy Spirit could come and release God’s power to the Church for the purpose of carrying the Gospel message of Christ to the world. The Holy Spirit works in the Church through the believers in whom He lives. Also by Jesus returning to His Father He would be able to serve believers before the throne of God.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, He provided the power for Peter to preach and the preaching of the Word brought salvation to many of those who heard it.

Jesus’ leaving was essential in order for their to be a Gospel message to preach. Without Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension there could be no Gospel, no salvation, no forgiveness of sins, and no hope for everlasting life. The Greek for Helper or Counselor, which refers to the Holy Spirit, is parakletos, which was a word that described what we would consider the function of a lawyer in our courts today. They presented one’s case before the court in a legal proceedings. It would be the Holy Spirit’s function to present the case of Jesus’ Gospel message to the world. As part of that process He would show the world the reality of their sin and its consequent judgment if they were to refuse Christ’s atoning death for that sin.

The Holy Spirit works within the heart and mind of an unbeliever to accept God’s truth and He often uses other believers in the process, as we saw in John 15:26-27 NAS:

26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The word “convict” in verse 8 means “to convince, to convict by proof.”[fn] In the courtroom of life, believers are the witnesses, the Holy Spirit is the “prosecuting attorney,” and the unbelievers are those who are standing trial and about to be found guilty. The purpose however of this trial is not to condemn them to die but rather to give them the opportunity to be free of sin and thereby be found not guilty and live. The worst sin of all is the sin of unbelief and it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convince unbelievers, through the use of human witnesses, of their sin and thus their need for a Savior. That Savior is provided in the person of Jesus Christ by a forgiving judge (God).

The Holy Spirit also reveals the righteousness of Christ through God’s Word in the Bible. In this way Christ is glorified and He is further glorified by the way unbelievers see Him in the lives of believing Christians. Nothing speaks louder to unbelievers than the righteous actions of Christ followers.

The job of the Holy Spirit will be to convict. The act of convicting will relate to all three subjects touched upon in John 16, verses 8-11. The Spirit will convict the world of its sin, righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit will show the people of the world that they are sinners because of their unbelief in Christ (verse 9). The Spirit will also make the people see and understand the unique blend of righteousness of Jesus Christ through the behavior of believers (verse 10). The third area in which the Holy Spirit will convict people is regarding their ultimate judgment (verse 11). Again, the world’s judgment is wrong because it is based on the principles taught by the prince of this world, and since he has already been judged at the cross of Christ, this reveals that the world’s method of judging things is seriously flawed. The world therefore is equally condemned with Satan. The death and resurrection of Jesus struck a fatal blow to Satan’s power of sin and spiritual death over the world.

Having crucified Jesus, the Jewish people convinced themselves that He was an evil person without any righteousness in Him. After all, did their own Scripture not say that only an evil person could be hanged on a tree and thus be under God’s curse (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13)? However, when Jesus rose from the dead after His crucifixion that belief was shattered because the Resurrection and the Ascension proved that Jesus was God’s righteous Servant (Acts 3:14-15; Isaiah 53:11). The Spirit convicts people when they refuse to accept the truth about Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). They may refuse to admit that they are uncomfortable about such a decision, but that lingering discomfort will remain with them in one form or another for the rest of their lives or until they change their mind and accept Christ. That feeling of discomfort is the Holy Spirit at work convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT:
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

Colossians 2:13-15 NLT:
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

The Law of God demanded and does demand death for sin. "The person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4 NLT). "The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT). Because all people are sinners they must face the reality of death, and that reality most often results in fear. So because unbelievers are in a state of fear they keep themselves under the control of Satan. The only way to break free of that fear, have our sin wiped away, and be assured of eternal life in Heaven is to accept Jesus payment for our sin on the cross. We are then set free of the penalty of permanent spiritual death that comes with sin. A person who dies in their sin will spend eternity in the torment of Hell. One who has their sin forgiven through faith in the work of Christ is set free from spiritual death and will bask in the joy of Heaven forever.

