WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.140 Folks, lovely to see you today. Turn back to that chapter in John 14. It kind of feels like I should 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:10.560 be doing a Christmas sermon today, but we're not. We're going to do one more week in this part of 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:17.160 John's gospel, just as we finish off this little section. And what a wonderful passage it is. 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:25.060 Timely for us, I hope, as we enter this season, knowing where a lot of us are at, what stuff is 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:30.899 going on in our lives. And I hope this is just a massive comfort to you today as we gaze upon 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:36.539 Jesus and all his glory. So let me pray and we'll get into it together. Father, I thank you for your 00:00:36.539 --> 00:00:43.060 word. And I pray, Father, in keeping with what we're going to be thinking about today, that your spirit 00:00:43.060 --> 00:00:50.739 would come and he would illuminate these wonderful truths to us today, that we would capture something 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:59.500 more of your beauty and your plans and your good purposes for us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:12.079 Amen. So with the text open in front of you, here's a question for you. If you met the 10 years ago you, 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:22.019 what one bit of advice would you give yourself? So we had a guy called Joe Barnard with us at our 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:29.019 men's breakfast recently. That was the question I asked him. I said, what would the now early 50s 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:36.180 year old version of you say to the early 40s year old version of you were you to meet him? And the 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:40.719 answer that he gave, and if you were there, you'll know where I'm going with this. It was stay with me 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.840 for two reasons. Firstly, because he said he honestly didn't know because he was still actually 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:52.900 in his mid 40s rather than his mid 50s, as I'd wrongly assumed, which wasn't my finest moment, 00:01:53.019 --> 00:02:00.259 as a lot of you keep pointing out. But still up for playing ball in all seriousness, he took me on 00:02:00.259 --> 00:02:05.680 and he said this. He said, if I were to meet the 10 years ago version of me, I would say, and get this, 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:14.640 don't get distracted by all the trimmings in life. He said, I just got so distracted when I was young 00:02:14.640 --> 00:02:18.760 growing up thinking about all the things that were ahead of me, getting on the property ladder, 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:24.939 landing the dream job, saving for the kids college fund, going on that all-inclusive holiday. If I 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:32.520 were to meet the 10 years ago me, I would say that they pale in comparison with taking up the invitation 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:41.760 to come and behold and know the living God. And that's what the kids today call a mic drop moment. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:49.860 Yeah. Come and know the living God for there is no more thrilling a thing than we can possibly do 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:58.120 with our lives than to know him. And he was mirroring something that C.S. Lewis, a bit of a fan boy, 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:03.819 he said so many years ago. He said, it would seem that Jesus finds our desires not too strong, 00:03:04.700 --> 00:03:11.700 but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drinking, sex and ambition when infinite 00:03:11.700 --> 00:03:18.500 joy is offered to us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:25.219 cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. And then get this, we are far too 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:35.680 easily pleased. And so into our all-too-easily-pleased world comes this loving invitation from Jesus 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:42.620 to come and embrace the most wonderful possibility that could ever be held out to us in life. 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:51.079 And remember that John 14, if you were here last week, this is all about assurance. Right? Jesus has 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:59.100 told his disciples that he's going. And the big question in their minds is how will we experience 00:03:59.100 --> 00:04:08.280 knowing him when he's not physically around? Or is what he's telling us effectively that it's time to 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:13.760 buy a photo frame, stick his photo in it, put it on the mantelpiece, and now life just becomes talking 00:04:13.760 --> 00:04:18.500 about the wonderful memories that we have of him. Sitting around drinking teas, I'm sure they did in the 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:23.759 first century saying, do you remember the time when? Do you remember the time when Jesus did that? 00:04:25.420 --> 00:04:32.579 Is that what life is now? But see Jesus comfort them at verse 18. And I think this is the key for this 00:04:32.579 --> 00:04:41.660 little section here. He says, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:56.760 And you ask yourself, how? Well, it's because of the one who Jesus says that presumably as he dies 00:04:56.760 --> 00:05:02.520 on the cross, he ascends to heaven and he's at the right hand of the Father, the one that he will ask 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:14.839 the Father, verse 16, to send. The Holy Spirit. So the third person of the Godhead. Remember our God, 00:05:14.919 --> 00:05:23.199 the God of the Bible, one God in three equal yet distinct persons. The God of the Bible is wonderfully 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:32.359 triune. And it's important to know that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force. 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:37.180 Okay. He's not some kind of divine red bull that gives you wings. 