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[0:00] Just a wee word to the young folk. Whenever one family would have to move from one place to another, it's a very difficult thing to do.

[0:11] I'm sure some of you here have done that. Some of you have never done that. I remember myself as a boy having to move from one place to another. It's a very difficult thing if you move from one village to another or one town to another because you have to leave.

[0:28] You leave behind many friends. You leave behind the home that you were used to. You leave behind everything that you are very familiar with. And it's a difficult thing to go from one place to another.

[0:42] But it happens. And I heard about a family that were moving from one town to another. And they had a girl called Rona.

[0:53] And because Rona was at a stage where her studies were very important and she had exams, because the family had to move, they didn't want to move her because they were afraid it would upset all the studies and the classes she was used to and the teachers she was used to.

[1:16] And they thought, if we move just now, this might cause her to fail. So they decided that she would stay with very close friends until the school year was over.

[1:28] So it was very difficult for her and difficult for her parents. But that's what happened. And when her parents went away, they were phoning her every day.

[1:39] They would send messages. They would even send photos of the new house and the room that she would be in and photos of the new school that she would be going to. So they were keeping in touch and telling that they were preparing everything for her and that they were really looking forward to her coming to be with them.

[1:57] And so they were encouraging her all the time. Just now we're going through the Bible and we're going through in John's Gospel. And we've been looking at Jesus as he's preparing to go away.

[2:11] And this is the very thing that Jesus has been doing. Because he has told his disciples, he said, I'm going to leave you and I'm going to have to move away. And I'm going to go and I'm going to prepare a place for you.

[2:23] But I'm going to come back and I'm going to take you so that you're going to come to be with me. Of course, the disciples were sad. And of course, Jesus did go away and he went away, as we know.

[2:36] The way he went to prepare was by the cross. But Jesus didn't leave the disciples alone. Because he sent the Holy Spirit to teach them, to open their minds, to help them to understand better, to give them a sense of his love in their heart.

[2:56] He gave them to know and to assure them, to persuade them, to make it so real to them that he was coming again and that he was going to take them to be with himself.

[3:08] It's just the very same, really, in a sense, as happened with that girl, Rona. And that's what Jesus is doing. And you know, the great prayer I would like you all to ask is that, say to Jesus, who has gone to heaven and he has gone via the cross to prepare a place in heaven.

[3:28] You ask Jesus and say, Lord Jesus, please, as you are preparing a place in heaven, please make sure that there's a place there for me.

[3:41] And also, Lord, prepare me while I'm here for that place in heaven. And you know, if you really pray that, Jesus will answer that.

[3:52] And so he'll work within you and he will, in time, we don't know when, but he will come and he will take you, as he said, to be with myself.

[4:02] The side of it we so often forget is how much Jesus looks forward to taking his people home. We mourn, we're so sad when people are taken away.

[4:14] But Jesus is longing for the day when he's going to take people home to be with himself. We're going to sing again now in Psalm 42.

[4:25] I'm going to sing from Sing Psalm, Psalm 42, verses 1 to 5. The tune is Herringate, Psalm 42, Sing Psalms.

[4:36] And that's on page 53, Psalm 42, on page 53, verses 1 to 5.

[4:46] As pants a deer for flowing streams, so longs my soul, O God, for you. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I meet with God anew?

[4:58] My tears have been my constant food, both in the night and in the day, while all day long insistently, where is this God of yours, they say. As I pour out my soul in grief, these things I do remember still.

[5:13] How with a multitude I went up to God's house in Zion Hill. In their procession I would lead, as we approached with cheerful song and shouts of joy and thankfulness, rejoicing with a festive throng.

[5:26] Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed in me? Trust God, for I will praise him yet, my Saviour and my God is he.

[5:37] Psalm 42, 1 to 5, and the tune is Herringate. As pants a deer for flowing streams. So longs my soul, O God, for you.

[6:04] I thirst for God, the living God. When can I meet with God anew?

[6:21] My tears have been my constant pure, Both in the night and in the day, While all day long insistently, Where is this God of yours, they say?

[6:57] I pour out my soul in grief, these things I do remember still.

