A New Day

if God’s people would take their
Bibles and turn back again to John chapter 16. John chapter
16. It’s a new day for the apostles. It’s a new day for Jesus’ friends. It’s a new day, and we began
by considering this passage last Lord’s Day, Resurrection Sunday,
when Jesus spoke of the new day All things would be new because
of the resurrection. Here in John chapter 16, Jesus
is giving his final discourse to his apostles. He’s been with them as we have
seen from the upper room. Since the moment that upper room
discourse opened and the foot-washing to conclude here this great and
lengthy discourse first by a discussion of the Holy Spirit. And we saw
that there is with the Holy Spirit in verses 5 and following a convicting
ministry of the Spirit. We saw likewise that the Holy
Spirit’s ministry does not just end with a convicting ministry
of the world, but the ministry of the Spirit continues to God’s
people in a spirit of revelation, where He promotes the truth of
Christ, promotes Christ Himself, and reveals to God’s children
all that they need to know. The last Lord’s Day, we spent
several weeks really looking at Christ’s teaching on the resurrection. And we saw that Jesus there points
to a day of rejoicing which follows a night of weeping. The difficulty
was already seeping into the apostles’ minds. The heartache
they were already beginning to sense at losing Christ. But Jesus
says there will be a day of rejoicing. There will be a new day. And it’s a day that he wants
to tell them about. There will be a new day, a new
day of rejoicing in all of God’s bounties. And because of the
resurrection of Christ, the new day has dawned. If you would,
pick up in John 16. I want to begin in verse 23.
John 16, verse 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. Until now, you have asked for
nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so
that your joy may be made full. 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. In that day, you will ask in
my name, and I do not say that I will request of 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 disciples said, lo, now you
are speaking plainly and 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 am not alone because
the Father is with me. 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, standing on the foundation of
his teaching about the resurrection, he wants to tell his friends
about this new day. They stand in a completely new
understanding and Jesus wants to inform them, Jesus wants to
tell them and reveal to them a deeper understanding of things
in this new day. Jesus Christ, the revelation
of God and ever the teacher about God reveals to them first of
all a new approach to God’s promises. A new approach to God’s promises
here in verse 23 and 24. In that day will not question
me about anything. Jesus had given these apostles
some difficult things. They know that he’s departing.
In a sense, they’re heartbroken, broken, even distressed. He doesn’t
want them to be overwhelmed. He wants their spirits to be
lifted. And so he wants to encourage
their faith here in these verses. And he says, in that day, you
will not question me about anything. There’s coming a day when the
questions will subside. I want you to note one quick
but very important element about this passage. There are two very
similar words in this section that for some commentators prove
to only muddy the waters of interpretation. And we find both of the words
that I want to refer to here in verse 23. One is translated
here in the New American Standard as question. You will not question
me about anything. In the Greek, it’s eretao. And
in the other word in the Greek, aiteo, that’s the word that’s
translated a number of times, ask. And there are those who
say that instead of translating the word in this first word,
question, that we should really translate it as pray. Pray in
the sense of asking or making a petition. I want to be honest. I want to
be very clear. The word is used in both senses
in John’s gospel. Sometimes it’s used in the simple
sense of asking a question. John 119, the testimony of John,
when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
ask him, who are you? So it is used in that sense and
over and over again in John’s gospel at least a dozen times.
But it’s also used in the sense of prayer, to ask for a kindness. It’s used in that sense in John
4, 47, for example, among the half a dozen times that it’s
used in this sense. When he heard that Jesus had
come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him and was imploring
him to come down and heal his son. And so we come away With
kind of an unanswered question of in what sense are we to take
this word question here in this passage and It is interpretational
but there are those that suggest that this entire section is just
about prayer and In that sense Jesus would be saying there will
come a day where you have no reason to pray and I told you the two words are
related, but they are very different. And as the words question and
ask are two different Greek words, there is a different sense for
each of those. And we need to allow for that
in this passage. Not only in our translation of
the section, but also in our interpretation, as you’ll see
in a moment. In the first place here, Jesus tells his friends,
that there is coming a day when they will not have to question
him about anything. We know that almost the entire
time in the upper room was caught up in so many questions by the
apostles. So many questions of Christ,
of what was happening and what was going to happen and where
was he going and when and how. There’s coming a day, he says,
when they won’t have to ask him any more questions. But then
in the next breath, he encourages them to ask. So he can’t be telling
them, don’t pray, or you won’t need to pray, but pray anyway. Either there is a built-in contradiction
here, or the words, the ideas conveyed are fundamentally different
by those words. because of the trustworthiness
of scripture, I obviously opt for the latter. The words are
different. They have different meanings.
