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e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e oh good good morning to everyone uh welcome back to all our regulars and a and a new welcome to any visitors with us this morning it's great to have you with us at free Grace Baptist Church it's a joy for uh hopefully all of us to be in the in the house of the Lord for the worship of our great Triune god well let's um let's just start with a few announcements and then get uh get into worship properly speaking just a reminder there uh for the upcoming uh for the next three weeks there won't be any Wednesday night uh Bible studies so uh if you show up um that's on you uh We've announced it no if you um uh if you show up you'll be by yourself but um so the next three uh Wednesdays the 18th the 25th and the 1 no Wednesday night bible study but we'll resume the first Wednesday after uh after the first of the month um tonight of course our uh our 5:00 pm uh service and then we have uh good news regarding an application for baptism and membership from silus and Jan Neil so um we've uh we've had a man I think a good year and a bit of baptisms and it's always it's always a joy to have uh to have another another couple um uh coming up in our very near future so let's uh let's Rejoice uh let's rejoice in God with them well let's turn to our Bibles then for a call to worship this Lord's Day morning uh we're going to read from Isaiah 42 veres 1-9 Isaiah 42 1-9 this is the first of the the four servant songs of Isaiah announcing the the fourth coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the servant of God the elect of God the true Israel of God and last Adam who would come into the world Sinners to save Isaiah 42 beginning at verse one this is the word of the Triune God behold my servant whom I uphold my elect one in whom my soul Delights I have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth Justice to the Gentiles he will not cry out nor raise his voice nor cause his voice to be heard in the street a bruised Reed he will not break and smoking flax he will not quench he will bring forth Justice For Truth he will not fail nor be discouraged till he has established Justice in the earth and the Coastland shall wait for his law thus says God the Lord who created the heavens and stretch them out who spread forth the Earth and that which comes from it who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it I the Lord have called you in righteousness and will hold your hand I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people as a light to the Gentiles to open blind eyes to bring out prisoners from the prison those who sit in darkness from the prison house I am the Lord that is my name and my glor Glory I will not give to another nor my praise to carved images behold the former things have come to pass and new things I declare before they spring forth I tell you of them amen well let's stand as a church and sing together our first hymn will be Psalm 72a Psalm 72a and we're going to sing stands as 5 to 8 let's stand and sing together [Applause] when they cry the have no s he we and heless on the will save from the GL pre he the we is preious in [Music] his and cros she us before him PR ever for and blesss all the cross [Music] of through his glorious on toome mountains it his [Music] and his the C and the town Andes of the in the ground as long shall bless him [Music] all bless be the Lord Our God the God for wonderous Works in glory and Exel and bless be his glor to all et the his glor [Music] let's go to our God In Prayer Heavenly Father we rejoice in the fact that we can now Gather in this place for worship uh the worship of our one and only living and true God Father Son and Holy Spirit and once again we would pray that you would help us by your spirit to worship you a right in this place that we would worship you in spirit and in truth that you would help us by your spirit to to cast off wandering thoughts and to be solely focused on the high worship of our great God we do pray that you would be worshiped in this place that you would be honored that you would be praised we pray Lord God that your people gathered here would reflect with great joy upon the the saving excellencies of Jesus Christ Our Savior that we would rejoice in the fact that in the fullness of the times you did send forth your son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those who are under the law and that Redemption is a a perfect Redemption not a not a work of maybe and not a work of perhaps but we rejoice in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world Sinners to save and he does so through the through the per Perfection of his life through the Perfection of his death and through the glory of his resurrection knowing that that life was one of perfect substitutionary obedience in the stead of all who believe in his name that that death upon calvary's cross was one of substitutionary atonement bearing the curse for all those who believe in his name and that that blessed Resurrection a a a a testimony to the power and the glory of God the Vindication of the name of God and a testament to the the certain truthfulness that the Son of God incarnate did give his life for guilty Sinners we do pray that you would cause us to reflect with joy on those saving things that come to us by the Holy Spirit from the Risen Christ the exalted Christ that uh we have the blessings of regeneration of justification sanctification adoption and all of those spiritual blessings in the Heavenly places in Christ knowing that we have been saved not by Deeds of righteousness which we have done but but much rather according to your mercy you saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit help us to be forgiven aresh by virtue of the shed blood of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that we have an an advocate with you the father in Jesus Christ the just one and that in him we have the Forgiveness of sins we do pray Lord God that you would be with those unable to join us as there are many who are uh are sick whether temporarily or dealing with permanent physical issues we we do just pray that you'd strengthen these brothers and sisters help them to know your your grace your mercy your loving kindness your your help in the in the midst of physical suffering we pray that they would nevertheless in the face of such afflictions rejoice in their God sing the Praises of their Christ and and be resting upon him alone we do pray that you be with those unable to join due to travel watch over them uh keep them safe as they are away from from us and uh in due time return them to us safely and and cause them wherever they are uh worshiping wherever they may find themselves to be likewise on this Lord's Day Sabbath rejoicing in their Triune God and and in the Christ of their blessed profession we do pray God for those who govern over for us as we are called in the scriptures to pray for those who are Kings and those who are in Authority we do pray Lord God as we always do that you would cause those who rule to rule in righteousness and in proper Justice we pray that you would uh would even save those Lord God in positions of power that they might no longer pervert the ways of justice but might be aligned unto your will and unto uh unto truth in good things and we pray for those who would remain in a reprobate opposition and who would constantly pervert the ways of justice that you would remove them from power and uh cause them to no longer rule in wickedness we do pray that you would keep us in prayer for the nations of the world and we pray Lord God knowing that knowing that LE legislation does not convert the heart but only the power the amazing grace of God can can do such and so we pray for