Will I greet you as well in the precious name of Christ this morning? It truly is a blessing to be in your company today, having been traveling with my family over last weekend. No place like home, no place like, no people like the home folks. But even more precious, no church like the home church. And what this church stands for. If you would have to describe what this church stands for, what would you say? What would I say? Well, truly, I do believe that we have an emphasis here on the preaching of the Word, and that we endeavor to submit ourselves to that Word. And, of course, we do it quite imperfectly. I'm speaking for myself. But I rejoice to be here and to again speak to you from the gospel according to John, John 14, as we continue our study here in this great passage. I would like to reminisce a little bit, if we might, on where it is that we find our confidence, where it is that we find our strength, where it is that we go. This morning, as Brother Joe was speaking about zeal and how that the Christian life is a marathon. It's not a short sprint, but it's rather it's rather and a a time of testing and You know zeal looks differently Now than it did 24 25 years ago for me Zeal then was a little bit more heat than light and a little more energy than, maybe than truth. But it was, I had to think of the passage in 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, where Paul says, even in the accusation that he was beside himself, he says, well if I'm beside myself, it's for you. And he says the love of Christ compels us. Zeal for me now, going 25 years in or more, I've been a believer for longer than that, but zeal for me is being more determined and more convinced of ever that Christ is my hope. that there is nothing. There's nothing else. There is no one else. And zeal represents for me, yes, I waver and wane, I wax and wane sometimes in my feelings, but ultimately I do not, by the grace of God, I do not wax or wane in my zeal for who Christ is to me. He becomes more precious to me. I am more and more convinced that everything else is anti-Christ. I rejoice in that, seeing that in my own self. And let's go forth with great joy that we have such a Redeemer. Let's read here in John 14. Our text today will be John 14, 7 through 12, but I want to read beginning in verse 1 of chapter 14. To get a bit of the backdrop, we're breaking into the middle of a conversation, and so we have to get the setting a bit. These are, of course, a few hours before the crucifixion of our Lord, before the fake trial of our Savior. And these words in verses 13, 14, 15, and 16 represent the last words of Christ before His crucifixion. to his beloved 11 disciples and Of course, he has opportunity to teach them after his resurrection, but this is before the scattering of the sheep. When the shepherd is taken away from them and the sheep are scattered, these are representative of what the Lord thought needful to give to them before the great turmoil that was just hours away from them. The setting is, of course, following the Last Supper here. Peter was predicted to deny Him three times at the close of chapter 13. So there's a lot of things that might have troubled them. One, for instance, as we spoke about last time two weeks ago, is how that he was leaving them. and that that would be troubling. Judas as a betrayer, how that must have troubled the remaining eleven. And then their leader predicted to deny the Lord three times in just a few hours. How would that have not troubled you? Would you have been one of the eleven? So he begins in verse 1 of chapter 14 in the gospel according to John. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mentions. 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 to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to him, "'Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also. And from now on, you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I Excuse me, believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Well, I think sometimes we underestimate the power of scripture. And we have read the Bible since we were little kids. And we have just, we've spent, we're so familiar with it that it sometimes loses the sledgehammer effect. But I would like to remind us to not underestimate the impact of scripture. First of all, we'll just simply remind you that it is God-given. This, what I have just read to you, is a word from heaven. It is the only inspired part, I think, of the message. What I've read here is the very words of God to us. And think about that. You've never seen God, I've never seen God, but here is a word from him given to us. It is God-given, and it is given for us. It's given to us. It's ours. It's not somebody out there's necessarily, could be, and it is. It's given for all of mankind, but it is specifically given for us here under the sound of my voice. And it is given to reveal divine truth. And so where are you going to go when your heart is troubled? Where are you going to go when you need confidence? Where are you going to go when you need strength? Where are you going to go when you need endurance? When you don't feel like putting one foot in front of the other, but you're called to do just that, just to keep one foot going in front of the other, where are you going to go? Well, I would say Here's a good portion of scripture for you to read if you want strength, if you want endurance, if you want conviction or confidence. This passage after all begins with the very words by the Lord himself, let not your heart be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled. And that's what we considered last time, is the fact that they were in troubling circumstances, they were in the middle of the storm, and they were under a trial. And then we also considered the blessed future, because this is, after all, a passage of great comfort to the believers. It was given by Christ to comfort the disciples. And he tells them of a glorious