September 2024 ~ Matt Mitchell

Sunday, September 29, 2024

“Holy Father, Protect Them” [Matt's Messages]

9/29/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Holy Father, Protect Them”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 29, 2024 :: John 17:6-19

We are listening to Jesus pray.

We are listening to our Lord talk to His Father on the night right before the Cross.

This is, perhaps, the most important prayer in human history. It is definitely the longest prayer of our Lord recorded in our Bibles for us to read today. I’m glad that John was listening and writing it down for us to study together here.

Because it really reveals Jesus’ heart. We said last week that you can really learn a lot by listening to someone pray. And that’s true.

What was the main prayer request of verses 1 through 5? What did the Son pray to the Father in the first part of John 17? What did He pray for? He prayed for glory. “Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify You” (v.1).

Jesus prayed, for Himself, that He would get the glory (the shining beauty of His greatness) in His crucifixion, in His resurrection, and in His ascension and present session at the right hand of the Majesty on High. Jesus prayed that He would get the glory that was His, is His, and will be His forever. And that that glory to the Son would bring glory to His Father forever and ever, as well.

Glory was Jesus’ number one priority in His prayers. And it should be ours, as well.

But Jesus didn’t stop there. Not only was that prayer for His glory good for us because it means the gift of eternal life for us, but Jesus continued to pray in the next few verses directly for His disciples. Jesus prayed for His disciples circled around Him. How encouraging that must have been! To hear their Lord praying for them. How encouraging!

But also scary. Because His main prayer request is for their protection. Jesus believes that His disciples are in grave danger. That’s why He’s praying for them. And so He’s praying for their protection. Look at verse 11. Here’s where we get our title for today.

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name.”

That’s the central thrust of this part of the Real Lord’s Prayer. The prayer our Lord really prayed. Not just the one that He taught His followers to pray, but the one that He prayed Himself right before He was arrested.

“Holy Father, protect them....”

Your version might have “keep them,” and that’s a good translation, too. The Greek word is “tayrayson” from “tayreo” “to keep.” It means to “attend to carefully,” “to take care of,” “to protect” or “guard” or “watch over.” “Holy Father, keep them safe.”

Jesus believes that His disciples are in some kind of danger, and so he prays this prayer to his “Holy Father.”

Notice that! Notice what Jesus calls the Father here. This is the only place in the entire Bible where the Father is called this particular name, but it so sums up Who He really is so well!

He is Holy! He is transcendent. He is perfect. His above all things. He is separate from sin and wholly other. There is noone above Him! Holy. And, yet, He is Father. He is close. He is near. He cares. He loves. He provides. He is “Daddy.” The perfect Father. Perfectly Holy and totally Father at the very same time. Just the Person you want to bring your prayer requests to. And Jesus does. And He asks His Holy Father to protect His disciples.

Protect them from what? What’s the danger?

Jesus is afraid that His disciples are going to be blown apart from one another and sucked back into the world and knocked off course from their mission. So He prays that they will not be lost. “Holy Father, Protect Them...”

I have four points this morning to summarize this part of Jesus’ prayer, and I could have many more. There is so much here! But here’s the first one.

“Holy Father, Protect Them...”

#1. IN YOUR NAME.

The prepositions in this section are very important. As we’re studying it together, pay special attention to the prepositions in this passage. The words like, “in, by, from, of, into.” Those sorts of words that show the nature of the relationships here.

You see in verse 11, Jesus prays, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name...”

Literally, that could be simply translated, “...keep them in your name...” That’s what some of your versions have. Jesus prays that His disciples would be protected by and in and through the very name of God! Which is something that He’s been talking about all along, hasn’t it?

In fact, that where He starts this section in verse 6. Let’s start in there. Verse 6. Jesus is praying.

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

Now, let’s make sure we know who are all the pronouns here.

When He says, “I,” He means Who? That’s Jesus. The Son.

When He says, “You” Who does He mean? That’s the Father. The Holy Father. This is a prayer from God the Son to God the Father.

Whose are the “those” and the “they” in verse 6? That’s Jesus’ disciples. Peter, James, John, Nathaniel, Thomas, Phillip. Those guys. There are eleven of them. One is now missing. What is his name? Judas has slipped out in the darkness to betray Jesus. Jesus is praying for His disciples, and He’s praying for them as the Father’s gift to Him. He’s reminding the Father how He gave the Son His true followers. Verse 6 again.

“I have revealed you [literally, that’s “your name!”] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

That’s like a description of what Jesus has been up to all along for the last three years. He has been revealing the Father’s name, making the Father known to His disciples.

Remember, a name isn’t just a label. It’s the Person that the label stands for. That’s why the NIV has, “I have revealed you...” "I’ve been showing these guys Who You really are. I’ve been giving them a sense of Your name. And they have obeyed your word. Unlike the unbelieving world, these guys have believed the good news about Who I am." Verse 7.

“Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

What a great description of conversion, isn’t it? These disciples have heard Jesus teach Who He is. The seven I Ams. Everything from chapters 1 through 16, and while they are still confused on details, they have accepted it as true. And they have believed that the Son was sent from the Father.

These disciples believe that this is the truth. And that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So that’s whom Jesus is praying for. Verse 9.

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.”

There’s that glory again! Jesus is praying for His disciples because they are His. Because they belong to Him.

Or do they? Do they belong to the Father or to the Son?

The answer is, “Yes.” They belong to the Father, and He has given them to the Son. Because they share everything. “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.” I love how the old King James says it here, “...all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them” (Jn. 17:10 KJV).

But they are in trouble. “I’ve told them they are in trouble. ‘In this world you will have trouble...’ And now I’m praying for their protection in this world because I’m leaving this world.” Verse 11.

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name...

Jesus is going, but the disciples are staying. And so the Son prays that the Father would keep them in His name. He says it’s (v.11), “the name you gave me...”

So it’s not just the name of the Father. It’s the name of the Son, too. It’s the very name of God, the triune God Himself. It's being kept and protected in the very Person of God. Is there anything more powerful than that?!

It’s what’s been protecting them so far! Look at verse 12.

“While I was with them [He’s so close to going, He’s already gone in this prayer!], I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Jesus hasn’t lost any of them yet except the one that He was supposed to lose.

