Keep Trusting in the Lord!
The Gospel of John
John 16:16-22
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church – January 24, 2018
(Revised April 4, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 16. For many weeks now, we have been studying the night before Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That's because God's Word puts a great emphasis on this night, all the way from John 13:1 to John 18:27.
*There are different opinions on when Jesus and the disciples left the upper room to walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, but the best I can understand, they left at the end of chapter 14. In John 14:31 Jesus said, "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here." Matthew 26:30 says, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."
*John Phillips explained: "With the solitude of the upper room now over and the agony ahead, Jesus talked as he walked, first to his followers, then to his Father. His talk with his followers gave them revelations about God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Heavenly Father."
*Scholars estimate that it's a little over a mile from the upper room to the Garden, and by this point in John 16, Jesus and His disciples have gotten close. One of the main things on the Lord's mind that night was His Holy Spirit, and how God's Spirit would come in a new way after Jesus went home to Heaven. (1)
*Now in John 16:16, Jesus turned His thoughts back to His death, His resurrection, and His return home to be with His Heavenly Father. This is how the Lord continued to prepare His disciples for the cross. And as He did, Jesus gives us some great reasons why we should always trust in the Lord. Please think about trusting God, as we read John 16:16-22.
MESSAGE:
*Monday morning, I went to Walmart to pick up some medicine and a few grocery items. As I was checking out, the young lady at the register asked, "Did you find everything you needed today." With a smile on my face I replied, "Yes, -- but for some strange reason I couldn't find any disinfectant wipes." She chuckled a little and said, "As soon as they put them out every day, people snatch all of them up."
*The conversation quickly turned serious, as it always does in these days of the Corona virus pandemic. And I said, "I told my wife this morning, 'One thing we know for sure, God's people are praying.'" With great wisdom she replied, "Yes. -- God is using this to draw people to Him."
*I marveled at her wisdom and instantly knew that this young woman was strongly trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. She is living out one of the best known and loved Scriptures: Proverbs 3:5-6. There God's Word says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
*That's the best advice anybody ever gave, and anybody ever got. No matter what happens in life, everybody should trust in the Lord! Tonight's Scripture helps us see why.
1. FIRST: TRUST JESUS BECAUSE HE CARES WHEN WE ARE CONFUSED.
*Jesus Christ cares about our confusion. God's Word confirms this truth for us in vs. 16-19. Here Jesus said this to His disciples:
16. "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.''
17. Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?''
18. They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying.''
19. Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
*In vs. 19, Jesus knew what was bothering His disciples. They were confused. They were troubled about the Lord's teachings. But Jesus knew all about their questions, even though in vs. 17, they were asking those questions "among themselves."
*Jesus knew all about their confusion, and He knows about ours too. Many times in life we won't understand what's going on. Other times we won't know what to do. But the Lord knows all about our confusion, and we can trust Him to help us even when we don't understand.
*About 25 years ago, Sue Heil's life was torn apart by tragedy, and she was as confused as a Christian can be. Sue's only child, Steven, graduated from high school one June morning, only to be killed in a car wreck that night.
*Just a few hours before the wreck, Sue had thanked the Lord for Steven's life. She also asked God to keep taking care of him. How could God let this happen?!?
*In the days after Steven's death, this grieving mother was often angry with God. Her pastor assured her that this was normal, and urged her to keep praying. Sue was disappointed with God. "You are supposed to be near the brokenhearted," Sue said to God. "Do you care?"
*She had lost her son, and she felt like she had lost her relationship with God, too. Then one day, Sue got a card from a friend that simply said: "When God conceals His purposes... -- keep living on His promises."
*"When God conceals His purposes... -- keep living on His promises." Sue said it was as if God was telling her, "Let go of your anger and trust Me again. You do not know why things happen, but you do have My promise of eternal life." (2)
*Sue found out that she could always trust in the Lord. And we can too!
2. TRUST IN THE LORD BECAUSE HE CARES WHEN WE ARE CONFUSED, AND TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE FULLY KNOWS THE FUTURE.
*There's no doubt about it in vs. 16. Here Jesus told His disciples, "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.''
*Then in vs. 19-20, God's Word says:
19. Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
20. Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy."
*Six times in those verses, Jesus told His disciples about things that would definitely happen in the future. Jesus has a firm grip on the future. He sees it all.
*There are only two exceptions I can think of when Christ was here on earth. First, Jesus did not know the exact time of His return. In Mark 13:32, Jesus was speaking about the time of His return, and the Lord said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Secondly, when Christ was on the cross for our sins, there was a time when He was temporarily cut off from the Father, and Jesus did not understand. Matthew 27:46 says, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'''
*Other than these two temporary exceptions, Jesus sees it all. He know all about the past, present and future. He knows our thoughts, and He sees the deepest parts of our hearts.
*For one example, Jesus sees our sadness. Here in John 16, Jesus saw the terrible sadness His disciples had as the cross closed in on the Lord. And Jesus sees our sadness today.
*He also sees the coming gladness for everyone who believes in Him. Jesus sees the gladness we will share with Him forever in Heaven. So again in vs. 20, the Lord was able to tell His disciples: "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy."
*Sorrow was turned into joy on the first Easter morning when Jesus rose again from the dead and conquered death forever! Sorrow was also turned into joy on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to live in the hearts of all believers. And right now Christians, we can see Jesus, -- not with our eyes, but with our hearts. And Hebrews 2:9 tells us that we do see Jesus! (3)
*That is our greatest joy today! But there are greater days coming when Jesus take us home to Heaven, and when He returns to make right everything that is wrong in this world. If we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then someday we will have a perfect future forever!
