JOHN 14-16 PREPARE FOR THE RESURRECTION2020 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: John 14-16 Prepare For The Resurrection

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2020.

I just realized I was talking without my microphone on, so let's try that again. Good morning! Happy Resurrection Day! It is great to join with you in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fact that He is no longer in the tomb. He didn't stay in the grave, but He rose again on the third day. And so we have a risen Lord and we serve a risen Savior.

This morning, as we consider that, we're going to be working our way through a few different passages in the Gospel of John. And so would you turn there with me in your Bibles to John chapter 14 is where we'll start off and consider some of the words that Jesus gave to his disciples in preparation for what they were about to encounter.

And there in the Gospel of John, we find Jesus ministering to his disciples in the very hours leading up to his arrest, his betrayal there in the garden. And then, of course, the crucifixion that would happen the following morning. And so we're looking at these passages here in John 14, 15 and 16 of Jesus's really final moments with his disciples.

preparing them for all of the horror that they were about to encounter, but then also giving them that glimmer of hope of what was to come and what he had in store for them. And so some exciting things to consider here in the Gospel of John as we remember the resurrection of Jesus. We'll begin by reading verses 1 through 3 here in John chapter 14. Here's what it says.

Let your heart not, let, let me try that again. Verse one, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. That where I am, there you may be also.

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. Lord, a day that you have given us to remember every year what you have done in conquering sin and death and the grave and rising again, proving and authenticating all of your claims to be God, all of your claims to be the one and only way of salvation. Lord, you proved once and for all who you really are by rising again.

And Lord, in your resurrection, you give us great promise. You give us new opportunity. You give us new life. And so, Lord, we're thankful for this opportunity to be refreshed, to be renewed, and to be encouraged in the reality of your life. I pray, Lord, that you administer to our hearts now, as we spend this time with you in your word, work in our hearts, establish us in the truths that you desire for us to live by. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen. Well, this morning, as we look at the gospel of John and consider the resurrection of Jesus, I've titled the message, Prepare for the Resurrection. Prepare for the Resurrection. We're looking at this portion in the gospel of John where Jesus is preparing his disciples.

He's preparing them not just for his resurrection. He's preparing them for his death, for his rejection, and for all of the things that they're about to experience in the betrayal and arrest of Jesus that will take place. This is all taking place on the night that Jesus would be betrayed.

If you think about John chapter 13 for a moment, it's a famous passage where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. And that event takes place in the upper room on the evening of his betrayal. They're gathered around together. It's the last supper and Jesus washes the disciples' feet. Later on, he institutes communion and it's something that we continue to celebrate to this day. But

A key thing to note here is the timing that this is happening on that evening. And then in the following chapters, 14, 15, and 16, we see Jesus really pouring into his disciples a great amount of insight and information in preparation for them to help them go through the things that they're about to experience, but also to give them something to hold on to in the promises of what is to come, the good things that are to come.

Their world is about to be turned upside down. With the crucifixion of Jesus, all of their thoughts and dreams and all the ideas that they had, it came out of the blue for them. And so their world is going to be shattered. Jesus ministers to them to help them handle this unexpected turn of events. Even though he'd been sharing with them and preparing them, it was unexpected from their perspective. And in that, he ministers to us also.

He ministers to us in helping us prepare for, well, those times, those occasions where our world is turned upside down. But it's not just those crazy moments and the moments of chaos that Jesus is preparing them for.

Their whole life is about to be changed forever, not just because of those crazy events, but because of the resurrection that they would encounter on the third day. Jesus prepares them in these chapters for his resurrection and for their own resurrection, but then gives them instruction for what to do and how to handle life,

in the meantime. After the resurrection of Jesus, before their resurrection, in between those time periods, there was work to do.

