Pastor Nate Prazuch, lead pastor at Christ the Word Church in Lakeville, Minnesota, exposits the Scriptures of the Bible verse by verse. Expository teaching and preaching sermons and classes are available here at the Exposit podcast.
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The Scholar Series is a battery of multi-week Bible classes focused on a deeper dive into Scripture using an expository approach.
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[00:00:20] Zechariah chapter 13 and the prophet writes,
[00:00:31] On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies.
[00:00:35] He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, but will say,
[00:00:39] I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil for a man sold me in my youth.
[00:00:45] And if one asks him, here it is,
[00:00:48] What are these wounds on your back?
[00:00:54] He will say, the wounds I received, I can't even get through this,
[00:01:01] in the house of my friends. The wounds I received in the house of my friends.
[00:01:17] That's what Jesus did for you and me. He received those wounds in his house by his friends.
[00:01:31] The next verse says,
[00:01:36] A weight goes soared against my shepherd,
[00:01:38] against the man who stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts.
[00:01:41] Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.
[00:01:48] And we'll see in a few moments, in John 16, Jesus warns the disciples about this.
[00:01:54] That when he's taken down, they scatter.
[00:02:01] They're not there to defend him.
[00:02:03] Not that he needed it.
[00:02:06] But they fled and they hid.
[00:02:19] And in John 16, we're talking about the night before Christ does this.
[00:02:22] The night before he dies.
[00:02:24] And in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul talks about this cup of blessing.
[00:02:31] And he says,
[00:02:32] In 1 Corinthians 10,
[00:02:35] 16,
[00:02:36] The cup of blessing that we bless is not,
[00:02:38] Is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
[00:02:43] The bread that we break,
[00:02:44] Is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
[00:02:49] Because I know that all of you and me also are betrayed and we suffer.
[00:02:56] And a lot of times it's by our friends.
[00:03:04] But he's overcome the world.
[00:03:06] And he's overcome your,
[00:03:07] Your bad friends.
[00:03:09] Right?
[00:03:10] And so our faith is not in our friends or family.
[00:03:12] It's in Christ alone.
[00:03:14] So with that in mind,
[00:03:15] Let's take the bread as a symbol of his body being broken on that very next day for us.
[00:03:30] And the cup as well, as we say, is a participation.
[00:03:35] We suffer too, but he's suffered in all the ways that you've suffered and more.
[00:03:41] So by taking this cup, we remember what he's done for us.
[00:03:44] Also remembering we're partners in tribulation along with him.
[00:03:48] Let's partake of the cup.
[00:03:55] Dear Lord,
[00:03:57] It's just amazing that we can remember your death through this sacrament, through this ordinance.
[00:04:04] And then also we can now talk to you because you're alive.
[00:04:09] You conquered death, you conquered sin.
[00:04:12] And by our faith, we're saved.
[00:04:14] Our faith in you alone.
[00:04:16] And so Lord be blessed today.
[00:04:19] Put our hearts in the right place.
[00:04:21] We pray great blessings this holiday season
[00:04:23] where we celebrate looking forward to your commemoration of your birth.
[00:04:29] Keep our priorities right.
[00:04:31] I know that without your death on that cross that day, we're completely hopeless.
[00:04:36] But we know that we're not hopeless.
[00:04:37] We have you because you rose from the dead.
[00:04:40] We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:04:42] And so we've taken a lot from these past couple of chapters.
[00:04:50] And this is where the upper room discourse wraps up.
[00:04:55] And we'll begin in John 16, verse 16, if you'd like to turn there or follow along.
[00:05:01] It's Jesus speaking here again to his disciples.
[00:05:03] And Jesus says,
[00:05:06] A little while and you'll see me no longer.
[00:05:09] And again a little while and you will see me.
[00:05:12] So some of his disciples said to one another,
[00:05:15] What is this that he says to us?
[00:05:16] A little while and you will not see me.
[00:05:18] And again a little while and you will see me.
[00:05:20] And because I'm going to the Father.
[00:05:23] So they were saying,
[00:05:24] What does this mean?
[00:05:25] What does he mean by a little while?
[00:05:27] We do not know what he's talking about.
[00:05:30] Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him.
[00:05:33] So he said to them,
[00:05:34] Is this what you are asking yourselves?
[00:05:36] What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me.
[00:05:39] And again a little while and you will see me.
[00:05:42] Truly, truly, I say to you,
[00:05:44] You will weep and lament,
[00:05:46] But the world will rejoice.
[00:05:49] You'll be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
[00:05:52] When a woman is giving birth,
[00:05:54] She has sorrow because her hour has come.
[00:05:57] But when she has delivered the baby,
[00:05:58] She no longer remembers the anguish.
[00:06:00] For joy that a human being has been born into the world.
[00:06:04] So also you have sorrow now,
[00:06:06] But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice.
[00:06:09] And no one will take your joy from you.
[00:06:12] And that day you will ask nothing of me.
[00:06:14] Truly, truly, I say to you,
[00:06:16] Whatever you ask of the Father in my name,
[00:06:19] He will give it to you.
[00:06:21] Until now you've asked nothing in my name.
[00:06:24] Ask and you will receive,
[00:06:26] That your joy may be full.
[00:06:28] I have said these things to you in figures of speech.
[00:06:31] The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech,
[00:06:35] But will tell you plainly about the Father.
[00:06:38] And that day you will ask me in my name.
[00:06:41] And I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf,
[00:06:47] For the Father himself loves you.
[00:06:50] Because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
[00:06:54] I came from the Father and have come into the world.
[00:06:57] And now I am leaving the world.
[00:06:59] And going to the Father.
[00:07:01] His disciples said,
[00:07:02] Now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.
[00:07:06] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you.
[00:07:11] This is why we believe that you came from God.
[00:07:14] Jesus answered them,
[00:07:16] Do you believe?
[00:07:18] Behold, the hour is coming.
[00:07:20] Indeed it has come.
[00:07:21] Indeed it has come.
[00:07:22] When you will be scattered.
[00:07:23] Each of you to his home.
[00:07:25] And will leave me alone.
[00:07:27] Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
[00:07:31] I have said these things to you,
[00:07:32] That in me you may have peace.
[00:07:35] In the world you will have tribulation,
[00:07:37] But take heart.
[00:07:39] I have overcome the world.
[00:07:43] This is the word of God, the word of Christ.
[00:07:45] Let's pray.
[00:07:48] Dear Lord Jesus,
[00:07:49] Once again we come before you this morning.
[00:07:51] And we ask that you humble our hearts and pour into us.
[00:07:56] These are the last words you spoke to your disciples in that comfort.
[00:08:01] After the Last Supper.
[00:08:02] And after this, their lives were changed forever.
[00:08:06] The world was changed forever.
[00:08:08] I pray that you help us understand the weight of what you have told them.
[00:08:12] And what you're speaking to us through those words even today.
