Unshaken: Chapter a Day

John 16 Discussion

• Pastor Plek

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Trouble is guaranteed; despair is optional. We open John 16 and trace a straight line from honest warning to resilient hope, listening to Jesus prepare his friends for persecution, scattering, and confusion while promising the Helper who will steady their steps. The conversation moves with intention: the Spirit convicts of sin as unbelief, vindicates Jesus’ righteousness through his return to the Father, and declares judgment on the ruler of this world. That means the fear of death is broken, and courage is not naïve; it’s logical when the resurrection stands.

We talk candidly about self-deception and how people can do real harm while believing they serve God. Saul’s early zeal becomes a mirror for our own blind spots and a plea for Spirit-led conviction. Along the way, we highlight the mercy of plain speech. Jesus simplifies without dumbing down, giving words the disciples can bear. Today the Spirit illumines Scripture so we aren’t left guessing. Illumination doesn’t erase mystery, but it does create traction: we repent where unbelief is exposed, we rejoice where Christ is vindicated, and we refuse fear because the enemy has been judged.

The heart of the chapter beats with a tender image: sorrow like labor pains that yield lasting joy. It reframes trials without denying pain. We explore Jesus’ commands that make endurance practical—take heart, ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full—and we close with the promise of peace in him. If you need courage to face what’s ahead, clarity for questions you can’t shake, or a reason to pray boldly, this one is for you. Listen, share with a friend who needs steadying truth, and if it helps you stand a little taller today, hit follow, leave a review, and tell us the promise you’re holding onto this week.

Text us at 737-231-0605 with any questions.

Pastor Plek:

And welcome back to a chapter day. Keeps the devil away. I'm Pastor Pleck. That's Pastor Holland. We are going to talk about John chapter 16. We're going to outline it. We're going to find some observations, get to some interpretation, and finally land the plan with some application, take along with you today, along your way, that when you pray, you can say that Jesus is with me today. All right.

Pastor Holland:

While you lay on the bay and eat some hay.

Pastor Plek:

All right, verses one through four. Uh we've got a warning of persecution and also the scattering. Everyone's like, I'm with you. And he's like, nah, you're not. All right. Then verses five through 11, you've got the spirit's ministry of conviction. Uh whenever Jesus sees them like really sad, uh, he then says, Listen, the spirit's gonna come and it's gonna have a threefold conviction of sin, of righteousness, and judgment, which is pretty exciting to talk about. Then uh verses 12 through 15, we got guidance to all truth and future revelation. Guess what? The Holy Spirit's gonna let them know all the good stuff. And then eventually their sorrow will turn into joy. Whenever the resurrection comes, they get to see Jesus again. They will be happy campers. And then verses 16 through 24, or that is sorry, 16 through 24. And then finally you got 25 through 33, you've got the tribulation uh and triumph that Jesus knows. I love John 16, 33, that that in this world they're gonna have tribulation, but they should take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. There's nothing that he can't do. All right, so let's get into some observations. Uh, what do you see here uh in this chapter?

Pastor Holland:

Verse 12. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Right. That's how I feel every time I preach. I feel like I just read that verse and I'm like, I have so many more things I want to say. It's how I feel at the end of all these podcasts. Yeah. And I think it's is a good reminder that there's wisdom. You can't say everything all the time. Say, say what you can say. Say what you can say. Say what the people can bear. Yeah. You know.

Pastor Plek:

That's what stands out to me. That that's a good one that stands out. How about uh just a stark warning uh about like uh Verse 2?

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, like this is like I mean, look at it. Whoever kills you think will think he's offering service to God.

Pastor Plek:

You're like, yay. Now, to be fair, Paul was you know, obviously excited about Christians dying and thinking, I think he genuinely thought he was serving the Lord, right?

Pastor Holland:

Well, you mean before he was a Christian, right? Right. Yeah, when he yeah, yeah, yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. Saul, you know, I guess that'd be Saul. Yeah. Okay. Um Yeah, like, you know, uh when he oversees the execution of Stephen in Acts 7, um, that's exactly what's going on. He's zealous, he thinks he's serving God by killing this Christian. Um he deserves to die.

