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[0:00] from the Gospel of John, the Gospel of John chapter 14. We'll read the whole chapter. John's Gospel, chapter 14.

[0:12] Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

[0:56] Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not where thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my Father also. And from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us a Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also. And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my

[2:22] Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments.

[2:39] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But you know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, yet you see me. Because I live, you shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loves me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings. And the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father which sent me.

[4:06] These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

[4:36] You have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you, before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do arise, let us go hence. Amen, and may God bless to us this reading of his own holy word. We're going to sing again now in Psalm number 16. Psalm number 16. And we're going to sing from verse 5.

[5:36] Psalm 16 from verse 5. God is of mine inheritance, and cup the portion. The lot that fallen is to me, thou dost maintain alone. Unto me happily the lines in pleasant places fell. Yea, the inheritance I got in beauty doth excel. I bless the Lord, because he doth by counsel me conduct, and in the seasons of the night my reins do me instruct. Before me still the Lord I set, so that he doth ever stand at my right hand, I shall not move it be. Psalm 16, excuse me, Psalm 16, verses 5 to 8. God is of mine inheritance, and cup the portion.

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[7:12] and that we have to answer. Blessed place is there. In the inheritance I walk in beautiful exile.

[7:32] I bless the Lord because in the high mountains have been gone dark.

[7:49] And in the seasons of the night my ways to be in sky.

[8:07] Before me still the Lord I say. Save me so that he.

[8:23] I never stand at my back. I shall not move in me.

[8:38] Amen. Amen.

[9:39] I suppose this is one of the best known sections of scripture. And the beginning here is a verse.

[9:53] These two or three verses are very often quoted. And Jesus here of course is giving this great promise. Of going to prepare a place for his people.

[10:06] And of coming again in order to receive his people back home with himself. But it's also very important for us. That's the most wonderful news to hear.

[10:18] But it's very important for us to know how to get to this place. It's all very well being told about a place. But we need to be able to say to ourselves. Okay there's a place provided.

[10:30] But how do we get to this particular place? And so this is something that Jesus tells us here. And at the beginning of the chapter Jesus tells us that we should not let our hearts be troubled.

[10:44] And you might say to yourself. Oh well that's easy. Easy to say. I'm sure we're all aware sometimes when we might be worried and anxious about things.

[10:56] And somebody will say to you with the best intention in the world. Ach don't worry. That sometimes doesn't help in the slightest. Because you might be saying to yourself.

[11:06] It's all very well for you to say don't worry. You don't have my worries. You don't understand where I'm at. But if somebody said to you. Look don't worry. And then they were to explain to you.

[11:19] And to give you a reason. Why you shouldn't worry. Then that makes a difference. And that's one of the things that the Lord so often does. Is he tells us and he says.

[11:31] Right. Don't become over anxious. Don't become over troubled. And I'll give you reasons as to why that should be. And of course in a day.

[11:42] In an age where there is so much. So much worry. So much anxiety about. It's very good for us to hear. Sometimes the Lord speaking in this particular way.

[11:53] And one of the things that Jesus does. Is he looks at the big picture. Because very often. We fail to see a big picture.

[12:07] We're very often just taken up with what is immediately in front of us. What's right here. And when we're facing our troubles and anxieties and problems.

[12:18] So often our focus is just on that. And we're unable to see. Kind of beyond. Now of course the disciples were going to be troubled and anxious.

[12:33] Because Jesus had just given them. Probably the worst news that they could have possibly heard. He told them he was going to leave them. And for these men who had spent the last.

[12:45] Three years in the company of Jesus. And they had seen his miracles. They had heard his teaching. They had seen him do things that were utterly impossible.

[12:56] They had seen people whose arms were totally paralyzed. They had seen people who were completely paralyzed in their legs as well.

[13:07] They couldn't walk. Raised up like that. He had seen them open the eyes of the blind. And the ears of the deaf. And enabled those who were unable to speak to talk.

[13:19] They had seen people being cured of leprosy. They had even seen Jesus touch the leper. Something that nobody would even dare do. And that was one of the beautiful things about Jesus.

[13:32] Of how he identifies himself with us. In our needs. In our sin. In our problem. He comes right in beside. He doesn't deal with us from afar.

