Truth For Life

Alistair Begg: The New Testament documents many amazing, supernatural miracles that Jesus performed. So, what did he mean when he said that His followers would do the works He did and greater works than these?

We'll find out today on Truth For Life as Alistair Begg takes us to John chapter 14.

Alistair Begg: Truly, truly, Jesus says, “I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

I think it's fair to say that this is not the easiest of texts. In fact, of all the truly, trulys, so far, this might be the most demanding. Certainly, it's been the most demanding this week.

And the reason for that is because this text, these words, are so often misunderstood or misapplied. It's not uncommon to hear people say fairly outlandish things as apparently from these verses.

For example, is Jesus in this brief passage teaching that whoever believes in him has miracle-working powers? Is praying in Jesus’ name a magical phrase? A kind of incantation that then guarantees that we will receive whatever it is we want, whether health, money, or prosperity?

Now, there are more questions that are immediately raised, but these are uppermost in my mind and I thought perhaps it would occur to you as well. It is imperative that when we come to something that is a small piece of a large puzzle, that we do not unearth the statement from its context.

And we have tried to teach each other that the context of the Bible is the story of salvation, the work of God from all of eternity to put together a people that are His very own. And that that is what God is doing in the world. He is building a people for Himself. And so, it's important that we understand that. We understand that the intention of the writer of the Gospel of John is that people would view the signs and works and words of Jesus and find that in them there is the cause to believe in Jesus as the one He proclaims Himself to be, the Messiah of God, and that by believing to have life in His name.

Jesus is addressing this in the context of the closing hours of His life. He has gathered with His disciples. We learned in the twelfth chapter that Jesus Himself was troubled. “My soul is troubled now. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?” “But for this purpose, I have come to this hour.”

His soul is troubled, and yet His concern is for them. He knows that they need to know that His absence will actually be beneficial, that His going will open up new vistas to them, terrain that they've never really experienced before, privileges that are granted to them, responsibilities that are entrusted to them. And in all of that, they want, He needs to let them know that He will not leave them as orphans.

Now, as I was studying this week, I said, how is there, was there ever a kinder person in all of humanity than Jesus? Was there ever a kinder shepherd? We've been introduced to Him as the good shepherd, the one who gives us life for the sheep. The sheep are a mixture of personalities and styles and agendas and so on. And yet, as we've already seen, it says that Jesus loved them and He loved them right to the end. He loved them despite the fact that He was aware of the betrayal. Despite the fact that He knew that one would deny Him. Despite their doubts, despite their misunderstandings, He loved them.

He was kind.

When Paul is encouraging Titus to encourage his congregation in relationship to the wonder of salvation, he says, “Remind them that it was one that when the kindness and loving goodness of God appeared that he saved them.” I reverse that. It reads, “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.”

And when Jesus taught, He explained that His kindness was then to be displayed in the kindness of those who were His followers.

“Love your enemies and do good and lend expecting nothing in return. And your reward will be great, and so you will be the sons of the Most High.”

How will people know that the church is filled with sons and daughters of the Most High?

“For He is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil. So be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

This is the one who is concerned for His followers. And the immediate context of the “truly, truly” statement is before you in the text. You need to know, He says, “That I don't think you should allow your hearts to be unsettled. Let not your hearts be troubled. Just believe in God, believe also in me.”

He says, “You need to know number one that I'm going to prepare a place for you.” “Number two, I'm going to come back for you.” “Number three, you actually know the way where I'm going, because I've already told you that I am going to the cross. I've told you on a number of occasions, whether you've really registered it or not, I don't know. But the fact of the matter is, you know that I'm going by way of the cross.”

And the reason He's doing all of this is because He wants them to understand that as they face the prospect of His death, they need to know that it will not be the end. That it won't be the end. That the whole story of Jesus and all that He's done is not going to come to a crashing halt.

Thomas, though, immediately puts up his hand. Says, “Lord, I'm going to speak for the group here. We do not know where you're going.” And how, how can we know the way?

Kindness. I mean, if you were the school teacher, you'd say, you know, “Sit at the back for a while.” In fact, “Sit at the back forever.”

We should be thankful though because that question from Thomas gave us one of the great verses of the New Testament. Verse six. Jesus replied, “I am the way and the truth and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through me.” It was Thomas's question, Thomas's investigation, that gave rise to that declaration from the lips of Jesus.

