The Gospel of John: Sorrow turned to Joy

And I always, you know, I've always got more notes than I have time.

And if anything, I catch flack for cutting it off.

I really don't get much grief for going too long, amazingly.

But this is a wonderful passage.

It really concludes for us the farewell discourse of our Lord Jesus.

And so, we really do want to cover, at least touch on everything that we

have before us in this passage.

We probably bit off more than we could chew, but we'll see how the Lord blesses.

And so, we've been in this section of John's Gospel in which we have recorded for us the farewell discourse of Jesus

to his disciples.

It began back in John 13, 31, and concludes before us with

John 16, 33.

And before us, we actually have the sixth declaration of our Lord Jesus

within this final discourse.

And then we also have his, what's been referred to as an epilogue, or the concluding words of our Lord to

his disciples.

It may be distilled into the promise of our Lord Jesus to his disciples, I will turn your sorrow into joy.

That is the theme.

In the first of six declarations throughout this farewell discourse, our

Lord had spoken of his relationship with his disciples and their future existence with him.

In the last three, and again, this is the sixth, in the last three of the six

declarations, Jesus explained the relationship that his disciples have with the fallen world in

which they live, and of their future life as his disciples in this fallen world.

That's what we have before us.

More specifically, in the episode before us, the final discourse of our Lord to his disciples

prior to his arrest, trial, and crucifixion, he tells his disciples how

he will turn their short -term sorrow into joy, and that the

Father would provide for all of their future needs in the name of his Son, his

parting words.

After our Lord had promised his disciples more clearly and fully the gift of the Holy Spirit that he would bestow

upon them upon his return to his Father, he spoke to them regarding what would soon come upon them.

He would leave them and be absent from them for a short time, which would

bring them great sorrow, even while it brought great joy to the fallen world.

But then he would soon after return to them, and their joy would be renewed, and would then

continue undiminished and uninterrupted.

And when that time came, the whole new avenues of blessing would be secured to them that they had never

experienced thus far.

No one in history had experienced the blessings that was about to come upon them.

They would have more full access to the Father through him, and that's a major point of emphasis in

our passage.

They would then begin to enjoy the privilege of receiving answers to their prayers when they prayed to the Father through his name.

That was something new, never in history until after

his death and resurrection.

And our Lord promised them that if they took these things to heart, they would enjoy unbroken peace.

Even as they lived in the fallen world, there would be a source of tribulation to them.

And the reason for their perpetual joy and peace, which no one could take away from them, was because

Jesus Christ had overcome the world through his cross, even his glorification.

And again, his glorification began with his cross, as one movement, as it were, right up to

the throne of God.

And so here is John 16, 16 through 33.

Jesus said, a little while and you will not see me, and again a little while you will see me, because

I go to the Father.

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.

They said, therefore, what is this that he says, a little while, we do not know what he is saying.

And Jesus knew that they desired to ask him, and he said to them, are you inquiring among

yourselves and about what I said, a little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you

will see me?

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.

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.

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, and in that day you will ask me nothing.

Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

Until now you have asked nothing in my name, ask, you will receive, that your joy may be

full.

These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you

in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray to the Father for you, for the Father

himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth

from God.

I came forth from the Father and have come into the world, and again I leave the world and I

go to the Father.

His disciples said to him, see now you're speaking plainly, using no figure of speech.

Now we are sure that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you.

By this we believe that you came forth from God.

Jesus answered them, do you now believe?

Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come that you will be scattered, each to his own, and

will leave me alone, and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation,

but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

We have an outline before us in your notes to help us digest what is before us.

Two major divisions, again we have that sixth

statement of Jesus, as it were.

Jesus would turn his disciples' sorrow into joy, and there are two subdivisions.

We have first the disciples' confusion regarding seeing Jesus, and then

secondly the coming transition of their sorrow to joy, and then the actual

epilogue, Jesus spoke plainly of his departure and of peace, and there's

three subdivisions in this second section.

The Christian faith and the coming hour, and the acknowledgement of the disciples' understanding,

and then finally a final exhortation in which Jesus declared, I have overcome the

world.

