A Believing Heart Part 1

During the rain forest looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter in his famous upper room discourse.

Jesus said those who would believe in him would do greater works than he did at first glance, it appears impossible.

What works could be greater than his today what this astounding statement me church in Chicago this with Dr. Erwin looks her booze clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Estimates are give us a hint on how we could ever do greater works than Jesus did you know Dave, I have to be absolutely candid and tell you that that passage of Scripture is often puzzled. You're absolutely right. What greater works. Are we able to do.

The only way I think that we can interpret it is to understand that the wider church that Jesus Christ was giving birth to was going to be doing miracles around the world and not just physical miracles, but rather preach the gospel and the greatest of all miracles will take place but actually this passage of Scripture also reminds us to have faith built in our hearts.

I've written a book entitled prepare your heart for an uncertain future final words of warning and comfort from Jesus to his followers for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337, when Jesus speaks we must all listen, we must contemplate. We must carefully think and as he speaks to us.

We must obey you and I live at a time of history when there's a great deal of pressure to trim Jesus Christ down to manageable portions to make him one of the boys so to speak, to put them on the same shelf as Krishna or Buddha or some other leader. One of the things that John's Gospel helps us to see is that you can't do that because Jesus is unique and as you look at the text of Scripture.

What astounds you is not the similarities that he has to other religious leaders, but rather the contrast the differences. For example, and I hope you have your Bibles as you turn to the 14th chapter of the gospel of John were doing a series of messages on the upper room discourse entitled, when Jesus has your heart today, we speak on the topic of a believing heart but remember last time, how Peter and the other disciples began to interact with Jesus and that Thomas said to him you know we don't know where were going and you don't know the way or we don't know the way. And Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me and then Philip begins to ask him and says well you talk about going to the father but we have not seen the father, show us the father and we shall be satisfied.

Jesus said, he that have seen me hath seen the father. What distinguishes Jesus is that he claims to be God then did he not only says that if you see me, you've seen God, which is astounding. But he also says that all the works that I do. They are not really my works.

They are the works of the father. Verse 10 don't you believe that I am in the father and the father is in me and the words that I say to you are not to my own. Rather, it is the father living in me, who is doing the work.

Believe me when I say that I am in the father and the father is in me, or at least to believe me.

On the evidence of the miracles themselves.

Miracles do have an ability to elicit faith, not in an absolute sense because there are many people who saw the miracles and the more miracles they saw, the more they rejected Christ. But Jesus here makes a claim to deity that is outstanding. Also, Jesus is different from all other options because of the promises that he makes. Let not your heart be troubled you believe in God and every Jew knew that that was the first commandment that you believed in God, but you believe in God believe also in me.

And to believe in me. Jesus taught is equivalent to believing in God but don't let your heart be troubled, and I say to those of you today with troubled hearts don't let your heart be troubled, but now what follows in this context.

In John 14 is one of the most astounding promises found anywhere in the Bible.

In fact, when you read it you say yourself. Surely Jesus could not have said this, but he did and we have to look at it and we need to apply it. You'll notice he says in verse 12, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing and that's that's quite a promise but notice he doesn't end there. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father and we say Lord Jesus. Do you really mean it. What could he mean first of all, he says those who believe in me will do the same works that I do what works that it did he do, he healed the sick, all kinds of different diseases were healed under the ministry of Jesus. He heals the sick. He takes some bread and feeds a multitude he still owes the storm any raises the dead. When you read the book of acts, you discover that the disciples did many of these things we could almost say they did the same works because the apostles did some of the same things that Jesus did sick people were brought to them and they were healed and distressing situations were taken care of and after the time of the apostles.

However, miracles generally fade from the pages of church history, all I know that there were fantastic claims made sometimes during medieval times, but I need to tell you that they were often intertwined with an awful lot of superstition and some of the pagan miracles were said to be done by Christians and so forth. Generally speaking, we don't see a lot of those physical kinds of miracles. Today we see some, but not a lot. Not like the pages of the New Testament, and that's been truth for nearly 2000 years before James Amboise died. He spoke to his congregation for seven minutes in great weakness but one of the things he said to them was up many of you have been asking should you pray for a miracle. He had liver cancer. Should you pray for a miracle and he said yes go ahead and pray for a miracle and I want you to know that we don't see a lot of miracles today. If God didn't want me to have cancer. He said he would not have given it to me and just pray that God will give me and I'm paraphrasing but pray that he will give me the grace to die. Well, because I know that my sickness is part of God's providence and part of his grace.

Jesus said that if you believe in me will do the same work send the apostles did. But after that, we don't see a lot of the same work.

