I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said to Him, See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?

John 16:28-31 

What does it take to get us to believe in Christ? The conversation our text relates is between Christ and His disciples in the upper room on the night of His arrest. He had spent hours, days, and years with these disciples. He had called them, let them, taught them, and developed them in every way. They had seen Him turn water into wine, sinners into saints, and bring the dead to life. They had heard the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. He had proven Himself to them in every way possible. On this night of His impending arrest, He had poured out His heart to them to prepare them for the horrific upcoming events. After all this they say, ‘Now we are sure….’ His response to them is, ‘Do you now believe?’ We look at His response and think of all the things that had brought them to this threshold confession. After all of that, finally, they believed. We identify with the disciples. We have all the record of the Old and New Testament concerning Christ. We have, by proxy, seen the miracles and heard the words. We have evidence of Christ in our own experience and that of others. What does it take for us to believe? Christ has proven Himself over and over again. Do we now believe? 

Our Glorious, Living Christ, 
we rejoice that You have done all things well. 
We praise You that all You have done, 
has given us every reason to believe. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Do You now believe? Jesus replied. A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. 

John 16:31-33 

Jesus has already won. As He prepared His disciples for the horrific impending events of the next few hours, He concluded His remarks with the words of our text. In these words, He realistically describes the experience of believers in the world that is hostile to Him. He says, ‘In the world you will have tribulation.’ He declares that even though they will have tribulation they will have peace in spite of it. What makes for their peace? It is the fact that Christ has overcome the world. This means they will not only have peace but even good cheer in the midst of their trouble. Why, because they know what others do not know, that Christ has already won the victory over the world. This has enabled the people of God to bear up under the most adverse onslaughts against them from that day until today. Christ has always made good on His word. Every promise He made, He has fulfilled in due course of time. He promised, on the night He spoke the words of our text, that He would come again to receive us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be also. John describes His return in the Book of Revelation. He appears as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He returns as the Overcomer to do judgment and justice. We may be of good cheer.  

Our Glorious, Victorious Christ, 
we rejoice that You have won the victory. 
We praise You that You will come again, 
to subdue all things unto Yourself. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?  

John 16:31  

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. 

John 20:31 

Why did John write his gospel? The second portion of our text articulates it. John believed. The other disciples believed. He wanted us, his readers to believe. We live by faith. What the world around us calls foolishness, we believe by faith. John wrote of what he saw. Peter, James, John and all the rest of the disciples could not help but speak of what they had seen and heard. They became witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Their intention was to preach Christ to the purpose that people would believe. To that end they lived and for that truth they died. We are the inheritors of their message. Their message has become our message. We have the privilege to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Word; the Lamb of God; the Son of God; the King of Israel; the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He is He who lives and was dead and behold is alive forevermore. He has the keys of hell and of death. He is the Once and Future King. We believe, and proclaim Him that you also might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life through His Name. This is the most worthy use of time we can make. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Our Glorious, Living Christ, 
we rejoice that You have revealed Yourself to us. 
We praise You that we have the privilege to proclaim You, 
that others also may believe. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning