I would ask you to turn with me to John's Gospel, the 16th chapter, and I want to begin reading where we left off a couple weeks ago. Actually I’m, going to start with verse 22. I know we covered that as well. I’m going to read from verse 22 through to the end of the chapter.
“Therefore, you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again. And your heart will rejoice and no one takes your joy away from you. And in that day, you will ask me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you if you shall ask the father for anything. He will give it to you in my name. Until now you have asked for nothing in my name, ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you and figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the father. In that day, you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will request to the father on your behalf for the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the father. I came forth from the father and have come into the world. I am leaving the world again and going to the father.” His disciple said “lo, now you are speaking plainly are not using a figure of speech. 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.” Jesus answered them, “do you now believe, 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'm not alone because the father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
As we come to the close of the 16th chapter, we would recognize that these are the final statements of the upper room discourse proper, if you will. We’ve been studying, we’ve been contemplating the upper room discourse for some months now. This 33rd verse is really the final statement of the upper room discourse in the respect that this is the final word that the Lord speaks directly to his disciples in this discourse. We recognize that the 17th chapter, the very next chapter, records for us the Lord's prayer to the Father, and even in that prayer to the father, the main focus is the relationship between the son and the father within the holy Godhead the triune Godhead. This portion even in the 17th chapter we recognize, is also meant for the disciples and for us as it was spoken obviously in their hearing.
But we come to the 16th chapter and this final verse especially is what I'd like to focus our attention on this morning. We’re considering this final exhortation of the Lord to his disciples, directly to them. He speaking to his closest followers. We mention from the outset in this upper room discourse, that there are really only a few small portions of this discourse that have a limited application to us, while being directed more specifically to the disciples. We recognize there are several statements in here that are made in that context, but by and large the teaching as we have seen, I trust, very clearly is for us and has been a great benefit to all of God's children down through the centuries, since this night of the Lord's arrest when he spoke these words to his disciples. I trust that you and I have found this to be a portion of God's word that is of great encouragement. There's really not any portions of God's word quite like it, when you have Jesus, along with his disciples and speaking so personally, so tenderly, so encouragingly to them, and in the men's midst of a very tense moment, realizing what was about to take place.
As we look at this final portion of the discourse, and especially the Lord's final words. I trust that we can recognize, to some extent, that what Jesus says in the 33rd verse really is a summation if you will, of the main thrust of the discourse as a whole. “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but I have overcome the world.” You and I, each and every one of us are going to face all sorts of different personal challenges in our life, aren’t we? It varies to some degree between each of us. We don't all face exactly the same things, we don't all face the same intensity of challenges and difficulties, and at a particular given point in time. Each of us face very different things sometimes much more intense than others. There's no way though that we can escape this and this life, is there? It's going to be. Some of us have lived long enough to recognize that trying to escape doesn't make it any better. Sometimes it even makes it worse. These are the things that were going to face. Jesus acknowledges that, Jesus never hides from reality. One of the things I love about the Lord. He doesn't pretend that difficult, bad things don't exist or that we can just sort of positive our way through them. Jesus deals with them head on and is a great encouragement. I just I want to make several observations from the Lord statement at the end of this chapter, I trust will be of great encouragement to us very practical value.
This statement contains the fundamental truth that is always relevant and fully sufficient for what you and I need as we face the trials, the tribulations that are surely to come our way.
The first observation that I would like to make from the statement that the Lord makes here, is that simply this, there is no need to remain in debilitating turmoil. There is no need for you and I to remain in debilitating turmoil.
Jesus says, “these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.” You and I cannot look at specific things that we’re going through, and sometimes some of the worst and what from our perspective at any given point in time may seem impossible to face. We can't look at that, no matter what it is, no matter how bad it may be and say, “there's no hope, I have no choice. I am going to be paralyzed. I'm going to be overcome, and overwhelmed by this trouble, there's nothing I can do about it.” we can’t say that. There is no good reason for us to face tribulation from that kind of perspective, unless we are prepared to say that were facing something worse than Jesus or his disciples were facing on this night.
So often you and I, and many times in the most serious moments that we face in life as we begin to describe or discuss or think through, or explain to somebody what's going on we begin to sort of ramble if you will. We all notice that I suppose to some extent. Jesus doesn't do that. Jesus is very carefully and intently focused on an objective that he is seeking to accomplish in everything that he says to these men. We have seen this from very early on in the upper room discourse. Jesus never loses sight of his goal in verse one of chapter 14, Jesus says, “let not your heart be troubled.” In verse 27, of the same 14th chapter, at the end of the verse. “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Chapter 16, verse six, “but because I said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart but I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away.” Chapter 16 verse 22. The first verse we read this morning, “therefore you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and no one takes your joy away from you.” And then he sums it up in this final verse in chapter 16, “these things I've spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.”
Jesus never, ever, ever stops loving his own. I love the beginning portion, the very beginning verse in John chapter 13, that sets the context and stage for the upper room discourse. “Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the uttermost.” --literally is what that says to the end of the age. And you see that love evidenced in the Lord's words, in what he says to these men and this continual coming back to this focus. He knew their hearts were heavy and he knew their hearts were getting heavier, the more they contemplated losing Christ, and in such a difficult way. But he’s saying don't let your hearts be troubled. Don't be fearful.
