2024 ~ Matt Mitchell - Hot Orthodoxy

Sunday, July 21, 2024

“My Peace I Give You” [Matt's Messages]

7/21/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“My Peace I Give You”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

July 21, 2024 :: John 14:25-31

Satan was coming for Jesus.

“The prince of this world,” the prince of darkness grim, the enemy of our souls was coming to take Jesus down.

Just a short while ago in this very room, Satan had entered into Judas Iscariot, and he had slipped out of the room and entered into the night (13:27-30).

And now this Satan-infested Judas was on his way back with Romans soldiers to arrest Jesus. And to see that Jesus was tortured and killed. Satan was coming for Jesus.

And Jesus knew it. He knew it in His bones. He knew Satan was coming for Him, gunning for Him, coming to take Him down.

And how did He respond? Did He panic? Did He run? Did He fall apart?

No. He was troubled in spirit (13:21). He felt strong emotions. He felt like quitting. He wanted to ask His Father to save Him from this hour (12:27). He sweat like He was bleeding (Luke 22:44).

But Jesus resisted the temptation to run away. He knew that He had come for this purpose. For this very reason. To glory His Father.

And He had peace. Watch Him! Watch how Jesus acts. Listen to what Jesus says. Watch Jesus in these remaining chapters go through His arrest, His trial, His torture, His public shaming, His crucifixion. And be amazed at His peace. His peacefulness.

Satan Himself is coming for Jesus, and Jesus is full of peace.

Now get this: In our passage for today, Jesus promises to give His disciples His peace.

The key verse is verse 27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus is going away, but He is leaving a parting gift. He is leaving them with peace!

And not just any peace. He’s leaving His own peace with them.

Now that could just mean that He’s leaving them with a peace that is particularly from Him. It’s His gift to give. And that would be enough. But I tend to think that Jesus means something even deeper. I think Jesus means to give His disciples the exact same kind of peace that He Himself has.

The kind of peace that can get you through the worst thing ever. The kind of peace that you can experience even though Satan Himself is coming after you! Doesn’t that sound good?!

Jesus says that He doesn’t give peace like the world gives peace. That’s good! Because the world is terrible at giving peace. The world promises peace all the time, but it’s just wishful thinking or a con game. The world’s peace is fleeting and temporary at its best, and it’s just fake and empty at it worst.

Beware people who promise you peace who don’t have peace themselves.

But Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He has plenty of peace to give to His people (Isaiah 9:6, John 16:33). So Jesus says to His disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Do you need to hear that this morning? I sure do. I often let my heart be troubled, and I am tempted to live out of fear. I struggle to maintain my composure, and I am tempted to be be cowardly and chicken out when I should be bold and courageous. I regularly need to be reminded that Jesus has left His peace for me as a gift.

Now, remember, this is not a rebuke. It’s a gift. Jesus started this chapter by saying (v.1), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” And that wasn’t a rebuke either. It was a comfort. Remember, Jesus Himself had a heart that could be troubled.

It’s not a sin to feel anxious.

The question is what are you going to do with it? Are you going to embrace it or embrace the gift of Jesus’ own peace? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

Jesus gives us every reason to be at peace. We have many good reasons to be troubled, but we have even greater reasons to be peaceful. Amen?

I see a bunch in this passage, and I want to point out at least three.

The first has to do with the amazing gift that we heard Jesus promise last week in verse 16. The gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no genuine peace without Him.

In verse 16, Jesus promised to ask the Father to give His disciples “another Counselor” to be with them forever, the Spirit of Truth.

Remember this? We said the word “Counselor” or (in Greek) “Paraclaytos” (Paraclete) was hard to capture in English. That’s probably on purpose because the Holy Spirit Himself is hard to capture, as well. He is “another Counselor” or “Advocate” or “Comforter” or “Strengthener” or “Helper” or “Alongsider.” And He is going to come and take up Jesus’ place in His follower’s lives. That includes taking up Jesus’ role as Teacher. Look with me at verse 25.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The disciples are shocked and dismayed that Jesus is going away. And one of the things they are worried about is who will teach them what is true? Who will remind them what Jesus has taught them these last 3 years or even these last 3 hours? Jesus has been their source of truth for so long. He IS the truth (14:6). What will happen if He is taken away?

Jesus says, “Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered. The ‘Paraclete’, the Holy Spirit, is going to make sure you guys know everything you need to know. He’s going to make sure you have all the Truth you need. He’s the Spirit of Truth, and He’s going to “teach you all things.”

Isn’t that encouraging?! The disciples don’t need to worry that they are losing their source of Truth because Jesus is going to ask the Father, and He’s going send them the Spirit of Truth.

“In my name,” Jesus says. And in His place. Just because Jesus asked!

Let me put it this way. We can enjoy the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#1. THE BIBLE IS COMPLETELY TRUSTWORTHY.

Where do I get that from?

Verse 26 basically promises us the New Testament! Look at it verse 26 again, "[T]he Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

That promise is where we get our New Testament. And it’s how we know that it is trustworthy.

I’m so thankful for verse 26 because these disciples have, so far, not been very encouraging in their understanding, have they?

How many times in the last 12 months of studying the Gospel of John have we seen the disciples be confused? Misunderstand? Not “get” what Jesus is talking about? It’s all over the place!

These guys do not give you a lot of confidence:

“Could someone have brought him food?” (John 4:33)

“Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7).

“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60).

“Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better” (John 11:12).

These are the words of the disciples!

Even this very night:

“No, you shall never wash my feet!” (John 13:8). “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and head as well!” (John 13:9).

“Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” (John 13:37).

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5).

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8).

The look on their faces throughout this book is basically dazed and confused most of the time.Is that who you want writing your Bible for you? These clueless guys? These guys do not give me much peace.