They communicate different ideas here in this passage. Not only will the disciples not
have to ask questions, but they will be able to come to God in
a whole new way. They are encouraged to pray. They will have their theological
answers Provided but they will also have access to God in prayer
Look at verse 23 again in that day. You will not question me
about anything There are those that took this and looked at
it as some far-off day, I don’t believe that that’s the case
Jesus is speaking really about the days following the resurrection
that opened into a an entirely new and glorious existence before
God. This phrase, in that day, really
reminds us, it sounds familiar to our ear because it was a very
common device in the Old Testament. To speak of the day when God
moves, that period of time, not perhaps a literal day, but a
moment in time that opens up to a new and glorious economy. Exodus 8.22 speaks of it. On that day, I will set apart
the land of Goshen. Isaiah 2 speaks of it. The proud
look of man will be abased, the loftiness of man will be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. Jesus is using this same phrase,
familiar to Jewish ears. Ezekiel said the same thing.
Ezekiel 29-21, on that day I will make a horn sprout for
the house of Israel. I will open your mouth in their
midst. Then they will know that I am
the Lord. That day was a great day.” Zechariah likewise uses
this same phrase. The Lord, their God, will save
them in that day. Let me ask you. now one week
removed from Resurrection Day, was there ever a day of perpetually
unfolding blessings, a season introduced into the human history,
was there ever a day greater than Christ’s resurrection? No. And so the primary reference
here, this day, was to the resurrection of Jesus Christ to that time
that began and perpetuated from that point. The only day greater
than that will be the return of Christ. And that day, upon
His resurrection that is, where He blessed His followers. He
blessed them with a new understanding of things. It opened up a new
period. A new understanding. perspective
of God himself. A new understanding of God’s
plan of redemption. A new access to God. No wonder
Jesus says, in that day you will not question me about anything. The Holy Spirit himself will
begin to take over, but first Jesus is going to impart to them
deep and lasting truths. We began to see that unfold last
Lord’s Day. We began to see Jesus encourage
these very men with the resurrection and us as well. Jesus tells them
they’re not going to be left without answers. They’re not
going to be left with these questions. They’re not going to be left
scratching their heads and doubting and bewilderment. these very men, we saw as the
book of Acts opened, we saw men changed, transformed by the input,
the teaching, the revelation of God Himself through Christ
and through His Spirit. These same men were led to the
production, the writing of the New Testament. And Jesus tells
them, in that day You won’t have any more questions. I’m gonna
pour out my mind to you, just like he did to those two disciples
on the road to Emmaus. He’s gonna pour out the truths
of the scriptures. He’s gonna pour out the truths
of God. Look at verse 24. There’s another
element to this promise. Verse 24 says, until now you
have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive
so that your joy may be made full. Now Jesus presents a second
promise. Not only will they not have to
ask Jesus a bunch of questions in that day, but there is another
blessing. There is a whole new avenue for
seeking God’s kindnesses, God’s favors, requests of God. That whole new approach is called
prayer. These men won’t be burdened with
unanswered questions. That doesn’t mean that they know
everything that there is to know, but they’ll know everything that
they need to know. Everything that God in His sovereign
purpose determines they need to know, they’ll know it. Because
these are the men that are tasked with laying the very foundation
of the church. through their teaching and through
their writings. But in addition to knowing about
God, in addition to having their perspective about God enlarged
to the fullness, they will also have direct access to Almighty
God by way of prayer. Look at this passage, until now
you’ve asked nothing in my name. You haven’t had to go to the
Father and say, it’s because we know Jesus that we’re here.
