WEBVTT 00:00:32.009 --> 00:00:34.170 Thank you so much to our worship team. I was 00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:36.670 instructed to give you an announcement on behalf 00:00:36.670 --> 00:00:39.009 of the worship team and that is we are looking 00:00:39.009 --> 00:00:43.219 to add musicians specifically to our worship 00:00:43.219 --> 00:00:47.280 team. We have many, but you probably see a lot 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.020 of the same faces up here week after week. And 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:50.939 so we're really committed to making sure that 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:53.079 people are getting to sit as often as they serve. 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.600 And so we're looking to add specifically musicians, 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:00.159 specifically keyboard and guitar. So if any of 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:03.560 you are secret musicians among us, they would 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:06.659 love to have an audition with you and to speak 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:08.439 with you further about that. And you're like, 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:11.299 auditions, that seems kind of mean. Well, Kendra 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:13.060 had to figure out a way to keep me out of it. 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:16.900 And so auditions it is. And so far I've failed 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.920 every one. So it's working. But, you know, truly 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:23.840 we want to make sure that what we bring in terms 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.480 of worship is good. And so we'd love to just 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:29.760 talk with any of you. Kendra and others will 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.760 be here after service if you want to make your 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:34.219 way down and say, hey, I think I know how to 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:36.099 play a keyboard or a guitar or whatever. We'd 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:37.819 love to just have that conversation with you 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:39.939 and kind of continue to build our team. We've 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.159 had some folks move away. We've had just changes 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:45.340 in life schedule, and we're always looking to 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:47.519 make sure that we have a strong team so that 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.099 our worship is. is wonderful and honoring to 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:52.980 God. I know it is week after week. I have just 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:55.079 a couple of other quick things. One is a reminder 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:56.920 that we will share communion together at the 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.599 end of our time. So if you did not get the elements 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:02.379 on your way in, feel free to do that at any point 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:05.280 over the next few minutes before we get to that 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:06.819 point in our service. We'd love to make sure 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:10.060 that all of you who want to do that can. Also, 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:13.740 this is very kind of off script and unusual, 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:16.340 I suppose, but I just felt a little prompting 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:17.800 to do something special this morning. How many 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:20.340 of you? by the way, just have been watching the 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:23.800 Olympics. Anybody? I mean, it's in France, Italy, 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:26.360 somewhere. I don't know, somewhere over there. 00:02:27.099 --> 00:02:29.819 And the time zone doesn't help, right? Like they're 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:32.280 playing gold medal hockey games at like six in 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:34.780 the morning. We're like, well, that's fun. Anyhow, 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:37.409 in the spirit of Olympics. We have an Olympian 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:39.530 among us this morning, so we're just going to 00:02:39.530 --> 00:02:41.069 do this, and we're just going to honor my friend 00:02:41.069 --> 00:02:42.770 Josh. Josh, why don't you come up here for a 00:02:42.770 --> 00:02:45.189 second, my man? We have a special Olympian among 00:02:45.189 --> 00:02:50.370 us this morning. Come here, Josh. This guy, this 00:02:50.370 --> 00:02:54.189 guy's a gold medalist basketball player, everybody. 00:02:55.330 --> 00:03:00.469 Come here, buddy. He's even got his medal. Dude, 00:03:00.629 --> 00:03:04.110 we are so proud of you. This guy, your team name, 00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:06.509 I'm going to get it wrong, Tucson Desert Dogs. 00:03:06.810 --> 00:03:08.969 I mean, I can see why you won the gold medal, 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:12.330 dude, the name like that. So you guys won it 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:14.370 last week, is that right? Yes. And you're on 00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:17.449 the basketball team. And Coach Rob, when we went 00:03:17.449 --> 00:03:18.949 out here and shot hoops, that's what got you 00:03:18.949 --> 00:03:22.840 ready for that moment, right? Always do. Yeah, 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.060 but hey, buddy, we wanted to congratulate you. 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:27.900 We're celebrating the Olympics, the Winter Olympics, 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:29.379 and we're like, we have an Olympian among us. 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:31.520 So one more time for our friend Josh. Congratulations, 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:37.080 buddy. Yeah, man. Glad to have you here. Fun, 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:40.849 fun. Yeah, I saw some photos on Instagram of 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:43.490 Josh as an Olympian. I was like, hey, we got 00:03:43.490 --> 00:03:45.509 some famous people among us. So thank you for 00:03:45.509 --> 00:03:47.830 doing that. It means a lot to him, I know. All 00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:49.969 right, we're in week three of our series. Before 00:03:49.969 --> 00:03:54.360 I go, which is an in -depth look at this. kind 00:03:54.360 --> 00:03:58.180 of final night that Jesus shared with his closest 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:00.360 friends, his disciples, the night before he was 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:03.099 crucified in an upper room when they were alone 00:04:03.099 --> 00:04:05.659 together before the events of Good Friday that 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:08.199 would unfold just a few hours after that. This 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:10.569 is a seven -week series. We're gonna pause next 00:04:10.569 --> 00:04:14.270 week to celebrate Baptism Sunday. I am ecstatic 00:04:14.270 --> 00:04:16.870 for you to be here, to be in the room, to hear 00:04:16.870 --> 00:04:18.949 the stories of our friends that are going to 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:21.370 be baptized. And I'm still praying and believing 00:04:21.370 --> 00:04:22.990 maybe there's more of you. It's not too late. 00:04:23.709 --> 00:04:25.990 If you are interested, if that's an interest 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.610 to you, you wanna have the conversation, today 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:32.029 is really like your best chance to do that, to 00:04:32.029 --> 00:04:34.709 get me, call me, grab me after service, let's 00:04:34.709 --> 00:04:36.149 talk. But we're gonna be here and we're gonna 00:04:36.149 --> 00:04:39.129 celebrate Baptism Service or Sunday together. 00:04:39.209 --> 00:04:41.329 next week, and then we'll pick the series back 00:04:41.329 --> 00:04:43.990 up and finish it before it takes us to this thing 00:04:43.990 --> 00:04:48.170 called Easter, if you can believe that. So that's 00:04:48.170 --> 00:04:51.310 where we're at. Up till this point in our series, 00:04:51.410 --> 00:04:54.550 so in this conversation, I've done my best. Hopefully 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:57.829 it's been good enough. I've done my best to really 00:04:57.829 --> 00:05:01.259 try and... kind of put us in the room in this 00:05:01.259 --> 00:05:03.500 conversation between Jesus and his disciples, 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:05.120 as though we're just sitting there kind of as 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.939 a third party, taking it in. And up until this 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:11.000 point in the conversation between Jesus and his 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.120 disciples, which at this point is 11, if you 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:15.579 remember, because Judas betrayed him and has 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:19.220 left, he's been preparing them for his imminent 00:05:19.220 --> 00:05:22.839 departure. Like, I'm going away. It's going to 00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:25.879 be soon. And so that all that he's saying is 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:29.689 to prepare them for this the season that's ahead 00:05:29.689 --> 00:05:32.089 of them, which is a season that will not include 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:35.449 him. It's coming very quickly. It's coming quicker 00:05:35.449 --> 00:05:37.990 than they realize or are ready for. And so if 00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:40.399 you were here. If you haven't been here, I'll 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.100 just summarize it. In week one of our series, 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:44.600 we consider Jesus' new commandment that he gave 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:46.600 them, right? I'm giving you a new commandment 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.819 to love one another. And then last week, we continued 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:52.860 looking at these words of comfort from Jesus, 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:55.420 which is essentially what he's trying to do. 