So many are the troubles that you are going to face and one of the things that we have to acknowledge is that there are going to be times that our hearts are going to be troubled. It’s no sin that our hearts become troubled, were told that Jesus was troubled in spirit as he faced what was coming. The difference is, the distinction is that Jesus followed through in his reliance upon the father so that his troubled heart and soul did not debilitate him. It didn't cause him to waver from what God had purposed for him. It didn't cause Christ to shrink back from what he came to do. He experienced that, we experience troubled hearts and it’s very important that we actually acknowledge that. It doesn't do us any good to say, “well, I've never had any problems. My soul’s never been that troubled”. I think most of us know, if we’ve lived very long, we know that's a very, very dangerous thing to say. Because it won't be long and we’ll know what a troubled soul is like, believe me, and maybe way more than we had ever anticipated. And there's times this very condition is such that it tends to make you feel like you're in a hopeless spot. That's what makes it so troubling, you don't necessarily see your way out of it. But a troubled heart should never be allowed. This is the point we need to recognize, and what Jesus is saying. It should never be allowed to become a significant distraction, a disabling outlook or worse yet, a way of life. Never. There's no excuse for that for us. Jesus said don't let that happen. Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it remain in this condition. So, Jesus deals with his disciples in the reality of what they're facing. He knows their hearts are heavy. We’re told from the other gospel accounts that when he goes down into Gethsemane and begins to pray with them. Their hearts are so heavy they literally fall asleep from grief. They can’t even keep your eyes open. So, we know that they were troubled, no doubt about it. But the Lord's encouragement is that we don't need to remain there, that’s not a condition in which we need to remain.
A second thing that I gather from the Lord statement, that I gleaned from what Jesus says in this passage, and it simply this-- we must listen to what God says. Simple as that. We must listen to what God says.
Words are a most remarkable and precious possession. I think it's something we take for granted because we spew a lot of them out each day. But, words provide a means of communication that can be recorded, preserved and evaluated. Think about it--words are a remarkable thing. Words have the potential of giving even abstract concepts a tangible reality if you will. These are concepts, many of these things that Jesus is talking about, most of what he's talking about are spiritual realities. I can't touch, I can't feel them, I can't grab them, but his words bring a tangible reality to me. Something that I can lay hold of even though I can't see it. I can't smell it. I can't touch it. But Jesus said it, and those words mean something.
Words can be so very powerful. All of us surely recognize that most of us have found out the hard way just how much damage words spoken at the wrong time and in the wrong tone of voice can do. We've also experienced, I trust, what great good can come from a word spoken at the right time, in the right way to encourage a dear one, dear loved one who is hurting. Words can be very powerful even in a general sense, apart even from the things of the Lord. The world at large recognizes that, but the words that God communicates to us on a very different plane altogether. That's why when those men, we saw some time ago are, in the book of John, when they were sent to arrest Jesus they came back empty-handed and then when they were questioned by the authorities. “Why didn't you arrest him?” Their response is one of my favorite ones. They said, “never did a man speak the way this man speaks”. Those words were so powerful they couldn't obey their orders to lay hands on Jesus.
The words that God speaks to us communicate truth of eternal significance. There's a sense in which we realize that as we read them. This isn't just something that's true for a while or that is an encouragement at a certain point in time, these are things that are eternally true, and they will never fail or fade, period. What did Jesus say? “heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not pass away.” You can't say that about our words, can you? We can’t remember what we said many times, a few hours later. Sometimes even the greatest words spoken by what the world would perceive to be the greatest people are forgotten very quickly, very quickly. Other times, even when they're not forgotten hundreds of years later we look at them and say not that big a deal, yeah insightful, but what’s it really matter?
Jesus himself is presented to us in the Scriptures as the eternal word. We began this this gospel with those very words, “in the beginning was the Word.” in reference to Christ the logos. Verse 14 of chapter 1, “And the Word became flesh.” Jesus is presented to us as the Word the communication of God. The Word as John the apostle says in first John chapter 1 verse one, “the Word of life.”
Now, in contrast to that, to what Jesus says, and this is what he’s emphasizing here—“these things I've spoken to you.” In contrast, you and I need to be on the alert. There's no shortage of words that come from an opposing direction, and we need to be alert to that fact. We’re warned about this numerous times in God's word. When Jesus says, “these things I have spoken to you”, it’s what he says that counts. It’s what he says that you and I need to listen to. And when we get distracted even a little bit and we start listening to words that are coming from an opposing direction, we’re going to get in trouble. We’re not going to be able to experience the peace that Jesus is speaking of here, just isn't going to happen. We’re going to find ourselves getting upset, discouraged, disillusioned, disheartened.
The words we listen to and especially the words, if I could say it this way, that we take to heart, they make all the difference in the way we live our lives. You ever thought about that? The words you and I listen to, the words we take to heart, make all the difference. You can say the worst things in the world to me, and if I blow them off, it isn't going to matter. You can say the best things in the world to me, and if I blow them off it isn't going to matter. It won't do me any good. God has something to say to us, and from an infinite number of perspectives, and you and I need to listen. It’s as simple truth as that. We need to listen to what God says, “these things I have spoken to you.” It does absolutely no good that Jesus spoke these words to these men if they paid no attention to them. No good whatsoever.
