gospel as we continue to work our way through this fourth gospel. John chapter 16, we are in the upper room discourse of our Lord Jesus, also known as the farewell discourse. So there is repetition, and I believe the repetition is by design. Repetition fortifies the instruction, and it's very interesting. One of the elements that we'll see this morning is Jesus' emphasis on answer to prayer. So as the disciples will see the world, as it were, collapsing around them in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are nevertheless to be of good cheer, to take heart, and to realize they have access to the throne of grace, to be equipped and empowered for the work that God has called them to. So our focus this morning will be verses 16 to 24 in John 16. I'll begin reading in verse 16 to the end of the chapter. A little while, and you will not see me. And again, a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father. Then some of his disciples said among themselves, what is this that he says to us? A little while, and you will not see me. And again, a little while, and you will see me. and because I go to the Father. They said, therefore, what is this that he says, a little while? We do not know what he is saying. Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask him, and he said to them, are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, a little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me. Most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, The world will rejoice, and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said to him, see now you are speaking plainly and using no figure of speech. Now we are sure that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. By this we believe that you came forth from God. Jesus answered them, do you now believe? Indeed, the hour is coming. Yes, and has now come that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone. And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank you for the Lord's day and this great privilege to gather together in your house with your people and to come to the Father through the Son in the Spirit. We pray for the ministry and the aid of the Spirit even now that you would guide us and lead us into what our Lord is teaching the disciples here. May it be an encouragement to us and may it build us up in our most holy faith. And may you cause us to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation and give us that boldness and courage to stand fast on the truth of the Old and New Testaments, and give us that boldness to set that forth in the midst of opposition, even as these early disciples were charged by the Lord. Forgive us for all sin and all unrighteousness, we pray as well, that the Spirit would bring conviction for sin to any here that are dead in their trespasses and sins. We don't appeal to their free will to make good decisions, but we appeal to the God of absolute unrivaled power and sovereignty to open hearts and to make men willing in the day of your power. Be glorified here, be glorified throughout this nation and to the uttermost parts of the earth as your gospel is preached. May it run swiftly and may it be glorified. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as I said, we are in the upper room discourse. The passage that I read concludes that. So we're in about the second to the last section. I say about because there's a lot of verses and it may take us more than two sermons to complete the chapter. But notice specifically what we have here in verses 16 to 24. Basically, Jesus is highlighting the joy that is associated with his departure. He has not been hesitant to speak of his own death. He has not been hesitant to speak of his own resurrection. The disciples have been somewhat hesitant to get their minds wrapped around that, so I think that repetition, in terms of that emphasis, is necessary for them. But on the heels of having said what the promise of the Spirit will mean for them in terms of verses 12 to 15, the Spirit will guide you into all truth. The Spirit will glorify me, Jesus says. He goes on to highlight the benefit that is associated with his death. Again, it's gotta be a tough one. They love Jesus. They've been with Jesus for three years now. They've also been in this upper room where Jesus has promised them that there's gonna be opposition to them. There's gonna be persecution for them. There's gonna be likely death and exclusion and all those sorts of things. And so it would probably be a difficult thing to relate their current situation with joy. But that's precisely what Jesus does in verses 16 to 24. So we'll look first at the announcement of his departure in verses 16 to 18, and then secondly, the benefit of his departure in verses 19 to 24. So note first in verse 16, he declares this, and then there's confusion about it in verses 17 and 18. But note the declaration in verse 16, "...a little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father." This isn't the first time in John's gospel that we have seen this convention. And essentially, at least chronologically, it means that Jesus is on the brink of going to the cross. Jesus' departure is at hand. If you go back to John 7, where Jesus is disputing with the religious leadership, he mentions this to them as well. In 7.33, then Jesus said to them, I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and