the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the Nations that by gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit uh many of uh of all walks of life would come forth from deadness and sin to life and light in Jesus Christ Our Savior we do pray Lord God for our fellow churches Those whom we know dearly those uh in uh our city in our Province uh uh in our country and south of us in the United States and certainly throughout the world Lord God we pray that this day as they either have gathered for worship or are presently Gathering or look forward to doing so we pray that they would worship you in spirit and in truth that you would comfort them uh by the knowledge of the Gospel by the knowledge of their great God and we pray for those who are ministers of your gospel throughout the world that they would not uh grip pulpits and preach half of Christ or half a gospel but Lord God that you would cause them by Spirit to preach the whole counsil of God we do pray Lord God then as we return now to us we pray as we continue to Worship in all of these aspects of worship the uh the singing of Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs the the act of prayer the act of the reading of the Holy scriptures and that Central act of worship the pr preaching of the word that you would be with us in in all of these that we would bring you honor that we would bring you praise and we pray for pastor Butler as he comes up here to preach your word do give him what he needs from on high to do that well with with much courage with much conviction and we pray Lord God that uh that we would hear and receive well the things that the spirit would have for us today that we might be lifted up in the things of Christ and that those who who entered in these doors outside of Jesus Christ that they would leave these Doors by your Amazing Grace singing the Praises of his most high name and it's in that name that we do pray amen well let's stand again and sing together as a church this time hymn number 300 let's stand and sing 300 together [Music] Jesus for to my people free from our fears and release us let us find our rest [Music] in is strength and consol [Music] of all the Earth desire of every nation Joy of longing heart joy to to long to see meing [Applause] from on high the pro of J of th bir we to for the h the Angels Sing [Music] to him your gra Christ the [Music] Lord to to to our [Music] s glor to the L by his he brings us our rede she the born with st this the heav [Music] in Christ was born the [Music] Lord for my people to Del a child and yet a b to R in us forever ever now th gracious th eternal spirit R in all our heart hearts Alone by th all PR to [Music] glor you can turn in your Bibles with me to the gospel of Mark Mark 11 um as we read consecutively through the New Testament on Lord's Day morning worship Services we're now at Mark 11 beginning at verse 20 Mark 11 at verse 20 will read to the end of the chapter once again the word of the Triune God now in the morning as they passed by they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots and Peter remembering said to him Rabbi look the Fig Tree which you cursed has withered away so Jesus answered and said to them have faith in God for assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done he will have whatever he says therefore I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them and you will have them and whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone forgive him that your father in Heaven may also forgive you your trespasses but if you do not forgive neither will your father in Heaven forgive your trespasses then they came again to Jerusalem and as he was walking in the temple the chief priests the scribes and the elders came to him and they said to him by what Authority are you doing these things and who gave you this authority to do these things but Jesus answered and said to them I also will ask you one question then answer uh then answer me and I will tell you by what Authority I do these things the baptism of John was it from heaven or from men answer me and they reasoned among themselves saying if we say from Heaven he will say why then did you not believe him but if we say from men they feared the people for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed so they answered and said to Jesus we do not know and Jesus answered and said to them neither will I tell you by what Authority I do these things amen well just a small observation regarding the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in the context of the the cursing of the fig tree often when we when we read with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ especially as we come up to the passion and we see him uh we see him offering up himself uh as the high priest but also as the sacrifice offered we uh offered we see his his low estate but we have these pictures throughout the gospels where his deity shines forth and sometimes uh sometimes in in in smaller ways one of the one of the old brothers in the church Hillary said something like this is the Christian faith for our human blessedness that we preach at the same time one Christ both God and man not forgetting the God because we see the man and not forgetting the man because we see the god the gospels bring him forth in shining glory and with the cursing of the fig tree we have this this Divine reality of one who has the authority and the power to wither a tree and to use it in this case as a symbol of coming Divine judgment just just very briefly turn back to the Book of Jeremiah for a moment Jeremiah and chapter 8 we see here the Lord God pronouncing Yahweh pronouncing a judgment and a picture with respect to a fig tree in the context of coming judgment Babylon is coming Babylon will be coming to visit divine judgment and Justice upon an apostate Jerusalem um upon an apostate Israel and um we see here at verse 12 something leading up to the same language that Christ uses with regards to uh another apostate generation of Israel verse 12 of Jeremiah 8 were they ashamed when they had committed Abomination no they were not at all ashamed nor did they know how to blush therefore they shall fall among those who fall in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down says the Lord now notice this I will surely consume them says the Lord no grapes shall be on the vine nor figs on the Fig Tree and the leaf shall fade and the things I have given them shall pass away from them so we come to to Mark 11 and the parallel in Matthew 21 and we see this language of verse 20 now in the morning as they passed by they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots we saw the the previous context at verse 13 of of Mark 11 and so when we get to verses 22 to 24 we need to understand that there's a context to this language of you know Faith such that can call upon God and have mountains cast into into the sea it has to do with the apostles going out amidst a perverse generation that is marked by Idol Tre that's marked by the rejection of the Messiah that's marked by the rejection of the very God who in a previous generation uh gave the same language of the Fig Tree in the context of Babylonian judgment upon that apostate generation so when we read for assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done he will have whatever he says this isn't as Pastor Butler noted last Lord's Day some Universal principle of the faith of Christian uh power and prayer where if we just ask for anything God will give it to us an amazing car an amazing Mansion you know a wife the best you know kids with the shiniest teeth and and all those sorts of things it's empowering it's giving the apostles the courage of Faith the wherewithal of a divinely wrought Faith to go out into the face