John 14:12-24

I want to start today by asking a question. The question is, where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?

! A child once spoke to his parents after a church service and said, Mummy and Daddy, is this my church?

Mummy and Daddy said, yes, of course it is, you come here every week.

The child then said, Mummy and Daddy, is this your church?

A bit perplexed, they said, of course you know this is our church, we come here every week.

The child thought for a little bit and then said, Mummy and Daddy, is this Jesus' church?

Yes, of course it is, they said. The child said, well why does he never come then?

Where is Jesus?

The one thing that seems obvious, wherever he is, he is not here.

We have never seen Jesus, have we? We have never heard him speak.

We know that reality with which Jesus tells the disciples in these chapters that we have been looking at in John,

that Jesus in one very important sense is not here.

He has been explaining to his disciples that there is coming a time when he will depart from them and from the world and they won't be able to follow him.

Jesus is going on, isn't he, after his death and resurrection and ascension.

And today that is obvious.

We haven't heard Jesus' footsteps in our homes, in our workplaces, in our churches.

We've never seen Jesus out at the shops, have we?

We've never shaken his hands or kissed his feet or given him a hug.

The Bible tells us that Jesus, the man, is in heaven,

sat at the right hand of God the Father,

as ascended king, reigning over all things.

And our senses tell us that that Jesus is not here.

Or is he?

He is going on to heaven.

But in this section of John, he wants his disciples to know

that whilst he is going to be physically absent,

he is going to be personally present amongst his people.

He explains he is going on,

but his presence and his work and his fellowship with them

is ongoing with and through his disciples.

Where is Jesus?

Yes.

Physically absent, but personally present.

Very present.

Now this is quite a dense part of the Bible,

so we're not going to be able to look at it in every detail,

but I just want to pick out a few key verses for you

to get the gist of what Jesus is saying in this passage.

Three things really.

He tells his disciples,

I am going on from this world to heaven,

but firstly, my work in the world will be ongoing.

My work in the world will be ongoing.

If you look at verse 12,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do,

and greater works than these will he also do,

because I am going to the Father.

Now, so do you see the first thing there?

That even though Jesus is going away,

he's physically absent,

his work, the things that he's been doing,

will continue to be done

through the work of his disciples.

That those who believe in him

will do the works that he does.

Jesus will be present in the world

as his works are continued to be done.

His physical absence in the world

does not mean that he will cease from activity in the world.

It doesn't mean that Jesus will no longer have anything to do

with the world that he was in physically,

or that he'll have no interest in the world that he was once in,

or that because of his work being done

in his death and resurrection and ascension,

he will sort of be redundant,

twiddling his thumbs with nothing to do.

And we know that Jesus is going to continue working

through his disciples,

but because, did you see how this work will be done?

It will be done through prayer.

Verse 13,

Whatever you ask in my name,

this I will do.

Jesus still says, doesn't he,

I will do the work.

These works that the disciples are going to be doing

will be done as they pray to Jesus.

And Jesus still takes responsibility.

The works are still his.

Did you see again in verse 14?

If you ask me,

I will do it.

And we see that happening in the early church,

in the book of Acts, don't we?

You might remember that Luke begins the book of Acts,

and he says,

In my first book,

I've dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

until the day he was taken up

and gave commands to the apostles.

That was in Luke's gospel, wasn't it?

And so the implication is,

at the beginning of Acts,

this is a book about all that Jesus is going to do next,

through his apostles.

So after he has gone physically from the world,

Jesus himself will continue to minister,

he will continue to preach,

he will continue to bring salvation into people's lives,

through his disciples.

And Jesus will give them all they need to continue this work.

So whenever someone hears a sermon,

faithfully preaching God's word in a church,

they hear not just a preacher,

but Jesus speaking.

Whenever the good news is proclaimed by his people,

it is Jesus.

Whenever prayers are answered,

it is Jesus.

His work is ongoing.

But there's a big question in this passage,

and it's about what Jesus says in verse 12.

He says that work will continue,

but he says that there will be a change in the work,

doesn't he?

Verse 12.

The question is,

what does Jesus mean when he says,

greater works than these will he do,

because I am going to the Father?

The work that will continue in the world,

that Jesus will do through his disciples,

will be greater than the work that he's done

while he was on earth.

How can that be?

Well, one way of answering that

is to think that Jesus here is talking about

the quality of the work.

Often people explain it by saying that

he's talking here about the quality

and the sort of impact of miraculous signs

that he did.

And that his disciples are going to perform

even greater miracles than Jesus did.

That the quality of the work will be greater.

But I don't think reading Acts

and reading the rest of the New Testament,

it can mean that.

Because Jesus has done amazing things,

hasn't he?

He has raised people from the dead.

He's healed people.

He's cast out demons.

It is very, very difficult to imagine

something greater than that, isn't it?

And we don't see the apostles and the disciples

in Acts doing greater things than those things.

