John 2021

We're gonna have 2 readings. First 1 from John chapter 5. And then the second from John chapter 14. So if you want to just prepare to move over to that.

I'll be starting in chapter 5 and verse 16, which says this. So because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense, Jesus said to them, my father is always at his work to this very day and I too am working. For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him, not only because he was breaking the sabbath, but he was even calling God, his own father making himself call with God. Jesus gave them this answer.

Very truly, I tell you. The son can do nothing by himself. He can only do what he sees his father doing, because whatever the father does, the son also does. For the father loves the son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

For just as the father raises the dead, and gives them life. Even so, the son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the father judges no 1, but has entrusted all judgment to the son, that all may honor the son just as they honor the father. Whoever does not honor the son, does not honor the father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you.

Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death. To life. Very truly, I tell you. A time is coming, and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of God and those who hear will live. For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the son also to have life in himself, and he has given him authority to judge because he is the son of man.

Do not be amazed at this. For a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself, I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just for I seek not to please myself, but him who sent me.

And if you turn over to chapter 14, verses 1 to 14. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, Believe also in me. My father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, lord, we don't know where you were going. So how can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No 1 comes to the father, except through me. If you really know me, you will know my father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered, don't you know me Philip, Even after I've been among you for such a long time.

Anyone who has seen me, has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? Don't you believe that I am in the father and that the father is in me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the father living in me who is doing this his work.

Believe me when I say that I am in the father and the father is in me or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these. Because I am going to the father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the father may be glorified in the son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

And may I say good evening to you all? Welcome from me. My name's Rory, for those who don't know me, I'm 1 of the the members of staff here at Cornerstone, and it's it's great to see you all tonight. Let's pray as we begin, and then we will and then we'll get stuck in. Father, we thank you so much for the words we've just sung.

We thank you that because of what the lord Jesus has done for us, we are held fast. And we pray that now, as we look at these words in John, that you will help us to just see how glorious Christ is, the 1 who does hold us fast. We pray that we will have rest in our hearts. We pray that you will give us settled minds now so that we may receive your words, and we pray that as a result of what you have to say to us tonight, we will be more in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we want to talk about him more. And so we pray that in his name, amen.

You'll you'll notice at the very start of this passage, Jesus is talking about troubled hearts. And I wanted just to discover or think about what it means to have a troubled hearts. What does that word troubled mean? Well, the word troubled in in in the bible here, is that kind of feeling where you're you're restless and you're frustrated and you're unsettled. It's the kind of words that reminds us of it when the sea is stormy or when water is stormy.

You know, that feeling when you just can't you can't sit still. You can't stop thinking about whatever problem it is. That's that's what Jesus is talking about with troubled hearts. It's a stormy restless, frustrated, unsettled feeling. But why are hearts troubled?

Why Why do we have troubled hearts? And I think it's quite an easy answer to that question, isn't it? I mean, we just have to trace The last, was it 4, 5 years to see why hearts might be a little bit unsettled? From Brexit. Oh, gosh.

I don't wanna talk about that too much. From COVID, don't wanna talk about that too much either, really. From the aftermath of that, we've got war in Europe again. We've got ever increasing worry and anxiety about what is to be the worst recession we've had in a long time. Where people are worried whether I do I feed myself or do I pay for electricity bills?

A lot of troubled hearts. The the the worry about my family and my friends, the the stresses about work, and have I done the right thing, or have I done enough? For young people, the the exams, and the want of popularity, and the want of fitting in with everyone else around them, and the want that you have to create your own identity, there is a troubled heart there. And you can see it in the statistics. I was looking up, the the the suicide rates in this country the the they they rise and they rise through the years.

Why? Why in a why in a world where we've got so much, in a culture where we have everything. In a in a world where poverty is at the at the the least amount that has ever been. Why is there so many suicides? Why is there so much mental health issues?

