The Gospel of John, and the 14th chapter. The Gospel of John, I'll commence reading from verse 12, and I'll end on verse 17. John chapter 14, and I commence reading from verse 12. As we continue through our study, studies in the Gospel of John. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I'll ask the father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it's neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. We continue in our study through the Gospel of John, and as I've said that the goal of John the author is to present portraits of the Lord Jesus Christ while he on earth so that we may believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord. And so he brings those accounts. He did not record everything as he himself says that if we were to record everything that Jesus did, there would be no space to contain those historical accounts. But what he does is that he highlights Those things that helps us to see as we observe, as we analyze, as we examine, to see that truly Jesus Christ is the Lord. And not just end there, but believe in Him for the forgiveness of our sins. John wants us to take seriously those historical accounts that he records for us so that we arrive at the conclusion that he and his other apostles or his other disciples arrived at, that this Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. This morning we come to this portion of Scripture that I've read to you, which highlights three remarkable promises. And these promises were recorded by John from the very lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. From chapter 13, you see that the Lord Jesus Christ was now telling His disciples that His time has come. Previously, He would say the time has not yet come. But you see that now beginning in chapter 13, the Lord Jesus Christ begins to say, now the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. And as John records for us, that in this moment, the Lord Jesus Christ was thoughtful and compassionate about His disciples. We see this example of our Lord's tender thoughtfulness toward His disciples. He had just announced that He would be leaving them, and they are distorted, they are discouraged, and the Lord Jesus Christ thinks of them. He thinks of the weaknesses of His disciples, and He saw in them their fearfulness. at the prospect of being left alone in this world. And he cheers them by these three promises that he gives suited to their situations. He gives them these promises that they should carry on the work that he had begun. And as these promises were suited to the circumstance and the situation of the disciples, these promises we can also see that they are applicable and suitable to our various circumstances as individuals even today. And the first thing I would like to draw your attention to, the first remarkable promise we see is about the works that Christians may do. The works that Christians may do, and that is in verse 12. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.'" And the Lord Jesus Christ draws our attention to what He is saying with those words, truly, truly, I say to you. And He wanted His audience and through the recorded accounts also us to pay particular attention to what He is just going to say. And the Lord Jesus Christ says that whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father. Now, this verse is one of those verses that has been confused by many. It's one of those verses that people basically would cut it in part and say, if we are Christians, then we should be able to do greater miracles than those which the Lord Jesus Christ did. But when you look at what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, He's basically saying, and they will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father. And the Lord Jesus Christ is not just limiting the works that He's talking about with the miracles He did. He's basically saying they will do greater works than what I did. And so the question we need to ask is, what is the Lord Jesus Christ saying? And is this applicable to all who believe, or is it applicable simply to a group of special Christians? And context matters. For us to understand what he means by greater works, we need to take it into context. And he says, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me, So to begin with, whatever it is that the Lord Jesus Christ is alluding to is a promise to whoever believes in Him. So it's not about a special class of Christians. It's not about a special group of Christians, but it's whoever believes in Me. That's what the Scripture says. Now, A.W. Pink, in commenting about this verse, he says this concern, he says, by asserting that Jesus' promise was given exclusively to the original disciples for their apostolic ministry. According to Pink, this was exclusively a promise to the original disciples for their apostolic ministry. And he goes on to quote Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 4, which says that the apostolic preaching was attested by signs and wonders and various miracles. Now, I like pink, but the question still is, the Bible says, whoever believes in me. So it's not really restricted, it's not really exclusively to the two of the apostles, the original disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, because John says, whoever believes in me will do his works and even greater works than these. And one clue to understand what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying is that the text goes on to explain that He says to His disciples that they would do these greater works because He, the Lord Jesus Christ, was going to the Father. And so we see that the promise that Jesus is giving here. is, will be possible to those who believe because the Lord Jesus Christ is going back to the Father. And when He goes to the Father, as we'll be seeing shortly, He will send another helper, another person, the Holy Spirit. And these greater works that the disciples will do will be as a result of the working of the Holy Spirit in them, and these works will be in the gospel proclamation. These works that the Lord Jesus Christ is talking about is the preaching of salvation in the name of the Lord. And there could be no greater work than seeing God raising those who are dead in sin and bringing them to life and giving them life in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. No greater works can there be than seeing