Peace: A By-Product of Faith, Hope, and Love, Part 1

John 16:25-27

INTRODUCTION

In John 16:25-33, Jesus Christ wraps up His conversation with His disciples the night before His death. These verses summarize everything He has said from John 13 onward. The theme of this portion of Scripture is faith, hope, love, and the result of those things, which is peace.

A. The Search

We live in a bleak world; I'm sure it's obvious to you the sad state our world is in. If anything is true, it's that men today are desperate for love, something to believe in, and something to hope for. People recognize that a man must be worth something to someone; that's what love is. It's a value system that sets a certain worth on an individual. And people today want to know that they are valuable. They want to know they mean something, not that they are part of some cosmic machine. They want love.

We live in a world where you can't put your faith in anything. People want something to hope for. They say there has to be a better world somewhere, where inequalities become equal, injustice becomes justice, wrongs are made right, and bad is turned into good. There is a new world coming; it will be created by Jesus Christ, and it's called the kingdom of God. There is something to hope for, but the world doesn't know that. The people in our world are despairing because they can't find what they are looking for. Jesus addresses that matter in John 16.

B. The Solution

Man exists because God wanted him to. Since God wanted man to be, He has wonderful things in store for all mankind. The things that man is looking for--faith, hope, and love--are exactly what Jesus can give him. First Corinthians 13:13 says, "Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Those three things come from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. He gives man what he needs most. Man cannot exist without faith, hope, and love, and those are the things Jesus talks about in John 16:25-33.

A superficial reading of John 16:25-33 might not reveal that Jesus is talking about those things, but a careful study of the discourse between Jesus and the disciples makes them become more apparent. Now faith, hope, and love are the three cardinal virtues of salvation. They summarize the Lord's discourse in John 13--16. You don't hear anything about Judaism anymore; rather, Christ talks about the new age and the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. He deals with the Christian's position before God and his life. Judaism is fading away from the scene. In John 16:25-33, the Lord offers to His disciples--and to every man who comes to Him--faith, hope, and love, the three things that make existence meaningful.

LESSON

I. LOVE (vv. 25-27)

A. The Promise of Understanding (v. 25)

"These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father."

1. The age of speaking in proverbs

a) The communication of veiled statements

The Greek word translated "proverb" is paroimia. There are two words in the New Testament that were used to refer to the veiled statements of Jesus: parabalas, which is translated "parable," and paroimia, which is translated "proverb." However, the latter translation may not be the best English translation of John 16:25, as we usually think of a proverb as a clever, short saying. But the Greek word paroimia means "a veiled, pointed statement." The Hebrew equivalent of that word speaks of a statement pregnant with meaning. The statement is like an iceberg that is largely hidden under the water's surface.

Jesus frequently spoke in that manner, and in doing so kept unbelievers from understanding what He was saying. Those who in a worldly sense were wise and prudent didn't understand Jesus. Even the disciples were limited in their understanding. They understood only the basics of what the Lord said, and that's all that Jesus wanted. He left the deeper meanings for later when the Holy Spirit would give believers special insight.

Jesus left a wealth of information that required the teaching of the Holy Spirit later on. He spoke in veiled statements by sovereign design to limit people's ability to understand them, and also because only the basics would be understood anyway. One example of such a statement appears in John 2:19. There Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The people who heard that must have scratched their heads and wondered how He could possibly do that. But they didn't realize He was talking about His body until He rose from the grave. The truth He stated in John 2:19 unfolded later on. The disciples understood a little of what Christ said at the time, and the world understood none of it.

Some other veiled statements Christ made were, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12) and "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). In John 6:53-57 He talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The Jewish religious leaders didn't understand what He meant. They probably thought, "There is not enough of you physically for everyone in town, let alone the world!" The Jewish leaders didn't entirely understand Jesus when He said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). Whenever the Lord spoke in veiled statements, enough of it was understood to make it meaningful, yet a rich truth always remained hidden for the Holy Spirit to reveal later on. Christ gave enough information so that a man was without excuse for rejecting Him, but there was still enough left unsaid so that the Spirit of God could spend this whole age of grace unfolding it for us.

b) The category of veiled statements

When Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs," what things was He referring to? It's possible He was making a reference to the content of His veiled statements in general. But more specifically, the Lord was referring to the statements He made about the Father, as evidenced by the phrase "of the Father" at the end of verse 25. He had just talked to the disciples about His coming from God and going back to God, all in veiled statements. In fact, Christ had talked about coming and going to the Father throughout the gospel of John. He had spoken in contexts that made it hard for the disciples to figure out exactly what He was saying. So now He says, "I've been speaking to you in veiled statements about My relationship to the Father." The divine origin of Christ and His return to His divine place was a big mystery.

