 Let's open our Bibles together to the Gospel of John. We're in John chapter 16. We're gonna continue our series here in John's Gospel by looking at verses 25 through 33. And as already has been mentioned, we welcome you who are online. It's good to have you with us. And hopefully one day you'll be able to be back with us. And we realize there are a number of states and even other nations that are tuning in right now. And we welcome you also. Today we're gonna be looking at chapter 16. Let me begin a reading at verse 25. And I'll read to the conclusion to verse 33. And we'll get into our study. So beginning at John chapter 16, verse 25. Jesus said, these things I have spoken to you in figurative language. But the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language. But I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you because you've loved me. And have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. As the disciples said to him, see, now you are speaking plainly and using no figure of speech. Now we are sure that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. By this we believe that you came forth from God. Jesus answered them. Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone. And yet I'm not alone because the Father's with me. These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace in the world. You will have tribulation, but be a good share. I have overcome the world. There's one of those promises that you can put in your promise box. In the world you're gonna have tribulation. I wonder how many of us would be rejoicing in the morning when we pull out our promises from our verses of promises. In the words you're gonna have tribulation and say, oh my goodness, you know, I got the wrong promise. This is for my wife. Why am I looking at this? But we'll be looking at that today. We're gonna be looking at this passage. And so let's begin. Let me give you a bit of a context in order that we might be able to see these scriptures and understand what Jesus is saying. We know that this teaching takes place in the last night that Jesus is going to be with his disciples. And on that last night, he's been sharing with them things that related to events that were soon to occur. And he begins here by saying these things I have spoken to you. Notice these things I have spoken to you in figurative language. Now when you go through your Bible, you're gonna note that Jesus very often used what we call figurative speech. Sometimes he would tell a story. Sometimes he would give a parable. He would use these images. He would use these figures to convey truth to his followers. It's interesting when you read your Bible, very often as you're reading it, especially the New Testament, especially the words of Christ, it's interesting that when you look to see how many sermons he actually gave. Sermons that when you look at the passage, you know that this is a preaching. For example, the sermon on the mount. Or when you see the sermon that's very similar to it, but is referred to as the sermon on the plane or when you see him giving different teachings that he gives related to doctrine, it's really not that often that you see him doing that. You see him very often though using illustrations. Because by the using of figures, by the using of illustrations, you're connecting with the people in a different way. Yes, you give doctrine. Yes, you give essential truths and Jesus did that. But very often in his teaching, he would speak to them and give them a story. And a lot of preachers have learned that. A lot of the teachers of the word have learned that. You give doctrine, give doctrine, give doctrine. And then sometimes you break to a story. A lot of preachers have discovered that because as we give doctrine, it is something that the mind is beginning to receive, then you use a story to illustrate it. And Jesus is speaking here and he uses figurative speech very often. And that's why he's saying these things I've spoken to you in figurative speech and illustrations. And the things he's talking about are things that are recent, just things he was saying just that night. Remember when, for example, when we were in John chapter 15, remember how Jesus in that chapter used an illustration of a vine and a vine dresser. In chapter 16, verse 16, he said a little while and you will not see me again a little while and you will see me because I go to the Father. He was using an illustrative speech and what that was doing was causing them to question and to wonder what he was speaking of. In the same chapter again in verse 21, he spoke of a woman in labor and so he uses illustrations very often. Now these were things that would cause him confusion and this is what made them want some answers. Remember in verse 18 of chapter 16, they said therefore what is this he says a little while, we don't know what he's saying. So he's been using illustrations, he's been teaching them in that way but now they want him to speak plainly to them and here he begins to do so. Now he doesn't intend to confuse, he intends to instruct. And the mysterious things that he's been saying are actually what would be called advanced teaching. He's giving them what is called spiritual meat. As a believer you get saved and God will feed you his word and it's called milk. It's the milk