1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,760 Father in heaven, as we open Your word, as we hear through 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,880 Your spirits illumination the truth, we pray that You would 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,160 overwhelm us and bury us in this wonderful word. 4 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:20,280 As we looked upon what the disciples were experiencing as 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,960 they were troubled, we see the way in which you responded to 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:25,720 them and the words that you spoke. 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,400 Father, these words are true words and we pray that we would 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:35,160 hear them and believe them 'cause each person that is here, 9 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,600 those worshipping with us online, causes Lord to believe 10 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:44,400 more and more deeply that you truly are who you say you are 11 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,360 and you will keep every promise that you've made. 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,680 This we pray in Jesus name, Amen. 13 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:54,560 We are in John 14. Go Romain standing please. 14 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:55,920 Sorry for the reading of the Word. 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,440 We're in John 14. This is at the beginning of the 16 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,040 farewell discourse, John's Gospels, the only one that 17 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,760 records many of the things in this section, which is very, 18 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,840 very powerful. Last Sunday I talked about the 19 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,640 trouble, the heartbreak that the disciples are experiencing. 20 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:17,000 This passage begins with Jesus saying, let not your hearts be 21 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,720 troubled, but they're very troubled because what's happened 22 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,040 in that room is that Jesus has said, I am going to depart. 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,240 He has spoken of one who was going to betray him who's 24 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,280 already left the room. He's also spoken saying to 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,440 Peter, you are going to deny me. We will not hear from Peter 26 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:40,000 again for quite some time. This is a powerful word that the 27 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,160 Lord gives as He seeks to bring hope and encouragement to the 28 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,400 disciples as they are deeply troubled. 29 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,800 I'll begin at verse one and read through verse 11. 30 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:56,160 Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in 31 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,320 me and my father's house are many rooms. 32 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,680 If it were not so, what I have told you that I go to prepare a 33 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,600 place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will 34 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,840 come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, you may 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,600 be also, and you know the way to where I'm going. 36 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,080 Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. 37 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,520 How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way 38 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,760 and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father 39 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,320 except through me. If you had known me, you would 40 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,880 have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and 41 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,320 have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show 42 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,520 us the Father and it is enough for us. 43 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,960 Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long and you still 44 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,560 do not know me? Philip, whoever has seen me has 45 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,840 seen the Father. How can you say, show us the 46 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,360 Father? Do you not believe that I am in 47 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,080 the Father and the Father is in me? 48 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,840 The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own 49 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,680 authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his work. 50 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,960 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, 51 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,040 or else believe on account of the works themselves. 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,280 Truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,000 works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, 54 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,520 because I am going to the Father. 55 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:25,640 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 56 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:32,120 Please be seated. Because we know the end of the 57 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:37,200 story, it's often difficult for us to really appreciate what's 58 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,320 happening to those who did not know the end of the story. 59 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,880 The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus. 60 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,000 I want you to hear me. They have left everything to 61 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,360 follow Jesus, their homes, their families. 62 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:56,920 They have been following him for three years. 63 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,720 But now Jesus is beginning to say things, more focused things 64 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:06,600 that he's been saying all along. But when he speaks of one of 65 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:11,000 them betraying him, when he speaks of his departure, when he 66 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,680 tells the leader of the group, you are going to deny 3 times 67 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:19,040 that you even know me. These men are scattered in their 68 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,480 thoughts. They are frightened, they do not 69 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,960 understand what's happening. They are confused and hear Jesus 70 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,000 in his farewell discourse seeks to bring them hope and 71 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,480 encouragement that will move them through the next few days 72 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,560 and all the trauma that they're going to experience as well as 73 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,600 prepare them to lead the church. How does he do it? 74 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,040 Well, in the words that we've heard, and this is just the 75 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,040 beginning of the farewell discourse, we're going to be 76 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,400 here for the next 4 weeks, Jesus speaks of a place. 