Pastor Plek:

All right, how about the Holy Spirit? Okay, the chapter 16, verses um uh verse, I guess what is it? Five through eleven. All right. Verse 8, he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. So sin, because they do not believe in me. Is so the sin he is talking about here is unbelief. Right. Okay. Then uh he convicts the world of um righteousness. Righteousness, which what are we talking about with the righteousness here?

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, he says, because I go to the father and you will see me no longer. I think he's saying that um uh this even though he's going to the father, um, it's not like uh there's there's gonna be no, you know, no conviction about righteousness anymore without Jesus being there, because the spirit's gonna come and is still going to you know bring the same prophetic kind of witness against the same representation of righteousness.

Pastor Plek:

The Holy Spirit would convict the world or convict them concerning righteousness about that Jesus was righteous, he was innocent, and his ascension proves that. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. Same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.

Pastor Holland:

I I don't that that he is the world. Concerning righteousness, yeah, like it's um uh vindicating and validating. Um, you know, okay, he really was the Messiah. Right. Um, yeah.

Pastor Plek:

And okay, because it isn't the crux of and of the entire Christian faith is about Jesus being raised from the dead. Right. And you know, when you read the arguments, we all know that no one argues someone into the kingdom of God, that the Holy Spirit does the work to convince them of his righteousness. Is that fair?

Pastor Holland:

Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

Anyway, yeah. Uh and then the last one, judgment, uh, that he has defeated Satan as the prince of this world uh or dethroned Satan. What are we what are we talking about here?

Pastor Holland:

Because the ruler of this world is judged. Um yeah. Yeah. Defeated him uh on the cross in the sense of uh you know taking away his power. The power that Satan had is uh death and fear of death, and through the resurrection of Jesus, um Satan is uh he's judged according to the righteousness of God and he's disarmed, and then he no longer has a way to um really defeat Christians. Uh there's we don't have fear of death anymore. Um, and so we're uh you know a victorious. Um so I think I think all of that's kind of entailed in the the ruler of this world is.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, because he remember, I think the three P's, right? Jesus died for the penalty of our sin, the power of sin, and then ultimately we'll be um in the presence of God.

Pastor Holland:

So never no longer Yeah, we're set free from the penalty of sin, we're set free from the power of sin. Um, but when he returns, then we'll be free from the presence of sin.

Pastor Plek:

And you could say that's what justification, sanctification, glorification, along those three. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Um, what about uh okay? The disciples are just confused. Yep. Uh and I I can, I mean, look at verses uh 17. What is he saying? Like they are literally, uh it's like I wonder if Jesus is like, I am right here, I can hear you, you know, or maybe hey, I'm right here, I can read your mind. Uh, but like Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, is this what you're asking yourself?

Pastor Holland:

You know, like he he yeah, it it's he of course knows. I love that. And you know what? Like, I mean, don't you read the Bible sometimes and you go, What is this saying? Yeah, absolutely. And um, you know, but we have the helper now. We have the Holy Spirit, you know, who instead of Jesus right next to us, like the disciples have, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us who can give us understanding. Um as we read, as we pray, as we hear preaching, like we we are not just left in the dark. He's given us his word and his spirit.

Pastor Plek:

The Holy Spirit illuminates God's word so that we can understand and follow. Although that doesn't mean that scholars don't debate stuff. Yeah, right. Okay. Uh what else? What else you see in here?

Pastor Holland:

Um uh another, you get another verse in support, I believe, of filioque verse seven. Nice. So this is third, third day in a row. Third day. We were we're knocking out this filioque where he says, if I do not uh go away, the helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send them to you. So here you go. Another statement from Jesus saying, I will send the helper to you. I think that's a fair filioque. It feels like it's the right answer. I I think, you know.

Pastor Plek:

Eastern Orthodox. Man, thumbs down, pray for them. Yeah.

Pastor Holland:

All right.

Pastor Plek:

All right, let's get into some uh nature of man. Um how about like self-deception is a part of being human? In fact, uh, first John 1.8, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, the truth is not in us. And at this point, he's saying, like, some people are gonna be thinking they're gonna be doing a service to God and try to take you out. They are self-deceived or deceived.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, yeah. And when you say human, you mean part of being sinful human. Yeah. Um, yeah. Yep. Um, just making clear for you know, Jesus' humanity.

Pastor Plek:

Right, right. Yeah, not Jesus was perfectly human. I'm talking about the disciples in their or not disciples, the the world would hate them and think that they were doing a righteous thing for God. Yeah.