of the word. And as you mature in the things of the Lord, there are other words to describe deeper things. So the elemental things, the basic things are called milk but the deeper things are called the meat of the word. And so what Jesus is about to do here is give what is called the meat of the word or deeper things. He's giving them advanced teaching, spiritual meat. It just doesn't dawn on them. It reminds me of what you read in the writings of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter three, verse two, when he said it like this, he said I gave you milk, not solid food. I gave you milk, not meat. For you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. Anybody here who has had a baby in your little one or even if you're an uncle or an aunt or just a friend of somebody who gave birth, you know that when the baby is born you don't give them a porter house. You give them milk. Why, because they're not ready for meat. Well, there's a spiritual truth to that also because you have to advance from the milk to get to the meat. And these men have been with Christ for three years and he's giving them more advanced teaching because they're getting and now ready for the things that he has to share with them. When you read the book of Hebrews in chapter five, verse 13 and 14, the writer says, anyone who lives on milk being still an infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Solid food is for the mature who by contrast use have trained themselves to distinguish good. By constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. And so he's giving them the meat of the word. And so he says, verse 25, the time is coming when I'll no longer speak to you in figurative language. I will tell you plainly about the father. So he wants to communicate substance. He wants them to grow up. By the way, that's the desire of every teacher of God's word is for the church for us all to continue to grow. It's the desire of every teacher of the word of God for those who attend Bible studies and our followers of Christ who are part of the church, are members of the church. We want our people to grow. The Bible says in 1 Peter chapter two, verse two, as a newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. You see some seem to be content remaining immature in faith. Through a lack of hunger for the Lord, they remain undeveloped as believers. One of the ways that my wife and I knew that our children were not doing well, were not feeling well is when they lost their appetite. You know, because as nursing babies and all, they desired the milk of their mama. But when they weren't well or hungry, we knew there was something wrong. It's true also in your spiritual life. When you have no hunger for the things of the Lord, no hunger for His word, there's really something wrong with your spiritual life because life demands feeding. And so every pastor wants to see the church mature beyond the basics, the rudimentary things and wants to see that the members of that church have a spiritual hunger because some simply are content to remain immature. But Jesus desires to give them meat because He wants them to grow in their understanding. And He desires to communicate deeper truth. But He's also aware of their limitations. You see, they're not yet ready for the deeper things that one day they will understand. You see, the Holy Spirit is going to be sent to them that they may understand His speech. And in that day, they're going to understand the deep things of the Lord. They're going to understand within their spirit the things that He taught them. Remember He had said in chapter 16, verse 12 and 13, He had said, I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now. But He went on to say, however, when the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will tell you things to come. And so Jesus knew that there would be a time coming and it was soon the Spirit would arrive, it would baptize them. They were going to grow and understand Him and understand the deeper things of the Lord and He was looking forward to that. And He says in verse 26, in that day, you'll ask in my name and I do not say that you, say to you that I shall pray the Father for you. So in that day, after His resurrection, after His ascension, they're going to begin to pray as He has taught them to. They're going to learn to approach the throne of God through Jesus Christ and they're going to pray in His name. They're going to be submitted to His will. They're going to pray as the Spirit leads them and the Spirit will lead them to pray according to His will. And that's going to give them confidence that what they pray for, they're going to receive. Remember He had said in verse 24 of this chapter until now, you've asked nothing in my name, ask and you will receive that your joy may be full and the Holy Spirit is filling you and moving within you and you're praying according to my will, you're going to have a confidence that God is going to answer your prayer. You're going to have that sense, you're going to pray in His name, the Spirit will lead you. Now asking in Jesus' name, I said this to you recently, I'll just repeat it briefly, is not some way to enlist His support to get what we want. There are people sometimes who will say things and they'll say in the name of Jesus as if that's