[7:16] Though with the multitude I went up to God's house on Zion Hill.

[7:34] In their procession I would lead, as we approached with cheerful songs, And shouts of joy and thankfulness, rejoicing with a festive throng.

[8:10] Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed in me?

[8:29] Trust God, Lord, I will praise him yet, My Saviour and my God is he.

[8:50] Let us read, although we're going to look at John's Gospel, let us read in Philippians chapter 3 and at verse 12. Philippians chapter 3 from verse 12 to verse 16, And then in chapter 4 from verse 4 through to verse 9.

[9:17] Philippians 3 verse 12. Philippians 3 verse 13.

[9:49] And then in chapter 4 from verse 4.

[10:01] And then in chapter 4 from verse 4.

[10:31] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

[10:57] Think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Amen.

[11:08] And may God bless to us this reading of his own holy word. We're going to sing again from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm number 91. Psalm number 91.

[11:18] I'm going to sing from the beginning, verses 1 to 6, in the Tunis airshire, Psalm 91, verses 1 to 6.

[11:31] He that doth in the sacred place of the Most High reside, under the shade of him that is the Almighty shall abide.

[11:42] I of the Lord my God will say, he is my refuge still, he is my fortress and my God, and in him trust I will. Assuredly he shall thee save and give deliverance from subtle fowler snare and from the noisome pestilence.

[11:59] And so on, down to the end of verse 6. These stances, the Tunis airshire, it's on page 351, Psalm 91. He that doth in the secret place.

[12:10] He that doth in the secret place, of the Most High reside, under the shade of him that is, your mighty shall abide.

[12:46] I hope the Lord my God will say, he is my refuge still, he is my fortress, my God, and in him trust I will.

[13:20] Assuredly he shall thee save and give deliverance, from subtle fowler snare, and from the noisome pestilence.

[13:55] His feather shall be high in thy trust, under his wings shall be.

[14:11] His faithfulness shall be a shield, and bar the ground to thee.

[14:28] Thou shalt not lead to thee afraid, for tellers of the night, nor toward the arrow that thou fly, by day while it is wide.

[15:03] For for the pestilence that was in darkness secretly, nor for destruction that thou hast that moon they openly.

[15:37] And the Lord my God will say, I am the Lord my God. Let's turn again to John's Gospel, and in this chapter 14, John chapter 14 and verse 25.

[15:58] John's Gospel chapter 14 and verse 25. And bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

[16:15] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

[16:27] You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

[16:39] And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming.

[16:52] He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me. So that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

[17:07] Now as we know, the upper room was a special time. And I'm quite sure that the disciples often thought back upon that time.

[17:19] It's quite likely that they didn't really appreciate how special a time it was till afterwards. And I'm sure that's often true in our own experience of different things.

[17:31] Some of the great moments in our life, it was afterwards that we've looked back and really thought, wow, that was special. Sometimes as we're going through it, sometimes as it is happening and unfolding, we're not maybe realising just how awesome, how wonderful it is.

[17:49] And I think that would have been the case in the upper room. In fact, I know it would have been the case in the upper room, because they were, remember in the upper room, although it was a wonderful time of teaching and a wonderful time of communion and fellowship, even up there the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest and so on.

[18:06] But afterwards, as they would look back, they would remember just how wonderful it was. And Jesus, of course, was telling them here of what was going to happen.

[18:19] And Jesus says to them, These things I have spoken to you, that while I am still with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.

[18:30] Just as Jesus came in the name of the Father, so the Holy Spirit was going to come in the name of Jesus. And we find, it says here, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said.

[18:51] Of course, when it says he will teach you all things, it doesn't obviously mean he will teach you everything that there is to know. Because there is nobody who knows everything that there is to know. There is no Christian who knows everything that there is to know regarding spiritual things.

[19:07] And no Christian who knows everything that there is to know about God. That is not what Jesus meant there. But that he will teach you all things with regard to the things that I have been teaching you.

[19:22] So that there will be a bringing to your mind, an opening of your mind. Because Jesus knew that although he was teaching them many things, they weren't really getting it.

