Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 17:1 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,” Jesus had just said to His disciples, “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." Then He turned His focus to His Father in prayer. Joh...

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 g...

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. 4:16-1...

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 k...

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...

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 no...

John 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” What day was Jesus referring to? If we look back a few verses we learn that it is the day they see Jesus risen from the dead. John 16:22 “Therefore you too have...

John 16:25 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.” What are “these things” about which Jesus had spoken to them of the Father in figurative language? He had used the agricultural illustration of the vinedresser as the Father. It was the figurative language neede...

John 16:24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” Until “now.” Up to that point in history, no one asked for anything in Jesus’ name. To what does “now” refer. I think Jesus was referring to the time after the cross and the resurrection—after Jesus returned to His Father. Minutes earlier, remember what Jesus had said in 14:12...

John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” Jesus knew that the disciples had many questions regarding all that He had told them about His relationship with His Father and His going to the Father and His sending the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name. They would carry those unanswered q...

John 16:22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Let’s imagine the joy of the disciples when they first saw the risen Christ. Unspeakable joy must have filled their hearts. Peter and the rest of the disciples saw Jesus, risen from the dead, on the third day after He spoke these words. Peter spoke of t...

This month we celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary. Since my word of the year is truth, the basis for our declaration of independence caught my attention. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The founders believed it to b...

John 16:21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.” Jesus chose the example of the anguish and joy of giving birth to a child to give hope to His disciples who were about to go through deep emotional and spiritual pain. Just as the...

John 16:19-20 “Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, ’Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, “A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me”’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.” When Jesus was put to death...

John 16:17-18. “Some of His disciples then said to one another, ‘What is this thing He is telling us, “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me”; and, “because I go to the Father”?’ So they were saying, ‘What is this that He says, “A little while”? We do not know what He is talking about.’” Obviously the disciples were confused and puzzled by Jesus’ re...

John 16:16 "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me." That’s exactly what happened. Again, Jesus told them of things to come before they happened so that when they occurred, they would believe and trust in Him. Within less than 24 hours, a little while, Jesus was placed in the tomb, out of their sight. However, He was only there “a little while....

John 16:15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” The concept of the Holy Trinity is reflected in this verse. Jesus spoke of His father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit as one, yet distinct. All that belongs to the Father, belong to Jesus, and the Father and the Son both sent the Holy Spirit (14:16; 15:26). Jesus informed His dis...

John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” Even as Jesus glorified His father by revealing the Father, so the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by revealing Him. We may glorify God also as we reveal Jesus in the world. The Holy Spirit takes the mind and love of Christ and discloses it to us as He did to His disciples. Listen to the fulfillment of Jesus’ words...

John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Jesus had just told His disciples that He had more to say, but He had restrained Himself because they were not able to bear it. But that didn’t mean that they would miss out on tho...

John 16:12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Jesus had given them much to bear or carry since they had eaten their last meal together in the upper room. Because Jesus is the incarnation of the love of God, we know it is love for His Father and for His disciples that gave Him freedom to speak to them as He had. At this point, apparently there was an inner restra...

John 16:11 “and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Let’s consider how the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers convicts the world of judgment. Jesus said He convicts the world of judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged. Who is the ruler of this world to whom Jesus referred? Certainly, it is the devil, aka Satan. Only minutes bef...

John 16:10 “and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;” After Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were transformed by the presence of the life of Christ dwelling in them. Even though the disciples no longer could see Jesus with their physical eyes, their testimony was that Jesus was in them. So it is with everyone wh...

John 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “Whatever is not of faith is sin.” Do you believe this? The world doesn’t. Jesus commanded in John 14:1, “If you believe in God, believe also in Me.” To obey Jesus’ command is to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that He is the way, truth, and the life, and is the only way to the Father tha...

John 16:8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; The Holy Spirit’s presence in believers, as their Helper, impacts the world. After telling His disciples that the Helper would be with them forever, He said, “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him” (14:17). The world’s problem is that...

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” How important the truth is, indeed! Jesus was going to the Father who had sent Him to make a way so that He could be with us forever! Remember what He had said only minutes before. “I will ask the Father, and He will send you an...