But, Jesus says that they are going to get the help they need to write the New Testament. The Helper they need. The Son is going to pray to the Father, and the Father is going to give the Spirit in the name of the Son to the disciples, and He is going to (look again at verse 26), “teach [them] all things and remind [them] of everything [Jesus] has said to [them].” And this time, they will get it.

One of the people that room hearing this promise was named “John.” And John was there when the requested Holy Spirit was poured out as promised on the Day of Pentecost. And John was taught everything he needed to know. And he was reminded everything he needed reminded of. Even down to the details of all things he previously misunderstood! And that’s why we have the Gospel of John in our laps today. And why we can trust it. And that should give us peace. Amen?

That’s why we have Family BIBLE Week, right? Because Jesus kept the promise of verse 26, and the Spirit did His work. That’s why we have this solid rock to stand on. When all around is sinking sand.

Are you trusting in God’s Word? Are you standing on it? Are you reading it? Do you know what it says? Are you in your Bible and is your Bible in you? Are you memorizing Scripture?

Are you studying the Bible? A secondary application of this verse is that the Holy Spirit is interested in helping believers to understand what they read in the Bible. He not only wrote it, but He illuminates the meaning of the Scriptures in the hearts of believers who prayerfully and earnestly seek it.

The Bible is completely trustworthy because the Holy Spirit inspired it. He came as verse 26 promised and taught and reminded the apostles of everything we need to know and remember for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4)! Including Jesus’ promise of peace. Verse 27.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Notice, again, that this peace is a gift. It’s not something that we earn. It’s not something that we deserve. It’s a gift from Jesus to His followers, and it’s received by faith. And it’s a multi-faceted peace. It is, first and foremost, peace with God. It’s won by Jesus’ death on the Cross for us. But it’s also peace with others. One day it will be peace on the whole earth! And it’s also peace within ourselves. It’s total well-being, it’s blessing all around.

Like Hebrew word that we learned a lot about in Jeremiah, shalom.

In Jesus’ day, you would say, “Shalom” as a greeting, and you might say it as you part, as well, “Shalom.” Like we often say at the end of our worship time, “Go in peace.”

Jesus says, “I leave you with peace. I give you MY peace.” It’s a gift. It’s ours for the taking. It’s solid and firm like a great big Breaker Rock on a beach. And we can build our lives on it. We do not need to be troubled or afraid.

Number two. We can enjoy the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#2. THE FATHER’S PLAN IS PERFECTLY ON TRACK.

Look at verse 28. Jesus is still reassuring them, though there is a hint of rebuke here, too. Verse 28.

“You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”

The rebuke is when Jesus says, “If you loved me...” He knows that they aren’t really thinking about Him. They are thinking about themselves. They are really concerned for themselves if Jesus leaves and not for what that really means for Jesus.

But Jesus does not say, “If you loved me, then you would hate that I’m going to die on the Cross.” (Though, of course, that’s true.) He says, “If you loved me, then you would be glad that I am going to the Father FOR the Father is greater than I.”

Now a lot of interpreters have choked on that last phrase because they think it might disprove the Trinity. (Don’t worry; it does not.) The Arians in the fourth century and the Jehovah Witnesses in our day both make that mistake. They think that Jesus is saying in verse 28 that He is somehow a lesser god or not as much God as the Father is. Not equal in essence.

Does that sound right? Does that sound like it fits with the rest of the Gospel of John?

How would that work with John 1:1? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” With-ness and was-ness.

How would that work with John 5? “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (Jn. 5:20-23 NIVO).

How would that work with John 10:30? “I and the Father are one.”

It’s not talking here about how how much God Jesus is. He’s fully God! But He’s also fully man. And in His full humanity, He has been sent by His Father on a mission.

The Father’s mission is greater than the Son’s comfort and even life. The Son is committed to glorifying the Father, no matter what. That’s what He’s talking about. That’s what’s greater. The Father is greater as the sender of the incarnate Son.

And the Father is living in unshielded glory, but the Son has humbled Himself, and while still worthy of all glory, is not enjoying the glory He had with the Father in His presence before the world began (John 17:6). We’re going to learn more about that when we get to His great prayer in chapter 17.

The Father is currently greater in glory than the Son at this moment of the Son’s humiliation. But the Son is going to the Father and that full glory is going to be restored!

And if we really loved Jesus, we would want that. We would want Jesus to go to the Father and receive that glory and then come back to share it with us! We wouldn’t want Him to die, but we would want Him to die and be resurrected! And we would want Him to ascend to the right hand of the Majesty on High. Because that’s the plan. That’s the Father’s grand plan. And it is perfectly on track.

Jesus is saying, “Guys, guys. Don’t get all worried by my saying I’m going away. It’s all good. It’s all good. In fact, it’s great! It’s glorious. It’s what’s supposed to happen. This was the plan all along, and it’s on track.” Verse 29.

“I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”

Do you believe? That’s the whole point. Jesus is getting them ready for what’s going to happen in just a few hours. Their faith is going to be shaken to its core, but He’s told them in advance so that they can put their faith in Him. That’s the whole point of this book. It’s been written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing we might have life in Jesus’ name.

Do you believe? Do you believe that the Father’s plan is on track? Do you believe that the Cross was a part of the plan all along? That Jesus was going to the Cross to pay for our sins and to give us life forever with Him and therefore peace forever with Him?!

If you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, I invite you to do so right now. Because He is the source of all true peace. “My peace I give you.”

Ironically, if the disciples would just trust that this was all part of God’s plan, then they would have even more peace. And joy! And joy for Jesus in His coming exaltation.

But first Jesus must go through His crucifixion. He has not forgotten what is going to happen to Him in just a few hours. Jesus knows that Satan is coming for Him. V.30

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave.’” (vv.30-31).

