Final Encouragements from Christ (John 16)

Scripture: John 16

Translation: ^{John 16.1}I’m emphasizing these things to you, so that you won’t trip up. ²They will make you banished from the synagogues. But a time is coming, such that the person killing you will think he’s offering God what He wants. ³And they will do these things, because they don’t know the Father or Me. ⁴Instead, I’m emphasizing these things to you, so that whenever their time comes you would remember them, because I told you.

⁵And I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I’m going to the One Who sent Me, and none of you asks ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶But because I’m actually telling you these things, sorrow is overwhelming your hearts! ⁷But I’m telling you the truth. It is better for you that I go, because if I don’t go, the Helper won’t come to you. And if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸And when that One comes He will confront the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment: ⁹About sin, because they’re not believing in Me.¹⁰And about righteousness, because I’m going to the Father and they’ll no longer see Me. ¹¹And about judgment, because the ruler of this world really is being judged. ¹²I still have a lot to say to you, but you can’t handle it now. ¹³And whenever that One Comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will lead you in all truth, because He won’t speak on his own. Instead, all that He will hear He will speak and He will announce to you the things that are coming. ¹⁴That One will glorify Me, because He will receive from Me and announce to you. ¹⁵Absolutely all that the Father has is Mine. Because of this, I tell you that He is receiving from Me and announcing to you.

¹⁶A little bit longer and you won’t see Me anymore. And a little bit after that and You will see Me again!” ¹⁷So, some of His disciples said to one another, “What does what He’s telling us mean ‘A little bit longer and you won’t see Me, and a little bit after that and you’ll see Me again’? and ‘I’m going to the Father’?” ¹⁸So, they were saying, “What does this mean ‘A little bit longer’? we don’t know what He’s saying.” ¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them, ‘Are you trying to figure this out with one another, specifically that I said, ‘A little bit longer and you won’t see Me, and a little bit after that and you will see Me again’?

²⁰Amen, Amen, I’m telling you that you will cry and you will mourn, and the world will rejoice. You will feel sad, but your sadness will become joy! ²¹A woman, when she is giving birth, has pain, because her time came. And when she has given birth to the baby, she doesn’t remember the suffering anymore because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²And so you will have sorrow now, but I’ll see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you! ²³And on that day you won’t ask Me for anything. Amen, Amen, I’m telling you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give to you! ²⁴Up till now you haven’t asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be overflowing!

²⁵I’m actually telling you these things vaguely. The time is coming when I won’t speak to you vaguely. Instead, I will openly announce to you about the Father. ²⁶On that day, you will ask in My Name, and I’m not telling you that I will ask the Father for you, ²⁷because the Father Himself loves you, because you really do love Me and you really do believe that I came from the God. ²⁸I came from the Father and I really did come into the world. Again, I’m leaving the world and going to the Father.” ²⁹His disciples were saying, “Look, now You’re speaking clearly and You’re not saying any more vague statements! ³⁰Now we know that You know all things and You don’t need anyone to ask You. By this we believe that You came from God.” ³¹Jesus responded to them, “Now you believe?

³²Look, the time is coming and really has already come for you to be scattered, each one to his own things and for you to leave me. But I’m not alone, because the Father is with Me! ³³I really am telling you these things, so that you would have peace in Me. You have suffering in the world, but suck it up, I’m actually conquering the world!

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Persecution is Coming (vv.1-4)

b.      The Spirit is Coming (vv.5-15)

c.       Christ, Pain, and Joy is Coming (vv.16-24)

d.      Clarity is Coming (vv.25-31)

e.       Loss and Victory is Coming (vv.32-33)

2.      Themes

a.       Going and Coming

b.      Sending

c.       Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth

d.      Future

e.       Pain

f.       Loss

g.      World

h.      God the Father

i.        Victory

j.        Love

k.      Faith

l.        Persecution

m.    Prayer

3.      Doctrines

a.       The Trinity

b.      The Omniscience of Christ

c.       The Deity of Christ

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       Encouragement # 1: Expect intense persecution

                                                              i.      Expect intense social/religious persecution, so you can endure it

                                                            ii.      Expect intense physical persecution, so you can endure it

                                                          iii.      Expect intense persecution motivated under the delusion of doing what’s right, so you can endure it

b.      Encouragement # 2: Embrace the Presence and Work of the Holy Spirit

                                                              i.      Embrace the Presence of the Spirit

1.      By thanking Christ

2.      By enjoying the peace and joy of the Spirit

                                                            ii.      Embrace the Work of the Spirit

1.      By being used by the Spirit

a.       To expose and confront sin in the world

b.      To reveal and push God’s righteousness

c.       To declare and live Christ’s judgment of Satan

2.      By listening to the Spirit

a.       Listening to what He says in the Bible

b.      Listening to what He says in prayer

c.       Listening to what He says in everyday life

c.       Encouragement # 3: Endure through the pain to enjoy the joy of Christ’s Return

                                                              i.      Endure through pain

1.      The pain of loss and separation

2.      The pain of persecution

                                                            ii.      Endure for joy

1.      Joy that lasts

2.      Joy that overflows

                                                          iii.      Endure till Christ’s Return

1.      This is a little bit of time

2.      Christ will return, then the pain will be over and joy will come

d.      Encouragement # 4: Encounter God’s Joy and Love through answered prayer

                                                              i.      Encounter God’s joy

1.      by praying in Jesus’ Name

2.      by seeing the answered prayer

                                                            ii.      Encounter God’s Love

1.      By praying to the Father

2.      By loving and trusting more deeply in Christ

e.       Encouragement # 5: Experience Christ’s Peace and Victory 

                                                              i.      Experience Christ’s Peace

1.      Peace from knowing Christ is God, Sovereign and Omniscient

2.      Peace from knowing the Presence and Work of the Spirit

3.      Peace from knowing Christ will return

4.      Peace from knowing Christ

                                                            ii.      Experience Christ’s Victory

1.      Victory over Satan

2.      Victory over the World

3.      Victory over Death

4.      Victory over Unbelief/Sin

2.      Discussion Questions

a.       Have you ever faced any form of persecution? Social, physical, religious, delusional, etc. ? If so, how did you respond to it? If not, discuss how you might respond if you did face a form of persecution.

b.      Do you ever sense the Presence of the Holy Spirit in you or with you? if so, how important is having the Holy Spirit to you in general and in everyday life? Why do you think Jesus wants us to have the Holy Spirit so much?

c.       How have you see the Holy Spirit working through you or in you in the last month or two? What could you do to be used more by the Spirit?

d.      Discuss some painful experiences you’ve had to go through. How did you get through them? What does Jesus give us to focus on to help us get through the pain of having Him gone?

e.       What does your prayer life look like? Healthy? Unhealthy? Non-existent? How do you feel when God answers your prayers?

f.       Do you experience the peace of Christ? when? What about the victory of Christ? is there a particular area of your life that you want to experience Christ’s victory?

Illustrations/Explanations

1.      “You want the truth?! Son, YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!”

2.      Imagine a person with nasty B.O. what if it didn’t smell nasty, what if it smelled like perfume

3.      Overflowing joy is like the kid who wants to pour his own cup of milk, water, or juice, and basically just dumps it over the whole cup

4.      The peace of Christ feels like being on a beach in the sun with nothing to do but chill, but it doesn’t always feel like that sometimes it feels like a mighty hand holding you, while everyone else is running around screeming “we gonna DIE!!! We’re gonna DIE!!!” but you’re like, “I got this.”