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. Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing: a biblical, faith-filled vision for your life. I bless you to keep sewing because. In due season, you will reap. Galatians 6:9.
Hell can't crush your crop. The adversary can't foil your fruit.
So, Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up, Paul says. The question isn't whether the seed will sprout. The question is whether we can bear to wait it out. you have some good seed in the ground. Every prayer has been a seed.
Every gift given has been a seed. Every kind word uttered, that too, a seed. The seed will sprout and grow and produce sweet fruit someday.
So, you can keep sowing, you can keep going, you can keep knowing. In due season, you will. Reap. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. People think I'm a pastor, that I must just go around quoting Bible verses all the time to everybody.
No, I just hang out and do stuff also, right? And Jesus was like that. And he had times he's taking a nap in a boat, and he had times where he just wanted to be alone. But this is the night before his death. 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.
Okay, people of God, are you ready for some good news? Jesus wants to be with you. and wants you to be with him. It is what he treasures. It's what he wants.
So, the Christian life is not so much about what you can get from God. And it's not even so much about what you can do For God. A Christian life. is about being with God. It is about The treasure.
Of his friendship. of an actual ongoing experience of his affection. and the delight of being with him. That's where John 14 starts, and that's what John 14 through 17 really are all about, which is why I call this new series Abide. It is thematically a section of scripture that is all about that intimate connection with Jesus.
And I'm very eager to spend week after week thinking about that with you. And this is a really important section of scripture because it is spoken on the night before his death. I've always been kind of interested in famous last words, those words people speak before their death. And some are funny, some are poignant. Here's one I didn't see until this week.
Pardon me, sir. I did not mean to do it. I bet you can't guess that that was here's a hint, it was actually excuse moi, monsieur, Marie Antoinette. Who accidentally stepped on the foot of her executioner as she walked up the scaffolding? And it was her last words.
Pardon me, I didn't mean to do that. Listen, if you're getting ready to get guillotined, you stomp on somebody's foot. I don't care. All right, here's one. Either this wallpaper goes or I do.
Oscar Wilde, who had become sort of famous and wealthy but died penniless in his Paris hotel. The context of this actually was he had said to someone, he said, I'm in a duel to the death with this wallpaper in this room. Who said this? Thomas Jefferson survives. It was John Adams.
Yes. On the 4th of July. And they had been exchanging so much correspondence, and he had no idea. that in the great, great, one of the great ironies of our history, that Thomas Jefferson had died just hours earlier on the same 4th of July. Wow.
Remember Laurel and Hardy comedy? Laurel and Hardy, Laurel, his famous last words, I'd rather be skiing. What was interesting was his nurse said, I didn't even know you skied. He said, I don't, but I'd rather be doing that than this. And my all-time favorite last words of Bob Hope, who, when his wife asked him, where do you want me to bury you?
said, surprise me. Mm.
Some of these will make you really chuckle, last words. And this, John 14 through 17 is not, of course, Jesus' last words because he spoke after the resurrection. And then he also spoke, well, he spoke from the cross. He spoke after the resurrection, and he still speaks. But what this is, John 14 through 17, It is often called the final discourse.
or the upper room discourse. This is A long Beautiful, intimate conversation. of the Son of God with his best friends. on the eve of his crucifixion. It seems to me that's worth A deep dive.
The Son of God and Saviour of the world, sharing his inmost thoughts. On the night before his death. That's what John 14 to 17 is all about. And I want us to walk through this in an unhurried pace. maybe line by line or at least paragraph by paragraph.
It's long been one of my favorite. sections of Scripture. As I want to just go live in John 14, 15, 16, and 17, all part of this one discourse. The other reason that I'm really interested in this is that in recent years, I and some others in our healing ministry have become. More interested and growing in our understanding about.
the idea of attachment. And that is a Terms becoming more popularly known, counselors and sociologists have known about that. A child needs to experience after birth. very early. secure attachment with a parent or caregiver.
And unless that happens, it's very difficult. for that child to grow. into emotional maturity and health. Attachment, psychologists point to elements of that means a consistent presence of someone that's caring for you. Emotional attunement.
This is like a mother's ability to tune in to what's going on with her baby. A safe haven, that feeling you have of though the world might be. of some troubles. I've got a safe place. delight in the other, to have someone delight in you.
and you to be able to delight in them. and to have a confidence that you're loved even when you're apart. All of this is part of what secure attachment looks like and we must have it. And one of the things I've been wanting to learn about is how. A life with God as a child of God in many ways.
could be simply called attachment with God. And some have proposed that maybe this is the way to even understand. what it means to be saved. 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 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-545. Mm-hmm.
Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. To be saved, to be a Christian, is not simply to pray a prayer, a sinner's prayer, though I believe in doing that. It is in the New Testament much more like you have become permanently connected to Christ.
And This is what John 14 through 17 really is all about. I've called it abide because it's about that. You could call it attached. You could call it. But look at scriptures like as you just peruse these chapters, this will be today in my father's house are many rooms.
There's a place for you.
Okay, we'll talk about that. Verse 18, I'll not leave you as orphans. You're not going to be ever left feeling unclaimed. without a place of belonging. You in me and I in you.
You're going to see a lot of language like that in these chapters, like abide in me and I in you in chapter 15. In me, so there's a lot of this language about in me, in Christ, in one another, you may have peace. Where is the peace? The peace is not in a formula. Not in a program.
It's not even in enacting certain principles. It's in actually in Christ. And his prayer in John 17 is ultimately that. they may all be one so that we, he's praying for us now, are connected and we're connected in him.
So I'm very I'm very drawn to thinking about attachment with God. And then a third reason that I'm really interested in these chapters is, as I've already alluded, this is the conversation that Jesus has with his. Best friends. the night before he dies and when You see someone Who is In those moments. nearing their death.
They are so focused. undistracted. That it's like a distilling, a boiling down of the essentials of one's heart. And I know Jesus was never distracted, but He was God in the flesh. He was a human being.
He had times where he was. just hanging out at a wedding party. I don't think Jesus was just serious all the time, you know? It is just so funny. People think I'm a pastor that I must just go around quoting Bible verses all the time to everybody.
No, I just hang out and do stuff also, right? And Jesus was like that. And he had times he's taking a nap in a boat. And he had times where he just wanted to be alone. But this is the night before his death.
And you're seeing, in a sense, the Messiah at his deepest heart. I've had the sacred privilege since I was a young man of being with people Who were dying? I realized early on it was just part of what I do. that by the time I was 30 I had already probably officiated more funerals than A lot of people even ever gone to. And young people that hadn't hardly ever been to a funeral.
And I'm like, and I've been with the dying, it's part of what I do. And I want you to know it is a very holy thing. It's one of the holiest things I encounter. And when someone is nearing death. And they know it and others know it.
But they still have their mental faculties, which is not always the case. You know, sometimes someone drifts into unconsciousness for a long time. But sometimes someone is just as mentally sharp, but they know their death is soon. Those hours or days with such a person can become very, very sacred. and remarkable.
And I've seen it many times. Because when you are nearing death, You don't care about the things that don't matter. And maybe it's because The veil between heaven and earth becomes very thin. Or maybe it's just because. If we weren't so distracted all the time, we'd be more tuned in.
to the Holy Spirit. I don't know. But they're very powerful. to be with someone Who's at that point in there? their last hours.
I was thinking about wonderful man in our church named Dale Kistler. who uh died some uh number of years ago.
Some of you knew Dale. He was a gentle, a kind person, a leader in our church who led with a kind of quietness. He did a lot of good for people. You would love him. Everybody loved him.
There was nothing not to love about Dale. And when he came to the end of his life, He was confined to bed, but he was quite sharp mentally, and he knew that his transition to heaven was soon. And I had the privilege of being in their home for some of that. And first to observe. him blessing his family.
I particularly remember his time with his son that particular sign that was so powerful and um It was like it was a... It was just I couldn't it was like there was this portal from heaven that was just upon Dale and it's like what he was speaking was Not that it was out of character with who Dale was, 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, 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 troubled. 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 a 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 eight seven seven five four forty eight sixty. That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Back here in the studio to share Pastor Alan's parting good news thought for the day as we kick off this new series called Abide.
Pastor Alan, you were mentioning this is like the parting words of Jesus.
Well, I think in so many ways, John 14 through 17. is thee most uh intimate? and up close Yeah, you'll ever see Jesus. This is like we get to come on the inside. of his very intimate.
kind of parting words with his best friends. And if you can think of at some point, have you ever been around someone who is nearing the end of their life? What you decide to talk about with people, then you've really boiled it down to the. most essential.
So it's really a beautiful study to just go line by line, paragraph by paragraph through John. Chapter 14 through 17, and that's what we'll be doing in coming weeks and get an inside look into the very heart. of Jesus and the invitation to abide in him. 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.