When you put 14:6 along with 3:16, you realize that the exclusive claims of Jesus are for everybody. That when Jesus says, “I am the only way for you to meet God, to know God.” That is an exclusive claim. But it is a claim which is extended to the vastness of the world, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but should have everlasting life.”

Those two things go together. The vastness of the reach of the Gospel and the exclusiveness of the claims of Jesus. But we shouldn't be unsettled by this, despite the fact that we live in a culture that has truth on a sliding scale. But those of you who are in science particularly, in engineering, building bridges, putting things together so that they won't topple, you're dealing in objective, verifiable data. You are dealing with angles that mean what they mean, uh, weight measures that mean what they mean. Those of you who are doing blood pressure, those of you who are the nurses, who are putting in those drips, you know that these things have to be done in an exact way, that there is a difference between the lower vessels of the heart and the upper vessels of the heart, that the double circulatory system works on a certain basis. It's not just haphazard. We all know that.

And yet when it comes to matters of spiritual things, we're tempted to believe the cry of the culture. Oh, there couldn't possibly be one way. There must only be many, many ways. Jesus says no.

In a matter of weeks, of course, when the Holy Spirit is poured out after Pentecost, uh, the people who are huddled away in prospect of Jesus' departure, who are somewhat disillusioned and fearful, they will be on the streets declaring this very thing. You can read it in the early chapters of Acts. Peter stands up and boldly, the one who has said, “I don't know who Jesus is,” is now on the street saying, “There is salvation in no one else, no other name under heaven, given among men by which anybody could possibly be saved.”

Well, so, He's now discovered by that time, of course, just what Jesus is explaining here. But we're not there yet, we're still here. And not only is Thomas having a hard time, but Philip. You could argue he takes it up a notch. Jesus has said, “From now on, you do know the Father, and you have seen Him. You have seen Him.”

The Philip says, “Excuse me, could you show us the Father? That would be enough for us.”

Jesus said, “Have I been so long with you and still you do not know me, Philip?” Staggeringly, He says, “The words that I speak are actually not just my words. They are the words that the Father has given me to speak. I say what the Father told me to say.” And the union within the Trinity is a mystical and a miraculous union. And so, the fact of the interrelationship between the Son and the Father that is as close as this, does not remove the reality of the fact that they are yet two distinct persons.

And what we're really discovering is that Jesus is explaining that His words are God's words and God's works are brought about by the words of Jesus. That's why Jesus on one occasion says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” That's why I say to you all the time. The real question is, do you hear His voice? Do you hear His voice? The voice of a mere man, articulate or inarticulate, is still the voice of a mere man.

Putting sentences together in a way that is cogent and understandable, that may be processed in our minds, is not the same as necessarily as hearing Jesus speak. Jesus' words perform God's works. What is the great work of God? Salvation. How then do people come to saving faith? Through the words of Jesus, doing the works of God. When we began in chapter one, we realized, “No one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the Father's side has made Him known.” Now, with all of that, by way of context.

Now come to truly, truly. “Truly, truly, I say to you, in solemn truth, let me tell you,” says Jesus, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and anyone who trusts in me will do greater works.”

Okay. Now, if Jesus means by that supernatural acts which accompanied His ministry, walking on water, calming the sea, feeding thousands with a small lunch, raising the dead. If that is what Jesus is referring to here, and to quote my friend, Ronnie Collier, we are forced to admit that this is a promise which remains unfulfilled.

Read church history. And we know that no one in church history, and certainly no one in the realm of our personal experience, has commanded the elements, confronted the critics, walked on the water, and healed the sick with a word.

Fair? Have you been with anyone who raised the dead? You might have slid in the bath, but that's not the same as walking on water. No, we haven't. So then what does He mean? What can this possibly mean? If that's not the way to understand it, then what in the world are we to expect in doing greater works than these? Because that's what He says. They, “Anyone who trusts in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do.”

Now, even when you read through the church, the early church in the Acts of the Apostles, it's clear that although they had what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 12 as signs and wonders, which were foundational to the church and which were evidences of their peculiar apostolic function. Even though you have that, even though that is there, when you read it, you realize that none of them or all of them together never, ever performed more spectacular miracles than Jesus had done. None of them did.

So what does He mean, “Truly, truly, anyone who trusts in me”? This is not a particular group. This is not a special crack troops, as it were. No, anyone who trusts in me.

A promise to anyone.