And, no, I don’t understand exactly how all of that works, except that I know that Judas fully chose to betray Jesus and that’s on him and that he was always was going to in the perfect plan of God (Psalm 41:19, Psalm 69:25, Psalm 109:8).

The name of God wasn’t “keeping” Judas even though he was hearing all about it for several years. But it was “keeping” these that Jesus is praying for here. And Jesus prays that the Father would continue to keep them in that name. To protect them and keep them safe in that name. There is no other name that is safe.

And here’s what will happen if they are protected by this name above all names. Number two.

“Holy Father, Protect Them...”

#2. FOR THEIR UNITY AND JOY.

Look back up at verse 11 and see the purpose clause at the end of it.

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one.”

Jesus was afraid that they were going to be blown apart from one another. Jesus was afraid that His little band of brothers were going to break apart and go their separate directions. He was afraid they were going to scatter and not come back together. He was afraid of disunity and discord and conflict. He knew that together they would stand but divided they would fall.

So He prayed against it.

“Protect them...so that they may be one as we are one.”

What a thing to say! How unified are the Father and Son? He just said, “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.” That’s oneness!! Their oneness is so close that it’s is-ness, right?

Jesus prays that His followers oneness would be so close that you could see that they are in each other.

“We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord...”

We’re going to see more about this next time because He has more to say to the Father about this at the end of the prayer. But this prayer for protection is protection for unity. Not organizational unity. But spiritual unity. Relational unity. For profound deep, God-reflecting unity and togetherness.

Do you pray for this?

You can learn a lot about a person by listening to their prayers. Do you pray like your Lord did that His followers would be unified? That we would love one another. It’s not easy!

It’s hard to love other Christians sometimes. That’s why Ephesians says that we need to, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3 NIVO).

We have to work at it. And we should pray for it. Jesus did! Pray for that other Christian that you are struggling to love. Pray for our church that we would love one another. That’s one of my prayers the Fall Retreat. That we would experience sweet fellowship and unity and oneness that weekend. Pray for other churches. Especially ones that are different from ours. Jesus prayed for their unity in the very name of God. And He prayed for their joy. Look at verse 13.

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

Wow! What a phrase? “So that they may have the FULL MEASURE OF MY JOY within them.” The joy of Jesus and not just a little bit of it!

Remember, we get that joy, His joy, by remaining in Jesus. We learned that in chapter 15. He just said that to them a few minutes ago.

We get that joy by dwelling in the truth. “I say these things while I am still in the world (the Farewell Teachings), so that [as they dwell on them] they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

That’s why we can “take heart,” right?

Not because we are out of trouble but because Jesus has overcome the world. Not because we are loved by the world, but because Jesus is defeating the world for us. We’re still under attack. Look at verse 14.

“I have given them your word [the Father’s word, the Father’s teaching, the gospel] and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” That’s number three.

“Holy Father, protect them...”

#3. FROM THE EVIL ONE.

You see how important those prepositions are? Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t pray that they would be kept “in” the evil one? Or “for” the evil one? No, Jesus prayed that His followers would be kept from the evil one.

He knew that Satan hated them and wanted to eat them for lunch. Satan hates the followers of Jesus and wants to destroy them. But Jesus loves His people and wants them to be safe from Satan.

Do you pray for this one?

It’s no wonder that Jesus included this request in prayer He gave His disciples, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Or “from the evil one.” [Same phrase in the Greek.]

You and I should be praying that sort of prayer regularly. Because Satan is not our friend. He’s a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And the main way he wants to do that is to suck us back into the world. He will use oppression where he must, but Satan loves to tempt us. Satan loves to attack us through temptation.

I think that’s the main thing that Jesus was praying against in verse 15, that the Father would protect His disciples from the temptations of the evil one. So that they didn’t get sucked back into the world.

Because they were still in the world. Right? Jesus was leaving this world by death and then later by ascension, but He was leaving His disciples in the world.

And in fact, He wasn’t praying that they would be taken out of the world. But that while in the world they would be kept from the evil one. You see that? Look at verse 14 again.

He says that the disciples are hated because (v.14), “they are not OF the world any more than I am OF the world.”

They are foreigners to this world and citizens of the world to come.

Now, verse 15. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” So, He’s not praying that His disciples would get to escape from the world. They didn’t get to be raptured and escape all the tribulations of the next several decades.

But Jesus prayed that they wouldn’t go backwards and give in to the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil either. Point number four.

“Holy Father, protect them...”

#4. IN AND INTO THE WORLD.

You see, there are two fundamental mistakes we make with the world.

They are ISOLATION and ASSIMILATION. And Jesus wants us to reject both.

We are not supposed to be isolated from the world. We are not supposed to insulate ourselves from the world. To escape, run away, become monks, withdraw from the world. Jesus says that we are “in the world.” And He says in verse 18 that we are sent INTO the world. No isolation!

But we aren’t supposed to get too comfortable with the world, either. We are IN but not OF. Right? Look at verse 16.

“[Protect them from the evil one.] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”

We don’t belong here. We are not worldlians any more. We don’t have the same goals, same values, same laws, same mindset, same desires. We march to the beat of a different drummer.

What did we learn this summer in Romans 12:2 at Family Bible Week?

“Do not be conformed to this age [this world], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2 CSB).

Don’t be assimilated. Don’t be sucked back in. Instead, be sanctified. That’s verse 17.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

We don’t use that word enough these days so that we don’t really know what it means. But to be “sanctified” means to be set apart for a special use. It means to be holy which means to be set apart as God’s own for God’s own use. It’s not just what we don’t do but what we do. It means separate from sin, separate from the world’s approach to things.

Jesus wanted His disciples to be different. Our teens learned that at Challenge this summer. Jesus wants us to live as citizens of the kingdom and that’s a whole different way of living.

So He prayed for that. Jesus prayed that His followers would be protected in the world from being like the world. And He cared more about that than their lives.

Let me ask you a question, do you pray for your sanctification more than for your protection from danger? We can pray for safety from car accidents and flooding and looting and cancer and warfare. We should pray for that. But Jesus was more concerned that His disciples be holy. Jesus was more concerned that His disciples fought against temptation by the promises of God.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Jesus prayed that His disciples would know God’s word and believe what it says and say no the temptations to be just like the rest of the world.