[19:34] There was a lot of it that was, it was like passing them by. They were hearing the words and there were things. In fact, as we've been going through this, we noticed that people like Philip and like Judas, not as scary, kept asking, they would interrupt Jesus and say, What do you mean?

[19:51] Where are you going? We don't understand this. And that's what Jesus is saying. When the Holy Spirit comes, he's going to open your mind. And he's going to teach you these things so that then you'll say, Ah, now I understand.

[20:06] And the Holy Spirit that Jesus, the Father sent in the name of Jesus, is a Holy Spirit who's still teaching. And he still teaches us, and that is why it is so important that we go to the Lord and say, Lord, open my mind to understand.

[20:24] Because the, you know, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love to be called upon. And it's so important that we go and say, Lord, I really want you to open my understanding.

[20:38] As it says, open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things out of your word, out of your law. And that's so important. When we do that, as we read God's word, the Holy Spirit will bring something to bear into our thinking.

[20:55] And we say, Wow, that's good. You might have known it before. You might have heard it before. You might have read it before. But it's come again to you for the day in a, maybe in a new way, or something that you know before, but it has come.

[21:10] And it's so relevant. It's so precious. It's so real. And so there's this direct communication from heaven, through the ministry of the Spirit, through the word.

[21:21] And it's, this is wonderful. So we must never say, Oh, I don't, or ever say, because we're so prone to often make the excuse and say, Ah, we live in a, we live in hard times, dry days, and such like, and I mustn't expect too much.

[21:40] Who says we mustn't expect too much? The Lord hasn't changed. He hasn't revealed to us that he's withdrawn, and that he's not going to teach us anymore.

[21:51] No, here are the promises. Here are these great promises that the Lord is going to teach us, the Lord is going to reveal to us. And what Jesus said to his disciples in the immediate, also belonged to his disciples, right down in the generations.

[22:08] It's sometimes, it's harder to play, when there's a cold atmosphere about. But we mustn't use it as an excuse. There was nobody lived in a more barren, or a spiritually dark age or climate than Daniel.

[22:25] Babylon was as decadent, and as godless, and as idolatrous as any place in the whole wide world. It'd be very easy for Daniel to say, ah, there's no point really in praying.

[22:40] I won't take things too seriously, because I'm in a tough place. No. Daniel carried on as he used to do back in Jerusalem. He lived exactly the same in Babylon.

[22:52] And God revealed many things to Daniel, because Daniel was sincere and earnest in asking the Lord to open his mind, to open his understanding. The day we're living in it might be dark, but it's nothing like it was in Babylon.

[23:08] So we can't use that kind of excuse. So it's so often it's down to our shelves. Are we serious? Are we urgent in our prayers before the Lord to reveal to us?

[23:19] Well, the Lord has promised to do that. And that's what he did with the disciples. And of course, when he says, he will teach you all things, that doesn't mean also that we're going to learn everything we're going to learn all at once.

[23:36] It's a little bit and a little bit and a little bit. We grow little by little. It's the very same as when Israel began to conquer the land of promise.

[23:49] They didn't conquer it in a day. They didn't drive out the enemy in a day. It's told that little by little. That's how they went. That's how they advanced.

[24:00] Just a little bit and a little bit. And it's the same for ourselves. Sometimes it's a step forward and sometimes you feel it's a couple of steps backward. But you know, the thing is that over the whole course of your life, you are actually going on bit by bit by bit.

[24:18] Sometimes it feels like it's static. Other times you feel you're moving. You're moving. But you are. You are actually. The Lord will see to it. The Lord will see to it that you are.

[24:29] So it's bit by bit we come to understand, to develop, to grow. And so it goes on. And then Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you, all in those three years.

[24:47] That they would remember. That they would remember. It would come back to them. And you often find that in the experience of the disciples. They would remember things. When Jesus, for instance, he had said about the temple being destroyed and I did, he would raise it up in three days.

[25:02] It tells us in John's Gospel that it adds, after he had said that, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said that.

[25:13] You see, they were looking in the actual physical temple. They hadn't realized at that point that it was a spiritual lesson he was teaching them. And it was about himself and about the three days and all that was involved in his death and resurrection.

