In Search Of Truth, John 16

The Gospel Of John, Chapter 16


Jesus warns his followers that they will be outcasts and the victims of murderers who believe they are serving God. But despite this dark shadow of the future, Jesus also promises the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' physical body, he can only be in one place at a time, but through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is omni-present.


It's interesting to note that Jesus considers a lack of belief in him sinful. (verse 9) And it's a real comfort to note that because of what Jesus was about to do, humans can be considered righteous in God's eyes. This is hinted at in verse 10.


Something worth remembering is that the Holy Spirit is more than once referred to as "The Spirit Of Truth". Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us "into all truth" and that he won't be just "presenting his own ideas", but will represent Christ in the world. Sometimes a very spiritual sounding movement will claim divine inspiration. Whether the movement has its origins in Christianity or elsewhere, based on what Christ says here we can know that if a spiritual movement or teaching of some kind in any way contradicts the teachings of Jesus, it's not really from God, since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of TRUTH and is in this world to represent Christ.


Jesus presents several sources of comfort for his followers(this includes his followers today!), in anticipation of the difficulty they will have in life.


1. Jesus promises the presence of the Holy Spirit (v. 5-15)


2. Jesus says that because of their connection to him, they can pray directly to God the Father, without need of anyone like a pastor or priest to speak to God for them. (v. 22-27)


3. Jesus reminds his followers that despite their difficulties in life, he has already overcome all the evil in this world, winning for us the ultimate victory, and saving us from the ultimate punishment. So when we experience pain, we can experience peace by remembering that all pain in this life is temporary, and because of Christ a time will come when those who love and follow him will never have fear or pain again.


If you've been having some frustration lately in your life, hopefully these verses will remind you that God is not interested in being cold and distant, but wants us to be close to him all the time, finding comfort and support.




Come back next Monday for our look at Chapter 17 and learn how Jesus prayed!









Coffee House Question
: When was the last time you felt like the "odd man out" because of something you believe?