Good morning, everyone. Those of you who are here in person and those who are on Zoom this morning, a hearty welcome. Again, it's what a privilege we have of gathering together to worship the Lord on this another Lord's Day. I'd like you to turn to Psalm 46 as our call to worship this morning. Psalm 46. I notice that first verse in Psalm 46 seems to have appeared a number of times for me throughout the week. There it is, Psalm 46, and we'll be reading the whole of that psalm. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea? Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof? Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. May the Lord bless his word to our hearts. One neat thing about a turtle is that it carries its protection with himself. Its own little hiding place right on its back. When someone or something comes along and bothers the turtle, maybe some boy or another little animal comes along, well, the turtle simply hides, pulls back, simply pulls back into its shell and hides there. It's hidden, protected from danger. It's good to have a hiding place, isn't it? Remembering when we were young, playing hide-and-seek, oh, we'd try to find a place, a spot to hide, maybe in the bushes or behind a log or something of that nature, and you'd hope that those who were looking for you, that person that was it, would give up and not see you. Well, suddenly, you heard that noise and someone was very close. Oh, you tried to make yourself small, perhaps, as small as you could, but sure enough, that it person has seen you and you were caught. This little turtle is very fortunate in a sense to have its own protection when danger comes along, always has a hiding place handy, carrying its protection with it wherever it goes. Wouldn't you love to have a hiding place like that at times or all the time? Wouldn't it be great to have some protection with you wherever you would go? than whenever you felt that you were in danger, sick, or whenever things really bothered you, you could simply pull into your shell, as it were. You know, the Bible tells us that we do have a hiding place all the time, and it's much better than the little turtle shell. The Bible tells us that God is our hiding place, God will protect us from trouble. It's in the book of Psalms. We read it, didn't we? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. That is God's own spot, you might say, for his children, those who believe in him as Lord and Savior. It's a much safer and happier spot than any hiding place that we could think of or could find, much safer than the turtle shell too. We can be sure about this hiding place by trusting in the Lord Jesus. We have him watching over us all the time. It's like being held in his hand and no one can take us out of his hand. The Bible states that. Another very special verse in the Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse 27 says, the eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. Imagine having God's arms around you like a big hug holding you. What a comforting picture that is. But first of all, We must have Jesus living in our hearts. He must be Lord of our lives. We have to confess that we are sinners. The Lord Jesus wants to be our savior. Ask him to forgive your sins today and come into your heart. Remember, don't be caught without a hiding place. And God's hiding place is so much better than the little turtle's hiding place. I enjoy singing the song, rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Pastor Brad. Well, I add my greetings to those of... Papadi for those here in person and at home. We're thankful that we have the opportunity to meet like this and continue to rejoice in the Lord. A couple of things for this week ahead of us that I want to mention. I'm going to be away or off at least for a bit. Well, for a week. That made it sound like it was gonna be for a long time, didn't it? But anyway, for a week. And that means that prayer meeting this week will still be just online. It won't be in person this week. We'll start with the in-person prayer meetings the following week, but not this week. Floyd Wilson is going to take the Bible study for us, but it will be on Zoom. this week. Now, next Sunday, we're hoping to have with us a young man, Mr. Tony Herr, who is one of the gentlemen that the Pastoral Committee has met with. So, Lord willing, he'll be here next Sunday. Now, Because of that, I'm assuming that there'll be some who will want to be here in person. But of course, we're still under these limits. So I've been telling you for months now how very important it is to phone in so that we know who's coming. But I really mean it this week. It would be really important to phone in. We have the two services, of course, morning and evening, and so we can perhaps divide things up so that everyone who wishes to come in person may do so either morning or evening, but of course it depends on numbers and so on. So, in my absence, I guess it falls to Raelle to set things up for that next Sunday. And so, as soon as you know that you would like to come either morning or evening, please phone in or I guess contact Raelle directly or whatever, but phone in so that it makes it easier just to make sure everything is suitably lined up for next Sunday. This is, of course, introductory, just getting to know him and getting an opportunity to hear him as part of the process. So far, it's been a meeting on Zoom and some emails, as you can imagine. So this is an opportunity to advance that a little