1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,560
No, I can't say that because I haven't seen one of them yet.

2
00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,320
Do you love Jesus?

3
00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:24,480
Aren't you glad he's not here?

4
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:25,600
Maybe I should rewind that.

5
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,800
Do you love Jesus?

6
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,760
Aren't you glad he's not here?

7
00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,240
Say what kind of a screwball comment is that?

8
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,040
Well it's based on John 14, 28.

9
00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,640
I invite you to look at that verse with me.

10
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:49,720
Jesus said, You heard that I said to you, I go away and I will come to you.

11
00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:56,920
If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father.

12
00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,680
For the Father is greater than I.

13
00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:06,120
We can be glad that Jesus is not here today because it means that he has ascended back

14
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:12,460
to heaven, there to receive honor and glory at the right hand of God the Father.

15
00:01:12,460 --> 00:01:16,120
And that should make us happy.

16
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,160
Most of us haven't thought about it in those terms, but have you ever wondered why Jesus

17
00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,840
returned to heaven?

18
00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:28,120
After all, Jesus is in a body that would never die.

19
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:34,240
And he could have stayed here and amazed the world by the miracles that he might perform

20
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,260
and could have proclaimed the gospel.

21
00:01:37,260 --> 00:01:41,120
Why then did he go back to heaven?

22
00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,400
Well above all, it was God's plan for him to return, of course.

23
00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,960
He accomplished the work that God gave him to do in the world.

24
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:54,760
His kingdom in this world was not to be yet.

25
00:01:54,760 --> 00:02:02,580
And his bride, the church, had yet to be called out from the nations of the world so that

26
00:02:02,580 --> 00:02:09,120
then Israel would eventually recognize him as their Messiah and be received and he could

27
00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,360
establish his kingdom.

28
00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,360
Jesus returned to heaven for other reasons than those, however.

29
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:22,720
He returned to heaven to do four wonderful works that apply to your life and mine.

30
00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,120
I want you to look at them with me in the Gospel of John.

31
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:31,760
The first one is right here in chapter 14 and verse 2 where we see that Jesus returned

32
00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,280
to heaven to prepare a place.

33
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:39,720
"'In my Father's house are many dwelling places,' he said.

34
00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,840
If it were not so, I would have told you.

35
00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,240
For I go to prepare a place for you.'"

36
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,760
Why did Jesus return to heaven?

37
00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,120
In the first place, he went back to heaven to prepare a place.

38
00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:58,560
There are two facts that are immediately apparent in the verse that we just read.

39
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,920
The first is that the Father's house has sufficient room for all of his children.

40
00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:10,280
"'In my Father's house,' said Jesus, are many dwelling places."

41
00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:17,320
Now the Father's house earlier in the Gospel of John in chapter 2 and verse 16 was used

42
00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,800
of the earthly temple in Jerusalem.

43
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,640
Here Jesus is using the same phrase in a different way.

44
00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:28,120
He's using it in referring to heaven.

45
00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:33,440
It is the same place that David a thousand years before this called the house of the

46
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,560
Lord where he would dwell forever.

47
00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:45,260
"'In the Father's house are many dwelling places,' said Jesus."

48
00:03:45,260 --> 00:03:53,080
That word does not refer to a mere room, but it has the idea of a living space or what

49
00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:58,440
we might call an apartment or a condo.

50
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:04,080
So Jesus is saying, in my Father's house, that is in heaven, there are many condos or

51
00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:11,080
many places prepared for his children.

52
00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:17,080
Now the second fact that we see in this verse besides the first that the Father's house

53
00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:22,440
has sufficient room for all of his children is that Jesus has now gone to the Father's

54
00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:29,560
house to prepare a special place for each one of God's children, a place for you and

55
00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,440
a place for me.

56
00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,000
It is true that we're going to be with all of the saints of all of the ages in heaven.

57
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:45,840
It'll be one massive crowd, but apparently there is also provision for us to have a place

58
00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:50,840
that we can call our own in the Father's house.

59
00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:54,740
Jesus went back to heaven to prepare that place.

60
00:04:54,740 --> 00:05:01,200
The context here of this verse is intended to give comfort to the disciples, for there

61
00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:06,440
was an impending separation between Jesus and them.

62
00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,400
That was not to be a permanent separation.