Last Lord's Day we read that Jesus told his disciples of the trial they would encounter which would take place after he departed

from them, that was in verses one through six, but he assured them he would send them the Holy Spirit

who would comfort them, who would guide them, and empower them in their witness to the world.

These verses reveal to us that the work of advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ involves resisting and

overcoming the hostility of the world of evil people ruled by Satan.

That is our task.

And so although the work would be very difficult and challenging, the Lord would give the Holy Spirit to his people to enable them to

accomplish their mission, but very shortly the greatest of trials would be upon

them.

Jesus was about to be taken from them.

He would be tried, crucified, and this would cause his disciples great grief, great sorrow,

and so here we have therefore verses 16 through 24 in which we read

Jesus would turn his disciples' sorrow into joy.

I might just say at the outset as we consider these few verses before us, this is not an easy

few verses to interpret rightly, and there's great difference of opinion among commentators, but

I came up with my understanding and that's what of course I'll try and present and

reason with you.

First of all, we see the instruction of Jesus to his disciples set forth by the disciples'

confusion regarding seeing Jesus.

The pericope, in other words the episode, begins with confusion on the part of his

disciples to understand his words to them regarding his suffering and death.

So again, here's verses 16 through 18, let's look at them closely.

A little while you will not see me, again a little while you will see me because I go.

To the Father.

And 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.

They said therefore, what is this that he says a little while?

We do not know what he is saying.

Now, our word, the words of our Lord here are nearly identical with what he had told his disciples on an earlier

occasion, back in John 14, 19.

He declared to them a little while longer, the world will see me no more, but you will.

See me.

So this idea, this theme of seeing, not just physically but spiritually,

is a theme that is common to the Gospel of John.

And so here, earlier in John 14, our Lord was speaking of the

need of his disciples for their ongoing relationship, one with the other.

But here in chapter 16, he's speaking of the grief of his disciples that they would

soon experience due to his death, and their needs that would arise due to the great calamity

that was going to come upon them.

Jesus said to them, a little while, you will not see me, again a little while, and you will see me because

I go to the Father.

It should be pointed out that the last clause, because I go to the Father, is not included in some of the

newer translations.

If you have the ESV, it's probably not there, I would hope, I would think.

The fact is that this last clause of verse 16, because I go to the Father, may not reflect what

Jesus actually said at this point.

Now verse 17 suggests that he did say it at that point, but I'm just saying when John originally wrote the Gospel,

those words probably were not included.

The phrase might have been inserted by a scribe who was copying the text some centuries later in the Christian

era, and he included those words in verse 16 because of what is said in verse

17, so he was harmonizing the two.

And so here the ESV is perhaps the better English translation of verse 16, Jesus said, a little

while, you will see me no longer, and again, a little while, you will see me.

But John records that the disciples did not understand what he was saying,

and this suggests to us, by the way, that perhaps what he's saying has a little more

depth and meaning than we might perceive just at a casual glance.

One wrote regarding the disciples' lack of understanding,

the disciples still have no category to allow them to make sense of a Messiah who would die, rise from the dead,

abandon his people in favor of another counselor.

Their perplexity provides a justification to the assessment Jesus has just rendered, they cannot yet bear

all that Jesus wants to say to them, they are confused, it was hard for them to embrace.

To what does our Lord refer when he said that his disciples will see me?

What was Jesus saying?

Some argue that Jesus was speaking about his departure to the Father at his ascension,

and that when he will be seen of them refers to the second coming of Christ, you don't see me now, but you will see me at the second

coming.

Others say it's best to understand our Lord telling his disciples that the little while would be the period in which he was arrested,

tried, crucified, and buried, and the statement that they will see him refers to post

-resurrection appearances of Jesus to his apostles.

Here are the words of Leon Morris, addressing the various opinions regarding understanding our Lord's

words, it's not surprising that these words of Jesus proved a difficulty to the men in the upper room,

they've puzzled Christians ever since.

The main problem concerns the meaning of the coming again of which Jesus speaks, does he mean that he will come

again in the person and work of the Holy Spirit?

Or is he referring to the post -resurrection appearances?

Or even to the ascension and the parousia, that's the Greek word for second coming?

Great names can be urged in support of each of these views, but it seems to me that the language

accords better with a reference to Jesus' death and then to the post -resurrection appearances than to anything

else.