Now, when we have studied John, we've said again and again that John is saying, “When you read through this Gospel and you see the signs that Jesus has done, the purpose in including these signs is in order that they might lead you to believe in Jesus as the Messiah of God and that in believing Him, that your life might be changed and transformed, that you might become members of His family, that you might be those who believe in His name and receive Him and become the children of God. That's what all of this is doing,” He says.

So when we read through the Gospel and we see the signs and works that Jesus is doing, they are pointing to the work that He has come to do. The great work of salvation. In fact, there is no greater work than the work of regeneration. Because the work of regeneration is not, as some people would like to think, a sort of side step from one degree of interest in spiritual things to another or whatever it might be. No, this is dead people being made alive.

There's no greater work than that.

Now, when you think about what then unfolds in the pouring out of the Spirit, that message of salvation was conveyed, arguably, and was about to be conveyed, arguably, in a greater way. You will do what I do. Well, He was going to accomplish salvation, they were going to convey the message of salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit. You will do that.

And off they go, and they do it. Version number one. Peter proclaims the news of Jesus as a living Lord and Savior, and 3,000 people turn to Christ.

That is more people than ever that we know ever responded to the ministry of Jesus in three years of earthly ministry. Greater.

Jesus' ministry existed in a relatively small area. A very small area. The ministry of the church is not in a small area. Remember, before He leaves them, He says, “All power, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, and I want you to go, not up the street just, but I want you to go to the whole world.” And so, beginning in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria to the ends of the earth.

Greater.

You see, His humanness was restricting, wasn't it? He could only be one place at one time. He could only speak to the group within His hearing. And now He says, “You're going to go to the nations of the world.” And that's why when Luke begins his second volume in the Acts of the Apostles, He says, “You know, I wrote my first book and and that dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” We have that, the Gospel records. All that Jesus began to do and teach, “Until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen.” What were those commands? What I just mentioned. I want you to go to the whole world with the news of the Gospel.

And so, the distinction here in verse 12, the works that He does and the works that they will do, is not actually a distinction between the works of Jesus and the works of all who trust in Jesus. But it is the distinction between the works that Jesus performed during the days of His flesh and the works that He will then continue to perform through His disciples after His death and His exaltation. Because He will no longer be limited by His pre-death humanness.

Now, I don't know if you're tracking with me. I I I hope you are. But the great work of Jesus, Yeshua, the Savior, the Redeemer, the one who sets people free. that that is that is the great work. That is the great work.

It's being translated from death to life. It is being moved from the broad road that leads to destruction to the road that leads to life through a narrow gate of entry, namely Jesus.

But let's just allow this notion to set in our minds. This is how Paul addresses the Ephesians about the miraculous work of God. This is what he says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you walked.” That's the first issue, you see. People do not believe they're dead.

They don't believe they're dead. Humanity is the walking dead. “I am come that you might have life.” He speaks to the walking dead. And so, He writes to these people that live in Ephesus, who've had a varied background. He says, “You were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked. You followed the course of the world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that's now at work in the sons of disobedience. And we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind. Some may have greater expressions of it than others, but we were all in the same predicament. We were by nature children of wrath. The wrath of God is released from heaven against all the wickedness and ungodliness of men.” That's comprehensive. There's no way out of that program. And there is only one solution to the program.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved.”

That's what He means. That's what He means. Only God can do that. That is the great work. It is the work of God, entrusted to the people of God. You, me, anyone who trusts in Christ. It is opportune for those who are recipients of God's kindness to live, learn, and share that kindness with others so that they too might be members of His family. It's a call to the church. A call to the church. Let us not miss the call.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg. Who are we, really? The identity crisis that's so common in our world makes it difficult for many people to answer this question. The Apostle Paul, however, had no doubt about who he was or what it means to be a Christian. As you read through Paul's New Testament letters, you'll find that he often refers to himself as a man in Christ. In fact, he uses some variant of the term in Christ more than eighty times throughout his letters.

But what does this phrase really mean? That's what Sinclair Ferguson explores in his book, *Union with Christ, The Blessings of Being in Him*. He examines key passages of Scripture to explain how this new identity reshapes every aspect of a believer's life. Ask for your copy of the book *Union with Christ* today when you donate at TruthForLife.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884.

I'm Bob Lepine. When Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,” was He guaranteeing we can have whatever we want? We'll think that through together tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth For Life.

Alistair Begg: Where the learning is for living.