00:05:38.900 --> 00:05:44.740 Am I splitting theological hairs? Let me tell you why that matters. It matters two reasons. First of 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:51.100 all, because that's what the Bible says, talks about a he, but it also matters because this is all about 00:05:51.100 --> 00:06:00.420 a relationship with God, relationship with a person. Now the Greek word there is paraclete. Now some of 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:05.819 your versions, your translations might use different words there. If you've got it in front of you, you 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:15.800 might see the word helper or counselor or advocate. Let me just say they're all valid. I think the reason 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:23.500 is that there is no one English word that adequately captures everything that's contained in that Greek 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:32.439 word. But the word, the term is used to describe somebody who is sent and who comes alongside in 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:40.879 order to help. And notice there's another helper. This is going to be another Jesus as it were. 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:46.899 Now remember what we saw last week. We saw our mistakes won't jeopardize the future. 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:53.179 We saw that our limits won't hinder the mission. This is what Jesus was saying to his disciples. 00:06:53.639 --> 00:07:00.560 And this week, hear Jesus say that our frailty won't prevent his presence. 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:07.899 Now it was Charles Spurgeon, who was a famous preacher down in London in the early mid-18th century. 00:07:08.039 --> 00:07:13.179 He once did a kid's talk at his church and he said, children all gather around. So they gathered 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:20.060 and what he did is he got a basin of water and he put his hands in the basin and he was silent for 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:24.079 a minute. And then he turned to the kids and he said, kids, why am I drowning? 00:07:26.960 --> 00:07:30.620 And one little girl piped up in the front door and she said, you're not drowning because your head's 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:39.899 not in the water. And he said, precisely. Because if your head's okay, if your head's alive, the rest of 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:48.000 your body is alive. And that's what Jesus means, verse 19, when he says to his disciples, because 00:07:48.000 --> 00:08:00.759 I live, you also will live. He shares his life with his people. And that means that as weak as you 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:06.799 might be here feeling today, both physically, and I know the cold is doing the rounds at the minute, 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:15.639 okay, but also maybe how you're feeling inside. As broken as you might be, as weak as you might be, 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:23.879 as worried as you might be today, Jesus, our living head, has not left his people on their own. 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:29.560 Friends, he is not a savior who shortchanges his people. 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:39.639 And make no mistake, what is described in John 14 is nothing less than the greatest gift that the 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:45.000 crucified, risen, living and reigning Jesus has given to his people. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:51.639 Now, four things that Jesus wants us to know about the Holy Spirit, and we're going to rattle through 00:08:51.639 --> 00:09:02.580 these real quick. But they are so profound. Here's the first one. He inhabits us. So he's the one, 00:09:02.699 --> 00:09:10.419 verse 17, through whom, and get this, our three-in-one God comes to live in the very hearts of his people. 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:16.460 As we're going to think about in the weeks to come, about who he is, Emmanuel, he is God with us. 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:22.820 With the sending of the Spirit, this promise to be God with us, it kicks on to new levels. 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:25.320 Now, a little English lesson here. 00:09:27.540 --> 00:09:28.840 Notice the preposition. 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:34.660 Okay, remember the cat sat on the mat. That's the preposition, the on, right? 00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:40.440 Notice the preposition here. In the Old Testament, generally speaking, the Holy Spirit, 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:44.139 he comes on people to accomplish a certain job. 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:48.360 Think of Samson. It's a good example from the Old Testament. 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:55.740 But now, from the very moment that we believe, the very moment that we put our faith in Christ, 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:04.000 he comes to live in his people. 00:10:04.199 --> 00:10:08.620 So the Spirit, having opened our eyes to the truth of who Jesus is, 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:13.320 now resides in us, not as a casual dweller, 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:17.879 not as somebody who is there, and controversial this week, I know, 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:20.299 who's there on a short-term lease arrangement. 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:26.340 The Spirit comes as a permanent dweller into the lives of God's people. 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:29.419 He doesn't just have the keys. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:32.019 He doesn't just have access. 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:36.279 No, his name is on the title deeds of our lives. 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.919 Which means that if you are a Christian here today, 00:10:40.079 --> 00:10:43.639 you've got to hear Jesus say to us 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:47.379 that the most important thing about you today, 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.899 the most defining feature of your life right now, 00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:53.059 is not who you think you are, 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:54.840 how you think you're feeling, 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:58.079 or what you think you have on earth below. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:03.879 The most important thing about us is what Jesus says is true of us 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:05.960 in the heavenly places above. 00:11:08.520 --> 00:11:13.440 He has not left us as orphans. 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:17.080 We were meeting so many people in the States 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:19.180 when we were there a couple of, a year and a half ago, 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:21.220 who adopted. 