not find me, and where I am, you cannot come. And more immediately in the upper room discourse itself, if you look at chapter 13, specifically at verse 33, little children, I shall be with you a little longer. You will seek me. And as I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come." Notice again in verse 36, Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered, where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow afterward. So the little while that Jesus refers to in 1616 is simply his death. his resurrection, his ascension to the right hand of the Father. And I hope to show that in just a moment. Basically, that's what he means. A little while and you will not see me. Why? Because he's going to die. He's going to go into the grave. But then he says, and again, a little while and you will see me again. Why? Because he's gonna be raised the third day by the power of the Father, the Spirit, inseparable operations of God. And then he says, because I go to the Father. So basically in short compass here in verse 16, he comprehends all of the events associated with his coming into the world. Christ came into this world, not simply to be a religious teacher, not simply to be an example for us, but to live for sinners, to die for sinners, and to be raised again for sinners. In other words, what he is highlighting in verse 16 with this little while simply refers to the gospel of our salvation. All of the elements that are necessary, all of the elements that are crucial, death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father. That's the emphasis, and the son emphasizes that. that he is sent by the Father, he'll return to the Father upon the completion of his redemptive work, and he will send the Holy Spirit from that right hand of God Almighty, so that the disciples will always see him again, vis-à-vis through the ministry of the Spirit. Remember in 1418, he promised not to leave them as orphans, but he would come to them again. He comes to them again, yes, in the second coming, when he judges the living and the dead, he comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. So that's what Christ is talking about. I think it corresponds as well to the hour. Remember in John's gospel, in John 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, and again in 17. In fact, you're close to 17. Look at verse one. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hour has come. Glorify your son that your son also may glorify you. That hour is upon him. That's why it's a little while. And that's why he says in a little while, you're not gonna see me. But then after that, you will see me because I go to the father. So he is speaking specifically concerning those events connected with his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Now note their confusion in verse 17. Then some of his disciples said among themselves, what is this that he says to us? A little while and you will not see me. And again, a little while and you will see me. And because I go to the father. Brethren, that's puzzling to us because we know the answer. We know the situation. We've read through scripture. We've heard this preached. If you've been in the church and this particular church in terms of the upper room, you'll have heard it a lot. That's why I stress repetition fortifies instruction. God knows Christ specifically here as a wise teacher knows that we need to get these things drummed into our heads. Now the disciples at this point, we're not tracking. And I think you'll see why as we go through this particular passage, especially understanding what we've seen already in terms of the ministry of the Spirit according to 14, 15, 26, and 27, and then 16 verses 12 to 15. Christ is speaking not of a personal individual sealing of the Holy Spirit upon belief in Jesus. He is talking about the fulfillment of the prophet Joel on the day of Pentecost in the temporal mission of the Holy Spirit to come and to bless the church and to equip the church for her mission to go into the world and make disciples of all the nations. So up until this point, yes, as individual believers, they had the Spirit. But up until this point, they didn't have what they're going to have in Acts 2 in terms of an ability to properly understand what was involved in Christ's first coming. So notice, with reference to their confusion, verse 18, they said, therefore, what is this that he says? A little while, we do not know what he is saying. Now, this isn't simply a limitation by nature. They're finite and God's infinite, so they don't get it. It's not simply a limitation by sin. They've got confusion and they've got darkness and they've got that sort of thing affecting them. I would suggest it's a confusion based on circumstance. With reference to the immediate context, they're still probably thinking about 1518 to 1604, and the fact that unbelieving Jews are going to persecute them. They're going to exclude you from their synagogues. They're going to kill you, and they're going to think that they're doing service to God Almighty. I gotta say, brethren, if I was in that immediate context, that bell would have stayed rung with me. They're also still perplexed about the fact that he is going to depart from them. I'm going to leave you, he says. They have become very fond of him. They love him. They care for him. The thought of him being crucified, the thought