Well, good morning. We have been so blessed the past couple of Sundays to have Pastor Kevin bring the word to us to point us to Christ, to his ultimate victory over temptation. Jesus indeed was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, and we were given hope for our own battles with temptation because of Christ, the sufficiency of Christ, the sufficiency of God's Word. This morning we return to our study in the Gospel of John, and we'll finish out chapter 16 today. I invite you to turn there. In this final passage of John 16, Jesus reminds his disciples that they will face tribulation. Life will be difficult. They will suffer. Can any of you relate? Have you ever had trouble in your life? If you didn't answer yes verbally or in your mind, someone needs to nudge you because you weren't awake. Because we all face trouble in life, difficulties, suffering. Jesus says in Matthew 6, not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of its own. You don't even have to go looking for trouble to find it. In our passage this morning, Jesus outlines heavenly provisions that enable us to experience peace as we live our lives in a world full of trouble. If you want to experience this peace that he offers in this world of trouble, you need to know what these heavenly provisions for you are. And we'll find them in this passage, John 16, verses 25 through 33. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. I am leaving the world again and going to the Father. His disciples said, Lo, now you are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that you know all things and have no need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for these glimpses that we're getting into Jesus' teaching to his disciples in this farewell discourse. Glorious truths that you have been giving to us, helping us to understand. And we ask that you would open our understanding this morning. Help us to take these truths to heart, to understand them clearly, to understand these provisions. that have been made for us to have peace in a world of trouble. We thank you for your truth. We cherish it and we pray you would cause it to bear much fruit in our hearts this morning. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus is perhaps a couple of hours away from his arrest. He's reached the conclusion of the teaching portion of his farewell discourse at this point, and he's gonna follow that. Chapter 17 is his prayer that follows that teaching and touches a lot of the same subjects, but it is a prayer. And so he wraps up his discourse to them at the end of 16, his teaching to them. As Jesus concludes his message, his... He outlines provisions again for them, for the disciples, as he returns to his father, and those provisions will enable them to experience peace after he's gone away. You can think about how much concern is coming to their hearts as they recognize that he's going away, and he wants them to be very clear, and he ends on this note for them in this farewell discourse on these provisions. The first heavenly provision for peace in a world of trouble that Jesus speaks of here is clarity about God. We must have clarity about God. Verse 25, these things I have spoken to you in figurative language. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. Now earlier in John 16 verse 12, Jesus had told the disciples, He's not finished disclosing everything to them. There's more to be revealed, but now is not the time. And up to this point, He's spoken to them in ways that have stretched them. He's depicted profound theological realities with pictures to them. to start building that shelving out in their understanding that will later be filled in by the Spirit. Chapter 13, for example, we talk to Peter about the foot washing, use that picture to convey truth about regeneration. That kind of washing, but also with the washing of feet, that ongoing progressive sanctification type of cleansing. He told Peter then, even as he described that to him, that you're not going to understand exactly what's going on right now, but you'll look back later. Things will get connected for you. And then chapter 14, when he spoke about rooms in his father's house prepared for them. They're perplexed. Where are you going? How do we know the way? They're trying to understand what He has described to them, but again, it's gonna become clearer and clearer as time goes on and the Spirit helps them put together how all these things are gonna work out. Chapter 15, the vine, the vine dresser, the branches, the fruit, depicting this glorious concept of union with Christ and communing with Christ. In chapter 16, the woman, in labor depicted how their coming experiences of sorrow would be turned to joy after Christ had died, risen, ascended, and the new covenant blessing of the Spirit had come upon them. Jesus had taught them what they could bear up to this point. But if we look back at verse 25, he says that an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. There is coming an hour where this will change. There will be further clarity to come concerning the Father. This hour He speaks of refers to the time that we learned of in John 16 verse 13. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. And again in verse 15, all things that the Father has are mine, therefore I said that He takes of mine and will disclose it to you. The time is coming when the Spirit will come and He will guide them into all the truth and help them to understand more and more of the glories of Christ, who He is, what He did. We saw that with the pinning of the New Testament, that Jesus' teachings come forth to us in the Gospels, and then we get that further clarity and development of it as we get the Epistles. The Spirit indeed will deliver the many more things that Jesus had to say to them in time. And so Jesus highlights His intent to give further clarity concerning the Father. He promises this coming provision because experiencing peace in a troubled world flows from clarity in our knowledge of God. Who he is in his nature and in his character, A.W. Tozer has asserted that what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. What we understand of God will shape everything about us and our lives. Therefore, having an ever-increasing clarity about God is crucial. The wisdom literature of the Old Testament teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom grows out of knowing God and rightly relating to him as Lord. And so what a glorious promise this is from Jesus that He communicates to His disciples. That greater clarity was yet to come concerning revelation of His Father. This is after all why Jesus came, right? To reveal His Father. John 1.18 No one has seen God at any time, the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father. He has explained Him. That's what Jesus was doing. Jesus was promising that greater clarity was to come for the disciples and their knowledge of God, and their knowledge of how the Father was being revealed in the Son. When we struggle to find peace in the midst of the troubles that we face, one of the fundamental reasons we struggle is we're not thinking clearly about God. We've allowed our circumstances to become huge in our sight. Our vision of God has become small, or he's more out on the periphery in the distance. And the circumstances are front and center for us. Many of the Psalms illustrate this issue. The psalmist begins overwhelmed by circumstances, drowning in circumstances. And he cries out to God in prayer for rescue. He begins to recall the attributes of God and his trust in God is strengthened as he remembers who God is. And by the end, the psalmist is hoping in God and praising God. That's many of the Psalms have this outworking. They get clear again about who God is. When you remember who God is in His goodness, in His sovereignty, in His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His grace, and mercy, and faithfulness, and on and on, His bountiful excellencies. When you remember who God is, it helps you to be at peace, knowing that this God is in control, and that this God is holding on to you. and that he does only what is good. Without clarity about God, you will get tossed about by your troubles. That is why it's so crucial that we meditate in God's Word day and night like Psalm 1 depicts for us, and ask for the illumination of the Spirit to help us understand the Word, to help us grasp more of who God is. We need our minds continually renewed about God, day by day, if we're to have peace within. In the midst of our troubles, when the storms of life are raging about us, we are helped when our hearts are anchored in truth about God. It helps us to weather the storms of life. The first heavenly provision that Jesus promised to his disciples so that they might have peace in a world of trouble was clarity about God. The Spirit has, again, since given that clarity in the New Testament from our perspective, our vantage point. But we are responsible to keep ourselves immersed in the Word, depending on the Spirit's illumination as we study it, so that we can gain the clarity that's already there in the Word. And we can see our God as a rock in the midst of the storm. A second heavenly provision promised by Christ to the disciples that will help them to understand how they can have peace in a world of trouble as he tells them of the provision of fellowship with God. Verse 26. In that day, you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. I am leaving the world again and going to the Father." The words, in that day, are another reference to the hour that Jesus talked about in verse 25. That hour when Jesus will have departed and the Spirit will have come. Not only will they receive more clarity in their understanding about God in that day, but their experience of prayer will also be enhanced. Verse 26, in that day you will ask in my name. Jesus has already made several statements about prayer as we've followed along in this farewell discourse. He's taught them much about prayer in this new era after his departure. Prayer in Jesus' name. And in this final comment about prayer, Jesus really brings out the relational element that's undergirding it. Look back at verse 26, I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf. And then he gives the reason he's saying that in verse 27, for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. Now Jesus is not saying there will be no more need for his mediation. We know 1 Timothy 2.5 says, for there is one God and one mediator, also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. In Hebrews 7.25, He always lives to make intercession for us. So what then is Jesus saying here when He's saying that He won't request for them on their behalf of the Father? He is teaching the disciples about their adoption as sons of God. Christ as our mediator has gained for us the status of us being children of God. He reconciles us to God, and he shares the blessings of his sonship with us, so that when we come in Jesus' name, the Father sees us as his children. Because we are in Christ, and Christ is in us. If you've been born of the Spirit and therefore believe in Christ and consequently love Christ, you bear the marks of one who is loved by the Father. And what's more is He actually loved you before you even came to believe in Him or to love Him. 1 John 4.10 says that we love because He first