of opposing and unbelieving Jews who will be judged to know that they will be judged and have confidence to preach the ruling and the reigning Christ in other words have that strength of Faith have such a faith in God that in the midst of seemingly insurmountable opposition by your enemies you will nevertheless be given the words to speak the faith and the wherewithal to proceed in order to preach such a glorious Christ to a generation that opposes him well let's pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your word we rejoice in in your goodness to us with regards to the Revelation uh of our Christ in the holy word we we thank you that chapter after chapter page after page points to our blessed savior working out the salvation of men and we do just pray that you would cause us as we continue in worship to rejoice in our God to rejoice in our Christ and to reflect uh with joyful Christian Hearts Upon Amazing Grace and we pray in Christ's name amen our last hymn then before the preaching if you'll stand with me is 29 93 let's stand and sing 293 together [Music] Lely of until the sun re re to the [Music] the time is the in and mesty and re re shall to the of be free from sat from of H my and give them Victory all the gra re re [Music] shall come to [Music] the and Che Us by [Music] thers the of and our shadows to re re shall come to the is oh the and open our they s the way that on and close the to [Music] to [Music] the will you can turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of John John chapter 16 as we come come to the conclusion of the upper room discourse remember another name is the farewell discourse and of course Jesus often sets before them the fact that he is departing so I would suggest that the last portion verses 25-33 is the conclusion proper of this discourse we'll just take up verses 25 to 28 this morning and then God willing look at the latter part in a couple of weeks so I'll read verses 25 to 33 and then our Focus will be verses 25 to 28 these things I have spoken to you in figurative language but the time has 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 have 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 his 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 alone and yet I am not alone because the father is 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 of good cheer I have overcome the world Amen well let us pray Our Father in Heaven thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ thank you for the Glorious truth that we find here in the upper room concerning you concerning your son concerning the Holy Spirit we ask that you would guide us Now by that spirit and uh instruct us and encourage us and build us up in our Most Holy Faith we have that wonderful example in Matthew's gospel where Jesus calls upon the the weary and the heavy laden sinner to come to him and he will give them rest and we pray that would occur today for any and all here dead in their trespasses and sins we pray that you would awaken them as well for your people God as we come in weary as we come in burdened we ask that your spirit would Minister to us that again we'd see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and all that he has accomplished on our behalf in his life death and Resurrection forgive us now for all sin for all that remaining corruption cleanse Us in the blood of the lamb and guide us into all truth and we pray through Christ the Lord amen well as I said this has the nature of a farewell discourse and of course Jesus has reminded his disciples on many occasions in this upper room that he is going to depart in fact if you look back in the context to chapter 16 at verse 16 a little while and you will see me and again a little while and you will see me uh uh uh you will see me because I go to the I'm sorry a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me because I go to the father that refers to his death and then his resurrection and then again his Ascension on high so this is a recurring theme and certainly he takes that up here in verses 25 to 28 I would suggest that we look at this section under these three heads first the manner of his instruction verse 25 I think it connects us with the context and again shines the light upon the holy spirit secondly we'll we'll look at the access to the father in verses 26 and 27 and then thirdly the mission of the son in verse 28 but with reference to verse 25 note his manner of instruction when he says these things I have spoken to you in figurative language that word figurative literally means a brief communication containing truths designed for initiates veiled saying figure of speech in which especially lofty ideas are concealed so when he says I have spoken to you in figurative language he doesn't mean everything he doesn't mean every jot and tur of everything that ever came out of his mouth but I think it's those things that we see in the upper room that they're still struggling with in terms of a complete appropr ration of that truth remember in John 14 Jesus speaks about going to the father and preparing mansions and coming back and receiving them unto himself well of course they ask a question about that as well Jesus has been speaking about his relation to the father and about the procession of the spirit from the father and the son he's been talking about his death and his resurrection his and his Ascension on eye it's kind of like those instances where Jesus says in Matthew 16 and 17 and 20 we must go to Jerusalem and there I must be tried and put to death and raised again well they obviously understood what it meant to go to Jerusalem they didn't get the significance at this point concerning his death and his resurrection and so that's what he is saying to them in verse 25 these things I have spoken to you in figurative language these things touching on the doctrine of the Trinity these things touching specifically with reference to his passion now of course the Bible taught this in the Old Testament there is the prophecies Jesus says to the religious leaders in John 549 that Moses wrote about me but the disciples as up to this point were still struggling with some of these lofty Concepts in fact look at verse 12 in chapter 16 and Jesus acknowledges this I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now so Jesus is not saying that every everything he says is a mystery to them or veiled but rather those things that they're still struggling with and he understands that he identifies that and he speaks specifically concerning their need now note what he goes on to say 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 I think the time is coming refers to what he's already said in verse 16 this little while what John has spoken comprehensively of is as the hour the time is coming upon his death upon his resurrection upon his Ascension to the right hand of God most high in fact look to the Gospel of Luke in Luke CH 24 a post-resurrection uh appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ to disciples and we notice that they get it they track they understand so on the way to the Cross there's still an obscurity there's still this veiled to what Jesus has been teaching but once he goes into the grave once he's raised again the third day and especially once he's enthroned at the right hand of the father and he sends the Holy Spirit on Pentecost all these things become crystal clear to the disciples notice in 24 at verse 25 then he said to them oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe and all the prophets have spoken so again Christ knows that the prophets spoke concerning his life death and Resurrection but Christ also understands it's not just the nature of his disciples it's not the sin of his disciples rather it is the timing at play