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.439 Ultimately, he's not trying to freak them out. 00:05:57.480 --> 00:05:59.519 He's not trying to make them worry or panic. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:01.620 He's actually trying to say like, hey, I'm going 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:04.100 to leave. It's a big deal. But in the process, 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.740 I'm offering you words of comfort so that you're 00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:09.290 not... Freaked out when I'm gone, essentially. 00:06:09.509 --> 00:06:11.829 And so they're so desperate, if you remember, 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:13.870 if you were here or caught it online, they're 00:06:13.870 --> 00:06:15.629 so desperate to figure out the where. Remember, 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:17.089 that was the question they were asking, like, 00:06:17.149 --> 00:06:20.490 where is it that you are going? And Jesus tried 00:06:20.490 --> 00:06:22.959 to... kind of walk them into that, but they still 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:24.579 weren't getting it. And then several different 00:06:24.579 --> 00:06:26.819 capacities or forms, they were asking the same 00:06:26.819 --> 00:06:29.079 question, which is, where are you going? And 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:31.360 Jesus reassured them by saying, I am the way, 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.100 the truth, and the life. If you come to me through 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:36.879 faith, you experience all three. And so that's 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.360 kind of where we've been so far in this conversation 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:42.480 between Jesus and his disciples. And he's doing 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:45.899 his best. He's doing his best to help them really 00:06:45.899 --> 00:06:49.480 understand. this new season that's ahead of them 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:51.800 when he will no longer be there right beside 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:56.620 them. I mean, I've never in my life, I've never 00:06:56.620 --> 00:06:59.180 experienced something like that. I mean, I've 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.899 had family members just die. I've had people 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:03.980 move away. I've had, you know, I've experienced 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:07.019 changes, but this is unique in the sense that 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:09.399 he's kind of given the opportunity to kind of 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:12.389 put the pieces in order for them before he goes. 00:07:12.509 --> 00:07:14.250 And what a privilege and what a blessing it probably 00:07:14.250 --> 00:07:17.470 was for them in hindsight. In other words, Jesus 00:07:17.470 --> 00:07:20.209 didn't just get ripped out in the middle of the 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:22.269 night and they're like, where is he? But he actually 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:26.110 had this very sacred kind of final moments together 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:29.389 with them to be able to tell them all these things. 00:07:30.430 --> 00:07:33.449 They're scared. They're bewildered. They're confused. 00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:35.990 And if you kind of have been tracking like each 00:07:35.990 --> 00:07:38.069 of, not each, but several of the disciples have 00:07:38.069 --> 00:07:40.389 kind of had their moment, right? So first it 00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:43.430 was Peter. Peter's Peter. Not much more you need 00:07:43.430 --> 00:07:45.790 to say about him. Thomas followed it up. And 00:07:45.790 --> 00:07:47.829 they're both asking these questions. They're 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:50.970 kind of inquiring about Jesus. And now it's Philip's 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:52.850 turn to join the conversation. And that's where 00:07:52.850 --> 00:07:54.550 we're going to pick it up in verse 8 of chapter 00:07:54.550 --> 00:07:59.290 14. Lord, said Philip. Show us the Father, and 00:07:59.290 --> 00:08:02.110 that is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have 00:08:02.110 --> 00:08:04.970 I been among you all this time, and you do not 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:08.029 know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has 00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:10.930 seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the 00:08:10.930 --> 00:08:13.829 Father? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, 00:08:13.910 --> 00:08:16.290 and the Father is in me? The words that I speak 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:19.310 to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:22.629 who lives in me does his works. Believe in me 00:08:22.629 --> 00:08:24.449 that I am in the Father and the Father is in 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:27.790 me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. 00:08:28.310 --> 00:08:30.870 So we left off. I'm going to insert something 00:08:30.870 --> 00:08:32.929 here that's key. We left off last week in verse 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:35.889 7, chapter 14. These were the words that we left 00:08:35.889 --> 00:08:38.730 off with. If you know me, this is Jesus, if you 00:08:38.730 --> 00:08:41.210 know me, you will also know my Father. From now 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:44.629 on, you do know him and have seen him. So Jesus 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:48.230 had once again made this very bold claim that 00:08:48.230 --> 00:08:50.899 he was equal with the Father. They're still trying 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:53.080 to figure this out. And quite honestly, 2 ,000 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:54.740 years later, we're still trying to figure it 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:57.759 out, aren't we? But he had made these very bold 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.120 claims like, if you've seen me, you've seen the 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:01.899 Father. If you've listened to my words, you're 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:03.500 essentially listening to the words of the Father, 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:06.360 right? So he made these claims. And then no sooner, 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:08.419 we pick up the conversation again. And it seems, 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:11.100 though, that Philip, again, probably speaking 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:13.080 on behalf of the entire group, is still somewhat 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:16.570 confused. He's the third questioner, right? Peter, 00:09:16.710 --> 00:09:19.470 Thomas, and now Philip. And if you piece together 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:22.309 their various questions, first that Peter and 00:09:22.309 --> 00:09:23.789 Thomas had asked, they had asked essentially 00:09:23.789 --> 00:09:26.029 the same question, which is, where are you going? 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.409 And then Philip, you realize they're sort of 00:09:28.409 --> 00:09:30.690 asking the same thing, just phrased a little 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:33.610 bit differently. Peter and Thomas, where are 00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:37.429 you going? Well, Jesus had just said, or he just 00:09:37.429 --> 00:09:38.990 answered them by telling them, I'm going to the 00:09:38.990 --> 00:09:41.659 Father. Where was he going? To the Father. So 00:09:41.659 --> 00:09:44.320 when Philip says to Jesus, show us the Father, 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:48.139 what is he essentially asking for? Show us where 00:09:48.139 --> 00:09:53.120 you are going. You see that? And yet it's still 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:55.240 a little bit unclear what Philip is actually 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:57.440 asking Jesus for, right? He's saying, show us 00:09:57.440 --> 00:09:59.039 the Father. That'll be enough for us. What does 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.440 he expect Jesus to do to, like, show them the 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:05.000 Father? Like, okay, quick, direct your gaze 40 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.419 degrees. I'm going to open the clouds really 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:08.159 quick. And just for a brief second, you're going 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:12.299 to see him. What is he actually asking for? Like 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:15.259 a sign? And Jesus had said, already previously 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:19.460 said, like no signs. Nevertheless, Jesus's response 00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:22.379 almost makes it seem like he's a bit surprised 00:10:22.379 --> 00:10:26.360 by Philip's request. Like, I mean, you see it 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.100 in the text there, right? Like, have I been with 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.240 you all this time and you still don't see it? 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:34.559 And we've had those moments with our kids, right? 