And then he throws in this qualifier, though this is not to deny that as often there may also be a secondary meaning as

well.

Donald Carson, whom we also have the highest regard as a commentator, and

I would say in English his commentary on John is probably the best one available to us.

He wrote this, but which departure and return are in view when Jesus said, you will see.

Me?

What was Jesus referring to?

Does the first little while mark the time until Jesus' death or until his ascension?

Does the you will see me after the second little while refer to Jesus' resurrection, the descent of the spirit,

or the parousia, again the Greek word for second coming?

Or should we join the many commentators who think John is cleverly deploying his language

to include double or treble references?

And then Carson sets forth his own opinion, despite the popularity of this latter view,

the notes on the following verses, in other words in his commentary, argue that each bit of evidence makes most sense

if this verse refers to Jesus' departure and death and his return after his resurrection.

However, I find myself disagreeing with Carson on this,

that our Lord was speaking of the time of his death until his resurrection, and that the time they would see him speaks

of his post -resurrection appearances.

It seems to be speaking of much more.

And besides, if it were only to be understood this way, then these words really would have little relevance for

anyone but those relatively few disciples who saw him in his post -resurrection appearances.

What do these verses say to you and me?

What application do they have?

But rather, because of the manner that John records the repetition of our Lord's words by the disciples, in

verse 17, and because of the nature of the confusion which seems to betray,

it seems to betray something beyond what Jesus had previously instructed them, it

seems that our Lord was speaking of their ongoing awareness and sense of his presence

with them through the Holy Spirit, whom he would send to them upon returning to his Father.

In other words, when Jesus told his disciples, and again a little while you will see me, he was speaking of the

spiritual sight of Jesus through the Holy Spirit that became the experience of all

Christians due to the fact that he had gone to be with his Father and that he had then imparted the gift of the Holy

Spirit to his people.

I think this is what was being indicated.

This is the position of Edward Klink.

He's a professor of New Testament, I believe, out at Biola in Southern California.

He wrote a good commentary published by Zondervan.

The connection to the paraklete, again a Greek word for Holy Spirit, may also be expressed by the use of two different

words for we will see.

Now, then he includes the two Greek words, theoretic, and

obsessed that.

In other words, when Jesus said you see and you will see, the

English translation see is actually two different Greek words, which itself would

suggest he's talking about something different than just physically seeing them.

You follow?

Something that did not occur back in chapter 14, he says, while the fourth gospel frequently uses related words

synonymously across the narrative, when they're used in close proximity, especially in the same

verse, there's usually a carefully nuanced distinction or comparison intended between them.

In other words, the first scene is not identical to the second scene.

In this case, the distinction might be made through the use of the second verb, will see.

That's future tense.

And then he gives the Greek word, which can be used to refer to inward vision or true apprehension.

And this is consistent with the context.

You see me now, you're going to see me for a little while, but then you're not going to see me, but then you're going to really see me, if I might

just paraphrase in a way.

In this sense, then, the sight that the disciples are to have of Jesus a little while after his departure is not in reference to

his resurrection or to the second coming of Christ, as some have suggested, to the sight obtained by the

coming of the spirit.

This sight is the cosmological sight or the vision of God made possible through the sun

as declared in the prologue back in John 1 18.

Christ does not address their loss of him for three days only to depart from them again after his

resurrection, nor is he acting as if a little while appropriately describes what turned into the rest of

their lives and even 2 ,000 years.

Rather, he connects again their participation to him by the spirit with his departure.

Seeing God according to the gospel is seeing the father through the son and in the spirit.

And so, if I may put the matter in other words, it says, if Jesus was telling them

that though they saw him physically, he would be out of their sight during his passion, but upon his

resurrection and his ascension to the father when he would send them the Holy Spirit, they will always see him.

He was promising that he would always be with them and that he would never forsake them.

And again, the fact that John records the confusion of the disciples and the repetition of the words and what not, it

seems to suggest more than just a physical sight, we're going to see you in a couple of days.

This is the position of John Calvin.

This guy was sharp.

And you know where we today, we have all these commentaries and we've got, you know, centuries of Protestant

thought and writing that we can draw upon, call upon.

These early guys like Martin Luther and Calvin, they didn't have that.