of him going before the Sanhedrin and being condemned as a malefactor certainly probably had a lingering effect upon their abilities to interpret things. But as well, it's easier for us on this side of life-death-resurrection and ascension on high and the day of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to understand these things than they themselves were. They just weren't tracking. And we can't blame them for that. We're not letting them have it for that. But Jesus is leading them and preparing them and encouraging them and exhorting them for ministry in this present evil world. So that brings us then to the benefit of his departure in verses 19 to 24. Remember, in John's gospel, in the Bible, the Bible teaches that Jesus is one person with two natures. He is truly man. He is truly God. In theology, we call that the hypostatic union, the union of the two natures in the one person. We don't have two persons. We don't have sort of a conglomerate. We have a beautiful mystery of our Christian faith revealed for us, understood by us, but explainable? No, we're not infinite. We've got some shortcomings when it comes to this, but does the Bible teach it? Yes. We have an evidence of Him acting according to His divinity in verse 19. Now, Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them. So Christ, according to His divinity, knows what their perplexity is. He knows what their confusion is, and He heads it off at the pass. He doesn't say, well, you know, they're gonna figure it out. No, Jesus presses, and he wants to use this question and confusion on their part to give them education or information concerning his part. Notice his declaration then in verse 20. He says, most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. And you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. Now, he notices, or he observes there, the sorrow of the disciples. He gets it. That's what I love about Jesus. He gets it. He was in all points made like us, yet without sin. What's the apostle's implication of that? Therefore, he is able to have compassion upon us. We have omnipotent compassion in our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Jesus doesn't slap his forehead and say, can't believe it guys. How are you not getting this? How are you not picking up what I'm putting down? He doesn't do that. And he doesn't lambast them because they are sorrowful. He understands that. The God of Psalm 103, he knows our frame. He pities us. He knows that we're but dust. This is our blessed Savior, so He recognizes their sorrow. Again, at the first part of verse 20, most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament. The departure of Christ was not via airplane. The departure of Christ was not via train. The departure of Christ was via the cross. The bloodied, brutally battered Savior for sinners dying as a criminal upon that cross. Of course they're gonna weep. Of course they're gonna lament. If they're not connecting the dots at this point, if they're not standing at the foot of the cross concluding that, oh yeah, he's gonna raise again the third day, which there's no evidence that that was true, not that he would raise from the dead, but that they got it, they were not to be found. Even after the resurrection, we see this perplexity and we see this confusion. So the sorrow associated with the death of a friend, the sorrow associated with the death of a master, the sorrow associated with the death of one that you love. Of course, there's gonna be weeping and lamentation when Christ is brutalized by unbelieving Israel and the Roman Empire who endorses that wicked behavior. As well, notice he acknowledges the joy involved for the world. Look at what he says in verse 20. Most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. Now, who's the world? Well, in the context, it's unbelieving Israel. If you look back at 1518, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. And then notice in verse 25, but this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. It was written in their law. And then in 16.2, they will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service. So in context, it would be unbelieving Israel. But by extension, we know it's all sinners. Everybody in opposition to God because of their bent nature, because of their Adamic nature, But why would the world rejoice at the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ? Because they hated him. They absolutely despised him. He came to his own, his own received him not. John prepares us for that in the prologue in John chapter one. What do we find when Jesus is standing before the Sanhedrin? They slap him. These are supposed to be dignified men, rulers of the political and religious aspect of Israel. While subject to the Roman Empire, they were the highest authority within Israel. And they're acting like fiends, slapping the Savior, spitting on the Savior. It's like what we read in Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? They take their stand against Yahweh and against his Christ. Why is that? Because they hate God. And when they see Jesus crucified on the cross, that's gonna cause them great joy. In fact, two passages that we ought to see in relation to this. Go back to Matthew's gospel in Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, a familiar passage, but I don't think we always contemplate why Jesus says what he