magic formula to get what you want. Asking in His name is praying on the basis of the work He performed for our salvation. Asking in His name is recognizing who He is and what He has done. And asking in His name is speaking of His authority, we speak according to His authority and so Lord, Father in Jesus' name I ask you this, based on the merits of your son, based on the work that He has done, based on His word that He's given to me, based on the Holy Spirit that has inspired and empowered me, based on these things, knowing what He has given to me, knowing His word, I pray according to your will and I do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Now notice in verse 26, He says, I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you. Now He's not saying that He will never intercede with the Father on their behalf because that's part of what the Bible refers to as His priestly role. When you read the book of Hebrews in chapter four, verses 14 through 16, the writer says, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed from the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus acts as our mediator, Jesus is our high priest, we go to God through Him. That's why it says in Hebrews 7.25 that He's able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them. And so what is He doing here? And I'm laying foundations for you as we get into our study. Well, as He is speaking, He's giving them a clear understanding of who God is. They may think that He, Jesus, has to persuade the Father to answer their prayers. They may think that Jesus is more loving and merciful than God the Father, but that's not true. God is open and willing to hear their prayers. This He makes sure they understand with the following words. Notice verse 27, for the Father Himself loves you because you're so cute. No, for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God. God loves you because you love me. We love the Son and the Father loves us. I don't wanna minimize this with a human illustration, but I'm going to. Maybe, I wonder how many parents I have in here who would agree with what I'm about to say. If you don't agree, that's okay. Just close your eyes. I've discovered something. I've discovered something very basic and very simple. I've discovered that if you love my kid, I'll love you. You love my kid? I'm gonna love you. Why? Because I love my kid. And if you love my son, you love my daughter, I'm gonna love you too. I'm gonna love you because you love my child. That's gonna draw my heart to you because what is dear to me is dear to you. And because my son or my daughter is dear to me and you show appreciation for them and you love them. I'm gonna love you too. I cannot help but think that what Jesus is saying has similarity to that. The Father loves you. Why? He just said it. Because you love me. You love me. And because you love me. That's what draws his love to you. You see, God loves you. Now, he doesn't love your sin. There are a lot of people who think that he loves them sin and all. No, he hates the sin. We need to always remember that. It isn't some cute little thing that he kinda smiles and says, oh, look, look at my cute little child down there lying. Isn't that sweet? No, he doesn't do that. He hates sin. He hates it so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to die in a cross to set us free from its bondage. He hates it that much. A lot of times as we sing our songs, we speak about the amazing love of God. Now that God so loved us that he sent his son, Jesus Christ. And it's a demonstration of the great love God has for as he demonstrated his love toward us. Paul says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Love is demonstrated. God demonstrated it. Though I was still hostile, I was in opposition. I was still in sin. Well, he sinned his son and Jesus Christ died for me. So yes, the love of God is what provoked him to send his son so that he might ransom, that he might redeem us. So love took Jesus to the cross. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The nails didn't keep him on that cross. God's love did. But it wasn't just love that we see on the cross. We also see justice because God hates sin and sin makes separation. And because sin makes separation between you and God, God did something about it. Because if he did not send his son to die in a cross to pay the penalty for your sin, then you will pay the penalty yourself. So the love of God is what provokes him to send his son. The justice of God plays him on a cross. And so love and justice combined are demonstrated there on that cross. And when you have an appreciation for the love God has for you, demonstrated by the death of his son, and when you fall in love with Jesus Christ, who gave his life for you, that causes the father to love you too. Because you understood why he sent his son. And so Jesus is making it very simple and very clear. Father loves you, he said in verse 27, because you've loved me and have believed that I came forth from God. He loves you because you have loved me. In John 14, 23, Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he'll keep my word and my father will love him. And we will come to him and make our home with him. So the ability to understand and receive the love of the Father is based on knowing Jesus because