[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. This is the next message in our series on the book of John, entitled, Jesus is God.
[0:14] Please turn with me to John chapter number 16. John chapter number 16, we'll finish out chapter number 16 tonight. We'll be ending the conversation that Jesus is having with the disciples that he started in chapter number 14, 14, 15, and 16 said to be the greatest sermon ever.
[0:33] Chapter 17 will be said to be the greatest prayer ever. And I'm going to miss the time that we spend in it. And I look forward to going back to it because 14, 15, and 16, seeing Jesus speak to his disciples made some things very clear to us as believers, how he felt about us, some of the resources he was leaving for us.
[0:50] So if you'd like to get out of here on a decent hour of the night, I'm going to ask you to make a promise, a commitment to me, that you will go home and you will study verses 22 through 33 on your own sometime this week.
[1:02] Because like any portion of scripture, I am very much aware that I will not do justice to it. And there's so much wonderful truth here about the resources made available to us for the mission.
[1:13] As we were talking and praising, talking about testimonies, how the gospel changes the world and her testimonies, how it's changing lives. And we know we're on a mission. We'll look at the ending of Jesus' speech to his disciples, and we'll see some of the resources given to him.
[1:27] And it is so full of wonderful truths. So if you'll commit with me in John 16, verses 22 through 33, that you will study it on your own, praying to our Heavenly Father, asking the Holy Spirit to show you something more this week, we will get out of here in the next couple hours.
[1:42] Can I have that commitment from you tonight? All right, we'll be in here for a while. I guess I'll have to give you everything I know, then some, okay? Which is what I'm always afraid of, is the then some part of preaching.
[1:52] John 16, verses 22 through 33. As I said, we'll look at the resources which God makes available for the work of mission. And in that day you shall ask me nothing.
[2:05] Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father, in my name he will give it you. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.
[2:17] These things have I spoken unto you in Proverbs. But the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. And that day you shall ask in my name, and I say unto you that I will pray the Father for you.
[2:32] For the Father himself loveth you, because you have loved me, and hath believed that I have came out from God. And I came forth from the Father, and I have come into the world.
[2:43] Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee.
[2:56] By this we believe that thou cameth forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? Behold, the hour cometh. Yea, is now come that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.
[3:10] Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in ye you might have peace. In the world you should have tribulation, but be of good cheer, have overcome the world.
[3:23] Let's speak to our Heavenly Father together. Father, we ask that tonight, that you will show us, Lord, by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, Lord, you'll give us understanding about these scriptures, that you will excite our hearts, Lord, seeing the resources made available, how you have changed our relationship with the Father, and the Spirit through the death of Jesus on the cross, how the simple faith of these disciples, Lord, and where you've taken them from, from this point, till after the resurrection.
[3:51] And Lord, I pray that you'll let us see that in times of tribulation, that we will find a peace that's unshaken, that even though we waver and we move in the wind, that you are a rock and you never change.
[4:03] I pray that you'll help us see these truths, and so many more tonight. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. As we've said in the early days of our church, something that Brother John would have said, that you can tell the size of a project by the size of the resources, or the size of the equipment that is brought on it.
[4:21] If you drive by a place, and you see that they have large bulldozers, and things like that, then you know something big is going to happen. As Jesus leaves the disciples, and he tells them what he's leaving them with, it helps us see how big the job that he had given them was going to be.
[4:37] We had seen already today, how soon grief would be turned into joy, how he said, I will take your heart full of sorrow, and that I will transform it in the joy. I'm not going to replace it, but I'm going to take this time, as a mother that has a sorrow of childbearing, she has the child, and from that sorrow comes joy.
[4:53] That's the same thing that's about to happen through the death of Jesus on the cross. And he says, they will see him again. He reminds them in verse number 22, I go, but in a little while, I will come back.
[5:04] And then they enter a new level of intimacy, with the relationship with the Son, and with the Father. And the disciples will respond with affirmation of faith. They say, you know everything, and we admit that, and we believe in you.