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:26.040 The lady who took us in, the five of us, 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:28.759 for the five weeks that we were with them, 00:11:30.040 --> 00:11:32.720 adopted a girl from Romania, 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:34.500 a boy from Romania, rather. 00:11:35.420 --> 00:11:37.000 Remember she telling us about the process, 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:38.899 going all the way over to get him, 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:41.240 doing all the legal stuff, 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:42.600 bringing him all the way back, 00:11:42.660 --> 00:11:43.660 and in that moment, just, 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:47.279 his future completely changed. 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:50.120 Adopted into their family, 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:51.039 new home, 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:52.919 new way of living, 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:54.179 new customs. 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:56.720 Through his work on the cross, 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:00.480 we have been adopted into the very family of God 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:01.720 as sons and daughters. 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.899 The father didn't send the son to save us, 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:06.580 dear friends, 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.840 and then put us on probation period in the relationship, 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.100 saying, let's give it six months, 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:13.399 and we'll see how it goes. 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:15.620 Because where would any of us be 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:16.820 if that's what he had done? 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:21.520 Hear the definitive and decisive way 00:12:21.520 --> 00:12:25.020 which Jesus crafts the words of verse 23, 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.379 and we will come to them, 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:32.000 and we will make our home with them. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:33.360 And that's you today. 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:35.860 If your faith is in this Christ, 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.480 he lives in you by his spirit. 00:12:38.760 --> 00:12:41.320 I love this by a man called J.I. Packer, 00:12:41.380 --> 00:12:43.460 who went to be with the Lord a couple of years ago. 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:45.900 In his book, Knowing God, 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:46.580 he writes this, 00:12:46.660 --> 00:12:49.360 to be right with God the judge is a great thing, 00:12:49.920 --> 00:12:54.200 but to be loved and cared for by God the Father 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:57.120 is greater. 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:02.980 He inhabits us. 00:13:04.920 --> 00:13:07.480 And secondly, he enables us. 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:10.300 Jesus talks, verse 23, 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:11.200 do you see that there, 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.240 about obedience to him. 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:16.759 And so here is the equation. 00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:23.800 A spirit-filled believer equals a word-obeying believer. 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:29.879 And a word-obeying believer is a spirit-filled believer. 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:34.240 These two are like Sinatra's love and marriage. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.899 They go together like a horse in carriage. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.820 We don't obey to get his love. 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:44.480 No, salvation is not a I'll scratch your back 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.180 if you scratch mine kind of deal. 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:48.399 We are saved by grace. 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:52.500 Jesus is a savior who comes at us 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:54.100 with no strings attached. 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:58.879 We had no desire to want to obey Jesus 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:00.919 before the spirit invaded our lives. 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:03.919 But the spirit awakened in us 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:07.759 and created a desire to live for Jesus, 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:10.379 stemming from that deep love for Jesus 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:13.339 that he put in our hearts. 00:14:13.719 --> 00:14:15.240 And the spirit there, 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:16.179 dear friends, 00:14:16.319 --> 00:14:17.479 he is in the business. 00:14:17.699 --> 00:14:18.259 And I love this. 00:14:18.319 --> 00:14:19.399 I think it was Dallas Willard 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:20.459 who came up with this phrase. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:20.919 Love it. 00:14:22.459 --> 00:14:24.839 He's in the business of renovating our hearts. 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:28.599 Just think of it, 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:29.779 and this is how I like to think of it. 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:31.699 I'm a simple person. 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:32.659 Think of it like 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:36.000 one of those home makeover shows. 00:14:38.459 --> 00:14:39.799 I mean, when we first got married, 00:14:39.899 --> 00:14:40.720 we loved nothing better 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:42.500 than to watch Homes Under the Hammer together. 00:14:44.379 --> 00:14:45.240 You know what it is? 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:47.259 People of my generation do this all the time. 00:14:47.319 --> 00:14:49.240 They buy the doer upper. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:53.460 This is what goes on in this show. 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:56.220 Somebody buys at auction the doer upper 00:14:56.220 --> 00:14:57.759 and the camera pans to the presenter 00:14:57.759 --> 00:14:59.220 interviewing them in their new home. 