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:36.840 If you're a parent, like. How is it that you're 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:39.480 15 and you don't know this by now, whatever that 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:43.580 thing is? But Philip's, like, you get a sense 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:46.159 of, I'm not going to say frustration, although 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:49.299 maybe, but Jesus is at least perplexed. Like, 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:52.240 how is it that we've been together all this time, 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:54.879 man, and you still don't see it? You don't realize 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:58.059 that I'm one with the Father. What was Jesus 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:00.659 really saying, trying to say to Philip and the 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:02.580 others in that moment? Plain and simple. The 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:06.889 Son, so Jesus, me, the talker. reveals the Father. 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.029 But you can't help but sense that there's like 00:11:10.029 --> 00:11:12.669 a deeper longing to Philip's request to show 00:11:12.669 --> 00:11:16.669 us the Father. And if you're tracking with us 00:11:16.669 --> 00:11:19.269 in the carryover, all credit to Preston in this 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:23.590 coming week's edition of that. Preston so appropriately 00:11:23.590 --> 00:11:26.129 puts it. I was reading it as I was preparing 00:11:26.129 --> 00:11:27.950 this. Makes my prep a lot easier, of course. 00:11:28.870 --> 00:11:32.049 But he appropriately said like, Philip's request 00:11:32.049 --> 00:11:36.870 is not like, for some sort of post -dinner magic 00:11:36.870 --> 00:11:39.669 trick from Jesus. That's not what he's really 00:11:39.669 --> 00:11:43.529 asking for. Okay, Jesus, there's the Father. 00:11:43.610 --> 00:11:46.870 You see him? They're not after some sort of magical 00:11:46.870 --> 00:11:50.409 miracle, if you will. There's a deeper, reflective, 00:11:50.730 --> 00:11:53.970 almost desperate plea to Philip's request that 00:11:53.970 --> 00:11:55.970 I want us to see together, and that is tell us, 00:11:55.990 --> 00:12:00.289 Jesus, before you leave us, is it all really 00:12:00.289 --> 00:12:03.169 worth it? That's almost what's going on here. 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.759 Is it really worth it? Because it sure seems 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:10.360 as though when you leave, things are going to 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:12.759 get harder. They're not going to get better. 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:15.080 They're going to get worse, whatever worse means. 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:17.740 And so you almost get the sense, and you have 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:20.080 to kind of read into the text a little bit, but 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.059 you get the sense that behind Philip's request, 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:26.200 this is like this plea of certainty, like, okay, 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:29.559 Jesus, we want to see the Father because we want 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:33.399 to actually make sure that it's worth it. And 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:35.960 that there's like a gold at the end of the rainbow, 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:39.879 if you will. I mean, I've only done a handful 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.960 of marathons. And one of the beautiful things 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.179 about it, they set it up, all the races are set 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:47.840 up differently. But if you can see the finish 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.100 line from the start line, that's a good thing. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:52.559 I mean, you have to run 26 miles to get there. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:55.840 But you at least know, like, this isn't some 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:57.940 cruel joke that we're just going to go run into 00:12:57.940 --> 00:13:00.340 the field and never come back. But there's like 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:03.679 a, there's a finish line. And I don't know if 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.919 I'm going to make it, but either my legs or an 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:07.940 ambulance are going to bring me across that thing 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:11.919 at some point. But you at least see it. You're 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:15.799 like, okay, a lot of hard work, quite a few hours, 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:20.279 but we're going to get there. And I think that's 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.519 a lot of what's going on here with Philip. Like, 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:24.480 why do we want to see the Father? Because we 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:27.159 just, like, we kind of need a certainty that 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:30.200 it's worth it. Like, that you're not, these words 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:34.029 are not just hollow, like. empty promises, if 00:13:34.029 --> 00:13:38.070 you will. Remember, they know that he's leaving, 00:13:38.210 --> 00:13:40.590 and now he's giving them sort of these deeper, 00:13:40.610 --> 00:13:42.929 somewhat, I would call, abstract promises. Like, 00:13:42.950 --> 00:13:44.289 if we had been in the room, we probably would 00:13:44.289 --> 00:13:45.870 have been confused like they had been. Like, 00:13:45.870 --> 00:13:48.269 what do you mean you're the way? Like, what does 00:13:48.269 --> 00:13:52.429 that mean? And so he's kind of talking to these, 00:13:52.570 --> 00:13:55.070 not intentionally, but it feels almost somewhat 00:13:55.070 --> 00:13:58.029 abstract to them. And Philip, on behalf of the 00:13:58.029 --> 00:14:00.750 others, is like, please, Jesus, like, show us 00:14:00.750 --> 00:14:03.309 the Father. Just give us a picture of the finish 00:14:03.309 --> 00:14:05.649 line so we know that we're not running in vain. 00:14:07.289 --> 00:14:10.210 There's a desperation to his request that exposes 00:14:10.210 --> 00:14:12.970 the longing of every human heart. Almost like, 00:14:12.970 --> 00:14:16.950 if we can be really real for a moment, don't 00:14:16.950 --> 00:14:19.029 play with us, Jesus. Show us the real thing. 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:22.029 Because if you really, and we'll talk about this 00:14:22.029 --> 00:14:26.389 in a moment, if you really follow Christ, a lot 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:29.529 of times it's very difficult. If you're really 00:14:29.529 --> 00:14:32.129 obedient to Jesus, like most of the time it's 00:14:32.129 --> 00:14:36.210 actually quite difficult. And so you want to 00:14:36.210 --> 00:14:39.289 know that it's not in vain. Like there's a finish 00:14:39.289 --> 00:14:43.029 line to this. Like all of the hard effort, if 00:14:43.029 --> 00:14:46.230 you will, all of the long hours, all that, there's 00:14:46.230 --> 00:14:48.710 like a finish line to this thing that you're 00:14:48.710 --> 00:14:52.830 going to get to eventually. And I think Philip's 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:56.049 request of show us the Father is just this. exposing 00:14:56.049 --> 00:14:58.210 the longing of every human heart, if we're really 00:14:58.210 --> 00:15:01.149 honest. Like, okay, I mean, how many of you today, 00:15:01.309 --> 00:15:04.230 if I said, hey, at noon, you know, open this 00:15:04.230 --> 00:15:05.629 app on your phone, you're going to see a glimpse 00:15:05.629 --> 00:15:09.309 of heaven. The app would crash. There would be 00:15:09.309 --> 00:15:13.129 so many people. Seriously. Don't you want to 00:15:13.129 --> 00:15:16.029 see it? I mean, surely I'm not the only one that, 00:15:16.029 --> 00:15:17.690 like, reads the Bible for years and years and 00:15:17.690 --> 00:15:21.090 years and, like, let's hope heaven's real. There's 00:15:21.090 --> 00:15:24.460 a lot here about it. You would just long to be 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:28.600 sure. And that's exactly what Philip wants. Is 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:31.200 it really worth it? God, are you who we think 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:34.860 you are? Jesus, are you really worth following? 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:37.000 It's the cry and the longing of every human heart. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:38.779 So here's the first thing to capture for us. 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:41.340 Jesus meets us in our place of spiritual desperation. 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:45.120 Jesus meets us in our place of spiritual desperation. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:50.399 One of the things that I think the Bible is clear 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:56.690 about is that God, Jesus, they're not cosmic 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:59.830 beings that are hiding, trying to play hide and 00:15:59.830 --> 00:16:02.450 seek with us. In fact, the Bible says, if you 00:16:02.450 --> 00:16:04.129 search for me, you will find me if you search 00:16:04.129 --> 00:16:07.029 for me with all your heart. And so it's not like 00:16:07.029 --> 00:16:10.350 Jesus is elusive or playing this game of cat 00:16:10.350 --> 00:16:13.389 and mouse with us, but he actually meets us in 00:16:13.389 --> 00:16:15.870 that place of spiritual desperation, provided 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:18.049 that it's authentic, provided that we're really 00:16:18.049 --> 00:16:20.830 searching. And that was the same thing here for 00:16:20.830 --> 00:16:22.490 Philip. Like, at the heart of this question is 00:16:22.490 --> 00:16:24.129 like, I really need to know from you, Jesus, 00:16:24.230 --> 00:16:25.870 like, are you who you say you are? Is it really 00:16:25.870 --> 00:16:28.929 worth it? Jesus meets us in our place of spiritual 00:16:28.929 --> 00:16:31.009 desperation. And admittedly, friends, whether 00:16:31.009 --> 00:16:33.090 we are aware of it so consciously or whether 00:16:33.090 --> 00:16:35.990 we are unaware of it subconsciously, we are all 00:16:35.990 --> 00:16:38.049 longing for the same thing, which is show us 00:16:38.049 --> 00:16:41.590 the Father, show us God. We so desperately want 00:16:41.590 --> 00:16:46.720 it to be real. And Jesus says, when you come 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:48.700 to me, discovering me as the way, the truth, 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:51.379 and the life, you have in fact seen the Father. 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:54.440 There's no trick to this thing. There's no mystery 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:58.159 to this thing. And yet, in typical Jesus fashion, 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:00.759 he's going to go even further to reassure them 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:03.179 of his love and his presence with them. And it 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:05.500 continues this way in verse 12. Truly I tell 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:08.539 you, the one who believes in me will also do 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:11.740 the works that I do. And he will do even greater 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:13.980 works than these because I am going to the Father. 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:16.720 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:18.680 that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:21.059 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:23.619 it. If you love me, you will keep my commands. 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:25.319 And I will ask the Father and he will give you 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.279 another counselor to be with you forever. He 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.980 is the Spirit of truth. He's talking about the 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:31.819 Holy Spirit. The world is unable to receive him 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:34.940 because it does not see him or know him. But 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:38.460 you do know him. Because he remains with you 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:40.900 and will be in you. So here in these verses, 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:42.559 we get the promise of the Holy Spirit, which 00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:45.519 the word used here is counselor, I believe. Yep. 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:49.119 Give you another counselor. He's talking about 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.579 the Holy Spirit. So we get the promise of the 00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:53.480 Holy Spirit. And I'm not going to say a lot about 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:56.440 this today for two reasons. One, we just did 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:59.240 an entire series on the Holy Spirit a few weeks 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.140 ago. A series called Things Unseen. I encourage 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:05.079 you to go back and watch it on our YouTube channel 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:07.490 if you missed it. or are interested in it. But 00:18:07.490 --> 00:18:09.930 the other reason is here in these coming chapters 00:18:09.930 --> 00:18:11.549 are going to be more about the Holy Spirit. So 00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:13.609 I'm not going to address that too much today, 00:18:13.670 --> 00:18:15.549 but even before the promise of the Holy Spirit, 00:18:15.589 --> 00:18:18.130 the counselor, which is verse 16, Jesus says 00:18:18.130 --> 00:18:21.750 something very interesting to them and very profound. 00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:24.029 In verse 12, Jesus says, if you believe in me, 00:18:24.250 --> 00:18:26.869 you will do greater works than what you have 00:18:26.869 --> 00:18:31.069 seen me do. And if you, like all of us should 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:35.119 pause there and go like, excuse me? Let's just 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.380 pause here and say, well, if we were to brainstorm, 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:40.119 what are some of the great works that we, up 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:43.180 until this point in Jesus' life, what had he 00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:45.599 done? Anything great? Anything noteworthy prior 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.599 to this bold declaration of these disciples? 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:50.240 And the answer is, he had done tons of things. 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:52.740 some really significant ones. I'll name just 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:55.599 a few, see if they're significant. He had raised 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:59.200 somebody from the dead. He had walked on water. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:01.559 He had fed thousands of people with only enough 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.240 to feed a few people. Like the list of Jesus's 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:07.859 great works is too long to name. And so I don't 00:19:07.859 --> 00:19:09.720 know about your experience, but I don't go around 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:12.759 seeing many people do any of these same works. 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:15.339 I've never met somebody who's raised somebody 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:17.339 from the dead. I've never met somebody who's 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:20.720 walked on water, multiplied food. All those things. 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:23.160 Even the disciples, if you think about it, they 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:24.880 would do great works. You get over to the book 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:27.240 of Acts, they're starting to heal people. They're 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.079 doing all these kind of miraculous works, but 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.140 nothing would compare to what they had seen Jesus 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:35.759 do. Not even close. So what did Jesus mean that 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:40.519 his disciples, and then by default us, all these 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:43.259 years later would do greater works than, quote, 00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:46.819 these? The distinction that Jesus is trying to 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:50.140 make. It's really important we understand. It's 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:52.880 not between what he had done and what they will 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:55.460 do, but rather between what Jesus has done so 00:19:55.460 --> 00:19:59.359 far and what work Jesus will continue to do through 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:03.500 them because he is going to the Father. What 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:05.700 does going to the Father give them in return? 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:07.380 That's the thing that we have to kind of pay 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:09.500 attention to. Two things, the Holy Spirit, that's 00:20:09.500 --> 00:20:12.039 verses 16 and 17, and answered prayer, that's 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:17.339 verses 13 and 14, if you see that. In conjunction 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:19.359 with those two things, like, hey, I'm going away, 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:20.660 but here's the good news. You're going to get 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:24.079 two things out of my absence. One, answered prayer. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:29.140 And two, the Holy Spirit. And so in conjunction 00:20:29.140 --> 00:20:30.920 with those two things, the work that they would 00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:33.619 do and the work that you and I would do all these 00:20:33.619 --> 00:20:37.380 years later is greater in scope, not power. Greater 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:40.940 in scope, not power. Think about it this way. 00:20:41.769 --> 00:20:44.829 Think about it. Most of Jesus' ministry had been 00:20:44.829 --> 00:20:48.950 confined to this area of Galilee, Judea, etc. 00:20:50.430 --> 00:20:52.970 His disciples, however, were going to begin to 00:20:52.970 --> 00:20:55.809 extend that ministry to literally the uttermost 00:20:55.809 --> 00:20:57.930 parts of the earth. I mean, it has to start close, 00:20:57.990 --> 00:21:00.630 and it goes out from there, of course. So when 00:21:00.630 --> 00:21:03.430 Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection, 00:21:03.730 --> 00:21:06.769 you could put his number of followers somewhere 00:21:06.769 --> 00:21:08.490 in the hundreds. You could still count them. 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:11.940 40 days later, in response to the preaching of 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:13.599 the apostles in the book of Acts, it says that 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:17.220 they had multiplied into the thousands, right? 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:20.079 By the time you get to the end of Acts, the gospel 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:23.619 had made its way to Rome. And then 2 ,000 years 00:21:23.619 --> 00:21:26.019 later, the gospel is on every continent in the 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:31.119 world, slowly reaching billions of people. And 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:33.990 so... What it does is it starts to give meaning 00:21:33.990 --> 00:21:37.789 to Jesus' words in John 16 that we'll come to 00:21:37.789 --> 00:21:39.490 in a few weeks where he says, it's better for 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:41.289 you that I go away so that the helper may come. 00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:44.529 Why? Because it's going to ignite this exponential 00:21:44.529 --> 00:21:50.349 multiplication of the gospel. I mean, we've all 00:21:50.349 --> 00:21:53.549 experienced it, right? Like when the leader's 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:56.910 in the room, nobody else has to lead. But when 00:21:56.910 --> 00:21:59.009 the leader is gone, it's like you start looking 00:21:59.009 --> 00:22:02.599 around like, all right, it's us. We got this. 