There was a mission to accomplish. There was a life to be lived. And so Jesus here is preparing his disciples for all of these things as he heads towards the cross. And for you and I today, as we consider these things, this preparation is extended to us as well. As believers in Jesus, as those who love the Lord and follow him, there

There is the preparation that the Lord desires to pour into us so that we can face the crazy days where our world is turned upside down, so that we can look forward to the promise of resurrection. For us, the resurrection of Jesus has already taken place, but we're still in that in-between time where there's a life to be lived and so much that God wants to do in preparation for us to be resurrected with him.

And so here in John chapter 14, 15, and 16, we're going to get some glimpses of some important and powerful truths.

to help us in dealing with unexpected chaos, and to prepare us for eternity in the resurrection with Jesus. And so four points we'll work through as we look at these chapters here in the Gospel of John. The first point we're going to find here in verses 1 through 3 of John chapter 14. It's what we just read, but let me read it to you again. John chapter 14 verses 1 through 3 says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. The first point for us to consider this morning in preparation for the resurrection is to take comfort in the promised future.

Jesus here gives his disciples reason to have great comfort, to be encouraged greatly, to be strengthened because of what he promised would take place for them. Take comfort in the promised future. The way to battle troubled hearts is to believe, Jesus says. He says, let not your heart be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in me. As Jesus is talking to the disciples, he's not just talking about some future events where their hearts will be troubled, but their hearts are already troubled as he has been sharing with them some of the things that he will encounter. And they're confused by these statements. They're confused by this.

The things that Jesus has been saying, they're concerned about it. There's a lot of tension in the air. Their hearts are troubled. And Jesus says, let me help you work through that troubled heart. Here's how to battle that troubled heart. You believe in God, now believe also in me. And when Jesus instructs them and encourages them to believe in him, he

He also gives them some promises that goes along with that. And we're not going to go through all of these things in depth, but believe his promises. And he gives a couple promises here in verses 2 and 3. In verse 2, he says,

Believe in Jesus. Your heart is troubled. You're wrestling with some difficult things. You have some questions and perplexities and anxieties. Jesus says, look to the future in eternity with me. I'm going to prepare a place for you. I would have told you if this wasn't the case. It is the case. There's a promised future in eternity for you. I'm getting that place ready for you right now.

He goes on to give another promise in verse 3 that he will come again. He says, look, if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. I'm not going to just go away, but I'm going to go away for a season, and then I will come again. I will come back. And we've been waiting for that for some time. Even though Jesus has resurrected, as he promised he would, he has not yet returned.

And so this is a promise we hold on to and continue to look forward to, the return of Jesus. But then he goes on in verse 3 to say, you will be with me. The reason why he's coming back, he says, is to receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. Jesus says your hearts are troubled, but don't let them be troubled. Redirect your hearts.

Re-correct your hearts, perhaps, and believe in me. Believe my words. Believe these promises that I'm giving to you. You have a place in eternity. No matter what happens over the next few days, Jesus tells his disciples, to you and I this morning, he says, look, no matter what happens over the next few days or weeks or months or years,

believe in me. I have a place in heaven prepared for you, and I am coming again to receive you, and you will always be with me from that point forward. Some incredible promises that Jesus gives here to his disciples for us to take comfort in. And I'm sure they were encouraged, at the same time still wondering, what is about to take place? They were about to be faced with

Probably more troubled hearts than they were already experiencing. As Jesus has been talking to them about things they don't understand, you can see as you go back to chapter 13 of John, there's questions, there's fears, there's anxieties, there's a lot of perplexity, and they're wrestling with these things. Pastor David Guzik says, even though there was good reason why their hearts might be troubled, Jesus tells the disciples to challenge their troubled hearts with faith in the Father and the Son.

They did not have to give in to the emotions of fear and despair. Challenge those troubled hearts. He says, look, you don't have to give in to fear and despair. Challenge those troubled hearts and redirect them towards Christ. Believe in me. Take comfort in me and the promises that I've given to you. Take comfort in your questions.

