Greater Works

Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is

designed to uplift and strengthen you in your

walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until

the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive

right in. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Turn with me

to John chapter 14. Have your seat. John chapter

John 14 · chapter mention John 14:12

14, verse 12. John 14, verse 12. It's a year

John 14:12

for greater works. Hallelujah. Say we do greater

works. John chapter 14, verse 12 to 14. Most

John 14:12–14

assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in me,

the works that I do, he will do also. And greater

works than this he will do because I go to my

Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will

do so that the Father may be glorified in the

Son, If you ask anything in my name, I will do.

Hallelujah. So by the grace of God, as you've

announced to your neighbor, this is the direction

that God is leading us as a church. And I trust

that our hearts are prepared to follow in the

leading that God is leading us as a church. So

today I'm just going to lay a simple foundation.

And subsequently, we'll build on it. And our

sermons and whatever teachings we'll come across

will help us to build on this particular theme

that God has inspired us and has led us. And

the essence of giving us a theme is for us to

have a direction for how we'll build. Amen? Imagine

you are a builder and then you don't have a direction

for building. You don't even have the map. You

don't even know what you're building at every

point in time. Even when you have, what do you

call it, a diagram of what you're building, in

building construction, there's what we call the

plumb, right? They use in measuring the accuracy

and the precision of bricklaying, how it is placed

to ensure that you are building a building that

will stand by looking at the plan by which The

designer of the building has made. So one of

the advantages we have in having a theme is that

it helps us to build intentionally. It helps

us to have a direction so that at the end of

the year, at the end of the time, at the end

of the season, we can measure and see how far

we've grown, how far we've been able to, you

know, build ourself and grown by the help of

God. Hallelujah. So verse 12 of John, of this

text, It says the works that I do, he will do

also. And greater works than this, he will do

also. So Jesus in this verse is saying that the

man who believes in him, who believes in him,

who believes in Jesus, will not only do what

Jesus did. Imagine, you not only do what Jesus

did, but will do greater. will do greater than

what Jesus did. So it means that believing in

Jesus comes with the ability in the man to do

greater works. To do greater works. So fundamentally,

doing greater works is for a man who believes.

And when you don't believe, there's no possibility

for you to do greater works. So if we are those

who believe in him, who believe in Jesus, He's

calling us to do greater works. So by implication,

it means that doing greater works is our calling,

not only for 2026, but also for the years beyond.

So for us to build our understanding on what

God is leading us to do, it's important that

we answer some critical questions from this verse.

I'm going to only... discuss verse 12 alone today

because of time. Only verse 12. There are some

important questions we must try to answer. First

of all, who is Jesus speaking to? Understanding

who Jesus is speaking to is important in understanding

how to apply what he has said. So who is Jesus

speaking to? Secondly, what are the works Jesus

did? Because for us to do greater works, we must

know what Jesus did so that we will do greater

than what Jesus did. Thirdly, what are the greater

works? What can we do that will be greater than

what Jesus has done? So this is very crucial

in helping us to do that which God He's calling

us to do. Now I want us to understand the background

of the text here. The background of the text

in John chapter 14. Jesus was addressing particularly

John 14 · chapter mention

his disciples. Alright? He's particularly addressing

his disciples shortly before the feast of the

Passover. Before his betrayal. and also before

his subsequent trial, his death, his burial,

and his resurrection. So this is a context. It

is important to know that these were the last

words of Jesus to his disciples who had been

with him for over three years. These were his

last words to them. So if someone is dying or

someone is about traveling and is about to give

you his last words, what does it demand of you,

the listener? It demands that you pay attention,

right? It demands that you take the last words

he says seriously. I mean, in most of the movies

we watch in Africa, from the western part of

Africa, oftentimes when a man is dying, they

always know when they are dying. In the movies,

he will gather his family. and then he will be

talking to them and telling them what to do.

After he finished talking, he will now sleep.

Now have this picture. Jesus was in his last

moments with his disciples. And if there's any

last conversation that he's going to live with

them, he's going to live with them something

that is very crucial, something that is very

important before he leave them for a moment.

