Let's open our Bibles this evening
to John chapter 16. Going to consider the first seven verses
in this chapter tonight. John chapter 16. These things have I spoken unto
you, that you should not be offended. They shall put you out of the
synagogues, yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will
think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do
unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But
these things have I told you, that when the time shall come,
you may remember that I told you of them. And these things
I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now
I go my way to him that sent me. And none of you asketh me,
whither goest thou? But because I have said these
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless,
I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that
I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send
him unto you. These verses are, of course,
a continuation of chapters 14 and 15 that we've been looking
at. The Lord is speaking to the 11
disciples on the night before he was crucified. And looking
at these verses tonight, I want us to do so under three headings. I think our trust will be helpful
to us. First, ignorance. Ignorance may
be the cause of both anxiety and evil. That's what I want
us to think about first of all. That ignorance may be the cause
of both anxiety and evil. There's a proverb, Proverbs 19
and verse 2, which tells us also That the soul be without knowledge
is not good. That the soul be without knowledge
is not good. Ignorance is the opposite of
knowledge, isn't it? Knowledge is the opposite of
ignorance. Ignorance may be the cause of
both anxiety and evil. First, for the Lord's disciples
to be without knowledge is not good. for the Lord's people,
the Lord's disciples, to be without knowledge is not good. And we see in these first few
verses that the Lord is giving them knowledge of what they should
expect, what they might expect in this world. Giving them this knowledge that
they should not be offended. Notice that in verse four. But
these things have I told you, that when the time shall come,
you may remember that I told you of them. He gives them this
particular knowledge. As the proverb says, for the
soul to be without knowledge is not good. And for the Lord's
disciples to be without knowledge is not good. It surely would
produce anxiety on their part. He told, tells them or told them
that they would be offended. And that word offended literally
is scandalized. You will be scandalized. You may expect to be put out
of the synagogues. Now for you and I, that probably
doesn't mean a whole lot. But I would remind us that for
a Jew at this time, to be put out of the synagogue would be
to be disowned by his family, to be disowned, to be scandalized
as the word is. A few chapters back in John chapter
nine, the Lord Jesus gave sight to a man who was born blind. And you remember when the Pharisees,
the leaders of the Jews, called his parents before them and asked
them, how was he made to see? They would not answer. They knew. But they would not answer. And
the reason they would not answer is because the Pharisees had
already said, if anyone speaks well of Jesus of Nazareth, he
will be put out of the synagogue. And so the parents of this man
said, he's of age. Ask him. He's our son, no doubt
about that. He was born blind. We can testify
to that. But now how he received his sight. You ask him, because they were
under fear of being put out of the synagogue. And as I said
to you and I, that maybe doesn't mean so much, but to a Jew at
this time, it meant a whole lot. I remember hearing a preacher
many years ago who was born a Jew. And he told us that when he came
to know Christ as his Lord and Savior, that his parents put
him out of the house and said, you are no longer our son. You are no longer our son. I
remember one of the teachers we had in Bible school, Dr. Peter Conley. He was born in
Northern Ireland, born into a Roman Catholic family. I believe he
was the last of either 12 or 13 children, just a large number
of children. But when he confessed the Lord
Jesus Christ as his savior, he was disowned by all of his family. Our Lord tells his disciples
here what they could expect, what would take place, You may
even expect to be killed for your testimony to the truth of
Christ being the Son of God. We know in the book of Acts,
we read how that Peter and John were beaten. And then we are
told this, they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Now my thought is this. Had the
Lord not given them this knowledge as to what kind of treatment
they should expect, could they have rejoiced? Could they have
rejoiced when they were beaten for testifying of Jesus Christ? Had the Lord not warned them
of this beforehand, it would have produced anxiety. That's the word I used a few
minutes ago, because that's something that we all seem to be blessed
with quite often, anxiety. And what I'm saying tonight is
this, for the Lord's disciples to be without knowledge is not
good. Why? Because it produces anxiety
on our part. Now was this knowledge that our
Lord gave his disciples here, was it intended only for the
eleven? Of course not. The apostle Paul
later taught the converts that we must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God. Now denying this truth is the
cause as to why believers today experience much anxiety. We somehow get the idea that
everyone is going to love us as God's children. Everyone is
going to love us and everyone is going to be as thankful and
as excited over the gospel of the grace of God as we are. But we soon learn that's not
the case. And it causes us anxiety. We somehow get the idea that
we are going to be loved and appreciated in this world. Our
Lord told, or Peter rather, said we are, or God's people rather,
is a peculiar, peculiar people. And that doesn't mean we dress
different. We comb our hair different, we wear different clothes like
those Amish people up in Pennsylvania and those areas, you know. And
you know, it's amazing, people go up there and see those people
dressed in a certain way and riding in their carriages and
horses pulling their carriages and they think, they're so religious. What is that? That's man-made
religion. For the most part, those people
are completely ignorant of the gospel of the grace of God. And
yet, people have the idea that that's true religion. It's will-worship. That's what Paul calls it, will-worship. God's people are peculiar because
of the truth, the gospel, even among professing Christians. They have these societies, I
forget what they're called, ministerial alliance, ministerial association. And preachers from every denomination
can be a part of it. In fact, they want you to be
a part. And you've got Baptists, and Camelites, and Presbyterians,
and Roman Catholics, and Methodists, and everything you can think
of, all there together. And some of them, their doctrine
is I mean, it could not be more opposite, poles apart, and yet
they can get along, but you let a man come, a sovereign grace
preacher, and testify to what the Word of God says about God's
sovereign grace in choosing a people and redeeming those people, and
the whole bunch is somehow against that fellow. He's peculiar. He's peculiar. Why? Because he believes the truth. Our Lord told his disciples here,
this is what you may expect in this world. They will put you
out of the synagogue and they will put you to death
even. So for the Lord's disciples to
be without knowledge is not good. I'm saying to you and I tonight,
if we are expecting this world to be a friend to grace, we're
going to be sadly, we are sadly mistaken. And sadly, we will
be disappointed and it will cause us much anxiety. But also for
the Lord's enemies to be without knowledge is not good. The proverb
says also that the soul be without knowledge is not good. I said
first of all for the Lord's disciples to be without knowledge is not
good. But I say also for the Lord's enemies to be without
knowledge is not good. Notice the Lord Jesus Christ
said, they know not the Father nor me. Notice that in verse
2 and 3. They shall put you out of the
synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these
things will they do unto you, because they have not known the
Father, nor me. They have not known. Ignorance.