bit and just keep it in prayer as the Lord would lead. All right, let's come before the Lord and pray together. Our Father, we thank you that we have the opportunity to come into your presence, to call upon your name. We pray, Father, that you would strengthen and help us, that you would direct our steps. We ask, Lord God, that you would remind us of God, our refuge and strength. remind us of the everlasting arms undergirding us and supporting us. We are often afraid. There is so much, Lord, to trouble us. Help us to understand why the gospel brings comfort and peace, why the Lord Jesus Christ told us to come to him. that when we are weary and heavy-laden, and we shall find rest for our souls. So, Lord our God, we pray that we would look to you, that you would give us the comfort and strength that we need, and that in everything your name might be exalted. We thank you, Lord God, for Jesus' name's sake. Amen. Just in case I didn't make it clear, next Sunday will be on Zoom as normal. So if you can't come or aren't yet comfortable in coming in person, that's fine. It will be on Zoom as usual. All right, we're going to begin with the hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. If you're here, we can stand while this hymn is played. We've been having a few challenges with the computer freezing up the odd time, but Lord willing, it will run smoothly for the hymn. So let's stand as this hymn is played for us. What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer Oh, what peace we often find because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. it to the lord in prayer and heavy laden. Comfort with a load of care. Precious saviors fill our refuge. Take heed to the Lord in prayer. Do like princess wives forsake thee. Let's come again before the Lord and pray together. Father, again, we want to thank you for the blessings of this day. We thank you, Lord God, for keeping us. And we thank you, Father, that when we struggle with all kinds of trials and afflictions, that you have promised not to leave us or forsake us. We thank you, Holy Father, that you are our refuge and strength. Thank you that we have such a friend in the Lord Jesus Christ, who hears us, who bears our burdens, who knows what the answer is, and comes to our aid. We thank you, Holy Father, for your wisdom and grace in sending your Son, that sinners like us might be saved and brought near to God. Thank you, Lord God, that to know the Lord Jesus Christ is to know the Father. And we thank you, Holy Father, that this is your plan and purpose through him. We praise you, Lord God, for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We thank you that he takes the things of Christ and makes them known. Thank you that he brings to our hearts the conviction of sin, for oftentimes, Lord God, we excuse the things that we have done as if they are unimportant, not realizing that we have sinned against the Holy God. Thank you that the Spirit makes this known. And thank you, Lord God, that the Spirit opens up your word. Thank you that we have the word of God. And thank you, Lord God, that you use it with might and power in order to accomplish what you have for us. Lord, our God, we praise you for everything that comes from your hand. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. And we acknowledge that, Lord. We give you thanks. Our hearts are poured out in thanksgiving for our daily bread. for the things that you give us each day that sustain us and keep us. But oh Lord God, when we remember that your word tells us that when we are in Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, then Lord our God, our joy knows no bounds. For Lord, you have given us far more above all that we could ask or think, and that you will do so now and forever. Lord our God, keep us. Help us not to be afraid. Help us to be convinced that Jesus Christ is Lord. Help us, Father, to believe in His name, to trust Him, and not to wander from Your ways. Most Holy Father, we pray that you would continue to use your word powerfully in outreach in this community and around the world. We pray, Lord God, that wherever your word is preached, that Jesus Christ would be glorified and that many might put their trust in him. We know that there is only one God and one savior, one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. So, Lord, our God, we thank you for this amazing grace, and ask, Holy Father, that you would strengthen us to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. Holy Father, we thank you that your word lives and abides forever, and we pray, Lord, that you would indeed help us. Some of our number are passing through particular times of affliction and trial, and we ask, Holy Father, that by your grace you would uphold each one May we find sufficiency in Christ. May we recognize that you've given us what we need for life and godliness. And that even in the midst of trial and affliction, you've promised that our faith would be made strong and built up. And for this, Lord God, we give you thanks. So direct us, we pray, in everything, have the preeminence in our lives. Help us through these difficult times. Help us to navigate the challenging waters of the pandemic and the protocols and everything else. May we not grow discouraged or lose heart, but keeping our eyes on Jesus, may we continue to worship together as we are able. May we continue to encourage one another in the Lord. May we continue to be the body of Christ, for we know that it's not a building or a particular