[13:45] He's a saviour who comes right close. Who becomes one with us. But they had even seen him raise the dead. They had seen him calm the storms. And they had loved being in his company.

[13:58] They couldn't imagine life without him. Of course Jesus is teaching them here. That while he won't be with them physically. He is going to be with them spiritually. And that he's going to send the Holy Spirit.

[14:10] The Comforter to be with them. But this is of course which was causing them the greatest source of trouble. In their own hearts. And you know.

[14:21] We could say right at this moment. That this is a real mark of grace. In the life of a Christian. Supposing.

[14:32] And I know this can't happen. But supposing you were to be told. Supposing a message came from heaven. And the Lord was to reveal to you. And to say to you. I'm finished with you.

[14:43] I'm sorry. But you're on your own now. I was with you. And I've been with you these years. And I've helped you.

[14:54] And I've given you my grace. And my strength. And I've given you my love. And my comfort. And I've made clear my way. And I've fed you in my word. And done all these things. But it's over now.

[15:06] I'm leaving you. You'd be distraught. So would I. Because. When you're a Christian. Christ is central to our lives.

[15:20] He's what makes us tick. He's the one that is foundational to who we are. And what we are. So the idea of not having him.

[15:32] Would be one that would fill us with all kinds of anxieties. And fears and troubles and depressions. And the funny thing is. And that's why I say it's a mark of grace.

[15:45] Because there are other people. And that's the best thing they could hear. Is that the Lord saying. I've got nothing to do with you. They would say great. I don't want anything to do with you.

[15:57] And sadly there are many, many people in our land. And that's the way they think. They don't want God. They don't want the influence of God.

[16:08] Thankfully the influence of God. Whether they want it or not. Is still with us. Else we would be in a terrible state. I can't think of anything worse. We couldn't have a greater judgment come upon us as a nation.

[16:20] Than God to say. That's it. I'm leaving you all on your own. Everything now is up to you. Because you see.

[16:31] God is extending all the time. His influence. What we term his common grace. But there are many people. They don't want God. And there's many people.

[16:43] And it's a great objective in life. Is to try to remove. The influence of God. Out of society. Out of any places of influence. And that's why I'm saying.

[16:55] Here's the great dividing mark. Here's a clear mark. Of where today. Or tonight. You are. Are you somebody. Say tonight. And you say.

[17:05] Well it doesn't really mean anything to me. It doesn't matter. It's no big deal to me. It doesn't mean anything. Whether God is there. Or God's not. That'll say to you.

[17:17] Very clearly. That tonight. You are not a Christian. If that. If the Lord doesn't really mean anything to you. But if you were to say. The worst thing that could ever come into my life.

[17:29] The worst experience you could ever have. Is to lose any sense. Of the Lord's presence. Or nearness. And I could never get anything out of the word. And I felt all alone. And bereft of him.

[17:40] And you know. The solemn thing is this. That those who don't want the Lord. Those who spend their lives saying. I don't want God. I want to be free from God.

[17:50] I want to live. I want to live life the way I want. I don't want the interference from heaven. I don't want to be told how to live. I don't want these commands. I don't want any of that.

[18:02] You know. At the end of the day. What God does. God just gives people what they choose. You know. A lot of people say. It's very unfair. That God will send people to hell.

[18:14] What is hell? Well there's a lot we don't know. But one thing is. It is separation from God. God says at the end of the day. Depart from me. In other words.

[18:25] God gives to people what they wanted. If in this world. They said to the Lord all the time. Depart from me. Leave me alone. Don't want you.

[18:35] Stay away from me. Leave me. Then at the end of the day. The Lord says. Well I'm going to give you exactly. What you wanted.

[18:45] In this world. I will leave you. Forever. And you leave me. Forever. But you see the problem is. That in this world. Even those who are his enemies.

[18:58] They receive. What we term his common grace. There isn't common grace. In hell. It's a solemn thought. So this is a great.

[19:09] So we can understand. Why the disciples were really troubled. About all this. But then. Jesus shows us. The great thing here is. If we are troubled.

[19:20] About something. Right at the very heart. He says. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. And of course. Here Jesus is equating himself.

[19:31] With God. God the Father. God the Son. They're equal in power and glory. But you see. Key to our anxieties. Our problems. Our worries. Is to have faith.

