Practical Promises

John 16

This past week, I have been reminded of some practical promises that Christ has given to us as Christians.  Many of these promises are every day promises that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds. In John 16 we see Christ teaching a few practical, yet vital promises to his disciples.

In Verse 20 the Lord promises His disciples that when He leaves, they were going to weep and lament, and have much sorrow.  The world was not going to be friendly to the disciples, and they were going to face some hard times and tribulations.   As 21st Century Christians, we may not face severe persecution as the early church did, but tribulation and hard times are very real in many Christian’s lives today.  While going through those trials, we must not forget that Christ promised us that these hard times will come.

However, I am glad Jesus does not stop with that promise.  He goes on in the following verses to say if we are His child, that He will give us a joy that is so strong, that NO man can take it from us.  Verse 22 “Your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” This means that no matter what trial or tribulation comes along, we can rest on Him and He will give us peace and joy to get through the trials in this life.

Although this promise is a great one, I believe the last verse in the chapter is the greatest promise of all.  Verse 33 states that the Lord has overcome the World! Christ is the greatest conqueror of all time. By dying on the cross, Christ has defeated the devil, overcome sin, and conquered death.  But greater than this, Christ promises that we can conquer all three as well.  I John 5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.”

Joel Buckingham