says. Matthew chapter 11 at verse 16, but to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying, we played the flute for you and you did not dance. We mourn to you and you did not lament. Kind of odd games for children to play, funeral. I don't know that I'd encourage my children or my grandchildren to play funeral, but such as it was, we played the flute for you. You did not dance. That was in the context, perhaps, of a wedding celebration. We mourned you, and you did not lament. But then notice, for John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, look, a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, but wisdom is justified by her children." Why do you think Jesus used that statement? Well, it was true. They were making that claim. Notice, look. Or he says, the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, who's that? The opponents of Jesus. And they say, look, a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Brethren, this wasn't just an intramural religious debate. Oh, he teaches a few things a little bit differently. Go to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 21. Deuteronomy chapter 21. This is what I believe is the background to what Jesus is saying in his statement here. Deuteronomy 21 at verse 18. If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son and will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, this son of ours is notice stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard. Now, against the complaint that, wow, that's severe with reference to your son, he's not talking about a two-year-old that doesn't eat his peas. He's talking about an adult rebel son that's engaged in gluttony and wine-bidding. But note what the remedy for such a case is. We call it the case of the incorrigible son. Verse 21, then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall put away the evil from among you and all Israel shall hear in fear. So in the upper room, when Jesus tells us that his departure will mark sorrow for his disciples, but joy for his haters, absolutely positively, that's the case. People are going to rejoice. They're going to stand at the foot of the cross and mock him. The religious leaders, again, supposed to be exhibiting some sort of dignity and refinement and some sort of class, stand at the base of the cross and mock a suffering man. And they say vile things like, he saved others. Let's see him come down from the cross and save himself. Of course, the world rejoices when Jesus is crucified on the cross. Of course, the world rejoices when what they have sought by way of accusation, he's a winebibber and a glutton, and by way of direct confrontation, John 8 and John 10. How does Jesus' disputes with the religious leaders end in John 8 and John 10? They pick up stones to throw at him. Why? Because he, being a man, made himself equal with God. So if this blasphemous troublemaker is hung upon a Roman cross, the world is going to rejoice in that. Christ acknowledges that, but then notice in verse 20, he says, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. How could that be? Because he'll be raised again the third day. He doesn't stay in the tomb. He is raised by the power of God Almighty. He has fulfilled all of the obligation laid upon Him in the covenant of redemption. He has lived the life. He has died the death. He is raised again. He will ascend on high, victorious and triumphant. Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious. See the man of sorrows now. Christ says to the disciples, you're gonna weep, you're gonna lament when I go into that grave. The world's gonna rejoice when I go into that grave. But when I come out of that grave, your sorrow is gonna be turned into joy. And I think by way of implication, the joy of the world will be turned into sorrow. And all the stuff they tried to do to sideline the Savior in the gospel narratives carry on in the book of Acts with reference to the church of the Lord Jesus as she goes forth to do what Jesus commanded. Do they meet with reception? Are they welcomed into the synagogues? No, that's not it at all. So Jesus underscores what is going to happen in terms of the little while. Note then that Jesus uses an illustration. An illustration is common, that of a woman in labor who gives birth to a son. It's seen in Isaiah 26, it's used in Isaiah 66, it's used in Micah chapter 4. But note the curious language in verse 21. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come. I don't think that's accidental. Christ's hour has come. There is sorrow before the joy. There is cross before the crown. There is hardship and difficulty before eternal blessing. And that's what he's emphasizing with this particular analogy. Now, of course, I don't have to preach this to the ladies in the congregation. And the men who've had children, you know it's sorrowful. Perhaps your wife reminded you of that throughout the ordeal. But what happens after the sorrow of labor? The joy of a baby. I've been around long enough to know that sometimes ladies compare their labor stories. Ladies, if you ever want to rid the room of men, start talking about your labor stories. We'll all go meet somewhere else. I'm just kidding. Please don't blog that. But I've yet to meet the woman who has said it wasn't worth it. It's always worth it. However bad, however hard, however painful, it's always worth it. Why? for