They were asking Jesus questions. In John chapter 13, verse 21 and 22, it describes the disciples being perplexed as he's talking about being betrayed. And they don't know what that means. And they're perplexed about the situation and the things that he is saying. You can see the fears and the troubles. But what's really interesting about this passage is the verses leading up to John chapter 14.

The last couple of verses before John chapter 14, verse 1, you find it in John chapter 13, verse 37 and 38. Peter tells Jesus, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake. And Jesus answered him, will you lay down your life for my sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times. Just before Jesus

What we're reading here in John chapter 14, right before that, sometimes the chapter breaks as we work our way through the scriptures, give us a different perspective than what was actually happening. This wasn't another evening now from John chapter 13 to John chapter 14. It wasn't a different day, but this was the continuation of what they were walking through.

And so Peter says, I will follow you. And Jesus says, no, you will deny me. Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus declares to Peter, you're going to fail. You're going to deny me. You're going to blow it big time. You're going to three times deny me and deny that you ever knew me and call down curses upon yourself if you ever knew me. But let not your heart be troubled. Not only did

through the promises of the Lord. Not only does he encourage us and call us to take comfort in the midst of our fears and anxieties and perplexities, but also in the midst of our failures. Take comfort in the promised future. Even when we have denied the Lord or failed in some capacity, it doesn't take away the promises that the Lord has given to us. I like this word from H.A. Ironside. He says, I wonder...

If some who read this have failed, perhaps as Peter failed. Under the stress of circumstances, you too have denied your Lord, denied him in acts, if not in words. And the adversary of your soul is saying to you now, your case is hopeless. Oh, let me assure you, his interest in you is just as deep as it ever was. Take comfort in the promised future. Take comfort.

Whatever fears, whatever troubles, whatever struggles, whatever failures you have, take comfort in the promised future. Well, we're going to move on to John chapter 15 now for the second point to consider this morning. Here's point number two, bear fruit by abiding in Jesus.

Bear fruit by abiding in Jesus. Let's read through these first few verses here of John chapter 15, verses 1 through 5. Here's what it says. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Here, Jesus gives this illustration that really is a pretty famous and popular one. He is the vine. We are the branches.

And again, it gives us this second point to bear fruit by abiding in Jesus. As Jesus lays out this picture of a vine, there's several aspects to it. We have the vine, which he says, that's me. I'm the vine. So picture a vine. And Jesus says, I am that vine. But then we also have a vine dresser. That's someone who is tending to the vine.

He pictures here describing, you know, those pruning shears of the vine dresser to cut back, to shape, to mold, and to take care of the vine and its branches. He describes here unfruitful branches. And so you can imagine a vine where there's a branch that comes out that no fruit grows upon it.

Maybe it's not green and full of life any longer. It's a dead branch. And he says those branches are taken off. But then there's also the branches that are full of life, the fruitful branches. And those branches produce fruit. And the father prunes those. The vine dresser prunes those so that they would be more productive, more effective, and produce much more fruit. And so this picture of the vine is an important one here.

to consider. And as you think about this picture of the vine, I would suggest to you the message that Jesus is sharing here is that you are set up for fruitfulness. Notice in verse 3, he says, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

He talks about the vine dresser, you know, taking off the unfruitful branches. But in talking to his disciples, he says, you're already clean. You don't have to be concerned about, I'm not saying you're unfruitful branches. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. You know, as we consider the picture of the vine here and wrestle with our own weaknesses and failures, as we wrestle with our own sinfulness, we might think that we are set up for failure.

that we're kind of inclined towards failure in this picture of the vine, that unfruitfulness we might think is inevitable for us. We could consider our weaknesses and think that the deck is stacked against us when it comes to fruitfulness. But here what Jesus is saying, no, you're not set up for failure. In fact, it's the opposite. You are set up for fruitfulness.

You have everything you need and the deck is stacked in your favor so that you would be fruitful, but not in your own resources, not in what you can provide. Again, Jesus says in verse four, abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. Jesus says, abide in me. You will be fruitful if you abide in me.

