Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical faith-filled vision for your life. Meet me in Galilee.
Well, that's where Jesus wanted to rendezvous with the disciples after Easter. If I'd been him, I wouldn't have gone back to the Podunk towns or the old fishing holes or the silent hillsides of Gennesaret. No. I think I'd have made an unannounced appearance at the priestly council. Maybe dance a jig, spike the football in front of Caiaphas, and say, here I am, still the Messiah.
Want to tear your robe again? just to see the look on the judge's face. or maybe make a visit to a few who would slap me in the face. or nailed my wrist to the post, or maybe Rome. Who's the real emperor now?
But no, Jesus wanted to meet his friends in the old familiar places. because there's no place like home and you don't have to travel somewhere exotic. were outstanding. to meet with the risen Lord. May you meet him to-day.
In your own backyard. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. Indeed, ever since I told you these things, depression has filled your heart.
However, I'm telling you the sober truth. The best thing that could ever happen to you is for me to go away. The best thing could ever happen to you, Jesus says, is for me to go away. 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, church, are you ready for some good news? This will be the strangest ever.
Okay. Good thing Jesus left. Isn't that crazy? But he said, it's to your advantage that I go away.
So In that sense, Good thing. That we don't just have Jesus physically on earth anymore. We have something He said. is better. We have His Spirit.
The precious Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Jesus, and He has come to abide. In the heart of every single believer, and we in Him. It's absolutely mind-bending if you think of Jesus' statement. It was August of 2011 after months of health struggles that Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Crafted a brief letter in which he wrote, I have always said if ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple CEO, I would be the first to let you know.
Unfortunately, that day has come. I'd like to serve, if the board sees fit, as chairman of the board and an Apple employee. I strongly recommend we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. I've made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Signed, Steve. Apple's stock price dropped. Immediately Many heralded leaders wondered if anyone could replace Steve Jobs. One said bluntly, no one in their right mind thinks that Tim Cook is a replacement for Steve Jobs. An article in Wired magazine said, employees are asking themselves, was I working for Apple or for Steve?
There is still a sense of shock. He embodied the company. In the fiscal year 2011, Yeah. That year that Steve Jobs stepped out. Apple reported $108 billion in revenue.
And amassed $82 billion in cash and its market capitalization. was about $400 billion. In 2011, That market cap went to 3.5. trillion. by the time it was 2024.
iPhone sales were around 20 million per year when Steve Jobs At the time of his death, now it's about $200 million a year. They sell 200 million iPhones a year. Apple Watches, AirPods, Apple Music, Apple TV, iCloud all became realities since Steve Jobs' death.
So And natural sense of things Steve Jobs absolutely had the right forecast that Apple's best days were still to come. They were going to grow. They were going to sell more phones, they were going to have more money, they were going to have more employees. And I think of that story as I was thinking about all of the transitions that have happened throughout history of great. companies, great ministries, great And how you always want things to be better in the future, and then I thought of Jesus.
The Son of God. Who has been spending three years in ministry with these disciples and comes at verse 7 of John 16? It says, I tell you the truth. It's to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.
But if I go, I'll send him to you. It's better that I go. It's to your advantage. The thing that no disciple wanted to hear. But this isn't like Steve Jobs.
Who says things are going to be better for Apple in the future? This is. Jesus saying, the reason that it's better that I go. is because If I go, The helper will come. That in the departure of Jesus physically from the earth.
That the Holy Spirit would be sent. And as we'll see, the Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Jesus. And he says, therefore, It is better for you. It is One of the most extraordinary things Jesus could have ever said. He's saying, you could either have me in the flesh with you right here, right now.
or you could have the Holy Spirit with you. And it's better if it's the Holy Spirit with you. I just want to think about this extraordinary statement. Look at it in the context, starting in verse 4. I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you.
So Jesus is just simply saying, I knew all of this at the beginning of my three years of ministry with you, but I didn't tell you all this right from the beginning because it was just too much for you to be able to take in. But now I'm telling you, this is his most intimate discourse. It's the night before he's going to be crucified, and he's sharing his inmost thoughts with them. I didn't tell you from the beginning. And he says at verse 5: but I'm now going to him who sent me.