Ignorance of God. Ignorance concerning God and
His Son. and so ignorant of God that somehow
they believe that by committing murder they're actually doing
God's service. We see these suicide bombers
and we hear about it on the news rather we don't see it, thank
the Lord. It may be coming, we may see it. We hear about it
on the news and we wonder how in the world could people do
that in the name of religion, in the name of their God. Well,
the Apostle Paul felt the same way. When he was Saul of Tarsus,
he felt the very same way. He was a religious Jew and he
told, he gave this testimony concerning himself in Acts 26
in verse 9. He said, I verily, I verily thought
with myself that I ought to do many things, many things contrary
to the name of Jesus Christ. That's the way he was as a lost
individual. He thought that he ought to do
many things contrary to the name of Jesus Christ. And we know
from the book of Acts chapter 7 that when Stephen was martyred,
those who cast the stones at Stephen, They took off their
robes and laid them at the feet of Saul of Tarsus, showing that
he was in agreement and he gave his consent to the stoning of Stephen. This testifies to you
and I of the spiritual deadness the spiritual deadness of all
men apart from Jesus Christ. Spiritually dead. To believe
that in this dispensation that somehow people have an order
from God to kill all those who differ from them. It's not good. For the Lord's
enemies to be without knowledge is not good. Think of someone
who, in the name of his God and practicing his religion, blows
himself up and goes out into eternity to meet God with the
blood of others on his hands. Not good. It's not good. I'm thankful tonight that God's
given us his word, aren't you? We live in a country where we
have Bibles. We have them everywhere. You
can buy them for I think $3.95 or something like that. And if
you don't have the money to buy one, someone will give you one. But it's not just having the
Bible, is it? It's reading the Bible and believing the message
of the Word of God. The second heading is this. There
should be bounds, limits. There should be bounds to our
sorrow. Let me explain what I mean. There should be bounds to our
sorrow. The disciples are not faulted
here for being and feeling sorrow, but they are faulted for allowing
their sorrow to keep them from asking a very important question. Where are you going? Their sorrow, because the Lord
had told them he was leaving. It kept them from asking this
very important question. Where are you going? Notice that
in verses five and six. But now I go my way to him that
sent me, and none of you asketh me, whither goest thou? But because I have said these
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. John Gill's
comments on this are the following. Sorrow. for the absence so possessed
their minds, seized on all their powers and faculties of their
souls, and engrossed all their thoughts, that it never entered
into their heart, or entered into the heart of any of them,
to inquire about the place he was going to, or the state he
should enter upon, which had they any right notions of would
have greatly contributed to have abated their sorrow, quieted
their minds, made them easy under, and reconciled them unto his
departure from them. Suppose they had asked him, where are you going? Suppose
they had not been so consumed, so taken up with their own sorrow,
in hearing that he was going to leave them, that they had
asked this question. Now this is what he said. This
is what the Lord said, right? I'm not just reading this end
of this. But now I go my way to him that
sent me, and none of you asketh me whither goest thou. What I
said is the Lord does not fault them for experiencing sorrow
upon hearing that He's going to leave them, but He does fault
them in allowing their sorrow to so control them, to so overwhelm
them that they do not ask Him this very important question.
Whither goest thou? Suppose they had asked that question.