here it's the giving of the spirit that is emphasized I think in our passage in John 16 but notice in verse 26 ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself and then in verse 44 then he said to them these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures so it wasn't that the data wasn't available it wasn't that the data was so super mysterious that nobody could have ever cracked that code the emphasis lies upon the giving of the spirit after the resurrection to be sure but most uh uh uh uh pertinently with reference to the day of Pentecost one commentator says according to the rest of the farewell discourse the hour is the New Order of Christian existence under the ministerial Office of the paraclet who will guide the Christian in all truth that's been the recurring emphasis of Our Lord in John 14 to6 he is telling them I'm going away but I'm not leaving you as an orphan I'm going to send another comforter and he is going to teach you the things concerning me he is going to guide you into all truth concerning me he is going to empower you and enable you to take this gospel message to the uttermost parts of the earth we turn to the book of Acts after we see Jesus breathe on them in John 20 in terms of reception of the spirit we turn to Acts 2 and the spirit comes as a mighty rushing wind I think what Jesus is highlighting once again in this farewell discourse is the nature of our Triune God the Father sent the son to save his people from their sins he does so through death resurrection and Ascension from that place of exaltation he sends the spirit to empower and enable his church to comfort and assist them and to be the means by which that gospel is extended to the uttermost parts of the earth Jesus is speaking concerning those glorious truths reflective of our blessed God now notice he goes on to speak of access to the father in verses 26 and 27 he speaks of prayer to the father again something he has spoken of a lot in the upper room and then the promise concerning the father note the reference to prayer verse 26a in that day you will ask in my name I think he's using prayer as sort of a foil to speak in terms of all act access to God in this new covenant setting and note that the emphasis is upon the mediatorial office of Jesus in that day you will ask in my name he's already instructed them notice back in verses 23 and 24 and in that day you will ask me nothing most assuredly I say to you whatever you ask the father in my name he will give you until now you have asked nothing in my name ask and you will receive that your joy may be full the emphasis falls upon the in my name Ness of what Christ is speaking he's speaking in terms of the trinitarian God we come to the father through the son in the spirit again not that the trinitarian God is absent from the Old Testament but in the mission of the son and in the mission of the spirit it is as it were the light has been flipped on upon that room that was dimly lit and now we see it in its full Glory we see the blessedness of our Triune God and the way that Sinners come to the Father the way that the believer comes to the father is through the son it's similar to what he says in John 4:24 about worship and those who worship must Worship in spirit and Truth as I said last week he's not talking about heart and head he's talking about second and third person of the Trinity we come to the father through the son in the spirit and this is the emphasis of Our Lord it is most glorious because as I said he wants the disciples to be helped he wants them to be encouraged he wants them to leave the upper room and in the empty tomb and to go into the world and Make Disciples of all the nations what's going to empower them for that task the knowledge of God the understanding of who he is the reality of what he's accomplished the blessedness of who he is that's what Jesus leaves as his parting gift to the disciples in the upper room in order to enable them to go forth and to do the task that he has called them to so notice in that day you will ask speak specifically of prayer but access to 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 Brethren he's not saying he's not going to be their mediator because he's just indicated that you're going to ask the father in my name the Lord is not saying that he's not going to intercede for us because Romans 8 and Hebrews 7 tells us that he always lives to make intercession for us the Lord is saying that they will have direct access to the father through the son the in my name in the spirit and I think what he's as well saying is the benevolence no that's not the best word that's more General the graciousness the effusion of Grace to use an older word the the magnificence of Grace is that the father's ear is is toward you that's the point as cam mentioned that I mentioned last week these whatever you ask in my name it's not a meal ticket it's not a summer house up North it's not a trip to Florida it's God more God more power from God more presence of the spirit more Aid to go and to glorify our blessed savior so what Jesus is highlighting here is that in this new covenant era based on the reality of his life death and Resurrection it's the case that you have access to the very throne of grace ask the father in my name Gil says but to declare when he says what he says here he says I do not say to you that I shall pray the father for you Gil says but to declare the disposition and Readiness of his father to hear them and Grant unto them whatsoever they should ask of him in his name it underscores the relation that the believer has to the father through the son it underscores the relation that the father has to the believer through the son and Jesus goes on to speak concerning that notice in verse 27 for the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God it's a great statement isn't it it's not the first one in the in the upper room look at 1421 he who has my Commandments and keeps them it is he who loves me and he who loves me Will Be Loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him and then in verse 23 if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him so Jesus is simply stating restating what he has been saying but specifically focusing in on our relationship to the father based on what Christ has accomplished he has brought us into this place of favor and what a place of favor it is for the father himself loves you it's not because we're lovely it's not because we're deserving it's not because we've done well and so therefore we're rewarded The Father loves us because of Jesus and the love of the father is unchanging I don't know that we reckon with that as we ought the in unchanging character of God's love I don't think we know that experientially in our lives right we're brought up by parents and we think that if we don't do what they say they're going to love us a little less but if we really go up and above the the Call of Duty they're going to love us even more and you know what that might actually happen because man fluctuates man is changeable man is m mble man es and flows and man has a wretched heart and he might look at his son or his daughter that way I never did just for my kids that are here just know that that that never happened but not God we speak of the impassibility of God he doesn't move from one emotional state to another it's a subset of immutability God does not change God cannot change people say well that's not right that doesn't mean God can't change in love for us if God could love us more then he didn't love us as best as he could have if God could love us less the the the implications are terrible just be assured that he would because we certainly Merit as little possible love as anybody could ever Garner the The Father loves you he says to the