“Take Heart!” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“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!

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