63
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:19,160
There was a future reunion coming, but his humiliation, his suffering, and his death,

64
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:25,100
followed by his resurrection, and then his return to heaven would mean that they would

65
00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:30,060
for a while at least be separated from him.

66
00:05:30,060 --> 00:05:34,520
He wanted them to know that it was for their advantage, and we can say by extension for

67
00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,520
our advantage, that he would return to heaven.

68
00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:46,180
Now, of course, the fact is that Jesus could have stayed here upon the earth.

69
00:05:46,180 --> 00:05:47,420
He would never die.

70
00:05:47,420 --> 00:05:53,000
He could be with his people right here in this world.

71
00:05:53,000 --> 00:06:00,720
But another fact is that his people would die, for all of us are limited to our stay

72
00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:02,760
on the earth.

73
00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:09,400
We are here for 40 years, or 80 years, or maybe 100 years, but however many or few,

74
00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,240
there is a time for us to leave this world.

75
00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:19,220
Jesus could stay here, but Jesus' disciples could not stay here, nor can we.

76
00:06:19,220 --> 00:06:20,600
We are mortal.

77
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:26,960
Therefore, he went on ahead to the place we are heading that he might prepare a special

78
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,080
place just for us.

79
00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,720
That's one reason he went back to heaven.

80
00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:34,520
That's a great comfort.

81
00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:40,000
It's a comfort to know when a loved one, a friend of yours, dies, who is a believer,

82
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:47,380
that that one has gone on to a place that's been prepared for their arrival.

83
00:06:47,380 --> 00:06:53,240
They did not surprise St. Peter at the gate, as some of the jokes seem to tell us, but

84
00:06:53,240 --> 00:07:00,120
their arrival was anticipated and a place prepared by the Lord Jesus for his own.

85
00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,280
But we see another reason for Jesus going back to heaven in verse 3.

86
00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:10,560
He returned to heaven that he might come again.

87
00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:17,240
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself,

88
00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,440
that where I am, there you may be also.

89
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:28,680
Now the return of the Lord Jesus Christ has at least two aspects in its effect.

90
00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:33,720
In the first place, there is a global or historical effect.

91
00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:38,440
That is, it is the consummation of history.

92
00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:48,280
It is the consummation of the relationship between Jesus Christ, the King, and the world.

93
00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:55,400
When he returns, that relationship, which is adversarial, will be consummated and he

94
00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,960
will judge the world.

95
00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,440
But his return has a second aspect.

96
00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,880
It's personal, not historical.

97
00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:11,240
That is the fact that it will also mean the consummation of his relationship between himself

98
00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,240
and his children.

99
00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:19,520
Now even now, as one by one we die and we go to be with him, there is a consummating

100
00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,480
sense in which we will be with him one day.

101
00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:29,720
For in that day, when he returns, we will be with him in resurrected glory, our bodies

102
00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:34,680
being caught up from the grave, changed to be like his body.

103
00:08:34,680 --> 00:08:38,200
And we will be with him forever.

104
00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:46,680
He returned to heaven to come again, that he might receive us personally to himself.

105
00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:52,700
The Jews saw only one coming of the Messiah, as you probably know.

106
00:08:52,700 --> 00:08:58,240
As they read the Old Testament, they saw the Messiah coming to establish his kingdom in

107
00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:03,260
glory and to exalt Israel among the nations.

108
00:09:03,260 --> 00:09:08,600
They could not see the plan of God, that Messiah would suffer and die, and that there would

109
00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:16,000
be a period of time before Messiah would come in his glory to exalt Israel and establish

110
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,360
his kingdom.

111
00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:22,080
They were unable to perceive that, but from our perspective, this side of the cross and

112
00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:28,480
the resurrection and Pentecost, we are able to understand what this age means and what

113
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,840
prophecy means.

114
00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:38,460
And Jesus will return one day to receive his own, just as surely as he came the first time

115
00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:41,720
to redeem his own.

116
00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:46,840
I'd like you to look at one verse, a wonderful context actually in the book of Hebrews, the

117
00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:53,000
ninth chapter.

118
00:09:53,000 --> 00:10:05,120
Verse 24, for Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands.

119
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,960
The writer of Hebrews is now speaking about Jesus returning to heaven.

120
00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:17,480
He said he did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but

121
00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:24,800
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

122
00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:31,480
Nor was it that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the holy place,

123
00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:36,440
year by year, with blood not his own, talking about the Jewish high priest.

124
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:42,400
Otherwise, he would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world.