Jesus revealed the Father to us. He's saying, because of your relationship with me, God loves you. Interesting that he chooses here to use the Greek word phileo. For those of you who might be interested, there are different Greek words that you find in scripture that are translated by the single word love in English. And one of the words that it's used to be translated for love is the Greek word phileo. It speaks of a friendship love, a companion love. The love that God has for us is also described as agape for us. So God has an agape love, but he also has a phileo love. And so when he's speaking concerning this love, he's saying that God will love you in a deep and personal and even a friendly way. And it's their love for Jesus that wins the Father's love for them. And God loves him. And he doesn't have to have his arm twisted to bless them. My daughter Anna went yesterday to buy me a cup of coffee because my wife neglected me. And so Anna came into my room and she said, Dad, would you like a cup of coffee? And I said, you know, I would. She says, I'll go get you. And so I took out my wallet. I don't expect her to buy me coffee. And I gave her some money. I said, get yourself something if you want because you're going to buy me coffee. Get yourself something if you want, which she doesn't. So later on she's speaking to me. She gives me change. And I noticed that change is a little light. Something she's pocketing my money. So later on she talks to me and she says to me, my granddaughter's name is Zoe. She said, Dad, oh, you might want to know why I didn't give you the amount of change you would have expected. I said, oh, and she says, yeah. She goes, well, it's because while I was there, Zoe wanted some cookies. And so she said, okay. So she used my money to buy Zoe some cookies. But then Zoe said to her, Papa wouldn't mind if I got some more. And Anna bought her more. See, do you mind doing that for your kids? I don't mind doing that. I don't mind, you know, because it's an act of love. It's an act of blessing them and caring about them. And the Lord provides for us. And it isn't a hard thing for him to do. And I don't have to twist his arm to bless me. I don't have to try really hard to make him like me. He already does. He loves me. I don't know why, but he does. He chose to. He does it through Jesus. Jesus said, this is why. He loves you because you love me. And so I don't have to twist God's arm and beg him. I don't have to do a lot of difficult things to try and get his attention. All I have to do is just whimper out his name. Father, daddy, Papa, whatever you call him. Help me, help me. Because even as a wicked father, my ear has always been attuned to the voice of my children. And even to this day, my ears are attuned to the voice of my grandchildren. And my staff can tell you that. I'll be in a staff meeting and this happens all the time. I'll stop for a second because I heard a voice. And it'll be one of my grandkids who's destroying something onto church grounds. But I recognize that voice. I recognize that like you do. I hear the sound and I recognize it. That's my grandson. That's my granddaughter. Or I hear a voice. That's my daughter. That's my son. My ear is attuned to their cry. And God's ear is attuned to yours. Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. God invites us to call unto him. And on the basis of Jesus Christ the son, I come to the father. And I love the son. And so I speak to him and I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. And as I do, then my joy will be full and I honor the Lord. And the Lord loves me because I have loved Jesus Christ and I have believed that he came forth from God. That's what he's saying here. In Zephaniah chapter three verse 17, an Old Testament book. The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. The father loves you. He says because you've loved me and you believe that I came from him. So that's our basis of relationship with God. That's their basis also. Jesus came forth from God. In John one verses 11 and 12, John said it like this. He said he came to his own. His own didn't receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. So if you're taking notes, you might wanna remember God loves you and God wants to answer your prayer. And God wants to bless you because he loves you. In Psalm 84 verse 11, the Lord God is a son in shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk up brightly. In Romans 8, 32, he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things. Notice again, Jesus said you have loved me and believed that I came forth from God. Now I want you to see this. This is an interesting connection between belief and love. In this verse, Jesus spoke of their love and then he spoke of their belief. So it would seem that their love for him drove their belief in who he was and what he said. In John 14, 15, if you love me, keep my commandments. Why do you obey him and resist sin because you love him and because you believe him? See, there's a connection here. I should I obey the Lord? Well, I obey the Lord because I love him. Why do I believe in the Lord? Because he loves me and I love him. If there's a love relationship between the Lord and me, and I know that sounds odd, even as I say that, I say to myself, that's kind of an odd sound. There's