[25:29] But they remembered. See, that's exactly what Jesus was saying. You'll remember. And so it is as we go on through life. The Lord will bring things to our remembrance or things will remember.

[25:42] We might remember even a promise that we made way back. We might remember things that happened that we'd forgotten all about. There might be something that is happening just now and it ties in with something that happened years ago that didn't make sense to you.

[26:00] And kind of all these things are beginning to make a little bit of sense. Maybe not full sense. Maybe there's a lot of things that are still clouded and you just don't understand. But often as you go through life, there are links running through.

[26:14] And the Lord is saying to you, aye. It's like, see this. And so there's this very intimate, personal, wonderful way that the Lord works with us.

[26:25] And then Jesus says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give unto you. And so here is Jesus. It's like he's giving his last will before he leaves.

[26:38] And he's telling the disciples what he's going to give them. And when Jesus talks about peace, there's two types of peace.

[26:49] There is, first of all, there is peace between man and God or between ourselves and God. Because by nature we're separated, we're estranged, we're at enmity, we're at war.

[27:03] We don't want God. And so there isn't peace. And we kid ourselves on if we are not at one with God.

[27:14] If we do not have the living and true God as our God, then we do not know absolute peace. We might know deadness of conscience.

[27:27] There's lots of people who are spiritually absolutely dead. And they might not have the sense of being troubled before God. But there are other things that trouble them.

[27:39] But God's peace is an amazing thing. And once we accept God's way of reconciliation, who is Jesus, then we come together.

[27:51] We're no longer running away. We just feel we're able to say, Abba, Father. We so often say it, but the picture we have in Eden of Adam running away from the voice of God.

[28:04] That's what's natural to us. That's why we try and drown out spiritual impressions. That's why so many people will not come to church in case they hear something that will disturb them.

[28:21] They would rather just hide away. It's kind of like the ostrich in the sand mentality. And kind of hope that things will be all right. And they just don't want to... They do not want to face up to how it really is.

[28:35] But you know, when God comes into your life, He changes that. And you feel this confidence towards God. You and God are one. It's amazing. It's amazing.

[28:46] And that brings peace because of Jesus' work of reconciliation. And then added on to that, there is this indwelling peace that is part of the fruit of the Spirit.

[29:00] Where we know His joy, His love, His peace. As we're reading there in Philippians, as we bring a request to the Lord that we will experience the peace of God that passes understanding or passes knowledge.

[29:16] I can't really explain, as it's often been said, when people say, what's that peace like? The old saying, better felt than telled.

[29:27] A lot easier to experience it than to try and tell somebody what it's like. You've got to experience for yourself that peace, the peace of God that passes all understanding. So Jesus is saying, I'm going away.

[29:41] But this is what I'm going to leave you. I think I've quoted that before. I think it's such a lovely saying from Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry said in his own inimitable way, When Christ left this world, He made His will.

[29:55] His soul, He bequeathed to His Father. His body, to Joseph. His clothes fell to the soldiers. And His mother, He left to John.

[30:08] But what was He going to leave to His disciples who had left everything for Him? Silver and gold He didn't have. But He gave them what was better.

[30:19] He gave them His peace. And that's a lovely quote. But it is so true that Jesus has given us His peace.

[30:31] Of course, you cannot separate His peace from Himself. It's not that Jesus takes this like a kind of package and kind of communicates that to us through the Spirit.

[30:44] It's in the communication of Himself. It's as we receive Himself, we receive His peace. Because you cannot separate Jesus up into compartments and say, Well, I'll get His peace, but I won't get His job.

[30:58] I'll get a bit of this, a bit of this, and a bit of that. So, we get Himself. But in order to know that peace, which Jesus has given to us, and He says that peace is there, but there are things He says to us to do in order that we may continue to experience it.

[31:16] And for instance, just as we were reading there, the importance of bringing everything to the Lord in prayer. In order to experience this peace, we must continue to fix our eyes upon Jesus.

[31:31] Make Him our focus. And you know, if we are settled on Jesus, it brings peace. That's what we're told. The person whose mind is stayed upon the Lord will know perfect peace, will experience perfect peace.

