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That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Two hundred denarii worth of bread won't even be enough to give them just the basic necessities, just to have a little bit.
Now, that's eight months worth of a working man's wage. He figured that out in the conversation, so he's very pragmatic. The problem with him figuring it out is he did the math without adding Jesus. When you do the math, it's okay to do the math, but you have to add Jesus because it changes what the calculations are going to be.
He calculated apart from God, and when you bring God into the equation, without God nothing is impossible, it changes everything. So Philip says, you know, you bring up the Father, you keep talking about the Father. Would you just show us your Father? And that's all we need.
Yeah, it would be enough for anybody. But I gotta say, I understand that. I understand it. Because what he is saying is, you know, you want us to believe in God by faith, and we do, and we believe what you just said by faith, but it would be awfully good to actually see God the Father. Now, I say why that is good is because the basis of worship is that we always want more. No matter how well informed you are theologically, no matter how mature you are spiritually, you still want more than what you've experienced now.
Moses, though he had seen the Red Sea open, manna come from heaven, water come from a rock, pretty sizable, notable miracles, he said, Lord, just show me your glory. Well, let's see, you've seen some pretty cool things already. You've seen more than any of us have ever seen.
Yeah, but I want more. I just want to see God. So this is the basis for worship, and we are made for eternity. That's why you're never going to be totally satisfied until you get to heaven and see him face to face, which you will one day.
But this is the basis for it. So I understand his longing. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long? And yet you have not known me, Philip. He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, Show us the Father? Now I'm not going to go much in depth on this because Jesus has been saying things like this through the whole Gospel of John. Anybody who says, you know, the Bible never says that Jesus is God, or Jesus never claimed to be God, I am immediately asked, What Bible are you reading? Read the Gospel of John.
You'll stumble over it in every chapter. Chapter 10, they took up stones to kill him because he said God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus said, I've done many works.
Which work do you stone me for? And he said, Not for any good work you've done, but for blasphemy, because you being a man continually make yourself out to be God. Even Jesus' own enemies knew that he claimed to be God. And with his own disciples in that upper room, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, because Jesus is the perfect representative in visible form of the Father in heaven. Do you not believe, verse 10, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Now the author of this book is who? John. And the author of 1st John is who? John.
Very good. Okay, so you know how John opens this book, In the Beginning with John, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. When we get to 1st John, it's as though John is now writing the same thing, but after looking back on the personal experience of this night and all those years he was with Jesus, those three years, and it like dawns on him.
It's just like it just settles on him who he's been hanging out with. And he begins 1st John chapter 1 verse 1 saying, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have actually handled, the Word of life. We hung out with the Word of life. God in human flesh, we were there, we saw, we heard, we touched. God in flesh.
Wow. They heard his Word, they saw his works. Most assuredly verse 12, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father.
Has that promise ever thrown you for a loop, ever put a question in your mind? What does that mean? Jesus did some pretty amazing works, and he says you're going to do greater works, or those who believe in him will do greater works.
How is that possible? Do you know there are 40 miracles recorded in the Bible that Jesus performed, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, unstopping deaf ears, walking on the water, multiplying food? 40 miracles recorded that Jesus did, and those are only recorded. He did many more. John says at the end of his book in chapter 20, and many other signs did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and believing so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and believing you might have life in his name.
40 miracles and amazing miracles. Now, I've never done any of those things. Somebody asked me, Pastor, have you ever raised the dead?
Nope, probably never will. I'm not planning on it. If you died, I wouldn't want to raise you from the dead. You'd be in heaven. You don't want to come back here. I would not do you a service, and if you happen to have that gift and ability, please don't do it to me. I'll haunt you forever.
I'll make your life miserable. So what does it mean? What on earth could it possibly mean?
Well, there's three options. Number one, he's saying to his disciples, you disciples in this upper room are going to perform miracles like I have done and more. Now, you could look in the book of Acts, and you could see that miracles are recorded in the book of Acts.
Those apostles did some of them, but there were others not in the upper room like Paul and others who also did miracles in the book of Acts. And besides that, notice what it says in the verse. It doesn't say just you guys. He says, he who believes.
Now the door is open to anybody, right? Not just them, but anybody who believes. So it probably doesn't just mean the disciples doing miracles in the book of Acts. Second possible interpretation, he is referring to everyone, but the emphasis now is on your faith, your ability to believe enough to pull off a miracle. Now, this is how those who are involved in the word of faith movement interpret the verse. So they will say, you can have a miracle today, hallelujah, and if you don't have a miracle, it's because you didn't have enough faith. And so the onus is on you to manufacture the right level of faith, and if you can't do it, well, you're a bad little Christian, you didn't have enough faith. Jesus didn't say, he who believes might, but he who believes will.