[5:18] But we'll see that it's premature, that their faith was not as strong as they thought it had been. They had not encountered the greatest revelation of his suffering. But Jesus does not conclude on the down note of them, of saying that you guys don't know what you're saying, but he ends with them, assuring them that there is peace in this world, and that he has conquered the world.
[5:38] That we are people that aren't sheep, that are scattered without a shepherd. But in this world, we do have a shepherd. And we have a shepherd that is a warrior, that has overcome the world. Not only could he overcome anything that's going to be, you're going to face this week, but he already has.
[5:52] That he's overcome everything in this world. And it's things that people are looking for. Faith, joy, and love, are the three things, and a result of those are peace. If you're missing any of those three things, you cannot have peace.
[6:05] But as we've been looking, he offers joy, faith, and love. And having those three things, we all have peace. If you go in the homes, oftentimes in Chinese letters, or they have it written as a way of decoration, you often see some formation of those four words, peace, love, joy, or faith, because it's what every man inside of them and woman are looking for in this world.
[6:25] And they don't always understand it. I have a picture here. I thought it was funny. I thought since I was, I work with teenagers, I have an excuse to show absurd pictures in church. But there's a picture of a man that played basketball for NBA.
[6:38] Ron Artes is his name, but he changed his name to Metta World Peace. I don't know exactly what he was going for there, but after he changed his name to World Peace, a couple games later, he gets thrown out for throwing an elbow to somebody's head.
[6:52] So I don't know what his definition of peace is, but that doesn't really look so much what I think of when I think about peace. But there's another athlete, Tim Tebow, and you didn't think I'd make it a whole day without a reference to Tim Tebow, did you?
[7:04] And on his face, it's John 16, 33, that he had in one of his college games. And he's talking about there, in the world you shall tribulation and be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
[7:15] I don't believe he thought overcoming the opposing team was overcoming the world, but he knew that he was going to overcome the world by the stand that he would take. All right, you can take Tebow off the string because I can't compete with him.
[7:26] Okay, I have you, I've lost all of you. Okay, please quickly. All right. And so there's definitions of peace. Looking for a guy changes name, the world peace. I get thrown out of game, I throw an elbow.
[7:37] Another person like Tim Tebow, he talks about overcoming the world and peace and the tribulation. But as I looked about this and as I prayed about this, Pastor Frick, I looked at this, so many things about overcoming the world and prayer do not excite us in the church in America like they should.
[7:54] It's not that America is a great Christian nation that just has a love and fervor for the things of God. It's that the church has set our thermostat to be the same temperature as this world.
[8:06] And so we look like a Christian nation because America looks like the church. And speaking to God doesn't excite us. When he says, you now get to speak to the Heavenly Father and you can go in my name, every one of us ought to just stand and all in reference to him and be so excited.
[8:20] When it says you overcome the world, we ought to be excited about that because we understand overcoming the world. But if you'll be honest with me, I often don't think in terms of overcoming the world. I think that if Jesus made a promise to me that he was going to give me everything of this world, I would be more excited about it than he says if we're going to overcome the world because I walk hand in hand with the world too often instead of overcoming it because I don't see the tribulation.
[8:44] I believe that maybe some of the believers in Northern Africa, if they were taken in place in America, they would see persecution like they see in North Africa. It's not that the climate there is different. It's that the way they're living out their faith is radical.
[8:57] I put myself in the same boat with you here tonight, but overcoming the world and tribulation and the ability to speak to the Father are all things for people that live in wartime living, who know that we're involved in a war, that are trying to do something in the mission of God.
[9:11] And if you're not, it doesn't matter. If you don't need the power of God to help you do what you plan to do tomorrow, then there's not much reason to speak to him about it in the morning. If you're not going to confront the world when it comes to sharing the gospel and living a life that makes a difference, then overcoming the world isn't much of a promise to you.
