Jesus concludes His message to His disciples with the salvation promise of peace. This is a peace that is found in Christ, it withstands tribulation of the world, and it is grounded in the victory of Christ over the world. This peace is for all who join themselves to Christ and abide in Him.
John 16:28-33, Blessings of Salvation (Part 4): Peace
John 16:23-27, Blessings of Salvation (Part 3): Love and Joy
John 16:23-27, The Blessings of Salvation (Part 2) - Prayer
John 16:23-27, The Blessings of Salvation (Part 1)
Jesus ends His long discourse on the night of His betrayal with the encouragement of three blessings of salvation for His disciples. The first of these is spiritual understanding. Once sin is paid for and the New Covenant established, the spiritual blessings of salvation became a reality for the disciples. They were behind the veil that kept them from the spiritual reality of this salvation. But once atonement was definitely accomplished, spiritual understanding was given to them. What can keep someone from living in the reality of these spiritual blessings when they sincerely believe? In this sermon, we explore what can get in the way of the spiritual understanding that Jesus promised.
John 16:16-22, The Unstealable Joy of Jesus
Jesus speaks of an otherworldly joy that cannot be taken away from us. This is unlike the joy or the happiness common in our world which is a stealable joy, a joy that can be taken away. What is this joy that Jesus speaks of that is unstealable? In this sermon, we explore the meaning of this joy from this text. A joy that is exceeding, redemptive, and secure,
John 16:12-15, All the Truth
Jesus promises the Spirit who will guide His people into all the truth. This is all the truth we need for life and godliness in this, the church age, and it is given to us in the teachings of the apostles in the New Testament. We have this treasure trove of wisdom given to us in the Bible. But Jesus tells us more. The truth given to us for faith and practice comes from the overflow of the goodness of the triune God who forever exists in a community of unity, harmony, communication, and love. The truth we possess in our hands is the product of a heavenly conversation and cooperation.
John 16:10-11, The Conviction of the Holy Spirit: Concerning Righteousness and Judgment
The Holy Spirit’s conviction is not only about sin but also about righteousness of Christ and the judgment of Satan. With each of these additional convictions, the Holy Spirit draws the sinner to faith in Christ and to salvation in His name. It is the grace of God that brings a deep sense of guilt and need in the sight of God. This is how God draws repentant sinners to Christ and saves them from their sins.