[00:08:16] In Jesus name.
[00:08:17] Amen.
[00:08:20] Well, as I said before,
[00:08:22] Jesus is speaking to his disciples that night.
[00:08:25] But we can somehow place ourselves in the sandals of those disciples.
[00:08:30] And receive his message to us as well.
[00:08:36] They don't know what's exactly coming.
[00:08:38] They don't really know the magnitude.
[00:08:40] They just know something's coming.
[00:08:41] And it's going to be big.
[00:08:43] And I don't know what it is.
[00:08:44] Have you ever felt like that?
[00:08:45] Like you're on the cusp of something.
[00:08:47] Not sure if it's good.
[00:08:48] Not sure if it's bad.
[00:08:49] But it's going to happen.
[00:08:51] And you don't have all the information.
[00:08:54] And up to this point,
[00:08:55] they really hadn't asked Jesus for many details.
[00:08:57] And I don't think they maybe wanted to hear the details.
[00:08:59] Because they probably thought at some point,
[00:09:01] this is bad.
[00:09:02] And I don't want to hear bad news.
[00:09:07] Just go back to the first few verses in verse 16.
[00:09:10] Jesus says to them,
[00:09:10] A little while and you'll see me no longer.
[00:09:13] And again a little while and you will see me.
[00:09:19] And because I'm going to the Father.
[00:09:26] And they were saying to themselves,
[00:09:28] what does he mean by a little while?
[00:09:29] Wouldn't you say the same thing?
[00:09:30] Well, what is a little while?
[00:09:31] To you?
[00:09:32] Maybe a little while is different to me.
[00:09:34] Is a little while a couple minutes?
[00:09:36] A few hours?
[00:09:36] Days?
[00:09:37] Weeks?
[00:09:37] What's a little while.
[00:09:38] To the Son of God.
[00:09:41] And they're so honest and it makes me,
[00:09:43] you know,
[00:09:44] it gives me comfort to know that I'm not the only one
[00:09:45] that doesn't know everything about what Jesus is saying
[00:09:49] and understand everything completely.
[00:09:51] They even go as far as to say is,
[00:09:53] we do not know what he's talking about.
[00:09:56] And they wrote that down.
[00:09:58] It's funny.
[00:09:58] John the Apostle wrote this and he was being honest.
[00:10:00] We don't know what he's talking about.
[00:10:02] Remember these,
[00:10:03] these disciples weren't seasoned men.
[00:10:06] They were probably a few of them in their teens
[00:10:07] in their twenties.
[00:10:09] Trying to figure it out.
[00:10:11] And we can put ourselves in their sandals
[00:10:14] and say,
[00:10:15] I've been there.
[00:10:16] I can't figure it out.
[00:10:17] Lord, I don't know what you're saying.
[00:10:22] Your first note if you're taking notes says,
[00:10:24] even when you do not fully comprehend
[00:10:26] what Jesus is saying,
[00:10:28] you can still fully trust him.
[00:10:32] And I've noticed that through this upper room discourse,
[00:10:35] this idea of trust me comes up a lot for Jesus.
[00:10:39] You know, it's the last night of his life.
[00:10:41] He's telling these young men,
[00:10:43] I know you don't understand it all,
[00:10:45] but I do.
[00:10:46] Just trust me.
[00:10:47] Put your faith in me.
[00:10:49] We don't all ever have all the information.
[00:10:53] So don't expect that.
[00:10:56] God gives us what we need when we need it.
[00:10:58] Enough to know.
[00:11:00] We're on a need to know basis.
[00:11:01] So don't be surprised when you don't know all the answers.
[00:11:04] He leaves enough room for faith in him.
[00:11:06] He just says, I know you don't know, but I do.
[00:11:08] So trust me.
[00:11:15] Interestingly, some commentators and scholars
[00:11:17] have offered different views about this passage.
[00:11:20] Can you really believe that?
[00:11:21] I mean, it's easy to believe.
[00:11:22] The disciples didn't know what he was saying.
[00:11:25] Well, what does Jesus mean?
[00:11:26] If you look here again at verse 16,
[00:11:28] he says, a little while.
[00:11:30] And you'll see me no longer.
[00:11:31] And then again, a little while.
[00:11:32] And you will see me.
[00:11:34] So we could say, well, is he talking about
[00:11:37] from that night until the next day?
[00:11:38] Because he will be arrested that night.
[00:11:40] And they won't see him for a while,
[00:11:41] maybe a couple hours.
[00:11:42] Then they'll see him again the next day on the cross.
[00:11:45] Is that what he means?
[00:11:48] Or does it mean from the time he'll ascend to the Father
[00:11:52] and then until the end of time
[00:11:53] and at his second coming that we'll see him again?
[00:11:56] Is that what Jesus means?
[00:11:59] It's interesting here because in this passage
[00:12:02] when he says, a little while you won't see me
[00:12:04] and then you will see me.
[00:12:05] Those two words, we use the same word, see, in English.
[00:12:09] But in Greek there are so many different words
[00:12:11] for different meanings of words.
[00:12:13] They have seven or eight words for love.
[00:12:15] We have one word, love.
[00:12:17] Here there's two different words in Greek for see.
[00:12:20] The first word where he says,
[00:12:23] a little while and you will see me no longer.
[00:12:25] That word is theoreo, which means to see with the eyes.
[00:12:31] But you know there's a different kind of seeing, right?
[00:12:34] The next time he says, and again a little while,
[00:12:36] and you will see me.
[00:12:37] That see is horao.
[00:12:41] It's a more general term which means to behold and to perceive.
[00:12:47] Your next note here says,
[00:12:49] we as Christians can perceive Jesus in our lives
[00:12:53] without seeing him with our eyes.
[00:12:57] Christians know that's true.
[00:12:58] We say, I know Jesus is here.
[00:13:00] I know Jesus is with me.
[00:13:01] But you can't see him with your eyes.
[00:13:03] I know, but I know he's here.
[00:13:04] I can perceive him.
[00:13:05] I can behold his presence in my heart, in my life,
[00:13:08] in the love of his people around me.
[00:13:10] I can see that.
[00:13:11] The world can't see that.
[00:13:13] My eyes can't see that.
[00:13:14] But my heart can.
[00:13:17] What I think, and I'm not the only one here,
[00:13:19] I think what he's saying here when he says,
[00:13:21] you won't see me, you will see me.
[00:13:23] He's talking about the time between his ascension
[00:13:25] and when he sends the Holy Spirit.
[00:13:27] Ten days.
[00:13:31] Why do I believe that?
[00:13:33] One thing is the context.
[00:13:34] It's what he's been talking about to the disciples.
[00:13:36] Look back in the same chapter, chapter 16.
[00:13:38] And previously, he says in verse 7 of John 16,
[00:13:43] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
[00:13:44] It is to your advantage that I go away.