future for us, that he will be preparing it. And then, not only that, as he considers heaven as my Father's house and where he would be himself, that where I am, there you may be also. But he says, I am the way. We're talking about a destination, then in verse six he talks about how to get there. The way, the truth, and the life. And so when he writes, or when he speaks these words in John 14, verses one through 12, he is giving them the answer for a troubled heart. It gives comfort to our heart. It calms our heart. It keeps trouble from our heart, doesn't necessarily mean that it keeps trouble from our life, but it does address the need of our heart. It is meant to, and just think about the compassion and the character of Almighty God as represented in the words of Christ here, is how he wants you to have peace of heart. The opposite is what the enemy is trying to bring, to kill, to steal, and to destroy your peace, your strength, your endurance. All of these things are opposite of what the Lord is bringing to us, peace of heart, that you might have peace in your heart. It gives assurance to our hearts and purpose to our life. This is all intended to do these very things as we read this portion of God's revelation. It is meant to give us confidence and assurance in the middle of turmoil. It's a beautiful passage of scripture. You know, when the race is downhill, and sometimes we get to run downhill. But when you go down, you have to come back up. What goes down has to come up. And when it's uphill and it's hot, and the way is narrow, we need endurance. We need the confidence that we are on the way. That we're on the right way. That there's a glorious place prepared for us. And that our Savior, our Redeemer, our glorious Lord and Master is there to receive us. That he is our personal receptionist. What he says there, that I will come again and receive you to myself. It's a beautiful picture of the care of Jesus Christ for his disciples, for his people. I wanted to point out something. Notice that what Jesus does here in our text, he takes the focus off the disciples and their circumstances and refocuses it on himself. And that is what we must always do. You must look outside of yourself. You must look outside of your circumstances And do not be self-assured You know, that's the humanistic approach now is to love self to be perfect in yourself and No, you must look outside of yourself, and that's what the Lord is encouraging them. He says, you believe in God, and he commends them for it. But then he says, you believe also in me. And he puts the focus on himself. He teaches them of, and us by extension, about his person, and his nature, and his work. And that is why I've entitled this message, Biblical Christology. Christology is just the part of theology that is concerned with the nature and the work of Jesus. And so, if you read this passage and you know nothing about the Lord Jesus Christ, you have some idea of a higher being and of a God whom maybe you were taught that you were created, What Jesus is saying here is that he who was born in the flesh, was conversing with these 11 disciples, is one with this God. That he is equal with this God. Think about it. Matthew Henry says, just makes the point, and I touched on that last week, is that it is not disloyal to a follower or a believer in God to give his allegiance to Christ. It's not disloyal. Because they are one, they're equal, they are united. This message of the work and nature and character of Christ is a message that keeps our hearts, that comforts our hearts, because it puts confidence in Christ and not in ourselves. You see that that's what the Lord is trying to do with these 11 disciples is, look at me, consider me. Yes, you might think I'm losing the battle, but no, it's part of the plan. It is part of the plan for me to go to the cross and to win over Satan and darkness and sin and ultimately to triumph. And that is why he's saying, you believe in God, believe also in me, get outside of your circumstances and consider what I am doing. In verse six, he gives the sixth I am statement in this gospel. He says, I am. the way, the truth, and the life. And we spoke about that last time. But he is self-existing. He is self-sustaining. He is sovereign Lord. He is equal with Almighty God. Now, as we begin in our text today, verse 7, This is still in conversation with Thomas. It's a response to Thomas when he says, Lord, we do not know where you're going, and how can we know the way? And then Jesus, of course, said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. And then in verse seven, he says, if you had known me, you would have known my father also. and from now on you know him and have seen him." And I believe what Jesus is saying is if you would have really understood my identity, if you would have known exactly who I am, then you would have known the Father also. And he continues with that thought and says, and from now on you know him. You know him and have seen him. And I am thinking here as we look at this passage that going forward, we're just a, what is it, about 54, maybe 50 some days, 50 plus days from Pentecost. You know, I think it was 50 days after the resurrection until his... I may be wrong with that, but it's somewhere in that time frame, around 50 days, and the coming of this helper that is promised in verse 16. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." And I believe that it is going to be at Pentecost when the identity of Christ will be fully realized. Because the Holy Spirit's ministry is to take of the things of Christ and make them known to the individual. As 1 John says, for you have the anointing and need not that any man teach you because you have an inner teacher in the Holy Spirit. And so that is that helper, that spirit of truth. And so I believe he's referring to that from now on you are You will know Him and you have seen Him. And I believe it's maybe a reference to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as I said. And so, Philip obviously doesn't understand that. He says in verse 8, Lord show us the Father and it is sufficient for us. I think that's in response to Jesus' words to Thomas where he said, you have seen him. And Philip said to him, well, Lord, if you would just simply show us the Father. I think he's saying if you would give us a bodily demonstration, if we could just see God in bodily form, it would be sufficient for us. And Jesus responds to the words of Philip here. He says, I believe with a mild rebuke, actually. He says, have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? Have you been engaged with me for three years? Remember, it was in John, John 1, he was one of the first ones who came to him. And it says in John 1 in verse 43, the following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee and he found Philip and said to him, follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida. The city of Andrew and Peter found Nathanael and said to him, we found him whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, et cetera, et cetera. And he tells Nathanael, come and see. Responds to, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And so, now he is saying, Lord, show us the Father and He is sufficient for us. And Jesus says, have I spoken, preached, and did all of these miracles in front of you? Have I been with you so long, Philip? And my true identity is still not, you still do not understand that. This just goes to show us that the Holy Spirit is an absolutely essential part of revealing our redemption. That there is no redemption outside of the ministry of the Holy Spirit showing these things to us, coming in and redeeming us, making us a new person by His own power. that it is not just an intellectual understanding. It is a spiritual realization. It comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart to reveal the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Philip ministered with him, broke bread with him, gathered up the remnants of the loaves and the fishes. And it's an amazing thing, is it not, that someone could minister with the very Lord of Glory. for three years and watch all the miracles and watch all these things and yet his true identity is still not secured in his own mind. He says, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us. I love how the Lord made it personal. He said, have I been with you so long, Philip? Let's put our name here. Let's put your name here. Let's put my name here. Have you been with me so long, Glenn, and you still do not understand who I am? Have you been with him so long and yet you do not understand? You've been so long under the preaching of the gospel. Yet you do not know Him. You have been so long in the congregation of His people, yet you do not know Him. You have been in the worship of the Lord, in the assembly of the saints, yet you do not know Him. You see? You have partaken of the sacraments, yet you do not know Him. You can, this word yet, I mean, what all could you have done, yet you're not born again. Yet you have no faith. Yet you have no personal faith. Your heart is still troubled within you because yet you do not know Him. That's what this passage is teaching us. Because you do not know the identity of who Jesus of Nazareth was, this wandering preacher is much more than he appears to be. He is co-equal with God. How many times in our faith do we fall back on that? That we know that Jesus is more than what He appeared in the flesh. You have to build your faith on that fact in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because if that's not true, then we're all undone. We are completely undone because the redemption that we preach that is in Christ Jesus is not good enough if it's not from God. You see, your heart is yet troubled. Your faith is yet not personal. Yet you don't know the Lord. You see, that gentle rebuke there to Philip. Have I been with you so long? Hmm. How many times do we see that in the congregation of God's people? I believe it was at, I forget who it was, But the preacher was preaching, and he broke down in the middle of his preaching, and a couple of the old ladies in the congregation said, I believe the preacher is getting saved. You know, that could be very real. That could be very real. Because suddenly the light dawns by the power of the Holy Spirit. And you know, one of the most important things that I'm realizing, the older I get, and in my preaching ministry, is that, yes, I approach the text from an intellectual point, but would to God that we would approach it from a spiritual aspect and say, Lord, we want to preach today in the power of the Spirit. That God, by His Spirit, would make this Word alive to us. Yes, it is intended to be approached intellectually, but it is, first of all, intended to be approached spiritually. That we don't just have a theory, but we have a reality. That it is ours. We feel it in our bones. We feel it in our soul. And you know, the rebuke that Jesus gave to Philip, as gentle as he was, was not about the latter part of Philip's statement. Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. No, he says, Philip, you say, show us the Father. See, that was what was the problem. I've been with you so long. You see, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father. Philip had the latter part of the statement correct. That if we could just get a glimpse of the Father, if we could just be in fellowship with the Father, then it is sufficient for us. It is satisfaction to us. Because it is in the fellowship of God that the man, the woman, the child is at rest. It is there where we are not in trouble. It is there where we are not in turmoil. when we're in the presence, in the fellowship of Almighty God. And he says, because I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life, it is there where we find life, you see, in the fellowship of Almighty God. And Philip had that part right. If we would just have a picture of that, we would be satisfied. we would be satisfied. Because truly, the revelation of the Father satisfies us. It calms the troubled heart. But Jesus says, I am that revelation. He said, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, show us a Father And of course, verse 10, we throw this question out to you. Do you not believe? That's what he says. That's what Jesus says in his own words. Do you not believe? That is the question that must be answered for us. Do I believe? Do I not believe? See, when Jesus claims to be, and this goes back to verse 1, you believe in God, believe also in me. Because there is that which believes in God as creator, but refuses to believe in him as redeemer. And that is, as I pointed out last time in Romans 10, verses 1 through 4, where the Jews had a zeal after God. And I have to think of the opening meditation. Zeal is not always the answer. Zeal is not always the answer. They have a zeal after God, but it's not according to knowledge. And so, seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God that is in Christ Jesus. And so, the answer is that Jesus is co-equal with Almighty God. And if you want to deal with this God, if you want to come to this God, you must come in one way and one way only. That is that exclusive way that is found in Jesus Christ. In verse six, no one comes to the father except through him. I want to point you to a few other scriptures that speak about this equality with God. And the first one I want to take you to is Hebrews 1. I'd like to look at Hebrews 1 and verse 1 through verse 3. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, just as we heard this morning in Hosea. has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." Which, by the way, means that we are in the last days. Because we are in the era of the speaking of the Lord Jesus to us. This revelation. That's what revelation means. It's the uncovering or the speaking forth of the things of God, and to hear He say, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. There is the creation side of the glorious God, who being the brightness of His glory, and express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, So there's the upholding of all things, that is the, oh goodness, the... Providence of God is there. That's the providence of the Lord Jesus upholding everything up by the Word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, there's our redemption. Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, there is the exaltation of the Lord Jesus. You see here, He is the brightness of His Father's glory. He's the express image of His person. He doesn't only share in the image-bearing of God and in the glory of God, but he demonstrates his power as being co-equal with God in power, you see. Upholding all things by not the exercise of his mighty arm, but by simply speaking forth the word. You see, the word of his power. When he had by himself purged our sins, he has sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is God in the flesh. That's who we're talking about in John 14, God in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 4, again a very well-known passage. These are from at least two different apostles that we're looking at this morning. John 14, being the Apostle John. Hebrews, we don't know for sure, but 2 Corinthians 4, the Apostle Paul. I want to read 2 Corinthians 4 beginning in verse 3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts." See, this is the work of regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit, shining in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, or to give us the knowledge that the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. that all the glory of God, Almighty God, who created us, who sits over us, who rules over the affairs of the world, that all of the glory of this Almighty God is in the person and face of Jesus Christ. And if you believe that, if you understand that, then it is because God's shown His light into your hearts to give you that. Praise God. These are glorious truths that give us immense confidence in this race of endurance. Lastly, here on this thought of being equal with God, we have it in Colossians 2 and verse 8. Colossians 2 and verse 8. Now here's a good word for us. Be aware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." You know, when the Bible says, be aware, we better be aware. You better be on the watch, because there's a danger that's pushing in that is endeavoring here, according to this passage, it is endeavoring to cheat you. It is endeavoring to plunder you or take you captive, as the center column says, to plunder you through some sort of philosophy or some sort of theory or some sort of knowledge or some sort of doctrinal teaching that is not according to Scripture. or through some empty deceit or vain glory, according to the tradition of men." And interestingly, this is the idea that man's traditions could come up with something that would be co-equal with the power of Christ. Can you imagine? See, it compares that. the glory of Christ with the tradition of men or the basic principles of the world in that man can fix his own problems. That man must just look at himself and he can come up with some means or some method or some methodology to approach God, to come to God with that. That's exactly the opposite of what Jesus is doing in John 14. He says, believe in me, look at me. And it says, not according to Christ. Notice what he continues, for in him, that is in Christ, dwells all of the fullness of the Godhead bodily or in bodily form. That when you would have seen And you would have properly understood the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ if you would have been there at the well with the Samaritan woman. If you could have been there, you would have beheld the fullness of the Godhead in human form. If you could have been there when he was making water