They came out of Catholicism and they had the scriptures before them.

Yeah, they used the early church fathers and what not, but these, God bless these men with insight into the

scriptures that were just absolutely incredible.

This was what Calvin saw.

And again, a little while and you will see me, yet some explain this second clause differently.

You will see me when I shall have risen from the dead, but only for a short time for I shall very

soon be received into heaven.

But I do not think that the words will bear that meaning.

On the contrary, he mitigates and soothes their sorrow for his absence by his consolation

that it will not last long.

And thus he magnifies the grace of the spirit by which he will continually be present with them

as if he had promised that after a short interval he would return and that they would not be long deprived of his

presence.

Nor ought we to think it strange when he says that he is seen when he

dwells in the disciples by the spirit for though he's not seen with our bodily eyes,

yet his presence is known by the undoubted experience of faith.

We see Jesus, don't we?

No, not visibly, but it couldn't be more real if we did see him

visibly.

What we were taught by Paul is indeed true that believers, so long as they remain in earth, are absent from the Lord because they walk

by faith, not by sight.

No, we don't see him physically.

But it is equally true that they, Christians, may justly in the meantime glory in having Christ dwelling in them by faith

and being united to him as members to the head and possessing heaven along with him by hope.

Thus the grace of the spirit is a mirror in which Christ wishes to be seen by us according to the

words of Paul, though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him no more.

If any man in Christ, let him be a new creature.

And so John Calvin takes the view that Jesus was saying that you're going to see me spiritually.

I'm going to be with you present together.

Even though you're going to have a short time where you're not going to see me physically and you're going to be filled with sorrow.

And the fact that their sorrows may turn to joy is going to be in this prospect that the Lord's there and he's always with

them even though he'd gone to the father.

That's the point of the passage.

And then Calvin gave these comments from verse 17 on because I go to the father.

Some explain these words as meaning that Christ will no longer be seen by the disciples because he'll be in heaven and they on

earth.

For my part, I would rather refer to the second clause, you will soon see me.

For my death is not a destruction to separate me from you, but a passage into the heavenly glory

from which my divine power will diffuse itself even to you.

He intended therefore, in my opinion, wrote Calvin, to

teach what would be his condition after his death that they might rest satisfied with his spiritual presence

and might not think that it would be any loss to them that he no longer dwelt with them in the mortal realm

or as a mortal man.

And if this is the case, and I believe it's true, I believe this is right, then the same kind of lesson is found

here in John 16 as found in Luke 24 when Jesus appeared to the

two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

As you might recall, he prevented these two disciples from recognizing him, he was a stranger to them.

And they walked on the way to Emmaus and he spoke to them, he opened the scriptures to

them, explained everything in the scriptures that speak of the Messiah.

Later on, they said, did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us in the way, spoke from the

scriptures in the way?

And then he came in, of course, and they sat down to have a fellowship meal, and it was then they recognized him

when he blessed the bread.

And the lesson of Luke 24 is really the same lesson here in John 16, that although Jesus had died

and had risen and was soon to be with his father in glory, nevertheless his disciples could continue to

experience and enjoy his presence with them by the Holy Spirit through blessing their reading and discussion of the

scriptures and through the mutual fellowship between his disciples, particularly in their fellowship meal.

And so I would argue that these, you know, verses 16 and 17 and 18 are

quite profound in what Jesus was telling his disciples and preparing them

for.

Well now we have in verses 19 through 24 the coming transition of their sorrow to joy.

Our Lord used the confusion of his disciples to tell them that their deep sorrow, which would soon come upon them, would

very soon be turned to joy.

And so now verses 19 and 20, and Jesus knew that they desired to ask him, he said to them,

are you inquired among yourselves about what I said?

A little while you will not see me, and again a little while you will see me.

Most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice and you'll be

sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

So we read that Jesus knew that they desired to ask him.

He not only knew what they were saying, but he knew what they were thinking.

And of course the Lord Jesus knows what you're thinking, what I'm thinking.

As Hebrews 4 declared, the word of God is alive and it's a personified word of

God there in Hebrews 4, 12, isn't it?

He's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And if you'll notice, the disciples didn't ask Jesus, they were talking to one another.