disciples again Brethren step into the original context we like to pull passages out of the scripture and say what does this mean for me right now these Apostles are going to see their lord brutalized on the cross these Apostles are going to see him placed into the ground or into the tomb these Apostles are they going to see him again and these Apostles are going to hear the command go therefore and Make Disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit but that promise and lo I Am With You Always even even uh to to the End of the Age so notice how Jesus is leading them along in the upper room to encourage them to help them to sustain them and to empower them for that particular task and the main emphasis of his teaching is on God we just don't operate that way if you were going to go out to the mission field we'd make sure that you learned about all the cultural things that go on in that society and that's not wrong we'd make sure you had a pocket full of money that is useful in that Society we'd make sure you had some place to lay your head in that Society want want to make sure that you were safe and protected in that Society again not bad things but what Jesus does is take them to school and the subject matter is theology proper behold your God disciples behold your God Apostles this provides the impetus for you to go therefore and to make disciples it is most glorious so all that to say heavy emphasis on the person or or rather the being of God is a most essential thing in the in the hands of Our Lord so back to verse 27 for the father himself loves you notice there's a condition here because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God now we don't satisfy that condition it's not that you know one day I woke up and wow now I love God and I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ no we love him because he first loved us first John chapter 4 or or chapter five chapter five four it's four 4:19 I think I could look at my notes that's probably the smarter thing to do here 1 John 4:10 and then verse 19 he loves us because we love Jesus and because we believe on Jesus but again that because there is not conditioned on our part we've we we've arrived we've gotten the data we've made good decisions and now we're going to love God and Believe on Jesus no we don't make good decisions our our hearts are darkened we're dead in our trespasses and sins for us to love the father we must by Grace be awakened we must be regenerated we must be born again according to the teaching of John chapter 3 it's not saying that this is your reward for having stumbled upon this act of loving God he's stating the truth based on their relationship to our lord Jesus by grace through faith so back to the text for the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God I would suggest that that object of Faith Christ the the the the the verb tenses are the same so you can't really figure it out that way but theology in general teaches us we're born again The Reflex to that is The Graces of faith and repentance where we lay hold of of Christ and and all of his gospel benefits and then that first expression of genuine faith is love to God it's love to Christ so the love of the disciples is a fruit and evidence of the faith of the disciples and that love of the disciples is the chief expression of that Faith listen to Ma on Galatians 5 love according to the New Testament is not a means not the means of salvation but it is the finest fruit of it a man is saved by faith not by love but he is saved by faith in order that he may love that's the order that you find in the scripture so again Jesus is not saying you know because you stumbled on this love of God and because you've stumbled on by free will this faith in me guess what ding ding ding The Father loves you that's not the point the point is by God's grace you've been brought into this place of redemption the power of regeneration justification by faith alone and the finest expression of that justification by faith alone is love to God Gil says faith in Christ and love to him go together where the one is there is the for other Faith Works by love they are both GI uh the gifts of God's grace and the fruit roots and effects of his Everlasting Love and those who are possessed of them may be firmly persuaded of their interest therein so what Jesus is doing is he is commending them or commending to them their status their position their place their favor in the sight of God Almighty and I would suggest there's an implication here that sort of jumps out or we can pull it out there's no Universal fatherhood of God in a Redemptive sense creation the Apostle at acts 17 on at the areopagus gives a reference to God as father in a created way but this idea that everybody's going to go to heaven everybody knows the father everybody is loved by the father with a Redemptive love now that's For Those whom he chose before the foundation of the world not for anything good in them not because he looked down the tunnel of time and said you know that guy's going to make good decisions so I'm going to set my love and affection upon him no it's Sovereign it's according to his good pleasure and it's by his grace for his glory and through the blood and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ This is why Sinners need to hear the gospel we don't just simply go out and say guess what God loves you and he has a wonderful plan for your life that's not as far as we know true it could be if we happen to find somebody that has an e on their forehead but we don't know that and when you trace the apostolic preaching of the Gospel in the book of Acts they don't ever say God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life in fact love doesn't ever come up in the book of Acts now that doesn't mean therefore God hates everything do you love apples yeah why do you hate oranges no that's just weird but in the apostolic preaching of the cross it was the apostolic preaching of the Cross what's the gospel is it my experience is it my feelings is it my emotions no it's the message of Christ and him crucified and resurrected the apostles preached that and then called upon Sinners to believe it to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins they don't go out there and say well you know God already loves you you just have to activate it to another level or you just have to you have to comply or do this and we preach the glory of the gospel for the Salvation of Sinners and leave the results to God most high well that brings us then to verse 28 Jesus speaks concerning his mission but he speaks Beyond just the temporal Mission remember we've been looking at the upper room and we're trying to Define some trinitarian discourse Jesus actually speaks of the Eternal procession from the father and the temporal mission in what we call the Incarnation Thomas says the son proceeds or comes from the father in two ways one is eternal the other temporal he refers to the Eternal procession when he says I came forth from the father eternally be uh begotten from him and note verse 28 it's this robust powerful simply structured articulate expression of Christian doctrine it's almost like and I don't know this because I'm not in the mind of the spirit or in the mind of the Lord Jesus it's almost like this is the crescendo upon which the farewell discourse ends not suggesting that it doesn't continue to verse 33 but if there's one thing Jesus wants you to get disciples if there's one thing you need to keep in your hearts and in your minds it's this reality he's already commended faith in him notice in verse 27 for the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have beli that I came forth from God you have believed that I came forth from God and so now he articulates