Acts 17:30-31 NAS:
 30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,
31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

It is the function of the Holy Spirit to make people aware of these realities so that they know they will be judged and held accountable for their decisions. People who reject the Gospel of Christ should realize that Satan was judged and sentenced by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The only thing that remains to be done is for the sentence to be carried out. Just as Satan was judged and sentenced at the cross so too will be those who follow His lead in rejecting the salvation offered by Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts us of coming judgment if we choose to turn away from the all powerful God. Yet in spite of the conviction provided, many people choose their own sin and Hell over salvation and Heaven. How tragic!

John 16:12-15 NAS:
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

The Spirit, Jesus said, would not determine on His own what to teach the disciples but would teach only what He was told to teach by the Father. This gives us evidence once again of the wonder of the Trinity. The Father would tell the Spirit what to teach the apostles about the Son.

Jesus also told them that the Holy Spirit would teach them the meaning of what was about to happen regarding Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. The Holy Spirit would give meaning to the Cross as well as to future events when Jesus would return. This has been a basic responsibility of the Spirit as He penned both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

“Our Lord was always careful to give His disciples the right amount of truth at the best time. This is always the mark of a great teacher. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher today, and He follows that same principle: He teaches us the truths we need to know, when we need them, and when we are ready to receive them. The Spirit would remind them of what Jesus had taught them. Where the Holy Spirit is at work, there must be truth. You have the entire Godhead mentioned in John 16:13, because the Spirit of God does not ignore either the Father or the Son. They work harmoniously together. As we witness in this hostile world, the Spirit uses the Word He has taught us to share Jesus Christ with the lost. It is our job to witness; it is the Spirit’s job to convict.”[fn]

Because Jesus reveals the Father as Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15, all that belongs to the Father is also the Son’s. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation” (NLT). The Holy Spirit of Truth brought glory to Jesus as He taught the apostles the truth about the things that Jesus had done and said. That is what is meant in verse 15 where Jesus says “He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” The Spirit worked in the apostles’ minds so that they could understand and teach the truth about Jesus; so they could know and teach the truth about sin; so they could know and teach the truth about righteousness; and so they could know and teach the truth about judgment. Remember there is no salvation without the work of the Holy Spirit. No human being no matter how smart or capable has ever brought anyone to salvation without the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

Sadness Will Turn To Joy

Have you ever wished your prayer life would have come with an instruction manual? We know we have. If you have felt the same way you will be glad that we are going to give you the official “Village Church Prayer Manual.”[fn]

To begin with, we want to encourage you to be simple and direct when praying to God, both in public and private prayer. The genuine expression of sincere plain talk before the Lord means far more to Him than the insincere words of someone who is more concerned about trying to impress others with a lot of fancy-sounding religious expressions than they are about communicating their feelings to God. On the contrary, God likes straight talk from the heart. And when we call on God in our private prayer during our quiet time alone with Him, He wants the same thing. Any insincere formality or elaborateness in our petitions is an offense to God.[fn] Any attempt on our part to impress God with insincere expressions using language that we think will impress God will be offensive to Him. Jesus outlined some important principles in Matthew 6:5-15 NAS. We will summarize them here.

Pray audibly. You need not lift your voice so you can be heard a block away, but it is better to pray not merely in your thoughts but also with words. Saying our prayers out loud gives us a sense of actually having a conversation with God. We suggest you try it.[fn]

Be honest in your private prayer. Do not express any want that you do not feel. Do not confess any fault that you do not mean to give up. Do not try to hide anything from God that needs to be confessed and forgiven. Remember that He knows everything you have done and are thinking.[fn] He knows everything and desires that you confess your sin for your own good. Without confession and asking forgiveness, the guilt of unresolved sin will grow within you like an untreated cancer. Confession and repentance should bring immediate cleansing from those sins. That is God’s promise, and if for some reason that guilt remains you can be certain it is coming from Satan and not from God. Ask then that God intervene to cast out Satan and free you from His crippling influence.

Leviticus 5:5 (MSG):
"When you are guilty, immediately confess the sin that you've committed.”