We don't understand what he's saying.

Our Lord compares and contrasts the joys and sorrows of his disciples with those of the world.

The world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful.

He was of course speaking about the reaction of people toward the news of his death on the cross.

It resulted in great sorrow for his disciples, even while it brought great joy to the world.

And here the world would imply the Jewish leadership there in Jerusalem were rejoicing, of course.

They thought they had won the victory.

They had put to death this man who was causing them such difficulty.

The point being the illustrator expressed here is that the realm in which his disciples lived and moved was wholly different

than the world of the lost.

They're two entirely different realms of existence.

They're in conflict and contradiction with one another.

As Matthew Henry wrote, that which is the grief of saints is the joy of sinners.

That's how the world is today, isn't it?

The world is rejoicing at what so much of what's taking place.

You see, it's a great change for the better in the world and society.

Of course, our Lord was speaking of the experience of his disciples upon his resurrection from the.

Dead.

Although they were filled with grief due to his crucifixion, upon their seeing him risen from the dead, their sorrow would immediately

cease and be replaced with joy unspeakable and full of glory, as Peter later wrote.

But the crucifixion of Jesus, which was so distressing and depressing to his disciples, was the cause of

satisfaction and happiness on the part of the fallen world.

Pilate and Herod became friends over it.

Whereas we desire delight in knowing and seeing God and Christ, the fallen world would desire and delight in his death and

demise, that his name be dismissed and discredited.

Two different ways of viewing existence.

But upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having shown himself alive to his disciples, and as the fallen world of

hypocrites and Pharisees came to hear and learn of this event of his resurrection, the attitudes of

the world and his disciples experienced a great reversal.

The world was rejoicing, it comes to sorrow.

Disciples who were sorrowing, they come to being full of joy.

The sorrow of the disciples turned to joy, a joy that no one or nothing could extinguish in them.

And with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, their joy became accentuated.

Joy characterized their existence and their experience.

Again, Calvin wrote on these.

He means the joy which they felt after receiving the Spirit.

Not that they were afterwards free from all sorrow, of course not.

But that all the sorrow which they would endure was swallowed up by spiritual joy.

We know that the apostles, so long as they lived, sustained a severe warfare, and that they endured base reproaches,

and that they had many reasons for weeping and lamenting.

But renewed by the Spirit, they had laid aside their former consciousness of weakness, so that with

lofty heroism they nobly trampled underfoot all the evils that they endured.

Here then is a comparison between their present weakness and the power of the Spirit, which would soon be given to

them.

For though they were nearly overwhelmed for a time, yet afterwards they not only fought bravely, but obtained a glorious

triumph in the midst of their struggles.

Yet it also ought to be observed that he points out not only the interval that elapsed between the resurrection of

Christ and the death of the apostles, but also the period which followed afterwards.

As if Christ had said, you will lie prostrate, as it were, for a short time.

But when the Holy Spirit shall have raised you up again, then you will begin a new joy, which will continue to

increase until, having been received into the heaven of glory, you shall have perfect joy.

And so then our Lord gave this illustration of how a person can

immediately experience the transition from sorrow to joy.

And he speaks about a woman in labor who gives birth to a child.

A woman, when she's in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come.

I'm glad I'm a guy.

You know, I've witnessed it firsthand three times.

I won't go into detail, but, you know, horrors of horrors.

But as soon as the baby is born, that wasn't, I'm going to quote this, that wasn't so bad.

Let's do it again.

And I'm sweating.

I mean, it was this verse was so vividly displayed before me.

I couldn't believe it.

Incredible.

A woman, when she's in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come.

But as soon as she is given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human

being had been brought into the world.

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.

Our Lord was not only promising them that their sorrow would give way suddenly to great.

Joy.

In doing so, he was preparing them to face the sorrow that they were shortly going to.

Experience.

Knowing that God has ordained what troubles us and knowing that God has purposed that they will be relatively short in

duration and our short life in comparison with eternity, though the cause of our sorrow be

great, it will seem to be to us much lighter.

Then it would otherwise appear to us for our knowledge of God and his ways, both tempers our trials

and assures us they are but temporary.

This is in contrast to the fallen world from which we were redeemed, where the scriptures tell us the joy

of the hypocrite is but for a moment.