souls being saved. in the name of Christ. And so when the Lord Jesus Christ says, they'll do greater works than these because I'm going to the Father, He's basically saying through the preaching of His name in every place Many will come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, when you examine the acts of the apostles, you don't see anyone who did greater miracles than the Lord Jesus Christ or greater works than the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't see any of the apostles raising someone who had been dead for days like what the Lord Jesus Christ when He raised Lazarus from the dead. You actually don't see any who did more greater miracles than the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this is a reference to that work that Jesus will accomplish on the cross when He goes back to the Father and He sits at the Father's right hand, interceding for each one of us who know Him, so that as we proclaim His message, God is drawing those who we believe to Himself. D.A. Carson argues that the greater works are those done on the basis of Jesus' death, resurrection, and exaltation. The greater works point to the power of the gospel to transform lives as it spread throughout the apostolic witness and throughout the gospel age. And you see this in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and the next thing you see is after Peter preached, 3,000 were saved. probably more than the Lord Jesus Christ ever saw while he was still on earth. 3,000 were saved. Again, you see another 5,000 within a short period of time. The numbers of those who were converted from a small group had gone to over 5,000 to almost 10,000 within a short period of time. And the reason is that Christ has been exalted. He's now at the right hand of His Father and He's interceding that as His gospel is preached in His name. Many will be brought to the saving knowledge of Christ. Also, Jesse Rau says, and I quote, there is no greater work possible than the conversion of the soul. There is no greater work possible than the conversion of the souls. And so when the Lord Jesus Christ promised that those who believe will do greater works than these, He was talking about the preaching of the gospel. And that when the gospel is preached, all of us as Christians collectively will do greater in the sense that when we preach the gospel, those who are getting saved through the ministry of us as individuals, but also collectively, there will be more that are hearing the gospel, but also through the preaching of the gospel. In every place and every age, the name of Christ is being heard, and people are calling upon Him. You remember while the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth, He was confined to a certain place, and it was within that confinement limitation of that certain place that He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. But when He rose from the dead and ascended into on high, the gospel has been preached from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And the reason why we're able to achieve this is because Jesus is going back to the Father. Remember in Matthew 28, the Great Commission, He began by saying, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. And it's because that Christ has all authority. And it's because of the power of the Holy Spirit, and it's because of the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that as His Word is being proclaimed, lives are being transformed. And I ask you this morning. Perhaps you are one of those who get moved by seeing miracles as it were, these unexplainable acts being done and that sort of moves you or intrigues you. The question I want to ask you, what can be more greater than seeing one who was dead in sin, spiritually dead, being brought to life by the power of the gospel? What can be greater than that, seeing someone being brought to life? What can be greater seeing one who lived a life of sin, written off by everyone because of their sins, drinking and wallowing in sin, and then they had the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as I read the gospel, it's as it were that God was reaching out to them in the sewer of sin, and he washed them in the blood of Christ. And that person has been transformed from the kingdom of death to see the fruit of the Spirit in them. And as they grow in Christ-likeness, they are becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And everyone is asking, what is it that has transpired? What is it that has taken place? There is no greater miracle than that, seeing one who was dead in sin being brought to life. And the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, these greater works that the disciples may do, that the Christians may do, it's because I'm going to the Father. I've come, I've done what the Father asked me to do, and I will accomplish it with my death, and I'll be raised on the third day, and all authority in heaven and on earth will be If you're one who is not moved by hearing the testimonies of God's amazing work of salvation in individual's lives, it's probably because you don't know what it means to be saved by the power of God. It's because you cannot resonate with what it means to be brought from death to life. And when you hear individuals giving their testimony to you, it's just one of those things. But those who've experienced the salvation that is ours in Christ, they can see the power of God. And they're about to say with Paul, I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. But the second remarkable promise we see is about the things that Christians may get by prayer, the things that believers may get by prayer. Verse 13 and 14, whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." Again, we see there what the Bible is saying to us. Prayer in Jesus' name is the way to do these greater works than He did. This verse shows us the extent the basis and the results of Jesus' promise. And again, the context is important. The Lord Jesus Christ is not promising that He would do any crazy thing that we ask. The Lord Jesus Christ is not saying that He would do anything that we imagine in our minds. As long as we put in Jesus' name, then you'll be able to do it. The Lord Jesus Christ is not saying, whatever it is that this world offers or whatever it is that is attractive to you in this world, if you ask me in my name, I will give it