Pray earnestly. The words need not be loud, but the desire should be intense. "The fervent, energetic prayer of a righteous man availeth much." No half-hearted, drowsy requests of God will be sufficient.[fn]

Pray always with special reference to the needs of the day and the hour—the warfare to be waged, the temptations to be resisted, the work to be done, the sorrow to be borne. Put your life into your prayer, and let it be the most real and the most immediate business of your life.[fn]

Beginning in verse 16 of John chapter 16, Jesus begins to speak to His apostles regarding what is about to happen to them. There would be some difficult days ahead involving Jesus’ departure from them, but those days would then be followed by a time when they would again see Jesus and experience joy and peace. Nevertheless they were depressed and confused about what was to happen to their Master as well as themselves, much the same as we would probably be today if we found ourselves in a similar situation. But Jesus assured them that the sorrow they were about to endure would not last and that it would be followed by a joy that they would feel forever.[fn]

John 16:16-22 NAS:
 16 "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."
17 Some of His disciples then said to one another, "What is this thing He is telling us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"
18 So they were saying, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is talking about."
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, "Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
21 "Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 "Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

Now the apostles were getting more than a little confused. What does it all mean? Well let us go back to verse 16 and see if we can figure this out.

John 16:16-18 NAS:
16 "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."
17 Some of His disciples then said to one another, "What is this thing He is telling us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"
18 So they were saying, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is talking about."

Now it is understandable that the apostles did not understand Jesus’ meaning when He said these things. They may have thought this was some kind of a riddle that Jesus was using to test them. These words would only become clear to them after Jesus rose from the dead and had spent several weeks with them before He ascended into Heaven to be with the Father.

John 16:19-22 NAS:
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, "Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
21 "Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 "Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

Jesus makes a very interesting association between what they will experience and a woman going through childbirth. If you are a mom you understand first hand what childbirth is like. If you are a dad and have gone through the birth of a child with your wife, you are aware, and in some cases acutely aware that it is not a pleasant time for a woman. But when the baby is finally born, that same baby that caused all that pain becomes the source of greatest joy. The pain can quickly be forgotten as the mother holds that little baby and feels the eternal bond that will always exist between a mother and child. That is exactly what will happen to the apostles. The suffering and pain they will have to endure as the result of Jesus’ death will soon be transformed to joy by the power of the Holy Spirit as Jesus overcomes death and rises from His grave. Just imagine the sense of elation and pure joy that they would feel when they saw their beloved Teacher again after such a brutal slaying.

Now Jesus can do the very same thing in the lives of every Christian. He can change your sorrow into joy. No matter how bad things may be or may seem to be, Jesus can turn that sorrow into joy. Just in case you do not remember a promise He repeats over and over again in the Scriptures, perhaps it is time for a quick review:

• Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13 ESV).

 

• If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:14 ESV).

• You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you (John 15:16 NAS).

 

• 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. 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  (John 16:23,24,26 ESV).

Do you want your sorrow to turn to joy? Then ask. Pray to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit asking for joy to reflect to other people the power, grace, and mercy of God. Ask it in the name of Jesus for His glory. God has said, “The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

Deuteronomy 23:5 NAS:
"Nevertheless, the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.

Nehemiah 13:2 NAS:
Because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Job. God took Him from the depths of despair to joy and riches. What about other Bible figures? How many could you name where God provided the same blessing taking the person from sorrow to joy? 

Getting back to John 16:16 we see that Jesus has told the apostles that in a little while they will not see Him; then in a little while they would see Him. Now if I were an apostle I would have had a few questions here: “Which is it? Will I see You or not see You, or both?” and “What could it all mean?” Now remember, Jesus had told these same apostles prior to this that He would rise from the grave on the third day. Perhaps they just could not connect the dots.

