Another Helper

I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you. But now I'm going to him who sent me. And none of you asked me, where are you going? But because I've said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

So for the better part of three and a half years, Jesus had spent his waking moments with his disciples, teaching them, walking with them, conversing with them, praying with them, doing what we evangelicals might call life on life. So in John 16, four, Jesus says, I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you. These things in this passage refer to what Jesus had just said in John 14 and 15, as well as his predictive word in 16.4, that they would suffer, that they would be expelled from the synagogue, that they would be killed. And because Jesus is such a careful and patient teacher, he knows what to teach his disciples when. And so with his departure imminent, It was time for Jesus to drive home his point. He is to return to him who sent me. Now was time for Jesus to declare and deliver the difficult message that he was returning to the father. It was time for him to go. Now, what does it mean that Jesus is returning to the father? Well, it's what theologians call the ascension. the king was going back to his throne. The son of God took on flesh, dwelt among us, obeyed his heavenly father, died on the cross, rose again, and now ascended and returned back to his father to present his sacrifice. And in response to this, rather than rejoicing that the Savior, the Messiah, had completed his work, The disciples were confused. They were saddened. In 16.5, Jesus asked them, why aren't you asking where are you going? Now, this is not to say that Jesus didn't know the answer. He certainly did. But what Jesus was trying to get at is how his disciples were processing what he's been saying. And they clearly weren't getting it. Why? Because the text says,

their hearts were filled with sorrow.

So to clarify and to help the disciples understand his departure and suffering and their suffering, Jesus says,

it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

The surprising news of this discourse is, as one pastor puts it,

it's better to have the Spirit inside you than it is to have Jesus beside you.

Now, you might be asking, why is that an advantage? Why not have both? Why not have Jesus and the Spirit? Why does one need to go in order for the other to come? Well, I think there's three main reasons for this. Number one is internal to God. Within God, there is an order. There's a Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And within God, there is three persons and one God. And so it's fitting that if there is an order within God, that his works outside of him reflect that pattern. And so it must be that the Spirit comes after the Son. A simple way to put this is divine missions reflect divine processions. Now to be clear, there's not a hierarchy in God. The Father's not greater than the Son, and the Father and the Son are together not greater than the Spirit. one God, three persons, all equal in power and glory and honor and might and all deserving of the worship of the one true God. The good news for you guys is that Pastor Keith has a PhD in systematic theology. So any questions that arise from this sermon, he will happily answer those, I'm sure. So don't email me after the service, email him. So that's point number one, internal to God. Number two, Old Testament prophecies. There are several passages, including Ezekiel 36, which was read this morning, that foresee a time when in the future God will pour out his Holy Spirit. We see that in Joel chapter two, fulfilled in Acts chapter two. We see that in the new covenant promises regarding a heart of stone for a heart of flesh. We see the spirit coming to dwell within us. And it's when the spirit comes that the new kingdom, the kingdom of God is inaugurated. So there is an Old Testament prediction that the spirit would come in the latter days. And it's not just the prophets. We see this in the Psalms. Psalm 68 foresees a Davidic triumph where the captors are led. and gifts are given. And it's this passage that Paul interprets in Ephesians four as the time when Christ would give gifts to men. And yes, he says those are pastors and teachers and elders and shepherds, but behind all of that is the Holy Spirit himself. The one spirit, the one Lord, the one faith and the one baptism. The spirit is the one spirit. And lastly, In order for the Spirit to come, Jesus must complete all of his work. Jesus must sit down at the right hand of God the Father, as Hebrews chapter one so clearly states. So, Jesus in his work as Messiah secures the blessing of the Holy Spirit for his people. And he doesn't just keep it, he pours it out on his people after he has sat down at the right hand of God. We see this pattern in Acts 1 when Jesus ascends, and who comes in Acts 2? The Holy Spirit. And it's important to remember that this is not an exchange from a greater to a lesser. This is not a delegation of authority to a subordinate. This is not like when King Caspian set sail on the Dawn Treader to the east end of the world and he leaves Trumpkin, his favorite talking dwelf, in his stead. No, these are equals. Jesus is going to the Father so that he and the Father may dwell more fully by his Spirit. Put another way, God was returning to God in order that God may come and work in his people. And what is that work? Well, take a look with me at verse eight. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Jesus looks at each of these in turn, sin, righteousness, and judgment, and explains the basis for them. For the first, for sin. The basis is unbelief. This is what he says. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. So why is unbelief so bad? Well, if you're here and you're not a Christian, or maybe you don't believe in Jesus, Well, the Bible says that unbelief is sin. There is a God who made you. He's made you in his image. He has made you for his glory and he has purposes for your life. This God is good. He is wise. He is loving. He is righteous. And the problem is we're not. We have disobeyed God and his laws. Just as Adam and Eve in the garden disbelieved the good promises and commands of God, so have we. They sinned and we have sinned. And the Bible calls this unbelief. And the just wages and desserts of unbelief are judgment. This holy God is righteous and he will judge every sin. Now the good news is that Jesus came. He is the one who by his death on the cross and by his resurrection took full atonement for the wrath of God. He was a substitute for all those whose lives were marked by unbelief, so that all who turn from their sin, turn from their unbelief, and look upon him in saving faith, he will grant eternal life. So why is sin, why is unbelief so bad? Well, as Augustine puts it, he says,