this notice 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 so why does he keep emphasizing this why does he keep reiterating his status as the sent one from the father who is the sender why does he keep reiterating the fact that he's going to send the spirit upon his Ascension on high well I would suggest it's to remind his disciples concerning that relation between the father and the son I mean if they're already struggling they're already kind of limping along until the cross until the day of Pentecost when the day of Pentecost comes and the spirit flips the light on everything's going to make beautiful sense like Paul on the road to Damascus he knew his Old Testament he just didn't have that necessary ingredient the Fulfillment of the New Testament in our lord Jesus so when the Lord Jesus comes to him on the road to Damascus and hands him that interpretative key everything makes sense to the Apostle Paul well the disciples are going to go through that same thing thing as well the confirmation of his ability to declare the father remember the Prue starts off 1118 no one has seen God at any time but the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father has declared him and then we noted in chapter 16 what's the purpose of the Holy Spirit to declare Jesus the spirit takes the things that are Jesus who takes the things that are the fathers and they declare each other the one living and true God who exists eternally is Father Son and Holy Spirit the spirit's function according to John 16 is to glorify Jesus there's no competition there's no gradation there's no you know fighting or Racing for whose top dog with reference to the god world no one living and true God in this Divine and infinite being there are three subsisten the Father the word or Son and the Holy Spirit each having the whole Essence yet the essence undivided we got to get away from this idea that there there there's three separate beings in the sense of three separate centers of Consciousness or or three Wills or or or three substances that's not biblical Christianity or Orthodox trinitarianism as well it is to encourage the disciples concerning his departure and I would suggest at least the last bit there in verse 28 sets the stage for what he says in verse 33 I leave the world and go to the father look at verse 33 these things I have 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 don't we need that great big dose of verse 33 like every day we're going to look at suffering again I'm sorry this guy's got a one note theme no we've seen it in John 1518 to John 164 we're going to see it in Philippians chap uh Philippians chapter 1 tonight Paul makes a remarkable statement there we know Paul's circumstances he's in prison he says to the Philippians that it has been granted to you graciously given to you not only to Believe In Christ but to also suffer now that sentence is tough not grammatically not syntactically but practically you you mean to tell me that that one word graciously given not only modifies Faith or governs Faith which we all agree because we're Calvinists God gives the grace of Faith so that we can believe I shouldn't say that in a cheeky way that's true but he's graciously given us suffering that's where I suggest the challenge in that verse lie that's a tough one to get your mind wrapped around it's almost like the psalmist in Psalm 119 I before I was afflicted I I went astray it was good for me that I was afflicted that's a tough concept a verse 33 mindset in the upper room is very helpful Jesus says in this world you will have tribulation he's not he's not painting the world with rosec colored glass rosec colored glasses oh now you know me so once you leave here it's going to be health wealth and prosperity everywhere you go you're going to have new cars you're going to have new boats you're going to have great this you're gonna have great that Jesus isn't Benny hen and Benny hen isn't Jesus in case anybody needed that clarification so I think that what Jesus does in verse 28 is he makes three statements first he speaks of what we've seen and we'll rehearse this briefly we won't spend a lot of time in it but he rehearses or declares what we call the Eternal generation of the son I came forth from the father he then speaks of the Incarnation of the son when he says and have come into the world and then the Ascension of the sun when he says again I leave the world and go to the father so I suggest it's kind of like a Doctrine Creed stuck right there in a real practical section as he's bringing the sermon or the the discourse to a conclusion he wants them to get this he wants them to understand this because it teaches us great theology so note first this doctrine of Eternal generation of the sun I came forth from the father we've seen this already you can turn back to John 1 John chapter 1 we have that prologue that theological expression of who God is in himself beginning in verse one in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God then note verse 14 and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of note the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth Verse 18 no one has seen God at any time the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him we saw it in John 3:16 John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life and then again in verse 18 He Who believes in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son the only begotten son he's not the son of the Father by creation he is not the son of the Father by adoption he is the son of the Father by Eternal generation there are other passages not just these words only begotten referred to Christ you see it in Psalm 2 see it in Proverbs 8 you see it as well in Acts 13 Hebrews chap 1 1 John 4 this speaks of what we call in theology Eternal relations of origin our confession of Faith distinguishes the persons or makes disting itions among the persons through these relations of origin the father is unbegotten the son is begotten by the father and the spirit proceeds from the father and the son so it's not enough for us to maintain that God is one we need to maintain that God is three not in the same sense one in essence or substance three in subsistance or person we cannot collapse the distinction of the person and think that we're doing good theology it's just not good the it's heresy bad stuff bad bad bad don't don't do that so there is distinction among the persons and that distinction is seen in those relations of origin the father is unbegotten the son is begotten by the father and the spirit proceeds from the father and the son there are various images and metaphors concerning this word this second person of the Trinity just consider a few of them the word is the brightness of the father's glory and the express image of his person sometimes my uh people say oh your son looks like you okay there's a resemblance there that's not what the Apostle saying he's saying what Jesus says in John 14 when the disciples say uh uh show us the father Jesus says if you've seen me you've seen the father it's not just a bit of a family resemblance it is very very clear the word uh uh excuse me the brightness of the father's glory and the express image of his person the word is the image of the invisible God Colossians 1:15 again not image The Way We Are by creation but the image the way the only begotten son is as each having the Divine Essence the word is the power of God and the wisdom of God first Corinthians 1:24 the words goings forth are from a old from Everlasting or from the Ancient of Days Micah 52 the nyine Creed gets it right when it says this begotten of the father before all worlds God of God light of light very God of very God begotten not made being of one substance with the Father the Eternal