[00:13:46] For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.
[00:13:49] But if I go, I will send him to you.
[00:13:52] The helper, the Holy Spirit.
[00:13:55] And this is not the only place he's speaking about sending the Spirit,
[00:13:58] going away and then sending the Spirit.
[00:14:00] This is the topic of conversation that John records.
[00:14:03] So it falls into line with,
[00:14:06] I'll go away for a little while.
[00:14:07] You won't see me with your eyes.
[00:14:09] But a little while later, you'll perceive me.
[00:14:11] You'll feel me.
[00:14:12] You'll behold me.
[00:14:14] And you may say,
[00:14:16] Yes, but that's the Spirit.
[00:14:18] Jesus said, after a little while, they will see him.
[00:14:22] Look at how Paul sees it.
[00:14:23] Paul the Apostle.
[00:14:26] Met the risen Christ.
[00:14:27] He might know one or two things.
[00:14:29] In Romans 8, Paul says this.
[00:14:33] Speaking to Christians.
[00:14:34] You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
[00:14:38] I feel like I'm in the flesh, Paul.
[00:14:41] But if you're a believer, if you're in Christ, he says,
[00:14:43] you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
[00:14:46] If, in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you.
[00:14:49] Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
[00:14:55] But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
[00:15:01] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
[00:15:06] he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
[00:15:15] Verse 10, it says,
[00:15:16] But if Christ is in you, we talk like that.
[00:15:19] And we think that's fine.
[00:15:21] Does Jesus live in your heart?
[00:15:22] Yes, we say.
[00:15:24] Is Christ in you?
[00:15:25] Paul says, if he doesn't, you're not a believer.
[00:15:27] So we just accept that.
[00:15:28] We hear that.
[00:15:29] It's kind of a Christian-ese thing.
[00:15:31] Jesus lives in my heart.
[00:15:32] We know that the fleshly Jesus is not in my heart.
[00:15:39] We understand that's a spiritual thing.
[00:15:41] We don't even think about that.
[00:15:43] It's a given.
[00:15:44] We understand that.
[00:15:47] In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul adds this.
[00:15:50] Now the Lord is the Spirit.
[00:15:52] And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
[00:15:57] The New Testament speaks many places about Christ living within us.
[00:16:01] We know he doesn't live within us.
[00:16:03] His fleshly body, that was, the series is called incarnation.
[00:16:09] God becoming incarnate in the flesh.
[00:16:12] Incarnate is in the flesh.
[00:16:13] We know that fleshly man that walked in Israel doesn't live in us.
[00:16:19] But the Spirit does.
[00:16:20] And it's no problem with our minds to understand that.
[00:16:22] And we accept that.
[00:16:23] And it's true.
[00:16:24] And we should understand it as that.
[00:16:27] In all three, I'm just putting three quick verses up here.
[00:16:30] Paul wrote all these letters to the Ephesians, Galatians, and the Colossians.
[00:16:33] He says this,
[00:16:36] No problem with that.
[00:16:37] We say yes and amen to that.
[00:16:40] Galatians 2,
[00:16:40] I've been crucified with Christ.
[00:16:42] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
[00:16:47] In Colossians 1,
[00:16:48] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,
[00:16:53] which is Christ in you.
[00:16:56] The hope of glory.
[00:16:58] We have no problem saying,
[00:17:00] Jesus Christ lives in me.
[00:17:04] And we also know that's a spiritual reality.
[00:17:08] Spirit.
[00:17:11] Your next note says,
[00:17:12] We know Christ lives in us because the Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ, as Scripture tells us.
[00:17:22] After all, what does it mean when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12,
[00:17:26] In one spirit we were all baptized.
[00:17:28] When you became a Christian, you were converted from that old man that hated God and his law into a believer, and you were given new life, new birth.
[00:17:36] You were baptized in one spirit, Paul says.
[00:17:40] And also in Galatians, as many of you were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.
[00:17:49] We were baptized all in the spirit, upon our belief, our faith in Christ.
[00:17:56] And he says we're baptized into Christ.
[00:17:59] And also in Ephesians, he says there's one baptism, one Lord, one faith.
[00:18:08] Let me ask you this question.
[00:18:09] Would you agree that the spirit of a person is, and I couldn't think of a different word, but congruent?
[00:18:17] Any geometry majors in here?
[00:18:19] I remember this word congruent from geometry class in high school.
[00:18:22] Two things are, they coincide exactly when you overlap them.
[00:18:27] You almost can't tell the difference.
[00:18:30] They're indecipherable.
[00:18:33] You think the person of the Holy Spirit has a different heart than Jesus Christ?
[00:18:38] Do you think the Holy Spirit has a different heart than Jesus?
[00:18:44] I don't think so.
[00:18:48] When Jesus goes away in a little while, they'll see him again.
[00:18:55] Let me put it this way.
[00:18:57] If you have the Holy Spirit, you have Christ.
[00:19:01] I think that's what Paul's saying.
[00:19:04] If you have the Holy Spirit, you have Christ.
[00:19:06] And Paul says it over and over.
[00:19:08] Christ is in you.
[00:19:09] How?
[00:19:10] By the Spirit.
[00:19:12] By the Spirit.
[00:19:15] This a little while.
[00:19:17] A little while you'll see me, then you won't, and then you...
[00:19:20] They're confused.
[00:19:22] But they will see him in the Spirit.
[00:19:24] The Spirit of Christ.
[00:19:25] It'll be as if Jesus is with them.
[00:19:28] You know when someone passes away in your home?
[00:19:35] The house is different, isn't it?
[00:19:37] Their spirit's not there.
[00:19:39] And I don't mean like a spirit, like a ghost.
[00:19:42] I mean like when someone walks into a room and it just...
[00:19:46] It's different.
[00:19:47] Oh, so-and-so is here.
[00:19:48] They're the life of the party.
[00:19:50] They bring their spirit to the room.
[00:19:52] Each of us has one of those.
[00:19:54] And we affect the room differently.
[00:19:58] Who is a person but the spirit of that person?
[00:20:02] What's the difference of the person who attends a funeral one day and then is in the casket on a different day?
[00:20:12] Same body.
[00:20:13] What's the difference?
[00:20:15] But the spirit of that person.
[00:20:16] So if Christ would send his spirit to us, to dwell within us, wouldn't it be as if he's with us?
[00:20:30] Right here.
[00:20:31] Not even in the room but within me.
[00:20:34] And that's how we see him now because he is right here with us.
[00:20:38] He is right here within us.
[00:20:40] That's how we see him now.
[00:20:42] We perceive him now.
[00:20:44] We as Christians can see him working every day in our lives even though the world can't.
[00:20:48] We do.
[00:20:50] And we know it's true.
[00:20:51] We know it's true.
[00:20:54] If you remember Jesus had been speaking this way in other places even leading up to this in the whole Gospel of John.