And just as you see that picture and get the understanding that the branch doesn't have to come up with the resources to be able to produce fruit, that's given to the branch by the vine. The branch doesn't have to seek out water, that's given to it by the vine. The branch is the recipient of everything that is needed to produce fruit. And a branch that is abiding in the vine, that is connected to the vine,

will be fruitful. And so Jesus says, that's what you need to do. You need to abide in me. Abide in me. Stay rooted in me. The word abide, it means to live in or to dwell in. You could maybe think about it this way. Make your life all about your relationship with Jesus.

Make your whole life about your relationship with Jesus. That everything that you do and everything that is done and all that is involved in your life is in one way or another related to your connection to Jesus, your love for him and your walk with him. And Jesus says, if you abide in me, if you make your life in me, then you're going to be fruitful.

And what does that look like? What is this fruit that he's talking about? Well, there's many things, of course, that we could consider and discuss in that. But in the following verses, I think he gives us a few quick examples of fruitfulness. And so to consider those for a moment, answered prayer. This is one of the fruits of

of abiding in him. In verse 7, he says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. Answered prayer is a fruit of abiding in Jesus.

Now, don't get the wrong picture and think that it's, you know, hey, you spent time with him. And so then now he's going to, you know, just give you what you want because you kind of manipulated him or you bribed him, you know. But the idea here is that your will becomes aligned with the Lord as you abide in him. That you become in sync with him. You want the same things as the Lord. You have the same goals and desires as the Lord.

And so your prayers will begin to be answered because your prayers will be prayed in alignment with the will of God, in agreement with what God wants to do because you've been abiding in him, because you have your heart set on the things that his heart is for also. Well, another fruit that you could consider is obedience.

In verse 9, he says, Another example of fruit, an important one for us to consider, is obedience.

When you're abiding in Jesus and your life is connected to him and your life is centered around him, your life will begin to be filled with an abundance of obedience. As the Lord speaks to you, as he reveals his will through his scriptures, or perhaps directly to your heart, because your life is rooted in him. And as you abide in him, obedience begins.

will begin to bud, will begin to blossom, will begin to grow in every aspect of your life. Another good example of fruit is found in verse 11. He says, Joy is another fruit.

that we can see as an example here in these verses. When you abide in Jesus, it's going to result in joy. There's going to be a joyfulness. And a joyfulness that doesn't come from things or circumstances. He says, my joy will remain in you. Because you're connected to me, because you're attached to me, because you abide in me, you're going to inherit my joy. You ever been around someone that has a laugh that just makes you laugh?

You abide with Jesus and his joy is going to make you joyful. You're going to inherit that joy. It's going to be captured within you. Well, the final example to consider, there's many more, but verse 12, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Here's another example of the fruit that comes as we abide in Christ.

love. We love the people around us. We care for them. We want what's best for them. We want them to experience the fullness of God's plan and all that God has for them. Just as he has loved us, we love one another.

And so Jesus says, look, when you abide in me, the deck is stacked in your favor. You're not at a disadvantage here. You could look at these fruits and think, man, this is going to be really tough. I can't do this. Sure you can, because you don't have to produce obedience or joy or love. You don't have to produce answered prayer. All you have to do is abide in Jesus. Make him your life. Center your thoughts, center your plan, center your life upon him.

And as you abide in Jesus, these things will begin to develop and be produced in you. Now, just as fruit does not just happen overnight, in the same way as we center our lives in Christ and abide in him, these are things that will take time, but will develop, abide in Christ. Pastor Warren Wiersbe says, the abiding relationship is natural to the branch and vine.

but it must be cultivated in the Christian life. It's not automatic. Abiding in Christ demands worship, meditation on God's word, prayer, sacrifice, and service. But what a joyful experience it is. Abiding in Christ is important, but maybe it doesn't come naturally for you. Maybe it's not automatically a part of everything that you do. But the Lord encourages us. Here's how you prepare for resurrection.