a love relationship between God and me. We're not dating or anything like that. It's the idea of having a connection with God that is deep. It's the idea of loving him. And when you love him, you trust him. And when you're trusting him, you're actually believing him. And I discovered that even in natural relationships, in marriage, that my love for my wife is a foundation of why I believe her. I love her and she wouldn't lie to me. I love her and she'll always be faithful to me. I love her and she wants to bless me. I love her and she'll never, never forsake me. I love her and I believe her because I love her. Whatever she says to me, because I love her, I'm open to believing what she says. Love believes all things. And so you love the Lord. And when you love the Lord, then his word to you is more conversational, it's more practical, it's more personal because you're not reading a book that was written to somebody else. You're reading a letter, you're reading a book, you're reading a gospel that is written for you because you received Christ as your Lord and Savior, the words that are spoken of and are spoken to those who believe him, those words are for you. When I was in the Army, we had mail call and there were times when one of my friends would get a letter and I would sit down with them and they'd be reading their letter. And as they read their letter, they'd say, oh, listen to this. And they'd say, Uncle Joe just got out of the hospital, he had appendicitis and he'd say, oh man, and he'd be reading it out loud to me. I don't know, Uncle Joe, and it may touch you, it doesn't touch me, I'm glad Joe's good. But that's about as far as that goes, right? Because that letter wasn't for me. The Bible's like that. There are people who read it and they say, I don't understand it, it's because you're not saved. But when you're saved, that's a letter to you. So when the letter to the Galatians is also a letter to you. The letter to the Corinthians is also a letter to you. The Gospel of John is also for you. It's a letter to you. But if you're not saved, you're just reading somebody else's mail. So when you open your heart to Christ, that's when it becomes practical. And because you love the Lord and you know he loves you and Jesus is saying that, God loves you because you love me and because there's a love relationship, if you believe me, well that's because love draws me to trust. And as I trust, I'm believing. And as I'm believing, I'm receiving because he loves me and it's that kind of circle. I love him, I believe him, I speak to him, he ministers to me. I love him, he loves me because I love Jesus, it all works together in that way. And so we know that we can trust the Father because we believe in the Son and the Father loves us. And so continuing, he says in verse 28, I came forth from the Father and have come into the world again. I leave the world and go to the Father. Salvation, I come from the Father. Salvation originates in the heart of God. Salvation did not originate in the wishes or designs of human beings. And Jesus came to earth to take us back with him to heaven. He said, I leave the world, notice and I go to the Father. Earth is not my home. Heaven is, I'm about to go home. This truth about Jesus is also true for us. We too one day will leave this world and one day we're gonna go to our heavenly home. And that knowledge is supposed to comfort our hearts as we endure life because life sometimes is filled with distractions and filled with pain. And so this knowledge that we're just passing through, this knowledge that the earth is not my home, this knowledge that there's something greater and something better has always provoked people to live godly lives. What it does, this knowledge is an incentive for us to live a proper way of life. And because we believe in heaven and we know we're gonna go there based on the merits of Christ and our faith in him, well our faith will be revealed by the way that we live. Now the enemy's tactic is to keep our minds on our current situation in order that he might distract us from our future destination. He uses various tactics, disappointments in life. Disappointments in the church, disappointments in our homes. The enemy has a tendency of drawing our attention to the things on earth and he can do it in such a way that we can actually lose hope. If you watch the news 24 hours a day, what's it due to your faith? What's it due to your hope? If you come home and watch the news and you see one thing after another, after another, after another and you hear so much negative constantly. What happens to you? You get confused, you go through despair, you begin to wonder what's going on. Young people start saying I don't wanna have any children. And that's not a bad idea by the way. But young people say I don't want any kids because what kind of world am I bringing them into? It's all terrible, it's all bad, it's all filled with pain, it's all filled with disappointment, nobody's making it, we're looking at what's happening. Isn't that going on right now? You know part of the reason why the church is in despair and many are is because they're keeping their eyes on the current situation. Instead of looking at your future destination. Oh, that's what's wrong with you Christians, you're too heavenly minded to be earthly