generation of the son contains an analogy so that we can understand we know what generation means when your wife has a baby you have a baby the baby comes out and the baby looks like you resembles you generation so there's something analogous in the relation between the father and his son that that we can sink our our our spiritual teeth in but you can't forget that Eternal that Eternal is absolutely crucial because it's not like a woman going into labor and having a baby I'm talking again in terms of the second person of the Triune God it's Eternal generation there's never been a time when the son was not there's never been a time when there wasn't a relation between the father and the son there's never been a time when there wasn't a relation and and time doesn't even apply no time in eternity it's not like you know eternity passed and there's eternity present and Eternity future that's a concept foreign to Eternity but you get the point the Eternal generation of the son at the same time highlights that he is from the father eternally but as well he is one in essence with the father so there's no gradation he's not a little God he's not a little G God he's not you know working on on his lessons to become sort of like the father know in this Divine and infinite being there are three subsisten or persons the Father the water Son and the Holy Spirit each having the whole Divine Essence and yet the essence undivided you say well I don't really understand that but does the bible teach it the Bible does teach it the hardness to understand is because we're finite and God is infinite as we talk about in the theology class on Saturday mornings if we could figure out everything there was to figure out about God we'd solve that puzzle and we'd move on we'd get a bigger Rubik's Cube we we'd go after a new new Venture we will will never figure out God but we have 31,000 propositions in the Bible and some good heavy lifting that the church has done in terms of Creeds and confessions that help us to understand what is revealed this eternal generation of the son is mysterious because it's not something that we have the categories for we're not infinite we're not Eternal Gregory made the observation the beginning of God must be honored by S it is a great thing for you to learn that he was begotten but the manner of his generation well how does this happen right does the bible teach it yes that's what Gregory say well how does it happen oh good this Theologian from ancient years is going to Solve the Riddle here's how he solves the riddle but the manner of his generation we will not admit that even angels can conceive much less you shall I tell you how it was it was in a manner known to the father who begat and to the son who was begotten anything more than this is hidden by a cloud and escapes your dim sight he's right that the scripture teaches the distinction between the persons we confess we worship we praise we we honor We Adore we preach against the the Heretics that would maintain otherwise but for the fin finite to get into the infinite and be able to describe in detail or to the satisfaction of man it's just not something we can do our confession says that his Essence is known only to himself our confession says that he's incomprehensible again that doesn't mean we can't know anything about God it means we can't know everything about God and I would suggest that's one of the things that keeps us humble it should Keeps Us low it should and keeps us worshipful it should now he moves from Eternal generation to what we more familiar with in the Incarnation already read John 1:14 the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us so notice what he says in verse 28 I came forth from the father and have come into the world the son assumed our Humanity without any compromise to his divinity this is something being taught today and I want you to be on the alert for it well you know Jesus when he was a man on Earth didn't really have that God ability as a brother said when he does things pertaining to God we don't forget man when he does things pertaining to man we don't forget God one person two Natures the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us so the sun assumed our Humanity without any comp compromise to his divinity listen to Gil this does not suppose any local motion notice in verse 28 I I came forth from the father and have come into the world we sing songs like that he left his father's Throne which I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with singing that as long as we understand what we're not saying it doesn't mean there's some division in the person you know the Divine Parts up here and the human parts by the Sea of Galilee no the glory of the person of Christ is that the one standing by the Sea of Galilee is the Divine word who assumed our Humanity who can walk by a fig tree and curse it such that it will never ever again grow figs who is such that when he's awoken from a nap by his scared disciples he can speak to the wind and he can speak to the waves and they will be calm that's the glory of the Savior it's not that the Divine is up there and the human is down here it's the one person of Christ who has our Humanity Gil says this does not suppose any local motion or change of place but only intends an an assumption of the human nature it's the good language to the Assumption or the taking unto himself the human nature into Unity with his Divine person who fills Heaven and Earth with his presence nor any separation from his father with whom he was and in whose bosom he lay when he made was made flesh and dwelt among men nor any absence from heaven for he was there when on Earth the body didn't contain the Divinity it didn't locally compromise that Jesus took our Humanity the Divine word without ever ceasing to be the Divine word Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 8 you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor he doesn't become poor by giving up the riches the riches stay but he becomes poor by assuming our Humanity so that you through his poverty Life Death Resurrection can be rich what good would it be if our savior came and I'm sort of paraphrasing DOL all here and he left his riches behind we want our Victor we want our champion we want him to come with all those riches so he assumes to himself our Humanity in the language of 2 Corinthians 88:9 it is through the Assumption of our Humanity he becomes poor but not by getting rid of his divinity sirel said he came forth a man of a woman not casting aside his being as God and the fact of his having been begotten by of God the Father even in the Assumption of Flesh he remained what he was I guess the onus here on on or the emphasis here is Brethren this is what we think about in terms of incarnation or what we should think about in terms of incarnation this becomes a busy time in the year it becomes a very others oriented time of the year which is actually really good we should be more others oriented a lot but if we're going to Think Through the Incarnation we need to think through it the way that Jesus teaches us he came forth eternally begotten from the father he comes into the world not by leaving beside or be uh behind him that Divinity but taking to himself our humanity and then he lives for us then he dies for us then he's raised for us other words think through the person of Christ along with the work of Christ yes we love his life we love his death we love his resurrection but think about the person doing that I mean if the king of I don't want to say any country because I don't respect any of them but if somebody that was really Noble and had high position came and swept your garage you'd think wow my garage is swept probably but the onus would be on that King swept my