Devotionals: John Archives - Page 2 of 20

Jesus and his Father

By Andrew YoungSeptember 15, 2018Devotionals: John

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me…” (John 17:6) Bible Reading: John 17:6-10 Jesus’ declaration of having accomplished the work that his Father had given him to do (John 17: 4) leads him to pray for those whom the Father had given him. He describes them as those that the Father had given to him “out of the world” (v. 6). He is thinking primarily of his closest disciples here. He views them as those who belonged to his Father first but had been given to him by the Father. “Yours they were, and you […]

A Prayer to be Glorified

By Andrew YoungSeptember 14, 2018Devotionals: John

“Father… glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” (John 17:1) Bible Reading: John 17:1-5 Having finished what he had to say to his disciples, Jesus turns to his Father and prays (John 17:1-26). The first part of his prayer (vs. 1-5) concerns himself. Conscious that “the hour has come” – the hour of his return to the Father – he asks that the Father would “glorify him” (v. 1). The glory he has in view is that which he possessed with the Father “before the world existed” (v. 5). In being “made flesh,” the eternal Word assumed the […]

Peace in Christ

By Andrew YoungSeptember 13, 2018Devotionals: John

“I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace.” (John 16:33) Bible Reading: John 16:29-33 Jesus’ summary statement about having come into the world from the Father, and of returning again to the Father, seems to have turned on a light in the disciples’ minds (John 16:28). At last, they see what he was meaning in his earlier puzzling declarations (vs. 29-30). It is clear to them that he has “come from God,” and that he “knows all things” (v. 30). Earlier, they had been perplexed when he spoke of seeing and then not seeing […]

Loved by the Father

By Andrew YoungSeptember 12, 2018Devotionals: John

“…for the Father himself loves you…” (John 16:27) Bible Reading: John 16:25-28 Jesus has introduced his disciples to the idea that they are able to approach the Father directly in his name and present their requests to him (John 16:23-24). Here he takes them – and us – even more deeply into this sublime truth. He is aware that he has been speaking somewhat vaguely to his followers about what lies ahead of them. “I have said these things to you in figures of speech,” he tells them. “The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you […]

Asking the Father

By Andrew YoungSeptember 11, 2018Devotionals: John

“…whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” (John 16:23) Bible Reading: John 16:23-24 These two verses contain one of the most precious of Jesus’ promises. They speak of a privilege his disciples (including us today) will enjoy after his resurrection and return to his Father. It is the privilege of being able to present requests to his Father in his name. “In that day,” Jesus says, clearly referring to the time after his resurrection and ascension, “you will ask nothing of me” (John 16:23). Up until this point, he had been the […]

Sorrow Turned to Joy

By Andrew YoungSeptember 10, 2018Devotionals: John

“You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20) Bible Reading: John 16:16-22 Jesus is nearing the end of what he has to say to his disciples before he dies. He has told them of things to come; now he speaks of the experience that lies immediately before them. “A little while,” he says to them, “and you will see me no longer; and a little while, and you will see me” (v. 16). They were still trying to come to terms with what he had told them about leaving them to go and prepare a […]

The Christ-glorifying Spirit

By Andrew YoungSeptember 9, 2018Devotionals: John

“He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it unto you.” (John 16:14) Bible Reading: John 16:12-15 The grief Jesus’ disciples felt at the prospect of his departure kept them from hearing all that he had to say to them (John 16:12). They were in no state to receive it. Yet, what he wanted to say wouldn’t be lost. “When the Spirit of truth comes,” Jesus says to them, “he will guide you into all the truth…” (v. 13). This would be so because when he comes, “he will not speak on his own authority, […]

The Convicting Spirit

By Andrew YoungSeptember 8, 2018Devotionals: John

“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” (John 16:8) Bible Reading: John 16:8-11 The promised Helper, we have already seen, would “bear witness” about Jesus (John 15:26). Jesus explains this more fully in the verses before us (16:8ff). “And when he comes,” he says, “he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement” (v. 8). Here, the Lord is telling his disciples of the special role of the Spirit in regard to the world. He will deal with his work within them next, but firstly, he wants them to understand […]

When Loss is Gain

By Andrew YoungSeptember 7, 2018Devotionals: John

“I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away…” (John 16:7) Bible Reading: John 16:4b-7 Jesus had been speaking of solemn, even frightening things as he prepared his disciples for the future. They were going to experience the same kind of hostility from unbelievers that he had, even to the point of being killed for his name’s sake. He had known this all along but had shielded his disciples from these certainties while he was with them (John 16:4b). They didn’t need to know of them as long as he was there. He was able […]

Forewarned is Forearmed

By Andrew YoungSeptember 6, 2018Devotionals: John

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” (John 15:26, 27) Bible Reading: John 16:1-4 Recently, my doctor prescribed a cream to treat sun-damaged skin on my face. When I applied it, my face became extremely red and painful, blistering and peeling in several places. I would have been alarmed by the effects had I not been warned that this would happen. When the doctor prescribed this treatment, he also gave me a leaflet outlining its likely effects. That meant that when it did begin to cause painful skin-blotching and inflammation, I knew it […]