Here's how you prepare for the days to come and the things that are about to unfold. Here's how you prepare for eternity with the Lord. Abide and you will bear fruit. Center your life. Fill your life. Consume yourself with more of Jesus. Make your life all about your relationship with Jesus. Well, thirdly, we're going to move now to John chapter 16 and look at verses 4 through 7 for point number 3, and that is receive help.

from the Holy Spirit. In preparing for the resurrection, again, we take comfort in the promised future. We bear fruit by abiding in Jesus, and now we receive help from the Holy Spirit. There's help that is provided, help that is needed, and help that is given. John chapter 16 verses 4 through 7 says this, but these things I have told you,

Verse 7. Verse 8.

But if I depart, I will send him to you. Receive help from the Holy Spirit. Again, Jesus is preparing his disciples. They're about to undergo a difficult trial. The immediate one will only last a couple days and then Jesus will be resurrected. But he's not just preparing them for the next three days. He's preparing them for the rest of their life as they live out the mission and the call.

that he has given to them and placed upon their lives as they head towards their own resurrection and eternity with him. And he says, look, you guys, you're going to need help from the Holy Spirit. I haven't been talking to you about these things thus far, Jesus says, because I've been here with you. And so over the three years of ministry, they were with Jesus and he didn't need to prepare them quite yet because he was there with them. And also they weren't ready for it, but he was there with them, he says. Now the time has come.

Now is the time for you to understand you can't do this on your own. And the things that lay ahead are going to be challenging. And you're going to need some assistance. You're going to need the Holy Spirit. Again, as they work through their troubled hearts, the hurts, the sorrow. He talks about their sorrow in verse 6. He says, because I've said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Keep in mind, we're still in that same evening from John chapter 13, the last supper in that upper room and the questions and perplexities and things. There's so much going on internally with them. He says, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, it's to your advantage that I go away. As they work through all of these things, Jesus says, look, there's help for you. There's an advantage that you have, an advantage that I'm providing for you.

It's amazing to see God work. God has a way of working out advantages for us in the midst of the things that trouble us. The things that trouble us, the things that rock us to the core, the things that are difficult for us to face, the things that we agonize through, God has a way of working those things into advantages for us. And specifically, Jesus here says, your great advantage in the midst of this situation is the Holy Spirit.

Your life is going to change. They'd been with Jesus for about three years at this point, and they had developed this understanding of this is what life is like. We walk with Jesus. We're his disciples. Sometimes he sends us out, but we come back. And, you know, it's life with Jesus. And Jesus is saying, look, your life is about to change. You're about to enter into a new normal that you're not familiar with. And for that, you need help. But it's to your advantage that I go away.

You're going to benefit. It may not feel like that is happening. You may not feel that way at first, but you will benefit. It's to your advantage, he says in verse 7, because if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. The reason why it's to their advantage for Jesus to go away, so then they're in a position, then they're in a place to receive help.

Now Jesus had introduced the helper earlier on in John chapter 14 as well. John chapter 14, verse 16 and 17, Jesus says, I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus, here on this same evening, he's talking to them on several occasions about the helper. He's talking to them about the one who will assist them, the one that he will send to them. This word helper, it means to come alongside. And again, it's the idea of coming alongside for whatever the need might be. It is used sometimes to speak of coming alongside to bring comfort to a person.

Sometimes it's coming alongside to bring strength and help. It's that help for whatever is needed. And speaking about the Holy Spirit this way, the Lord is saying, look, the Holy Spirit is so helpful, He's called the Helper. That's how helpful the Holy Spirit is. He's called the Helper. And you have the Helper. You have access to this help. Receive help today.

From the Holy Spirit. Jesus says he's going to abide with you forever. This is not on some occasions. This is not once in a while. But the Holy Spirit will abide with you. You have help. You need help. And you have help. Provided to you by the Lord in the person of the Holy Spirit. Again, so helpful. His name is the helper. I mean, you think the helpful Honda guys are helpful, right? The Holy Spirit.