In this discourse, Jesus speaks words of sublime reality and encouragement. We've gone through this passage over a period of time and looked at these in detail. I just want to remind you, though, and from a very brief perspective, some of the things, the subjects that Jesus has spoken on in these chapters. Jesus has spoken, and numerous times in this very short discourse, of the blessed and personal provision of the Holy Spirit, that would be given to us as his people, after Jesus left this earth. What a blessed promise. Jesus goes on and on about this promise, He is referred to as the helper, the one who comes alongside. These are words that you and I need to listen to, you take these words to heart. We haven't been left in this world, as Jesus says, as orphans. We’re not alone. Jesus makes it clear that he's not alone even though they are all about ready to desert him. You’re going to leave me alone, but I'm not really alone. That's the attitude you and I can have because of the helper. No matter how alone I may feel, no matter how alone I may actually be, Jesus says, I haven't left you. I’m not going to leave you as an orphan, I'll be with you. The spirit of God is real, the spirit of God is God. God present in us, as we've seen, and looked at a number of times.
I remind you too, even in the 14th chapter, when it comes to the ministry of the Spirit, and again I'm not going to go over all of those we've spent a lot of time on that. But in relation to what Jesus says I think this is so important. Jesus says in verse 25, of John 14, “these things I've spoken to you while abiding with you, 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 said to you.” See the importance of words? This is one of the chief ministries of the spirit of God, to bring these things back to our attention when we need them. Where we recognize the importance of remembering and reviewing and contemplating and meditating upon these words, listening to and taking to heart what God says. But the Lord has said to us, rather than what all the junk that's coming to us from so many other directions. Jesus emphasizes the closeness of himself to us numerous times in this discourse. He emphasizes the coming joy that will be ours, that our joy will be made full and no one can take it away from us.
The Lord speaks of a direct and effectual access to God in prayer. He mentions this quite frequently. Chapter 14, verse 13, “whatever you ask in my name, that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son.” Chapter 15, verse seven, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” The passage we just read this morning, in verse 23 of chapter 16, “in that day you will ask me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you if you shall ask the father for anything, He will give it to you in my name, until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to in figurative language an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the father, in that day you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will request the father on your behalf or the father himself loves you, because you've loved me and believed that I came forth from the father.”
Again, this reassurance from the Lord, of this remarkable access. We’ve talked about this in more detail, we recognize this is not some little formula that we say, and everything we want, we get. This is done, in many respects we could sum it up and say, that this is prayer in the spirit. It’s not prayer in the flesh. Prayer in his name, is prayer that is being done in the power of the spirit, in the direction of the spirit.
I want to just mention, Jesus says, “in that day” in that 26th verse, he uses that same phrase in 23, “in that day”. There’s some difference of opinion and understanding as to the exact time that Jesus is referring to here. Some would say that this is a reference to the day of Pentecost, when the spirit is poured out in great power upon the church, on God's people. I personally would take this to be something that is true in a fuller sense, at Pentecost, but it seems to me that it also was true at the time of the Lord's resurrection. We looked at that two weeks ago, the joy that these men experienced but that they, to an increasing extent, as they were taught by the Spirit of God. That's the thing that the Lord has been emphasized in the 16th chapter, when he the spirit of truth comes to lead you into all the truth. That doesn't happen overnight. That happens incrementally, it happens over time, doesn’t it? We don't learn everything in one day. We don't learn everything in a lifetime, but it's a process.
So, this second thing that I want to really impress upon us this morning. Not only do we not need to remain in debilitating turmoil, parts troubled so that we can't serve the Lord or experiences joy. But secondly, we must listen to what God says. If we don't listen to what God says we will be troubled. It's that simple. To some extent or another. So, the question that we need to ask ourselves, or several questions this morning-- What are you and I listening to? Who are we listening to? Are we taking our Lord's words to heart or are we listening to ourselves, the flesh, or worse yet, the devil? Who are we listening to? And if were not listening to God, why aren't we? That's the question we could ask ourselves.
You and I, all of us, I think, we know. We have the wherewithal to know who we’re listening to. The problem is we don't ask ourselves that question very often. I'm in turmoil-- one of the first questions I need to ask myself when I'm starting to sink with a troubled heart is, who am I listening to? And if I'm not listening to God, why, am I not listening to God? Why am I listening to the flesh? Why am I listening to the devil instead of listening to the Lord? Asking myself that one question has helped me many times, and I believe it can help each of us.
A third thing that I want you to notice from this passage, and that is, that Jesus is himself, our peace. If you really stop and think about it, we have to notice that the ultimate focus of the Lord's words have been, and continue to be, on the eternal word himself. All these things that Jesus is saying in these chapters, in this upper room discourse, they lead back to Christ. Don't they? Chapter 14, verse 20, in reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “in that day you shall know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you.” It doesn't get closer than, does it? How can we be closer to the Lord then that? I am in Christ and Christ is in me! What more could I want? And if Christ is in me, there's no reason for me not to be at peace. Paul says there in Ephesians, chapter 2 verse 14, “he himself is our peace.” Through the prophet Micah, we’re told the same thing, in Micah 5, “This one will be our peace.”
This is the Lord's word to us, “these things I've spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.” That's the goal of all that we’re listening to from the Lord, is that we will have peace in Christ. Anywhere and everywhere else we turn for peace, we’re going to be disappointed, it's that simple. Eventually, we’ll be disappointed. It may seem for a moment like a good idea, but in the end, we’re going to be disappointed, because peace is found in Christ. Verse 27 of chapter 14, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” It's the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.