[19:43] In God. Faith. In the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. And that is so true. Because. If we really have our focus.

[19:53] Upon the Lord. The Lord always helps us. To see a bigger picture. And helps us to see. In a clearer way. But you know.

[20:05] Far too often. The problem with us is. That. We make our worries. And our problems. And our difficulties. Bigger. Than God.

[20:18] As we look on all these things. We as it were. We push God out of it. Or we don't look to him. In the way that we should. And when that happens. Then.

[20:28] All these things. Become much much. Much greater. And much bigger. So. The thing is that. When our eyes are fixed. Upon the Lord. We are enabled to.

[20:40] We are enabled to. To face things. In a way. That we can't. When our eyes aren't. And if anything. Comes in the way. Peter walking on the water. Is a great example of it. When Peter's faith.

[20:51] Was vibrant. And when Jesus. Was his focus. He walked on the water. But then. When these great waves. Came. And he.

[21:02] It tells us. When he saw the waves. When he saw the wind. Was boistered. When he saw the. Impact of the sea. In other words. When Peter. What happened was. Peter. Peter. Changed the focus.

[21:14] The focus. That was fixed. On Jesus. He began to look at. What was happening. All around him. And the moment. He did that. He began to sink. And the same thing. Happens to you.

[21:24] And to me as well. Because if we take. Our focus. Off Jesus. Then all these issues. And problems. In life. Will drag us down. And we too. Will. Will begin.

[21:35] To sink. So it is important. That we. We cast all our cares. Upon the Lord. Remember the Lord. Wants us to do that. Cast your cares.

[21:45] Upon him. Because he cares. For you. And so. Jesus is saying. You. It's imperative. For the troubles.

[21:56] In life. That you trust me. That you believe in me. And then Jesus. Goes on really. To say. Look. Don't judge. Something.

[22:07] Halfway through. Because Jesus. Is telling us. One of the reasons. Why we shouldn't. Be troubled. Because he tells us. That it's going to. End up.

[22:18] Really well. There might be. Difficulties. Along the way. But the end. Picture. Is a beautiful picture. That's what Jesus. Goes on to tell us. And you know.

[22:29] We're very bad. For judging things. Halfway through. As we know. The game. Doesn't finish. Until the final whistle. And anything.

[22:39] Can happen. Up until that moment. And so. We shouldn't judge. Things before. Before the end. And Jesus. Tells us here. How it's going to end.

[22:50] For those. Who believe in him. And who trust in him. That they'll be taken home. To the house. Of many mansions. And this word. That we have here.

[23:00] Is the idea. Of a dwelling place. Where there's plenty of room. An abiding place. A dwelling place. Which is. In great contrast.

[23:11] To this world. Because there's nothing. Permanent here. Nothing lasts. You know. You see so many things. And. You say.

[23:22] To yourself. Well. Poor. That's. That's. That's new. That'll last. Last for a while. But nothing. Nothing. Lasts. We don't last.

[23:33] You just look around. Those of you. Who are older here. And you look at. Seats here. And you say to yourself. I remember him. And I remember her. They used to be here. They're not here.

[23:44] And. The Bible tells us. The place that once knew us. Will know us no more. Because we're. This. This. This world that we're in. Is not a world of permanence.

[23:55] It's transient. Everything's moving. We're passing through. Everything. Even this creation. Even the world. It's groaning. This.

[24:08] Don't get me wrong. Obviously. It's only right. That we do what we can. In order to. Preserve the planet. As they say. But what we've got to remember.

[24:19] Is this. Is that a day is coming. Doesn't matter what we do. We're not going to be able to preserve it. Because a day is coming. When it's going to end. Bible tells us that. That this earth.

[24:30] Is going to. Melt. With a fervent heat. And maybe that's all part of. We talk of global warming. And all that. Maybe it's all part of. What's heading. For us. But it's going to happen.

[24:41] Because even this world. Which seems so permanent. And fixed. It's not going to last. Everything is moving on. To an end. But not glory. Heaven is going to be different.

[24:53] It's a place of permanence. It's a permanent residence. For everyone. You'll never hear anybody. In glory say. You know this. I haven't seen him or her.

[25:05] For a long time. What's happened. Oh they've gone. They've passed on. No they don't. They haven't. Nobody's going to pass on. In glory. It's a place. As we say. Of permanent residence.