[00:21:00] In John 7 he says,
[00:21:01] I'll be with you a little longer.
[00:21:04] And then I'm going to him who sent me.
[00:21:07] A little later in John 12 Jesus said,
[00:21:09] The light is among you for a little while longer.
[00:21:13] And in John 13,
[00:21:15] Little children yet a little while.
[00:21:17] I'm with you.
[00:21:20] This term,
[00:21:21] Little while,
[00:21:22] Little time.
[00:21:23] It's two Greek words.
[00:21:25] Mikros chronos.
[00:21:26] We would probably say micros chronos.
[00:21:29] It means little time.
[00:21:30] Micro.
[00:21:31] That's tiny.
[00:21:32] Little.
[00:21:34] Chronos,
[00:21:34] Chronos,
[00:21:35] Chronos.
[00:21:35] Like a chronograph or chronology.
[00:21:38] Jesus says,
[00:21:39] I have micros chronos with you.
[00:21:40] I have little time.
[00:21:41] Little.
[00:21:44] And he leads up to them.
[00:21:45] Maybe in John 7 it was months and then it was John 12 it was weeks.
[00:21:49] And now it's hours.
[00:21:51] Little time.
[00:21:51] Little time.
[00:21:52] He's warning them.
[00:21:53] Time is short.
[00:21:55] Your next note says,
[00:21:57] Jesus knows and we should too,
[00:21:59] because he's warned us enough,
[00:22:01] that time is of the essence.
[00:22:06] In our faith,
[00:22:07] in our lives,
[00:22:08] time is always of the essence.
[00:22:09] It should be.
[00:22:14] We all know that we don't have all the time in the world.
[00:22:17] We know that.
[00:22:18] We just don't think about it every day.
[00:22:21] And Jesus had been warning them about the little time remaining with them.
[00:22:26] And he knows what they're thinking.
[00:22:29] They're confused.
[00:22:30] How much time?
[00:22:30] What does a little while mean?
[00:22:31] What does it mean to you?
[00:22:34] To this point,
[00:22:35] Jesus had been foreshadowing his death,
[00:22:36] so he's not keeping it from them.
[00:22:38] He's not surprising them one day and say,
[00:22:39] Hey guys, guess what?
[00:22:40] Tomorrow I'm going to die.
[00:22:41] And I hadn't told you till now.
[00:22:43] No, he foreshadowed and told them and hinted along the way,
[00:22:47] kind of eased them into it.
[00:22:49] Because their hopes were getting raised because they thought,
[00:22:53] well, this is,
[00:22:53] if this is the Messiah,
[00:22:54] then he's going to be a political Messiah or a military Messiah.
[00:22:57] He's going to take over,
[00:23:00] conquer Rome and get them out of Jerusalem.
[00:23:02] And maybe we'll have a place in his court.
[00:23:04] And they were kind of,
[00:23:05] their hopes were getting up.
[00:23:05] So along the way, he'd tamper them down a little bit.
[00:23:07] Guys, listen,
[00:23:08] I'll be leaving soon.
[00:23:10] I have to go away.
[00:23:12] We don't have much time.
[00:23:15] And he's sharing with these young men.
[00:23:18] But they didn't understand.
[00:23:20] And maybe,
[00:23:21] maybe they didn't take him seriously either.
[00:23:24] And it made me wonder,
[00:23:27] do we?
[00:23:28] Do we take Jesus seriously?
[00:23:33] Do we think,
[00:23:34] well, maybe Jesus really didn't mean that.
[00:23:35] Maybe,
[00:23:37] maybe we're not going to go through persecution or tribulation
[00:23:39] or have troubles or ever get sick.
[00:23:42] It doesn't happen to me.
[00:23:43] It happens to those other people on TV.
[00:23:46] Well, he didn't give them all the information.
[00:23:49] He didn't give them the whole plan.
[00:23:50] He doesn't do that for us either.
[00:23:52] Partly because of how they would react.
[00:23:53] They'd probably jump ship and say,
[00:23:55] I'm out.
[00:23:57] And partly because they couldn't bear all the information
[00:23:59] like he told us.
[00:24:00] Verse 12.
[00:24:02] He told the disciples,
[00:24:03] I still have many things to say to you.
[00:24:05] Doesn't he always have many more things he could say to us?
[00:24:08] But he said,
[00:24:08] but you can't bear them now.
[00:24:10] You can't handle it right now.
[00:24:13] That's what he says to us too.
[00:24:15] And we should be okay with that.
[00:24:18] He goes on in verse 20.
[00:24:20] He says,
[00:24:25] He's not candy coating this for them.
[00:24:27] He's giving them the truth straight.
[00:24:29] You're going to be sad.
[00:24:30] You're going to be sorrowful,
[00:24:31] but the world will rejoice.
[00:24:34] You will be sorrowful,
[00:24:35] but your sorrow will turn into joy.
[00:24:40] And he goes into this analogy.
[00:24:42] When a woman is giving birth,
[00:24:43] she has sorrow because her hour has come.
[00:24:45] But when she has delivered the baby,
[00:24:47] she no longer remembers the anguish.
[00:24:50] We can relate to this.
[00:24:51] For joy that a human being has been born into the world.
[00:24:54] So also you have sorrow now,
[00:24:57] but I will see you again.
[00:25:00] And your hearts will rejoice
[00:25:01] and no one will take your joy from you.
[00:25:05] He says,
[00:25:06] They'll be sad and they'll be sorrowful.
[00:25:07] He says,
[00:25:08] But the world's going to rejoice.
[00:25:10] They're going to think that they got me out of the way.
[00:25:16] The world will think that they got rid of Jesus.
[00:25:20] But after a little while,
[00:25:22] the world will have been conquered.
[00:25:26] And they wouldn't realize it yet.
[00:25:28] But remember what Paul told the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 2.
[00:25:32] He says,
[00:25:33] But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God,
[00:25:36] which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
[00:25:39] None of the rulers of the age,
[00:25:42] of this age, understood this.
[00:25:44] For if they had,
[00:25:45] they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[00:25:49] If the world, the world system,
[00:25:50] we talked about the chaotic world system.
[00:25:52] If that world system knew that was the plan all along for Christ to be crucified,
[00:25:56] they wouldn't have fallen into God's plan.
[00:25:58] But they didn't know.
[00:26:00] In Acts 4, we're told that they walked God's plan out for him
[00:26:05] according to his plan.
[00:26:11] That was God's plan from the beginning.
[00:26:14] And he says here that the sorrow of the disciples will turn into joy.
[00:26:18] Their sorrow that they will have will turn into joy.
[00:26:23] And it's really interesting again,
[00:26:25] if you look at the words here,
[00:26:27] this is how we would probably perceive it.
[00:26:28] Well, my sorrow is going to be replaced by joy.
[00:26:32] And there's a Greek word for replaced.