77 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,960 He speaks of the way, and then he begins to speak in a more 78 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,960 detailed way about the union that he has with the Father and 79 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,720 the union that we have with him. What we're going to hear about 80 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,720 that over the next few weeks is the essence of Christianity and 81 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:11,920 it's what so many people who claim Christ miss all the time. 82 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,120 So let's begin with the place. Go back to verse one. 83 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,000 Jesus says let not your hearts be troubled. believe in God, 84 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,320 believe also in me. Remember John tells us the 85 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,320 purpose of his gospel. The gospel according to John as 86 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,640 he wrote it, is that we would believe that Jesus is who he 87 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,080 says he is. Verse 2 he writes in my father's 88 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,280 house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have 89 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:39,560 told you that I'd go to prepare a place for you and if I go and 90 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,600 prepare a place for you, I will come again and we'll take you to 91 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:47,120 myself that where I am I you may be also. 92 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,560 This is one of those passages that is so often taken out of 93 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,200 context because we don't really understand what Jesus is saying. 94 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:01,600 Remember the state of the disciples, They are confused, 95 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,000 they're terrified, they're troubled. 96 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,120 Jesus says don't be troubled. And the first thing he says to 97 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:12,120 them is that I am going away, and I'm going away for a 98 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,480 purpose, and that purpose is to prepare a place for you. 99 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,240 He says in my Father's house are many rooms. 100 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:25,720 For many of us, we have been deceived into thinking that this 101 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,320 is really what heaven is ultimately about, that I'm going 102 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,680 to have my forever home. Well, you actually are. 103 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,360 But because of the way the King James Version translated verse 104 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:43,440 2, where it says in my father's house are many mansions, we 105 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,400 began to think that that's what it's really all about. 106 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,120 When I was around 5th grade, I had moved from wanting to be a 107 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,760 fireman to a pilot and then to an architect. 108 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,040 And the reason I wanted to be an architect, honestly, was because 109 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:02,080 of how small the house was. I grew up in five children. 110 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:06,600 I'm the middle child, 1 bathroom, single car garage, 111 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,200 barely 1000 square feet, and it was pink. 112 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:16,360 I lived in a little pink house. I began to design houses, kind 113 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,200 of the dream for what I might live in. 114 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:20,040 And some of my best work had a Moat. 115 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:25,280 It was really remarkable. I wanted to live somewhere much 116 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,400 larger, much grander. This is not what Jesus is 117 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,920 saying. I'm not saying it's going to be 118 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,840 all glorious, but what I'm telling you is that the word 119 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:38,400 mansion is the 17th century word that meant kind of a common 120 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,120 house. The way houses were built in the 121 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,200 way they would have understood it was a father would 122 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,480 essentially build a home, and then the sons would continue to 123 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,240 build houses that were next to it kind of on a compound. 124 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:53,000 Jesus is not in this moment when they're desperate for answers, 125 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,840 trying to help them by saying dream of a big house, dream of 126 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,360 luxury. What Jesus is saying is that I'm 127 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,080 going to prepare a place for you. 128 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:10,480 And what matters most is that that is where I am going to be. 129 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:15,160 My presence for eternity is everything. 130 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,040 Now here's why that matters. He is just told them that he's 131 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,760 leaving. They have been walking for three 132 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:28,280 years with the living God physically present, eating with 133 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:34,559 them, doing miracles in their presence, teaching them he is a 134 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,720 man that never sinned, never had a wrong thought or a wrong word. 135 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:42,200 The perfect man. They've walked intimately with 136 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,480 him, but now he says he's leaving. 137 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:49,920 The presence of their leader is soon to be gone. 138 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,920 And so he speaks of a house with many rooms. 139 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,360 But what he says that's most significant is in verse 3. 140 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:02,640 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. 141 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,760 Think about this. Because of the fall in the 142 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,400 garden, where Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony with the 143 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,960 Lord, in perfect presence, that relationship was severed. 144 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,840 Jesus was then sent to the earth. 145 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:23,920 He is now blazing the way back to the Father, to a place where 146 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,520 there are many, many rooms for all of those who've trusted in 147 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:30,480 Christ. And the most significant thing 148 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,160 isn't that we will be doing our favorite hobby. 149 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,000 It's not that we will have our dream home. 150 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:41,360 It's that we will be living in the very real presence of Christ 151 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:46,760 for all eternity. He will come again Speaking of 152 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:51,680 His second coming and I will take you to myself that where I 153 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:58,520 am you may be also. Now listen to what he does next 154 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,480 verse 4 and you know the way to where I'm going. 155 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,520 Jesus makes this statement that is going to then lead to a 156 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,880 question that's understandable, that comes to us from Thomas. 