Jesus knows what you and I are experiencing, He’s not unaware of the trials that we’re going through. It's not as though he is busy doing something else or tending to other of his children, and he doesn't realize. Jesus knows what we’re going through. If the very hairs of our head are numbered, then you can be sure he knows what's going on in each of us. If he knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, He knows what's going on in my heart, he knows what I'm facing, He knows what you're facing. Even though not another soul on this planet knows. And the thing that is encouraging to me, is that he speaks to us so personally. Jesus isn't speaking to us in vague generalities. He’s speaking to us very personally. We are able to experience him personally, as we listen to what he says, as we take him at his word, as we reckon it to be true, we experience who Jesus is. We experience his very presence, his power, his provision, his love and his peace.
One last thing, that I want you to notice in the passage before us this morning, and that is simply that, Jesus is not only our peace, but he is our assurance. He is our assurance. There are situations that we run into in this life, that we’re going to run into in this life, and our perception for the most part is; how will God deliver me from this, right? That's what we’re looking for, deliverance. And so many times the Lord is good to deliver us. What about those times when he doesn't? Eventually he won't deliver us from death. He's not going to deliver us from trouble. He says right here, in the world you're going to have tribulation, and the tribulation of these men would eventually face was going to be very severe. Almost to the man, it would cost them their lives and in some very brutal ways, and alone for the most part. He makes this statement, “in the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
I just want to ask you, to try to put yourself in this position of these men, as Jesus is saying this. Try to understand what this must've been like-- they're no longer in the upper room, as we've noted earlier, they’re heading towards or maybe at Gethsemane at this point in time. The Lord's arrest is very eminent, but here you are and you're listening to this young Jewish man in his early 30s, Jesus of Nazareth. Having no official title or recognition amongst men. He has gathered himself a following of very unimpressive men, men who can at times be incredibly impulsive, ignorant, childish. One of them is in the midst, and at this very moment, betraying Christ. Jesus is facing arrest. He's facing derision, mocking, torture. He's facing the fact that he will be disowned by his own people, his own nation. When they're given the chance to set him free, they cry out, “crucify him!” He's facing a criminal’s public scorn and agonizing execution, and yet he tells these men, in their moment of sorrow, that he, now notice this, -- “has overcome the world.” Does that not grab your attention? He doesn't say, “I'm going to overcome the world.” He says, “I have overcome the world.”
I'm asking you to picture the scene, because nothing in that scene jumps out at you as though this person is about ready to conquer the world. It looks just the opposite. Even his own followers are moments away from deserting him. And Jesus knows that. In fact, he's just said that to them. “Do you now believe? It isn’t going to be long, and you’re all going to be scattered your own home. You’re going to desert me.” And yet, Jesus has the audacity to say to them, “take courage, I have overcome the world.”
It just struck me, as I was reading this. These words, you talk about words of encouragement and assurance. Jesus isn't in this moment trembling in fear of what's about to happen. He's not questioning how this is going to turn out. in a very short time, one of the other gospel writers tells us, that Jesus recognizes, before the men who've arrested him, He says, “this hour, and the power of darkness are yours.” It's going to be that bad. And yet, Jesus knowing full well what's coming can say, “take courage. I have overcome the world.”
My question would be, what is our excuse for not taking courage? He has already proven that he's overcome the world now. We’re not in the same position those disciples were in. We know the rest of the story, they didn't. And they did obviously, not long after this, they understood the rest of the story as well. This statement ought to instruct us. It ought to encourage and strengthen us through our very worst moments. Take courage, listen to our Lord, take courage. Listen to the one who's conquered death and the devil, take courage. Listen to the one who himself bore our sins on the gruesome cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Listen to him! Take courage! He's overcome. Don't give the flesh or the devil the satisfaction of paying attention to them for more than one moment. Take courage, take the words of our Lord to heart, listen to him.
I was reminded in this matter of overcoming, of some words that the spirit of God inspired the apostle John to write, in first John chapter 2 verse 13 and 14, “I'm writing to fathers, because you know him who has been from the beginning.” Now, remember too, in terms of context, this is the disciple, we’re told, whom Jesus loved. He was present when Jesus said these words that were looking at in John 16:33. And now, as he writes these words about half a century has passed. Actually, more than that. He's in his 90s, and he's writing these words. I found it interesting, I couldn't believe it, I was doing some research on some of this, and I ran into somebody who said, “well, you know, the apostle John was really getting pretty old about this time, and he obviously made some mistakes in some of the things he said.” not quite.
He said, “I'm writing to fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men because you have overcome the evil one. I've written to you children, because you know the father. I've written to you fathers, because you know him who has been from the beginning. I've written to you young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one.” Notice that direct correlation between listening to God and overcoming, taking courage. Later on, in the same little epistle, 1 John 4:4, a verse so familiar to us— “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them,” why? How can that be? “Because greater is he that is in you than he who is in the world. Chapter 5, verse four, “for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that is overcome the world, our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.”
Our Savior is in overcomer. And not just in some regional or isolated or limited sense. He says, “I've overcome the world”, the cosmos, literally. In that scene around the throne of God in Revelation, chapter 5, a book is presented, written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. There's no one found open the book until, and John begins to weep greatly. No one was found worthy, until, we’re told in verse five— “One of the elders said to me, stop weeping, behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome, so as to open the book and its seven seals.” I'm reminded in the 17th chapter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, of these words, John is seen in this vision, he sees all the forces of hell, all the forces of this world that they can muster coming up against the Lord of glory, 14th verse of John of Revelation 17 says this, “These will wage war against the Lamb and the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of Kings and those who are with him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it be fearful. Take courage! Our Savior, our Lord has overcome the world. Lets bow together in prayer.
