TEXT: John 16:21-27
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
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 shew you plainly of the Father.
26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
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We are in a series of messages titled “Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible.” The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have completed 182 messages in this series.
This is message #183 titled, Turning Sorrow Into Joy Through Prayer, Part 4
So far, from this passage, we have seen two great truths that Jesus revealed to His disciples regarding prayer. First, that they (and all Christians) can pray to God in Jesus’ name and have the guarantee that their prayers will be heard in Heaven. The second great truth is that we will gain joy from our communication with God and from our prayers being answered by God.
Today, we are going to look at another great truth that Jesus reveals to His disciples regarding prayer in the Church age. He says, “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 shew you plainly of the Father.”
Before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus spoke of many things that the disciples did not understand. Some of these things Jesus patiently explained to them. However, there were other things that the disciples would not fully grasp until after the resurrection. One commentator stated, “Jesus would like to speak with complete openness [even now at the Last Supper], but this is impossible before the events take place. Their nature is such that this cannot be done. An attempt to do so nonetheless would fail of understanding on the part of the disciples. The events must first take place. They will bring their own light.”
After the Resurrection takes place, there is a new openness of communication between Jesus and His disciples. This openness is expanded after Jesus ascends to Heaven and the Holy Spirit of God descends upon the new believers. This is when Jesus fulfills His promise to “no more speak unto you in proverbs, but shew you plainly of the Father.”
God is not a hidden mystery to us as He was to the Children of Israel. The Hebrews would not dare speak God’s proper name in daily conversation. When the glory of God descended on Mount Sinai, the Hebrews told Moses, ‘No, you go up into the mountain and speak with God and then come down and tell us what He said.’ The long-standing veil in the Temple represented the division between God and man. Now that Jesus has paid our sin debt and broken down the wall of enmity that existed between us, we no longer have to hear of God’s nature in parables. But, the Holy Spirit plainly shows us the things of God.
One of the ways in which this plain-spokenness is evident in the life of the believer is through prayer. We can respectfully address God directly in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. Before the crucifixion and resurrection this was not possible. But now we can do this knowing that God looks on us as children.
Our communication with Him is not one of fear (although we must maintain a healthy respect for God), but it is one of joy and confidence. We do not come trembling before God, but we come “boldly unto the throne of grace” knowing that we can stand righteously before God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. That is made plain in Scripture and made plain in our hearts through the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
While we do not understand everything about God’s ways, we can find joy in this one thing: God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us. And, because of His death, burial, and resurrection, we can have an open relationship with the Father — one in which we can pray to Him knowing that He will hear our prayers and answer us.
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Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University School of Divinity. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
BCNN1 WP 