Well, there's another way of explaining it.

Perhaps he means greater in the sense of

not quality, but quantity.

That as the worldwide church

kind of explodes all over the nations,

Jesus' work won't be restricted to just one place

like it was in Galilee or in Jerusalem.

As the worldwide church serves him,

his work will explode onto the world stage.

And in that sense it will be greater.

It could mean that.

I think there is a sense that that is true.

But again, as with a lot of questions like this,

the clue to the answer is, I think,

in a careful reading of the text itself.

Look at what Jesus says in verse 12.

Look closely.

Greater works than these will he do.

And here's the reason why.

Because I am going to the Father.

And that is a really key thing.

Jesus is saying there, simply,

that the greatness, or the greatness,

of these works that his disciples are going to do,

has something to do with his ascension to the Father.

And in John, we've seen that Jesus going to the Father

is another way of him talking about ascending to heaven

and sitting in fulfilled victory over his enemies

and being crowned as king over all things.

He is going to the Father.

It's like his coronation ceremony, isn't it?

As king.

And so his disciples will do his works,

but they will do them in a way that Jesus himself has not,

as they participate in a new age of his kingdom.

They will do the works that Jesus has done,

but in the light of Jesus' finished work.

Until then, all that Jesus has done in his ministry,

in a sense, has been incomplete.

And it's been provisional.

But after his death and resurrection,

there is a completeness.

There's a new situation

where these works are being done,

where these works have a different context.

Now, I was trying to think of a picture to illustrate this.

It would be, I think, a bit like doing work for the queen.

Imagine you're a chef,

or you're a butler,

or you're a porter in Buckingham Palace.

Now, I've never been any of those things,

but I'd imagine there's a difference

in being the chef

before the queen is crowned

compared with after she's crowned.

There's a difference in the prestige of the work

before she's on the throne

compared to when she is on the throne afterwards.

The first meal that the chef cooks in the palace

after the queen sits on her throne,

that meal, in a sense, will be greater.

Not because it's better ingredients,

but because it is done with the knowledge

that the one he cooks for now

is his crowned sovereign.

And the kitchen,

that was once like any other catering kitchen,

now is in the place that houses

his sovereign, his queen.

All that stuff that he uses,

the ovens and the equipment,

they're kind of normal ovens, aren't they?

But when she is on the throne,

they become royal ovens

and royal whisks

and royal pots and pans.

It is a royal kitchen.

He now cooks on royal turf

in a way that before her coronation,

he didn't.

So it's not a change in the works

themselves so much,

but the prestige and the privilege

and the greatness that they're invested with.

that Jesus' disciples will continue his works

after his coronation.

And the world in which they do those works

is now his footstool.

The work will be done on royal turf

in a way that it wasn't before.

They will be the works that Jesus has been doing

to bring glory to the Father

in his teaching and his preaching

and so on,

but done with this backdrop

of his coronation,

of this new era of his rule

in the world.

And that is why Jesus can say to them

quite confidently,

in the work,

whatever you ask of me,

I will do it.

Imagine the chef phones the queen

and says,

Mum,

can I order more tea bags?

Or can I order more beef?

Or more cheese?

And she says,

yes,

because I'm the queen.

You will have whatever you need

to do the work.

Whatever you ask,

I will do it.

And we will supply it.

If it's for the work of the palace,

if it is for the work

to glorify the sovereign,

then you'll get it.

No expense per it.

So in his physical absence,

his personal work

will be ongoing

and it will be done

in a greater way

since he is now Lord of all

and sits on the throne of all.

And he can afford anything

for the work to be done.

So his work will be ongoing.

Secondly though,

Jesus' ongoing presence

amongst his people.

Jesus' ongoing presence.

It's not just that Jesus

will carry on working in the world.

He could do that

via remote control,

couldn't he?

Kind of fiddling around

from a distance.

We've got one of these robots

in our church

who sort of hoovers up

after you've left the room.

I'm not sure how good it is,

but it's supposed to do the job.

But that is not how Jesus works.

He's not just leaving

his disciples to it.

He's not working through them

through a remote control

where he's at a distance

and he's hitting buttons

on a controller.

He may be going physically,

but his work

and his presence with them

will be ongoing.

Now look at verse 16.

I will ask the Father

and he will give you

another helper

to be with you forever,

even the spirit of truth.

And then verse 18.

I will not leave you

as orphans.

I will come to you.

Thinking about the word helper,

he's going to give you

and he will give you a helper.

It's a Greek word.

The Greek word is

parakletos.

And it comes from

two words

stuck together.

Para,

meaning alongside,

and kleto,

which means to call.

Something like that.

So Jesus is going to send

another parakletos,

one to be beside them,

to call with them.

And this is about

Jesus' ongoing presence with them.

We might get into

what this word parakletos

means more in chapter 15.

But I want you to see for now

something else important.

It's not the word parakletos,

really.