to you. Again, context is important. The Lord Jesus Christ says, whatever you ask in my name is tied to doing the works of Jesus. This promise is tied to doing the works of Jesus. And so what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying is this, that as long as you ask in My name and it has to do with My works, and My works is that the Father will be glorified through the Son, that I will Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." And throughout the Gospel of John, you've seen that Jesus from time again would say that, I've come to do the will of the Father. In chapter 13, when we were reading, we saw where it said, now the time has come for the Son to be glorified, and said, Father, glorify Yourself in the Son. And the Lord Jesus Christ is very clear there, that the objective of His promise is that the Father's glory is achieved in the Son. And this was going to be achieved by the death of His Son on the cross. And through the proclamation of the name of Jesus, many will come to salvation. Our desire to see God glorified through the Lord Jesus Christ is about seeing souls being saved. This includes the souls of in our very enemies or those people we don't seem to get along. It's to pray in the name of Jesus that He may accomplish His will, that His Word will not return void. And the importance of prayer in the work of evangelism is seen throughout the Gospels. throughout the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ often would withdraw from the multitudes and spend intimate communion with the Father. You recall that before the Lord Jesus Christ walked on water to His disciples, He spent time on the mountaintop praying. And you can read that in Matthew chapter 14. Before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ spent time in the garden of Gethsemane, wrestling with the Father, because the time had come But you also record in Matthew 9 when the Lord Jesus Christ would say, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. And then He said, pray earnestly that the Lord of the harvest may send laborers into the harvest. You see that He is saying, whatever you ask in My name, must be tied to the work that I came to do, that the Father may be glorified and that souls may be saved. So yes, so prayer isn't just a means to make our lives more comfortable. It's a means to plead with God. that His will on earth may be done as it is in heaven. And the will of the Father is to see that those whom is given to the Son responds to His gospel and come to Him in salvation. It's about extending the kingdom of God. Yes, there is a place to ask God to meet our needs. When you look at the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6, we see why it talks about, you begin by our Father who's art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Oh, once you've done that, Lord, give us today our daily bread. So there is a place for that. But here the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, That when you ask, whatever you ask in His name, He will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And now is the Father glorified in the Son. It is through the proclamation of salvation and people turning away from sin and coming to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, living lives that are pleasing in His sight, being sought and light to the world. The question I asked this morning, if you are a Christian, if you know what it means to be saved from sin, do you wrestle with God in prayer for the success of the gospel? When was the last time you prayed and fasted that wherever the gospel is faithfully proclaimed, that God may cause that His Word does not return void. As you spend time praying for many other things, do you spend time wrestling with God, praying to God that the God of the harvest may send forth laborers in the harvest field? That the gospel enterprise will continue to go? that the gospel will continue to move from shore to shore. This is a promise, the remarkable promise that we are given there. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, will do it. This promise is tied to the father being glorified and the father is glorified not only in the death of his son but seeing the fruits of the death of his son. A people from every tribe, tongue, nation coming from their sins calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ from an upright heart. And the third remarkable promise we see is a promise about the Holy Spirit, the promise about God the Holy Spirit, verse 15 through to verse 17. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I'll ask the Father, and he'll give you another helper to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. And that's another remarkable promise here, the promise of God the Holy Spirit. And the Lord Jesus Christ here is promising to provide what is needed in order to walk in light and to keep His commandments. He's about to leave. He's been with His disciples and He says, when I go, I'll ask the Father to send another person, another helper. He promises God the Holy Spirit. And the gift of God the Holy Spirit arises from God's graciousness and not from anything we do. God out of His grace, He sends the Holy Spirit, and this is tied to the Lord Jesus Christ going back to His Father. And we see here, God the Holy Spirit is being mentioned, that He will give you another helper. And what brings to mind is that the Lord Jesus Christ is not just saying, I will send you a helper that will assist you or that will be by your side to achieve that which I want. The term helper there gives us the idea of someone who comes alongside another and provides that which is lacking in another. And this goes back to Genesis chapter 2. You remember when God says, God creates Eve and brings Eve to Adam. It says, I'll create a suitable helper. The term helper there gives us this idea that Eve was not just going to be another like Adam. No, Eve was going to be one who supplies what was lacking in Adam, so that Adam fulfills the creation mandate that God gave him. And it is the same way that this word helper is used in Psalm 46 when he talks about God is our refuge and our strength, a present help or a present helper in times of trouble. And what the psalmist there is saying is that God is the one who supplies what is lacking in me. He's my refuge. In times of trouble, I don't have my own strength. I don't have a