But now you have that in your arsenal. And no wonder he says,
ask. And in the form of this verb,
it’s a present imperative. Keep on asking. He’s talking
about a continuous prayer. He’s talking about a continuous
access to Almighty God. Without ceasing, Paul would say,
right? Up until now, if the disciples
wanted anything, they simply asked Jesus. They went to him
directly. And perhaps they had even laid off of their prayer
lives to the Heavenly Father, which had to have been intact
even before they met Jesus. But now they have God in the
flesh with them, day in and day out, walking about. But this death on the cross,
and not just the death on the cross, but this burial, and not
just this death on the cross and the burial, but this resurrection
changes everything. Jesus now is going to go and
be with the Heavenly Father And because they’re friends of
Christ, they have new access. Did you understand that? When
we pray in Jesus’ name, it’s as if we’re saying to God, by
the way, I’m friends with your son. Have you ever utilized one
of those relationships like that? So-and-so told me to tell you
that I was sent by him. That’s essentially what you’re
doing. When you come to God in prayer and you say, at the end
of it, we pray this in Jesus’ name. Oh, by the way, I’m friends,
very dear friends with your son. We’re not informing God of anything. We’re simply acknowledging on
our own that the grounds of everything that we ask, the grounds of all
of God’s kindnesses to us are because of our relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to have our prayers answered,
we need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s who
the Father sent for that very purpose. But you know what? There’s a
third promise in this section. Not only will they know and understand
God now, they won’t have any more questions about timelines,
about His return, about His departure. They will also have full access
to God in prayer and that leads to a third promise in this little
section of two verses. They will have joy in full. We long for that, don’t we? We
want to be happy. We want to be trouble-free. We want all of our problems to
be solved. Jesus isn’t promising that. He’s
promising something better. He’s promising everlasting, complete
fulfillment and joy. In that day you will not question
me about anything, He says. If you ask the Father, He will
give you. But when you ask the Father and you receive, Your
joy is made full. Joy is one of those promises
of God that can never be taken away. It is given and it resides
for the believer, for the one who trusts Christ and places
their faith in Christ. Joy is the fountain. It is unending in the believer’s
life. Nothing can trouble it. Nothing
can take it away. Jesus says, if you ask the Father, and you
have access to Him, you don’t have any lingering questions
about Him, you now have full access to Him, and if you ask,
you will receive, and when you receive, you will have all joy. I would like to suggest that
the reason that people don’t have joy in their life is that
they haven’t asked, they haven’t tapped into the resource either
in faith in Christ to begin with or in that access to God in prayer. Do we realize that it’s Almighty
God to whom we pray? Jesus says, men, it’s a new day. The resurrection changes everything
and Jesus Christ here The teacher tells them that they have a new
approach to God’s promises. They have a new approach. The
Holy Spirit will teach them, they will pray, and their joy
will be topped off. There’s a second promise here.
They will have a new understanding of God’s program. We find that
in verses 25 to 28. A new understanding of God’s
program. Remember, that’s what has stymied
these disciples almost through this entire Upper Room discourse.