So it means that the words that he will be very,

these words will be very important and crucial

to what he was going to do next. Now look at

it from John chapter 14, chapter 13 rather, particularly

John 14 · chapter mention

from verse 1 to 5, to build the context. Now

before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus

knew that his hour has come, that he should depart

from this world to the Father. This is the context.

That he should depart from this world to the

Father, having loved his own who were in the

world, he loved them to the very end. Verse 2.

And the supper being ended, that is when they

finish a meal, the devil having already put into

the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to

betray him. Jesus, knowing that the Father had

given all things into his hands and that he had

come from God and was going to God, rose from

the supper and laid aside his garment, took a

towel and guarded himself. And after that, he

poured water into a basin and began to wash the

disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel

with which he was guarded. Amen. So this gives

us a context and an understanding that this is

the beginning of the conversation that will lead

us into chapter 14. And then further in verse

18 of that same verse, verse 18, I do not speak

concerning all of you, talking about who will

betray him. I know whom I have chosen, but as

the scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats bread

with me has lifted up his heel against me. Now

I tell you before it comes, that when it does

come to pass, you may believe that I am he. You

may believe that I am he. That he is what? That

he is the one that God has sent. That he is the

Messiah. This is very important. Most assuredly,

I say to you, he who receives whomever I send,

receives me. And he who receives me, receives

him who sent me. When Jesus had said these things,

he was troubled in the spirit and testified and

said, most assuredly, I say to you, one of you

will betray me. Now I want to jump to verse 21.

So when he had gone out, Jesus said, Now the

Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified

in him. If God is glorified in him, God will

also glorify him in himself and glorify himself

immediately. Little children, he swore to them

continually, I shall be with you a little while,

a little while longer. You will seek me and as

I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot

come. So now I say to you, a new commandment

I give to you that you love one another as I

have loved you that you also love one another.

By this, all will know that you are my disciples

if you have love for one another. So one thing

we have established is that communication is

to his disciples. Secondly, the timing is that

he was about to be betrayed and arrested and

taken for trial and then judgment. Verse 36,

Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you

going? Jesus answered, where I'm going, you cannot

follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward.

That is to say, where I'm headed to, you cannot

be with me. But after, you will follow me. So

where is Jesus going? Peter said to him, Lord,

why can't I follow you? Lord, why can't I not

follow you now? He wants it now. I will lay down

my life for your sake. Jesus answered him, will

you lay down your life for my sake? Most assuredly,

I say to you. The rooster shall not crow till

you have denied me three times. So this gives

us a direction towards where Jesus is going.

All right? Now in chapter 14 from verse 1. Let

not your heart be troubled. The conversation

continues. 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 receive

you to myself, that where I am, you may be also.

And where I go, you know, and the way you know.

And Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know

where you are going. And how can we know the

way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth,

and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me. If you had known me, you would have

known my Father also. And from now on, you know

him and have seen him. Hallelujah. So Jesus says,

I go to the Father. In my Father's house, and

many mansions. If it were not so, I would have

told you, and I also go to prepare a way for

you, a place for you. And we've explained this

times and times again that this verse is particularly

speaking concerning what Jesus will do in his

death. It's not talking about heaven. There are

no mansions in heaven. There are no building

construction happening in heaven. But contextually,

when we follow the reading, Jesus is saying that

in his father's house, in his father's family,

the word house is a father's family, it's a place

for us, right? It's a room that he goes to prepare,

and how he prepares this room is in his death,

in his burial, and his resurrection. So by the

time he goes and then establishes what he has

done in his death, his burial, and his resurrection,

He can bring them into that union where God is.

Hallelujah. Then Philip asks in verse 8, Lord,

show us the Father and it's sufficient for us.

So, his inner Philip doesn't believe that Jesus

is the Father or he was not paying attention.

to the fact that Jesus and the Father are in

union, that when he sees the Father, he sees

Jesus Christ, he has seen the Father. Jesus is

in union with God. Jesus will go on to explain

to him in verse 9 to verse 10. 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 what? has seen the father. So how can you

say, show us the father? Do you not believe that

I am in the father and the father is in me? All

right? Because Jesus has been telling them that

he and the father are one, are in union. So if

you see Jesus, what have you seen? You've seen

the father. How can you know that Jesus is the

father? The next phrase. Jesus is in the father.