location. but the body tied together in the Lord Jesus. May it be so, Lord God, and may it encourage our hearts. Thank you, then, Lord, for every promise and blessing from your hand. O Father, bring much glory to your great and holy name. We do thank you, Father, for every blessing from your hand. Continue with us and minister grace to our hearts as we wait upon you. For Jesus' name's sake, amen. I want to read from John, the Gospel of John chapter 14. Gospel of John chapter 14, and I will read the first 18 verses of the chapter, although Although in our message time, we want to give an overview of the whole of the chapter. But for now, I will read John chapter 14, verses 1 through 18. This is the Lord Jesus speaking. In chapter 13, they had gathered in the upper room for what the other Gospels record as the Last Supper. With John, it's the washing of the disciples' feet, and then the beginning of this discourse that Jesus gives them the night that he's going to be arrested. And so this is the beginning of that discourse he's just announced. the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and the denial of Jesus by Peter, and this is the next thing he says, let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Whither I go, ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also, and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very work's sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you." Well, again, as we turn to this passage to seek to understand it, let's once again ask the Lord's help. Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you that it stands, and we thank you that Jesus Christ has spoken. Thank you, Lord God, that because of this we can with confidence draw nigh. We pray, Lord, that whatever our circumstances, we might listen to what Jesus says and not let our hearts be troubled. Help us to understand why He said this, why it is true, and help us to rest in Him. Thank you, Lord, for this time and this scripture. O Lord, our God, open it up to us. We recognize in these words that we've read truths that we need to know, things that we are longing to understand. So meet with us, Lord. By your spirit, may we grasp your truth. For Jesus' name's sake, amen. Well, it could be said, I think, that it's a troubling time to be a Christian. Generally speaking in society, the Christian is thought to be intellectually backward, maybe even socially dangerous, encouraging the hate of religionists, as one column recently put it. They're considered to be morally bankrupt, probably made worse than it is because the hypocrisy and scandal get immediate press, and the other things the church does tend to be ignored. But be that as it may, the circumstances in John 13 were certainly those that would cause trouble, probably more so than anything we face in our time. Jesus stands accused of blasphemy. By chapter 12 of John's gospel, it is clear that they are intent on killing him. They are convinced that that is the only way the nation will prosper, is if Jesus is removed from the scene. His death is being plotted, even while they're meeting in this upper room. As I mentioned earlier, he's about to be betrayed by Judas. By chapter 18, Judas will lead the plotters to Jesus and he'll be arrested. Even Peter will deny him before the night is out. There are all kinds of reasons to let your heart be troubled on this occasion. In fact, I don't even think we would have to think about it. Our hearts would simply be troubled. Jesus knows this about us and offers this comfort. Now, it's some encouragement right now, just from what I've said, that people have been troubled before us, that the gospel came out of exactly this environment. We're not the first ones to live in troublesome times. And of course, if you scan the 2000 years or so of history between the time of John 14 being spoken and our day, it'll bear out that point as well. There are all kinds of things. Troublesome ages have come throughout the course of the church's life. And in some parts of the world, much more trouble than we know is currently facing our brothers and sisters in Christ. So it is some comfort to know that Jesus knows this. We remember that text in Hebrews that reminds us that the Lord Jesus was tempted in every way like as we are yet without sin. So we are to come to the throne of grace. So these are all great reasons for comfort. But in John 14, Jesus is, remember, tying together the threads of this gospel. And what this chapter is trying to explain is that there are more reasons for comfort than just that Jesus knows what we're going through and that others have gone through it too. Those are legitimate, but there's more to it than that. And in fact, this whole chapter is framed in those terms. Now, I told you we'd look at the whole chapter. I did stop with verse 18. But if you look at verse one, the opening phrase is, let not your heart be troubled. And if you're familiar with the chapter, you might recognize verse 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. neither let it be afraid." So here you have it, at the beginning and near the end of the chapter, the same phrase. And usually, that's an indication that that's what the chapter is primarily about. We can look at this section and examine it to understand what it is about the gospel, as John has presented it, that gives us peace in troubled times. in the circumstances that they found themselves, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, why is there peace and