Question after question after question. They want to know the
plan. They want to know God’s plan
of redemption. They want to know how. They want
to know when. They want to know why. And they’re
going to have a new understanding of God’s program. Look at verse
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. You’re going to know
the plan of God. I will tell you plainly of the
Father. In that day you will ask in my
name. I do not say that I will request
of the Father on your behalf. For the Father himself loves
you. because you have loved me and believe 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. He wants these apostles to know
the program of God. He wants them to have a complete
understanding so that they won’t have to ask him about anything. And he begins the process right
here. Look at verse 25. Where Jesus tells him, and in
the course of this section, he says there are three truths about
God that are imparted in this section, three things that up
to this point the disciples did not seem to grasp. The first
one is that Jesus will now speak plainly about his heavenly father. How much to include in those
two little words, these things, how much do we include? How much
is Jesus talking about? This figurative language, we see that it was mentioned,
remember when Jesus first told that little narrative about the
good shepherd? Totally bewildered. The apostles
didn’t know what to make of that. It was a figure of speech and
nobody understood it. because a deeper meaning lay
beneath those words and they couldn’t figure it out. They
listened intently and they basically had to listen carefully as Jesus
made pass after pass after pass through those words elucidating
each little point so that they understood that He is the Great
Shepherd. Jesus Christ had typically taught
in a degree that of parable and these kind of half-covered truths
that seem difficult to understand. The bread of life. Remember how that stumped the
entire panel, right? Some of his disciples didn’t
want anything to do with him after that discourse. So hard
to understand. And then he comes to the woman
at the well and he wants to teach her about the water of life. Even his own disciples didn’t
really seem to grasp that one. The perpetual one with the Jews
destroyed this temple and I will raise it up in three days. They
didn’t understand that one. Not until after he was raised. How much of this discourse would
we include? Some said that it was just those
most recent verses, especially the illustration of the woman
in labor, another parable, more mysterious words. There is a sense in which you
could apply that everything that he had taught in this upper room.
There were so many questions. There were so many enigmatic
statements and stories. And in a sense, these two little
words, these things, could really refer to all of Christ’s teaching.
Because people didn’t really get it. They didn’t fully understand. They were slow on the uptake.
They were given for that very reason. And the multitudes, remember,
it was hidden from their eyes. They didn’t understand it. They
couldn’t understand it. Remember at the parable of the
soils. The disciples came to Jesus and
they said, why are you teaching them in parables? Why not just
tell them plainly what you really mean? Jesus answered and said,
to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it has not been granted, for whoever
has, to him shall more be given, and will have an abundance, but
whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from
him. It’s important that we take God’s word seriously, and we
appropriate it carefully. I say it again. If God’s Word does
not liven, it must deaden. If we don’t take God’s Word as
that seed into good soil, we kill it. And it kills us. The apostles, so many times,
these very Friends of Christ weren’t even able to understand.
When Jesus covered over his truths in part, made them difficult
to understand so that they had to work and labor and dig and
think and even ask. The meaning didn’t just lie on
the surface. They had to pray and think and
ponder and meditate. Look at verse 25, these things
I’ve spoken to you in figurative language. An hour is coming when
I will no longer speak to you in figurative language. They
could not have been more thrilled with that statement. Can’t wait. We’ve been waiting for this. And he says, I will tell you
plainly of the father. I’m going to tell you some things
about the Heavenly Father that are there for all to understand
and see and don’t. Now that the cross is in view,
on the other side of that cross is a great victory and there
won’t be any cause for Christ to speak in these enigmatic statements
any longer. Everything will come into view.
Jesus will begin to teach plainly these disciples in those 40 days
and beyond. He’s got a church to plant. He’s
got a foundation to lay, and these are the very men. And so
he’s going to begin to pour into them. And when he goes to be
with the Father, the Spirit takes over, indwelling and illuminating
their hearts and minds and teaching them the deep things of God.
That’s when it began. It began at the resurrection,
and it continues really to this day, right? You have questions. I have questions. I’ve suggested
to you at times that there was a time where I began to keep
a yellow pad. I can’t wait till I get to heaven
to bring my yellow pad and ask Jesus. I don’t think there’s
going to be any need for that, especially not after reading
this passage. When we get to heaven, everything comes into
focus, doesn’t it? But even now, Jesus has begun. Even now in these 40 days that
He is resurrected and walking with them, He’s giving them personal
instruction, He’s teaching them. This is the hour. I told you that Jesus is uncovering
a series of truths in this little section, verses 25 through 28.