Not only did Christ design for His statements to be veiled, but He also knew the disciples wouldn't understand certain truths yet. In John 16:12 He told them, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." The disciples were doing well to see the tops of the icebergs-- to understand the basics of what Christ was saying. They were spiritually ignorant and unable to understand certain things prior to Christ's death. That's not their fault though because they didn't yet have within them the resident Holy Spirit, who would teach them.

Some of the statements that confused the disciples don't confuse us. When we read that Jesus came from God and went back to Him, we understand that. When the Lord spoke to the disciples, His statements were veiled not only by His own design, but also by their ignorance. Yet He promised the disciples in John 16:13, "The Spirit of truth .... will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak." In John 14:26 Jesus said, "The Holy Spirit ... shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you." So until Christ died rose again, and the Spirit came, the disciples would not fully understand His teaching about His relationship to the Father. When the Spirit came, He would speak to them plainly about the Father, not in veiled statements.

c) The comprehension of veiled statements

Christ said in John 16:25 that "the time cometh when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs." That refers to the same time spoken of in the phrases "in that day" (v. 23) and "at that day" (v. 26): the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God would come and permanently indwell the disciples and all other believers. From the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost--which was about fifty days after Christ died--on up to now and throughout the age of grace, the Spirit of God will dwell in all believers. So in John 16:25, Jesus was saying that when the Spirit comes, they will understand the mysteries in the statements He made.

That the truths Christ taught became clear and easy to understand as a result of the Spirit's teaching is evident in the writings of Paul, James, Peter, and all the other New Testament writers. They didn't write in parables. The only book that has mysteries in it is Revelation, and that's because it talks about future events. The book of Revelation is to us what Christ's veiled statements were to the disciples. But all the epistles are designed to unfold Christ's teachings to us. They were written to unveil the mysteries and teach the truth plainly. So from the time the Spirit of God comes and afterward, the disciples would understand Christ's veiled statements. In fact, Jesus said in John 16:23, "In that day ye shall ask me nothing." Their questions would be answered in the new age.

It's easy for us to think of the disciples as dimwitted. We read what Christ taught them and think it's easy to understand, and say that the disciples should have understood it better. But remember than within us lives the Holy Spirit of God. Without the Spirit, we would be worse off than the disciples. At least they had Christ with them to answer their questions. First Corinthians 2:9 says, "It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Our human senses and understanding are not capable of helping us to understand the veiled truths in Scripture.

2. The age of speaking plainly

a) The Teacher who clarifies spiritual truths

First Corinthians 2:10 tells us that spiritual truths are revealed to us by God's Spirit. The only reason we understand anything in Scripture is that the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Whenever a person tells me he doesn't know if the Holy Spirit is in him, I ask him, "Do you understand the Bible?" If the answer is yes, it's because the Holy Spirit lives within him. It is the Spirit who knows the deep things of God, and teaches them to us (1 Cor. 2:10-11). Verses 12-14 say, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ... because they are spiritually discerned."

You know about God only because the Spirit of God is your teacher. He is the only one who knows the mind of God, and He reveals the deep things of God to you and me. The spiritual truths we know are understood with the help of the Spirit. Sometimes He teaches us directly and other times we learn from Him through other people. But it's all the Spirit's teaching.

b) The transition in clarifying spiritual truths

There are a couple of points I'd like to highlight in 2 Corinthians 3. There we read that we have trust "through Christ toward God; not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life" (vv. 4-6).

(1) The veiled glory of the Old Covenant

The phrase "the letter" in verse 6 refers to Old Testament law. Did you know that the law kills because we can't keep it? When you break the law, death is the result.

Verse 7 calls the law "the ministration of death." It was "written and engraved in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away" (v. 7). Paul then asks, "How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more glorious?" (v. 8). Paul was saying, "If the Old Covenant was good enough to put a glow on Moses' face and bring glory to God, how much more glory the New Covenant will bring!" Verse 9 says, "If the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory." The law condemns us. The only way you can be saved by God's law is to keep all of it. Since you can't do that, the law can only condemn you. If a law that condemns is glorious, how much more glorious is a new testament that can give righteousness!