garage kind of doubly makes it good doesn't it not just that it swept but that a king actually came and swept it so I think that it's good for us and we should capitalize on the work of Jesus what he does what he did what he presently does in terms of interceding for his elect being an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous but let's think about his person in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and that word that was God became flesh why and I seen Creed answers that as well for us men and for our Salvation he came down from heaven blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly place in Christ and that Christ who took on our Humanity to save us from our sins Watson says he was poor that he might make us rich he was born of a virgin that we might be born of God he took our flesh that he might give us his Spirit he lay in the manger that we might lie in Paradise he came down from heaven that he might bring us to heaven and what was all this but love if our heart Hearts be not rocks This Love Of Christ should affect us behold love that passes knowledge the Lord Jesus Christ is that blessed one in the Song of Solomon he is all together lovely he is Chief among 10,000 and we see with reference to the apostles in the upper room his emphasis first is on who God is secondly he emphasizes God's love love for them Brethren if you haven't thought through the unchangeableness of God as it pertains to the love of God that's a very fruitful exercise and Endeavor you're not in a relationship where if you don't read your Bible and I think you should seven times this coming week God's going to love me less we act like mercenaries in the service of God now again everything in me would love to command you and bind your conscience read your Bible seven times this week of course once per day you get that okay mind day I'm going to blow through you know seven times I'll just take a 30 second break and no we we got to get out of this mindset that somehow we're earning more of God's favor we're earning more of God's love our confession of Faith speaks of God as most you know what most means he can't get better at it because he's already perfect he can't get worse at it because he's already perfect it's a blessed wonderful truth it is a glorious reality God is Spirit infinite Eternal and unchangeable in his being wisdom power Holiness Justice goodness and Truth there's no shadow of turning with him there's no wrinkle on the brow of Eternity there's no change in our blessed God and for the Lord Jesus to say the father loves you why because you love Jesus because you believed on Jesus again not a condition but rather an effect or consequence of God's grace and his love for us first but the reality is is that our blessed God is one true and living God father Son and Holy SP spirit and that one God loves us in fact The Upper Room begins on that grand note notice in 131 now before the Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the father having loved his own who are in the world he loved them to the [Music] end Brethren and and I'm not saying this to justify future sin on your part or mine I'm not saying this so that we have trivial or small views of the the heinousness of sin this is prior to Peter's denial again don't say well you know Jesus loved him he went out and denied so I've got a few of those I got a few Mulligans up my sleep I I can go out and do these no don't reason that way what shall we say shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound it never be gospel logic does not think that way I'm going to go out and sin because God loves to forgive sin I love to sin he loves to forgive It's a Wonderful Arrangement that's not gospel logic gospel logic is Christ died for me he rose again for me I love him he's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 I want to please him not because I think I'm earning his favor or keeping his favor but because I want to please him the bride wants to please the bridegroom the bridegroom wants to please the bride it's a beautiful arrangement so when we see statements like this do not think like a mercenary if I do this or I don't do that and and then God's love for me diminishes and no if you take that and you say well I'm going to go out and commit adultery because God's love for me isn't going to change that's not what I mean believe you me when I say that's not what I mean what I mean is this mindset where we think that based on what we've done or what we haven't done the the love Omer in God fluctuates the blessedness of divine immutability and impossibility is that God is most loving and if you're not a Believer here this morning I can think of no better thing to say to you as to why you should come to Jesus than that love of God whatever the problems life has Believers aren't rid of problems 1633 in this world you will have tribulation but man tribulation is a whole lot better with the love of God right what would you rather have tribulation and no God or tribulation and God who's working through it to conform you under the image of his son well take B thank you but it's not just the tribulation that I want you to consider as we close now it's the sin problem see God is a holy God God has promised to judge the living and the dead by this man Jesus whom he's raised from the dead and so you will stand before this Jesus and you will give an account of Deeds Done in the body whether good or bad how that happens that's probably better left with the question of Eternal generation but that it happens the Bible tells us the only way the only means the only only possibility for for escape from the judgment and the Wrath and the fury of God is to be cleansed in the blood of Jesus and clothed in his righteousness say well how do I get that you believe on the Lord Jesus yeah look to him and live just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the S son of man be lifted up John 3:14 we looked at numbers 21 on Wednesday night it wasn't lift that bronze serpent up on that pole and the faithful Israelite Who Was Bitten who sucks the venom out of his leg and then pulls himself to that pole and kisses it he'll be the one that's saved no it was a look and live it could have been a feeble look too perhaps you're about to die and expire you hear Moses say look at this you look at it what happened you live so the faith is not the kind that necessarily moves mountains it could be Mustard Seed but look to Christ for his blood his righteousness the Forgiveness of sins is what we need and that righteousness by which we can enter in to the presence of God Almighty well let us pray Our Father in Heaven thank you for your word thank you for the clarity of our Lord's doctrinal statement here at the end of The Upper Room discourse and Lord God we stand in awe that you are such a god such a blessed wonderful god father son and spirit we thank you for the Incarnation of Our Lord that the word became flesh and dwelt among us that he took to himself our Humanity with all those essential properties and common infirmities thereof and yet without sin that he lived a life of perfect righteousness and obedience to Holy to your holy law he died as a sacrifice and a substitute on that cross and he was raised again the third day may it be that Sinners all over the Earth would by Grace look unto him and would live and we pray this in jesus' name amen well you can turn in your H books to 570 and we will close our service by singing praise to our great God 57 you can stand with me [Music] praise All Creatures here be hallelu [Music] hallelu Praise Him the praise Father Son and Holy Ghost hallelu hallelu hallelu [Music] hallelu hallelu Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen will please be seated for a brief time of meditation e e