into wine, you would have beheld a person who demonstrated the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. We cannot really grasp that, can we? When He made the loaves and fishes, when He healed, etc., etc., it was a demonstration and a revelation. And indeed, John says, in John 1, in about verse 43, Jesus says in response to the The disciples coming to him there in John, let me get the setting there. And he said to him, most assuredly I say to you, this is in response to Nathaniel said, you are the son of God, you are the king of Israel. Jesus said, most assuredly I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man. Heaven was indeed open in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Heaven was open. We talk about an open heaven sometimes. Well, listen, that was what was going on in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. We had an open heaven over us. And so we have the glory of God as it was contained in the face of Jesus Christ. We have Him living it out in bodily form. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. And you are complete in Him. You are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. That's why they call it good news. That's why they call it good news. We preach this good news of the gospel as it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. So Jesus claims complete equality with God and he did it. This is not the first time he's done it. He did it in John 10 in verse 30. He just says this quite simply, "...my Father has given them to me as greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." The glory of the ministry of Christ. He says, do you not believe that I'm in the Father and the Father in me? That is the passage in John 14. Do you not believe that I'm in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Two things that I want to point out to you that Jesus gives to them. to build their faith and by extension our faith. Two things He gives to us to anchor our faith in Him. First one is His words. Jesus gives us His word. He tells us that He is equal. He testifies of His own identity. He tells us of His own reality, that He is one with the Father. You know, that should be enough for us. The testimony of Christ about Himself is to build our faith. But he says that these words he did not speak on his own authority, you see, but the Father's. The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. And that is the second thing. Should you not be convinced by his words, well consider his works then. Consider all the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. And again in John 10, he says this to the Pharisees, do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, you're blaspheming because I said I am the Son of God? If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. You see that? But if I do, though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him. Therefore they sought again to seize him, but he escaped out of their hand." I want to give you an illustration here before we close out of Mark 2 and just consider these two manifestations of the authority by which Jesus spoke, his words and his works. Mark 2, as we think about and as we declare the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, We have an illustration here in Mark 2 that I believe speaks right into this, and I'm not sure where I will break in. I'll just give you the context as well. And again, reading in verse 1 of Mark 2, And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them. Then they came to him bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when he had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you. All right, let's stop there just briefly. Son, your sins are forgiven you." Now that's a statement that is way beyond any of us the right to say that. We can say if somebody confesses and prays and says that they profess and believe, then we can say, well, according to Scripture, your sins are forgiven you. But to approach somebody as Jesus did and tell this man, your sins are forgiven you, is beyond us, right? And some of the scribes who were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Well, that's pretty close to right, isn't it? But immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, Why do you reason about these things in your heart? Which is easier to say, and I'll ask you this question, which is easier to say, brothers and sisters, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, take up your bed, and walk? Which one do you think it is? Well, if you were a charlatan, or somebody who is trying to deceive, and you had a healing ministry, and you were trying to glory in yourself, and in your so-called ability, you would not choose a paralytic. You would choose somebody who had a slipped disc, right? Not somebody who had a compound fracture that was sticking out of his leg. No, you would find something that you could not see with your eyes and then the other party is in on it and there's some sort of magical happening and now all of a sudden my slipped disc is in place. No, the charlatan will never choose a paralytic to make this point. But that's what the Lord did. He said something that was spiritual in nature, right? Your sins are forgiven you. Something that you could not understand or see by your eyes or by your physical perceptions or senses. Then he says, but that you may know that I have spiritual power that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise and take up your bed and go to your house. And he immediately, that's what he did. The one who came in on eight legs went out on two. Amazing. That is what Jesus is saying, if you do not believe my words, that this man's sins are forgiven, at least believe me because I prove that I have power on earth to forgive sins. You see that? That you may know, that you are convinced, that you are absolutely convicted, that you can get your sins forgiven by Christ. You may know that. I am demonstrating that