All the promises of God are in
Christ Jesus. And all the promises of God in
Christ Jesus are yea and amen. They are never yea and nay. They
are yea and amen. All God's promises. Turn with
me, if you will, to John chapter 14. The psalmist declares that grace
was poured into the lips of our Savior as our surety before the
world was made. Thou art fairer than the children
of men. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore, God hath blessed thee forever. Here in John 14, we
have seven promises poured forth from the lips of our Lord Jesus
Christ just before he went to Calvary to die as our substitute
and put away our sins. Seven sweet, blessed, instructive
promises. Hold your Bibles open here at
John 14, and we'll look at these seven promises together. Everything
in this chapter is intended by our dear Savior to comfort our
hearts, strengthen our souls, and steady our spirits as we
make our sojourn through this world of woe. This chapter begins
with this first promise. Our Lord Jesus Christ begins
by promising that he will come again. I find it delightful that
the very first thing our Redeemer promised his disciples after
telling them that he was going away is that he'll come again. He would have us ever to live
on the tiptoe of faith in anticipation of his second coming. Please
understand, according to this book, Now, not according to the
prophecy nuts all around us, and the world is full of prophecy
nuts. Bible colleges and seminaries
all over the world are established by prophecy nuts, just nuts. They have foolish, foolish ideas
concerning things are going to happen. Well, it's got to be
the last time, war and trouble and ungodliness. That's the way
it's always been. Just like it was in the days
of Noah. That's no sign of anything. The
fact is, our Lord tells us plainly that there are no signs of his
second coming. No signs. No signs to even indicate
when he's coming. None. Rather, we're told always
he's coming. Behold, he cometh. Do you get that? Behold, he cometh. That means as soon as he left
here, he's on his way back. Everything he is doing is moving
step by step toward his second advent. And we are not to look
for signs, not in Israel, not in Russia, not in the United
States, but rather look for him so that every day we ought to
stand on the tiptoe of faith. He's coming. He's coming. Soon he shall be here. And we
ought to live like that all the time. Oh, God, give me such grace
to live every day on the tiptoe of faith, anticipating the glorious
second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. He told his disciples
he was going away, going away to die for us. Going away to
obtain eternal redemption for us by the shedding of his blood
Going away to prepare a place for us in heaven Going away to
be our advocate on the right hand of the majesty on high our
Intercessor our great high priest ever to make intercession for
us according to the will of God before the throne of his grace
going away to save his chosen to gather his elect, his blood-bought,
chosen people, to gather them out of the four corners of the
earth. He was going away to accomplish these things. The very first
thing he promised, I will come again. Look at this. Let not
your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. And when I come again, I'll receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. The Lord Jesus won't wait for
us to come up to him. He's coming down to take us up
to himself, to raise us out of the graves, to escort us to our
heavenly home. As Joseph came to meet Jacob,
so the Lord Jesus will come and call his people together and
guide us to our eternal home in the heavens. Turn to second
Thessalonians chapter one for just a moment. Hold your hands
here in John 14. Great is the blessedness. of
looking back at our Lord's first advent and remembering all that
he accomplished for us. Great is the blessedness of looking
to Christ on his throne and remembering that he rules the universe. But
oh, what great blessedness we miss when we fail to look steadily
for Christ coming again. Behold, he cometh. Now listen
to what the scriptures say. Just listen. We'll get to 2 Thessalonians
in a moment. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead in Christ, the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The dead will be raised,
we'll be changed. When Christ comes, when he appears
in his glory, those who sleep in the graves, their bodies sleeping,
shall meet them meet the Lord in the air and then we shall
be changed and raised up to meet them and come with our Lord having
created new heavens and new earth having burned this earth with
fire and having judged men on the earth with his glory we come
with him again into this world created new into heavenly glory
verse 53 first corinthians 15 says now just listen for this
corruptible this This dying mortal flesh. This corruptible. That's all it is, Larry, just
corruptible. Do what you can. It's corruptible. You're not going to preserve
it. It's corruptible. You're not going to preserve
it. Not a second. It's corruptible. This corruptible
must put on incorruption. Must. corruptible. Corruptible now, but soon shall
we put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
I put on incorruption, and this mortal shall I put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, O
death, It's swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is thy sting?