Verse 10. Do you not believe that I am in the

father and the father in me? The words that I

speak to you. Verse 10 is very crucial. The words

that I speak to you, I do not speak them on my

own authority. But the Father who dwells in me,

he does what? He does the works. Alright? The

Father who we are in union walks through me on

earth. Believe me that I am in the Father. And

the Father in me. Or else. Believe me, for the

sake of the works themselves, which means that

the works that Jesus did were very crucial to

testifying that he is the Messiah, to testifying

that he and God are one, to testifying that God

is the one working in him to accomplish his plan

on the earth. So, It is Jesus' response to Philip

that we move in to see in verse 12. Jesus continues

in his explanation to Philip in verse 12. He

says, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes

in me, which means that Philip, probably the

apostles, have a belief issue. Alright? Because

he has been saying it, explaining it and doing

the works, but yet they did not believe. Most

assuredly, I say to you, or verily, verily, I

say to you, he who believes in me, the works

that I do, alright, which works? The works that

I do, which are the Father's works, which God

is working through me, he will do also. And greater

than this, He will do because. Why? Because I

go to the Father. It means that going to the

Father is conditional. Okay? Going to the Father

is conditional to he that believes doing the

works of Christ and even doing greater. So Jesus

is in union with the Father. The only way by

which God the Father can be known is through

Jesus Christ. The works that Jesus did were the

Father walking through him. God himself is spirit.

And the Bible says in John chapter 1 verse 18

John 1:18

previously that no man has ever seen him. Alright?

No man has ever seen him. John chapter 1 verse

John 1:18

18. It says that no man, says no one has seen

God at any time. The only begotten son who is

in the bosom of the father, he has what? He has

revealed him. He has declared him. So when you

see the son, you see the father. Because all

the father is doing, he has done it through the

son. And we can see the works of the son and

know that the father is at work. Hallelujah.

So Jesus himself on earth, is a revelation of

the Father. Colossians chapter 1 verse 15. Colossians

Colossians 1:15 Colossians 1:15

chapter 1 verse 15. He is an image. He is a very

reflection. He is a very essence. The image of

the God that we cannot see manifested in the

flesh. The face born of all creation. Hebrews

Hebrews 1:3

chapter 1 verse 3. Hebrews 1, verse 3. It also

Hebrews 1:3

says that, alright, give me verse 2 to give us

context. Verse 1. God, who at various times and

in various ways spoke in pass to the fathers

by the prophets, verse 2, has in this last day

spoken to us by his Son. Alright? So the medium

by which God speaks to us in these days is by

his Son. whom he has appointed heir of all things,

through whom also he made the worlds. Who being,

that is Jesus, the brightness of his glory and

the express image of his person. So if we want

to know God, we want to see God, the answer to

Philip's question is actually Jesus. The express

image of his person and of all things by the

word of his power, when he had... He had by himself

approached us and sat on the right hand of the

majesty on high. Through Jesus, the works of

God, the Father are manifested. So the works

that Jesus did are actually the works of the

Father. Because Jesus did not do anything apart

from what God is doing through him. You can see

his testimony in John chapter 5. John 5, verse

John 5 · chapter mention John 5:16

16. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus

and sought to kill him because he had done these

things on the Sabbath. They walked, he did something

on the Sabbath, right? But Jesus answered them,

My father has been working until now, and I have

been working. Therefore the Jews sought all the

more to kill him because he not only broke the

Sabbath, but also said that God was his father,

making himself, this is the consequence of saying

God is his father, making himself equal with

God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, Most

assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing

of himself, but what he sees the father do. For

whatever he does, the son also does in like manner.

For the father loves the son and shows him all

things that he himself does, and he will show

him greater works than these that you may marvel.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives life

to them, see what the Father does, right? As

the Father raises the dead and gives life to

them, even so the Son gives life to whom he wills.

For the Father judges no one, but has committed

all judgment to the Son. that all should honor

their son just as they honor their father. He

who does not honor their son does not honor their

father who sent him. Hallelujah. So we can conclude

that what Jesus, the works Jesus did, the works

of Jesus are actually the works of their father.

So through the works of Jesus, we'll be able

to know what God is doing or what God has done.