joy that a human being has come into the world. See, Jesus assumes something. He assumes that children are a blessing. I know that's not an assumption shared by our fellows in the world, what with abortion and infanticide and all kinds of murder of helpless people, but Jesus assumes it's a creaturely natural function of parents to love their spawn. And so he uses that analogy. It's just like that. Sorrow, travail, hardship, difficulty. Why? Because of the joy that's in view. No woman laments the fact that she went through labor. She might lament that she went through that kind of labor, but not that she went through labor in principle. Why? Because she's holding a baby. She's nursing a baby. She's playing ball with a baby. She's watching her baby drive. She's watching her baby get married. I'm showing my age here, brethren, sorry. She's watching her baby walk down the aisle. The joy that a baby brings. The sorrow was worth it. The sorrow of the cross is worth it. The sorrow of a life as a man of sorrows is worth it. All of that is what Christ is saying to affirm the reality that for the moment, you're gonna have weeping and lamentation. For the moment, it's gonna be a time of distress. For a moment, your enemies are gonna rejoice and they're gonna wave their flags of victory. But know this, the time is coming when that will no longer be the case. So note what he recognizes or affirms rather in verse 22 after the illustration. He recognizes their present sorrow over his departure generally. over his words generally, probably over the fact that they're going to be persecuted generally, but then he confirms his resurrection. Notice in verse 21, I'm sorry, verse 22, therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again. That's the resurrection from the dead. They didn't always get it. In Matthew 16, 17, and 20, Jesus said, I must go to Jerusalem. I must be tried at the hands of wicked men. I must be crucified, and I must be raised again. I mean, after the first announcement in Matthew chapter 16, when Jesus says that, Peter says, may it never be, Lord. God forbid it, Lord. And Jesus rebukes him severely and says, get behind me, Satan. You're not thinking God's thoughts here. You need to think properly concerning the messianic mission. As our brother pointed out, when he comes on the back of that donkey into Jerusalem, that wasn't the expectation. Zechariah prophesied the coming of Messiah in just that fashion. Their prejudice was such against Jesus that they wouldn't see it. They couldn't see it. That's the God-hating world that would rejoice in his crucifixion. But even the disciples had trouble puzzling it all together. So Jesus confirms the resurrection there in verse 22. And then notice, he says, and your heart will rejoice. And then look at this last bit, and your joy, no one will take from you. That's an interesting, beautiful illustration or beautiful statement. The promise is the presence of lasting joy. Look at what he says there. So therefore you now have sorrow, he acknowledges that, but I will see you again, he confirms his resurrection. And he says, your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you. What's one of the benefits associated with the departure of Christ? Lasting joy, lasting joy. Now, brethren, the promise is the presence of lasting joy, not the absence of any suffering. The promise is a promise of lasting joy, not the promise of the absence of any suffering. Jesus is not Benny Hinn. Jesus is not Kenneth Copeland. Jesus is not teaching health, wealth, and prosperity. Jesus is not saying, oh, it's just gonna be constant, nonstop, joy-filled living for you, the way those heretics do. We need to get this. We can both be sorrowful and afflicted in the circumstances that we find ourselves in, and yet have a lasting joy that nobody can strip from us. I know it sounds odd, sounds crazy, but lots of us call it the Christian life. So when Jesus says what Jesus says here, he is not discounting what he has said in 1518 to 1604. He is not saying, oh yeah, I was just kidding. You're going to have such lasting joy. They're going to include you in their synagogues, and they're not going to kill you and think they're doing service to God. We need to get our minds wrapped around this reality. Edward Klink says, the definitive and permanent nature of the disciples' joy is not based upon the absence of any future grief and affliction, but by the placement of all grief and suffering into the larger context of the death and resurrection of Jesus. you're still gonna have problems. In fact, brethren, that's the way Jesus ends the upper room discourse. In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. So the presence of lasting joy does not mean the absence of suffering, affliction, and hardship. As well, the promise is the presence of lasting joy, not success in temporal matters. Have you ever heard anybody invoke Philippians 4.13? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That doesn't mean you're going to grow a foot overnight and be a star NBA player. That doesn't mean you're going to be able to stand in the ring against the latest powerhouse in MMA and best them. Just like when we move down to Jesus' emphasis on asking from God, he mentions it in John 14. He's going to mention it again in John 16. When Christians debate about the nature of the whatever we ask, and some suggest, well, whatever we ask, new cars, new homes, great job promotions, because after all, Jesus says, whatever we ask, when we go to the text like that, it tells us more about us than it does about the text. The whatever we ask-ness, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me-ness does not eliminate the reality that we live in a sin-cursed world that is still in opposition to God Most High and the Christ who's enthroned at his right hand. This again is just reviewing John 15, 18. What's Jesus say? If they hate the master, aren't they gonna hate the servant? So we can't take this reference to lasting joy as to mean no problems. And one other passage in the Old Testament that we should turn to, I apologize to the people that were here Wednesday night, but I think it needs repetition. Numbers 20. Numbers chapter 20. Just trying to clear away the misconception that the promise of lasting joy must always mean present prosperity. No, it doesn't. Now, brethren, I'm not suggesting if your car breaks on the road on the way home today, you can pray, God, grant us wisdom, grant us grace, we need to get another car. I can't run to work, I live 20 miles away. I think we should all be able to get 10 if we had to. There's nothing wrong with asking God. There's everything wrong with expecting God to put a Porsche in your driveway. Expecting God to prosper everything that you do because he said you're gonna have lasting joy. Notice in Numbers chapter 20, specifically at verse two, the people of Israel do what the people of Israel do, they sin. Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered together against Moses and Darren. And as we saw on Wednesday night, that's a necessary element for life is water. that they recognize the problem of no water isn't the problem. It's the means they employ to address the problem. They immediately turn against Moses and Aaron. Verse three, the people contended with Moses and spoke saying, if only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord. That's a reference to Korah and his rebellion and Dathan and his rebellion. We'd rather fire come down out of heaven or the earth open up and swallow us whole. It'd be much better than organ failure and complete shutdown after three days because we don't have water. Again, a sentiment that I quite share. All things being equal, would I rather dehydrate and die because of organ failure and confusion and all the lot that goes with it or quick zap of the fire? The opening up of the ground and me falling in. As long as it's an immediate death, I'll opt for that. But if there's a moment or 10 or 20 that I just don't think I can handle that. But notice what they go on to say in verse four. Why have you, Moses, not God, They're not men and women enough to blame God, but that's who they're blaming. Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness that we and our animals should die here? Moses, you're a killer. You're a murderer. This isn't the first rodeo either. They have done this before up until this point. Notice in verse five, and why have you made us come up out of Egypt, again, that was Yahweh's deliverance, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there any water to drink. The point I tried to point out with that last Wednesday night was that the promised land was the land wherein the promise of milk and honey flowed. Wasn't nothing about the journey getting there. The journey may be rough. The journey's gonna be rough. It's gonna be a whole lot rougher because you compounded every step of the way by your whining, but that's another argument. Same with us. There's a new covenant parallel there. We're promised everlasting joy in the presence of God. I believe we have that down payment now. I believe every blood-bought child of God in this place rejoices in their Lord Jesus Christ, wanting that communion that the triune God blesses his people with. But we've not fully entered into what it will be. When we get to heaven, what does the book of Revelation teach us? There's no sorrow there, there's no pain there, there's no hunger there. I don't think we get that one in North America the way our brothers in Myanmar get that one. Longing for a place where there's no more hunger, where there's no more thirst, and where that chief enemy itself is gone, there's no more death there. That's promise to us in what we call the eschaton or the final stage. There ain't no promise like that for now. There's sorrow. There's death, there's hunger, there's thirst, but even so, guess what they can never strip from us? The lasting joy associated with Christ's life, his death, his resurrection, which means the forgiveness of sins for all those who believe in him and a righteousness given to them by which they may now enter into the presence of God. Christ says in John 10, I came that they might have life, and they might have it abundantly. So the Lord Jesus affirms their sorrow, confirms his resurrection, and then underscores the reality that once you've seen these things, you've been privy to them, and the Spirit has flipped the light on for the full significance to make its impact in your heart, there's going to be lasting joy. How do you do Acts 5.31 if Jesus is lying? Remember Acts 5.31? How's unbelieving Israel deal with the Christian church? Well, they put them in jail. They then scourge the apostles. Again, you know, there's conventions or things or concepts in