Jesus knows that the time is short. The door is closing. He only has few more fleeting moments to teach them what they need to know before Satan comes knocking.

But did you see what Jesus says about Satan in verse 30?

“He has no hold on me.”

The ESV says, “He has no claim on me.”

The King James says, “He hath nothing in me.”

The 2011 NIV says, “He has no hold over me.”

The CSB says, “He has no power over me.”

You and I can experience the gift of Jesus’ peace because:

#3. SATAN WILL SURELY LOSE.

That’s not how it’s going to seem. Satan is going to come with all the forces of the world, and Jesus is going to suffer and die. But not because Jesus deserved it. Jesus was not a sinner. He wasn’t going to Cross because Satan had some kind dirt on Him. He was going to the Cross because of verse 31 not because of verse 30.

The Father was sending the Son to the Cross. And the Son loves the Father, and true love truly obeys (remember v.15!), so the Son was going to the Cross out of love for the Father.

“....the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my (greater in this context) Father has commanded me” (v.31).

So off He went.

But, for the same reason, He did not stay dead. Because death had no hold on Him. Sin had no hold on Him. Satan had no hold on Him. Nothing could hold Him down! The Father has commanded Him to lay down His life only to take it up again!

And Satan could do nothing about it. It seemed like Satan was winning, but he was losing the whole time. And he always will.

Because, brothers and sisters in Christ, Satan has no hold on you now either. He has come to steal, and kill, and destroy, but you belong to Jesus and He has come so that you might have life to the fullest!

Satan will surely lose. Don’t forget that. It’s not always going to seem like it. Satan does hate you and is coming at you. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8 NIVO).

“But the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4 NIVO).

Remember what Romans 16:20 says: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20 NIVO).

Which God? The God of peace. The One who said, “Peace I leave you. My peace I give you.”

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15

36. "I Will Ask the Father" - John 14:16-24

“I Will Ask the Father” [Matt's Messages]

7/14/2024 01:59:00 PM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I Will Ask the Father”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

July 14, 2024 :: John 14:16-24

The things that Jesus promises His disciples (and therefore you and me) in these nine verses are almost too good for words!

Yesterday, I struggled to put my astonishment and joy into clear sentences that would capture the glory of these promises. They are just so huge and so wonderful.

I’m sure that Jesus’ disciples were struggling to take them all in. Especially because they were still reeling from the shocking news that Jesus was leaving them. Jesus said that He was going away. And they couldn’t follow Him.

So they were troubled in their hearts. Who wouldn’t be?! But Jesus has been comforting them, strengthening them for the days ahead.

Jesus told them about His Father’s spacious house and how He is the way to get there. And He’s told them about His amazing oneness with His Father, and how when they look at Him they have seen the Father. And He’s promised them that they will continue to do great things in His name. And that He will answer their prayers about “whatever” and “anything.”

And He’s pointed out, as we saw last week in verse 15, that if they truly love Him, then they will faithfully obey His commands. Real love means real obedience. Which we’ll hear Him say again and again this week.

And then in our first verse today, Jesus explains from where the power will come to obey His commands.

Jesus says that He will pray that the Father will give us exactly what we need. In fact, Jesus says that He pray that the Father will give us exactly Whom we need.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth.”

That is humongous. First off, just that Jesus promises to pray for His disciples to get this gift. “I will ask the Father.” How comforting that should be!

Yes, He’s going away, but He’s promising when He’s away to pray for His disciples. And you know that He’s doing that for us today, too, right?

“I will ask the Father.” And how do you think the Father is going to feel about the Son’s prayer request? How does the Father feel about the Son? He loves Him, right? Jesus is His beloved Son with whom He is well-pleased.

He will say, “Yes,” to this request!

Jesus says so. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth.” It’s going to happen!

Jesus hasn’t prayed it yet. He’s promised to ask the Father. He’s going to do that after His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. But He’s going to ask the Father, and the Father is going to give the disciples “another Counselor.”

Now that word translated “Counselor” is notoriously difficult to capture in English.

The Greek word is “paraclaytos,” and it’s only used a few times. All of them by John in the New Testament. We’ll see four of them in these Farewell Teachings of chapters 14, 15, and 16.

It comes from two Greek words that means “someone called alongside.”

“Para” - alongside. “Claytos” - one called. Often shortened to “Paraclete” in transliterated English.

Not Parakeet! Jesus hasn’t promised us all exotic birds, but instead Someone who has been called alongside of us. Paraclete.

But what does that mean?

The 1984 NIV that we have in our pews and that I tend preach from has “Counselor.” Which is pretty good. Because that captures how close and intimate this Person is. And we also use that word in a legal setting. Like we call lawyers, “counselors.” And this Greek word is often used for someone who stands next to you in court and advocates on your behalf.

In fact, some of your Bibles may have “Advocate” there in verse 16 for “paraclaytos.” That’s what the 2011 updated NIV has in verse 16.

So we shouldn’t get the idea that this Person is just a Psychologist or a Therapist kind of Counselor, but also a strong Advocate, even before a righteous judge.

That’s one of the reasons why “Comforter” is kind of lacking. Because we don’t call our Advocates, “Comforters.” It kind of sounds like a soft thing like a quilted bedsheet. This Person is not a quilted bedsheet.

Now if you use the old meaning of “comfort,” that is someone who gives you strength. Someone who not just consoles you and pats you the head but fortifies you, then Comforter is really good. “The Strengthener.”

Many other versions have the word “Helper” in verse 16 for “paraclaytos.” And that’s really good, too, because this Person is there to help!

Sometimes we use the word “helper” to indicate someone who only helps a little. Like “Mommy’s little helper?” So that can be problem if we get that idea in our mind when read verse 16. This kind of Helper is Helper with a capital H. He is not an inferior or a subordinate. He doesn’t come and obey us. But He does bring help. Boy, does He. The help He gives us is indispensable.