*And since Jesus fully knows the future, we must put our trust in Him. We may think we know the future, but we really don't. Did you ever expect anything like the Corona virus shutdown we are going through? Is this what you expected in the spring of 2020? No way!
*We certainly can't control the future. We can't even see what's coming at us even one minute ahead, so we must keep trusting in the Lord, and put our future in His mighty Hands!
*John Maxwell gave the example of getting into your car at night after a wonderful time with your family at a restaurant. And Maxwell said, "You get into your car, and turn the lights on. The lights shine a few hundred feet ahead. But you can't see your house. You can just see a few hundred feet ahead.
*What would happen if you said, 'I turned the lights on, but I can't see my house, so I'm not going.' No. you have to use the light that's available to you. You start moving the car in the right direction, and the light keeps shining a few hundred feet ahead of you. And as you move the car, the light gives you what you need at that moment." (4)
*Church: It's the same way in life. Jesus gives us the light we need for the moment, so we can keep moving ahead. And we can trust Him to get us safely home, because He can see forever!
3. TRUST IN THE LORD BECAUSE FULLY KNOWS THE FUTURE, AND TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH YOUR TROUBLES.
*Jesus knows all about our troubles, just as He knew His disciple's troubled hearts so long ago. The Lord first mentioned this to them in John 14:1-3, where Jesus said:
1. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
*Then in John 14:27, Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
*Now here in vs. 20, Jesus told His disciples, "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy."
*Jesus knew all about their troubled hearts. There in the shadow of the cross, the disciples were deeply troubled. They were burdened down because the Lord was going away. They knew, because Jesus had already told them in John 14:28.
*Now here in John 16, Jesus told them again that He was going away, and it was breaking their hearts. It was the last thing they expected, and the last thing they wanted: To be left alone in the world without Jesus.
*It's fair to say that the 3 days between the Lord's cross and His resurrection were the worst 3 days of their lives. Nothing that came before or after could have possibly been worse.
*Jesus had also told them that they were going to go through a most difficult test. Luke 22:31-34 puts it this way:
31. . . The Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
32. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.''
33. But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.''
34. Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.''
*Mark 14:27-31 adds:
27. Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
28. But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.''
29. But Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.''
30. And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.''
31. But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!'' And they all said likewise.
*The disciples were troubled. They were troubled to the point of exhaustion. We see this in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus asked them to pray, they fell asleep, not once, not twice, but 3 times. And Luke 22:45 tells us that they were "sleeping for sorrow."
*The disciples were exhausted from their grief, just completely worn out. Do you ever feel like that? Well, Jesus knew all about their troubled hearts. He knows our troubles too. And that's good, because no one can help us more than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
4. TRUST IN JESUS BECAUSE HE WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH YOUR TROUBLES, AND TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE CAN TOTALLY TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE.
*In vs. 20-22, Jesus said:
20. "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
21. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
22. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."
*In vs. 20, Jesus reminds us that He can totally transform our lives, and He can do it! The Lord gave us an example in vs. 21. Again, Jesus said: "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world."
*Talk about a turnaround! Talk about a total transformation. Childbirth is a great example, because without anesthetics, it's incredibly painful for a time. (At least that's what I've been told.)
*Mary had natural childbirth with our two older children, Becky and Eric. We went through the classes with several other couples and practiced the breathing exercises at home.
*Mary did very well, except with Becky. Mary kept wanting to get out of the bed and walk around. And it was all I could do to keep her in the bed ten minutes before Becky got here!
*When I was born, my mother threw my Daddy's watch against the wall, and smashed it to pieces.
*And I remember the fastest prayer I've ever prayed. It was when our church secretary was having her first baby. She went into a hard contraction while I was there, and I can't do justice to the look on her face. But I got out of there as fast as I could!
*Natural childbirth is very painful, but God turns that pain around in an instant. And Jesus Christ can turn your whole life around. Over time, Jesus can totally transform your life.
*And vs. 22 reminds us that Jesus can fix our pain forever. Here Jesus said, "Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."
*Jesus can totally transform your life. He can save your soul forever. And one day, He will take away your pain forever, IF you will put your trust in Him.
*But it never could have happened without the cross. That's why Jesus was going away here in John 16. That's why He came in the first place. In John 3:16 Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." And in John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
*Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to take the punishment for our sins. And that's what He did when He died on the cross for us. Now by his Holy Spirit, our Risen Savior will be here to help us through every trouble in life. And He will give us boundless perfection forever in Heaven, if we will only trust in the Lord.
CONCLUSION:
*Two thousand years ago, Jesus wanted His disciples to know they could keep trusting in the Lord. And tonight, Jesus wants us to know the very same thing. So trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and keep trusting in the Lord through every confusing, troubled time of life.
(1) Sources:
-EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The Walk on the Gethsemane Road" - John 15:1-17:26
-Various online maps
-https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-far-from-upper-room-gethsemane-during-time-375489
(2) "The Upper Room", May/June, 1997 - p. 44 - Source: "Dynamic Preaching" sermon "Bound by a Promise" by King Duncan - Genesis 15:1-18 - Jan. Feb. Mar. 1998 - p. 60
(3) I think this is adapted from Matthew Henry, but original source unknown
(4) SermonCentral sermon "Sensing God During the Storm - Part 2" by John Maxwell - John 16:1-33