“Therefore, you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again. And your heart will rejoice and no one takes your joy away from you. And in that day, you will ask me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you if you shall ask the father for anything. He will give it to you in my name. Until now you have asked for nothing in my name, ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you and figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the father. In that day, you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will request to the father on your behalf for the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the father. I came forth from the father and have come into the world. I am leaving the world again and going to the father.” His disciple said “lo, now you are speaking plainly are not using a figure of speech. 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.” Jesus answered them, “do you now believe, 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'm not alone because the father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
As we come to the close of the 16th chapter, we would recognize that these are the final statements of the upper room discourse proper, if you will. We’ve been studying, we’ve been contemplating the upper room discourse for some months now. This 33rd verse is really the final statement of the upper room discourse in the respect that this is the final word that the Lord speaks directly to his disciples in this discourse. We recognize that the 17th chapter, the very next chapter, records for us the Lord's prayer to the Father, and even in that prayer to the father, the main focus is the relationship between the son and the father within the holy Godhead the triune Godhead. This portion even in the 17th chapter we recognize, is also meant for the disciples and for us as it was spoken obviously in their hearing.
But we come to the 16th chapter and this final verse especially is what I'd like to focus our attention on this morning. We’re considering this final exhortation of the Lord to his disciples, directly to them. He speaking to his closest followers. We mention from the outset in this upper room discourse, that there are really only a few small portions of this discourse that have a limited application to us, while being directed more specifically to the disciples. We recognize there are several statements in here that are made in that context, but by and large the teaching as we have seen, I trust, very clearly is for us and has been a great benefit to all of God's children down through the centuries, since this night of the Lord's arrest when he spoke these words to his disciples. I trust that you and I have found this to be a portion of God's word that is of great encouragement. There's really not any portions of God's word quite like it, when you have Jesus, along with his disciples and speaking so personally, so tenderly, so encouragingly to them, and in the men's midst of a very tense moment, realizing what was about to take place.
As we look at this final portion of the discourse, and especially the Lord's final words. I trust that we can recognize, to some extent, that what Jesus says in the 33rd verse really is a summation if you will, of the main thrust of the discourse as a whole. “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but I have overcome the world.” You and I, each and every one of us are going to face all sorts of different personal challenges in our life, aren’t we? It varies to some degree between each of us. We don't all face exactly the same things, we don't all face the same intensity of challenges and difficulties, and at a particular given point in time. Each of us face very different things sometimes much more intense than others. There's no way though that we can escape this and this life, is there? It's going to be. Some of us have lived long enough to recognize that trying to escape doesn't make it any better. Sometimes it even makes it worse. These are the things that were going to face. Jesus acknowledges that, Jesus never hides from reality. One of the things I love about the Lord. He doesn't pretend that difficult, bad things don't exist or that we can just sort of positive our way through them. Jesus deals with them head on and is a great encouragement. I just I want to make several observations from the Lord statement at the end of this chapter, I trust will be of great encouragement to us very practical value.
This statement contains the fundamental truth that is always relevant and fully sufficient for what you and I need as we face the trials, the tribulations that are surely to come our way.
The first observation that I would like to make from the statement that the Lord makes here, is that simply this, there is no need to remain in debilitating turmoil. There is no need for you and I to remain in debilitating turmoil.
Jesus says, “these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.” You and I cannot look at specific things that we’re going through, and sometimes some of the worst and what from our perspective at any given point in time may seem impossible to face. We can't look at that, no matter what it is, no matter how bad it may be and say, “there's no hope, I have no choice. I am going to be paralyzed. I'm going to be overcome, and overwhelmed by this trouble, there's nothing I can do about it.” we can’t say that. There is no good reason for us to face tribulation from that kind of perspective, unless we are prepared to say that were facing something worse than Jesus or his disciples were facing on this night.
So often you and I, and many times in the most serious moments that we face in life as we begin to describe or discuss or think through, or explain to somebody what's going on we begin to sort of ramble if you will. We all notice that I suppose to some extent. Jesus doesn't do that. Jesus is very carefully and intently focused on an objective that he is seeking to accomplish in everything that he says to these men. We have seen this from very early on in the upper room discourse. Jesus never loses sight of his goal in verse one of chapter 14, Jesus says, “let not your heart be troubled.” In verse 27, of the same 14th chapter, at the end of the verse. “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Chapter 16, verse six, “but because I said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart but I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away.” Chapter 16 verse 22. The first verse we read this morning, “therefore you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and no one takes your joy away from you.” And then he sums it up in this final verse in chapter 16, “these things I've spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.”
Jesus never, ever, ever stops loving his own. I love the beginning portion, the very beginning verse in John chapter 13, that sets the context and stage for the upper room discourse. “Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the uttermost.” --literally is what that says to the end of the age. And you see that love evidenced in the Lord's words, in what he says to these men and this continual coming back to this focus. He knew their hearts were heavy and he knew their hearts were getting heavier, the more they contemplated losing Christ, and in such a difficult way. But he’s saying don't let your hearts be troubled. Don't be fearful.
