May 21, 2026
While We Wait - Part 4
John 16:1-4
05/21/2026
1 I have said all these things to you to keep you
from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed,
the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
think he is offering service to God.
3 And they will do these things because they have
not known the Father, nor me.
4 But I have said these things to you, that when
their hour comes you may remember that I told them
to you. I did not say these things to you from
the beginning, because I was with you. (ESV)
There is a cost of discipleship, a cost for trusting in
Christ Jesus for our salvation from sin, death, and the power of
the devil. Jesus warned His disciples:
I have said all these things to you to keep you from
falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues.
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
think he is offering service to God. And they will do
these things because they have not known the Father,
nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when
their hour comes you may remember that I told them to
you. I did not say these things to you from the
beginning, because I was with you.
Those who are faithful to God, who trust in His Word, in His
promises above all things, can certainly expect to be rejected by
the world. God's Word clearly says we have all sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God, which is a message that we do not want
to hear. We like to be in charge, we like to rely on our own
abilities. God's Word takes that ability from us.
Although God's Word also tells us of His grace and mercy,
that in Him we have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise
of live everlasting, our sinful flesh does not desire to listen
to the Gospel. Therefore, those who proclaim the truth of God's
Word are often shunned or marginalized. Those who trust in God's
grace and mercy need to be strengthened to withstand the attacks
of the world. Therefore the Church prays:
O King of glory, Lord of hosts, uplifted in triumph far
above all heavens, leave us not without consolation but
send us the Spirit of truth whom You promised from the
Father.
May our Lord grant us faith to witness the truth, even if
that witness comes with persecution and rejection. Amen.