And the key word that can really get missed when you’re trying to translate “paraclaytos” is the word right before it. What kind of Counselor is the Promised Paraclate? V.16

“Another Counselor.”

That means that this Counselor is fundamentally similar to another Counselor that they already know.

They already have someone who is their Helper, their Comforter, their Advocate, their Strengthener, their Comealongsider. Someone who has been standing by them the whole time. Who do you think that is?

It’s Jesus, right? He's been comforting them in this way even this very room this very night!

In fact, the Greek word here for “another” is a bit of a stronger word that means “another the same kind.” There’s another word for “another of a different kind.” This one is another of a similar kind.

Jesus is going away, but He’s going ask the Father to send this Person to take His place in His people’s lives.

Who are we talking about? Jesus calls Him here, “The Spirit of Truth.” He goes by a lot of names in the Bible, but we all know Him as the Holy Spirit. Jesus promises to ask the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And don’t miss this one other word in verse 16. He isn’t just coming for the weekend. He isn’t just coming temporarily. He is coming forever!

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth."

#1. SPIRIT FOREVER.

This gift of the Spirit will be permanent. He’s not just going to come for Family Bible Week, make a guest appearance, and then head off for the hills or for another appointment. No, He’s going to come and take up permanent residence in Jesus’ disciples. That’s the big reveal of verse 17.

“The world cannot accept him [the Spirit of Truth], because it neither sees him nor knows him [doesn’t wanna]. But you [disciples] know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

That’s huge! The world hates the Spirit. He’s the Spirit of Truth, and the world loves Lies. But Jesus’ disciples love the Truth. Because Jesus is the Truth. He’s the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

And they know the Spirit. It’s not like they’ve never heard about the Spirit before. The Spirit has been God from all eternity [the Third Person of the Trinity!], and He was present at creation, and He has guided God’s people throughout history, and He’s come upon God’s people to great things in the Old and New Testaments–anointing prophets, priests, and kings!

The Spirit has always been around blowing wherever He pleases. Like Jesus told “Nick at Nite.” They know Him. Better than they probably realize. They know Him.

But they don’t know Him like they’re going to know Him.

Jesus is going to ask the Father, and the Father will give them another Alongsider to be with them forever–the Spirit of truth–and He’s not just going to be with them, but inside of them!

He’s going to stand so close alongside them that He will actually be inside of them.

And never leave.

And “The Comforter Has Come,” right? Jesus did ask the Father, and the Father said, “Yes,” and the Helper was poured out at Pentecost. And He’s come to dwell inside of each and every one of Jesus’ people!

You know what that means, Christian? It means that you are not alone.

You are not alone.

You are never alone. Never. And you never will be. The Spirit is with you. He’s so with you that He’s in you. And He’s not going anywhere. You are not alone. And you never will be.

Help is here.

Do you see how this would be encouraging and (comforting!) and strengthening for the disciples, once this sunk in? Yes, Jesus is going away, but, in some ways, He’s giving them something even better by giving them the Spirit. And the Spirit will help them to obey Jesus which is what you do if you love Jesus!

Now, Jesus will have more to say about the Spirit of Truth in these chapters. He uses that title for Him three times. The Spirit is going to be a Teacher of Truth to the disciples. But here the emphasis is on His presence. His in-dwelling. And a new level of intimacy that we can enjoy with the Spirit and will forever.

#2. LIFE FOREVER.

But that’s not all that Jesus promises! [That would be enough, wouldn’t it?!] But Jesus promises not just the Spirit forever, but life forever. Look at verses 18 and 19.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

Now, what’s He talking about there? Some people think He’s still talking about the coming of the Spirit, and that’s possible. He’d be saying that He’ll come to them through the Spirit and be with them like, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20 NIVO). But I don’t think that’s the most natural way to read it.

Some people think He’s talking about His second coming like He did at the beginning of the chapter, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (Jn. 14:3 NIVO). That’s possible, too. And it’s the end result of the whole thing!

I think, however, He’s just talking again about what’s going to happen this weekend. He’s going away. “Before long, the world will not see me anymore...” Jesus is going to die on the Cross and be buried in the Tomb. But He’s not going to say dead. He’s coming back on Sunday morning from the dead. He’s walking out of the Tomb and walking back into their lives.

“[The world may not see me,] but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” Jesus is coming back to life to give life to His disciples. And that new life is going to be like His new life–indestructible, immortal, permanent, and unending. Life forever!

“Because I live, you also will live.”

Remember when He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn. 11:25-26 NIVO).

Do you?

Christian, you are going to have life forever. Not because of anything good you have done, but because of what Jesus did for you. He died for our sins, for our forgiveness. And He came back to life to give us life forever. “Because I live, you also will live.” Do you believe this?

I invite you to believe right now. I invite you to trust Him for this right now. If you do, you get the Spirit forever, and you get life forever. And you get loved forever.

#3. LOVED FOREVER.

Look at what verse 20 says will happen next. After they see the resurrected Jesus, they will understand their relationship to Him in a whole new way. V.20

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Wow! We just had our minds blown a couple of weeks ago thinking about how close the Father and the Son are. They are so close that they are in each other. "Their with-ness is so close because of their is-ness that we have to say that they have in-ness." And Jesus promises here that His disciples will grasp that in a new way after His resurrection.

And they will also understand that they are in Jesus, and Jesus is in them! Not in the exact same way, of course, as the Father and the Son (them both being God), but we will also have a kind of oneness, a kind of in-ness with Jesus, with the Son! Probably because of the Holy Spirit.

How’s that for mind-blowing?!

Christian, do you know that you are “in Jesus?”