125
00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:51,600
But now once, at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested to put away sin by

126
00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:55,040
the sacrifice of himself.

127
00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:56,960
That's his first coming.

128
00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:04,400
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment, so

129
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:15,840
Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time

130
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:23,520
for salvation without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him.

131
00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:28,680
What the writer is saying is that he will appear a second time as surely as he appeared

132
00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:29,680
the first time.

133
00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:35,760
And the second time that he appears, it will not be to deal with sin as he did the first

134
00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,400
time by his sacrifice.

135
00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:44,440
But it will be for the salvation of his people, that is, those who are eagerly awaiting his

136
00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,640
coming.

137
00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,240
I hope that that's the attitude of your heart today.

138
00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,640
Lord Jesus, come quickly.

139
00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,720
Why did Jesus go back to heaven?

140
00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:00,880
Well, he went back to heaven to prepare a place.

141
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:05,960
He went back to heaven to come again.

142
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,280
Now going back to the Gospel of John, this time the sixteenth chapter, notice a third

143
00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,100
reason that Jesus returned to heaven.

144
00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:20,800
It is that he might send the Holy Spirit, John 16, 7.

145
00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:22,440
But I tell you the truth.

146
00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:29,000
It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not

147
00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:30,880
come to you.

148
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:35,340
But if I go, I will send him to you.

149
00:12:35,340 --> 00:12:43,040
This Helper or this Comforter, this Paraclete is the Holy Spirit.

150
00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,180
Now of course in one sense the Holy Spirit has always been present in the world.

151
00:12:48,180 --> 00:12:53,200
But there was a special and particular sense in which he would come into the world because

152
00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,400
Jesus would return to heaven.

153
00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:04,160
He would come to have a special ministry in the world just as God the Son, though he was

154
00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:11,720
always present, came into the world for a special ministry to give his life.

155
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:18,320
What was the ministry of the Holy Spirit as he would come into the world, twofold?

156
00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:23,120
It was a ministry to the world, to convict the world.

157
00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,880
And Jesus talks about that in verses 8 through 11.

158
00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:35,480
To convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

159
00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:40,800
The Holy Spirit was sent from heaven to the earth on the day of Pentecost that in the

160
00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:49,640
first place he might serve as a point of conviction to the lost, reminding them of sin, reminding

161
00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:56,360
them of their need for righteousness, reminding them of judgment, conviction for the world.

162
00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:02,360
But he came secondly that he might comfort the believers, that he might guide, that he

163
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:08,320
might teach, that he might lead those who trust the Savior.

164
00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:14,640
The Holy Spirit came for a special ministry in this age to convict the world, to comfort

165
00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:16,680
God's people.

166
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:24,360
Jesus says had he remained bodily with us, the Holy Spirit would not have come.

167
00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:31,200
Had he remained in the world, our Lord could be only in one place at a time.

168
00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,680
Now we know from what we've studied about his resurrection appearances that he could

169
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:45,400
go quickly from one place to another, but he could be only in one place at a time.

170
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:52,160
Therefore he went away so that he might send the Holy Spirit.

171
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:58,240
And through the Spirit then he could be with all of us all the time.

172
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,840
That's why Jesus returned to heaven.

173
00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:09,360
To send the Holy Spirit that he might abide with us always.

174
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:16,520
I want to remind you of what our Lord said in chapter 14 and verse 18.

175
00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,560
Again in the previous verses he mentioned the coming of the Spirit.

176
00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:27,160
He says in verse 18, I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

177
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,400
Isn't that interesting?

178
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:38,120
Jesus is saying when the Holy Spirit comes, as he now has, he will be me.

179
00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:42,280
For I will be in the Spirit coming to you.

180
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,960
I will not leave you as orphans.

181
00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:50,360
And through the Holy Spirit I will be able to live in you and be with each one of you

182
00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,520
wherever you are all the time.

183
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,440
And that cannot be if I stay here.

184
00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:02,000
And so he returned to heaven.

185
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:12,320
The Holy Spirit bringing to us the life of the Lord Jesus enables us to live a life pleasing

186
00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:21,160
to the Lord, empowers us to witness to the resurrection of the Lord, the Gospel.

187
00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,160
And he lives in us to change us into the likeness of the Lord.

188
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:30,440
The Holy Spirit is in us because Jesus returned to heaven.