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:05.599 And that's exactly what happened. Jesus is like, 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:07.000 you're going to do greater works than these. 00:22:07.059 --> 00:22:09.380 Why? Because you're going to multiply out from 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:12.200 here, and it's going to have an exponential effect 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:15.900 to the uttermost parts of the world. And it still 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:19.180 is today. It still is today. It's better for 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:20.660 you that I go away, that the helper may come. 00:22:20.819 --> 00:22:22.759 And in hindsight, of course, we read that and 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:25.019 understand, how is it better? Because it ushered 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:27.279 in greater works carried out through. You ready 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:30.930 for this? You and me. That's terrifying, right? 00:22:31.329 --> 00:22:34.430 We just laugh the awkward like, we're doing the 00:22:34.430 --> 00:22:38.130 greater works, are we? Yeah. According to Jesus, 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:43.829 it's crazy to think about. And Jesus knew, what's 00:22:43.829 --> 00:22:46.970 so crazy to me is that Jesus knew in that moment, 00:22:47.049 --> 00:22:50.210 in that upper room, that those 11 guys would 00:22:50.210 --> 00:22:52.490 be faithful unto his work that he was calling 00:22:52.490 --> 00:22:55.390 them to do. And that you and I, by faith, all 00:22:55.390 --> 00:22:57.829 these years later, would continue that good work. 00:22:58.509 --> 00:23:00.569 Continue that good work. And it would have an 00:23:00.569 --> 00:23:03.609 exponential multiplying effect that we could 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:06.930 not even begin to calculate. Which means then 00:23:06.930 --> 00:23:10.660 this. It's an invitation from Jesus to partner, 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:15.700 not produce. It's an invitation from Jesus to 00:23:15.700 --> 00:23:20.539 partner, not produce. Jesus was not in that moment, 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:25.339 and he is not today, burdening us with a pressure 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:29.420 to produce these good works. Because he had just 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:32.119 promised them two things, answer prayer and the 00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:34.460 presence of the Holy Spirit. Guess what, man? 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:37.319 I'm giving you the best tools that you can have. 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:40.119 And if you can't make good works happen with 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:42.799 these things, you've got no shot. That's essentially 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:46.119 what he was saying. And so there's not a pressure 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:49.839 to produce. Like, hey, I healed the blind man. 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.559 You've got to do one better. I walked on water. 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:54.720 You've got to walk on something. I don't know 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:58.160 what's better than water, but you get the point. 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:01.319 Jesus knew in that upper room that this was an 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:03.900 invitation to partner with him by the Holy Spirit, 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:08.599 not to produce, but to be a partner in this thing 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:12.099 called the Great Commission. It's going to happen 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:13.960 as we're prayerful, and it's going to happen 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:15.400 as we're filled with the Spirit. And those are 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:18.079 the very things that he was promising them. And 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:20.240 so rather, he's inviting us to partner with him 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.380 to see good works happen in his name. The second 00:24:23.380 --> 00:24:25.759 you start owning the pressure to produce, you're 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:32.089 headed for destruction. And, you know, right 00:24:32.089 --> 00:24:34.849 or wrong, probably not the right contrast, but 00:24:34.849 --> 00:24:37.769 in the church planting world especially, which 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:39.990 is obviously the world that I've lived in for 00:24:39.990 --> 00:24:42.970 most of the last six years, you feel that even 00:24:42.970 --> 00:24:45.849 more. Because you're not walking into an established 00:24:45.849 --> 00:24:48.309 church that's 50 years old, that has a million 00:24:48.309 --> 00:24:50.569 dollar budget, that has people, that has resources. 00:24:51.450 --> 00:24:54.890 You're building something, quite literally. You're 00:24:54.890 --> 00:24:56.849 building and there's pressure. You don't want 00:24:56.849 --> 00:24:59.930 to show up to that next cohort meeting and be 00:24:59.930 --> 00:25:04.970 like, yeah, we have nobody, or numbers are down, 00:25:05.069 --> 00:25:07.670 or people aren't showing up, or whatever it is. 00:25:08.089 --> 00:25:11.369 So there's this pressure to produce, if you will. 00:25:12.109 --> 00:25:14.589 I fell trap to it, certainly, especially in the 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:20.819 early days. And it's a dead end. It's a dead 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:23.299 end if you feel the pressure to produce rather 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:25.740 than to partner with Jesus by the Holy Spirit 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:28.299 through prayer to see the greater works happen. 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:32.099 And no one needs that reminder more than yours 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:34.319 truly, someone in full -time pastoral ministry. 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:39.700 There's self -imposed, there is a pressure to 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:43.579 produce. And that was not the invitation from 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:46.680 Jesus in that moment. If those guys felt pressure 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:48.779 to go do greater works in the sense of power 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:52.829 rather than, or scope, if you will, then they 00:25:52.829 --> 00:25:56.069 were doomed. They had no chance at it. And so 00:25:56.069 --> 00:25:57.910 he's helping them to see this. That's why he 00:25:57.910 --> 00:25:59.490 tells them, I'm giving you the Holy Spirit. I'm 00:25:59.490 --> 00:26:04.470 giving you this kind of open line for answered 00:26:04.470 --> 00:26:08.529 prayer so that it takes the pressure off of you, 00:26:08.569 --> 00:26:10.470 actually, to just partner with me by these things 00:26:10.470 --> 00:26:12.670 to see greater works happen. 1 Corinthians 3, 00:26:13.029 --> 00:26:16.029 Paul's writing, I planted, he did great things. 00:26:16.950 --> 00:26:20.259 Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:22.660 then neither the one who plants nor the one who 00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:25.460 waters is anything but only God who gives the 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:30.920 growth. Again, it's a partnership, not a pressure 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.480 to produce. And Paul knew that. I mean, Paul 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:35.680 was the greatest missionary that ever lived on 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:38.839 the earth still to this day. And he was like, 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:41.359 hey, I did some things and Apollos did some things, 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:43.940 but God ultimately brought the growth. We were 00:26:43.940 --> 00:26:46.299 just partners in this thing. God was the one 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:49.480 that brought the produce. Pick the dialogue back 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:51.720 up. Verse 18, I will not leave you as orphans. 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:54.539 I'm coming to you. In a little while, the world 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:56.579 will no longer see me, but you will see me because 00:26:56.579 --> 00:27:00.559 I live, you will live too. On that day, you will 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:02.680 know that I'm in the Father, you are in me, and 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:04.940 I'm in you. The one who has my commands and keeps 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:06.740 them is the one who loves me, and the one who 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:09.940 loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:13.599 love him and will reveal myself to him. Judas, 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:16.980 different one, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord. 