The Apostle Paul’s favorite phrase to use in all of his letters is, “in Christ.” We call it the Doctrine of Union with Christ, and it’s so glorious. We’re going to learn a lot more about it when we get to chapter 15, but here it is right here in verse 20. “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

And catch this: He likes it that way.

He likes being in us and us being in Him. Because He loves us! He doesn’t just tolerate us being connected to Him in this way, He loves it.

He loved us first! And He loves us last. And He loves us best.

And we love Him back. And you know how we know if we love Him? What did we learn last week? We obey His commands. Look at verse 21.

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. [Sounds familiar. Now listen.] He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.’”

Wow! You see what I mean by there just aren’t enough words to capture how good this is?!

He loved us first.

We love Him back. We show that by our obedience.

We are loved by the Father.

And we are loved by the Son.

Guess Who else loves us? The Spirit! {See Romans 15:30, for example.}

And through the Spirit, the Son will show Himself to us.

He will reveal Himself to us.

He will disclose Himself to us.

And when you know the Son, guess who else you know?

The Father, right?!

We are loved by the Triune God!

And He’s revealing Himself to us out of love. And it’s not going to end.

So Judas (not that Judas, the other one) asks what is kind of reasonable question. He’s just heard this promise that Jesus is going to reveal Himself to them. And Judas (not that one) wants to know why Jesus isn’t going to reveal Himself to the whole world at this point. Look at verse 22.

“Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, ‘But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’”

And Jesus just doesn’t answer him. He just side-steps the question. It’s not a bad question. There will be a time for Jesus to be revealed to the whole world. He’s said that already in this gospel. But that’s not what He’s talking about right now.

He’s talking about loving His people and living with them, forever. V.23

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. [You think that’s important to Jesus? He’s said it now 3 times in this chapter! We need to obey out of love. And look what we enjoy as we do!] My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. [The opposite is also true. V.24] He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (vv.23-24).

I can’t get over the words in verse 23, “My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

That’s a forever home. The Triune God plans to live with His people forever.

That word for make our “home” is the same root word as the “many rooms” back up in verse 2.

God the Father wants to live with you.

God the Son wants to live with you.

God the Spirit lives inside of you!

And they love it!

God doesn’t just tolerate you. He doesn’t just put up with you. God loves you.

Jesus just said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms [it’s a big home]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (Jn. 14:1-3 NIVO).

He wants to live with you forever! Make His home with you.

You are loved. Christian, you are loved.

If you belong to Jesus, you are not alone and you never will be.

And you are going to live forever.

And you’re going to live forever with the Triune God! Who loves you.

At the very end of the Bible, the Apostle John writes about the Day when all of this is fulfilled to the fullest.

And it says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3 NIVO).

That’s what Jesus asked the Father for.

And He’s going to do it.

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15

“If You Love Me” [Matt's Messages]

7/07/2024 11:25:00 AM EFCA, Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“If You Love Me”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

July 7, 2024 :: John 14:15

We’re only going to make it through one verse this morning. I wasn’t sure how long the Challenge Group would want to share, so I kept this message focused down to just one sentence from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here’s the sentence. It’s very simple, and the logic is clear. It’s an if/then sentence. If this, then this. John chapter 14:15. The words of Jesus to His disciples:

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Jesus said to His disciples on the night before He went to the Cross, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Jesus draws a tight connection between our love for Him and our obedience to Him.

This is going to be a theme we’re going to see again and again in the Farewell Teachings that we’re studying together this summer–chapters 14, 15, and 16 of the Gospel of John.

In fact, Jesus connects love and obedience five times in this chapter alone. Real love and true obedience are intimately connected.

Which might be surprising until you think about it a little. We tend to connect obedience to duty or fear. We obey an authority just because they are an authority or because we are afraid of them. But that’s not the only reason why we might obey, is it?

Employees might obey the boss because they love the company. Citizens might obey the government because they love their country. Children don’t just obey their parents because they might get spanked. Children might obey because they love their parents.

Children might obey because they know that they are loved first. And the focus in the Gospel of John up to this point has been to demonstrate how much God loves us!

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16 NIVO).

This very night, the Lord Jesus has gotten up from the table where they are having their Passover meal (the forerunner to our communion table), and He’s shown them the full extent of His love (13:1).

He kneeled down behind them and washed their dirty, stinky feet.

Jesus has been comforting their troubled hearts even as He’s told them that He is going away. He’s told them about His Father’s spacious house and how to get there. He’s just promised to answer their prayers about “anything” and “whatever” when prayed in His own name. And He’s just about to promise them the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself to take up His place in their lives.

Jesus loved these disciples, and they will know that. And they will love Him back. And that love will look like obedience.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

As I thought about this one sentence this week, I thought how appropriate it would be for our Challenge Crew to hear as they came down from the mountain.

Because they have been learning all week about what Jesus commands for His followers. The Sermon on the Mount. And we heard a little bit from them this morning about what they learned.

The Lord Jesus wants His followers (who love Him) to live differently from the world as citizens of His kingdom (obeying what He commands).

We studied the Sermon on the Mount together here the first half of 2018.

Jesus invites you and me to live as citizens of His upside-down, inside-out, counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, Kingdom of Heaven.

That’s what our group heard about this week at Challenge. That’s what Jesus commands of us.

The question is: Will we obey? Do we trust Him? Do we love Him? Will we actually do what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount? “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

If you don’t, you won’t.

And if you don’t, your life will ultimately crash.

At the very end of His Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells the story of the two builders, the wise and the foolish builders.

I’m sure the last speaker on Friday night at Challenge talked about this story. It’s in Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 to 27.

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice [“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”] is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine [the commands of Jesus in the the Sermon on the Mount] and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.'"

I love that story. I love singing it with kids.