And none of you ask me, where are you going? I think this is almost Jesus like he's almost surprised sometimes with the disciples. He's like, I thought you would have had a whole lot more questions about where I'm going and all that that means. But none of you is asking that. It's almost like a curiosity.
Verse 6: But because I've said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. As we're seeing throughout this whole discourse, Jesus has Beautiful way of having empathy. Knowing the sorrow that they're going to feel. and yet having so much hope because he knows that the best is yet to come for them despite the fact that he's going to be leaving. The employees of Apple hear Steve Jobs is leaving and they're like, oh no, there's no one that could replace him.
But here are the disciples, a thousand times more going, well, how could we possibly manage without Jesus and all of our hopes and dreams being dashed? And this is the kind of sorrow that he knew that they would be feeling. But then he brings this great verse: 7. I tell you the truth, it's to your advantage that I go away. Dale Bruner, my favorite.
commentator on John. has translated these verses like this. I did not tell you these things in the beginning because I was with you then, but now I'm going back to the one who sent me. And none of you's asking me where you're going. Indeed, ever since I told you these things, depression has filled your heart.
However, I'm telling you the sober truth. the best thing that could ever happen to you is for me to go away. The best thing could ever happen to you, Jesus says, is for me to go away. Because if I don't go away, then the paraclete will not come to you. This parakletos, that means one who's called alongside.
Uh If I don't go, then he won't come.
So in the beginning Before there was sin in the world, In paradise in Eden, God walked in the cool of the evening with Adam. We don't know exactly what that means. Except that there was a beautiful friendship, an uninterrupted fellowship that God had. with his creation. And there was no shame.
There was not one little bit of fear that Adam had that God would reject him. He wasn't worried about whether he was doing it right. He was just with his father. And they just enjoyed being together. And this was the nature of God.
He wanted to be that close You see in the beginning, he wanted to be that close with the creatures that he made in his own image. And that's beautiful. Then sin entered the world, and a great gulf of separation happened. Sin was Rebellion against God. It was saying I'd rather try it my way.
And it brought in this huge Separation, this painful grief to the heart of God. Because he's always wanted to have that kind of closeness that he had with Adam in the beginning. And He's had Leaders and prophets, all throughout the old covenant, that he would reveal himself to. But even when he would speak with Moses on the mountain. All the rest of the people couldn't even get near the mountain.
They weren't even allowed to touch the mountain because God was too holy and the people were too sinful. And so you just see shadows throughout the Old Testament of God who would draw near, and he wanted people to draw near to him, but always there was this great impediment of human sin and the unrighteousness and unholy condition of people that could not come into the blazing glory of a perfect and holy God. But God's heart had always been He wanted to walk with us and be with us and talk with us the same way he did with Adam. Right from the beginning. And there had been no other person.
Since Adam before sin, who could ever have that kind of fellowship with God? until Jesus came. The sinless Son of God became a human being. And he had the same uninterrupted perfect, joyful fellowship with the Father. As he was on the earth, this is what Jesus had.
And hear what Jesus is saying. is that a new era has come. A new covenant and a new way of relating to God. That is now going to be the manifestation of the plan of God from the beginning of time. And that is that that sort of closeness that God had with the first Adam.
and the closeness that I and the Father have had.
now is going to be possible. Because I'm going to leave. And the Holy Spirit's going to come. They had been with him. They had walked with Jesus and thus they had walked with God.
They had him as their teacher every day. He was the fount of all wisdom. and understanding. He taught them. He answered their every question.
They had Jesus right there at the dinner table with them to talk to them about whatever they needed to. They had received his grace. They'd watched him feed the masses of people. They ate from his hand also. And they saw him Love the least of these, and they lived in the affection of Jesus.
You got to think about all these disciples and what they had had. They'd been protected by Jesus in a thousand ways. He'd hushed a storm. They'd watched him cast out demons. They had walked with him as he healed the sick.
touched lepers and instead of becoming infected, healed the lepers. The joy that he brought, he was the life of the party. He was never worried. They got to hang around with the only man since before sin who never worried. That was Jesus.