[25:17] And it's this. There's a house. Of many mansions. Which talks of. An awful lot of room. In other words. There's room for you. And there's room for me. And you know.

[25:29] The wonderful thing. About the gospel is. That right now. And we can. I can say this. With all the confidence. Of God's word. There is still room. In glory.

[25:40] There's room for you. Remember how Jesus. Tells us. In that. Lovely story. About the wedding. About the invitation. And he sends out. Servants.

[25:51] To. To. To. To invite people. And they all began. To make excuse. One said this. And one said. I bought a piece of ground. I can't come. Another. I bought oxen. I have to go and try.

[26:02] Another said. Oh I married a wife. I can't come. And the servant. Who was setting. The great feast. He said what. He said. The servants. Go out into the highways.

[26:14] And out to those. Who are the. The maimed. And the halt. And the. And the blind. And those who. Those who are on the outsides. Or outskirts of society. And tell them to come in. In fact.

[26:25] The word is. Compel them to come in. For yet. There is room. You know. It's one of the great. The great words. In the bible. One of the great words.

[26:35] At the very heart. Of the gospel. Yet. There is room. There is room. In heaven tonight. Room for you. And Jesus. His power to save.

[26:46] Is as great tonight. As ever it was. And there is room. For you. Yet. There is room. And Jesus. Wants people to come in. He says.

[26:56] That my house. Might be filled. At the moment. And it's not full. Yet. There is room. That's the great. The great word. From. From.

[27:07] From the gospel. So. Jesus tells us. That he's going to prepare. A place for us. And of course. The main way. In which Jesus. Prepared the place for us.

[27:18] Was on the cross. That's what he did. His death. There on the cross. Was the. Was the way. For us. To get to glory. But in the meantime.

[27:28] He is also. Preparing us. For the glory. That he. Has prepared. For us. And that's a wonderful thing. You know. Everything that's going on.

[27:38] In your life. Tonight. And in my life. And is going on. In the life. Since you became. A Christian. All these things. And in fact.

[27:49] The things. Before you became. A Christian. Because you often. Look back. And you see. How the Lord. Even. Even in these things. Before you. You actually came to faith. It was all part of. What he was using.

[28:00] And doing in you. All these things. Are preparation. For you. For glory. God is at work. In your life. Preparing you. And molding you.

[28:11] And shaping you. And. The great thing. Is this. That you and I. Tonight. You and I. Know that that's. Where we're going. You.

[28:21] As a believer. With your hand. In your heart. You would say. I wouldn't want to live. In this world. Forever. Because you know. We get tired. In this world. And the world. Gets tired. Of the Christian.

[28:32] Too. But the Christian. Gets tired. Of the world. And you know. The older you get. And the closer. You get to glory. The more you look. Forward to it. Of course.

[28:42] There are many things. In this world. That we're. Involved in. And tied to. But as time. Goes on. It's like the Lord. Loosen. The ties. A little more.

[28:53] And a little more. Because it's all part of. The preparation. For. For that glory. So Jesus tells us. As I go to prepare.

[29:03] A place for you. And if I go and prepare. A place for you. I'll come again. And receive you to myself. That where I am. There you may be also. And then we have this great question. From Thomas.

[29:14] Thomas says to him. Lord. Lord. We know not. Where you're going. And how can we know the way. You know the church is thankful for the Thomases.

[29:27] We're very thankful that Thomas was one of the disciples. You know. Thomas was one of those men who. Often didn't quite get it.

[29:37] He was one of those Christians. Who. Who often was really slow to grasp things. Others might have grasped it.

[29:48] But he. He sometimes. He just couldn't get it. And the little glimpses that we have of Thomas. We see. These sort of things. And Jesus in fact says.

[29:58] Thomas. Have I been. Have I been so long with you. Thomas. And he says. Lord. We don't know. Jesus says to him.

[30:09] Where I. And whether I go. You know. And the way you know. In other words. You should know. The way in which I. Which I am going. And you know. The church is full.

[30:21] Of the Marys. And the Johns. Who are. Really spiritually minded people. Mary. The Bethany probably.

[30:32] Was the most spiritually minded follower. That Jesus had. Because Mary understood things that. Even John didn't understand. That's why Mary. Anointed the feet of Jesus.

