Three Great Assurances

Okay, good to be with each of you this morning and Let's just open in a word of prayer

And we'll get started Oh Heavenly Father and gracious God Hear our prayer this morning.

We ask you Lord to open our minds to your word Sharpen our hearts and bless your church as we study your word this morning

Allow us Lord to have favor in your sight Bring us to an understanding of your word that we might draw closer to you in truth and in knowledge

The Holy the Holy One we seek this knowledge not for the sake of knowledge itself

But instead that we might glorify you by growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen Well, you'll recall those of you who were here last week that we looked at a brief summary of John chapter 9 through 13

We summarized the big picture of John and what was the big picture.

I'll just repeat that a little bit John introduces us to the person of Jesus He wants us to know and to see

Jesus as both man and as God He wants us to know him intimately to believe in him to trust in him as our

Lord and our Savior and He wants us to be completely reliant on him for our salvation

For as we studied last week, he said to the disciples I am the way the truth and the life that was

John 14 6 So if you haven't already opened your Bible you can open to John chapter 14

And this week we're going to be starting in verse 12

Now when we get to verse 12 Jesus knows his disciples are troubled

He has just told them that he must leave them But beginning here in verse 12, he offers them three amazing assurances first that they will continue his ministry and continue to do his works and even greater things than that and Whatever they ask in his name he will do second the father will send a helper the

Holy Spirit and Third that he would not leave them as orphans, but that he would live with them

Now, let's take a look at these three great assurances in greater detail

So I'm gonna read verse 12 and verse 12 says Truly truly

I say to you he who believes in me the works that I do he will do also and Greater works than these he will do because I go to the father

Jesus begins here with the words truly truly or Another translation might say most assuredly

I say He starts by allaying their fears. It is not that the work he began will end and Not that each disciple will disband and go his own way but rather Jesus told them you will continue in my work and in my ministry by believing in me and by persevering his work

His work would continue Not through his presence, but through the

Holy Spirit who would guide them in even greater works Now take a careful look at your

Bible most of the Bibles will have the word works in italics

That work that word is italicized and the reason it is is because there is no direct

Translation for that word and most commentators agree that the better translation might be greater things instead of greater works

Here there he there's been this is an interesting verse for a lot of confusion

Some will say that Jesus promised more spectacular signs and miracles but who

When you consider that he walked on water He changed water to wine

He calmed the seas He fed the five thousand He healed the sick and he raised the dead

Jesus does not promise more spectacular signs or miracles But he indicates that the magnitude of his works will be greater

No doubt there would be healings and other miracles, but the greater things declared here emphasizes the spirit the sphere of influence and ministry that the disciples would have toward evangelism and Toward a word of salvation

That would be greater than even Jesus The Word of God would spread far and wide so that many nations and many tongues would come to know

Jesus Christ as their Savior and Commentators add that after Peter's first Sermon recorded in the book of Acts that more people were converted that day

Than are known to be converted during the entire ministry of Jesus himself while he walked on the on the on the earth

So this is what he means by greater things These things would not be possible except through prayer

So if you're following with me take a look at verse 13 and 14 and it will tell us

Whatever you ask in my name That will I do? So that the

Father may be glorified in the Son if you ask me anything in my name.

I will do it Jesus would do his works through his faithful people who ask and act according to his will

That is that he would grant the prayers and petitions of those who asked in his name

According to his character his authority and his will We come to Jesus we come to God in the name of Jesus Not in our own name to ask in his name is

Not a magical Incantation that we use at the end of the prayer, although we often do use it

But it sincerely implies that we are Unified with Christ in our put in our purpose for the prayer

How can we ask the prayer? How can we ask it if we know our prayer is in direct conflict with the character and the true?

nature of Jesus himself His words here imply that we are unified with him in Knowing that he will grant our request

Yet Paul reminds us in Romans on the other side of that same coin that we do not know for what we ought to pray and So we need to keep this in mind.

What does it tell? What is Paul telling us? we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that we do and Prayer is certainly included in that.

We need the Holy Spirit to guide to guide our prayer verse 15 says if you love me, you will keep my

Commandments if you love me, you will keep my commandments This verse seems to come right out of midair.