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:20.740 Another inquisitor. Lord, how is it that you're 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:22.799 going to reveal yourself to us and not to the 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:25.819 world? Jesus answered, if anyone loves me, he 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:28.200 will keep my word. My father will love him and 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:31.000 we will come to him and make our home with him. 00:27:31.059 --> 00:27:32.720 The one who doesn't love me will not keep my 00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:35.880 words. The word that you hear is not mine, but 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:38.440 it is from the father who sent me. The meaning 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.500 of the word orphan that Jesus used here carries 00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:44.259 the idea of without any support. without any 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.500 support. And many of you know that Kendra and 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:48.579 I, for about eight years before our daughter 00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:52.299 was born, did foster care. And we lost track. 00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:54.200 We think the number was somewhere around 50 kids 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:57.339 that spent at least one night in our home, some 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:03.420 much longer. And for as rich and wonderful as 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:06.640 that experience was, it was also incredibly heartbreaking 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:10.619 because you had a front row seat time and time 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:13.950 again to these... Picture of these kiddos who 00:28:13.950 --> 00:28:18.130 literally had no support. And they were truly 00:28:18.130 --> 00:28:21.349 orphaned in the true sense of the word. And that's 00:28:21.349 --> 00:28:25.470 the same meaning and word that Jesus is using 00:28:25.470 --> 00:28:27.710 here to say, like, I will not leave you without 00:28:27.710 --> 00:28:31.009 any support. He's using very similar language. 00:28:31.029 --> 00:28:33.089 Jesus is trying to reassure them that you won't 00:28:33.089 --> 00:28:35.930 be without support because I will come back for 00:28:35.930 --> 00:28:38.410 you. And by the way, good news, until I do, you 00:28:38.410 --> 00:28:41.519 have the Holy Spirit within you. You have the 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.480 Holy Spirit within you. But I want to draw our 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:46.140 attention to this obedience -love pairing that 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:50.279 shows up in these verses because the promise 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:52.339 of Jesus being with us makes us feel good. The 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:55.019 commandment to obey him doesn't make us feel 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:57.019 good. And so that's the one I want to draw our 00:28:57.019 --> 00:29:00.140 attention to. Verse 21, I'll show you this pairing 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:02.339 of love and obedience. We already read it, but 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:04.099 I'm going to draw it out again. The one who has 00:29:04.099 --> 00:29:07.019 my commands and keeps them is the one who loves 00:29:07.019 --> 00:29:10.559 me. Then you go to verses 23 and 24. Again, Jesus 00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:12.799 answered, if anyone loves me, he will keep my 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:15.759 word. It's obedience. My Father will love him 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:17.299 and will come to him and make our home with him. 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:19.480 The one who doesn't love me, he's contrasting 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:21.900 it, will not keep my words. It's disobedient. 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:24.759 The word that you hear is not mine, but it is 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:29.180 from the Father who sent me. So Jesus twice makes 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:31.240 this connection between obedience and love. Really 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.819 three times, if you were to go back to verse 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:37.019 15, which we were in. if you caught some of Jesus' 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:40.059 reference to the world, that's another way of 00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:42.819 saying those who don't love me. That's another 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:45.400 way of saying those who don't love me. So here's 00:29:45.400 --> 00:29:47.460 the truth that we pull from this. This is the 00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:49.940 most important one, in my opinion, for today. 00:29:50.099 --> 00:29:52.339 Love for Jesus is demonstrated through obedience 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:56.900 to Jesus. Love for Jesus is demonstrated through 00:29:56.900 --> 00:30:00.200 obedience to Jesus. Now, let me be really clear 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:03.180 here. You and I are not saved by obeying Jesus. 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:05.680 That's a very important distinction to make. 00:30:05.880 --> 00:30:08.640 And I say that based on Ephesians 2, 8, 9. We 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:11.440 are saved by grace through faith. You don't obey 00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:17.480 your way into salvation. However, if there is 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:22.859 any uncertainty, it's not uncommon for people 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:25.470 to ask, well, how do I know if I'm like, saved, 00:30:25.470 --> 00:30:27.549 whatever that even means. How do I know if I 00:30:27.549 --> 00:30:29.670 have salvation? How do I know if I'm going to 00:30:29.670 --> 00:30:33.349 go to heaven, so to speak? I think it boils back 00:30:33.349 --> 00:30:35.410 to this. If there's uncertainty as to whether 00:30:35.410 --> 00:30:37.250 or not I've made a decision of faith and received 00:30:37.250 --> 00:30:39.109 the gift of salvation, a good metric to look 00:30:39.109 --> 00:30:44.910 at is this. Do I obey Jesus? That's a very simple 00:30:44.910 --> 00:30:50.950 and yet very profound metric to pay attention 00:30:50.950 --> 00:30:53.740 to. You shouldn't base it on church attendance. 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:56.859 You shouldn't base it on hours of service. You 00:30:56.859 --> 00:30:59.640 shouldn't base it on dollars given. You shouldn't 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:03.539 base it on a lot of the trivial things. They're 00:31:03.539 --> 00:31:05.779 not trivial, but you understand secondary things 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:07.839 that we're inclined to say like, oh, we made 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:10.359 it to church five weeks in a row. Good, we love 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:15.460 that. But when it comes to salvation, we're stripping 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:19.019 all those things back. We're saying like, how 00:31:19.019 --> 00:31:22.180 do I know if it's real? Jesus would say one thing 00:31:22.180 --> 00:31:26.720 to look at is, do you obey me? Do you obey me? 00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:31.079 And I think we are, personally, I think we're 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:33.579 just too inclined to overcomplicate Christianity 00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:37.759 sometimes. And if I'm honest, sometimes, I don't 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:40.299 even know if this is a word, but over -emotionalize 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:44.940 it as well. But it's actually easier than we 00:31:44.940 --> 00:31:48.140 are inclined to believe. And it's kind of right 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:50.559 there in front of us. Again, Jesus is not trying 00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:53.099 to confuse us. He's not trying to make it a mystery. 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:54.980 He's just putting it right there in front of 00:31:54.980 --> 00:32:00.180 us to ask the question, do I obey Jesus? Do I 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:03.779 obey him? Not do I feel warm fuzzies when I go 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:09.579 to church. Not do I try and be a good citizen. 00:32:10.420 --> 00:32:13.200 I think those are byproducts of faith in Jesus. 00:32:13.900 --> 00:32:16.619 But when you strip all those things down, away. 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:20.839 And maybe someday when you're before the Lord 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:24.759 and you're trying to, what the certainty of my 00:32:24.759 --> 00:32:27.599 salvation is, is that I bear fruit for Christ 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:31.039 and I, to the best of my ability, albeit imperfectly, 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:35.240 walked in obedience to Christ. Do I obey Jesus? 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:37.180 Love for Jesus is demonstrated through obedience 00:32:37.180 --> 00:32:39.960 to Jesus. So it's worth pausing. It's worth pausing. 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:44.240 I get an hour with you a week, so I want to... 00:32:45.069 --> 00:32:47.529 I just want to give you things to chew on and 00:32:47.529 --> 00:32:51.089 to take with you. And so it's worth pausing and 00:32:51.089 --> 00:32:55.009 asking, like, where in my life am I being disobedient 00:32:55.009 --> 00:32:59.549 to Jesus? Is there something in my life that 00:32:59.549 --> 00:33:03.509 would make others question my love for Jesus? 00:33:04.009 --> 00:33:06.410 And what I'm not talking about is spiritual perfection. 00:33:06.589 --> 00:33:08.450 I'm not talking about being a Christian robot. 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:10.880 It just does no wrong. We're probably headed 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:13.420 that direction, and that will change weird things, 00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:15.299 right? Because if you're an AI robot, you don't 00:33:15.299 --> 00:33:16.819 need forgiveness. You never do anything wrong. 