[9:28] And I believe that the Spirit in here would say in your heart as it does mine that we are guilt-discharged and convicted of people. Unlike the disciples, when they received these promises, they were so excited moving forward because they knew they wanted to make a difference in this world.
[9:42] It's exactly those three things that I just mentioned, faith, love, and joy, that he will speak of. He offers every man a divine love, someone something to believe in, and a hope that is steadfast, sure, and eternal.
[9:55] And when a man has all three of these things, the man has peace. Verses 23 through 25 we'll start with tonight. In verses 23 and 25 we'll see that death changes our communication with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
[10:09] And in that day you shall ask me nothing, verily, verily, I send you whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have you have asked nothing in my name, ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.
[10:20] Jesus promises greater joy regarding their coming access to the Father after Jesus' departure. He is speaking of unspeakable joy. You know that joy when you ask our Father in prayer for something specific and he answers that prayer?
[10:36] Is there any joy like that in all of the world to know that a human part of creation on earth speaks to the Heavenly Father and that he grants your prayer request? What a wonderful joy that so often we forfeit.
[10:48] Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians that there's a connection between praying without ceasing, rejoicing, praying without ceasing, and rejoicing. It tells us here to rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing.
[11:00] People that are speaking to the Father, that are always praying without ceasing, that are always in communication with them, are people that are rejoicing evermore because he's answering prayer requests, they're seeing God do things, that open line of communication.
[11:15] And we live in a world that tries to push out God but has to push drugs to people to help them understand, to overcome depression. Joy is found in knowing that he sits on the right hand of God, not by being told that he does not exist.
[11:30] When I pray to my Heavenly Father, it is evidence to me that I have an advocate in Jesus Christ that is allowing me to pray to him in his name and he's answering those prayers.
[11:41] And with every answered prayer, there's great joy in my life and it's also testimony of the fact that this Jesus that came to earth is sitting there on the right hand of the Father. So knowing that Jesus is on the right hand of the Father brings me peace.
[11:54] Being told that there is no God in this world brings me turmoil and depression. And the people that push God out of the equation in lives have to push something else in there. How do you comfort people and tell them there's anything of hope in this world if Jesus isn't on the right hand of the Father, that his sacrifice for you does not pay for your sins?
[12:14] And we can now ask the Father directly. This hadn't been done up to this point. We see when he is teaching them to pray, it's often called the model prayer and he's showing them. He is now saying, when I leave, you pray to the Father and you're able to come in my name.
[12:29] This does not say that they could not pray to Jesus in Romans 8 and then in Hebrews 7, we see prayers addressed to them. Do not believe he is rebuking them for saying up to this point, you guys haven't prayed right.
[12:39] He's saying from here on out, you have an advocate with the Father and when you pray to him, as in John 2, 1, you have an advocate, an intercessor for you. They had been coming to Jesus for all their needs and now they can go directly to God in Jesus' name.
[12:55] And we see this, as I've mentioned so many times before, disciples literally, physically, all their needs were being met by Jesus. They needed food, he provided food. They needed tax money, provided tax money.
[13:05] If they had emotional issues, he dealt with them. If somebody died, he brought them back to life. If somebody was sick, he healed them. Any question they had, Jesus was able to answer and now they're scared and they're full of sorrow because they don't know that they're going to have that access.
[13:21] They're going to have that and Jesus tells them, you are now going to be able to speak directly to the Heavenly Father and tell them that you have come in my name. I'm sure you've heard a story like this and I don't know if it's a real story or if it's one of the stories that preachers make up because we really need a really good story at this time in the sermon.
[13:38] But it's the man that was in World War II and there was one of his friends, they were in a foxhole together and he goes up to him and he's comforting his friend and he says, is there anything I can do for you as you're about to die?
[13:50] Is there anything at all? And the man says, no, there's nothing you can do for me, but there may be something I can do for you. And he takes out a pen and a note card and he writes on something on that card. And he says, my dad is a very wealthy businessman and when you go back to the States, if you ever need anything, give him this card.
