Pastor Alan is on the road and you're invited. Check out pastorallen.org for more information. But if you live in the Carolinas, you're invited to a men's event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on February 27th. And if you're in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, join us at the Epic Conference open to all in late February. Plus, catch Pastor Alan preaching at Sojourn Church in Carrollton, Texas on March 1st.
All the details at pastorallen.org. Hmm. Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical, faith-filled vision for your life. Like Nehemiah. You are doing a great work and can't afford to be distracted or delayed or detoured.
By the enemy's cheap diversion tactics. When Sambalat and Geshem tried the trick of pulling Nehemiah off the wall by offering a meeting at Oh No, Nehemiah said, Oh, no, to the antics. I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down. Nehemiah 6:3.
So I bless your spiritual eyes to See your life in the same light. Whatever God has given you to do in this season is a great work. Raising a child? That's a great work. Loving your neighbor.
It's a great work. Getting an education, it's a great work. Starting a ministry, it's a great work. When hell's deceptive minions invite you off your wall with an alluring distraction, may you find Nehemiah's words handy. I'm doing a great work and cannot come down.
Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. I've been trying to relearn to play the guitar, that I played as a kid, and I've got goals of how good I'm going to get, and it's not going that fast. And I'm starting to go. At this rate, I'm definitely going to run out of time. I'm not going to be nearly as good.
But I got a lot of things I'm going to run out of time for. I'm staying till already. But I think Jesus knows.
So my abiding place is going to be a guitar stand with a Martin D28 sitting there ready for me. Continue on with your lessons, Alan. Continue, continue. You've got a long time now in heaven. That's Pastor Alan Wright.
Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt. Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Abide, taken from John 14 through 17, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast today, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now, which can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries.
So, as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. At any point, contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860.
More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here. is Alan Wright. It was just so much more poignant.
And spiritually anointed. And I got some time with him. And I went in and held his hand, and he looked me in the eye, and he blessed me. He blessed me the way dying Jacob blessed his sons or blessed Ephemenazzi blessed me. And he prophesied about my future.
And then ever the Churchman, he gave me some really, really pointed and wise counsel on dealing with a couple difficult church matters. And it was really great and helpful. And I remember walking out. It was like everybody that came out of the room was almost glowing like they'd met with God. And I realized that there's a way In which You can step into a kind of anointed awareness of what is essential And And Jesus is in this moment.
The Son of God, who is already the only truly undistracted person who ever lived, is nonetheless in this place and time and is probably in the upper room as he is celebrating Passover on the eve of his crucifixion. And this is where his deepest heart and what is most important to him is on display in a very intimate conversation. And we get to come in and listen in on it. That's why I want to study this.
So let's just dive in here. The first half of the first verse: Do not let your hearts. Be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled. As we learned in our series on the untroubled heart, there's some shocking good news in this.
For Jesus to say, let not your heart be untroubled, is more than an exhortation, it is an invitation. It means that we do have some agency in the matter. We do have some say-so about whether we're going to have a troubled heart. You can't render your heart untroubled. That's what he's going to go on to say.
It's his peace that he gives us. But It's like when Jesus gives any command. It's great news because inside of his command is a power and a promise for it to come to pass. If he says to a lame man, take up your mat and walk, then he's telling a lame person to do what the lame person can't do, but in the command, prophetically is released the capacity to do it. God never is Putting an onerous, difficult, impossible command on his children.
For the sake of just weighing us down, Jesus is instead releasing us here. Do not let your heart be troubled is like saying, take up your mat and walk. He's saying, I'm releasing you into a life that is one of peace.
So it's like you get some say-so in this matter. There's something that's happening here.
Now, notice this week, also, I'm just this first half of this verse. I hadn't seen it before. The word that is translated, do not let your hearts be troubled, into Greek is actually in the singular. Heart is in the singular.
So it appears he's speaking to them collectively. Like in the in in the South we'd say don't let y'all's heart Be traveled. You know, he's talking about all y'all. He's talking about you as the disciples. Do not be dispirited in these days.
And they had plenty of reason. In the natural sense, to feel troubled because of everything, if we were to look in chapter 13 that Jesus had just told them. He had told them in chapter 13 that he would be departing, speaking of his own death. And he told them. that one of them would betray him, one of those very followers would betray him.
They're looking around, who is it? And he told Peter. You're going to deny me three times before the rooster even crows. These are troublesome things.
So it just flows right into verse 1 of chapter 14, where he's saying, having heard these difficult things. I'm saying don't let your heart be troubled nonetheless. One of my favorite commentators, Dale Bruner, paraphrases it like this: this is what Jesus means. I know. That all these hard realities are understandably very depressing to you, but please don't let your heart be too troubled.