power, that spiritual reality, I'm demonstrating by a physical miracle. See how He condescends to our unbelief? See how He has so much grace for us? Amazing! It's a glory to Christ. How He so graciously, it's a picture of why He was incarnate, so that we may so that we may grasp the spiritual realities in the physical life of the Lord Jesus. That's why He was incarnate, because we're so physical. He took on Himself physical life to bring us the spiritual reality of the redemption that He offers in His great work. Beautiful. All of Jesus' ministry, brothers and sisters, is a revelation of the character and nature of God. His zeal, His rebuke of the Pharisees, His passion for obedience, His devotion to His Father's will, His compassion for the sick, His love for service, and on and on and on are all a revelation of the glories of God. You know, how compassionate is our God? How caring is our God? How he serves, how he loves his people, how he loves sinners, how he rebukes legalism and hypocrisy. how he is passionate. This is, if you want to know God, study the Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ. The result of this comfort that the Lord offers us here in John 14, verses 1 through 11, or yes, verses 1 through 11. I think I misspoke and said verses 1 through 12, but it is actually verses 1 through 11. This comfort is a deep-seated satisfaction with Christ. It's a deep-seated satisfaction. No one can take it away from you. It is a conviction. It is a faith that will not be shaken. If you know what you have, Philip, you can stop looking for it. You see? You can stop looking for everything else. And this is, I want to, as the application for this great truth, I want to read for you a passage in Philippians 3. And I want to, as an application of this, I want to point out to you that if these things are true, then if John 14, if you believe these things about Christ, then you will rejoice in Christ. There's no, you can't divide those two. If you understand these things, then you will rejoice in these things. If you understand anything, you will delight in these things. You will delight in Christ. You will glory in Christ. You will rejoice in Christ. And the people of God rejoice in Christ. Notice what he says in Philippians 3 beginning in verse 1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe." It is a safety for you, for you to hear these things. Be aware of dogs, be aware of evil workers, be aware of the mutilation, which is primarily, verse 2 is speaking about religious professors who do not have the reality in their heart. That is, they are called, Matthew calls them workers of iniquity in Matthew 7, or Jesus calls them in Matthew 7, those who came to Him. Have we not done this, that, and the other? And He says, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. That is what He's referred to here as evil workers. They're working their own salvation out. They're trying to do that. It is works of iniquity. Because it denies the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And so he says, be aware of evil workers. Be aware of the mutilation, which is in Paul's, basically Paul is making a, is maybe a bit sarcastic here. He's saying, if someone is still preaching circumcision, that's nothing but mutilation. For we are the circumcision. Notice. We are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus. See how he's dividing those who profess and those who are genuine people of God? Those who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so." And he makes the argument that he was probably more zealous and more driven to pursue the things of God in his old life than any of us are. circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." And then now you see what his attitude is. But what things were gained to me. Indeed, I have lost. I've counted loss for Christ. Yet, indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Brothers and sisters, the people of God rejoice in the redemption of God. as it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. And brothers, I wanted to read Acts 16, but you can do that on your own. It is what David, I believe it is, the writer there, is saying about how he views the Lord and how that in His presence there is joy forevermore. And brothers and sisters, I just want to challenge us If you are believing, if you are believing in the equality of Christ with God, then you will rejoice in that. because you have a redemption that is purchased for us through that equality, through that glorious Savior. And believe Him for His word's sake. If that's not enough, then just look at His ministry. Believe Him for His work's sake. And I'm just excited to show this to you, that we have a glorious Savior. We have Him as the way, the truth, and the life. Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer and then we'll be dismissed. Heavenly Father, I pray as we consider this great text of your revelation to us that we would be done with everything else. that in our own hearts we would be done, and we would not hold any other gods before You. We would not have any other idols that we love. That it would be Jesus Christ that we would cling to, that we would be loyal to, and everything else would be forsaken. Oh Father, I pray that this would be a reality in my own heart, and in my own family, and in our church here. that we would grow in our devotion to the Lord Jesus, that we would grow in our adoration for Him as we see His glorious nature here in John 14. Father, we love You, we bless You, we praise You, and be with us now as we enjoy this time of fellowship and as we strengthen one another. And Father, I pray that if there's anyone here who is not converted, who does not know you, who does not have that personal understanding of your identity. Father, I pray that you would make it real to him, to him, to her, to whomever, Lord, that we might glorify Christ by the revelation of him in our hearts. Through Christ we pray. Amen.