Suppose they had asked the Lord Jesus Christ this question, whither
goest thou? And he had answered them, I go to the cross. I go to the cross to offer myself
as that sacrifice for sin that will put away your sins. that will reconcile you unto
God. He's speaking to the 11 disciples. Suppose they had asked him, whither
goest thou? I'm going to the cross. I'm going
to be sacrificed upon the tree to be made a curse for you, that
you might be redeemed from the curse of the law. Would not that have abated, as
John Gale said, their sorrow to some degree? I'm going to the cross. I'm going
to the tomb. And my body is going to lay in
that tomb until the third day. And on the third day, this is
where I'm going, I'm coming out of that tomb. Bodily, I'm coming
out of that tomb. And after 40 days of appearing
here to you folks, you 11 disciples, I'm going to ascend unto the
Father. And I'm going to be there at
His right hand making intercession for each and every one of you. I'm going to the Father. I'm
going, brothers, disciples, you ask me where I'm going? I'm going
to the Father. I'm going to the place where
there is no sin, where sin cannot enter. I'm going to the place
where there is no sorrow, where sorrow is not allowed. I'm going to the Father. where
I will share the glory with him which I had before the foundation
of the world. But they didn't ask. They didn't
ask. And the reason they didn't ask
is because of their sorrow. Matthew Poole, the English commentator,
he said this, as though the Lord was speaking, all your thoughts
are taken up about yourselves. Not one of you ask about me,
where I'm going. All your thoughts are taken up
about yourselves. What you shall do for want of
my bodily presence and sorrow for that so overwhelmed your
hearts that you cannot enough deliberate with yourselves as
to consider either mine or your own advantages from my death,
resurrection, and ascension. When someone is taken from us,
someone of our loved ones, some believer, we can't help but experience
sorrow. You don't have any choice, do
you? You don't have any choice. Sorrow
comes, that's natural. Sorrow overflows, overwhelms
us, but when a believer passes from us, we must recognize that
they are with the Lord. They are with the Lord And as
the Apostle Paul said, that's far better. That's far better. And we must not refuse to be
comforted. You know, the scripture speaks
of some who refuse to be comforted. We must not refuse to be comforted
from the word of God. As I said, we cannot help but
experience sorrow. I went to a pastor's wife's funeral. It's been several years back
now. But I asked him, I said, how are you doing? He said, I'm
doing well. But he said, these waves of emotion
just come over me. And really, I have no control
over them. We've all experienced that. But at the same time, there
are bounds to sorrow. Paul said, look over here in
Philippians 2. You remember this scripture, but let's just turn
over here and read it once again. Philippians 1. Philippians 1 in verse 23. For I am in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, and notice
this, which is far better. Take the time, take the time
to just sit down and think, meditate upon that far better, which is
far better. Far better than what? Far better
than what? Far better than continuing in
this state when we are not in His presence. Far better than continuing in
this state where we are never free from sin. Far better than continuing in
this state where we are away from our home. You know, when
it gets towards sundown, I like to be at home, don't you? My
home is with the Father. And the closer it gets to sundown,
the more we want to be home. Isn't that true? Yes. Well, here's the third point
I want to make, and that's simply this. The eternal covenant of
grace, verse 7, Our Lord told his disciples,
nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that
I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now from these
words, we must recognize that in the eternal covenant of grace,
and we know there is such a covenant, everlasting covenant, that each
person in the Godhead, each person in the Trinity, covenanted to
do certain things. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. And from this verse, we recognize
that the Holy Spirit agreed, covenanted to be sent as the
fruit or as a reward of the eternal Son of God coming into this world
as a man, giving himself as a sacrifice to please the Father. Our answer as to why the Holy
Spirit would not come, and this is what we read here in this
verse, our Lord said, I tell you, it's expedient for you.
Because if I do not go away, the Holy Spirit will not come.
Our answer as to why the Holy Spirit would not come unless
Christ departed, it must simply be this. This is what God had
determined it should be. This is what God had determined
before the foundation of the world. One thing that we can
understand is why Christ's departure and the Holy Spirit being poured
out is better. Why it was expedient for them.
When he was with the 11 disciples, his body could only be in one
place at a time. And yes, he was a great comfort
to these 11 disciples. But now the Holy Spirit is everywhere. Everywhere at the same time to
comfort his people Not just 11 people in the proximity to him,
his body, but his people who are scattered, his disciples
scattered all over the world. These 11 disciples at this time,
they may have preferred to keep Christ here upon the earth, eating
and drinking with him there in the land of Palestine, but it
was far better. It was far better for the souls
of men. It was expedient that he finish
his work, that he go to the Father, and as the high priest, as our
high priest, from the Holy of Holies, where he now resides,
that he send God the Holy Spirit on his church. And since that
day, the day of Pentecost, think of how the gospel has gone around
the world. And God has called his people,
his elect, are called from the east, from the west, from the
north, and south, to set down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and the kingdom. It's better. It was expedient
for them that he go away. Because unless he went away,
God the Holy Spirit That was arranged. It doesn't in any way
show the Holy Spirit is inferior to the Father or to the Son,
or the Son's any inferior to the Father and Him being sent.
But it is the arrangement, the covenant that was agreed upon
in eternity and worked out in time. I pray that the Lord would
bless this message to all of us here tonight and teach us,
teach us more and more of him and his ways. Let's sing a verse
or two of a hymn before we're dismissed.