That’s what He was scared of. Jesus wasn’t scared that His disciples would be persecuted by the world. Jesus was scared that His disciples would just start acting like the rest of the world.

“They are not OF the world, Father, keep them from acting like it.”

“Don’t let them get sucked back in.”

“You’re holy, Father. Make them holy, too.”

Do you pray for that?

We need to pray that we would live like citizens of the kingdom to come and not like the denizens of this unholy world. We shouldn’t expect much of them, but we should expect it of ourselves and pray for it. While we are here.

The answer is not assimilation, and it’s not isolation. We aren’t supposed to just go off into our little holy huddles.

The answer is mission! We are sent INTO this world. Look at verse 18. We are set apart but not to live apart. Verse 18.

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

We are not just in the world. We are sent into the world. You see how important the prepositions are? We are not just present in the world. We are sent into the world on a mission.

Jesus is concerned that His disciples were going to get knocked off their mission. So He prays that they would be kept on track. Just as the Father has sent the Son on a mission of salvation, the Son has sent the Church on a salvation mission, too. I’m praying that our Fall retreat would be a time to gather together but not to hide from the world. But to gather together in unity and oneness for the world. To be sent back out into the world to reach the world for Christ. Neither isolated nor assimilated but on mission.

Do you see yourself as on mission for Jesus? Wherever you are? Whatever you are doing. He hasn’t taken you out of the world yet, so He’s got mission for you to do. He doesn’t want you to become like the world. He wants you to be sanctified. But He does want you to go into the world with His gospel.

It’s why He came. And it’s why He sanctified Himself. Look at verse 19, last verse for today.

“For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

Jesus was sanctified like nobody else. He was set apart, consecrated, for the most special work every accomplished. He’s talking about the Cross. He’s saying that He fully consecrated Himself to give Himself up for us. That was His mission–dying for our sins and rising again to give us eternal life.

So that (v.19), “they too may be truly sanctified.”

Saved from sin and set apart for our mission into the world!

What a prayer request, huh? Let me ask you a question. How did the Holy Father answer this one?

Jesus prayed that the eleven would be protected by the name of God Himself, for their unity and joy, from the evil one, and in and into the world.

Read the book of Acts and you will see that the Father said, “Yes” to this prayer. It wasn’t straightforward, and it wasn’t easy. And they all lost their lives for Jesus. But they were all protected where it mattered most. They were not blown apart, or sucked back in, or knocked off course in their mission. They were one, they were joyful, they were holy, and they turned their world upside down for the name of Jesus Christ.

May we do the same.

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15
36. "I Will Ask the Father" - John 14:16-24
37. "My Peace I Give You" - John 14:25 -31
38. "I Am the True Vine" - John 15:1-11
39. "You Are My Friends" - John 15:12-17
40. "If The World Hates You" - John 15:18-6:4
41. "When He Comes" - John 16:5-15
42. "After a Little While" - Joh 16:16-24
43. "Take Heart!" - John 16:25-33
44. "Glorify Your Son" - John 17:1-5

“Glorify Your Son” [Matt's Messages]

9/22/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Glorify Your Son”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 22, 2024 :: John 17:1-5

This morning we’re going to start listening to Jesus pray.

We’re going to listen closely to what our Lord Jesus Christ said to God the Father on the night before He went to the Cross.

For the last several months, we’ve been studying what Jesus taught His followers that night. What we called, “The Farewell Teachings.” Jesus said that He was going away, and He was getting His disciples ready for His departure.

And the very last thing He said in that section (chapters 13-16) is our current memory verse, John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33 NIVO).

And right then in chapter 17, Jesus begins to pray. And pray and pray! This is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the entire Bible. And His beloved friend John listened closely to this prayer and wrote it down for us to read and learn from today.

I have often called John 17, “The Real Lord’s Prayer.” Because unlike the Disciples’ Prayer where Jesus taught His followers how to pray, this is a prayer that our Lord Himself prayed to His Father.

And it’s not a prayer that is a model for us to pray. At least, not directly. Because we aren’t the Lord! We aren’t Jesus. This is a unique prayer of consecration by Jesus before He willingly goes off to His Cross. So, while not a model for us, we can learn all kinds of things by listening in and meditating on it.

You can learn a lot about a person by listening to their prayers.

Did you ever notice that? If you are listening to someone pray, you can at least know what they think is important for them pray for. You probably also can learn how they were taught to pray. And most of the time, if their prayer is genuine, you can know their very heart. And nobody prayed more genuinely than our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s listen to Him pray.

[VIDEO WILL BE EMBEDDED HERE.]

We’re going to spend at least three Sundays studying this prayer. There’s a logic to the flow of it based on Whom Jesus prays for in each successive section. In verses 1 through 5 (this week), He prays for Himself. And then in verses 6 through 19, He also prays for His disciples right there with Him, and then in verses 20 through 26, He widens the circle to include His future disciples and that directly includes you and me!

Think about that! On the night before the Cross, Jesus was praying for you.

But the first person that He does pray for here is Himself. And there is one major thing that He prays for Himself. He says it in verse 1 and repeats the idea in verse 5. Look at verse 1.

“After Jesus said this [‘Take heart! I have overcome the world.’], he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

That's our sermon title. Jesus' big request is: “Glorify Your Son.”

Jesus prays that God the Father would glorify His Son.

And that’s Jesus, right? Sometimes Jesus refers to Himself in the third person in this prayer. He calls Himself “The Son.” “He.” “Your Son.” And He even gives His name and title in verse 3, “Jesus Christ.” “Jesus the Messiah.” And other times, He uses the word “Me,” and “I” in the first person. But every time He says, “You” here, He’s talking to His Father.

He says, “Father, the time has come.” How many times over the course of the last year did we hear Him say, “It’s not time yet.” “It’s not my time yet.” Like He said to His mom at the wedding in Cana. “It’s not my time yet.”

But now, He says in prayer, “Father, I know it’s time. I’m ready to go. There’s nothing left to do but surrender myself to the awful thing that’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m headed to the Cross.”

