Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

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."
What are “these things” of which Jesus spoke that provided a basis for peace in His disciples, and all those who follow after them? The immediate things He had spoken are these: He knows what is to come and is in total control. They are going to be scattered in the next few minutes, and Jesus and the Father are going to accomplish what He was sent to accomplish. But even in that difficult hour, they may have peace in Jesus Himself. Earlier in the evening, He had told them that He was going to prepare a place in Himself for them so that where He was, they could be with Him. The only place of peace in this world is in Jesus. Why? Because He has overcome the world.
Jesus told them He had already overcome the world. He didn’t say to them that He would overcome the world. What did He mean? I think He was referring to the fact that He had lived for 33 years in this world and Satan, the devil, the god of this world, still had nothing in Him by which to snag Him, trip Him up, or cause Him to fail in His mission of redemption. It had already been settled in Him, He was giving Himself up for His friends, and nothing and no one could stop Him or prevent it. Not only could the disciples take courage from that great truth, so can all who trust in Jesus.
We can expect tribulation in this world. It hated Jesus, it will hate us. But, that can’t stop us from living to love anymore than it could stop Him from living to love. Nor can it destroy our peace, because our peace doesn’t come from anyone or anything in this world. It comes from Jesus, Himself. His life. His death. His resurrection. His presence. As we go through the tribulation in this world, may our hearts take courage as we follow Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

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.”
Sometimes, it feels like we are all alone. There’s no one to stand with us. In Jesus’ hour of betrayal, there was no one standing with Him. The apostle Paul faced such an hour. He wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:16-17, “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” Jesus and Paul were left alone, yet, they were not alone. The Father was with Jesus in His hour of trial and Jesus was with Paul in his hour of trial.
Whatever trial believers face, regardless of how they feel or regardless of the circumstances, they are not alone. Jesus is with them. He promised to be with His disciples forever when He told them in John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” The disciples at that moment did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, so moments later, they were scattered. We do have the Holy Spirit, the power and presence of Jesus, dwelling within us. So even though there are times we may feel alone and it appears there is no one with us, we are not alone. He lives to love in and through us.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:31 “Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe?’”
The disciples had just declared that they believed that Jesus came from God. Yet, Jesus knew what they were about to face and knew that they nor He could trust their hearts. Our flesh and our hearts may fail, even though we are well-intentioned and think we stand in the moment. Jesus asked this penetrating question, “Do you now believe?” He knew the hour had come for their faith to be tested, and that they would act as if they did not believe that He came from God.
There’s a lesson in this for us that is vital if we are to live to love with Jesus. We must not trust in our own hearts or faith. Proverbs 28:26, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” Rather, we must trust 100% in Jesus’ heart and righteousness. Remember what He had said only minutes before this. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Asaph, the Psalmist, wrote in Psalms 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He said it well, didn’t he? Even though we believe, we can still have an “evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” as the writer of Hebrews warned in 3:12. We need daily encouragement to abide in Christ and place our entire confidence in the fact that our lives are hidden with Christ in God. He is our righteousness and our peace in this troubled world. His love abides in us, and He will love through us today. “Do you now believe?” Our answer is, “Lord, You know all things, and my hope is in You, today.”

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:30-33a “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. Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? 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. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.’”
The disciples took confidence in the fact that they understood Jesus and believed in Him. They said, “We believe that You came from God.” However, I think Jesus’ response to their declaration of faith, surprised and shocked them. Surely they didn’t expect Him to cause them to question their confidence. He had just told them that the Father had sent Him and loved them. Here was further proof of His love. He told them again what was going to happen before it happened. They were going to leave Him alone. Satan was to scatter them and drive them to their own homes— as if all that was said and done was fruitless and wasted. Why did He say these things to them when they were seemingly so confident in their faith? He said them because their confidence was wrongly placed. Their confidence should be firmly lodged in one great truth. Jesus Himself! He was sent to make a place for them in Himself (as He said in 14:1-2) where they could live in peace with God, with themselves, in this world. Peace in this world of tribulation cannot come in any other way, but in Jesus Christ, Himself. He alone is our peace.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:28-29 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father. His disciples said, ‘Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.’”
Jesus knew where He came from, what He came to do in the world, and where He was going. He told His disciples plainly. “God sent me into this world to accomplish His will, and now I am leaving this world to return to Him with mission accomplished.” There was no figure of speech employed by Jesus, so His disciples understood what what had happened, what was happening, and what was going to happen.
If we have the life of Jesus in us, then we should be able to say the same thing—know the same thing. We came forth from the Father (we were created in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world), we have been sent into this world with the same mission as Jesus (namely, to live to love with God), and we will go out of this world to the Father according to His will and timing, having accomplished His mission. No figurative language here. Straight talk. Simple truth.
Our testimony should be as clear and plain as Jesus’ testimony. We know whose we are. We know we are sent and we know who sent us. We know what we are here for. We know where we are going. May we speak so plainly as we share our testimonies with those He puts in our paths.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com