John 16
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.—John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. —John 16:33
From our childhood, we have always wanted loving and trusting relationships.
We wanted the very best from our parents.
We wanted teachers who give their all to help us learn.
We wanted mechanics who do not cheat us, but tell us exactly what is needed to keep our cars running properly.
We wanted pastors who lead us with honesty and integrity.
We wanted spouses and friends who are loving, committed, and supportive through the highs and lows of life.
We grow up with these desires and expectations. But somewhere along the way, we are disappointed and let down. Our parents are not as loving or supportive as we thought. Not all teachers want to inspire children. Some mechanics do cheat people. Pastors violate our trust. Spouses and friends hurt us and leave us at our most vulnerable moments.
1. The Holy Spirit knows more than you. How we understand ourselves, others, and the situations we encounter is limited by what we see, hear, and experience. The Holy Spirit receives all of His information from God (John 16:13-14). And God knows what you are thinking, what you’ll say before you say it, and things to come (Psalm 139:1-3; Matthew 6:8).
2. The Holy Spirit will teach you what He knows. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will teach us ALL things (John 14:26). ‘All‘ encompasses a complete revealing of everything without holding anything back. There is nothing the Holy Spirit will hold back from you.
Jesus tells a parable about a pasture land that is given to the sheep that follow Him (John 10:1-18). This peaceful pasture land is given through the gift of eternal life. The sheep represent those the Lord has called by name, loved, and cared for. Jesus said that the sheep know His voice and follow Him (into eternal life) – a stranger they will not follow (John 10:3-5).
Many people want to know how to hear God’s voice. However, the BIGGER desire (or question) must be to KNOW His voice. God speaks to us all (even before believing in Jesus)…and so does the devil (and our own lust). The issue is to recognize God’s voice above all others, so that when He speaks, you know it is the Lord.
Why do I always have to go through trials and temptation? I don’t want to continue facing the same things over and over and over AND OVER again! I just want to be free.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like the Apostle Paul when he said that when he wants to do right, sin is right there (Romans 7:21)? OR the things you want to do you don’t do, but the things you don’t want to do, THAT you find yourself doing (Romans 7:15)? Many of us can relate to Paul’s statements of temptation and sin, but we often stop there without going any further. We continue to live in a cycle that goes from temptation-sin-repentance-temptation-sin-repentance and it never seems to stop. We want to get off the merry-go-round, but it doesn’t seem like we ever can. Why do I have to go through this? Why can’t God just take it away because He knows I want to serve Him. If I didn’t have this ‘sin’ issue, I could just run for Him.
1. Superheroes have a hidden identity. As children, most of us watched superhero cartoons. We would witness people with superhuman strength and abilities entrusted to stop evil and create a safer environment for city. Many of the superheroes had a separate identity among the public. (I never understood why the animators would do this because it would be a lot easier to for the superhero to remain ‘super’ all day, but I guess superheroes have to make a living too.) They could easier conceal their identity and no one could figure out who they were.
As Christians, we should not live in this manner. Jesus is calling us to be a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We must allow our light to shine so that others may see our good works and praise our Father in Heaven.
Unfortunately, many of us hide our identity as Children of the Most High. We hide behind other characteristics that conceal our true identity. We display characteristics of anger, malice, sexual sins, robbery, lying, etc. No one would ever believe you were a Christian – even if you told them!
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