Some, but not a lot. But now we come to the most astounding part of the promise. If we are surprised by the words that you shall do the same works as I do look at what the rest of the promise says and do greater works than these, you will do what on earth would the greater works be well in order to get a clue, we need to understand that in the 11th chapter of Matthew, Jesus said something very interesting about John the Baptist. He said John the Baptist was a great man, but the man who is at least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is at what Jesus meant was that John is not as great as the least is because John was not really in the kingdom of heaven the realm of the kingdom of heaven. He lived too early for that. Jesus is saying that day, he who is least in the kingdom is really greater than John the Baptist. Christ is talking about greater privileges, greater privileges, and I think he has the same idea in mind here, as we shall see in a moment what he saying is, is that those who believe in me after I go to the father and the Holy Spirit descends upon my followers. They will do greater works than I through the proclamation of the gospel throughout the whole world there's going to be something that is greater that takes place in the realm of the spirit during the era of the spirit which I am about to inaugurate.

There is something more wonderful.

That is going to take place during that period of time. Even than what I am doing well. I am here on earth. Why do I say that when you think of the greater works you realize first of all, that the spread of the gospel throughout the world by the followers of Jesus is greater.

First of all, in kind, in kind, is much greater. To have lives transformed by the power of God.

It is much greater.

To have the gospel of Jesus Christ go out then the physical healings that took place in the New Testament times, the sea of Galilee will rage again after Jesus stopped it. The skin of the leper that was made whole will become wrinkled within time and that leper will die.

How much more wonderful is the salvation of souls. FB Meyer says the pain from which the word of Jesus saves us is greater than a disease could ever inflict the soul is greater than the body as the jewel than the casket. All work. Therefore, which produces as great an effect upon the soul life as the miracles on the physical life must be proportionately greater as the tenant is greater than the house and the immortal is greater than the mortal. Let me ask you a question.

Let's just bring it down to where you live and where you're sitting today, what would you rather do be physically healed and Debbie lost forever or be spiritually healed to be converted, and dwell with God in heaven forever will I think we'd all say yes I'd like number two miracle number two rather than miracle number one last week I was speaking in New Orleans, I discovered that down there. They call it New Orleans and at the CBA convention and also participating in the morning. The service was Johnny Erickson, Todd and I remember the story of how she told she was in Jerusalem and she came to the pool of Bethesda and how wonderful it was to be there because for years she had hoped that she would be healed at that pool.

She's a quadriplegic, or rather should be healed like that that crippled man was under the ministry of Jesus.

She said, but now she finally came to the pool. She said she thanked God that she had never been healed physically, as though she so desired. It in those early years of her disability because she said the work that God did in my heart.

As a result of my sickness and my disability was greater than the work that he would have done if you have healed me like he did that man so many centuries ago. There is something within the heart that is a greater miracle so preaching the gospel back miracle is greater in kind, may I say that it is also greater in extent when Jesus was on earth he was limited really to a few square miles, comparatively speaking to the land of Israel is maybe only about 80 or 90 miles long and 40 miles wide and the entire ministry of Jesus was limited to that area you think today of missionaries who have gone to Asia and throughout Europe and really throughout the world.

So today even as we meet here in Chicago.

Congregations are meeting in all the places of the world at least a few people are meeting to give praise to Jesus because of the miracle of the gospel. Jesus spoke only Aramaic I was the only language that he spoke today the gospel goes out in the many different languages of the world. And thanks to Wycliffe Bible translators and thanks to our missionaries. I was in of languages now have the Bible translated and thousands of different people have come to know Christ from all the different languages of the world Inc. of how the ministry of Christ is been multiplied through his people. Jesus spoke without a PA system, I can't help but believe that when he was speaking to 5000 or 8000 or 10,000 on the seas of Galilee hundreds and maybe thousands could not get all of the words that he spoke because it dissipated in the air today because of PA systems and because of radio and because a television we we go throughout the world.

Now remember when Jesus made this statement. Notice that he said because I go to the father elsewhere. He said it is good for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter cannot come unto you, but when I send him to you.

He will be with you, but then he will be in you and Jesus has multiplied himself millions of times over in the lives of his followers.

Those who believe in me will do greater works so we have a marvelous, marvelous promise, Mary.

I say that we also have in addition to the greater works. We do have this great promise, and I'm looking at verse 13 he who believes in me, the works that I do will he do also. He will do greater works because I go to the father.

Verse 13 and I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it. We struggle with promises like that don't way because we both struggled with unanswered prayer. It sounds as if it's a carte blanche, ask whatever you want to ask if you ask for $50,000 a year job. Make it 150 make it a million, then if they ask for whatever you like. You fill it in and God will do it.

