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That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Sorry, that was my imitation. The dispatcher assures her that somebody is on the way, that she indeed will get up. You can get up again.
That's the whole stint of the commercial. The disciples of Jesus were in for a fall. Their faith would soon be shaken to the core. Doubt would fill their minds. They would fail. But it would not be a permanent falling. It would not be a permanent failure. They would get up again.
They could stand strong again. If you think about it, we all started life as failures. The first time you tried to walk, you fell. Oh, you made it a few steps and your parents thought you were the cat's meow. Look, three steps.
You did that now. You'd be considered an utter failure. You fell back down. That's how you started life. The first time you tried to swim, you probably almost drowned. The first time you took a little baseball bat in your hands and swung at a ball, I bet you missed. And I bet that you did not make straight A's on your first report card.
If you did, nobody liked you after that point in your life. And I am sure that you, we, all of us, have never maintained a perfect witness for Jesus Christ. We all know what failure is. We all know what falling is.
The key, though, is getting up. Let me tell you about a man who failed, and got back up, and failed, and got back up, and failed, and got back up, and failed, and finally got back up. He was a businessman and he failed in business in 1831. He was defeated for the legislature in 1832. He was elected to the legislature in 34. He died in 1835. He had a nervous breakdown in 36, was defeated for Speaker of the House in 1838, defeated for Congress in 1843, eventually elected to Congress in 46, again defeated for Congress in 1848, was defeated for the Senate in 1850, was defeated for the vice presidency in 1856, and for the Senate in 1858.
But this man, Abraham Lincoln, eventually was elected as president. At first, he failed, and got up, and failed, and got up, and failed, and got up. I know that I'm speaking to people who have failed somewhere or with someone, maybe even with the Lord.
Not only can you get back up, you can have a deep sense of peace in your life and have victory. And that's the thrust of this final paragraph. In verse 29, his disciples said to him, see, now you are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech. And now we are sure that you know all things, and have no need that anyone should question you. By this, we believe that you came forth from God.
Jesus answered them, do you now believe? Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Let me bring you up to speed in terms of context. This has been the upper room discourse in chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the Gospel of John, one of the longest recorded messages that our Lord gives to his men. It has been in an upper room, part of it has been, that's why it's called the upper room discourse, but not all of it. It was the Passover night, and half of what he spoke was in this upper room at the meal. At the end of chapter 14, however, Jesus said, arise, let us go from here.
So they all got up and they left. So the chapter 15 and 16 is spoken while they're walking somewhere through Jerusalem down toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Now Jesus has said to them a lot of things, most of which they did not understand at the moment. They interrupted him a few times while he spoke the message, revealing that they didn't understand, but now, you just read it, they assert that they suddenly do understand. We're sure, they say, we know and we believe who you are. As sure as that sounds, Jesus immediately predicts that they're gonna fail, they're gonna fall, that they're gonna be scattered, but ultimately, eventually, they will have his peace and his victory.
That was just this paragraph that we read. And I wanna give to you, out of the text, three principles, three relational principles. These are principles about human failure and divine restoration, three relational principles. We're gonna look at their bragging, we're gonna look at their blundering, and we're gonna look at the blessing that Jesus promised.
Here's the first principle. Our faith is unreliable. I have that for you in your worship folder today as well.
You have the outline. Our faith is unreliable. Go back to verse 29 and notice the disciples speak. They said to him, see, now you are speaking plainly and you are using no figure of speech. Now we are sure, literally, now we know that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. Now we believe that you came forth from God. Did you hear that? Now we know, now we believe. That's their assertion.
Now we know, now we believe. In this speech so far, our Lord has told them that he is leaving, but the language that he employed when he told them that wasn't always straightforward. It was a little bit cryptic. It was figurative language.
And they didn't always understand. They said some of this, but we really have to connect a few dots to really understand what the disciples are saying to Jesus. Jesus said he was leaving, but he was speaking figuratively and they didn't get it.
Go back with me to verse 16. Jesus speaks, a little while and you will not see me. And again, a little while and you will see me because I go to the Father. And some of his disciples said among themselves, what is this that he says to us? A little while and you will see me. And again, a little while and you will see. Not see me and then see me and because I go to the Father. They said, therefore, what is this that he says to us?
A little while. We do not know what he is saying. So Jesus now explains that to them more plainly. He gives an example of a woman having a baby.
She's in pain and sorrow and then she has a baby and she's happy. And that's what you guys are going to be like. I'm going to be gone. I'm going to be killed. I'm coming back.