It is not as difficult for us to connect the dots because we have the New Testament to study. Perhaps some of you have already understood that Jesus was referring to His own death and resurrection. When Jesus was crucified and buried they would not see Him for a little while, but when He rose from the dead they would also see Him for a little while longer. They would also “see Him” when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within them. They would exchange physical sight for spiritual insight. Today, believers “see Jesus” (Hebrews 2:9) through the Holy Spirit’s teaching of the Word of God. Then they would yet see Jesus again when they died and went to Heaven.[fn]

Jesus also was referring of course to His return to His Father in Heaven. But rather than asking Jesus to explain what He meant, the apostles began asking one another what Jesus meant. They probably could have received a quicker and more accurate answer if they had taken it directly to Jesus. You see Jesus knows that we cannot do life the way He would like to see us do life by human wisdom alone. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit to serve as our counselor and teacher. Do you think the Church could have survived through all these centuries without the power of the Holy Spirit?

The world does not want anything to do with the one and only true God and those who believe in and follow His commands. Late night talk shows ridicule Christians. Politicians and judges have thrown God out of government, the courtroom, and the schools. Corporations speak of diversity and the right of each human to be who they are, no matter the extent of their violation of God’s commands. The true god of this world is the almighty dollar and all the things people believe that dollar will bring them so they can be happy. But when people make money their god almost always ultimately brings unhappiness instead of the happiness people believed it would bring. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT).

Where can we find joy in times of pressure and uncertainty? First, by acknowledging that everything we do is for God and everything we possess is God’s. Jesus is Lord, and everything we have and do is committed totally into His hands.

To know that Jesus lives, that He hears, and that He responds as we speak to Him, should bring us joy no matter what pressures come at us.[fn]

John 16:23-33 NAS:
23 "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
24 "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
25 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.
26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
28 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father."
29 His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.
30 "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."
31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?
32 "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Again Jesus speaks about praying in His name. We have already seen that praying in Jesus’ name refers to one who is abiding in Him, which means sharing His life and obeying Him. You cannot simply add His name on to the end of a request and expect to get what you ask. That is not how He meant it to work. Remember that these apostles had never prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus and needed to be taught exactly what that meant. Today we pray to God the Father in Jesus' name because the New Testament has given us specific instructions about that. Some people have asked us if they should pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well. There is certainly nothing in the Bible saying you should not do that. In fact you may be led by the Holy Spirit to direct your prayer to either Jesus or the Holy Spirit, and you can be sure, no matter who you direct it to, it is the same God for the Bible refers to “God the Father, God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit.”

In verse 23 the phrase “in that day” means after His Ascension. Since Jesus would not be with them physically any more the apostles would not be able to ask Him questions. But the Holy Spirit would help them as Jesus had promised in John 16:13-15. “Truly, truly” in verse 23 introduces us to an important statement.[fn]

The apostles would now be Jesus’ ambassadors in the world and therefore were being given the right to ask the Father for whatever they needed to accomplish His will. The words, “in My name” that is “in Jesus’ name,” are not a magical formula which enable the user to get what they might want. Instead those words would connect their requests to the work of the Son in doing His Father’s will. Those words indicate a relationship between the petitioner and God the Father, a relationship that comes through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Do you remember what Jesus told them in John 14:13-14 and 15:16?

John 14:13-14 NAS:
13 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 15:16 NAS:
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

Then Jesus says in this passage in John 16:23-27 NLT:

23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.
24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.
25 “I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father.
26 Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf,
27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.

Verses 23 and 24 speak of answered prayer bringing abundant joy. And why does it bring abundant joy? Because it means that God is at work in His people. Abundant means “plentiful, having more than is needed.” So if you have “abundant joy” it means that you will never lose that joy. You will always have more than is needed so that you will be able to experience joy no matter what kind of circumstances come against you. You will be able to experience joy even when you are suffering. Do you fully grasp what is being said here? We no longer have to worry about anything no matter how bad things may seem. You can always feel a sense of joy if you are a believer and have the Holy Spirit living within you. You will remember that we referred earlier to the phrase “In that day” (23), or as it appears here in the NLT translation, “At that time.” The time that is referred to here will occur when the full implications of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension are understood after they occur. Then the apostles will clearly understand and comprehend what Jesus was talking about, and they will be able to teach others that same truth.