In verse 10 we read, "Even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth." When you compare the Old Covenant to the New, the Old looks less glorious. Verses 11 and 12 say, "If that which is done away [i.e., the Old Covenant] was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing, then, that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." Veiled statements, pictures, and types of things to come in the Old Testament are now understood. Pictures and prophecies regarding the Messiah no longer needed to be unscrambled. That's why Paul said in verse 12, "We use great plainness of speech."

The glory of the New Covenant was not like the temporary glory that Moses had on his face. Verse 13 says Moses "put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished." After Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the law, he put a veil over his face to hide the glory because it was fading away. According to verse 14, the Old Testament had a veiled glory. The Israelites didn't understand its parables, types, and pictures. The Old Covenant did not have plainness of speech.

(2) The unveiled glory of the New Covenant

When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, He told them that if they had really known the Old Testament, they would have understood the events surrounding the cross and the promise of the resurrection (Luke 24:25-26). The disciples didn't understand the Old Testament scripture. The Jewish religious leaders had even less of an understanding. That's why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:14, "Their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ." But two thousand years after Christ took away the veil, many Jewish people still have that veil on (v. 15). Verse 16 says, "Nevertheless when [an individual] shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away."

Verses 17-18 close by saying, "Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face [i.e., with clear understanding of the New Testament] beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." As we gaze into the unclouded glory of Christ in the New Testament, the Spirit progressively changes us into the Lord's image. That's what Christianity is: becoming like Christ. The only way to do that is to gaze into His unveiled glory while the Spirit changes you.

The Old Testament is filled with veiled statements, parables, types, and prophecies. The present age of grace is marked by plainness of speech. Everything is clear to us because the indwelling Spirit is our teacher. There was a tremendous change when the Spirit came; a whole new age was born. The disciples lived in the veiled age. They heard what Christ said in the context of a legalistic society. They couldn't decipher everything He said. But with the coming of the Spirit, everything became clear to them because the Spirit became their teacher. That's what Jesus meant when He said in John 16:25, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father." Isn't that a tremendous promise?

As Christians, we may not know all the doctrines of the Bible, but we definitely know the Father. Even a spiritual babe--a new Christian--knows Him. In 1 John 2:13 we read, "I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father." A baby doesn't understand much, but he knows his mom and dad. A new Christian may not know much, but he knows the Father. The first thing a new believer learns is that God loves him and cares for him. Christ promised in John 16 that in the new age, we would know the Father. We would have no questions about Him. We will also understand Christ's relationship to the Father and the redemptive plan for mankind that God designed, which involves both Christ and the Holy Spirit. We know the Father, Christ, and the Spirit--the Trinity. God, Christ, and the Spirit are three in one, according to God's Word. We may not completely understand that, but we believe it.

B. The Privilege in Prayer (v. 26)

"At that day ye shall ask in my name, and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you."

First Jesus said we will be able to pray to the Father in His name, then He said, "I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you." Was He saying that He will never pray for us? That would contradict Romans 8:34, which says that Christ sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. Let's find out what Christ was saying by examining the verse.

1. The details about our access to God (v. 26a)

"At that day ye shall ask in my name."

With the coming of the Spirit, the disciples would be able to do what they had never done before: go directly to the Father in the name of Jesus. In John 16:23-24 Christ told them, "Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." A new age was coming, and they disciples would be able to go directly to the Father with their requests, provided their requests were in Jesus' name. To pray in Jesus' name means to pray for what He would want. You can't just pray for anything you want. You need to say, "Father, I come because Jesus sent me, and I'm asking You to do this for His sake." You are to ask for what is consistent with Christ's will. When you do that, God will give what you ask for.

The Father loves the Son. Because of that, anyone who comes to the Father in the Son's name is going to get what he asks for. If someone came to me and asked for something my son wanted, as long as it's right and good, I would grant the request. I'll also grant it quickly because of my love for my son. The same is true of God. He answers prayer, but more so when He knows we are sent by His Son, whom He loves with an infinite love. So, prayer is the power to move God's hand. It is a joy and involves going directly into God's presence.

Gerhard said, "The benefit of prayer is so great that it cannot be expressed. Prayer is the dove which, when sent out, returns again, bringing with it the olive leaf, namely, peace of heart [and joy]. Prayer is the golden chain which God holds fast and lets not go until He besses. Prayer is the Moses' rod which brings forth the water of consolation out of the rock of salvation. Prayer is Samson's jawbone which smites our enemies. Prayer is David's harp, before which the evil spirit flies. Prayer is the key to heaven's treasures."