Not only is Jesus going to begin to speak plainly about his heavenly
father, watch what he does here. The second is that they have
now a direct access to the heavenly father based on his love for
them. It’s a reminder. The heavenly
father loves you. He told them this in John 3.16,
right? Look at verse 26, in that day
I will ask, you will ask in my name, I do not say that I will
ask of the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves
you. In that day, in that not so distant
day, there is going to come a time where you are going to now renew
your direct access to the Heavenly Father in a whole new way. You’re
going to go and you’re going to ask, as we’ve already seen,
as my friends. I’m personal friends with your
son. I am a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And I ask in Christ’s name. In
that day, verse 26, you will not ask in my name. I do not
say that, Jesus says, look, I’m not gonna be your go-between
all the time. You have direct access to Almighty
God. I do not say that I will request
of the Father on your behalf. It’s not like you have to come
through me as a mediator all the time now. I am the great
mediator between God and man, but now you have access to God. One of my favorite Bible truths,
I teach it whenever we go to Genesis 1, God made food for
man before he even made man. Isn’t that amazing? He even made
trees to have an aesthetic aspect to them for us. We weren’t even
made yet. He made trees beautiful to bloom
and blossom and, you know, cover the hill. He made them beautiful
before he even made us. And it’s the same thing here
with this truth. God loved us before He even sent
His Son. And so what Jesus here is doing
is just reminding them, do you know who you’re dealing with?
You’re dealing with the God who loves you, who has given everything
for you. You now can go to Him. You can go and you can ask because
He loves you. Jesus says, that he’s not going to be the
go-between all the time for them. It doesn’t mean that he won’t
intercede for them. We’ll come to that in a moment.
But there’s no need for him to be the go-between for all things.
We have direct access to God because God loves us. But isn’t
it comforting to know, and that really will lead into point three,
isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus is literally next to God,
at the right hand of God, interceding for us. For whatever gaps there
are in our prayers, and the gaps are canyons, really, right? Whatever
gaps there are in our prayers, Jesus Christ is there interceding
for us, at the right hand of God, making intercession for
us, as Hebrews 7.25 says. I said there were three truths
that Jesus unfolds here in verses 25 through 28 about the Heavenly
Father. Not only is Jesus now going to
speak plainly about His Heavenly Father, not only do we have direct
access to the Heavenly Father based on His love for us, but
the third truth here is that Jesus Christ is going to the
Father. You’re going to have to pray.
You’re not going to be able to ask me anymore. You’re going
to have to pray and you have full and glorious access to Almighty
God in prayer. Look at verse 28. Jesus basically
summarizes his entire ministry in this verse. I came forth from
the Father. I’ve come into the world. I’m
leaving the world again and I’m going to the Father. You know
what’s sewed up in there? It’s his entire mission by God. His passion is there. I’m leaving
the world again. His nativity is there. I’ve come
into the world. His ascension is there. I’m going
to the Father. All of it’s there. One pastor
called it a farewell summary. This is how he said it. This
verse seems a farewell summary of the true nature of our Lord’s
office. It grows out of the last clause
of the preceding verse. You have believed that I came
out from God. In so believing, you have done well, for so it
is. For the last time, I repeat that my mission is divine. I came forth from the Father.
I came into the world to be man’s Redeemer. And now my work being
finished, I’m about to leave the world, go back to my Father. This deep sentence Contains more
than at first sight it appears It points backwards to our Lord’s
persecution. It points forward to his resurrection
and ascension into glory Jesus says You need to pray to
the Heavenly Father you have access to the father. I’m telling
you plainly And I’m gonna be right there next to him We have a new understanding of
God’s program, don’t we? The apostles did. How is your
understanding of God’s program? How is your knowledge of His
Word, the Word that was ultimately poured out to and through the
apostles themselves? Are the truths of Scripture clear
and plain to you? The layout of Scripture, the
great plan of redemption, the themes of Scripture, The knowledge
of doctrine, how are those in your life? What about the knowledge of God?