It seems to come as a pause Jesus reassures his disciples here

That he and and he almost seems to stop and remind them of the importance of love and obedience

He demonstrated his love for them in so many ways Even by washing their feet and by serving them during his earthly ministry

But he tells them of the and but before he tells them of the helper

He reminds them if they love him They will obey him

Now, what is the source for that obedience the great preacher Spurgeon once said?

It isn't fear pride or desire for blessing that drives our desire for obedience

The essence of obedience lies in the in a hearty love for Christ Which prompts the deed rather than the deed rather than in the deed itself?

Put another way to love Jesus is to obey him now we come to the second of the three assurances and we're going to find this one in verses 16 and 17

I Will ask the father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever

That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive

Because it does not see him or know him But you know him because he abides with you and will be with you

It must have been difficult if not impossible for the disciples to understand what

Jesus was saying to them a Helper, what does he mean a helper?

What does he mean that the helper will be with us forever How will the spirit of truth speak to us?

How can I be sure that the spirit will abide in me and be in me?

These are important questions the disciples likely had But you know even 2 ,000 years later

We're still asking those same questions It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of this great gift of the

Holy Spirit and the Role that the Spirit plays in the life of each and every believer

Jesus knew his disciples then and now would need his presence and power to keep his commandments

God the Son prayed that God the Father Would send

God the Holy Spirit to guide and direct his followers to accomplish his will

This is a wonderful example of the Trinity woven into the pages of the

New Testament the Greek word for helper was Paracletos paracletos

Translated in the New King James Version as the comforter The name implies one who would be sent to help to strengthen to console the disciples wish that Jesus could continue to walk with them day by day and Here Jesus promises that the

Holy Spirit will fill that role the greater work the greater things previously described

Would be impossible without the helper the paracletos the

Holy Spirit The person of the Holy Spirit would in fact abide with us forever

The spirit would not come and go as we saw with Saul in the

Old Testament But would now abide with every believer forever

The world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not see him or know him But in contrast to the world the disciple of Jesus should know the

Holy Spirit Should have the Holy Spirit with them and should have the

Holy Spirit in them For the eleven disciples in the room They had the

Spirit with them, but on the day of Pentecost they would have the Spirit in them now

Jesus begins with his third assurance He will not abandon his precious chosen ones, but he will continue to disciple them

Spurgeon considered several ways the follower of Jesus is different from an orphan an

Orphan has parents that are jet on that are dead Jesus promised the Spirit who is alive an

Orphan is left alone the comforter the Holy Spirit draws us close to God an

Orphan has lost their provider but the helper provides all things an

Orphan is left without instruction but the Spirit teaches us all things an

Orphan has no defender, but the Holy Spirit protects us

So that brings us to verse 18. I Will not leave you as orphans.

I will come to you After a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live

You will also live in that day you will know that I am in the

Father and You in me and I in you he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me and He who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and will disclose myself to him

That was verses 18 through 21. Well, how would Jesus come to them? Well, let's look at that first in his resurrection

Second by sending them the Holy Spirit and third by promising to return again a second time to gather his own

The world will see me no longer, but you will see me This was true as he appeared to them after his resurrection

But what's interesting here is that they would know him in a greater way

Through the Holy Spirit They would know of his great sacrifice on the cross

They would know of his plan for those who were truly his disciples and they would continue to live in Jesus Through the life of the

Holy Spirit that would be with be with them and in them You will know that I am in the

Father and you in me and I in you that's that's an amazing verse.

That's just an incredible verse It's a very prominent theme in the

New Testament one share Basically, what is it telling us?

There is our our shared life in Christ What are examples of this well, there are many

I'm not going to read them all but Galatians chapter 4 verse 6 says Because you are sons

God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our heart crying

Abba father therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir through God and then

Romans 8 verses 16 and 17 says the spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and If children

Heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him that we might also be glorified with him and Then first John chapter 3 verse 24 says this

The one who keeps his commandments abides in Christ and Christ abides in him

Christ in us and we in him this shared life in Christ is an amazing thing to contemplate we can kind of understand and I'll I'm gonna leave my notes for a minute.