In this passage Jesus is trying to teach His apostles that God is not hard to get along with. In fact He loves to answer prayers. Jesus is saying in effect, "If you think that I have to ask the Father to be good to you and to be generous to you, you are wrong. The Father Himself loves you. I don't have to ask Him to love you. He loves you already. The Father isn't hard to get along with. He loves you and that is the reason He will answer your prayers that you pray in My name." Today God wants to hear and answer prayers, but they must come from the heart of one who loves Christ, and who is in fellowship with Him, obeying Him.[fn]

Jesus is telling His apostles that prayer is the essential ingredient to experiencing a never-ending joy. An essential ingredient of prayer will be to present their prayers in the name of Jesus, whom they are replacing as God’s physically present ambassadors to the world, in order for God’s will to be presented to and accomplished in the world. This is a monumental responsibility and we hope you all understand this reality clearly. You have been given the responsibility as believers to represent Jesus in this world on behalf of God. You are to be what Jesus was for God when He was on the earth. Are you up to it?

It should also be noted that God was willing to receive them before His throne of grace because He loved them. They had accepted, loved, and trusted in His Son and for those who show the same love for Jesus, they too will receive the love of God, which includes mercy and grace to receive salvation and everlasting life.[fn]

Do you think Jesus would ask God for a new Cadillac convertible? Do you think He would ask His Father for a chest full of gold coins? Or perhaps to have the best-looking body in Jerusalem? Well, if you know that Jesus would not ask these things of the Father, then neither should you. You see piggybacking the name of Jesus on your prayer is not going to do any good if you do not pray with the same motive that Jesus prayed. Jesus would never pray for anything if it were not in the will of God for the world. Now you may be asking, “How do you know what is in God’s will?” Well there are two ways. First through what is taught in the Bible. It is a futile prayer, for instance, to ask about whether you should have an affair with someone to whom you are attracted when the Bible clearly states in several places, “you shall not commit adultery” and that all sexual intercourse outside of marriage is a sin. Or you may wonder whether to pray for someone’s salvation. Yet the Bible teaches us that God wants everyone to come to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4) so you know that you should pray fervently for that person. But then there are many things which may not fall into a sin category or which are not explicitly covered in the Bible; for instance which job to take or what house to move into. In those areas, the Holy Spirit can lead you about how to pray in God’s will. Scripture tells us to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). That includes asking for wisdom about how to pray about a matter. Scripture also tells us that we do not know how to pray about some things but that the Holy Spirit prays for us with “groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

So you should not pray for anything that you know is outside the specific will of God for His creation as announced in the Bible. Jesus was telling them all this so that they would know that after His resurrection they were to address God in the name of Jesus because they were now representing Jesus on behalf of God in this world.

You need to recognize this reality every time you pray in Jesus’ name. If you would like to ask God for something you know is just for you, do not attach Jesus’ name to it because in effect you are trying to sneak something by God by telling Him that this is something Jesus would ask Him for. So be straight up with God. We do not see any evidence in the Scripture where He would object to your having a new dress or a new suit for your son’s or daughter’s graduation. Then you can just say: “Lord, would you please in your goodness provide me a new dress or suit? Thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen.” We would not, however, suggest you pray that prayer if you have bought five new suits or dresses over the last six months. You might just find that God would send you something else. Remember, He loves you and wants to do good things for you. Very often, however, He will not answer your prayer because what you have prayed for is either not in His will or He knows it will not be good for you even though you think the opposite to be true.

But the point we want you to write on your hearts and minds is that after the resurrection and Jesus’ ascension to Heaven the apostles will be expected to pray in Jesus’ name because He will no longer be there to serve them and they will have replaced Him as the servants of God on earth.