Is your grasp of the nature of God accurate? Is He really and
truly a loving, heavenly Father? What is your knowledge of the
role and purpose of prayer? Do you really go asking Do you
really kneel before Almighty God when you pray? What is your
knowledge of God’s plan of redemption? Is Jesus Christ really now seated
in communion next to God at His very right hand? What a comfort
those things are for God’s people if we hold them to be true. There’s
a third truth that Jesus wants to impart. Not only a new approach
to God’s promises and a new understanding of God’s program, but a new assurance
of God’s protection. A new assurance of God’s protection.
It’s a new day. Their promises are greater than
they ever dreamed. Their understanding of God’s
program is more complete than they ever realized it could be. And now they have assurance that
God himself is with them to the end. Pick it up in verse 29. His disciples said, lo, now you
are speaking plainly, not using a figure of speech. Now we know
that you know all things. Why didn’t you tell us this before? What the disciples do here in
these verses, in verses 29 and 30, is they look back on this
discourse and they basically review various parts of it. They’re
sewing it all together. Look at verse 29. Lo, now you
are speaking plainly and not using a figure of speech. That
comes right from verse 25, doesn’t it? I’ve spoken to you previously
in figures of speech no longer. Look at verse 30. Now we know
that you know all things. Well, that you would almost have
to look at the entire teaching of verse 23 all the way down
to verse 28. Look at verse 30 again. You have
no need for anyone to question you. That’s the very first statement
in this section in verse 23. You will not question me about
anything. Look at the final statement.
By this we believe that you have come from God. That’s a direct
statement of Christ from verse 28. I came forth from the Father.
In other words, the disciples are saying, we believe. Great
plan, Jesus. We’re all in. And you can almost
sense the giddy enthusiasm of these apostles. Jesus, now we
get it. This is great. Come on, let’s
go. In fact, Jesus kind of speaks
in a future tense. The disciples, they’re all in
the present. They’re speaking about it right
now. The promise is already coming true. They want to lay hold of
it. They’re giddy with enthusiasm. Not that they understand everything,
but they understand enough to be just thoroughly excited. And
that prompts Jesus’ response in verse 31. Jesus answered them,
do you now believe? For three years he had been teaching
the same truths, urging the same things, telling them the same
promises, and he says, do you now believe that one little lesson? Behold, an hour is coming and
has already come for you to be scattered each to his own home,
to leave me alone, yet I’m not alone because the Father is with
me. Jesus says, do you now believe? And the words, they’re written
as a question, and it’s as much a statement as it is a question.
In a sense, they believe, but they really don’t know the nature
of their faith. They don’t know the quality of
their faith. They don’t know the durability of their faith.
They don’t know the weakness of their faith. And so Jesus,
ever the faithful and gentle shepherd, has to tell them He
has to tell them on what feeble legs they stand. Look at verse
32. Behold, an hour is coming. And
I mean literally now, just hours away. An hour is coming and has
already come for you to be scattered each to his own home. He wants
to tell them of their overconfidence. He wants to tell them of their
foolish enthusiasm. they believe in a
sense and Jesus doesn’t doubt their faith necessarily. He just
doubts the strength of their faith. And he wants them to be
wary of overconfidence. And he says to them ultimately
that an hour is coming. In fact, it’s at hand for you
to be scattered. You say you believe me. You say
that you’ve placed your faith in me. You say that you understand
that I’ve come forth. You say that you understand that
I want to speak plainly about the Father. You say that you
believe and you’re about to be scattered. Zechariah 13, 7 is likely from
where that idea was taken. Strike the shepherd that the
sheep may be scattered. This is going to be a fulfillment
of that passage. In a very short period of time,
these very apostles, these friends of Christ, are going to forsake
Him, deny Him, desert Him, flee. They’ll be scattered. They’ll go home. Jesus says, Behold, an hour is
coming and has already come for you to be scattered, each to
his own home, and to leave Me alone. Those words, they sting, don’t they? Because
you know the apostles represented you and I. You know that we would
do exactly what they did. Things start to get heated, start
to get ugly. Now Jesus is going to go to the
cross. He’s on trial. There’s Roman
soldiers all around. I’ll see what happens and see
how this goes in the morning. I’ll see you later. But Jesus points out that abandonment
by men is not abandonment by Almighty God. Jesus says, yet I’m not alone. You will leave me alone, but
I’m not completely alone because the Father is with me. What pastor
doesn’t know the words of 2 Corinthians which echo these same truths,
we are afflicted In every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but
not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed. In all of those vexing and trying
seasons, God is with us. And that’s exactly what Jesus
tells his beloved apostle. He tells them the same truth
that he had echoed before. He who sent me is with me, John
8, 29. I’m not alone. You may leave
me, but God won’t leave me. Jesus says this in verse 33. These things I’ve spoken to you
so that you may have peace. He wanted to calm their hearts.