We know that that can't be the case because we all know that we've asked things that would not receive some people say that this applied only to the apostles because interestingly, the apostle Paul did not make such blanket statements about prayer. Remember, he said, offer your prayer to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. He said what you'll receive is not necessarily the answer to your prayer what you will receive is peace, but I think even within the context of Christ words, there are limitations that are clear. First of all, he says if you ask anything in my name I will do it to ask in the name of Christ means that we ask. Consistent with the character and the desires of because he doesn't lend his name to everyone you can't say that you've just tagged on the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer and therefore you can expect a request. Remember in the book of acts, the sons of Skiba were able to cast out or they wanted to cast out demons like the apostle Paul and they said were going to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons and they began to use the name of Jesus and some demons came in and ripped her clothes off and they fled naked because the demon said Paul we know in Jesus we know, but who in the world are you that I asked, parenthetically, do you think that your name is known in the spirit world, but they learn something. It's not just tagging the name of Jesus onto a prayer that makes it powerful and that asks God to answer it, it means that we asked consistent with the character and the desire of Jesus often. I've been asked to lend my name to certain organizations and I still do that from time to time, but I'm more careful than I used to be because one time a man came to me was well known and he was beginning this organization and he asked whether or not I could have my name on his letterhead and I said yes and then I I learned later that his organization was going in an entirely different direction, which is quite contrary to where I was at. So I asked that my name be removed and the very same way to come in the name of Jesus means that we, understanding his will, his desires FB Meyer said, let the living water which is descended from the eternal city return back to its source through the channel of your heart. You are really praying the will and the plans of God. So the first limitation as we ask in his name. The second is that we ask that the father may be glorified in the son. That means that we come now, not with our own agendas.

But we come with God's agenda and we don't use prayer simply to say Lord I'm in difficulty please get me out, though, it's fine to pray prayers like that in God often hears the prayers of those who are troubled, but at the end of the day what we say is Lord, I want to give to you.

I want to sit to you and I want the father to be glorified in the son. In fact, I desire that he be glorified more than I desire that my personal request to be answered is that burning desire to see the glory of God. You know my friend. It has well been said that in except there is peace there times as we come before the Lord.

We discovered that our prayers aren't answered.

The way in which we wish they were, but God is there and he grants us grace. You know, in the upper room Jesus Christ was preparing the disciples for his death but as all of us know after his death. Thankfully there was a resurrection and soon we're going to be celebrating Easter reminding ourselves of the triumph of Jesus Christ. And even though things were very dark during the time of the crucifixion light dawned at the resurrection.

I've written a book entitled prepare your heart for an uncertain future final words of warning and comfort from Jesus to his followers. I believe that this book will prepare your heart.

Of course for trials. Yes, but also as a reminder that Easter is coming, the resurrection will soon be celebrated by all of us for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours.

You can go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 prepare your own heart for resurrection Sunday.

Thanks in advance for helping us again that contact info to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book. Prepare your heart for an uncertain future final words of warning and comfort from Jesus to his followers. It's time again for you to ask Pastor lutes or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. What do you do when you believe you are forgiven, but you feel very unforgiving. Tim from Indiana writes, thank you for writing the book on how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God because of the sinful lifestyle.

I previously led. I cannot come to terms with my salvation, and oh what I wouldn't give for internal peace. I know the Scripture concerning forgiveness and I've acknowledged my sin and confessed it to my wife, and counseled with two pastors at my church and still my inner self is tossed about with these solemn warnings from the Bible. My problem is that I just have this internal despair that I've sinned too much, though I know all the promises from the Bible. Oh, Tim. It is so important for you a thank you first a bowl for going to your pastors and receiving counsel from them, because during this time you really do need their help.

You need their encouragement they need to take it to the promises, but you need to stand on those promises and you need to affirm that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son cleanses us from all sin. Seems to me that Satan is doing a number on you. Remember, the Bible says that he accuses the saints all night and all day and he loves those accusations because as long as you are being accused by your conscience.

You Live a life of joy and of faith. Let me give you an illustration that has helped many people in your predicament.

Let us suppose that we had two roads and that one of them was very well-traveled.

It was very neat, but the other road was not well-traveled.

It seems as if the travelers have gone into the ditch. Their deep ruts and mud done. It looks ugly but then let us suppose the 2 feet of snow were to come in to cover both roads at that point, you couldn't tell the difference.

Could you the Bible says come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Remember my friend that the blood of Jesus Christ. The snow if you will can cover your messy trail just as well, as it can cover the trail of the person next to you. You need to affirm that and to say with confidence and faith. I stand forgiven. Go in that strength. Thank you Tim for opening your heart to us.

Thank you Pastor lutes or for your words of counsel if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago 960614 in the upper room discourse. Jesus seems to indicate that whatever we request. We can have what are the conditions I'm getting answers to prayer is that all tied somehow to healthfully. We believe next time I'm running to win more from John chapter 14 and a look at what Jesus meant when he said, whatever you ask in my name, that will I do. Thanks for listening today for Dr. Erwin lutes or this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the church