Oh grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The
strength of sin is the law. But thanks be unto God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said,
I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
sleep. That you sorrow not, even as
others which have no hope. Don't sorrow like those who have
no hope, not when you go to bury a brother or sister. No, no. I talked to a very dear man just
recently. One dear to him died and he said,
he said, I don't know what a relationship with the Lord was. I just don't
know. She's always religious. I just
don't know. But whatever God does is right. And we find our comfort in his
will. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. But with
regard to believing, brothers and sisters, with regard to God's
saints, don't sorrow as those who have no hope. They just parted
for a little while. The bodies are asleep, the souls
with Christ in glory. In glory they have a house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So don't sorrow like
folks who have no hope. I've gone to funeral homes and
see folks just act horrible, just horrible. Folks who claim
to believe God, just horrible. Don't behave like that. Don't
mourn like some pagan who's going to bury somebody who's going
to be just put to death like an animal or is going to death
like an animal. Oh no. Sorrow not as those who have
no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again. Even
so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Do you believe that Christ died and rose again? Do you really
believe that? Do you sure enough believe the
God-man, our mediator, who died at Calvary, was buried in a tomb,
three days later rose up in glory? Do you believe that? Did he or
didn't he? Well, if I believe that, no trouble
for me to believe he's going to raise me up. That's no trouble. If he resuscitated himself, if
he was quickened on the third day himself, then he's a quickening
spirit. He'll raise us up too. For this I say unto you by the
word of God, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent, shall not go before them which
are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Now, what could be better than
that? So shall we ever be with the Lord, wherefore Comfort one
another with these words. All right, look here second Thessalonians
chapter 1 Our Lord is speaking to his troubled
disciples in John 14 He says let not your heart be troubled
his first word to ease us of heart trouble. I'm coming again
Second Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7 and to you who are
troubled Rest with us Be at ease with us. Calm down now. When the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. Enoch said he's
gonna come with 10,000 of the saints. In flaming fire, taking
vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord. Oh, my. How you ought to tremble, you
who dare to live as rebels before God. Soon you shall be destroyed
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of his power. When he shall come, watch this,
when he shall come to be glorified in his saints. Bob, he's going
to be glorified in you. He's going to be glorified in
everything he's done for you and everything he shall make
you to be when he raises you in his glory. Glorified in his
saints and to be admired in all them that believe. When Christ comes again, then
we will sure enough begin to worship him. Then we will sure
enough admire him. Admire him. All right, back here
in John 14. Here's the second promise. The Lord Jesus promises us that
there is a way to God, a way to heaven, a way to eternal life,
a way to salvation. When Christ comes again, you
who believe not, you who have found rebels living with your
fist shoved in God's face shall be destroyed with everlasting
destruction. I shudder to think what that
means. But you don't have to die. You don't have to go to hell. No. No, there's a way of salvation
for sinners. A sure way. An absolute sure
way. Oh, sinner, hear the Son of God.
There is a way to God. There is a way to heaven. There
is a way to eternal salvation. There is a way to eternal life
for poor needy sinners. And that way is Christ himself.
Jesus Christ is salvation. This is life eternal that they
might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast sent. Lord Simeon said, now let your
servant depart in peace. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Salvation is not a doctrine.
Salvation is not a creed. Salvation is not a confession
of faith. Salvation is not an emotional experience. Salvation
is not turning over a new leaf. Salvation is not stopping this,
that, or the other sin. Salvation is a person. Life is in Christ. He is the
way. Look what it says. Verse 4, whether
I go, you know, and the way you know. Thomas saith unto him,
Lord, we know not whether thou goest, and how can we know the
way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. Christ is the way. Without him,
there's no going to God. Without him, there's no going
to heaven. Without him, there's no going
to eternal life. He says, I am the way. He alone
is the way, not a way, the way. Salvation is by His obedience,
by His blood, by His grace. Salvation is of the Lord. Christ
is the truth. Without Him, there's no knowing.
No knowing of anything spiritual. No knowledge of anything concerning
God. No knowledge of anything that
is lasting and everlasting. Christ is the truth. He alone
is the truth. He's the embodiment of the truth.