this sin, unbelief, as though it is the only one, he puts before the rest. Because when this one remains, the rest are retained. And when this is gone, the rest are forgiven.

So repent of your unbelief and have the rest of your sins forgiven today. That is the good news. So for the Christian, where are you tempted to unbelief today? Is it your future? Is it your child's salvation? Is it your health? Is it your finances? Is it a sin struggle? Just know God is good. If he has sent Christ, he can deal with our sin today. So what does all this have to do with suffering? What is the good news of the gospel, the good news of the coming of the Holy Spirit have to do with suffering? Well, Jesus, knowing the end of his disciples, that they would be persecuted and they would be put to death, wanted to assure them that their work would not be in vain. If he was going to commission them for the preaching of the gospel, he wanted to assure them that it would work. The disciples needed assurance that they would be successful in their mission. And yet it was not only the internal work of the Spirit, or excuse me, the external work of the Spirit convicting the world. It would be the internal work of the Spirit in the disciples that would assure that the gospel work would go forth. Listen to verse 12 through 15.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he speaks, he will speak to you, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

So here we notice several aspects of the Holy Spirit's work. Number one, he will be a teacher.

Whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you the things that are to come.

There is knowledge that the disciples do not have. that the Holy Spirit will instruct them in. Number two, he will be a guide. Verse 13, he will guide you into all the truth. As the spirit of truth, he knows the truth. The disciples need to understand who God is and what God has called them to. Because he is the truth, he knows how to lead us in the truth. Number three, he will be a spotlight. He says here,

he will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

So the work of the Holy Spirit is to magnify Jesus Christ. The heart of the gospel is Christ and him crucified for the glory of the triune God. And that's what the Holy Spirit would do in his disciples. So as the disciples contemplated life without their teacher, Jesus was preparing them and predicting to them that another teacher would come. And the ironic part about this is that Jesus was never really leaving them. He was only changing the way he was going to dwell among them. He was not departing from them. He was leaving them according to his physical body. So I wonder, what hard loss have you experienced in this life where you thought that the pain of loss would be too much for God to turn to gain? That seems to be what the disciples were struggling with here. How, Jesus, can you leave me? How can we live without you? The answer is that he was still gonna be with them. And this is one of the great mysteries of the Trinity, that whenever we have one, we have three. And whenever we possess three, we truly have one. So dear saints, remember that while you can't see Jesus now, he has not left you. He is with his church to the end of the age. So no matter what you're struggling with, there is one who sticks closer than a brother, and he dwells within you by faith. So that's trait number one, and that's also my longest point. I don't have three this long. Trait number two, joy for our sorrow. John 16, verses 16 to 24.

A little while and you will see me no longer. And again, a little while and you will see me. So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he says to us? A little while and you will not see me? And again, and a little while and you will see me? And because I'm going to the Father, So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while? We do not know what he is talking about. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him. So he said to them, is this what you're asking yourselves? What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me? And again, a little while and you will see me? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. And when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you. In that day, "'You will ask nothing of me. "'Truly, truly, I say to you, "'whatever you ask of the Father in my name, "'He will give it to you. "'Until now you've asked nothing in my name, "'ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.'"