189
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:34,840
But there is a fourth reason that Jesus went back to heaven.

190
00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:40,040
We see this illustrated actually in chapter 17.

191
00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,640
As you know chapter 17 of John is a prayer.

192
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,160
It is the high priestly prayer of our Savior.

193
00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:53,200
Though still upon the earth as he said these words, he was praying as if he were already

194
00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,560
back in heaven.

195
00:16:55,560 --> 00:17:01,400
Now that's clear from the comments that he makes in this chapter.

196
00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:07,920
I want you to look with me at verse 11 where he says, and I am no more in the world.

197
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:14,240
You see he's placing himself as though he were beyond his suffering and his ascension.

198
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:21,680
And yet they themselves are in the world and I come to thee, Holy Father.

199
00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:28,520
Keep them in thy name, the name which thou hast given me, that they may be one even as

200
00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:30,320
we are.

201
00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:38,000
The fourth reason that Jesus returned to heaven is that he might pray for us.

202
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:46,200
The Lord Jesus appears in the presence of God today in two significant roles which directly

203
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,280
affect you and me.

204
00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:58,560
In the first place he appears to pray for us as our advocate, our defense attorney is

205
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:00,360
the idea.

206
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,960
First John 2, 1.

207
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:07,880
John there in that epistle writes, these things are right unto you that you sin not, that

208
00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:10,000
you stop sinning.

209
00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:18,880
But if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one,

210
00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:26,440
and he is the propitiation, that is the satisfaction for our sins.

211
00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,280
And not for our sins but for the sins of the whole world.

212
00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:35,080
We have an advocate with the Father because Jesus returned to heaven.

213
00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,760
I don't know about you but I need an advocate.

214
00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:44,640
I need what is termed in the original language a parochletos.

215
00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:52,080
By the way this is the very same word that John uses of the Holy Spirit, a comforter.

216
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:58,600
There he seems to use it in the sense of one who comes alongside us to encourage and to

217
00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:03,920
strengthen and to help us, the parochletos, the Holy Spirit.

218
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:10,240
But in 1 John 2, 1 he uses it in the sense of a defense attorney, one who comes along

219
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:18,560
beside in order to defend the parochletos, the advocate, Jesus Christ.

220
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:24,740
You and I need a defense attorney to stand there because you and I are accused by our

221
00:19:24,740 --> 00:19:31,200
spiritual enemy Satan when we sin.

222
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:36,920
He is called in revelations the accuser of the brethren.

223
00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,120
Martha Snell Nicholson has captured this well.

224
00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:45,720
I think in a poem entitled Advocate.

225
00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:53,640
I sinned and straightway post haste Satan flew before the presence of the most high

226
00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,840
God and made a railing accusation there.

227
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:03,640
He said this soul, this thing of clay and sod has sinned.

228
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:11,160
Tis true he has named thy name, but I demand his death, for thou hast said the soul that

229
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,000
sinneth it shall die.

230
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,000
Shall not thy sentence be fulfilled?

231
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,120
Is justice dead?

232
00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:24,680
Send now this wretched sinner to his doom.

233
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:29,400
What other thing can a righteous ruler do?

234
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:37,760
And thus he did accuse me day and night, and every word he spoke, O God, was true.

235
00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:45,160
Then quickly one rose up from God's right hand, before whose glory angels veiled their

236
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,000
eyes, he spoke.

237
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,480
Each jot and tittle of the law must be fulfilled.

238
00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,520
The guilty sinner dies, but wait.

239
00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:03,760
Those his guilt were all transferred to me, and that I paid his penalty.

240
00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:10,520
Behold my hands, my side, my feet.

241
00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:22,440
One day I was made sin for him, and died that he might be presented faultless at thy throne.

242
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,040
And Satan fled away.

243
00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:31,360
Oh well he knew that he could not prevail against such love, for every word my dear

244
00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:35,960
Lord spoke was true.

245
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:41,600
Because he is the satisfaction for your sins and mine, he is able to stand before the just

246
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:49,480
God of the universe and serve as our defense when we are accused by Satan, and say, Father,

247
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:55,920
I have paid the price for that sin.

248
00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,680
Lord Jesus went back to heaven to be your advocate in mine.

249
00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,280
Thank God that he is there.

250
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,120
I need him there.

251
00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:06,760
So do you.

252
00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:12,120
But he is there in a second role that is related and yet distinguished.