[14:08] So he takes the card and he comes back and he's living his life and he doesn't need anything. He doesn't go see the man. But after a couple of years, he finds himself in great need, financially in great need.
[14:18] He needed food. He needed provision. So he goes to the office of the man that he had heard about and he goes into the waiting room and he petitions the secretary and he says, can I go see Mr. So-and-so?
[14:29] And after waiting a couple hours, he has not granted access to the dad there. And then he takes out the card, gives it to the secretary and the man gets it and he reads it and he says, dad, this is your son, Charlie.
[14:42] And if this man ever comes to you, he was with me in great time of need and I need you to be with him now. And the man takes the card and he comes out and he says, why didn't you tell me that you came in Charlie's name?
[14:53] Why didn't you tell me that you knew my son? Why didn't you tell me that you love my son? Because you love my son, now I love you and I want to grant to you whatever you need. That's where we stand today with our Heavenly Father.
[15:06] He loves us, what the verses says. He loves us, we've loved the son, we've obeyed his command, we've put our faith in Jesus and we love him. A Catholic teaching would tell us this and taking it from one of their confessions that says, Mary's intercessory corporation extends to all graces so that no grace equestrios mankind without the intercession of Mary.
[15:28] The redemptive grace of Christ has conferred on nobody without the actual intercessory cooperation of Mary. He said, without Mary cooperating, there's no way to talk to the Father.
[15:38] Recently a study was done near the Vatican, they asked, name the people that you prayed to and Jesus came, number five of the different saints they would pray to because they're being taught that they need somebody to give them access to the Father that is there and we are told by the death of Jesus Christ we have access to pray unto our Heavenly Father.
[15:58] We ask for what we know in Jesus' name and the Holy Spirit will ask for what we do not even know that we need as we saw earlier today in Romans 26 and 27. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know what we shall pray for as we ought for the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered that the heart of God is given to us when we come in the name of Jesus.
[16:22] Now what a wonderful promise because remember we live in a day and age of the Holy Spirit He indwells you at the time of salvation we've read the book from beginning to end we know what's happening stay with me here knowing that the disciples they didn't know what was going to happen they weren't aware of the fact that are they going to get to speak to the Father we know we're not going to speak to Jesus anymore what's going to happen and He says you can go directly to the Father in my name and you can speak to Him and He will help provide for you those provisions that you will need.
[16:51] Why in the world would God do this for us? the Father loves us because He loves the Son verse 26 and that day you shall ask Him my name and I say not unto you that I pray to the Father for you for the Father Himself loveth you because He has loved me and has believed that I came out from God well see that is the gospel in a nutshell they're saying we understand that you came from God and that you've never left God and coming to earth Jesus never left God and then coming to earth and going back to the Father He never left us let me say that again when He left the Heavenly Father He came from the Father and He came to earth He never left God and when He came to earth and He lived among us and He died here and He left us He never left us going back to the Father the disciples said we understand this the Jewish people they didn't understand that where He came from or where He was going we'll look at some verses there and they say we know where you come from we know where you are going and why would God love us like this?