“In John 16:25–27, Jesus explained that there would be a new situation because of His resurrection and ascension, and because of the coming of the Holy Spirit. He would no longer speak to them in terms that demanded spiritual insight for their understanding. He would speak to them plainly and reveal the Father to them. There in the Upper Room, He had used a number of symbolic images to get His message across: the washing of their feet, the Father’s house, the vine and branches, and the birth of a baby. In the days that followed, these images would become clearer to the disciples as they would be taught by the Spirit of God.”[fn]

“The purpose of Bible study is not simply to understand profound truths, but to get to know the Father better. If our reading and Bible study fall short of this, all of that knowledge will not do us much good.”[fn]

Now let us try to pull this all together with a closing story:

“Three ministers were talking about prayer in general and the appropriate and effective positions for prayer. As they were talking, a telephone repairman was working on the phone system in the background. One minister shared that he felt the key was in the hands. He always held his hands together and pointed them upward as a form of symbolic worship. The second suggested that real prayer was conducted on your knees. The third suggested that they both had it wrong—the only position worth its salt was to pray while stretched out flat on your face.

“By this time the phone man couldn't stay out of the conversation any longer. He interjected: ‘I found that the most powerful prayer I ever prayed was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole forty feet above the ground.’"[fn]

No matter what position you are in when you pray, make sure the prayer comes from your heart and is, to the best of your knowledge, in line with God’s will and then you will experience wonderful answers to your prayers and even more importantly you will experience great joy and come into a deeper understanding of God Himself.

PEACE, THE LONG SOUGHT
AFTER TREASURE

 

“Amid the horrors of World War I, there occurred a unique truce when, for a few hours, enemies behaved like brothers.

“Christmas Eve in 1914 was all quiet on France's Western Front, from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps. Trenches came within fifty miles of Paris. The war was only five months old, and approximately eight hundred thousand men had been wounded or killed. Every soldier wondered whether Christmas Day would bring another round of fighting and killing, but something happened:
British soldiers raised Merry Christmas signs, and soon carols were heard from German and British trenches alike.

“Christmas dawned with unarmed soldiers leaving their trenches as officers of both sides tried unsuccessfully to stop their troops from meeting the enemy in the middle of no-man's-land for songs and conversation. Exchanging small gifts—mostly sweets and cigars—they passed Christmas Day peacefully along miles of the front. At one spot, the British played soccer with the Germans, who won three to two.

“In some places, the spontaneous truce contained the next day, neither side willing to fire the first shot. Finally the war resumed when fresh troops arrived, and the high command of both armies ordered that further ‘informal understandings’ with the enemy would be punishable as treason.”[fn]

We have all been designed in the image of our Creator to live in peace. It is only by the conditioning of Satan operating in a sinful world that we have been so vulnerable to hatred, jealousy, stress, violence, greed, selfishness, fear, and a lot more. Most of us have a basic desire for peace, that is until something we want is threatened, and then we open the door for Satan to do all kinds of damage in our lives. Far too often these feelings become compulsive and a person develops an unnatural lust for money and power so that he/she might control not only their own little world but also the lives and policies of an entire country. We have seen such evil ruling anything from a small village to great empires from the very beginning of time.

Many people talk about the desire for world peace. There are nations that strive for world peace but it has never been found. There may have been a few years now and then where there were not any wars or conflicts between neighboring groups, but it would not last long before the fighting began again. Today, as we write these words, it is estimated that there are over a hundred conflicts going on around the world. Dick Cheney, vice-president of the United States from 2001-2009, has said that, “War is the basic nature of mankind.” I also remember someone having said that peace in the world can only be found when everybody stops to reload. Not a very pretty picture is it?

Why is it that the world is unable to live in peace one person and one nation with the other? It is because they try to find it through human methods. They try peace treaties; they try sanctions against evil empires; they try diplomacy; and in some cases they even try conquering by military means. But none of these efforts have ever proven successful and they never will. Is peace therefore unattainable? From a human perspective, yes. But with God anything is possible. But there is one little problem. We can determine from the earliest writings in the Bible to the final book of Revelation that the great majority of human beings will reject God and Christ right up until the end. We may conclude, therefore, that world peace will never become a reality until Jesus returns and sets up His Millennial Kingdom and rules the world from His throne in Jerusalem.