Those same scriptures declare the sorrow of the Christian is just for a moment,.

Doesn't it?

And this comforts us and strengthens us to encounter and endure what the Lord brings us to experience.

This was Paul's opinion and attitude and the great experiences he encountered.

Although they were quite severe and extreme by human standards, when he weighed these difficulties

and troubles in the light of eternity, he regarded his difficulties as relatively light affliction.

That's an amazing record that we have in 2nd Corinthians.

We're hard pressed on every side.

He was yet not crushed, perplexed, not in despair, persecuted, not forsaken,

struck down, not destroyed, always carried about in the body the dying of our Lord Jesus, that the

life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake.

Why?

For what purpose?

That the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

And so then death is working in us, but life in you.

As a common metaphor used, it's actually an allegorizing of the account where the

woman breaks the alabaster box and the fragrance fills the room.

And it's commonly applied to the Christian and the difficulties and the heartache where we get squeezed and

broken, but through that the fragrance of the life of Christ fills the room.

And it's the same principle that's being expressed here.

Well, Paul said after this, in spite of all that he was going through, we don't lose heart.

Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by.

Day.

And here it is, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment.

That's how he regarded his entire life as an apostle.

Light affliction in comparison to eternity and in comparison in another place

with the glory that was going to be revealed because of his suffering.

For these things are temporary.

And then our Lord also declared, your joy no one will take from you.

I call on John Gill here, 18th century Reformed Baptist.

The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment and the joy of the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees was a short

-lived one on account of Christ's death.

For Jesus was soon raised from the dead and the apostles were filled with the spirit and went forth bodily

preaching in the name of Christ to the great grief of these men.

But the joy of the disciples was durable.

Their risen Lord would never die more.

The blessings of grace such as redemption, pardon, righteousness and atonement would and do ever remain as the

foundation of solid joy.

Nor could a stranger intermeddle with it.

Not one, either man or devil could take it away.

Not by all the reproaches they could cast upon them or persecutions they could follow.

Them with.

And so though a believer's joy may be damped by sin, Satan and the world, it may

not be always in lively exercise, yet the matter of it

always remains in Christ and the principle of it themselves can never be destroyed, but will

issue in everlasting joy in another world.

You know, we ought to be a joy -filled people, right?

And it shouldn't be conditioned on what we see falling out in our society and culture, which

is quite distressing, of course, but that is not what should shape our attitudes and our outlook

on ourselves and the world before us, but rather eternity.

And our Lord indicated to his disciples that not only will their sight of him risen from the dead be a cause of great joy for his

disciples, but also he declared the blessing of prayer that he secured for his

disciples whose death would also be a cause of great joy.

And so Jesus said in verses 23 -24, in that day you will ask me nothing.

Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he'll give you.

Until now you've asked nothing in my name.

Ask, you will receive that your joy may be full.

In the relationship that his disciples had enjoyed with the Savior throughout his earthly ministry, they had asked directly and

repeatedly from him for blessing for them.

But through his death on his cross and his resurrection from the dead, our Lord entered fully into the role of

mediator between them and his Father.

A whole new understanding and manner of prayer to God came into the experience of his people.

What then should characterize our attitude and our approach to the Father in prayer?

Matthew Henry wrote it well.

We are here taught how to seek.

We must ask the Father in Christ's name.

We must have an eye to God as Father and come as children to him and to Christ as

mediator and come as clients.

Asking of the Father includes a sense of spiritual blessings with the conviction that they are to be had from God

only.

It included also humility to address to him with a believing confidence in him as a Father, able

and ready to help us.

And asking in Christ's name includes an acknowledgement of our own unworthiness to receive favor from God,

a complacency in the method God has taken of keeping up a correspondence with us by his Son and an

entire dependence upon Christ as the Lord our righteousness.

And so the willingness of our Father to hear us, the readiness of our Savior to mediate

for us, and the promise that the Father will answer us should encourage us to be

diligent and persistent in employing this great gift of grace, prayer

that our Savior has secured for us.

Once again, forgive me if I'm doing so too much, but Calvin wrote on this, whatever

you shall ask the Father in my name, he shows whence, in other words, from where they

will obtain this new faculty.