He was an ultimate non-anxious presence. They got to be around this beautiful, steadying personality, constantly being reassured by his peace. And he didn't treat them like servants. He treated them like friends. They had a share in what was happening.
These disciples had never felt so valuable, never felt so affirmed, never felt so purposeful. They had given up their ordinary lives to follow this rabbi. And They were. They were invested. And this mission and all of their hopes rided on his victory and success.
And now he is telling them, I'm leaving you. And he says, Don't worry, it's better that I go. You just can't let your heart rush past that statement. You have to stop and let yourself try to feel what the disciples were feeling. when he said that.
They've had him. within arm's reach. They'd had him. within a hand's clasp. They had him audibly.
They had him physically. They had him visually. And he said he's leaving. But it's better that I go. I don't even think they had ears to hear the part about it being better that I go.
It made me think of being in the fourth grade, and my dad says he's leaving home. It's just in that moment all you can hear is this the most. devastating news that you could hear. A person who's so important to you is not going to be there. That's what they hear.
But what Jesus is wanting them to know And he wanted them to know it now so that when the Holy Spirit comes, they'll remember this is exactly what he said. Is it the second part of verse 7? If I do not go away, The helper will not come to you. But if I go. I'll send him.
So there's only one reason that is to your advantage, Jesus is saying, and one reason only. It's not because we have a good succession plan. It's not because we've got good processes in place for church growth. It's not because we've got good core values that we've articulated and our organization will continue to thrive. No.
There's one reason, Jesus says, that it's good that I go. that I ascend to heaven, and that is the helper will come. This is the way Jesus saw the coming of the third person of the triune God as the best thing that could ever happen to you. Isn't that something? I mean, what this means, y'all, is...
Like if you can envision When you've gone through a hard time, and there's a part of you that just felt like, if I could just have Jesus. Just right here with me, just to talk to about this. or have him lay hands on me. Or just comfort me in this. If I could just.
have him. You know, you ever feel like that? Or if you just could say, you could have Jesus all day in the flesh, in person tomorrow with you. And spend the day with him. And you think about.
all that that would mean to you. I really think that what Jesus is saying here is that Nonetheless, as much as you envision how wonderful it would be to have him in the flesh as a person with you. It's to your advantage that he's not. I heard someone put it this way, and it kind of bends your mind to say it, but it's like. Therefore If we are not now experiencing in the Holy Spirit, every bit as much or more.
than the delight and power. of what we would experience if we had Jesus. In the flesh, in person with us, then we have not yet experienced the fullness of what Jesus is promising in John 16. Which sometimes makes me think I've experienced about 1%. of what Jesus has said he wants us to experience.
What are he saying here? It's mind-boggling, but I think it surely means this. That if we could opt for us having the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. or we could have Jesus in the flesh leading our service today. We're better off.
With the Holy Spirit. Pastor Alan Wright, our good news message from the teaching today, Good Thing Jesus Left from the series, Abide. Please stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here, 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.
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That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. Or come to our website, pastorallen. org. Here now to share Pastor Alan's parting good news thought of the day. And I love a good line, a thoughtful line, and this phrase, good thing Jesus left.
I must have played hookie at church that day. I don't remember this line. I would have chased you down and shook your hand and said, Well, that's a good line.
Well, it sounds so wrong, right? Doesn't it? Right. And of course, in one level, Jesus didn't leave. He just came in the person of the Holy Spirit.
But what he said to the disciples was better that I go away. Yeah. And I just think it's really worth thinking about that extraordinary statement. Like. This is imagine you're one of the disciples and you've you've been able to Walk with him, see him heal the sick.
You've been able to be with him when he's teaching the masses. You've seen his tenderness with those that were caught in sin and he forgave. You have seen him walk on water. You've felt the comfort of his presence. You've known the power of his might.
And he says, Oh, by the way, it'd be better if I go away. How could that be?
Well, this is pointing to the coming of the Holy Spirit. And to think that that's the best thing that could ever happen to you is for me to go away.
Well, that's what we're learning about today. In that sense, good thing Jesus left. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860.
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