“But there’s one thing I want you to do as I go there–glorify your Son. Father, please, bring glory to Your Son!”

What a striking thing for Him to pray.

What is glory? And what does it mean to glorify something or someone?

Glory is the beauty of greatness. Glory is greatness that is seen and known. God is glorious because God is great, and His glory is that greatness shining forth so that others can see it and know it. Glory is getting credit for being great.

And to glorify someone is to give someone that credit or allow that greatness to shine. To glorify someone is to shine the light on their greatness and make it known.

Someone could falsely glorify someone or something by puffing it up and making it look awesome when it really isn’t. But you can also glorify someone or something truly by shining a light on the true greatness or removing the curtain so that the true greatness that was hidden now shines forth from them.

That’s this one. Jesus is asking the Father to unveil the Son’s glory and shine the light of true glory on the Son. So that the greatness of the Son is seen and known.

Wow! What an audacious thing to ask for! We’ve said a number of times this last year that Jesus has a way of making everything about Him.

Imagine if anyone else prayed this way. Imagine if I said to my Dad this morning, “Hey, Dad, make sure you make me look good today. I want glory. And I’m asking you to glorify me.” You would think I was the biggest narcissist in the world! What an egotistical thing to ask for!

But not if you are truly this great. And not if your greatness means the greatness of your Father and the good of all who believe in You. Totally different.

Notice that Jesus’ glory is not selfish. Because look what His glory does. Verse 1 again.

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

#1. THAT THE SON MAY GLORIFY THE FATHER.

If Jesus gets glory, it won’t just stay there on Him, it will bounce back onto His Father. Their glories are mutual and reenforcing and intertwined. They are, in fact, one. If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. It’s an unending circle.

If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. (And we know from chapters 14, 15, and 16, that God the Spirit is in there, too.)

It almost like two giant mirrors. And if the light of the Father shines on the mirror of the Son then it will be reflected back on the mirror of the Father. Light and glory everywhere!

“So, Father, please, glorify Your Son.”

What is He asking for, specifically?

I think He’s asking that the crucifixion be effective. He’s agreeing to go to the Cross, and scorning its shame, but He’s asking that the Father would make it all worth it. For our salvation and for the display of God’s glory.

So that Jesus is seen to be worthy.

So that God is seen to be holy.

So that Jesus is seen to be humble.

So that God is seen to be gracious.

So that Son is glorified in the Cross. Lifted up!

And the Father is glorified in the Cross because He was obeyed.

If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father.

And I think He’s praying for the resurrection. Because if the Cross works, if the mission is completed, then Jesus can’t stay dead. Sin will be paid for and righteousness will be fulfilled. And Jesus will have to come alive.

“Glorify Your Son by giving Him life once again!” And that will bring glory to the Father because He will be seen to be powerful. Just and righteous and gracious and merciful and powerful. If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father.

And I think He’s praying for the ascension that the risen Jesus with ascend to the right hand of the Majesty on High. That the Son will be enthroned beside the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe.

“Glorify Your Son by crowning Him Lord of all!” That that will bring glory the Father! If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. Do you see it?

You can learn a lot about a person by listening to their prayers.

This is what Jesus is all about. Jesus is all about glory. His heart desires for Him to be glorified and His Father to be glorified by Him.

That might surprise you. If I asked you whom Jesus loves the most in all the universe, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of you say, “Us.”

And He does love us. It’s amazing. But the answer is that there is no One in the universe that the Son loves more than the Father. And there is no One in the universe that the Father loves more than the Son. That’s because there is no One greater in all the universe! There is no One more lovable, no One more wonderful, no One more awesome than God Himself.

And that’s what makes the sacrifice of the Cross so audacious. That the Father would love the rebellious world so much that He would give His One and Only Son to save it!

And the Son so loved the Father that He went when He was sent. And the accomplishing of that mission will bring glory to the Son which will bring glorify to the Father in an unending circle of love and light!

Here’s a question for you: Do you pray like this? Is this how we pray?

You and I can’t and shouldn’t pray, “Father glorify us.” But we can pray, “Father, please glorify your Son that your son may glorify you.”

We tend to pray for lesser things, don’t we? And we should. We can pray for whatever and about anything. We can and should pray for our daily bread and everything else we’ve prayed for so far in this worship time. But under and through and above all of those requests, we should pray for glory.

Don’t just pray for safety for your son fighting wildfires. Pray that Jesus would be glorified if He would keep your son safe.

Don’t just pray for a good experience at Capernwray Hall for your son. Pray that God would be glorified by your son learning and worshiping and living with those other growing Christians.

That’s what it means to pray in Jesus’ name, isn’t it? That Jesus would get the ultimate glory from what we pray for.

“Father, glorify Your Son that your Son may glorify You.”

And catch this, that will always be for our ultimate good. We never lose when we pray that Jesus will get the glory. In fact, here it means our eternal salvation. That’s point number two.

Glorify Your Son:

#2. FOR THE GIVING OF ETERNAL LIFE.

See the reason why Jesus says that He should get glory in verse 2?

“For you [the Father] granted him [the Son] authority over all people that he [the Son] might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”

There’s a lot there, isn’t there? That’s why we’re only going in five verses this morning.

Here’s the logic. Jesus should get glory because He’s been given authority by the Father to give eternal life to all the people the Father has given Him. And that’s everyone who eventually will be saved. What the Bible calls elsewhere the "elect" or the "chosen."

Have you ever thought about yourself as someone who is the gift of the Father to the Son? That’s going to be a major theme in this prayer. We’ll see in verses 6, 9, 12, and 24. We’ll come back to it the next two weeks. But you and I are a gift of the Father to the Son. And as His gift, the Father has given the Son authority to give a gift to us.

What is that gift? Eternal life.

Notice that eternal life is a gift. It’s not something that you buy or rent or earn. Jesus gives it. He doesn’t sell it. The church doesn't sell it. A lot of people have misunderstood that. Eternal life is a gift. We simply receive it.

Have you received it? Have you been given this gift by Jesus of eternal life? The four who were baptized last Sunday were telling the world that they had received this gift. They didn’t earn it. They didn’t deserve it. They didn’t buy it. They had just received it by faith, by believing in Jesus, they have life in His name.