He is the revelation of God. In him and by him alone, God
is known by men. And Christ is the life. Without
him, there's no living. He's the author and giver of
life, natural life and spiritual life and eternal life. He's the
only way of life. He's the living way. Eternal
life is a living union with the living God in Christ our Redeemer. Life is to live in Christ and
have Christ live in you. Now that doesn't come by a decision
you make. That comes according to a decision
God made in eternity. That doesn't come by something
you do, it comes by something God does. You can't put yourself
in Christ by the exercise of your will and you can't get Christ
put himself in you by the exercise of your will. God puts his people
in Christ before the world was and God puts his people in Christ
giving them life as he puts Christ in you in sovereign regeneration. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. He always has
been. and ever will be the way, always
has been and ever will be the truth, always has been and ever
will be the life. Then he adds, and no man cometh
to the father but by me. There's no coming to God by your
works, no coming to God by religious duties, no coming to God without
a mediator, and the only mediator is Christ Jesus. Brother Dunn,
That seems like I'm shut up to God doing something for me. I
hope you understand that. You are shut up to God doing
something for you. Tonight I'm going to be preaching
to you about living by faith. Faith is essential, but you will
not believe except God give you faith. You would be wise. Oh, you won't do it. You won't
do it. You who are dead in trespasses
and sins, you won't do it. I know you won't do it. You'll
do everything possible to get some kind of relief for your
conscience and make yourself accepted with God, except this.
You'll try works, and you'll try reforming your life, and
you'll try reading your Bible, and you'll try saying a prayer,
and you'll try exercising your will, and you'll try doing good,
but you will still have a screaming guilty conscience. You will not
seek the Lord. You won't do it. unless the Lord
God seeks you by his grace. You'd be wise to seek him. I
urge you to seek him. And I promise you this. No, he
promises. He that seeketh me shall find
me when he seeks me with all his heart. Is that what he said,
Merle? Jeremiah 29, 14. Seek me with all your heart,
you'll find me. Seek me. There'd never been a sinner to
seek mercy at the throne of the sovereign grace of God who didn't
find mercy there. Never been one. Here's the third
promise, verses 12 through 14. The Lord promises us that his
cause in this world is never in jeopardy. The purpose of God
never alters, the cause of God is never injured. The church
of God is always safe and the glory of God is always sure. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that believeth on me, the works that I do, shall he do
also. And greater works than these
shall he do. What? What did he say? He that believeth
on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works
shall he do. What? What's he talking about? Obviously he's not talking about
greater works of redemption, greater works of righteousness.
Obviously he's not talking about that. We can't do that. We can't
do that. He's talking about the gathering
together of his elect from the four corners of the earth by
the preaching of the gospel. He left us here as his witnesses. Mark Henson, the only reason
you're still alive, the only reason you're still on this earth
is because God's left you here as his witness to carry the gospel
to somebody else. That's it. That's it. There's
not any greater degree of holiness to which you must attain, not
any greater degree of sanctification you can achieve, not any greater
degree of acceptance with God awaiting you. We're made perfect
in Christ already. Well, what's he left us here
for? As his witnesses by whom he gathers together an innumerable
host of chosen redeemed sinners. as the gospel goes forth from
you who believe to those who believe not who shall be called
by his grace. Greater work shall he do. He
don't. Because I go to my father. These works, these works are
sure because I'm going to my father. I'm going to my father
and with my blood obtain eternal redemption for you. And whatsoever
you shall ask in my name, that will I do. that the father may
be glorified in the son. If you shall ask anything in
my name, I will do it. Now, I can't spend any time here.
I won't get done. I'll come back to it. I promise
you. Does that mean that prayer is like God issuing a blank check
on the bank of heaven and you just fill in the amount he signed
his name to it? What stupid, covetous nonsense. No. No. No, God is not at your
beck and call or at my beck and call. No, sir. No, sir. The key is ask anything in my
name. Trusting me for my glory, according
to my will. If you ask anything in my name,
I'll do it. I'll do it. And that which we
seek in his name is what he taught us to pray. Our father, which
art in heaven, sanctify your name. Hallowed be your name. Save your people, thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done, that is Lord,
perform what you purposed on earth, even as it is in heaven.
Give us our daily bread, supply us with what we need. Forgive
us of our sins. Was there something else you
wanted? Was there something else you
wanted? Oh, I want a new car. I'm talking to God's people.
I wanted to never have sickness. I'm talking to God's people.
I wanted to never go to the grave. I'm talking to God's people.
Was there something else you wanted? Something else you wanted? You see, God's people, Bobby,
bow to his will. And that's what we really want.
That's what we really want. No matter how contrary it is
to our flesh. God's people seek his glory,
his glory, not ours, his glory. We bow to his will by which he
performs his glory. And the Lord here promises that
his will, his church, his purpose, his cause is always safe and
never in jeopardy. Never. Several churches looking for
pastors. Brother Scott's gone. Other older men soon to leave
us. And I'm often asked, What are
we going to do? I don't know. Well, I do. We're
going to do the same thing we've done for the last 2,000 years.