157 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:18,680 Jesus will use this opportunity then to teach such deep 158 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:24,640 theological truth about who we are if we trusted in Christ. 159 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,400 So Jesus says, and you know the way to where I'm going. 160 00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:34,480 Thomas says to him, Lord, verse 5, we do not know where you're 161 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:40,440 going. How can we know the way Thomas 162 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:44,040 is practical here. You have not told us really 163 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:45,640 where you're going. We don't know the way. 164 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,360 How could we know the way you say we know the way you speak 165 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:49,640 truth. We don't know the way. 166 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:55,680 Thomas wants a map. Thomas wants the directions and 167 00:10:55,720 --> 00:11:01,200 Jesus is now going to give in the Gospel of John, his sixth I 168 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,960 am statement. Do you remember the first five? 169 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,520 I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. 170 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,400 I am the door. I am the Good Shepherd. 171 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,240 I am the resurrection and the life, and then this one. 172 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:22,240 I am the way, the truth and the life. 15 John 15. 173 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,760 He will say his final one. I am the true vine. 174 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,840 My father is the vine dresser. Jesus. 175 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:35,480 In answering Thomas's question, Thomas, who wants a map, who's 176 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:40,560 very confused, Jesus says something that shocks him. 177 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,040 I am the way. The way is a person. 178 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:53,080 The way is not a plan, The way is a person. 179 00:11:54,640 --> 00:12:00,040 When Jesus says I am the way and the truth and the life, he then 180 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:03,960 says something that we can never run away from. 181 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,840 Yet so many Christians are tempted to do this. 182 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:14,840 He says no one comes to the Father except through me. 183 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,360 If you're new to our church, it's very important for you to 184 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,440 know that we believe every word of this Bible is God's word. 185 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:33,080 When Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life, He is 186 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:40,560 not saying I am one way of many, I am the way. 187 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:47,840 We live in a pluralistic culture where what really rules is 188 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:52,640 whatever you believe to be true. Recently I encountered a man who 189 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:56,000 I think was a very devoted religious man to his religion. 190 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,040 He asked what I did. I told him and he said we are 191 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,360 the same. We have some differences, but we 192 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,480 are the same. I look forward if God will allow 193 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,000 it, for the opportunity to tell them lovingly we're not the 194 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:15,240 same. Because you don't see Jesus as 195 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,760 the way. You see Jesus as one of many 196 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,640 ways. And as long as you seek to be a 197 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,800 good person, then whatever path you're on will lead to eternity. 198 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:31,320 That is not what Christ is saying, and this inclusivity 199 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,160 causes people, because people respond to it with such passion 200 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,400 to be unattractive to Christianity, causing many who 201 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,520 would say I actually believe that, but I don't want to say it 202 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,120 out loud. We cannot cower away from the 203 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:51,000 truth of what Jesus is saying. He's not saying I'm one of many 204 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,400 ways. He's saying I am the way. 205 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,080 He's not saying you can get to the Father by being good. 206 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,440 He's not saying you can get to the father by following me as a 207 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,840 good example. He's not saying I am one who 208 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:09,040 brings the words of the father. He's saying I'm the way. 209 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:16,000 And because he's the way, he is also the truth and he is also 210 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,320 the life. It's an amazing statement that 211 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:23,320 you need to swim deeply in. If you find yourself in places 212 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,560 of work or recreation or in your classrooms in school and you're 213 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,080 tempted to quiet this verse or even deny this verse, you can't. 214 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:38,240 These words are true words. And if someone doesn't hear what 215 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:43,280 Christ has said and they see somebody that says they follow 216 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,040 him and him, tonight friends, we can't. 217 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,960 Jesus is the way, He is the truth. 218 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,920 He's the life. If you believe that, never stop 219 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,040 thanking Him for the grace that He gave you to believe it. 220 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:03,240 Imagine though for a moment as these disciples hear Jesus give 221 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:08,520 the 6th I AM statement. Leon Morris says we should not 222 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,880 overlook the faith involved as Jesus spoke these words on the 223 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,200 eve of the crucifixion. For the one who spoke these 224 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,600 words, who said I am the way, would shortly hang impotent on 225 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,120 the cross. The one who said I am the truth, 226 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,600 we'll be there because of the lies of evil people who were 227 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,880 about to celebrate a spectacular triumph. 