We live in a new age where the Spirit of God dwells in us when we put our faith and love in Jesus Christ. And through prayer, we have immediate access to God. With that in mind, let's examine the seemingly confusing statement at the end of John 16:26.

2. The degree of our access to God (v. 26b)

"I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you."

Jesus wasn't saying He wouldn't pray for us; He was saying, "You won't need Me to pray to God for you. You're able to go directly to the Father. You don't need to have Me beg to God on your behalf; just go to Him in My name. You belong to Me, and the Father loves Me so much that whatever you ask in My name, for My sake He will do it for you." When we go into God's presence, we are received just as God would receive His own Son. We have instant, total access to God's divine presence.

Jesus doesn't need to pray for us. I can pray for certain things in my own life. But there are times when, according to Romans 8:34, Christ makes intercession for us. Romans 8:26 tells us how: through the Spirit of Christ within us. Paul wrote, "The Spirit ... helpeth our infirmity; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Do you know when Christ intercedes for us? When we don't know how to pray. We can go directly to God regarding our own needs, anxiety, requests, and desires. But when we don't know how to pray or what to pray for, Christ helps us. He takes care of the things we cannot even think of.

First John 2 tells us of another way He intercedes on our behalf: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (v. 1). Christ intercedes for us when we sin, and asks the Father to forgive us, for He is "the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). So, Jesus takes care of the things we can't. Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." That's because of the constant intercessory ministry of the Spirit of Christ on our behalf.

C. The Proclamation of Love (v. 27)

"The Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God."

It's fabulous to know that we can go immediately into God's presence. We don't have to pray as if God were behind a wall that needs to be smashed down. We can come to Him with our requests, and Jesus will pray for the things we don't know how to pray for, as well as intercede on behalf of our sins. Why is God willing to do that? We don't deserve such a privilege. What right do we have to expect God to allow us into His presence, and have His Son intercede for us? The answer is in John 16:27: "The Father himself loveth you."

1. Explaining God's love

God allows us into His presence because He loves us. And why does He love us? Christ said, "Because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God" (John 16:27). When you love Christ, God loves you with a unique kind of love. That love prompts bounty, blessing, and answered prayer on your behalf.

God loves you. You're worth something. That's the basis of human existence. If God doesn't love you, then life would be a sick joke. But God does love you. Imagine--the God of the universe loves you. Doesn't that give you a sense of worth? Outside of the Trinity, you're the hottest commodity in the universe! You are so highly valued that Christ came to earth to die for you. That's how much God loves you.How Much Does God Love You?

There's a very famous Greek word translated "love" in the Bible-- agape. It is used to refer to divine love. But that's not the word used in John 16:27: Christ used philei, which means "really likes." God not only loves you with an overall love, but also likes you a lot too! God is crazy about you! Philei is a deep affection, a familial love.

In the Greek text, philei is in the durative present tense, which communicates that God's deep affection for you is continual. He loves the whole world in a divine sense (John 3:16), but He has a deep, fatherly affection for those who love Jesus. That's why He hears and answers their prayers. They're part of His family; He cares for them. I like the fact that God loves everyone and has an intimate love for those who love Jesus. It is because of God's universal divine love that He sent Christ to save us. I'm happy about His tender, fatherly affection for me because that makes Him want to give me what I ask for in Jesus' name. You can't be a Christian and understand God's love and deep affection without having a tremendous sense of worth.

You're the highest prize God ever claimed in the universe. When the angels fell, He never redeemed them. When man fell, He set everything in motion in the universe to redeem him--all because He loves us.

Some Christians think of God as constantly being after us with a whip. They say to their children, "Don't do that or God won't like you." It's wrong to say that. If you're a Christian, God likes you. Many Christians beat themselves down with persecution complexes and feelings of inadequacy. They think no one likes them. But God does. He has a deep, warm, tender fatherly affection for you. If you love Jesus and believe that He came from the Father--if you believe redemption is available through Christ--God has a warm, intimate love for you. Even though God knows we are unfaithful, sinful, and sour, He still loves us. He loves us with a constant affection.