rest available? Why can Jesus say that we need to believe in him with untroubled hearts? Why, in spite of the current reputation of the Christian faith, is John's call to faith in chapter 20 and verse 31, the purpose statement, still to be heartily embraced? He's writing these things that we should believe. It's not easy to convince people of that, especially when the reputation of the Christian church is what it is. Why is that still valid? Why should we heartily embrace the call to faith, even at the risk of facing the scorn that inevitably will go with it. Does Christianity require me to abandon my mind and pretend nothing is wrong when I am troubled? Well, certainly not. This chapter shows otherwise. Is it just a leap into the dark unknown? Well, granted that there are details we don't know, Jesus explains what we do know. Did you notice that in the text? The disciples keep asking what he's talking about and he keeps saying, I already told you. You know this already. What is it that we know in the gospel? In short, in the language of John 14 verse 1, why should we believe in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ? Why should we believe? So first of all, verses one through five, I would like to suggest to you, well, verse five, of course, is Thomas's question, which is like the questions form turning points in the discussion. But at least in the first four verses, Jesus gives us something of an overview of God's plan of redemption. What is it that God is doing in the Lord Jesus? In the first 13 chapters of the gospel, we've been reminded that the Father sent the Son. Why? What's the point? And so the grounds of this is in this work of redemption. And in effect, these opening verses, this opening paragraph of John 14, backs up and surveys the big picture. The picture really of the whole history of God's plan of redemption in four verses. This is what it is all about. We are not to let our hearts be troubled because of two key things, the preparation and the perfection. First of all, the preparation. At the end of verse two, Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you. Now he spent, as I said, 13 chapters telling us why he's come. Now he's telling us why he's going to go. Now, I want to just mention a couple of things off the top. First of all, don't get too caught up with the word mansions in chapter 14 and verse 2. In my father's house are many mansions. I know the song, and I know that we think of being okay with our little cabin here below because we've got a mansion and so on. But the word mansion is really the same as the word abode in the end of verse 23. If we love the Lord Jesus, we'll keep his words, my father will love him, we'll come unto him, we'll make our abode with him. And so the gist of verse two is not so much that I can do without indoor plumbing now because I will live in luxury for eternity, it's rather that I can live in isolation now because I will be with him. for all eternity. It's more the idea of being with the Lord that is the centerpiece. And so, to be with Him, this is what Jesus is preparing to do. The second qualifier that I wanted to underline is that we shouldn't read that verse where he says, I go to prepare a place for you, as if that means that Jesus has been spending 2000 years in the construction of our place. I've heard a chorus to that effect too, but that's not really the point. The point is, as the chapters to follow will show, when this section of John talks about Jesus going away, it means he's going away to the cross. It means the death of the Lord Jesus. I go to prepare a place for you means that I am going to go to the cross because that will open the way for you to come. I am going to prepare that place. The way a place is prepared for me in the presence of God. How can I have my place, my abode in the presence of God? By the shed blood of Christ. I'm prepared for eternity when the Lamb of God takes away my sin. Because that's the obstacle, isn't it? The reason I don't have a place before God is because of my sin. It's because I'm a rebel. I'm unclean. I'm not fit to be in the presence of God. So Jesus goes to prepare a place for me by dying in my place so that my sin can be washed away, so that then I can stand in the presence of God. So the preparation sums up the perfect work of Christ, the death and resurrection, his person and all that's entailed. He goes to prepare a place for me. The second aspect of this overview of redemption is that he comes back. There's the preparation and there's the perfection. The perfection, then, would underline the second coming. Jesus goes to prepare by dying for us. He returns to receive us to the place that He prepared. In other words, at the end of verse 2 and the first line of verse 3, you essentially have the whole history of God's plan of redemption, from the cross to the end, to the second coming, to eternity. I go to prepare a place, and if that's the case, I come again and receive you unto myself. What that means is that all of this being troubled that he talks about, all of the testing and the trial and all of the things that happen in our lives happen between those two fixed points, the cross and His coming. And Jesus' point is that those are fixed points. They are unmovable. They are unchangeable. He has gone away to prepare a place for us. He did go to the cross. And therefore, He will come again and receive us. It's a fixed point. All of the trials and afflictions and troubles happen in between that, but none of them