Hallelujah. So then what are the works Jesus

did? What are the works Jesus did? Particularly,

what are the works Jesus did? Now, the works

Jesus did will include the things Jesus did,

right? In action, the things he did and also

the things he taught. I want you to write that

down. The works Jesus did will include the things

Jesus did and also The things he taught, his

actions and his teachings. Acts chapter 1, verse

Acts 1:1–3

1 to 3, we see where Dr. Luke makes a very fundamental

statement as he was writing the book of Acts.

He says the former account, what account? The

book of Luke. The writer of the book of Acts

is also the writer of the book of Luke. And this

account of the book of Luke, the book of Luke

was written to one person. It was not written

to a church, but to a particular person. So after

writing the book of Luke, he's writing another

book to him, which is the book of Acts. It says

the former account I made all Theophilus. So

who was the recipient of the book of Luke? Theophilus,

right? Also the recipient of what? The book of

Acts. The former account I made of Theophilus

of all that Jesus began to do and teach. Until

the day in which he was taken up. After he, through

the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the

apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also

presented himself alive. after his suffering

by many infallible proofs, by many infallible

proofs, being seen by men during 40 days, and

speaking of the things pertaining, speaking concerning

the things pertaining the kingdom. So Jesus did

some things and he taught some things. And the

things he did were infallible proofs. And the

things he taught were things concerning the kingdom

of God. So, Luke, the writer of the book of Acts,

is referring to the records in the book of Luke,

the works, what he did and what he taught. Therefore,

we can conclude that the records of the synoptic

gospels, what are the synoptic gospels? The book

of Matthew, the book of Mark, the book of Luke

and the book of John. No, let's say these three.

All right. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew,

Mark, and Luke, particularly, you can exclude

John for a reason. They are the records of what

Jesus did. Alright? They are the records of the

works of Jesus. They are the records of the works

of Jesus. So Jesus Christ revealed the Father

through the works that confirm his divinity.

When we scan through the book of Mark, Luke,

of course, and a portion of John, Jesus Christ

revealed the Father through powerful works that

confirm that he is divine, that he is divinity,

including healing the sick, including casting

out demons, including raising the dead, and exercising

authority over nature. He accomplished also in

the records of the books, particularly the records,

he accomplished in them one of the things, or

the things he did, the work he did, redemptive

works by forgiving sins. calling sinners to repentance,

offering himself through his death and resurrection

for the salvation of humanity. So, we will see

encoded in the records his death, his burial,

and his resurrection. We also see him, Jesus,

the works he did, proclaiming and demonstrating

the kingdom of God. Not only that he taught about

the kingdom, but that he demonstrated the kingdom

of God. Through the teachings he gave, he demonstrated

the kingdom of God. And of course, finally we

see him laying the foundation of the church.

Laying the foundation for the ministry of the

church. By preaching the gospel, making disciples,

commissioning believers also to continue. The

work of ministry on earth. Hallelujah. So the

works that Jesus did were a testimony. What did

they testify? They testify that he was sent by

God. He is the promised Messiah. Because in the

prophecy of the Messiah, There were attributes,

there were actions, there were things that were

prophesied that the Messiah would do. So, for

Jesus, for the disciples to know that he is the

Messiah, as Jesus would say, believe the works

that I do. Hallelujah. Let's look at an example

of one. Matthew 11 verse 1. John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1

was the one that declared to the whole world

who Jesus is, right? He was the one that ushered

Jesus into, we'll say, ministry, revealing him

to the world. Now let's read this and see. Now

it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding

his 12 disciples that he departed from there

to teach and to preach in their cities. These

are the works of Christ, to preach and to teach

in their cities. And when John had in prison,

by this moment, John was in prison. He was locked

up in prison. His ministry has ended. He was

locked up in prison because he became a political

activist, speaking truth to power. And then he

was captured. Let me leave that revelation there.

And when John had heard in prison about the works

of Christ, what did he hear? He heard about the

works of Christ. He sent two of his disciples.

John was in doubt. Probably, if he is a Messiah,

why am I in this chain? Probably, if he is a

promised Messiah, I, the prophet that revealed

him, would I be in this position? Maybe. Maybe,

but because the scripture doesn't say. But we

can surely say that John is in doubt in this

position. Right? And said to him, no, verse 2.

