Part 1: What is going on when we go through tough times?
Beauty is Pain – Part 1
John 16:28-33
Remember one thing when you study the Bible, chapters and verses were put in by men. Sometimes they did a great job, and sometimes they messed up how the writer intended the flow to go. Usually, when you come to another chapter, you figure it’s time to go to a different thought, or at least move on to something else, but that’s not the case in many places. They added chapters and verses because we needed to have an address for every verse so we can easily find it. If we didn’t have chapters and verses in the Bible, we would be flipping pages all day long. In this particular case, by putting chapters in 15, 16, 17, they really messed up what was going on.
This is all one talk. Chapter 15-17 is one discussion that Jesus is having with His disciples. This is His last talk He going to have with them before He is going to go to the cross. It is Thursday night, this is the last supper and He knows that that night, He is going to be betrayed. He is going to be imprisoned, beaten, scourged, whipped, and then He’s going to go to the cross and die and give His life. This is what’s going on in the back of Jesus’ mind as He’s talking to the disciples.
My personal opinion is that I don’t believe Jesus was a man of many words. He measured His words. He would say something, and it would be very profound, very eye-opening, very convicting. But He wasn’t a man that spoke a lot, yet in these three chapters, He is non-stop speaking. That’s because, He knows His time is short, and these men are not ready to meet the challenge.
There is Another Realm
So, let’s pick up in Chapter 16 verse 28 (remember it’s been going on since Chapter 15) his conversation He’s having with His disciples before He’s going to go to the cross.
“I came from the Father.” John 16:28
Jesus always referred to God as His Father. He always referred and wanted people to refer to God as their Father, the Creator, the Origin of who they are and what we are. Jesus is saying I came from God. Almost like a science fiction movie, where Superman comes from another planet with superpowers, and he becomes the savior of the human race. Well Jesus is saying, I came forth from God; I came forth from somewhere else.
And what we’re going to be doing in the next couple of weeks is a three-part study on a certain topic which we will get to in a minute. This topic is a very deep topic, a topic that is needed for you to really get into your souls. There are two things going on in a Christians life: 1) The Now – what is going on in everyday life and, 2) The Other Realm – what is going on in another realm. If Jesus came from another realm, then there is something going on in that other realm that is connected to this realm, and that is what you need to put into your mind. We are not alone, and this is not the only thing that’s going on right now. There are spiritual things going on, and Jesus came from another realm. And he is saying, I came from God.”
“...and entered the world." John 16:28
Jesus came into this world for a purpose. His first purpose was to teach and preach the Kingdom of God. Up until Jesus, no one really knew what God wanted from them. The Jews had an idea, but they messed it up. So, God Himself entered this realm, this world, as Jesus, and He proclaimed what He wanted, and proclaimed who He was. He showed mercy, and He showed graciousness to people that were vile sinners. He showed what he wanted others to do by example. He gave certain teaching to be followed and be carried on through the ages, which they are as I read to you the Bible today. He knew it would be recorded.
If you put down all of God’s words and you eliminate from the Bible all the history, all the names, all the mentioning of people, and you just put down the words of God, it would be a very, very thin book. God’s words are very few in the Bible. That’s why in the New Testament, some Bibles have Jesus’ words in red. And if you look at how much red there is in the New Testament, it would be very little. So, remember, God is not a being of many words, and every word is very important. They are to be cherished.
So Jesus says, “I come to this world to die. I came here to give a message and to die, to give my life for mankind’s sins.” We all know that verse (John 3:16), “For God so loved the world, that gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God came into the world to save sinners; He came to pay for sins. Man cannot pay for his own sins. The payment for sin is eternal damnation, and you cannot pay for it by doing good deeds. Somebody had to pay the cost. Somebody had to pay for man’s sins, and Jesus came into this world for a mission – Jesus is saying, “I have come here to preach, to teach, to show God’s heart, and I have come to die.”
“Now I leave the world...” John 16:28
He says, “Now I am going to go back. I’m going to go back to where I came from.”
“...and am going back to the Father.” John 16:28
He says, “I’m going back to where I came from.” And He said in another portion in Chapter 16 that, “if I don’t go away, then the Comforter, the Holy Spirit cannot come. But if I go away, then my Father will send you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. And I shall not be with you, but He shall dwell in you.”
Is the Holy Spirit dwelling in you?