[17:44] why would God want to hear from us? why would He allow us to address Him and to speak to Him? a while ago we prayed corporately men came down to an altar we bowed our head in reverence to Him we closed our eyes to focus in what was saying and as we did that we left this world I understand that we physically we stayed here but our conversations they became heavenly they became supernatural that lowly man spoke to God in those moments and that you got to address that David the boy and then the other person who prayed I'm so sorry alright and the two of them as they prayed to the heavenly father I believe both of them Paul yes Paul spoke to the heavenly father I didn't have doubt about Paul I just had doubts about knowing remembering who prayed but as they prayed that they spoke to God that they had access to speak to Him and what a wonderful thing that we take for granted that we have this and we don't use it what an incredible waste if we would not do that so He says He loves us and as I was reading and seeing different commentators and what they had to say
[18:45] I was surprised to find how many of them said they were confronting that people don't believe the father loves you you know that they believe that Jesus loved you but the father hated you that they took all the attributes of God and they kind of divided them out among the Trinity that Jesus was merciful and God was wrath and but they divided everything but all of them are God and it says here that the father loves us and so as I saw this I began to read and I began to study and say is this something of a long time ago or do people still believe this and I began to read something that was written recently by a Baptist pastor and he said that it was a story that was like this that God was mad at the world and He wanted to destroy all of us but Jesus said let me go talk to them and He came to earth and He made a contract with us and He says if you obey this contract then you can go to heaven and so He went back to God and God was still angry and He said did they accept it and they said no they still hate me and they hate you and they killed me but I gave them the contract and God says well I'll still continue to hate them for all eternity but if they will agree to the contract of putting their faith and trust in you then I will swear to my own hurt and I will let them in the heaven does anybody see any problems with this in here today please do alright because if not
[19:59] I'm at the wrong place and I don't know where to go from here okay there's a great problem with this it says that the heavenly father for God so loved the world they gave His only God that the God that Jesus left the father with a plan to redeem man and He went back and that the father loves you today and we know that those that live now with us and that we have the Holy Spirit that even babes in Christ know that the father loves you and you know the relationship with them and that's wonderful there to find this out that the father that He loves us God loves us God loves those who keep His commandment to love Jesus John 14 21 He that hath my commandment and keepeth him he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved in my father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him so we're going on beyond we're going an extra step here He loves the whole world as we saw in John 3 16 enough that He gave His own son but He says those that have loved my son He loves with well He prays for us as His own in John 17 9 when Jesus is praying
[21:00] He says I pray for this world not of this world at this time in John 17 9 but He says I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine that's us that's me and you and He's speaking about a special type of love that He has here in Christ in Ephesians 2 6 we are told that we have been raised to sit in heavenly places because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross He has raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus because I am now in Christ Jesus the heavenly Father allows me positionally to sit in heavenly places and it does not seem like a mean and wrathful God that hates us but has only had to swear to His own hurt we do not come to fear unto our Father in Romans 8 15 for we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father that wonderful way that we get to address our Father when we go to Him and when we these men we came forward and we prayed and as you will pray there in your seat and as you go home we get to go to the Father and say Abba
[22:09] Father because He loves us because we have obeyed His command in Jesus Christ and that we love His Son Jesus makes it clear that the Son isn't persuading an angry Father to be gracious but His work provides a righteous basis for God's graciousness it was always their plan from the very beginning a deep family continual love He is crazy about us He loves me like I was His only child we never felt so loved for more how could I ever ask more remember that song that used to be one of my favorite it doesn't make the top ten now but when I remember saying that and thinking about those truths of knowing that the Father has a great big family and I'm one of them but He knows me and He loves me and that's exciting today and remember He is comforting the disciples as He comforts us amazing now how we treat one another as if they had no real value to us if the Heavenly Father says I love you and then Jesus says I love you and it comes to earth and He gives His life and the Heavenly Father says that He loves our brothers and sisters that are sitting by us how could we ever treat anybody as if they have no value that is not Christ-like and that is not godly and we should think about these things we look here