[31:46] The person whose mind is stayed, that is, that you're fixed on the Lord. In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God that passes all understanding.

[31:59] And again, in order to have this peace, we must listen to what the Lord speaks. Because again, the Word tells us, Great peace have they who love thy law.

[32:13] If you're a believer today, and you've stopped reading the Bible, or you don't read it very often, you won't experience the peace that you did once before. It's very important to read God's Word.

[32:25] I'll hear what God the Lord will speak. To His folk, He'll speak peace. So you see how important it is for us to make the Word of God our daily food.

[32:39] Even just, I often say it, try and make, try and get a little time every day. Even if it's only a little of God's Word you read. Read it, and think in it.

[32:51] And ask the Lord to open your mind, and to make that Word a feeding for your soul that day. So it will strengthen you, and help you. So in order to experience the peace, we've got to be listening to what the Lord says.

[33:05] And again, to enjoy that peace, we must seek to live a life of peace. We're called upon in this world to be peacemakers.

[33:17] And that will be part of the result. If we are seeking to promote peace, then we ourselves will experience peace. The Lord will see to it, that that cycle, that what you do comes back to you.

[33:31] And again, in order to experience this peace, then we really, as we say, we've got to be listening to the words of peace. And then Jesus, in verses 28 and 29, tells them that he's going back to the Father.

[33:46] And he says, and of course when he says there very simply, that the Father is greater, you have heard me say, I am going away and I will come to you. And he says, if you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

[34:03] Now, people will say, how come the Father is greater than Jesus? Well, this is with regard to salvation, with regard to Jesus' role as mediator.

[34:14] Because Jesus in his role as mediator, as it were, for us to understand, laid aside his glory, in a sense, taking to himself human nature, taking the form of a servant, taking a body that would die, humbling himself.

[34:31] Remember, every step from the cradle to the cross, in fact, every single step from the incarnation right on, was one of humbling.

[34:42] So at that level, the Father, of course, is greater than the Son. And then Jesus says, and now I have told you, before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe.

[34:56] Jesus wasn't telling them all this in order to trouble them. It's the very reverse. Remember, at the very beginning, he said, let not your hearts be troubled. And right throughout this discourse, you will find Jesus coming back to repeat that, where he says, let not your heart be troubled.

[35:15] Because we find it over and over again. That's what, in verse 27 at the end, let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid. But Jesus is telling them the things that are going to happen.

[35:28] So that when they do happen, they won't be so shocked. Because remember, the disciples had no awareness of what was going to happen.

[35:39] Even though Jesus was telling them. All along in the three years, he was telling them what was going to happen. And they just, they didn't get it. So Jesus is becoming a lot more specific.

[35:50] So that when the things do happen, that they may believe. Jesus is here strengthening their faith. That's why he's telling them. Like, for instance, when John went to the grave, it tells us, And when he saw, he believed.

[36:08] When John saw the empty tomb. When he saw, he believed. You see, this is what Jesus is saying. I'm telling you this. Telling it to you now. So that your, this is so that your faith will be strengthened.

[36:21] What a strengthening of John's faith that moment. When he saw the empty tomb. The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance what Jesus had taught. All these things were coming together.

[36:35] And he believed. Oh, this is what Jesus told me. And you know, my friends, let us take hold upon this as well. Because Jesus tells us in the Gospels about things that are going to happen.

[36:47] He tells us in the Bible things that are going to happen before he returns. And you know, one of the things we see, we see our worsening world. We see a world that is becoming angrier.

[37:01] And a world that is full of more and more hatred. And we see, for instance, a world that's becoming loveless. And where we see a natural breakup of everything.

[37:16] And Jesus tells us that. So that, like the disciples, Our faith will be strengthened. And that we'll believe. And that we won't be, it will be very easy as we look at the world, the way things are going.

[37:30] And we'll say, oh, what's going to happen? This is getting worse and worse. And Jesus said, well, that's what I told you. For I come. And so that then we say, oh, well, that's what the Word of God says.

[37:43] Because at a human level, if we are following the fact, if we just have a world that is purely a world of evolution, And you take God out of the equation, surely by the year 2014, we should have long ago learned to live one with another.

