The Lord Jesus led me to read
John 16 (Select vv. ESV).
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from
falling away.”
What are “these things” Jesus
said to them to keep them from falling away?
Well, first off, He spoke
“these things” during the Passover Feast with his disciples. Jesus knew that
his hour had come when he was to be betrayed by one of his own, and when he
would be handed over to being put to death on a cross. So, he was preparing his
disciples for what was to come, not just in his death, though, but in his
resurrection, and in his ascension back to the Father, and in his sending of
his Holy Spirit to indwell them and to give them comfort, encouragement,
instruction, strength and power to endure.
Just prior to saying these
things here, he had given them instructions on the importance of abiding in
him, and he in them, and of his words abiding in them. He told them that,
unless they abide in him, and he in them, that they could not bear fruit for
God’s eternal kingdom. He also said to them that by bearing much fruit, they
would, thus, prove themselves to be his disciples. He went on to tell them that
they must also abide in his love, and that the way they would do this would be
by keeping (obeying) his commandments. And, he also let them know that, as
fruit bearers, they should expect to be pruned, but if they bore no fruit, that
they would be removed from him.
Then, he told them that, as
his followers, they should expect that the world would hate them, because it
first hated him. He said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you
as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the
world, therefore the world hates you.” And, then he told them that if the world
persecuted him, they would also persecute them. But, who is this “world” he was
speaking of here?
They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the
hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may
remember that I told them to you.”
Who were Jesus’ greatest
persecutors? Who plotted his death and did whatever it took to make certain
that he died on that cross? It was not the Romans (the Gentiles). It was his
own people, some from his own family, and of his same faith, i.e. the Jewish
faith. And, it was the leaders in the temple of God. They were the ones who
hated him and persecuted him and who put him to death on a cross. And, why?
Because he was not like them. Because he stood out as different. Because he
stood on the truth of God’s Word, and he did not make compromises with the
world, and because he did not follow their human traditions and their man-made
hypocritical religion.
So, KNOW THIS! If you follow
the Lord Jesus with all your heart, and you don’t make compromises with the
world, and you stand on what is truth, and you speak against what is false, you
will be treated just like Jesus was treated, and for many of the same reasons.
And, don’t think that it is
going to be the unsaved world who will be the strongest against you, either,
but your fiercest opponents may very well come from within the worldly church,
which has given itself over to the world and to man-made religion in order to
attract the world to its gatherings. And, some of them may kick you out of
their gatherings, or at least invite you to leave and to go someplace else, too.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into
all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he
hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He
will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that
the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and
declare it to you.”
But, we can be comforted, for
we are not alone, nor do we have to fight this battle alone against the enemy
of our souls, who wants nothing but to destroy us. Our God is with us, and he
is in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He will teach us all things we need
to know to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him, and to fight off these
evil attacks against us in the power of the Spirit within us, and by God’s
grace. He will strengthen us to stand strong on his Word no matter how many
people come against us and persecute or reject or hate or mistreat us, and
because we believe and because we teach what God’s Word says.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament,
but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn
into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has
come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish,
for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have
sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one
will take your joy from you.”
Jesus was talking about his
death which was to come, and how his disciples would weep over it, and that
they would be sad at heart, but that the world, which had put him to death,
would rejoice, thinking they had stopped him. And, then he encouraged them, that
though they would be sad, and that they would go through hard times, that the
end result would be worth it all.
Well, he is giving us the
same message. Not that we are now sad over his death, for his death provided us
with salvation, and we now have the Spirit living within us, which is Christ in
us, the hope of glory, but that we will be sad over how the world and even the
worldly church are now treating Jesus Christ, and over how they are treating
his servants, which includes us.
So, even though we are in the
pains of childbirth right now, and we will suffer for the name of Jesus Christ,
and we will bear his stripes in how people persecute us, we can rejoice,
because we know that our present sufferings will be for good in our own lives,
but also will be for the purpose to help strengthen, comfort and encourage the
body of Christ in their sufferings. Through it all, God’s name will be honored
and glorified, and one day this will all be over, and we will be with our Lord
forever.
So, praise his holy name,
that we are considered worthy to suffer for the sake of his name. God will
bring good out of it all. Amen!
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world.”
So, we should not let our
times of tribulation undo us. We should not let them weigh us down or cause us
to fear. But, we should rest in the Lord, rely on his strength and
encouragement, trust in his grace, and seek his guidance in what we are to do
and say each and every day, and in every circumstance we find ourselves in. He
will counsel us in the way that we should go.
But, we should expect
opposition, and be ready at all times with the armor of God in place to fight
off Satan’s lies against us and to put on the truth.
Lord, Move Me
An Original Work / October 16, 2011
Be my desire, my heart set on fire,
Lord, move me to worship You only, I
pray.
Fill with Your Spirit, my heart
overflow.
Lord, may I long for You; Your word to
know.
Teach me to walk with You, Lord, in
Your power,
And may I serve You, Lord, right now in
this hour.
Lord, how I want to obey You forever.
Help me to hear You, Lord, so I will
not stray.
Teach me to love You; adore You always.
Envelope me, Lord, with Your grace
today.
Meet me in my need, and show me Your
mercy.
Forgive me for all things, as I humbly
pray.
Counsel me, lead me, direct me, and
guide me,
So I follow You, Lord, where’er You
lead now.
I love to hear You speak Your words to
me.
I am so grateful that You set me free.
Wash me, and cleanse me, and make me
like You, Lord,
And I will live with You for eternity.
Saturday, December 30, 2017,
8:01 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your Word. Thank you, too,
for how you encourage and strengthen our hearts.
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