[00:26:34] But this word here is used and it's,
[00:26:37] I believe, by the Spirit's hand put here.
[00:26:41] He says your sorrow will turn into joy.
[00:26:45] It will be transformed into joy.
[00:26:46] You ever have, look at one event, the same event,
[00:26:49] and you say, boy, that was a bad deal.
[00:26:51] That was a bad event.
[00:26:52] I can't believe that bad thing happened.
[00:26:54] And the next day you're down the line,
[00:26:56] you look back and say,
[00:26:57] Lord Jesus, I'm so glad that thing happened.
[00:27:00] Now I can see your providence in that thing I thought was a bad thing.
[00:27:05] And now you're thanking him for it.
[00:27:07] I just told a story this morning.
[00:27:10] Yesterday I got new tires.
[00:27:13] I was putting the signs out.
[00:27:15] And I saw a lug nut on the street.
[00:27:17] And I thought, why is there a lug nut on the street?
[00:27:19] And I just thought, maybe I'll check my lug nuts.
[00:27:22] And I checked my lug nuts and I had two lug nuts missing off my front right wheel.
[00:27:27] I thought, oh, oh.
[00:27:28] So I looked at my tires and the inside one was really bad.
[00:27:32] And I thought, I need tires like today.
[00:27:34] I went in there and got tires.
[00:27:36] And the guy showed me afterwards.
[00:27:38] And he said, look at this tire.
[00:27:39] You're ready for a blowout any minute on this front tire.
[00:27:44] So, perfect example.
[00:27:45] I thought, when I saw the lug nut, I didn't have time to go get tires.
[00:27:50] I said, this is a terrible thing.
[00:27:51] Now I got to go get tires.
[00:27:53] I don't have time for this.
[00:27:54] I had to sit there for six hours in line.
[00:27:57] Not in line, but in the reading good housekeeping.
[00:28:04] But I did it.
[00:28:05] And after I got it done, I said, thank God I saw that lug nut.
[00:28:11] My sorrow, my angst and anguish was transformed into, thank you, Jesus.
[00:28:16] Same event, same thing.
[00:28:18] If Jesus knows this and he gives us this example of childbirth,
[00:28:23] he uses examples that everyone can understand and relate to.
[00:28:28] The woman has a child and in verse 21 he says,
[00:28:32] When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come,
[00:28:34] because now is the time.
[00:28:36] But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish.
[00:28:40] For that a human being has been born into the world, I can't relate to this
[00:28:43] except for what I've seen.
[00:28:48] But I'm sure women tell me if I'm wrong.
[00:28:53] In the moment of birthing a child, you're in that room wherever you are.
[00:28:58] During the labor, the mother is feeling physical anguish, feeling pain.
[00:29:06] There's pain and it seems to last forever.
[00:29:08] And the contractions seem to never end.
[00:29:10] And it's like nothing else on her first child,
[00:29:13] like she's ever experienced before.
[00:29:14] She's exhausted, she's sweating, she's hot, she's cold.
[00:29:17] It's very uncomfortable and she might think to herself,
[00:29:21] I don't want to do this.
[00:29:24] I really don't want to do this right now.
[00:29:27] This hurts a lot.
[00:29:29] And I'm in anguish and I'm so uncomfortable and I just,
[00:29:32] I'm sorry we ever did this, honey.
[00:29:37] This is the worst pain I've ever felt.
[00:29:39] I'm sure some women have said that.
[00:29:41] And when the baby's born and she holds the newborn in her arms
[00:29:44] and looks into those eyes, she immediately says,
[00:29:47] I'd do this again.
[00:29:53] That's why all our families don't have single children.
[00:29:56] They have more kids.
[00:29:57] Why? Because the mother would do it again.
[00:29:59] Praise God.
[00:30:02] Her sorrow and pain over the exact same event
[00:30:07] turned into joy over the exact same event.
[00:30:13] She's in the moment, she says, I'm sorry I did this.
[00:30:15] I don't want to do this.
[00:30:16] This is the worst day of my life.
[00:30:18] Why? Because my child's being born right now at this moment.
[00:30:20] I feel all of it.
[00:30:23] A few minutes later, she says, that was the best day of my life.
[00:30:27] Same event.
[00:30:32] That's what we have to look forward to as Christians.
[00:30:35] When the child grows up and she sees the child walk into a room,
[00:30:38] maybe they're five years old, 10, 20, 30.
[00:30:41] The first thought that a mother never has
[00:30:45] is you caused me so much pain that day.
[00:30:49] I mean, you can tell me if I'm wrong,
[00:30:51] but the first thought they normally would have is something different,
[00:30:53] more along the lines of, I'm so happy to see you.
[00:30:55] I'm so joyful to see you.
[00:30:58] We forget the pain.
[00:31:00] Jesus is telling his disciples, you're going to be sad.
[00:31:04] Because he knows what they're going to see the next day.
[00:31:08] But he says, that's not going to last.
[00:31:12] That sorrow you feel is going to turn into joy
[00:31:14] when you realize and understand what's happening here.
[00:31:18] That's what we have to look forward to as believers.
[00:31:21] Your next note here says,
[00:31:22] the pain and the sorrow you feel in this life
[00:31:27] will not compare to the glory that awaits you in Christ.
[00:31:33] Well, that sounds good. How do I know that?
[00:31:37] Because the Spirit led Paul's hand to write it in 2 Corinthians 11.
[00:31:40] He says,
[00:32:25] That's a lot of suffering.
[00:32:40] It sounds like Paul, you might have thrown in the towel
[00:32:42] and you ever think about quitting or just stopping preaching?
[00:32:51] Maybe questioning your faith?
[00:32:53] Maybe all this is just for nots?
[00:32:55] Paul suffered a lot.
[00:32:57] Is it worth it?
[00:33:00] Later in his ministry, Paul writes Romans and he says this,
[00:33:03] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
[00:33:15] All that.
[00:33:17] You could say, well, you know, I got a rough life.
[00:33:21] And you list off, you lost your job.
[00:33:24] Maybe a marriage crumbled.
[00:33:26] You lost a loved one.
[00:33:28] We could go through the list of things that people look at and say this is a bad day.
[00:33:31] It's a bad life, people will say.
[00:33:35] God, where are you?
[00:33:39] You take that list and compare it just to Paul's list.
[00:33:43] And I'm sure other people have lived that have experienced worse than these things.
[00:33:47] But what Paul had experienced, and that was early in his career as a minister at 1 Corinthians.
[00:33:54] Even later, he'd probably experienced more persecution when he wrote Romans by that time.
[00:33:58] And he says, For all that, I consider all the sufferings of this present time not even worth comparing the glory we're going to receive with Christ.
[00:34:07] And that's why the next note is so true for the Christian.
[00:34:10] It is always true that the best is yet to come.
[00:34:14] No matter how bad it gets.
[00:34:16] No matter how good it gets.