refuge where I can go to. And therefore, this God comes and supplies what I'm lacking. Therefore, He becomes my refuge and my strength. And it is the same idea here, that the Holy Spirit is one who provides that which is lacking in us. And what is it that is lacking? We are not able to keep God's commandments on our own. We are not able to walk in light on our own. We are not able to achieve the very things we want to achieve on our own. In fact, we are not even able to pray to God on our own. And therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ says, I will give you another helper, one like me, another person, one who's not like you, one who's going to bring that which is lacking in you. who is referred to as the Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit is not just there to empower us, as it were, for effective service, but He's there to help us be effective in our service to God. His heart to provide that which is lacking in us for our service to this great God. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the Spirit of truth. He will remind us of the truth of Christ. He will cause us to walk in the truth of Christ. He will show us the way to God. And when we come to pray, we will pray in truth, not because we know the truth, we struggle to know the truth, but it reminds us of the truth of the Word and therefore causes us to walk in the truth of the gospel. He will be there to walk and to live in us. Remember the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, verse 17, sanctify them by the truth. Your Word is truth. And the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the God of truth. And also you see the Scriptures tells us that the Holy Spirit is one that the world do not know. The world do not know. They don't know His work, His operation. The world deems foolishness the things of God. They don't have the enabling of the Holy Spirit. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us. He reminds us of the things of God. He brings this godly fear in us so that we do that which God desires us to do. And when the world thinks of that, when the world looks at us, they think we are fanatics They think we are gullible. They think we are naive. They think we don't think. It's because they don't have the presence of the Holy Spirit. He's the one who guides us in truth. And when we start to open up the Bible, it's not because we claim that we are more intelligent than others. It's because we are convinced this is the truth of God and we'll proclaim it with the boldness it deserves because this is the truth of God. and He lives in us. That's what the Bible says there. You know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. This is a promise, remarkable promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. That while He was on earth, yes, He was with the disciples, but He could not dwell in the disciples. But the Spirit of truth, He will come and He will live in all of us. And what a great joy to know that the spirit who lived in the apostles is the one who lives in us. He's a spirit of truth, another helper, the one to whom the world cannot see. They don't know him. They can't see him because they're still wallowing in sin. And we are told that He will dwell with you and will be with you. The Scythians say, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. It's basically saying, this Helper, the Spirit of Truth, will continue to be with you till I return. He will continue to whisper in our ears that we belong to Christ. He'll continue to whisper in our ears to trust and obey. He'll continue to remind us and to challenge us and to instruct us in the things of God. And if you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, it's because you are not a Christian. The Holy Spirit doesn't come to super-Christians. He comes to all who believe in Christ, those who've called upon the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and in repentance and they've trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. This promise is fulfilled. The Helper, the Comforter comes, lives in us. reminds us that we are children of God. And it is with these remarkable promises that helps us to soldier on in this world full of sin. While we get discouraged, we feel overwhelmed. but by the leading of the Holy Spirit as we dive into God's Word. He reminds us of the truth of the world, of God's Word. He reminds us who we are, children of light, and we must live in full assurance of our salvation. And this promises a reality in your life today. Is this true of you? Are you confident today that you are a child of God? Can you say with certainty that Christ was to come today? I will be with Him in His kingdom. We live at the time when our understanding of God the Holy Spirit is very poor. Some claim that they can command God the Holy Spirit to come and go. Some portray as if He's simply their servant. Others have even said, no, He's not even a person. He's just a force, a power. But the Scriptures are clear. He is another helper. He dwells in us. And we can say, I save a risen Savior. He's in the world today. And if you ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart. It may not sound sensible to you, but for those who are Christian, it's a living reality. They've experienced it. They know it. He lives within my heart. And therefore, the cry for every child of God is to go and spread the tiding rounds, wherever man is found, wherever human war is about, that the Comforter has come. And because the Comforter has come, we are assured that when we preach the gospel and pray in the name of Christ, Results will be ours, not because of the eloquence of the presentation, but because He who promised, He is now in heaven interceding for us. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. And He says wherever the gospel is proclaimed, sinners will be saved because the Comforter has come. And I ask this morning, has the comforter come into your life? Has your life been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, having turned away from sin and having believed in Christ? Can you say that I, a child of hell, can in His image shine, because the Comforter has come. If this is strange to you, it's because you're not a Christian. Call on Jesus today, and these remarkable promises will be yours, and you'll live in full assurance of these, because the Comforter has come. Amen.