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:00.159 And they honestly say, 00:15:00.259 --> 00:15:01.779 what on earth did you see in this? 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:03.899 What did you see? 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:04.899 What were you thinking? 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:06.639 What's the plan? 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:09.399 And the person who bought the property, 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:10.680 the new owner tells them, 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:11.840 we're going to strip off the wallpaper. 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:13.360 We're taking the sink out. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:15.039 New towels in the bathroom. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:16.560 We're knocking down the stud wall, 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:17.899 patio in the garden. 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:20.319 And we've got plans for this. 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:21.579 I know you can't see them. 00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:22.919 I know you think we're crazy, 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:24.539 but we've got plans for this. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:29.039 Friends, God's blueprint for our lives, 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:31.179 and this is his will for our lives, 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:36.459 is that we would become more like Jesus. 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:39.779 More like him. 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:42.100 It's a question that we started asking ourselves 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:43.579 as a staff team on a Monday 00:15:43.579 --> 00:15:46.720 when we debriefed last week. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:48.639 Now, previously, a couple of years ago, 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:50.160 the question we used to say was, 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:51.759 what did we do last week? 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:55.180 And it's been so helpful for us 00:15:55.180 --> 00:15:57.300 just to flip it around and say, 00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:01.540 where did we see God's grace at work last week? 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:06.259 Where did we see the evidence of the Spirit working? 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.040 And the things that we come out with are 00:16:09.040 --> 00:16:11.340 that I was chatting to that person, 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:12.800 and I heard them speak, 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:13.399 and do you know what? 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:16.759 They were not speaking like that six months ago. 00:16:16.959 --> 00:16:18.639 That person, I heard about that decision 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:19.500 they made this week, 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:20.979 and they were not thinking like that 00:16:20.979 --> 00:16:23.699 six months to a year ago. 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.000 Dear friends, I see the Spirit at work in you, 00:16:27.219 --> 00:16:28.419 and the things that you think 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:30.879 don't make that much of a difference in your life, 00:16:30.959 --> 00:16:32.459 the decisions that you're making, 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:34.419 the way that you want to live. 00:16:34.419 --> 00:16:37.559 I'm trying not to name to embarrass people, 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:39.159 but we see it in you. 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:40.740 See it in you. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:41.899 The ways that some of you come up 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:43.819 and ask for prayer after the service, 00:16:44.199 --> 00:16:46.219 even in our growth group this week, 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:48.719 the prayer points that people were coming out with, 00:16:49.599 --> 00:16:51.679 the Spirit is at work in us. 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:55.500 You see, that is the matrix 00:16:55.500 --> 00:17:00.179 by which we need to assess growth in this church. 00:17:00.179 --> 00:17:01.519 And the problem is, I think, 00:17:01.599 --> 00:17:04.659 that so often we're impatient to see the results. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.460 It's the world that we live in, isn't it? 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:08.899 You know, according to research, 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:12.039 the average person waits five seconds 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:13.799 for a website to load on the computer 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:15.039 before they call it quits. 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:20.879 We want to be able to microwave Christ-likeness. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:22.579 Let me just say God is in no rush. 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:25.179 It doesn't work to our timetable. 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:29.960 His purposes and plans are so much bigger 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:31.299 and better than that. 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:36.019 And he does it through what we so often wrongly categorize 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:39.120 as the mundane things of our everyday lives. 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:43.380 Changing nappies, being a friend, 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:46.700 the mistakes that we make and how we respond to them, 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:47.920 your witness at work, 00:17:48.120 --> 00:17:50.660 all of these are in fact the crucible 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:53.580 for character building. 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:56.000 You know, God is, 00:17:56.059 --> 00:17:57.779 and I'm sure John Piper said this years ago, 00:17:57.919 --> 00:18:00.740 God is up to a thousand different things 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:02.379 in our lives right now, 00:18:02.439 --> 00:18:03.579 according to this purpose. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:06.460 And we're probably aware of one of them. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.179 He has got us right where he wants us. 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:12.659 He is teaching us the exact things 00:18:12.659 --> 00:18:14.720 that we need to learn in this stage of life 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.299 that we're at. 00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:16.899 And see, when you see it like that, 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:19.839 repentance, being convicted 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:21.939 that how we acted in that moment 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:24.320 or how we're living in this moment isn't right, 00:18:24.860 --> 00:18:28.019 friends, that is not so much God outing us 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:32.940 as it is God wanting to redeem us. 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:37.279 What wonderful grace when his spirit in us 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:39.820 convicts us of a wrong way of living, 00:18:39.900 --> 00:18:41.539 a wrong pattern of behavior, 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.840 and just draws us back to the person and work of Jesus. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:46.340 That is incredible grace. 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:50.000 Let me just ask you a couple of questions 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:51.199 I asked myself this week. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:55.240 Is there a way that you're not being obedient 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:57.079 to Jesus right now in your life? 00:19:00.439 --> 00:19:03.019 What one area of your character 00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:05.919 would you love to change? 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:11.199 You know, is there unforgiveness 00:19:11.199 --> 00:19:12.639 that's lurking in your heart, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.620 and you know what Jesus has called you to do, 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:17.340 but just the possibility of that 00:19:17.340 --> 00:19:19.460 just seems so distant 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:21.759 and so far above what you can do in your own. 00:19:21.820 --> 00:19:23.240 Let me just say, dear friends, 00:19:24.120 --> 00:19:26.520 don't underestimate the spirit. 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:30.880 Maybe today would be the start of that road 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:31.540 where you go, 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:33.520 no, Lord, I want to change. 00:19:33.860 --> 00:19:35.440 Think about it like this, okay? 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:36.480 Again, I'm simple. 00:19:36.560 --> 00:19:37.700 This is how I think about it. 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:39.819 If you imagine the old us, 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:42.660 the flesh over here, 00:19:43.840 --> 00:19:47.620 and Jesus and his ways over here. 00:19:48.860 --> 00:19:50.380 Everything in my heart, 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:51.440 the old me, 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:53.740 wants to go that way. 00:19:55.100 --> 00:19:56.700 But what the spirit does 00:19:56.700 --> 00:19:58.880 is he puts the desires in our heart 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:00.759 to go that way. 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:04.380 And if you're in the fight of faith right now, 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:06.600 if you're struggling in the battle, 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:09.799 know that that is not a sign of failure. 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:13.559 That is a sign of the spirit at work in you. 00:20:13.659 --> 00:20:15.219 That is a sign of faith. 00:20:16.939 --> 00:20:18.480 And so can I urge you to go 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:19.799 with the grain of the spirit, 00:20:20.139 --> 00:20:21.619 walk in step with the spirit. 00:20:21.699 --> 00:20:23.619 If he's put something on your heart 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:25.419 that needs to change, 00:20:26.959 --> 00:20:29.519 because do you see how much obedience 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:30.779 means to Jesus? 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:34.519 And it is us regaining our humanity 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.639 when we go towards him 00:20:36.639 --> 00:20:39.899 and not towards ourselves. 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:45.180 Obedience is the visible expression 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:49.160 of that spirit-inspired, invisible faith. 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:51.299 Some of you might remember that old hymn 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:52.519 by William Cowper, 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:55.480 Oh, for a closer walk with God. 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:55.899 I love it. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:58.160 It's just got that chorus in it. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:01.060 The dearest idol I have known, 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:02.620 whatever that idol be, 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:06.100 help me to tear it from thy throne 00:21:06.100 --> 00:21:08.380 and worship only thee. 00:21:09.600 --> 00:21:13.660 The spirit, he enables us. 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:18.440 And thirdly, he teaches us, verse 26. 00:21:18.540 --> 00:21:21.259 And this was a promise first made to the disciples. 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:22.540 We have to understand 00:21:22.540 --> 00:21:25.380 that the spirit will help them 00:21:25.380 --> 00:21:27.400 not just to recall the facts, 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.520 but to understand 00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:32.480 the spiritual significance of the facts 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.040 as they remember who Jesus is. 00:21:35.360 --> 00:21:36.760 It's why it's right for us 00:21:36.760 --> 00:21:38.080 to refer to our Bibles 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:40.160 as being spirit-inspired. 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:43.520 As God spoke by his spirit 00:21:43.520 --> 00:21:44.640 through human beings. 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:45.660 Just think about it like 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:48.080 wind in the sails of a boat. 