So many are the troubles that you are going to face and one of the things that we have to acknowledge is that there are going to be times that our hearts are going to be troubled. It’s no sin that our hearts become troubled, were told that Jesus was troubled in spirit as he faced what was coming. The difference is, the distinction is that Jesus followed through in his reliance upon the father so that his troubled heart and soul did not debilitate him. It didn't cause him to waver from what God had purposed for him. It didn't cause Christ to shrink back from what he came to do. He experienced that, we experience troubled hearts and it’s very important that we actually acknowledge that. It doesn't do us any good to say, “well, I've never had any problems. My soul’s never been that troubled”. I think most of us know, if we’ve lived very long, we know that's a very, very dangerous thing to say. Because it won't be long and we’ll know what a troubled soul is like, believe me, and maybe way more than we had ever anticipated. And there's times this very condition is such that it tends to make you feel like you're in a hopeless spot. That's what makes it so troubling, you don't necessarily see your way out of it. But a troubled heart should never be allowed. This is the point we need to recognize, and what Jesus is saying. It should never be allowed to become a significant distraction, a disabling outlook or worse yet, a way of life. Never. There's no excuse for that for us. Jesus said don't let that happen. Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it remain in this condition. So, Jesus deals with his disciples in the reality of what they're facing. He knows their hearts are heavy. We’re told from the other gospel accounts that when he goes down into Gethsemane and begins to pray with them. Their hearts are so heavy they literally fall asleep from grief. They can’t even keep your eyes open. So, we know that they were troubled, no doubt about it. But the Lord's encouragement is that we don't need to remain there, that’s not a condition in which we need to remain.
A second thing that I gather from the Lord statement, that I gleaned from what Jesus says in this passage, and it simply this-- we must listen to what God says. Simple as that. We must listen to what God says.
Words are a most remarkable and precious possession. I think it's something we take for granted because we spew a lot of them out each day. But, words provide a means of communication that can be recorded, preserved and evaluated. Think about it--words are a remarkable thing. Words have the potential of giving even abstract concepts a tangible reality if you will. These are concepts, many of these things that Jesus is talking about, most of what he's talking about are spiritual realities. I can't touch, I can't feel them, I can't grab them, but his words bring a tangible reality to me. Something that I can lay hold of even though I can't see it. I can't smell it. I can't touch it. But Jesus said it, and those words mean something.
Words can be so very powerful. All of us surely recognize that most of us have found out the hard way just how much damage words spoken at the wrong time and in the wrong tone of voice can do. We've also experienced, I trust, what great good can come from a word spoken at the right time, in the right way to encourage a dear one, dear loved one who is hurting. Words can be very powerful even in a general sense, apart even from the things of the Lord. The world at large recognizes that, but the words that God communicates to us on a very different plane altogether. That's why when those men, we saw some time ago are, in the book of John, when they were sent to arrest Jesus they came back empty-handed and then when they were questioned by the authorities. “Why didn't you arrest him?” Their response is one of my favorite ones. They said, “never did a man speak the way this man speaks”. Those words were so powerful they couldn't obey their orders to lay hands on Jesus.
The words that God speaks to us communicate truth of eternal significance. There's a sense in which we realize that as we read them. This isn't just something that's true for a while or that is an encouragement at a certain point in time, these are things that are eternally true, and they will never fail or fade, period. What did Jesus say? “heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not pass away.” You can't say that about our words, can you? We can’t remember what we said many times, a few hours later. Sometimes even the greatest words spoken by what the world would perceive to be the greatest people are forgotten very quickly, very quickly. Other times, even when they're not forgotten hundreds of years later we look at them and say not that big a deal, yeah insightful, but what’s it really matter?
Jesus himself is presented to us in the Scriptures as the eternal word. We began this this gospel with those very words, “in the beginning was the Word.” in reference to Christ the logos. Verse 14 of chapter 1, “And the Word became flesh.” Jesus is presented to us as the Word the communication of God. The Word as John the apostle says in first John chapter 1 verse one, “the Word of life.”
Now, in contrast to that, to what Jesus says, and this is what he’s emphasizing here—“these things I've spoken to you.” In contrast, you and I need to be on the alert. There's no shortage of words that come from an opposing direction, and we need to be alert to that fact. We’re warned about this numerous times in God's word. When Jesus says, “these things I have spoken to you”, it’s what he says that counts. It’s what he says that you and I need to listen to. And when we get distracted even a little bit and we start listening to words that are coming from an opposing direction, we’re going to get in trouble. We’re not going to be able to experience the peace that Jesus is speaking of here, just isn't going to happen. We’re going to find ourselves getting upset, discouraged, disillusioned, disheartened.
The words we listen to and especially the words, if I could say it this way, that we take to heart, they make all the difference in the way we live our lives. You ever thought about that? The words you and I listen to, the words we take to heart, make all the difference. You can say the worst things in the world to me, and if I blow them off, it isn't going to matter. You can say the best things in the world to me, and if I blow them off it isn't going to matter. It won't do me any good. God has something to say to us, and from an infinite number of perspectives, and you and I need to listen. It’s as simple truth as that. We need to listen to what God says, “these things I have spoken to you.” It does absolutely no good that Jesus spoke these words to these men if they paid no attention to them. No good whatsoever.