5, and a hundred thousand people in the UK women commit suicide, it's 3 times the amount for men. Why? Troubled hearts. And then mental health, over 1540000.00 people phoning up about mental health issues. And the the the most horrible statistic is that 400000 young people are struggling with this.

400000 young people. There's troubled hearts There is a lack of satisfaction. There is a lack of rest. And so what should our response be to a troubled heart? What is the what is people's responses to a troubled heart.

How do they try and solve it? What do they turn to? What is it that they wanna hear? Well, I think if you look in our culture, there's there's a whole stream of ways in which people try and deal with their anxieties. I've got problems at work.

I've gotta work harder. I've got mental health issues where I must go antidepressants. I must have counseling. I must escape it somehow. There must be something in this world, is it pursuit of pleasure to get me out of this troubled heart to numb the pain?

It was really interesting then. For those who were here yesterday at the the curry night with the men, we had Tara speaking. Tara 1 of the missionaries that we support from Belarus, and he was saying that his dad was successful at everything. Amazing, really, isn't he? Whatever he did, he was successful at.

If he was in business, he was good at business. If it was law, he was good at law. If it was in government, he was good at government. Yet Tara's dad was an alcoholic in the end. And Tara asked him Why?

Why? Why are you doing this when you were so good at everything? And and and the answer that Tara Scott was everything that I tried gave me no rest, gave me no satisfaction. See, the the the answers that the world tries to give of of sorting out a troubled heart. There may be some good about them, but in the end, they're futile.

In the end, they don't they don't help. And so we come to chapter 14 in verse 1. And and Jesus says these words do not let your hearts be troubled. See, it's not as if Jesus doesn't understand what we go through. It's not alien to him.

He understands that there is trouble in this world, and he's saying it to his disciples not to be troubled. Why does he say to his disciples Don't be troubled. Well, because in chapter 13, he says some pretty troubling stuff. He said, well, firstly, he did something crazy, washed their feet. What the Dickens are you doing, Jesus?

Then, He said that 1 of you, Judith, will betray me. And then he he's going on to say, Peter, Bolshey Peter. Probably the 1 that everyone looked up to to think, he's the strong 1. He's the hard 1. He's the 1 if we all fail at least, he won't fail.

He said, this Peter will disown me, but most of all, on the most upsetting and troubling thing for the disciples, is that he says he's leaving. I'm going away. I'm leaving you. I spent 2, 3 years with you, but I'm leaving. And with all of that stuff, the disciples are left reeling.

The trouble. The perplexed. The restless. But I'll tell you what I think is even more breathtaking than all of that. What is breath taking?

What is mind blowing? Is that the 1 who says, do not be troubled is the 1 who is actually troubled. See, The speaker of those words is the truly troubled 1. If you have looked throughout John, you would have seen throughout that he has troubled 11 chapter 33. It says he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

In chapter 12, verse 27, he says Now my soul is troubled, then what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour? No. It was for this reason that I came. In chapter 13 verse 21, after he had said this Jesus was troubled in spirit and testify The 1 who says do not be troubled is the truly troubled 1.

The 1 who is giving comfort out to his disciples is the 1 who needs comfort. And yet, he still says, let not your hearts be troubled. It's like he's talking to little children. In chapter 13 and verse 33, he's heard that. He said my children or it's translated little children.

Little children do not let your hearts be troubled. When little children are worried, what do they need? They're always worried always like, oh, do you love me? Yes, I love you. Oh, don't go away.

It's okay. I'm coming back. What do they need? They need reassurance. They need to know it's gonna be alright.

And so Jesus is saying, you don't need to let your hearts be troubled. But there has to be something to back that up. It's no use. Me going up to you and just going, oh, it'll be alright. There has to be something, some substance that backs it up.

All these people have these I looked it up, reassuring statements. They're all pathetic. They're not reassuring because there's nothing substance to back them up. They say, oh, it'll be alright if the sun will will rise on this dark day. What are you talking about?

