Promises for Troubled Hearts

Series: Abundant Life

Speaker: Dan Leslie

Date: 4th August 2024

00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Do you feel peace?
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 And do you feel all is well?
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 We live in a troubling world,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 and it's hard to find peace where there's so much suffering.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 Horatio Spafford was a Christian in the late 1800s,
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 and he knew a lot about suffering.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 He was a lawyer and a property owner.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 He had a wife and five children.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:36 And tragedy struck when their four-year-old son died of scarlet fever.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 A year later, a great fire devastated much of his property.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 And then two years later,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 deciding to take his family on a holiday to England,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 he sends his wife and his four children ahead of him on a ship.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:00 And their ship sunk, and only his wife survived.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 His four children drowned at sea.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:10 And so later on, as he journeys to be reunited with his wife,
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 his last remaining family,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:17 he wrote the lyrics to the song that we sung this morning.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:23 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 when sorrows like sea billows roll,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 it is well, it is well with my soul.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 Amidst his suffering and grief,
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 Horatio finds the peace to say,
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 it is well with my soul.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:48 This is unlike peace that the world knows.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 It's peace that nothing can shake.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 How do we find peace like this?
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 Horatio found his peace in the promises of Jesus,
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 and we too can find that peace in his promises.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 Morning all.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 If you don't know me, my name's Dan,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 and I'm a regular here at St. Paul's.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 It's a real pleasure to bring you the word this morning.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 What we read in John 14 so far
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 is a small part of a farewell speech.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 This is the last night
00:02:22 --> 00:02:26 that Jesus and the disciples would spend together
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 before Jesus' death.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 They'd gathered in a room to eat the Passover meal,
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 and it's a disturbing start to the night.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 What we read last week
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 is that right at the beginning,
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Jesus stoops down to wash the disciples' feet.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 It's a deeply uncomfortable, offensive experience.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 Jesus then goes on to tell his disciples
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 that one of them is going to betray him.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 And then the most disturbing part of the night
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 is this bit.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 Have a look with me at chapter 13,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 verse 3 in your Bibles.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 Jesus says,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:25 So Jesus tells his friends that he's about to leave.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 He's about to go somewhere they can't follow.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 He's about to go to the cross,
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 to his death.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 And the disciples are distinctly troubled
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 by the way Jesus is acting.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 Here is their Savior,
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 the secret to their salvation,
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 the fulfillment of all the Scripture's promises,
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 and he's about to leave?
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 This is not what they'd expected.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:52 And so this week,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 we pick up in John 14.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Halfway through the farewell meal,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 and Jesus speaks words of comfort.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 In verse 1,
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 he says,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 Do not let your hearts be troubled.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 Believe,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 you believe in God,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:11 believe also in me.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 The words Jesus speaks,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 the words Jesus is about to speak,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 they're words of comfort
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 to troubled disciples.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 And they're trustworthy.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 Jesus asks them to trust his words
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 just as they trust the words of God.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 It's a claim to deity,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 a claim that Jesus is God.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 And so these words are of immense importance.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 Jesus speaks truth to troubled disciples.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 So before we move on and read and think about it,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 please pray with me.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 Father,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 as we read some of the final words of Jesus,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 would you help us to see
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 that they are comfort to us
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 as they were to the disciples?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 And by your Holy Spirit,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 would you help us to understand these words
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 and to be renewed by them?
00:05:08 --> 00:05:08 Amen.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 So as we crack into the passage,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 into Jesus' words of comfort,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 I want you to see two really important promises today.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 That is,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 that Jesus promises his disciples an eternal home,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 and Jesus promises his disciples an ongoing presence.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 So keep your Bibles open and ready,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 and read with me from verse two.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 My Father's house has many rooms.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 If that were not so,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 would I have told you that I'm going there
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 to prepare a place for you?
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 And if I go and prepare a place for you,
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 I will come back and take you to be with me,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 that you also may be where I am.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Where is Jesus going?
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 Well, after Jesus dies on the cross,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 he's going to his Father's house.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 That is something to rejoice.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 It's the Son returning to the Father.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 But what is this house?
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 The Father's house,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 it's a reference to the Old Testament temple.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 It's the place where God dwells.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 The house is an image of the presence of God.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 And so Jesus is returning to the presence of his Father.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 How many rooms are in this house?
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 Have we got one for the Father,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:30 one for the Son,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 one for the Holy Spirit?
