John 16:25-33
1. There is a hiddenness to God, v. 25
This is seen in three areas: teaching, healing and identity
a) His teaching
-Matthew 13:10-13
-Matthew 13:34-35
b) His healing
-Mark 5:41-43
c) His identity
- Matthew 16: 13-20
2. God is accessible, v. 26-27
Two consequences of not believing this truth:
1) Never know how much God loves you
2) Never experience the priesthood of all Believers
a) Priesthood of the Believer leads to a highly individualistic, lonely, isolated, private seeker of truth who practices subjective willingness and makes their mind up in isolation. In this model, every man’s hat is his church.
“The common error that the phrase ‘priesthood of believers’ is synonymous with ‘private judgment’ is most unfortunate and is certainly a misrepresentation. … Of course, the reformers emphasized ‘private judgment,’ but it was always ‘informed’ judgment, and it was always controlled, checked, and corroborated by the testimony of the congregation. Indeed, Calvin himself fully realized that uncontrolled private judgment means subjectivism, eccentricity, anarchy, and chaos.” -Cyril Eastwood
b) Priesthood of all Believers leads to a band of faithful believers united in a common confession as a local, visible church body. This captures the Christian’s freedom to stand in a direct relationship to God without a human mediator as well as the Christian’s evangelical responsibility to come before God on behalf of other Believers and the world. The universal priesthood is not about religious individualism but its exact opposite, the reality of the congregation as a community.
“All believers … should seek to bring others into the church, and should strive to lead the wanderers back to the road, should stretch forth a hand to the fallen and should win over the outsiders.” -John Calvin
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
3. Suffering is part of believing, v. 29-33
For mental consideration…
1. Would you say your life choices reflect a desire for relief or the Truth?
2. Who is your “Peter, James and John?”
3. How are you exercising your priesthood these days?
4. Is it possible for you to think of suffering as formative? Said differently, as preparation instead of punishment?
5. Do you find it hard to reconcile Christians suffering and God winning?