loved us. I want you to look with me at Ephesians chapter 1. And here, Paul speaks of the Father's love displayed from before the foundation of the world toward us who now believe. Ephesians 1, we'll pick up in verse. Three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. that we would be holy and blameless before him in love he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved Father has set his special electing love upon us before the foundation of the world, and he's predestined us to adoption as sons in his Son. Now look back at John 16 and verse 28. Jesus says, I came forth from the Father and have come into the world, I am leaving the world again and going to the Father. Our Father sent His only begotten Son into the world to take on flesh like ours, in order to accomplish what was needed to bring that adoption to fruition. And then Jesus returned to the Father, and then the Father and the Son sent the Spirit, and I wanna take you to Romans 8, Remember when Jesus talked about this hour that was coming in verse 25 of John 16. Paul is speaking in Romans 8 from the vantage point of that hour or that day already having come. And he says in verses 15 and 16, For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. The triune God has secured for believers a fellowship with God that is so deep that he calls us his children. John is so struck by this glorious display of God's love that he exclaims in 1 John 3 verse 1, see how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God and such we are. What a great love the Father has for us. And it is to our loving Heavenly Father that Jesus says, we may appeal with our requests in his name. And he will receive us as his children. He provides for us what is good. He gives generously and without reproach to his children who ask of him in faith. He's a good father. He's a perfect father. And oh, how He loves us. What a glorious provision Christ has afforded to us who believe as we live in a world full of trouble. He secured for us fellowship with God to such an extent that we're called children of God. So, what are we to do? when we face troubles in this life in light of this provision of fellowship with God, when we're tempted to grow anxious and it seems like peace is slipping away out of our fingers. I want you to turn with me to Philippians 4. Paul speaks of prayer here and its connection to peace as well. Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7. He begins, he says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. I just want to pause there and say, the way to be anxious for nothing is to learn to pray about everything. And we are to do so with thanksgiving as we continue on. It says with thanksgiving. We so easily forget in moments of trouble the multitude of reasons that we have to be thankful for before God. To be thankful for who He is and for all the good that He's done in our lives. It is crucial that we give Him thanks. And continuing on then, let your requests be made known to God. It is from the basis of thankfulness to God that we can make our requests before Him in everything. As we learn to pray about everything, we learn to constantly acknowledge our dependence upon God for everything. And we're reminded over and over as we come to Him in prayer that God is in control of everything. That's why we're going to Him in prayer, because He's in charge. Let me encourage you, when anxious thoughts start to flood your mind, turn those thoughts into prayers to your loving Heavenly Father in Jesus' name. Instead of talking to yourself about them, which is basically what we do when we're mulling it over in our minds and we're worrying about it, we're just talking to ourselves about it. Talk to God about it. Tell it to God. As Peter says, cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you. And what does Paul say will happen when you do this? Verse seven, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. See the connection here between prayer and peace. It's glorious how the word connects and these themes thread throughout. The Father has sent his Son into this world full of trouble so that we could have fellowship with God through faith in his Son, so that we could be called his children, so that we could pray like this in Jesus' name, and so that we could have the peace of God that surpasses our comprehension, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus like we see here. Oh, that we might see our opportunities for prayer more and more in this light. Coming to our God as his dearly loved children and receiving his peace, which surpasses comprehension. Jesus promised the disciples clarity about God. He promised them fellowship with God as provisions by which they would be enabled to experience the peace of God while living in a troubled world. Now looking back at John 16, a third provision that Jesus promises to His disciples as the basis for their peace in a world of trouble is victory in Jesus. Victory in Jesus. Verse 29, His disciples said, Lo, now you are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that you know all things and have no need for anyone to question you. And by this we believe that you came from God. Jesus answered them. Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming and has already come for you to be scattered each to his own home and to leave me alone. And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. Back when we covered verse 19 in John 16, we saw that Jesus had known something the disciples were wanting to question Him about without them having come to Him. He perceived that that was in them. They were no doubt impressed by Jesus' ability to know what they wanted to question Him about. They had determined from this, and from other experiences with Him, that He knows all things. That's what they say here. We know, you know, all things. We believe that. They also confirm what He said about them in verse 27, that they indeed have believed that He came forth from the Father. He's confirming that belief. Now as we know, and as we have seen, as we've been studying in John, the disciples had demonstrated that their faith and their love for Christ was real, but it was weak and it was immature. And yet Christ is so gracious here to confirm your faith, your love is real. It was weak faith, but it was real faith. And when they say, lo, now you are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech, They're talking as though that future hour and day that Jesus has just described to them is happening right then. Oh, it's happening now. We're understanding you more clearly. We're believing these things. It must be upon us right now. What they don't realize is that before that time comes, there's another hour that's coming before that. Verse 31, Jesus answered them, do you now believe, behold, an hour is coming and has already come for you to be scattered, each to his own home and to leave me alone. And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. The time of Jesus's rest is coming quick. And Jesus says that these disciples who are boldly professing belief in him in this moment now are actually going to be scattered from him very soon when the heat is turned up. And he will be left alone. And they will actually fulfill prophecy when they do this. Zechariah 13 verse 7 says that when the shepherd is struck, the sheep will scatter. The disciples were later realized that even this very statement that Jesus makes about what was to come for them is confirming yet again that He knows all things. He knows that that is going to happen to them as well. They'll be able to look back at what He says here and say, just after we said that He knew all things, He told us we would scatter, and that's exactly what we did. His comment about their weak faith here will later serve to strengthen their faith. He tells them that they're going to struggle, that they're going to scatter. And when they look back and see that he called that, that will actually strengthen their faith. Jesus contrasts here the weakness of their faith with the Father's faithfulness. They're gonna scatter, but the Father's gonna be with him, and so he won't be alone, even though all around him had left him. Jesus is teaching his disciples that people may let you down, but your loving Heavenly Father never will. You can count on Him always. He is faithful. Oh, that we might remember this when we're facing our troubles in this world. That our loving Heavenly Father is faithful. He's not left us alone. When our feelings say otherwise, we need to preach this truth to ourselves. Our feelings change, but He never does. Verse 33, these things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. Jesus tells the disciples why he's been speaking these things to them. He wants them to have peace. And they need to understand that it is only in him where they may find peace. He alone. So that in me you may have peace. It says in the world you'll have tribulation. We can recall that Jesus said toward the end of John 15 that the world would hate the disciples because they hated Jesus. And the disciples reflect Jesus. And toward the beginning of John 16, Jesus said the world would eventually kill them just as it had killed their, or would kill their Lord. And when the mob comes shortly for the Lord, the disciples will scatter and eventually their king will be slain. And yet he says, take courage. I have overcome the world. Jesus had made reference to the ruler of this world previously. Look at John 12 verse 31. He says, now judgment is upon this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Things will not go well for the ruler of this world. Jesus is speaking of the devil. Move forward to John 14 and verse 30. And Jesus says, I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in me. Understand that the devil has nothing over him. Jesus will prevail. Jesus will defeat him. And then John 16 verse 11, and concerning judgment, These are the different things that the Spirit would convict the world of concerning judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged. Jesus will prevail over the ruler of this world. He will have victory over him. Paul calls Satan the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air who now works in the sons of disobedience. He rules a wicked world system that currently operates on this earth and it's in rebellion against God. And to the uninformed, it can appear like his system is prevailing in the world. And even to the informed. We can still at times be tempted to feel that way, that the uninformed might feel that this is, he's prevailing. The reality is, something's about to happen that is of cosmic proportions. Something's coming up soon. The reality is that Jesus is going to overcome the world and he speaks about it like it's already happened. I have overcome the world. It's settled in God's eternal plan. It's simply unfolding in time. It is certain. It is sure. He has overcome the world. Genesis 3.15 is going to happen. This has been referred to as the Proto-Evangelion, the first mention of the gospel way back in the beginning. God says to Satan, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. Satan would strike at Jesus' heel in the crucifixion, but Jesus would crush Satan's head. Jesus purchased the pardon of his people on the cross. so that just as the devil had nothing on Jesus, so he has nothing on those whom Christ has died to save. He can accuse all day long, and indeed our sins are many, but Calvary covers it all. So take courage, saints. Jesus has overcome the world. The time is ticking away on the devil's schemes. His incitement of hatred and hostility against Christ's redeemed will not last forever. It is temporary. And God is actually using those very pressures of trouble that we face in this world to conform us to the image of his Son, as our faith is tested and strengthened under that pressure. Perhaps your body is failing you, or perhaps people have betrayed you, or identifying with Christ has cost you in some way. Because Jesus has overcome the world, those who are in Him overcome with Him. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2.14, By Jesus' loving obedience to His Father in the flesh, He's overcome the evil of this world. He's provided victory for His people. This is how Paul could say in 2 Corinthians 4, 8 and 9, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed. The world can harm the body as God permits, but it cannot have your soul, if you're in Christ. Because you've been bought with precious blood. Because Jesus has overcome the world, we can take courage and find true peace in Him. You cannot attain this peace through trying to ease your circumstances. Because trouble will soon come along at some point and expose where you're really at. And expose the false pieces you're leaning upon. You cannot get to that peace through substances. You can't hype yourself up into this kind of peace. You can't psychologize yourself into this peace. Because this peace, Jesus says, is only found in Him. He is the only source. Jesus has promised three provisions for us who believe. that enables us to experience peace in a world full of trouble. The first provision is clarity about God. He has disclosed Himself in His Word, and we gain clarity about Him as we take that Word in and have our minds renewed by it again and again to better understand who God is. This enables us to see our troubles in their proper context under the sovereign control of our good, gracious, merciful, faithful God. Another provision of fellowship with this God. We've been adopted into the family of God and his son, we who believe have become children of God through faith. We have a good father who loves us dearly. We cannot fathom how deep that love is. Because He never changes, that love never changes. It's constant, day after day. We can come to Him with everything, and we should come to Him with everything. Third provision is victory in Jesus. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, Jesus has overcome the world. He has the victory, and so peace is only found in Him, in His victory over sin and death, and His saving work that reconciles sinners to God. This is the note that He lands on at the end of His teaching here in the farewell discourse, that He's overcome the world. That's the punctuation of what He's saying, what will give them peace. His death on the cross will seem to onlookers like defeat. The disciples are going to wonder what's happened. But he knows that this will actually be the means to victory. How glorious, a man of old wisdom of our God. If you've not been reconciled to this God through faith in the person and work of his son, you need to know that apart from Christ, trouble will overcome you. You cannot escape death. You cannot escape the eternal death that is under God's wrath forever that awaits the sons of disobedience. That is the greater, much greater trouble than you can fathom compared to the troubles of this life. One that is forever. But, there is hope for you. Because Jesus declared, come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I can give you peace. If you are weighed down by the weight of the guilt of your sin, Jesus can give rest to your soul. He can lift the burden. He can set you free. But you must confess your utter sinfulness to him. You must recognize that you deserve everlasting punishment for sinning against an infinitely holy God who deserves nothing but worship and praise and honor. You must understand that Jesus paid your debt in full, satisfying the wrath of God against your sin in his death. And by faith you must acknowledge that your only hope of being counted righteous is to have the righteousness of Jesus' perfect life counted to you. There's nothing you do that can commend you to God. The things that we do will bring condemnation to us. It's only by God's grace that we may be saved. As our sins are washed away, the wrath of God was absorbed in Christ, and then his perfect life is counted as though we lived that life that he lived. This is the gospel. It's a glorious, humbling gospel. And if you've not been reconciled to God, let today be the day. Let today be the day of salvation for you. Repent of your sin, trust in Christ. He is mighty to save. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage, saints. Jesus has overcome the world. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for your great love for us, that you intend that we may have peace, and that you have conveyed to us how we can experience this peace in our lives by having clarity about you and understanding the glory of fellowship with you in Christ. and that Christ has gained the victory. He has overcome the world. I pray, Lord, that you would help us to grow in our study of your word, our grasp of you, who you are, your majesty. Help us to grow in our prayer lives, to come to you with everything, our loving Father. And help us, Lord, to live in light of the reality that Jesus has overcome the world. Let that give us great courage and peace. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.