00:33:17.240 --> 00:33:19.960 We'll get to that in probably two months when 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:24.299 it happens. Some of you are like, what? It's 00:33:24.299 --> 00:33:27.660 okay. I don't understand it either. But imagine 00:33:27.660 --> 00:33:33.319 AI Rob up here. No? All right. Whatever. I mean, 00:33:33.339 --> 00:33:34.819 I hope it doesn't happen, but it's probably going 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:41.660 to. This is not about perfection. So these self 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:43.500 -reflection questions are not like, oh my gosh, 00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:48.779 yeah, I actually, good. When we identify those 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:52.599 things, we step into confession and repentance 00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:55.680 and say, God, yes, as a testimony of my love 00:33:55.680 --> 00:34:00.319 for Jesus, I need you to forgive me. This area 00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:03.819 of disobedience in my life, this thing that probably 00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:08.159 would cause others to question my love for Jesus, 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:12.480 based on my obedience or disobedience to Jesus? 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:16.000 What in your life needs attention today? Where 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:18.920 have you been disobedient? Where do you find 00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:22.139 a pattern of habitual disobedience? Jesus stated 00:34:22.139 --> 00:34:24.179 it so clearly for us, if anyone loves me, he 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:29.699 will keep my word. And so based on Jesus's definition 00:34:29.699 --> 00:34:34.519 of love, do you love him today? You need to answer 00:34:34.519 --> 00:34:39.079 that. It's not a family answer. It's do you, 00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:43.579 based on Jesus' definition of love, as you personalize 00:34:43.579 --> 00:34:45.679 that, as you wrestle with that in your own soul, 00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:51.019 do you love him today based on his criteria for 00:34:51.019 --> 00:34:54.119 love? What's something that needs to change or 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:56.480 shift for you today so your life clearly communicates 00:34:56.480 --> 00:35:00.119 your love for Christ? And then there's a few 00:35:00.119 --> 00:35:02.739 final verses that are in chapter 14 that we'll 00:35:02.739 --> 00:35:05.440 close with. Verse 25, I've spoken these things 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:09.550 to you. while I remain with you. But the counselor, 00:35:09.650 --> 00:35:12.190 the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in 00:35:12.190 --> 00:35:13.929 my name, will teach you all things and remind 00:35:13.929 --> 00:35:16.650 you of everything I have told you. Peace I leave 00:35:16.650 --> 00:35:18.789 with you. We sang this earlier very intentionally. 00:35:19.610 --> 00:35:22.170 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. 00:35:22.989 --> 00:35:25.230 I do not give to you as the world gives. Don't 00:35:25.230 --> 00:35:27.250 let your heart be troubled or fearful. You have 00:35:27.250 --> 00:35:29.429 heard me tell you I'm going away and I'm coming 00:35:29.429 --> 00:35:31.530 to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice that 00:35:31.530 --> 00:35:33.670 I'm going to the Father because the Father is 00:35:33.670 --> 00:35:36.829 greater than I. I've told you now before it happens, 00:35:36.909 --> 00:35:39.630 so that when it does happen, you may believe. 00:35:39.969 --> 00:35:42.469 I will not talk with you much longer, because 00:35:42.469 --> 00:35:44.610 the ruler of this world is coming. He has no 00:35:44.610 --> 00:35:47.409 power over me. On the contrary, so that the world 00:35:47.409 --> 00:35:49.690 may know that I love the Father, I do as the 00:35:49.690 --> 00:35:52.849 Father commanded me. Get up and let us leave 00:35:52.849 --> 00:35:56.369 this place. And so Jesus again comes back to 00:35:56.369 --> 00:35:57.989 the promise of the Holy Spirit. I'm leaving, 00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:01.329 he's saying, but he, the Holy Spirit, is coming, 00:36:01.489 --> 00:36:05.420 and so you're not alone. You're not alone. And 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:07.420 then he gives them this incredible promise of 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:09.719 peace. And this is where I want to wrap it up 00:36:09.719 --> 00:36:13.940 today. What did Jesus say? He said, peace I leave 00:36:13.940 --> 00:36:15.820 with you. My peace I give to you. And then he 00:36:15.820 --> 00:36:18.199 makes a very clear distinction. I do not give 00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:22.079 to you as the world gives. Don't let your heart 00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:24.900 be troubled or fearful. So this is the first 00:36:24.900 --> 00:36:27.119 mention. This is kind of an interesting tidbit. 00:36:27.619 --> 00:36:29.860 This is the first mention in the entire book 00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:33.469 of John. And it sort of bookends where Jesus 00:36:33.469 --> 00:36:36.670 started in verse 1 of chapter 14. He said, don't 00:36:36.670 --> 00:36:39.409 let your hearts be troubled. And now he comes 00:36:39.409 --> 00:36:42.429 in on the backside and says, because I give you 00:36:42.429 --> 00:36:46.250 my peace. You see it? Why not? Jesus is like, 00:36:46.309 --> 00:36:48.769 don't you know what it's like to live in 2026 00:36:48.769 --> 00:36:52.869 in America of all places? Why should we not let 00:36:52.869 --> 00:36:57.860 our hearts be troubled? steps into that place 00:36:57.860 --> 00:37:00.119 and says, because I give you my peace. He's very 00:37:00.119 --> 00:37:02.639 intentional to contrast it with the peace of 00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:04.800 the world, which is what? We typically think 00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:09.599 of peace as an absence of what? Conflict. Which 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:12.900 is somewhat ironic to just, I mean, about as 00:37:12.900 --> 00:37:14.739 neutral of a statement I can say to stand up 00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:16.639 here and know that, you know, there's this lingering, 00:37:16.940 --> 00:37:20.119 looming question about potential military conflict 00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:24.119 with Iran at this very moment. And so the point 00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:28.320 is, worldly peace, whatever you think of war 00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:30.360 and all the things that surround that, worldly 00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:32.519 peace is determined typically as a culture by, 00:37:32.659 --> 00:37:35.179 is there an absence of conflict? If there is, 00:37:35.380 --> 00:37:38.679 then we're at peace. Quite honestly, we probably 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:42.619 won't see that in our lifetime ever again. So 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:46.960 Jesus is not describing anything that has to 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:50.260 do with outward circumstances. That's the important 00:37:50.260 --> 00:37:52.760 distinction. not their outward circumstances 00:37:52.760 --> 00:37:55.159 at the moment, which felt scary and uncertain 00:37:55.159 --> 00:37:57.940 and all the things, nor our outward circumstances. 00:37:58.219 --> 00:38:02.219 So this was not a routine, transient, worldly 00:38:02.219 --> 00:38:04.800 kind of peace that comes and goes based on whether 00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:07.760 we're at war or whether we're not at war, but 00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:10.159 rather a spiritual peace that Jesus offers to 00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:14.500 his followers as a permanent gift that external 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:20.119 circumstances cannot take away. The New Living 00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:22.699 Translation reads this way. You won't see it 00:38:22.699 --> 00:38:24.800 on screen, but I love how it translates this 00:38:24.800 --> 00:38:26.760 verse. It says, I'm leaving you with a gift, 00:38:26.900 --> 00:38:30.539 peace of mind and heart. And the peace that I 00:38:30.539 --> 00:38:32.579 give is a gift that the world cannot give, so 00:38:32.579 --> 00:38:36.579 don't be troubled or afraid. And the thing that 00:38:36.579 --> 00:38:38.579 I love so much is that Jesus knew that the earthly 00:38:38.579 --> 00:38:41.539 journey awaiting his disciples and us today, 00:38:41.719 --> 00:38:45.579 and us today, would not be easy. There were many 00:38:45.579 --> 00:38:49.329 trials and sorrows that lay ahead for them. And 00:38:49.329 --> 00:38:51.869 for us. And so he left them with this assurance. 00:38:51.989 --> 00:38:54.469 You have my peace through faith in me. And it's 00:38:54.469 --> 00:38:56.389 important to remember that Jesus was very intentional 00:38:56.389 --> 00:39:00.929 about his word order here. In this moment. So 00:39:00.929 --> 00:39:03.269 first is the promise of finding him, right? The 00:39:03.269 --> 00:39:05.389 way, the truth, and life. If you come to me, 00:39:05.469 --> 00:39:08.190 you receive those things. So when you come to 00:39:08.190 --> 00:39:10.570 the promise of peace from him, it's assumed, 00:39:10.849 --> 00:39:14.429 based on the order of this, it's assumed that 00:39:14.429 --> 00:39:18.130 we've already been pursuing him. practicing this 00:39:18.130 --> 00:39:19.889 new commandment of love for one another, being 00:39:19.889 --> 00:39:21.929 obedient to his instructions, being empowered 00:39:21.929 --> 00:39:23.750 by the spirit of God, the counselor, the helper. 00:39:24.070 --> 00:39:26.750 So if we get the, if you love me, you will keep 00:39:26.750 --> 00:39:29.050 my word. If that's out of sync for us and we're 00:39:29.050 --> 00:39:31.530 like, hey, he promised us this peace. Yes, it's 00:39:31.530 --> 00:39:33.369 on the other side of some of these other things. 00:39:33.469 --> 00:39:36.510 Like we have to step into those things. If we 00:39:36.510 --> 00:39:38.570 blow off the new commandment to love one another, 00:39:38.650 --> 00:39:40.670 we're like, hey, where's the peace that he promises? 