Finishing Our Race With Joy

Scripture: John 16:5-33

“John 16:5   “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ John 16:6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. John 16:7 “But 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. John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; John 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; John 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; John 16:11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. John 16:15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

John 16:16 “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” John 16:17 Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling 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’?” John 16:18 So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” John 16:19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? John 16:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. John 16:21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. John 16:22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. John 16:24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

John 16:25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. John 16:26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”

John 16:29 His disciples *said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. John 16:30 “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” John 16:31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? John 16:32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”” (John 16:5–33 NAS95)