[30:44] She did so. In light of his burial. The disciples. Hadn't grasped. What Mary had grasped. And Mary. Understood that. Because she was always at the feet of Jesus.

[30:57] But John himself. Remember how. When he reached the tomb. He believed. In other words. Everything came together. There was an understanding. He grasped. Because John also. Had a thirst.

[31:07] For the things of Jesus. He grasped a lot of things. And so in the church. There are many who are like Mary. And many who are like John. There are many who are like Peter.

[31:19] Peter. Who let the Lord down. And are impetuous. And cause problems sometimes. Not that they do it deliberately. But sometimes by the way. What they say. And how they act.

[31:31] And then there's the Thomases. Those who. Those who are slow to understand. But not only was Thomas one of those. Who was slow to understand. He was one of those.

[31:43] Melancholy Christians. See. He was kind of a despondent Christian. The glass was always half empty. With Thomas. Remember when. Jesus said at the time of Lazarus' death.

[31:55] I'm going up. To Jerusalem. And Thomas said. Oh you can't go to Jerusalem. Last time you were there. Or the disciples were saying. You can't go there. Last time you were there.

[32:05] They were talking about stoning you. And Thomas comes in. No no. He said. We'll just go with him. And we'll all die together. See Thomas saw it straight away. At the end. We'll just go. We'll all die together.

[32:17] Everything. Everything with Thomas was. He didn't get it. It was gloomy. It was doom. And remember of course. When Jesus rose from the dead. And he appeared to the disciples.

[32:28] And Thomas wasn't there. Thomas wouldn't believe. Because you see. Thomas was slow to get things. I said. I don't believe that. He said. I would have to.

[32:39] Actually put my hand. My fingers. Into the nail prints. Before I would believe. No way do I believe. That Jesus is alive again. You see.

[32:51] He wasn't understanding. And that's why Thomas here. Is asking this question. But aren't we glad. That Thomas asked that question. Because Jesus gave.

[33:01] One of the greatest. Responses. One of the great. I am statements. In response. To Thomas's question. And again. Let us say. With regard to Thomas. One of the beautiful things.

[33:12] Is. That the church. We've always got to remember. That not all the Christians. As we say. Going to be like Mary and John. Because Jesus said.

[33:23] Remember. In the parable of the sower. That some will bear fruit. A hundredfold. In other words. These are Christians. They're really going to blossom. They're going to be fruit bearing.

[33:34] All their days. Some are going to be sixtyfold. Yeah. They'll bear fruit. You'll know they're Christians. But they're not going to be up. Of the level of the hundredfold.

[33:46] But then there's going to be others. And they're just thirtyfold. Still Christians. But they're completely on a different level. They still love the Lord Jesus.

[33:58] Their hearts are still with them. But they're content with a little faith. And a little love. And a little zeal. But they still love the Lord.

[34:08] And we've got to remember. That that's a church. It's a broad church. And yes. There's the Johns. But there's also the Peters. And there's the Thomas's. Just in these twelve disciples.

[34:19] We see the wide variety of people that are there. But Jesus gives this great statement. And he says. Very simply. I am the way. You're wanting to know the way. Well Jesus says.

[34:30] I am the way. And a way. As you and I know. Indicates. That there has to be a starting point. And a finishing point. Because a way. Indicates. That you're going from one place.

[34:41] And you're going to go to the other. How are you going to get there? And Jesus tells us very clearly. I am the way. Now in this age of.

[34:52] Probably more so than any other age. This age of diversity. And all inclusiveness. I'm sure the church is often accused of being intolerant. And being bigoted.

[35:05] And people will say. How on earth can you make statements like that? Indicating that there is only one way. To heaven. Because there's lots of people.

[35:17] Lots of people will say. There is no heaven. There is no God. There is no. But there's lots of other people will say. Well there's lots of ways. As long as you're genuine. And sincere. That you make your own way.

[35:31] And so in this day that we're living in. The church could become under a growing threat. With this whole area of diversity. And all that. But you know.

[35:42] What we've got to remember is this. That it's not any preacher. It's not any Christian. It's not any theologian. It's not any. Who's making that statement.

[35:55] We're only repeating. The statement that the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God made. The Son of God. And when you look at the life of Jesus.