Scripture that we're just not privy to. I've never seen anybody scourged. I can read about it. I read the gruesome descriptions in history books or in scripture itself. The apostles were scourged, beaten, whipped when they leave there. Do you know what they didn't do? They didn't say, oh, call the lawyer. Get them on the phone immediately. I'm going to sue the government. I'm not saying it's always wrong to call your lawyer and sue the government. But they left there rejoicing, why? Because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. So they deprive them of physical health and strength. They deprive them of liberty. They deprive them, but they really didn't, of the privilege to preach Christ's name crucified. And in that, they rejoice. What about Paul? Barnabas in Acts 16, when they're in the stocks after having been beaten by the Roman rod. What are they doing there at midnight? They're singing songs of praise to God. That's what Jesus is talking about. You're gonna have a lasting joy based on what happened. Life, death, resurrection, ascension on high. That is the buoy in the midst of the troubled seas. That's the anchor to keep you stable. Whatever they do to you, however they treat you, this one thing they can't do. They cannot strip from you faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that you have in Him. That is where your joy lie. And then Jesus goes on, and we'll end this quickly. It is a bit repetitious here in this particular section. Again, I think for fortification. But notice that Jesus encourages them in verses 23 and 24. He encourages them in verses 23 and 24. He encourages them first with the illumination by the Holy Spirit in 23a, and with an invitation to pray in 23b and 24. If you look with me at verse 23, he uses two different words for our word ask. 23a, and in that day, you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father. Two different words, two different things going on. In the first instance, He is telling them what He has already told them. The Spirit, according to 14.26, is gonna teach you about Jesus. The Spirit, according to 15.26 and seven, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Spirit of truth, is gonna teach you. John 16, verses 12 to 15. The spirit of truth is going to guide you into all truth. When Jesus says in 23a, and in that day you will ask me nothing, I think it refers to Pentecost. When Jesus pours the spirit out upon the church, what do we find? We find Peter get up. And we find Peter preach. That sermon in Acts 2 is glorious. It is Christocentric. It is crystal clear. And what's the emphasis? The true humanity of our Lord. the death of our Lord, the resurrection and ascension of our Lord. In other words, the Spirit made these things clear such that they no longer have to ask Him, what's the significance about your life, death and resurrection? It's all been illuminated. Oh, yes. A couple of weeks ago, we baptized and we looked at Acts chapter 9. The apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, knew the Old Testament. He knew it up, down, back, and around. And yet, the vital key to interpret it was lacking. So on that road to Damascus, when Jesus comes and explains, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, The light shone. Paul's humbled. Paul says, I see it now. Everything is yay and amen in our Lord Jesus. That's the experience of the apostles on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit makes clear why Jesus came, why Jesus lived, why Jesus died, and why Jesus rose again. This is the advantage that Jesus speaks of in 16.7. It is to your advantage that I go away, so that the Spirit comes and the Spirit illumines and guides you into all truth. It's kind of like 1 John 2.27, but the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you. Now, this is not suggesting there's no need for training ministers, there's no need for a ministry, there's no need for any sort of seeking God for further acquisition of truth. That's not what it means. It means the events connected with the gospel will become crystal clear to its chief proponents, namely the apostles, who are going to be tasked to go into the world and turn it upside down for the Lord Jesus. So that's what he means there. You're not going to ask me why. Because you're going to know by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that I promised to send for that very reason. And we know from 1616 that the Spirit's task is to glorify Jesus. Well, how does He glorify Jesus? By taking what is Jesus, who takes it from the Father and gives it to the disciples. That's why you're not going to ask. So what Jesus is saying practically is, you've got confusion. I get it. I understand it. But wait a little while and everything will be crystal clear. And then you'll go out and you'll proclaim this glorious gospel to the then known world and the power of God will be manifest. And then he invites them to pray. He invites them, verse 23 and 24. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. Again, the whatever you ask has to be conditioned first and foremost by the context. 14.12 tells us that they are tasked to go do greater works. 