In this discourse, Jesus speaks words of sublime reality and encouragement. We've gone through this passage over a period of time and looked at these in detail. I just want to remind you, though, and from a very brief perspective, some of the things, the subjects that Jesus has spoken on in these chapters. Jesus has spoken, and numerous times in this very short discourse, of the blessed and personal provision of the Holy Spirit, that would be given to us as his people, after Jesus left this earth. What a blessed promise. Jesus goes on and on about this promise, He is referred to as the helper, the one who comes alongside. These are words that you and I need to listen to, you take these words to heart. We haven't been left in this world, as Jesus says, as orphans. We’re not alone. Jesus makes it clear that he's not alone even though they are all about ready to desert him. You’re going to leave me alone, but I'm not really alone. That's the attitude you and I can have because of the helper. No matter how alone I may feel, no matter how alone I may actually be, Jesus says, I haven't left you. I’m not going to leave you as an orphan, I'll be with you. The spirit of God is real, the spirit of God is God. God present in us, as we've seen, and looked at a number of times.
I remind you too, even in the 14th chapter, when it comes to the ministry of the Spirit, and again I'm not going to go over all of those we've spent a lot of time on that. But in relation to what Jesus says I think this is so important. Jesus says in verse 25, of John 14, “these things I've spoken to you while abiding with you, 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 said to you.” See the importance of words? This is one of the chief ministries of the spirit of God, to bring these things back to our attention when we need them. Where we recognize the importance of remembering and reviewing and contemplating and meditating upon these words, listening to and taking to heart what God says. But the Lord has said to us, rather than what all the junk that's coming to us from so many other directions. Jesus emphasizes the closeness of himself to us numerous times in this discourse. He emphasizes the coming joy that will be ours, that our joy will be made full and no one can take it away from us.
The Lord speaks of a direct and effectual access to God in prayer. He mentions this quite frequently. Chapter 14, verse 13, “whatever you ask in my name, that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son.” Chapter 15, verse seven, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” The passage we just read this morning, in verse 23 of chapter 16, “in that day you will ask me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you if you shall ask the father for anything, He will give it to you in my name, until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to in figurative language an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the father, in that day you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will request the father on your behalf or the father himself loves you, because you've loved me and believed that I came forth from the father.”
Again, this reassurance from the Lord, of this remarkable access. We’ve talked about this in more detail, we recognize this is not some little formula that we say, and everything we want, we get. This is done, in many respects we could sum it up and say, that this is prayer in the spirit. It’s not prayer in the flesh. Prayer in his name, is prayer that is being done in the power of the spirit, in the direction of the spirit.
I want to just mention, Jesus says, “in that day” in that 26th verse, he uses that same phrase in 23, “in that day”. There’s some difference of opinion and understanding as to the exact time that Jesus is referring to here. Some would say that this is a reference to the day of Pentecost, when the spirit is poured out in great power upon the church, on God's people. I personally would take this to be something that is true in a fuller sense, at Pentecost, but it seems to me that it also was true at the time of the Lord's resurrection. We looked at that two weeks ago, the joy that these men experienced but that they, to an increasing extent, as they were taught by the Spirit of God. That's the thing that the Lord has been emphasized in the 16th chapter, when he the spirit of truth comes to lead you into all the truth. That doesn't happen overnight. That happens incrementally, it happens over time, doesn’t it? We don't learn everything in one day. We don't learn everything in a lifetime, but it's a process.
So, this second thing that I want to really impress upon us this morning. Not only do we not need to remain in debilitating turmoil, parts troubled so that we can't serve the Lord or experiences joy. But secondly, we must listen to what God says. If we don't listen to what God says we will be troubled. It's that simple. To some extent or another. So, the question that we need to ask ourselves, or several questions this morning-- What are you and I listening to? Who are we listening to? Are we taking our Lord's words to heart or are we listening to ourselves, the flesh, or worse yet, the devil? Who are we listening to? And if were not listening to God, why aren't we? That's the question we could ask ourselves.
You and I, all of us, I think, we know. We have the wherewithal to know who we’re listening to. The problem is we don't ask ourselves that question very often. I'm in turmoil-- one of the first questions I need to ask myself when I'm starting to sink with a troubled heart is, who am I listening to? And if I'm not listening to God, why, am I not listening to God? Why am I listening to the flesh? Why am I listening to the devil instead of listening to the Lord? Asking myself that one question has helped me many times, and I believe it can help each of us.
A third thing that I want you to notice from this passage, and that is, that Jesus is himself, our peace. If you really stop and think about it, we have to notice that the ultimate focus of the Lord's words have been, and continue to be, on the eternal word himself. All these things that Jesus is saying in these chapters, in this upper room discourse, they lead back to Christ. Don't they? Chapter 14, verse 20, in reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “in that day you shall know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you.” It doesn't get closer than, does it? How can we be closer to the Lord then that? I am in Christ and Christ is in me! What more could I want? And if Christ is in me, there's no reason for me not to be at peace. Paul says there in Ephesians, chapter 2 verse 14, “he himself is our peace.” Through the prophet Micah, we’re told the same thing, in Micah 5, “This one will be our peace.”
This is the Lord's word to us, “these things I've spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.” That's the goal of all that we’re listening to from the Lord, is that we will have peace in Christ. Anywhere and everywhere else we turn for peace, we’re going to be disappointed, it's that simple. Eventually, we’ll be disappointed. It may seem for a moment like a good idea, but in the end, we’re going to be disappointed, because peace is found in Christ. Verse 27 of chapter 14, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” It's the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.