[38:04] We should be living almost in a utopia. Surely after all these centuries, we would have eradicated all the problems and all the issues.

[38:15] And war should be no more. If we are developing. Well, of course, we're developing at some levels. And there is a constant development.

[38:29] But sin is still sin. And sin is still raging. And it is as malicious and as vicious and as full of hatred and anger as ever it was.

[38:41] And that is why. It doesn't matter what people will try to do. If we try and remove God out of the picture, we're doing the worst thing possible. The only real remedy for us is that turning back to God.

[38:55] The only real remedy for the world's problems is looking to the Lord alone. But Jesus tells us, as people will turn more and more away from him, things are going to get worse and worse and worse.

[39:09] And so that in itself, although it's difficult for us when we live through it, it is encouraging to know. That's what the Lord said. Go to the Bible. It's there. And so we've got to take all these things on board.

[39:22] And then Jesus says to them, I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. Of course, that's Satan. You know, the great thing what Jesus then says is, He has no claim on me.

[39:39] These were awful moments. All the way through Jesus' life, Satan had been attacking Jesus. There were times he did it very subtly, for instance, through Peter.

[39:51] There were times it was full on, like in the wilderness temptation. But all the time, Satan was snipping at his heels. But it's now all the restraints have been pulled back.

[40:04] It's as if heaven is handing Jesus over. And Jesus knows this is it. And that's why Jesus elsewhere says, This is your hour and the power of darkness.

[40:17] The gates of hell have been opened wide. And Satan is unleashed in all his power. But the great thing is that Jesus says, He has no claim on me.

[40:33] And these are the most powerful words for us. Because who is Jesus? He is there. What's he doing? He is there all the way as our mediator, as our representative, as our substitute.

[40:47] He's standing for us. And he's saying, Satan has no claim in me. And it's like Jesus is standing in front of us, protecting us.

[41:03] And he says, In order for Satan to have a claim against you, he has first to get a claim against me. Isn't that wonderful? That's how it is. Satan will come with all his accusations, with all his claims.

[41:17] And you and I look back over our lives, and we put our hands up, and we have to say, Oh, it's true. All these accusations that are leveled against me, I'm afraid it's true.

[41:30] But Jesus says, Oh, no. Hey, the wonderful thing is, Satan has no claim upon you. Because I've got a hold of you.

[41:41] And Satan can only get at you, ultimately, through me. And he can't get through me, because he has no claim on me. And these are the most wonderful truths, so that today, we are able to rejoice.

[41:58] And that despite our sin, and despite all that we are, because of what Jesus has done, we are free. No accusation. That's why it says in the Bible, Who shall lay any charge, or who shall lay anything to the charge, of God's elect.

[42:18] In the courtroom of heaven, it's all been cancelled out. You're free. You're just. And then Jesus says, just very briefly, and he says, He has no claim on me, but I do, as the Father has commanded me.

[42:36] So that the world may know, that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. These words of Jesus at the end, Rise, let us go from here. They're kind of, you know, if you're going to sum up, Jesus' life, it's almost, that's almost it.

[42:51] Jesus' life, was one of constant activity. Even here, he's talking about coming, and going back to the Father, and coming again, and sending the Spirit.

[43:02] It's all activity. Although it's very nice, and cozy, and intimate, it's a lot of activity. Jesus' life, was a life of activity. He was always on the move. He was going from one place to another.

[43:13] He was always healing. In fact, his life was so busy. He said, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath no place where to live.

[43:23] He said, in all the busyness, the frantic activity, going, moving, this way, that way, the next. And so, Jesus is now saying, this is the, I have to get up.

[43:39] Despite the coziness, and the intimacy of this, the ruler of this world, the powers of darkness are coming, and I have to rise up, and I have to go.

[43:50] Because I have to meet, what I have to do. I have to do the Father's will, and I have to go. And he did that for you and for me.

[44:01] But you know, these words, where it says, rise, let us go from here, are also true, with regard to where we are as well. Because our life, is always one of activity as well.

[44:14] We're moving. So always moving on. And in some ways, rise, let us go from here. It brings us every so often to stop.