I know you cannot trust your colleagues completely, and if you're wise, you can't trust yourselves completely. Please remember the living God in whom you can trust. And remember me and my trustworthiness, and don't give up. On May And don't be disheartened. This is one level of thinking, remarkable leadership.
See, great leaders of all kind do not just candy coat the problems. They don't gloss over them and pretend like they're not there.
So, Jesus is, this is Jesus. He's not saying, oh, there's nothing to worry about. He's not saying that. He's acknowledging all of that in chapter 13 and flowing right into this. And he is what we sometimes call in leadership talk a non-anxious presence.
He is not Right now, fixing everything. He will fix a lot of things, and one day he'll come back and he's going to fix it all. But in this moment, Jesus is not fixing everything. He's just being with them. in a non-anxious way.
I'm not anxious even though there are troubles at hand.
So you can draw upon that from me, is what he's saying. That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Are you ready for some good news? In a world filled with confusion and false advertising, Jesus knew exactly who He was and exactly what His work would accomplish.
He did not leave us guessing. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. What if the Christian life is not about striving harder? but about abiding. Living with God, not just under Him or for Him, but in Him.
Living as secure, spirit-filled children of God, not as spiritual orphans. Living with the Holy Spirit as our live-in teacher, helper, reminder, and guide, so we do not have to rely only on our own voice. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17, a powerful digital audio series that explores Jesus' most intimate words to his disciples. Through teaching from these chapters in John, you will discover the freedom and confidence that come from living in Christ's finished work. As our thanks when you give today, you will receive digital access to Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17.
The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-5525-2525-252.
Five four four. 4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues.
Here once again is Alan Wright. Another leadership term I've mentioned to you before is he's a self-differentiated leader. It means. He knows who he is. He knows what his mission is.
He knows what he's going to do. He knows where he wants to lead people. He knows his calling. He knows his values. but he's also connected with the people.
To be Connected only, but not be differentiated enough that you can articulate: here's what I see, here's where we're going, here's what God's calling us to, is to be. enmeshed or codependent with the people. You're adapted to them, but you can't lead them anywhere. But to be clear about what you want and where you want to go without being connected to the people. is to be a narcissist.
It is to lead without love. And Jesus is the perfect leader. And he's just being pastoral with them. He's just being a beautiful shepherd here. Troublesome things are at hand.
Somebody's going to betray me. Peter's going to deny me. And for a little while, you're not going to see me.
So I'm telling you ahead of time. Don't be too troubled about this. I know it could be troublesome, but Don't be too troublesome and here's why. Second part of the verse, believe in God, believe also in me. Dale Bruner again, he paraphrases this: believe into God, believe into me.
Take your eyes off. Yourselves for a moment off your own fallibility and the weakness of your companions. My father's here. I am here. You can trust me.
Please do so. That little word in is usually in Greek translated into.
So Bruner translates it, believe into God. Believe into me. I kind of like that. It's like, lean into me. Put the whole weight of your belief.
And it's interestingly, as you look at all of chapter 14, if you were to study it, you'd see the word for belief happens six times in the first half of the chapter, none in the second half. The word love appears eight times in the second half of the chapter, none in the first half.
So it's like the faith is the belief, the trust is this conduit for this inextricable connection with the love of God. Later in his first epistle, John puts them together again. This is his commandment that we believe in the name of his son Jesus. Believe and love one another. Believe in love.
Believe in love. Verse 2. And my father's house are many rooms.
So One way, one translator puts it to understand this, is in my father's estate. are many abiding places. This is maybe the best image here. I mean, you see sometimes, I think it was the old King James Lee that said, my father's house are many mansions. And so we think about our mansion and glory, which I think probably will be something like that, you know.
But this is not really what's being talked about here. This is more an image of heaven is being compared. to a wealthy A wealthy man who has an enormous estate. that has lots and lots of different abiding places, whether they be rooms or homes. The word conveyed here, abiding place, Probably is what it means because the word here.
is very much related to abide.
So monet a home is related to the word abide, meno. And so it's mean like this is in my father's Massive estate. There is the capacity For him to adopt many and make them heirs and then. have room for them. They can abide with him.
That's beautiful. And I go to prepare a place for you. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
So his going is also a coming because he's going from them, but he's coming to the Father and he's coming to glory. And this profound and tender truth that part of what Jesus is in his ascended glorious state is doing. is readying You're permanent abiding place in the Father's Huge estate. Staggering to think of it. That He's making sure that is ready for you.
I don't know what all that means but It's profound to think of it that he's Readying it. I think the more that I study the scriptures talk about heaven. the more literal it becomes to me because there's a principle of continuity. In the Bible, that what God begins, he finishes. He doesn't.
really throw things away.