In verse 3, Jesus explains what eternal life actually is. Obviously, it’s life that is eternal, but it’s more than that. In its essence and effect, it’s more than just living forever. Here’s what Jesus says. Look at verse 3.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Oh. So that’s what eternal life is. That’s what eternal life means. It’s not just that you don’t ever die. It’s that you know God forever. Wow! It’s not just that you go to heaven when you die or even that you get resurrected eventually when the kingdom comes. It’s that you know God. You actually know Him. Not just about Him. Lot’s of people know about God but they don’t know Him personally. This is knowing Him personally.

Eternal life is not just a duration of life, but a quality of life. It’s a relationship. And it’s not just for later. It’s for right now. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God [the Father], and Jesus Christ [the Son], whom you have sent.” (And we know from chapters 14-16 that it includes God the Spirit, as well.)

Eternal life is knowing God. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then you probably don’t have eternal life. If you want eternal days without knowing the eternal God, then you don’t want eternal life. That’s why our church is all about bringing people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Because that is eternal life. And it is the gift of God.

Do you know Jesus? Do you know God the Father? There is one true God and only one true God and He can be known. The way we know Him is through His One and Only Son.

We learned this way back in chapter 1, didn’t we?

“No one has ever seen God [the Father], but God the One and Only [Son], who is at the Father's side, has made him known” (Jn. 1:18 NIVO).

And guess what? That is the essence of eternal life. If you have never come to know God, you are invited to do so right here and right now. Put your faith and trust in Jesus and believe in what He did for you on the Cross and receive the gift of eternal life.

The Father sent the Son. How many times have we read that this last year? He’s going to say it a bunch more. The Father sent the Son so that you and I could know the Father.

You can’t know the Father except through the Son. He is the Way to the Father and the only way.

But if you come through Him, you get the Father and the Son. And you get them forever! And that brings glory both of them.

Father, Glorify Your Son.

#3. WITH THE GLORY THAT WAS, IS, AND WILL BE HIS.

In verse 4, Jesus reminds the Father that He is accomplishing the mission on which the Father sent Him. Verse 4.

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (vv.4-5).

Jesus prays with the full knowledge that He is going to be successful at the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

Remember, He just got done saying, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” Has He yet overcome the world? He hasn’t died yet. He hasn’t risen yet. He hasn’t ascended yet. But to Jesus, it’s as good as done.

And He knows that He has brought glory to the Father. Which is good because that’s His number one goal! And now, He’s asking for the Father to restore His glory like He had before the incarnation! Before He took on flesh. Even before the world was created!

So before John 1:18. Before John 1:14. Back to John 1:1.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

Jesus wants that glory. “Glorify me in your presence (with God) with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Now, Jesus is always worthy of that glory, right?

He was.

And He is.

And He will be.

But that glory was hidden. It was behind the veil. Behind the curtain. That glory was hidden in His humility and His humiliation. In His enfleshment and incarnation. He had the greatness but the greatness was not shining forth. And now Jesus is asking for His greatness to shine as He deserves. He’s completing the mission. He’s done everything the Father has sent Him to do.

And now, He’s asking for the Father to raise Him from the dead and exalt Him to the highest place.

You know what? That is actually not an audacious prayer request.

Because He deserves it.

He deserves every inch of it.

Jesus is worthy of all of the glory.

He always has been. And now He’s done something even more glorious. He has died for us! He has died on the Cross. He has obeyed the command of the Father to lay down His life only to take it up again.

The Son deserves this. He always has and now He does even more. And He always will.

And guess what? The Father said, “Yes.” to this prayer.

This is the real Lord’s prayer. The real prayer of the real Lord Jesus Christ. And the real one true God, said “Yes.”

“I will glorify you, Son. I will glorify You.”

The greatest application of these first 5 verses of the Real Lord’s Prayer is simply to rejoice that the Father is granting everything the Son asked for.

Because, guess where Jesus is right now? He’s in the Father’s presence with the glory He had with Him before the world began. Jesus said, “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

And the Father said, “Amen.”

And so do we.

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15
36. "I Will Ask the Father" - John 14:16-24
37. "My Peace I Give You" - John 14:25 -31
38. "I Am the True Vine" - John 15:1-11
39. "You Are My Friends" - John 15:12-17
40. "If The World Hates You" - John 15:18-6:4
41. "When He Comes" - John 16:5-15
42. "After a Little While" - Joh 16:16-24
43. "Take Heart!" - John 16:25-33

“Take Heart!” [Matt's Messages]

9/15/2024 10:45:00 AM baptism, Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Take Heart!”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 15, 2024 :: John 16:25-33

“Take heart!”

Verse 33 has become, for me, one of the beloved verses in the whole Bible, especially since 2015 when I had my big surgery and when our church had to say goodbye to our friend Blair Murray.

That year, I latched onto John 16:33, and it has seen me through all the difficult days since then.

We’re going to make the last verse of John 16 our memory verse for the next few months. Let’s read it together. This is Jesus speaking to His disciples. John 16:33.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

“Take heart!” Some of your translations might say, “Take courage.” Some of them say, “Be of good cheer.” In other words, fill your minds and hearts to the brim with the things that Jesus has been teaching here so that you are able to rejoice and able to be bold and courageous in the face of much hardship and even persecution. “Take heart!”

I love how honest and hopeful Jesus is in this section. Both completely honest about how hard things are going to be and completely hopeful about how things are going to turn out.

“Take heart!”

I think this is just about a perfect passage for those who are going public today as disciples of Jesus Christ. John and Kara, Alexis, and Cayli are telling the world this morning that they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior. And that in believing in Him they have life in His name (John 20:31).

John, Kara, Alexis, and Cayli, these words from Jesus are for you today.

“Take heart!”

In this short passage, Jesus makes many big promises that you can count on 100% so that you can “Take heart!” as His follower, no matter what comes. And that’s true, not just for John, Kara, Cayli, and Alexis, but for all of us here who are Jesus’ disciples, as well.

I have noted down at least 5 things that Jesus says that you and I can count on in these 9 verses. Five good reasons to take heart. And here’s the first one:

#1. CLARITY.

Jesus promises us enough clarity about the truth that, no matter what comes, we can take heart.

