Turn with me to John Chapter 16. John Chapter 16, we'll read the first four verses. John Chapter 16, and I commence reading from the English Standard Version. I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is doing 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 the hour comes, you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you." We'll end our reading there. Most of us would agree that the older you grow, the more it feels as if time moves very fast. And nothing wakes us up to the reality of the brevity of life, so as one is facing death or one when he thinks of just how brief life is. And the brevity of life is a very sobering fact, but it's also one that should cause all of us to ponder, reflect, and ask the question, how have I lived my life? How have I saved my God? Or have I been living my life in reckless living? Are we not in the last week of the last month of 2024? And today is the last Sunday of 2024. And yet it feels like it was yesterday when we were beginning this year. And the brevity of life is a theme that the Bible reflects on. The Bible shows us that the human existence is fleeting. The Bible compares the brevity of life to a sheep in the night or a mist or a weaver's shuttle. And the Bible warns us that people should be prepared to meet God. And that's what the brevity of life is supposed to be. It's supposed to be a warning to all of us and to pause in the midst of all the busy and the demands of your life to pause, ask, and reflect on this sobering fact. Suppose you are driving down the road and you all of a sudden come to a sign or you come upon a sign that is saying danger or warning danger ahead. And if you are driving and you see that sign, You either slow down wanting to ensure that you follow the sign or the warning sign or perhaps you might want to find an alternative route in view of the sign that you've just come across. And these warning signs are to warn us or to alert us about the impending danger or something that is ahead of us. And our text this morning, that we've just read in John chapter 16, verse 1 through to verse 4, the Lord Jesus Christ is warning His disciples. And as He's writing to them, He writes warning them about the danger that was ahead. And as the Lord Jesus Christ gives them this warning, He doesn't do so so that the disciples may find an alternative route or flee, but He gives them this warning so that when these things begin to occur, God's people may know how to live in this sinful world. The Lord Jesus Christ does so, so that we may know how to live in this sinful world. And there are two thoughts that the Lord Jesus Christ highlights in that passage, which must also be for all of us, a lesson for all of us, particularly God's people, that as you live in this sinful world, There's this warning that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us, this danger that is ahead of us, this danger that is inevitable, this danger that will come as a result of you being a child of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ is not doing so, so that you find an alternative route or escape or flee, but that you know how to conduct yourself in this world. And the first thing I want us to see is that Jesus' words protect us from doing the wrong thing. The words of the Lord Jesus Christ protect us from doing the wrong thing. Verse one through to verse three. I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 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 that we would do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me." And so the Lord Jesus Christ gives this warning in advance so that God's children may be protected from doing the wrong things. And this is why the Lord Jesus Christ was giving this warning to His disciples. And as he does so, he highlights a number of things in those verses. The first thing that he highlights as he gives these words, it's ought to protect us from doing the wrong things, is that we have a duty. We have a duty. I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. The Lord Jesus Christ, as He brought this dreadful news about His impending death, and as He warns His disciples about the danger that is ahead of them, the Lord Jesus Christ wants them to know that they have a duty so that they will be protected from doing the wrong things. And in verse 1, he says, he said these things to keep you from falling away. Now, the words used there for falling away in English there is from the Greek word skandalizo. And just from the sound of it, you probably can guess the English word that is gotten from there. It's the word skando. And the Lord Jesus Christ is basically saying that for God's children, when they face danger and they fall away from following Him, that is a scandal. And the reason why He's warning them is that so that they will not fall away. The Lord Jesus Christ is writing to all of God's people here. that as we face danger on account of being the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the things why Christ warns us is that we may not fall away. We must remember that we have a duty to God. We must remember that this is what He warns us about. We must remember that when these things begin to happen, it's because of your faith in your Savior. And as you seek to follow Him, the world will throw all its dangers and its assaults upon you. And the Lord Jesus Christ says, you have a duty. But also, the Lord Jesus Christ said, you will face danger. Danger is inevitable, and this is what verse 2 says, 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. You will face danger. And the Scriptures there are very clear. It's not if, it's when. And the Lord Jesus Christ highlights the danger that will be there. For some, it will be excommunication. They