It is because they will have it in their power to draw freely from God the fountain of wisdom as much

as they need.

As if he had said, you must not fear that you will be deprived of the gift of understanding, for my Father will be

ready with all the abundance of blessing to enrich you bountifully.

And besides, by these words, he informs them that the Spirit is not promised in such a manner that they

to whom he has promised may wait for him as sloth and inactivity, but on the contrary, that they may earnestly,

may be earnestly employed in seeking the grace which is offered.

In short, he declares that he will at that time discharge the office of mediator so that whatever they shall

ask, he will obtain for them from the Father abundantly and beyond their prayers.

I might just add this, all right, as we, of course, are living here within Roman Catholic New England.

This reveals the error and wickedness, and I don't back off from that, the wickedness of those who

seek to come to God through any other mediator other than Jesus Christ.

The scriptures are very clear.

There's only one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

And so to pray to the Father through anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ is not only

ineffectual, it's sinful.

It is through Jesus Christ alone that prayer is to be offered.

And it's a terrible sin to pray to the Father through angels or saints, Mary or Joseph, or

priests or Pope.

Jesus Christ is the one mediator.

The Lord Jesus declared, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

That's an exclusive avenue into the presence of God.

Well, we now arrive in the last few minutes, we have the epilogue of

the whole discourse that began back in John 13, 31, ends with verse 33.

And here Jesus spoke plainly of his departure and of peace.

And so we might refer first to the Christian faith in the coming hour, verses 25 to 28.

We read of our Lord declaring he would speak to them in less figurative language, not like much

of the language he had characterized his instruction to the disciples during his earthly ministry.

And the subject to which he would give great attention was the relationship that his disciples were to enjoy with God the Father

through his role as mediator.

And so here again are verses 25 to 28.

These things I've spoken to you in figurative language.

But the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

In that day, you will ask in my name and I do not say to you, I shall pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loves

you, because you've loved me and have believed that I came forth from God.

I came forth from the Father, I've come into the world.

Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.

Our Lord told his disciples that his relationship with them would undergo significant and remarkable change and

development due to his death and resurrection that was about to take place.

Upon his resurrection, he would begin to instruct them in matters regarding God the Father in a manner and

in detail that he had never done previously.

Thomas Boston gave a sermon on this subject, on praying in the name of

Jesus Christ.

And I thought it was so good, I actually scanned it out of, I've got his complete works of about

20 volumes or so.

No, not that many, maybe 12 volumes.

But I scanned this sermon, put it in a PDF form and I attached it to the notes I sent out this

morning via email.

I hope you have time to read it.

But here are the words of introduction to Thomas Boston's sermon.

Our Lord Jesus is here comforting his disciples under the want or need of his bodily presence, which they had so long

enjoyed.

Showing them it should be very, it should be well made up for them, the fact that he's not going to be with them physically.

They should see him again after his resurrection, though not to return to the familiarity with them as before.

They should see him by the spirit in his exalted state and find God so reconciled to them by a

sacrifice of himself that they should have a boldness of access to the throne of heaven, which they had not

before.

A whole new relationship with God opened up.

Should ask him nothing in that manner they used while he was with them in the days of his flesh, but in a manner

more to his honor and his comfort, their comfort.

And so through the death of the Savior, believers in Jesus Christ, being citizens of the kingdom of God, have greater

privilege and familiarity with God the Father than any human being had ever enjoyed before his cross.

Our Lord had once spoken of the least one of the kingdom of God as being greater than John the Baptist, who was the greatest

man born of woman.

And one of these greater privileges and blessings that Christians came to know due to the death and resurrection of Christ was

that the disciple of Jesus Christ had the privilege and authority to call upon God as his father.

Nobody did that in the Old Testament as far as individual Israelites.

The nation of Israel would call upon God as their father because God created Israel,

fathered the nation.

And apart from that, only the sons of David, who

became king, could call upon God as their father because it was as

though they were his sons and ruling on behalf of God.

But it was not until the death, burial, resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ that Christians

as individuals may call upon God as father.

He's your father.

He's my father.

And yet when we pray to God our father, we're to do so through the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, verse 26, in that day you will ask in my name.

We're to pray with a mind on Jesus Christ as our mediator.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus name?