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 Not at all.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 It's got many rooms.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 Jesus says,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 my Father's house has many rooms.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 There's no limit given,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 no scope to the size of the Father's house.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:49 This is a house for an ever-growing family.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 And so yes, Jesus is going away.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54 He's going to be with his Father.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 But he goes with a purpose.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:01 Jesus goes to prepare a place for his disciples.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 He's preparing rooms,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 and he's going to come back and get his disciples
00:07:06 --> 00:07:10 so they too can live in the presence of God.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 Now this is an immense promise.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 It's a promise that any first century Jew
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 would jump over joy hearing.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 This picture of the house of God
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 uses the language of the Old Testament
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 to describe an eternal home.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:34 Listen to this prayer from King David in Psalm 27.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:35 He says,
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 One thing I ask from the Lord,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 this only do I seek,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 all the days of my life,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 and to seek him in his temple.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 The writer earnestly asks
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 that one day he would dwell in the house of the Lord.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 He longs for the day
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 that he would live there forevermore
00:08:02 --> 00:08:07 so that he might gaze on the beauty of the Lord,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 seek him in his temple.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 So Jesus' use of the phrase,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 the Father's house,
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 it sparks a lot of these thoughts and emotions
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 from the Old Testament.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 This is heaven that Jesus is talking about.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 He's inviting his disciples
00:08:23 --> 00:08:27 to live in the Father's house forever
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 in the wonderful, glorious,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 overwhelmingly loving presence of the Father.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:39 But the disciples don't jump with joy,
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 not as you would expect.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Notice they respond with shock and confusion.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 In verse 4, Jesus says to his disciples,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:52 you know the way to the place where I'm going.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 Thomas said to him,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 Lord, we don't know where you're going,
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 so how can we know the way?
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 Thomas doesn't get it.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 He's really confused,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 and that's quite understandable really.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 He doesn't grasp that Jesus is talking about heaven.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 He's wondering,
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 where is this house, Jesus?
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 I'd really like to follow,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 but I don't know how.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Perhaps you could share an address or a map,
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 perhaps a compass,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 because we don't know how to get there.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 And so Jesus tells them the way
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 in verse 6.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 Jesus answered,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:43 And this is the way to the Father.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 Jesus claims that he is the way to the Father's house.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 The disciples don't yet understand this,
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 but they would soon see.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 Theologian Don Carson puts it like this.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:24 Jesus would go the way of death.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 Why?
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 Because currently no human can enter the presence of God.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 No one can reach the house of God,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 and no one is worthy of heaven.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 Our sin and our brokenness
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 will not allow us to live in the presence of God.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 But God always planned to make a way.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 The Father wants to offer us eternal life in his house.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 And that's why Jesus has to go.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 That's why Jesus goes the way of death.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 Jesus takes our punishment on the cross
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 so that we might enter the house of God.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 And so Jesus is the way.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 No one comes to the Father or his eternal house
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 except through Jesus.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 Jesus is the truth.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 His words are reality,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 and there's no other truth that can guide us.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 And Jesus is the life.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 He died so that we might live.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 He died so that anyone who believes in his name
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 would enter the Father's house.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:37 Jesus' words of comfort are to the 12 disciples.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 But there are also promises recorded
00:11:40 --> 00:11:44 so that every disciple since can find comfort in them.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 If you are a follower of Jesus,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 don't be troubled about your place before God.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 You have an eternal home.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 You can look forward with hope and joy
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 to life in God's house.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 And that's promise one.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 Jesus' disciples can look forward to an eternal home.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 But Jesus does far better
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 than just promise us something in the future.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:18 He actually promises us something right now.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 Jesus is concerned with giving comfort
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 then and there for the disciples
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 and to us right now.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 And so that's where we come to promise two.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 Jesus promises an ongoing presence.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 So what we're gonna do is
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 we're gonna move on from the first half
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 which we read this morning,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 and we're gonna delve into the second half.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 In there, we see the next big promise.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 So read with me at verse 15.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 If you love me, keep my commands.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 And I will ask the Father
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 and he will give you another advocate
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 to help you and be with you forever.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 The Spirit of truth.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 It's clear that Jesus cares about his disciples.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 He tells them in advance.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 He's not leaving them alone.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 Jesus promises to send an advocate,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 a helper, the Spirit of truth.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 These are all different names
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 for the one person.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 That is the Holy Spirit.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 So to understand this properly,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 I think it's important that we pause
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 and consider who is the Holy Spirit.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 And we've gotta consider
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 the concept of the Trinity,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 which is all over chapter 14.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 It's all over there.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 The Trinity is the understanding
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 that God is one,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 but also that God is three.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 God the Father, God the Son,
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 and God the Holy Spirit.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 But they are the one true living God.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:08 It's evident from earlier in the chapter
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 where we read that God the Father
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 and God the Son are one.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 So when the disciple asked Jesus,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 when the disciple Philip asks Jesus
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 to show them the Father,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 Jesus answers like this in verse nine.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 Anyone who has seen me
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 has seen the Father.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 How can you say,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 show us the Father?
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 Don't you believe that I am in the Father
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 and that the Father is in me?