[23:20] Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will make plain what they currently do not understand Jesus admitted to them that He was speaking in veiled sayings it was not that His sayings were lacking because when He spoke in parables it was the truth it was the whole truth is that their understanding made it seem like a veiled saying when you think proverb here don't think just proverbs as in a book but think about a saying that is veiled that it's hard for you to understand they understood a little when He spoke and unbelievers understood nothing of Him He would say something He would speak about bread and then the lost people would say why is He speaking about bread and then the disciples would go to Him and say hey we understand a little bit of what you're saying but would you teach us a little bit more they understood a little and the unbelievers they understood nothing just as an unbeliever can take this book and they can read it as a historical book and they can say that I've read the Bible and that I know the Bible but they don't because the Holy Spirit does not live inside of them that sheds light upon what they're reading they cannot understand it as a child would understand what his father wrote because they do not belong to them
[24:29] John 16 12 so they're saying you're speaking in veiled sayings why don't you speak more plainly and he's told them in John 16 12 he says I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them you cannot handle what I have to tell you at this time our senses could not handle it we need the spirit indwelling us 1 Corinthians 2 9 but as it is written eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God had prepared for them not loved him that we need the Holy Spirit inside of us to help us understand what it is that Jesus is speaking about he is speaking about a new relationship with the father and with the spirit and with the son and they're not getting it and I'm so thankful for the disciples that they don't get everything because these guys were not genius in the way that we would measure things in an IQ but they were common men that have questions about it but Jesus was loving and he was patient he explained it to them he's explaining to us today and we don't fully grasp it but we're continuing to learn about it we're told in John 16 13 and 14 that the spirit will lead us in truth how be it when he the spirit of truth has come he will guide you in the all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear he shall that shall he speak and he will show you things to come he shall glorify me it's Jesus speaking here for he shall receive of mine and he shall show it unto you as pastor mentioned about much television that would say it's the Holy Spirit channel wherever the Holy Spirit is working it talks about Jesus that it is testifying of the goodness of Jesus and we should see that he's going to guide us in the truth and we'll understand this the disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying completely but the Holy Spirit had indwelled them and is about to and we see some people soon that now they seem cowardly they think that they're bold and confident but they're about to scatter
[26:23] Jesus is going to tell them we had Peter which seemed to be the strongest he denied them one of them Judas is going to betray them and they believe that they're strong in their faith but he knows where they stand here's some examples of the teaching that they had trouble with I am the bread of life I am the light of the world if you destroy this temple in three days I will rebuild it especially as it said here any teaching about the father in John 8 27 it says they understood not that he spake to them of the father his actions would be clear if they fully understood the Old Testament they would understand they would have understood more earlier today we were in Luke chapter number 24 and as we looked at that and he was talking with them on the road he said then he said unto them O fools and slow of heart believe all the prophets had spoken that he had been teaching them in the Old Testament about this day that was going to come and as Jesus is there with them in his very last speech they still didn't understand it completely but he said you soon will what they did not understand they now would understand their faith was being strengthened the spirit would be their teacher they would go as confused people they'd be scattered out but now we know that even babes in Christ we know about our relationship with the father 1 John 2
[27:35] I write unto you little children because you have known the father that as believers in this day because of the Holy Spirit when we read the Bible we know about our relationship with the father and it's a wonderful thing and the disciples are learning about it at this time here the disciples they go on to proclaim their simple faith the disciples proclaim their simple faith the disciples here they don't complain they completely understand but they do know that Jesus is God for the father himself loveth you because he has loved me and hath believed that I have come I have come from the father and come into the world again I leave the world his disciples said unto him lo now speak thou plainly and speakest now no proverb and now are we sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee by this we believe that thou comest from God he tells them here he said they say we know now that everything that's said that you've answered questions that we didn't even ask you when we were talking one to another and you couldn't have heard us you still answer those questions and we know that you are God