228 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:38,040 And the one who said I am the life, within a matter of hours 229 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,480 is going to have his corpse placed in a tomb. 230 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:48,280 I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life. 231 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:55,680 Then Jesus moves into a common conversation about his 232 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:58,240 relationship with the Father and his relationship with us. 233 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:00,680 And this is where I want to spend the rest of the time this 234 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,800 morning and where we will be over the next few weeks speaking 235 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:08,960 about union with Christ. Philip says to Jesus in verse 8, 236 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,440 Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us. 237 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,040 Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and you still 238 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,760 do not know me? Philip Belief was still the 239 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,680 biggest issue for them. They were struggling to truly 240 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:24,600 believe all that Christ had said. 241 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:30,240 Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. 242 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,720 Think about that statement. How can you say show us the 243 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:36,520 Father? Verse 10? 244 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:41,440 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in 245 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,920 me? The words that I say to you, I 246 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,120 do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who 247 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:52,120 dwells in me does his works. Verse 11 Believe me that I am in 248 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:56,840 the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account 249 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:03,800 of the works themselves. This little word in 2 letters is 250 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:08,280 so significant to what John is teaching, what Jesus is saying, 251 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,280 what John is recording, that Jesus said. 252 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:15,440 During the rest of this farewell discourse, John is going to 253 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,400 highlight the significant statements Jesus has made about 254 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:22,280 what it means to have union with him. 255 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,400 He speaks of his relationship with the Father and that little 256 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:33,480 word in is there verse 10 again, do you not believe that I am in 257 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,400 the Father and the Father is in me? 258 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:44,000 What he's saying is I'm not just a teacher from the Father. 259 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:49,880 I'm not just a messenger. I'm not just an example. 260 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:55,480 He's saying I and the Father are one. 261 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,440 You don't have your Bible necessarily opened if you're 262 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,920 using the bulletin, but I want you to hear this language that's 263 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,440 coming over the next few weeks. Jesus is going to move from just 264 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:14,360 talking about Him being in the Father to Him being in us. 265 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:23,360 If you look with me at verse 16 and 17 says, and I will ask the 266 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:26,880 Father and He will give you another helper to be with you 267 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,040 forever. Verse 17, I know it's not in the 268 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,760 bulletin, so just listen. Even the spirit of truth in the 269 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:36,880 world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. 270 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:42,120 You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 271 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:47,000 In chapter 15, one through 11, Jesus is going to talk about the 272 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,600 vine in the branches and that we are in the vine. 273 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:54,520 Then in the High Priestly prayer in John 17, I want you to hear 274 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,080 what Jesus is saying. I'll be preaching on this in a 275 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,720 few weeks, he says in verse 20 of John 17 to the Father, 276 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,840 praying. I do not ask for these only. 277 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,880 That's the disciples around him, but also for those who will 278 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,120 believe in me through their word. 279 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:16,480 That's us, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in 280 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:21,600 me, and I in you, that they also may be in US. 281 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,720 What does that mean? It means that if you have 282 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:32,280 professed faith in Jesus Christ, you haven't just received a 283 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:36,760 worldview, you haven't just received some good teaching. 284 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,120 You have received the only one who's the way, the truth, and 285 00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:44,160 the life. And if you've received him, he 286 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:53,200 lives inside you right now, not just his teachings, not just his 287 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,720 ideas. This is called union with 288 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,680 Christ. What is union with Christ? 289 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:05,440 And the simplest way for those who trusted Christ, union with 290 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:10,600 Christ means that you are in Christ and Christ is in you. 291 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:17,080 This is a big deal. Christianity is not just a 292 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,840 motivation message. It's not just a bunch of 293 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,880 principles for how to live a better life. 294 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:29,080 It is about this union in Christ with Christ that we have now and 295 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:36,160 forever. When I became a Christian June 296 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:41,360 of 1982, I received the Bible and the Topical Memory System. 297 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:45,400 Many of you have taken hold of the topical Memory system as we 298 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,160 made them available many months ago. 299 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:52,080 And if you remember the very two first verses you memorize, and 300 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,320 these are the 1st 2 verses I memorized in my life before John 301 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,600 316. It was Second Corinthians 517. 302 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:06,280 Here's what it says. Therefore, if anyone is what in 303 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,760 therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, 304 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,440 the oldest gone, the newest come. 305 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:20,120 I had no idea what that meant, that I was faithful to please my 306 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:22,360 father, spiritual father Tom Miller. 