It's always believe as well. Believe in yourself. I look, believe in yourself and all that you are, know that there is something inside you. That is greater than any obstacle. What are you talking about?

I've got a troubled heart inside me. That's not greater than the obstacle. Believe you know all the answers, and you know all the answers. Well, that's stupid. Believe you're a master, and you are.

Robbish. Right? No substance. It's just empty words. So why can Jesus say this?

Why can Jesus say, do not let your heart be troubled. Well, this is my first point. The father's house look forward to it. The father's house look forward to it. In verse 1, After he says, do not let your hearts be troubled.

He says, You believe in God, believe also in me. In other words, you can trust that you don't have to be troubled because I and the father are 1. You can trust in God, you can trust in me, we're so linked, we're such together, that it means you can trust what I'm saying. And then he goes on to show us why we don't have to be troubled. This is quality news.

Verse 2, My father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I'm going there to prepare a place for you? My father's house, this is why you don't have to be troubled, because there is a place with many rooms for you. See, actually, the other time the only other time that my father's house is used, is when Jesus goes up to the temple when he's 12 years of age, and he says, where have you been? I've been at my father's house.

But remember that the temple is a picture of something even greater where God will dwell with his people, where they will be with him forever. And so it's greater than the temple. This is the family home. You don't need to have a troubled heart because there is a family home waiting for you. There's a family home with all these rooms, many rooms.

In other words, there's space above space above space for all you disciples, and not just you disciples, but for all other types of people. See, after a long day and you're exhausted, where do you wanna go? You don't wanna go, you know, out on the town. Do you? You don't wanna go to a stranger's house.

You don't wanna go anywhere else, but home, where I can have warmth, and I can have comfort And I can have rest, and I can have love. And so Jesus says, I'm going to the father's home. My father's house, where there's many dwelling places. There's many places for you to be. It's like a hotel.

That's what he's basically saying here. But God's house is like a hotel or a mansion or a castle with all these rooms in them, so that you can be with him forever and ever and ever. And so he says, I'm going there to prepare a place for you. I'm going to prepare a place for you. Now, how is he gonna do that?

Well, it's not like it's not like when me and Jerusalem invite people over to our house. And we think, oh my goodness. But Theresa says, oh, my goodness. I'm I'm a bit of a slob. Just come over.

Wallowing my dirt. But Jerusalem's like, we need to tidy the house. So we've gotta rush home, just chuck everything in the spare bedroom and have a clean room. That's not what Jesus is saying here. It's not like, oh, well, Yeah.

I need to I need to do the hoovering before you get to my father's house. He's not saying that. The way that he prepares a place for us, is through the cross and the resurrection and his ascension. He must die and rise to go to the father. He dies and rises to get us ready so that we can inhabit this place.

That's what I answer that so he's going. And if he's going, then it means he'll come back. That's what used to happen in these days. And he's used to be like, alright, I'm going to get this place sorted. And once I've got it sorted, I'll come back to get you.

And look what happens in 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back, and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. He's not just going and going, okay, see you later. No. He's saying, I'm gonna come back.

The fact that I'm going is beneficial for you, because it means I'm gonna come back, and I'm gonna take you to the family home. And the best thing about that family home, What is the best thing about that family home for the disciples? Is it the fact that there's a lot of rooms? No. It's what Jesus just said.

You will be in the place where I am. See, when I go back to the family home after being exhausted or after having a hard day or after having a troubled, troubled day. I don't I don't go back now and and go, oh, great. I'm back at the family home and back into my beds. Best thing is I get to see my parents.

The best thing about the father's house, the joy of heaven, is that we're with the lord Jesus for eternity. The greatest thing about the new creation is that we're with the father for eternity. See, what is a cure for a troubled heart is to know that it's gonna be alright I'm not an easy gonna be alright. It's better than alright. It's an eternity with Christ, the lover, It's an attorney with 1 who wills to be our father.