can change the outcome. When we say God is in control, that's what we're saying. Does it mean that the troubles aren't troublesome? Well, of course not. Of course they're troubles. That's how they got the name. But do they change the fact that he will come and receive us having prepared a place for us? No. It's a fixed point. It will come to pass. Although the wording is different, in many ways what Jesus is saying here is similar to what we read in Romans 5. This is a chapter where he begins by talking about the same theme as John 14, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So he's underlining the reconciliation. But look what he says in verses 9 and 10. Much more than, verse 8 just was our B verse, right? But God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood. Put it in the language of John 14, because he went away to prepare a place for us. Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, as he mentioned earlier in the chapter, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Do you see the connection? Because the cross is what it is and has happened, we shall be saved. If he did this much for us, surely he's going to do that. And that's Jesus' point. If I go to prepare a place for you, do you think I'm going to leave that hanging? Of course not. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you. You're going to inhabit that place. The certainty of the gospel. Romans 8 does something similar as well, where after the verse 28 that tells us all things work together for good and so on, he says, whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified, which we learned was by his blood in chapter 5. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. It's an interesting verse because it shows us that you can take away, for the sake of the statement, all of the time in between. If he justified you, he glorified you. If he started the work, he finishes the work. Remember Philippians 1.16, you began a good work and you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This is Jesus' encouragement. There's encouragement in the overview of redemption. The good shepherd doesn't lose a sheep. If he goes and prepares a place, he comes back. This is encouraging, but the troubled disciples trip over the point. They are not convinced that they know what Jesus is talking about. In verse 4, when Jesus says, They beg to differ. As a matter of fact, this sounds like the first time we're hearing about any of this. How could we know what you're talking about? How do we know where you're going? How can we possibly know the way if we don't know where you're going? So the question comes up. It sounds good, but we don't get it. We don't understand. The next paragraph then, from that question in verse five, down through verse 14, Jesus reminds them of the themes of the Gospel of John. Having talked about this overview of redemption, he now zeroes in on the revelation that they have received. He's answering their question, how do you know this? Well, you know this because That's why Jesus was sent. And again, some of the phrasing that Jesus uses in this paragraph may sound fresh and different from what we've heard. The themes are not. The themes that he underlines are, if you go back and read over those first 13 chapters, they're themes that you've heard before. This is backing up Jesus' point that they did know. They haven't pieced it together yet. They haven't pulled together all the threads. It's not that they haven't been listening. It's just that they don't see the connections just yet. So, once again, Jesus goes over the ground that he's already taught them. They believe that Jesus has spoken the truth. In fact, in John 6, remember, Peter had said, you have the words of eternal life. We're not going to go anywhere else. So they believe that Jesus has spoken the truth. The question is, have they figured out yet that he has spoken the truth because he is the truth? That's the point he makes in verse 6. I am the way because I am the truth. And they know that he's promised eternal life. He's spoken about it quite frequently, in fact, to those who believe. But do they know that the reason he delivers on that promise is because he is the life? I am the way because I am the truth. I am the way because I am the life. You do know this because this is what I've been talking about since the beginning. To know Jesus is to know the truth about God, which is, of course, foundational to everything else. To have Jesus is to have life. Jesus is going to say in John 17, this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The way to come to the Father is to know the Lord Jesus Christ. It's one and the same thing. That's what he's trying to get them to understand. In their minds, it's two separate things. I come to know the Lord Jesus. I come to understand what he's saying. Okay, good, we've got that. But how about showing us the Father? But Jesus' point is, that's what that is. I am showing you the Father. When you know me, you know the Father. The way to come to Him is by hearing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. By definition, that brings us to the Father because that's who Jesus is. So, that's the statement in verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my Father also. And henceforth you do know Him, and you have seen Him. Now it's Philip's turn to stand up, wave his arm, and say, hold on a minute. What you say about seeing the Father, that sounds really interesting. Show us the Father and