1518 to 1604 tells us that they're going to suffer persecution. I doubt they're thinking about new cars. I doubt they're thinking about summer homes. I doubt they're thinking about better fishing boats. They're thinking, how do I navigate and how do I continue to go forward to do these greater works that he has tasked me with, all the while the world is trying to kill me? So that whatever we ask is conditioned by that context. And whatever we ask is always conditioned by the revealed will of God. It isn't God's revealed will for all of us to drive Porsches. I don't even know why I picked Porsche. That's not even, I don't think, a great car anymore, is it? Says the Volkswagen driver. It's an amazing thing. We come to these passages, whatever we ask, whoa! and completely neglect the context, the man to whom the promise is given. Now there is an extension to be sure we can go to God and bring our petitions large or small. We can go to the throne of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that we have his ear. And I think that's the next significant emphasis. Notice, whatever you ask the Father in my name, I think what Jesus is doing here is showing us something of what John does in the prologue. The law was revealed through Moses, but grace and truth has come through our Lord Jesus Christ. There's a covenantal shift, a covenantal transition. Christ fulfills the old covenant as the true Israel of God, and he brings to pass the new covenant. In the New Covenant, we come to the Father through the Son in the Spirit. The Old Covenant, they didn't. Not that the Father, Son, and Spirit are not present in the Old Covenant, but the revelation of the Father, Son, and Spirit comes to full blaze in the New Covenant. So it's like when Jesus teaches that Samaritan woman in John 4, 24, the hour is coming and is now, that the true worshipers of God will worship in spirit and truth. I don't think that means the mind and the heart, the thoughts and the feelings. I think it means God, the spirit, God, the son. You come through the Son to the Father in the Spirit. That's what he's highlighting in terms of their praying now. From here on out, the way that you're to pray is to the Father through the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's underscoring, once again, Trinitarian theology in the upper room discourse. In the last verse, verse 24, until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. That joy may be full. That is what he calls these disciples to pray for in light of the greater works in 1412 and in light of the persecution that is coming to them according to 1518 to 1604. So brethren, hopefully there's something in here for us to be encouraged by. And I would suggest the chief boon of this passage is the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that He comes down from heaven for us men and for our salvation, the fact that He takes on our humanity with all of the essential properties and all the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin, so that He can live for us, die for us, and be raised again for us, that ought to promote joy. We have everything in the Savior. We have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ, according to Paul, in Ephesians 1-3. We have, after the resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, not the absence of affliction, not the absence of trial, not the absence of hardship, but we always have the presence of lasting joy. And we have that Holy Spirit that Christ promises here in the passage to give to us, to teach us, to illumine us, to guide us, primarily in the context for these apostles and their assault, spiritually speaking, of course, on the then known world. But the Spirit is given by Christ so that we're not orphans in this present world. What Jesus encourages the disciples with here is most excellent. Their sorrow would be turned to joy. If you thought at any moment of Psalm 30, you wouldn't have been wrong. For as anger is but for a moment, as favor is for life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. As well, their joy could never be stripped from them. I gotta think that was particularly calculated to encourage them upon advising them of their mistreatment when they go out and they preach and teach. Whatever happens, if you're in a jail cell, your back is opened by the Roman rod or by the Jewish whip. If you're destitute, if you're exiled, look at Paul in 2 Corinthians 11. He suffered. He suffered greatly, but he had that lasting joy. We'll see something of that tonight when we turn to Philippians chapter one. Whether in prison, whether about to die, whether continuing life, what's he say? For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That's what we as God's disciples, Christ's disciples, have. May this passage encourage us, and I want to encourage any and all who are not believers, to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, and you will be saved. That's the promise that God gives. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So please do not tarry, do not resist, but rather look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for our Lord's teaching. Thank you for the gracious instruction that we have here in the upper room discourse, and as well for the theological instruction concerning Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the nature of the living and the true God. We praise you for your goodness and for your mercy. We pray for your continued blessing upon us. We pray for your blessing upon that word as it's preached today, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, please stand