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 The words I say to you,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 I do not speak on my own authority.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 Rather, it is the Father living in me
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 who is doing his work.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 So the Father and the Son are one.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 Though the disciples only see Jesus
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 in front of them,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 Jesus tells them
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 they're actually looking at the Father.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 To see the Son is to see the Father.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 And the same can be said of the Holy Spirit.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 Notice the strangeness of this.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 Jesus has just been saying
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 that he's leaving
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 and that he's leaving them
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 with the Holy Spirit.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:15 But then he says this in verse 20.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 Read it with me.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 On that day,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 you will realize that I am in the Father
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 and you are in me
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 and I am in you.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 Now that is a confusing statement.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 Jesus shares that
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 just as he is in the Father,
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 he will be in us.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 But he's just told us
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 that he's leaving.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 You can't go and stay.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 You can't leave us
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 and be with us simultaneously
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 unless you consider
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 the impossibility of God.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 Jesus and the Holy Spirit
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 are one.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 When the Holy Spirit
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 comes to his disciples,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 it's Jesus too
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 who dwells with them.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 And the New Testament writers
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 often speak like this,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 using the name of Christ
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 and the Holy Spirit
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 interchangeably
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 to describe God dwelling
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 in humans.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:15 Far from being just theoretical,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 the conclusion I want you to make
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 is that the Holy Spirit is God.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 are God.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 They're one.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 The Holy Spirit is no less God
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 than Jesus is.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 Because a common misconception
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 is that the Holy Spirit
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 is some impersonal force.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 Some people think of the Holy Spirit
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 like we think of the force
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 in Star Wars.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 A force that we can manipulate
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 and push to our will.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 It's a force in the universe.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 But not at all.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 The Holy Spirit is a person.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 When referred to in this passage,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 the Holy Spirit is not an it.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 It's a he.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:06 The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 of the true God.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 This is an immense comfort.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 For it is God the Holy Spirit
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 who comes to live in his disciples.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 His personal presence.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 Always it is God with his people.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 When God the Son leaves,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 God the Spirit comes.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:34 Let's read verse 17.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 The world cannot accept him
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 because it neither sees him
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 nor knows him.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 But you know him
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 for he lives with you
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 and will be in you.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 I will not leave you as orphans.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 I will come to you.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 Before long the world
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 will not see me anymore
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 but you will see me.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:04 The Spirit will not be recognizable
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 or visible to the world.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 He is with us in a different way
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 than Jesus was.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 But Jesus does not leave his disciples
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 as orphans.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 He leaves us with the presence of God.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:21 Look further with me at verse 23.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:25 Anyone who loves me
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 will obey my teaching.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 My Father will love them
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 and we will come to them
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 and make our home with them.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:39 Life now is not just a matter of waiting
00:18:39 --> 00:18:42 to be home with the Father in heaven.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 God makes his home in us
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 here and now.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 In heaven we'll experience
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 the full presence of God
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 like nothing we've ever seen before.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 But right now
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 God is with his people
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 by the Holy Spirit.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 And not only is the Holy Spirit
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 a comfort and a presence
00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 but the Spirit helps the disciple.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 The Spirit actually does work
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 in the disciple.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 So look further
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 at verse 26.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 But the advocate
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 the Holy Spirit
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 whom the Father will send
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 in my name
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 will teach you
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 all things
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 and will remind you
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 of everything
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 I have said to you.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 So the Spirit serves
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 to teach
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 and remind the believer
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 about all that God says.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 This is a crucial role
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 of the Spirit.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 Without the Spirit
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 Jesus' words
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 are worthless
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 to our ears.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 The Spirit gives
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 these words meaning.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 He grants understanding.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 The Spirit allows us
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 to see the glory of God
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 in the Bible.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 It is by the work
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 of the Spirit
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 that we can have faith
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 in Jesus' death
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 and resurrection.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 It's by the work
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 of the Spirit
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 that we can have
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 eternal life.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 But not only
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 does the Spirit teach
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 in the sense
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 that it grants us
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 this understanding
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 but according
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 to the passage
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 the Spirit
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 will remind
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 the disciple
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 of everything
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 Jesus has said.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 That is
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 that anybody
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 with the Spirit
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 will never forget
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 the truths
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 about Jesus.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 It's written
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 on their heart.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Anyone who has
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 the Spirit
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 will be reminded
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 of the truth
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 to the end
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 of their lives.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 This is such
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 a comfort.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 God keeps
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 His disciples
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 secure.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 His presence
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 in our lives
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 right now
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 means that
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 by His promises
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 we'll remember
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 His words
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 until the end
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 of our days.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 Thank you
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 Holy Spirit.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 Let's draw
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 these two ideas
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 together.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 Jesus gives
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 two promises
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 to His disciples.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 A promise
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 one
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 is an eternal
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 home.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 The disciples
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 wait for the day
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 where they'll live
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 in the full presence
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 of God the Father
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 in His house
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 forever.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 And promise
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 two
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 is this
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 ongoing presence.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 Jesus promises
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 that the Holy Spirit
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 would come
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 and dwell with
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 and inside
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 His disciples.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 And both
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 of these promises
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 only come about
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 because
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 of Jesus'
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 death
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 and resurrection.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 Verse 6
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 again,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 Jesus answered,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 I am the way
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 and the truth
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 and the life.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 No one comes
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 to the Father
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 except through
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 Me.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 These promises
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 are attainable
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 because they're
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 a free gift
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 of God.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 Anyone
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 who believes
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 in and follows
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 Jesus Christ
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 will receive
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 these promises.