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:52.379 But it's also got a huge application 00:21:52.379 --> 00:21:53.220 for us today. 00:21:53.339 --> 00:21:54.799 Do you know a great prayer to pray 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:56.599 as you pick up your Bible in the morning 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:59.059 is to pray, 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:01.139 Dear Holy Spirit, 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:02.819 residing in me, 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:05.679 take this word that you inspired 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:07.539 and illuminate its meaning to me. 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:12.960 Show me Christ. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.460 Now, just think of his work 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:15.159 like the sun 00:22:15.159 --> 00:22:17.059 when it hits a stained glass window. 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:19.700 You know, when there's no light, 00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:21.899 you can't really make anything out 00:22:21.899 --> 00:22:24.559 of the design and the color 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.159 and the way that it's been put together. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:27.500 But see, when the sun is shining 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:28.399 right through it, 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:30.799 boy, is it beautiful. 00:22:33.159 --> 00:22:37.000 The spirit, he teaches us. 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:40.259 He illuminates God's word to us. 00:22:40.619 --> 00:22:41.539 And fourthly, 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:44.379 he assures us. 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:45.579 Look at what Jesus says 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:46.619 at verse 27 00:22:46.619 --> 00:22:48.240 and hear these words 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.899 in our world today. 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:55.059 You know, the world can wish peace. 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:57.279 The world can hope for peace. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:59.000 But only Jesus, dear friends, 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:00.159 can give peace. 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:04.039 Where do you look to for peace? 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:07.980 And I take it Jesus is talking there 00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:10.000 not about just the calm in the world. 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:11.379 He's talking about inner peace, 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:12.000 I take it. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:13.159 The one that knows 00:23:13.159 --> 00:23:14.339 that we're right with God 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:16.519 and that he's for us as our father. 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:18.019 He's got us. 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:18.740 He holds us. 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:19.460 He loves us. 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:20.319 He knows us. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.619 Where do you look to for your peace? 00:23:25.399 --> 00:23:26.539 You know, here's how so often 00:23:26.539 --> 00:23:27.839 it works out in my life. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:29.940 And I wonder if you're the same. 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:31.840 What was the devil's line 00:23:31.840 --> 00:23:33.759 in the Garden of Eden 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.820 in Genesis 3? 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:37.480 Did God really see? 00:23:39.360 --> 00:23:41.400 And it's almost as if nothing's changed. 00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:43.900 That is his play. 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:45.920 How often does that line 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:46.940 slip into my mind 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:48.140 so often in life? 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:49.259 You've blown it this time. 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:51.779 See you, 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:52.840 if they only knew 00:23:52.840 --> 00:23:55.080 what goes on in your mind at times, 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.860 if they only knew, 00:23:57.859 --> 00:24:00.419 did God really say 00:24:00.419 --> 00:24:01.439 that you can be forgiven? 00:24:02.479 --> 00:24:03.919 Did God really say 00:24:03.919 --> 00:24:04.859 that he loves you? 00:24:05.879 --> 00:24:07.359 Did God really say 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:08.039 that you've got 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:09.959 any kind of hope for tomorrow? 00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:11.219 Did God really say 00:24:11.219 --> 00:24:12.699 that he was going to build his church 00:24:12.699 --> 00:24:13.599 and the gates of hell 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:17.399 would not prevail against it? 00:24:20.019 --> 00:24:21.359 And it's the spirit almost 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.619 who jumps in at that point. 00:24:22.719 --> 00:24:24.059 And it's why some of our translations 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:26.659 run with that word advocate. 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:30.519 Because this is a legal term. 00:24:32.059 --> 00:24:32.699 Have you ever watched 00:24:32.699 --> 00:24:34.519 one of those courtroom dramas, right? 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:35.379 I used to love them 00:24:35.379 --> 00:24:37.240 back in the day 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:38.339 when I was training 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:39.039 to be a lawyer. 00:24:39.159 --> 00:24:40.199 It's what the defense lawyer 00:24:40.199 --> 00:24:40.959 always says. 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:42.659 Objection, my Lord. 00:24:43.179 --> 00:24:43.539 Objection. 00:24:44.919 --> 00:24:45.279 Objection. 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:46.079 What they are saying 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:47.500 is not true. 00:24:47.919 --> 00:24:48.179 And do you know 00:24:48.179 --> 00:24:49.879 the grounds for me objecting? 00:24:52.179 --> 00:24:53.259 It's almost like the spirit, 00:24:53.459 --> 00:24:54.139 he just at that point 00:24:54.139 --> 00:24:55.219 just spotlights Jesus. 