Have you ever been confused? I mean really confused. Not the sort of confusion where someone is speaking a different language to you and you have no expectation of understanding. I mean when someone is speaking the language you understand, you understand the words, but the meaning and the purpose and the context just don't make sense. That's often more confusing. When you think you should get something and you don't. Well, that's what the disciples are experiencing here. Jesus had been teaching his disciples for three years. He had been showing them miracles. He'd been explaining parables to them. He'd been instructing them in the Hebrew scriptures. In fact, even in this chapter, for the previous two and a half chapters, he'd been telling the disciples about his person, about his mission, and about his departure. And yet the disciples are still confused. In verse 16, Jesus says,

a little while and you will see me no longer. And again, a little while and you will see me.

And their response and their confusion echoes what Peter, how Peter responded in chapter 16 of Matthew's gospel. Jesus says, he says,

I will suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. And the third day be raised.

And Peter, who's so ever confident and zealous to go first, corrects our Lord and says, Jesus, how can you say that? He pulls him aside and rebukes him. Now Jesus, in the infamous, he says,

get behind me, Satan.

Jesus flips the script. Well, in John 16, likewise, we see confusion of the disciples surrounding the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. And that's what Jesus means when he says, in a little while, they will not see him because he'll be buried. He'll be dead. But in a little while, they will see him. because he will be resurrected and he will meet them again in person. In 1620, Jesus says, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. The weeping and lamentation of the disciples stems from the fact that Jesus will have died and their hopes would be seemingly dashed. And the world, it will rejoice. because they will think they have thwarted God's plan. But we know that that answer is not correct. We know that they cannot thwart God's plan, which is why Jesus seems to echo Psalm 30 verse five, which he says,

weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

And that morning, that joy would be Easter morning. It would be the morning of the resurrection by which those disciples who were saddened by the loss would be confronted with the reality of the resurrection. I don't know about you, but if you are anything like us, you've had sorrows and trials in your life. Whether that's a persistent battle with anxiety for me or ongoing seizures, or the death, the early death of my wife's sister and my nephew, we have seen time and time again sorrow after sorrow. It feels like you're at the beach, the waves just keep coming and they only seem to get a little bit stronger. I do wonder what troubles and sorrows you're carrying with you this morning. Perhaps it's the death of a loved one. Or a devastating medical diagnosis. Perhaps a friend moved away that you really loved and cared for. Or maybe a family member who is straying from the Lord Jesus Christ and that breaks your heart. Well, I want to assure you this morning, Jefferson Park Baptist Church, that there's no depth or duration of sorrow that our mighty Jesus can't turn to everlasting joy. There's nothing that you experience in this life that Jesus will not fix in the next. The resurrection assures us of that. And how can we be so confident that he'll do that for us? Well, it's because he did it for the disciples. Did you notice in verse 22, the future tense of these verbs?

I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

We're so blessed that we have the fulfillment of these promises in John chapter 20. Jesus says here,

on the evening of that day, the first day of the week,

Easter morning,

The doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Christ did this for his disciples then, he'll do it for his disciples now. So brothers and sisters, is your life marked by this indescribable, indestructible joy? As we seek to fulfill the great commission, right, which is right up there, right? As we seek to fulfill the great commission, essential to that is the notion of joy, a distinctly Christian joy. a joy that goes beyond the grave, that goes beyond present trials, that goes all the way up to God the Father in the Son through the Spirit. It's that our efforts and labors will be not in vain, but will be fruitful. And Jesus himself understood that. Hebrews chapter 12 verse one that says, a primary motivation for Jesus' endurance in his mission was that he had joy set before him. Jesus himself knew the power of joy for endurance. And so what does he do? He gives it to his disciples. He promises joy to his disciples. And so in exchanging sorrow for joy, Jesus promised an inward transformation for his disciples, that sorrow would be gone, not entirely, but that joy would triumph. And Jesus being so gracious, he not only offers us two trades, but he also gives us a gift. And our final point is the gift of peace in tribulation. In this final section, we see just before his high priestly prayer, Jesus returns to the idea of peace. In John 14, 27, Jesus says,

peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.

Consistent with previous sections, John 16, 25 to 33 is forward-looking. In this verse, we see several future-looking verbs. Jesus says here,

the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly.