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 And so
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 if you're not
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 a Christian
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 in the room,
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 I would really
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 encourage you,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 investigate the
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 person of Christ
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 for He freely
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 offers you
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 life in the Spirit
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 now
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 and an eternal
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 home in heaven
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 forever.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 And if you are
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 a Christian,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 these promises
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 are to mean
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 something to you.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 They're to mean
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 something to me.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 They are to be
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 comfort and
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 guidance.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 Words for
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 troubled hearts
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 in a troubled
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 world.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 Look with me
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 at verse 27.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 Peace I leave
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 with you.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 My peace
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 I give you.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 I do not
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 give to you
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 as the world
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 gives.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Do not let
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 your hearts
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 be troubled
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 and do not
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 be afraid.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 These promises
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 mean peace
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 for the troubled
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 heart.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 Jesus
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 shares His
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 peace with us.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 But be very
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 careful in your
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 understanding of
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 peace.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 For the world
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 says to us,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 peace is an
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 avoidance of
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 trouble.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 I picture the
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 kind of peace
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 I feel on a
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 holiday.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 day.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 When there's
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 no work
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 to do.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 Not much
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 to be anxious
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 about.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 Books to
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 read.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 Time to
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 talk and
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 walk.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 Now that
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 is a good
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 kind of
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 peace.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 But that's
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 not the
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 peace that
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 Horatio
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 Spafford
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 felt when
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 he wrote
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 it is well
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 with my
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 soul.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 As he
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 wrote that
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 in the
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 aftermath of
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 losing five
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 children,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 the peace
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 he felt,
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 the peace
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 that Jesus
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 gives is
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 different.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 Jesus does
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 not give
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 peace like
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 the world.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 He gives
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 peace that
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 transcends
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 understanding.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 Peace that
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 coexists with
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 suffering.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 Don Carson
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 puts it like
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 this.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 This peace
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 is no
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 escape from
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 reality,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 but a
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 courageous
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 serenity,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 even in the
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 midst of
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 troubles.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 Some people
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 don't want
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 this kind
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 of peace
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 because the
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 peace that
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 Jesus gives
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 doesn't remove
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 trouble.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 It's for
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 those who
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 are troubled.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 The peace
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 that Jesus
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 gives is the
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 peace that
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 comes from
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 knowing that
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 Jesus has
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 prepared a
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 place in
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 heaven for
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 you.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 We don't
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 earn our
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 place in
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 heaven.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 We don't
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 work for
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 it.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 Jesus has
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 freely given
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 it.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 Jesus
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 promises
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 us that
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 we can
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 have hope.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 We can
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 have
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 assurance.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 Faith in
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 Jesus means
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 life forever.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 This is a
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 promise of
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 peace that
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 goes beyond
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 our
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 circumstances.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 No matter
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 what happens
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 in an
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 uncertain life,
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 we can have
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 absolute
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 certainty in
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 the future.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 Jesus has
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 prepared a
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 place for
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 us.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:10 peace of
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 knowing that
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 we have the
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 Holy Spirit
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 in us.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 He will
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 not let us
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 forget his
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 words.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 He will
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 teach us
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 and grant
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 understanding
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 so that we
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 might have
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 salvation.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 He will
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 remind us
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 these promises
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 again and
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 again through
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 his word of
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 our certain
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 hope in
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 him.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 That is a
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 promise.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 A disciple
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 of Jesus
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 will be held
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 firm all
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 their days.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 A disciple
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 gets to
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 live in
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 faith and
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 trust for
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 the rest of
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 their lives.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 So as we
00:25:46 --> 00:25:48 go out into
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 the rest of
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 our lives,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 into morning
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 tea, I'd
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 really like to
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 challenge you.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 Let's explore
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 this question
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 together.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 How will
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 the promise
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 of the Holy
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 Spirit's
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 presence and
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 of an
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 eternal home
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 change the
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 way you
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 live now?
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 Let's anchor
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 our lives on
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 these promises.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 Let them
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 shape us,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 change us,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 transform the
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 way we live
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 our lives.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 They're
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 promises of
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 peace for
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 a troubled
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 disciple.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Amen.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Amen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 Amen.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 Amen.