Jesus knows what you and I are experiencing, He’s not unaware of the trials that we’re going through. It's not as though he is busy doing something else or tending to other of his children, and he doesn't realize. Jesus knows what we’re going through. If the very hairs of our head are numbered, then you can be sure he knows what's going on in each of us. If he knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, He knows what's going on in my heart, he knows what I'm facing, He knows what you're facing. Even though not another soul on this planet knows. And the thing that is encouraging to me, is that he speaks to us so personally. Jesus isn't speaking to us in vague generalities. He’s speaking to us very personally. We are able to experience him personally, as we listen to what he says, as we take him at his word, as we reckon it to be true, we experience who Jesus is. We experience his very presence, his power, his provision, his love and his peace.
One last thing, that I want you to notice in the passage before us this morning, and that is simply that, Jesus is not only our peace, but he is our assurance. He is our assurance. There are situations that we run into in this life, that we’re going to run into in this life, and our perception for the most part is; how will God deliver me from this, right? That's what we’re looking for, deliverance. And so many times the Lord is good to deliver us. What about those times when he doesn't? Eventually he won't deliver us from death. He's not going to deliver us from trouble. He says right here, in the world you're going to have tribulation, and the tribulation of these men would eventually face was going to be very severe. Almost to the man, it would cost them their lives and in some very brutal ways, and alone for the most part. He makes this statement, “in the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
I just want to ask you, to try to put yourself in this position of these men, as Jesus is saying this. Try to understand what this must've been like-- they're no longer in the upper room, as we've noted earlier, they’re heading towards or maybe at Gethsemane at this point in time. The Lord's arrest is very eminent, but here you are and you're listening to this young Jewish man in his early 30s, Jesus of Nazareth. Having no official title or recognition amongst men. He has gathered himself a following of very unimpressive men, men who can at times be incredibly impulsive, ignorant, childish. One of them is in the midst, and at this very moment, betraying Christ. Jesus is facing arrest. He's facing derision, mocking, torture. He's facing the fact that he will be disowned by his own people, his own nation. When they're given the chance to set him free, they cry out, “crucify him!” He's facing a criminal’s public scorn and agonizing execution, and yet he tells these men, in their moment of sorrow, that he, now notice this, -- “has overcome the world.” Does that not grab your attention? He doesn't say, “I'm going to overcome the world.” He says, “I have overcome the world.”
I'm asking you to picture the scene, because nothing in that scene jumps out at you as though this person is about ready to conquer the world. It looks just the opposite. Even his own followers are moments away from deserting him. And Jesus knows that. In fact, he's just said that to them. “Do you now believe? It isn’t going to be long, and you’re all going to be scattered your own home. You’re going to desert me.” And yet, Jesus has the audacity to say to them, “take courage, I have overcome the world.”
It just struck me, as I was reading this. These words, you talk about words of encouragement and assurance. Jesus isn't in this moment trembling in fear of what's about to happen. He's not questioning how this is going to turn out. in a very short time, one of the other gospel writers tells us, that Jesus recognizes, before the men who've arrested him, He says, “this hour, and the power of darkness are yours.” It's going to be that bad. And yet, Jesus knowing full well what's coming can say, “take courage. I have overcome the world.”
My question would be, what is our excuse for not taking courage? He has already proven that he's overcome the world now. We’re not in the same position those disciples were in. We know the rest of the story, they didn't. And they did obviously, not long after this, they understood the rest of the story as well. This statement ought to instruct us. It ought to encourage and strengthen us through our very worst moments. Take courage, listen to our Lord, take courage. Listen to the one who's conquered death and the devil, take courage. Listen to the one who himself bore our sins on the gruesome cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Listen to him! Take courage! He's overcome. Don't give the flesh or the devil the satisfaction of paying attention to them for more than one moment. Take courage, take the words of our Lord to heart, listen to him.
I was reminded in this matter of overcoming, of some words that the spirit of God inspired the apostle John to write, in first John chapter 2 verse 13 and 14, “I'm writing to fathers, because you know him who has been from the beginning.” Now, remember too, in terms of context, this is the disciple, we’re told, whom Jesus loved. He was present when Jesus said these words that were looking at in John 16:33. And now, as he writes these words about half a century has passed. Actually, more than that. He's in his 90s, and he's writing these words. I found it interesting, I couldn't believe it, I was doing some research on some of this, and I ran into somebody who said, “well, you know, the apostle John was really getting pretty old about this time, and he obviously made some mistakes in some of the things he said.” not quite.
He said, “I'm writing to fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men because you have overcome the evil one. I've written to you children, because you know the father. I've written to you fathers, because you know him who has been from the beginning. I've written to you young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one.” Notice that direct correlation between listening to God and overcoming, taking courage. Later on, in the same little epistle, 1 John 4:4, a verse so familiar to us— “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them,” why? How can that be? “Because greater is he that is in you than he who is in the world. Chapter 5, verse four, “for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that is overcome the world, our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.”
Our Savior is in overcomer. And not just in some regional or isolated or limited sense. He says, “I've overcome the world”, the cosmos, literally. In that scene around the throne of God in Revelation, chapter 5, a book is presented, written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. There's no one found open the book until, and John begins to weep greatly. No one was found worthy, until, we’re told in verse five— “One of the elders said to me, stop weeping, behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome, so as to open the book and its seven seals.” I'm reminded in the 17th chapter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, of these words, John is seen in this vision, he sees all the forces of hell, all the forces of this world that they can muster coming up against the Lord of glory, 14th verse of John of Revelation 17 says this, “These will wage war against the Lamb and the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of Kings and those who are with him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it be fearful. Take courage! Our Savior, our Lord has overcome the world. Lets bow together in prayer.