And when John heard in prison about the works

of Christ, he sent two of his disciples. What

did he send them to do? And said to him, are

you the coming one or do we look for another?

Are you the Messiah or we should look for another?

Then Jesus answered and said to him, instead

for Jesus to say, yes, I am the Messiah, go and

tell him that I am the Messiah. He told John

what John will know, that he is a Messiah. And

what did he show John, that he is a Messiah?

He says, go and tell John the things which you

hear and the things which you see. So there are

works that must be seen, that are seen. That

testify who the Messiah is. And what are these

works? The blind see. Go and tell John that the

blind see. And the lame work. The lepers are

cleansed. And the deaf hear. And the dead are

raised up. And the poor have the gospel preached

to them. Hallelujah. And the poor. The gospel

preached to them. Jesus graciously replied to

him was a sign that will authenticate the identity

of the Messiah. Healing of the sick. Give me

that verse again. The blind see. All right. If

you listen to the teaching we gave you to listen

for Friday, you know how this correlates. The

blind see, and the lame walk, the lepers are

cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised

up, and the poor have the gospel preached to

them. So the works that Jesus do were the very

witness that he is the Messiah. These are the

works of Jesus. And Jesus is calling us in this

season. Alright? To do greater. I know that time

will not permit us to go into details. But let

me just say this and then we'll study. We'll

say the facts and then we'll go back and then

we'll study. Alright? Jesus is not calling you

to go and die. For the forgiveness of the sins

of men. Alright? That is not greater works. Because

you cannot die for the sins of men. Alright?

Now what will make your own work greater? Okay?

What will make our own work greater? It's in

the volume of what we will do. Alright? is in

the quantity of what we do, not actually the

quality of what we do. Because only Jesus can

do what he did, dying and resurrecting from the

dead. So the apostles, for example, will do more

things because he was speaking specifically to

the apostles. They will do more things than what

Jesus did. For example, now in Acts 2, verse

Acts 2:40

40, we see where Peter preached. At one instance,

how many people became born again? 3 ,000. There's

no record in Scripture that Jesus preached and

3 ,000 people were born again. By volume, by

the help of the Spirit, we'll do greater works.

Hallelujah. Jesus was confined within the vicinity

of Palestine or what they call Israel today.

But today, we confess that we win billions of

souls all over the world because we do greater

works. Hallelujah. Now, by virtue of what God

is calling us to do, it's Him actually working

in us by His Spirit. We're going to study and

see. Calling us to do a fact. technically we

would say that throughout the ministry of Jesus

Christ, right, till when he left this world,

we can say technically that nobody was even born

again until the time he left this world. What

makes a man born again is a spirit. So when Jesus

was on earth, did any man have the spirit in

him? No. So it would mean that the greater works

will be the works by the Spirit. And that is

what God is calling us to do in this season.

To do things in a greater dimension. And this

year is a season that God is calling us to step

into our divine appointed greater works. The

works and the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ

were not concluded when he left the world. But

that was the foundation and the beginning of

what God would do on the earth through men. Jesus

guaranteed that because he had ascended to the

Father and released the Spirit, what was once

the height of his earthly ministry has now become

our own starting point. Where he stopped was

where he brought men into. That we will do even

more than what he did. Because by virtue of the

plan of God in Christ, he was restricted to where

he was. And we have the ability to do. In fact,

Jesus only spent three and a half years. Hallelujah.

The disciples spent more than three and a half

years. You and I will do greater in volume. Because

we have the spirit of God. We have the ability

of God in us. He is the one working in us to

accomplish his will and his purpose. So I want

to just encourage us this year to be intentional

to live out our identity as God's representatives

on earth. We must think and act in greater measure

because God is calling us to work the things

that he did. And even do them in greater dimension.

It means that we must operate boldly in the name

of Jesus. Because he has put us in that office

to do greater works. Let your life be attested

by God. The words that you speak and the deeds,

your faith and everything. It's my desire that

God will help us to understand the dimension

of the assignment that he has given us and we'll

be able to fulfill our calling in Jesus' name.

We appreciate you being here today. We hope you

carry this word with you throughout your week.

Don't forget to check the show notes for additional

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you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.