So I'm going to dismiss those first two interpretations and think there's got to be a third and correct meaning. And I believe it can be seen by a phrase that you cannot take out of the verse, but I think it unfolds the verse for you. Notice what he says in verse 12, because I go to my Father. In other words, I'm leaving this earth, I'm going to my Father, and when I go to the Father, that's going to be the signal that something else is going to happen for you, through you, with you.
And what would that be? Holy Spirit. Verse 16, even though we haven't read between them, but look at it, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth. Then, if you turn over to chapter 16 for just a moment, it's the same evening, same message, same time frame. Verse 7, nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send him to you. Why is this important? Because the disciples were troubled.
They were agitated. Jesus is leaving. Oh no, it's over.
That's what they're thinking. This whole cool miracle thing, this whole cool Messiah thing, it's over. And what Jesus is saying, it's not over.
It's just beginning. And what you're going to see in the next phase, when I leave and I send the Holy Spirit, is greater works than these. Not greater in magnitude, not greater in power, not greater in those things, but greater in extent and greater in number. And greater in number.
Not greater qualitatively, but greater quantitatively. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, starting the year with a structured Bible study can shape your spiritual journey for the months ahead and help align your life with God's truth. We want to help you do that with Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet and Companion Workbook. Journey through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, gaining a deep panoramic understanding of God's word that helps you understand the big picture of scripture with greater clarity. These resources are our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copies when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. He who believes in me, that would be you or I or anybody last 2,000 years who believed in him, the works that I do, he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father. I believe he is speaking of the spreading of the gospel and the miraculous transformation to salvation that the gospel message brings. He came to install that first of all by his death on the cross, to call people into the kingdom, to call people to follow him, but just think, think of what happened when he left. As soon as he left, the day of Pentecost happened and 3,000 people came to faith in Christ and in the first few months thousands upon thousands upon thousands came to believe in Jesus Christ.
Their lives were transformed. More came to follow Christ in the few months when Jesus left and the Holy Spirit came than all of Jesus' years in ministry put together. In the first 30 years of Christianity, millions of people in the world, millions came to believe. Jesus never left Israel.
Paul the Apostle is going to go through Asia Minor, parts of Europe, all the way to the heart of the Roman Empire, Rome itself. The spread of the gospel every single day. I can't get my mind around this number, but I've checked it.
Every single day in sub-Saharan Africa it is estimated every day, how often? Every day 20,000 people come to faith in Christ right now. That's greater works. You say, what about the healings? Healings are cool, but not as great as heaven. The greatest miracle is getting a sinner from earth to heaven, not just curing your cold or a club foot or whatever it might be. Can God do that?
Yes, but this is greater. Okay, I think I squeezed that verse to death. And whatever you ask in my name, you know that that means according to His nature and His character, His will, that I will do that my Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans.
I will come to you. A couple quick things to notice. Notice the pronouns when Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit. Does not refer to the Spirit as an it, but as He, Him, Whom.
All of those are pronouns that speak of a person or personhood. So the Holy Spirit is not a force. Holy Spirit is not a feeling. Holy Spirit is not a mode. I bring that up because you School of Ministry students know about modalism, right? Sibelionism, the belief that there is a single person of God who shows three different faces or comes in three different modes, but the New Testament teaching of the Trinity is not modalism. The New Testament teaching of the Trinity is there are three separate persons that are co-existent and co-equal in one God or Godhead. You go, I don't understand.
Welcome to the crowd. But that is what the Bible teaches and that's what we believe. The Spirit of truth, third person of the Trinity.
So notice that. Then notice He's called the Helper. The Holy Spirit is your Helper. The Holy Spirit is your Helper.
Do you like that? Are you like me? Do you ever think, man, I need all the help I can get?
Like every day? Because have you discovered the Christian life is pretty hard? It's not easy and you cannot do it alone and you were never intended to do it alone and Jesus said, you don't have to do it alone. I'm going to give the Holy Spirit who will be your Helper, parakletos, the Greek word, paraklet, Helper, one who's called alongside of you to help you out, to get you through, to carry you along, rely on Him, trust in Him. Not only that, not only is He a person, not only is He a Helper, but notice He's called another Helper.
Now I want you to see how significant this is. There are two different words in Greek for another. There's only one in English, another and another. Same word. In Greek there's two different words.
One is the word heteros, the other is the word alos. So, example, you'll get it. If I buy a CD, like a little album, somebody goes, you got to buy this CD, it's really good. So I buy it and I listen and I go, I hate this. I don't want to even finish it. I don't even like this music. And so somebody said, how'd you like the CD? I hated it. I'm going to get another CD.