[00:34:18] The best is yet to come for Christians.
[00:34:20] Your best days as a Christian are ahead of you.
[00:34:23] I can promise you that.
[00:34:24] Why? Because the Bible says it.
[00:34:26] Paul says, No matter what the world throws at you,
[00:34:29] it doesn't compare to what God has for you.
[00:34:36] It doesn't compare.
[00:34:41] Verse 23.
[00:34:43] Jesus says,
[00:34:59] Other translations render for verse 23.
[00:35:04] In that day you will no longer ask me anything.
[00:35:06] The NIV.
[00:35:07] You won't need to ask me for anything.
[00:35:09] The NLT says, and you will not question me about anything.
[00:35:12] New American Standard.
[00:35:15] Because when I read, in that day you'll ask nothing of me.
[00:35:22] Just go to read different translations once in a while and get a different understanding.
[00:35:27] I like the New American Standard.
[00:35:28] You won't have a need to question me about anything.
[00:35:32] You say, why is that?
[00:35:33] Because I will be living in you.
[00:35:35] I'll be with you.
[00:35:37] And further,
[00:35:39] Jesus says that if you ask the Father anything in my name, he'll give it to you.
[00:35:43] And until this point, the disciples hadn't been praying to Jesus and asking the Father in the name of Jesus anything.
[00:35:50] That wasn't how they were to do it.
[00:35:52] He hadn't gone to the cross yet, atoned for sin yet, hadn't ascended yet.
[00:35:57] They saw him in person.
[00:35:58] He's right here.
[00:35:59] I can ask you.
[00:36:00] You're the Son of God.
[00:36:01] Or I can ask the Father.
[00:36:03] We hear that, again another Christianese thing, in the name of Jesus.
[00:36:07] I pray in the name of Jesus.
[00:36:08] In the name.
[00:36:09] And we realize that means if we go before the throne of God in the name of Jesus,
[00:36:16] we're there in his name as a representative of him or as an ambassador of Christ.
[00:36:21] In the authority of Jesus, if he's within us and we're in Christ,
[00:36:25] and Christ is seated at the right hand and we're coming in his name, we have access.
[00:36:30] But until this point, the disciples, this is a new thing for them.
[00:36:34] He says, if you ask the Father anything in my name, with my character behind it,
[00:36:42] with my will behind it, something I would ask my Father for.
[00:36:46] Not can I have 15 Lamborghinis next week.
[00:36:49] That's probably not in God's will for you.
[00:36:51] Ask it in his name, he'll give it to you.
[00:36:57] In verse 25, he expands here.
[00:36:58] He says, I've said these things to you in figures of speech.
[00:37:01] The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech,
[00:37:05] but will tell you plainly about the Father.
[00:37:07] In that day, you will ask in my name.
[00:37:10] Something new for them.
[00:37:12] And I do not say that to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
[00:37:16] He says, you're going to ask the Father in my name.
[00:37:18] I'm not saying you're going to ask me and then I'm going to ask the Father.
[00:37:23] Verse 27, for the Father himself loves you.
[00:37:27] He's telling the disciples, you now will have a direct line to God.
[00:37:31] Because of my death the next day.
[00:37:34] These are big ideas for the disciples.
[00:37:35] He has to lay it out for them.
[00:37:40] For the Father himself loves you because you have loved me.
[00:37:43] And I believe that I came from God.
[00:37:48] To this point, Jesus was using these figures of speech for their benefit, of course.
[00:37:51] What do we do with our kids?
[00:37:53] But we give them figures of speech.
[00:37:54] We give them analogies.
[00:37:55] My little son, Zachary, asked me a question about the mechanics of a car,
[00:37:59] which I don't know much about.
[00:38:00] But I will maybe give him an example.
[00:38:02] Well, this wheel does this and then I'll try to break it down for him.
[00:38:07] Jesus does that for the disciples.
[00:38:11] Jesus did that with the picture of childbirth.
[00:38:14] Explained a truth, a large truth, complex truth with an understandable story.
[00:38:22] And now he's telling him that the time is coming.
[00:38:26] When they will ask the Father themselves as they come in Jesus' name.
[00:38:32] There will be no more separation between man and God.
[00:38:35] Because in the Old Testament there was always this separation.
[00:38:38] There was always a barrier between man and God.
[00:38:40] Why?
[00:38:41] Because God wanted to show us the importance of sin.
[00:38:44] Because sin separates us from God.
[00:38:47] So if you wanted to go to the temple, you can't just waltz into the temple in the Old Testament.
[00:38:50] You've got to be either...
[00:38:51] If you're a Gentile, you can go this far in the court of the Gentiles.
[00:38:55] But you can't go into the court of the Jews.
[00:38:57] And if you're a male Jew, you can go a little bit further.
[00:39:00] If a female Jew, you've got to stay a little further back.
[00:39:03] And if you're a priest, you can go even further into the holy place.
[00:39:05] But you've got to do sacrifices first.
[00:39:07] Make sure you're cleansed.
[00:39:08] If you want to go into the Holy of Holies, you've got to be the high priest.
[00:39:11] And you've got to have extra cleansings.
[00:39:14] And you can only do it once a year.
[00:39:16] And all these barriers just to meet God?
[00:39:21] That's the background of these disciples.
[00:39:24] Now Jesus here is saying,
[00:39:26] All that's going away.
[00:39:27] I'm giving you direct access to God with what I'm about to do.
[00:39:32] Because I'm here to fix the problem of sin.
[00:39:43] I want you to look back at Matthew 27.
[00:39:46] What happened that day?
[00:39:47] The next day is a foreshadowing.
[00:39:49] Jesus cried out from the cross again with a loud voice
[00:39:52] and yielding up his spirit.
[00:39:55] He said,
[00:39:57] Behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
[00:40:02] The moment that Jesus yielded up his spirit,
[00:40:06] Matthew writes,
[00:40:08] The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom.
[00:40:11] What's the curtain in the temple?
[00:40:12] The veil we hear about.
[00:40:14] The veil was that barrier between the presence of God
[00:40:17] and the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant,
[00:40:19] and the world.
[00:40:22] You can't go in there.
[00:40:23] That veil said,
[00:40:25] You're not allowed in here.
[00:40:28] But if you're the high priest, and if you're once a year,
[00:40:30] and if you're cleansed with all the sacrifices and everything else.
[00:40:33] No one else is allowed.
[00:40:35] Because God is holy.
[00:40:36] And man is not.
[00:40:37] Without his help.
[00:40:42] When the veil was torn in two,
[00:40:45] that meant one thing.
[00:40:48] Access.
[00:40:52] We have access.
[00:40:54] Isn't access a beautiful thing to God?
[00:40:59] I one time saw a picture of,
[00:41:00] I might have shown it before,
[00:41:03] a while back,
[00:41:04] of JFK in the Oval Office,
[00:41:07] sitting, reclining back in the chair,
[00:41:09] on the phone, looking at some paperwork.