John 16:33 provides the key, however, whereby believers may find peace even in this world no matter what the circumstances in which they find themselves. Are you experiencing financial difficulties that seem to have no solution? Are you experiencing a serious or even terminal illness? Are you experiencing severe depression and hopelessness? Are you experiencing the kind of guilt and fear that goes along with cheating others. Are you experiencing the guilt and fear that accompanies any kind of chemical addiction? No matter the problem there is a way out and hopefully you will find that kind of peace as you read through these last verses of John chapter 16. But first it will be helpful to find out a little more about what the Bible has to say about peace. Do you think there is a difference between the kind of peace we feel within ourselves and the kind of peace that comes when one nation is not fighting another nation, or one neighbor is not fighting another neighbor? Let us keep that question in mind as we proceed.

The world’s definition of PEACE according to Webster can be defined as : “a state of tranquillity or quiet: as freedom from civil disturbance.”[fn] The Scripture would define PEACE  as “total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people.” In the Old Testament peace was a conditional part of the covenant based on Israel’s obedience, Leviticus 26:6: “I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land” (NAS). In the prophetic writings (predictions of what will occur in the future), true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s saving grace through the rule of Jesus Christ at His second coming. That is when He returns at some time yet in the future. In the New Testament, this peace is understood as having come with Christ at His first coming for all those who believe in His atoning death for their sins, and this peace can only be experienced by believers.[fn]

In the Old Testament, Shalom, the most prominent term for “peace,” had several meanings (wholeness, health, security, well-being, and salvation) and could apply to an equally wide range of situations. For example: It could describe how a person was feeling;[fn] the relationship between one person and another;[fn] or nation to nation (e.g., absence of conflict),[fn] and the relationship of God and people.[fn]

The presence of shalom in any of these contexts was not considered ultimately as the outcome of human endeavor but as a gift or blessing of God.[fn] It is not surprising, therefore, to find “peace” tied closely to the Old Testament notion of covenant. Shalom was the desired state of harmony and communion between the two covenant partners—God and His people.[fn] Its presence signified God’s blessing in the covenant relationship[fn] and its absence signified the breakdown of that relationship due to Israel’s disobedience and unrighteousness.[fn] [fn]

Shalom becomes a pivotal term in the writing of the prophets about future events. It was the “false prophets” who, forgetting the conditions for their country’s well-being, that were set down in Leviticus 26 within the covenant relationship, assumed God’s loyalty to Israel (Psalm 89) would automatically guarantee their political peace forever.[fn] That was a big mistake although many people wanted to believe it. The true prophets, however,  who wrote prior to the Jews exile to Babylon around 600 B.C. did proclaim the coming judgment accurately as a loss of this shalom due to Israel’s persistent disobedience and unrighteousness.[fn] [fn]

The prophets did, as well, point beyond the crises of the exile to Babylon as well as other trials they would experience after that to a time when shalom, represented by prosperity and well-being,[fn] absence of conflict, right relations,[fn] restoration of harmony in nature[fn] and salvation[fn] would again return. Often this eschatological (or end-time) expectation of peace in the OT was associated with a messianic figure, as in Isaiah 9:6, where the future Messiah is termed the “Prince of Peace.”[fn]

Isaiah 9:6 NAS:
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Moreover, His reign would be one of “peace” not only for Israel but throughout the whole earth.[fn]

Zechariah 9:9-10 NLT:
9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

The Old Testament ends with this hope of peace still unrealized in its full sense.

In the New Testament the Greek term for “peace” is eirene, a word expanded from its classical Greek meaning of “rest” to include the various meanings of shalom discussed above. As with shalom, eirene could be used as a greeting or farewell (as in “peace be with you,”)[fn] or could signify the end of a war[fn]; or it could refer to our interpersonal relationships,[fn] or the presence of harmony in the home (1 Corinthians 7:15).[fn]

The most important thing to understand here concerns how Jesus incorporated God’s promised Old Testament hope for peace in the end times into His ministry. In Luke 1:68–79 NLT, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, puts forward this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.
76 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

The coming of Jesus as the Messiah would be the event that would guide them to the way of peace (verse 79). The angels announced to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth that he was bringing God’s peace to people: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14 NAS). Jesus as the Messiah would usher in God’s reign of peace. This long-expected peace of God is also Jesus’ farewell gift to the disciples: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27 NAS).