This is the very last paragraph of Jesus’ direct teaching in the Farewell Teachings. When we get to chapter 17, next week, Lord-willing, Jesus will turn to direct prayer, and John has captured what He prayed that night for us to learn from it. So it’s kind of part of the Farewell Teachings. But it’s us listening in to His conversation with God.

This paragraph (verses 25-33) are the last few words that Jesus directly taught His disciples on the night before the Cross. And that last verse of that last paragraph, verse 33, says why Jesus was doing all that teaching in the first place.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.”

What are the these things? It’s everything He’s taught them ever since He washed their feet. It’s chapter 13, 14, 15, and 16.

Jesus is going away, and He’s trying to get His disciples ready.

And, boy-howdy, are they having a hard time taking this in. They are troubled. They depressed. They are shocked. And they are confused. Jesus has even more things that He wanted to teach them, but they just couldn’t bear it. In fact, they couldn’t take what He did teach them.

So He’s been talking kind of obscurely. He’s been speaking kind of enigmatically. He’s given them everything they need, but almost with some vagueness that the Holy Spirit will have to fill in later.

Like that phrase, “a little while,” last week. Remember that? So obvious to us, but obscure for them. But a time is coming when all will be made plain. Look at verse 25.

Jesus says, “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.”

When is that? I think it’s “after a little while.” It’s after the resurrection. Right now, this is kind of dark to them, but then the light of clarity will shine!

That’s what happened, right? Read Luke 24 this afternoon and see how, after the resurrection, Jesus explained everything that had happened to the disciples, and the lights really began to come on for them.

And even more after the Spirit of Truth came at Pentecost, and He guided them into all truth.

They got clarity! And that’s how we got our Bibles. So the obvious application for you and me is to read our Bibles and take heart. Not that every question we ever have is always answered how we want, but everything we need to know, we are plainly told in these pages. Read the word and take heart. Clarity.

John, Kara, Alexis, and Cayli, decide today as publicly-marked-out followers of Jesus that you are going to read your Bibles in the power of the Holy Spirit to clearly know what the Lord wants from you and wants for you and has promised you so that you can take heart. Clarity.

Jesus says that when that clarity comes, His disciples will pray in His name. Verse 26.

“In that day you will ask in my name.”

That’s been a big theme for the last few months, hasn’t it? Asking in Jesus’ name. Asking in the Person of Jesus. He’s told us that we can pray about “whatever” and ask for “anything” as long as we do it in His authorization, His reputation, His will, His Person, His name. After Jesus comes back from the dead, it will be the obvious thing to do. Of course, we’re going to pray in the name of the One Who returns from the dead! And we’re going to expect answers.

Now, in verse 26, Jesus clears up a possible misconception about what praying in His name means. Look at that. V.26

“I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

I think what He’s saying is that Jesus intercedes for us, yes, Jesus is our mediator, but He doesn’t take our words and mechanically report them to the Father. Like Kara says, “Jesus, will you tell your Father for me that I really would like this to happen?” and Jesus says, “Okay, Father, this is what I’m hearing from my disciple Kara. She says...” I think that’s what Jesus is saying it’s not like.

Like there’s some distance, some daylight, between us and the Father. Like it’s only the Son that loves us and not the Father, too. “I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you[!]...”

Do you need to hear that this morning?

“The Father Himself loves you...”

That’s the second of “these things” that are worthy of taking to heart.

#2. LOVE.

“The Father Himself loves you...” So you can expect answered prayers! There’s no daylight between you and God. Jesus has bridged the gap! He has closed in the space between you and the Father.

When we had our baptism classes for these 4, I drew a picture of us one side of a cliff and God on the other and great big chasm in between us. And I said that sin has caused that valley between us. And we try in our own efforts, in our own good works, to somehow the jump the valley. But it’s no good.

But God has bridged the gap for us in Jesus! And all we have to do is to cross over that bridge by faith.

Jesus says the Father Himself loves you. Not just the Son, but the Father. And here’s one of the things He loves about you: you love His Son and believe that He came to save you. Verse 27 again.

“...the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

Notice that this is not saying that we loved God first. We did not. God loved us first. In fact, He loved us so much that He sent His One and Only Son. Verse 28.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

There’s the gospel right there, right? That’s the “main thing.” The Father sent the Son into the world. It’s John 1, right? And now He’s calling Him out of it. First in the crucifixion and after that the ascension. He came to save us. And one day He’s coming back to get us.

John, Kara, Alexis, and Cayli believe that gospel. They believe in the love of God for them.

How about you? Is verse 27 true for you? Do you know that you are loved by God the Father because you love Jesus God the Son and have believed that He came from the Father to save you?

If you believe that, then take heart!

That’s all you really need, isn’t it? They say, “All you need is love.” But it’s not romantic love that’s all we need. It’s divine love.

“The Father Himself loves you...” Take heart!

Now, sadly, the disciples, in verse 29, pretend that they understand what Jesus is talking about. They decide they’re going to play along. Verse 29.

“Then Jesus' disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.’”

“Oh, we get it. Yeah. Sure.”

They don’t really “get it,” but they don’t want to appear clueless any longer. Sadly, it makes them appear even more clueless. One day soon they will not be clueless, but this is not that day. Jesus is almost sarcastic in verse 31.

“‘You believe at last!’ Jesus answered.” ‘’

It's probably a question in the original Greek. “You believe at last? You're picking up what I'm laying down? I doubt it.” V.32

“But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

Jesus knows what is about to happen. In just a matter of hours or even minutes, the Romans, led to Him by that traitor Judas, are going to arrest Jesus, and not one of these eleven men will stand by Him.

He will be alone. All alone. But He will not be alone in being alone. His Father will be with Him. And He’s going to do this thing. He’s going to go to the Cross. And He’s going to do it out of love.

And He’s told them all this so that they will have peace.

#3. PEACE.

Look at verse 33 again. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.”

Notice that “in me.” Our peace is found in Jesus or it’s not found at all.

No Jesus - No Peace

Know Jesus - Know Peace

We learned in chapter 14 that Jesus gives us His own peace. The peace we have is not just peace with God (which is awesome!) or peace with others or peace within. It’s peace from God that is from Jesus Himself. And it comes from knowing all the things that Jesus has been pouring out on the disciples in the Farewell Teachings.