This story sounds a lot like what we’re fixing to learn about here at Family Bible Week with “Breaker Rock Beach.” It’s beginning to look a lot like FBW around here! I grabbed my seashell already to remember to pray for FBW the next two weeks.

The idea of Family Bible Week this year is that we live in world of sifting sands, but God’s truth is a solid rock that can be trusted for us to build our lives upon. We can and must obey what Jesus’ commands.

The trick question I always ask when teaching on the two builders is–which house gets hit by the storm?

Both houses probably looked great. In fact, the house built on sand might have looked better because they didn’t have to waste time and resources with all that digging.

But when the storm hit, you could see which builder was wise and which one was a fool.

Jesus forces us to choose.

“Are you going to obey my commands? Or not?”

“Are you going to build your life on my teachings? Or not?”

“Do you love me, or don’t you?”

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

That means change. And change can be really hard. When you’re on top of the mountain like being at Challenge or being at church, it kind of seems easy, but when you come down from the mountain, that’s when reality hits.

And that’s when you have ask yourself the question, “Do I love Jesus?” Do I really trust Him? Do I really know that He loves me? And if do, then I will obey what he commands.

The last few weeks, I’ve had some great conversations with different folks about following Jesus. Sadly, a couple people I talked with turned away from following Jesus when they heard what He was asking them to do. Some others turned towards Him.

How about you? What is King Jesus asking you to change right now so that you are obeying His commands? Living as citizen of His upside-down, inside-out, counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, Kingdom of Heaven.

We’ve heard from the Challenge Crew. What about the rest of u?

Jesus is saying to us today, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

***

Messages in this Series

“Show Us The Father” [Matt's Messages]

6/30/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Show Us The Father”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

June 30, 2024 :: John 14:7-14

You probably noticed that we're starting right in the middle of a quote from Jesus. Last week, we ended with verse 6, and Jesus was talking, and we just left it hanging there in the middle of a two-part statement from Jesus! So that’s where we start up today.

It’s going to be like that for the next few months as we study the Farewell Teachings of Jesus together. We’re slowing down and taking each part of chapters 14, 15, and 16 bit by bit. Most of these 3 chapters are just Jesus teaching the deepest truths He wants His followers to know while He’s away. And we want to soak up every last bit of it. So, we’ll just take a little bit and chew on that and then take the next little bit and chew on that. And I’ll try to make connections from week to week so that we don’t lose sight of the forest as we look closely at each of the trees.

But the trees today are verses 7 through 14.

“Show us the Father.”

Let me ask you a question. Is that a good prayer request? Is that a good thing for us to pray today?

“Show us the Father.” Is that a good thing to pray?

Those four words come directly from verse 8. The disciple Philip requests that Jesus show the Father to him and the rest of the disciples. Look at verse 8.

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’”

That sounds like a pretty good prayer request to me. At least at first. It seems both big and humble to me. At least considered all by itself.

Philip asks to see the Father. And we know, in context, that’s God the Father! Which is a pretty audacious thing to ask! It’s kind of like Moses praying to Yahweh in Exodus 33, “Show me your glory!” (Exodus 33:18).

That’s a big ask! It’s a good and glorious thing Philip is asking for, a revelation of God the Father.

And Philip is asking the right Person. Jesus has just said that He Himself is the way, the truth, and the life, and that nobody (but nobody) gets to the Father (and into His house, His Father’s spacious house) except through Jesus Himself.

So Philip is asking the right Person. He’s asking the Son to show them the Father.

And He seems kind of humble about it. He’s not saying that he deserves to be shown the Father. And He says that that’s all he asks. “And that will be enough for us.” That will be sufficient.

However, Jesus is not happy with Philip’s request. In fact, Jesus rebukes Philip for asking for this right here. He actually asks Philip in verse 9, “How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

“How could you pray that?! Why would you think that’s a good thing to ask right now?!”

Jesus does not think that this is a good prayer request.

How come?

Well, for one, because Philip was not grasping what Jesus had just said to them! Look with me at verse 7. Actually, let’s start in verse 6 to put last week’s together with this week’s.

Jesus met in private with His disciples on the night before the Cross, and He said He was going away and that His disciples knew the way to where He was going. Thomas said, “No. We don’t know the way.” Verse 6.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [Verse 7.] If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’”

Do you see why Jesus might be very disappointed in Philip’s request?

He just said, “You have seen Him. You have seen the Father.” And Philip says, “That sounds good! Show us the Father.” Verse 8.

“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’”

It’s like he’s looking around Jesus, and seeing if the Father is standing behind Him somehow or will appear behind Him.

“That’s great, Jesus. Go ahead and do that. Conjure up the Father. Give us a vision of Him. Make the Father appear to us. If you do that, then that’ll be plenty. Then we’ll be satisfied. We’re ready. We’re all set.”

But Philip wasn’t listening. Jesus just said, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'”

“Don’t push me aside and ask to see the Father. I’m right here. I’m showing you the Father. That’s why I’m here.” Look at verse 9.

“Jesus answered: ‘Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (v.9).

“What do think I’ve been doing these last three years? 'Show us the Father?' I have! I am! Right now!”

This morning, I have four points of application that I want make, and I’ve boiled them down into 4 short words to make them, hopefully, easy to remember if not always easy to actually do.

#1. See.

#2. Believe.

#3. Do.

#4. Ask.

Let’s talk about the first one.

#1. SEE.

See the Father by looking at the Son. Know the Father by knowing His Son. That’s why Jesus came, is it not?

We learned this way back almost a year ago when we started in on the Gospel of John. It’s in chapter 1. Where Jesus is called “The Word.” Remember that?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

And what did that eternal Word do? He became flesh. He became one of us. John 1:14.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 NIVO).

