Tough Love | John 16:1-16

Read John 16: 1-16

RAMP: READ / ANALYZE / MEDITATE / PRAY

R: Read the Passage

Read the passage fully and then read it again. This passage is a continuation of Jesus’ teaching. Maybe your Bible has this passage in red letters — that’s because it is the record of Jesus’ words. Notice He has been talking for a while now! He is sharing His final words with His people.

A: Analyze

Journal your response to these questions:

1. What does this say about God?

We’ve got a new kid on the block here — the Holy Spirit is introduced and explained. What does all this tell us about God? What about Jesus? What about the Holy Spirit? Notice their distinct roles in the Trinity (God is three in One — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit).

2. What does this say about you?

Put yourself in the disciples shoes and listen to the words of Jesus. They had walked with Him and learned from Him this whole time, and yet He needed them to hear and understand what was coming next. Listen to Jesus with the same focus as the disciples did and let the Spirit lead you.

3. Is there a command to follow?

Do you feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit to obey God from this passage?

4. Is there a sin to repent of?

How is the Holy Spirit convicting you through this passage? We will talk more about this below.

5. Is there a promise to claim?

I love the promise from this passage of HOPE and TOGETHERNESS. Jesus will be WITH us. Always. 

Nicole’s Notes:

Chapter 16 picks up in a tough part of Jesus’ teaching. He had been explaining what was to come - and not the good part. It’s like telling the bad news before the good news. Jesus had told them about how they would be treated and what was coming their way. And then He explains — "I have told you this so you will not go astray.”

Go astray? No way! Why would the disciples go astray after walking with Jesus for all this time? 

The same reasons you and I have gone astray.

Going astray is easier than we would like to think. We’ve all been there. Why have we gone astray in our faith journeys?

• We forget what we have seen

• We forget what we have learned

• It all becomes too familiar

• IT GETS HARD

Let’s just be real — being a Jesus follower is hard. HARD. Has it not been hard for you? Then, you need to get out more and put feet to your faith. Because it is not easy to follow Jesus. If it’s easy, you may be missing something.

Following Jesus is hard for us. It hurts. It costs us — friendships, relationships, opportunities, influence, inclusion, comfort.

And when it costs too much, we quietly go astray. We take one step back. Then another. Then another. We justify the distance slowly. We walk toward the world one step at a time. 

Following Jesus was hard for the disciples. It meant persecution. It meant execution. It meant death.

Jesus knew what was coming their way and gave then all the information they needed in order to not go astray. I appreciate this so much and find a lot of comfort in it. So many times, it’s easier to think God is holding out on us, that He’s not telling us what we need to know in order to make the right and best decision. That for some reason He is withholding. 

He didn’t withhold anything from His disciples. He told them exactly what was coming. And I believe He tells us the same things. The details maybe not, but the details don’t matter. What does He tell us so we won’t go astray?

• Life is going to be hard

• People will not like it when you follow Me

• Living the life I’ve called you to is going to bring persecution

• Standing for Godly truth and holiness is not always the popular way

• Making decisions which honor God will not always be the most popular

• Leading your family toward Christ first is not always the way your friends will approve of

BUT also, Jesus says — "I’m sending you a Helper. An Advocate. A Counselor. And everything He is going to tell you is coming from Me. You can believe Him (the Spirit) because it’s coming from me (Jesus). He will lead you and guide you and empower you. He is going to allow you to overcome the hard things that are surely headed your way because you follow Me."

Jesus explained to the disciples about where He was going — back to the Father. And because He’s going back, He would be making good on alllll the times He said “what’s mine is yours.” In leaving Earth (via the cross, burial, resurrection, ascension), He would be finalizing His assignment. He would be completing the work. He would be doing what could not be done by anyone else. 

He would be taking the punishment from God (death) and exchanging His righteousness for our sinfulness, therefore allowing us to have a relationship with God. 

But this would require Him leaving and that was sad. He was friends with these guys. We know all too well what it’s like to miss our friends, especially our deepest and closest friends. 