good. No, no, we're too earthly minded to be heavenly good. We're so busy trying to get all that we can and we're so busy thinking that this world is our home that we fail to realize we're just passing through and Jesus is speaking and he's saying, listen, I'm gonna be taken, I'm gonna be murdered, I'm gonna be brutally treated, you're gonna lose everything, you're gonna weep, you're gonna be in pain, it's like when a woman is giving birth to a child, there's so much pain. But when that child is born, then there's joy. Jesus is about to be taken, tortured, crucified, buried and with him their hopes are gonna be buried too. Because if they kept their eyes on the present circumstances, they're gonna miss the future glory. Be very careful, be very careful. This is a word that the Lord was speaking to my heart yesterday to me on a personal level and I don't know how I'm gonna be able to share this with you in a way that will make sense, but be very careful that you don't lose hope because of what you're seeing take place right now. I have to tell you something and I don't know how to say this in a way that is understandable because I don't have an ulterior motive in saying it, I just think it's spiritually true. Bad things that happen can very often be used for somebody else's advantage. I think that's taking place right now. The church is becoming fragmented in some places, not every place, but in some places. We're beginning to argue about things that are stealing the peace from believers. All you have to do is read Facebook, I don't encourage you to, but all you have to do is do that, read some of the posts that are being, and all you have to do is say something someone disagrees with and you'll get five or 10 responses, very often that are angry responses, telling you you don't know what you're talking about, telling you that your head is in the clouds, you don't understand what real life is. And I made a post that I posted something that I really believe is very true, and then a young man, probably 23 years old, wrote me to instruct me about what life is all about. I think you should respectfully listen to anybody, but at the same time, if wisdom speaks, then people are wise to listen. And when you have experience, you probably can gain credibility. When you don't have any, and you try and give advice, it's kind of like when Marie and I had our children and people who didn't have kids were the best parents, they always gave the greatest advice, they always did. They always had the best advice, well, you ought to do this and you ought to do that. Really, and how many children do you have? I don't have any yet, but they will be perfect, I know they will. Well, when you have them, I'll visit them in jail, don't worry about that. You see, the things that we go through in life are not intended to break us, they're intended to form us. And part of the things that we go through, the sorrows and disappointments and the pains that we endure can serve as reminders that we're just passing through. And it causes us to have a heart that's anticipating a better life and a better place called heaven. It awakens that in us. You see, Satan draws attention, our attention to things on earth, then he might discourage us. You need to remember what the writer of Hebrews spoke concerning suffering in faith because in Hebrews 11, listen to what he wrote. Hebrews 11, 35 through 38, the writer says, women receive their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn into, they were tempted, slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. This is speaking of the saints, this is speaking of those who loved God and he said, this is how they live. This is what happened to them. Paul on various occasions spoke of what he endured while on earth. We'll be seeing this as we study through 2 Corinthians, but in 2 Corinthians 11, 24 and 25, this is some of what he went through. He said, from the Jews five times I received 40 stripes minus one, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I spent in the deep, in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily, my deep concern for all the churches. That was Paul's life. He's speaking of the pain and the dangers that being a believer, exacted from him. He's seeing that, the things he went through. And so when Jesus is speaking to us and teaching us, he's saying, I came into the world, but I'm going home. And one day you'll be able to go home too, because Jesus is about to be tortured, he's about to be mocked, he's going to be painfully executed, and yet he's telling them, I'm going home. You've believed me concerning my incarnation. Now, believe me concerning my ascension. I'm going home. And as I said to you that, when I go home, I'm going to send you the comforter, and he's going to be with you forever. I'm going to die, Jesus is saying. I will be raised from the dead. I'll be, as I'm resurrected, I will ascend to heaven, and I will send the Holy Spirit. And so you've believed these things about me. And these are the things that are awaiting me. I leave, are awaiting me. I leave the world, I go to the Father. And by the way, when you as a believer leave the world, you also go to the Father. That ought to give you some hope. That ought to give you some hope. You're going to the Father. You're going to go to