And why? Why did He come. What did that accomplish? John 1:18. “No one has ever seen God [the Father], but God the One and Only [God the Son], who is at the Father's side, has made him known” (Jn. 1:18 NIVO).

John got it! By the time he wrote his gospel, John understood what Jesus was saying here in the Farewell Teachings.

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” The visible Son makes the invisible Father known and seen.

And here’s how He can do that: They are IN one another. Look at what Jesus says to Philip in verse 10.

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (v.10).

Now these are mind-blowing ideas, but they are foundational to the whole Christian faith.

God the Son is so close to God the Father that they can be said to be IN one another. We call that the doctrine of “mutual indwelling” or “co-inherence” or sometimes it’s called “perichoresis” or “inter-penetration.”

It’s a vital part of the doctrine of the Trinity that the Father and the Son are distinct in their Persons but are at the same time One Being, One essence, One substance. Perfectly together and undivided.

There is only One God! Even though eternally there are, subsisting in that One God, three Persons.

[And we’re going to get to the Third Person next week, Lord-willing! But here it’s the Son and the Father.]

Remember again what we learned in chapter 1, verse 1?

“In the beginning was the Word [another name for the Son, and the Word [the Son] was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

We said that God Son and God the Father had with-ness and was-ness. Remember that? “With God and was God.”

Well, here we learn that the Son and the Father also have in-ness.

Their with-ness is so close because of their is-ness that we have to say that they have in-ness.

I know that I’m making up words, but it’s to try to get across this point that Jesus wants His disciples to understand.

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (v.10a).

“Why would you ask to be shown the Father, when you have me?”

“He’s IN me. I’m IN Him. You’re seeing the Father right now, Philip. You’re hearing from the Father right now, Philip.”

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (v.10b).

What do we call that the Persons of the Trinity are working so closely together that the work of One Person is also the work of the Others? “Inseparable Operations.”

Why is this important? Why are we spending so much time on it this morning? Because the application is to see the Father by looking at the Son. If you want to know God, then you study Jesus. If you want to come to the Father, then you come to the Son. If you want to know what God is like, what He loves, what is important to Him, what God’s heart is all about, then stare at Jesus.

Don’t try to go around Jesus. Don’t try to look around Jesus!

Some people say they “believe in God,” but they “aren’t so sure about that Jesus guy.” They like the God of nature and the great outdoors, but they aren’t into all of that Jesus-stuff, like the Sermon on the Mount, and loving your enemies and all of that stuff.

If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know God. Jesus is Who God is! There’s no other way to know Him.

This section is the densest section in the whole Gospel of John for teaching about Who the Father is. The words “The Father” are repeated 12 times in just 8 verses. The most in all of the book!

But the focus is never on the Father by Himself. Because the Father is never by Himself! He’s always the Father, which means there is always the Son! And the Son is the Father’s appointed means for us to know Him.

See the Son by looking at the Father.

This applies to our lives in lots of ways. Take Bible study for example. Don’t ever try to read your Bible and understand who God is by looking around or behind Jesus or away from Jesus. It’s okay to try to study the Father. But never try to understand the Father by Himself. Always make connections to the Son. Because He’s the fullest revelation to us of the Father. Does that make sense?

See the Father by looking at the Son.

#2. BELIEVE.

Believe in the Son because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.

Jesus has already used the word “believe” in verse 10. He says it again in verse 11.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”

Jesus invites His disciples to put their faith in Him and believe in His inextricable co-inherence with the Father. And if the disciples are struggling to do that, Jesus reminds them to just believe on the evidence of what they have seen with their own eyes.

The NIV has “miracles” in verse 11, but it’s actually bigger than that. It’s “works.” It’s everything that Jesus has been doing, working all along. Everything they’ve seen Him do for the last three years. From turning over tables in the temple, to walking on water, to raising Lazarus from the dead, to washing their feet that very night.

Jesus says, “Think about everything you’ve seen me do, and then put your faith in me.”

Have you done that? Are you doing that?

That’s the whole point of this book we’re studying right now. John said that these things in his book have been written out for us “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31 NIVO).

Jesus Himself said that He “is the life,” and we get that His life through putting our faith in Him. Believe.

You and I have even more reason than these disciples did to believe in Jesus because we live on the other side of His greatest work--what He did on the Cross and at the Empty Tomb. That’s part of the point of verse 12.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

That’s application point number three.

#3. DO.

Do greater things for and with Jesus on this side of the Cross than Jesus did on that side of the Cross.

Now, there’s a lot I love about verse 12, but there’s some things in there I struggle with.

I love that we are active and not just passive. Jesus says that we get to DO things. In fact, we get to do GREAT things! We don’t just come to Christ and then sit around staring at each other. I love that our faith means action.

I’m super glad that we are not saved by our works. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But we are saved to do good works! Jesus says here that anyone who has faith in Him will do what He has been doing. In fact, He says (v.12 again), “He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Now, that I sometimes struggle with that.

I like the sound of it, but I’m not sure what all’s involved. Does He mean that I’m supposed to feed five thousand people with just a happy meal? Does He mean that I’m supposed to put mudpacks on blind people’s eyes and heal them? That I’m supposed to call people out of their tombs?

I doubt it.

My guess is that I’m supposed to do the things He’s specifically told us are His example for us–like washing other people’s feet. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And sharing the good news of the kingdom of God.

But He says that what I do will be greater than what He has been doing so far. How is that?!

We just got done saying that Father is in Him and He is in the Father. How can our works be greater than His?

The key, I think, is in those last few words of verse 12. Why are they greater? “BECAUSE I am going to the Father.”

And we know how He’s getting there. He’s going to the Father through the Cross. And then His resurrection and the Empty Tomb. And then His ascension to the Right Hand.

That’s how He’s going to the Father.

And everything will be greater after that.