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:58.319 He is my grounds 00:24:58.319 --> 00:24:59.880 for objecting. 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:02.620 Jesus at the right hand 00:25:02.620 --> 00:25:03.299 of the Father 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:04.940 as our great saviour, 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:06.319 as our great priest, 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:08.860 as the one who intercedes for us. 00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:09.640 And here's what I want 00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:11.480 you to know today. 00:25:12.620 --> 00:25:13.880 That there is never 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:15.680 a moment when he isn't 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:16.920 on our side 00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:20.319 as an ever-present reminder 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:21.220 in the place 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:22.319 of all power 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:23.119 in heaven. 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:26.000 That everything possible, 00:25:26.299 --> 00:25:27.119 everything needed 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:28.000 has been done 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:29.359 for you and I 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:30.059 to be brought 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:31.899 into the very family 00:25:31.899 --> 00:25:32.759 of God. 00:25:35.419 --> 00:25:36.599 The spirit, 00:25:36.779 --> 00:25:37.939 he inhabits us, 00:25:38.439 --> 00:25:39.819 he enables us, 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:41.879 he teaches us, 00:25:42.439 --> 00:25:44.159 and he assures us. 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:47.580 And just as we close, 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:47.820 maybe, 00:25:48.340 --> 00:25:48.880 let me tell you 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:49.660 how this has played out 00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:50.519 for me this week. 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:54.100 So our youngest daughter, 00:25:54.300 --> 00:25:54.580 Eve, 00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:57.600 she did it again 00:25:57.600 --> 00:25:58.060 this morning. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:59.200 Most days she runs up 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:00.140 to us and she says 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:01.420 with a book in her hands, 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:03.019 she says, 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:03.980 Peppa story. 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:06.480 Peppa story. 00:26:07.580 --> 00:26:08.560 So she wants me 00:26:08.560 --> 00:26:09.500 to read Peppa Pig 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:09.920 to her. 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:12.080 Peppa story, 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:12.400 dad, 00:26:12.600 --> 00:26:13.140 Peppa story. 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:13.860 And so you're there, 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:14.960 you're reading it 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:17.920 and you have no idea 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:18.860 whether she understands 00:26:18.860 --> 00:26:19.400 it or not. 00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:21.380 But without fail, 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:22.360 you'll get to the end 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:23.040 and she'll say, 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:23.860 daddy again, 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:25.700 daddy again. 00:26:27.020 --> 00:26:27.700 And you know 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:28.100 you've read it 00:26:28.100 --> 00:26:28.720 too many times 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:29.220 when you start 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:30.320 overanalyzing things 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:30.840 in the plot 00:26:30.840 --> 00:26:31.740 of a kid's story. 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:32.640 Yeah. 00:26:34.280 --> 00:26:34.940 You're thinking 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:35.320 about how 00:26:35.320 --> 00:26:36.800 daddy pig 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:37.259 needs to stop 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:37.940 being so harsh. 00:26:38.080 --> 00:26:38.280 Anyway, 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:41.360 the next morning, 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:43.579 I'm sitting there 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:44.119 with my Bible 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:45.979 and I'm tired 00:26:45.979 --> 00:26:46.779 and I'm weary 00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:51.479 and I'm worried. 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:53.740 I'm sitting there 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.719 with my Bible open 00:26:54.719 --> 00:26:55.559 and it strikes me 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:56.319 that the relationship 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:57.500 has completely flipped. 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.159 And I'm Eve 00:27:00.159 --> 00:27:02.199 sitting there 00:27:02.199 --> 00:27:03.299 with my Bible open. 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:05.139 I'm the child 00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:08.240 and I'm sitting there 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.119 saying to my father, 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:09.159 father, 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:10.939 tell me again. 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:15.459 Tell me the gospel again. 00:27:17.199 --> 00:27:18.319 Tell me it's true. 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:19.959 I don't understand it. 00:27:20.379 --> 00:27:21.479 Things in John 14 00:27:21.479 --> 00:27:22.559 that should blow our minds 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:23.479 will never get 00:27:23.479 --> 00:27:24.099 to the bottom 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:25.739 of the magnificence of it. 00:27:26.979 --> 00:27:27.459 But father, 00:27:27.579 --> 00:27:28.279 tell me again. 