And so we should cry like the end of Revelation and say, come, lord Jesus. Come lord Jesus. That is infinitely better than being in this world. Come lord Jesus. Jesus says 3 times in Revelation.

I am coming soon, and our cry of our heart should become Lord Jesus see. The cure for troubled heart is to look forward. Look forward, looks to see what the lord Jesus Christ achieves on a cross to to win for you this great reward of an eternity with God himself. And so that's what the little child needs to hear. This is what you little children need to hear.

I just wanted to call your little kids. But that's what you need to hear. Yes. I'm going away. Don't don't go away.

Don't go away. No. It's okay. This is for your benefit. I'm coming back.

For something infinitely better. Then he finishes this section in verse 4. You know the way to the place where I'm going. And that gives us on a next question. Well, how do we get to this place?

How is it that we get to the place the father's house? Well, secondly, Jesus is the only way. So believe in him. Jesus is the only way, so believe in him. See, The great thing about the Gospels is that we always have these disciples popping up and asking the stupid questions or saying the dumb stuff, and that we all might laugh at them from afar but really they reflect our own hearts.

Now Thomas is a classic. He's a a very I always think Thomas is basically eeyore from Winnie the poo. Oh. 0, nod. We don't know where you're going.

How can we know the way? That's easy all. He he's he's always doubt, and he's always scared, he's always he's got all these fears, and these doubts. He's like, well, Even though Jesus just said, look, you know the way to the place where I'm going. I don't know the way.

I've just told you I know the way. No. I don't know the way. It just doesn't compute with Thomas. He's not clicking for Thomas.

Actually, he knows much more than he realizes. If you've ever experienced youth work, children work, parenting, young people. It is sometimes, you're knocking your head against the wall. You ask him a question. I don't know.

Oh, come on. You do know. They have to get in there. Then they give you the answer. See?

You do know. So he does know, because Jesus has just told him that he knows the way. But the great thing about this question is it paves way for 1 of the most glorious sentences in Scripture? Look at verse 6, Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No 1 comes to the father, except through me.

I am. There we go. It's another I am in John. It's saying I am. I am is God's name for himself.

Jesus is identifying himself with God saying, I am God. And what is it, he says I am, the way and the truth and the life. He's the way That's the primary thing that he's trying to get here is that he is the way to the father's house. Why is Jesus the way? Well, we've seen it throughout the whole of this book It's why it got us to read chapter 5.

We've seen it throughout this passage. Jesus is 1 with the father. I don't know if you noticed how many times father was mentioned in this passage. You have to count now. I counted before.

13 times 13 times. And look, it's just everywhere. Verse 2. My father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, I would have told you that I'm going there to prepare a place for you.

Believe in God, believe also in me. Inverse, I've just lost my place here because I've got them all written down like a clever boy. You know, I've lost the flipping where it is. It's everywhere in here. In verse in verse 7, if you really know me, you will know my father.

In verse 9, anyone who has seen me has seen the father. Verse 10, he says it twice. Don't you believe that I am in the father and that the father is in me? And again, rather it is the father living in me who's doing his work. Believe me verse 11, when I say that I am in the father, and the father is in me.

He is 1 with the father. So, if he and the father are 1, then it makes sense that he is the way to the father because they are 1 together. When you look at Jesus, you see the father. It's a bit if you look at me, you will see something of my dad. Right?

If you've met Morris Canad, you will see that there are big similarities between me and dad. He has an incredibly loud voice. I don't know why you're laughing. I too have a very loud voice. He is the loudest a singer I've ever heard.

So you think I'm loud. If you listen now, he might be singing in Liverpool. When we're in the football pitch, and we're frustrated at ourselves, which we often are, because we're terrible, he shouts, Morris, When I'm on the football pitch and I do something bad, I don't shout Morris. I shout, Rory. If you look carefully at me when I'm on my own, you'll see that I'm a very a odd person.