We're going to wait on God. And we'll bow to His will. Number
four, verses 15, 16, and 17. The Lord Jesus promises that
God the Holy Spirit will abide with us, dwell in us, Keep us
and comfort us forever. If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father and
he shall give you another comforter. Another comforter. In the New Testament, two words
are translated another. In Galatians 1, Paul talks about
those will-worshipping Arminians all over the world, and he says
they preach another gospel, which is not another. That is, it is
not even similar. It's not. It doesn't come close.
There's nothing about it that's like the gospel. This word, another,
means another of exactly the same kind. The Lord Jesus says,
I'm going away. I'm going to glory. I'll redeem
you. And when I get to glory, I'll
send you another comforter just exactly like me. God, the Holy
Spirit, another comforter that he may abide with you forever. He'll never leave you. He'll
abide with you. Who is He? Even the Spirit of
Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him
not, neither knoweth Him. But ye know Him, now watch this,
for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, to them who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. The carnal mind's enmity against
God is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it
be. But you're not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. You're in
the Spirit. He promises us the blessed anointing,
unction, and seal of His Spirit to comfort, guide, and teach
us throughout our days here so long as we live in this world
in need of grace. Then in verses 18 through 24,
throughout the days of our sojourn, through this veil of tears, our
blessed Savior has promised that he will come to us with all sufficient
grace. Verse 18, I will not leave you
comfortless. I won't abandon you like orphans
left on the streets. I'll come to you. I'll come to
you. Now, he told us in the first
three verses about his second coming. Here, he's talking about
something else. He's talking about coming to us in our need. Here. I'll come to you. Yet a little while, and the world
seeth me no more, but you see me. Some of you sitting here can't see a thing. You can't understand anything
you hear preaching. You can't know the mysteries
of the kingdom of God. You can't see the glory of the
Savior. But you who believe see Him as
He comes to you. here in his house and sweet tokens
of his grace, makes himself know. Because I live, he says, you
shall live also. Our life doesn't depend on us. It depends on him. Oh, and that that day you shall
know that I am in my father and ye in me and I in you. I read that preparing this message
early yesterday and when I read that I was just dumbfounded.
This is what I wrote in the margin of my Bible. Oh, wondrous union. When I come to you, because I
live and you live, when I come to you, you shall know that I
am in my father. I am one with God. And you are
in me. You're one with me. And I am
in you. I'm one with you. What a union! Is He truly one with the Father? Indeed He is, in every detail. Well, we're, we're, it's as though
we were one with Him. No. Jerry he says he's in you
and you're in him. Oh Wondrous union wondrous union
one of the old writers said Whatever can be said of Christ as the
God-man mediator Whatever can be said of him past present future
Whatever can be said of him can be truthfully said of all who
are in Him. We're one with Him. Did He die
for sin? We died for sin. Did He bring
in everlasting righteousness by His obedience? We brought
in righteousness by our obedience. Did He rise from the dead? We
rose from the dead. Did He set down in heaven? We're
quickened together with Him and we sat down with Him. We're one
with Him. So that everything He is and
everything He has done, we are and we have done. And now we're
one with him in his glory. He that hath my commandments,
verse 21, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be
loved by my Father. And I will love him and will
manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot,
not the betrayer, Lord, how is it that thou would manifest thyself
unto us and not into the world? Jesus answered and said unto
him, if a man loved me, he will keep my words. And this is how
I manifest myself to you. My father will love him and will
come unto him and make his abode with him. You asked me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. Number six. Then our Savior promises
us, verses 25 and 26, that God, the Holy Spirit, the divine comforter,
will be our teacher permanently. These things have I spoken unto
you, being yet present with you, but the comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
you All things. All things. If I were to talk to Mark Henson
about the work he does, he would soon discover that I know absolutely
nothing about engineering. Nothing. I understand you take
geometry. Our granddaughter does too. Don't
ask me anything about it. I don't even know what it is.
I don't know what it is. I'm clueless. What's this mean? It'll teach you all things. Ron, I do know everything I need
to know. I know God. How about you? I know the way of life. Do you?