Pastor Holland:

You you know, it's possible to sin while thinking that you're pleasing God. That's probably pretty scary, right? Yeah. Um yeah, I I've had a lot of pastoral like counseling situations where someone has explained to me what they did, what they're doing, you know, um, someone who was, you know, years ago, uh, multiple situations like this, who was um, you know, sleeping with their girlfriend or their boyfriend and saying explaining to me why it was the right thing to do, you know, feeling justified in it. People who have you know gotten an abortion and said, you know, it was the right thing to do. Because and so like it's is you get an example, you can do horrendous sinful things and feel justified before God. That's um scary.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, yeah. Um, man, that that's sad. Uh, how about uh what yeah, what other things we see in here um about men? I I love that they're the disciples love it when you speak plainly. Yeah. People like plain speech. Uh I think riddles are fun for a lot for some. Uh parables are great for some, but man, we really enjoy when you just break it down simple.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, you know, and back to verse 12, you know, I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Understanding the human limitations of you know, people. Uh sometimes they might need to hear it, but they can't bear it right now.

Pastor Plek:

Which is why, like, when you share the gospel with someone, and then later on they go, no one ever told me. Sometimes I get like, I'm like, no one ever told you. Are you kidding me? You you what and then I've just learned is oh, they didn't have ears to hear. They couldn't bear whatever it was at that time. So God uh did not reveal it to them. And so sometimes when people sort of criticize their church, you know, from what they grew up in, right? Uh, it might not be that it wasn't a gospel preaching church and that all they wanted you to do is be legalistic or whatever. They probably did preach the gospel, issue may not have had ears to hear.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, right.

Pastor Plek:

Um, all right. What about the character of God here? God.

Pastor Holland:

God. What does this say about God? Um, I love uh where is it? Verse 21. Um, when a woman's giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she's delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. This is like, I think you see, like uh just the heart of God to encourage his people. He's saying, You're about to face some hard stuff. You know, you're gonna be persecuted. There's gonna be people who kill you and think they're doing the right thing. Um, but he's giving them you know these very encouraging statements about joy is coming. Like God is a God of joy and a God of hope. Um, you see that come through so much in this chapter.

Pastor Plek:

That is awesome. Take heart. I've overcome the world. I love that. Um, how about the Holy Spirit will lead you into all the truth? Like, or verse 13. He will guide you into all the truth. And he won't speak on his own authority, but wherever he hears, he will speak. And he would declare to you the things that are to come. And I appreciate that the that the Holy Spirit is gonna give the disciples and then ultimately us everything we need to know for our future, for our present, for our experience.

Pastor Holland:

Mm-hmm.

Pastor Plek:

Amen. Um, anything else for character of God type stuff here? Um let's get to application. All right, let's get to some application. We've got a sin to avoid or confess, a um promise to claim, example to follow, command to obey, or knowledge to believe. What do you got?

Pastor Holland:

Command to obey, take heart. I think that's just keep taking heart. Yeah. Jesus has overcome the world. That's good news.

Pastor Plek:

How about command obey? Ask and you'll receive that your joy may be full. Verse 24. That you will you will have if you ask, you're gonna receive that your God doesn't want you to be like half joy. He is not a joy killer, he is or kill joy, he is one who ultimately wants us to have our joy to be full.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, I love uh I love that. And the uh verse 33 uh peace. I've said these things to you that in me you may have peace. You know, promise to claim that there is peace for you um through believing in Jesus. Joy and peace and hope. A lot of good promises in this.

Pastor Plek:

Okay. How about this example follow? Imitate Jesus' plain speech, break it down simply, uh, because I feel like that really people really appreciate plain speech as opposed to riddles and cryptic talk.

Pastor Holland:

Amen. Anything else? Um, I I love verse one where he says, I've said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. Um, God, like we're tempted to fall away, and God uses his word and his promises and his commands to keep us from falling away. And so, you know, who's someone that you could encourage today with a promise or a command, um, you know, to keep them following hard after Jesus.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah. Especially if you haven't seen somebody in a while, it might mean that they need to have a word from the Lord from you. Just text them, let them know of God's promises. In this world, you will have tribulation, but take heart. Jesus has overcome the world. Amen. Hey, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.

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