[28:37] Jesus was going to show them that they things that they could not understand they say we believe at this time and they had faith they had saving faith their faith may not have been as strong as it would have been on the day of Pentecost but they knew that Jesus had left the father had come to earth was going back to the father and he was that's what he had been trying to teach them and their faith it was going to grow here in a little bit they were going to scatter and they were going to go everywhere but in a little bit after the resurrection they would see him for 40 days the Holy Spirit would come there on the day of Pentecost and their faith would explode I think about an illustration I was working at a summer camp in Kentucky and we had built a fire a fire and a fire is actually what we built because it was in Kentucky but we built a fire and I don't know what I just said that last time when I said fire but when we built we built it and a couple days had passed and I thought it was all out and you can tell where this story is going but after two days we needed to get all this brush burned and we needed to do it quickly because we were a few days behind on the project and my friend named Gary Rockning his dad was a football coach for Notre Dame some new rockning he had a football scholarship so I told Gary you can't go pour gasoline on that fire let me do it okay
[29:54] I'm much more qualified to do it we thought it had been completely out and so we didn't think much about it so I get on top of it and I'm pouring gasoline on this wood because we're going to throw more matches on top of it we're actually going to shoot bottle rockets into it because that was much safer because you could do it from a distance okay alright teenagers don't say that I told you to do any of this okay and so I'm up on top of this fire and I'm pouring gasoline but down there there was embers there was this small little bit of fire still left and as soon as that gasoline hit it that thing exploded and I went airborne my dream of taking flight it was realized okay and I sensed my eyebrows and I just flew and so as I think about that these disciples who think they're strong in their faith as Peter did as they say we believe he says no guys your faith isn't as strong as you think it is but you do have faith and the Holy Spirit's coming and gasoline's going to be poured on this thing and he's going to take you people of a very simple faith and I'm going to take you all around the world and share the gospel and it's a wonderful thing that when our faith seems small it seems shaken that it's not faith in a small thing it's faith in a large God and when it seems shaken it's not a shaking faith in something that's moving but it's a shaking faith in something that's unmovable that we never that even though we may change he never changes the secret of spiritual strength is self-distrust and deep humility
[31:16] Charles Rowley tells us these people they thought they were confident but their faith had content it wasn't faith in faith it wasn't you've got to have faith baby I'm not going to sing that song for you but there's tons of songs that tell us you've got to have faith you've just got to believe and everybody in this world understands we need to have faith but they think you need to have faith in faith and you need to believe in believing but their faith had content it may not have been big but they knew Jesus came from the Father he was going back and their faith had content as you and I we do 2.13 tells us even in times of doubt when our faith is not strong our God is faithful and he is able if we believe not he is able he is abideth faith we cannot deny himself Mark 9.24 he says we have belief but help my unbelief Romans 8.37 tells us we are more than conquerors and that in our and 2.13 tells us that in our weakness we are made strong Paul tells us there for when I am weak then I am strong our celebration song in heaven for all eternity is not that we have overcome the world and that we are conquerors but worthy is the Lamb because we have not overcome the world and we are not powerful and our faith is not strong but he is and he has overcome the world and so we have nothing to boast in but him and worthy is the Lamb and lastly real quickly my last point here we have peace in this troubled world because of the triumph position that he has
[32:39] Jesus teaches them about the certainty of persecution he says you will in this world have tribulation we not only believe that Jesus loves him we not only know that we love Jesus but we know that the world hates those that love Jesus we are not only people that believe in Jesus in James 2 we are told that there are devils that believe about Jesus and they tremble but we are people that have been obedient to his command and that we love him and you know there is plenty of room in this world for religion but there is no room for Jesus in this world people don't mind your belief in Jesus or a religion but when you show your love to him when you state that you love him and your faith as we are studying the connect class how your faith is seen in action not only do we believe in him but we love him there is no tolerance for that in your workplace or any place you go because it's okay to have belief as long as there is not love for him they admit that they do not know him the Jewish people in John 9 29 we know that God speaking to Moses as for this fellow we not know from whence he is we do not know that he came from the father and he's going back but the disciples they have a faith that has a content in the world you will have tribulation in this
[33:51] Jesus has made the promise through tribulation and peace is offered to us during this time understanding this removes a false hope from us struggling Christians often hope for a day when we will laugh at temptation there will be no effortless there will be an effortless victory after another and we are promised struggles as long as we are in this world but we have peace we are not promised that we will have a life void of tribulation actually it is the exact opposite he says you are going to have tribulation and there will be problems you will never rise above that Christian maturity doesn't take you out of tribulation actually the more we grow closer to him the more bold we come in our witness the more we are going to encounter it and he says in the middle of that you can find peace in your current situation and Jesus teaches them about the certainty that he has overcome the world the statement spoken here as it is in the shadow of the cross is audacious he goes to the cross not in fear but not in gloom but as a conqueror said Morris