253
00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:15,880
It is the role of high priest.

254
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:24,680
For Jesus there in heaven, before the presence of God the Father, provides intercession for

255
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:25,680
us.

256
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:35,600
Again, I refer to the writer of Hebrews who says this in chapter 7 verse 25, Hence also

257
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:44,840
he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives

258
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:49,320
to make intercession for them.

259
00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:59,960
When I face a challenge, when I enter a trial, when I am tempted by sin, when I am grieved

260
00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:11,800
over a loss, when I am experiencing anxiety, fear, failure, and disappointment, and when

261
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:19,600
I am enjoying blessing, success, and victory, and maybe especially then, for slippery are

262
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:24,300
the slopes of success.

263
00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:28,920
Whatever I am passing through in this world, I have one who intercedes for me before the

264
00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:38,800
throne of God, always praying on my behalf that the will of God be done in me.

265
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:45,440
And when he sees that I have slipped, or that I have failed, he knows exactly what to ask

266
00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:47,920
the Father to do.

267
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:54,120
And when he sees me in a situation where I have forgotten to pray, he knows exactly what

268
00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:58,640
to ask the Father for in my case.

269
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:08,080
And when he sees me tempted, because he himself was tempted yet without ever sinning, he knows

270
00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:14,360
exactly what I need in that moment.

271
00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:20,320
When I am in a circumstance of emergency and have no time literally to pray, he is eternally

272
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:25,160
before the Father on my behalf in that instance.

273
00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:31,600
Dear child of God, understand that Jesus returned to heaven to pray for you, not only as your

274
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:39,440
defense attorney, but as your priest to ask the Father to perfectly accomplish the will

275
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,720
of God in your life.

276
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:50,460
How wonderful to have that kind of an advocate, that kind of a priest.

277
00:24:50,460 --> 00:24:59,560
Because Jesus went back to heaven, we should not live our lives with troubled, anxious

278
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,360
hearts.

279
00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:06,880
He said, let not your heart be troubled.

280
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,280
I go to prepare a place for you.

281
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,660
And if I go and prepare a place, I will come again and receive you to myself.

282
00:25:14,660 --> 00:25:21,240
You and I can live life without troubled, anxious hearts.

283
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,020
It's a battle, isn't it?

284
00:25:24,020 --> 00:25:28,940
Because anxiety is a part of this world.

285
00:25:28,940 --> 00:25:33,320
We labor against fear all of the time.

286
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:39,920
And the more stressful our circumstances, the more we face that temptation to fear.

287
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,480
But Jesus says, let not your hearts be troubled.

288
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:48,320
I'm going back to heaven for you.

289
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:53,920
Because he's gone back to heaven, we should eagerly await his coming.

290
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,960
There are times when I wonder if the Lord hasn't delayed his return for some purpose,

291
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:07,640
perhaps similar to that, for which he delayed his judgment in the days of Noah.

292
00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:13,840
But I know this much, when it's time for him to come, he's going to come.

293
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:19,720
And I want to train myself to live every day with that little phrase on my heart that I

294
00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:23,100
saw one time on the desk of a businessman in Cincinnati.

295
00:26:23,100 --> 00:26:29,440
It said, perhaps today.

296
00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:33,900
Because he's gone back to heaven, I want to live this day, this Sunday.

297
00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:38,520
And if he tarries, I want to live Monday with that thought in my heart, perhaps today.

298
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:43,820
And I want to eagerly look forward to seeing him.

299
00:26:43,820 --> 00:26:51,440
Because he's gone back to heaven, we should recognize the Holy Spirit's presence and enjoy

300
00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,880
his ministry.

301
00:26:53,880 --> 00:27:04,760
He is not here bodily, but he is here spiritually, dwelling in you and in me, to minister to us

302
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:11,800
as the one who is called alongside us in the steps of this life to encourage us along,

303
00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:18,560
to help us pick up the broken pieces, to convict us when we have gotten out of step.

304
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,600
He's here to be our helper.

305
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,640
Oh let us recognize his presence.

306
00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:27,320
And when we sing, Holy Spirit, thou art welcome in this place.

307
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:33,960
May it be more than in this room, may it be in this place, the room of my heart.

308
00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:36,480
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.

309
00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:41,840
Be in control here, in the throne room of my life.

310
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:46,800
Because Jesus has gone back to heaven, we should always remember that there is one who

311
00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:52,040
stands before God on our behalf.