I talk to myself. That is because my dad does it. I am cursed with my father. But you look at me and you see some similarities with my dad. More perfectly, you look at Jesus, his exact representation of the of God.

You look at Jesus, you see the father. So, therefore, he is the way to the father. And because He is the way. That's the thing that he's trying to get here. Because he's the way, he's the way because he is the truth.

God is the God of truth. Jesus comes in chapter 1, full of grace and truth, if you believe in him. You will have truth, and the truth will set you free. So, because he is truth, God is truth. Jesus is truth, Therefore, he's obviously the way to the true gods.

Not only is he the truth, but he's also the life The life God is the God of life. How does he give us life? He breathes life into Adam and Eve. We've seen it in John. If you looked at if you listened in to 5, you would have heard that God gives life to the dead, that people then can cross over from what, from death to life.

And then we see how does that play out, chapter 12 of John, he goes to the tomb of his mate lazarus, says, I am the resurrection under life, and then he rises, lazarus from the dead. Here's the way because he gives life. Here's the God of life. The father is a life giver, the son is a life giver. So he's the way, follow him.

He's the truth. Believe him. He's a life hope in him. But there's more than that. There's more See, he's not just a way.

That's not what he says. There's not multiple ways to the father. There's not lots and lots of different ways that you can get to God. That's not what he says. He doesn't go, I am a way, and a truth, and a life.

He doesn't say that, does he? He says, I'm the truth, the life, the way. And then just to spell it out to us, that he is exclusively the 1 that gets us to the father. He says, no 1 comes to the father except through me. It's not like getting to the hub On a Sunday night, I could go down the a 3.

I could go around the 1 way system. I could go down Villa's road. That's not what it's like. It's not like going up to snowden. I'm thinking, oh, there's 6 different pass up snowden.

They all lead up to the top. That's not what the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is the only root to the father. So no no no no amount of good works can get you to the father, no matter what other religion you are, and you might do all your religious practices, piously, and without fault. But if you're not trusting in the Lord Jesus to be the way, Then you can't get there.

It's not Jesus and I well, I can trust a little bit in Jesus and do some other stuff as well. It's only Jesus. We don't sing We don't sing nothing We don't sing nothing in my hand I bring simply to the cross I I cling, but also I will bring some more of the good works as well. It's it's nothing but the cross of Christ. He is the only way to the father.

Now, that's pretty clear. Right? Well, not for Philip, if you look down at verse 8. Philip said, Lord, show us the father, and that will be enough for us. Are you not listening, Philip?

Are you not listening? But maybe that's something truth for us as well. Oh, if only if only god would appear now, If any God would use something miraculous, then maybe I could that'd be enough for us. Then I believe. See, Philip thinks that he he Philip kinda wants this Moses moment.

You remember where Moses goes up the mountain, it says, just show me your glory, and he gets hidden in the crag, and he's only allowed to see the back of of God. That's what that's what Philip wants. Jesus is like, come on, Philip. Look down with me in verse 9. Don't you know me Philip?

Even after I've been among you such a long time, can you hear the the frustration? The sad this is I teach maths, unfortunately, to 1 student. He doesn't ever get what I'm teaching. It might be because I'm a terrible teacher. You you go through the answer time and time again, they never get it.

I've actually done questions with him multiple times. He still gets it wrong. I've given him the answer 5 times. It's butting your head against the wall. I imagine That's what it's like for Jesus at times.

What have I just been telling you Philip? How can you ask that? After all this time, I've had you since if you see he's 1 of the first disciples in John to be called. And you keep missing the point. You want to see the father says Jesus.

Hello? Hello? I'm right here. And he's proven time and time again throughout his ministry, who he is. That you can trust him that he is the way.

How is it that we can trust that he's the way? Well, because of his words, and his works. That's how we know the measure of someone by the words and the works. Look down with me at verse 10 to 11. Don't you believe that I am in the father and that the father is in me?