We can kind of understand Christ in us because we have the

Holy Spirit and we know the power of the Holy Spirit That will tell us things that we otherwise could not have possibly have known

But what's difficult at least for me to understand is that we are in Christ and Christ in us is is is

Powerful, but we are also in Christ and that is even even harder to contemplate we know and we sense that he is in us by the presence of the

Holy Spirit, but we are also in him and there are many tangible aspects to this union with Christ and These we experience as we walk with him.

For example through the Holy Spirit. We know his will Through the

Spirit we strive to obey his will Through the Spirit. We know of Christ's love for us and the love of the

Father and through the Spirit We know more of Jesus himself as the

Spirit reveals him to us The Word of God comes alive because of the

Spirit that was that is in us and Attests to the truth of what is written in this book the

Bible 1st John chapter 2 verse 3 says by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments

John reminds us of this here in verse 21 He says he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me and I and the

Father will love him and will disclose myself to him in other words love and Obedience are completely intertwined 1st

John chapter 2 verse 4 makes this a very clear distinction. It says the one who says

I Have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him

So that brings us to verse 22 through 24

Now Judas not Iscariot said to him Jesus Lord then

What has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not to the world?

Jesus answered and said to him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will and we will come to him and make our abode with him

He who does not love me Does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine

But the father the fathers who sent me One Of the inquisitive disciples asked him further

How is it you will disclose yourself to us and not to the world Well, this disciple was

Judas and it was not Judas Iscariot But instead it was

Judas the brother of James They were half brothers of Jesus and it is this same

Judas that later writes the epistle of Jude Jesus answers

Judas here declaring once again If you love me, you will keep my word and my father will love you and we will make our home with you

Love is the root and obedience is the fruit Jesus is saying to Judas not only will

I love my own But my father and I will both love him and not only will we come to him from a distance but we will come close to him and make ourselves known to him and Not only will we live near but we will share our home with him

These are tremendous assurances the tremendous tremendous words on The other hand

Jesus declares if you do not love me, I know you will not keep my word

But remember I and the father are one and the words you reject from me are

Exactly those words of the father who sent me it was he the father who gave me those words

Well verse 25 through 27 These things

I have spoken to you while abiding with you But the helper the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name

He will teach you all things and bring you and bring to remembrance all that I said to you

Peace, I leave you my peace. I give to you Not as the world gives do

I give to you? Do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful

We arrive Now at some of the most cherished and powerful verses in the whole

Bible Jesus tells the disciples once again of the pericles the comforter the helper

First first of all, he has not yet been sent to you

But he's telling the disciples My father will surely send him in my name.

And of course this will occur on the day of Pentecost Second he's saying the

Holy Spirit will teach you all things In other words while you have learned many things from me while walking with me

The Holy Spirit will teach you even more Your understanding will increase dramatically

What I have taught in parables of the kingdom of heaven will become much more clear

What I have told you of salvation and the internal and the eternal life with me will become real to you

The Old Testament scripture and the word of the prophets will come alive

The Old Testament prophecies will come to mind and many will be fulfilled and Although Jesus spoke these words following his resurrection

So to the Holy Spirit would later bring them to mind these words

Written in the in in the Bible in in God's Word. Oh Foolish men and slow of heart.

He wrote these these words were to the to the to the men from Emmaus Oh Foolish men and slow of heart to believe in what all the prophets have spoken

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets Jesus explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures

So that was Jesus speaking but here the paracletus Will bring these things to mind and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you

What wonderful things will come to the minds of the disciples? This will be for their own benefit

But also for our benefit because it was going to be those same disciples

Many of them that would be writing the Gospels the Gospels that we have in our in our word today

The work of the Holy Spirit would be a work of continuation The words and teaching of Jesus would not be for naught while he walked on the earth

But the Holy Spirit would add powerfully to what Jesus had already taught

There is something general in this promise for us for the

Holy Spirit to every believer The Holy Spirit teaches us and brings remembrance of God's Word to us

But there was a fullness of this same promise to these first -generation disciples and apostles upon Whom Jesus would establish his church?

We get a sense of this from Ephesians chapter 2 Verses 19 and 20 when he when

Paul said this he said so then you are no longer Strangers and aliens you are fellow citizens with the

Saints and you are of God's household Having been built on a foundation of the

Apostles and the prophets Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone

But like the disciples we can attest to the power of the Holy Spirit daily directing us in the

Christian walk and Increasing our faith by attesting that Jesus is who he said he was and by making him a reality in our lives

The scripture here proclaims the departing Jesus Gives the disciples two gifts.

