John 16: 16 “In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.” 17 Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? 18 And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.” 19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again.20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. 23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.
Anticipation (def) - expectation or prediction. Are you an expectant follower of Jesus? If so, like me, you look forward to the second coming of Jesus our Savior. What is at the end of a completion of a promise? There is an abundance of joy, and a satisfaction that gives us a peace, when a promise is fulfilled. My anticipation can get impatient at times, but impatience is not a part of the anticipation we have of the coming of Jesus. In the above verses Jesus "assures" His followers and He assures you and me that He is coming. What are we to do in the middle? We are to draw close to God and He will grow us like strong oaks into the people He has called us to be. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of Oaks of Righteousness in Isaiah 61 where He says 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
We are to be moving forward in our spiritual growth until Jesus comes for us in one way or the other. If we die before His return we will see Him face to face after we take our last breath of life on this earth. God seems to do many things in an instance or immediately and this representation of His power is what we can rely on. When Jesus said "in a little while" He wasn't putting off answering their questions, but showing them that what they were anticipating was actually going to happen!!! The disciples asked the following question in verse 18 And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand. Here is how Jesus reacted to what He knew they were thinking. 19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again.20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
When Jesus tore down the barrier of sin between us and God He opened up a direct communication with our Heavenly Father. His death on the cross was brutal and if I had been there I would have been doubting and thinking "Is this how this should go?" I would probably look at it through human reasoning and the true victory of the cross might look like a defeat. The assurance of Jesus for His disciples is an assurance for you and me as well. In the following verses we see the promises Jesus gives us in our prayer lives. 23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.
I always close my prayer by saying "In Jesus Name" and the above verses show where the power comes for each of us when we pray. IN JESUS NAME. Jesus was giving the disciples the expectancy of the power of God working in our lives and thus we receive the righteousness of God, which explains the "oaks of righteousness" as prophesied by Isaiah. In other words, we are compelled to live our lives in the power of God's righteousness and because of the direct relationship made possible by Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. There IS power in the name of Jesus, and not just a song title. It is truth. It will change our prayer life if we truly believe the words of Jesus in the above verses and turn loose that power in our lives. Pray prayers of faith in the name of Jesus and God hears and responds. If we truly believe the above scripture, and we should, we will rely on God so much that we pray on the schedule Paul used that he share with the church in Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying. When our attitude about prayer goes to this next level Jesus says we will have abundant joy, which He told His disciples earlier that our life was to be an abundant life. So here it is, abundance. The little while is over and we can live in this power now, and it will grow us into people of faith as never before. God's promises are true and the little while is over and replaced with THE NOW!!
Today's Message,
David Warren
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