Now all of us, have to really, really look hard to see if the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit of God? What a difference it makes! And it’s difference you can see in these men. Look at what happens this night compared to what happens in the book of Acts when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not given yet at the time that Jesus was speaking to these disciples. These men did not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in their mortal bodies.
During our Bible Study at Christmas, I had a cup of cranberry juice and a cup of water. I took the cranberry juice, and I poured some of it into the regular water. I showed you there was a mingling, a mixture of God’s Spirit and our spirit. And that’s what being filled with the Holy Spirit is.
You should ask God, “Father in Heaven, please fill me with your Spirit, because I can’t live the life that you called me to live, and I do the things that Jesus did by loving people that hurt me without you.” We can’t do it alone! You are fooling yourself if you think so. Just like these men were fooling themselves if they thought they could do what they said they were going to do without the Holy Spirit of God. I cannot impress upon on you enough that you should spend time seeking God to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can have the power to live the life that God has called you to live. I have to check my own life, and you have to check yours. Am I saved? Am I a real Christian or is it just in my head because I know it’s the right thing to do? That’s not going to get you too far if it’s the latter.
So, Jesus says, “I’m going to go back. Because if I go back, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to live in you.” There’s a big difference to being with somebody or in them.
Are you sure that you're sure?
Now look at His disciples. They are like us.
“Then Jesus' disciples said, 'Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.'” John 16:29
They said, “Now you speak plain. Now we understand you.” All His ministry, Jesus gave parables, and the disciples did not know what He was talking about. They would come to Him privately, and say, “What does that mean?” And He would say to them, “Are you yet without understanding?” And He would explain each parable to the disciples. Sometimes, you read the Bible, and you don’t get anything out of it. There’s no revelation. That’s because the Holy Spirit isn’t active at that particular time to reveal the Word of God to you. The Bible is a book of revelation, not knowledge. There are so many Christians that have the Bible in their head, yet their actions are so far from what the Bible even talks about. They know they should forgive people, but they can’t. They know they should love their enemies, but they can’t. They know they should be patient, but they’re not. They know they shouldn’t be angry, but they are. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not active in their lives.
These men said, “Finally, you are speaking to us in language we can understand.” And now look what they say, and this is a big blunder.
“Now we see that you know all things and that you do not even need anyone to ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” John 16:30
They are saying, “Now, we are sure.” Remember that word – they are sure. They acknowledge that, “You are God. You know all things. You’re the Messiah. You’re the one God sent.” These men are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, and they are convinced they believe in Him.
People do not know themselves. Sometimes you look at an alcoholic laying in the streets, one of these unfortunate men or women who are laying in the gutter or the street with a cardboard box around them. And you say, “I wonder how this person got like that. It could never be me.” Oh, yes it could be! If you had the wrong father or the wrong mother, or if you didn’t have a father or a mother, or tragedy struck you, or there was something else that happened in your life, you could be in that box. You say you wouldn’t be. You say you wouldn’t be a murderer, or a child molester, or a vile criminal of some sort, but every single one of us are capable of being just that.
These men were sure that they believed in Jesus. They didn’t realize that that night Peter would deny Christ three times. He not only denied Christ, he cursed and took an oath that he never knew Him. Here is the one that said, “If all others shall deny you, I will give my life for you. I will not deny you.” And the Bible says that all the other disciples said likewise. Yet a few hours from now, Peter fails miserably. You have Judas who in a few hours would go out, and for thirty pieces of silver, would turn his back on Christ and sell him out. You have others like Thomas that said, “Unless I put my fingers in his side and in His Hands, I will not believe.” Yet, He said he believed here?!
And you had all the others who ran to the upper room where they had this last supper, and they locked the door. The Bible is clear on that. They bolted it shut because they were afraid that the Jews were going to take them also. They thought they knew who they were, but they weren’t able to do what they thought they could do. And that’s the case with many Christians. That’s why Christians can commit such vile actions, because unless you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, unless you have God in your life in a real way, you will fail.
People think that they are exempt from this type of failure. You don’t know yourself, and I don’t know myself like God knows us. He knows what we’re all capable of. Given the right set of circumstances, we could be in the same shoes as these disciples.
He says, “Now I am going to go back. I’m going to go back to where I came from.”
“Jesus replied, 'Do you now believe?'” John 16:31
It’s a question. He says, “You say you believe, and you are sure.”
But You're Not Alone.