He wanted to point them to God. We need to know that there bigger
and greater resources. And Jesus reminds these very
apostles that there are great resources at their disposal. John Hus, one of the famous reformers,
a martyr, was ultimately arrested because
he was preaching against indulgences, a practice of the Catholic Church
of essentially selling would-be salvation. He was arrested and
when they tried to get him to change his position and he would
not, they marched him into the town square and as he rounded
the town square he saw a fire. The fire was his books and it
brought him to tears because of the truths that were being
eliminated in that regard. John Huss was ultimately led
to a stake and he was given one more chance to recant, to deny
the faith of Christ. And it’s said that these very
words, take courage, I’ve overcome the
world. That those very words were the
ones on which John Huss drew courage. at the very thought of that I
went looking and I didn’t find a direct reference by John Huss
to that verse. But I did find these words which
could easily be built upon these promises. Huss reminded his friends
that Christ himself was excommunicated as a malefactor and ultimately
crucified. Schaff’s history goes on to say
that Christ’s example and his salvation are sufficient sources
of consolation and courage. John Huss said it this way. What fear, he wrote, shall part
us from God? What death? What shall we lose
if for his sake we forfeit wealth and friends and the world’s honors
our poor life. It is better to die well than
to live badly. We dare not sin to avoid the
punishment of death. To end in grace the present life
is to be banished from misery. Truth is the last conqueror.
He who wins, he wins who is slain for no adversary hurts him if
no iniquity has dominion over him. The bolts of Antichrist,
he said, could not terrify him and should not terrify the elect. So they walked John Huss into
the town square and he could see his books burning. They walked
him to a stake and they piled sticks all around him and boards. And ultimately they began to
throw pitch. You know what pitch is, that
sap? They threw pitch on the sticks
because it would light that much quicker. And as John Huss praised
God, the fires consumed him. How is it? Did God let him down? When he took great confidence
in these words, take courage, I have overcome the world. Did God let him down? No. J.C. Ryle said it this way, take courage,
cheer up, be confident, go forward without fear. The world in which
they live is a vanquished enemy. He had overcome the prince of
this world and was about to win his final victory over him on
the cross. His disciples must remember that
they were contending with an enemy who is already sorely beaten. You want protection? Lock your
doors. If you go out, travel in a group
of people, there’s protection. Get yourself a can of mace, or
get yourself the finest new weapon available. And I’ll tell you,
that’s nothing. compared to the protection of
Almighty God, when Jesus says, take courage,
I have overcome the world. Let’s pray. Our merciful God, we humble ourselves
in your glorious presence and we thank you for these deep truths
of Christ opened to his beloved friends, the promises of God,
the program of God, the protection of God, things that these men
had heard and knew, these were not new truths, but things that
Jesus Christ so graciously and so surely drives home once again. Lord God, we humble ourselves
in your presence. And we pray that as believers,
you would instill in us by means of your Holy Spirit, drive these
things down deep into our hearts, that we would know of God’s promises,
that we stand before a loving God with full access to him in
prayer. Lord God, we understand God’s
program, that Jesus Christ is now at the very right hand of
God. That we have access to you in prayer. Lord, ultimately we
know that our days are in your hands. Our days are indeed numbered. But we know that not one of them
can be cut short. because you are almighty God.
We stand in your sovereign hand under your powerful protection. Lord, we thank you and we praise
you. We pray all of these things in
Jesus’ name. Amen.