The words I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, rather it is the father living in me who is doing his work. In other words, you've heard what I've had to say. All my words carry the weight of the father himself. All my words are the authority of the father himself. That is enough for you to believe in me.

Look at verse 11. Believe me when I say that I am in the father and the father is in me. I've I've told you. Okay. But if you're not gonna believe me, at least look at what I've done.

Look at the second part of 11. Or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. In other words, We've seen the miracles that Jesus has done. 7 miracles in the book of John. If you hear when Ben talked about this, it it shows us the complete works of God 7 being the the number that that represents God.

And it says, I have revealed my glory. I have revealed my character time and time again throughout my ministry. I've I've turned water into wine. I've healed an official son. I've healed a man at the pool of siloam.

I've fed the 5000 walked on water, healed a blind man, given him sight, and I've raised the dead man to life. And you can ask the question show or tell say, show us the father? I've shown you the father. You've seen me in action, says Jesus. And actually, you're gonna see it even more.

It's interesting in verse 7. Second half of it, it says, from now on, you do know him, the father, and have seen him. So they know him already, but they're gonna know him even more fully. They're gonna know him even more See, from now on, remember that Jesus has been talking about his hour has come. So it's in this moment, in this hour that as he goes to the cross, that the father is going to be displayed most perfectly through the son.

I remember being at a contagious 1 year, and we talked we did a whole conference on on the cross. And Jaunty Ocott was preaching on the crucifixion, and he he he was talking about this thing called a PDG. It it was a it was a play on PDA. If anyone's heard of a PDA, it's a public display of affection. You know, when someone's kissing, each other in public's disgusting.

Anyway and we all had to shout PDA. I said, that shows publicly how we We love 1 another, and they hug and we kiss and we hold hands and giggle. But the cross is the PDG. It's the public display of glory. See, it's in the cross that we are shown, not the affection not just affection, but the whole character of God revealed to us in the world.

As we look at the son and what he's going through, we see who the father is. He's at the cross we see God committed to judging sin as he paused his judgment and wrath upon the sun. But as he's doing that, he spiritually, he's giving us so much more, isn't he? He's spiritually cleansing us. He's spiritually healing us.

He's giving us rest, and fullness, and satisfaction. He's giving blind heart, sight, and he's giving dead people life. He's showing who he is on the cross. That is the length that he reveals his glory. That is the length he goes to get get you to the father's house.

And so what is our response to be? Well, another word that pops up time and time again in this passage is believe. So believe Jesus says, believe. What does a troubled heart need to do? It needs to believe in something, not just believe in in myself, and oh, believe that you're a master, and you're the master, believe you know all the answers, and you'll know all the answers.

That's rubbish, believe in Jesus. Trust in him, trust that he has died, trust that he has died to give you a place for eternity, where there will be ultimate rest, and and ultimate peace, and ultimate quiet for the heart. That's what the non Christian is here. If you don't trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to know that there is someone who has gone to lengths, to die for you, to give you a heart that is no longer troubled. And Christian, maybe you're here, and you're thinking, oh, sometimes it feels like Jesus has abandoned me.

And is the father here? And what is he doing here? Then you need to come back, see what he has done for you. Come to the cross and find the 1 who has bought for you an eternal salvation. Believe.

But what is the result for the 1 who believes? Well, lastly. And thirdly, greater works prayerfully do them. Greater works, prayerfully do them. But with me, verse 12, to 14.

Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the father. So if you've believed, then do the works that Jesus is about. And it's amazing, really. It says not only do you do the works, but you do greater works. What does that mean?

Greater work. Does that mean that you're gonna do something more amazing than raise a dead person from from the grave? Maybe 6 days later? No. That's not what it's saying.

It's not about us doing more amazing miracle, It's interesting if you if you heard in chapter 5 and verse 20. That greater works came up then. It said, verse 20. Yes. And he will show him even greater works than these so that you will be amazed.