If you know this truth, you can have peace, and take heart.

John, Kara, Alexis, Cayli, you can have peace. Sometimes it’s a peace that passes understanding. You don’t even know how you can be so peaceful. But there it is. And you’re going to need it. Because of the fourth thing that Jesus promises here in this paragraph. And that’s trouble.

#3. TROUBLE.

With a capital T. Look again at verse 33.

“In this world you will have trouble.”

Notice the contrast. In Jesus you will have peace. But in this world, you will have trouble. Affliction. Distress. Tribulation. Suffering. Hardship. Persecution.

Remember, the world will not always love you. In fact, the world hated Jesus first, so the world is going to hate you.

John, Kara, Alexis, Cayli, I have some bad news for you. The world is not going to love you for following Jesus. The world will not love you for being baptized today in Jesus’ name. In fact, the world may hate you for it. And you will have trouble.

I love that Jesus says that in verse. He does not sugarcoat things. He is so honest! He doesn’t tell us only what we want to hear. He tells His disciples that it’s going to be hard.

And not just persecution. There’s going to be sickness and death. There’s going to be conflict between Christians. There’s going to be natural disasters and all other kinds of trouble.

We do not get out of trouble by following Jesus. We get baptized into trouble! But He’s told us that in advance, so we are prepared. So that we have hope. And we can take heart.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

#5. VICTORY.

The Greek word for “overcome” in verse 33 is “nenikayka” which comes from the Greek root word “Nike.” Have you ever heard that word before? I think there may be a shoe company named after that. It means “victory.” It means “conquering.”

Jesus says that He has won the victory over the world. Which is a pretty impressive thing for Him to say before He goes to the Cross! Jesus knows what’s going to happen. He is going to win. He knows it so much that He can declare it before He even dies! Remember what He just said in verses 22:

“Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (Jn. 16:20-22 NIVO).

Be of good cheer!

Take courage.

Take heart!

John, Kara, Alexis, Cayli, take heart! Jesus has overcome the world.

Because you have clarity about the truth. That Jesus is the Truth (Jn. 14:6).

Because you know you are loved by the Father Himself so that He sent His Son for you.

Because you know you have peace with God because of Him.

Because He died and rose again and is coming back for you some day soon.

You can be courageous right now even in the face of trouble and persecution. And bear witness to His work in your life and follow Him even to death.

Take heart!

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15
36. "I Will Ask the Father" - John 14:16-24
37. "My Peace I Give You" - John 14:25 -31
38. "I Am the True Vine" - John 15:1-11
39. "You Are My Friends" - John 15:12-17
40. "If The World Hates You" - John 15:18-6:4
41. "When He Comes" - John 16:5-15
42. "After a Little While" - Joh 16:16-24

“After a Little While” [Matt's Messages]

9/08/2024 12:03:00 PM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“After a Little While”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 8, 2024 :: John 16:16-24

The disciples just had the hardest time understanding what Jesus meant by the phrase, “a little while.”

I think John uses the words “a little while” seven times in the first 4 verses! They are really tripped up by it. And it must be really important for Jesus to spend so much time undoing their confusion. “A Little While.”

Remember, this is the night before His crucifixion, and Jesus has been preparing His disciples for His departure. We call these section, “The Farewell Teachings of Jesus.” Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

Last week, we read about how Jesus said that it will be better for His disciples if He goes away because He will send the Holy Spirit to take His place. Remember this? Because when He comes, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and He will guide the church into all truth.

But before the Spirit comes, there is another important set of events that must occur. And that’s what Jesus is talking about, I think, in this section. In these verses, Jesus predicts what is going to happen in just “a little while.” And it will make all of the difference for everything forever for all of Jesus’ disciples including for you and me. Listen to what Jesus says in verse 16.

“‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.’”

Now, for you and me, it’s almost obvious what He means. It’s a straightforward prediction of what is going to happen that very weekend. That “little while” is going to happen in just...a little while!

But for the eleven disciples huddled with Him that night, it was anything but obvious. They just couldn’t understand what He was getting at. They didn’t have categories. They were confused. They were consternated. Look at verse 17.

“Some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?’ They kept asking, ‘What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying.’”

“What’s He talking about? What’s this ‘little while’ thing? What does He mean by saying He’s going ‘to the Father?’”

Remember how last week Jesus said that He had much more to tell them, but they just couldn’t bear it? Well, they obviously couldn’t bear what He had already told them. How could He disappear and then reappear? What exactly is going to happen?

Well, you and I know. And Jesus knew. Jesus knew it the whole time. That’s what He was trying to get them prepared for. Look at verse 19.

“Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, ‘Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'?” “Let me explain it to you.”

What does He mean? What was He referring to in verse 16? “In a little while you will see me no more...” What was that?

It was the crucifixion, wasn’t it? And His burial. In less than 24 hours, Jesus was going to be arrested, put on trial, tortured, mocked, and killed on a Cross. This time next day, He would be buried in His tomb. “In a little while you will see me no more...”

“....and then after a little while you will see me.'" What’s He talking about there? He’s talking about the resurrection! He’s not going to stay dead!!! No wonder they were confused. They were confused that He had to die. And they were confused that He was going to return from the dead. That generally does not happen!

And even though they had seen a kind of resurrection in Lazarus not that long ago, it was because of the power of Jesus. But if Jesus was going to die, where would the power come to resurrect Him? How could all this be true? What could it all mean? In just “a little while?”

And, of course, it didn’t feel like just “a little while,” I’m sure. The entire time Jesus was in the grave probably felt like forever. Whenever we go through something really hard, it can feel like it lasts forever. Right? There’s probably a lesson here in those words “a little while” referring to the difficult waiting periods of our lives, no matter how long they are (see also 1 Peter 1:6 and 5:10). But always worth it. Because of Jesus, always worth it.

I see Jesus teaching us two huge things that are going to happen to us because of what happened to Him between those two little whiles. And they are both incredible encouragements to our hearts. Here’s number one.

After a little while:

#1. YOUR SORROW WILL TURN INTO JOY.