00:39:40.670 --> 00:39:43.570 Like, where's the obedience that he calls us 00:39:43.570 --> 00:39:47.610 to? And so I think Jesus is very intentional 00:39:47.610 --> 00:39:51.170 in how he's kind of giving them this farewell 00:39:51.170 --> 00:39:53.630 discourse and putting these pieces in place. 00:39:54.289 --> 00:39:56.309 It's assumed at this point in the conversation 00:39:56.309 --> 00:40:00.949 that we are pursuing him. And in so doing, we 00:40:00.949 --> 00:40:04.730 are experiencing this peace. And I will just 00:40:04.730 --> 00:40:08.170 say, it's an observation from being a pastor 00:40:08.170 --> 00:40:11.250 now almost for 25 years, if you can believe that. 00:40:13.480 --> 00:40:15.940 I feel really old when I say that out loud, so 00:40:15.940 --> 00:40:22.599 take that back. People's quest for internal peace 00:40:22.599 --> 00:40:27.420 apart from Jesus is usually the thing that derails 00:40:27.420 --> 00:40:30.920 their life most significantly. That's just 25 00:40:30.920 --> 00:40:36.039 years of just watching it. People's quest for 00:40:36.039 --> 00:40:40.309 internal peace apart from Christ. is usually 00:40:40.309 --> 00:40:43.090 the single thing that derails their life most 00:40:43.090 --> 00:40:48.329 significantly. A substance, a relationship, a 00:40:48.329 --> 00:40:52.090 risky career move, a risky financial move, an 00:40:52.090 --> 00:40:54.769 addiction. And I'm not saying those things aren't 00:40:54.769 --> 00:40:57.369 real, and I'm not saying that it's not been the 00:40:57.369 --> 00:40:59.650 greatest joy of my life to walk with people through 00:40:59.650 --> 00:41:02.329 those things. That's what ministry is, that's 00:41:02.329 --> 00:41:04.110 what life is, that's what it means to be human, 00:41:04.130 --> 00:41:06.329 is to get on the other side of those things and 00:41:06.329 --> 00:41:09.539 have some hindsight and go, oh yeah. In my quest 00:41:09.539 --> 00:41:12.679 for internal peace, I turned to that thing and 00:41:12.679 --> 00:41:17.780 it left me, it annihilated me, so to speak. But 00:41:17.780 --> 00:41:20.960 I've just seen it too many times play out that 00:41:20.960 --> 00:41:22.860 way. And I would just say to you, friends, Jesus 00:41:22.860 --> 00:41:24.760 stands ready to give you peace that you can't 00:41:24.760 --> 00:41:29.420 find in any of those other things. And so are 00:41:29.420 --> 00:41:33.110 you... Are you restless today? Is your soul in 00:41:33.110 --> 00:41:35.190 turmoil today? Is there a stronghold in your 00:41:35.190 --> 00:41:36.829 life that you're hoping will give you peace that 00:41:36.829 --> 00:41:41.409 simply cannot deliver you that peace? What is 00:41:41.409 --> 00:41:45.150 that thing for you today? Would you consider 00:41:45.150 --> 00:41:47.409 Jesus' invitation to find peace in him through 00:41:47.409 --> 00:41:50.809 obedience by faith? And he once again, he once 00:41:50.809 --> 00:41:52.710 again demonstrates his love for us in that he 00:41:52.710 --> 00:41:55.449 will not leave us alone. And I just, I would 00:41:55.449 --> 00:41:57.789 say I can't think of a worse human reality than 00:41:57.789 --> 00:42:01.679 isolation. I mean, think about it. The worst 00:42:01.679 --> 00:42:03.179 criminals in the world, where do they put them? 00:42:03.219 --> 00:42:07.039 In solitary, what? Confinement. There's an added 00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:09.000 torment, if you will, to being alone. You're 00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:10.619 a bad criminal and we're going to add to that 00:42:10.619 --> 00:42:14.480 by putting you alone. And I've said it before, 00:42:14.579 --> 00:42:16.500 the irony of the world we live in today is that 00:42:16.500 --> 00:42:18.440 we have never been more connected as a society 00:42:18.440 --> 00:42:22.179 and yet never more isolated. Never more isolated. 00:42:23.380 --> 00:42:27.239 And loneliness is an epidemic. It's an epidemic, 00:42:27.260 --> 00:42:29.519 and Jesus promised us, I will not leave you as 00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:31.679 orphans. I will come to you again. Until I do, 00:42:31.780 --> 00:42:33.940 I give you the Holy Spirit. I'm interceding for 00:42:33.940 --> 00:42:36.300 you through prayer. You're not in this alone. 00:42:37.239 --> 00:42:39.300 The obedience thing that I'm calling you to is 00:42:39.300 --> 00:42:42.260 difficult, yes, but you are empowered by the 00:42:42.260 --> 00:42:45.480 Spirit of God. I'm interceding on your behalf 00:42:45.480 --> 00:42:47.739 to the Father for your prayers as you pray in 00:42:47.739 --> 00:42:51.840 my will. It's difficult, no doubt, but you are 00:42:51.840 --> 00:42:55.000 not in this alone. You are not left as orphans. 00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:58.000 I will come to you again. And so what is Jesus 00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:00.820 saying? You do your part. It's an invitation. 00:43:01.019 --> 00:43:04.019 You do your part. Love me by obeying me and experience 00:43:04.019 --> 00:43:06.139 a peace that you cannot find in anyone or anything 00:43:06.139 --> 00:43:09.380 else. And that's where I'll close is just asking 00:43:09.380 --> 00:43:11.360 you, we're going to take communion together in 00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:15.420 a moment. And maybe it's in those moments where 00:43:15.420 --> 00:43:17.340 we're preparing our hearts for communion that 00:43:17.340 --> 00:43:20.880 you need to kind of surrender that thing, whatever 00:43:20.880 --> 00:43:25.260 that thing is, that. You're inclined to seek 00:43:25.260 --> 00:43:29.139 peace through. And we know what those things 00:43:29.139 --> 00:43:31.460 are. They're habits, they're addictions, they're 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:37.719 unhealthy people, things that we turn to. And 00:43:37.719 --> 00:43:40.619 they may be culturally benign, quite honestly, 00:43:40.780 --> 00:43:44.199 but they're not benign for you. They have a stronghold 00:43:44.199 --> 00:43:48.500 in your life. And you're looking for that peace 00:43:48.500 --> 00:43:53.059 that we all look for. And you're looking to not 00:43:53.059 --> 00:43:55.880 feel alone. You're looking to have some sort 00:43:55.880 --> 00:43:59.519 of assurance to like, this is all worth it. I 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:00.739 mean, that's where we started, right? It was 00:44:00.739 --> 00:44:02.639 Philip like, hey, show us the Father. Like, if 00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:05.000 I'm gonna do this whole obedience thing, Jesus, 00:44:05.099 --> 00:44:07.920 like, please tell me there's a finish line. And 00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:10.300 I'm not just running in vain. And Jesus is like, 00:44:10.400 --> 00:44:13.760 there's a finish line. And throughout the whole 00:44:13.760 --> 00:44:15.579 course, which is gonna be difficult, you have 00:44:15.579 --> 00:44:18.000 the Holy Spirit with you. I'm interceding on 00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:20.079 your behalf. You do your part. Love one another 00:44:20.079 --> 00:44:23.579 as I've commanded you. be obedient to my word 00:44:23.579 --> 00:44:26.480 and he does his part in giving us peace? Do you 00:44:26.480 --> 00:44:29.599 need it today? If so, Jesus gives it freely and 00:44:29.599 --> 00:44:33.760 we pick it up as a gift that he's given to us 00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:36.840 and we insulate our hearts with it, amen? Let 00:44:36.840 --> 00:44:39.000 me pray and then I'll lead us in taking communion 00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:43.099 together. Father, thank you for the gift of peace 00:44:43.099 --> 00:44:46.820 that comes to us through Christ. Thank you that, 00:44:46.940 --> 00:44:52.400 well, the whole meaning of grace is that In a 00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:55.579 room full of this many people, I mean, there 00:44:55.579 --> 00:44:59.019 are just too many examples. And I contribute 00:44:59.019 --> 00:45:01.219 many of them myself. There are too many examples 00:45:01.219 --> 00:45:04.679 of things that we have turned to. Seeking peace. 00:45:05.559 --> 00:45:07.840 Seeking to have those things in our hearts resolved. 00:45:09.920 --> 00:45:16.380 God, I confess and I lead my brothers and sisters 00:45:16.380 --> 00:45:20.349 in that same prayer of confession today. I confess 00:45:20.349 --> 00:45:25.170 that there are just trivial things that you have 00:45:25.170 --> 00:45:30.110 given to me as a gift, but they have become gods, 00:45:30.150 --> 00:45:34.570 if you will, in that I'm searching and longing 00:45:34.570 --> 00:45:38.730 for peace sometimes in the wrong things. And 00:45:38.730 --> 00:45:42.050 so, Father, I ask that in this moment today that 00:45:42.050 --> 00:45:49.030 you would give us, well, we... we echo Philip 00:45:49.030 --> 00:45:52.389 and we just say, we want to see you. We want 00:45:52.389 --> 00:45:57.829 to see you. We believe that it's worth it. But 00:45:57.829 --> 00:45:59.449 also admittedly, there are days where we feel 00:45:59.449 --> 00:46:04.469 very human. We feel very vulnerable. And the 00:46:04.469 --> 00:46:10.690 race feels hard. Our legs feel tired. So we, 00:46:10.829 --> 00:46:15.340 as Hebrew says, we fix our eyes on you. the author 00:46:15.340 --> 00:46:17.260 and perfecter of our faith. You stand at the 00:46:17.260 --> 00:46:21.420 finish line, ready to receive us. And the good 00:46:21.420 --> 00:46:25.699 news is we don't run alone. You've given us another 00:46:25.699 --> 00:46:28.159 helper, counselor who will be with us forever. 00:46:29.539 --> 00:46:33.400 So we claim that today by faith. We thank you 00:46:33.400 --> 00:46:35.019 for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We thank you 00:46:35.019 --> 00:46:40.099 for the promise of answered prayer. And we ask, 00:46:40.099 --> 00:46:43.159 Father, that you would Continue to go before 00:46:43.159 --> 00:46:46.119 us. You are the way, the truth, and the life. 00:46:48.360 --> 00:46:53.619 Help us to trust you and to follow you. Make 00:46:53.619 --> 00:46:56.059 us obedient today, not out of a spirit of fear, 00:46:56.179 --> 00:47:00.480 but out of a spirit of love. Say, we love you. 00:47:01.480 --> 00:47:04.260 And so in obedience, we want to honor you and 00:47:04.260 --> 00:47:07.659 we want to follow you. And in those moments where 00:47:07.659 --> 00:47:10.679 we do it imperfectly, would you help us? by your 00:47:10.679 --> 00:47:13.739 grace, through your spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.