You'll see me again. Then notice verse 25, these things I have spoken to you in figurative language. But the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. Verse 28, I came forth from the Father.
That's pretty plain and simple. And I have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. Now that they understood. That they understood.
Now the fog is lifting. That's why immediately they say, I came forth from the Father. Today, as we read in verse 29, the disciples said, see, now you are speaking plainly and using no figure of speech. They're going, oh, okay, now I get it.
Wow, I understand it. Now we know that you know all things and now we believe. Why did they make so bold a statement? Well, because when they were confused the first time about what Jesus said, now you see me, now you don't. They never said that to Jesus that they were confused. They only said it to each other. Look at verse 17 more closely. Some of his disciples said among themselves, what is this that he says to us?
So picture this. John leaning over to Peter, what did he just say? I don't get it. They're probably whispered to each other in low tones. Jesus was probably far removed in distance. They thought he can't hear us. We're expressing our confusion.
Only to each other. But look at verse 19, Jesus knew that they desired to ask him. And he said to them, are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said a little while?
So he explains it more plainly. So that together in 2025, we can reach more people with gospel centered teaching and resources that connect them with the God who loves them. Finishing this year on solid financial footing will mean that Connect with Skip Heitzigs, it can grow current efforts and say yes to new opportunities in the coming year to expand to new stations, new countries, and new technologies, all with the goal of sharing the good news of Jesus with more people around the world. Your gift today will have an eternal impact on many lives. So go to connectwithskip.com slash give or call 800-922-1888 and give a tax deductible year end gift to help connect more people with Jesus in the year ahead.
Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. So here's the disciples realizing we didn't tell him, we just told each other, we whispered it to each other, but he knew we did. He knows our secret thoughts. He can read our minds. And now we know that you know all things. If you know that, then you know everything.
That's what they're saying. So we know that you know all things and we believe, they said, we believe that you came forth from God. That strong assertion of faith is faulty.
Here's why. Because their faith isn't as strong as they thought it was. We believe, we know. Immediately, Jesus says, actually, you're going to be scattered.
You're going to be confused and you're going to be scattered. Now on that night, though it's not recorded here, there was some other bold assertions of faith and one came from Peter himself. Peter took Jesus aside this night and he says, Jesus, I just want you to know that even though everybody else might forsake you, like these other disciples, I know they're a bit flaky, but remember, I'm Peter, I'm the rock. You called me that.
I'm Rocky. I will not ever stumble because of you. Jesus said, well, Peter, actually, the truth is before the morning, before the cock rose, you're going to deny me three times that you even knew me. And Peter immediately reacted and said, even if I have to die with you, I will not be made to stumble. Great thing to say, they all meant very well, but their faith was very weak and unreliable.
And here's why. They say we believe, but what they believe is attached to an unrealistic expectation. What they believe is that Jesus, though he said he's going to go and go die and go to a cross, he has said that to them. They still believe he's going to set up immediately his messianic kingdom. They are not thinking he's going to die, rise from the dead and leave for 2,000 years. That is not on their radar screen.
In fact, after he rises from the dead in Acts 1, they say, will you now restore the kingdom to Israel? That's what they anticipate. Let's apply that to ourselves. We say we believe in God. It's a great thing to say. We say we know certain fixed theological truths. It's a great thing to say.
But be careful. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. I distinctly remember a time in my Christian walk when I thought I had really grown in my faith, that it was strong, that I was up for a real challenge because I have seen God move and provide and my faith was fixed. I was like immovable. I had no clue how after that point, my faith would be shaken to the very core of what I believe. I had spoken a bit presumptuously. In Proverbs 16, you know it well, pride, the writer says, goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Or here's another scenario. We say we believe, but what we believe are things that Jesus never promised. I've met people who say, now that I'm a Christian, I think that everything's just going to go perfectly in my life.
I'm never going to be sad. All my bills are going to be paid no matter how much I spend. The sun is always going to shine and I'm going to have perfect teeth because all the evangelists on TV look like they do. And I've had people ask me, have you had your miracle today? And they talk about having a daily miracle. First of all, if it's happening every day, it's probably not a miracle. It's just what happens every day. But my question to these people who are expecting their miracle every day is, what if the miracle doesn't happen one day?