We don't have time to go through this.

But I gave you, again, a photocopy of that, a PDF copy of that sermon.

I found it very, very instructive and very encouraging of Thomas Boston.

What is it to pray to the father in the name of Jesus?

Top of page 10 of your notes, the acknowledgement of the disciple's understanding.

The disciple said to him, see now you're speaking plainly, using no figurative speech.

Now we're sure that you know all things and no need that anyone should question you.

By this we believe you came forth from God.

Our Lord's teaching them of his going away for a while and returning to them now seem to be understood by his disciples.

We get it.

Our Lord had prepared them for what they would soon witness, his arrest, crucifixion, trial, resurrection.

He had also convinced them of their great advantage for him to undergo his passion on their behalf.

It would bring them into a deeper and greater relationship with God as their father through him as their mediator.

They understood that God, his father, had sent him to accomplish his work, this mission on his behalf for

their eternal benefit and blessing.

And then our Lord concludes his entire farewell discourse with verses

31 through 33.

Jesus answered them, do you now believe?

Indeed, the hour is coming.

Yes, has now come that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone.

And yet I'm not alone because the father is with me.

He wasn't calling their faith into question, but he was suggesting its weakness that would soon become

evident even to them.

He knew the nature and strength of their faith better than they knew themselves.

Their faith was real and sincere, but as yet quite weak.

FF Bruce described their present faith.

Well, it was sincere, genuine, bound up with their love for him, but it was

about to be exposed to a test such as they had not imagined.

For all their faith and love, they would abandon him in the hour of his greatest need.

Peter had already been warned of the impending collapse of his resolution, but they would prove unequal to the coming

test.

If their support was all that their Lord had to rely on, it would have proved to be a broken.

Reed.

But our father's presence and support were assured to him.

Confident of these, he would go forward.

And then our Lord concluded his farewell address with verse 33.

These things I've spoken to you that in me you have may have peace, and in the world you will have tribulation.

Be of good cheer.

I've overcome the world.

That one verse, verse 33, negates the health and wealth message

of so many in the world today.

That if you're right with God, life's going to go quite smooth for you, and you're going to be healthy and rich

and wise, and your children are going to obey you.

And that just doesn't follow.

In this world, you will have tribulation.

Nevertheless, be of good cheer.

I've overcome the world.

And so for the Christian who's thinking rightly and believing rightly, the world fails to give true peace to his

soul, and he doesn't look to the world for that.

The world cannot give peace.

But thankfully for the Christian, the world cannot take away his peace if that peace is

settled upon Jesus Christ.

Because the presence and permanence of our peace is not from, as Gil

wrote, duties, services, performances of men.

No, not from an attendance on the gospel and the ordinances of it, nor even from the graces of the spirit, though peace may be

enjoyed therein and hereby through these as means.

But rather, he senses it centered on Jesus Christ, is what Gil goes on to emphasize.

This world will bring the Christian tribulation, and we see it taking place today.

And it's probably going to get worse, I suspect.

The belief and teaching of so many evangelicals, a church will not go through a future seven year tribulation.

Jesus said this entire world is a time of tribulation, and we're all going through it.

Now, it may intensify greatly at the end.

It may indeed.

But to argue that somehow, because you're loved of God and bought by Christ,

you're not going to have to go through tribulation is utter nonsense.

Jesus said just the opposite.

In this world, you're going to have tribulation.

But in me, you may have peace.

Thank God for that peace.

Let's pray.

Father, we pray that you'd help us to take to heart all of our Lord's departing words to his disciples.

And we pray, our God, that you would enable us to see, as the Lord Jesus spoke to his

disciples, to be able to see you being with us, as well as seeing you in your present

role as our King, our Lord, our mediator between us and the Father.

We pray, our God, that you would also fill our hearts with joy, a joy over

the peace that we have, and also a joy because we know that our Father

receives our prayers and will answer us because of Christ, not because of ourselves.

And so help us, our Lord, to be diligent and faithful.

Help us, our Lord, to be men and women of faith in Jesus Christ, characterized by

joy, regardless of what we may be encountering or enduring.

For we know that this will be a great testimony of light within a dark world.

For we pray these things, Father, in Jesus' name.

Amen.