will be put out of the synagogues. And for the Jew to be put out of the synagogue, it was hard providence for them. Because Jewish life revolved around the synagogue. It was a place of worship for them. It was a place of teaching for them. It was a place of educational opportunities for them. And remember the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to Jews. The immediate context was to His disciples who were Jews. And for you as a Jew to be put out of the synagogue was to be disliked by the community. It was to lose relationships. It was cutting off family ties and social ties. And he's saying that you will face danger. You will be excommunicated. As if that is not enough for others, there will be execution. And again, you see in verse 2, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are solemn words. He is saying to His followers, you are going to face terrible persecution. And in fact, those that will be pursuing you, they will think they are offering service to God. And you just need to read the book of Acts, and you'll see how the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were being persecuted by the religious leaders. Stephen was stoned to death. James was beheaded. And this is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ was saying. But also when you read church history, you'll find Christians were being executed because of their faith in Christ, because they refused to recant their faith. They refused to bow down to idols. We all know of William Tyndale. And for Tyndale, He was executed for translating the Bible into English. And his passion, his sole purpose or passion was to translate the Bible into English so that the common people of his country would be able to read God's Word in their language and understand it. and he was met with opposition from religious leaders of the day. He was severely persecuted and eventually he was arrested and bent at the stake. But this was his response when he was about to be bent at the stake. His words were, I never expected anything else. I never expected anything else. And these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, that believers will face danger. And history has shown us that some of the severe persecution has come in the name of God, by religious people, by men who thought they were doing the will of God. They were so convinced that they were offering a service to God. Just think of Saul of Tarsus. prior to his conversion, how he persecuted Christians, convinced that he was pleasing God. Now, obviously, you wonder, how could a person so deceive themselves that by eliminating our Christians, they are doing a service to God? You're probably asking yourself, Christianity has done nothing but help the world and point people to Christ, wanting people to turn away from a life of sin. And that's the next thing that the Lord Jesus Christ deals with in verse 3 there. It's because you are facing the kingdom of darkness. You are dealing with the kingdom of darkness. And in verse 3, the Bible says, and they will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. That's the reason why. But as you face this persecution, this danger, the reason is that those who are religious, who are persecuting true believers, is because they've not known the Father, they've not known the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture highlights for us in that verse that anyone who does not know the Father, nor the sun is living in darkness. That's the reason why, that when light and darkness come together, the darkness would want to overshadow, overtake the light. They have not come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ given to us by the Father, by the work of God the Holy Spirit. D.A. Carson in his Gospel to John writes, nowhere is the world's hatred more clearly set forth than in many people who judge themselves to be liberal but who are most intolerant when it comes to Christians' absolutes. They demonstrate their forbearance and blood-hearted goodness when they confront diverse opinions, varied lifestyles, and even idiotic practices. But if some Christian claims that Christianity is exclusive, has Jesus insisted, or that moral absolutes exists, because they are grounded in the character of God, as the Bible teaches, or that there is a hell to be shunned, as well as a heaven to be gained. The most unrestrained language is used on such claims, even from those who are within the church. And as the Lord Jesus Christ He's writing to us as we come to the end of this year, as we look forward to the year that is coming. These words of the Lord Jesus Christ are to protect us from doing what is wrong. And this is why the Lord Jesus Christ gives them beforehand to His disciples. And as we read the Scriptures, to all through the ages who are God's followers. that when these things begin to happen, when danger comes upon you, when persecutions come upon you, remember the words of your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and let His words protect you from falling away. Let His words be your guide. Let His words guide you. Let His words that He spoke be with you as you save him, even in the years to come. His words are there to protect us, to protect us from doing that which is wrong. And this is a warning sign that he puts before us this morning. So we've seen that the words of Jesus Christ are there to protect us. But also Jesus' warning serves a second purpose. It's that His words prompt us to do the right thing. His words prompt us to do the right thing. Verse 4, but I have said these things to you. that when their hour comes, you may remember that I taught them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you." We've seen that His words are there to protect