307 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,840 Then the next verse Galatians 220 Listen to this I have been 308 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:34,440 crucified with Christ and I no longer live the life I live by 309 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:38,000 faith. I live in the Son of God who 310 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,000 loved me and gave himself for me. 311 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,960 I had no idea what that meant. I memorized it word for word to 312 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,560 please my Bible study leader, my father in the faith, but he 313 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:54,960 would spend the rest of his earthly life almost every time 314 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:00,280 we had a conversation. Speaking of Galatians 220, he 315 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:05,560 said No matter what is written on my headstone, when I die, I 316 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,800 want this phrase. What a deal. 317 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:13,960 I want it to be larger than anything else except what 318 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,360 follows. Galatians 220. 319 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:21,200 I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer live the life. 320 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,440 I live by faith in the stomach God. 321 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:28,720 I live by faith in Him, in Him. What a deal. 322 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:34,240 What a privilege to have a man who understood union with Christ 323 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:42,200 pouring into me. In 1990 New Year's Eve, my wife 324 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,680 and I met with him for our first premarital counseling. 325 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:49,000 He was going to do our wedding May 18th of 91, same week that 326 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:53,040 this church started. Very next day, Tom was killed in 327 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,040 a car wreck. Over the next week and a half, 328 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,360 there were three memorial services, one in Lexington, KY, 329 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,880 where he was the regional director of Young Life, one in 330 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,000 Oklahoma City, which is where he'd been for a long time, and 331 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,480 one in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. 332 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,560 I spoke at all three of those services and I spoke of 333 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:22,240 Galatians 220 of what a deal if you go to Saint Louis, which I 334 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,920 eventually made my way there four years later for seminary, I 335 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:30,280 found his grave and his wife made sure his wishes for help, 336 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:36,960 health in that cemetery, there's his name, Thomas Edward Miller. 337 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:45,720 What a deal, Galatians 220. The deal didn't start after he 338 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,120 died. The deal started the day the 339 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:52,920 Holy Spirit illuminated his heart and mind and he received 340 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,360 Jesus. When he received Jesus, he 341 00:23:55,360 --> 00:24:00,400 didn't just receive ideas about Jesus, he received the very 342 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,480 person of Christ through his Spirit. 343 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:11,560 This is a big deal. If we have faith in Jesus, we 344 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,280 are united to Christ. And what that means is we are 345 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:20,560 united to him in all that he has done for us. 346 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:26,680 His life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, 347 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:31,320 even his being seated in the heavenly places. 348 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,520 Nobody has said this better in my estimation. 349 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,960 Sinclair Ferguson, who said having the Spirit in US is the 350 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:45,080 equivalent, indeed the very mode of having the Incarnate, 351 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:51,280 obedient, crucified, resurrected and exalted Christ, indwelling 352 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:59,480 us so that we are united to Him as He is united to the Father, 353 00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:07,480 union with Christ. It's not an idea just to be 354 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:13,560 understood, but a new reality to be lived. 355 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,400 What Jesus knew those men would need most was to understand 356 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,240 something of where he was going and that He promised to return 357 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,760 while they waited. To know that though He will die 358 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:37,160 on the cross, the intimacy that they had known with him is going 359 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:43,200 to become greater. That's why Jesus is going to say 360 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:48,320 it is better for you that I leave because you know the end 361 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,080 of the story. It's hard to comprehend that 362 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,720 they did not know the end of the story. 363 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:57,520 They didn't believe it. At least Jesus said it's better 364 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:05,600 for you that I go, because when I go, my Spirit, the Holy Spirit 365 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:10,760 is going to be in you. What's better than walking side 366 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,320 by side with the physical Jesus? What's better than that? 367 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:21,680 What can be better than that? Jesus living inside you. 368 00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:29,920 If you're in Christ right now, He lives inside you if you're 369 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:34,840 not in Christ, that you have not trusted the one who is the way, 370 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:40,760 the truth, and the life. It's very possible today that 371 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,200 you've been brought to this place so you could hear that 372 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,240 truth and wrestle with it. We would love to help you do 373 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,440 that. If you're in Christ, though, 374 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:59,360 friend, this intimacy that the disciples had with him while 375 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:03,640 they walked up on the earth, that physical intimacy is not 376 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:11,840 greater than the intimacy you and I have in Christ right now. 377 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:19,680 Lord Jesus, as we close our service, we have so much to 378 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,840 celebrate. This mystical union that exists 379 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,240 with you is. It's truly beyond our 380 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:31,760 comprehension, but we understand enough to know that what you're 381 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:36,800 saying is true, that you, the living God, are living in us. 382 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:42,480 We pray, Father, that you would keep us. 383 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,160 Would you please keep our eyes fixed upon the promises that 384 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,560 Christ has made, the promise that He is going to return and 385 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:56,360 when he does, he's going to take us to Himself forever? 386 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,280 Oh Lord, we long for that day. We cry out for that second 387 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:03,360 coming. He gives us hope. 388 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,120 Thank you for your word. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.