heaven. You're going to be in heaven. Think about it. I mean, the church has lost many, in many places guys, the church has lost the hope of heaven because we've tried to make earth into heaven. We've tried to have everything here in heaven too. But as I read my Bible, I see that the saints suffered, went through afflictions and pains. The saints had those experiences. And I can't imagine that I won't too in one form or another. But what gets me through? What will get you through? It's the hope of heaven. And that's what Jesus is teaching us here. I've come forth from the Father. I come into the world again. I leave the world. And I go to the Father. Now, verse 29, his disciples said, He, I'm seeing now you're speaking plainly, using no figure of speech. Now we are sure that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. By this, we believe that you came forth from God. Now, now we believe. And so, you're speaking clearly now. We can follow you. We understand you. But notice verse 30, where Jesus says, where they say in verse 30, now we're sure that you know all things. Now, emphatically, now we know we can trust you completely. You're speaking plainly. You've anticipated our questions. That reveals to us that you care about us. You understand what we're going through. Isaiah 53, verse three, tells us about Messiah that he's despised, rejected by men. He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted with grief. You understand us, by the way. Anything you ever go through, any pain that you ever feel, he understands. He understands. He took upon himself the sin of the world as he took upon himself the sin of the world. He took everything upon himself. He has an understanding of you. And he loves you. And that's part of how come we can trust him. Well, as this is taking place, Jesus answered them, verse 31, do you now believe? Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come. That you're gonna be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone. Yet I'm not alone because the Father's with me. These things I've spoken to you that in me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. So Jesus not only anticipated the questions, he also anticipated the responses. Though they stated that they believed in and they trusted him, they were soon gonna desert him. And just that night, as we've gone through this in chapter 13, just that night, Jesus made it clear that they would be forsaking him. Mark records in chapter 14, verse 27, Jesus said to them, all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night for it's written, I'll strike the shepherd, the sheep will be scattered. We remember how that the apostle Peter and the other apostles protested, but they ultimately did forsake him. They scattered. When Judas arrived in the garden to betray him, Mark 14, verse 50 says they all foresoaked him and fled. And Jesus knew they were gonna do that. He read their hearts. He knew, he knew they loved him. He knew they believed in him, but he also knew they would desert him. The Psalm is in Psalm 103, verse 14 says it like this, he knows our frame and he remembers we are dust. There was a singer that some of you may have heard of him in the past, maybe you studied ancient Christian music. His name was Keith Green. And he sang a song that was very popular at one time. It was entitled Grace By Which I Stand. And these are some of the lyrics of this particular song. Remembering that he knows our frame, that we are dust. Keith Green writes, Lord, I remember that special way I vowed to serve you when it was brand new. But like Peter, I can't even watch and pray one hour with you and I bet I could deny you too. But nothing lasts except the grace of God by which I stand in Jesus. And I'm sure that my whole life would waste away except for grace by which I'm saved. And that's what it takes, guys, the grace of God, the apostle Peter and all the rest who claim that they would remain faithful to him, they all forsook him. And so Jesus says it in verse 32. The hours come, you're gonna be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone. When I gave my testimony, I've only given my testimony, what I would have called a full testimony, I've only given it twice. In all of these years in a church, I've only given it twice, I've only given it twice completely in the 40-some years I've been following the Lord. But I'll say one thing real briefly here. Verse 32 is one of the verses that is one of my verses. It's one of the verses God gave to me as a brand new Christian. When he says in verse 32, the hours coming, yes, and has now come that you'll be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone, yet I'm not alone because the Father is with me. I am not alone because the Father is with me. Those words speak to me in a deeply personal way. I'll say it very briefly. I'm not gonna give you my testimony, don't worry. But I will say this, that if there was anything that spoke to my heart when I first got saved, it was that I was never alone. That I was never alone. I grew up in a time, it's a different time than now, of course. I grew up in a time when mothers actually stayed home. My entire neighborhood, everybody's mother was in that neighborhood. All my friends, all of their moms stayed home. All of them. None of my friends' moms worked. In my