[00:41:11] And it was taken from behind the desk.
[00:41:13] And underneath the desk was JFK Jr. playing.
[00:41:19] Now, how many people in the country
[00:41:21] had access to play under the President's table?
[00:41:24] Not too many.
[00:41:25] But that little boy had access to that.
[00:41:28] And like us being the children of God,
[00:41:33] he gives us access to his throne.
[00:41:35] What does it say?
[00:41:35] We're to boldly come now into his throne room.
[00:41:38] Because we're his kids.
[00:41:40] That's what Jesus did here the next day.
[00:41:42] And he's telling the disciples these things
[00:41:44] in a piecemeal way so they can understand it.
[00:41:47] This is a lot for them.
[00:41:51] It's a lot for them.
[00:41:54] And so now we have here the big reveal in verse 28.
[00:41:59] No more figures of speech.
[00:42:01] Jesus says to them in verse 28,
[00:42:03] I came from the Father and have come into the world.
[00:42:08] And now I'm leaving the world and going to the Father.
[00:42:12] Now that's about as nutshell of a nutshell you can get
[00:42:15] with if you ask somebody,
[00:42:17] Jesus, what are you all about?
[00:42:18] What did you do?
[00:42:19] What's the point of having you here on this earth?
[00:42:23] He says, I came from God.
[00:42:26] I'm the son of God.
[00:42:27] I'm God incarnate.
[00:42:30] And I've come into the world,
[00:42:31] virgin birth, born as a little baby.
[00:42:34] Physical, human being.
[00:42:35] I suffer.
[00:42:36] I'm hungry.
[00:42:37] I'm tired.
[00:42:38] I'm tempted.
[00:42:41] And now I'm leaving the world.
[00:42:43] I'm going to be sacrificed for the sins of the world.
[00:42:49] And I'm going to ascend to the right hand of the Father.
[00:42:52] I'm going back to the Father.
[00:42:56] I don't think anyone could have encapsulated the person and work of Christ
[00:43:01] in one sentence other than Christ himself here.
[00:43:05] There's so much in that one verse.
[00:43:07] I came from the Father and have come into the world.
[00:43:09] And now I'm leaving the world and going to the Father.
[00:43:12] You could expand all those four points into probably,
[00:43:15] I don't know, months of messages.
[00:43:17] He was a man, but he was not just a man.
[00:43:24] He was the Messiah.
[00:43:28] But so the Jews understand the Messiah didn't have to be a divine.
[00:43:32] The Messiah could have been a human military leader who conquered Rome.
[00:43:36] Could have been a political leader who made peace with all his enemies
[00:43:38] and brought peace to the world.
[00:43:41] The Jews weren't necessarily looking for a divine Messiah.
[00:43:46] And Jesus was a Messiah, but he wasn't just any Messiah.
[00:43:51] He was the Son of God.
[00:43:54] He is the Son of God.
[00:43:56] And he's God incarnate.
[00:43:58] And finally, look at verse 29.
[00:44:00] The disciples have a chance to speak here.
[00:44:02] And they say this,
[00:44:03] Ah, now you're speaking plainly and do not use figurative speech.
[00:44:07] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you.
[00:44:11] This is why we believe that you came from God.
[00:44:15] So they're in. They're all in now.
[00:44:17] The disciples seem to be understanding more now.
[00:44:19] They're excited. They're getting more clarity.
[00:44:22] Maybe the load's off their shoulder of this confusion.
[00:44:25] They're becoming a bit more encouraged,
[00:44:27] a bit more vocal, bold, and their faith is increasing, seemingly increasing.
[00:44:30] Yes, finally, we get it now, Jesus. We believe. We're with you.
[00:44:34] And Jesus in verse 31 says this,
[00:44:37] Do you now believe?
[00:44:42] He says, Behold, the hour is coming. Indeed, it has come.
[00:44:48] When you'll be scattered.
[00:44:51] Each to his own home and will leave me alone.
[00:44:59] Do you believe?
[00:45:03] In the NIV it says, Do you now believe?
[00:45:07] The NLT says, Do you finally believe?
[00:45:12] I would love to have heard how Jesus said these words.
[00:45:15] The tone, did he say, was the emphasis on the now?
[00:45:20] Do you now believe? Do you finally believe?
[00:45:22] Or was he saying it like, Do you really believe? Really?
[00:45:30] They exclaimed in verse 30, We believe!
[00:45:33] And here's why.
[00:45:34] Because of what you said, we believe.
[00:45:36] And in the next verse, Jesus says, Do you?
[00:45:42] Then he says, As if to show them just how strong their professed faith is.
[00:45:49] He says, Behold, the hour is coming. Indeed, it has come.
[00:45:51] He's saying, Guys, listen.
[00:45:53] There's going to come a time, in fact, it's right now,
[00:45:57] where you're going to scatter.
[00:45:59] And you're going to go run and you're going to go hide in your closets at home.
[00:46:02] And you're going to leave me hanging out to dry.
[00:46:04] Do you believe or not?
[00:46:12] And so I'm doing my duty as a pastor.
[00:46:15] I've asked myself this, and I'll ask you today.
[00:46:19] Do you also think your faith is strong?
[00:46:27] The disciples thought their faith was strong.
[00:46:33] Especially after this long conversation with Jesus.
[00:46:35] We're coming up to the end of it now.
[00:46:37] Over three chapters.
[00:46:39] And they proclaimed how strong their faith was to Jesus.
[00:46:42] And he said, Is it though?
[00:46:50] I'm sure you, like me, believe your faith is strong.
[00:46:55] But is it?
[00:46:56] How are you going to respond when your faith is tested?
[00:47:08] Because it's going to be tested.
[00:47:11] It's going to be tested.
[00:47:15] Will you run away and hide like the disciples did?
[00:47:24] When your faith is tested, will you question your faith?
[00:47:29] Will you deny your faith?
[00:47:34] Will you default to yourself and rely on yourself instead of the words of Christ,
[00:47:39] like the disciples did?
[00:47:42] And leave Jesus alone, like the disciples did?
[00:47:47] I mean, they walked with him.
[00:47:52] Maybe.
[00:47:53] Maybe I will.
[00:47:54] Maybe I won't.
[00:47:57] Maybe you'll be tempted to.
[00:47:58] Because life can test your faith in great ways.
[00:48:05] Just remember.
[00:48:07] He told you that you would have tribulation, didn't he?
[00:48:10] He told us that.
[00:48:11] It's not like he didn't warn us.
[00:48:12] You're going to have trials in this life.
[00:48:14] You're going to have tribulations in this life.
[00:48:15] Paul says, Don't be surprised.
[00:48:17] Or Peter says, Don't be surprised if bad things happen to you.
[00:48:20] Jesus warned us.