00:27:28.399 --> 00:27:28.579 Dad, 00:27:28.659 --> 00:27:29.319 tell me again. 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.539 Tell me that I'm loved. 00:27:32.639 --> 00:27:34.059 Can I really be forgiven? 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:35.459 Is your love for me 00:27:35.459 --> 00:27:36.119 truly unconditional? 00:27:37.019 --> 00:27:38.799 Is it really based on grace? 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:41.979 Are you really at work today 00:27:41.979 --> 00:27:42.879 in the mundaneness 00:27:42.879 --> 00:27:43.639 of my life? 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:45.000 Do you really have 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:45.959 good works prepared 00:27:45.959 --> 00:27:46.799 in advance for me 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:47.619 to do in walking? 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:49.459 Am I really in the right place 00:27:49.459 --> 00:27:50.079 where I should be 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:51.399 right now in my life? 00:27:51.739 --> 00:27:51.959 Lord, 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:52.719 how do I know 00:27:52.719 --> 00:27:54.039 what the future holds? 00:27:54.879 --> 00:27:56.359 Are you really with me? 00:27:56.359 --> 00:28:01.439 And it's almost as if 00:28:01.439 --> 00:28:03.059 at that point 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:04.139 the Spirit brings 00:28:04.139 --> 00:28:05.259 that wonderful knowledge 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:05.759 of Jesus 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:08.779 and says, 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:09.259 my son, 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:10.799 the answer to all your questions, 00:28:11.179 --> 00:28:13.279 I know you don't understand it. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.500 I know you've got 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.259 things going on. 00:28:15.479 --> 00:28:16.799 The answer to your questions, 00:28:17.639 --> 00:28:18.379 look at him 00:28:18.379 --> 00:28:20.500 and see that they're yes. 00:28:20.500 --> 00:28:24.279 He has not left us 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:24.900 as orphans. 00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:26.240 He has come to us 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:26.759 in the Spirit. 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:29.180 And that would seem 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:30.160 just a really good place 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:30.700 to stop 00:28:30.700 --> 00:28:32.859 and just to pray. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:34.339 And so here's what 00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:35.000 I want you to do. 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:36.140 I just want us to be silent 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:36.680 for a minute 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:39.259 and know that everything 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:40.799 that we have read 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:42.000 this morning is true 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.700 and bring your prayers 00:28:44.700 --> 00:28:46.240 and your honest 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:47.640 thoughts 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:48.900 and ambitions 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:50.940 and worries 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:52.140 to your heavenly Father 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:53.519 and know that he cares for you. 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:54.160 And then we're going to pray 00:28:54.160 --> 00:28:54.700 to close. 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:05.579 So Father, 00:29:05.660 --> 00:29:06.539 I thank you, Lord, 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:07.779 for your commitment to us. 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:11.319 And Father, 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:12.500 we just pray 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:13.579 particularly this morning 00:29:13.579 --> 00:29:14.379 for those, Lord, 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:15.679 who are perhaps 00:29:15.679 --> 00:29:17.700 hearing the whisper 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:18.799 from the evil one. 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:22.119 Did God really say? 00:29:25.679 --> 00:29:26.339 And Father, 00:29:26.419 --> 00:29:27.480 I pray that you would 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:28.299 help us to know 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:29.419 the answer to that 00:29:29.419 --> 00:29:31.460 is that yes, 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:33.179 our Father really did say. 00:29:34.659 --> 00:29:36.079 And we thank you, Lord, 00:29:36.139 --> 00:29:37.099 that you've not left us 00:29:37.099 --> 00:29:37.519 this morning. 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:38.579 And I pray that your Spirit 00:29:38.579 --> 00:29:39.240 would be at work 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:40.480 in our hearts right now 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:42.740 in ways, Lord, 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:43.860 that many of us 00:29:43.860 --> 00:29:45.140 won't be aware of, 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:46.360 the hurts and the pains 00:29:46.360 --> 00:29:48.240 and the worries 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:50.180 that are carried 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:51.019 in this room. 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:51.400 And Father, 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:52.599 I pray that you would 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:53.299 be at work 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:54.640 in the deepest places 00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:55.599 of our hearts, 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:58.740 bringing that knowledge 00:29:58.740 --> 00:30:00.519 of the glory 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:01.740 and the beauty 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:02.299 of Jesus. 00:30:03.360 --> 00:30:04.539 And so it's to him 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:05.500 that we look today 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:07.680 and we pray these things 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.619 in Jesus' name. 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:09.640 Amen.