neighborhood, there were, and I knew a lot of the kids, in my neighborhood, I only knew two kids from kindergarten to high school. I only knew two kids who were from broken homes. Only two. The moms stayed home and the couples stayed married. My mom worked. I was the only kid in my circle of friends that had a working mom. I would come home every day from the time I was young, seven years old, eight years old, to an empty house. And I had, they called them latchkey kids. I was, that was what I was. And I would come home. I had two small sisters that I would babysit because my mom went to work. And I babysat my sisters from the time I was about eight or nine years old. I had an older brother who's two years older than me who was distant from us. So I was the one who watched the kids. I was the one who cleaned the house. I was the one who took care of that house. From the time I was a little boy. And what I would do is I would go to my room when I had the opportunity to close the door. And I was alone. I was alone for a good portion of my life. Now some people wish they could do that right now. But when I was a kid, that wasn't normal. So I didn't have anybody to talk to. I didn't have lots of friends. I didn't have any relationships. I was alone. And I would sit in my room and I did it every day. So I got comic books and I entertained myself. Why am I telling you this? Because I didn't know how lonely I was until I got saved. When I gave my heart to Christ, this scripture came when Jesus said, I'm not alone. My father's with me. That changed my life. Changed my life. Changed my life. Because my mama never stopped working until her health forced her to. My mom kept working into my adulthood. My mom didn't ever stop working until she couldn't work anymore. And I was alone all the time. I didn't have anybody to tell my dreams to. I didn't have anybody to tell my secrets to. I didn't have anybody to confide in. I didn't have any of that. I was alone. And then when I got saved, the Holy Spirit said, now you're never alone. Now you're not alone. So this verse here has always spoken to me in a deeply personal way. You see, he was forsaken. All the people fled. He was by himself. He said, you're gonna scatter and leave me alone, but I'm not alone, for the father is with me. And I still have emotion. It comes out, you can see some of it. I still have emotion because I have this ability to transport myself back to moments that I felt certain things. And my eyes well with tears because I felt those things then. I can feel them even as I speak in of them. I know that one day my family could be taken to be with heaven. I know to in heaven, I know that. I know that my precious, my beloved Marie, she could go home before I do. I know that. I know that. I know that. But I still will never be alone because he's with me. And neither will you be because he's with you in your lonely moments, in your quiet times, in the sorrow of your heart when there's nobody there to speak to that you wish you could tell somebody a secret or tell them how you're feeling. I learned how to pray that way. I learned how to walk in a forest. When I was first saved in the military, I would walk through and run through a forest three miles every day. And as I would do that, I would pray and I would talk to God. I would share with him conversationally. Lord, this is how I feel and this is what I'm thinking and what should I do? I can still remember those conversations. You know why? Because I still do that to this day. I don't run. I'll drive through the forest, but I won't run. But I still do that. I'll drive to the office and I'll be saying, Lord, what do you think we should do? Can you show me how we're gonna do this? Father, what would you have us to do? It's a constant jabbering with the Lord. Why? Because I'm never alone. He's always there. His ear is open into my cry. He loves me because of Jesus and you're never alone either. He's always with you too. If you know Jesus Christ, he never leaves you. He never forsakes you. He's always with you. You're never alone. And so he gives us that understanding and then he finally says these things I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace in the world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Victory is guaranteed because Jesus is the victor. In Romans 8.38 and 39 I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I am persuaded nothing can separate us so we hold on. In 1 John chapter five verse four whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. These things I've spoken to you in me you may have peace. The world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Jesus was going to the Father and one day we will too. We're gonna see him face to face. And then you're not gonna complain and you're not gonna whine and you're not gonna have that list of questions that you've been keeping so you can ask God. You know when I see God I'm gonna ask him. No you're not. When you see him face to face, when you get a chance to look at Jesus Christ, when you get an opportunity to see the one who loved you and gave himself for you, all you're gonna do is fall on your face before him and you're gonna say thank you Jesus for what you've done for me. I love you so much. Thank you so much. Yes you're never alone, never forget that.