You take your ball and go home? You will be awfully disappointed and you are believing something he never promised that you'd ever have. I read something I wanted to share with you this morning, not casting any stones at any belief system. This is just an article out of a paper. It's called Religion Watch. And this article says, Pentecostals are three times more likely than other Christians to experience major depression, according to a Vanderbilt University study. The overall group, in this case 2,850 North Carolinians over a six-month period, experienced serious depression at the rate of 1.7%, whereas the rate among Pentecostals was 5.4%.
Researchers surmise that the higher rate may be partly because people who are already depressed are attracted to Pentecostalism's emphasis on spiritual and physical healing. So when we say, we believe, the question is, what exactly do you believe? Do you believe what he said? Do you believe all of the promises he said? Or do you believe just certain select ones and make that say something he never really said?
And so that if your expectations aren't met, you will be sorely disappointed and take your ball and go home. So Jesus immediately, look at verse 31, after they make that statement, he answered them, do you now believe? And then predicts their fall. So let's move from the first principle to the second one.
And the second one is, our failure is understandable. He asked them the question, and then he says in verse 32, indeed, the hour is coming. You could substitute the word indeed for the words in fact. Now you say you believe, you say you know, do you really? Because in fact, the hour is coming. Yes has now come.
And I don't know that perhaps Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw in the distance coming across Jerusalem, holding torches, Judas and the Roman soldiers. And he said, the hour is coming. In fact, it has already come that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone.
And yet I am not alone because the father is with me. So, so get the picture for these disciples. It was like the fog was lifting. Finally, that's that's how they felt.
They felt this has been a very dark and confusing night. But now we understand what you just said and we know that you know all things and we stake our belief in you. The fog is now lifting and Jesus immediately then predicts, well, that's wonderful. However, storm clouds are about to brew over your heads. It's going to cause you to run away. You're going to flee.
And that that instinct of self-preservation is going to kick in. So two things are implied here. Number one, you, my disciples, are about to be very confused. And that's implied in the question of verse 31. They say we believe. Jesus said, do you now believe?
Because within hours, they're going to doubt again. And once Jesus is put on the cross and even on Resurrection Day, when many don't know he is risen from the dead, those doubts will take over. Let's fast forward to Jesus walking on the Emmaus road. This is after the Resurrection. There's two disciples walking on that road who don't know that he's risen from the dead.
Remember the story? Jesus walks up to them incognito. They don't recognize him. And Jesus comes up and goes, hey, guys, what's happening? I'm paraphrasing. What's happening isn't in the text.
And they go, are you like a stranger around here? Don't you know what's been happening? How that Jesus, this one that we believed in, the one that we hoped would redeem Israel, how he died. And it's been three days since he died.
And listen to what they said. We had hoped that he would be the one. Did you hear that?
That's past tense. We were hoping that any moment he's going to rise from the dead. No, it was over for them. Their hope was dead. When he died, their hope died. When that tomb was sealed, their hopes were gone.
We had hoped he would be the one. We believed. Do you believe?
Do you really believe? In a few hours, they would be utterly confused. I know that I'm speaking this morning to some very confused disciples of Jesus Christ. At one time, everything was clear. You had a handle. You knew theology, and you knew the truth, and it was laid out, and you could go to bed every night.
I know this. But something happened along the way. Let me put it the way one author puts it. He says there's a window in our hearts through which we view God. And at one time, the window was very clear, and God was very crisp in our view.
But he said something happened. A pebble struck the window, and it shattered, a pebble of pain. And now everything is seen through that fractured lens. It's not as clear anymore. Some of you are in that kind of a storm. You believe so clearly. You could see so crisply.
Not so much today. May I just say, please hold fast. Hold on, dear Christian. When you weather those kind of storms, that kind of faith-shaking endeavor or storm, when you come out the other end, and you, after a period of evaluation, what do I really believe?
Who really am I? It's clearer at the other end. It's better. You're settled. When you go through enough stuff, and you see God's promises, and you push away the false expectations, you see, just like today, it rained last night.
And it's clear in Albuquerque, but after a rain, it's really clear, right? That's what it's like after one of these traumas. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program. Before we let you go, we want to remind you of the financial year-end need that must be met by December 31 to ensure this ministry you love stays strong, reaching millions more in the year ahead. Your gift today will help share gospel-centered teaching with more people in 2025, making an impact that will last for eternity.
So jump in with your best year-end gift. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash give. And did you know that you can find full message series and libraries of content from Skip Heitzig on YouTube? Simply visit the Connect with Skip Heitzig channel on YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to the channel so you never miss any new content. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Weekend Edition. Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross and cast your burdens on His Word. Make a connection. Connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever-changing times.