that suffices us. Show us the Father, that sounds like exactly the thing we need. That's what we've been looking for. And again, Jesus says, have I been so long time with you yet you've not known me, Philip? You notice how again, the question about seeing the Father is a question about knowing Jesus. I've been with you all this time, you don't know me? So let me spell it out, Philip. He who has seen me has seen the Father. One and the same, Philip. You have been seeing the Father for three years now. You have been following me, seeing the Father. We need help, so he spells this out a little bit more, why they do know this. Two things he points to. Verse 10, the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. The words that I'm speaking to you. He deals with the words and the works of Jesus in order to back up his point. Jesus speaks what he hears the Father say. Now I realize we've taken quite a long time to get to this point in the Gospel of John, and so some of the earlier chapters perhaps have become a little bit fuzzy. So I've given you some verses there that tie into this theme. No one has ever seen God. The only begotten Son who's in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. He has made Him known in John 1. John 3 underlines that in Jesus the Father is seen when He tells Nicodemus about the heavenly origins of His revelation, that Jesus being from above, is able to speak the things that the Father gave Him to speak. And so, Jesus speaks what He hears the Father say. The words that He speaks, the Father gave Him to speak. In Jesus, the Father is seen. Jesus is from above. He tells us the things that are from above, not the things of the earth. In chapter five, to hear and believe Jesus' words is to believe the Father who sent him and have eternal life. The words that Jesus speaks, they are spirit and they are life, according to chapter six. Chapter seven, same theme underlying. Chapter eight, again, the references are on the outline. And so the words bear evidence to this. You have been listening to the words of the Father, because everything I say came from the Father. These are the Father's words. Remember how we started the gospel? In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. What you are hearing from Jesus, you are hearing from the Father. And so you hear the scriptures, you truly know God, you believe in Jesus, as Jesus pointed out to the unbelieving of the Pharisees and the crowds earlier. And so the evidence that they do know the Father comes from the words of Jesus, but then he goes on and he talks about his works. Verse 11, believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works. sake. Now again, if you've been following along and if your memory is sharp and good, you may notice that we've talked about his works quite frequently as well, his miracles, and one of the things that we noted along the way is that his miracles are not just random acts of power, they are signs. Remember that? They are signs because they teach a lesson. They are telling us something specifically. John 10 verse 38, for example, he says, but if I do the works of my father, though you believe not me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him. Now, along the way in the Gospel of John, we've recognized that the signs have their limits. If you're just interested in the show, The signs will amaze you, but won't convert you. And there were many like that that Jesus came across. They believed in Jesus in the sense that they were amazed, but not in the sense that they trusted him. Jesus, remember, at one point even bemoans the fact that they need sign after sign, but never get around to believing in him. The signs, in other words, often fall flat. But the signs do have a purpose. After all, in John's purpose statement, he says, I'm writing these signs so that you might believe. They've heard the words of Jesus. He's talking, remember, to a group who do believe that Jesus is from God. Obviously, they're still misunderstanding a lot of points, but they do believe that. They do believe he speaks the words of God. And so for them, thinking about the miracles that he's done, truly are signs, and it's enough to push them over the edge, as it were. They believe, but they're struggling. These are troubled times. And so the signs are there just to give them that little extra shove. They have a purpose, and a good purpose, when used properly. They back up. the words of Jesus. So ideally, you hear Jesus and you believe what he says because you recognize these are the words of the Father. In practice, you might need a little bit more help, so you have the works of Jesus to back up the words so that we might believe. So, what's the effect of all of this in verses 12 through 14? Well, the effects is, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father. Now, this produces a bit of a challenge, or it has for some anyway, when he says that you'll do greater things. Because you start thinking about things Jesus did. Walking on the water, still in the storm, raising Lazarus from the dead. And you must confess, we don't quite measure up to that. But we already have a clue what he means by that, because he used similar language back in John 5. John 5, you remember, a very important chapter about the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, underlining that he is the Son, the Son of God, who does the things the Father does, says the things the Father gives him to say, and so on. In the course of that, he says