us, but secondly, His words are there to prompt us to do the right thing. And the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't want us to be confused about His instruction. He's very clear. He's very concise. When it comes to living in this sinful world as God's people, we must remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. And verse 4 says, but I have said these things to you. And notice the repetition. in those verses. In verse 1 and verse 4, twice the Lord Jesus Christ says, I have said these things to you. You see that in the beginning of verse 1? I have said all these things to you. Verse four, but I have said these things to you. And again in verse one and verse four, the Lord Jesus Christ gives the reasons why he said these things to us. I have said these things in verse one to keep you from falling away. Verse four, but I have said these things to you that when the hour comes, you may remember that I told them to you." And the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, when the hostility of the world begins to show forth in your life, it is not a time for you to flee away or to begin to think of plan B. It's a time for you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you are ridiculed, excommunicated, and even killed, remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the time comes, you must remember what the Lord Jesus Christ said. And perhaps you are asking yourself, but what good will it be for me to remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when I'm facing persecution or when danger is looming? There's impending danger. How will that give me security? Security will be in the fact that you are a genuine child of God. That's why you are being persecuted, because you belong to your God. You've been living for your God. And it also gives you an opportunity to remember the words of your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. that this is exactly what He predicted. This is exactly what He said. These are the various things that He said will be happening to those who are His as they live in this world. You must remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must remember the teachings of Christ, everything recorded for us in the Scriptures. As the world begins to throw its venom at you, remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you must not just remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as you see, but I'll say these things to you. But you must also remember what is done for us. We must remember what Christ did. The Lord Jesus Christ had been announcing to His disciples that He would be leaving them, He would be going back to His Father, and He has been giving them information, and yet the disciples were not fully aware or they could not comprehend the danger that they would face. He taught them in the Sermon on the Mount that they will be persecuted. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. But now here, He begins to spell out in details that which will happen to them, the danger that awaits them. And as He does so, He waited just before He was finally executed, finally crucified, and He begins to unfold His heart, and He begins to let them know that following Him will cost them, but there is greater reward that awaits them. And He says to them, I did not tell you all these things. Why? Because I was with you. That's the reason He waited. He was always with them. And as long as He was with them, the venom of the enemy was directed at Him. And now, He will be no more. He will be going back to the Father. He will not be physically present with them. The venom of the enemy will now be targeted at them, the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not with them anymore, but He wants them to remember not just what He said, but what He did. And if they're going to live in a right way in this sinful world, in the enemy territory, they needed to remember His words. They needed to remember what Christ had done. He came into this world for a mission. He came and did a work. And Christ did what you could not do for yourself, to live a perfect, holy, righteous life before God. And when the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, He lived a life that you could not live. He paid the penalty for your sin. He died the death that you deserve. And now that he He's in heaven with His Father. He's given His Holy Spirit to those who've come to believe in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. And this was the work He came to do. And as you face the danger, as you face the hostility, the hatred of the world, remember the words of Christ. These things will happen. But also remember what He's done for you. He died for your sins. He saved you from your sins. And He's not forgotten you. He's not forsaken you. And He wants you to constantly remember His works, the work of salvation, which is yours, accomplished for you. But also, He's coming again. He's coming again. and he was consoling his disciples with these words. Verse five, he said, but now I'm going to him who sent me, and none of you ask me where are you going. Verse 16 of John chapter 16, a little while and you'll see me no longer. And again, a little while and you'll see me. Verse 22, 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." And that's the consolation the Lord Jesus Christ gave to His disciples and is giving to us, that when we think about what He said, what He did, we must not forget His coming again. and the suffering, the danger that will go through on account of His name, His temporal, it's for a moment. And once that is done, Christ will return. The suffering and the danger, the hatred of the world will not prolong, will not be forever. It will be for a moment, for a brief while. And this suffering will be temporal. And as you must remember as you go through the hatred of the world on account of your devotion, of your salvation, of your loyalty to your God, that what I'm going through is but for a little while. And when He comes, there will be this joy that will fill my heart. And no one will take that joy away from me. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ gave these words, because His words prompt us to do the right thing. And so we must pause this morning. Look at this year that is almost coming to an end. How have you saved your God? How have you represented your God in this sinful world? Has your life been a trophy of God's amazing grace, drawing people to Christ because of your conduct? Or are you looking forward to the coming year and simply to mellow into the new year and continue to live your life as if you've not experienced the grace of God in your life? You need to ponder and ask yourself once again, how have I lived my life for God? or to use the words of the hymn that we sang at the beginning, another year is dawning, but a year to point people to Christ. A year of service. Dear Lord, let it be. The Lord Jesus Christ gives us these words so that you are prompted to do what is right. to know that He prophesied these things 2,000 years ago. He said, these things will happen to you on account of My name. And so, don't be surprised as God's people. when you face hostility and hatred from the world. They do not know the Father. They do not know the Son. And because the Son is not physically present, their hatred is directed at you because you remind them, you point them to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He believed and taught. And His words, are a warning sign to all of us as God's people to conduct ourselves in this sinful world in a manner worthy of our God. As I draw to a close, when Those of you who are parents, when do you tell a child that he or she is going to get an injection? There are probably just two basic approaches. One is the surprise technique. where you don't give them a clue of what's going to happen until they see the doctor as he pulls that needle and puts it into them. Or the other is to tell them ahead of time. Maybe the morning they're going to get an injection. You should tell them perhaps a month or weeks. They might develop anxiety. but you tell them, maybe just before leaving home, that you are going to the doctors, and this is what they'll do to you. And this is exactly what, or something similar, what we are seeing in this passage. On the final night, before his crucifixion, with his disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ warned them about the pain that they will go through an account of His name. And He taught them so that they will not do the wrong thing and do the right thing as they live in this world. And this is something that we need to constantly remind ourselves as God's people. We have God's Word to remind us of the danger that is ahead of us, the danger that is inevitable. The Christian life demands everything about us. It will cost us our lives. But there are greater joys and rewards in saving God. There is nothing I would rather do than save my God who saved me from my sins. And while still on this earth, he whispers every day that I'm his and he is mine. There are greater joys, brethren. The rewards are eternal. The danger is inevitable. But the rewards are eternal. They are greater joys. If you want to be a Christian, it will not cost you anything to be saved. Christ has paid for it. But living a Christian life in this sinful world will cost you everything. The danger is inevitable. The joys are great. The rewards are eternal. We need to take heart that even in the midst of this danger, our God is still by our side, watching over us, guiding us, and leading us on. or to use the words of the hymn writer, living below in this old sinful world, hardly a comfort can afford. Striving alone to face temptation so, where could I go but to the Lord? Neighbors are kind and I love them, everyone. We get along in sweet accord. But when my soul needs manna from above, where could I go but to the Lord? Therein is our hope. Therein is our joy. Therein is our assurance that we are God's children, and let the world throw what they will at us. He will be by our side. He will guide us. He will lead us. And most of us can look back at this year and can say, if it had not been the Lord, we would have perished. And as we look forward to next year, with all its joys and griefs, God will be by my side. And therefore, I will save him, I will follow him, I will let him be my guide. Focusing on his return, but joyfully saving him. Therein is our hope. Therein is our joy as God's people. But let me end with an appeal to you who's here this morning, and you know nothing of God's amazing grace. This world will continue to deceive you. It will continue to drag you. It will continue to cause you to think that serving God has no greater joys. Oh, dear friends, I ask you this morning, When you think of the brevity of life, what is it that comes to your mind? Are you ready to meet your God today? And what madness is it to set your heart on this world, which is like a great hotel where we spend two days and tomorrow we are gone. How will you meet your maker? What is it that you present before Him? Let not this year come to an end with you continuously wallowing in sin. Let not the next year begin with you wallowing in sin. Come to Christ today and you will experience this joy that not even the world can get from you. Lasting joy. Eternal rewards are only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you too can experience this joy if you come to Him today. Amen.