[44:25] And it causes us to look back, and to look forward. And we look back over life, and all its memories. We look back over life, and some of these memories are sweet, and precious, and some of them are difficult, and sad.

[44:38] But in the middle of it all, as we look back, we also see God's faithfulness. That's one of the wonderful things. God is always faithful. But we've also got to look forward.

[44:53] And the great thing is, today, if your hand is in the hand of Jesus, remember this, that as you go forward in life, you don't know what's ahead. It might be great, it might be sad, there might be other great moments, there might be other difficult moments.

[45:08] But the one thing is, that God is ruling over everything. However hard that is for us to take, however hard it is for us to understand, He is a God who is in control.

[45:20] And in a mysterious way, is working everything for good. Everything. And that's part of what I believe glory. Glory is going to be so amazing.

[45:32] Yes, primarily, when we meet with Jesus, and see Him as He is. And we become like Him. But where there will be an unfolding, of all the providence of this world.

[45:45] Because memory is part of, part of who we are. Memory goes on with us, into heaven. And we will look back, and we'll be able to see, and things that didn't make any sense, we will see that God actually, worked it all for good.

[46:04] The story will become complete. Although at another level, the story isn't finished. Because forever and ever and ever and ever, that story will go on.

[46:15] Our lives are going to go on. Always. And there will come a time, there will be new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.

[46:26] And we'll be part of that. Our story will go on, forever and ever. We're only given a little understanding, little glimpses, of what the fullness of glory will be like.

[46:37] But it's going to be amazing. The story will continue. Got a bit of the story here. When we get there, we'll understand a lot more, of the story that happened here. But then there will be going on.

[46:49] Because throughout eternity, we're told how the Lamb, will continue to lead, and to feed his people. It's a great future. If Jesus is yours.

[47:02] You make sure today that, this Jesus that we've been talking about, is your Lord and your Savior. And as we're saying to the young people, ask Jesus, say to him, Lord, I know you've gone to heaven, to prepare a place.

[47:16] Please make sure that that, there's a place in heaven for me. And please make sure, Lord, that you prepare me, in my heart for heaven. by becoming king, in my heart, and in my life.

[47:29] Let us pray. Lord, our God, we ask that, the word that we reflect upon, may indeed be precious to us. That our understanding of it, will become ever greater.

[47:41] Lord, we pray that we might be open, to the truth. And that we do not, block the truth, by our own preconceived ideas, which sometimes can be wrong.

[47:53] So we ask, O Lord, that we will always be, ready to understand, and maybe to see things, in a new light. O Lord, may we have the joy, of the Lord, being our strength, as we journey on in life.

[48:05] Be with us, then we pray, and bless, each and every one of us, according to our own, particular needs. We pray to bless, a cup of tea, in the hall after, and watch over us, taking away our sin, in Jesus name.

[48:18] Amen. Amen. Our concluding psalm, is Psalm 17, and this is from Sing Psalms, Psalm number 17, from Sing Psalms, and we're going to sing, from the middle of verse 4, to verse 8, the tune of Golden Hill, Psalm 17, which is on page 18, from the middle of verse 4, to verse 8.

[48:46] From every evil path, by your word, I'm preserved. My feet have held, to all your ways, from them I have not sweared. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me.

[48:59] O turn your ear, toward my prayer, and hear my earnest plea. Display your steadfast love, and save with your right hand, all those who flee, for help to you, when foes against them stand.

[49:13] In shadow of their wings, hide me, in times of strife, and as the apple of your eye, preserve and guard my life. These verses, middle of verse 4, the tune is Golden Hill, From Every Evil Path.

[49:31] From every evil path, by your word, I call on you, from them I have not swears.

[50:04] I call on you, O God, for you will answer me.

[50:19] O turn your ear, towards my prayer, and hear my earnest plea.

[50:37] This way, this way, your steadfast love, and sing with your right hand, all those who plead, for help to you, when foes against them stand.

[51:09] and stand, in shadow of pure rain, I be in times of strife, and as the upper, the Lord, pure rain, preserve and guard my life.

[51:47]  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.