[00:48:23] Look at verse 33.
[00:48:24] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
[00:48:28] In the world you'll have tribulation.
[00:48:30] He tells us again.
[00:48:32] But take heart.
[00:48:33] I have overcome the world.
[00:48:36] Praise God.
[00:48:39] He told you.
[00:48:41] You can't say, Jesus, you never told me.
[00:48:47] This life, let me put it to you this way.
[00:48:52] This life in the flesh is the shortest life you'll ever live.
[00:48:58] Because eternity lasts forever.
[00:49:01] This life, short.
[00:49:04] Don't waste it worrying about your bad days.
[00:49:08] Glorify Christ in the bad days.
[00:49:10] He's going to give you peace.
[00:49:11] He says right here in verse 33.
[00:49:13] I've said these things to you.
[00:49:14] Now, after all these three chapters, the upper room discourse,
[00:49:16] I've said these things to you, the important things, the last things, until I go,
[00:49:22] that in me you may have peace.
[00:49:25] Because all you're going to find in the world is tribulation.
[00:49:33] It's not the end of the story, not for Christians when we die.
[00:49:37] It's not the story for non-Christians either, but in our story, our story gets better.
[00:49:43] Where did Jesus say we could find peace?
[00:49:45] In him.
[00:49:48] Even in the midst of tribulation, even in the midst of troubles?
[00:49:51] Yeah.
[00:49:52] In him.
[00:49:53] Not in the world.
[00:49:55] So I would say to you and all my friends,
[00:49:58] so stop looking for peace in the world.
[00:50:03] All you find there is trouble,
[00:50:05] and tribulation, and pain,
[00:50:11] if you put your faith in the world, or anything in it.
[00:50:15] But Jesus says take heart.
[00:50:17] I have overcome the world.
[00:50:18] I have overcome all that.
[00:50:21] And your last note here says,
[00:50:24] Don't let what you see, or what you feel, even worse,
[00:50:29] affect what you know by the words of Christ.
[00:50:34] The information in the scriptures should always trump what you're seeing, what you're feeling.
[00:50:40] What did Jesus say?
[00:50:43] That's my foundation.
[00:50:45] I know but, I know but, I feel this.
[00:50:47] I know but, I see that.
[00:50:50] What did Jesus say?
[00:50:51] Well, he said this.
[00:50:52] Well, do you believe him or not?
[00:50:58] He has overcome the world.
[00:50:59] That means for the Christian, the best is yet to come.
[00:51:03] Yeah, I know you're having a bad day.
[00:51:04] I know you're having a bad week, or month, or life.
[00:51:08] But you know what?
[00:51:08] This is the shortest life you'll ever live.
[00:51:11] And the best is yet to come.
[00:51:12] Your best days are ahead of you.
[00:51:14] If you put your faith in Christ.
[00:51:16] No matter what you see,
[00:51:19] no matter how you feel,
[00:51:20] and that's a big one,
[00:51:21] no matter how you feel,
[00:51:24] what matters is, do you believe Jesus?
[00:51:27] Because he said a lot of things.
[00:51:28] He made a lot of promises.
[00:51:29] Do you believe him or not?
[00:51:32] And do you believe in him or not?
[00:51:36] How my faith is strong, Lord?
[00:51:38] I can show you, my faith is really strong.
[00:51:40] And he would say to us,
[00:51:41] is it?
[00:51:42] How strong is it?
[00:51:44] Let me give you a bad day.
[00:51:46] Let's see how strong it is.
[00:51:50] Do you believe in him?
[00:51:54] If not, then you better worry.
[00:51:56] I'm saying it with a smile on my face.
[00:51:59] It's true though.
[00:52:00] If you don't believe, then you better worry.
[00:52:03] But if you do believe,
[00:52:04] then here's what you should do.
[00:52:06] Rest in the peace that he's already provided for you.
[00:52:10] He's done it.
[00:52:11] It's provided.
[00:52:11] We just don't partake of that peace.
[00:52:13] Why? I don't know why.
[00:52:14] Because we think we're going to find peace other places in the world.
[00:52:17] And it never works out.
[00:52:19] And then we blame Jesus,
[00:52:20] or my faith.
[00:52:21] Well, you didn't come through for me that time, Jesus.
[00:52:24] So you weren't looking for peace in me.
[00:52:26] You were looking for peace in everything else.
[00:52:29] You won't find it in the world.
[00:52:32] And when the world seems like such a formidable foe,
[00:52:35] you can never conquer it.
[00:52:37] With its sickness and its death and its destruction everywhere,
[00:52:40] besetting you.
[00:52:41] Remember what Jesus said.
[00:52:42] Again, his words are truth.
[00:52:44] Remember what he said.
[00:52:44] Do you believe him or not?
[00:52:45] I have overcome the world.
[00:52:49] Don't forget these things.
[00:52:50] Do you believe him?
[00:52:52] Do you believe that he's overcome the world?
[00:52:54] Yeah.
[00:52:55] Okay, then live that way.
[00:52:57] Don't let all those things get to you,
[00:52:59] into your mind, into your heart,
[00:53:00] and drag you down and make you ineffective
[00:53:01] for shining the light of Christ to anyone else.
[00:53:05] Do you believe him?
[00:53:08] And I hope that you would say like I would say,
[00:53:11] like the disciples would say,
[00:53:12] yes.
[00:53:13] Yes, I believe him.
[00:53:19] And if Jesus were here in the flesh today visiting us,
[00:53:24] he might ask you what he asked his disciples.
[00:53:29] And he might say to us,
[00:53:31] do you?
[00:53:33] Do you?
[00:53:42] Please stand with me as we close in prayer.
[00:53:52] Dear Heavenly Father, once again we come before your throne,
[00:53:58] reflecting upon the last words that Jesus gave to his disciples
[00:54:00] in that comfortable room before he went off
[00:54:03] and performed his work on the cross that saved us all through faith.
[00:54:09] And it's a good time for us to reflect.
[00:54:11] We say we believe,
[00:54:15] but Lord through your spirit ask each of us individually in our hearts.
[00:54:20] Do we really?
[00:54:26] Now there's people going to be lost this Christmas season
[00:54:29] and I pray that you lead us to them
[00:54:33] with your truth, even just a little nugget
[00:54:36] to give them to plant a seed in their heart
[00:54:38] so that they would find you.
[00:54:40] Because those people who aren't yet believers
[00:54:42] are searching for peace in the world
[00:54:44] and they're never going to find it.
[00:54:46] So Lord, bring us across their path as your hands and feet
[00:54:50] in the next few weeks.
[00:54:52] That you'd be glorified by the expansion of your kingdom
[00:54:57] and we pray that all these things are done to glorify you as always.
[00:55:00] We pray in Jesus name.
[00:55:02] Amen.
[00:55:02] Amen.
[00:55:02] Amen.
[00:55:03] Thank you.