He's the great helper. He's the one who provides all that you need. And so Jesus says, it's to your advantage that I go away so that the helper will be sent to you, that you will have access to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to the working of the Holy Spirit, to the empowering of the Holy Spirit, to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You will have help in abiding in Christ. You will have help in facing the things that trouble your hearts.

You will have help in preparing for the resurrection. You have help. Receive that help from the Holy Spirit. Well, the final thing that I want to share with you this morning as we prepare for the resurrection. Jesus, of course, has already resurrected, but we look forward to the day that we are resurrected and in eternity with him. And as we prepare for that day, because his resurrection guarantees our own,

The last thing to consider this morning here in John chapter 16, verses 22 through 27, is pray to the Father directly. I want to encourage you to think about this. Pray to the Father directly. Let's jump into verse 22. It says,

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. Again, think about the timing and think about what's happening here. Jesus is preparing them for the coming events.

He says, therefore, you have sorrow now. Right now you're sorrowful and you're going to be more sorrowful in the next few hours as I'm betrayed and arrested and on trial, crucified. You're going to experience even greater sorrow. Jesus is preparing them for that. But he says, I will see you again. I will be crucified. I will be put to death, but I will rise again and your heart will rejoice.

But notice that he's not just talking about they will see him again and they will have joy because he rose from the dead in the sense of his life was extended. It wasn't just a chance to see Jesus again that would cause this joy. Jesus says, your joy no one will take from you. Jesus wasn't going to stay on earth with them forever. And the resurrection of Jesus is not just about the extension of his life here on earth.

Jesus is saying, look, you're going to see me again and you're going to have joy because my resurrection is going to change everything. And one thing in particular, he points out, my resurrection, Jesus says, is going to change your access to the Father. It's going to change your opportunity, your ability to connect with, to relate to, to know your heavenly Father.

So much so, he says in verse 23, 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. Jesus says, look, up to this point you've been relating to me. But after the resurrection, things are going to change. You're not going to ask me anything, Jesus says. But you're going to ask the Father in my name. You're going to have access to the Father that you've never had before. You're going to have an entrance to the Father that you never have known before.

you will ask me nothing now jesus is not saying that we cannot ask him right as we prayed you ever asked jesus for anything jesus is not saying that's wrong but what he is saying is that things are different now because of the resurrection that the reality is our prayers our requests are not to him to the exclusion of the father

Jesus, I'm bringing this to you right now because, man, the Father's kind of scary. I don't know if I can bring this request to him. I don't know if he's going to be happy with me. He might want to just smack me upside the head. So Jesus, I'm asking you. It's not like he's the gentle one and the Father's the one that's going to beat us. No, what Jesus is saying here is you will ask me nothing. All of your prayers, all of your requests, even if you address them to Jesus, Jesus says, I pass them on to the Father. He's the one you're praying to.

He's the one who cares for you. He's the one who is providing for you. And it's interesting because it's such a part of our habit, I think. Maybe I should just speak for myself, right? I pray in Jesus' name. And yet at the same time, it's a good reminder here that I'm praying to the Father. I have access to the Father. It's such a common part of our prayer. We might forget what it actually means.

You have direct access to the Father in the name of Jesus. The author of Hebrews tells us this in Hebrews 10, verse 19 and 20. He says, Here you see the ministry of Jesus. He has consecrated a new way for us through the veil.

Speaking of the veil that existed there in the temple that separated the most holy place from the holy place. And the most holy place was where the presence of the Father was, the presence of God. But that veil's been torn. There's a new and living way that has been opened up by Christ, by his blood, by his death and his resurrection. So we have access right into the Father's presence.

A couple of verses down there in Hebrews chapter 10, the author of Hebrews says, so let us draw near. So let us draw close. Let us enter in to the presence of the Father. Let us take advantage of this provision that has been given to us. In verse 24, Jesus says, until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. Things are going to change, Jesus says. When I'm resurrected, everything's going to be different.