There's greater works that we can do. The reason we can do greater works back in chapter 14 is because Jesus goes to the Father. So Jesus dies on the cross. He rises again he ascends to be with the father. He's completed it.

What did he shout on the cross? It is finished. I've died. I've done the work that needs to be done to bring people to the father's house, to give them the dwelling place with the father forever. And now, because I have gone, I send my disciples, my people, to preach.

That is the greater works. It's the song through his people, to to go out and share this amazing news of the of the Lord Jesus Christ. As as we go, as the disciples go, They will they will hold out that Jesus died to give them life. And so, as they go, and they share the news of Christ than what he has done, you just need to look at acts to see it happening. People will cross over from death to life.

That's the greater works. It's that people go out, and they tell people about Jesus, and their father is glorified in the son, as people trust in Christ sacrificial work on a cross. So we share the news with those who do not know the Lord Jesus. And we share the great news of the gospel for those who are Christians, and we say, keep on going. Keep on growing.

Be sanctified, grow and know Christ more and more. What a mission to be involved in, that you are allowed, that God would allow us, to be involved in the preaching of the lord Jesus Christ. And as you're involved in that, the only thing that we need to do In verse, 13 to 14 is to pray. I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the father may be glorified in the son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

See, if you believe then the greatest exercise, the chief exercise of that faith is to pray. And we can pray to the father, through the son, in the name of the lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of the throne, and intercedes for us. It's not saying we don't we don't just pray anything. It's not our father. I'd really fancy a new car here.

That's I mean, some people would interpret it like that, and that's ridiculous. Because I completely misses the point, doesn't it? It's father. Let me go and tell people about this glorious news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that why you share life and Mark drama and and the the life course that we're doing at the end of 7?

It's not why it's so good. We're not just doing it for, you know, tasting whiskey. Although, that's quite good all to watch Craig suffer with hot wings, which, again, I hope he does suffer. We're doing it because we wanna tell people about this amazing news. And so the question is, I suppose, is will we look at people, the way Jesus looked at them, like like sheep without a shepherd.

As you look around, you might think truly about what they are. They're people with troubled hearts. Everyone in this world has a troubled heart. As we see those troubled hearts, why don't we hold out the answer for that? Look at Jesus.

Look what he has to offer. So what about you? Have you got a troubled heart Is your heart troubled? Well, maybe you've never come to know Christ, and I guess my call to you is find rest in him. Come, be comforted by the by this 1.

Come and know the cure for a troubled heart as you experienced the love of Christ poured out upon you as he died on a cross to to win for you the family home. And maybe you're here as a Christian, and you have a troubled heart too. You're thinking, oh, well, Have I what what is God doing in this situation? Why why is my kid experiencing that? Why have they been bullied?

Why have I not Why am I gonna lose my job? Why are we hitting this recession? Why have I not progressed as I wanted to progress? Well, come back. You might not know what's going on.

But 1 objective truth you can now is that Jesus loves you. That he died for you, and that he has secured a place for you. It's interesting, spurgeon said, When you can't trace his hand, trust his heart. When you can't trace his hand, I don't know what's going on. Trust his heart.

Come to the cross. See what he has done for you. And when you come and you believe, and with eyes fixed on him and the reward of eternal life, let us go out in prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to do the greater works they have for us. Will you be part of the greatest mission that there ever was. Let's pray as we finish.

Father, we we thank you for this passage. We thank you that in it, we have a a real answer for a troubled heart. It's not just empty words here. It's not just meaningless air, but there is substance here. We thank you that the lord Jesus went to a cross, rose again, ascended on high so that we may have a place in the family home.

And we pray father that you will help us to be people that trust in you and trust in you alone. The 1 who is the way and the truth and the life. And we pray father that as we trust and we believe in what you have done for us. And as we grow in our knowledge of you, we pray that you will give us boldness, that you will give us courage, to take this message of hope to a hopeless world. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.