312
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:58,800
Any comfort or any assurance that you and I enjoy rests upon his faithfulness as our

313
00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,400
high priest and our advocate.

314
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,600
For he has gone before us, the forerunner.

315
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:09,080
He has entered in behind the veil into the very holy of holies of God.

316
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:13,960
And my friend, that's where your soul and your faith is anchored and so is mine.

317
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:19,000
And that anchor is there, under the throne of God, and that rope comes around the veil

318
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,880
back down to where we are on earth.

319
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:28,000
And you and I are as secure as that anchor is firm into the very promises of God who

320
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,240
sits on that throne.

321
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:36,720
We have a hope that is sure, because Jesus has returned to heaven.

322
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,360
Today he is interceding for you and for me.

323
00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:46,240
And as we hear sung to us now, a number that speaks to that very point, he is ever interceding

324
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:55,840
for all of us who are his children.

325
00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:09,920
Well, I'm not the soloist, I can tell you that.

326
00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,920
We have a, here she comes.

327
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:14,400
Okay.

328
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:39,280
Someone who'll go the extra mile, Just like a brother caring for his child,

329
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:51,800
A friend who sticks through thick and thin, No matter what you've done or where you've

330
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:52,800
been.

331
00:29:52,800 --> 00:30:05,560
Just like one great big family, A stronger older brother he will be,

332
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:18,040
So quick and ready to defend, The younger weaker to the end.

333
00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:29,440
And he's ever interceding, To the father for his children.

334
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:41,800
Yes, he's ever interceding, To the father for his own.

335
00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:53,480
Through him you can reach the father, So bring him all your heavy burdens.

336
00:30:53,480 --> 00:31:12,680
Yes for you he's interceding, So come boldly to the throne.

337
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:25,640
Just like sheep we've gone astray, Struggling neath a debt we could not pay,

338
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:37,640
Not ever hoping to renew, The love and fellowship that we once knew,

339
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:45,280
Yet he began to intercede.

340
00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:57,280
Crying father, please forgive I plead, And as the nails pierced in his hands,

341
00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:11,040
God once again reached out to man. And he's ever interceding,

342
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:29,280
To the father for his children. Yes, he's ever interceding,

343
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:43,240
Through him you can reach the father, So bring him all your heavy burdens.

344
00:32:43,240 --> 00:33:04,360
Yes for you he's interceding, So come boldly to the throne.

345
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:20,040
So come boldly to the throne.

346
00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:25,520
Thank you, Marcia. Would you bow with me please in prayer?

347
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:33,560
Through him you can reach the father.

348
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:39,560
So you bring him your heavy burdens today. It may be that you need to come to receive

349
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:49,960
him as your Savior and Lord. And your heart is heavily burdened with years

350
00:33:49,960 --> 00:34:04,040
of struggling and failure and sin and separation from God.

351
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:10,920
Will you receive him today? Tell him so in your heart.

352
00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:18,600
As an act of faith, just tell him that you will and give it over to him.

353
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:25,400
And trust that he died, not just for the sins of everybody, but for you, you personally,

354
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:32,000
because he did. He did.

355
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:38,080
And you dear friend, dear child of God, you've come today with your heart heavily burdened

356
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:43,280
too. I hope today you've been reminded that the

357
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:52,440
Savior is back in heaven purposely to intercede for you.

358
00:34:52,440 --> 00:35:03,840
Let this be a fresh start for you today. Be encouraged in your pilgrimage.

359
00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:15,800
Be restored to him. He is ever interceding for you.

360
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:29,760
Would you stand with me please? Father, we thank you for your work through

361
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:37,880
Jesus Christ, your work in offering him as a sacrifice for our sins.

362
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:43,760
Father, we cannot understand the depth of love that caused you to give your only begotten

363
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:54,360
Son as a sacrifice for the likes of us. But our hearts are so grateful.

364
00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:58,380
And thank you too for the work you're doing through the Son right now in his present work

365
00:35:58,380 --> 00:36:03,440
in heaven. May our hearts rejoice today in the Savior,

366
00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:10,560
for a wonderful Savior he is. And may we go forth from this place of worship

367
00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:27,280
where we've met with you, with our hearts full and our hearts yielded, our hearts encouraged.

368
00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:35,440
Thank you for the intercession of the Savior, through whom we come to you even now.

369
00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:57,880
Amen.