Peace was given to Jesus’ disciples when He breathed His Spirit into them.

John 20:19-23 (NLT):
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.
20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

The nature of this gift of peace brought by Jesus may be easier to explain by stating what it was not. It was not an end to tension or the absence of hostility or warfare among peoples and nations. It was not what the world would consider peace to be. Listen to Jesus’ words in the following verses:

Luke 12:51-53 NAS:
51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;
52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
53 "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

John 16:33 NAS:
33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

The peace that Jesus brings may actually disturb existing relations, being a dividing “sword” even among families.

Matthew 10:34-37 NAS:
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ;
36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his household .
37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Jesus’ gift of peace is the kind of peace that comes with the new covenant of His blood that reconciles God to people. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1:19-20 NLT).

Ephesians 2:14-18 NLT:
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.
16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.
18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

The early church understood “peace” to be the final, end-time salvation of God given already through Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:6-9 NLT:
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

This understanding of “peace” altered the content of the common greeting “go in peace” as it was taken up in the Christian community. In Paul’s quite frequently used “grace and peace” greeting,[fn] Paul provides a reminder of the gifts that Jesus provides in this present life for all who accept Him by faith. Paul even describes Jesus as “peace” itself: “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14 NLT). God too is referred to as a “God of peace” inPhilippians 4:9 and Colossians 3:15.

The gift of peace is reconciliation with God that is made possible only through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This gift in itself requires the Christian to work for “peace” in bringing people together and reconciling their differences through the Church which Christ has created. Peace is also included in the gifts one receives through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and should be the goal of every Christian when dealing with others.[fn] [fn]

1 Timothy 2:1,2,8 NAS:
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Romans 3:9, 10, 17, 20 NLT:
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Jeremiah 6:13-15 (NLT):
13 “From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.
14 They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 48:22 (NLT):
22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Now let us look at this last passage in John, John 16:28-33 NAS:

28 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father."
29 His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.
30 "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to

question You; by this we believe that You came from God."
31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?
32 "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Jesus sums up His ministry in verse 28. His Incarnation (“I came forth from the Father”); His humiliation (I have come into the world); and His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation ( I am leaving the world again and going to the Father." ). This is what the disciples had come to believe.[fn]

God became man in the form of Jesus and came into the world for one purpose: to redeem man. When the mission was accomplished, He returned to the Father. But before He goes He wants them to understand that victory is at hand. He wants them to understand that what He has taught them is about to happen and victory is just a few moments away.

The apostles’ acknowledge that they finally understood and believed. They felt that Jesus had now made everything clear to them and they could now see that He knew all things, that He came from God, the Messiah Savior that He claimed to be. Yet they still do not quite understand that He would die and then rise again before going to the Father.

Do you believe and understand these truths?

The time was drawing close when these men would all scatter. They would leave Jesus alone to face the false accusations that would be brought against Him. But we are told that He was not alone "because the Father is with me." God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT).

Imagine it! At the very moment of death, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. This is something that we do not believe the human mind can quite understand. It is something truly out of this world.

In order to protect His beloved apostles Jesus provided them with His peace, John 14:27 (NLT): “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” The apostles were going to need this kind of peace in order for them to survive the persecution they would suffer in a hostile world. This is not only a peace to help get them through hard times, but a peace which comes from the assurance of a victory now won by their Master over the world.

 Christ’s victory over Satan and this sinful world is what makes possible the inward gift of this kind of peace provided by the Holy Spirit.

The child of God can find peace in this life because this kind of peace can be found in Christ and in no other place. You will not find peace in the Church. You will not find peace in Christian service. Peace is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus has overcome the world and His victory is our victory.[fn]

When you and I learn to identify ourselves with Jesus and come into close fellowship with Him, then we will begin to experience the peace of God in our hearts. Also we will be of good cheer.

There is trouble in the world but in our lives there will be joy. Peace and joy!

How important they are. "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NAS).[fn] 

AMEN! and AMEN!

 

 

Isaiah

John

Romans

1 Peter


© Ron Teed - Used by permission. All rights Reserved.