So these greater things are not greater in spectacle or power. They are greater in era. Everything that we do now in faith looks backwards to the Cross and the Empty Tomb and the glorification of our Savior.

So there’s a greater quality to our works on this side of the Cross. They are blood-bought works and done for the glory of the Resurrected Jesus.

And they are greater in quantity, too. Because, as we’re going to learn next time, the Spirit is going to come and ratchet everything up to eleven. So it’s not like we get superior miracles to perform than what Jesus was up to. We get to do our good works for Jesus in the era of the Spirit after the glorification of the Son.

And everything is better then!

So, for example, I don’t know how many people Jesus talked to during his earthly ministry, but after He went to Father, thousands came to trust to Him in the early days of the church. And then thousands more. And then thousands more. And then millions more. And then millions and millions more. Greater things!

Jesus never (to our knowledge) left Israel. But now we are talking about Him right here in central Pennsylvania today. All because He went to the Father.

And here’s the application of that. We need to do. We need to do great things! We need to attempt great things for the Lord.

Everything He’s asked us to do in following His example (like washing feet and loving our enemies) and all kinds of things we can come up with to serve Him in faith.

And those things we do will be “greater things” because He has gone to the Father. Does that make sense?

Does that make you want to try some things and to be bold?

I think that these three we heard from this morning who are going to Malawi in 41 days are living out verse 12.

I think the 15 who are in the van to Challenge are living out verse 12.

And everyone here who did something this week because you belong to Jesus and believe in Him, are living out verse 12, too.

The missionary William Carey was fond of saying, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

And they might actually seem quite small. But if done in the name of the resurrected Son, in the power of the Spirit, and to the glory of the Father, then they will be greater in some way than everything we’ve read in chapters 1 through 13!!!

What might you do this week in faith?

And what might you pray for and ask Jesus to do this week?

That’s the last of our four applications.

#4. ASK.

Ask for big things in Jesus’ name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Last two verses. Great big promise. Verse 13.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Wow. I love the sound of that, too. But I also have questions.

I believe that Jesus means every single word in these two verses. But it’s every single word together. And it’s all in the context of everything else He says. We don’t rip these out of the rest of the Bible, and try to figure out what they mean and don’t mean on their own.

Jesus means the words “whatever” in verse 13 and “anything” in verse 14. That means that we can pray about whatever and we can ask for anything.

And He also means “I will do” in verse 13, and “I will do it” in verse 14. That means that Jesus answers prayer! He personally is involved in answering His follower’s prayer requests. “I will do it.”

But He also means the words “in my name.” And those words are not just a tagline that we slip into each prayer to make sure that it’s kosher. “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“Oh, you didn’t say, ‘In Jesus’ name, Amen.’ So that one’s no good!”

No, praying in Jesus’ name means praying in Jesus’ authorization.

It means praying in Jesus’ reputation.

It means praying in Jesus’ character.

It means praying for the things that Jesus wants done.

So, we shouldn’t go praying for anything that we know that Jesus hates.

Don’t pray about who to commit adultery with.

Don’t pray about who to murder.

Don’t pray about how to get away with theft or slander.

That is not prayer in Jesus’ name.

Praying in Jesus’ name is not telling Jesus what to do. It’s not ordering Him around. Yes, He says, “I will do it.” But the key word here is “ask.”

If you want to know what to ask for, look at Jesus. Look at what He prayed for. And pray in line with what you see. Just like looking at the heart of the Son will reveal the heart of the Father, it will also show you the heart of prayer. Jesus means that we ask in His name and only His name.

And He means for us to ask for things that will ultimately bring glory to His Father.

Don’t miss those words in verse 13.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

That has to be the result of His answering our prayers with YES or it will be NO.

And, of course, that’s often mysterious.

We don’t always understand (in fact, we often don’t understand) what will bring the most glory to the Father in a given situation. We can keep from praying for things that we know won’t. But we don’t always know what will.

We can pray, for example, for a new car. Probably shouldn’t pray for 12 new cars and, “Lord, it would be great if one of them was a Rolls-Royce.” But we might not even get that new car because in not getting the car, the Father will get even more glory from whatever He gives us instead.

We can pray for rain. Who was praying for rain yesterday? Thanks a lot! But someone else might be praying that it not rain at a given day or time for a particular reason. And which one will bring ultimate glory to the Father? We leave that up to Him.

But we can and should pray about whatever and ask for anything in Jesus’ name, and we can be sure that He will answer.

Isn’t that good news?!

Remember, these disciples are tempted to be troubled. They are distraught over His departure. But Jesus is assuring them that even if He goes away, they can still talk to Him! And they can still be sure that He is at work. He’s still doing stuff.

Do you need to hear that this morning?

I think these two verses were the biggest challenge to me personally this week, as I prepared this message. Because they confronted me with my relative prayerlessness. I am not asking enough.

I pray. And I pray with others. But am I asking Jesus to do big things? In line with His reputation, His character, His authorization, His will. And trusting in the Father’s wisdom to answer as He sees fit.

But am I asking?

There’s something right now that I’ve begun praying for, but I’ve been really timid about it. I’ve shot it into my prayers from time to time. But I haven’t really been asking. Jesus tells His disciples to ASK.

How about you? Are you taking Jesus up on this offer?

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Ask!

What I love about this invitation to pray about whatever and anything is that Jesus answers us, not because He loves us (even though He does) but because He loves His Father!

Jesus promises to answer our prayers so that the the Son may bring glory to the Father.

God gets glory when He gives us the things we ask for! And we know that the Father loves to glorify the Son, and we know that the Son loves to glorify the Father. Because they are IN one another!

The have is-ness and with-ness and in-ness.

And if we understand that, then I think we can even pray with great confidence, “Lord Jesus, through Your glorious Self, show us the Father.”

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