[36:05] No one in this world. Has ever made claims. Similar to the claims. That Jesus has made. Nobody ever lived a life.

[36:17] That was lived the way. That Jesus's life was lived. And he has the authority. And he has the right. To make this statement. He goes on to say.

[36:28] No one comes to the Father. Except through me. And so it's important. That we lay hold upon these truths. And when people say.

[36:40] There are other ways. There aren't. The Bible. Well Jesus. Is very clear on that. And it's quite interesting. That. When he says.

[36:51] I am the way. The truth. And the life. Jesus doesn't just say. I am the way. The way. What he does. Sorry. What he does say is. I am the way. The truth.

[37:01] And the life. He uses the definite article. In front of each statement. It's not. I am. A way. I am.

[37:12] A truth. I am. A life. I am. A way. Amongst loads of other ways. I am. A truth. Amongst all the other truths. No. He says. I am. The way.

[37:23] I am. The only way. That's what he's saying. There is. No other way. No one comes to the Father. Except. Through me. And when Jesus says.

[37:35] I am. The truth. That's a wonderful statement. You know. We live again. In this day. Of where there's all this. Kind of fake news. And people say. You don't know what to believe today.

[37:47] You listen to people. You listen to politicians. You say one thing one day. Then they might say something completely different the next week. And so often we're saying. We're looking at life. And we're saying. What's this?

[37:57] What's that? And there's so many people. They're searching. And they're saying. What's for real? What's real in this world? Well. Here's. Here's what's real. Jesus is real. He has made these most amazing claims.

[38:11] As we said. That nobody else has ever made. And he is the truth. And how we thank the Lord that this is the truth.

[38:23] Unchanging truth. A truth that we can put our stake. Our whole lives. Our future upon. And Jesus is saying to us tonight.

[38:34] I'm the way. No other way. In other words. Look to me. Believe in me. Accept me. And if you do. Then. You are laying hold upon the truth.

[38:46] And all my truth. All who I am. Is here in this world. And you will have life now. And you will have life forever. So let us thank the Lord.

[38:59] For Thomas's question. Although. I'm sure. Jesus. Might be saying to himself. As he would be saying. Oh Thomas.

[39:11] You're so slow to grasp things. But how thankful we are. Thomas asked that question. Because as a response. Jesus made. This great statement.

[39:22] Which has been. A lifeline to so many people. And I pray. Will be a lifeline. Even tonight. If there's someone here. Who does not yet know Jesus.

[39:33] That you lay hold upon the one. Who is the way. Who is the truth. Who is the life. Let us pray. Lord our God.

[39:44] We pray tonight. To watch over us. And to take us home safely. We give thanks. That your word. Is an unchanging word. And that you are able. To make us wise. And to salvation.

[39:54] Through this word. Lord we pray. That you will bless us. Bless us with health. And with strength. In our bodies. Minds and souls. Keep us ever looking.

[40:04] To yourself. Lead us and guide us. In your truth. And forgive us. Out of every sin. In Jesus name. We ask it. Amen. We're going to conclude. Singing from Psalm number 73.

[40:17] Psalm 73. And we sing verses 23 to 26. Psalm 73.

[40:28] From verse 23. Psalm 73. Shall we? dawn. God Almighty. God守 the Lord. I am with thee. Thou dost me hold.

[40:41] By my right hand. And still upholdest me. Now with thy counsel. While I live. Wilt me conduct. And guide. And to thy glory. Afterwards. Receive me to abide.

[40:52] Whom have I. In the heavens high. But thee. O Lord. Must alone. and in the earth whom I desire besides thee there is none my flesh and heart doth faint and fail but God doth fail me never for of my heart God is the strength and portion forever.

[41:10] Psalm 73 verses 23 to 26 nevertheless continually. Nevertheless confembre thee O Lord I am with thee Thou doth me hold by my right hand and stern and hold as me as with thy counsel while I live will me conduct and guide and guide and to thy holy hour and work receive me true e love away vers i as only with soldiers and oh testimony of her have been

[42:52] O my desire, besides me there is none.

[43:08] My flesh and heart that faith unfilled, and all that faith to me have.

[43:27] For all my heart, God is the strength and portion forever.

[43:47] Now may the grace, mercy, and peace of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest and abide upon each one of you now and forevermore. Amen. Amen.