2. Emulating God's love

One question comes to my mind when I think about God's tender affection for all Christians despite our faults: Do we love one another with the same kind of love, even though we know each others' faults? Most of us don't. Many of us would rather elevate ourselves above God and choose whom we desire to love. But as Jesus twice said to His disciples, "The servant is not greater than his lord" (John 13:16; 15:20). Jesus washed Judas's feet even when He knew Judas would betray Him. Instead of judging others, we ought to make our salvation visible by loving everyone in the body of Christ. We ought to have the same gentle affection God has toward us.

3. Examining God's love

God likes us a lot. He's a Father to us. That's why when a Christian prays, he doesn't come to God in fear (Rom. 8:15). When we pray, we don't say, "God, I'm coming into your presence. Don't hit me; wait until you hear what I have to say." Rather, we say "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). The word abba means "daddy." It's a term of intimacy. When we go into God's presence, we can go to Him in complete confidence. We can say, "Abba, Father. Here's my need" and bare our hearts before Him.

It's hard to explain God's love to those who don't know Christ. In the midst of a loveless world that merely exists on loveless lives, words, sex, and homes, God has real love to offer. Not only a divine love but a tender, warm affection that gives value to the soul. Sadly, some people aren't willing to value others. God's valuing everyone just shows we are infinitely less holy than He is. He can see in every one of us value enough for Him to die on the cross. When you sense His love, and love Him in return, you will sense fulfillment. You will know why you live and what it means to be alive.

4. Experiencing God's love

How do we experience God's tender love? First, He proved His love toward us in that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). All you need to do is love Jesus Christ, believe He came from God, and accept His death on the cross, and you'll experience God's love. If a man is not loved, he is worthless. Love gives value to man. One who believes in and knows God makes sense out of life because he is loved. He has the chief clue to the meaning of existence, which is human value. You matter to God. You're not just a piece of cosmic machinery. You're a beloved individual whom God loves in a vast, divine way and in a deep, affectionate way.

In John l4:21, Jesus said, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father." You show your love to Christ by obeying His commands, and God loves those who love Jesus. In verse 23 our Lord said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him." Every believer is in the same love relationship with God and Christ. We can bask in Their love.

We all want to be loved. We know we are lacking as persons if we are unloved. We are conscious of our guilt, loneliness, and despair. And God, who is loving, alleviates our problem by loving us. He expressed His love to us by a supreme sacrifice. He asks only one thing from us--to love Him back. How? By loving His Son and obeying His commands. When we do that, God shows us a warm, tender affection.

God created you so He could love you. When you love Him and He loves you in return, you have meaning to your existence. Apart from that you have no meaning. What everyone needs to know is the truth Paul stated in Ephesians 1:6: in Christ, we are beloved of God.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What three things are people looking for today? Where can they find them?

2. Christ frequently spoke in proverbs (Gk. paroimia). What does paroimia mean?

3. Did people understand Christ's proverbs? Explain.

4. What specific category of proverbs was Christ talking about in John 16:25?

5. What did Christ mean when He told the disciples, "The time cometh when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs" (John 16:25)?

6. What does 1 Corinthians 2:10 tell us regarding spiritual truths?

7. Explain what 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says.

8. Through prayer, we have immediate _____ to _____ .

9. Explain what Jesus meant by saying, "I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you" (John 16:26).

10. When does Christ intercede in prayer for us? How else does He intercede for us?

11. Why does God allow us into His presence? Explain (John 16:27).

12. How did God show that He highly values us?

13. God loves the whole world in a divine sense. What kind of love does He have for those who are His own?

14. What scripture indicates we are to love all Christians with the same love God shows them?

15. How can a person experience God's love?

Pondering the Principles

1. First Corinthians 2:9 says we cannot humanly understand the truths in the Bible. Read verses 10-14. How are we enabled to understand scriptural truths (v. 10)? To whom is full knowledge of God limited (v. 11)? According to verse 14, why can't the natural man (i.e., an unbeliever) understand the things of God? Memorize verse 12, and let it be a constant reminder to you that through the Holy Spirit you can know truth, and develop a deep love and understanding of the Bible.

2. In John 16:26 we learn that we have direct access to the Father through prayer. From Romans 8:26, 34 we learn that Christ will intercede for us when we need His help. What do those truths tell you about how much God wants to communicate with you and help you? Are you as zealous to pray to God as He is to listen to you prayers? Pray to Him about what's on your heart right now.

3. According to John 16:27, God has a special love for those who love and believe in Christ. He loves them with a deep, tender affection. What are some of the ways God has expressed His love for you? Reflect on your answer and determine how you can express greater love toward other Christians.