The word I would use is heteros. It means I'm going to get another of a different kind. I'm not going to buy the same CD because it's stunk. I'd have to listen to it a bunch of times. So I'm going to get another CD of a different kind, a different group, different music.
But if I really liked it and I told you about it, you go, oh, I'd love to listen to it. I say, here, you can have mine. I'll buy another. I'm going to use the word alos, which means another of the same kind.
Get it? So when Jesus says, I'm going to give you another helper, I'm going to give you an alos. I'm going to give you another helper who's been just like me. You've been able to turn to me and rely on me for everything.
I'm going to give you a helper like me. You'll be able to turn to the Holy Spirit and trust in Him through anything. He's coming your way, and He is in our midst, and He lives within us.
A little while longer, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me, because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. I know that sort of sounds like a Beatles song, but it is the beautiful truth of the mystery that, as believers, you are in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1, because Jesus lives in you, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, resides in you. You are His dwelling place, and at the same time, you, we as the church, are placed in Christ.
We're identified with that, so it's that beautiful union of the Father, Son, Spirit, and the body of Christ that are inseparable. Verse 21, He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas, notice what it says, not Iscariot, so you go, well, who's that? Judas, not Iscariot, it's a guy identified in Luke 6 as one of the apostles of Jesus, called Judas the son of James. So Judas not Iscariot is Judas the son of James, also known as Thaddeus, also known as Thaddeus in other places.
It's that guy. So that Judas, one of the disciples, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
He who does not love me does not keep my words. The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. He uses the word manifest. I'm going to manifest myself to him. We're going to manifest ourselves, Father and Son, to that person. And then Judas, not Iscariot, goes, I just have kind of a question. Why is it you're going to manifest yourself to us but not to the world? If you're the Savior of the world, if you are the Messiah, the King of the universe, you're going to take over the world.
When are you going to, like, show yourself to them? Right? Fair question. The word manifest means to expose, reveal, show, demonstrate. Judas, not Iscariot, is thinking that Jesus—he's thinking in earthly terms. Messiah is going to set up an earthly kingdom, which he will. Second coming, not first.
He didn't know that. So he's expecting the first coming, or the second coming and the first coming. He's expecting Jesus to set up the kingdom.
So he goes, I don't get it. Why don't you manifest yourself to them? So here's what I want you to see. The answer is profound. It's the ones that I manifest or reveal or show myself to are those ones who love me enough to do what I say.
Here's the principle. Obedience opens the door to intimacy and satisfaction. Obedience to Christ opens the door to intimacy with Christ and satisfaction of Christ. When you find a person who is hungering and thirsting for righteousness, Jesus will show a little more and a little more and a little more, and you're not only saved, you're satisfied. I know people who are saved but not satisfied. They're dry and dreary. I can't understand, man.
Things are dry. If you're the person who loves Jesus enough to put into practice what he has said, the only reason, the only way you'll know what he said is to find out by reading his book. The only reason, the only way you'll know what he said is to find out by reading his word what he said. And when you read his word to find out what he said and you apply it to your life and that's the habit of your life, he's going to show you more. Why would he show you anything if he showed you stuff and you don't care to dig or apply it to your life?
It's got nothing more to say. But if you're the obedient one, then that obedience opens the door to intimacy and satisfaction. You'll grow and grow and grow until the final step of growth. You can't grow any closer except to see his face and you graduate to heaven. And that's how you want to get to heaven.
You don't want to get to heaven and go, where am I? What's that? That's the throne that Revelation 4 and 5 talks about. Oh yeah, I should have read that.
I didn't read that. Got the cliff notes. So, be the kind who loves Jesus enough to find out what he says, do what he says, and he'll reveal himself more and more to you and I. 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 about this month's resources that will help you gain a deeper understanding of the sweeping story of Scripture. Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet, and The Companion Workbook are our thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your copies when you give $50 or more. Call 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And did you know that you can get a weekly devotional and other resources from Pastor Skip sent right to your email inbox?
Simply visit connectwithskip.com and sign up for emails from Skip. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times. Now we want to let you know about an exciting opportunity coming up soon in Southern California.
Hi, Pastor Skip here. I'm heading to Menifee, California to teach at Revival Christian Fellowship's Nuts and Bolts of Expository Preaching Conference in January. I'll be teaching alongside my very good friend and fellow Expositor, Pastor John Miller. Join us to deepen your knowledge and ignite or reignite a lasting passion to teach the Bible expositionally. I hope to see you there, so check out the link and claim your spot. To learn more about the nuts and bolts and to register, visit expositorypreaching.org. That's expositorypreaching.org.