Jesus comforted the disciples by acknowledging their grief. He didn’t ask them to get over it or not be sad. He acknowledged their grief. And then He explained that it would ultimately be good. Isn’t that just like the Jesus we’ve come to know and love? He acknowledges what is true and then tells us why it will be good.

By Jesus returning to God the Father He would tag the Holy Spirit. I imagine Him ascending to Heaven and saying “you’re up!”

So while the disciples lost Jesus in the flesh, they gained His presence forever through the Holy Spirit. What a gift.

This passage also gives us a really good description of the Holy Spirit’s distinct role in the Trinity. First and foremost, He is WITH US. He is the Spirit of the Lord living in us and working through us. And in that, the Spirit convicts us in accordance with what God wants for us. Scripture tells us in Romans 2 that it’s God’s kindness which leads us to repentance. Why? Because God loves us and wants the best for us. So He will use the Spirit to convict us in order to show us the better, holy and righteous way. 

But how can He do this? Like, what makes Him able to do this? He is the Counselor, the Spirit of TRUTH. Aaahhhh!! Truth! Such a missing piece to our current society and culture. The Spirit points to TRUTH! THE TRUTH = God.

The Holy Spirit guides us INTO truth. 

The Holy Spirit convicts us IN truth.

The Holy Spirit speaks truth TO us.

And the Holy Spirit embodies (literally) the promises of Jesus that whatever is His is ours. Whatever Jesus has and is, is also ours IN CHRIST and THROUGH the Holy Spirit.

You’re going to need to read that a couple of times. And then break out into a praise party. Because WHAT?! God is so good to us. He is so mighty and knowing and sovereign. He makes a way for us to know Him, to be known and loved by Him and to hear from Him. Good grief. 

What a God. What a Savior. What a Holy Spirit.

So what do we do with the conviction? What’s ours response? 

Glad you asked. When in His kindness God allows the Spirit to convict you — acknowledge it. Speak it. Talk about it to God. Verbalize it. Make it real, because it is real. 

Ask God to forgive you. Like, actually ask Him. Use words and your actual voice.

“God, forgive me for the way I acted in that situation.”

“God, forgive me for the words I spoke to that person.”

"God, forgive me for focusing my eyes on what I want instead of seeing what I have.”

“God, forgive me for hurting my friend.”

“God, forgive me for those terrible thoughts.”

And then allow Him to. 

Believe He will and wants to.

Move forward having been forgiven. Stop apologizing. Stop trying to punish yourself. Live in the forgiveness you’ve been given.

And ask God to help you never go back there again. That’s repentance — knowing what you did and hating it (not yourself) so much you truly do not want to desire it anymore. But you’re going to need God’s help for this because you cannot do this in your own strength. Ask Him to help you in your repentance. 

And then allow Him to.

Believe He will and wants to. 

Move forward in repentance. 

This will sound weird, but I love it when conviction comes my way. Not immediately, goodness no. Because it hurts and it’s embarrassing and it feels awful. But eventually once I’ve asked for His forgiveness and I stop trying to make excuses or pretend I don’t deserve all this, I love it. It’s the weird in-between part where my heart is broken all over the floor and my feelings are shattered and I watch God put my heart back together again. And I feel Him love me back to wholeness. I hear Him tell me I’m gonna make it and I’m worth all this refining. 

It makes me feel loved. 

It makes me feel noticed. 

It makes me feel cared for.

It makes me feel like I matter to the God who created me, chose me, gifted me and called me. 

M: Meditate

How is your mind spinning right now? Process it all. Think and ponder and wonder. Ask questions to God. Connect dots from scripture to your notes to your thoughts. 

• What were the reasons you have gone astray in your faith?

• How has learning more about Jesus encouraged your heart to NOT go astray?

• Is the Spirit convicting you currently? If so, how? And what are you doing with that conviction?

P: Pray

Pray your notes back to God. 

• Thank Him for the Trinity. 

• Thank Him for for sending Jesus and for giving us the Holy Spirit.

• Thank Him for caring enough to tell you what you need to hear in order to not go astray.

• Thank Him for conviction and ask Him to bring it in your life in order to grow you. And then trust Him with that process.