But it's the word in verse 16

that he puts with it

another helper

or another parakletos.

Now he's talking there

about the Holy Spirit.

He calls him the spirit of truth.

But Jesus first calls him

another parakletos,

another helper.

He's saying, isn't he,

that this helper

that he's going to send

will be one

like they've already had.

He will be another helper

to replace the one

that they've already got.

And so in a sense,

this parakletos,

this helper,

will come

and bring

Jesus to them.

Jesus is the one

they've already got,

isn't it?

And so whilst

he's absent physically,

this helper,

the Spirit of God,

will present

Jesus to them.

And Jesus will be present

through his Holy Spirit.

The New Testament

teaches us

that the relationship

Jesus has

with his Spirit

is so close

and it's so tight

that the Holy Spirit

bears the imprint

of Jesus himself.

And so as Jesus

sends the Holy Spirit,

Jesus himself

is present.

The ongoing work,

the ongoing presence

of Jesus

through his Spirit.

And so thirdly

and lastly,

Jesus' ongoing

fellowship

with his people.

Jesus' ongoing

fellowship

with people.

And you may have noticed

that the passage

is full of

descriptions

of intimate,

close fellowship

with Jesus,

isn't it?

Between Jesus

and his people

and between Jesus

and his Father,

all united

in the Spirit.

And look at the end

of verse 23,

just near the bottom.

Anyone who loves me,

my Father will love him

and we will come to him

and make our home

with him.

Or verse 20,

in that day

you will know

that I am in the Father

and you in me

and I in you.

There's a lot of language

there of fellowship

and dwelling

and togetherness,

isn't there?

And notice the word

in.

I am in the Father

and you in me

and I in you.

Jesus is not just present

but he is present

in a deeper

and fuller way

through his Spirit.

Even though he is

absent physically,

Jesus is in his people.

Not just near to them

or beside them

or next to them.

Not even just present

but dwelling in them.

He won't just move

next door

but he will move

into the very heart

of the home

of your life

and of your heart.

He will be in you.

Now as we close,

it is important to see

that this ongoing

relationship

and this ongoing

presence

and privilege work

will not be

for everyone.

Not everyone

will get to

enjoy the privilege

of working

on royal turf

or of knowing

Jesus' presence

or of having

fellowship

with and in him.

That is what

Judas asks,

isn't it?

In verse 22.

Lord,

how is it that

we'll get these things

but not the rest

of the world?

In other words,

why isn't everyone

going to get this

ongoing relationship

with you,

Jesus?

And the answer

Jesus gives

is the same

for us now

as it was

all through

John's day

and when Jesus

was in his

earthly ministry

that there is

only one if.

There's only one

condition

to Jesus'

ongoing presence

in our lives.

Look at what he

says in verse 23.

If anyone

loves me,

he will keep

my word

and we will

make our home

with him.

And this idea

is repeated

a few times,

isn't it?

The one condition

is,

verse 21,

whoever has

my commandments

and keeps them.

Or verse 15,

if you love

me,

you will keep

my commandments

and you will

know this

ongoing work

and presence

and fellowship

of Jesus.

Now,

Jesus is not

saying there

that my

ongoing presence

in your life

depends on

your law

keeping

or your

moral behaviour

or your

performance.

As we've

gone through

John's gospel,

that has

never been

how people

have met

with Jesus,

is it?

And have

had fellowship

with him.

That is not

what he means

by commands

here.

If you think

actually about

the commands

that Jesus

has given

all through

John's gospel,

think about

some of the

words that he

has given,

some of the

commands that

he's spoken.

Follow me.

Feed from me.

Ask from me.

Believe in

God.

Believe also

in me.

Abide in

me.

His commands

aren't so much

a list of

precepts that

we kind of

have to tick

the boxes on,

are they?

But words

commanding our

trust and

our faith

and our love.

And so not

only in his

presence then,

his work and

his fellowship

are ongoing,

but also his

challenge is

to today.

Because this

one condition

is the same

now in his

physical absence

as it always

was in his

physical presence.

The one

condition,

if you like,

of him being

present in

your church

and in your

home and in

your life,

at the very

heart of your

life,

whatever your

life looks

like,

the one

condition is

that you

have to

want him

there,

is that you

have to

love him.

Even if that

love is weak

and it's

poor,

the one

condition of

him being

present is

not that he

comes to us

physically in

a ceremony

at church or

in an

experience,

because there

is another

helper to

bring Jesus

to us in

his spirit.

No, the

one condition

of us having

him is that

we love him

and we

trust him.

And Jesus

says,

doesn't he,

anyone who

loves me

and trusts

me and

keeps my

word,

my father

will love

him and

we will

come to

him and

we will

make our

home with

him.

So let me

ask that

question again.

Where is

Jesus today?

Where is

he?

Well, in

some ways,

I guess that

is up to

you, isn't

it?

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's