You're going to have a new relationship to the Father like you've never known before. Up to this point, you haven't had this kind of relationship. You've asked nothing in my name. But at that time, after I'm resurrected, then you will ask in my name and receive that your joy may be full. What kind of things must we do to get this access to the Father? What does it take to have this kind of access to the Heavenly Father who sits in holiness forever?

and glory. What does it take to get this kind of access? Notice verse 26 and 27. Jesus says, in that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from God. Jesus here reiterates and makes it clear. I'm not saying I'm going to go to the Father on your behalf. He says, you get to go to the Father directly. You have access to the Father.

And why is that? How could that be? Jesus says two things. Number one, because you've loved me. What does it take to have this kind of access to the Father? First of all, love Jesus. And then secondly, he says, and you have believed that I came forth from God. You believe that the Father sent me and you loved me. And so the Father himself loves you and he hears you and he receives your requests. He invites you into his presence.

you have an open invitation, an audience before the Heavenly Father. And so here Jesus prepares his disciples for what's about to unfold. He prepares them for, well, they're going to watch him be arrested and put on trial, crucified, buried. But on the third day, he will rise again. And it's going to change everything, not just because his life on earth here is extended.

He only stays with them a short time, a few days, and then he ascends into heaven. But the rest of their life is changed because of the realities, because of the truths that are declared and pronounced and accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He prepared his disciples for all of these things to unfold. For those few days that their hearts would be troubled and

perplexed and anxious and miserable, but then also the rest of their life beyond that. There would be a lifetime of opportunities, a lifetime of challenges as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. And here in these chapters, he pours into them everything that they need. They're ready to face those few days. They're ready to face the rest of their lives in service to the Lord. Take comfort in the promised future. You have everything that you need as well.

And Jesus is preparing you for your resurrection and for your eternity. Take comfort. Yes, we have troubled hearts, but don't let those troubled hearts dominate your life. Redirect your hearts. Battle those troubled hearts with belief. Grasp hold of the promises of God. Grasp hold of the things that the Lord has said. Look forward to that future, to that eternity that has been promised to you.

And then bear fruit by abiding in Jesus. Center your whole life around him. Make your work, make your home, make your driving, your shopping, whatever you do, your recreational time, an aspect of your relationship to the Lord. Abide in him and you will bear much fruit. You don't have to figure out how to bear the fruit. You don't have to figure out how to generate the fruit. You have to abide in him. Keep yourself, keep your heart, keep your mind close to Jesus.

Let him produce the fruit in you that is there and ready to be produced through the resources he provides. And look to the Holy Spirit for help. The receiving of the Holy Spirit, it's something that we ask for. It's not something, again, that we generate or we make happen. Jesus speaks of us asking the Father to give us the Holy Spirit. Receive that help. Ask for the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and guide you

He's so helpful. He's called the helper. You have what you need, the help that you need for the days that you face as you look forward to the resurrection. And then finally, pray to the Father directly. Notice we have relationship with all three persons of the triune nature of God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have full access to real relationship with God. Every aspect, every part,

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Pray to the Father directly. He loves you. He wants what's best for you. Draw near to him. Prepare yourself for eternity with him. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your resurrection, for your death, and that you paid the price for our sins. You received the penalty that we deserved so that, Lord, as you resurrected on the third day, Lord, we could have that assurance that

that reality of sin being conquered, the grave being conquered, and life ruling through faith in you. And so, Lord, we come to you this morning as those who love you, as those who believe in you, and we invite you to work in us. Prepare us for the resurrection. Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus, and we are thankful that

that you sent your only son to die for us. And Father, we ask that you would help us to be ready for all that is in store for us. Help us to believe you at your word and to receive all that you offer to us by faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you would continue to pour out to us the life and life abundantly that you promise. Thank you that we serve a risen Lord.

Thank you that we can come before you and know we have an audience. Help us, Lord, for the days ahead to know you, to walk with you, and to represent you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.