Verse 26,

in that day, you will ask in my name. I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

He says here, right here,

yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.

Scattered throughout this portion of scripture are future-looking verbs. The point, though, is that in Jesus you will have peace. How can we be assured of that? I want us to consider two things, the love of God the Father, and the certain victory of Jesus Christ. In verse 32, Jesus says, the disciples will each be scattered, each to his own home. Essentially, they will abandon him. In his hour of need, his disciples will leave him. They're not good friends. They will leave him alone. And yet Jesus, so merciful, does not despise them for their future unfaithfulness. In fact, he does the opposite. He assures them of the love of God the Father. He says here in 26, he says,

in that day, you will ask in my name, I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you.

Now, he's not saying that you can go around the second person of the Trinity for some sort of paternal filial detour. You can't circumvent the son to get to the father. No, what Jesus is saying is that the Father personally loves the disciples. He personally loves them. It's not we can't love him independently of Jesus, but that we love him through Jesus. So Jesus is not so much in his mission, securing God's love for us, as much as he's demonstrating the love of God the Father for us. I don't know if you've noticed this, but when children really want something, really want something and they know their parents don't want them to have it, they often go straight to the grandparents. They completely circumvent the parents and call up their Grammy or their pop-up and they ask, hey, I really want this. And the Grammy and the pop-up often know that the parents don't want their kids to have this. And so then they just send it anyways. Why is that? Why do grandkids feel so free to ask their grandparents for something they know their parents don't want them to have? And why do grandparents feel so free to give whatever gift they know is probably parentally prohibited? It's because they love them. Grandparents love their grandkids. In much the same way, God the Father loves his children. The difference is in Jesus, we don't go around him to the father, like grandkids to the grandparents. We go through him to the father to receive all the bountiful gospel blessings that Jesus has secured for us. So Christian, delight that you can go straight to God the father, unencumbered, unburdened, with no obstacles, access badges, or key fobs, you can go straight to God the Father and enjoy all the privileges and blessings because of His Son. Now, what does all this have to do? How can we have such confidence? Well, as Jesus says in 1633,

take heart, I have overcome the world.

Our confidence in the love of God is rooted in the overcoming of the world by Jesus. And what's so striking about this is that this is a past tense verb. Jesus had not yet died and he had not yet risen. And he can say with confidence that I have overcome the world. the certain words of Jesus are just as certain as his actions. So Jesus can say, I will die, I will rise again, and because that is a certain victory, you can have peace now. And how much truer is that for us when we're on the other side of the resurrection? There is no future looking aspect to his resurrection. He has come. He has died, he has risen. And so we know with certainty that when he says we will one day be raised with him, that that's gonna be true as well. Now the question is, where do we find that peace? Verse 32, or 33, that in me you may have peace. So Christian, in your suffering, in the persecution you will face, just know that relief is not found in new circumstances. Relief is not found in new relationships. Relief is not found in anything else except the person of Christ. He does not promise that there won't be tribulation. He says it right here,

in this world, you will have tribulation. But in me, you will have peace.

Well, we should conclude. Back to Perpetua. She was a remarkable woman. And as one commentator describes her death, entering this amphitheater, she knew she was gonna die. She knew she was going to be persecuted for her faith. This is what he says.

Perpetua went along at a calm pace with a radiant countenance. She was a true wife of Christ, beloved of God. The intense expression in her eyes made all the onlookers avert her gaze. Perpetua began to sing a psalm.

How could someone like Perpetua faced death by singing a psalm. Well, she was one who knew the spirit. She was the one who had her sorrow transformed into joy. And she's clearly one who experienced peace in tribulation. And yet, it's not only these two trades in one gift that our God gives us. One of the most precious trades we see is pictured in the Lord's Supper. which we're about to partake. It's in the supper where our sin, we see very clearly our sins exchanged for his righteousness. We see our life exchanged for his. We see our blood, his blood, changed for our filth. Pictured for our eyes is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, broken and poured out for us. So dear Christian, take and eat because Christ has gone to the Father for you. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we give you praise that in Jesus we can have peace. Lord, as we might face persecution and trials this week, oh God, we pray that we would look to your son and have joy, your spirit, and peace. Pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Please stand as we sing our song of response.