I know what this book teaches, do you? I know who the Son of
God is, do you? How come? Because the Spirit
of God taught me. I know the gospel of God's free
grace. I don't envy any man's knowledge. Oh, no. Oh, no. I know Him, whom to know or write
is life eternal. Read on. He will teach you all
things and bring all things to your remembrance. Oh, aren't you thankful he does?
I, uh, I have reached the age where that my memory bank is
so full. That's not that I'm losing my
memory. It's just that my memory bank's so full, I can't shuffle
through things like I used to. And I can't, I can't pull them
up immediately. I'll, uh, Sheldon and I'll start
to They say something to one another. She's almost there.
And what was his name? About midnight. Joe Blakely,
that was his name. What are you talking about? But I remember everything carnal,
ungodly, sinful. with indescribably greater ease
than I remember my Redeemer. Until the spirit of truth brings
to your remembrance the person and work of the Redeemer and
all things whatsoever I said to you. He comforts us by teaching
us these things, by giving us the mind of Christ,
by giving us spiritual understanding, by bringing to our remembrance
the sweet revelations of the grace of God in the gospel. Number seven. Now I'll keep this book. Come
back to Isaiah 40 for just a second, then we'll get to number seven.
Isaiah 40. Here the prophet of God writes
down God's word to every preacher, to every preacher. Larry, Ron, Lindsay, Frank, Don,
Don, God opens the door if you preach the gospel. You men, if
God calls one of you to preach the gospel of God's grace, he
calls many of you to preach the gospel of his grace. Hear this
word. This is what God commands us
to preach. Not once in a while, all the time. All the time. All the time. I just read something
yesterday, a young man preaching on the history of the church.
And I'm going to write to him. I'm going to write to him. Why
don't you quit? Let somebody read a book about
the history of the church. Preaching on this, that, and the other
thing. Preach Christ crucified. Open this book up and show sinners
who Christ is. Frank Hall, when I preach to
you, that which I preach must be truth.
But the issue is not doctrine. I want you to know the Redeemer
and love Him. And I want you to see Him in
such a way as to make you love Him more earnestly and follow
Him with more commitment. And that's what preaching does.
That's what it does. It brings people to the Savior.
Moves our hearts toward God. Look at this. Here's his word.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. The word is speak to the heart
of my people. Sayeth your God, speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem. That's who his people are. His
chosen city. Cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished. That her iniquity is pardoned. That she hath received of the
Lord's hand. double for all her sins. George, I remember your daddy,
years ago, sitting in the office one night, read those two verses,
tears run down his cheeks. He said, I sure would like to
know what that means. And the next week, the Lord gave me a
message to let him know what that means. Received of the Lord's
head double for all our sins. Not only has he pardoned us for
all our sins, He's given us all the fullness of the glory of
God in Jesus Christ Double for all I said he's given us the
inheritance of the firstborn a double portion of everything
Now back in John 14. Here's the seventh promise The Son of God promises. He promises to keep us in peace. Peace I leave with you. My peace
I give unto you. I leave you this sure foundation and basis of
peace. free, complete reconciliation
to God by my blood and by my righteousness. My peace. My peace as God's obedient servant. My peace as one who has completely
done his father's will. My peace as one of whom the father
says, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. My
peace. The peace that I have as a man
with God. I give that to you. My peace. My peace. The very same peace he had with
God when he said, now is my soul exceeding sorrowful even unto
death. The very same peace he had with
God when he hung on the tree as our substitute in Christ.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The very same peace
he has now seated on the throne of God in heaven. Well, how can
the peace be the same? Peace doesn't take away pain. And it doesn't take away sorrow.
And it doesn't take away trouble. It doesn't take away heartache.
Oh, no. Peace is peace. Peace. I can't think of a better word to hear anyone speak
as they're about to leave this world, if spoken from the heart
with conviction, with calm confidence than these. I'm at peace. I'm at peace. God, do what you will. I'm at
peace. Do your hellish best. I'm still
at peace. At peace because the Savior gives
me peace. Read on. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. You've heard how I said unto
you, I go away and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice. Because I said I'd go to the
Father. If they had known, if they had
just listened, if they had just paid attention, if they had known
that going to the Father meant that he had finished his work
as Jehovah's servant, finished his work as our covenant surety
that he had brought in everlasting righteousness by his obedience
satisfying justice by his death and I go to the father because
nothing else is required of God in his holy infinite purity righteousness
justice and truth except what I am and what I've done and I
go to the father And since I've gone to the Father as your forerunner,
come on, you'll go with me. You'll go with me. Certain sure
promises. Amen.