[34:53] Jesus is about to be taken and beaten and whipped and hung on a cross and before he goes and does that he is saying I have already overcome the world isn't this audacious isn't this unbelievable that anybody would say that but he already has overcome the world because he is going to overcome something greater any man could throw a few people off of him and say you are not going to hang me on a cross today but only the God of heaven could come die on a cross and after they thought he was down and out he overcame death hell and the grave he really overcame the world for us and we now live in that resurrection power that he provides for us and the time will come when men will persecute you and they believe they do that doing a service to God isn't that horrible that the disciples many of them will die in the hands of martyrs who think they are doing a service to God they are zealous about God and that religion is going to try to choke this out I am so thankful that the church in this time does not look like often times like the church in America and they don't overcome tribulation and live that because it would not have lasted through the ages except he promised it and the Holy Spirit is working through them so can I challenge you in here tonight you've already made a commitment to me to study verses 22 through 33 but can I give you just a few reminders in here that because of what
[36:09] Jesus Christ did on the cross that I can bow my head and I can pray to the Father and I say I come in the name of Jesus and you love your son and because you love your son and I love him you love me and he knows that I'm on a mission he knows what I'm doing when I pray to him he knows that I'm involved in the same reconciling work that his son came and started and now we have the ministry and so that we have the ear of our God because when we say his name that he knows that we love him he has a heart for us that's so exciting but if we are going to pray and we're going to ask God that our joy will be full because we're going to see him doing things and as we ask him to do things we're going to see tribulation because we've declared war on this world that we're going to go out and try to do something but we can be reminded of the fact that he has already won the victory for us and can I tell you as soldiers in this army as you get up against the wall and you don't feel like your faith is very strong and your faith is small that your faith has content what you believe in is huge and it is able to do more than you could ever imagine this doesn't seem like a very strong position does it for the disciples that their faith seems weak one of them betrayed them one of them denies it they're all going to scatter and Jesus is in a grave there's Jesus the one who said he's going to overcome the world he's in a grave the disciples are scattered and then he is risen and everything changes and they rejoice they have Pentecost and then the world by Colossians 120 has heard the gospel because they recognize the resource the wonderful resource we have in prayer can I challenge you in here today do not be in the work of the Lord and not be make yourself use these resources do not live an active ministry life without an active prayer life because you have somebody that you should be speaking to do not do this work in your own flesh because the world you have no promise in your flesh to overcome the world but it is Jesus Christ that died and through the work of the spirit in our lives we have overcome this world in him and so this mission is very dangerous not just in far parts of the world but the mission that you are about to go forth into and I will just challenge you and I urge you tonight Christian make use of that ability to speak to your heavenly father know that your faith can change this world because the Holy Spirit wants to do something and know that we have already overcome and that in the midst of tribulation there is peace and as we grow more and more obedient to our father the more and more tribulation we see but that will never change that we get to live a life of peace that was won and secured for us on the cross let's pray together heavenly father
[38:46] I do not know what's on the hearts of other believers in this room I do know that I am very much excited about the fact that I get to speak to you directly that I get to come into you the name of your precious son who died upon the cross for my sins and I'm asking you father to do a great work in my life this week lord I feel like these disciples and my faith is small but I know my faith has a content that there's something there and you are real and you're doing something father I would say as disciples and I pray it would be the prayer of others in this church that we would be thankful that we would get to be persecuted for your sake that in tribulation we would know that we are going against this world and we are doing something that matters lord forgive us of our prayerless life forgive us of our lives where we hide from tribulation and I pray that we will leave here lord not as the disciples that are scattered but the disciples lord that knew the holy spirit was working in and through them as disciples who knew they had direct access to the father in prayer this message was recorded at vision baptist church in Alfred Georgia for more information log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times location contact information and more audio and video recordings of to us from our