The Lord is Present

April 4, 2010

Lesson: John 16:16–24

Key Verse: John 16:16

Introduction

When we read Romans 8:35–39—of which spoke Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, “there is nothing greater or more wonderful in the whole of Scripture”—we see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in his eternal presence and preserving our souls. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rev. Lloyd-Jones spoke of the wonder of this Gospel preaching: “There is nothing new to say in a pulpit every Sunday; it is always the gospel. Some people seem to be surprised at that; people come to me sometimes and say ‘Wonderful! The old message; quite simple.’ What else did they expect, I wonder? How people betray themselves by the remarks they make to preachers at the close of services! The Apostle cannot add to what he has just been saying; when you have already said everything, there is nothing to do but to repeat yourself. But listen to what is being repeated! ‘For” – he is summing up, placing before us once and forever, giving us a magnificent and glorious statement which should be riveted in our minds, and hearts, so that whatever may happen to us it is always there; and it is always more than enough, and always makes us ‘more than conquerors’.”

The victory of the Cross of Calvary and glory of Christ’s resurrection reveal the glory of the promise of our Lord: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27–30). Our Lord spoke of the future of his relationship with those for whom he ransomed their souls by his death as that which is already accomplished. The truth of our eternal blessings is surer than any assurance man can give. No man, even we, can escape the power of our Lord to keep and preserve us unto eternal life: “The perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 17. 2).

Turning Sorrow into Joy—John 16:16–20

The Lord does not leave his disciples comfortless, for they do not know of their own what the future holds. For we face each day’s joys and sorrows, resting upon the presence and promises of the Lord. Christ speaks to his disciples, as their souls would soon wrestle with the death of their Master: “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.” The disciples had grown to love their Teacher as they were with him for three years. They would soon be deprived of his presence, yet still in need of knowing that he would be near. Christ would go to the Father for a little while, but soon would return, in his resurrection, that they might see him alive: Christ “promises what will, compensate them for his absence, and he even testifies that he will quickly be restored to them, after he has been removed, but in another manner, that is by the presence of the Holy Spirit” (J. Calvin). The reason Christ gives to his disciples for leaving them, is “Because I go to the Father.” The Son returns to the Father who sent him, to be our salvation, obtaining the victory for us of sin and of death. As Jesus said: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:37–40). Thus Christ Jesus affirms in his death and resurrection that our resurrection is confirmed. He repeats this confirmation that his disciples may have the assurance of his presence: “a little while, and ye shall see me.”

Jesus knew the questions that were on the hearts and minds of his disciples when he asked of them, “Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said. A little while and ye shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall see me?” Then Jesus gives them this view of how they will feel when he does leave for a little while: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice, and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” The world today rejoices in their desires to remove the Book and the Name of the Lord from the marked places, the courts of government, and the halls of education. However their joy will only be for a little while, and their sorrows will not be abated; while the Child of God will have a joy everlasting. John Calvin relates our joy to the life we receive of the Holy Spirit, that Christ “means the joy which they felt after having received the Spirit; not that they were afterwards free from all sorrow, 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, that they endured base reproaches, 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.” So great is our joy in the afflictions and sorrows we endure as children of God.

Discussion: What is the hope we receive from our Lord that reveals our spiritual joy?

The Fullness of Joy—John 16:21–24

Christ compares the joy of which he speaks to that of a woman when she is in labor: “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” Calvin relates such a joy that follows the time of anguish to that of the Gospel: “Christ means that the sorrow which they shall endure for the sake of the Gospel will be profitable. Indeed, the result of all griefs cannot be otherwise than unfavorable, unless when they are blessed in Christ. The cross of Christ always contains in itself the victory.”

Our lives as Christians always contain sorrow, which at some time will be dispersed by the joy which is ours in Christ Jesus. Jesus said to his disciples, “And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” The joy we have in Christ is not dependent upon the circumstance or man, but is that of indwelling Spirit of God. The true nature of joy is found in Christ alone; a joy which is part of the new nature given us by the Spirit. The apostle Peter reminds us that no matter the scope of the persecution or sorrow, the joy of Christ abides in us: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (4:12–13).

Discussion: How does the joy of Christ enable you to find victory in affliction?

Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2010 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.