this in verse 19, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do, for what things soever he doeth, these doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, showeth him all things that he doeth, note the all, which underlines his deity, and he will show him greater works than these that you may marvel. So, it's already been said. There's going to be even greater than what's going on now. And that's what Jesus is saying in John 14. It's going to be greater things because we're coming to the point. The point is that sinners would be forgiven. Their sins would be taken away. The point is that those who are enemies of God will be reconciled through his son. And as we're going to discover in the chapters that follow, the point is that through the preaching of these very disciples, who are struggling to understand at this point, through their word, many, will believe in Jesus. The greater things are the things like the day of Pentecost, when Peter preaches Christ. and 3,000 people believe. And as you read through the book of Acts, this message ends up impacting even Samaria. Those Samaritans we saw back in, you know, who didn't even want Jesus around, Luke records that, how they were rejecting Jesus, wouldn't let him pass through. It impacts them. He's the savior of the world, as some other Samaritans recognized in John 4. And so it ends up impacting Cornelius, a Roman centurion, believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. And by the time you get to Thessalonica in Acts 17, they're throwing up their hands in despair. This guy who has turned the world upside down has come here. You'll do greater things than this. In other words, the plan isn't going to fail. It isn't going to stop. The spiritually blind will see. The work of Christ will be finished and earth-shattering, and that remains true. Look at the days in which we live. Look at everything that's against the spread of the gospel in this day and age. And you know what? The gospel advances still. Sinners do still believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with so many voices urging them not to, even as it was in the days of Jesus. And even greater things he will do. The plan will be accomplished. So what have we seen so far? He doesn't want their hearts to be troubled, first of all, because of the plan of redemption. I'm going away to prepare a place for you, and I'm going to come and receive you. Nothing to worry about. Well, obviously we face the troubles, but that's between these fixed points. He is certainly coming back. Secondly, we've got the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very reason He came is that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He came so that we would know the Father. That's the point. Now, at the last half of the chapter, He spends on reassurance, edifying or building up their fledgling faith, their weak and stumbling faith, their troubled hearts. He reminds them of three things and then some results. Three things. First of all, the resource that we have is the spirit of truth. Verses 15 through 17, he introduces us to him. He calls him the comforter, the spirit of truth. More to say about this, I'm just going to give you a brief snippet now because it comes up again in the next chapters. And verses 25 and 26, in fact, come back to this point. These things have I spoken unto you being yet present with you, but the comforter who is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. whatsoever I have said unto you. When I was in Boy Scouts, when I was a boy, so a lot of years ago, when I was in Boy Scouts, we used to do that memory game. You probably played it at birthday parties or baby showers or that kind of thing. You know where they put a tray out with 20 objects on it or something, and then they give you whatever time, three or four minutes to look at it, and then they cover it over with the the tea towel or whatever, and you have to rhyme off all the points. I wonder if the disciples were beginning to feel that this was a bit like that. They keep asking Jesus questions and he says, I already told you that. You already know that. We've been over this. And you get to the point where you say, I'm never going to get this right. And he's then going to go on to say that their witness is going to be foundational for the application of what Jesus is accomplishing. And you can imagine them beginning to wilt under this pressure. How am I ever going to remember that? Well, here's the resource. the Counselor, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. Three names for the Spirit are underlined here so that we know that the Son is the way, the Father accepts us because of the Son, and the Father and Son send the Spirit to teach us, to equip us, to sustain us. We have help, in other words. It's as if my scout leader, favoring me, had come around while I was trying to write down and whispered in my ear some of the objects that I had missed. The spirit will be there. He will bring back to your remembrance what you need to know. He will make sure that you're understanding this. He's the comforter, or counselor, some would translate it. In 1 John 2, it's translated advocate. It's the word often used in the sense of encourage or exhort or beseech. That's the verb form. This is the noun form. He's the encourager, the exhorter, the one who comes alongside to help, which is what the actual word kind of means. Whatever is needed, he comes alongside to help. This is so important and so valuable that in