Jesus tells it like it will be. Look at verse 20.

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.”

That’s terrible. They are going to cry their eyes out. Theirs hearts are going to be torn in two. Their Lord and Teacher, their favorite person, their Rabbi, their Good Shepherd is going to be ripped away from them, stripped of all dignity, mocked, spit on, struck in the face, and whipped on His back and then nailed to a pole until He dies. “You will weep and mourn.”

And to make it worse, they will mourn “...while the world rejoices!” Remember the world is going to hate you. Jesus said, “It hated me first.”

You’re going to see it firsthand. The world is going to cheer.

“Crucify Him!”

“Yeah! They crucified Him! So much for that troublemaker. We should make this a holiday. Got rid of Jesus Day. What a Good Friday!”

I can’t hardly imagine how the disciples felt. But Jesus knew in advance. And He told them. So that when it happened, they had some categories to fall back on. And when the pain hit, to remember that Jesus said it would come...and then it would all go away! Verse 20 again.

“You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

It’s going to hurt like nothing else, but then it’s going to get better. Unimaginably better. “After a little while” your sorrow will turn into joy.

Jesus has an illustration handy for this. He says it’s like a mom in labor. Look at verse 21.

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.”

Ladies, is this true? Does it actually hurt to give birth? I’ve heard that it does. Yes, it does. And some moms are tempted to yell at their husbands, “What have you done to me?!” and vow to never have another child ever again. But then it all changes after the baby is born. Some moms even want to have another one...or three!

Jesus doesn’t mean that she totally forgets how much it hurt, but in comparison to the joy of the little girl or little boy being placed in her happy arms, it doesn’t matter any more. The pain and the heartache are totally worth it.

That’s what Jesus decided for Himself, isn’t it? He decided that the joy set before Him was worth enduring the Cross and scorning its shame. And He decided it worth it for His disciples to weep and mourn while the world rejoiced because, after that, His disciples would rejoice and never stop rejoicing. Verse 22.

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Oh, I love that! “I will see you again.”

Death is not the end. “I will see you again.”

“And you will rejoice, and no one (not no one) will take away your joy.”

Your joy will be un-snatchable.

Your joy will be un-ending.

Your joy will be forever and ever and ever and ever.

This verse makes me think about what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4. Which I often read at funerals, and, boy, there seems like there’s been a lot of funerals recently.

Paul is talking about how hard it is to live the Christian life. We all feel it. Our lives right now are marked by some weeping and mourning. Not because Jesus has died but because we are waiting for His return. And everything has not yet been made right.

So Paul writes to the Corinthians with this same logic of Jesus, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles [“a little while”] are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [There’s no comparison!] So [Paul says] we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18 NIVO). And that includes our joy.

“No one will take away your joy.”

The application of that is obvious. It’s to rejoice. To rejoice because Jesus is alive. To rejoice even because Jesus died. Because He died for our sins. And He paid the just penalty for them. It WAS a Good Friday! Because in a little while Jesus went to the Cross carrying our sins on His shoulders, and then He buried them far away from us. And then He walked out of that tomb on Sunday morning as alive as you and I are today. More alive, in fact!

Because He will never die. And neither will our joy!

Rejoice! Our weeping and wailing will turn into whooping.

Woohoo! And our whooping will never stop. So never stop whooping.

Are you rejoicing today? You cannot rejoice unless you have first repented. Because the Cross is not good news for you if you have not put your trust in Jesus. Remember it’s when we believe in Jesus that we get life in His name. Have you put your faith in Jesus? Then rejoice. And never stop.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we always feel happy. The disciples didn’t feel happy that night. And there would be more sorrow yet to come even after Jesus was raised from the dead. Because the world was going to come after them.

Persecution is on the way. But there is joy underneath, isn’t there? No matter what happens, we know that Jesus is alive and that nobody can take that from Him, and therefore nobody can take away our joy.

One of my most favorite passages in the whole Bible is Isaiah 35 with its prophetic prediction of the kingdom to come. Here’s the last verse.

Isaiah 35:36 says, “...and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

After a little while, your sorrow will turn into joy.

#2. THE FATHER WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS.

Look at verse 23.

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Wow! I think that’s like the fourth time that Jesus has promised answered prayers in the Farewell Teachings. He may be going away, but that doesn’t mean that we are alone. We are still allowed to ask and to expect to receive.

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything...” Now, I don’t think He’s actually talking about prayer there. I think He’s saying that after the resurrection, all of these questions they have been asking will be cleared up. They will finally “get it.” And they will soon have the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. Their confusion will melt away, and the answers to their prayers will roll in.

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Whatever. We are allowed to ask for whatever. Nothing is too difficult. We are invited to ask for anything. Provided...that we ask in Jesus’ name.

Remember, a name in the Bible refers not just the thing which you are called but to the thing signified by the thing by which you are called. The name stands for the whole person. Your reputation, your authority, your character, your will. So when we ask “in Jesus’ name” we are asking for God to do what Jesus would ask for.

It’s not just a talisman or some magic words to add efficacy to our prayers, “inJesusnameIprayamen.” No, but it is a powerful thing to pray in Jesus’ name. Especially because of what happened between “in a little while” and “after a little while.” Because of the Cross and the Empty Tomb. When we pray in the name of Jesus now, we are praying “in the Person” of the crucified and risen Son of God!

How do you think God the Father is going to feel about answering prayers that are prayed in that name?!

I think that’s what Jesus is getting at in verse 24.

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

It’s not that God didn’t delight in answering the prayers of His people in the Old Testament. Of course He did; just read it. But now what the Old Testament prefigured has been fulfilled! Jesus, the Word of God, has come and taken on flesh and, in His flesh, has died and come back to life.

That’s the name in which we can now pray. You can ask for God to do things in that day!

Praying to the Father, through the Spirit in the name of the crucified and risen Son.

“Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

That’s the application, isn’t it?

Ask!

And receive.

And rejoice once again.

What are you asking the Father these days?

What are you praying for?

Don’t bother praying for things you know that the crucified and risen Son would never authorize. But if you believe it is something He might get behind, then don’t stop asking in His name. Because the Father loves to pour out good gifts on His Son and those who are in His Son.

“Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”