So the Bible doesn't teach that God's going to just destroy this earth. He's going to remake it. And they're going to be a new heaven and a new earth is what we're taught. And you continue If you're a Christian, when you die, you immediately go into the presence of the Lord. And you continue as your same person.
In some kind of mystery There is going to be a resurrection of your body. And it's your self-same body. And you go, but how could a body that was dust or ashes become, well, in the same way he made the first man from the dust, right? It's not hard for God. But you're your same essential being.
So when we're in heaven, that's why we're going to know each other, because it's going to just be you, and I'm going to be me. And as soon as you go in heaven, you're going to start seeing people you recognize, and it's going to be incredible. You're self-same body, and it's you. How do we know it's you?
Well, it's gonna look like you, and you're gonna act like you. Because you can still have some of your same personality. But the defects are going to get healed, but the good stuff's going to say.
So it's like I've been I've been trying to r to relearn to play the guitar, that I played as a kid, and I've got goals of how good I'm going to get, and it's not going that fast. And I'm starting to go. At this rate, I'm definitely going to run out of time. I'm not going to be nearly as good, but I got a lot of things I'm going to run out of time for. I'm staying till already.
But I think Jesus knows.
So, my abiding place is going to be a guitar stand with a Martin D28 sitting there ready for me. Continue on with your lessons, Alan. Continue, continue. You've got a long time now here in heaven. There needs to be room in the garage for a golf cart.
There needs to be, I mean, in other words, like, if it's for me, then it needs to fit me. And I know I'm speaking in natural terms here about amazing spiritual mysteries, but this is part of what is conveyed here. And he said, I'm preparing this place for you, and I'm going to come and take you to be with me. Where I am. I often think of this image that I think Peter Marshall was the first to use this illustration, but I think of it so often at gravesides and tell it.
But I know that it was true of me when I was a child. We would every Sunday night go to my grandparents' house for dinner, and she would fix good stuff that we didn't normally eat, like lamb chops and roast beef. Like, you know, we didn't eat pork chops at her, you know, it was special. And we'd eat a big meal, and it was wonderful. And she had some most delicious desserts, and then after getting loaded up with all that, we'd watch the wonderful world of Disney.
And by the end of it, as a little boy, I'd start getting sleepy, and we'd get in the car and drive home. It wasn't really that far of a drive, but it doesn't take very long for a little one to fall asleep in the car on the way home. And so many times I would fall asleep on the one in the car. And more than once, I would find myself. just waking up the next day in my own bed.
Because my dad had picked me up out of the car, carried me in, and I'm just out, you know, and put me in my bed. And when the daylight comes, I wake up and I'm in my own home. and my own bed. Pastor Alan Wright, our good news message at home with Jesus from the series Abide, taken from John 14 through chapter 17. Please stay with us.
Pastor Alan is back joining me in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day in just a moment. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's daily blessing. It's free and just to click away at pastoralen.org.
Are you ready for some good news? In a world filled with confusion and false advertising, Jesus knew exactly who he was and exactly what his work would accomplish. He did not leave us guessing. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. What if the Christian life is not about striving harder?
but about abiding. Living with God, not just under Him or for Him. but in him. Living as secure, spirit-filled children of God, not as spiritual orphans. Living with the Holy Spirit as our live-in teacher, helper, reminder, and guide, so we do not have to rely only on our own voice.
This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17, a powerful digital audio series that explores Jesus' most intimate words to his disciples. Through teaching from these chapters in John, you will discover the freedom and confidence that come from living in Christ's finished work. As our thanks when you give today, you will receive digital access to Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-5444. five four four forty eight sixty.
Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Back here now in the studio with Pastor Alan as we place the bookmark here at home with Jesus. I assume. That to a degree you're talking about the disciples in these final days. Aaron Powell, in my father's house, are many rooms.
If it were not so, when I've told you, I go to prepare a place for you.
So on the one hand, Jesus is saying that I've m your real home is with me in heaven forever. But it also is kind of setting up the theme of what he's going to be in this final discourse that he's going to have with his disciples in these chapters. is he's also inviting us to abide in Him, and He will abide in us.
so that our home is actually in Christ.
So it's both. It's like I make a place for you in heaven, so you can know when you get to heaven. On the one hand, you'll be surprised by the infinite glory of it, but on the other hand, you're like, oh. This is where I always belonged. But at the deepest level, our real home is in Christ himself.
So where he is, we are. And that's in the essence of this final discourse. It's so beautiful, Daniel. And it is the essence of what it means to be in Christ is that you abide in Him. He's our home.
Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox. Free.
Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastoralan.org. Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