The first gift was the Holy Spirit The second gift was his peace

He says peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives it

Do I give it to you? Peace or Shalom Be with you was a customary

Jewish greeting when you met or departed from it with a friend But here

Jesus gives this greeting a much deeper meaning. This was not meant to be just a casual

Goodbye He was carefully describing it as my peace

Then he made it clear that he had a peace which the world just simply could not offer

What peace did Jesus offer the disciples? What could he offer that the world couldn't offer?

well the answer in a world in a word is The gospel The gospel is the source of God's peace in a troubled world where it is difficult to find peace

Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light he asks us to trust in him and all things will work for good for those that love him as the song says

Mark might be singing it. We can talk with him. We can walk with him.

I don't know if I've got that quite, right? and We'll call him and what

Mark will call him our own and so even as the song declares it we can trust that he has our best interest at heart and That he has the power to control all things

Even in a time of war a time of great trouble we can find his peace

We can walk with him. We can talk with him and we can call him our own

For he says these things I have spoken to you So that in me you might have peace in the world.

You will have tribulation But take courage. I have overcome the world.

That's John 16 verse 33 That being so he reminds us again or to reminds the disciples

Do not let your heart be troubled. Do not be fearful So we're we're approaching the end of the chapter now in verses 28 through 31

He says this you heard that I said to you I go away and I come to you

If you love me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the father for the father is greater than I Now I have told you before it happens so that when it happens you may believe

I Will not speak much more with you for the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me

But so that the world may know that I love the father I do exactly as the father commanded me

Get up. Let's go from here Okay. Wow kind of an interesting ending, isn't it?

The disciples did not know it but the work of Jesus through the Holy Spirit would be an even greater ministry than than his earthly ministry

It was in this that they could have rejoiced But Jesus was to do for them and for you and for I What he was going to do for them went beyond their current comprehension

Jesus anticipates an incredible reunion with the father And he states the father is greater than I the father is greater than the son

This was true in position Especially as it relates to the incarnation but in in terms of their essence or their being they were both equally

God as the car as the Trinity tells us

Jesus knew of the He knew of Judas Iscariot as a betrayer he knew that Satan would come for him

But he makes it clear in advance that he goes willingly to the cross

He had he is not coerced by Satan or by the world to the cross

Satan has no hook. No foot. No foothold. No toehold over Jesus He has no power to send him to the cross

But Jesus wants the disciples and the world to know that he goes to the cross as an act of perfect obedience to the father

He offers himself as an unblemished lamb of God The ram caught in the thicket before Abraham could sacrifice his only son

Isaac the perfect and holy sacrifice for sin

Made once for all so that the blood of bulls and goats would no longer be necessary At this point it seemed

Jesus and the disciples left the table and they prepared to go But when you look at the contents of chapters 15 through 17

It is clear that Jesus had much more to say and much more to pray

After the meal or on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane Many have said that this is a time when it seems like Jesus would most likely have wanted to be alone but he invites the disciples to be with him and to pray for him and Soon after of course, we know they fall asleep and they forsake him, but Jesus does not forsake them

So he says to them do not let your heart be troubled Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us and That brings us to the end of chapter 14

So let us let let us pray Dear Heavenly Father what incredible words are written here in John 14

Words that stir our hearts words of assurance

Words from your son that promise. He will author our works and grant us our prayers words that assure us that you have sent the

Holy Spirit as the comforter as the helper and Words that your son will not leave us as orphans

We thank you for the promise of the shared life in Christ He and us and us in him and we know that if we suffer with him

We too will be glorified with him Help us Lord to know your word and to know your commandments and help us to obey them by our love for you

Not out of coercion or out of pride not to gain favor

But we pray our obedience would be born out of our love for you

We are so thankful for the Holy Spirit who guides our lives and helps us with the day -to -day

Christian walk We are grateful for your peace which assures us of our standing with you through the gospel

Be with each and every one of us as we leave this building this morning But remind us that we are building your church as we encounter those who do not yet know you as we journey this week and We pray this in the name of your son