“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” John 16:32
It’s a terrible thing to be left alone. The people that are dying from the coronavirus are dying alone – most of them. They are not allowed to have their loved ones by their side or a priest or a pastor or a friend. And they are put on a ventilator, and they know that they are going. Sometimes the nurses are so kind as to hold an iPhone up and try to talk to their loved ones and show them their family. But these people are mostly dying alone. And if you are on a ventilator – and I was on one, I know – it is one of the most horrible experiences you could imagine. Maybe today it’s better than 50 years ago, maybe they make things smaller or better. But 50 years ago, when I was on one for three days, I thought I was in hell. And these people are in pain and in suffering, and they die alone.
And Jesus said, “You’re going to leave me alone. No one is going to stand by my side.”
Human nature is very ugly, and human nature is very sad. And you need to realize that when you’re hurt by human nature. It’s weak, and it’s harsh.
And then Jesus goes on to say, “And yet, I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” His only consolation was that inside his fleshly body dwelt God. And because God was in Him, He knew He could go to the cross. He knew that no one would stay with Him and pray, nobody would be with him and would run away. But He did it because God was with Him.
That’s such an important thing to know in your life and my life - that God is with you. Are you sure that you’re a Christian? Are you sure that you’re saved? Are you sure that you’re filled with the Holy Spirit? God has to not be some mental experience. God has to be in you so that someday if you’re left alone, you’re actually not alone. You’re going to say in your mind, “God is with me.” And that’s the only way that Jesus could make it.
Now these men [the disciples], after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they faced death bravely. Peter was taken by Roman soldiers and crucified. And when they were going to put the cross in the ground, he said, “I am not worthy to die like my Savior.” So they took the cross, and they flipped it over. They put his head facing down – that’s how he died. Thomas went to India and was persecuted and killed there. James was beheaded. John was imprisoned and put on an island with no trees until he died. And every one of them were martyred, except for John. And they didn’t fail, they didn’t give up, they didn’t quit, they didn’t run, and they weren’t scattered because now they knew that God was with them.
You know when someone passes away, they have the little cards that they give you when you go to the wake. Sometimes you see praying hands or the face of Jesus. And on the back of many of them is a prayer or a Psalms. And the Psalms that they usually put is Psalms 23 because of one verse, “Even though I walk through the darkest value, I will fear no evil for you are with me; you rod and your staff, they comfort me.” And that is why they put that Psalms on the card.
David was a shepherd. And in those days in Israel there were a lot of wild animals unlike today. Sheep, if you know anything about them, they will chew the grass until they rip the roots out. So, you have to move them around constantly. A couple of days on this side of the hill, and then a couple of days on the other side of the hill. Otherwise, they would eat up all the grass until there is nothing left. The sheep knew that when they went into the valley that there was great danger. In a field, they could see an animal coming. In the field, they had the shepherd in their sight, and the shepherd had a rod and staff to fight off the wild animals that might come. But in the valley, there was brush and trees, and the animals would come out of hiding and pounce on the sheep – and the sheep knew it! And they got very nervous and fearful when they went down into the valley. That’s why David used that illustration. In Psalms 23, David said, “I know that sometimes I go through a tough time in my life, and I am scared. But I’m not afraid anymore, because You are with me.”
Joseph is a great example of that too. He came from a dysfunctional family. His father and mother loved different children differently. And his siblings resented his father’s love for Joseph. Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors, but he didn’t give any of his other children a special coat. Joseph was his favorite, and his other brothers hated him for that. They were hurt, and they threw him in a pit. The Bible says that God was with Joseph. And they sold him into slavery. And the Bible says that God was with Joseph when he was in slavery. And then he was sold to Potiphar’s house, a rich ruler in Egypt. And Joseph made Potiphar’s house prosperous because God was with him. And then Potiphar’s wife saw that Joseph was a good-looking man, and when Joseph wouldn’t do anything with her sexually, she said that Joseph tried to rape her. Then Joseph was thrown into dungeon (not the prisons they have today), and they put his feet in chains. And the Bible says God was with him. And after many years, God used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, and he became second in command in all of Egypt – and God was with him.
Wherever you are in life, God has to be with you. And you have to know He’s with you and you have to have Him in you, or you’re not going to make it. Otherwise, you’re going to be just like these disciples in John 16, “I’m sure I believe.” You are?!
So now, Jesus says you’re going to fail me tonight. And you know, this is the mercy of God and the greatness and goodness of Jesus’ heart. How these men failed Him so miserably, yet He loved them even still!
What is peace?
Now Jesus goes on in verse 33 to say this:
“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.” John 16:33
Comments